Restoring Tally

viewsfromamommy:

I’ve posted a few times about my carding and I thought this would be good info to have! First an article about what carding actually is and then after the do’s and don’ts

Let’s talk “carding”. It is as real as it gets when talking about real-life activism. Something you can do to spread awareness and help save lives, and still be discreet if that suits you better, or come up to people and talk to them while handing them your cards. You choose what works for you.

Here you can find most of what you need to know about carding:
“Carding includes wide assortment of baby, child and family health information – breastfeeding, babywearing, baby sleep, gentle parenting and discipline, informed vaccination, car seat safety, circumcision and intact information, among others. Intact information cards, specifically, are geared toward diverse demographics to meet people where they are in their genital autonomy journey.”

You can purchase your cards if that is something that would work for you better. One of the examples of what is available out there is over at Saving Our Sons.

You can print your own at such printing sites as VistaPrint.com (I use it myself so suggesting it, they have regular promotions and the quality is amazing) All you need to do is choose any template for a business card (I go for something baby boy themed), add your text and order your cards. It is not really difficult and if you are buying in bulk (500 and more) then with good promotion codes it comes down to only a few cents per card.

You can print your own pamphlets at home on your printer. Nothing stops you from starting right now. Good place to look for available printable materials is at Intact Network.

Just look for Printables and click on the links to choose your preferred advocacy materials.

Here are some good examples to consider:

http://www.nocirc.org/publish/3pam.pdf

http://www.coloradonocirc.org/files/handouts/Circumcision_and_the_Foreskin.pdf

http://www.intactamerica.org/sites/default/files/Infant_Circumcision_Information_Flyer.pdf

Good luck and be careful, it is extremely addictive!

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When I became an intactivist I learned about “carding“. I jumped at the opportunity to start spreading the message and ordered my first cards. I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning, learned from them and now present the Dos and Don’ts of carding, to make your life easier.

1) DON’T card like a maniac leaving too many cards on store shelves and in other open places. They are easier to spot, yes, but they are also easier to remove when employees discover them. Your cards will go to waste, won’t reach their potential reader, and will make the store people mad. Not what the goal is here.

DO put cards inside the merchandise instead. Pregnancy books, newborn baby items, maternity clothes, etc. work perfectly and are guaranteed to reach that expectant parent you are targeting. You cards are not wasted and no one gets mad when they are discovered, because they won’t. Hopefully.

2) If you are using stickers DON’T place them on walls, doors, mirrors and other items, that would be considered vandalism. Destroying property is not something you want to do, people will get mad, again. I know people would get mad a lot when confronted with anti-circumcision messages, but the less frustration you cause them on their own territory, the better for the message.

DO put your stickers on your outgoing mail, as long as it is not meant for your grandma or your boss. Unless your grandma is an intactivist and your boss will not fire you for that. You can also place stickers on some items in stores that are packed in boxes and boxes will be thrown anyway once the item is taken out. These would be diaper packs and boxes, car-seat boxes, etc. You get the message.

3) If you are not comfortable carding and are afraid to get caught, know this. It is indeed something that the store owners won’t be happy about when they discover your cards. But as long as you are hiding them inside the items, and do not advertise that you are an intactivist and have a bag full of cards to unload, no one needs to know. Be careful, look around, don’t look nervous. Absolutely don’t. Store people smell fear and anxiety, just like dogs. Look cool, act cool, smile and wave, whatever it takes. I was extremely nervous in the beginning and could only leave a few cards at a time and run away. Over time I got more confident and even smile and chat with employees sometimes while having my cards in my hand behind my back. Once they move on I get back to my cards. The less suspicious you look, the less people will pay attention. But that is something that comes with practice.
Having kids also helps. No one would suspect a mom with a child or two who are spending a bit more time than needed in a specific section. I also shield myself with shopping carts my kids are sitting in. So far never got caught personally but here is something I learned the hard way.

MY BLOOPERS:

- I left too many cards in public restrooms at a local library and local big chain store, also openly on shelves, etc. and wrote my local page’s link on the back of the cards. BIG mistake. Cards got discovered, people got very unhappy, I got a few messages, even threats about calling the police. But no one knew it was me so that was fine. That is when I learned to be more discreet.

- I also put stickers on changing stations a few times, another mistake. People got mad again, I got angry emails. Same old, same old. I learned again. Also stopped putting any contact information that can lead back to me. Only write big sites on my cards now, nothing too local.

- I used to card a lot in the same section, like baby-wipes containers, for example. Learned at some point that my cards got discovered at a local Walmart and they have sent a team to check all containers and got rid of my cards. And that was a LOT of cards, such a waste. Nowadays I only card a few of the same item, even if my cards get discovered, oh well. Most likely these few items will be sold by then anyway. But this way I try to card various things in different sections. They can’t check the whole store, right?

legalizeforeskin:

About 4000 more signature need to reach 5000 needed to get an official response for a White House staffer.

The petition has almost 2000 signatures now. Three more weeks to reach 5000.

A news release from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about a study from the journal: Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

“Most uncircumcised MSM in this London survey were unwilling to participate in research on circumcision and HIV prevention,” the authors concluded. “Only a minority of uncircumcised men thought that there were benefits of circumcision. It is unlikely that circumcision would be a feasible strategy for HIV prevention among MSM in London.”

Few intact men have any desire to lose part of their sex organ by being circumcised. So why do we continue to cut babies?

This week two petitions were started at the Whitehouse page.

The right to petition our government is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Throughout our history, Americans have used petitions to organize around issues they care about from ending slavery, to guaranteeing women’s right to vote, to the civil rights movement.

The Whitehouse has set up a petition system that will bring the petition to the attention of the Whitehouse for an official response if the petition receives 5000 signatures within 30 days.

We petition the Obama administration to:

1. Ban non-therapeutic routine infant circumcision.
2. Amend the 1996 law banning female genital mutilation to include protection for males as well.

Go to the Whitehouse petition site. Sign up. Sign each of these petitions. Do it for all the unborn baby boys who may get circumcised if you do nothing.

The days, months, years and decades march on, and the macabre procedure of circumcision does not end.  How absurd that in an “enlightened society,” the madness goes on, and medically trained humans cut off healthy foreskins. Where are their principles?

How they can  violate the Hippocratic Oath, which essentially states that  “given an existing problem, it may be better not to do something, or even to do nothing, than to risk causing more harm than good.” It reminds all in the health field that they should consider the possible harm that any intervention might do. The Hippocratic Oath comes into play when discussing use of an intervention that carries an obvious risk of harm but a less certain chance of benefit.  More than 100 baby boys die annually as a result or trigged by circumcision. And it would be many more if circumcision were universal in the U.S.