I had hope there for a couple of days that we might exit January and go straight into spring. But it is Wisconsin, and reality has intruded in the form of another winter storm. So February comes all wrapped in white, dipped into the freezer. And we carry on with business as usual.
Business as usual means keeping up with the latest shenanigans being foisted upon the public at large. Our cover story, "Pregnant? Scared" by news editor Judith Davidoff, reports on investigations into crisis pregnancy centers of various stripes. Though sometimes offering aid to young women facing the prospect of an unwanted pregnancy, these centers often veer into anti-abortion advocacy and deliver false and misleading information to these vulnerable individuals. Some first-person background was provided by National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) volunteers who visited the centers.
Contributor Ruth Conniff pens the "Opinion" column this week on a related topic: the penchant for politicians, mainly male, to mount a regressive assault on women's' rights. It's not an exaggeration to say that the Republican campaigns, both in the primary and last fall's general election, exhibited attitudes toward women that were decades behind the prevailing assumptions of women's status held by the public at large. At times the utterances of various candidates were utterly stupefying.
Business as usual at Isthmus also includes keeping a close eye on Madison's entertainment options. A&E editor Jessica Steinhoff previews a lengthy list of musical acts that will be visiting us from February through April. One of the palliatives to the rigors of the Wisconsin winter is the fine lineup of touring talent that enlivens our indoor confinement. Here's hoping patrons won't still be trudging through the drifts to catch the Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Stoughton Opera House on April 26.
