Ken and Eric:
 
Apologies for sending out a message in the heat of anger.  The
moment I sent it, I thought perhaps I should have calmed down a bit.
 
Anyway, I should not have used quotation marks around the statement I
attributed to a White House representative since I was not the lobbyist
who made the call to the White House -- it was Mary Gereau, a long time,
well-known and highly respected spokeswoman for the National Woman's
Party.  However, I was fairly relating the statement as it was recounted
to me.  The White House spokesperson (and I do not have a name) named Newt
Gingrich as the person telling the White House not to make announcements
like the announcement of women's history month.  I must add, I was not led
to believe -- nor did I mean to imply -- that Gingrich specifically
forbade the announcement of women's history month.
 
Also, I definitely misused the term "official."  Mrs. Gereau was
definitely given the impression that this was the reason that would be
given for not recognizing Women's History Month this year.  However, the
statement was not issued in any official form.
 
Since my original message, I have calmed down somewhat.  However, given
that this is the 75th anniversary of the passage of the woman suffrage
amendment -- after an 80 year struggle by women -- I still find this
incredibly troubling.
 
I also still believe that anyone on this list who is also troubled should
contact the White House and ask President Clinton to please recognize the
importance of this year in the history of women in America.
 
Denise D. Meringolo
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian, Washington, DC