Six. Almost Seven..

Happy Olmstead Day :: Let's ROCK The NOEWAIT Petition..!

2009-06-22T09:20:00.016-05:00

You all were amazing this morning with how many signed on to the NOEWAIT Eliminate Waitlists for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities petition just a little bit ago.. Simply amazing..!

Please don't forget to keep forwarding it along wherever you can think to throughout the rest of the day as this is exactly the kind of subject matter that Lois Curtis, Elaine Wilson, and Sue Jamieson fought so hard for with respect to the Olmstead decision some ten years ago this week..

In Unity with Huge Cyber Hugs from Talking Rock..

FREE OUR PEOPLE..!!

Cindy Sue :)

Darren Couldn't Have Waited Just ONE MORE WEEK.. NOO..! :))

2008-10-26T15:47:00.013-05:00

Just one more week, Darren.. That's all I needed, Darren.. Just ONE MORE WEEK.. :grin:

So a funny thing happened on my way to Darren Rowse's latest Problogger post, Tell us about Your Blog in 140 Characters or Less.....

I got caught with my cyber britches all the way down around my ankles and sliding off one foot with the other not far behind..! :blush:

What has been happening is that I'm in the process of revamping EVERYTHING these Fingertips have ever been online.. Dust is flying EVERYWHERE, but only as fast as $9.95 a month dialup access allows..

Most recently, this blog, Six. Almost Seven.., had started to make the move over to Wordpress.com as wisp-o'-the-will.. Really neat colors I was able to draw on to quickly generate an impromptu header image: Bold black and red using the "Neo-Sapian" theme originally created for Wordpress by WPDesigner..

Scooby Doo farts, you ask..? As Studebaker over at Twitter.. My friends over there are an unbelievably eclectic intermingling of microbloggers I adore and whom have no idea I spend some wee bit of time living vicariously through when they're not looking.. :grin:

Back on the subject of the progressive move over to Wordpress.. Was an extremely difficult decision to make, but ultimately it came down to that I really don't like having to feel like I need to visit my site occasionally just to make sure it's still "safe and sound".. Silly, yeah, but I'm kind of partial to the concept of Freedom of Speech, you know..? :wink:

Well, it was the constant worrying about the stability of one's opinion remaining online combined with the ease, or lack thereof, of being able to successfully validate Six. Almost Seven.. in its current state.. Hard as I tried to keep up with it, the most well-formed I could get it was within something like 80+ errors, give or take, over at W3C.. :grimace:

So what happened with Wordpress.com, though, that sent the virtual dust specs flying everywhere yet again a few days ago was that scripts were getting scrubbed when I entered them.. A quick check of their FAQ revealed that there are a lot of things that don't work on the dot com site that do on some others, well, like Blogger, for example.. That's TOTALLY cool, just thank GOODNESS I learned the limitations this early on.. :phew, giggle:

That realization in hand, one super quick Internet search later brought me straight back to Wordpress, only this time it was over at their dot org version.. The "fun" still wasn't done yet, though..

Seems the completely free, downloadable, use-on-your-own-site version.....

Would NOT freaking download on this end to save my Life..!!!

Best as I can figure is that it might have something to do with that I'm using a really cheap, not p/c "inexpensive" but CHEAP, Internet service provider (ISP).. Caught on tape (translation: print screened for posterity) is the evidence: The file was downloading at 37 [bleeped] bites a second.. Chances are that either my ISP or the Wordpress server was timing me out because the download was taking so [double-bleeped] long..

A Wordpress forums tipster suggested a mirror over at Softpedia.. That proved to be the ticket.. Yeehaw..!

And that is where you find me now.. Cyber britches down at my ankles as I sit this second with Wordpress.org's offering finally downloaded and extracted, YAY, and waiting for me to figure out if yes, Virginia, GoDaddy will or will not accommodate it as an upload..

Stay tuned.. And thank you so much for caring enough to pop in and visit.. :grin:

Cyber Hugs with warmest wishes of Peace and Love from the foothills of North Georgia..

P.S. Hm. Seems my ramen noodles were inadvertently posted elsewhere and never found their way home to roost.. In the spirit of the moment, the 140 characters or less version is:

One military B-1 bomber *approximately* equates to 1,538,461,538 single serving packages of ramen noodles, give or take a million or two..

Washington D.C. :: ADAPT Activists Set Up Operation DUH City For HUD..

2008-09-15T06:10:00.009-05:00

Straight from their own Fingertips and in Loving Unity from this Keyboard..

Washington, DC - At 5:00 AM, ADAPT activists took over the plaza in front of the massive headquarters of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). ADAPT quickly set up tents and other structures to house activists for the remainder of the action. The action's focus is all about the need for accessible, affordable, integrated housing.

ADAPT simultaneously launched a website for the action, nicknamed Operation DUH. The website can be viewed at www.duhcity.org . ADAPT's Housing Platform can be viewed at:

www.duhcity.org/press/DUHPlatform.pdf

To make this action as effective as possible, ADAPT needs your help! Contact your Congress person and tell the to endorse ADAPT's Housing platform! Let them know that people with disabilities face a housing crisis that forces hundreds of thousands into institutions or other dangerous living conditions. Tell them to meet with ADAPT at DUH City!

Also, contact the Presidential Campaigns! Tell Senator Obama and Senator McCain that they need to endorse ADAPT's housing platform and solve the housing crisis for people with disabilities.

Chris Hilderbrant
Rochester ADAPT

In reference to ADAPT's request for everyone to contact their Congress men and women, the following will help get you there:

United States Senators :: In addition to both listing all U.S. Senators on this webpage along with a couple of options for narrowing our searches, Senate.gov additionally provides a search engine with a state drop down list at the top righthand corner of each page..
Contact your U.S. State Representatives :: The U.S. House of Representatives website offers the aforementioned contact webpage along with this Member Listing by state.. They do not immediately appear to offer that same nifty quick reference search feature at the top of their own website.. They do, however, offer a clickable visual map of the United States which is a nice accessibility touch for those of us with cognitive disabilities..

Quickie Observation :: The Senate.gov website loaded fairly easily via my crappy Internet service provider.. The House.gov one, on the other hand, phew, not so much.. Need to work on that, Fellas.. People who don't have money Vote, too.. :wink:

United In Advocacy from Talking Rock..

Hurricane Andrew: 16 Years Ago This Past Weekend..

2008-08-26T08:49:00.006-05:00

For my closest friends who may be wondering..

Like these grown men, I, too, have been.. choked up the last few days:

Hurricane Andrew: 16 Years Ago Today..

Dave Game is quoted as saying, There is no way to tame nature's fury.

That one unbelievably conscious Reality is as much a hard part now as the continual loss since it brings with it the ever-present knowledge that any second, absolutely any blamed second again now, it could happen all over again.. And the thing is that I, for one, just plum do not have the energy it takes to make something to feed the Soul, let alone defend Life, limb, and property against another Andrew..

Comes as much as anything from having fallen through the cracks back then.. There were some well-meaning folks, but, by and large, it was so overwhelming for all of us at the time, survivors and rescuers alike, that falling through just.....

Just happened.. multiple times along the way..

Post-traumatic stress disorder..

PTSD..

With Hurricane Katrina so much more recently in Memory, please learn about it, what it is, what it looks like..

Compassionately understand it..

As you read about it, think hard on CBS' remembrance piece and visualize the grown men depicted as misting up this near two decades later since H. Andrew..

Now, think of the 500,000 give or take that Hurricane Katrina affected and put them in those same Shoes.. For them, the disaster they bore was just that much worse than what the guys at CBS are reacting to in near tears.. I know.. I was there.. And because I was there, when I heard over and over and over what happened during Katrina, I knew it was umpteen times that much worse..

Have lost track now, but back when we did The World Bank Group's Disabled and other Vulnerable People in Natural Disasters three week deal, a grand total of some $600,000 had been earmarked for the mental health care of the survivors.. Haven't much heard of anything along those lines since..

$1.20 a survivor..

Earlier today, hm, yesterday, was reading something from the Los Angeles Times entitled Denver protester focuses on Hurricane Katrina.. In it, they write about survivor Derrick Evans who is said to have hauled an old FEMA trailer from Gulfport, Mississippi, to the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado.. The impression he wished to make..?

Where did $129 billion for Gulf Coast Hurricane Recovery go?

Can someone somewhere please help him find out..? Venturing to make a wholly uneducated guess that he has many, many, many a day it's all he and/or those around him can do to simply just get up..

All it takes is just one person, even if it's just one stranger, who gives a damn and has some serious fact checking tools to go with.. That's all it would take to help him help pro-actively change the Lives of hundreds of thousands forever..

But don't take it away from him.. Please stand there beside him, instead..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

Happy Birthday, ADA :: Disability Rights Protestors Force Bush Admin Meeting..

2008-07-26T21:40:00.009-05:00

Another one of those Eleventh Hour kinds of deals where I've been pondering today being the 18th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA.. Beyond that I've noticed I received barely anything about it all week long even as my inbox swelled yet again by several more thousand, no topics off the top of my head seemed to be celebratory enough..... Either..

Ah, but then..

In late this evening comes something from a fellow advocate I've met out on one of our wonderful disability advocacy listservs on the Net.. This piece he forwarded to his own emailing list more than qualifies as speaking out on how strongly we, as a Community, feel about retaining and improving upon the basic Human Rights so many others take for granted each waking moment..

And speaking of incredible Unity, thank you so much to the wonderful disability advocates I know have been sharing still more information regarding the situation revolving around talk show personality Michael Savage taking disabilistic pot shots at children with autism.. I can only hope you all could feel the Love Vibes coming back in your direction from one very tired little Soul.. In the next day or so, I hope to be able to bring your shared information and opinions to the forefront here along with continuing to further connect the dots all across the World Wide Web as everyone strives so hard to preserve Dignity, Rights, and Respect for all persons with disabilities..

Peace, Hope, and Social Justice For Us All..

PRESS RELEASE
For more information:

Kelly Buckland (208) 869-4135
Shannon Jones (913) 486-4565
Brad Williams (518) 424-8121

Disability rights protestors force meeting with Bush Administration
WASHINGTON, DC (July 23, 2008)

Over 200 disability rights advocates from across the country protested outside the U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) located at Potomac Center Plaza.

The boisterous group chanted until the Assistant Secretary of OSERS [ 1 ], Tracy Justesen, came down and agreed to meet with a delegation from the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL). The NCIL delegation presented the membership's demands to the Assistant Secretary.
Specifically at issue is RSA's recent interpretation of the Rehabilitation Act and the negative impact it will have on the operation of Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs). Despite years of accepted operation, RSA has limited the scope of councils so that they function according to minimum statutory duties.

In Kansas, by advocating for public policy issues, we have increased the employment rate for people with disabilities by 20%, stated Shannon Jones of Topeka, Kansas. These types of advocacy efforts are being thwarted by RSA's narrow interpretation of SILCs duties. Once again, people with disabilities will be marginalized because of bureaucratic nonsense.

After meeting for more than an hour, RSA agreed to respond in writing to NCIL's demands. While NCIL looks forward to their response, they are concerned about how these restrictions will continue to impede policy related to people with disabilities.

Image Description: This post's image (above) depicts multiple NCIL advocate and self-advocates protesting.. Some are holding signs that say things like "Free Our People Now", "Let Our SILCs Be Free", and "Back Off Our SILCs Or Set Us Free".. Others nearby are visibly in the act of vocalizing.. One gentleman up front is actively using a blowhorn to lead the chants that have been described as occurring during this event earlier this past week..

The Hill Blog :: Rep. Mike Doyle: Savage Attack on Autism Is Unjustified..

2008-07-24T08:13:00.011-05:00

Yesterday's The Hill Blog contains an editorial by Rep. Mike Doyle on Michael Savage's recent disabilistic affront on persons with autism:

Savage Attack on Autism Is Unjustified; July 23rd, 2008

As Representative Doyle referenced, definitely have to say that there has been one sizable part of my Conscience playing with that Michael was undoubtedly expressing his Freedom of Speech when he verbally assaulted families with autism.. Then I just this second got to thinking yet again on a very recent documentable experience of my own..

Funny how that creature, Freedom of Speech works.. You rant abusively from one end of this country to the other, and sponsors will beat down your front door to pay you millions of dollars to continue to insult upon the dignities of minorities..

But.....

Try being some "nobody" from a little ol' town called, oh, let's play make-believe and call it, say, "Talking Rock"..

Now.. Fight tooth and nail every single day just to put a 10 cent package, make that an inflation-affected 20 cent package of ramen noodles on your dinner table at night...

Both publicly and privately, with those ramen noodles as fuel to drive your Fingertips along with the inspiration of your dearest Disability Community Friends and Mentors to provide the Wind beneath your Wings, boldly, pridefully advocate for the Rights, Access, and Inclusion of your extended family in one of the fewer places not so many would ever dare to dare to go.....

Then...

Try posting a respectful response to that same presidential candidate's piece where he speaks on FISA over at Huffington Post, and tell me what happens to your constitutionally ordained Freedom of Speech..

Here's a little Hint: Twitter.. Studebaker.. The Fourth of July.. Look, Ma, a Tweet..

Follow the bouncing birdie over to the 3,600+ other comments over there, and... Look, Ma.....

Wait. Dadgum dead air.....?????

Congratulations, you've just been censored. Can anyone say.....

Ryan Lizza..?

United In Advocacy from North Georgia..

NCDR :: Adds Voice To Growing Call For Savage Release Over Dissing Autism..

2008-07-21T06:16:00.010-05:00

Looks like the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR, alerts registration) has now added its own Voice to the growing numbers asking for the firing of radio talk show host, Michael Savage, over disabilistic remarks made last week towards persons with autism, namely children..

The thoughts being expressed by NCDR echo those previously expressed by the Autism Action Network along with other members of the Disability Community.. NCDR also took the step of associating what has occurred with its untimeliness of having happened so closely to the 18th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990..

If you would like to express how you feel about this latest very public show of disabilism towards persons with disabilities, the Autism Action Network provided a very lengthy list of Mr. Savage's talk show sponsors.. As you contact one or more of the resources provided, please remember that brief, to the point, polite, and respectful help better guarantee your Heartfelt Words will reach others in their entirety..

To those who have shared their thoughts, both here on the blog publicly and privately behind the scenes along with the growing swell across the Internet, thank you all so much for speaking out.. Each time you self-advocate for yourself or step up and advocate on behalf of others, someone you may not ever know well become that much stronger themselves just because of what you do..

Cyber hugs from North Georgia..

NEWS RELEASE

"Talk Radio Network Should Fire Michael Savage," Says Disability Rights Coalition: Hate Speech Unacceptable as 18th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act Nears

ADA Watch/National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR)
601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 900S
Washington, DC 20004

Media Contact: Jim Ward, Founder and President
202-415-4753
jimward@ncdr.org..

The leader of a national coalition of disability, civil rights and social justice organizations called on Talk Radio Network to fire talk radio host, Michael Savage for his hateful attacks on children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. Jim Ward, founder and president of ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR), stated:

ADA Watch/NCDR calls on Talk Radio Network to fire Michael Savage. As America prepares to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26th, people with disabilities, parents, family members, friends and advocates across the nation are outraged over Savage's latest attack on people with disabilities. His despicable assault on children with autism -- calling them "Frauds" and "Brats" -- is rightly being condemned as hateful and bigoted. But it is just the latest of Savage's numerous and painful attempts to demean and disenfranchise people with disabilities.

Savage has also used his bully-pulpit to declare that:

High levels of asthma impacting minority children was because the children got extra welfare if they were disabled. (July 2008)
The handicapped workers at the Phoenix Cafe would would drool and put dung in diners food. He made up names for the food on the menu, such as nutburger. (July 2002)
Members of the disability rights community are the Wheelchair Mafia.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the world's first civil rights law for people with disabilities, should be called the Lawyers Improvement Act.
His political opponents are degenerate slime bags with mental disorders and have a virus like leukemia.
When he was younger, he touched the hand of a midget [Dwarf], it really freaked him out and, since that episode, he doesn't like public places. (June 2004)
The autism lobby of devastated parents is just a scam to get more money.

Michael Alan Weiner, better known by his pseudonym Michael Savage, is a radio host, author, and political commentator. His nationally-syndicated talk show, The Savage Nation, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network. His radio show reaches more than 10 million listeners on 410 stations throughout the United States, ranking third in number of stations syndicated nationwide and third in nationwide audience behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights(NCDR) is a coalition of national, state and local disability, civil rights and social justice organizations united to protect and promote the human rights of children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. NCDR's Road To Freedom bus, launched on November 15, 2006, is still on the road and has traveled more than 40,000 miles promoting social justice and economic opportunity for people with disabilities. For more information, go to www.adawatch.org and www.roadtofreedom.org.

ADA Watch/NCDR encourages individuals and organizations to contact:

Talk Radio Network
P.O. Box 3755
Central Point, Oregon 97502
Phone: 541-664-8827
Fax: 541-664-6250

Other contact information for NCDR:

National Coalition for Disability Rights
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 300
Washington, District of Columbia 20004

Action Alert :: Talk Radio's Michael Savage Trashes Individuals With Autism..

2008-07-20T14:21:00.013-05:00

Within my computer capabilities, have not been able to hear this occur firsthand.. Curious to see if anyone else happened to hear it live..

The attached action alert lead, complete with sample message and multiple media sponsor contact resources, hit my inbox via the DisabilityParty Yahoo! group, by the way, in case anyone else is interested in joining.. :hint, hint, WINK:

Have an observation that came from (as always) trying to do a quick Internet search on it for verification before forwarding to you all.. One of the top new links on it already claims to be sporting an apology from Michael Savage.. When you get to the webpage, visitors instead find a print screen of a spoofed "404 Not Found" webpage..

Would be "cute" except..

Most Humbly, Most Respectfully From This Fingertips :: Through the use of over the top language of its own, the above referenced, otherwise creatively provided 404 Not Found piece dropped woefully, shamefully down to, if not nearly below the level of the very people reported to have horribly disrespected persons with disabilities.. Here's hoping it becomes but a miniscule drop in a million gallon bucket of pro-actively issued rebuttals in this particular instance of blatant disabilism perpetuated so publicly in our Nation's media..

United In Self-Advocacy Reflecting That Which We Ask Of Others..

From: 'Autism Action Network (RJK/HK)' kingavery@comcast.net..
Date: Jul 19, 2008 9:27 PM

Talk Radio's Michael Savage Trashes Individuals With Autism - Act Now To Show His Conduct Is Not Acceptable! Michael Savage Calls Children With Autism 'Brats' and Autism a 'Scam' Take Action!

Use the Autism Action Network to Tell Savage's Broadcasters and Sponsors What You Think of Savage and His Offensive Remarks

OFFENSIVE!

That's What We Call The Words of Trash Radio Host Michael Savage (t/n Michael Weiner)

Take Action Against Michael Savage's Remarks!

'Idiot' 'brat' 'moron'

These are just a few terms Savage used to describe children with Autism on his radio program. He went on to say autism, a lifelong debilitating disorder that leaves many children without the ability to speak and in constant pain, was a 'fraud' and a 'racket' perpetrated by inept parents.

Do not permit Savage's offensive statements to go unchallenged. Savage and his broadcasting syndicators must be held accountable for his hateful and ignorant tirade. Contact his sponsors and demand that they withdraw their support. Most reasonable people, and most for-profit corporations, do not want to be identified as oppressors of the disabled. Your words will have great impact and will make the choice clear for them.

To Hear Savage's offensive comments for yourself with some helpful commentary that puts him in his place, click on these links:

injectingsense.blogspot.com/2008/07/beyond-ignorance-beyond-offensive.html..

mediamatters.org/items/200807170005?f=h_top..

Send a message to Savage's broadcasters, syndicators and commercial sponsors (Use our messaging system to contact them but also fax and call them directly – where a web address email is indicated go to their web site):

Buckley Broadcasting/WOR Radio
General Phone Number: 212 642 4500
111 Broadway 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10006

Home Depot
public_relations@homedepot.com..
(770) 384-4646

Sears
Sears Public Relations And Communications
(847) 286-8371
Website Contact: searsmedia.com/tools/inquires/feedback.htm..

Radioshack
Media Relations
Riverfront Campus
Mail Stop #CF7-130_300
RadioShack Circle
Fort Worth, TX 76102-1964
Phone: (817) 415-3300
Fax: (817) 415-2585
E-mail: media.relations@RadioShack.com..

AFLAC
1-800-99-AFLAC (1-800-992-3522)
Laura Kane, 2nd Vice President External Relations Aflac Incorporated
1-706-596-3493
Mechell Clark, Media Relations Manager, 1-706-243-8004
Email: news@aflac.com..

Budweiser
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
One Busch Place
St. Louis, MO 63118
Website contact: contactus.anheuser-busch.com/contactus/email.asp..
1 800 DIAL BUD (1 800 342 5283)

Michael Savage
Email: michaelsavage@paulreveresociety.com..

Talk Radio Network
P.O. Box 3755
Central Point, Oregon 97502
Phone: 541-664-8827
Fax: 541-664-6250

The Savage Nation
The Paul Revere Society
150 Shoreline Hwy, Bldg E
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Fax: 415-339-9383

Here is a sample message you can use:

Dear Michael Savage Sponsor or Supporter:

We have learned that your company sponsors or supports Michael Savage's radio program.

On a recent program, he attacked children with autism, claiming that autism was a fraud and a scam. He went on to say:

I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is.

Savage also used offensive terms to describe autistic children, such as 'idiots', 'morons', and more.

We parents and family members of an individual with autism will not tolerate Savage's offensive and unacceptable conduct. We respectfully request that your company withdraws their advertising dollars from his programs and, if you broadcast or syndicate his radio show, that you dismiss him immediately.

Autism affects 1 in 150 children in the USA. Each of those children has a circle of family, friends and supporters who share the concerns of the child. We would say that there are likely 10 people for every child with autism who shares that child's concerns.

When you consider this request, please consider that as many as 1 in 15 Americans will be watching your decision and how you react will have a powerful impact on their opinion of your company.

We hope and trust that you will do the right thing.

Respectfully,

The Autism Action Network

HuffPo :: Obama Supporters Woo 18,000 New Citizens In L.A.

2008-07-14T13:41:00.018-05:00

Was reading Ryan Rivera's Huffington Post entry, Obama Supporters Woo 18,000 New Citizens In L.A. when it occurred to me yet again.....

Would that Presidential Candidates felt the same level of inspiration depicted as exuded in these types of stories towards reaching out to that demographic represented by those hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of persons with disabilities (PWDs) incarcerated away in long term care facilities (LTCs, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, yetc) across the United States..

Disability-focused countrywide registration initiatives, say, as a matter of fact, every day outreach of movements like the highly touted Vote For Change (VFC, also), have yet to see the Light of Day.. Such an initiative would entail going selflessly above and beyond by pro-actively accommodating individuals who absolutely are not able to otherwise logistically mobilize to the places the rest of their fellow citizens take for granted as available for the fulfillment of registration towards our Country's Right to Vote..

There are glorious exceptions to the Rule, but, overall and notoriously, going to LTCs is basically mandatory because long term care facilities do not go out of their way to register those within their walls.. Those facilities know that to actively gain identification for and encourage voter registration of those in their care would enable those same people with disabilities the opportunity to then Vote the line that ultimately empowers them to move inclusively out into Society.. After all, what motivation would there be to become involved in something that would move individuals away from the solitary confinement that continues to first and foremost serve to line the pockets of LTC administrations..

Yeah, to date, the simple inherent fact of the logistics of the ability of persons with disabilities in long term care facilities to access their own respective Right to Vote has not been publicized as being on any candidate's agenda in the same way articles similar to HuffPo's Obama Supporters Woo regularly share concerning other demographics, other minorities.. The aggressive registration of PWDs has, instead, consistently been avoided in progressive movement-based voter registration drives that profess to otherwise be reaching out to draw ALL individuals back into the democratic voting process..

Least anyone forget, oh, say, can you see the also likewise avoided, bypassed by association grander potential numbers that the goodwill gesture of a presidential candidate supporters woo'esque effort given towards institutionalized Lives would otherwise catch the eye of.....

These Fingertips are speaking most respectfully of those millions upon millions strong Americans with disabilities in the United States today..

Who, too, are watching every single move each political candidate makes then spreading heartfelt reactions like wildfire across the World Wide Web..

And who already do have in hand their voter registration card and who are this very moment priming themselves to Voice their Vote, too, come Tuesday, November 4, 2008..

Chevy Chasing off my soapbox now..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock.. :wink:

Want to get involved and help register the many, many individuals across the United States who, too, would like to exercise their own recognized Right to Vote..? Then please do check out the following resources through which will come the empowerment of those blazing paths before you:

Project Vote: A website set out to empower all wishing to exercise their right to vote.. If you do not find the information you seek in such places as their Voter Registration Guides and Surveys section, don't hesitate to give them a shoutout at 800-546-8683..
National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center: Once you have educated yourself with exactly what you need to know concerning legally registering individuals in your state, next, locate the state ombudsman responsible for your area.. Write all of their contact information down and keep it with you just in case you find yourself being denied entrance to a long term care facility..
State Protection and Advocacy Agencies (P&As): The HUD directory of United States disability protection and advocacy organizations is as good a place as any to grab the contact information for your state's centralized disability advocacy office.. Just for kicks, make sure you personally double-check the contact information provided for your respective state's office.. This can be done as simply as performing a quick Internet search to track down their online website where you should then be able to easily locate their (hopefully) prominently displayed, accessible contact data webpage..
ILRU's National Directory of Centers for Independent Living (USA): Coordination with likewise interested parties is one of the best ways to ensure the most effective use of time when it comes to advocacy undertakings, primarily just to prevent needless duplication of activities.. When it comes to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the rights of persons of all disabilities, there are few parties more interested than the independent living centers covering the counties across the United States.. Be well advised, though, that disability advocates historically do not endorse political candidates per se..

As important as anything else you might pack into your personal advocacy kit, don't forget to regularly repeat the following oft-heard mantra to help put that extra little umph in your voter registration drive efforts:

Feel The Power Of The Disability Vote..!

Huffington Post :: Can A Haircut Change Your Life..?

2008-06-24T13:32:00.007-05:00

Tried to leave this over at HuffPo, but it was umpteen words too long.. Imagine THAT, if you will.. :giggle:

That's cool, though.. This way I can dusty it up with a couple of related websites..

Yeah, in response to Liz Jones' Can A Haircut Change Your Life? (June 24, 2008 10:22 AM), these Fingertips (apparently overly) meandered.......

Glad I came in to visit out of curiosity.. Have contemplated Locks Of Love often, maybe even as to having my hair donated after my Time has come.. Unfortunately, this kid's most definitely a (bleach) bottle baby..

Used to be one of those that washed obsessively every day.. All I can say is :: DON'T TO DO THAT..!

My own has grown by leaps and bounds since the worst of my depression hit where the energy to wash it every day left.. Am lucky if it's washed once a week these days (whether it needs it or not).. In return, though, my hair now graciously tickles places it never dreamed of reaching in the past.. And that length comes in spite of the very best efforts of a determined one gallon Shop Vac one day last year..

Don't ask, I'd have to relive the experience that came this close to being one of the weirdest guffaw-inducing 9-1-1 calls on the Pickens County Sheriff's Department's daily blotter.. You know you've got a certain type of reputation when walking around the front yard looking for handtools with a Shop Vac attached to your head does not alert anyone that maybe, just maybe, something is slightly askew in your Life..

Life's Lesson Learned: Yes, Virginia, you can fully dismantle a vacuum cleaner attached to your head with one hand and in one afternoon if absolutely necessary.....

But I digress..

With respect to my hair's health, after years of running the gamut of expensive over-the-counter shampoos, conditioners, and treatments within that cycle of obsessiveness, today's staid, highly stress reducing regimen consists of:

Lander's 32 oz. Lavender 3-in-1 combo (shampoo, conditioner, body wash-aren't they all..?) :: ~$2.50
Suave conditioner 22 oz. :: ~$1.49
Family Dollar Store's Hair Detangler 10 oz. spritzer :: $1.00

Adore my hair stylist, Cindy over House Of Style in Ball Ground.. Just can't afford to see her as often as one would like..

Cindy does exactly as I ask, exactly, regardless of how she knows it will not be perfect to the professional standards she knows when I walk out her business' front door.. Instead, she's one of the few hairdressers I've known in this Life who RESPECTS that hair can be a person's Achilles' Heel..

Would LOVE to hear personally, firsthand, of more hair stylist-related non-profits.. Yup, non-profits that do nothing but serve by lopping off people's hair.. Professional attention to one's hair leads to a chain reaction of a better perceived personal image, more confidence, more likely to reach outside one's current state of affairs..

Here in Georgia, Hosea's Feed The Hungry and Homeless gets that part of the overall picture.. They offer haircuts as part of their service weekends to their local community..

Things are getting tougher and tougher, near literally by the hour.. Each day that passes, for some untold number of us out here in the real World, personal image becomes one of the very, very few things left to us by our Life's circumstances.. It does not make a bad place to start when actively offering others a hand up in our local communities..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

M.S. Bellows :: Late Term Abortions OK For When "Mentally Ill People Have Sex"..?

2008-06-16T10:50:00.017-05:00

Dear M.S. Bellows..

So sorry to do this from here, but I've tried multiple times to respond directly to you over there at your post on Huffington Post.. Even though I'm logged in, the webpage is flipping out.. Guessing it's some temporary technical glitch as the design continues to visually change before our very eyes these days..

An-EE-way.. So, ok, here my Mind is, quickly smoking through the comments section of that article when it comes across what, in your eyes, are some great talking points for making late term abortions acceptable.. Two of the three you highlighted as admissible were:

people get raped
postpubescent children get molested

So, where those are effective is that they successfully distract from the topic at hand because they are acts of violence towards vulnerable people.. Good call..

Still trying to mentally work through the third one.. Condoms.. Late term abortions for when condoms break..

Seriously..?

How about.....

Buy more expensive condoms..?

But then, oy, goodness, you just plum broke my Heart with your fourth item, broke it in a way almost not totally unlike the way it felt when I encountered that piece on Tom Cruise telling Jack Kevorkian how much he admires the doctor's assisted suicide and right to die work..

Yup, can still feel the pang.. You done broke my Heart when, intermingled among the two terrible occurrences of extreme violence mentioned above, one can find where you chose to also express that late term abortions are unobjectionable in instances where:

mentally ill people have sex

Number One: What an incredibly, absolutely flamingly, blatantly discriminatory statement.. Regardless of whatever your personal bias may be, persons with mental illness actually do have your basic civil rights under our Nation's laws.. The stereotype of yore towards PWMIs was once again perpetuated straight ahead seemingly forever forward through your very own Fingertips.. :pouted lip:

Number Two: The longer I think on it, by including when mentally ill people have sex in with the acts of violence mentioned as you have, you consciously wrote to feed on how some countable part of Society feels towards persons with mental illness.. Shame, shame, SHAME ON YOU.. :vigorously shaking naughty-naught finger:

Number Three: Maybe I've just missed this side of your usual commentary, but it feels so completely out of character for you.. Feels like I've just been stabbed in the back by a trusted confidante..

Number Four, Five, Six, ad infinitum: Coming soon.. Will have to find a way to drop a quick bug in my friends' ears so they can fill them in..

And thensome..

Sighing heavily in disappointment from Talking Rock..

Reference:

M.S. Bellows, Jr., McCain's Odd Townhall: Woos Clintonistas By Defending Rights Of The Unborn; The Huffington Post; Posted June 14, 2008 (06:26 PM EST)

Xinhuanet.com :: Tom Cruise Admires Jack Kevorkian's Work..?

2008-06-13T15:05:00.016-05:00

You know, you know, you know.. Back when Tom Cruise's couch jumping ordeal on Oprah's occurred, not to mention the Scientology angle, I didn't have much Internet online access, let alone a functional 'puter so I pretty much just had to leave it go..

The whole thing was frightening to ever so silently bear witness to, though, in that one imagines loyal fans following however he may lead just because of the magnetic draw he has on people.. Human Nature will be what it will be, and the desire of so many to be around celebrities regardless will, too..

But.. this..... shtuff that crossed these Fingertips today.. Oy, freaking vey..

To set it up, part of what comes into my inbox is regular searches on that dreadful phrase, "assisted suicide" along with "right to die".. Today's I happened to open in a timely manner.. Whoohoo.. This is what I found:

[Celebrity photog] diplomatically saved the day by explaining that Cruise really meant the doctor's campaign for the right to die and assisted suicide.

The very first thing that came to Mind as I read that teaser..? Oh, please, say this is not going to show Tom Cruise, with his record on mental health and Scientology already, somehow being referenced as interacting with or about Dr. Jack Kevorkian..?! Leaky pipes, be dogged.. This lead I had to follow..

Celebrity photog: Be nice, don't push, say 'please'
www.chinaview.cn; 2008-06-13 10:08:09

The rest of the blurb went something like.......

[Veteran celebrity photographer Patrick McMullan] tells the story of introducing assisted suicide advocate Jack "Doctor Death" Kervorkian to Tom Cruise at a party. According to McMullan, Cruise had no idea who the euthanasia advocate was, but didn't hold back with the enthusiasm.

I really love your work, he quotes Cruise as saying. And Dr Kervorkian looks at me like 'what'?

The photographer diplomatically saved the day by explaining that Cruise really meant the doctor's campaign for the right to die and assisted suicide.

Just break my Heart, why don't you.....

For so, so many years, Tom Cruise, because of the Old Time Rock And Roll scene in Risky Business, held a fond, fond memory spot in my Heart.. Not because of the adorableness of the scene and, well, YOU know, but because multiple times a day for years, I'd hear that song playing at the Whale Bowl as Tokitae and Makani "duked" it out as to who was the audience favorite..

As a (still) treasured Mockingbird once told me as we gazed out over the Flipper Lagoon, it was such a very magical place and time, those days out there.. Old Time Rock And Roll, by default, brought Tom right along with..

But now.......

Sheesh, golly, gee, Tommy.. Break my poor little Heart.....

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

The Hill Blog :: Sen. Mike Enzi: Those With Disabilities Need Better Jobs..

2008-06-12T02:30:00.012-05:00

My inbox has absolutely just been rocking the last few days.. Trying to call it quits for a bit then came this one about a bill introduced in Congress today, whoops, yesterday:

Those With Disabilities Need Better Jobs
Senator Mike Enzi (Wyoming), The Hill Blog, 2008-06-11

These programs [under the Randolph-Sheppard Act and the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act (JWOD)] are performing dismally and we must improve them. My main goal is to create more and better jobs for individuals with disabilities. This bill will allow greater flexibility and provide real job training so Americans with disabilities can develop marketable skills and knowledge to make meaningful career choices. It also restores accountability to these programs to make sure workers are no longer exploited. The bill specifically empowers a strong regulator to police both programs and protect workers.

Nice to know that, should one ever come across a program of this nature that is not doing right by its employees, there is a United States Senator out there precisely, actively interested in seeking accountability from the same..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

AJC :: Georgia Governor's mental health commission copied other state's materials..

2008-06-11T13:53:00.016-05:00

Alan Judd and Andy Miller's recanting of Georgia's ever evolving mental health care system story through their A Hidden Shame series just keeps getting better and better.......

Not.

Thanks to the editors who (once again) saw the Value to including the following in the weekday AJC emailing, the latest I've seen is today's entry about how the Georgia Governor's commission has now no less than plagiarized a few years old likeminded report from Michigan rather than dedicate more towards creating our own:

(Georgia) State's mental health report was mostly plagiarized: Gov.'s commission copied others' material

Alan Judd, Andy Miller; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Published on: 06/11/08

A new vision outlined for mental health care in Georgia last week isn't so new after all.

Large sections of a report by Gov. Sonny Perdue's mental health commission were lifted, often verbatim, from a Michigan study published in 2004 and from two other sources, a review by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found. The commission's report, released last week by the governor's office, credits none of the cloned material.

The report presents as its own work entire sentences, paragraphs and longer passages from other sources, with no more than superficial editing. It duplicates, with only two minor changes in wording, the values listed in the Michigan study. Seven of Georgia's eight key findings mirror Michigan's. Even Georgia's vision statement is appropriated from the Michigan report.

Sigh.......

Because of how ceaselessly exhausted I remain and how hard I know it is to keep going most days, a part of me is empathetic to what occurs in situations like this.. What I'm meaning is empathetic towards that days are only 24-hours long and Lives are crammed full to the hilt already trying just to possibly stay somewhere above the water line in this, our one and only shot at that thing called Life..

And like that which goes back to 2002 when the in-my-physical-presence handpicked advocate chosen for me by heads of the Highland River's Community Service Board THEMSELVES the day they publicly announced their slate was clean dropped off the face of the Earth on me regularly in an extremely desperate, by a spider's silk threadbare time of need for any kind of external advocacy assistance.. Every day that blip in time comes to Mind, I try to forgive by picturing she may walk in Shoes not so unlike my own..

Yup.. Some large part of me does "get" it in some part, much as it can be and remains Life-endangering to those who faithfully do as Society expects, too often dictates, and trustingly walk in those same very doors..

What me doesn't get is that those who could become even more empowered by involvement on any level sit day after day after day waiting to hear what tidbits they can from sources such as Alan and Andy.. Most aren't at that point where these fingertips are.. Those in particular could use the self-determination guaranteed by a phone call inviting their opinion on what occurred in each, their own separate case of mismanaged mental health care across the great state of Georgia..

Ego comes to Mind.. When Lives are endangered, there is no place on this Planet for Ego..

There's a reason I openly worship my relationship with the advocates and self-advocates that revolve around the awe-inspiring energies generating from disABILITY LINK, the center for independent living (CIL) down there on Commerce Drive in Decatur.. If they've got Ego, by gosh and golly, they've harnessed it to the hilt to drive positive actions of support and empowerment in all directions towards others, positive forward moving actions of advocacy that are literally saving Lives..

They nearly alone and without twice of thought saved mine..

My Heroes.

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

S'me Again, Vern :: Still Waiting For Non-Disciminatory Inclusion In VFC..

2008-06-05T15:41:00.005-05:00

Just 'cause a fella ain't heard from these Fingertips don't mean a particular bumblebee in my bonnet ain't being constructively followed through to an enlightened end that involves the 100% proactive INCLUSION of all my extended family members jailed away behind bars societally dubbed long term care..

Know what I mean, Jelly Bean..?

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock.. :ga-WINK:

Feds Say Georgia State Mental Hospital's Problems Caused Preventable Deaths

2008-06-05T07:38:00.007-05:00

Had been up since about 3:30am this morning just smoking along checking out the latest leads coming into my inbox along with siphoning out pertinent advocacy/self-advocacy related posts when I slammed wide open into the eternal brick wall that is Georgia's intolerable mental health care crisis:

State mental hospital's problems caused preventable deaths, feds say: Justice Department says conditions at Atlanta facility violate patients' constitutional rights
Alan Judd, Andy Miller; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 2008-06-04

It's already over at Digg.com if you're interested in helping bump it.. Because of the article's nature, it isn't the kind of story people might otherwise promote on average:

Digg.com: Feds: GA State mental hospital caused preventable deaths..

Because I'm going to post an open letter in a few seconds, the following are just a sampling of what was reported.......

In a blistering 65-page letter to Gov. Sonny Perdue, the U.S. Justice Department detailed "critically deficient" conditions at Georgia Regional Hospital/Atlanta. Investigators have inspected two other state hospitals, finding comparable problems, and plan to visit another next week.

Continually failing to address hospital fatalities and violence, the letter said, caused similar deaths to multiply and left patients vulnerable to sexual assaults and other attacks.

Citation #2.....

Federal investigators, the letter said, found that medical and nursing care substantially depart from generally accepted professional standards. They also determined that the hospital provides inadequate psychiatric treatment; uses seclusion and restraint, including sedatives, inappropriately; and fails to adequately protect its patients from harm.

Citation #3.....

We were already working on many of these [problems], Gwen Skinner, head of the state's mental health division, said Wednesday. Georgia Regional has increased its nursing staff, as well as the number of hours of patient treatment, she said. A commission appointed by Perdue to study the state's mental health system issued a report Wednesday documenting problems in hospital care, community psychiatric services and state funding.

And lastly.....

By tolerating a chronic shortage of nurses, the letter said, Georgia Regional routinely compromises patient care. The adolescent unit is highly dangerous, the letter said, quoting one staff member as saying patients would be safer outside the hospital and another who described continuing clinical chaos.

Like I said, just a couple of snippets, but they are snapshots of what has been repeated in some likeness and kind that as yet go unheeded over the last few years..

Having done as much of their own part as humanly possible over the last few years, these Fingertips simply do not understand what else, how many more destroyed Lives it's going to take before Change breaks upon the Horizon.......

United In Advocacy..

WSJ :: Parity For Mental Health Insurance..

2008-06-02T02:54:00.013-05:00

Noting another positive sign of the times at first guess, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) gives their take on Congress' progress towards passing improved employer-provided mental-health coverage (S. 558, H.R. 1424):

HEALTH COSTS: Parity for Mental Health
Jilian Mincer, Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2008

At first glance, I thought, "Oh, how, cool, mental health parity is getting some good play over at WSJ, just as they did for accessible home design so very recently.."

Then I read the article.. Sigh.......

Persons with mental illness (PWMIs) just can't seem to catch a societal break.. If what WSJ is reporting is true, yes, there will likely be mental health parity in health insurance provisions, BUT..

Premiums for everyone will rise..
Stigma levels against PWMIs theoretically could also rise in tandem instead of fall as they take the blame for the fallout from increased insurance deductions in worker paychecks..

Was this part that unfortunately made complete sense:

Congress also must decide how to fund the bill's cost. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the House bill would reduce federal tax revenues by $3.1 billion from 2008 through 2017 because the bill would result in higher premiums and, as a result, lower taxable wages.

Yeah, can't help but feel another eminent rise in the stigma against PWMIs as they will surely take the hit for something that just should have been modus operandi in the first place in a Land that professes Equality for All..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

Number One Thing NOT To Say To An Empowered Disability Self-Advocate..

2008-05-29T03:21:00.010-05:00

Do as I say..

Alternately :: Because I said so..............

You are most assuredly more than welcome to offer your opinion as to why you think something should occur a particular way.. Beyond that, though, you start seriously stepping on individual human and civil rights along with the dignity of the individual when you place a demand that another perform specifically as you say..

:raises left brow:

Least the above seem somehow trifling, please never discount that, in precisely the same manner that the ADA benefits all persons, the disability self-advocacy Voice likewise is among the leaders in the legions of those striving to empower all disenfranchised individuals, not just those with disabilities..

Indubitably. :wink:

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

The Calf Path..

And from that day, o'er hill and glade.
Through those old woods a path was made.

And many men wound in and out,
And dodged, and turned, and bent about;

And uttered words of righteous wrath,
Because 'twas such a crooked path.

But still they followed - do not laugh -
The first migrations of that calf.

~S.W. Foss

USF University of Law :: How The ADA Benefits People Without Disabilities..

2008-05-27T13:37:00.008-05:00

Found the following while surfing over around the Disability Law 2.0 blog a little bit ago.. As one of my cyber friends over at the ADA-Laws Yahoo! group said, this is something nice for a change:

Lashing Back at the ADA Backlash: How the Americans with Disabilities Act Benefits Americans Without Disabilities
TinyURL :: tinyurl.com/4hhb52..

This University of San Francisco - School of Law paper applies Professor Derrick Bell's interest convergence hypothesis to the disability context. It identifies that the ADA benefits nondisabled workers and challenges the notion that advancing equality for individuals with disabilities necessarily comes at the expense of the nondisabled workforce.

The above referenced webpage is "just" the abstract.. It also has a downloadable 65-page 300+ .pdf file that goes with.. The link to the article that immediately begins to download is at the bottom of that same page..

A(nother) new resource for me, the above article's hosting website is called Social Science Resource Network and is found at:

www.SSRN.com

For those playing over at Digg.com, I've got it dugg in the Business and Finance category..

Yeah....... Something nice.. Something that just feels supportive for a change..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

Universally Inclusive Communities :: One Size Fits All Political Rah-Rah Rhetoric..

2008-05-21T05:12:00.008-05:00

Enough with Bittergate.....

Enough with sweetie.....

Enough with separatist catch phrases like low class and Ordinary People..

And all the positive campaign rah-rah rhetoric in the World will only carry a fella, any fella, just so far in this Life..

If any political parties plan on remaining in the running for much longer, now is the time to start large scale, proactive, united discussions on how we are going to work together at the local community level across our entire Nation to develop universally inclusive programs like housing, employment, and transportation for everyone..

Likely very few communities anywhere that are healthy for long from within without these fundamental Societal Lifelines..

It's not like we don't already have centers for independent living (CILs) scattered throughout our country and possessions, employees and volunteers, alike, with their noses resolvedly to the proverbial grindstone formulating exemplary battle plans of actions towards the same even as the rest "rah"..

Yeah, I dream.......

A lot.

Surely, one of these days one of those Dreams is going to come true.. :wink:

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

Wakeup Call :: An Unknown Suicide Jumper On Atlanta's I-285 Spaghetti Junction..

2008-05-19T17:05:00.017-05:00

The words just won't come after having seen yet another news report of this nature:

I-285 West Reopens At Spaghetti Junction; Dekalb County, Georgia; Posted 4:47 pm EDT, Updated 5:22 pm EDT, May 19, 2008

Somehow unexplainedly to these Fingertips through the Tears, this, just the very latest this second of similar pieces echoing across our Country, symbolizes all that is wrong in our World..

Traveled over to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), to see what, if anything more, they had to add to WSBTV's short blurb, and things got just that much worse.. There, right below their own story of the Spaghetti Junction overpass suicide jumper, is a teaser for an article on.......

Taking tourist bus tours to view the destroyed Lives of others in the form of their foreclosed homes:

Bus tour gives people look at foreclosed houses; Kevin Duffy; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Published 05/19/08..

The white shuttle bus came to a stop and Damon Borozny joked to the passengers, "All right, time to scare the neighbors."

Borozny, a product manager for an office supply business, was helping lead a new kind of tour for Atlanta - the home foreclosure tour.

A dozen people paid $49, or $65 per couple, to spend five hours Sunday checking out other people's broken dreams and possibly find a deal.

One unfortunate set of people's Lives are being shattered forever because of endlessly skyrocketing food and fuel prices even as these other wonderful folks are trading humorous barbs over the same while carelessly rummaging where tiny feet of Hope, Love, and Joy once pitter-pattered.. Seeing that article couldn't help but bring back to Mind the similarly minded individuals who graciously provided anxious sightseeing tourists with bus tours immediately following Hurricane Katrina's deaths and devastation in New Orleans, Louisiana..

Our World just keeps sicker by the keystroke.. Predatory lending has now led to predatory sharks very publicly, visually sucking off the blood of permanently wounded homeowners..

For all we know, it was something precisely like this bloodsucking predatory entrepreneurship that was the last straw for the Spaghetti Junction suicide jumper.. Someone somewhere knows the History, the Truth behind what happened today.......

We have GOT to start coming together and support each other for everything we are..

Every Life was someone's Child once..

Every Life had a Chance once to be a productive member of our Society, of our local Communities..

Every Life has Value now in this, our Own one and only, if given a Hand back up towards that Chance..

It begins with Compassion, Human Compassion for another from deep down within our own Souls..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock........

In my Mind's Ear, listening to.......

Against all odds
Against the grain
Love finds a way
Some people change.
Thank God for those who make it
Let them be the light.
~Montgomery Gentry..

Dear Barack and Roy :: Straight jacket..? Not so much........

2008-05-15T04:35:00.007-05:00

Caught up with M.S. Bellows, Jr.,'s/Jr.'s (how does one punctuate that, anyway..?) latest, Former Clinton-Gore Campaign Chair: "This Race Is Over, Over.", over at Huffington Post just now.. Not sure quite what to think..

Yes, as the receiver of the endorsement, Barack Obama is not in full control of the comments appended to the why-fors of people choosing him over Hillary Clinton..

But.......

Straight jacket..?:

This nation is evolving. Colorado is one of those states you call a red state... [but] I don't think Colorado is the same state it was 20 years ago. I think we need to get out of the straight jacket, 'this is a red state, this is a blue state'.... We need a candidate who can appeal to the evolving nature of U.S. politics."

Oooh.. It just got that much better.. First time 'round, I got so hung up on just seeing "straight jacket" tossed about so nonchalantly, I missed that they're recognizing the World is indeed changing..

Most respectfully, word to your camps: Disabilism.. Using terminology like "straight jacket" when you (at least from here on out) know it is offensive to many because of the post-traumatic stress visions of in-hospital abuse and torture it invokes..

Won't go there here, but I can guarantee to you that, betweenst you and I, I'm sure that we could insert in its place something ethnic-based or sexist-based, and you'd suddenly take heed of the comparable pain induced to other sets of demographics.. Works exactly the same for people with disabilities..

They call it dadgum basic Human respect for and acknowledgment of the circumstances of another.. It's not hard to do if it is indeed who you genuinely are deep, deep, down inside.. And when you willingly put yourself out there in politics, it additionally becomes a permanent part of your job description..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

Blogging Against Disabilism :: Still Waiting.. ITMT, Edwards and Obama Schmooze..

2008-05-14T18:18:00.036-05:00

Before And After :: About These Images..

Immediately below are two printscreen snippets recently grabbed from the BarackObama.com website while disability self-advocates were asking for inclusion of disabilities under the website's "People" listing.. The lefthand snippet reflects where there was no general disability category under "People".. The righthand snippet was taken last Friday after Seth D. Harris, a member of the BarackObama.com website, shared with us that Disabilities now will indeed receive a demographic representation under the "People" listing.. Yay..!

Before I get started back up on my soapbox and so as not to seem woefully ungrateful, I would very much like to once again sincerely, publicly thank the Barack Obama campaign people for addressing the concerns of those of us who wrote repeatedly to them and about them having persons with disabilities (PWDs) listed for a long, long time only as "Issues", translation: "Problems", and not as "People".. It was the Number One first thing I know I noticed when initially patronizing their website:

Butterfly :: Funny how rhetoric can sidetrack a girl.. :)..

Success was broadcast this past Friday, May 9, 2008, in the form of emailed correspondence from a gentleman named Seth D. Harris and addressed to multiple BarackObama.com disability topicked groups stating that we were indeed now seen also as People First via the new addition of an "Americans With Disabilities" category within the "People" listings on the Obama presidential campaign's official website..

'Tis good the addition of AWDs for, until this very week, "Labor", "Environmentalists", and "Kids" were among all the other demographics and special interests of people visually holding value to the Obama campaign.. Value by association, or the lack thereof, is subliminally perceptual, through the action of addition and/or omissions to such a list.. Highlighting that "minor" detail had been a must-gots-to-do-soon on this kid's upcoming blog agenda as a matter of fact.. :wink, grin:

Now, about all those huge news stories breaking today about Senator John Edwards publicly announcing his political endorsement of Obama as the candidate to beat during the 2008 presidential elections:

Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) :: John Edwards decides to endorse Obama; Associated Press, Published 05/14/08
The Huffington Post :: John Edwards Endorsing Obama; Published May 14, 2008
Google Search :: edwards endorses obama..

All this flagrant media hyped grandstanding conspicuously reaching out to grab the attention of America's perceived "middle class" voters begs me to most respectfully inquire:

Whose hand is slated to be embraced to garner the confidence of the some 50+ million persons with disabilities across these, our United States..?

Embraced so passionately as to garner the confidence of PWDs such that they will never again feel the stigmatic pain of yet again being left out and behind, endlessly segregant even as others rally and celebrate.. in Unity.. just beyond the Disability Community's societal ordained reach..

With untold numbers of persons with disabilities in long term care (LTC) facilities (i.e. nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, et al[l]) to date silently left out in the cold with respect to the recent, albeit admirable, Vote For Change nationwide voter registration campaign, some, for lack of a better word this sec, "schmoozing" in their direction is seriously in order..

Too.......

To date, disability self-advocates have had to champion just to be recognized as People First and not purely issues or problems within certain political circles.. Fodder for another day is us having to then face abusive verbal retribution purportedly from fellow PWDs within that same camp for us even daring to negatively engage in such an action..

And now we see this.. Importance reaped once again on the almighty dollar as one representative of the Democratic political party, the party that notoriously appeals to those with threadbare pocketbooks, seeks to ostentatiously rope in the middle class vote.. Doing so presents the appearance of Choice, one of more monies over less, middle class over lower class, since some sizable number of the Disability voter base is living hand to mouth in the true sense of the old adage, if not literally living on the streets because of their Life-induced circumstances..

Yeah, not hard to tell these Fingertips are still a little bent about the Disability Vote not hitting the radar of the Vote For Change nationwide voter registration drive, well, not in my state, anyway.. I was told firsthand that, well, maybe next time, basically.. "Maybe next time" wearies on these Fingertips as still more people jailed away, incarcerated against their Wills in long term care centers across the country have died while we all wait to be included.......

Maybe next time.

The following quote was a huge part of what kills me about the Vote For Change campaign.. The Barack Obama presidential campaign's OWN correspondence regarding building steam for the voter registration drive last weekend boasted:

The goal of this campaign has always been to reach out to people of all races, ages, and backgrounds and bring them back into the political process.

Right now, there are thousands of qualified voters in every state who are not registered to vote -- and they need someone to help make their voices heard.

Yup. Some other time, kid.. Just not now when they're trying to stir up the most interest via their well-publicized Vote for Change voter registration drive kickoff event..

Voter rights for persons with disabilities in long term care centers..? Still not to be even when the push is on so hard to help enable that Right for EVERY single other one else.. The message remains loud and clear that the Disability Voice continues to be viewed as counting naught for squat..

Here's to bumping up each, our own voter registration efforts just to show them the genuine passion behind one of my favorite mantras:

Feel The Power of The Disability Vote..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock.. :wink:

Acronyms used in this piece.....

PWD :: person with a disability
AWDs :: Americans With Disabilities
AJC :: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LTC :: long term care
ITMT :: in the mean time

Definitions On The Fly :: "Every"..

2008-05-06T21:30:00.009-05:00

From Dictionary.com, in part, comes the following definition of "every":

adj. Constituting each and all members of a group without exception.

Stay tuned.......

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock.. :wink:

Blogging Against Disabilism v4.0139652 :: The Obama Campaign: Will They Will..?

2008-05-01T21:11:00.027-05:00

Turns out there may be something to be said for waiting until the 11th hour before submitting one's entry in the now annual Blogging Against Disabilism Day.. Between a(nother) bad battle with a bout of "depression" and my left hand progressively going 1/2 numb so as not to be able to feel the keyboard, I had instead spent the last couple of days toying with ideas..

Stalling.. Basically just stalling, waiting for just that one right idea to tickle these fingertips..

Namely at first, I had been looking, leaning a little more towards bearing a media bias slant.. The media's continued incessant use of persons with disabilities "suffering from" playing Tiddly Winks in my Head was the primary culprit..

Just now once again did an Internet search on "disability" and "suffering" together.. In the news.. In the last 24 hours.. Wholly an unscientific slice without going through each and every single webpage returned, but sufferin' succotash if there aren't 374 opportunities laying in wait..

Hm.

Then I thought..... eh, not so much..... how about..... let's compare disabilism returns, just the word "disabilism" versus "sexism" vs "racism", each also by themselves in the news (such as it is represented online) in the last 24 hours..

Sigh...

Sexism in the Google News search engine's eyes in the last 24 hours :: 2,781 returns..

Racism in the Google News search engine's eyes in the last 24 hours :: 14,074 returns..

Disabilism in the Google News search engine's eyes in the last 24 hours, nope.....

Wait, in the last week, perhaps..?

Nooooooo.....

Ok, I know..

In..... The last month.....

Drum roll, please.....

A great big heaping, bleeping grand total of One.

And it was an ad.. An honorable one, to be sure, but still "just" an advertisement..

Hats off to Scope in the United Kingdom for running their Guardian.co.uk website ad that was the only return in Google's News search engine and that made it there because it, in part, stated:

Scope is a national disability organisation whose focus is on people with cerebral palsy. Our mission is to drive the change to make our society the first where disabled people achieve full equality.

We campaign to banish disabilism and we deliver a wide range of services to support disabled people and their families in achieving choice and control over their lives.

Ahhhhhhh, but what of that post subject that so far has nothing to do with the above, the one that says, "THIS is why you wait until the absolutely unbearable last second sometimes..":

Will the Obama campaign camp or will they not.....

INCLUDE the untold feasibly hundreds upon hundreds of thousands in long term care facilities across the United States in their brand newly announced.....

Vote For Change voter registration and mobilization drive..?

The email correspondence that triggered my query was pumping up constituent support for the same, and, in part, states:

From the beginning, our goal has been to reach out to people of all races, ages, and backgrounds and bring them back into the political process. We must use the rare opportunity we have right now to bring people together and make this a better country for all Americans.

That's why I'm excited to announce a 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive we're calling Vote for Change.

Beginning with a nationwide kick-off on Saturday, May 10th, more than 100 Vote for Change events will take place in every state, organized by our dedicated volunteers who are leading this campaign for change in their own communities.

With each new arrival of the same this evening, I got more curious and finally took another timeout from the great hunt for acts of disabilism across the Net.. In opening the email and seeing the above, it occurred to me to ask of one individual forwarding it on a local list I've joined:

Do you know what their plans are for registering those who are in long term care facilities, i.e. nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, et al(l)..?

Wait, make that two individuals received the email from here and are now wholly aware, in one sentence or less, of where these fingertips now stand in their quest for genuine Change in our America..

Like I said.. Will the Obama campaign camp or will they.....

Not INCLUDE the untold numbers of persons with disabilities jailed away beyond their control in long term care facilities across the United States..?

To not do so upon announcing this incredibly grand gesture of registering every single American possible so they may enjoy their constitutionally given Right to Vote would be.....

DISABILISM on a scale beyond one's wildest imagination fathomable..

Only feedback from the inquisitive email I redirected to Info @ BarackObama.com, purportedly coming straight from Mrs. Michelle Obama's own inbox, will tell for sure..

And now.....

It's YOUR turn to ask her..

Too.......

~~Info @ BarackObama.com~~ Contact information correction: Online Contact Form..

Nothing about Us without All of Us..

Peace, Love, Liberty, and Social Justice For Us ALL..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock, Georgia, USA.. :wink:

Six. Almost Seven..

Happy Olmstead Day :: Let's *ROCK* The NOEWAIT Petition..!

Darren Couldn't Have Waited Just ONE MORE WEEK.. NOO..! :))

Washington D.C. :: ADAPT Activists Set Up Operation DUH City For HUD..

Hurricane Andrew: 16 Years Ago This Past Weekend..

Happy Birthday, ADA :: Disability Rights Protestors Force Bush Admin Meeting..

The Hill Blog :: Rep. Mike Doyle: Savage Attack on Autism Is Unjustified..

NCDR :: Adds Voice To Growing Call For Savage Release Over Dissing Autism..

Action Alert :: Talk Radio's Michael Savage Trashes Individuals With Autism..

HuffPo :: Obama Supporters Woo 18,000 New Citizens In L.A.

Huffington Post :: Can A Haircut Change Your Life..?

M.S. Bellows :: Late Term Abortions OK For When "Mentally Ill People Have Sex"..?

Xinhuanet.com :: Tom Cruise Admires Jack Kevorkian's Work..?

The Hill Blog :: Sen. Mike Enzi: Those With Disabilities Need Better Jobs..

AJC :: Georgia Governor's mental health commission copied other state's materials..

S'me Again, Vern :: Still Waiting For Non-Disciminatory Inclusion In VFC..

Feds Say Georgia State Mental Hospital's Problems Caused Preventable Deaths

WSJ :: Parity For Mental Health Insurance..

Number One Thing NOT To Say To An Empowered Disability Self-Advocate..

USF University of Law :: How The ADA Benefits People Without Disabilities..

Universally Inclusive Communities :: One Size Fits All Political Rah-Rah Rhetoric..

Wakeup Call :: An Unknown Suicide Jumper On Atlanta's I-285 Spaghetti Junction..

Dear Barack and Roy :: Straight jacket..? Not so much........

Blogging Against Disabilism :: Still Waiting.. ITMT, Edwards and Obama Schmooze..

Before And After :: About These Images..

Definitions On The Fly :: "Every"..

Blogging Against Disabilism v4.0139652 :: The Obama Campaign: Will They Will..?

Happy Olmstead Day :: Let's ROCK The NOEWAIT Petition..!