Sorry I can't make the picture work for you.
Last week, Gap made a big announcement. After weeks of pressure by people across
the globe to sign the binding Bangladesh Safety Accord and end death traps in its
factories,
Gap put out a press release about its big new plan: partnering with Walmart on a
fake “safety plan”
that is not accountable to anyone.
Gap thinks it can fool us with a cheap PR stunt. It’s wrong.
Help us undermine Gap's PR stunt by spreading the word about Gap and Walmart’s deadly
“plan” and sharing this image on Facebook or forwarding this email to your friends.
Click here to share this image and help spread the word about Gap and Walmart's dishonesty:
Turn on images to see our cartoon of Gap and Walmart's friendship
Gap and Walmart are strange bedfellows. Walmart has a long record of unethical behavior,
from brutally exploiting workers to discriminating against women to bribing Mexican
officials, and it’s one of the most hated corporations in the world. Until recently,
Gap was seen as a fairly responsible company.
Our sources tell us that
Gap’s senior executives get really upset when they hear their company’s name mentioned
in the same breath as Walmart
. It means the brand they’ve tried to create for years is crumbling. But if they’re
going to get in bed with Walmart to avoid taking responsibility for workers’ safety,
they’re going to have to deal with the consequences.
If Gap doesn’t like it, it can join the Bangladesh Safety Accord like dozens of brands
already have.
Thanks for keeping the pressure on Gap to actually protect its workers from death
traps,
Marguerite, Rob, Kaytee, and the rest of The Sum Of Us
P.S.
We’ve created a new tumblr to spread the word about Gap and Walmart’s blossoming
friendship:
gapheartswalmart.tumblr.com
.
If you want to make your own submission (and make Gap’s bosses angry), just go
here
or
here
and email a link to reportback@sumofus.org. We’ll take the best submissions and
put them on the tumblr.
SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations
accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
You can follow us on
Twitter
, and like us on
Facebook
.
Was this email forwarded to you?
Click here
to add yourself to SumOfUs.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Does Water Belong to Everyone or Only to those who can Buy It?
Having lived through and tried to grow food during a number of drought years, I feel angry about this. Nestle is also taking pure water from a Maine
Nestlé
is sucking water from a watershed during drought conditions in order to bottle and
sell it.
From patenting flowers to claiming water is not a public right, Nestl
é
is trying to commodify everything.
Tell Nestlé
to stop bottling from a Canadian aquifer in drought conditions.
Sign the Petition
Nestlé's Chairman and former CEO once infamously declared that "access to water should not be a public right." And now his company is putting into practice its belief that
every resource should be commodified and sold off.
Nestlé is sucking up water from a Canadian watershed during drought conditions --
to bottle and sell it off.
Nestlé has won a permit to drain an Ontario
Meanwhile, the surrounding communities which rely on the aquifer have by-laws to
restrict their access to their own water
during dry conditions in the summer. This just isn’t right, and groups are fighting
back against Nestlé and the Ontario
in an environmental tribunal. It shouldn’t take a legal proceeding to force Nestlé
to do the right thing. Let’s tell Nestlé that a community’s access to its own water
supply is more important than any company's profits.
Tell Nestlé: Stop bottling Ontario
Currently,
Nestlé has a permit through 2017 to take about 1.1 million litres of water per day
from Hillsburgh , Ontario
for its bottling operations in nearby Aberfoyle -- even during drought conditions
while there are by-laws on water use for households. SumOfUs.org is joining a number
of groups that are fighting back against
Nestlé.
Nestlé has been in the news a lot lately for attempting to profit from our natural
resources. Last month,
over 220,000 SumOfUs.org supporters signed our petition against Nestlé's greedy effort
to patent the fennel flower,
a cure-all medicinal remedy for millions of people in impoverished communities across
the Middle East and Asia . Several days after we sent out our petition, a video emerged
showing Nestlé’s Chairman claiming that the idea that water is a human right comes
from “extremist” NGOs and that water should have a market value. Nestlé has dealt
with NGOs and lost before -- the years-long boycott over
Nestlé's dirty tactics to get mothers to stop breastfeeding and use
baby formula --
which resulted in thousands of infant deaths from water-born illnesses
-- was a historic success in corporate campaigning.
Nestlé’s appetite to commodify water and natural remedies is a recurring strategy
by a corporation with a pattern of seeking to privatize and profit from traditional
knowledge and our natural resources. By speaking out against the draining of our
watersheds, you will be taking a stand against Nestlé’s strategy to profit off everything
in nature.
Demand that Nestlé stop commodifying everything in nature. Stop draining Ontario
Thanks for all you do
Angus, Martin & the team from SumOfUs.org
************
More information:
Council of Canadians raises climate change and drought concerns in Nestlé case.
Council of Canadians, Apr. 23rd, 2013.
Nestlé Denies that Water is a Fundamental Human Right.
Global Research. Apr. 20th, 2013.
SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations
accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
You can follow us on
Twitter
, and like us on
Facebook
Sunday, June 2, 2013
A Fellow Buddhist Sends a Written Opinion About Karma
Response of a Buddhist to my Comments About Karma
I found this encouraging.
The idea that someone with a disability or who has been the victim of some great
misfortune has somehow been cursed by God is a pernicious one that is present in
all cultures. It comes from fear. The biggest factor in most people's life is fear,
especially the fear of things that are outside our control. It seems to me that
the vast majority of people who believe in some sort of deity approach that belief
out of a state of fear, and in a state of fear, and with a strong desire to placate
what is seen to be an implacable and dangerous deity - what other sort of deity would
"punish" people for no apparent reason? So, there must be a reason, and that reason
must be that those people are somehow "not right with god". Whether it's an xtian
deity, a Buddhist based deity (note there are no Buddhist deities per se, only those
belonging to the pantheon of whatever religious traditions have included Buddhism
into their dogma and practice), whatever sort of deity it is, people fear destinies
that are outside their control to such an extent that they must attribute the misfortune
of other's to be due to some sort of character flaw or evil intent or deeds, because
then we can avoid the same fate by "being right with god". In Buddhism, it isn't
god per se that defines and controls the state of a human being, it is karma.
The first monk you spoke to is correct, the view that suffering is the result of
karma IS a Hindu thing, and the Buddha was raised as a Hindu. Of course his Hindu
upbringing strongly influenced his beliefs later in life, whether in being specifically
rejected (as in the idea of caste system and a belief in gods as superior beings)
or by coloring the philosophy he was developing (as in the ideas of karma and rebirth).
The problem arises in taking the idea of karma and rebirth to the extreme, eg the
idea that all misfortune is a result of karma from past lives and is presumably just
punishment. This is compounded by the (I believe erroneous) belief that "life is
suffering" and that there is no merit in relieving the suffering of others because
suffering is always a result of karma. Any attempt to interfere with karma would
be futile at best. The Buddha did specifically reject this extreme belief and countered
with the idea that karma is only one of several contributing factors that results
in suffering; he specifically rejected this sort of fatalism in favor of a doctrine
of free will. Regardless of past karma, we are free to choose, and do not have to
become the puppet-slaves of some past karmic load.
However, humans tend towards dualistic thinking - good vs evil, dark vs light, death
vs life, etc. So people will insist on falling back on the most simplistic view of
karma, which is that it is the ultimate power that controls people's place in life.
This is the view that has been used, off and on, to greater and lesser extents, for
nearly 4000 years to justify the caste system in India
factions within Buddhism as the exclusive cause of suffering. Essentially, karma
replaces god as the theistic font of all human conditions. And, as god, karma is
thus seen to be the ultimate power guiding the human condition.
There is a second feature of Buddhism that leads to this split between what we are
taught - the importance of compassion - and what we see in action - the fact that
many Buddhists seem to believe the doctrine of relief of suffering as an act of no
merit. That is that historically, in most places and at most times, Buddhism has
been largely a monastic, reclusive institution. In order to attain enlightenment
and spiritual growth, the doctrine of withdrawal from the world has held the most
sway. While holding to the Buddhist view that all men and women are equally capable
of enlightenment, by and large the idea has been that the only way to actualize such
potential is by becoming a monastic.
This has led to a subtle, but powerful, aura of superiority attributed to those who
choose withdrawal from and uninvolvement with the world. Thus, monastics became
an elite priest class supported (as is usual for such) by the majority laity, and
yet by and large isolated from that majority, with said isolation seen to be a desirable
and even worthy condition by both the elite priest class and the majority laity.
The connection between monasticism/withdrawal and the inevitable desire to maintain
elite status is practically codified in most established Buddhist institutions.
This is nothing new in human experience and is not peculiar to, nor even particularly
powerful in (compared to other more rigidly structured religious organizations),
Buddhist practice.
In short, between falling back on treating karma as god in order to explain and justify
suffering that otherwise is unjust and unjustifiable, and the development and maintenance
of a Buddhist priest class, the impetus has historically been to turn inward rather
than outward, towards passivity rather than action, and towards introspection rather
than inspection.
All of that is not really a Buddhist thing but rather a human thing. That's just
the way people tend to be, and the strength of Buddhism has been that despite that
fact, Buddhist organizations have historically tended to be a little less this way
than most other religious structures. Unlike most other religions, whatever power
politics may be in play within a monastic organization, historically (unlike xtianity
and many other religions) there has been little spill-over into the wider political
climate. A notable exception to this in recent history was the involvement of the
Rinzai and Soto Zen temple hierarchy (and other schools of Japanese Zen Buddhism)
in the promotion and support of Japan
But the root cause of the whole problem is not Buddhism per se, but basic human character.
Whatever is externally wrong with someone's life must be attributed to some internal
character flaw in order for the observer to be able to feel safe from a similar fate;
the idea that suffering could be the result of random chance being intolerably frightening.
So humans label each other. We ascribe fault and blame to something inside "you"
but outside "me". Whatever is different is usually "wrong"; whatever is "wrong"
results in punishment; punishment has been "earned"; therefore the state of suffering
is "deserved". Compassion is sacrificed on the altar of the false idol of complacency
and avoidance of uncomfortable thoughts. Ultimately it doesn't matter whether we
ascribe control over this "just punishment" to a god or to karma, the whole idea
is to bolster a false sense of security - where "There but for the grace of god go
I" is translated to mean "I'm in god's good graces, too bad you put yourself on god's
sh**list. Helping you would probably only put me there too." Blame it on god, blame
it on karma, ultimately it amounts to the same thing - magical thinking in the service
of damping down the fear of what is outside our control.
Science and the rise of secular humanism hasn't helped much with this attitude, it's
just come up with its own terminology. Someone who doesn't fit in is increasingly
held to suffer from some sort of disorder; we describe these disorders and give them
names; we apply these names to people who make us feel uncomfortable because they
behave differently than we think they"should"; having labeled a person in such a
way, that person is now seen to be in a state of pathology; and if their state is
pathological, we are thus absolved of all responsibility for changing the way we
think and act towards that person and the responsibility for change is shifted back
to the sufferer. There is a lot of lip service in psychology about not "labeling"
people, but an insistence on scrupulously adhering to politically correct labels
(eg "a person who has schizophrenia" instead of "a schizophrenic") merely shifts
the form of the label; the person is still defined in terms of pathology rather than
holistically as a complete person, including their suffering.
It is the times when some of us manage to overcome these natural human tendencies
to dichotomize (us vs them, good people vs bad people, etc) and express compassion
in action that give us all hope, and despite the institutional tendency toward policy
that supports the institution, people still reach out to each other. There are Buddhist
organizations that support community work, and in the last 100 years or so there
has been an increasing tendency among the Buddhist communities toward involvement
with community and the causes of social justice.
Whether you call it "engaged" Buddhism, humanistic Buddhism, socially involved Buddhism,
whatever. The most recent growth in Buddhism has been in the direction of increased
community involvement. Won Buddhism, Engaged Buddhism (Thich Nhat Hahn), are examples
of this sort of Buddhism. If they seem to have made more inroads in the West than
in the East, well, partly that's because the West in general has more people who
have the leisure and financial resources to attend to matters above and beyond the
scrabble for daily bread, and also because, being in the West, our view is naturally
skewed.
We're not in the East; what's going on locally there isn't going to be easy for us
to find out about. The Internet drives much of what we know in the world and a lot
of what is going on in countries lacking the sort of infrastructure we are privileged
to have access to just doesn't get onto the Internet. People tend to favor bad news
over good; so the horror stories get a lot more "airplay" than ordinary or even extraordinary
human kindness. We have to believe in those little sparks of hope even when we don't
get to see them.
I don't think Buddhists are actually any less concerned about their fellow human
beings but I do think that many Buddhists in other countries with strong Buddhist
traditions struggle more with economic and human rights issues that directly impact
their lives than we do, and thus have less energy and fewer resources to devote to
the causes of others, or to overcoming the tendency to make pariahs of people who
are different.
And frankly, the record of xtian missions of "mercy" isn't really all that great.
98% of the time the intent is not so much to relieve suffering in and of itself,
but to gain converts. In the course of doing an Internet search on the issue of
Buddhism and medical missions, one of the first links that popped up on a Google
search was to a site describing how to structure a "mission of mercy" to exploit
the perception that relief of suffering is of no value (because of the view that
suffering is the direct and just sequel of past karma) in order to convert Buddhists
to xtianity. That's pretty cold.
If Buddhists are right - and I think they are - that intent matters, that makes all
those xtian "mercy" missions a lot less attractive.
As far as the idea that karma builds up in past lives and then spills over into this
one, personally I can't see any sense in that. As obvious as it may seem to someone
who believes in the idea of karma as the only explanation for suffering in this world
because they just can't accept that suffering is often arbitrary, unjust, and unfair,
it's just as obvious to me that the world IS arbitrary, unjust, unfair, and dangerously
capricious. Given that this is so, it seems obvious and rational to me that the
only possible sane response is to practice applied compassion.
As much as it probably flies in the face of traditional Buddhist beliefs, I have
no belief in a pre-life, an after-life, or karma that stems from past lives. I believe
in karma, but as a factor in every day life stemming from your actions and reactions
in THIS life and no other. As attractive as is the idea of a whole series of "do-overs"
until we get it right, whether or not reincarnation actually exists is a irrelevant.
We can only work with what we know and can experience, and the idea of punishment
for invisible, forgotten, age-old transgressions that we can't even remember is just
not helpful.
Even if reincarnation is a literal fact, and even if past-life karma could be proven
to be the root cause of suffering in this world, I would reject the notion that alleviating
suffering is an act without merit. How can anyone believe that a soul cannot benefit,
learn, be healed, and grow when shown compassion? Compassion doesn't depend on what
is just, but what is merciful.
We know that humans learn poorly from punishment. From punishment, we learn pain,
suffering, and fear. The strongest lesson we learn from punishment is how to avoid
more punishment.
From compassion, we learn compassion; by mercy, we are healed; and when we are healed,
we are open to possibilities, we are stronger, we are more free, we are less likely
to fall into fear-driven responses. We are more resilient, better able to hold onto
hope during adversity, and quicker to recover. We are less likely to take actions
that bring about suffering for others, to contribute to driving others into fear-based
responses that add to the burden of their karma when they respond in kind to others,
and thus lead to a chain of events that adds suffering to the world. Sort of the
domino effect of karmic burden.
None of which helps a lot from a practical standpoint. In the main, those of us
suffering from any sort of disability have it a lot easier in the US
if we were born under the same conditions in many places in the world - not because
of the religious tradition in those areas, but because of the economic conditions,
primarily, and political climate, secondarily.
So no, people who have disabilities or are otherwise suffering are not reaping a
just punishment courtesy of past-life karma, or because they're being punished by
god. There is no support in doctrine for the idea that suffering is some kind of
justly deserved punishment which frees the observer from the obligation to behave
compassionately and do whatever is in their power to alleviate suffering.
Buddhism hasn't deserted you. That's all I'm trying to say. This isn't about who's
suffering more or who has it easier; it's not an issue of "you should be grateful
because that guy over there is sooo much worse off". The fact that a lot of people
seem to have bought in to the idea of karma as the sole arbitor of the human condition
isn't supported by actual Buddhist doctrine, it's a fear-driven response to their
suffering in the face of the suffering of others when it seems there is little they
can do of a practical nature, and the fear that something similar could happen to
them, too. Sometimes people are so overwhelmed by compassion, and so helpless in
the face of suffering, that the only way they think they can survive is to turn away.
Sometimes that's even true.
As hard as it is to pick up and keep going when we are repeatedly faced with people
who are hard-hearted and unkind, even cruel, in their responses to us, that's really
all we can do. It isn't right, fair, or just. The world is in dire need of more
boddhisatvas. To be honest, I've always felt that (if reincarnation existed) perfect
enlightenment wouldn't lead to stepping off the wheel of life; but that the perfectly
enlightened would choose to stay and keep helping others. It's a comforting thought
anyway.
Sojourner
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Please Help Those Who Can't Read Print Keep Our Right to Read?
I'm sorry for posting so much at once. I'm using the computer between storms, which are supposed to resume soon. As I can't afford to replace my computer I keep it turned off and unplugged during storms with a lot of lightning. If I can occasionally hear thunder there is Always a Lot of lightning and thunder!
Thanks for your patience and please take the time to help.
U.S.
480 S. California Ave., Suite 201 Palo Alto , California 94306
Thanks for your patience and please take the time to help.
Bookshare is an organization which makes large print and audio books available free to any legally qualified person with a proven inability to read or understand printed material. The category of "print disabled people" includes people who are blind, people with learning disabilities who cannot use printed material, and people who cannot hold a book or turn pages. The "If you can Buy it you Can't read it" position is ridiculous! I might order a print book from any number of online sources. But it's a piece of garbage until I can get it into a format I can Read. This is greedy and not much more, I think. Will you please take the time to help us?
Dear Bookshare Supporter,
It’s not typical for us to send you an email like this, but we felt this situation
was so important it was necessary.
You may already be aware, but for years negotiations have been moving forward on
what many have come to call the "
Treaty for the Blind
." The goal of the international treaty is to make it possible for people who are
blind, or have other print disabilities such as dyslexia, to get access to the books
they need for education, employment and inclusion in society—no matter where they
live. It's something we already do, with great success, in the United States
Bookshare.
However, private interests are trying to alter the treaty in such a way that it would
become useless—even harmful. For example, they’re trying to get language adopted
that basically says: “
if you can buy it, you can’t borrow it
.” This is not only an attack on people around the world with print disabilities—it’s
also an attack on libraries, like Bookshare, and could have a drastic effect on the
number of books you have access to.
Our biggest worry is this becoming a treaty that could stop Bookshare from serving
our users in the United States
We need our government negotiating for a treaty that supports a library like Bookshare.
That’s why we’re working with a coalition of disability and library groups, including
the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind, to fight
back against the proposed changes by these private interests. We’ll do everything
we can to secure a treaty that both protects the access we have now and that will
benefit people with print disabilities around the world—but we need your help.
We’re asking you to take a moment to sign a petition on the White House’s website
that urges the President to step up his support:
http://ow.ly/lkJVs
.
If we can get to 100,000 signatures, the White House is required to respond to the
petition and will, hopefully, take positive action. With your help we know we can
reach that number. We also recommend
the petition
at the National Federation of the Blind’s site, which is particularly accessible.
Thank you for your time and support. Together, we believe that our collective voice
can make a real impact.
If you’re interested in more background on the treaty, here are some articles and
resources you can review:
Huffington Post
piece by Jim on how the treaty is being poisoned by private interests:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-fruchterman/poisoning-the-treaty-for-_b_3225181.html
WIRED Magazine
article that gives some recent updates on the treaty:
http://ow.ly/lfP15
Sincerely,
Jim Fruchterman & Betsy Beaumon, Bookshare
P.S. Please post the link to the White House petition on your social media to help
spread the word and get your friends involved! Again, here is the link:
http://ow.ly/lkJVs
.
Note: this advocacy effort by Benetech, the nonprofit organization that operates
Bookshare, has not been supported or endorsed by Bookshare funders, including the
Click to view this email in a browser
Benetech
US
Read
the VerticalResponse marketing policy.
Non-Profits Email Free with VerticalResponse!
Some Hopeful News for a Little Girl and a Couple of Complex Messes
Some Hopeful News and Two Complex Messes
Change.orgHuge news about a petition
by the family of a 10-year-old girl
who needs permission from a government agency to get a lung transplant to survive.
Here's what NBC News reported last night:
The nation’s top health official has demanded an urgent review of the way lung transplants
are allocated in the U.S.
girl waits for the organs.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' letter comes after a week
of fierce campaigning by the family and friends of Sarah Murnaghan, a Pennsylvania
girl whose parents say has been penalized by current lung transplant allocation methods.
This is AMAZING news, but Sarah still needs this agency to make sure she gets her
lung transplant -- and time is running out.
Can you please ask your friends to sign this petition? Forward the email below to
your friends, and
click here to share this petition on Facebook
to help Sarah live.
See more information in their petition below.
Thank you,
The Change.org Team
OPTN/UNOS: Change Policy to Allow Pediatric Transplants of Adult Lungs Based on Medical Necessity
By Family and Friends of Sarah Murnaghan
Sign the Petition
Ten-year-old Sarah Murnaghan has end-stage Cystic Fibrosis and has been on the lung
transplant list for 18 months. Too sick to leave Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
for three months, she has only a week or two before she will lose her battle. If
she were two years older, she would have a high probability of receiving lungs in
time. Sarah is eligible for adult donor lungs, but because of her age, she will only
receive them after all adult candidates, regardless of how sick they are, have the
opportunity to accept them.
This is a policy created by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN),
the nation's organ procurement, donation and transplantation system and enforced
through United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) which manages US
system under contract with the federal government.
Based on a 2000 ruling by the US Department of Health and Human Services, which mandated
that organ allocation policies must be based on medical necessity rather than waiting
time, OPTN implemented a new allocation system based on the severity of a patient's
illness (the Lung Allocation Score, or LAS), rather than the amount of time served
on the wait list in 2005. This reduced the number of deaths among patients awaiting
lung transplant, ensured lungs were allocated to those with less stable diagnoses,
and dramatically reduced the average wait time from over two years, and reduced the
wait list by half. This new approach only applied to patients over the age of 12.
This approach was not extended to children. Despite the fact that many pediatric
patients can use a partial lobar transplant from an adult donor, these young patients
are only offered adult donor lungs after all adult patients, regardless of the severity
of the child's illness. While Sarah has an LAS score over 60, which would normally
place her as the highest priority for her blood type in region, all adults in region
with her blood type will be offered the lungs first, even those with more stable
diagnoses and lower LAS scores. Sarah will only be offered adult lungs if no adult
candidates accept the organ.
Sarah is a top priority on the pediatric list, but the pediatric donors are far fewer
than the adult donors, dramatically reducing the number of lungs Sarah is offered.
So far in 2013, there were 1,133 adult deceased lung donors and only 70 under the
age of 12. The result is only 4 pediatric lung donor recipients in 2013, and 291
for those over 12 years old.
This policy needs to change. The OPTN/UNOS Lung Review Board, a national group of
transplant physicians and surgeons, can make an exceptional ruling for Sarah. And
they can recommend new policies to OPTN. John Roberts is President of the OPTN/UNOS
Board of Directors.
Sign the Petition
The person (or organization) who started this petition is not affiliated with Change.org.
Change.org did not create this petition and is not responsible for the petition content.
change.org · 216 W 104th St., #130 New York , NY 10025
Personal Comments by the person posting the following:
This is an Awful situation. Many teens are sexually active. However one may feel about this, it's a fact. This includes lesbian and gay teens. If the info. Below is correct and these two girls were already dating and in a relationship Before the older girl turned 18, then I do Not favor prosecution. I can easily believe that some parents would wait until one girl in a lesbian relationship turned 18, in order to prosecute her in the hope of changing their daughter's sexual identity.
There is a power differential in an 18-year-old girl who is out of high school and either working or attending college and a fifteen-year-old girl still in high school. But I don't know if these are the conditions which exist or not.
But since this relationship began when both girls were in school I think prosecuting anyone is cruel.
I know of a person who is female and dated another girl in high school in Nebraska
This girl married a man who committed a crime which destroyed her relationships with close friends. When she and her husband divorced, partially due to his mental disability, this young woman had a daughter to raise. It remains to be seen whether or not her parents truly changed her sexual identity. But the pain caused to Everyone in this situation cannot be undone. And compared to what is done to some gay and lesbian kids, the story I know of is Minor.
Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman: Stop the prosecution of an 18 year old girl in a same-sex relationship
By Steven H.
Sign Steven's Petition
My daughter Kaitlyn is a wonderful 18-year-old who is not guilty of anything other
than a high school romance, but is being prosecuted for 2 felony counts of “lewd
and lascivious battery on a child 12--16 years of age,” because she has a girlfriend
who is 15.
Kailtyn’s girlfriend’s parents are pressing charges because they are against the
same-sex relationship, even though their daughter has stated that this is a consensual
relationship. The two girls began dating while Kaitlyn was 17 but her girlfriend’s
parents blamed Kailtyn for their daughter’s homosexuality. They waited until after
Kaitlyn turned 18 and went to the police to have charges brought against her.
Kaitlyn was a highly respected student at Florida ’s Sebastian River High School
good grades and participation in cheerleading, basketball and chorus. She was even
voted “most school spirit.” Now she’s been expelled from school and is facing serious
felonies - all because she is in love. If convicted, she could end up in jail or
live under house arrest, will have to register as a sex offender, and live her life
as a convicted felon.
Our family will do everything we can to stop these people from ruining our daughter’s
promising life. This is unjust and unfair - and we need your help to stop it.
Sign Steven's Petition
The person (or organization) who started this petition is not affiliated with Change.org.
Change.org did not create this petition and is not responsible for the petition content.
Mailing Address: Change.org · 216 W 104th St., #130 New York , NY 10025
Another complex mess!
When I first read this email I was angry. As one of the first people to be in this part of Swouthwest Mo.
But one of the benefits of Andrew Solomon's book "Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and Identity" is that it teaches people with and without disabilities what having a particular disability is like. I had already read his chapter on schizophrenia, which caused me to think more deeply.
What Possible Good Could Imprisoning a Woman for her disability Do? Yes, she tried to do a horrible thing to a blind person and a member of that person's family, her Seeing Eye Dog.
But if I were sentencing her I would require that she work with a qualified therapist on her phobia of dogs. And I would sentence her to a training class about serv ice dogs. Whether or not she likes it, Some dogs Do belong in grocery stores. Any other sentence I can think of only makes the situation Worse. Maybe All store employees should attend a training course about service animals and how to recognize them. Then this woman's paranoia Might be less triggered. Of course, I cannot know if my sentence would help, but I can't think of anything else potentially beneficial to do.
From:
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2013 10:34 AM
Subject: Scared Publix customer sprays seeing-eye dog with bleach
Scared Publix customer sprays seeing-eye dog with bleach
A seeing-eye dog had bleach squirted in its eyes at a Publix grocery store
when a 67-year-old woman intentionally sprayed the animal in an unprovoked
attack, a police report says.
The 5-year-old yellow Labrador retriever appeared uninjured, the report
said, but Patricia Lawler, of Sunrise
and given a notice to appear after the 4:15 p.m. Saturday incident at the
store at 10155 W. Oakland Park Blvd.
Lawler told police she "thought it was a vicious animal" and feared it would
be a danger to other customers, so she grabbed a spray bottle of Clorox
cleaner off a shelf and sprayed the animal in the eyes and back.
"I realize now it was a mistake," Lawler said when reached by telephone
Monday. "I have a fear of dogs. It was just a big dog with a big head.
I was just afraid."
Lawler said she takes medication for schizoaffective disorder, and paranoia
is one the symptoms associated with her mental illness.
The dog's owner, Ronda Carin Shore , 45, also of Sunrise
Is blind and keeps the canine with her at all times. It was wearing a
service-dog vest, an assist handle and a placard, the report said.
Shore declined to comment Monday.
Although the dog wasn't exhibiting aggressive behavior, Lawler said she got
Scared
when she saw it and asked Shore to leave the store with the dog. When that
didn't
produce results, she said she resorted to the spray bleach to get rid of the
animal.
"I was afraid the dog would go wild, or some small child would get bitten,
or somebody
would get hurt," Lawler said. "I guess I overreacted. But I still feel like
a dog
doesn't belong in a place like a grocery store."
If convicted of the first-degree misdemeanor, Lawler faces up to a year in
jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
-end-
Gotta Balance This Budget on Somebody's Back
I use hearing aids, a Braille Writer, and a Braille Display for my computer each day. I regularly buy hearing aid batteries and have to take a few med..s. A friend of mine who has schizzophrenia and lives on an extremely tight budget may now have to pa taxes on the medication which allows her to function. How about this for a petition to the Missouri Governor?
Southwest Center Springfield , MO 65807
Just an FYI, see below. I will work with Jen and Shannon on this and maybe we'll
put something in newsletter or find ways to alert consumers. Not sure how much, but
it could be harmful to many.
Shelby Butler
Access Coordinator
2864 S Nettleton
417-886-1188
or
417-886-3619
Visit us @
http://www.swcil.org
!
sbutler@swcil.org
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will.
Frederik Douglass
Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Fri, May 31, 2013 at 2:50 PM
Subject: [Modisabilaw] Assistive Technology Sales Tax Exemptions Impacted by HB253
Tax Exemptions for Assistive Technology Impacted in HB253
A press release issued by the Governor yesterday noted that a portion of HB253 repeals
a long-standing sales tax exemption on prescription drugs. The release estimated
that the repeal would impose a $200 million sales tax increase on Missourians who
need prescription drugs.
In addition to the prescription drug issue, it appears that the bill also repeals
the sales tax exemptions on a number of types of assistive technology devices that
Missouri Assistive Technology had worked to pass in the 1998 session.
HB253 removes most of the specific assistive technology that is currently exempted
in MO statue and replaces it with exemptions on “durable medical equipment” and “mobility
enhancing equipment”. The problem is that some of the assisted technology currently
exempted falls under neither of those categories.
Below is a listing of currently exempted assistive technology and how it might be
impacted by HB253:
§
Assistive technology currently exempt that would appear
to lose its sales tax exemption
under HB253.
These devices are rarely, if ever, considered durable medical equipment (DME) under
any definition (Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance, etc.)
o Braille writers
o Electronic Braille equipment
o Reading
o
Electronic print enlargers and magnifiers
o
Hearing aids and hearing aid supplies (considered durable medical equipment by some
insurers but not all; not considered DME by MO HealthNet or Medicare).
o
Alternative and augmentative communication devices (not considered durable medical
equipment by many private insurers; is considered DME by MO HealthNet).
o
Rentals of scooters and manual and power wheelchairs (the HB253 exemption on DME
and mobility enhancing equipment is on sales only).
§
Assistive technology currently exempt that may possibly continue to be exempt as
mobility enhancing equipment
in HB253
o Ambulatory aids
o Manual and powered wheelchairs
o Stairway lifts
o Sales of scooters
o
Modification of motor vehicles (possibly some access modifications, but not all
would appear to meet this terminology).
§
Assistive technology currently exempt that are likely to continue to be exempt as
durable medical equipment
in HB253
o Orthotic devices
o Medical oxygen
o Hospital beds and accessories
o
Home respiratory equipment and accessories
So while the exemption on some of these assistive technology devices is clearly repealed
by HB253, others are in a gray area where individuals with disabilities and seniors
may have to wade through disagreements with sellers as to whether they are exempt
or not. For some types of assistive technology, the language of HB253 could result
in considerably more out-of-pocket expenses for individuals with disabilities and
their families. The statutory section impacted by HB253 is
§144.030(19). The bill has not yet been signed by the Governor.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
I'm a Would-Be Buddhist Who is Sick of Karma
The Buddhist Who Is Sick of Karma
As I search for Fair Trade organizations employing people with disabilities I keep
running into similar attitudes, despite the religions in which they exist.
Such people are shunned, despised, beggars, hungry, stigmatized, etc. In Christian
countries they are thought to have sinned or be marked by the sins of their parents.
In Muslim countries they are either thought to have God's disapproval or in a few
cases, Muslims think God allowed them to be born for a reason and it is the duty
of a compassionate Muslim to help. Some Christians, (mostly from Western countries,
have this same attitude.
In Buddhist countries people with disabilities are said to be living out the karma
they deserve and are also shunned, etc.
Once I talked to a Buddhist Priest about this and he said, "Oh no, that is the Hindu
idea of karma."
But when I talked to a Westernized Tibetan I spoke of Helen Keller. I said that
she had learned to read ten differing forms of Braille in houses so cold at times
that her fingers actually bled. She pushed Congress to standardize Braille so that
blind and deaf-blind people would only have to learn one form of it. This was done
and today that system of Braille covers seven different countries around the world.
Helen Keller also pushed for the establishment of the National Library Service for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped. This system allows those who can't read normal
sized print or who can't hold a book, turn pages, etc. to receive free loaned books
in large print, audio, or Braille format. It's the reason I had books to read during
the summers, coming to me postage free, through the mail.
Helen Keller was a socialist who wrote in favor of treating what are now called "the
working poor" with decency and dignity.
When I said I thought Helen Keller was a Bodhisattva this prominent Tibetan stated
clearly that I am wrong. He said that maybe she became a Bodhisattva in Spite of
her disabilities, but that her disabilities Were the Result of Negative Karma. How
does he know?
The more I investigate worldwide attitudes toward people with disabilities the more
they seem similar. Whether you call it sin, witchcraft, or Karma, you have a ready
made excuse to ignore, fear, and avoid with arrogance, people with disabilities.
You have a ready made reason in the name of religion to blame them and feel superior.
I think that's nonsense. What happens to the Karma of those who think they know?
Those who feel superior, judge, avoid, shun, refuse to help, people with disabilities?
I have found many disabled people who create beauty and hope for themselves and others.
Are we all sure this is "in spite of their disabilities?" That is convenient, but
is it true?
The reason many people with disabilities in the developing world are beginning to
shine is that Someone offered them a Chance to work, to Prove what they could do.
Most often that Someone was an Christian, atheist, or agnostic, Not a Buddhist.
I believe that deliberate cruelty toward anyone will come back to bite any of us
who commit it. But to me that is different than a categorical judgment against an
entire class of people.
Personally, I just don't buy the ""bad karma" explanation anymore than I buy the
"sin" or "witchcraft" ones. I think I do not know or Care why someone has a disability.
My job is to offer what assistance I can and the rest isn't my business.
So if that is heresy or unBuddhist, so be it. The Buddha is said to advise that
we use what works and not what doesn't. I'm Sick of karma as a reason for all misfortune
and pain. What matters to me in Buddhism is to try Not to hurt others, to try
to understand and be compassionate and peaceful. If I focus on what I care about
I don't have time to judge others. Of course, I have a long way to go, but this
is what I think.
Do you and Buddhist friends completely disagree?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)