Dear Obama, About That LTC Commission....

Somebody (won't mention any names, fwit-dee-doody-dooood) just published this over at the Ellijay, Georgia, Topix.com forum. Don't believe the author will mind a little plagiarism so we're going to publish in whole right here. That Topix advocacy continues:

Dear Obama, About That LTC Commission....

There is no DOUBT in your mind you know who-who-who this is. No, I don't expect that you're here reading this in the first of a person.. What I expect.....

Is them Georgia Dems to carry this message straight to your front doorstep sooner rather than later is what I expect.

ABOUT THAT LTCC, LONG TERM CARE COMMISSION....

How 'bout that.. HOW ABOUT THAT?! Filled 12 positions, you allegedly did, and allegedly not one dadgum one of 'em......

Represents the entire of the Disability Community at large.

HOW. ABOUT. THAT.

It is further being highlighted that on the dadburn flip side, all entities with a CORPORATE MONETARY INTEREST in this venture HAVE been obliged THEIR VOICES at same said table. Well, isn't THAT con-veen-yent?!

So..... TO THAT END, here's a little sumpin-sumpin-sumpin for your considerations: MID-TERM ELECTIONS 2014. Catch my drift?*hint-hint* Need I say more?

Last three positions >>>> NCIL. ADAPT.org, disABILITY LINK (Decatur). And don't try scratching your head in refute as to why the third. You are well acquainted with ALL in the first of a person as I have SO enjoyed the photo op pic you published of *Lois* recently. Who else but Olmstead's First Lady AND her extended Atlanta family should be playing at least one of the high profile roles in this particular *LONG TERM* quest, know what I mean?

Thanking you in advance to them Georgia Dems for their assistance in communicating this matter to the powers that be. You all have a good day, now, ya hear.*wink*

*NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US! MID-TERM ELECTIONS 2014!!!*

*wandering off now singing* Give me what you promised to me, give it up, c'mon, GIVE IT HERE!! :))

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

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..!

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

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..

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

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

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.....

1.

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:

Dear Barack :: One Citizen's Perspective :: Cross-Disability Accommodations..

Sent from these fingertips a mere few moments ago to Betsy Borgacz with the Barack Obama presidential campaign.. Should you wish to provide her with similar feedback yourselves, email her directly at OlympiaEventPlanning [at] yahoo.com with a subject line similar maybe to "Universal Accessibility and Accommodations Of Political Campaigns"..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..

Hi, Betsy..

Thank you sooo much for addressing, of late through Jake's own personal efforts, what these fingertips, too, have expressed [1] from my first venture [2] onto the My.BarackObama.com campaign website.. If I may be so bold, I am asking that you please accommodate me now cognitively by allowing the following extended impromptu response to how my Mind processed your recent request for information and feedback on accommodating universal accessibility for persons with disabilities (PWDs)..

Each United States state and some U.S. possessions have centers for independent living (CILs) that *should* be excellent, business day on-call resources for just exactly as you ask.. The Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) website offers an in-depth listing of many American CILs operating at this time:

• ilru.org/html/publications/directory/state_list.html..

If for any reason at all, you or any of those who may receive this by default of its intended audience, run into a snag trying to contact these various CILs in your quest for information regarding universal accommodations, *PLEASE* do not hesitate to call my Colleagues, Mentors, Extended Family here in Georgia at the disABILITY LINK (the LINK) of Decatur:

• disABILITY LINK
  755 Commerce Drive, Suite 105
  Decatur, GA 30030
  (404) 687-8890 Voice
  (404) 687-9175 TTY
  (800) 239-2507 (V/TTY)
  (404) 687-8298 FAX
  Email: info@disabilitylink.org..

This particular CIL is chock *FULL* of national disability self-advocates, nay, internationally active advocates.. Not to put them on the immediate spot, but they are, among many other things, very familiar with organizing events of various sizes for persons of, again, *ALL* disabilities..

+ + + + + + +
DISCLAIMER :: Before I go *any* further, please let it be known up front that they, as I, do not openly extend public endorsements for political candidates in and of themselves.. These groups are, instead, being recommended from the Heart as resources for best practices consultations.. Additionally, as it appears that you wholeheartedly acknowledge, no one self-advocate is *ever* in a position to speak absolutely on behalf of the Whole..
+ + + + + + +

Prompting my boldness in highlighting the LINK :: With their last few years' experience in organizing Georgia Voices That Count (GVTC) disability self-advocacy training weekends, they are becoming extremely familiar with coordinating various congregational activities embracing very diverse assemblages of disabilities at any one given time.. This includes but is not limited to the fine honed art of coordinating accessible transportation, temporary housing, and disability-specific accommodations, e.g. interpretors for persons with hearing impairments and suitable quiet space for persons with mental illness..

Additionally, there are many, *many* wonderful organizations scattered across our precious United States, but these next couple of organizations are some that I also ask that you *please* acquaint yourselves with in your own efforts to accommodate all persons, not just now but forever always into that, Our Futures (with above DISCLAIMER remaining in effect here, also):

• ADAPT in Denver
  201 S Cherokee
  Denver, CO 80223
  Telephone: 303/733-9324
  Email: ADAPT@ADAPT.org..
  www.adapt.org..
• Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE)
  P.O. Box 30142
  Kansas City, MO 64112
  Attn: Laura Walker
  www.sabeusa.org/nationalchapters.html..

Additionally, two more things I would like to quickly *once again*, as I have already done personally and previously, address to the Barack Obama campaign camp: Website accessibility and community transportation.. My suggestions for both, as before, remain to please visit the following:

For the Barack Obama website webmaster and/or webmistress:

• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
  www.w3.org/WAI/..

Validating the BarackObama.com website is a HUGE start towards its overall accessibility for *ALL PERSONS*:

• W3C Markup Validation Service
  validator.w3.org..

Public listservs for advisement regarding implementation are available for both of the above.

Lastly, regarding transportation, if you are looking for what I personally find to be an exceptional example of community transportation for persons of all disabilities, nope, again *ALL PERSONS*, I *once again* most humbly recommend someone get a firsthand feel for the community program here in Pickens County (Jasper), Georgia:

• Mountain Area Transportation System (MATS)
  180 W. Burton Street
  Jasper, GA 30143
  Telephone: 706-692-3252

Visiting MATS would give you an excellent feel for what you would be looking for in accommodating the transportation needs of local constituents..

In conclusion, thank you for, at this time, pro-actively addressing ongoing concerns of public citizens with disabilities in our United States.. Intermingled with the reputable preferences of others, accommodation requests fulfilled by incorporating any of the above personally-garnered factors have an overall proclivity towards being of mutual benefit for *EVERYONE*, in each our daily Lives..

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

Cindy Sue
Six. Almost Seven..

[1] Funny how rhetoric can sidetrack a girl.. :)
my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/butterfly/gGB5JF..

[2] Butterfly's Profile @ My.BarackObama.com
my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/g5XsM..

- :: -
CindySueCausey.blogspot.com
www.ButterflyBytes.com
Georgia Voices That Count, 2005
Talking Rock, GA, USA

The Cost Of One Crashed B1 Bomber.. In Ramen Noodles..

Crossposting this over from the On Butterfly Wings.. blog I started at the BarackObama.com website..

Peace, Love, and Something Warm in the Bellies for All tonight..

Not going to say much here.. Others are surely echoing my tear-stained thoughts across the cyber World..

But.......

The loss of a military B-1 bomber, above and beyond what may involve the human factor, is always outrageous in instances like today's when one starts looking at the Life survival business end of the ordeal of War..

So it works like this: Today, one B-1 bomber has been reported to have crashed over in Quatar

• CNN: B-1 bomber crashes in Qatar..

The cost of said lost military plane..? Not quite sure.. Tried to find something reliable and really quick in my favorite search engine.. Best I could do was it was anything from $200 million to $300 million dollars..

Give or take.......

A million or two.......

For one.......

Translated into ramen noodles at, let's say, 2 packages a day of something, anything warm in a person's belly, we get..

$200 million low ball cost for one crashed warplane..

Approximately 13 cents per package of ramen noodles (includes tax here in Georgia)..

Divided back into the aforementioned $200 million equals..

APPROXIMATELY 1,538,461,538 packages of noodles.. That's one billion, five hundred thirty-eight million, four hundred sixty-one thousand, five hundred and thirty-eight packages of ramen noodles laying smashed to smithereens on an al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, war-involved (?) runway..

Someone check me.. This Mind doesn't always see the obvious it missed.. :wink:

Back to those two packages of something warm in someone's belly (on the high side as a fella could get away with just one), we get.......

769, 230,769 (seven hundred sixty-nine million, two hundred thirty thousand, seven hundred and sixty-nine) days that one Human Life could have something warm in their belly at the expense of one less crashed military airplane.. That's two warm meals a day if a fella eats a package per sitting..

Divide that by 365 days per year, and one gets, hm, crum, that can't be right.. Divided by 365 days a year, one gets:

2,107,481 (two million, one hundred seven thousand, four hundred and eighty-one) years..

Shoot.. That just can't be right.. But, if it is, War just got a whole [bleeped] more absurd to these fingertips.......

Shock from that number still numbing the Brain, but moving on to alternatively think further, seven hundred sixty-nine million, two hundred thirty thousand, seven hundred and sixty-nine people could theoretically have their Lives sustained one more day for the cost of one lost military warplane.......

Extended just one more day that could be THE one day that makes a difference in hoping Fate will land them in the Path of someone who can help guide them to the tools that will improve the quality of their Lives once and forever for all towards healthier communities everywhere..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock..