Justice!

8:37PM

To the patriarchy:
judges, lawyers, the police, and most of all to the taxpayers that support them all,

hello again,
It's us again, we're still here. Like it or not, for good or for bad, we are here.
Who are we? We are the downtrodden, the dispossessed. We are the self-torturing, the disenfranchised, the convicts. The drug and alcohol addicts. We are the unemployed and the unemployable. We are children of poverty, both financial and spiritual. We have, and will have children of our own, grandchildren even. We are ex-cons, uninsured, homeless. We are of countless colors and we speak in a myriad tongues, but we are all of one race. We are soldiers in an apposing army, we are the enemy in a domestic war against ourselves.

And who are you? You who like the tough talk of tough on crime. You who watches the budgets for health care, for drug treatment, and for education, hemorrhage while you militarize your police force. Bullet-proof vests, automatic weapons, helicopters, gang units. Does that make you feel like a hero? The testosterone is gushing up from the cracks and it looks like innocent blood, flowing in the streets. I can't help but wonder how you plan to make your amends with the dead.. Do you want to share you plan? No don't bother... I already know. More prisons, longer sentences, tighten the belt, Spartan conditions. And what is there to show for it? Unemployment stays low because a quarter of us is fighting a bogus war for oil and glory and another quarter of us are "out of the work force" the dregs, the rabble, the enemy? Our soldier in a fight we can't win.

Do you feel safer? More humane? More like a super-hero? More like Captain America... or like his red white and blue shield? Do you feel more like a cohesive society now that you can identify us and them? Do you live in a gated community or a gentrified neighborhood? Have you read the constitution or do you just know the first few lines? Have you read the Bible, or the Torah or the Koran? Or do you just blindly quote the dogma?

You know it's about time we get together, like Jesus and the tax collectors. Please know I have yet to meet a convict who wants their child to be a thief, an addict, a dealer, a prostitute, or I violent individual. Most of us still have hope for ourselves even when stuck in the darkest dilemmas, ruts and catch-22s. Most of us believe in crafting laws and instilling order, many of us have burrowed beneath the surface to find a spiritual sense of being, an underlying force at least as powerful as that which we have succumbed to. Many of us wouldn't escape if you opened the front door. Did you know that approximately 10 million Americans are either incarcerated, on probation, on parole, or once were in one of those categories. Each of those 10 million has families, friends, neighbors... and so closer and closer does that inner enemy come... more and more does the we intermingle with the you. Don't you think it's time you asked if this system works?

are you ready to face the answer to that examination? Are you ready to be on the other end of the interrogation? Can you accept that the road we are traveling on points toward a grim and painful future? Can you accept that it might mean the end of our race? Do you have the grace to face the monumental failures of the system you put all your stock in? Do you have the steel heart to struggle beyond the comfort your in now? I know that some of you are ready to admit your wrong and I know that some of us have the grace to hear that. And it is that fact that gives me the hope to go on. You need our insights and we need yours. It's never over... especially not now as a vaccine is finally coming together for societies' ills

12:46AM - Others with PAS/PCA/Home Care Frustrations?

For individuals who either use, provide, manage, or pay for personal assistance services (PAS) or personal care assistance (PCA) services, what do you think are the major drawbacks/problems of the program? What do you like or dislike? What makes you happy or frustrated? Do these program issues create barriers/challenges for you to participate in family/friend relationships, community/recreation activities, education, employment, or other opportunities?

Sometimes, I feel that I cannot guarantee that I will be able to be somewhere at a specific time or participate on a regular basis because of PCA challenges (e.g. not being qualified; being late; not showing up; being insensitive or impatient) or because of my personal reaction to those challenges (e.g. dealing with turnover and change; coping with insensitivity and impatience; etc.) -- I cannot be consistent and my effectiveness is diminished. Of course, transportation issues only add to those challenges -- but, right now I'm mainly focused on PCA services. Sometimes, I get so frustrated that I begin to get very depressed and anxious -- lose interest in myself, my well-being, friends, family, community, recreation, education, employment, and so on. I begin to feel so overwhelmed that I cannot begin to even think about meeting my relationship or esteem needs. I get tired of fighting to get adequate assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) . I think the "official" condition is referred to as "learned helplessness"? Yet, I don't know that many health professionals understand this specific/unique cause-and-effect situation (i.e. dependence whose effects can easily impact nearly all areas of life with little, if any, ability to alter the nature of that dependence).

Personally, I have had a great deal of frustration but I'm wondering if it is just me or if others are experiencing similar challenges. What are your experiences? How do you cope?

Have any studies been done about the correlation between support program quality (i.e. PCA services or any program intended to support physiological, safety and security needs such as ADLs and IADLs) and consumer well-being or consumer effectiveness with relationships, community participation, education, or employment?



CROSS-POSTED: soulsweatponder, all_disability, defective_goods, dis_scholars, disabled_study, equal_access, find_justice, mom_disab_adult, ms_support, musc_dystrophy, no_pity, para_quads, partnerdisabled, weknowdisabled

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7:37PM - Political-Correctness: Friend or Foe?

Some discussion "behind the scenes" (i.e. in comments/feedback) regarding another topic has raised another interesting point: a way of communicating (political-correctness) that is intended to promote awareness and dispel stereotypes by stressing abilities actually has the unintended but VERY real and damaging effect of suppressing discussion (i.e. avoiding conversations which may be perceived as offensive), enhancing segregation (i.e. avoiding others who may be offended), and thereby maintaining stereotypes.( Click Here to Read about Other Perceived Unintended Effects and Dangers... )

What are other people's preferences, thoughts, opinions, and approaches to "political-correctness", not just in relation to disabilities, but in relation to any potentially sensitive topic?

CROSS-POSTED: soulsweatponder, all_disability, blindpeople, brain_injury, deafblind, defective_goods, dis_scholars, disabled_media, disabled_study, equal_access, find_justice, human_rights, mom_disab_adult, ms_support, musc_dystrophy, no_pity, para_quads, partnerdisabled, viewsofthemedia, weknowdisabled

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3:35PM - Disability Organizations Oppose Supreme Court Nomination

( Click here to read introductory/background info... )

More specifically, the aging and disability community is concerned, because Alito's rulings seem to suggest weak enforcement of specific laws that broadly address community and employment discrimination and further are the foundation for numerous other federal, state and local laws protecting the rights of individuals experiencing disabilities, according to the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Fair Housing Amendments Act are among the principle protections that the Bazelon Center alleges Alito opposes. They outlined their beliefs within a report analyzing the following:

• a 2000 ruling that Congress lacked the power to implement the unpaid leave portion of the FMLA;
  
• a 1999 finding that a disability-rights group lacked legal standing to sue the Department of Housing and Urban Development over failing to enforce its own regulations;
  
• a decision in 2002 that depression and sleep disorders are not covered by the ADA; and,
  
• his handling of cases that may imply his belief that the federal government does not have the authority to force states to comply with anti-discrimination laws.

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is joined by numerous other ADA Watch coalition partners opposed to Alito, including the Alliance of Disability Advocates, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), National Association of Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA), National Council on Independent Living, and World Association of People with Disabilities.

( Read more... )

CROSS-POSTED: soulsweatponder, brain_injury, defective_goods, democratic, equal_access, find_justice, human_rights, ljdemocrats, moveon_dot_org, ms_support, musc_dystrophy, no_pity, weknowdisabled

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2:53PM - Disability and Dating, Romantic, and Sexual Relationship Prejudices?

Q: How are finding a date and finding parking spots alike?

A: The good ones are always taken and the ones left are handicapped or way out there.

Got your attention? Good. Jokes, comments, opinions, and beliefs like these, imply that individuals experiencing disability are somehow less than ideal/desirable to date. Although they may be humorous on the surface, I think they subtly reinforce very dangerous underlying stereotypes.

Recently, I've encountered a few different conversations that may indicate individual relationship prejudices resulting from societal disability stereotypes in relation to romantic and sexual relationships. These conversations have brought to mind struggles of being taken seriously romantically; similar to the struggles of being taken seriously as a student, professional, or active community member. Personal relationships, including romantic and sexual relationships, have been recognized as human needs, just like the need to be accepted by our family, friends, and community and to have esteem. Therefore, wouldn't pursuing and exploring those be considered a part of basic human rights, similar to the right to education, employment, and community participation? ( Click here to read more... )

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CROSS-POSTED: soulsweatponder, defective_goods, dis_scholars, equal_access, find_justice, human_rights, musc_dystrophy, no_pity

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1:30PM - UPDATE: Social Security Benefits Withheld to Pay Past Student Loans

NOTE: After researching the "Justices Agree Benefits May Be Cut to Cover College Debts" issue more in-depthly, I realized my earlier post may have been based upon misleading information and therefore may have been inaccurate. Basically, the current Bush administration is not to blame. God, that was hard to say! Here is my update...

( Read more... )

CROSS-POSTED: soulsweatponder, defective_goods, democratic, dis_scholars, equal_access, find_justice, human_rights, ljdemocrats, medicaid, medicare, moveon_dot_org, musc_dystrophy, no_pity, socialwork, ssdi
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3:31PM - Federal Budget Reconciliation Bill Jeopardizes Independence for Individuals Experiencing Disability

UPDATE: Apparently it is too late to do anything regarding this particular bill, yet I think it is important that we, as individual citizens and as unified groups, let our elected representatives know how we feel to ensure they act in the best interest of our fellow citizens in the future.

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I recently received the following information in regard to S1932, the budget reconciliation bill in the Senate that has significant budget and policy implications for people with disabilities. Although I have not had a chance to read through all the details yet, I'm passing along information as it requires immediate attention for concerned citizens.

Just my opinion, but as we are spending hundreds of millions of dollars fighting wars in foreign countries to "promote their freedom", we're cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from essential programs required to ensure the freedom of our own citizens.

Included for your information are opposition letters released by the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) and National Council on Independent Living (NCIL).

All those who agree the bill should be opposed are urged to contact their United States Senate representative. To find your elected representative, visit http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

( Read CCD Letter to Senators... )

( Read NCIL Letter to Senators... )

CROSS-POSTED: defective_goods, democratic, equal_access, find_justice, human_rights, ljdemocrats, medicaid, medicare, moveon_dot_org, musc_dystrophy, no_pity, socialwork, ssdi
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10:41PM - Social Security Benefits May Be Cut to Cover College Debts

UPDATE (December 27, 2005 12:15 a.m.): Please read UPDATE: Social Security Benefits Withheld to Pay Past Student Loans.

( Click here to read more... )


X-POSTED: defective_goods, democratic, dis_scholars, equal_access, find_justice, human_rights, ljdemocrats, medicaid, medicare, moveon_dot_org, musc_dystrophy, no_pity, socialwork, ssdi

11:25AM - Help?

In my Journalism class I am to find different opinions of people about President Bush. To makes things a little easier if you could please just post your e-mail address, phone number, or whatever method you would like to be contacted by, I will then contact you and conduct the "interview" and go from there.

THE QUESTION: "Do you agree with the spending President Bush is doing for the war in Iraq? Why or why not."

WHAT IS NEEDED: I need to find people whom I do not know and gather their responses and present them to my professor. Basically, if you would be so kind as to post your e-mail address I will e-mail you the main question along with your name, contact info. etc and take your information down. Apparently my professor is contacting our 'subjects' to ensure they exsist and we did not know them prior to asking the question, etc.

I would greatly appreciate your help with this. Please understand that your opinion(s) would only be shared between yourself, myself and my professor, however, if you do not feel confortable offering your opinion I understand.

2:25PM - new website

please check it out
http://nowaynescafe.itgo.com

7:15PM

hiya, i'm new here and hoping to find some help for an essay i'm writing. :)
so, i decided to discuss reasons that would justify a person to kill another.
what do you guys think, what could be good reasons? (such as self-defense, abortion, fighting for independence/country/etc?)

thanks in advance!

10:25AM - Simplicity

As I continue my training, in hopes of participating and possibly winning the world martial arts championships, I find that the more powerful and skilled I become the more I wish for a simple life, without the interaction of humanity and society. I wish to just live in the woods, and live off the land, or at least just live off the land undisturbed by the world. I wish for a simple life with no worries other the the work that will produce the resources I will love off of.
If anyone else has felt similiar desires, please tell me about them!
What happened that made you feel that way?
why do you think you felt that way?

10:08PM - Everybody's Talking...

Hello everyone. I am new to this community so I thought I'd make a introduction post to start things off with. I enjoy philosophy, psychology, sociology, and the like. My favorite writer/philosopher is Albert Camus. If anyone has anything they want to ask me, feel free to do so.

9:54AM - What can we be ... ?

Humans have evolved from primates, so we all believe. However, since all things evolve to fit several purposes what do you think humans will evolve into now?
Take into consideration the several purposes that species evolve to accomodate. Such as in humanities case, we evolved from the primate to be better able to survive. The gifts of preconcievable thought, better comunication abilities, stronger more agile bodies in terms of speed and versatility, all these gifts were meant to produce the effect of better survivle. However we continued to evolve and civilization was born, for human genes determined this new mutation of community welfare to be a more able way to survive. But humans do not face those exact situations anymore, in fact our situation changes far more rapidly than our bodies can evolve. We now face survival at different levels, such as survival within the structure of society, survival in a word full of excessively powerful killing devices, survival against the increasingly intelligent minds of our enemies both out of country and wihtin out own.
There are far more factors to consider, however I have a time limit here and it is soon to be exhausted.
State not only your answers but also the factors that I have not stated here. If you would please.

11:14AM - Since its the primaries in IL i was thinking....

What's going on with this election? How do you feel about what Bush has been saying, and what Kerry has been saying, and how Nadar is back again?

11:22AM

Saddam? Is it you?

What are your thoughts on this situation...?

1:03PM

If a bum came up to you on the street would you give him money?

10:25PM - Question for the general public...

Does who is saying a statemnet affect what is said?

I personally think that we should listen to what is said over who says it, but i find it hard to take that judgment of who a person is away from what is said. If that wasn't confusing enough.. :-P