Video: Obama Raising the Bar
I made this video during the campaign and I think it still has relevance, maybe even more so right now during our country's crisis of trust.
What do you think?
It just so happens that Honey Alexander, wife of Senator Lamar Alexander, was the first name on my list. As I read her bio, I couldn't help thinking that we would probably agree on many issues, especially those impacting children. This letter asks wives of senators to prevail upon their husbands to consider healthcare from a woman's point-of-view. I decided to name this letter DEAR HONEY, underscoring the role wives play in the consciousness of their husbands. A note from MadamaAmbi, author of this letter.
"Recently I saw a pregnant woman I will call Lillian, a 22-year-old who brought her two children with her to the ER. Lillian has a full-time job whose health insurance doesn't cover pregnancy. She can't afford to cover herself and her family on the individual market, and she makes too much money to qualify for Medicaid. Lillian came to the ER because she wants to make sure her baby is okay. A friend with better insurance advised her that she should have an ultrasound. I discharged Lillian with worry. I know that she will have a difficult time finding standard prenatal care. Without that help, she and her baby are at much higher risk for complications, like low birth weight, that can turn into tragedy. Or Lillian's health might suffer. I am embarrassed by how many women die in childbirth in the U.S. — at 15.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, our rate is higher than most developed nations. Most women in America will spend roughly 35 years of her life preventing pregnancy, trying to become pregnant, having children, or recovering from pregnancy. She might also face a sexually transmitted disease ~ or a common condition of the reproductive system, like fibroids or polyps. Her health insurance will not help her with any of these basic needs, yet we still call it health insurance. Although women comprise more titan half of the U.S. population, many insurers treat their medical care as an exception to the rule, charging them more, to stay healthy than men and refusing to cover basic reproductive services. When women do not receive gynecological care, they get sick when they could have easily and inexpensively been kept well. Just as she needs to be in good cardiovascular health, a woman must be in good reproductive health whether or not she is trying to got pregnant. An undetected problem in the reproductive system can have devastating consequences. Two of my colleagues have had patients who went without ob/gyn checkups because they could not afford health insurance. By the time they saw a doctor, their cervical cancer had already spread too far to save their lives. One of these women was in her 50s. The other was 28. A woman's reproductive health affects her throughout her life; it is inextricable from her overall well-being. Reproductive health care is a necessity that too many women have gone without for too long. And when women get sick and die, their children feel the impact, as do their spouses, employers, and everyone else who depends on them. I was disappointed but not surprised by the following survey finding: 52 percent of women in our country did not visit a doctor when they had a medical problem or went without a needed prescription or follow-up care because they could not afford these services. I have worked in Philadelphia's emergency rooms since 2002. where I have treated women of all ages who have nowhere else to go for fundamental care. Every day our department treats at least 10 women who come to the ER for pregnancy tests and ultrasounds. These women have to pretend that they have emergency stomach pain or bleeding so that they can get a little bit of obstetric attention, In the rush to develop legislation for health care reform, our senators and representatives must not forget the health of half their constituents. Every private and public insurance plan must guarantee the same set of reproductive services to every woman. We can't keep Lillian and the rest of the women in this country healthy and alive without taking care of their reproductive health."
We need think of abortion in this context. What if it was necessary to save the life of the mother? I think some of these young women need to go before Congress, No one has the right to make decisions for women like this. Can you imagine the health care bills these young women have already? My daughter's bill is like a house payment that never ends. These young women would die because they can't be treated.
A diagnosis that, came in fairly often was TAB. They were always white women, well-dressed, beautiful hair and nails, usually a fur coat if it was winter, and always a private doctor. I never could find out what that acronym stood for. No one wanted to share. Eventually, an intern on the ob-gyn floor told me it stood for therapeutic abortion. He also explained it didn't necessarily mean something was wrong with the mother or the fetus (I asked, because the woman I had just admitted wasn't sick looking).
Abortion is not for me, BUT, I will defend to the death anyone's right to have a safe and legal abortion and a doctor's right to give someone that abortion and have it covered by insurance. The lies and scare tactics being used make me sick and angry. I just wish that everyone would remember that there were abortions before they were legal. There were also many, many tragedies—hemorrhaging to death, septicemia, ruptured uterus, etc., because they didn't have insurance or a doctor to do a TAB.
Dear Senator Boxer:
I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan not only for your stance on issues impacting women and girls, but also because you're courageous and know how to handle your colleagues and the press with sechel! (I hope I've spelled that correctly.) I used to live in the Bay Area but am now retired in Phoenix. I am a longtime feminist now getting very vocal in "cyberfeminism." Although there are many capable leaders in women's movement, none of them have the moxie you do, or the leverage. I'm writing to tell you that YOU'RE IT! Yes, dear Senator, You Are It. You are the obvious person to step forward and speak for women when current events focus worldwide attention on issues that disproportionately affect women and girls. In my review of the landscape, there is no one else who can take the podium or the microphone or the spotlight and do it as skillfully, as eloquently, and as powerfully as you can.I'm going to mount a campaign to put this idea out to online feminists, and I'll update you on where I'm posting and who else is weighing in on the issue. If you think that other members of Congress should take the podium with you, like Maxine Waters or another woman of color, I hope you will recruit them. If you think that there are men in Congress who should stand with you, please recruit them. Speak for women, Senator Boxer. You're it.
D.C. Awakening--my interview with Jen Nedeau, Women's Rights blogger at Change.org.
Jen Nedeau blogs about Women's Rights at Change.org. She's not a seasoned feminist who has it all figured out; in fact, her feminist awakening began only a year ago. But she understands that women of her generation have grown up with a "dangerous sense of equality" that does not sync with real-world politics. This interview was recorded in March of 2009.
Get it at iTunes.
In addition to being supportive of many groups, I’m also a transparent organizer, regularly laying out my ideas, my visions, and inviting collaborators. As I’ve said in many places, there’s a tremendous amount of talent in the femisphere and the movement can prosper with many leaders; we don’t all have to sign onto the same agenda or even belong to the same group. That said, the more I get to know who’s doing what, the more I see women’s movement as a vast network of groups and individuals with specializations. Recently I floated the idea of unifying women’s movement on a wiki-map with a recognition of specializations so that we can share talent, resources, know-how and connections. It seems to me that the circuitry exists–the job is to strengthen our connections. Here’s an analogy from a recent article in the NY Times on brain research:
"…research…suggests that brain cells activated by an experience keep one another on biological quick-dial, like a group of people joined in common witness of some striking event. Call on one and word quickly goes out to the larger network of cells, each apparently adding some detail, some sight, sound, smell. The brain appears to retain a memory by growing thicker, or more efficient, communications lines between these cells."
Gloria Pan of Fem2.0 replied that she liked the idea but that there were too many egos involved for this to happen, to which I replied if that’s what’s holding up women’s movement, then we women need to confront it. I’m building relationships with many women and especially focusing on women of color, partly because as a Jew (secular) I don’t identify as white (although I recognize that I have had much white privilege), but also because I really feel that women’s movement cannot succeed without leadership of women of color. Women of color will be the leaders of this phase of women’s movement, imo, and I’m gung-ho on helping this happen.
My basic organizing principle for Feminist Advisory Board for Obama is that it will be networked to all other women’s groups and will facilitate direct communication from the people with the needs to the people who make public policy. This is a very big vision, and I’ve laid out some of my ideas for this in a a proposal for a needs-based women’s media network driven by user-interactivity: Our Needs Have Not Been Met: needia
Although I already feel like you are a friend, I wanted to extend myself to you and your fellow organizers in recognition of our common cause and to open up the lines of communication. Would you please pass this email to your fellow organizers? Also, you are all invited to join Feminist Advisory Board for Obama. I’m looking forward to having meaningful conversations with Feminist Campus.
First US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Confirmed
Melanne Verveer was confirmed by the Senate Friday as the United State's first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. Several other nominees for state department positions were also confirmed Friday. According to a White House press release, "The President's decision to nominate an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues is unprecedented and reflects the elevated importance of global women's issues to the President and his entire Administration." Verveer formerly served in the Clinton Administration as Assistant to the President and as Hillary Clinton's Chief of Staff and Chief Assistant in international activities. She was also involved in establishing the President's Interagency Council on Women during the Clinton Administration. Verveer is the Co-Founder, Chair, and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, a nonprofit that invests in development of women leaders globally. She has also served as Executive Vice President of People for the American Way and in a number of other legislative and international policy roles.
Media Resources: White House Press Release 3/6/09; US Senate Confirmations 4/3/09
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http://digg.com/politics/Feminist_Advisory_Board_FAB_within_Organizing_for_America
How nice to wake up and find an idea that exists right now in my head and in words is getting eyeballs. Tom Hayes, the Synergist, has posted about FAB and http://needia.blogspot.com at his blog.
Someone has also DUGG the post! Oy, this reminds me of the months I spent doing the drill for the Obama campaign! Push push push! Digg Digg Digg! Tweet Tweet Tweet!
thank you, Mr. Tom Hayes, whoever you are...I see also that you are an entrepreneuer? Would love to have your input on needia.
Professor Bettina Aptheker's popular course at University of CA, Santa Cruz, has released a 17-DVD set of her lectures covering an entire academic quarter.
You can view a short video clip of her giving her own definition of feminism--click here.
There's more info at my blog Feminist Advisory Board for Obama
I'm glad Allison Fine is critiquing Change.gov, (on techpresident) and I think she makes some good points. I know that some activists are frustrated that the Obama team hasn't shown the ground game leadership that was the power behind the campaign. I think it's way too early to criticize Team Obama, but not way too early to be floating and discussing ideas.
But here's my meta take on one of the most vocalized complaints I've been hearing: post-election Team Obama (they're not even in the White House yet, he hasn't even been inaugurated yet) has not built the 2-way bridge to everywhere and everyone is stranded on the shores of post-election chaos and confusion.
I don't see this and I think it's a myth being created for good press and/or to push one's own agenda. Activists & organizations exist by the hundreds, maybe the thousands, and they aren't waiting around for instructions from Change.gov. They're doing what activists do. I'm one of them. I'm very busy right now getting back to my regular feminist agenda after having put it on hold for 9 months while I was All Obama All the time. As a result of having joined the Obama community, I am more skilled, more connected, and more activist.
In my opinion, it will take some time before the Obama administration figures out how to build bridges with its grassroots base, but, folks, this is and will continue to be a bottom-up movement, and so should it always be. We, the people, must agitate for what we need, and we, the people, will continue to build our visibility, our agendas, and our collective voice. And we will then invite the O-administration to visit our table...or our tables.
Do I hope that the O-administration will get the bridge thing right? I certainly do, but I'm not holding my breath. We're in an economic crisis. We're involved in two wars. Terrorists sent the world a new message yesterday in India. The unemployment rolls are swelling...in my view, Obama and team will be on ER duty for quite a while. In the meantime, my fellow feminists and I continue to expand the base, to network wildly, to get our agenda seen as a universally applicable set of needs as opposed to being marginalized as "women's issues."
The feminist movement never ended even though the mainstream press reported otherwise. We are not post-feminism. We are not post-patriarchy. There are staunch and stalwart feminists still at work, there are younger feminists emerging as leaders, and there are even younger feminists who are energizing the movement.
We're here, we've been here all along, and we're not waiting for the phone to ring.
Madama reads Song of Myself by Walt Whitman.
click here to listen...scroll down to Pickle Player...
10:14 min.
