Monthly Archives: January 2018

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Republicans to STOP Waging War on Women


Planned Parenthood volunteers help bring the f...

Just another rant …

  In an interview, Rep. Bette Grande, ever so casually stated, “Banning abortion will help Women realize they don’t want one after all. “ My first reaction was could she be any more misinformed or maybe disrespectful; most people want the freedom to make their own decisions. Second; Obvisously, this is definitely not the conservative party our parents battled debated or “compromised” with when needed.  However, as SpeakerBoehner once said in an interview, “I reject the word.”  This latest Republican comment was not a gaffe but a clear indication that the mission to kill safe health care choices as well as the Affordable health care Act, which btw is already helping millions of middle and lower class families shows just how out of touch Republicans on all levels are.

In addition Boehner stated,” now we are going to have a fight over women’s health”,  “Give me a break. This is the latest plank in the so-called war on women entirely created by my colleagues across the aisle for political gain.”  Well, contrary to what we heard from Speaker Boehner back then,  there is a conservative movement waging War on Women with a mission to take away the rights of women to decide what health care we want need or can access.

 The time is now … this is a call to Stand up and Fight back against republicans who intend to destroy and dismantle the Affordable health care Act while rolling back the contraceptive clock for a complete ban on abortion and possibly repealing Roe V Wade.

We are all Freedom Fighters on some level every day.

  For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood has worked to improve women’s health and safety. They have made it possible for nearly 170,000 women to obtain low-cost clinical breast exams while providing more health services than any organization in the country such as mammogram referrals, all supported by grants. The attacks by Republicans on women, our health care and insurance rights have been growing and now include Republican Governors. It is important to remember that quite a few Republicans supported Planned Parenthood only a few years ago.

 Now, since President Barack Obama took office Republicans are set on and desperate to win at any cost.

The party of No has taken an extreme right on a path that should scare the middle class. What we continue to see day in and out is the far right engaging in flip-flopping politics on domestic affairs, immigrants, financial issues,  a willingness to abandoned women and the poor . The fact is over 65% say they do not want anyone defunding Planned Parenthood but the message has been ignored.

 Women’s health care should NOT be used as a political football.

 Women and Men who support protecting the right to choose need to ask Republicans to put Women and access to safe affordable health care ahead of politically driven, conservative religious, anti-abortion groups to aid or fund tax breaks for the wealthy.

Leave speaker ryan and leader mcconnell a message

… And thanks for taking action

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

“#FossilFree Fast: The Climate Resistance” 1/31


Will you pledge to act for a Fossil Free world, and call on communities, governments and institutions – local and international – to stand with us? Together we must:

  1. Ban all new coal, oil and gas projects and begin phasing out those that are already built.
  2. Divest from and defund fossil fuel projects. Not a penny more should go to fossil fuels.
  3. Commit to a rapid, just transition towards 100% renewable energy for all.

The age of fossil fuels is over. We are ready to create the change.

January 31, 2018

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Meet Republican Tom Cotton … a repost &reminder

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Yes, this man was given a seat in Congress … the man and his Republican crew in Congress seem more dangerous to our very democracy now …

U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, you may remember, was a co-sponsor of the “Life at Conception Act,” a so-called personhood measure which would give full constitutional rights to each “preborn human person” at the “moment of fertilization. In addition to being a frontal assault on Roe v. Wade, the bill (likely unconstitutional) could ban certain forms of birth control such as IUDs or the morning-after pill. (It could also potentially force women into dangerous pregnancies and to deliver babies that can’t survive outside the womb, or force families in situations like this to keep a braindead woman on life support). Click the graphic for the complete article  COTTON: Co-sponsored bill that could ban certain forms of birth control.

I know no candidate is perfect but if they are running to represent you as a Public Servant there are certain mandatory things they should all live up to … like the oath they take, which is seemingly being tossed aside by Republicans

I am sure there must be more information about where Tom Cotton stands on the issues …. do your research

I have to say that having spent a few minutes looking for actual comments from Mr.Cotton about the issues facing our 21st Century lives is not readily available. I went to plenty of sites, but one that claims they are a factcheck site seemed somewhat biased against mark pryor though they did divulge that Rep tom cotton did have an association or worked with the insurance industry at one time stating, “Cotton’s insurance experience is limited to consulting work for a federal agency.” This seems significant to me, but I am no expert.  The article does not think his consulting work is important, but seems to use the potato paatato meme quite often in their fact checking when his constituents deserve to know what part he played as an insurance consultant. I have a problem with the bottom line! That Rep.Tom Cotton seems to back stripping seniors of Medicare, assuming women have no common sense, backing  any budget coming from Rep.Paul Ryan – Those are just a few of many issues that seems buried in a lot of the surface articles concerning Mr. Cotton. So, it would be in the best interest of the People in Arkansas to ask questions of Tom Cotton … Where do you stand in this 21st Century life? Climate Change, Reproductive Rights, Immigration, ACA and tell your constituents why the GOP has no viable replacement bills plans to replace anything they may want to repeal ? I think the lack of plans offered up proves just how unqualified the 113th Republican members of Congress are

So, there is more information …. of course and for the complete article ~ search for the2013 headline in huffingtonpost.com

Tom Cotton In 1997: Women’s ‘Greatest Fear’ Is Men Leaving Them

Posted: 08/09/2013 1:48 pm EDT  |  Updated: 08/13/2013

among other things …below

Cotton, a freshman congressman who is running for Senate in 2014, warned feminists in a 1997 article for the Harvard Crimson that no-fault divorce will backfire on them by enabling their husbands to leave them for trophy wives.

“Feminists say no fault divorce was a large hurdle on the path to female liberation,” Cotton wrote. “They apparently don’t consult the deepest hopes or greatest fears of young women.”

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Marching Forward ~ A Better Balance


A Better Balance
The Women’s March and What Comes Next

ABB Staff & Friends March with ABB Co-President Sherry Leiwant in NYC.

The Women’s March

Last weekend we marched with thousands of women and men across the country in support of equality and justice for all. In NYC, a group of ABB staff and friends joined in the march and took the opportunity to speak with young women about their workplace rights, because KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. We encouraged them to reach out to us for more resources like our new New York Working Woman’s pocket guide.

The guide—which has been featured in Forbes and shared widely on social media—provides a user-friendly way for women to understand their rights in the workplace, from sexual harassment to equal pay to paid family leave to healthcare coverage, and much more!

In Nashville the march, attended by 15,000 people, was preceded by a conference that ABB co-sponsored. The conference included panels on activism, organizing, and legislative skills.  ABB’s Elizabeth Gedmark was a presenter.

Patricia Garcia & Madeleine Gyory marching in New York City

Elizabeth Gedmark marching in Nashville, TN after the conference

Elizabeth Gedmark presenting at Nashville’s Women’s March 2.0 Power Together TN Conference

The Kentucky Pregnant Workers’ Rights Act

Inspired by our former client Police Officer Lyndi Trischler’s story, This bill, SB 38, would ensure pregnant workers in the state do not have to choose between their health and their jobs. ABB is part of a robust and diverse coalition advocating for the bill, which has received bipartisan support after being introduced this month.

ABB Co-President Dina Bakst spoke on a panel with partners from Planned Parenthood, Eleanor’s Legacy, and Emerge New York.

The 2018 NY State Women’s Opportunity Agenda

On January 11, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa hosted an event at the New York Historical Society to announce Governor Cuomo’s Women’s Opportunity and Rights Agenda for 2018, which outlines dozens of proposals to advance the rights of women and girls in the State, including an end to sexual harassment in the workplace and the need for pay equity. As part of the event, ABB co-president Dina Bakst joined partners, including Planned Parenthood and Eleanor’s Legacy, on a panel to discuss how to turn these goals into lasting change.

Paid Sick Time

We’re working to expand the right to paid sick time across the country, including what could be the first sick time law in Texas, an ordinance recently introduced in Austin. ABB Co-President Sherry Leiwant spoke at a recent town hall meeting to launch the campaign for paid sick time in Westchester County, NY.

Dilini Lankachandra presenting at a workshop for advocates on how to defend progressive local policies against state preemption attempts.

Creating Change

This week, we are participating in the National LGBTQ Task Force’s 30th annual Creating Change Conference in Washington, D.C. ABB’s Dilini Lankachandra is co-presenting a workshop for advocates on how to defend progressive local policies against state preemption attempts, while Preston Van Vliet is helping to lead an interactive movement building workshop on how LGBTQ families can ground their experiences within a historical U.S. public policy context using racial, gender, and economic justice lenses.