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Jan

18

[photos] Presidential Inaugural Committee’s photostream from 1/18/09 events

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Is excellent.  Thanks to this tweet for the tip. Watch here. Check out the presidential port-o-potties:

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:35 pm January 18th, 2009 in Barack Obama | Comments Off 

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Jan

18

[text] Obama’s remarks at Lincoln Memorial concert, 1/18/09

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See them in full at the Plain Dealer’s blog.  In part:

What gives me that hope is what I see when I look out across this mall. For in these monuments are chiseled those unlikely stories that affirm our unyielding faith – a faith that anything is possible in America. Rising before us stands a memorial to a man who led a small band of farmers and shopkeepers in revolution against the army of an Empire, all for the sake of an idea. On the ground below is a tribute to a generation that withstood war and depression – men and women like my grandparents who toiled on bomber assembly lines and marched across Europe to free the world from tyranny’s grasp. Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King, and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character’s content. And behind me, watching over the union he saved, sits the man who in so many ways made this day possible.

Probably incredibly more moving if you are there, or listening live.  But every time I read an Obama speech, I now think of 27 year old Obama chief speechwriter Jon Favreau’s laughing face while he is squeezing a cardboard stand-up Hillary Clinton breast.

Just kind of discordant. Still.

FYI, here’s an NYT profile of Favreau from almost exactly one year ago, when he was 26.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:36 pm January 18th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Politics, Sexism | Comments Off 

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Jan

18

Haveil Havalim #201 The I-Love-Nauru Edition

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Many thanks to The Rebbetzin’s Husband for hosting this week’s carnival of Jewish blogging, more commonly referred to as Haveil Havalim, #201.  It is long today so you better get started.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:59 pm January 18th, 2009 in Blogging, Carnivals, Jewish, Writing | Comments Off 

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Jan

18

[update] Mandel marches against FOCA & 36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Filed Under Abortion, activism, Civil Rights, Cleveland+, Congress, conservatives, Culture, Debates, Gender, Health Care, Law, OH17, Ohio, Politics, Women, Youth | 9 Comments

If you live in Ohio’s 17th legislative House district, you should be under no illusions that Representative Josh Mandel is a moderate conservative or Republican – he is as committed to the right as the reddest of the red. I reviewed several of his positions here and am adding to that review his continued pursuit of shutting down women’s reproductive choices, as mentioned in the Plain Dealer’s blog post about a rally in which Mandel figured prominently yesterday.

Just three months ago, Mandel was asked about his position on abortion. From the Cleveland Jewish News:

CJN: Where do you stand on abortion, civil rights for gays, and school prayer?

Mandel: While I respect people’s opinions on all issues, I am focused on growing the economy and reversing the exodus of jobs and people from the state. [emphasis added]

I also noted other 127th assembly actions Mandel took on reproductive rights:

On abortion: Mandel is a co-sponsor of HB 280 which would require abortion clinics to:

post the following notice in a conspicuous location in the office or facility that is accessible to all patients, employees, and visitors:

“NO ONE CAN FORCE YOU TO HAVE AN ABORTION.  NO ONE – NOT A PARENT, NOT A HUSBAND, NOT A BOYFRIEND – NO ONE.

Under Ohio law, an abortion cannot be legally performed on anyone, regardless of her age, unless she VOLUNTARILY CONSENTS to having the abortion.

Ohio law requires that, before an abortion can legally be performed, the pregnant female must sign a form indicating that she consents to having the abortion “voluntarily” and “WITHOUT COERCION BY ANY PERSON.”

IF SOMEONE IS TRYING TO FORCE YOU TO HAVE AN ABORTION AGAINST YOUR WILL:

DO NOT SIGN THE CONSENT FORM

IF YOU ARE AT AN ABORTION FACILITY, TELL AN EMPLOYEE OF THE FACILITY THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO FORCE YOU TO HAVE AN ABORTION.”

Mandel was in Iraq when HB 314, the Ohio Ultrasound Viewing Option Law, was voted on in the House in 12/07.  However, he lists the bill as one which he co-sponsored. The restrictions went into effect in 6/08:

Ohio’s Ultrasound Viewing Option Law became effective on June 20, 2008. The new law, H.B. 314, which was sponsored by Rep. Shannon Jones (R, Springboro), requires that, if an ultrasound examination is performed prior to or during an abortion, the abortionist must give the woman an opportunity to view the active ultrasound image of the unborn child and the opportunity to receive a physical picture of the ultrasound image.

“We are delighted that Ohio has adopted this common sense pro-life and pro-woman law”, said Mike Gonidakis, Executive Director of Ohio Right to Life. “Since women sometimes regret their abortions after later seeing an ultrasound of an unborn baby, this law will help some women avoid the emotional trauma of learning the truth about abortion too late. Just as x-rays are commonly shown to patients deciding on surgery, letting a woman see an ultrasound can help her make a more informed choice, and an uninformed choice is no choice at all”, Gonidakis said.

With that as a backdrop, here’s what he had to say at yesterday’s rally:

Since Obama told the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in 2007 that he would sign the [Freedom of Choice Act or FOCA] bill if elected, abortion opponents have been concerned about its future.

“He said he would sign it if it crosses his desk,” said Lou Koenig of Parma. “We’re going to make sure it doesn’t.”

State Rep. Josh Mandel, a Republican from Lyndhurst, and Ohio Christian Alliance President Chris Long also spoke against the bill, urging people to call, e-mail and send letters to their congressional representatives. On Saturday, participants filled out postcards to send to U.S. Sens. George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown.

For the record, Brown doesn’t expect FOCA to be on the Senate’s agenda (according to the PD’s blog post).

The continued attempt to curtail reproductive rights cannot stop time and so, on January 22, we will be celebrating the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.

In Ohio, Freedom of Choice Ohio and the National Council of Jewish Women in Columbus are sponsoring a large event to help “protect access to safe, legal reproductive health services.”

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice issued a statement by Reverend Veazey, its CEO, that says in part:

In this economic crisis, which is hitting the most vulnerable the hardest, it is an ethical imperative to serve the common good. In marking the 36th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision on January 22, I call on the faithful to protect the lives of women and children by fighting to ensure that reproductive health care is accessible and that abortion services are safe, legal, and available.

The doubters and dividers have lost no time in demanding that reproductive health services be cut back – in the name of economy and righteousness. Cutting back services is wrong, morally and fiscally. The reality is that the cycle of poverty often revolves around unintended and unwanted pregnancy.

A woman living in poverty is four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy and five times as likely to have an unintended birth as her higher-income counterpart. The link between family planning and overcoming poverty is well established. Comprehensive reproductive health services contribute to better health for infants, children, and women and improve social and economic opportunities for women and their families.

And, last week, NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation released its annual report, Who Decides? The Status of Women’s Reproductive Rights in the United States.

Ohio received an F - which, I imagine should please Mandel, so I’m not quite sure what additional insults he’s interested on having inflicted on women who seek to exercise reproductive rights.

naral2009

[The report] grades each state on women’s reproductive rights, summarizes related laws, and outlines legislative trends. This year’s release comes days before two key events: the historic inauguration of pro-choice President-elect Barack Obama and the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Roe v. Wade.

Some key policy findngs from the report:
Pro-Choice Progress:
–In 2008, 23 states enacted 39 pro-choice measures – four of these were Prevention First measures, or policies that help prevent unintended pregnancy.
–Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin enacted Prevention First measures in 2008 that are aimed at improving birth-control access or teaching teens accurate sex education all toward the goal of preventing unintended pregnancy.
–In Wisconsin, Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law a bill ensuring that sexual-assault survivors receive information about and have access to emergency contraception (EC) in emergency rooms, making Wisconsin the 14th state to enact such policies.
Anti-Choice Attacks:
–In 2008, 16 states enacted 24 anti-choice measures.
–Oklahoma passed an omnibus bill that allows certain individuals and entities to refuse to provide abortion services, requires women to view ultrasound images before providing abortion care, and prohibits certain health-care professionals from providing abortion services. This was just one of six anti-choice measures Oklahoma enacted in 2008.
You can read our release here.
And access the online-version of the report here.
You can also download the full report pdf here.

Given how Mandel supporters often emphasize how many Democrats they believe live in the 17th district, it’s hard to believe that he believes that his opposition to women’s reproductive choice represents what the district desires.

UPDATE: More evidence of what wasted energy espousing opposition to FOCA is compared to so many needs that could use the voice of a state rep who won in a landslide:

By the way, while Obama was busy not ramping up the culture wars, House Republicans spent the day collecting 105 signatures on a letter they sent to Obama demanding he withdraw his 2007 pledge to sign the Freedom of Choice Act–legislation that he will not be signing because Democrats don’t plan to bring it up for a vote in Congress and it’s not even on the list of top ten priorities the abortion rights community sent the new president. Not that you’d know it from listening to conservative radio or the Catholic bishops…but more on that in a future post. [emphasis added]

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:07 am January 18th, 2009 in Abortion, activism, Civil Rights, Cleveland+, Congress, conservatives, Culture, Debates, Gender, Health Care, Law, OH17, Ohio, Politics, Women, Youth | 9 Comments 

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