An appeal before you vote …

 Opinion  No Responses »
Oct 292012
 

by Jane Pennington

If there’s one thing I learned from my career in political and government administration, it’s that change happens more slowly in government than it does anywhere else. Even when the need for change is obvious and monumental, the steps to achieve it are frustratingly, achingly slow. Two years ago, our nation voted for a President who understood this then and who, when elected, spoke to us eloquently about how difficult the challenges would be. From that speech:

“I know you didn’t do this just to win an election, and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

“There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

“What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

“Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.  Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends … though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.”  And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too.”

POLITICAL CHANGE IS SLOW.

If you want to see the change you voted for, you must support the President now, not just then. I know it’s easier to lend your energy and support in times of optimism and hope, but it’s more crucial — MOST crucial –to lend your support in times of doubt and increasing indifference. If you want to overcome anything, you must persevere everything, even your own doubts and complacency. Remember where we came from and know that change is slow, and please take time today to vote.

Jane Pennington first posted this on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Its time has come again. 

Whose Voice, Whose Choice?

 News, Opinion  No Responses »
Jun 132012
 

choice


Update 6/14/2012: The state House passed a version of this bill 70 to 39 on June 13. 

The State of Michigan is considering one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation: House Bill No. 5711. It could effectively ban the procedure in Michigan.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Bruce Rendon on May 31, 2012. The House Committee on Health Policy passed it just a week later, on June 7, after a brief hearing with little testimony. It sent the bill on to the full House for a second reading, a step closer to passage, by the following vote:

Yeas: Reps. Gail Haines (chair), Mike Callton, Paul Opsommer, Kenneth Kurtz, Wayne Schmidt, Mike Shirkey, Thomas Hooker, Matt Huuki, Paul Muxlow, Ken Yonker, Holly Hughes, Joseph Graves, and Lesia Liss. All Republicans.

Nays: Reps. Thomas Stallworth, Kate Segal, Jimmy Womack, Marcia Hovey-Wright, and Tim Greimel. All Democrats.

 I encourage you to read the bill (full text here) and form your own opinions. I did, and here are mine.

First, consider the following section of the bill:

Sec. 16221. The department may investigate activities related to the practice of a health profession. The department may hold hearings, administer oaths, and order the taking of relevant testimony to be taken [btw, should we allow people who can’t even form proper English sentence structure to make these types of major life-altering decisions for us?]  and shall report its findings to the appropriate disciplinary subcommittee. The disciplinary subcommittee shall proceed… if it finds that 1 or more of the following grounds exist…

This is followed by a list of those actions considered grounds for investigation. One of them is: 

(vi) Lack of good moral character.

Really? Seems like an awfully vague criterion for setting a disciplinary subcommittee investigation into motion. Lack of good moral character, huh? Wonder what blood test can be administered to check for that. But let’s say this disciplinary subcommittee does use their collective and objective wisdom and decides a medical practitioner lacks good moral character. Then what happens? Under the proposed legislation:

After finding the existence of 1 or more of the grounds for disciplinary subcommittee action listed in section 16221, a disciplinary subcommittee shall impose 1 or more of the following sanctions for each violation:  Probation, limitation, denial, suspension, revocation, restitution, community service, or fine.

I am very uncomfortable thinking such a panel could revoke the medical licenses of practicing physicians based on the vague and subjective criteria proposed in this bill.

The proposed legislation would also require doctors to “Provide the patient with a physical copy of a medically accurate depiction, illustration, or photograph and description of a fetus… at the gestational age nearest the probable gestational age of the patient’s fetus,” and a parenting information pamphlet to consider at least 24 hours prior to her abortion procedure. Because you know how impulsive females are; pass a tattoo parlor, stop in and get a tattoo. Pass a Planned Parenthood and gee, think I’ll pop in and get an abortion.

Not offended yet? The bill would also require your doctor to ask you if your “husband, parents, siblings, relatives, or employer, the father or putative father of the fetus, the parents of the father or putative father of the fetus, or any other individual has engaged in coercion…” (i.e., said or done anything to talk you into your decision). Your response would be documented and you could then be denied access to the procedure, based on your response.

And hey, want a souvenir? “The physician or qualified person… shall provide the patient with the opportunity to view or decline to view an active ultrasound image of the fetus, and offer to provide the patient with a physical picture of the ultrasound image of the fetus before the performance of the abortion.”

That is psychological torture.

You may believe differently, but whatever your stance on abortion, is there any woman anywhere who thinks it’s a good idea to have a government-appointed panel regulating medical ethics? Consider the following quote:

“It will be necessary to open special institutions for abortions and doctors must be able to help out there in case there is any question of this being a breach of their professional ethics.”

That’s not from the proposed Michigan legislation. It’s from Adolf Hitler. He wanted control over women’s choices, too.

Abortion legislation causes a political rift capable of hijacking women’s autonomy. I believe opting to have an abortion is the most heart-wrenching and terrible decision a person has to make. If public discussions about abortion are partisan and political instead of fact-based and earnest, we’re really just letting mostly rich, mostly white and mostly male legislators make decisions for us. Not on our behalf. FOR us.

For me, it’s simple. The person most qualified to decide whether to have an abortion is the person most affected: the woman, of course. Why would I think some gray-haired guy in the Senate or House could have some better inside information than I do, right here in my own heart and body? The same goes for you: logically, statistically, you have the most and best information you need to make the decision. Whatever you choose is your decision, just as I’d like to keep it mine. And if our opinions are different, I’m willing to talk about it. But when it comes to those white-haired dudes in the House, I’m pretty sure they’re not really listening.

The bottom line is, when it comes to your reproductive rights, why would you ever give them away? What you believe is just that: your personal belief. Your choice. Please use your voice to secure your choice; don’t give it away.

– Jane Pennington

 

Jane Pennington: Why I Occupy

 Opinion, Personal stories, Regular column  No Responses »
Jun 132012
 

I moved to Michigan two years ago from the San Francisco Bay Area, where I’d worked in local government for nine years. My experience as a county department head gave me insight into how political decisions are made and modified. I can best sum up my opinions by sharing this quote:

“Democracy is the worst form of government there is, except for all the others.” — Winston Churchill 

A lot of good political intentions get bound up and crippled by red tape that was created for checks and balances. Ultimately, that’s why I quit my career in political administration: I felt powerless and frustrated. We’d already moved to Michigan when the Occupy movement began. As I learned about it, I felt that here was a new chance to act, be heard, and try to make a better life and a better world.

But the Occupy movement faces its own challenges and frustrations. While it’s incredibly heartening to see people taking to the streets and the city halls, I’m terrified that our government seems to want to limit our right to do so. But I know, especially when we’re talking about the government, that change happens in baby steps, slower than molasses.

Patience has never been easy for me. It’s especially hard to have hope when, as I hit the ‘net each morning looking for news and inspiration, I read things like, ” Brace yourself. The American Empire is over. And the descent is going to be horrifying.”

It was while I was reading some news online that my seven-year-old came up and said, “Mommy, what are you doing?”

I said “Occupy stuff,” which is my pat answer to her when I’m reading news articles, writing, or catching up in forums and workgroups.

With a sigh she said, “When is the occupy stuff going to be done?”

I’m sighing too, kiddo.

It’s hard to spend time reading and watching more interviews, more news articles, when your kid wants to play with you, you need a shower, and your house is a mess. It’s easy for me to feel overwhelmed.

So, I remind myself to think smaller.

I remind myself that people are unhappy and want to have hope, want to make things better, not just for themselves but for their neighbors and their communities. Occasional burnout is inevitable. But people are still interested and still curious, and that curiosity is what will keep the occupy movement moving.

Just yesterday, a neighbor asked me if I was still working with Occupy Detroit. When I said yes, she said, “I’m still not sure what it’s all about; I’m going to have to get down there and check it out.”

So what I have is a small and attainable goal. I’d like to ensure that when people want to see what’s going on with the Occupy movement, that we’re still here to show them.

Jane Pennington is a regular columnist for The Occupied Detroit Free Press.