Thursday, September 11, 2014

CRPD: Five Days Left to Secure Ratification

To hear CNN tell it, there are three things happening in the world: reactions to President Obama's strategy to destroy the Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISL, and who knows what other acronym); the unfolding story in Furgeson, MO; and whether the NFL Commissioner should be fired. All are legitimate stories. One affects our future with the likelihood of mission creep and another protracted war. Another reminds of us our failure to help, support, and celebrate young men of color. And the last, suggests that there are a lot of guys out there with big bucks that think domestic violence against women is a misdemeanor at most.

Is there room for anything else? Things of long lasting importance, perhaps? Here's hoping that the Senate can a take the time to ratify the resolution on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities a (CRPD). Those of us that have promoted such action have done what we have been told to do. We have contacted and met with Senators and staff over and over again. We have addressed with facts all of the points raised by the opposition. We have detailed all the benefits ratification will trigger. And we have outlined the adverse effects if we do not join the 145 + nations that have ratified the CRPD.

If we've learned anything from CNN this week, it is this: context is important, balance is a challenge, and video can change they nation's mood on a dime. So what do we need to do? Ask 1,000 wheelchair users to crawl up the Capitol steps? Go home, forget about ratification of the CRPD, because it's not our turn, not our time? There's got to be a third, reasonable option -- like, Senators Reid and Menendez carving an hour out of the Senate calendar and having a vote on the CRPD. We need it. We deserve it.

If we are a nation founded on freedom, opportunity, and human rights, then taking a few minutes of Senate time to ratify the CRPD, would bring an element of credibility to all the calls for coalition building, don't you think?

Thank you.
Common Grounder

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Now Parents, Who Homeschool Their Children, Should Support Senate Ratification of the CRPD: New Senate CRPD Resolution Addressed Their Concern


The Senate will recess on September 23rd, and not return until after the elections, November 4th. In the lame duck session that begins after the elections, there’s not a snowball’s chance that the Senate will schedule a floor vote on the resolution on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). So our best chance is from now until September 23rd.

The group who could help us get to a floor vote and get at least the 67 votes we need to ratify the CRPD are parents who homeschool their children. They have been a visible, effective force in opposition to the CRPD. The principle reason for this is that the text in the first resolution, which failed to pass in the Senate on December 4, 2012, did not clearly express their right to homeschool their children. Well, Senator Barrasso, a supporter of the CRPD, heard them loud and clear. He offered text to the CRPD resolution in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee mark up. It was accepted and became part of the final resolution on July 22, 2014. You can read the words below. The changes made in 2014 are highlighted.

Best Interests of the Child Understanding in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, July 31, 2012
Best Interests of the Child Understandings in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, July 28, 2014
(8) The United States of America understands that, for the United States of America, the term or principle of the ‘‘best interests of the child’’ as used in Article 7(2), will be applied and interpreted to be coextensive with its application and interpretation under United States law. Consistent with this understanding, nothing in Article 7 requires a change to existing United States law.
(8) The United States of America understands that, for the United States of America, the term or principle of the ‘‘best interests of the child’’ as used in Article 7(2), will be applied and interpreted to be coextensive with its application and interpretation under United States law. Consistent with this understanding, nothing in Article 7 requires a change to existing United States Federal, State, or local law.


(9) Nothing in the Convention limits the rights of parents to homeschool their children.

There are so many provisions in the CRPD that are in line with what parents, who homeschool, want for their families and children. These parents love the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act’s birthdays, and are likely to embrace the newly reauthorized Rehabilitation Act. These are laws that would be our basis for complying with the CRPD.

I think many do not realize the victory they achieved through Senator Barrasso’s text. Its specificity is unprecedented. If the CRPD were to be ratified by the Senate, these parents could suggest to parents in other countries, which do not allow parents to homeschool, to consider using such language to secure permission to homeschool.

I urge you to share the Barrasso text with parents who homeschool and ask them to join us in securing Senate ratification of the CRPD. There’s not a minute to waste.

Thank you.
Common Grounder

Sunday, September 7, 2014

The CRPD and the Final Push

We all have faced situations where the odds were against us. Yet, we knew if we didn't try, we would never know if we could have affected the outcome. Put another way, if we took no action, we knew what the outcome would be. But, if we took action, however it turned out, we knew we had tried. We are in such a situation now with regard to ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Senators return tomorrow to Washington, D.C. Mondays and Fridays are usually travel days and a Jewish religious holiday begins sundown September 24th. So the way I calculate things, we have eight days to work with. After that, the Senate breaks until after the elections on November 4th. After the elections, the Senate will probably return for a lame duck session. The climate then will be highly charged, because control of the Senate may be changing in January 2015. Will we see evidence of bipartisanship this year in November and December after the elections? No way! And, if control of the Senate shifts to the Republicans in January 2015, we can kiss good-bye any action on the CRPD for two years, for sure.

This blog has had over 16,000 views since it's start in August 2013. That's a lot of eyes, a lot of spectators. I am very pleased. How many different spectators read this blog, we'll never know. We do know the eyes that have read this blog are from all over the world. Most are from the U.S. The next largest views outside the U.S. are from China (603), Ukraine (369), and France (342).

Well, in September we don't need U.S. spectators, we need U.S. players, people willing to barrage Senator Menendez, Chairman of the Senate a Foreign a Relations Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and demand a vote on ratification of the CRPD BEFORE SEPTEMBER 24th. It's that simple. The facts have been disseminated. The points and counterpoints have been made. The fear spreaders have been exposed. The absurdities in the anti-CRPD arguments have been explained away.

It comes down to whether we have it in us to make this final push and, when we do, will the Senate leadership take us seriously and give us a vote.

Please begin your contacting tomorrow and keep it up till sundown on September 24th or until we get what we want, which ever comes first.

Here are the numbers:

Senator Menendez:  202.224.4744
Senator Reid:  202.224.3542

Thank you.
Common Grounder