The first day we've been waiting for is finally going to happen. Tuesday, on July 22, 2014 the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will vote on a resolution on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The time will be 10 AM. The location will be S – 116 of the U.S. Capitol building. On the committee's website, www.foreign.senate.gov, click on business meeting. On that page you will have access to a copy of the ratification package that President Obama sent to the committee in 2012. If you want you can download it. That will be the foundation, I suspect, of the resolution that the committee puts forward for a vote. After the committee vote, which I am sure will be a majority in favor of the resolution, the resolution will goes to the Senate floor. That will happen the following week. The resolution will pass there if two thirds of the Senators, present and voting, vote for it.
In the meantime I urge everyone to contact their Senators and to request that they vote yes for the resolution. I also urge that you consider reading my new book, A Moral Imperative: U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, http://t.co//Vigyant7aM.
Our time has arrived. Now let's make the most of it.
Thank you.
Patricia Morrissey
New Kindle book -- A Moral Imperative: U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Book link: http://t.co/Vigyant7aM
If you are interested in supporting the ratification of the disability rights treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, also check out:
www.disabilitytreaty.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RatifyCRPD
Blog: www.wecandothisifwetry.blogspot.com
Twitter: @AuntPip
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
CRPD vs Fiction
I just read the piece by Abigail Wilkinson for CNSNews -- Sen. Menendez: Senate will reconsider the controversial U.N. Disabilities Treaty
(http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/abigail-wilkinson/sen-menendez-senate-will-reconsider-controversial-un-disabilities). She quotes Wendy Wright, Director of Governmental Affairs for C-Fam, a lot. In short, Wendy said if the Senate ratifies the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) abortion rights will be expanded, parents' rights about decisions concerning their children will be controlled by the U.N., and U.S. sovereignty will be weakened.
On August 13, 2013 I wrote a blog post on Article 25, which deals with access to health care, including reproductive health services. I put the text of the article right in the blog post. The key phrase was --
(a) Provide persons with disabilities with the same range, quality and standard of free or affordable health care and programmes as provided to other persons, including in the area of sexual and reproductive health and population-based public health programmes;
No more, no less than anyone else, Ladies and Gentlemen. Not expansion of abortion rights.
On October 30, 2013, I did a blog post on statistics and the CRPD. Of the countries, which had ratified the CRPD by that date, 66 ban abortion outright. These 66 had no problem with the text in Article 25 of the CRPD.
On August 14, 2013 I wrote a post on Article 7, The Best Interests of the Child, and laid out how federal and state laws work with regard to interests of children. On October 23, 2013 I gave a link to a scary video put out by the opposition to the CRPD -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe38o_ftOfI. Check it out -- some people believe that storm troopers from the U.N. will take over our school system and ban homeschooling.
I wrote several posts related to sovereignty and federalism -- August 22, 2013, June 1, 2, and 4, 2014. Two conservative legal scholars and the Supreme Court in Bond vs. the United States showed how our system of government and the division of power between federal and state government can continue to work well thanks to the Constitution.
I just wish Abigail Wilkinson and Wendy Wright had read my posts. If they had, I don't think they would have relied so heavily on fiction-based talking points.
Thank you.
Patricia Morrissey
New Kindle book -- A Moral Imperative: U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Book link: http://t.co/Vigyant7aM
If you are interested in supporting the ratification of the disability rights treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, also check out:
www.disabilitytreaty.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RatifyCRPD
Blog: www.wecandothisifwetry.blogspot.com
Twitter: @AuntPip
(http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/abigail-wilkinson/sen-menendez-senate-will-reconsider-controversial-un-disabilities). She quotes Wendy Wright, Director of Governmental Affairs for C-Fam, a lot. In short, Wendy said if the Senate ratifies the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) abortion rights will be expanded, parents' rights about decisions concerning their children will be controlled by the U.N., and U.S. sovereignty will be weakened.
On August 13, 2013 I wrote a blog post on Article 25, which deals with access to health care, including reproductive health services. I put the text of the article right in the blog post. The key phrase was --
(a) Provide persons with disabilities with the same range, quality and standard of free or affordable health care and programmes as provided to other persons, including in the area of sexual and reproductive health and population-based public health programmes;
No more, no less than anyone else, Ladies and Gentlemen. Not expansion of abortion rights.
On October 30, 2013, I did a blog post on statistics and the CRPD. Of the countries, which had ratified the CRPD by that date, 66 ban abortion outright. These 66 had no problem with the text in Article 25 of the CRPD.
On August 14, 2013 I wrote a post on Article 7, The Best Interests of the Child, and laid out how federal and state laws work with regard to interests of children. On October 23, 2013 I gave a link to a scary video put out by the opposition to the CRPD -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe38o_ftOfI. Check it out -- some people believe that storm troopers from the U.N. will take over our school system and ban homeschooling.
I wrote several posts related to sovereignty and federalism -- August 22, 2013, June 1, 2, and 4, 2014. Two conservative legal scholars and the Supreme Court in Bond vs. the United States showed how our system of government and the division of power between federal and state government can continue to work well thanks to the Constitution.
I just wish Abigail Wilkinson and Wendy Wright had read my posts. If they had, I don't think they would have relied so heavily on fiction-based talking points.
Thank you.
Patricia Morrissey
New Kindle book -- A Moral Imperative: U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Book link: http://t.co/Vigyant7aM
If you are interested in supporting the ratification of the disability rights treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, also check out:
www.disabilitytreaty.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RatifyCRPD
Blog: www.wecandothisifwetry.blogspot.com
Twitter: @AuntPip
Monday, July 14, 2014
An Open Letter to Senators
Dear Senators:
Two thirds of you are looking forward to the August break and relaxing some. One-third of you can't wait to get back home to campaign full time. A few of you are retiring. You are not viewing the next two weeks of July as a time to do anything monumental or legacy-building. Well, there is one thing -- the pending ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
People from around the world read this blog. Lately, lots from China, Ukraine, France, Germany, and Russia. I am approaching 12,000 hits. The question on everyone's mind, here and abroad, is when will the Senate ratify the CRPD? Not "if" but "when".
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate you have a unique, special opportunity to make history and reaffirm unanimously the U.S. commitment to disability rights. If you support the treaty, reach out to a colleague who has had not taken a position yet and talk to him or her about the international equivalent to the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have not taken a position yet, read some of my earlier posts on sovereignty, Bond vs. the United States, access to health care, and on homeschooling. Better yet, buy my book -- http://t.co/Vigyant7aM.
The word on the street is that Senators Ayotte and Kirk have been investing a ton of time listening to and talking with colleagues who have concerns about the CRPD. I hope these conversations are leading to consensus. Another word on the street is that the CRPD will be discussed in the Republican caucus tomorrow.
Some things transcend politics. Disability rights is one of them. Ratification of the CRPD will allow us to stand with 147 countries and spread disability rights with experience, credibility, and clout. Ratification of the CRPD will allow us to stand up for one billion people with disabilities so they may have a very bright future of opportunities and fully participation in their communities. Ratification of the CRPD will make things easier for people with disabilities from the U.S. when they travel overseas. Ratification of the CRPD will allow us to stand by U.S. companies that manufacture assistive technology so they can spread accessibility around the globe. Ratification of the CRPD will not require changes in federal law or state law. Ratification of the CRPD will give us a seat at the table when international standards concerning technology and other issues are being developed. Ratification of the CRPD will not require spending money.
I urge you to consider and share these points. I urge you to put one more item in your legacy column this month. You won't regret it. The call to do the right thing does not always come so clearly or urgently. But this is one of those times. Tell Majority Leader Reid to put the resolution on the CRPD on the Senate calendar in July. When the resolution on the CRPD comes up for a vote, proudly vote yes and change the world for the better.
Thank you.
Patricia Morrissey
New Kindle book -- A Moral Imperative: U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Book link: http://t.co/Vigyant7aM
If you are interested in supporting the ratification of the disability rights treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, also check out:
www.disabilitytreaty.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RatifyCRPD
Blog: www.wecandothisifwetry.blogspot.com
Twitter: @AuntPip
Two thirds of you are looking forward to the August break and relaxing some. One-third of you can't wait to get back home to campaign full time. A few of you are retiring. You are not viewing the next two weeks of July as a time to do anything monumental or legacy-building. Well, there is one thing -- the pending ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
People from around the world read this blog. Lately, lots from China, Ukraine, France, Germany, and Russia. I am approaching 12,000 hits. The question on everyone's mind, here and abroad, is when will the Senate ratify the CRPD? Not "if" but "when".
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate you have a unique, special opportunity to make history and reaffirm unanimously the U.S. commitment to disability rights. If you support the treaty, reach out to a colleague who has had not taken a position yet and talk to him or her about the international equivalent to the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have not taken a position yet, read some of my earlier posts on sovereignty, Bond vs. the United States, access to health care, and on homeschooling. Better yet, buy my book -- http://t.co/Vigyant7aM.
The word on the street is that Senators Ayotte and Kirk have been investing a ton of time listening to and talking with colleagues who have concerns about the CRPD. I hope these conversations are leading to consensus. Another word on the street is that the CRPD will be discussed in the Republican caucus tomorrow.
Some things transcend politics. Disability rights is one of them. Ratification of the CRPD will allow us to stand with 147 countries and spread disability rights with experience, credibility, and clout. Ratification of the CRPD will allow us to stand up for one billion people with disabilities so they may have a very bright future of opportunities and fully participation in their communities. Ratification of the CRPD will make things easier for people with disabilities from the U.S. when they travel overseas. Ratification of the CRPD will allow us to stand by U.S. companies that manufacture assistive technology so they can spread accessibility around the globe. Ratification of the CRPD will not require changes in federal law or state law. Ratification of the CRPD will give us a seat at the table when international standards concerning technology and other issues are being developed. Ratification of the CRPD will not require spending money.
I urge you to consider and share these points. I urge you to put one more item in your legacy column this month. You won't regret it. The call to do the right thing does not always come so clearly or urgently. But this is one of those times. Tell Majority Leader Reid to put the resolution on the CRPD on the Senate calendar in July. When the resolution on the CRPD comes up for a vote, proudly vote yes and change the world for the better.
Thank you.
Patricia Morrissey
New Kindle book -- A Moral Imperative: U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Book link: http://t.co/Vigyant7aM
If you are interested in supporting the ratification of the disability rights treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, also check out:
www.disabilitytreaty.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RatifyCRPD
Blog: www.wecandothisifwetry.blogspot.com
Twitter: @AuntPip
CRPD and Governors
Many of us expected that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would put the CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (CRPD) on its agenda for July 16. It did not. Republican Senators, who support the treaty, asked Senator Menendez, the committee chairman, for a little more time to talk with their colleagues. Now we anticipate that there will be a markup of a resolution on the CRPD the third week in July. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee usually has its business meetings, where it deals with legislation such as a CRPD resolution, on Wednesdays.
The Senate takes a break at the end of July and does not return until after Labor Day. At that time it'll probably be focused on appropriations and not have time to address the CRPD. In September the plan is to do what absolutely needs to be done and to adjourn at the end of the month and not to return until after the elections in November. So July is the best time, perhaps the only time, we have to secure ratification of the CRPD.
On Friday Vice President Joe Biden addressed the National Governors Association summer meeting. He suggested that they may be our best chance to get past the current political gridlock (http://time.chtah.net/a/tBTwToeBASRffB84oq1BRdYF29e/time7). That is a valid point. Governors have to work with all sides to get things accomplished in their states. They are doing a lot in the absence of much action from Congress. Perhaps governors could help us encourage Senators to hold a vote on ratification of the CRPD. Why would they? Increasingly, governors are leading trade delegations of U.S. companies overseas. They want smooth sailing. When they talk with foreign governments they do not want unanticipated roadblocks, such as -- "the U.S. has not ratified the CRPD" -- when they attempt to facilitate new business opportunities for companies from their states.
The National Governors Association website (www.nga.org) has a tab called "current governors" that will take you to contact information for your governor. I urge you to contact your governor next week and ask him/her to ask your Senators to support ratification CRPD. Here are the points you can make.
1. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a UN treaty that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities just as the ADA does.
2. Thousands of people with disabilities, their families and friends, and over 800 national organizations, U.S. companies, and veterans groups support ratification of the CRPD.
3. Over 145 countries have already ratified the CRPD.
4. If the U.S. were to ratify the CRPD, U.S. companies that manufacture and sell assistive technology would have easier access to overseas markets into the future.
5. If the U.S. were to ratify the CRPD, the U. S. would have a seat at the table when international standards on accessibility are being developed.
6. If the U.S. were to ratify the CRPD, the U.S. would have the right to advocate for accessibility and opportunities for U.S. citizens with disabilities when they travel, work, and live abroad.
7. If the U.S. were to ratify the CRPD, our standing and credibility on civil and human rights would be restored and strengthened.
8. Ratification of the CRPD would not require new laws or trigger new costs.
Please share these points with your governor's office. Please ask your governor to speak with your Senators. This one action on your part could bring about Senate ratification of the CRPD.
Thank you.
Common Grounder
The Senate takes a break at the end of July and does not return until after Labor Day. At that time it'll probably be focused on appropriations and not have time to address the CRPD. In September the plan is to do what absolutely needs to be done and to adjourn at the end of the month and not to return until after the elections in November. So July is the best time, perhaps the only time, we have to secure ratification of the CRPD.
On Friday Vice President Joe Biden addressed the National Governors Association summer meeting. He suggested that they may be our best chance to get past the current political gridlock (http://time.chtah.net/a/tBTwToeBASRffB84oq1BRdYF29e/time7). That is a valid point. Governors have to work with all sides to get things accomplished in their states. They are doing a lot in the absence of much action from Congress. Perhaps governors could help us encourage Senators to hold a vote on ratification of the CRPD. Why would they? Increasingly, governors are leading trade delegations of U.S. companies overseas. They want smooth sailing. When they talk with foreign governments they do not want unanticipated roadblocks, such as -- "the U.S. has not ratified the CRPD" -- when they attempt to facilitate new business opportunities for companies from their states.
The National Governors Association website (www.nga.org) has a tab called "current governors" that will take you to contact information for your governor. I urge you to contact your governor next week and ask him/her to ask your Senators to support ratification CRPD. Here are the points you can make.
1. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a UN treaty that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities just as the ADA does.
2. Thousands of people with disabilities, their families and friends, and over 800 national organizations, U.S. companies, and veterans groups support ratification of the CRPD.
3. Over 145 countries have already ratified the CRPD.
4. If the U.S. were to ratify the CRPD, U.S. companies that manufacture and sell assistive technology would have easier access to overseas markets into the future.
5. If the U.S. were to ratify the CRPD, the U. S. would have a seat at the table when international standards on accessibility are being developed.
6. If the U.S. were to ratify the CRPD, the U.S. would have the right to advocate for accessibility and opportunities for U.S. citizens with disabilities when they travel, work, and live abroad.
7. If the U.S. were to ratify the CRPD, our standing and credibility on civil and human rights would be restored and strengthened.
8. Ratification of the CRPD would not require new laws or trigger new costs.
Please share these points with your governor's office. Please ask your governor to speak with your Senators. This one action on your part could bring about Senate ratification of the CRPD.
Thank you.
Common Grounder
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