• Steve Barton, who was shot in Aurora while on a trip with a buddy, gave up his plans for a Fullbright scholarship teaching English in Russia and now works for Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Steve spoke about the need for each of us to work to see that events like this never happen to anyone else. He urged us to demand that the legislators pass the three bills before Congress - assault weapons ban, background checks and gun trafficking.
• Colin Goddard, of the Brady Campaign, was sitting in a classroom at Virginia Tech conjugating verbs when he was shot. He lay there thinking that he would not make it and witnessed many in his classroom not survive. Colin mentioned that he had been in ROTC and knew about guns but could not understand the need for military assault weapons for the general public. He spoke passionately about the struggle ahead and how we must make calls, send emails, write letters and visit our lawmakers. He said that our voices have to be loud, louder than the shrill cry from the otherside.
• Representative Ron Barber (D-AZ) left the Hill and a vote to speak with us. He poignantly spoke of seeing first Congresswoman Giffords shot, then the Judge next to him, and then realizing he was wounded. He spoke of the mere 19.5 seconds it took to take 6 lives and wound 12 others. Seconds. Without large magazine capacity clips many of the lives that were lost or shattered could not have happened. He spoke about being a gun owner and the need to know the difference between sport and massacre. He also addressed the mental health issues. Rep. Barber sits on the Democratic Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and he discussed some of the 15 solutions/actions that the task force has identified.
• Cynthia Hogan, Deputy Asst to the President and Vice President, is a legal expert who worked on VAWA in 1994 and currently is involved in the Gun Violence Prevention. She explained the bills that were pending. She explained that in Holder the right to bear arms was established so do not believe the myths that guns will be confiscated. She also said that that ruling did set limits on the types of weapons that can be in the general public.
• Karen Volker, who was formerly with the State Department, is now the DC executive director Cure Violence. She spoke of violence as an epidemic. Cure goes into places where violence is increasing and trains members of the community in how to help work with those that are troubled. Based on the premise that violence is an epidemic and cannot be treated and monitored much like any other epidemic, it goes to the root of the issue. How do we stop the behavior before there is an eruption.
• Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) also a member of the Democratic Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, left votes to come speak before us. She was responsible for some of the strict gun safety laws in CA. She spoke of confronting a fellow legislator who asked her if she had ever fired an assault weapon. She paused and said no, but she had been shot 5 times by one in Guyana and still had 2 of the bullets lodged in her body. Needless to say the legislation passed that day and now she is a strong, loud voice for protections on a federal level. We know her as a champion for women and now we see her as a stalwart supporter of establishing federal laws that protect us all.
• Nancy Robinson, Executive Eirector of Citizens for Safety, gave a visual illustration of the importance of understanding where people get guns. She believes that knowing the source is vital to stop gun trafficking. She said that just penalizing straw buyers is not enough. In fact many straw buyers are women who are coerced into buying and carrying these guns. She thinks we must educate these buyers.  She also spoke about national polls vs state polls and knowing how to use these when we urge our legislators to act.

Call, email, write letters, visit. WE NEED TO HEAR YOU. We need you to drown out the other voices.

 

Over the holiday recess, go to Town Hall meetings and speak up. Be part of it. Don’t wait for another tragedy - in your own backyard or that of a fellow American.

Women spilled across the broad expanse of Fifth Avenue, the streets of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Main Street America.  Thousands of women, men, and children heard the call for a mass demonstration to strike for women's equality on August 26, 1970.  This marked the 50th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.  This rally underscored that the modern feminist movement was a player in American politics and society. The mass demonstration and the brave women of the modern feminist movement, starting with Betty Friedan, author of "The Feminine Mystique," were the subject of the documentary "Makers" on PBS this month.  The film celebrates the many women whose vision organized and made possible the impossible for women long restricted by laws and society.

For many of us, it was a reliving of an "Aha" moment in our lives.  We were more than the "little woman" and we could do more than dream of a life outside the home.  It brought back the days before legal abortions and the right to make one's personal decisions legally about childbearing. It brought back the sisterhood of women as we fought to be regarded as equal.

For many, it was a lesson in how women have progressed and how the rights that many women assume were always there were fought for by their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers.  The film explores younger women who are trying to understand the feminist movement. Some are angry that their mothers taught them there were no limitations and now they must be superwomen.  They question if they can "have it all." Should they try?  What does the feminist movement mean in their lives?

To those who struggle with question of equality, the facts are hard.  Women who work and have a fifty-fifty husband/partner still feel maternal guilt and do more for the children.  But because of the movement, they can choose to work full-time, part-time, now, later, or not at all.  The operative word is "choice." They can choose to control their reproductive health and plan their lives.  They hold this right because of the struggles that went before.

Women today have the right to choose career over marriage and not be judged a failure.  They can attempt to reach for the stars.  But there is much left to do. Women still do not get equal pay for equal work, their reproductive rights are being challenged and lost in many states and the ERA has still never passed.

The Conservative "pro-life" movement continues to score many victories in state legislatures.  Abortion is virtually impossible in a number of states.  Women are at risk to going back to the days of life-threatening choices.  We must look at history and resolve that we are no less than the brave women who made our lives more equal.  Join JAC as we work to ensure that these rights are not a page in history.  It is time to complete this chapter and together we can write the best ending for future generations.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In to keep up with news, events, and action alerts.

As we weep for the children and adults who lost their lives and for the families who are left to mourn, we do not need answers to why, we need to ensure it will end at that school on that Friday.  While our tears still flow, we have to resolve that we will advocate on behalf of anyone who has been struck down by bullets.

We sign petitions. We post on facebook. We watch the stories on tv. We talk to our friends. Those acts help us to heal. But we cannot heal as a nation until we act against the powerful NRA and other groups who control our policies on guns and ammunition. We have to demand that laws be written and enforced to keep assault weapons, heavy duty glocks, high ammunition clips off the streets. We have to demand that background checks are conducted.

We cannot no longer let Second Amendment rights govern our safety. Every time we fly we give our names and identity, we take off our shoes and coats, we put our private toiletries in clear plastic bags, we submit to radiation machines and pat-downs. We surrender liberty for safety. It is time to ask gun owners to surrender some of their rights for the sake of public safety -- in malls, in theaters, on street corners and in our schools.

If members of Congress cannot vote for sensible gun restrictions or funding for mental critical mental health services, vote them out. Vote for the right to walk down the street without fear.

At JAC we have access to members of Congress and we will use that. We will also call on others to propose and vote for sensible gun legislation. We cannot do this without your help. Sign JAC's letter to the President and Congress. Send it to your friends. Go with us to DC to support those who vote yes on any bill that will help end the violence.

In the last weeks of the 2012 elections, I am flummoxed at the new Mitt and the way many of my smart, educated, caring friends have eagerly bough into the latest form of Mitt.

For months Mitt ran as severely conservative.  When asked by Governor Huckabee about personhood, he declared he was in favor of and would support a personhood amendment which says life begins at conception.  From the moment the sperm hits the egg, it is a life with rights to property, life and any liberties guarateed under the 14th amendment.  During debates he proclaimed he was pro-life with no exceptions.  And then when the winds shifted, when women became the next group to help his march to the Presidency.  Now he says that he knows of no legislation against abortion that would require anything of him.  And what about personhood?  HR 358 (known as the "Let Women Die" Act), HR 3, HR 1?  Ahhh, those pesky laws passed by the House in the last session but not even heard in the Senate.  In the last few weeks, he moved in favor of abortion in the case of rape, incest or the mother's life.  How does he reconcile that with personhood?  With his earlier statements?  Oh, just trust what he is now saying to appear moderate.  How did that work out in Massachusetts where he ran as pro-choice and then vetoed stem cell legislation?

In the early days of running for office in Massachusetts, he was for Planned Parenthood.  Now he is against it - he says on Day 1 he will defund it.  Moderate Mitt, he may be, but he is not for women's health.

Now my friends tell me they think he will not overturn Roe v Wade.  Even thought he still says that he will appoint Supreme Court Justices who will overturn Roe v Wade and send it back to the States.  Currently 30 states have laws restricting abortion, in some it is impossible to have a legal abortion.  Women's health, reproductive rights and medical privacy hang in the balance.  How can anyone trust someone who has no core?  Romney will say something one day and the next day his handlers or he change it.  The only thing that is certain is that he will change his beliefs and say anything to gain power.

The Mitt that I watched though every Republican debate, listened to in many interviews and read about is not the person that I want to be the leader of America.  He is not a man with a core belief system except in the power of his dollar and in his arrogant belief that just because he says it, we should trust him.  I don't trust him to deal with China, with Iran, with our friends, with our allies, with Israel, with the UN.  Whenever he ventures into foreign policy, he offends even our friends.  He talks before he thinks and does not seem to understand the language of diplomacy.

I just hope that my friends will believe their ears and rethink the "Moderate Mitt" before voting.  Women and America need another four years of Obama, not a shape-changer in chief.

The Constitution of the United States guarantees the rights of citizens to vote.  Throughout the brief history of the US, this right was denied to women and blacks based on the concept that voting was only for white males.  Fortunately, this archaic interpretation of the Constitution has changed and voting is for those who are legally in this country, are 18 years or older, and who register to vote in their legal domiciles.  But over he last four years, mostly in Republican-controlled states, attempts to restrict or limit voting have abounded.  Onerous laws about voter ID and early voting have been passed, challenged in court and struck down.

In states like New Jersey, where I live, voting is easy.  When you renew or get a driver's license, a form for changing your address is included with the paperwork.  No ID is required once you are registered.  There are strict rules for outside groups being within so many feet of a polling precinct.  Representatives from the state are sent to precincts to help with problems.  Provisional ballots are made easy.  Great for those of us who live in such an environment.  Groups like True the Vote would be reported and most likely not tolerated.

But in many states, especially in low income neighborhoods, True the Vote is sending out almost a million people to challenge voters.  They often intimate they are a legal authority.  True the Vote is a Tea Party offshoot and its main purpose is to suppress Democratic party supporters.  There is no way this should be allowed.  It is a violation of the Constitution.  Who or what gives this group the right to challenge and prevent others from voting?  This is the real voter fraud.

About a month ago, a group called Strategic Allied Consulting, who had been hired by the National Republican Party to register voters in Colorado, Florida, and Nevada, was found to have committed voter fraud by using false addresses, names of dead people, and fake names.  No wonder Republicans discuss voter fraud - they do it.  This week in Virginia another group called Pinpoint, which was a subcontractor for Strategic Allied Consulting, was caught discarding voter registration forms.  While those recovered forms were processed, how many other voters were disenfranchised?

In another attempt to intimidate less educated voters, billboards and ads in important battleground states are still claiming that people need IDs, event thought the courts have ruled against them.  In Pennsylvania, there are still billboards saying ID is required.  It is not.  In Ohio and Wisconsin there are billboards warning of huge financial penalties for voter fraud.  Maybe those perpetrating these fraudulent efforts should be prosecuted under the same laws and have their voter rights stripped as they would strip others'.

In Virginia, there is false information circulating that people can vote by phone.  Seniors are prime targets of this hoax.  There are also deceptive calls in Florida. 

In Arizona, a second incorrect bilingual flyer has been published which gives the correct date for the election, November 6th, in English, but an incorrect date in Spanish, November 8th.

In Ohio, where early voting the last weekend of the campaign was reinstated by court order, the State Attorney General has thumbed his nose at the court by reinstating the days, but shortening the hours the polls are open.

When we allow others to take away the voting rights of our fellow citizens, we become like the third world countries we criticize.  Voting is a sacred right.  Voter supression is dangerous for democracy.  It is up to each of us to support these efforts, and most of all, to vote.

Need to confirm your registration or your polling location?  Check here!

According to legislatures controlled mainly by Republicans, voter fraud is rampant in the US and must be stopped.  According to independent and Democratic groups, as well as many judges, the instances of fraud by bogus IDs are a fraction of one percent.  The remedies for the new cases of fraudulent behavior lead to suppression of one of the most basic of American liberties - the Right to Vote.  The same groups that shout about the right to bear arms and their freedoms - which they say are threatened by many of President Obama's policies - are the same groups who are willing, eager even, to take away the right to vote.

Laws requiring photo ID disproportionately disenfranchise the poor, the elderly, and college students.  In Pennsylvania, home of the most onerous law in the country, the decision over ID requirements hangs on a lower court ruling.  Supposedly, there is a state department office open for free identifications - the problem is that the lines are often three hours long and manned by untrained or ignorant clerks.  Recently, a volunteer took an elderly voter to get one of these free identifications and was informed by the State office that they were no longer giving out the IDs.  It appears that the "free ID" is dependent upon the person behind the counter, and whether they want to distribute it.  In Texas, a student photo ID is often not enough to vote, but a gun license with no photo is acceptable.  Hmmm - a gun licensee cannot be corrupt or committing fraud, but a student can?  What kind of logic is that? The list of voter suppression laws are being challenged, but some will not be changed until after the 2012 election, meaning scores of eligible voters will not be allowed to vote.  UPDATE: As of October 2, a PA judge has ruled that poll workers may ask for photo ID, but voters who do not have one will be allowed to vote.

In the past week a case of real, bona fide voter fraud has surfaced in Florida.  Election officials in at least seven counties from southern to northwestern Florida have reported questionable registration forms filled out on behalf of the Republican Party.  They appear to have come from a company, Strategic Allied Consulting, who was hired by the Florida Republican party.  In some cases allegedly included dead people being registered, addresses changed, signatures were forged, and some addresses purportedly turned out to be vacant lots.  There are reports of employees registering only Republican voters, of actively registering people who said they support the Republican candidates, and of destroying registration forms of people who registered as Democrats.  The very party that is concerned about fraud is being forced to look into a mirror and should be frightened of what it sees.  

True the Vote, an offshoot of a Tea Party group, is concerned with voter fraud.  It is so concerned that it is challenging people who are legitimate voters and demanding that college student photo IDs are not good enough identification for voting if the students did not include their dorm room on their voter registrations.  It is not common practice on college IDs or registration to include your dorm room number.  True the Vote continues to try to disenfranchise many voters by falsely claiming that they are dead and that voters are no longer registered at a certain address.  (Imagine some people's surprise when they learn of their demise!) They are demanding these names be purged from the voter rolls.  True the Vote is also falsely demanding IDs at polling locations when they are not required.  This is all done to intimidate voters.  The only fraud in these cases is by True the Vote.  They intend to challenge voters in poling locales in swing states in order to cause longer lines and turn away legitimate voters.  Not so concerned with a True Vote, are they?

A final example is of a young woman in Colorado who was filmed registering voters.  She claimed she was working for the local county clerk, and was attempting to register only Republican voters.  It has since been discovered she also worked for Strategic Allied Consulting.  Forms of people who registered as Democrats were allegedly never turned in.  Fraud?  Suppression?  Un-American.

Rampant, unrestrained voter fraud? Not so much, unless Strategic Allied Consulting's tactics are allowed to continue.  Every election sees some one-off issues with registration, especially when people are hired on a quota-basis to register voters -- the problem occurs when it is the policy of an organization to only register certain voters.  But voter suppression and intimidation is very real.  Every vote must be counted.  Every voice must be heard.  We must monitor polls and make sure that all eligible registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote. We must make sure everyone who is eligible to vote is registered.  We must check our own registration and make sure our friends and family do as well.  We must know the dates, times, polling places, and laws in our own states, as well as the candidates and issues.

JAC is going on the road to help get out the vote.  Please join us as we work for democracy. If you cannot travel, consider making a donation to help us in this vital effort.  Contact us to see about GOTV efforts in your area.  Voting is one of our most sacred rights.  Join us and work to ensure it remains available to all.

As a baby boomer, I am consumed with feelings of violation and disbelief as I listen to the voices blithely planning to take away women's rights.  After the pill became widely available and abortion became legal, this issue was settled -- women have equal protection and are free to make their own reproductive choices without the government legislating those rights.  Women burned bras, marched and fought hard for the right to decide their own fate, for the right to control their own bodies.  And now, a group of religious fanatics who control the Republican party want to reduce women to vessels, to walking incubators.  They claim the mantle of "pro-life" and speak of the fetus as an entity with rights under the 14th Amendment.  Imagine a fetus granted more rights than the living, breathing member of society who is its host!  That is the world they are steering us towards if we do not start applying the brakes now.

One of the first things I propose in stopping this oncoming wreck is recognizing that we are all pro-life.  Those who support reproductive rights are also pro-woman.  We believe that the life of the woman is always first.  A woman has the right to determine if she can and will bring a new life into this world.  It is interesting to note that those who say they are "pro-life" are the same people who promote cutting nutrition programs, health care for children, food assistance progams, and early childhood education programs.  The "pro-life" community appears to be interested only in the fetus.  Once born, the concern for it diminishes.

This year's Republican platform bans abortion.  Period.  No exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.  Of course it also promotes strong support for guns, stridently calling for liberty and for the right to carry them.  Hmmm, rights for guns.  Liberty to provide protection and to prevent becoming a victim.  But the liberty and rights of a woman to manage her own body? Not so much.  Legislators know best, after all.  Below are sections from the Republican platform to illustrate this point:

"Through Obamacare, the current Administration has promoted the notion of abortion as healthcare. We, however, affirm the dignity of women by protecting the sanctity of human life. Numerous studies have shown that abortion endangers the health and well-being of women, and we stand firmly against it."

There is even a section that commends states who have enacted legislation mandating invasive, costly medical procedures, excessive waiting periods, and scripted false information that must be provided prior to a woman having an abortion.

"We also salute the many States that have passed laws for informed consent, mandatory waiting periods prior to an abortion, and health-protective clinic regulation."

This platform contains a call for a Personhood Amendment which would outlaw abortion altogether. 

"Faithful to the “self-evident” truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children."

Although Roe v. Wade is established law, this platform would undermine it by altering the Constitution to eliminate rights of citizens, not ensure them.  When Mitt Romney was asked about it, he spoke of the Supreme Court deciding this issue.  Guess he forgot that the Court did decide in 1973.  But hey, what does that matter?

For those of us who experienced the dark times of no legal abortions or birth control, who celebrated the freedom to choose when to begin a family, who saw the right to have an abortion no matter what the reason become the law of the land, we know.  We know what awaits the women of today if these backward, restrictive, and unreasonable goals are acheived, if this path is allowed to go forward. 

We understand the fate that awaits young women who may not be able to obtain a safe, legal abortion, or even find access to birth contol.  We well-remember the furtive trips to doctors - or anyone - who would perform the necessary procedure.  We lived the hopelessness, the fear, the dread.  Then, like a beacon in the darkness, there was light.  There was real freedom for women and for the men who love them.

When speaking about his mother, Romney said, "Why should women have any less say than men about the great decisions facing our county?" His mother was a pro-Choice woman who would likely not agree with any of the Republican platform.  Indeed, how can he think that anyone would think that a party who dares to force a woman to undergo invasive, expensive, and painful procedures, a party that forces a woman to carry a child to term under all circumstances, a party that believes a woman has no stake in her own body and destiny - how can he think anyone would consider such a party a pro-woman party?

Our message must be heard.  We must reach out to everyone who cares about liberty and the rights of the living.  We must support and actively work for President Obama and candidates who are the voices of the many, not the few, who support the rights of women, who are the voices of women in the halls of government.  We must recognize that our rights can be taken away with the pull of a lever.  It is time to stand up and send our message loud and clear - We are women and we will vote for those who have our backs.

Together our voices can be heard over the rhetoric and the lies.  Join JAC today to support the candidates who support us.  Donate to critical races and make sure our rights remain our rights. 

Now is the time to be heard, now is the time to vote.

On a hot August day, with the USS Wisconsin as a backdrop, Mitt Romney ended the guessing game of his Vice Presidential pick.  He turned to his right, and then kept on going further and further right.  In picking Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney threw his lot in with the hard right-wing of the party.  But even more alarming is Ryan's close relationship with the Koch brothers.  He has attended their closed retreats and embodies their views.  It is a relationship that must be explored.  There is no further right than these folks.

Additionally, Ryan is the titular head of the Tea Party Caucus in the House.  The same group that virtually paralyzed the government this past year.  Their philosophy is a hard core "cut, cut, cut" social programs and lower taxes for the wealthy.  These Members voted over 30 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  They tried to defund Planned Parenthood, to end Title IX and Title X, and to outlaw abortion rights.  Paul Ryan is the hero and guide for this wing of the party.  His budget is their gold standard on how to run the government.

In his plan, Ryan advocates ending Medicare as is exists today.  He would give senior citizens vouchers to buy insurance in the private market.  And if the voucher does not cover the cost, oh well, suck it up, Grandma.  He would drastically cut most social "entitlement" programs, including food stamps, nutrition programs, and Pell grants.  This plan would end government aid on a federal level and instead give it to the states in block grants.  States which can barely pay for these programs would be expected to assume even more burdens -  states who have already used existing block grants to close budget shortfalls instead of providing assistance to those for whom the monies were intended.

In terms of revenue, the Ryan plan would get rid of dividend income tax, the estate tax, capital gains tax, would cut corporate income tax, and implement two separate rates of taxation.  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says it would take three decades to balance the budget, if ever, under this plan.

Mitt firmly endorsed the man and the plan on Saturday.  They stood closely united with arms raised.  They laughed and exuded confidence.  By Sunday, Mitt was back to being Mitt.  He was not equivocating on his support of many of the points in the Ryan budget.  He claimed that he really had a plan of his own which differed from Ryan.  In fact, he moved away from Ryan.  Could the man we saw Saturday, who seemed to have gained a spine and taken a stance, morphed again in a mere 24 hours?  Yes, it would appear that he is still Etch-A-Sketch Mitt.  He is the epitome of sticking his finger to the wind and going where the wind blows.  But how far can he go from the rigid ideological views of Paul Ryan?  He has now shown the American public where his priorities lie.

For those who hoped for a moderate cloaked in right-wing garb, forget it.  Romney has selected a man who is 100% anti-choice - no abortion even for rape or incest.  He selected a man who believes that life begins at conception and has advocated nationally for "personhood."  He selected a man who does not believe in helping the less fortunate - who has fostered the ideology that the less fortunate deserve to be less fortunate.  Who believes in taking away "entitlements" like nutrition programs and food assistance, will result in people going out and getting a job, even though he is against Pell grants for training.  He selected a man who is firmly aligned with the Koch Industries fellows.

The Romney-Ryan ticket poses a stark choice for voters.  We can have an America that does not help its citizens, that burdens the middle class out of existence while promoting the wealthy, that believes that government should not interere except in a woman's medicine cabinet and uterus.  This ticket would be an assault on the poor and the elderly as it strips away Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  With the monies pouring in from the Koch brothers and the hard right mega-wealthy who have deep, deep pockets, their opponents will be outspent by unimaginable amounts.

The choice is clear.  For those of us who believe in an America that cares for its elderly, its poor, and its children, an America that believes in a woman's right to choose and privacy, an America where "for, by, and of the people" means all the people, we can and must support candidates who will support these issues - Presidential, Senate, and House.  It is up to us to give time, money, and sweat to work for the rights that we cherish - for our rights.  Now is the time to join together, to make our voices heard not just as individuals, but as Americans, as citizens, and as those who will not be ignored.  Now is the time to work for the future we deserve and to make our votes count. Bring a friend, bring 5 friends.  Join JAC and together our voices will ring clear.  JAC needs you now.

A recent survey found that the issue that most concerns Jewish voters is...if you guessed education, you are correct.  While there is much in the media about Jews voting for social justice and Israel, education lies at the core of Jewish values.  With that in mind, I would like each of us to remember that as the silly season of bi-partisan distortions overwhelm our inboxes. When the messages fill our inbox, we need to consider the implications of opening our contact box and mindlessly forwarding. Is the message a partisan attempt to malign the other side? Is it a myth? If we indeed value education, that should extend to our evaluating news and truths each day. Below are examples of not stopping to evaluate, consider and think before reacting.

Several weeks ago I received an email concerning Irena Sendler, a righteous woman who was not chosen for the Nobel Peace Prize even though she risked her life to save 2500 Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghetto. She was tortured but not broken and tried to reunite many of the children with their families after the war.  This email was purportedly sent to honor and remember her fight against evil. But 3 or 4 lines dishonoring former vice president Al Gore for winning the Prize for his work on behalf of Global Warming and President Obama for his selection besmirched Irena’s honor. Instead of celebrating and honoring Irena's memory, the email became the very message of hate that Irena triumphed over. Unlike Irena, the email had an ulterior motive to convince scores of people to thoughtlessly send a message of bi-partisan rancor that belittled Irena's valor.

Days later I received a video made for the friends of Simon Wiesenthal on Yom HaShoah. It is a moving tribute to those who perished. But the lead-in to the video is a veiled political statement about only voting for politicians who support Israel AND her leaders. This thinly disguised belief that President Obama does not support Israel is refuted time again by facts from Israeli leaders and actions in the US. But truth and facts play little role in our current political arena.  Once again a beautiful tribute was marred by accusations. 

I began about education and I end with education. We must all seek to find the truth by reading primary source material, not internet rumors. We must read entire messages before forwarding messages that dishonor and distort. We must arm ourselves with truth and relish the education. 

A good place to start is here, at the JAC website.  We have a section devoted to myths and rumors, called "Fact vs Fiction."  If you receive an email or other communication that you believe is false or has misleading information, forward it to the JAC office and we will check the veracity.  If it has untruths in it we will tell you so you can reply with the facts, and we will add it to our list.  Together we can champion the truth over lies, support the betterment of our country over partisanship, and continue to work towards making this a better world.

Freedom of religion is once again a rallying cry for conservatives.  This phrase is akin to yelling "fire" in a crowded theater.  It is a hot button phrase used to rouse their political base.  They see it as discriminating against people of faith because it does not match their religious beliefs, but they fail to respect the religious and cultural pluralism that is the hallmark of American democracy.  It is a slippery slope and can lead to unanticipated consequences.

Last week voters in North Dakota understood the dangers and rejected Measure Three by 65%.  Measure Three would amend the state constitution to allow individuals or religious organizations to refuse to obey laws that violate their religious beliefs.  The North Dakota Family Alliance and North Dakota Catholic Conference supported this amendment.  If passed, anyone could use the argument of religious beliefs to break laws that protect citizens; laws against child and spouse abuse, and laws against discrimination.  Fortunately the voters overwhelmingly rejected this attempt to manipulate and undermine basic principles assured by the US Constitution.

Anti-abortion forces are tossing the phrase "religious liberty" around to help pass restrictive abortion legislation.  The Catholic hierarchy is hard at work to deny the option of contraceptive coverage to those who work for a Catholic hospital or university, regardless of the employees' religious beliefs, and despite the fact that these institutions receive federal funds.

From June 21st to the end of the month, the US Catholic Bishops will hold the Fortnight For Freedom.  They are sponsoring programs and events to highlight what they view as government intrusion into their religious organizations and conscience.  Since the decision stating the Affordable Care Act will cover free contraception in health plans, the US Catholic Bishops have claimed a violation of their religious freedom.  They reject any compromise and press their flock to protest the decision. Independent polls show that the majority of Americans believe in contraception and believe that birth control is part of a health care and should be covered.  The majority of Americans do not believe it is an issue of religious liberty, but of women's health.

Those who claim the current administration is hostile to religion use their twisted logic as a means to oppress the rest of us.  During the Fortnight for Freedom, it is imperative that the side for women's reproductive rights and contraception is visible.  We must counteract their message and promote the message that most Americans support.  For over thirty years JAC has recognized that efforts to foster one religion as a guiding American principal need to be fought and overcome.  JAC does that by helping to elect candidates who share our values.  And you make it possible by your support. 

Please join us in our pursuit of electing candidates who support our issues - join JAC today, or donate to JAC-supported candidates today.  It's the only way to marginalize those who would marginalize us.

The War on Women reached a new low June 13, in the State House of Representatives in Michigan.  Eager to protect the health of women, the Republican-controlled House passed one of the most restrictive anti-abortion bills in the country.  The provisions included space restriction on abortion clinics, preventing doctors from providing the most up to date medical protocol for abortion-producing pills and not allowing doctors to supervise medicine-producing abortions via teleconference. For the moment, the provision criminalizing abortions after 20 weeks for ANY reason was deferred. 

Part of the deferred measure states that a pregnant woman cannot be coerced into an abortion. But this bill would force a woman who was carrying a dead fetus to carry it to term regardless if it made her sterile or created other health issues. It would also compel a couple, who found that the fetus had abnormalities that would cause suffering and a difficult life if born, to have this child and provide support and care. The health and suffering of the woman were not considered. A physician's medical advice were not considered. Only the religious beliefs of the legislators carried any weight. 

When democratic women Representatives objected, the reaction to comments by two female elected Representatives cast light on the obsession that Republicans have with abortion. Rep. Lisa Brown spoke against the bill explaining the harm it could inflict on women. She ended with the now famous quotation, "I'm flattered that you are so interested in my vagina, but no means no." For use of the medically correct word, vagina, she was forbidden to speak again on the measure. She was censured for her inappropriate comments and was admonished that young children could be listening. So now, it is clear. If vagina is a dirty, forbidden word, the actual anatomical part must also be dirty. But not forbidden to men, just to women who want to protect it. These grown men twittered and blistered at the nerve of Rep. Brown to say vagina and to suggest that this bill might be another form of rape of a woman, as in the rape of her rights. The violation of her privacy. The intrusion into her health and constitutionally guaranteed reproductive rights. Representative Barb Byrum tried to introduce an amendment to the antiabortion bill that would allow vasectomies only if a man's life were in danger. She reasoned that vasectomies, like abortions, are against life. Both women were barred from speaking on the floor due to their rude behavior. 

The War on Women in the Michigan House of Representatives went into overdrive when it prohibited women from addressing laws that restrict their reproductive rights, forbids them to add amendments about male reproduction which is sacrosanct and chides them from using the proper words for their own anatomy. 

JAC is committed to fight for the rights of women and against the extreme legislation that continues to be passed or proposed in Republican-controlled legislatures. We support candidates who will stand up for both genders. Do not be complacent and think that this does not impact your life. If you are a woman, have a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a female friend, a wife, support those who would really protect you. Money will not protect women if doctors are facing prison sentences for practicing medicine that might save a woman but destroy a fetus. The obsession to regulate women and small businesses and physicians that provide abortions will become a stark reality unless we all speak out and stand with courageous women like Rep. Lisa Brown. Give generously. Fight those who would oppress women. 

Thirty-two years and JAC is still pounding the marble halls of Congress and finding doors wide open.  We are welcomed into offices with words of praise for our support of a strong US-Israel relationship, freedom of reproductive health and choice, and separation of religion and state.  The hallmark of JAC is members who are not only passionate about our issues, but are well-briefed.  When we go into offices to ask for support of Enhanced Security and Sanctions Against Iran, we know the history, the underlying points and the reasons that the bill should be passed.  When we go into the offices to discuss the reauthorization of VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), we know why VAWA is reviewed every five years and what the evolutions mean in context of the current population.  Our days in DC are marked by briefings from policy experts and are supplemented with background materials from primary sources.

But it is not all work!  Tuesday night, prior to the conference opening on Wednesday, Representative Susan Davis (D-CA) opened her house for an informal dinner for our members and some members of Congress.  Over omlettes and lox, we chatted with Rep. Ted Deutch from Florida, who has a warm smile, dry wit and a desire to speak on behalf of others.  We bonded with two women who are running for the first time in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  If Shelley Adler were to win in South Jersey, she would be the only female in the entire NJ delegation to Congress.  If Kathy Boockvar were to win, she would join our friend Rep. Allyson Schwartz as the second woman in the PA delegation.  Representative Joe Crowley dropped by to speak about JAC and our support on behalf of women's reproductive rights. 

One of the first to arrive and last to leave was Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV), who is leaving a very safe seat in the House to run for the Senate.  On a personal level, Shelley joined JAC before she ran for Congress - she is one of us.  Shelley spoke passionately about her reasons for running for the Senate.  On another level, Shelley is a leading advocate for Israel.  She is one of the strongest supporters of Israel in either body and speaks from her roots about her love of Israel.  She is also an outspoken leader for a woman's right to choose.  But it is for the elderly and the veterans, both very large percentages of the population in Nevada, that she is willing to battle.  She knows that the elderly who live only on their Social Security benefit of $1,100 a month cannot sustain the threat of an additional $6,000 a year in Medicare payments.  She knows that homeless veterans, many of them women, must be protected.  Those of us who heard Shelley vowed to travel to Nevada to work on Get Out The Vote and to give to her campaign, which is really our campaign.  Many of the Congressional women who normally come to our annual dinner had been invited to an event honoring former Representative Gabby Giffords and were unable to attend, but Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) stopped in to welcome us and encourage us to fight the war on women.

The conference began early Wednesday morning as Stacy Bernard Davis, Senior Advisor to the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism (State Department), briefed us on events in Sweden and the Netherlands.  As always in times of economic stress, the need for a scapegoat emerges and Jews generally fill the role.  Right now the department is operating on a number of fronts and Hannah Rosenthal, the Special Envoy, is busy educating and developing coalitions with different faith groups.

We boarded buses and met in the Old Executive Office Building.  Jarrod Bernstein, Director of Jewish Outreach, White House Office of Public Engagement, gave us an overview of steps taken to work on Iran and women's issues.  From other speakers we learned about the work that is being done against trafficking in the US and many aspects of violence against women.  There are concrete steps and procedures in place to address these issues.  The Council on Women and Girls, created in 2009 by Executive Order, is represented by federal entities but they are reaching out for partners on local levels.  We were assured that the President stands firm on his commitment to adhere to the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine that contraception is a vital part of women's health and should be part of routine health care.

Steve Simon, Senior Director for Middle East and North Africa, National Security Staff, spoke to us about peace in the Middle East and Iran sanctions.  Because of his role, he could assure us that many areas of cooperation between the US and Israel beyond the Iron Dome Missile Defense System were occurring.  He spoke about the US-Israel military exchange on-ground program, which has been expanded.

The buses then took us to the Senate side of the Capitol where we had lunch with Senators.  The Senators all spoke for contraception, against the War on Women, for passing VAWA, and for strong sanctions on Iran.  Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) were passionate in their words for reproductive rights and told us that our presence on the Hill mattered.  Senator Murray praised our efforts and said our voices are important.  Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), who are running for Senate seats, echoed these views.  All stayed and answered questions before dashing off to vote for VAWA and the Post Office bills.

Fortified, we met with a large number of Senators and staff.  We were able to advocate on our issues and found out how we can help support them in the vital work that they do.

The day was indeed long.  I always leave exhausted but stimulated and driven by a desire to do more.  Being with JAC, I learn that if not me, who, if not now, when?  I also learn that I am not alone, I am part of a coterie of incredible women and men who feel passionately about social justice and the rights of others.  These people put aside their normal daily routines to speak for those who cannot or will not speak out.  JAC in DC is a time for bonding, working and energizing one's inner core.  It is always a worthwhile experience - I hope to see you there next time.

The Republican party war against women has turned to their battle for stay-at-home Moms. The Romney campaign jumped on the remarks of Hillary Rosen, a democratic strategist with no formal ties to the Obama campaign or administration, and blamed Obama. Taking her comments about Ann Romney never having worked out of context and meaning, Romney and the GOP see it as a way to capture women’s votes.

It would be a far more substantive debate if Romney would avow his support for women reaching parity in pay. His statement that he would not repeal the Lily Ledbetter Act is not a statement of what he would do to achieve equality. Women still receive approximately 78 cents on a dollar for the same work that men receive. Would he go against the conservatives in his party who voted against this act? Since the two women he asked to speak against Rosen voted against the act it does not seem promising.

Perhaps now he and Ann will call out Rush Limbaugh for his remarks about women who dare to speak out instead of a tepid, "I would not have used that language.” President Obama, his wife and Vice President Biden were quick to disavow Rosen’s remark and to speak up for women who work or stay at home.

Or maybe Romney has now decided that women who are moms and who do work should get their contraception covered by insurance as a benefit of employment. That would help put more money on the table and allow women to spend money for other needs.

The good news is that Romney must be reconsidering his “Planned Parenthood has to go” statement since he sees that women need to have affordable health care. Or that gutting programs for women and children do not allow women to stay at home if they so choose.

Lost in this uproar are some real issues. There are indeed women who elect to give up careers and raise their children. They generally are women whose households do not need two incomes to survive. It is fortunate and wonderful that Ann Romney could choose to stay at home.  Of course, raising children and running a household is work, hard work. It does not have any real value in society’s eyes.  I, like Mrs. Romney, was able to stay at home and not work for pay while my children were growing up. But I can still hear the “what do you do?” when I met a new person. And I can see th eye rolling and the subtle turn away for a more interesting person when I said I did not work for pay. Clearly, we need to give value to moms who are able to stay at home. Perhaps, they should have 401 Ks and stay-at-home Moms  insurance (which will cover their contraception. That is a debate worth having.

The crux of the problem is the debate. In 2012 it is still a debate about moms who stay home and moms who work. Why? Do we debate dads who stay home versus dads who work? Women are in the work force outside of the home for the same reasons as men. They drive our economy, enrich our businesses and are functioning members of the work world. Why is it women they have to strive to have it all. Perhaps, the debate is about equality. The sexes are equal in their ability to run businesses and homes. Let this debate go to the real issue. Stop the war on women by trying to control their reproductive health. Stop the war on women by not paying them on the same scale as men.  The war on women is about some men wanting dominance.  Taking Hillary Rosen’s personal comments and attributing them to Obama is foolish. If Romney cares about moms,  he should disavow personhood, stop supporting gun laws that endanger all and care about about women’s health.

Call the local media and ask them to ask them the real questions about women and the economy.

Gail Yamner, JAC President

Last night I dreamt of being cloaked and shuffling around in a black burka.  This burka covered my eyes and prevented me from seeing anything outside my line of sight.  I remember the feeling of being suffocated and restricted as I fought the cloth around me.  Fortunately, I awoke in my nice suburban bed, stretched my unencumbered limbs and questioned the genesis of my dream.

Then I remembered the newly proposed law in Arizona that would permit a woman's employer to ask for proof of a medical prescription if the woman claimed to need contraception coverage for non-reproductive reasons.  Somehow the sponsor, Majority Whip Debbie Lasko (R-Glendale), sees this as a First amendment right of religious freedom.  Once again the twisted logic of the right of "conscience" to opt out of providing birth control is rearing its illogical and ugly head.  No one who objects to birth control has to use it, but that is not the point.  The point is the promotion of a religious belief that is against birth control for any woman in our democracy.  What about the religious freedom of a woman who believes that she does not want to have a child?  What about the invasion into a woman's private medical history?  The First Amendment protects religious freedom, but is also provides freedom from religion.  And further insult is that according to Arizona's employer at will laws, a woman could be summarily fired if her boss is unhappy with her decision to take birth control pills that are covered by his employer-provided insurance.

I also thought of Texas, where Governor Perry's avowed antipathy toward Planned Parenthood has made him reject federal funds for both Planned Parenthood clinics and clinics who are associated with them.  Because of this, thousands of lower income families will go without healthcare as of the end of April.  Starting this week, the federal government is withholding funding to a Texas Medicaid program specifically for women's health because Planned Parenthood was excluded by the state legislature from receiving any funds.  Once again women's health care is being subjected to the arbitrary will of religious conservatives.

How far can we be from a burka-society when women's health care is being dismantled state by state, law by law?  We decry the treatment of women in other countries.  But are we looking to our own country?  Do we as a nation even understand the threat, the potential outcome - women as second class citizens with no legal standing and no rights?

Frankly, as a woman who thought that Roe v. Wade was the settled law of the land and that women had gained the right to control their own bodies, I am furious.  This fight, this right was settled.  And now it is back in full force.  While women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are pursuing careers and/or raising families, the rights that their mothers and grandmothers fought for are being legislated away.  Their right to control their own health is on the line.  While women in their 60s and 70s who thought that they could sit back, read novels and savor their efforts are seeing the rights that they gained are disappearing.

At JAC we have been on the front lines to advocate for the rights of women.  We have worked for years to ensure that these rights remain and to support those who support our rights.  Recently, we have joined coalitions with other groups dedicated to working together to stop this assault on women and women's health.  Working together we have an even greater voice. 

Next week The Coalition to Protect Women's Health Care is sending videos that ordinary citizens have made to show how the Patient and Affordable Health Care Act has helped them and their families.  We encourage our members to submit videos of their own as part of this effort.  By joining forces we are more powerful.  By working together, we have a greater voice.  But the only way to help all women throw off the burkas, both figuratively and literally, is to speak out, act, and vote. 

The JAC Conference in Washington, DC is an excellent place to make yourself heard with other loud voices and strong women.  If you can't make the conference, make an extra donation to JAC to help us continue the fight.  Support JAC, get your friends to join, tweet about us, follow us on Facebook.  The election in November is critical - get out and vote for candidates who will defeat these bills.  Help us continue to fight for our basic rights.

The image of five religious male officials testifying on women's health perfectly frames the assault on women's health.  It is men dictating to women and deciding for them.  It is a particular religious view of conception imposing itself on women's health.  These males - priests, pastors and a rabbi - were the "experts" chosen by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chair of the House Oversight Committee hearing titled, "Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State.  Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?"  Were these men constitutional scholars who could debate if any first amendment issues were actually involved?  Were they physicians who deal with women's health?  Were these men able to give birth themselves?  After listening to them, there is no clear answer on why they were called to testify, if not to impose a narrow religious view on the nation.

One of the panel of experts chose to explore the topic by comparing women's rights to having contraceptives covered by her employer-based health insurance plan to a "Parable of a Jewish Deli."  The eating of pork became a metaphor for contraceptive coverage.  In this tale, the government mandated that all restaurants serve pork with a religious exemption for a kosher caterer associated with a synagogue.  The story wove through the views of Orthodox and non-Orthodox views of eating pork and continued until it triumphantly declared it is absurd for the state to use its coercive power to make someone buy and eat a ham sandwich when it is a free option a few doors down.  According to this "expert," women's health is not chopped liver but a ham on rye!

The other testimonies were no more enlightening.  But there was someone in the room who had come prepared to testify but was not considered as knowledgeable as these men.  The young woman, Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University, is a female and is past president of the school's Students for Reproductive Justice group.  She has lobbied the administration at Georgetown for three years to include birth control in its student health plans.  While her testimony was not heard at the hearing, she spoke out last night on The Ed Show on MSNBC.

Fluke's testimony was full of facts about the impact of contraceptives on the health of women.  It showed how contraceptives are important for birth control as well as health issues that require the use of hormonal treatments.  She cited an example of a 32-year old woman who will now face life-long complications and possibly the inability to have children because of the refusal of medication from the Georgetown health clinic.  Although she had a doctor's diagnosis and a prescription, she could not obtain the medication that would treat her condition because it was a contraceptive.  It is hard to reconcile this with a religion and a movement that claims to be pro-life.  Again and again, it is only when a fetus is concerned that it is considered a life issue.

The debate on when life begins is spurious.  The real debate is when men will view women as other than chattel, when will they view women as equals, as intelligent human beings who can make their own health and well-being decisions.  It is not up to these five religious men, the chair of an oversight committee with his own political agenda or a group of bishops to make any decisions about a woman's health.  It is not up to them to dictate their religious beliefs on a woman.  These so-called "experts" will allow, as a matter of religious liberty, a woman to be denied paid coverage for polycystic ovarian disease while a man has unfettered access to erectile dysfunction drugs?  One is a medical condition which may eventually destroy her health, while the other is a matter of male sexual gratification or male ego.  This is outrageous, irrational and utterly a matter of male domination.

And where are the women?  Women were not allowed to testify about their own health.  They are under-represented in Congress.  They were largely ignored in the media before President Obama issued his accommodation. 

Where are the women's voices?  Where is the outrage at laws that allow women's bodies to be penetrated against their will, as in Virginia's proposed mandatory trans-vaginal ultrasound law in which neither women nor their doctors may refuse the procedure if a woman is seeking an abortion?  Where is the outcry as more and more states require longer and longer waiting periods before obtaining a legal abortion?  Where is the outcry as more and more states seriously consider "personhood" legislation that could outlaw contraception and invitro-fertilization?  Where are they?  If women do not write, email, call, and support candidates and organizations who support them, do not exercise the rights we have fought so long for, women will find that they are back in the kitchens with their ancestors, with no rights at all.

Join JAC today, send this to a friend and get them to join us.  We must continue to elect and support those who will not abrogate the rights of women today or tomorrow.  Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.  Come with us to Washington, participate in action alerts.  We must be the ones to protect and expand our rights - we cannot leave it up to others.  The time is now.