Here’s a couple of politicky, linky, read-y things for you on this fine patriotic weekend…because of course, you want to read some stuff a-loud to your uncle Fred who so hopelessly believes EVERYTHING that King George does is to promote democracy and freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

the US Constitution
the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Impeachment
constitution summer

And Lastly, but not leastly…Code Pink: Troops Home Fast members will be fasting tomorrow in DC. Join them if you can (I think, that breastfeeding makes it impossible for you to participate, but perhaps mamas can give something up in solidarity. Like Ice Cream?;o)

Peace Out,
Heather

I have been haunted all weekend by this story, my apologies if it keeps you up at night. Hold on to your babies mamas, I feel like we may be seeing a trend…
Missing Baby

Dear Kos,

I am a democrat who once flirted with the libertarian party. I was eventually talked out of it when I realized that libertarians give corporations free-reign. uh, no! Since then I have been a democrat. Now I am also a mother of 3 and I’ve noticed that Dems are creating themselves as the party of privacy and freedom, in that vein there are a LOT of “Family Values” which are about privacy and freedom. We Dems should take these issues, they really are ours.

I heard you are writing a book about libertarianism and democrats and thought that if you aren’t a parent you might not even know about some of these issues, so please bear with me while I give you a short synopsis…

Homebirth- did you know that many states are making it illegal to birth other than in the hospital? And that homebirths are actually safer? And that right now midwives are sitting in jail for midwifery, the truly oldest profession? homebirth safety

Breastfeeding-the giant corporations are advertising, promoting and giving away formula and causing the deaths of thousands of infants nestle boycott Also, women are being charged with indecency and harassed here for breastfeeding in public? (a friend of mine who is a conservative libertarian argued and convinced me that we need to repeal the nudity laws. If women were allowed to be topless there wouldn’t be an issue. period.)

Child Protective Services reform- CPS has become a government agency that will enter homes and seize children without a search warrant. They also recieve government grants for every child that they place into adoption-in other words, the caseworkers get a bounty for taking children. There have started to be many cases of children being harrassed and even taken from families with alternative values- such as homebirth, or extended breastfeeding, or photos of the kids naked in the tub.

and of course, Homeschooling- parents should have school choice including the right to homeschool their kids. And no, there doesn’t need to be any testing of the kids or supervision. In a free society why do we have compulsory school anyway?

Seriously Kos, you wouldn’t believe how many homeschoolers are dems…I heard recently that while 80%+ are christian, the number of democratic homeschoolers is more like the split of the country 50% (and probably more…;o)

And lastly, did you know that many many people think that there might be a problem with adding thimerosol to vaccines? And that some people believe that it is related to the rise in Autism…studies say yes, studies say no. Many parents are opting out of the vaccine game, at the same time that the government is protecting phamaceutical giants from lawsuits. They tagged that one to the patriot act. Now they are giving 20+ shots to infants, an untested cocktail of stuff and chronic disease is on the rise. If Dems argue for universal healthcare we have to be so careful to provide for the true health of people including the right to NOT get healthcare and not the profit of the pharmies.

Thank you for taking your time and reading this, if you want any links or more information I will gladly provide. just ask.

Peace,
Heather Cushman-Dowdee
www.thecowgoddess.com

Read this!
Seriously, I’m a bit of a conspiracy gal, so I’ve always thought that the 2004 election was fishy. And don’t even get me started on 2000…but my dh is NOT a conspiracy guy. He’s skeptical and likes to try to keep me from building and stocking the cellar. Well, I think this article is irrefutable, chilling, dismaying, and well, read it for yourself and see. And my husband? Well he’s beginning to come around.
Was the 2004 election stolen?by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

This is from the book the Motherhood Manifesto and the website Moms RisingHere’s mani of the festo…

To spark this deeply important motherhood revolution, we introduce our Manifesto Points. Specifically, we ask every American to support:

*M = Maternity/Paternity Leave: Paid family leave for all parents after a new child comes into the family.

*O = Open Flexible Work: Give parents the ability to structure their work hours and careers in a way that allows them to meet both business and family needs. This includes flexible work hours and locations, part-time work options, as well as the ability to move in and out of the labor force to raise young children without penalties.

*T = TV We Choose & Other After School Programs: Give families safe, educational opportunities for children after the school doors close for the day, including: Create a clear and independent universal television rating system for parents with technology that allows them to choose what is showing in their own homes; support quality educational programming for kids; increase access to, and funding, for after school programs.

*H = Healthcare for All Kids: Provide quality, universal healthcare to all children.

*E = Excellent Childcare: Quality, affordable childcare should be available to all parents who need it. Child care providers should be paid at least a living wage and healthcare benefits.

*R = Realistic and Fair Wages: Two full-time working parents should be able to earn enough to adequately care for their family. In addition, working mothers must receive equal pay for equal work.

There’s some good, some great and some HUH?…and there could be so much more!

But it’s a start?