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Funny Times Targets Seedy Candidate

newsbriefs by Lucy Gwin

Funny Times is already our favorite reading at the Mouthhouse. Now they've gone and pleased us completely, producing a seed packet featuring Governor Dubya as an ornamental shrub. Funny Times will distribute the packages at both the Republican and Democratic national conventions to help promote its unique brand of political journalism.
Ray Lesser, co-publisher of the monthly humor magazine, says, "We got the idea when we heard about the tens of millions of dollars of 'seed money' that the GOP was raising to get Bush elected. What kinds of crops are the Republicans trying to grow with their seed money? What kind of a seed is Bush? With all the dopey things Bush has already said and done, we figured he must be a dope seed."
The packages, which actually contain lettuce seeds, are available for the egalitarian price of $1. "After all, you'll need a lot of lettuce to influence the Bush Administration," Lesser says.
Get your own Dubya Dopeseed Packets by sending $1 per packet to Funny Times Seeds, PO Box 18530, Cleveland Hts. OH, 44118. Mouth encourages you to get a Funny Times subscription while you're at it, $21 for 12 issues, from the same address.

Department of Justice Indicted

photo by Tom Olin

National Council on Disability Releases Scathing Report on ADA Enforcement

The National Council on Disability's huge and long-awaited "Promises to Keep" report on ADA enforcement has hit the streets. It's such a steamy indictment of the DOJ and the EEOC that several defenders of the status quo rushed to online listservs to praise both those stagnant bureaucracies.

[Don't you hate it when people say, 'We told you so!' Me too, but the temptation is stronger than my brain-damaged will power. They're as bad as we told you &emdash; worse. Whew. There. All better. -- Lucy]

The NCD report is three times stronger than our 1998 exposé of the DOJ: it reaches beyond the DOJ to indict all the federal enforcement agencies in juicy detail; it offers excellent recommendations; and this report goes straight to the President from a group he appointed to level with him. NCD has published three brilliant reports this year, so bravo again. And bravo to DREDF, the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, for compiling the report and conducting the interviews. We know, because we've been there, that getting the truth out of the DOJ ain't easy.
Get your own free copy by calling NCD at 202-272-2004. Or download it from www.ncd.gov. (It's thicker than the Kansas City phone book.)

Coming October 2: the Disability Nation's biggest day in history

Consider yourself invited to the largest disability rights gathering in history. Think of it as our Woodstock or think of it as anything else you can imagine that you wouldn't miss for the world. Whatever you have to think of to get you there, think it now and circle your calendar for October 2, 2000.
AAPD, the American Association of People with Disabilities, invites all of us to a massive march to the U.S. Supreme Court for a rally on October 2. That's when the Supremes go back into session. Soon after that date, they'll hear the pivotal Garrett v. Alabama case. The Court could then rule that Title II of ADA is unconstitutional. What can we do about it? We can let them know we care.

Bob Kafka of Adapt believes we should shoot for 50,000 people with disabilities to rally round our ADA on that day. "This is," he says, "only an average of 1,000 people per state. If the 54 million number means anything, 50,000 of us could get there to say 'Don't Tread On the ADA.'"
Get more info from www.aapd.com but in the meantime please go ahead, invite everyone you do and everyone you don't know too. Come one, come all. We'll see you there.

Cutting them off at the referrals

Great News for Freedom!

Sheltered workshops will soon go the way of slave plantations if the U.S. Department of Education has anything to say about it. (As of course they do, since they own the federal funding stream that state Voc Rehabs use to fill the charity troughs.)
Fred Schroeder, Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, proposed on June 26 that sheltered placement no longer be considered an employment outcome under federal rules. Here's the official language:

"The Secretary proposes to amend the regulations governing the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program (VR program) by revising the scope of available employment outcomes under the VR program. The proposed regulations would redefine the term 'employment outcome' to include only those outcomes in which an individual with a disability works in an integrated setting." [emphasis added]

This reg would mean, we believe, that federal money will no longer flow to workshops except for temporary placements when people are assessed.
The proposed reg is open for comment only until August 25. NISH and NIB, two organizations whose members make a living off our slavery, will howl about this one to their congressional reps. We'd even bet they'll call for congressional hearings to prevent this reg from being adopted. This is your cue to jump in and say something good about the reg to the people who count on this, the feds. Your comment is WANTED, okay?

For a copy of the proposed regulation, and the rules for comment, contact Beverlee Stafford, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3014, Mary E. Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2531. Phone (202) 205-8831, TDD (202)205-5538. Or click here to read a summary from the Federal Register.

Come to find out that NIB, the National Industries for the Blind, is lobbying hardest and trying to put a stop to this emancipation proclamation. You might want to call its president, Jim Gibbons, or its chief lobbyist, Pat Beatty, and ask them why. Their phone number in Arlington, Virginia is 703-998-0770.
-----
If that's not enough good news to hold you, click here. You will not pass GO. You'll go directly to the Freedom Clearinghouse website for a bundle of very good July 2000 news about Missouri, Indiana, and California. It's news you can buzz about, news can use to get liberty under construction in your own state.

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Back to the Mouth Chronicles index

| HOME | ABOUT MOUTH | SUBSCRIBE |
To get a copy of Mouth #60, the Mouth Chronicles issue,

Link to the National Council on Disability's April report on psychiatric disabilities. (It's a beaut, and we recommend it for all.)


News Newser Newest go down the page to the BEST NEWS THIS YEAR!	Funny Times Targets Seedy Candidate
	newsbriefs by Lucy Gwin Funny Times is already our favorite reading at the Mouthhouse. Now they've gone and pleased us completely, producing a seed packet featuring Governor Dubya as an ornamental shrub. Funny Times will distribute the packages at both the Republican and Democratic national conventions to help promote its unique brand of political journalism. Ray Lesser, co-publisher of the monthly humor magazine, says, "We got the idea when we heard about the tens of millions of dollars of 'seed money' that the GOP was raising to get Bush elected. What kinds of crops are the Republicans trying to grow with their seed money? What kind of a seed is Bush? With all the dopey things Bush has already said and done, we figured he must be a dope seed." The packages, which actually contain lettuce seeds, are available for the egalitarian price of $1. "After all, you'll need a lot of lettuce to influence the Bush Administration," Lesser says. Get your own Dubya Dopeseed Packets by sending $1 per packet to Funny Times Seeds, PO Box 18530, Cleveland Hts. OH, 44118. Mouth encourages you to get a Funny Times subscription while you're at it, $21 for 12 issues, from the same address.


	Department of Justice Indicted
	photo by Tom Olin National Council on Disability Releases Scathing Report on ADA Enforcement The National Council on Disability's huge and long-awaited "Promises to Keep" report on ADA enforcement has hit the streets. It's such a steamy indictment of the DOJ and the EEOC that several defenders of the status quo rushed to online listservs to praise both those stagnant bureaucracies. [Don't you hate it when people say, 'We told you so!' Me too, but the temptation is stronger than my brain-damaged will power. *They're as bad as we told you &emdash; worse. Whew. There. All better. -- Lucy] The NCD report is three times stronger than our 1998 exposé of the DOJ: it reaches beyond the DOJ to indict all the federal enforcement agencies in juicy detail; it offers excellent recommendations; and this report goes straight to the President from a group he appointed to level with him. NCD has published three brilliant reports this year, so bravo again. And bravo to DREDF, the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, for compiling the report and conducting the interviews. We know, because we've been there, that getting the truth out of the DOJ ain't easy. Get your own free copy* by calling NCD at 202-272-2004. Or download it from www.ncd.gov. (It's thicker than the Kansas City phone book.)
	Coming October 2: the Disability Nation's biggest day in history
	Consider yourself invited to the largest disability rights gathering in history. Think of it as our Woodstock or think of it as anything else you can imagine that you wouldn't miss for the world. Whatever you have to think of to get you there, think it now and circle your calendar for October 2, 2000. AAPD, the American Association of People with Disabilities, invites all of us to a massive march to the U.S. Supreme Court for a rally on October 2. That's when the Supremes go back into session. Soon after that date, they'll hear the pivotal Garrett v. Alabama case. The Court could then rule that Title II of ADA is unconstitutional. What can we do about it? We can let them know we care. Bob Kafka of Adapt believes we should shoot for 50,000 people with disabilities to rally round our ADA on that day. "This is," he says, "only an average of 1,000 people per state. If the 54 million number means anything, 50,000 of us could get there to say 'Don't Tread On the ADA.'" Get more info from www.aapd.com but in the meantime please go ahead, invite everyone you do and everyone you don't know too. Come one, come all. We'll see you there.
	Cutting them off at the referrals
	Great News for Freedom! Sheltered workshops will soon go the way of slave plantations if the U.S. Department of Education has anything to say about it. (As of course they do, since they own the federal funding stream that state Voc Rehabs use to fill the charity troughs.) Fred Schroeder, Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, proposed on June 26 that sheltered placement no longer be considered an employment outcome under federal rules. Here's the official language: "The Secretary proposes to amend the regulations governing the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program (VR program) by revising the scope of available employment outcomes under the VR program. The proposed regulations would redefine the term 'employment outcome' to include only those outcomes in which an individual with a disability works in an integrated setting." [emphasis added] This reg would mean, we believe, that federal money will no longer flow to workshops except for temporary placements when people are assessed. The proposed reg is open for comment only until August 25. NISH and NIB, two organizations whose members make a living off our slavery, will howl about this one to their congressional reps. We'd even bet they'll call for congressional hearings to prevent this reg from being adopted. This is your cue to jump in and say something good about the reg to the people who count on this, the feds. Your comment is WANTED, okay? For a copy of the proposed regulation, and the rules for comment, contact Beverlee Stafford, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3014, Mary E. Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2531. Phone (202) 205-8831, TDD (202)205-5538. Or click here to read a summary from the Federal Register. Come to find out that NIB, the National Industries for the Blind, is lobbying hardest and trying to put a stop to this emancipation proclamation. You might want to call its president, Jim Gibbons, or its chief lobbyist, Pat Beatty, and ask them why. Their phone number in Arlington, Virginia is 703-998-0770. ----- If that's not enough good news to hold you, click here. You will not pass GO. You'll go directly to the Freedom Clearinghouse website for a bundle of very good July 2000 news about Missouri, Indiana, and California. It's news you can buzz about, news can use to get liberty under construction in your own state.

TOP OF PAGE Back to the Mouth Chronicles index		\| HOME \| ABOUT MOUTH \| SUBSCRIBE \| To get a copy of Mouth #60, the Mouth Chronicles issue,	Link to the National Council on Disability's April report on psychiatric disabilities. (It's a beaut, and we recommend it for all.)