Statement From Secretary Sebelius

Dec 19, 2011 by Julie Pippert

Statement from Secretary Sebelius on becoming the new Chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

Yesterday, I was pleased to take on the role of Chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. I look forward to building on the hard work of this year’s Chair, Secretary Solis, whose accomplishments include: developing a plan to increase access to mainstream benefits and launching Opening Doors-the nation’s first-ever comprehensive strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

The implementation of Opening Doors over the last year has given our federal agencies an opportunity to work together on an issue we all care about. Each member of the Council brings a unique approach to this problem and through this collaboration we’re laying the groundwork for future successes with better data collection, better reporting, and better use of mainstream resources. By engaging states and local communities in the plan’s goals and strategies, we’re making sure everyone is in agreement as we move forward.

While I’m proud to say we are making progress, homelessness remains a serious issue and there is more work to do. As I take on the role of Chair for the year ahead, I am looking forward to building on our current foundation as we work to end homelessness altogether. In these tough economic times, continued cross-agency collaboration is more important than ever to help those who are homeless.

Source: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/12/20111214a.html

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This Week on MOMochat: The Case Against Genetically Modified “Frankenfoods”

Sep 20, 2011 by Donna

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This Week on MOMochat: NARAL’s Nancy Keenan Weighs in on the GOP “War on Women”

Aug 30, 2011 by Donna

We'll be holding our weekly MOMochat podcast at a special time this week, so we can talk with NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan: about the Tea Party wave that purported to be about fiscal responsibility but turned out to be a mob focused on eliminating reproductive freedom for women.

Keenan is a former Montana state legislator and superintendent of public instruction. In 2000, she was her district's Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives. As President of NARAL, she helped elect a new slate of pro-choice legislators in 2008. The last round of mid-term elections was a setback, but as the NARAL site points out, "In 2010, 31 NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC-endorsed congressional candidates won their races. Choice played a key role in the re-election of Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Barbara Boxer of California, Patty Murray of Washington, and others." 

Listen to MOMocrats MOMochat live tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern/7:30 Pacific and pick up the podcast here. Brought to you by BubbleGenius.

Join NARAL Pro-Choice America and 150 students, activists and community leaders at the Power of Choice Summit on Thursday, September 15, 2011 in Los Angeles. Featuring engaging speakers and interactive presentations, summit attendees will walk away with up-to-date information about reproductive rights and the tools they need to make a difference in their community. Find out more here.

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This Week on MOMochat: What the Wal-Mart Decision Means to You

Jun 21, 2011 by Donna

Slate's Dahlia Lithwick says this week's Supreme Court dismissal of Wal-Mart v Dukes "may be the most consequential case of the current term." MOMocrat Joanne Bamberger says the Court basically told the women of America to just "shut up and go home."

Jessica Mason Pieklo joins Donna Schwartz Mills and Cynematic to discuss and explain the decision and how it affects cases of job discrimination on the basis of gender. 

Cynematic will also recap her journey to last week's Netroots Nation gathering in Minnesota.

Jessica Pieklo is a former litigator who, after nearly ten years litigating employment law, shareholder actions and fiduciary duty claims now writes and teaches for a living. Her areas of expertise include employment law, constitutional law, health law and business law. She teaches a number of law and political science courses for undergraduates and law students in the Minneapolis area and serves on the Board of Directors for Common Cause, Minnesota.

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Guest Post: Is Tyell Morton a Criminal, Or Just a Foolish Kid?

Jun 18, 2011 by Momocrats go

Guest blogger Joni Reynolds from Ebony Mom Politics alerted us to the Tyell Morton case, which we subsequently read about on The Root and AlterNet. We asked her to contribute a post about it:

On May 31, 2011, Tyell Morton did a very foolish thing.

Morton, a senior at Rushville High School in Indiana decided to do what he thought was a harmless senior prank. Dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing latex gloves, Morton planted a package (containing a blow-up doll) in the girls’ restroom. When it was discovered, all hell broke loose.

Photo credit: FreeTyellMorton.org; Used with permission

The Indiana State bomb squad was called to the campus and the school was evacuated. Morton had been caught on the surveillance cameras. He admitted putting the package in the restroom; he was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief.

Prosecutors find nothing humorous about Morton’s prank, which school officials say cost them over $8,000. Morton not only missed his graduation, but he faces the possibility of spending eight years in prison if convicted.

Rush County Prosecutor Phil Caviness is taking this case very seriously. Caviness said, “In this post-Columbine world, that’s what you get when these kinds of things happen.”

People, it was a senior prank. Did the action rise to the level of a Columbine comparison? It was foolish and stupid, but is this the kind of thing that should send a young man to prison?

Morton has no criminal record; he is simply a young man who did a very stupid thing. He should not go unscathed, but the punishment should fit the crime. He should have to pay the cost of the evacuation, and community service would be in order — but to send this young man to prison would be a real crime.

For more information on this case, visit www.freetyellmorton.org. Add your name to the petition urging Indiana to pursue charges that are commensurate with the facts of this casehere.

Joni Hudson-Reynolds is the author of the daily political blog Ebony Mom Politics. Reynolds brings insight and wit to her daily entries as she informs, empowers, and inspires her readers. Reynolds is married and the mother of two teens.

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This Week’s MOMochat: Pundit Mom and the Mothers of Intention

Jun 7, 2011 by Donna

Joanne Bamberger (a.k.a. Pundit Mom), joins fellow MOMocrats Cynematic and Donna Schwartz Mills on this week’s MOMochat… on the occasion of Joanne’s new book, “Mothers of Intention: How Women and Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America.”

“Mothers of Intention” is an anthology of political writing — all by women who happen to be moms. (In other words: it’s OUR kind of reading material! And writing material, too, as several of the MOMocrats are represented in its pages… as well as women from across the political spectrum.)

From the official press release:

“By countering the political dismissal of mothers with proof of women

“By countering the political dismissal of mothers with proof of women’s varied and impassioned responses to politics and media, Joanne attests to the increasing importance of mothers’ opinions in elections to come.

In addition to analyzing this ever-growing trend, Mothers of Intention presents a collection of essays by passionate women who are quickly becoming political influencers, including a preface by Pulitzer Prize winner Connie Schultz, and essays by Mom 101’s Liz Gumbinner, Veronica Arreola of Viva la Feminista blog, Jaelithe Judy of MOMocrats and MomsRising’s Lisa Frack.

Bamberger describes “Mothers of Intention” as women, diverse in geography, ethnicity, age and political persuasion, who pursue a world of more political discourse through their powerful, thoughtful and humorous voices about what it’s like to be a mother in today’s political world.”

Join us here Wednesday at 12:00 PM Eastern/11:00 AM Central/9:00 AM Pacific for MOMocrats MOMochat.

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