This seems to be the case, following a call I received yesterday from Ann Winterton MP regarding her motion against the BBC's pro euthanasia bias. What began as four, is still only a paltry ten MPs backing her against very strong opposition.
I am shocked and ashamed of the BBC given how in so many ways Auntie Beeb is a showboat of inclusion and equality, and can claim what seems to be an exemplary employment policy, employing some of the country's most brilliant disabled media and arts people. I have been interviewed a number of times now at the BBC both on television and radio over the years, and they have always been an accessible, respectful place to attend and a pleasure to work with.. so what on earth are they up to?
Has the BBC just got really mixed up about what a right and proper equality argument is here.. or at the very least have they forgotten their commitment to telling all sides of a story? Why aren't they talking to their own staff, some of whom are colleagues of mine and campaign against this kind of deathly propaganda in their spare time?!
We want equality. That means an equal right to live, and an equal right to justice, fundamentally, before all else. If suicide clinics are to happen - if people are to be killed by physicians - create them for everyone and give us equal access. If people don't like that idea, think carefully about why and you might find the reasons why they would be a terrible idea are shared amongst all humans, not just those with physical health.
So very many disabled people and sick people already are in poverty and fighting for the services we need to stay alive, because we know at least as much as anyone else how precious each day is. We also know what it is like to also struggle at the same time, from our direct experience. The government doesn't need more disincentives to putting money into the NHS and Social Care systems. Assisted suicide clinics provide an easy dumping ground for the services overspill and public purse.. but where will they dump the bodies? Do we have space in our cemeteries for all the depressed people whose health and neglect combined lead them to feel life is not worth living? As far as our responsibility towards all citizens equally goes, this lets government and society off the hook.
Do our MPs understand that, we're campaigning for our lives here?
Do they understand that we depend on the media, most of all public funded media, to keep up to date with modern times and promote equality and respect for disabled people, instead of reporting in ways which devalue our lives, our very existence?
Do the BBC and our MPs understand that people's suicidal feelings are contributed to by the public perception of who we are, which in the main is dictated by media and government? "Our blood on your hands!" is an old D.A.N. chant which springs to mind here.
I hear the public support assisted suicide based on their horrified imaginings. Not much of a surprise really, they are being given creative material by the BBC.. and others.. but we're not paying the others.
If you imply enough times someone would be better off dead, exhibit enough times they do not have an equal status to others, that they can be murdered 'for their own good' or 'helped' to commit suicide and their killer will walk free.. what have we to live for? If we give people a Final Solution instead of a Survival Kit, what chance have people got to be a valued part of this society?
Not so very long ago, the Nazis executed a campaign of exterminating disabled people. It began slowly at first.. by showing films in cinemas of people being euthanised to put them out of their misery.. by telling the public they could never live like this, how it's for the good of their families and the state to alleviate such a burden, such suffering, by having their own family members killed. Once the public were used to this idea, and most people considered defective had been rounded up for killing or experimentation, then they began killing millions of others too.
If we legalised state approved killings, we have the mechanisms to make it all happen quicker here, after all, the public are already convinced they'd all want to die if they were like us, judges, juries and the Director of Public Prosecutions are happy to allow our killers to walk free. These days we have public funded TV streaming into almost every home in the nation - repeating the message that physician assisted suicide and mercy killings are what is needed because some lives are not worth living.
Guess what? It's utter horse s**t. Most people, even with the same conditions as the articulate few poster children for Dignitas, want to live as long as they can because it's a natural human instinct. And know what? Those of us who weren't born this way probably in the main thought the same as the BBC.. until we learned quite how resilient humans are, how strong our will is, to not only survive, but flourish, from real life experience.
The BBC is a major contributor at the moment to spreading prejudice and a portraying a general suicidal atmosphere amongst our people which is a downright lie. They have squashed the voices of the majority of severely sick and disabled people who want to live. We'd have drowned / choked / unmedicated / overmedicated ourselves to death by now by the thousands if we didn't, easy peasy - there would be an epidemic! *Almost* every one of us is perfectly able to kill ourselves if we really wanted to, we don't need the state to sponsor it.
The choice of the few, if made a legal state controlled practice will directly threaten the lives and support services of many others. The pressure to not be a burden is already so strong in society in general, especially for older people who are sick and disabled. Help us. Really, I mean it. But help us live our last days, months, years in dignity, not in the memories of those who care for us.
Maybe our messages to our MPs have helped already, but we need to give the rest of them more encouragement. Ann Winterton says that the best thing we can do to support this motion is keep writing to our MPs to complain about the BBC's heavily biased coverage.
If you are against state controlled physician assisted suicide for sick and disabled people, or allowing people who kill us deliberately to walk free, please write to your MP as a matter of urgency.
(For more information about how to do this, see this action notice / sample letter to give you some ideas, including more information here: http://clairlewis.livejournal.com/14515.h
Fight for the equal right to live, regardless of disability or health status - WRITE TO YOUR MP NOW!
Disabled People's International - The Right To Live and Be Different
URL: http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/resources/deta
Accessibility NZ - Opposing the Legalisation of Physician Assisted Suicide:
URL: http://accessibility.net.nz/blog/opposin
Crippen's Blog - Crippen looks at history in respect of the Assisted Suicide debate.
URL: http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/?l
.
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition - Dignitas founder views assisted suicide as a universal human right
URL: http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2009/0
Nabil Shaban's many films - try this one "The First To Go", or check out some of his others:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?gl=GB&use
The Telegraph - 'Kay Gilderdale should have been investigated'
In cases of assisted dying, anyone involved should have to account for their actions, says Phil Friend
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepub
Indefilms - "Protest on the Plinth" - made by Barry Seddon.
Liz Crow's recent appearance on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. The film is about the Nazi mass-murder of disabled people and the warning it holds for us today.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfswOExef
(for subtitles and audio description see here http://clairlewis.livejournal.com/8816.h
Not Dead Yet's blog (all of it!)
http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.c
Baroness Jane Campbell - Choose Life
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2003/a
Russ Cooper Dowda in Ragged Edge Magazine - When I Woke Up
http://www.ragged-edge-mag.com/extra/wok
From me:
Heresy Corner - At the end of life's tether.
URL: http://heresycorner.blogspot.com/2010/02/a
Heresy Corner - My life is unbearable - don't fix it, just kill me
http://heresycorner.blogspot.com/2009/08/m
most of my other writings are on my blog.
Other great writing which is relevant, from people outside the disabled people's movement:
The Independent's Dominic Lawson - "Who are we to decide that a dependant life is a pointless life?"
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/com
Other general information:
Just to bust some myths about assisted suicide clinics - read this.......
Wikipedia - Dignitas (euthanasia group)
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignitas_%2
Will add to this blog later with more great things.. if you have any links to recommend please send them to me for sharing or post them below in the comments.
Proud Angry and Strong!
- Mood:busy
If you're angry about the BBC's pro-euthanasia bias, here's a sample letter - send this to your MP -
Dear ......,
Like many severely disabled people, I was disturbed by the pro-euthanasia bias displayed by the BBC so obviously on Monday 1/2/2010. At 8.30pm Panorama was an entirely sympathetic documentary about the acquittal of Kay Gilderdale for the attempted murder of her daughter, Lynn. The half hour programme featured only approximately 3 minutes of arguments against assisted suicide from Baroness Campbell. Later, the Dimbleby Lecture presented Terry Pratchett's hour long plea for assisted suicide to be legalised.
The BBC's charter states that, in matters of public interest, the corporation must be impartial. They have clearly breached the terms of their charter & questions need to be asked about their access to public funding.
Yours sincerely,
......
Blog owners note:
Please join in and share this action notice anywhere you like. You can send a message right now in just a few minutes by using this website:
http://www.writetothem.com/
If you missed the news this relates to, Tory Ann Winterton (Congleton) has the support of one Tory and four Labour MPs for her early day motion against the BBC's pro euthanasia bias - if you write to your MP they are more likely to support her motion, or at least help raise awareness that some people are angry:
"A Commons motion said the Corporation ''misused public funds'' in its coverage of the issue, highlighting the high profile given to author Sir Terry Pratchett's speech this week in favour of assisted suicide.
The motion claimed the BBC ''ignored the rights of the disabled'' and had used drama as well as news to promote its pro-euthanasia stance. "
See the full article here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopi
If you want some ideas for other ways to campaign against the current widespread promotion of assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killings, see my action notice here which has lots of ways to join in the backlash.. http://clairlewis.livejournal.com/12877.h
- Mood:determined
Dear Director of Public prosecutions.
Last time I tried to telephone you, so you could answer me directly about whether I (as a disabled person with a life-threatening disease which I will have for the rest of my life, needing state funded care) have, in keeping with the Human Rights Act (to which this country is signed up), an equal right to live to other humans living in England, I had no success.
Understandably you don't chat in person to people like me, because you are very busy making decisions like deciding on allocating charges such as 'attempted' murder' instead of 'murder' when you know someone has actually killed someone else (who is disabled, or sick), and admitted it... it appears it's done so they may walk free if they have committed what judge and jury view as an 'assisted suicide' of a disabled or sick person.
I wonder which small print allows the allocation of charges in what appears to be such a discriminatory way, when assisting suicide is supposed to be illegal in the UK?
Do you allocate the same charge if someone assists in the suicide of a non disabled / non sick person?
If not, who decides what charge YOU have to answer should we try and take you to court through a human rights lawyer due your discriminatory practices which treat the lives of disabled people as lesser than others? Or aren't we allowed to?
I have a feeling others might like to hear an answer to the same question as well, so I will send this to you now with a link to my blog, then you can see who else wants to know as they may sign up below.
Thanks in advance for your help and clarification.
Clair Lewis
Disabled people's Direct Action Network
- Mood:determined
curioushttp://heresycorner.blogspot.com/2010/02/a
Thanks so much to the fabulously challenging Heresiarch!
I am looking for potential contributors for a documentary on assisted suicide. The film takes an anti assisted suicide stance and if you have any experience of or around this subject I would love to hear from you - particularly if you know of or are someone who has considered or taken steps toward it but changed your mind.
Please contact rbutchins@fulcrumtv.com
- Mood:accomplished
"I am doing some research for the EHRC (with Merseyside Disability Federation, the LGF, and a number of other organisations) about personalised care for LGBT people in the NW. I am going to be facilitating the focus groups myself and would be keen to see a strong presence of trans people in the research. I was wondering if you would be willing/interested in participating (hope so) and if you might know of some other people who possibly be interested as well.
Are you an LGBT disabled person?
Have your say about personalisation and social care
On behalf of The Equality and Human Rights Commission, we are looking at how LGBT people access social and health care where they need to. It’s all about the personalisation agenda and making sure that you are getting the services you want. Personalisation means you get more of a choice about the care you receive.
Do you access personalised care? Do you know if you are eligible? We are holding two focus groups for disabled people who identify as LGBT to attend and let us know what they think about personalisation and the social care services they access.
Merseyside:
2pm-4pm Wednesday 10th February
Neurosupport,
Norton Street
Liverpool, L3 8LR
Greater Manchester:
6pm-8pm, Tuesday 9th February
Breakthrough UK,
Aked Close
Manchester, M12 4AN
Both venues are accessible and have free parking. We can also provide travelling expenses for up to £20 with receipts. Don’t worry if you can’t get to one of these groups. If it’s too far to travel, then we can make sure your opinions are heard through an email questionnaire or a telephone chat.
If you want to take part in any way, please email Sian at sian.payne@lgf.org.uk
We will also be holding a focus group for the LGBT deaf community. "
- Mood:
satisfied
Write as if your life depends on it!
In the UK this week, affluent writers like Terry Pratchett are swamping the press with calls for death clinics (again!) for those with nothing else to worry about except their impairments, while those of us in poverty and lacking the services and resources we need know that should assisted suicide become legal here, so many people will end up being killed because of things which could be fixed. Public opinion is, as dictated by the media, apparently braying for death clinics - people who haven't a clue what our lives are like are voting us for the lethal injection / ingestion, based on their prejudiced horrified imaginings.
We do not have a powerful organisation of our own in the disabled people's movement which seems to be doing much about fighting for our lives. It is the responsibility of allies and individual activists in the disabled people's movement, and outside it (from any organisation, or not), to do what we can ourselves. Don't forget, feeling suicidal is something which any of us may come to at some point in our lives, disabled, sick or not.
Nothing about us without us!
I think the time is drawing closer when this biased, inexperienced public agreement is going to lead to something giving way, because the media coverage of this matter is almost completely one sided and not taking so many important matters into consideration.. we have to tell people what is really going on, they need to hear our side of the story. Telling our story helps change public opinion – but even more than that – they should be asking the people directly affected by this law, not those who believe us to be a worthless burden.
Disabled people, allies, family members.. We are under attack and subject to heavily biased reporting. There has been heaps of deathly stuff in the media, it’s like they enjoy telling how desperate parents kill off their children because of neglect and because of prejudice. Killers lauded as heroes!
More people will die unnecessarily if we don't do something. We need to act now as the press will tire of it again pretty soon and we’ll have lost the chance to strike while it’s topical.
WHAT TO DO:
Everyone can do something on this list from where you are right now. Even if you just do one thing from this list, please don't do nothing. The aim of this action is to get the news out there that a lot of disabled people and people who are 'terminally ill' don’t want assisted suicide. We can’t just sit here watching this develop as if we’re helpless, we know we’re not, so DO something! If you don't like writing, see if you could get involved in this documentary: http://clairlewis.livejournal.com/13546.h
1. Share this message with others every way you can. Do it now. Put it on your own blog if you want, and link it to here as well.
2. Write something and submit in the next few days.
WHERE TO DO IT?
Here’s some ideas, but I bet you can think of some yourself too. If you get any good ones add them to the bottom in the comments please so others can join in. You can do any of these you wish – the more people who will read it the better:
Write a blog.
Write a letter to a newspaper.
Write an article for a newspaper or magazine.
Email a TV news station if you are willing to go on TV to talk about it.
Email a radio station if you are willing to talk about it.
Join debates on the blogs people are beginning to list below, support all advocates.
Comment on a news piece advocating for assisted suicide to tell them your side of the story. Or even go to lots of them and paste the same comment to save typing time.
Comment on my article at the widely read Heresy Corner blog "At the end of life's tether" to keep debate going http://heresycorner.blogspot.com/2010/02/a
Complain to any outlets where the reporting has been completely or mostly one sided.
Post up links to articles about disabled people's equal right to life, or our un-equal treatment by the Director of Public Prosecutions – you’ll find some on my blog if you haven’t got any, or don’t know where there are some.
WHAT TO WRITE?
Write what you like, but if you need some ideas, how about this:
Say you don’t want assisted suicide to be legalised. Tell them you’re not better off dead. Or tell them lots of disabled, sick and 'terminal' people don't feel they are either.
Mention the things which make living with your impairments worse, or worsen your impairments.
Mention things which would make your life better, instead of dying (like support, access, equipment, a job, etc).
Tell them that nobody can know how they would feel in any situation until they have tried it and that we’re all more resilient than people realise when we have what we need.
Ask the public to support our cry for adequate services instead.
Let’s bust the obvious myth that we can have a better quality of life when dead!
WHEN TO DO IT?
Do it today if you can. Even if you only spend five minutes everything we say in public spreads the word that there is another story to their maudlin one track ‘suicidal terminally ill’ gore story.
Write as if your life depends on it! It might do one day if we don’t protest the prejudiced media coverage we’re being subjected to.
If any of you want to send links of what you’ve done I can also display them here
Clair Lewis
D.A.N. activist (Disabled people’s Direct Action Network)
When we are under attack, disabled people FIGHT BACK!
Photos below are from D.A.N's Not Dead Yet protest outside the House of Lords Assisted Suicide debate.
- Mood:
angry
The first time I was confronted directly with disability prejudice was back when I was fit, aged 23 and rather delicately pregnant. I was introduced to it by a consultant obstetrician, who was also my fertility doctor.
My usually friendly doc approached me up the corridor to talk about my scan. He wasn’t smiling. He looked me in the eye quite solemnly and said, “This is a very unusual situation and I need to inform you of something. You need to be made aware that the reason your baby has gone full term is that it may have some kind of genetic condition, I'm sorry.” He shook his head sadly, unable to look at me.
I supposed initially it was because he felt bad that they hadn’t realised before, what with the daily hospital visits, having to leave my job and live on benefits, the bed rest, and being worried sick for months that my baby, which they’d previously thought had a prenatal condition rather unpleasantly named IUGR, or Intra Uterine Growth Retardation, and may have to be born any time, possibly too young or small to survive. Months of fear that my long awaited first baby might die, despite every Doppler having shown the placenta to be working well (which should have been a clue that all was not as is expected, but instead just kept us all hopeful she’d hang on as long as possible). Every two weeks I went for a scan and was informed my baby might stop growing and have to be born before the next scan, as she’d stand a better chance on the outside.
As he spoke the worry on my face turned to a relieved smile and I replied, “Oh, fantastic! My baby is ok!” I wanted to jump for joy and punch the air.
There was a pregnant pause. My rather confused consultant looked at my happy face as if I didn’t understand, but I did. I looked confusedly back at him, aware I had clearly said something very wrong and glanced at my partner, frowning quizzically. The consultant watched me carefully.. I realise now he was waiting for me to fall to pieces. As his prejudice dawned on me, I raised an eyebrow, beamed even harder and said, “Thank you so much. I'm so glad she’s ok.”
He stood there for a moment, speechless. Then he looked a bit uncomfortable as I was grinning and holding his gaze defiantly. He shuffled a bit, turned and walked away, clearly still confused. The feeling I had next can only be described as sort of combination of wanting to jump for joy and punch a stress toy and pretend it was the doc.
We left the hospital. I was still grinning, but I felt annoyed at the doctor’s attitude. My head was a buzz.. I had no idea how difficult life can be as a parent of a disabled kid. I also had no idea that when she was born I would become disabled myself. I thought I was still going back to work, my partner was looking after our little one and whatever needed to happen I would make sure it did. I thought it was great news: my baby is not going to die, she’s just small. She’s a small healthy person. Thank goodness! How awful that anyone considers disability to be such a tragedy!
I didn’t know yet which things are hard and why, I was innocent then and the learning of much politics by trial and terror was yet to come.
Molly’s still a small healthy person, now aged 13. Early on it was hard to tell how well she would do, she had a lot of problems, but she’s done wonderfully and I am a proud mother of a fantastic daughter, with whom I began to live a whole new, difficult at times, but intensely enriched life.
And became an activist.
- Mood: cheerful
Click the link to read my anti assisted suicide article which quotes Polly Toynbee, and disabled activists Liz Crow and Jane Campbell - also references Not Dead Yet and Peter Singer.
Heresy Corner:
My life is unbearable - don't fix it, just kill me
http://bit.ly/IOwl6
(by Clair Lewis)
Thanks, Heresiarch, for this opportunity. :-)
- Mood:determined
| This piece is now a decade old. Unfortunately we remain in a similar position today. |
(republished with permission from halftheplanet.com.)
Disabled Peoples' International Europe:
Delegates from 27 Countries Meet to Discuss Bioethics and Human Rights (2000)
Judgements are frequently made about the quality of life of those of us who are disabled, without considering all the things that cause and affect our situation - often because disabled people are not asked as the direct experts.
In February, disability rights activists from 27 countries agreed on a powerful and unified declaration The Right To Live and Be Different 130 delegates at the Disabled People, Bioethics and Human Rights conference in Solihull, UK, created the resolutions that formed this declaration.
This declaration is not just of great importance to disabled people and the professionals who wish to help us:
"These issues concern everyone - anyone whose life will be called into question when elderly and having suffered a stroke; any child of an ageing relative in the same situation; any parents-to-be; anyone with a genetic predisposition to a specific disease/impairment who may experience employment or insurance discrimination having taken a test, the results of which have to be declared publicly; anyone who has experienced the removal of organs from a deceased relative or child, where consent has not been given."
(DPI 07.03.2000)
Human rights and health
Disabled people, like everyone else, need good healthcare and real allies. We appreciate the progress of medical science where it improves our quality of life; indeed, some disabled people depend on it.
However, disability is not a simple health issue, it is also a rights issue and the majority of disabled people are not dying or ill. Some biotechnology can be used for eugenic purposes, based on the assumption it is better not to live than to be disabled, for example the predictive testing which leads to most identified unborn children carrying Down Syndrome to be terminated.
Disability activists assert that the poor quality of life experienced by disabled people is not caused by personal biology alone. Barriers in the environment and people’s attitudes are created and enforced by society - these cause many of the difficulties faced by disabled people in their daily lives. This includes things such as, lack of access and support, prejudice, discrimination, social exclusion and in many countries extreme poverty and lack of basic healthcare.
Disability is the total result of the oppression against, and inferior rights awarded to most people who are born with or who acquire "impairments".
Positive progress
As disabled people, we are the ones who must decide what is, for us, a health issue and must get involved in influencing our own futures. The declaration is a tool for encouraging positive action towards leading the debates that affect our lives and it calls on disabled people to work with those who influence our rights.
Our genuine allies will be proactive in asking disabled people what assistance we need to improve our quality of life and working with us to affect positive change. Disabled people, our families and potential families deserve to be offered truly informed choices that respect the rights of all people equally.
Perhaps some of the funding, going into well-meaning, but misguided scientific research into how to eradicate so-called disabling characteristics, could be put to more beneficial use?
The people involved in the world-wide campaign for the equal human rights of disabled people have many exciting and practical ideas about how to create an inclusive society to benefit ALL people. Just ask us.
| copyright © clair lewis, Disabled activist (March 2000). |
- Mood:determined
It's is ok to want to be ourselves. Just to 'be' in the world free of guilt or stigma.
Doesn't everyone want that?
It is not selfish to want to exist authentically as part of a welcoming and tolerant society where all people are free from abuse or rejection.. to want it so much that you begin to do it anyway and wait for the world to catch up. This is how change happens.
It is not selfish to be witnessed declaring "I am me, and I will join in" - whatever the naysayers tell you - for it echoes in the minds of so many others.
It is here we find the terrifying truth of the reason for much of human kind's navel gazing.. the constant battle between doing both as social pressure dictates and being our authentic selves. Who dares go one step further - to choose to become our best self? I think it is true, as various activists are quoted as saying, that some people are afraid of their power, not their weakness. Afraid of our power too, sometimes.
Every time we have to stick up for ourselves by asserting our true colours we remind others that they are ok too, whatever society dictates, whatever parts of themselves they hide in dark places. A few will hate us for living in the light, for they are so afraid of their own reflection that they cannot bear to witness ours.. others are waiting for the day they can join us.
Come and sit by me in the light, there is nothing to fear except those who build darkness. You can not be swallowed by someone else's darkness, because for every person who closes their mind to you, you will find another nourished, inspired by your blossoming glow, someone who chooses you.. just for being you.. especially because you are beautifully you.
(For my dear, sweet, unselfish friend Jane.. )
PS ... imagine if everyone just started being themselves tomorrow - what a more colourful world we'd live in, free from self repression!
- Mood:
contemplative
Clair Lewis
let's
- Mood:determined
If you decide to make contact, talk to Ravinder.
Cheers
Clair
The film is for BBC 3 & we're particularly looking for young people - either teenagers (13 plus) with Poly-parents, or young adults (older teens, people in their early 20s) who're in polyamorous relationships or seriously thinking about it.
The people (and in the case of the younger teens living at home - their parents) need to be open and happy to speak about themselves and the way they live.
The style of the film will be observational character-driven documentary (ie not reality TV, not a Tabloid expose or anything involving swaps , fixes or makeovers!). The point of the film will be to show a different way of life, alternate choices and make the viewer think about their own life-choices and look again at their own pre-conceptions.
A very good recent example of this type of film that we made (also for BBC 3) is Deborah 13, Servant of God - the family were very wary of media interest initially but are now extremely happy with the film and the way they were portrayed”.
I'm happy for my email and office number (0208 9601446) to go out with the text.
Thanks again for your help & I'll keep you posted as to how we get on,
R"
Write a letter for disabled people's freedomAsk: Why ration care services? Why not fight for more funding? | |
| Start Time: | Monday, 14 September 2009 at 13:00 |
| End Time: | Tuesday, 15 September 2009 at 23:00 |
| Location: | where you are |
Take ten minutes to do something really worthwhile today. Disabled people are taking to the streets to fight for our lives - for independent living. Join us in solidarity by sending a short letter to your local paper about the state of the social care system and disabled people's need for adequate support.
You could base your short letter around this question to the head of your local social care services:
Disabled people are dying and getting suicidal waiting for essential care services. Why is social care being rationed instead of heads of service fighting for more funding?
Invite your friends... Share your letters on DAN's wall to give other people ideas. Send us a link if your letter is published.
Our protest is 14th September, but we will extend this solidarity protest to any time.
Here's the link to today's event
clairlewis.livejournal.com/9416.html
- Mood:
sick
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/l
Thanks Colette for such a thoughtful and intelligent article - I do a lot of activism related press work, but normally avoid such personal pieces. I feel content today we made the right decision to be included in a more personal capacity.
- Mood:accomplished
clairlewis.livejournal.com/9416.html
Meeting point for Monday's protest
If you are going to join Birmingham DAN at Monday's protest, you need to
find out where the meeting point is.
If you can definitely come, please contact Steve at soulrebel@riseup.
07931 421947
or
Linda 07714 927533 linda_burnip@
If you have already sent a request to Tom, you now need to send another one
to one of the above people.
Thanks
Free our people!
- Mood:determined
The next DAN action in Birmingham will be on Monday 14th September.
We meet at 1pm and cannot confirm an exact end time, it should be around teatime unless anyone is arrested and held for ages. Obviously unless you are under arrest people are free to leave any time.
You will need to contact us for the location (we are sure you understand that because we do civil disobedience and are never welcome at the places we visit, that we need to be a little secretive).
More details will be made public closer to the time. Suffice to say that the protest is about INDEPENDENT LIVING and disabled people in Birmingham are sick of being let down.
If you need more information you can email Steve at soulrebel@riseup.
or contact Tom on 07816275985 or phone tomcomdan@hotmail.
Free Our People
Steve
FROM CLAIR:
The below is some video from DAN's last visit to Birmingham. We occupied a council office all afternoon. We said if we didn't get what we want we'd go back. This time we are returning in greater number, with more press and a lot more anger. Someone we know has died due to inexcusable neglect, despite activists from our number trying to intervene and save his life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPXAPiVMz- Mood: angry
Heresy Corner:
My life is unbearable - don't fix it, just kill me
http://bit.ly/IOwl6
(by Clair Lewis)
Thanks, Heresiarch, for this opportunity. :-)
PS See also:
Hitler is Not Dead
Nabil shaban's protest video based on his poem "Hitler is not Dead" (1998), which was in turn inspired by Black south African freedom Fighter, Steve Biko who wrote the first "Hitler is not Dead".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4onqBSSmV
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