The Mudflats

We’re getting close to the end of our virtual flight from Houston to Anchorage.  I knew the clear skies couldn’t last.  As soon as I was sure we must be over Alaska, the clouds rolled in.  At first I was sad to miss the scenery, but cloudscapes have their own beauty.  I remember my first airplane ride.  I must have been 2 or 3, and when we popped out over the top of the clouds it seemed absolutely magical.  I remember asking if we could go jump on them.  I’m several decades older than that now, but I still look at them and think it would be awfully fun if you could.

As I was marvelling at the whiteness of the clouds as far as the eye could see, and the impossible blueness of the sky, this song came on my iPod which just made the whole thing even better.

Planned Parenthood in the Mat-Su Valley
by John Aronno

I’ll start off by answering your question: 15 minutes.

15 minutes is the time that it takes from the moment you sit down at the Planned Parenthood booth, to the moment where an older woman calls you a Nazi and alleges that you kill babies. At least that was my experience.

I suppose it takes a lot more time to let sink in the fact that we passed out, easily, forty or fifty condoms to teens in a state that left the rest of the nation in the dust in terms of rising teenage births last year. While the United States, as a whole, saw a 6% increase in teen births, Alaska brandished a shocking 19% increase, according to ABC news and the CDC.

Thinking back to when I was thirteen and fourteen, I remember the free condoms at Planned Parenthood booths. I can easily recall the reality, for me, of what happened when I awkwardly mustered the courage to walk up and grab one. It spent a year in my wallet, before a friend pointed out that keeping them in your wallet for long periods of time renders them useless. So, have at it, kid. And if a few did end up pairing off and making use of them, so be it.

Many parents showed up to the booth with their own children. We even saw “the talk” happen right before our eyes a few times.

One woman, presumably in her late thirties, grabbed a handful of condoms. Before we could stop her and inform her of the “two condom maximum,” she calmly sighed and explained, “My son’s an absolute idiot.”

Many people don’t account for the majority of the functions of Planned Parenthood, nor do they entertain the reality that 95% of the services provided are educational and promote health care; cancer screenings, STD testing, contraception, pregnancy testing and consultations. The strategy is not to create death panels, but instead to help kids understand what so many devote so much time and money to keep them from learning. Advice columnist Dan Savage once offered the opinion that sex education in schools, as they operate now, act as more of a disservice to our teens. He offered an analogy, which is the best I’ve heard so far, comparing abstinence education to Driver’s Education. Imagine if you signed up for a class to learn how to drive, and the instructor spent hours informing you on the inner workings of an automobile’s engine, then sat you behind the wheel and said, “You’re on your own from here.” Planned Parenthood recognizes that shortfall of the educational approach to sex education, and attempts to voice their concern and alternatives; calling for comprehensive sex education in our school systems.

But many individuals gloss completely over the definitive name of the organization itself, and see only “Anti-Unborn” instead of “Planned Parenthood.”

Once again, we arrive at the inevitable fork in the road, where a considerable amount of people truly go to bed at night mistakenly believing that “Pro-Choice” is synonymous with “Abortion Fetishist;” that we wake up every morning counting the minutes before we can terminate a pregnancy. This conclusion is as shamefully baseless and blatantly uninformed as it is offensive. As I have written about on this blog before, I was in a relationship in my early twenties that resulted at one point in the termination of a pregnancy. So, admittedly, the “Baby Killer” comments hit home with me. But I did not, nor did my then-girlfriend, or any of my friends who have been in similar situations, make a casual decision to abort. It just is not something that is done arbitrarily. It is something that, no matter what, stays with you. It weaves itself into who you are. I hate abortion. But I don’t have a better idea.

I wish that the people who afford themselves such a “casual decision” to hate me for supporting the right to choose gave pause to that.

The majority at the fair, though, were supportive of our presence. Many people asked us if we could watch their bags while they walked around, and it was commonplace to be asked where the ATM or bathrooms were. People often waved as if they had known us personally for years. It was clear that a big cross section of people felt safe talking to us. And that’s big.

My favorite part of the evening, though, was during a brief trip to the restroom. This might be a bit of a too-much-information anecdote, but it’s too funny to not relay. I was wearing my incredibly pink “Safe Sex is Sexy” t-shirt as I entered the men’s room. An older gentleman walked in and stepped up to a urinal next to me, and began his business. However, a few seconds into the process, he glanced over at me, then looked at my shirt. The silence was interrupted by a quick zipping sound. He proceeded to, then, walk four feet to the furthermost stall, where I heard a second zipping sound, followed by the sound of relief.

Oh my God, I thought. I’m the monster in the public restrooms that I’ve been hearing about all summer!

Well, this is one for the books. Sarah Palin, in her first commercial speaking engagement after abdicating the governorship of Alaska, will visit Hong Kong to speak (for an undisclosed sum) to the CLSA Investors Forum at an annual conference of global investment managers.

Really.

Previous speakers have been Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Alan Greenspan, and the group claims:

“Our keynote speakers are notable luminaries who often address topics that go beyond traditional finance such as geopolitics,” company spokeswoman Simone Wheeler said in a statement.

“We just felt it would be a fabulous opportunity for CLSA clients to hear from Mrs. Palin,” Wheeler said, adding that CLSA approached Palin with the offer.

Her discussion on geo-politics is sure to be fascinating considering her vast foreign policy experience and her extensive world travel. This will be her third trip out of the country, and her first to Asia. Twice she has visited American servicemen and women on bases overseas. And she’s had a passport for 2 whole years. And then there’s that Russia thing…

If any of you are in an office betting pool about if she’ll show up or not, remember this. This is the first time she’s actually being paid to speak, so that will considerably alter the normal 50-50 odds of her blowing it off and claiming that she never said yes. Remember that when placing your wager.

This engagement will be hosted by brokerage and investment group CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets.

Now, I’m no financial whiz, but I’ll share with you the first and only piece of advice about your investments that I may ever have. If your money is with these people, who decided to invest their money in paying Sarah Palin to fly to Hong Kong and speak about geo-politics? Get your money back NOW. All of it.

~~~Mark Begich at his June Anchorage Town Hall Meeting on health care, calling on a constituent who actually raised her hand to speak.  Ah, those were the days.

I’m going to confess right now, that after 2/3 of a term of Gov. Sarah Palin, and a vice presidential run, and all the Twittering Facebooking adventures of the last year, I thought if I ever heard the word “bold” again come out of the mouth of an Alaska politician, I was going to run screaming into the hills, or smash myself in the head with a brick.  So nobody was more surprised than I was when Mark Begich, on the Shannyn Moore show, used that word a LOT, and there I was… no screaming, no brick.  It actually sounded kind of … nice. 

As a matter of fact, I thought the whole interview was pretty great.  I’ve mentioned before that I sat at Mark Begich’s Town Hall meeting on health care in June when more than 90% of the audience raised their hands when he asked who wanted a health care bill with a public option.  Things have deteriorated since then, with teabaggers and hooligans of various sorts trying to stifle debate.  Any fears I had that the shrieking, underinformed minority was going to derail Begich’s common sense have been put to rest.  He spoke out for the legacy of Ted Kennedy, of supporting a public option, and of a generational challenges that will require …(ahem)…boldness.

Here are parts of Begich’s 40-minute stint on The Shannyn Moore Show on KBYR.  Senator Begich, his wife Deborah and their young son Jacob are currently in the middle of taking three weeks to drive cross-country from Alaska, all the way to Washington D.C.  He was in Minnesota when he called in to the show.

On the Media Coverage of Ted Kennedy’s Life and His Memorial Service

It was very inspirational for the last few days listening as I was literally driving across country, through these national park systems, sitting in front of Mt. Rushmore with my son and my wife and just listening to what built this country.  It was bold ideas.  It was people who were willing to step out, who weren’t afraid but who also understood that the everyday person had to be never forgotten, and I think that Ted Kennedy did that. And I think in a lot of ways that congress has forgotten that.  A lot of us new folks that are here have a different view.

[snip]

I actually turned to my wife as the service was going on for Ted Kennedy and I turned to her and I said to her, “You know, this seems so simple, you know, when you think about it.  It’s a basic fundamental right, in my view.  It’s a fundamental need, without question, but the politics have gotten so muddled.”  I’m hoping, in a lot of ways…  you know this month off that people have  had, and we’ve had these incredible outrageous forums that have occurred around the country where some people have just come and interrupted them, and not been very cordial to the process …  I think that’s going to inspire poeple to come back and work twice as hard to get something done.  They’re not coming back afraid.  Now maybe some might be on the other side, but I think generally people are going to come back motivated and say it’s time to get things done because the people in that audience that weren’t speaking up were there to get health care, were there to hear new ideas and how to solve those problems.  They weren’t there to sit there and interrupt things.

On the Public Option

(after Senator Begich lost his phone connection and called back)

Begich: I’m here, can you hear me?

Moore:  We’re on the radio, so you just wave!

Begich:  I’m waving! I’m waving!

Moore: (laughs) I know you’re waving… I hope you’re raising your hand to support a public option.  I just really am.

Begich:  I am.

[snip]

I think at the end of the day there’s going to have to be something that takes care of the uninsured.  There HAS to be.  Otherwise, here’s what happens.  If you don’t take care of the uninsured, the reality is they are going to be covered by the insured, because they are going to get health care somewhere.  At the end of the day, we’re going to pay for it, because like right now, Alaskans pay on their premium… about $1900 of their premium covers the uninsured, because the uninsured still get health care coverage. 

It’s kind of one of these myths that people have out there that, well, if we don’t do anything we have nothing to worry about.  Well, no no no. (laughs)  You’re going to pay for it.  The question is are you going to see it or are you not going to see it.  But at the end of the day you will pay for the uninsured.  So, I think we’ll get to some point where we’ll have accessible, affordable health care with (and this is very important.  I want to underline this here, Shannyn) and that is insurance reform.  You know, when people are denied coverage for a pre-existing condition is outrageous.  When people have huge out of pocket expenses because of the way their policy works.  For those that have caps on how much they can put toward their insurance.  Well, all that has to be dealt with in this insurance reform.

On ‘Boldness’

There are no bold ideas anymore.  I mean, I hate to say that.  There are no leaders who step out .  And your challenge to me, and the challenge that I think Ted Kennedy leaves us as elected officials is that we have to grab those bold challenges for the first time again. … You go back to when President Roosevelt said, “We are going to have a system called Social Security.  We’re going to have a system that ensures our seniors live in dignity,”  or you take the simple idea of Medicaid that exists today, or you can take many of these…  But the point is that you take all these things from Social Security to the establishment of the National Park System that gives families, working class families, access to something that they would just never be able to do, but now they can… Take all those ideas  and it almost seems like when the 70s hit, they all disappeared.  And it’s now time…like health care is an example of that.  Climate change is an example of that.  These are bold, aggressive, big issues that are generational in impact.  And if there’s one thing that the Kennedy legacy is, is that more of us have to step up to the plate in a bold way. 

It is a challenge to people like myself and others that there has to be bold leadership that’s going to step beyond the norm, or beyond what people expect in the sense of “Don’t rock the boat.  Don’t do this…” but you’ve got to step out and do some things.

On Public Service

Think about this.  The places I’ve been to in the last two weeks, you know, sitting in a coffee shop I hear the conversations, and what’s going on and what people are saying, and it’s interesting to hear what people are saying, and as I sat at the rodeo in Wyoming, and watching the rodeo and listening to the people around me.  Or sitting at the Dairy Queen in Cody, Wyoming, you know…name the places I’ve been to.  And it’s a very interesting perspective you get. 

And also, as you look around, it inspires you  to think, you know…Why do you serve?  Do you serve to just be there to buy time to say “Geez, I’m a Senator?”  Or do you serve to make a difference in someone’s life, for generations to come, not just for the moment.  And the people who don’t have the capacity to come to Washington D.C., the people who don’t have the capacity to participate in the high finance of politics, or participate in the special interest lobbying that goes on, that’s what we have to remind ourselves.  And I’m going to tell you that this trip that I’m on, watching the whole week and listening on the radio to Kennedy’s life, and just all that and these issues we face…if that doesn’t put it in perspective. 

And you don’t have to agree with him…if you noticed, Orrin Hatch was sitting in that audience today. But they created the kids’ care program SCHIP.  They did it because they came together on a relationship basis, not who’s a Democrat, who’s a Republican, but they sat down and said “What’s right for the kids of this country?”  And they did it.  And that’s what we’re missing more than ever before.

On Senators Who are Big Fat Whiners

There are moments in time…I’ve always believed that you can never create those moments that change things as rapidly as you would like, but certain things will happen and it’s a question of creating that opportunity out of that.  In a lot of ways I’m reminded of the legacy that he leaves as a person, and what he did, and what we have to do.  May we agree or disagree with his politics, it’s a question of the bold leadership and the willingness to step out for those that  are unable to represent themselves in the halls of congress with the special interest lobbyists that, you know…  Literally, you know, some day I’ll write the book on how thick it is back there, and reminding yourself of who you are and what you’re there to do. 

 And I sit around with Senators at times and we have discussions, and when they start whining about, you know, ”Geez, I got this call, I got that call, I got this…” and I look at ‘em and I say, “Look, we’re one of a hundred people out of three hundred million.  We are fortunate to be here.  We have a job to do, and we better get busy.”  Because when I’m hearing any of them whine about their time there, or about how difficult it is, or Geez, the schedule…  I always look at ‘em and say, “Hey, man.  Time to move on.  You’ve been here way to long, or been here with a jaded attitude, and we’re one of a hundred people out of three hundred million. We’re not always going to get it right, but we have been called to duty to do something that’s different, and bold and not the same old business as usual.”

~~More than 90% of those in attendance at Senator Begich’s Town Hall Meeting raised their hand for a public option~~

Lions can come from unlikely places.  One has just passed on, leaving a legacy of public service, good works and a grateful country.  Perhaps a freshman lion from the far north will grow to take that place with enough encouragement and support from the people.  I may not always agree with the Senator, but I think he ”gets it.”

Please remember that the telephone, the fax machine, and email also work to say THANK YOU.  How about dropping the Senator a nice note to tell him how much he is appreciated, and how much we support him, the public option, and his ideas about public service?  And just for the heck of it, write it in bold.

Sometimes elected officials can get irked when people yell at them who aren’t from their state, but I’m pretty sure that thank yous are welcome from anywhere.

Senator Mark Begich: 

144 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
phone. (202) 224-3004
fax. (202) 224-2354

Email by clicking HERE.

There is a tide in the affairs of men, when taken at the flood leads on to fortune.

Omitted, all the voyage of their lives is bound in shallows and in miseries.

On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current as it serves,

or lose our ventures.

~W. Shakespeare (Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene 3) 

UPDATE:

An email from Begich’s Communications Director, Julie Hasquet says:

Senator Begich is committed to health care reform and finding ways to provide accessible, affordable health care to the millions of Americans who don’t currently have it.

 However, until Senator Begich sees how a public option is proposed to be paid for in the final bill that comes before the Senate, he is not committing to supporting a public option.

I’m not sure how someone who states that they believe health care is a “basic fundamental right” can vote against a public option.  Surely the Senator cannot believe that “basic fundamental rights” should only apply if we make some kind of financial prequalification.  We find ways to pay for what is important to us.    I’m still willing to take the Senator at his word that it’s time for generational change, and bold reform, and that health care is a basic fundamental right.  We’ll see where he decides to put his chips.  I don’t believe that the Senator can afford to alienate the one in six Alaskans that have no health insurance, and the progressive community that got him elected.  But, time will tell.