Spring 2011 Volume 38 #2
AGE & YOUTH IN ACTION
The RAP
GRAY PANTHERS OF METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON
General Membership Meeting
Saturday, April 16, 2011
2:00 - 4:00 PM
Tenley-Friendship Library
4450 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington D.C. 20016
Tenleytown/AU Metro
Fighting Back Against the Budget Cuts
• Roger Newell, Teamsters Union
• Linda Leaks, Empower DC
• Joan Drake, Convenor, GPMW
Letter to Joan Drake from President Obama
I received this reply to my letter to the President voicing my concerns about threats to Social Security.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington
March 21, 2011
Dear Joan:
Thank you for writing. I have heard from many Americans about issues affecting older Americans. Today's economic climate further intensifies the unique challenges faced by seniors, and I appreciate your perspective.
My Administration continues to support older Americans encountering unfair treatment, financial hardship, or
difficulty obtaining health care. The historic Affordable Care Act strengthens Medicare by providing free
preventive care and improving care coordination. It gradually closes the "donut hole gap" in prescription drug
coverage, and provides individuals who fall into this gap a $250 rebate. This law also helps prevent and eliminate
elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Additionally, the Affordable Care Act implements unprecedented measures to fight waste and fraud, and to
improve the quality and outcomes of care for Medicare beneficiaries. It ends unwarranted subsidies to private
insurance companies, and takes important steps to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions, improve patient safety, modernize payment systems, and streamline record keeping.
It also realigns incentives to reward medical providers for the value, not the volume, of their care. For resources and information on how to prevent, report, and stop Medicare fraud, visit: www.StopMedicareFraud.gov.
To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, please visit: www.HealthCare.gov.
By protecting Social Security from risky privatization plans, we are preserving solvency and maintaining it as a
reliable income source for seniors. The American Recovery and Retirement Act included an additional payment to supplement Social Security benefits for seniors struggling to make ends meet and I have called on Congress to extend this relief again. Together, we will ensure all our citizens, not just a privileged few, can retire with dignity and security.
Finally, as we work to keep America's promises to senior citizens, we are helping ensure older Americans can continue to enrich communities across our Nation through service and community involvement. By expanding the Senior Corps and implementing the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, we are creating more opportunities for seniors to share their knowledge and experience with younger generations.
Thank you again for being in touch. To find assistance for senior citizens and their families, visit www.Eldercare.gov, or call 1-800-677-1116. For help with Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE. Additional information and resources are available at www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
Gray Panthers Membership Meeting
The Gray Panthers General Membership Meeting will be held Saturday, April 16, 2011, from 2:00 - 4:00 PM at the Tenley-Neighborhood Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington D.C. 20016. (Tenleytown/AU Metro)
The topic will be ‘Fighting Back Against the Cutbacks!’.
Speakers will include:
Linda Leaks, member of GPMW steering committee and a co-founder of EmpowerDC is a community organizer with over 30 years experience of building movements for tenants and housing rights in the District; and Roger Newell, a senior staff member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has been active in the labor movement for over 25 years and works to further understanding the impacts of policies of globalization and structural adjustments on neighborhoods.
No Nukes is Good Nukes
The entire world watched as tragedy played out in Japan last month. I imagine that everyone kept the Japanese people in their hearts and prayers. As the horrific scenes were televised and web cast one could not help but think of how little control we have over the forces of nature. That is except for when it comes to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Nuclear power is a force of nature that we like to think we have tamed. But all it takes is for an unexpected, or more aptly, unplanned for, natural disaster to show us that this is not the case. The situation at Daiichi is still not under control and already there has been radioactive poisoning of the air, water and food in Japan.
As it is many Japanese people will suffer from some radiation poisoning leading to shortened lives and some workers have been seriously harmed. Here in the U.S., where the wind carries nuclear fallout from Japan in 3 days we may also have widespread poisoning from future fallout if the situation is not stabilized at Daiichi.
Chernobyl led to bird deaths in California, documented by Dr. Dave DeSante of the Institute for Bird Population and deaths in the U.S. were significantly correlated with the amount of Iodine-131 in milk in those regions (Gould and Goldman 1990). Their findings indicate that a linear dose response curve to radiation exposure underestimates the effects of low –level exposure by a factor of about 1,000 when comparing ingesting radioactive particles to being exposed to a brief pulse of radiation from an x-ray.
The U.S. has 104 nuclear reactors. Two of these, Diablo Canyon and San Onofre are the same type of reactors as Daiichi and also sit on fault lines in tsunami territory. In addition to these threats, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, heat waves/droughts and human error and neglilence are all threats to the safety of nuclear reactors. There are 3 million Americans living within ten miles of a nuclear reactor.
After one year of operation these sites hold the equivalent of 1,000 times the radioactivity that was released by the Hiroshima bomb. Sites have been found to leak radioactive material. Nine sites have been found to have radioactive tritium levels above 1,000,000 picocuries/liter in nearby ground water. Tritium has a half-life of 12+ years and will remain in the environment for the next century.
There is no safe method of disposing of nuclear waste (i.e. spent fuel). There is about 55,000 tons of nuclear waste in the U.S with about 2,000 metric tons added yearly. Even a volcano at 2,400°F is not hot enough to melt uranium oxide with a melting point of 5,189°F and there are no acceptable long-term storage strategies. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences reports that the radioactivity from waste stored from 1983 would take 3 million years to decay to background levels. The nuclear industry now promotes “reprocessing” o f nuclear waste as a green technology.
This reprocessing is in itself a dangerous and polluting process. The waste from the reprocessing will increase by a factor of twenty or more, including low-level uranium waste and plutonium-contaminated waste and will not reduce the need for storage and disposal of radioactive waste.
In addition the waste from reprocessing would make it easier for terrorists to acquire nuclear weapons materials and the Energy Department recently released an industry estimate that a reprocessing plant with an annual capacity of 2,000 metric tons of spent fuel would cost up to $20 billion to build—and the U.S. would need two of these to reprocess all its spent fuel with the charges passed on to the American taxpayer.
The good news resulting from the disasters in Japan is the renewed efforts of advocates for nuclear abolishment. It is crucial that President Obama hears from us as he is seeking $36 – 55 billion in funding for nuclear energy.
Other good news is that there are dietary changes we can make that protect us from radioactive poisoning. With the ever growing contamination of our air, water and food from nuclear power plants and other sources making some of these changes will help to ensure that fewer people get cancer and other harm from future exposure. Here are some of these foods:
Sea vegetables – Bind radioactive particles and eliminates them from the body. Kelp and dulse are good sources of iodine, which inhibits absorption of radioactive iodine. *
Spirulina and Chlorella help to enhance immune systems and have radio protective effects.
Miso soup has an active ingredient called zybicolin that binds and eliminates radioactive elements.
Green and black tea have ingredients that are radioactive antagonists.
Clay binds to toxins and helps to eliminate them. Can be used in a soaking bath or in very small doses internally.
*A reasonable daily dose of kelp would be 1-2 teaspoons of granules or 5-10 tablets. Other high iodine foods include: seafood, beef liver, pineapple, eggs and whole wheat.
Note: Taking kelp as a source of iodine is much safer than drinking iodine or eating potassium iodide, which can be especially dangerous for pregnant women and can cause allergic reactions.
Advocacy groups:
http://www.beyondnuclear.org/
http://www.nirs.org/
http://prop1.org/
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/nuclear/
http://www.uspirg.org
http://www.ucsusa.org/
Angela Flynn
Steering Committee Elections
Dear Panthers: Time to stop growling & get organized!
That's right -- our local Gray Panther Steering Committee 2011 elections are approaching fast! We invite you to consider running for office or nominating candidates of your choice for the several slots to be voted on at our next Election Day in September 2011. Candidates may run at large or for one of the following offices: 2 Co-Conveners, Secretary, & Treasurer.
Please contact Angela Flynn by phone at 202-290-1084 or by email at angelaflynn80@msn.com to put your name or your candidate's name forward.
Wishing you all the best and urging you to keep writing Congress & the President to voice your concerns about Social Security & Medicare, I am, Sincerely Yours, Joan W. Drake, Convener, GPMW.
Musings on the Daily Headlines
War, termed a half-century ago by President Kennedy as one of the “common enemies of man,” lurks anew in our headlines. In addition to the frightfully long and destructive interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has taken on military action against Libya this Spring.
Day one alone of the assault on Libya with over 100 cruise missiles (each costing over a million dollars) directed at targets rang up over $130 million in federal dollars spent – none of which was planned on when last the government budgeted. And it is expected that the current military effort against Libya will cost the U.S. a minimum of $30 million dollars a week. This in a time in which we are told in the headlines that government spending is out of control and needs to be cut back virtually across the board. To believe the headlines we can’t afford health care, public broadcasting, social security, unionized workers . . . (feel free to add to the list, almost nothing is off limits).
What could we do with 30 million a week instead? Just locally, where the DC government is reporting a 300 million dollar budget shortfall, we could invest money, not just gimmicky theories, in education of children in our public schools. There, we could address building repair and textbooks. Or we could forego selling off public property (school, parks, etc) altogether and put them to use for the common good.
We need above all to get past the reflexive tendency to open fire – and drain our treasury – at the expense already suffering people elsewhere in the world. In Libya as in so many places in the world, we add death and destruction to an already serious toll in human suffering, and we do it often as not to enrich our own private sector at the expense of our own suffering people. One writer in California recently calculated a “‘Lockheed/ Martin tax’ of $260 per tax paying household in the United States.” That’s how much tax money goes to a single corporation from your household each year, primarily through Pentagon budget allocations. What if you kept the $260 for some of your pressing needs and Lockheed Martin got nothing from Uncle Sam.
We need to rethink our spending habits alright, remembering that war is our common enemy and the biggest squanderer of our money around.
Paul Magno
The Cradle of Civilization Tour
The Cradle of Civilization Tour, sponsored by Mirico, Henderson Travel Service and Ukimwi Orphans Assistance, is holding an essay contest that will award 10 young people – 5 males and 5 females – with a trip to the beautiful and vibrant country of Tanzania in East Africa.
This vibrant land is home to lions, elephants, zebras, baboons, leopards,ostriches, gazelles, wildebeests, flamingos and one of the world’s largest animal migrations. You will go on safari to see many of these animals; visit schools and orphans in 4 different cities; and see archeological finds that make Africa the “Cradle of Civilization”! You will get classes in Swahili, African history and anthropology; and you will also visit Ukimwi sites.
Ukimwi (AIDS in Swahili) Orphans Assistance, is an organization founded by Dr. John Rutayuga that for the last 20 years has been providing support to children and families that have been orphaned by AIDS, especially educational support. Their website is: www.ukimwiorphansassistance.webs.com.
To be eligible, you must: Be between the ages of 13 to 18; responsible; a student in good standing; have 100% support of your parent or guardian to make the trip; collect the most school supplies and/or write a 500 word or less essay on one of the following topics: 1) What is the “Cradle of Civilization and what does it mean to you? 2) How can travel to Africa increase your educational experience and help you achieve your goals? Or 3) How can you help children who have been orphaned by AIDS in Africa?
FOR MORE INFORMATION: contact Michele & Rick Tingling-Clemmons, 202.388.1111.
Rick & Michele Tingling-Clemmons
Call for Worldwide Support of the People of Bahrain
After Tunisia and Egypt, the specter of civilian-based revolution is looming at the doorsteps of autocratic regimes all across the Arab World. On February 14, dubbed the "Day of Rage," Bahraini activists organized a mass rally in Manama to call for political reform in Bahrain, where the Khalifa Dynasty has ruled for nearly 200 years. Bahraini authorities have responded brutally to the protest, killing as many as 9 people so far and injuring many others. Yet the people press on. And the world is watching.
If you would like to be more than a distant bystander, please join our international movement to put pressure on the Khalifa Royal Family by boycotting their lucrative airlines, Gulf Air and Bahrain Air, along with the whole state-run tourism industry in Bahrain. Sign the petition (below) and check out our event page on Facebook
Also, please support an International Arms Embargo 2011-02-28> against the Kingdom of Bahrain. Call and write your government officials to demand that they implement an arms embargo until democratic and human rights reforms are implemented.
Lou Wolf
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
REMIT YOUR DUES RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY ON THIS FORM
REGULAR INCOME: $30 FAMILY:$50 SUSTAINING MEMBER: $40 AND UP**
REDUCED INCOME: $15 LOW INCOME: $10*
* NO ONE IS DENIED MEMBERSHIP BECAUSE OF INABILITY TO PAY
* * SUSTAINING CONTRIBUTIONS ARE USED TO SUPPLEMENT LOW-INCOME MEMBERS
ALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO GRAY PANTHERS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE
NAME_________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS______________________________________________________________
TELEPHONE E-MAIL _____________________________
PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO GRAY PANTHERS OF METRO WASHINGTON
PO Box 34062
Washington, DC 20043-4062
e-mail <gpanthers@capaccess.org>
202-290-1084
GRAY PANTHERS OF METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON
PO BOX 34062
WASHINGTON, DC 20043-4062
