When I was 19 0r 20, I had a shirt that stated, in big neon letters, U.S. OUT OF MY UTERUS, across a picture of the womb. I went with friends to Pro-Choice rallies that celebrated the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, granting women the right to choose – we couldn’t fathom a time when free and safe access to abortion was illegal. We never had to worry about whether we would have access to women’s reproductive care. My husband and I were able to choose when we had our children, when we could  afford to raise our amazing kids. The bumper sticker on my car for years has been “Pro-Child, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice,” and I keep extras in the glove box to give out to anyone who would like one. We had no doubt that my daughter, and my son, would grow up in a world that respected the reproductive rights and, more important, the reproductive privacy of women (Grizwold v. Connecticut).

Now here we are, in 2012. The rallies I attended have become a thing of the past as a generation of us grew up and had our own daughters and sons, all of us never having to worry about the right to choose, the right to plan our families, and living in a world where we and our daughters and sons have never had to worry about access to birth control and reproductive services. A generation has grown up with choice, health care and even, if not complete, fair access to Plan B. Then, over the last year or two, the tendrils of the Religious Right began to creep into our political landscape. Right wing religious zealots began assaults and assassinations of abortion providers. Personhood amendments started to appear. “Kill The Pill” movements sprouted up. And of course, Dr. Tiller was killed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqw-3NHGXvI

The GOP was uncharisteristically silent on this one.

And then our President passed Health Care Reform, and its benefits slowly came into play. People began to benefit from it, the whole “Obamacare” line became old as people were affected positively by the effects of the Health Care Reform Act. Most recently, provisions of the act required that insurance companies cover birth control in the same way they cover Viagra. And the GOP went ballistic. Why now?

Because the Republicans haven’t got a leg to stand on in order to win this race, especially when it comes to the economy. Stay with me here…I know it seems a bit obscure, but give me a chance here. With 23 months of growth in jobs and unemployment shrinking, the Republicans have changed gears. They started the year with the economy, with the old “Are you better off now…” line that usually works when the economy is down are no longer in play. It just doesn’t work with economic recovery happening, with GM workers receiving $7000 checks as their employers reach record profits.

And with the old standby of gay marriage, well, that’s not playing as well as it used to, either. With eight states legalizing marriage equality, several more recognizing those marriages, Prop. 8 on its way to the Supreme Court, the court of public opinion swings away from the “man and a woman” argument, well, the number of folks who get stirred up by this rhetoric is shrinking by the day.

So, what’s a Conservative to do? They begin trumping up the Culture Wars, God, guns and gays, and they just aren’t playing in Peoria like they used to…they can’t run on their old tried and true standbys. And so they resort to the biggie, the play that they know will always bring along the base, playing to religious guilt: abortion.

Suddenly, all of the tendrils of the anti-choice movement appear in the Republican playbook. The Republican frontrunners are talking about Personhood amendments, eliminating hormonal birth control, and now, eliminating all birth control,using the birth control provision in the health care law an excuse for going to extremes.

The  Republican-held House held a panel this week to discuss why the provision to provide birth control in all insurance plans is wrong. Take a look at the panel:

What’s wrong with this picture???

Bringing religious leaders in to discuss women’s access to birth control did not have to look like this. Old, predominantly white men are not the only religious leaders the House could have brought forward. The Episcopal Church ordains women as priests, and there are Jewish rabbis as well. But they may not agree with the misogyny being argued by the panel, so Rep. Darryl Issa refused to have women on the panel, thus turning the panel from a discussion to a preachfest.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I think that Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s words bear repeating here:

What I want to know is, where are the women? I look at this panel, and I don’t see one single individual representing the tens of millions of women across the country who want and need insurance coverage for basic preventive health care services, including family planning. Where are the women?

Mr. Chairman, I was deeply disturbed that you rejected our request to hear from a woman, a third year student at Georgetown law school named Sandra Fluke.

She hoped to tell this Committee about a classmate of hers, who was diagnosed with a syndrome that causes ovarian cysts. Her doctor prescribed the pill to treat this disease, but her student insurance didn’t cover it. Over several months – she paid out hundreds of dollars in out-of-pocket costs, until she could no longer afford her medication. And she eventually ended up losing her ovary.

Sandra Fluke was at the hearing, and Rep. Maloney appealed yet again for her testimony to be heard. It was denied once more by Rep. Issa.  Ranking member of the committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, objected to Issa’s refusal to have a minority witness. stating the following:

“In my opinion, this Committee commits a massive injustice by trying to pretend that the views of millions of women across this country are meaningless, or worthless, or irrelevant to this debate.”

Issa has decided, on behalf of the Republican Party, that the views of women are meaningless, worthless, and irrelevant to the debate on whether or not they have access to birth control. What a paternalistic bastard. And all said in the same week in which Virginia has decided that if you want to have an abortion, you have to agree to an ultrasound. But not just any garden-variety ultrasound, which is invasive enough, but a transvaginal ultrasound. Yes, a transvaginal ultrasound. Anyone who has ever had one knows this is a whole different procedure – physically invasive.  Not only do you have to go through an unneeded procedure if you need to avail yourself of a still-legal medical procedure, but now, the government has the right to physically insert itself inside of your vagina as a condition of receiving that procedure. All this from Darrel Issa’s party of small, non-invasive government? To me, that sounds like legalized rape.

I have always asked myself, “Why would someone who was LGBT be a member of the GOP?” Yet there are Log Cabin Republicans who believe in the party’s fiscal policies. But with recent events, it leaves me wondering why women would be a part of a party that treats them as children, as beings who cannot manage their own reproductive care, who aren’t wise enough to know whether they need an abortion or whether they should use birth control. Why be a part of an organization that so actively show hatred toward women, a party that, given their way, men would decide when they can and cannot conceive, a party that is so punitive that they subject women to ultrasounds, invasive ones at that, when they are grappling with what is one of the most difficult decisions a woman ever has to make?

The Rethugs are so desperate to win, that they’ve pulled out the stops on the Culture War issues. It usually works. But this time, they’ve pushed things too far over the line. As Carolyn Maloney so eloquently put it, we will not stand for this. Women are more than 50% of the electorate, and more likely to vote than men. And there are plenty of Republican women out there that agree that this is an insult and an outrage. The GOP party line right now is nothing less than a misogynistic, all-out war on our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, our partners, on women-at-large, and it will be answered with an equal fight to preserve our rights as equal citizens in this nation. It is my hope that the extremist GOP views of women as less equal, less capable of decision-making, the “Father Knows Best” attitude will be met head-on by women in this nation, and with a fury the likes of which they have not seen.

Please let your feelings on this issue be known. There are so many easy and quick ways to do so. Here are a few:

• Here is the email of Rep. Issa’s office, in the 49th district of CA, and the phone numbers: 760-599-5000 Fax: 760-599-1178.
• Here is a link to locate your own member of the House. Simply put in your zip, then click on the link, and there should be a “Contact” link from there.
• And please donate to great organizations that elect more women, like Emily’s List. As long as men are the majority of our government, as long as men make the rules, these issues will keep arising.

The most important thing you can do, of course, is to get the word out to friends, family and coworkers and of course, get them all out to vote! Let’s send a message to the House and the Senate this November, to Darryl Issa and all his Republican cronies, that women’s voices are meaningful, worthy of being heard and oh-so-relevant! 

Are we stepping back into the dark ages? Should aspirin be our primary form of birth control? What’s the sentiment around your kitchen table on this issue? Let your voice be heard, my fellow Politicos, comment below here at Kitchen Table Politics.

Well, my fellow Politicos, it’s been a wild week – so much to talk about! So many things that I have included a couple of links at the bottom of the post for you because there won’t be time to discuss them together here this week.

But the main thrust of my post this week is the issue that could affect your kitchen table politics the most.  Right now, 10.7 million homeowners in the U.S. are “underwater” in their loans, meaning that their homes are worth far less than when they purchased them. That’s one in every four families. The crisis is worst in Nevada, Arizona, Florida and here in California, where 30% of borrowers owe 50% or more of their home’s value. There are over a million California families who are upside-down, and ove a hundred thousand in New York alone. With such a large number of families in crisis, it puts any economic recovery at risk.

What choices do families who are underwater in their home loans have? Very few. You can’t afford to sell it at a loss because you’d still be deeply in debt; You can walk away from the home, like 588,000 homeowners did last year, even though they could still afford to pay the mortgage – just stop paying and let the bank foreclose. Or, like 40% of folks,  you can stay and keep paying your mortgage, if you can still make the payments, and continue to hope against hope that someday housing prices will rise to at least the level they were when you bought the house – if you got in at the early end of the bubble, your chances are better that if you ought at the peak. That’s where we are now, hoping against hope that something’s gotta give, having been taught all our lives that you don’t walk away from your debt, you keep your commitments. It is simply the integrity of the middle class homeowner that keeps the housing market even afloat right now.

So when The President came out in his State of The Union and said that he’d be uniting the State Attorneys General and the U.S. Attorney General to prosecute the responsible parties that caused this mess, prosecuting the banks that bundled our loans and used them as chips in their high-stakes game of Texas Hold-’em, I saw a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Then, within a matter of days, I heard that there was a $25 billion settlement with the banks – turns out it’s been six months in the making. Finally, someone addressing these abuses. And that’s what they are, abuses. But I also thought, “Hey, that was happening way too fast,” and I said to The Hubby that $25 billion won’t go far when we’re talking about the vast number of homes underwater. I was afraid that, like most lawsuits, the banks would be free and clear after that, having paid their fine, so to speak. So I started looking further into this new development – I wanted to see if we’d even be eligible, because most of the loan modification programs left us out in the cold.

And I’ll tell you what, my fellow Politicos, I am guardedly optimistic, for some families’ fates. The L.A. Times had a great article last week that outlined some of the basics of the deal.  I’ll summarize them here:

• The main way the settlement will help homeowners will be what’s called a “principal write-down,” in which your actual principal is lowered by the bank to be more in line with what your house is worth. The expected principal reductions could be up to $35 billion.
• Some folks will be allowed to do a short sale for what they owe. Basically, you would break even, without a foreclosure on your credit record.
• Or, if you’ve already gone through a foreclosure, you might receive between $1,500-$2,000 for all the problems you encountered during foreclosure.

One of the positive things about this deal is that it will change mortgage lending guidelines so that the Texas Hold-’em of the past cannot continue. New regulations are designed to make it easier for folks who are near foreclosure to be able to make their payment, and, ultimately, stay in their homes. Another important feature of the deal is that this is not the end; the AG’s deal does not eliminate the banks’ liability. They can still be sued and prosecuted further. Which is important – my immediate thought was that $25 billion won’t go far among the millions and millions of households at risk of losing their homes.

Now, one source stated that the deal only applies to houses purchased from 2008-2011. I’ll be looking into that to see if it’s the case, and let you know. If it is true, there are a multitude of families who are still out of luck, like mine. Also according to The Blaze:

$17 billion will go toward reducing the principal that struggling homeowners owe on their mortgages.

$5 billion will be placed in a reserve account for various state and federal programs.

A portion of that money will cover the $1,800 checks sent to those homeowners affected by the deceptive practices.

About $3 billion will help homeowners refinance at 5.25 percent.

This all seems like just a drop in the bucket, especially for those whose homes have already been foreclosed. Which is why it’s so important that banks have no immunity and can be further prosecuted.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And true to this statement, on Friday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued three of the biggest banks for fradulent lending practices and use of false documents in foreclosures – that’s where the electronic recording of loans was done to end-run local registrar’s offices – now banks can’t find your mortgage, the paperwork that shows they own your house in the MERS database (The Mortgage Electronic Registration System). Often no paperwork exists, due to the “robo-signing” of loans in this registry. MERS saved the banks $2 million in county registrars’ fees.

Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden speaks about this as only a beginning:

Click here to view the embedded video.

He and other state AG’s will be continuing to fight for more in their states, but The President has opened lines of communication with the Federal AG so that more of these multiple-state prosecutions can be done. Biden fought hard for the rights of states and the feds to continue their prosecutions. “It should not have taken the Federal government, the state AGs, HUD and the United States Department of Justice to force the banks to do what they should do, and might ultimately have to do anyway, and that’s write down some of the principal.” And that’s the moral and ethical issue here. Once again, we find that corporate profits reign over morality every time. That’s why this is such an important settlement – it is the government standing up for the little guy, for the rest of us.

And that’s why I am cautiously optimistic. While our loan won’t be covered, if my sources are correct, I am hopeful that this is not the end. Because we were raised to do the right thing, and that includes not walking away from our debt. I hope that we’ll be able to find a way to refinance at a decent interest rate, or that the banks will write off part of the principal we owe, but I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. I hope that Attorneys General like Holder, Schneiderman and Biden keep fighting the good fight for us and so many other hard-working and honest families like ours.

There are a couple of other “Must-reads/sees” this week:

• Rachel Maddow’s Washington Post Op-Ed on the GOP attack on Birth Control is an historical look at the whole “personhood” movement and how it ties into the Rethugs’ hoising themselves on their own pitard.
• Washington State Representative Maureen Walsh’s speech about why she supports the Marriage Equality law that just passed in her state. She may be a Republican representative, but she’s a mom, first and foremost. As moving a speech and argument for equality as any I have ever heard.
• Last, but not least: California’s Prop 8 found unconstitutional! A step closer to the Supreme Court, this tightly written decision comes down, truly reflecting the beliefs of the majority of Californians. One more step forward for marriage equality. Our Gal Rachel speaks to the unlikely team of attorneys who are fighting the good fight.

A huge week for homeowners, a giant step forward for LGBTQ rights, “personhood” amendments on the march to wipe out birth control. What’s your story of the week, my fellow Politicos? What’s the talk around your kitchen table? Speak out here at Kitchen Table Politics!

And thanks, to you, my fellow Politicos, for sticking with me and supporting my efforts here and on the online radio machine. Your comments, support and enthusiasm have kept this Momma writing and tossing her political opinions into the world. My enduring gratitude to you. And as always, you can also find me in the twitterverse @mommapolitico, and Sundays at 3:30 Pacific/6:30 Eastern on A World of Progress Radio.

Chuck D at Salzer's Records for our AWOP Radio Interview

The opportunity came up out of the blue – The Hubby came home and the following conversation ensued:

The Hubby: Guess who’s coming to the store to do a signing at the store?

MP: (In my usual smart-ass style) Okay, I’ll bite. Who?

The Hubby: Chuck D! MP: (Stunned) No! Get out! Really???

The Hubby: Yep. He’s playing at the Ventura Theatre and is coming by the store  before the show to do autographs.

MP: THE Chuck D.? Public Enemy Chuck D? Unfiltered with Rachel Maddow and Lizz Winstead Chuck D? AirAmericaChuck D?

The Hubby: Yes, one and the same! You should come by and do an interview.

MP: I’m there! He didn’t have to tell me twice. And I know, you’re probably wondering, “Why on Earth would this middle-aged, white suburban mom care about Chuck D???”

Perhaps a little background info is in order. See, when Public Enemy first hit the scene, I was working in record stores – that was my previous, pre-teaching/blog/radio life, and where I met my husband, 25 years ago. We were working for a chain called Licorice Pizza, run by a man named Jim Greenwood.

Licorice Pizza had about 40 stores here in California, and were the coolest job in town. Licorice Pizza was a very employee-friendly company, and they had this benefit called the “borrow book,” everybody’s favorite perk. It was a binder, and as an employee, you could list in this book 10 pieces of product a week to check out – take ‘em home, listen to them…it was a brilliant way to get your employees to know the product, because you would take a chance on things that you might not normally listen to. That’s how I discovered all kinds of music: from big bands of the 40′s to the crooners of the 50′s and 60′s, girl groups, 12′ dance mixes, 45s, to the first CDs. From Public Enemy, to X and Dwight Yoakum, through my punk and country punk phases, to The Violent Femmes, Patsy Cline and REM, we got to hear it all. That was how I first heard Chuck D.

When “Yo! Bum Rush The Show!” came out, it was earth-shattering, revolutionary. It was during the Reagan – Bush years, and there was little music out there that was really speaking truth to power like that. And being a politically-minded kid and a bit of a rebel at the time, Public Enemy’s willingness to shake up the status quo was awesome. Seeing an artist use his voice for social change was powerful…and totally rocked. Add that to the fact that rap was something we white suburban kids had never heard before, and we were blown away.

So, when the opportunity arose to talk to Chuck D, of course I jumped at the chance. I took my daughter, Mo (formerly known as Tweenie, but she’s a full-fledged teen now…), and my iPhone, and we headed out. Jeff got us in early, and when Chuck D got there, I introduced myself, and asked if we could talk after the show. He was cordial and seemed happy to be there, and said he’d be happy to chat after the event.

So, we waited around, and watched Chuck interact with his fans. He seemed genuinely interested in what they had to say: their stories, the memorabilia folks brought in for him to sign. Someone brought  a cardboard CD box from back in the day when they used to put them in these long boxes that would fit in a CD bin, someone else brought a 12′ single mix of one of his songs, a kid even brought in a guitar to have Chuck sign. He took photos of some of the items, genuinely impressed with these early artifacts of his career. And he listened, a lot. He was thoughtful in his responses to people, and genuine – it was a lot of fun to watch. I was looking forward to having some time to ask a few questions after the signing was through.

But at the end, these three big guys – over 6 feet tall, big shoulders, they looked like linebackers – came in and walked up to Chuck, and I heard them say, “After you’re done, we want to do an interview.” What? Hold the phone! There are certain things that happen when you’re over 4o, and one is that your bullshit tolerance goes waaaaaay down. I stuck my head in, literally, and said, “Guys, there’s already one interview ahead of you, and that’s with ME.” I was not going to lose out on this – I knew Chuck had limited time, and wanted to be respectful of that. What bozos! You can’t just waltz in at the end of an event and ask for time.Yyou get there early, arrange the interview, and you wait until the artist is free. That’s the respectful thing to do. So, I stood my ground, and got us the interview. As Kathy Bates character says in Fried Green Tomatoes says, “Face it Girls, I’m older and I have more insurance!”

Chuck was great – easy to talk to, genuine, and smart. He’s really taken his work with the LA Community Action Network to a new level. When we sopke, it was the eve of the Occupy Skid Row concert: Chuck has organized other hip-hop and rap artists to help shine a light on the permanent encampment that has been the home to LA’s homeless for as long as I can remember. I was kidding Chuck in the interview about being the hardest working man in show business, the new James Brown: several events and two concerts in 72 hours. His leading the effort to give back in the music community is a grassroots effort and as genuine a campaign as you will find. Oh, and if he wasn’t busy enough, Chuck has two new albums coming out soon, too.

With no further ado, here’s the interview:

http://ow.ly/8vSJU (Sorry – too big a file to live here!)

In addition to all his hard work, Chuck D also runs several websites, most designed to giving new artists a shot and to getting the word out on issues that matter:

http://www.publicenemy.com  – Find his email under “contacts”

http://www.hiphopgods.com  – All things hip-hop: news, music, great player with shuffle to discover new artists

http://www.rapstation.com – Site for uploading shows and music that are socially/politically significant

http://www.shemovement.com – Girl Power version of hip-hop-gods –events, artists, videos – fierce women and their music

I’m hoping that this is the year that Public Enemy gets inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. It’s an honor long overdue. Thanks, Chuck, for being so generous with your time, for the interview, and for all that you still do, 25 years later, to Fight The Power.