Just got this letter and am posting it here: Rallies are being held to advocate to protect the budget for disability services in California.  This letter focuses on the San Jose Rally, but also gives links for rallies across the state.

We need to do what we can to preserve services here in our state.  Now is the time to act–call, fax, attend a rally.

KEEP THE PROMISE RALLY

 

Friday, June 19

12:15 pm to 1:00 pm

San Jose City Hall Plaza

200 E. Santa Clara St.

 

Join Senator Jim Beall for an important rally with consumers and advocates from the developmental disabilities community to urge Governor Brown to approve the Legislature’s modest budget increase and reform proposal for the developmental disabilities services programs.

 

Programs are in crisis and closing at record numbers. The gains obtained in the Legislature’s budget cannot be lost.  We must keep lobbying because 280,000 people are counting on us.

And as you lobby the Governor and Leadership remember: Your stories matter and your advocacy has an impact.  Join us Friday and share your story directly with the Governor by following the instructions below.

 

Leave your message via these options:

Phone: 916-445-2841 // Fax: 916-558-3160

 

https://www.facebook.com/jerrybrown

https://clicktotweet.com/em7dn

https://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php

Advocates across the state have organized a statewide campaign to tell Governor Brown to support the budget and reform proposals for developmental services! Learn more about how you can participate and get involved.

 

Keep The Promise Rallies will be taking place at the following locations:

 

New! San Jose

www.tinyurl.com/06-LC-SJ

 Sacramento

www.tinyurl.com/LC-06-sac

 Oakland

www.tinyurl.com/LC-06-oak

New! San Francisco

www.tinyurl.com/06-LC-SF

New! Los Angeles (2 rallies)

www.tinyurl.com/06-LC-LA

San Diego

www.tinyurl.com/LC-06-SD

Online Vigil

http://thearcca.org/38.html

 

There is still a big legislative effort on achieving a budget increase for disability services.   People pushed for a 10% increase. But this was reduced to 5% by committee–and that could be reduced or eliminated as the budget goes through the legislature and to the Governor’s desk.  Now would be a good time to tweet, email and call.  If you can do all three, please do all three.  Here’s a video to link in a tweet and some hashtags to include.

#LetItShine #KeepThePromise #DoTheRightThing #CABudget

How to get involved in the virtual vigil

• Go to Lanterman’s YouTube page. Copy the link for the video, “Let It Shine,” and paste it to your Facebook or Twitter.

• Include the hashtags: #LetItShine #KeepThePromise #DoTheRightThing #CABudget

• And tag the two legislative leaders and governor: @kdeleon @ToniAtkins @JerryBrownGov

Here’s a message from The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration:

Make 5 short calls or fax 5 short letters

For those who haven’t yet made five short calls or faxed (not just emailed) five short letters to the five top decision-makers, please do that as soon as you can, too. People who’ve been making the calls tell me that some of the staffers answering the phones are getting so many calls they can practically tell the callers what they are going to say. That’s a big tribute to our united community effort and a demonstration of our new political power. But we need a lot more.

Here’s who to call or fax:

–           Governor Jerry Brown, 916-445-2841 (fax 916-558-3160)

–           Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, 916-651-4024 (fax 916-651-4924)

–           Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, 916-319-2078 (fax 916-319-2178)

–           Senate Budget Chair Mark Leno, 916-651-4011 (fax 916-651-4911

–           Assembly Budget Chair Shirley Weber, 916-319-2079 (fax 916-319-2179)

What you might say

 

“My name is __ and my address is __. I’m calling about the developmental services budget because ___ [tell them why you care].

“The budget conference committee’s actions will not be enough to stop our community service system from continuing to crumble. But they will save some of our services that that will close without them. Please don’t allow any cuts from what the committee passed.

 

“And please support the system reforms that the committee approved -– especially the language that says the savings from closing the developmental centers should go to the community services.

“Thank you.”

The California disability community has been fighting to gain back some of the budget losses from the past few years.  We tried for a 10% increase but that didn’t happen.  The increases that are in the currently proposed budget are smaller, but they are increases.  And, most importantly, they aren’t finalized yet.  They could be still be cut.

Below is a letter emailed by The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration.  There are numbers to call.  And call now.  5 people to call.  That’s it.

Please call.  Please.

Dear Friends,

The Legislature’s budget conference committee acted late Tuesday, and now it’s time for more urgent action. I’m sure a lot of you are tired – I am, too – but I also know that our service system’s continued existence may depend on this fight.

For those who want details of what’s happened and what to expect next, scroll down to “Where are we now?” For those who just want to take action now, here’s how:

 

Five short calls needed urgently

 

Please call these five key decision-makers:

–      Governor Jerry Brown, 916-445-2841.

–      Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, 916-651-4024

–      Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, 916-319-2078

–      Senate Budget Chair Mark Leno, 916-651-4011

–      Assembly Budget Chair Shirley Weber, 916-319-2079

Please call all five, even the ones you’ve called before. There’s a new message — and they need to know we haven’t given up.

What you might say

 

“My name is __ and my address is __. I’m calling about the developmental services budget because ___ [tell them why you care].

“The budget conference committee’s actions will not be enough to stop our community service system from continuing to crumble. But they will save some of our services that that will close without them. Please don’t allow any cuts from what the committee passed.

 

“And please support the system reforms that the committee approved -– especially the language that says the savings from closing the developmental centers should go to the community services.

“Thank you.”

Where are we now?

 

Here are the actions the budget conference committee took late Tuesday.

Effective July 1:

 

–      5% increases for supported living, supported employment, and respite services, and for regional center clients’ rights advocacy.

–      2.5% increase for transportation services.

–      One new dental coordinator and one new forensic coordinator for each regional center.

 

Effective January 1:

 

–      2.5% across-the-board increase for all other services and for regional center staffing.

System reforms:

 

–      Require DDS to report to the Legislature annually on its evaluation of the rate-setting methodology for community service and regional center staffing.

–      Express legislative intent that future savings from closing the developmental centers be used to benefit people with developmental disabilities in the community.

–

All these actions reflect the Legislature’s priorities. I’m completely sure we wouldn’t have gotten even this much without our community’s united efforts in the Capitol and your energetic advocacy throughout the state.

 

These actions don’t reflect Governor Brown’s priorities. Brown originally proposed giving us nothing, and we hear he’s especially against shifting the developmental center closure savings to the community.

Now what?

The negotiations between Democratic legislative leaders and Brown are continuing, and will go on after the Legislature passes the budget as proposed by the conference committee. The Legislature’s deadline is Monday.

Even after the Legislature passes the budget, it can call it back and amend it to reflect any agreements the Democratic leaders reach with the governor.

At some point before July 1, Governor Brown will have to sign the budget, with or without any line-item vetoes – or he could veto the whole thing, sending it back to the Legislature for more negotiations. He has no such short deadline for signing or vetoing the “trailer bills” containing the system reforms, and negotiations over them could go on after July 1.

 

There’s approximately zero chance all this will result in anything more for our community than what the conference committee did. The big danger now is that they will result in less.

 

And in any case, the fight for more in the 2016 budget has begun.

Thank you for your advocacy. And please stay tuned.

 

Greg

 

Greg deGiere

Public Policy Director

The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration

1225 Eighth Street, Suite 350, Sacramento, CA 95814

916-552-6619 x4

Greg@TheArcCA.org

A few months back I wrote Yes, it may be illegal to sell MMS. It was about news and a DOJ press release (Four Charged with Internet Sales of Industrial Bleach as Miracle Cure). In short, members of company led by one Daniel Smith were charged with various offenses involving the import of materials, production of MMS and sale of MMS.

Mr. Smith has been convicted.  Here is the verdict form document.

In short, the document states that the following about six counts brought against Mr. Smith:

Count 1: Conspiracy.  Guilty

Count 2: Misbranding: Guilty

Count 3: Another count of misbranding: Guilty

Count 4: Another count of misbranding: Guilty

Count 5: Another count of misbranding: Not Guilty

Count 6: Fraudulently importing merchandise: Guilty

Per Consumer Affairs (“Miracle Mineral Solution” promoter convicted of selling bleach as a miracle cure)

In all, the jury convicted Smith of one count of conspiracy to commit multiple crimes, three counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead and one count of fraudulently smuggling merchandise into the United States.  The jury found Smith not guilty on one out of four of the misbranded drug counts. He faces a statutory maximum of 34 years in prison at his Sept. 9 sentencing.

MMS has recently become a fad “treatment” for autism, promoted largely by Kerri Rivera.  She has done so at the AutismOne parent convention (where anyone, it seems, can promote any fake cure as long as one claims vaccines cause autism and the “cure” is a treatment for vaccine injury) as well as her website, book and clinic in Mexico.  Also via skype for 100 Euros an hour.

Coincidentally, No More Bleach is reporting that Ms. Rivera’s online presence has gone largely offline.  I wouldn’t make too much of the coincidence.  One site (http://cdautism.org/) is up.  A facebook page is still down as of writing this (https://www.facebook.com/Kerririveracdautism).

The main promoter of MMS is a man by the name of Jim Humble, who heads a self-styled “church”.  The Genesis II Church of Health and Healing.  Their website is up.  And includes this disclaimer:

– Disclaimer –
The protocols described on this site are official sacraments of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing. The reader accepts 100% responsibility for any and all use made of any information herein.

Yes, they discuss how it heals so many things (it doesn’t) but disclaim any responsibility by claiming it is a “sacrament”.  If this weren’t being used on disabled children, I would consider hiding behind a church ( a fake church in my opinion) as being reprehensible.  But that act pales in comparison to the harm caused to individuals.

Mr. Humble not only heads a church and has invented a miracle cure that apparently does everything, he has also found a way to “reduce radiation to zero and create gold in the process”:

Zero Fusion and Atomic Alchemy ebook

On the webpage for this eBook he states

Did I do it? Yes many times. I actually made gold and platinum and demonstrated it to Texas A & M University. But don’t check with them as they will refuse to admit that they every saw me or that they ever came to my Laboratory in Las Vegas, or that they assayed the precious metals right after my demonstration, but they did. Thirteen Videos come with this book free of charge showing actual demonstrations of all of the concepts given in the book. BUY THIS BOOK AND STORE IT AWAY. MANKIND MIGHT NOT BE READY FOR THIS TECHNOLOGY, BUT MAYBE IN 20 or 30 or 50 YEARS IT WILL BE NEEDED AND YOU WILL HAVE IT.

Why bring this up here?  Because–this is an example that the man is a believer in junk science.  Actually, this isn’t even in the same postal code as junk science, and not in the same galaxy as real science.  And yet people believe the “Archbishop” Humble, alchemist, invented a cure all (everything from brain cancer to diaper rash) and called it MMS?

To be blunt, Mr. Smith is not the only person whose actions on MMS are suspect.  I hope that the Department of Justice acts against all those selling this fake cure-all.

Mr. Humbles followers have not failed to notice that Mr. Smith wasn’t convicted of selling fake medicine.  On his public forum one can find this statement:

How curious, no charges that MMS is dangerous, only mentioned in the article, not in the verdict. What a stretch! Interstate commerce, victimless crimes? Where is the victim? There is no common law. There is no constitution. Jury rights are truncated. There is no justice in these courts!

Where are the victims?  The victims are people taking the medicine.  Sadly, that is not the crime.  If adults want to waste time, money and health on this nonsense, that’s one thing, but children and more, disabled children are being subjected to this.    But, hey, if it takes the crimes found proved in the charges above to put a stop to this, good on you Department of Justice.

—

By Matt Carey