Madonna Update: Mercy Leaves Orphan Look Behind

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Remember Mercy James, Madonna’s latest Malawian acquisition, and how worried we were about her? While working on something else today I found a recent picture of the youngest Ciccone that certainly puts my mind at ease, and I’m sure it will yours, too. Through the modern miracle of adoption, Mercy has gone from the unfashionable orphan look: to the fashionable internationally adopted by a celebrity look: She’s been spared Suri’s high heels, but what’s in the purse? Meanwhile sister Lourdes and the entrepreneurial Mama have released a new teen line of clothes, Material Girl. At least they’re affordable. Can a Mercy line for the internationally adopted be far behind? For more on Madonna check her on out on my bottom right sidebar Yakkity Yak.

Texas: Bastard Nation Testimony in Opposition to SB 287

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Tomorrow the Texas Senate Jurisprudence Committee will hold a hearing on SB 287, the newest attempt by legislators to torture that state’s Class Bastard. There are more things wrong with this bill than the special effects in Spiderman. Below is the 3-minute testimony Bastard Nation submitted to the committee. Texas Senate Jurisprudence Committee, March 22, 2011 SUBMITTED TESTIMONY SB 287 access to identifying information for adoptions original birth certificate access OPPOSE Privilege is the opposite of right Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization is the largest adoptee civil rights organization in the United States. We support full, unrestricted access for all adopted persons, upon request, of their own true, unaltered original birth certificates (OBC). We oppose SB 287. SB 287 is egregious in extremis. SB 287 is prospective. It contains a misnamed, linguistically confusing “contact preference form” (which has nothing to do with “preference” or “contact”)that authorizes a natural parent to not only order the state registrar to withhold the OBC from the adoptee, but to override the “preference” of the other parent that it be released. Moreover, treating adult adoptees and their natural parent(s) as children at best, dangerous criminals at worst, SB 287 forces mandatory social service or Continue Reading →

A Modest Proposal: Guest Blogger Maryanne Cohen

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Long-time activist Maryanne Cohen was with Bastard Nation at the Hard Rock last week (see below).After the event, she sent A “Modest Proposal” to Adam Pertman, director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and posted the same on a couple lists. Her proposal is simple: clean up the mess you’ve made with your bad bills that leave people behind before you lecture the rest of us about the uselessness of working on good bills that don’t. As she reminds them, “In contrast to the fact of some clean bills being passed, no bad adoption legislation has ever been successfully revisited and “fixed” to make it unconditional access legislation.” I liked what Maryanne wrote and asked if I could post it here. Maryanne agreed, but first expanded her thoughts, which you’ll find below. Please feel free to forward. I recently attended an “Adoptee Rights” event where it was said over and over that while we would really rather support clean adoptee rights legislation, clean bills cannot get passed so we must support compromised bills. Never fear though, we will go back and fix those bad bills soon so it’s all good. Smiley faces and applause all around. My challenge to Continue Reading →

Hard Rock "Event:" Bastard Nation’s Four Point Flyer, NJ A1406

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On March 10, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute held a 3-hour “event,” Learning the RIGHT Lessons about Adoption: What the Oprah Winfrey Reunion Story Teaches Us” Seven Bastard Nationals and friends attended the “event”–witnesses to the truth as it turned out, in a room full of adoption deformist contortionists weaned on NewSpeak. I am publishing Bastard Nation documents, commentary, and video from the Hard Rock on the BN blog and the Daily Bastardette. I will also post the documented words and actions of deformers at the event backslapping and trading off the rights of Class Bastard for permission and privilege for some. You know, the vetoed, the ‘safe havened,” the tiered–maybe YOU–tossed in the black hole. Below is the Bastard Nation flyer we distributed before the “event.” We wanted to document the “event” and hold the feet of the sheep to the fire, so flyer distribution was limited. We did, however, manage to give out a larger number of buttons and stickers. During the Q&A with the “panel of experts,” (no promised scholar showed up) two of us brought up points from the flyer. The “experts” denied and dismissed our questions as someplace not to go. Below our flyer Continue Reading →

Hard Rock Event: Very short review

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Mission accomplished! I’m really tired and won’t write much tonight, though. Maryanne, Mike, Sabina, Toff, Dan Haines, Susan Grundberg (and I) were there. We kicked some ass in what would have been otherwise pretty much of a snoozer. How many times will they float down the Nile? Lots of adoption is wonderful blah blah, lots of compromise is good blah blah, you don’t understand us blah blah. . Our questions and comments upset a bunch of them. DMC continued to threaten to kidnap politicians parents. I finally got the draft of the Manifesto finished. It needs some work yet , I used part of it, and it will be posted in the next few days. Afterward we went to lunch at Junior’s. I came back to the hotel, watched TV, feel asleep for an hour, got back up and wandered the streets in the rain. Really, there is a lot to say, but I’m just too tired right now. Thanks to: Maryanne Cohen, Toff Phillipo, Dan Haines, Mike Doughney, Sabina Kneisly, and Susan Grundberg for making this a fine day in Bastard History.

HuffPo Censors Again!

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It appears I’ve been a bad bad bastardette again. A little while ago I responded to a comment made on Adam Pertman’s latest blog on Huffington Post written by the ubiquitous Lissa Marie (not to be confused with the awesome Lisa Marie Rollins.) Lissa Marie has been whinging her way arcoss HuffPo one adoption blog at a time dragging her vast knowledge (NOT) of adoption law and genetics behind her, equaled only by her intense hatred and fear of ungrateful adoptees demanding their birth certificates clogging her head. There is some debate about what Lissa Marie has to do with adoption, but it appears she’s adopted, and suffering from undiagnosed Primal Wound Disorder and a deep attachment to government regulations. Since I haven’t been shut up lately by Mrs. Grundy, I didn’t save what I wrote. I do have this fragment, though, which ended up on Facebook. You’ll get the idea. I’ve been waiting for you to show up, Lissa Marie. I’ve missed your paranoic posts. I agree with you. The medical issue whine is pointless. No one is entitled to someone else’s medical history. The only reason anybody uses this ridiculous excuse is because they are too ashamed and Continue Reading →

Bastard Nation! A Rock and a Hard Place! Join the Real Adoptee Rights Organization at the Hard Rock. Let Your Voice Be Heard!

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Join Bastard Nation at the Times Square Hard Rock 1501 Broadway (Times Square) Meeting: 9:00AM – 12:00 Noon Don’t let the adoption industry and its dupes speak for you! On Thursday March 10, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute is sponsoring a so-called “adoptee rights” event at the Hard Rock in Times Square. Called “Learning the RIGHT Lessons about Adoption: What the Oprah Winfrey Reunion Story Teaches Us” we are told that we will enjoy an” eclectic morning of education, entertainment, and a discussion on access to OBCs.” What Oprah Winfrey can teach us, of course, is a mystery. The invitation is here. The chat-up, billed as a “unique educational event,” will include a panel of “experts” with Donaldson director Adam Pertman, rapper DMC, and unnamed” prominent activists, scholars, and legislators.” Pertman’s book Adoption Nation will be re-issued shortly, and the launch is tied into the kumbaya. Co-sponsors are (get ready!) The Child Welfare League of America, the American Adoption Congress, The Center for Family Connections, Center for Adoption Support and Education, Adoptees Have Answers, Concerned United Birthparents, New York Unsealed Initiative, and the New Jersey Coalition for Adoption Reform and Education. None of these organizations has ever passed a Continue Reading →

Bastards Nation! A Rock and a Hard Place! Join the Real Adoptee Rights Organization at the Hard Rock. Let Your Voice Be Heard!

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Join Bastard Nation at the Times Square Hard Rock 1501 Broadway (Times Square) Meeting: 9:00AM – 12:00 Noon Don’t let the adoption industry and it’s dupes speak for you! On Thursday March 10, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute is sponsoring a so-called “adoptee rights” event at the Hard Rock in Times Square. Called “Learning the RIGHT Lessons about Adoption: What the Oprah Winfrey Reunion Story Teaches Us” we are told that we will enjoy an” eclectic morning of education, entertainment, and a discussion on access to OBCs.” What Oprah Winfrey can teach us, of course, is a mystery. The invitation is here. The meet-up, billed as a “unique educational event,” will include a panel of “experts” with Donaldson director Adam Pertman, rapper DMC, and unnamed” prominent activists, scholars, and legislators.” Pertman’s book AAdoption Nation will be re-issued shortly, and the launch is tied into the kumbaya. Co-sponsors are (get ready!) The Child Welfare League of America, the American Adoption Congress, The Center for Family Connections, Center for Adoption Support and Education, Adoptees Have Answers, Concerned United Birthparents, New York Unsealed Initiative, and the New Jersey Coalition for Adoption Reform and Education. None of these organizations has ever passed a Continue Reading →

RHODE ISLAND: Good News! Clean OBC Bill Introduced

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While Indiana piddles along the road to adoptee serfdom (apologies to Friedrich Hayek!) Rhode Island activists tread the road to liberty. On February 16, Representatives Carnevale, Mattiello, Hearn,Ucci, and Marcello introduced H5453, a short and sweet bill to restore OBC access to all Rhode Island’s adoptees with no restriction. The bill is backed by long-time Rhode Island activists, Rhode Island Access. RIA is not to be confused with the amateur muck-abouts who created last year’s deformist debaclethat ended in the passage of the fox in the hen house H7877 which took the veto where no man has gone before, and consideration of S2759 which took man even further. Don’t remember the details? Here’s a refresher from my May 13 2010 blog: The bill (H7877), framed in deformer NewSpeak as a records access and adoptee rights measure, creates a ” do not release” option (a nice name for disclosure veto) for families of origin–in this case not only a parent, but a parent or sibling of a deceased parent– to keep their Family Bastard de-identied and at bay. The Senate’s close companion SB2759 extends the veto to the parent or sibling of a “permanently disabled ” parent (no mention of proof Continue Reading →