Letters to the Editor
DianeKovacs
Published Letters: 55 Editor's Choice: 5
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my favorites...
[Read the article: Is "choice" really all we're fighting for?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Reproductive Rights
Reproductive Freedoms
The right to decide whether we want to be a parent or not. Not to be forced, or fall into that state through ignorance or lack of access to proper medical care.
Di
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Judging people by sight alone...
[Read the article: Dancing in the dark]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm sorry for your loss of eyesight. But I hope you've instead acquired some insight. I thought your story would be amusing or somehow give me some insight into blindness. It did but not in the way I think you might.
You knew Lisa by who she was and how she acted. Why did what she 'looked' like matter at all? I'm trying not to hurt your feelings in this post but your blindness is not in your eyes but in your heart.
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Thank
[Read the article: Getting beyond our airport security obsession]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well said. I'm glad you took the time to make this so very clear. Unfortunately, I think the current administration *wants* widespread mindless panic and has no interest in a healthy transportation economy.
Yours,
Di
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Thank you
[Read the article: Streams of consciousness]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thank you Abby,
You remind us all, also, to talk to our Docs about the embarrassing stuff and to be much more assertive.
Cryofan is a complete and utter butthead. I expect he does not have a woman of his own and would not know what to do with one if he did.
re. the folks upset about how long it took to get the diaper thing going - when the problem first happens right after surgery you think it will just go away - and some Docs reassure you of that too if you ask. Mine never got far as I was still in the hospital and my Doc was totally on top of the situation. My surgery was to remove a very large exterior fibroid that had destroyed my right side fallopian tube..so they knew the ureter damage was very likely and made arrangements to prevent and monitor. All good now. My desire was to retain my ability to have children... 13 years later and my husband and I are still childless but at least we had the chance and the choice. Dr. Lazslo Sogor who is now the Director of our regional Planned Parenthood - Cleveland area - is the best if you are a neighbor and need a Doc who actually views women as human beings and our ability to bear children as something more than just being eggsacks. He's semi-retired but his students from Case Western all went into the world with a bit of his decency I think.
Di
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Medina County, Ohio Presiding Judge
[Read the article: Confessions of an Ohio poll worker]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think the scariest thing about this is the inconsistency of the training from precinct to precinct...but I think that has been the case for many decades. What clouds the issue is the requirement for an 'ID" now. This year will be my first time as a pollworker as well.
My training experience was amazingly different from Lucy Paul's. We were trained personally by the Medina County Board of Elections Director and Deputy Director (a Republican and a Democrat) They gave us detailed handouts for each responsibility area - we are supposed to help out as we can. They went over the procedures and carefully answered all questions. The room was very full and very vocal on the issues of what consistutes 'ID" and what are the potential security issues. I was reassured by veteran pollworkers that they will help out us newbies on the usual things like confused voters and the printed record keeping that will in fact continue to be done.
My training was most of an afternoon - the final hour was a hands-on rehearsal of opening, trouble-shooting, voting, and closing the machines. We were given explicit instructions on setting up the machines for the visually impaired and for assisting individuals with other issues if we were asked to do so. We had hands-on practice in doing this as well. We had hands-on practice about what to do in the case of a power outage! and how to deal with the batteries. There will be floating trouble-shooters who are poised to go anywhere in the county that additional technical help might be needed.
I was asked to be a Presiding Judge - I feel very honored though I think it was because I was helping other folks with the machines during practice and am obviously not afraid of them :).
The machines are NOT difficult. They are no more complex than working with a laptop. In many ways the voting procedure is easier than the punch cards. I have to admit to having problems reading the small print on the old print ballots last election. The voting machine screens are larger clearer type *and* if I really had trouble I could plug in headphones and have the machine read the text to me.
The procedure for checking and signing off on print trail - yes there is a print receipt that is kept - is a bit scary because it is very serious - a very important responsibility. I am re-reading my handouts and keeping everything in a folder handy when I go to work on Tuesday.
Thank you for the advice regarding packing some food for lunch and dinner. I always wanted to be one of the 'voting ladies' from when I was a little girl and went to vote with my parents. So this year I 'volunteered' to be a pollworker here in my county when I received an e-mail prompting me to do so. I did not know I would be paid and it was not a factor in my decision. I will probably donate the fee or spend it on the holidays.
There were several more individuals male/female/white/black/hispanic/republican/democrat in my training class who expressed the same sense of responsibility and intention to be objective and honorable. I believe - I hope - that most of our pollworkers are decent, honorable citizens who will do the best job they can do.