I was horrified to read the ugly reply to Lori Jeske's email post to you on April 26, 2010. How in the world can you, an elected public official, condone such an outrage as this post? Didn't they teach you anything in politician school?
From Lori to Representative Feigenholtz:
The bill and your efforts to pass this bill are inhuman. This bill will prove to a huge population of citizens that Democrats should no longer govern the State of Illinois. It is with deep regret, as a Democrat, to see this bill and your inability to stand up for ALL citizens in the State of Illinois.
Lori Jeske, Spokane, WA
We will never know for certain if you, in a temper fit, fired off the nasty reply below, or if it was someone in your office who is authorized by you to answer your mail. Either way, Representative Feigenholtz, you are ultimately responsible for what is sent out from your state contact Email address.
From: Sara
To: Lori Jeske
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 10:00 PM
Subject: Re: HB 5428
Thank you so much for your kind remarks about HB 5428.
We will pay for your travel expenses if you will come here and start working on a new bill that completes the effort so that all adoptees get their obc. Are you ready to move to Illinois and sacrifice your life to work for adoption reform for the next fifteen years in the frigid winter tundra of Illinois?
Would you consider giving Representative Feigenholtz the key to your (delusional) Eutopian worldwhere all ungrateful bastards think it's easy to pass a bill that makes everyhone happy AND CAN ACTUALLY PASS? Pass a law? what a concept!!
Many Illinois born 65+ year old adoptees will get their birth certificates BEFORE THEY DIE -- very soon.
We wil tell them that you would prefer to throw good under the bus while waiting for perfect and that you think they should wait a little longer. Good luck in Washington State with your efforts. We can hear the unsealing now........
NOT.
[reprinted with permission of Lori Jeske]
Didn't you know how much opposition there was to HB 5428? It's true that Illinois adoptees had very little chance to write to you before this because frankly, Sara, you kept this bill a secret from us just as long as you could. So perhaps you've been insulated from our opposition to HB 5428. Nevertheless, I would have expected a seasoned public servant such as yourself to be able to control your temper (or that of a staff member) when answering the mail, even from your opponents.
We in Bastard Nation call ourselves Bastards - with a capital B. We reclaimed the name of Bastard which had been placed on us by those who would attempt to shame us for our parents' marital status at the time of our births. We use this name because we see nothing shameful in being adopted nor in having been born out of wedlock. We use it to take the sting out of the shameful name-calling of yesteryear.
What unbelievable irony it is that you, an adoptee yourself, or one of your co-workers, would hurl the term bastard at us in the "old-fashioned" way.
And then, you coupled it with a very special adjective resented by so many adoptees over the years - "ungrateful." This incredible insult, "ungrateful bastard," is the last straw! This time you or someone who works directly for you has sunk to an all time low. We won't forget. And neither should you.
BTW, I have lived in the frigid white tundra of Illinois all my life. I work well in the cold weather so I guess I have good qualifications. Believe me. One phone call or one Email back in icy January or snowy February and my colleagues and I would have been elated to work with you and your staff to pass a bill that would help all adoptees attain equal rights. It would have been a labor of love.
5 comments:
Fantastic post, Granny! You do us Bastards proud!
Great post!
Gov. Quinn has not signed the bill into law yet that I know of. So Sara, do the right thing and ask him to VETO it. You can depend on we advocates who want all adopted adults to be treated equally to help you with an unconditional bill.
I have no idea where Melisha Mitchell (White Oak Foundation - www.whiteoakfoundation.org) came up with 95% will get their OBC. That is far from the truth with all the provisions in HB 5428. By the time criteria is gone through to check to see if someone can have their OBC, they could die. Or since the bill is so terribly written, the person checking criteria could misinterpret the legal terminology.
The legislative session will soon be ending but let's go for the next one!
Sara, as an adoptee yourself surely deep within your heart you know that HB 5428 is a disaster.
It's quite telling that this bill was kept secret until is was run through the house, and that the White Oak foundation lies about it on their web site. One has to wonder, who or what does Sara Feigenholtz really represent? The history of secrets, lies, and debasement Rep. Feigenholtz has done with this bill certainly will define her legacy.
What I find interesting is that Feigenholtz hasn't responded to the now rather well-distributed letter and commentary by various bloggers. Does she think this will go away by ignoring it? It won't. The arrogance of the response whether it came from Feigenholtz or someone under her supervision, shows says much about her character and belies the progressive reformist, feminist imagine she presents to the public.
I wonder the same thing. In my blog, I was going to say something about an apology should be forthcoming, but then decided not to. Sara is an adult, I'm not her mommy, and I can't tell her to say you're sorry.
It is arrogant of her, I agree.
My guess is that she is going to try looking the other way until "it" goes away. I think that's her M.O.
Post a Comment