Johan Van Hulst

From the  JTA:
"Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician who saved hundreds of Jewish children during Holocaust, dies at 107"

Johan van Hulst, a Dutch seminary leader who saved hundreds of Jewish children during the Holocaust and later became a senator, has died at the age of 107. Van Hulst and resistance activists smuggled the children to safety over several months. He was the director of a Protestant religious seminary in Amsterdam with a yard that bordered on the nursery section of a facility in which the Nazis and collaborators imprisoned Jews before their dispatch to concentration camps. The late director, who died Thursday, hid in his school the children from the nursery of the Hollandsche Schouwburg, whom he and his helpers would hoist over the hedge that separated the two yards. From there, resistance activists and fighters would smuggle the children to safehouses, sometimes in laundry baskets and other times on bicycles, pretending that the children were their own. Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum in 1973 recognized Van Hulst as a Righteous Among the Nations – a title for non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust. In 2012, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu honored Van Hulst during a state visit to the Netherlands. That year, Van Hulst’s heroism was immortalized in a film titled “Susskind.” “We say, those who save one life saves a universe. You saved hundreds of universes. I want to thank you in the name of the Jewish people, but also in the name of humanity,” Netanyahu told Van Hulst, who after the Holocaust became a senator for the Christian Democratic Appeal party. In 1943, a Dutch Education Ministry official named Fieringa discovered several Jewish children at Van Hulst’s Hervormde Kweekschool and asked for the meaning of their presence there and whether they were Jewish. In a 2012 interview, Van Hulst recalled telling him after a long silence: “You don’t really expect me to answer that, do you?” Fieringa, an inspector, did not report back on what he had seen. The grounds of the Hervormde Kweekschool currently houses the National Holocaust Museum of the Netherlands. The joint wall carries a permanent exhibition in his honor. Separately, Yad Vashem earlier this month recognized as a righteous gentile a police officer from the town of Beverwijk, near Amsterdam, and his wife and another couple, Willem and Ali Bleeker, for their rescue of a Jewish girl, Dolly Drilsma. The Bleekers hid the girl, whose parents went into hiding without her. When the Bleekers suspected that the Nazis were watching them, they transferred Dolly to the police officer, Leo van der Hoorn. Days later her parents were found and sent to be murdered. As a police officer serving the Nazi occupation forces, van der Hoorn risked stiff punishment, including a summary execution, had he been found out. The Netherlands has more than 5,000 righteous gentiles, the world’s highest number after Poland. It also has the highest death rate among Jews in the Holocaust of any Nazi-occupied country in Western Europe, largely due to widespread betrayal of Jews and collaboration with the Nazis by locals.

^ Every year we loose both the soldiers who fought to free Europe and the World from the Nazis and the Japanese during World War 2, we are losing the survivors of the concentration and death camps as well as the men and women who resisted and saved people in occupied territory. ^

https://archive.jta.org/2018/03/26/news-opinion/johan-van-hulst-dutch-politician-saved-hundreds-jewish-children-holocaust-dies-107

May's Tour

From the BBC:
"Theresa May: Brexit allows more spending on NHS and schools"

Theresa May has said that Brexit means there will be more money available to spend on the NHS and schools. The prime minister told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg Brexit "would deliver a country that will be different" but with the chance "of a bright future".  The PM visited England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with one year to go to the UK leaving the EU. Meanwhile ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair said Brexit could still be stopped, saying it was "not too late". Mr Blair, a strong backer of UK membership of the EU, told BBC Radio 4's Today the "sensible" option was to "take a final decision" once the terms of the deal have been set out. On 29 March 2019, the UK will formally leave the EU and is due to enter a 21-month transition period during which much of the current arrangements continue, before the final permanent post-membership relationship is due to kick-in. Since formal negotiations began between the two sides last June, an agreement has been struck on a Brexit "divorce bill" - but the crucial issue of how they will trade together in the longer term has yet to be settled. In her interview with the BBC's political editor, Mrs May was asked if there would be a "Brexit dividend". She replied: "Of course when we leave the European Union, we'll no longer be spending vast sums of money, year in and year out, sending that money to the European Union, so there will be money available here in the UK to spend on our priorities like the NHS and schools." Mrs May said she was confident of securing a deal which was good for all parts of the UK. Asked if she thought Brexit was worth it, she added: "I think there are real opportunities for the UK, I think there's a bright future out there and, yes, I think Brexit is going to deliver a country that will be different, for us to be an independent nation for the future." The issue of whether there would be a Brexit dividend was a contentious issue during the 2016 EU referendum. The Leave campaign said money sent to the EU should be spent on the NHS instead, while the Remain side said the economic impact of leaving would mean less money being available to spend on public services. At some stage - most likely in October - the PM will have to put an outline of the Brexit deal to Parliament, with some opponents seeing that as a chance to force a rethink. The government only has a majority in the Commons with the support of DUP MPs so Labour's position in that vote will be important. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Labour's "tests" on any proposed deal were "nowhere near being met" and insisted Labour would not vote for the deal unless "the government are sensible and they negotiate properly... [so we can] get a deal that meets the six tests". Mrs May began her tour by visiting a textile factory in Ayrshire with other stops at a parent and toddler group in Newcastle, lunch with farmers near Belfast before meeting businesses in Barry, south Wales.  She vowed to regain control of "our laws, our borders and our money" and that the UK will "thrive as a strong and united country that works for everyone, no matter whether you voted Leave or Remain". The prime minister has been accused of a power grab by the Scottish and Welsh governments over plans to repatriate some powers from Brussels to Westminster rather than to the devolved administrations. She insisted each of the devolved administrations would see "an increase in their decision-making powers" and that her government remained "absolutely committed" to the devolution settlements. But Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones warned that Mrs May's Brexit plan would "do serious damage to our economy". And Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to see progress in the talks over devolving powers to UK nations from Brussels. "This is about powers over the environment, agriculture, fishing, justice - perhaps whether in future trade deals, our health service could be put up for grabs," she said. "These things really matter and that's why this is such an issue of importance for us."  

^ There is one year left before the United Kingdom leaves the European Union and as of right now there is nothing for the British or the Prime Minister to be proud of since nothing is finalized and it seems the United Kingdom is anything, but united. That uncertainty has led to near-chaos around the country and in nearly every aspect of society. Rather than taking a tour of the country (as though on a victory tour) maybe May should continue to work to fix the huge mess her country is currently in. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-43577208

Russian Response

From the BBC:
"Spy poisoning: Russia expels US diplomats in tit-for-tat measure"

Russia has expelled 60 US diplomats and closed the country's St Petersburg consulate in a tit-for-tat response to US action over a spy poisoning case in the UK. The moves were announced by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It comes amid a row over the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in southern England. Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury on 4 March. More than 20 countries have expelled Russian envoys, in solidarity with the UK, which has blamed Moscow for the attack. Russia has vehemently denied any role. Mr Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition. His daughter's condition is said to be improving.  Mr Lavrov said that the US ambassador had been informed of "retaliatory measures". He said they included "the expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and our decision to withdraw permission for the functioning of the US consulate general in Saint Petersburg". The US had earlier ordered the expulsion of 60 diplomats and closed the Russian consulate general in Seattle. Mr Lavrov said other countries which had expelled Russian diplomats could expect Moscow to respond in kind. Shortly afterwards, the Russian foreign ministry declared 58 US diplomats in Moscow and two in the city of Yekaterinburg to be "persona non grata", the Interfax news agency reported.  

^ This is no real surprise. Although closing the Saint Petersburg Consulate would have been appropriate had the US closed the Russian Consulate in New York City and not the Consulate in Seattle. Russia needs to realize that they no longer have free-reign around the world to invade, occupy, annex, fight, hack, poison, etc. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43590933

Only Child

I'm an only child................ except for my sister............ and my brother.

Required 3

From the BBC:
"France to lower school starting age from six to three"

Children in France will start school at the age of three instead of six, under new reforms announced by President Emmanuel Macron. The change will give France one of the lowest compulsory school starting ages in Europe. But it will only affect a small number of children, as the majority of French families already choose to send their children to nursery school at three. Only 2.4% of children are not enrolled at that age, government figures show. Mr Macron said the change was intended to reduce inequality in education, as parents in poorer areas of France and in overseas territories are less likely to send their children to nursery school. In Paris, 93% of three-year-olds are enrolled but the figure is much lower in some overseas territories, according to Le Monde. "I hope that with this obligation, from the start of the school year in 2019, we can... correct this unacceptable differential," Mr Macron told a conference on Tuesday. He hailed the change as "a founding moment in the French education system".

Age of compulsory education around Europe

Three: Hungary

Four: Northern Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland

Five: Cyprus, Malta, England, Scotland, Wales, Greece, Netherlands, Latvia, Poland

Six: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey

Seven: Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Serbia, Sweden

There is much debate about when children should begin formal education. A study published in 2015 found that children who started school later were less likely to be inattentive or hyperactive in class. Finland, Poland and Estonia - three of Europe's most academically successful countries - have a school starting age of seven. But children in those countries have usually been in a nursery, where they have been learning through play and games. Class sizes are also generally smaller.

^ it seems like a waste of time to force children that are 3 years old to go to school. In the US they go to Kindergarten at 5 or 6 years old. It seems like France is pulling at straws and using something as easy as extending the school year to 3 year olds to "fix" the inequality between the poor and the rich in both France and it's overseas territories rather than actually making any concrete and solid proposals on how to fix the inequality. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43562029

Bad Planning

From USA Today:
"Planned Parenthood called for Disney princess 'who's had an abortion' in now-deleted tweet"

A Planned Parenthood branch in Pennsylvania called for the Walt Disney Co. to create an animated princess "who's had an abortion" in a since-deleted tweet posted Tuesday. Planned Parenthood Keystone, a branch of the health service provider based in Trexlertown, Pa., tweeted that, "We need a disney princess who's had an abortion / We need a disney princess who's pro-choice / We need a disney princess who's an undocumented immigrant / We need a disney princess who's actually a union worker / We need a disney princess who's trans". The tweet's construction riffed on a recently popular Twitter meme that imagines new animated princesses with traits serious and not. The non-profit Internet Archive's Wayback Machine — which archives snapshots of sites across the web — shows it stored six captures of the tweet on Tuesday. Planned Parenthood's national office confirmed the tweet and its deletion in an email to USA TODAY. “Today, we joined an ongoing Twitter conversation about the kinds of princesses people want to see in an attempt to make a point about the importance of telling stories that challenge stigma and championing stories that too often don’t get told," said Melissa Reed, Planned Parenthood's president and CEO. "Upon reflection, we decided that the seriousness of the point we were trying to make was not appropriate for the subject matter or context, and we removed the tweet.” The tweet triggered a slew of feedback online from users replying to a now-vanished post. Some took screenshots of the tweet before its deletion.  "Disney princesses are for CHILDREN and these are adult issues," tweeted user @704heather, adding, "This far-out crap is why we got stuck with Donald Trump." "Exactly," user @KinseyHolley replied. "They have no idea how extreme this sounds (and yes, I'm pro-choice)." "Here is the deleted tweet from the organization the GOP funds," Alex Pfeiffer, a Fox News producer, said in a tweet. The Planned Parenthood Keystone account, which has 950 or so followers, had previously posted popular meme formats refitted to the non-profit's mission. One tweet shows a woman blowing a horn into the face of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The woman is labeled as "centering all our patients' lived experiences and uplifting their stories," while Emanuel represents "stigmatizing abortion and shaming patients."   

^ Now the ultra-liberals can't say that it is only the ultra-conservatives or Trump that writes stupid things on Twitter. This has got to be one of the dumbest things I have heard in a while. I would assume that after this Planned Parenthood can expect to loose even more Government Funding - and this time it would be well-deserved. The National Planned Parenthood clearly needs to rang-in their local chapters. ^

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/27/planned-parenthood-called-disney-princess-whos-had-abortion-now-deleted-tweet/464016002/

Vet Stats

From Disabled World:
"Veteran News: Information and Assistance Programs"

Veteran:    A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field. Military veteran is a person who has served or is serving in the armed forces. Those veterans that have had direct exposure to acts of military conflict may also be referred to as war veterans. Military veterans often receive special treatment in their respective countries due to the sacrifices they made during wars.

Veteran News and Information Service - Health and disability news for veterans from around the world including veterans jobs, VA benefits, and home loans. Keep up to date on current military news and veteran assistance information. Articles that will be of interest to veterans include benefits and compensation provided, pension information, education, qualifying for home loans, life insurance, vocational rehabilitation, applying for business loans, survivors' benefits, medical benefits and burial benefits. U.S. Veterans with a 50% or higher service related disability as determined by a VA regional office "rating board" (e.g., losing a limb in battle, PTSD, etc) are provided comprehensive care and medication at no charge.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: The national Institute of mental health states that post traumatic stress disorder is one of the five most recognized types of mental disorders. PTSD was originally identified as a post war syndrome due to the number of returning military veterans having this condition. Although far from being just a condition limited to returning war veterans, post traumatic stress disorder is a growing problem in our modern-day world. If you suspect that a loved one is suffering from PTSD, get professional psychological help.

Veteran Employment News: As part of the US Department of Labor's commitment to helping Americans with disabilities enter and remain in the workforce, ODEP has researched and implemented Telework as a viable employment option for people with disabilities, particularly returning disabled service members and disabled veterans. Telework allows employees with complex needs to work in a more flexible environment (e.g. in a home office or Telework center) using computer and communications technology beginner to advanced levels of experience. The news items below also include press releases issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Yellow Ribbons: Yellow ribbons began appearing in large numbers after the Gulf War when the U.S. began sending large numbers of troops overseas to the Middle East. For a long time ribbons have been kept as a symbol of remembrance of men and women who served in places far from home. They have been kept especially by wives, mothers and sisters in times of war in memory of their soldier boys abroad. 

Yellow Ribbon Program: Yellow Ribbon is a scholarship designed to help students supplement their Post 9/11 GI Bill tuition benefits. The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. The program is designed to help students avoid up to 100 percent of their out-of-pocket tuition and fees associated with education programs that may exceed the Post 9/11 GI Bill tuition benefit, which will only pay up to the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition.

Statistics: U.S. Veteran:

- Approx. 33% of homeless males in the U.S. are veterans.

- Number of veterans as of Sept. 2009: approximately 23 million.

- Veterans are more at risk of becoming homeless than non-veterans.

- Veterans are twice as likely as other Americans to become chronically homeless.

- Between 529,000 and 840,000 veterans are homeless at some time during the year.

- On any given night, more than 300,000 veterans are living on the streets or in shelters in the U.S.

- The number of homeless Vietnam-era veterans, male and female, is greater than the number of soldiers who died during the war.

- Veterans represent 11% of the adult civilian population, but 26% of the homeless population, according to the Homeless Research Institute (2007).

- Increasing numbers of returning military personnel: according to the Mass. Dept. of Veterans' Services, approximately 31,000 service members have returned to the Commonwealth since Sept. 11, 2001.     

^ I am going to start including these mini-articles every now and then. They show a summarized version of a particular disability, organization or program. This first mini-article is about military veterans (both disabled and non-disabled.) It's important that the American people (as well as American officials) learn what happens to the American soldier once they are no longer serving their country and what the Government/Military does and does not do to help the veterans who need it. ^

https://www.disabled-world.com/news/veterans/

Fire Protest

From the BBC:
"Kemerovo fire: Russia crowd condemns officials over disaster"

Thousands of people have protested in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, angry at Russian officials over the leisure complex fire that killed at least 64 people, 41 of them children. President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kemerovo earlier and blamed "criminal negligence" for Sunday's blaze. Relatives say dozens of people - including children - are still missing.  Investigators say the fire alarm was switched off and exits blocked. Four people have been charged.  Another detained suspect - a guard from a private security firm - will be charged shortly, Russia's Investigative Committee says.  A national day of mourning will be observed on Wednesday. Several thousand people rallied outside the local government headquarters, saying that officials must be sacked over the fire safety shortcomings. There were also some chants of "Putin resign!" A woman in the crowd drew applause when she said "children called their parents, asked them for help, asked for the fire brigades to be sent in". Many demonstrators said they did not trust the authorities and did not believe the announced death toll was accurate. Officials were booed when they urged the crowd to disperse, after the protest had already lasted seven hours, Russia's RIA news agency reported. Regional Deputy Governor Sergei Tsivilev then got down on his knees to beg forgiveness, and was applauded by the crowd. President Putin expressed indignation over the disaster - though he did not speak to the crowd. "People, children came to relax. We are talking about demography and are losing so many people because of what? Because of criminal negligence, sloppiness," he said. Russian investigators have so far confirmed the deaths of 64 people, 21 of whom have been identified. Some of the bodies were badly burned in the Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) complex, and DNA tests will be required, the Investigative Committee says. It says it is too early to publish the victims' list, "to avoid any mistakes". Meanwhile, relatives of the victims say that another 67 people are missing - in contrast to Kemerovo's authorities, which have published a list of 38 people missing.  This added to the confusion, angering the public. Officials are still investigating this. The blaze started on an upper floor of the complex at about 17:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Sunday. It was packed at the time as it was the beginning of the school holiday. Senior regional official Vladimir Chernov was quoted as saying the fire probably began in the children's trampoline room on the top floor of the four-storey building. "The preliminary suspicion is that a child had a cigarette lighter which ignited foam rubber in this trampoline room, and it erupted like gunpowder," he said.  However, Rossiya 24 TV, a national broadcaster, said an electrical fault was the most likely cause - as in most previous deadly fires in Russia. Investigative Committee head Aleksander Bastrykin said the fire alarm at the complex had been down since 19 March, and nobody even tried to fix it.  He also said that the working public alert button was not activated by one of the guards "for unknown reasons". Mr Bastrykin said investigators had found that many doors on the fourth floor were blocked. Three cinema halls and youth rooms were located on that floor.  He said the investigators believed this was done to prevent people without tickets from entering the cinema halls. Kemerovo lies about 3,600km (2,200 miles) east of Moscow. The shopping centre, covering 23,000 sq m (248,000 sq ft), opened in 2013. It includes a petting zoo, all of whose animals are reported to have died. Kemerovo residents' anger has built up since Sunday and it burst forth at the rally of several thousand outside the city's administration building. The main slogans were "Truth!" and "Resign!" - directed at local officials. The most active among them was Igor Vostrikov, whose wife, sister and three children - aged two, five and seven - all died in the fire. Deputy governor Tsivilev accused him of trying to gain publicity out of the tragedy. Igor's reply was that his entire family had suffocated in the cinema, unable to escape because the doors were locked. Fighting back tears, he described his wife's last moments, when she phoned him, short of breath. "There was no panic - she was saying goodbye."  "I have nothing more to lose," he said. Dozens of people vowed to stay on the square until governor Aman Tuleyev resigns

^  Usually ordinary Russians just accept the official "party-line" in public and then debate in private. Very rarely in their whole history (Czarist, Soviet or modern-day) do they protest in public. No one protested in public when dozens of foreign students studying in Russia died a few years ago when there was a fire in their dorm building and people couldn't get out because of locked doors, etc. (the same reasons for the deaths in this new fire.)

This isn't something new or even recent. I read the book "The Fire Escape Is Locked For Your Safety" over 10 years ago and deals with the same issue as seen by a foreigner travelling around Russia. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43552165

NI Bill

From the BBC:
"NI same-sex marriage bill in House of Lords"

A bill has been introduced in the House of Lords calling for same-sex marriage to be legalised in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK and Ireland where it is still banned. Same-sex marriages carried out elsewhere are also not recognised. Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLAs) have voted five times on whether or not to introduce same-sex marriage. During the most recent vote, in November 2015, MLAs voted in favour of same-sex marriage for the first time, with a narrow majority of 53 votes to 52. However, it was blocked by the DUP using a measure known as a petition of concern. The campaign for same-sex marriage has been highly divisive in recent years, and is currently one of the main sticking points in Stormont's continuing political crisis. Conservative peer, Baron Hayward, introduced the Ten Minute Rule Bill which is a form of private members' bill, on Tuesday afternoon, Ten Minute Rule Bills do not normally go on to become law, but provide a way for MPs and peers to highlight their concerns.

He called for:

- Same-sex marriage to be legalized

- Same-sex marriages solemnised outside Northern Ireland to be recognised

- Provisions in the law for the conversion of civil partnerships to marriages

- A review of civil partnerships to make provisions for rights to pensions and social security contributions for same-sex married couples and civil partners

- To make provision for gender change by married couples and civil partners

On Wednesday, the Labour MP Conor McGinn will also introduce a Ten Minute Rule Bill on same-sex marriage for Northern Ireland in the House of Commons.  

^  Gay Marriage is legal in: Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland not allowing Gay Marriage only shows that it does not believe in equal civil rights. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-43557657

Expelled Numbers

From the BBC:
"Spy poisoning: Nato expels Russian diplomats"

A total of 27 nations have now announced the expulsion of more than 140 Russian diplomats. Moldova, Ireland, Australia and Belgium are the latest countries to act, after the UK made the first move by expelling 23 envoys earlier this month. Belgium said it would expel one diplomat, having previously indicated it might not take the step because it played host to the headquarters of the EU and Nato. Its announcement came after Nato made its statement.  The majority of the countries making the move are either members of Nato or the EU, or both.  Nato's Mr Stoltenberg said: "The practical implication of course is that Russia will have a reduced capability to do intelligence work." President of the European Council Donald Tusk said he would not rule out further measures.  

^ While the international cooperation is growing - which is a good sign - you have to see the countries (especially those in the EU and NATO) that are not doing anything. Austria said they weren't expelling Russian diplomats because they were a"neutral" country. They lost that neutrality when they joined the European Union in 1995. You would think that they, and other countries, would see and understand that what Russia did in the UK can happen in their own country and if they do nothing now then they can't really complain later if the same thing happens to them. The Russian Government needs to learn that they no longer have "carte blanche" to do as they want in other countries. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43550938

Citizenship Count

From KCTV 5 News:
"Citizenship question will return to the 2020 census, Commerce Dept. says"

In a controversial move, the Commerce Department Monday said the question of citizenship will again be included in the 2020 Census. The move comes at the request of the Justice Department, first made in the early days of the administration, saying it was needed to better enforce the Voting Rights Act. President Donald Trump's reelection campaign endorsed the idea in an email to supporters last week. The email said, "The President wants the 2020 United States Census to ask people whether or not they are citizens. In another era, this would be COMMON SENSE... but 19 attorneys general said they will fight the President if he dares to ask people if they are citizens. The President wants to know if you're on his side." Census data is used to determine where federal funds are spent and how congressional districts are drawn, among other uses. The Census is intended to count the entire population, not just US citizens. The question raised concerns that a citizenship question would cause undocumented individuals not to complete the questionnaire and leave a large population uncounted, with potential consequences for the next decade and beyond. In a statement, the Commerce Department said, "The citizenship question will be the same as the one that is asked on the yearly American Community Survey (ACS). Citizenship questions have also been included in prior decennial censuses. Between 1820 and 1950, almost every decennial census asked a question on citizenship in some form. Today, surveys of sample populations, such as the Current Population Survey and the ACS, continue to ask a question on citizenship."  The importance of the census cannot be overstated. Data collected from the survey affect how congressional seats are apportioned and how federal funds are allocated to state and local governments. It affects the distribution of money for community necessities like services for senior citizens, roads and schools, and job training centers. That's what makes this potential move by the administration so troubling. Since the census began in 1790, its goal has been to count all people, not just citizens. The 14th Amendment states, "Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed." The founding fathers could have inserted the word "citizens" in this provision, as they did in other sections of the Constitution, but they did not. Clearly, their intent was that apportionment of representatives, which depends on census results, should be based on who is present in the country, period. As recently as 2016, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that election districts could be drawn based on total population, instead of the number of people eligible to vote. So any ideas that the Trump DOJ might have about collecting citizenship data -- with an eye toward changing how congressional districts are drawn -- would potentially undermine the spirit of that ruling. According to the ProPublica report, "The law governing the census gives the commerce secretary, currently Wilbur Ross, the power to decide on questions. They must be submitted to Congress for review two years before the census, in this case by April 2018. A census spokesperson said the agency will also release the questions publicly at that time."   

^ I wonder how many people know that there are American citizens and American nationals and what the difference between the two is. I don't see the Citizenship question as that big of a deal because people can easily lie about it and if they are illegally in the United States then they are already criminals so telling a lie isn't that far of a stretch for them. ^

http://www.kctv5.com/story/37814213/this-question-will-return-to-the-2020-census-commerce-dept-says

US Disability Groups

From Disability World:

"List of Disability Organizations - U.S.A"

List of U.S. Government and disability organizations providing help support and assistance for persons with disabilities in America. 

A

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - The association is a nonprofit membership organization that was established in 1890 to empower people who are deaf or hard of hearing to function independently by promoting universal rights and optimal opportunities to learn to use, maintain, and improve all aspects of their verbal communications, including their abilities to speak, speech-read, use residual hearing, and process both spoken and written language - www.agbell.org

American Association of People with Disabilities - The American Association of People with Disabilities is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan, cross-disability organization in the United States - www.aapd-dc.org

American Council of the Blind - ACB is a national organization advocating on behalf of persons who are blind or have low vision.; ACB also publishes A Guide to Making Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired - www.acb.org

American Foundation for the Blind - The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives - www.afb.org

Arc - The Arc (formerly Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States) is the country's largest voluntary organization committed to the welfare of all children and adults with mental retardation and their families - www.thearc.org

D

Deaf Initiative in Information Technology (DIIT) - The Deaf Initiative in Information Technology (DIIT) is a project of the Applied Computer Technology Department (ACT), of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology.; This project provides retraining workshops to deaf and hard-of-hearing adults already in the national workforce or preparing for employment in the information technology field, clusters these workshops into a certificate program, and modifies the workshops into undergraduate courses - www.rit.edu/~diit

Designing Accessible Communities - A nonprofit organization providing information and education about accessibility to people with disabilities and to professionals in the fields, of design, construction, code development and enforcement - www.designingaccessiblecommunities.org

Disability.Gov - A one-stop inter-agency portal for information on U.S. Federal programs, services, and resources for people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers, and other community members - www.disability.gov

DisabilityResources, Inc. - A national nonprofit organization that provides information about resources for independent living - www.disabilityresources.org

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund - Founded in 1979 by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities - www.dredf.org

Disability Statistics Center - The Disability Statistics Center produces and disseminates statistical information on disability and the status of people with disabilities in American society and establishes and monitors indicators of how conditions are changing over time to meet their health, housing, economic and social needs - dsc.ucsf.edu

Disability Studies Quarterly - Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ) is the journal of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS). It is a multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities, disability rights advocates, creative writers, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities - www.dsq-sds.org

Disabled American Veterans - DAV is a national organization advocating on behalf of veterans with disabilities - www.dav.org

E

Easter Seals - Easter Seals creates serves children and adults with disabilities, their families and communities through early intervention and child development services, vocational training and employment services, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Easter Seals has more than 400 service sites across the country, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico - www.easter-seals.org

Environmental Health Network - EHN's focus is on issues of access and developments relating to the health and welfare of the environmentally sensitive and to promote public awareness of environmental sensitivities and causative factors - users.lmi.net/wilworks

H

Hearing Loss Association of America - (formerly Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH)) - The Hearing Loss Association of America is a national consumer organization representing people who are hard of hearing and provides technical assistance for selecting Assistive Listening systems - www.hearingloss.org

I

Institute for Human Centered Design - (formerly Adaptive Environments) - Founded in 1978 to address the environmental issues that confront people with disabilities and elderly people, the Institute for Human Centered Design (formerly Adaptive Environments) promotes accessibility as well as universal design through education programs, technical assistance, training, consulting, publications and design advocacy. Its mission is to promote, facilitate, and advocate for international adoption of policies and designs that enable every individual, regardless of disability or age, to participate fully in all aspects of society - www.adaptenv.org

Independent Living Centers - ILCs are typically non-residential, private, non-profit, consumer-controlled, community-based organizations providing services and advocacy by and for persons with all types of disabilities. There are nearly 500 ILC's in the USA. Many are state supported. Their goal is to assist individuals with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential within their families and communities. Also, Independent Living Centers serve as a strong advocacy voice on a wide range of national, state and local issues. They work to assure physical and programmatic access to housing, employment, transportation, communities, recreational facilities, and health and social services. This site provides a list, arranged by State - www.ilusa.com/links/ilcenters.htm

Institute on Independent Living - The Institute serves self-help organizations of disabled people who work for self-determination and equal opportunities; provides information, training materials and technical assistance on accessibility, personal assistance, advocacy, legislation and peer support; publishes articles, reports, manuals or comments and other materials related to Independent Living - www.independentliving.org

International Commission on Technology & Accessibility - ICTA initiates, facilitates and provides information regarding technology and accessibility through the World Wide Web. This information is available to people with disabilities, advocates and professionals in the field of disability, researchers, legislative bodies, and the general community - www.ictaglobal.org

J

Job Accommodation Network - JAN - Free consulting on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), job accommodations, and the employability of people with disabilities - www.jan.wvu.edu

N

National Association of the Deaf - NAD is a national consumer organization representing people who are deaf and hard of hearing - www.nad.org

National Disability Rights Network - The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is a voluntary national membership association of protection and advocacy systems and client assistance programs. It assumes leadership in promoting and strengthening the role and performance of its members in providing quality legally based advocacy services - www.napas.org

National Federation of the Blind - NFB is a national organization advocating on behalf of persons who are blind or have low vision - www.nfb.org

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities - The Center is a clearinghouse for information on disabilities and disability-related issues concerning children and youth (birth to age 22) - www.nichcy.org

National Organization on Disability - The National Organization on Disability promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America's 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life - www.nod.org

P

PACER Center - Nonprofit organization for families of children and adults with disabilities. The site includes newsletters, articles and legislative information - www.pacer.org

Paralyzed Veterans of America - PVA is a national advocacy organization representing veterans - www.pva.org

T

TASH - (formerly the Association for the Severely Handicapped) is an international advocacy association of people with disabilities, their family members, other advocates, and people who work in the disability field - www.TASH.org

TDI - (formerly known as Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc.) mission is to promote equal access in telecommunications and media for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened, or deaf blind - www.tdi-online.org

Through the Looking Glass - (TLG) is a nationally recognized non-profit agency that provides direct services, training, materials and research concerning families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue - www.lookingglass.org

U

United Cerebral Palsy Association - UCP's mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, through our commitment to the principles of independence, inclusion and self-determination - WWW.UCPA.ORG

United Spinal Association - A membership organization serving individuals with spinal cord injuries or disease. Formerly known as the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, the organization expanded its mission to serve people with spinal cord injuries or disease regardless of their age, gender, or veteran status - www.unitedspinal.org

W

World Institute on Disability - WID is an international public policy center dedicated to carrying out research on disability issues and overcoming obstacles to independent living - www.wid.org

^ This is by far not a complete list of all the organizations that are in the US, but it is a good list since it not only names the organizations, but gives a brief summary of what they do. ^

https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/foundations/us-organizations.php

Prior To Brown

From Wikipedia:
"Brown v. Board of Education"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education