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^^^^^^ WARM GREETINGS FROM ^^^^^^^^^^^^ :-) Ivan Suzman 49/39/36 [log in to unmask] :-) Portland, Maine land of lighthouses 14 deg. F :-) ******************************************************************** Dear friends, Thank you for the petition signatures. Imagine, 43 signatures from our cyber-family in 22 hours (7:00 AM to 5:00 AM). By the way, could they be re-ordered back to the order in which they are sent, like a petition on a clipboard? It says something about the power of our numbers, when we are stirred to act. I no longer feel uneasy and intimidated from sharing a few of the things that are most distressing about the proposed agreement. The City of Portland's proposed language attempts to bar me from discussing or revealing the final agreement details with any PWP's; their language attempts to force me to provide written explanations of my medical expenses from my doctors, nurses, or physician's assistants at the will of the CIty; their language attempts to transfer ownership of my house to the City if I elect to reside temporarily at a medical treatment center, even if I still owned my property upon seeking treatment; their language confines me to welfare law and excludes the Americans With Disabilities Act, with all of its ramifications and protections; it excludes any reference to the voluntary contributions I am making to the life of the City, as an Ingraham Volunteer for PD emergencies; as the founder of the Greater Portland Parkinson's Support Group; as the person who the local TV stations have filmed 6 times in 1998, the videotapes of which some of you possess; as the author of the Governor's Parkinson's Awareness Resolution; as the author of Senate Paper 868, the Legislature's Parkinson's Awareness Month Resolution; as a Parkinson's Advocate for the funding of the Udall Act; and as a person who widely shares the rich knowledge I gain through this wonderful list. I think my PD-related, less audible voice, quieter manner and tiredness are being translated by the City into something like docility and weakness. Quite to the contrary, I am prepared like Nelson Mandela to fight to the end for my rights and the rights of every PWP and CG on the planet. On November 2, I called for assistance with the sewer lien; the return call from Social Services finally came on January 19, the day after 30-day Foreclosure was initiated, telling me that the CIty's window for "abatements" had closed meanwhile; the City's attorney informed my councillors to refuse my calls; the CIty's associate attorney claimed I don't "remember" what I say and am therefore " different"; This is why I am fighting for my rights, for our rights, and for those that will follow me. I know that I AM BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. It is blatant, and I will find a lawyer somehow who listens and responds, and moreover, who will take the assertive and protective posture I need. Ivan Mfowethu Suzman