Back and forth with Sen. John McCain

This is the reply I got from Sen. John McCain when I wrote to him about Planned Parenthood.  Below that are the comments I shot back to him.

On Aug 26, 2015, at 1:54 PM, Senator John McCain <Senator@mccain.senate.gov> wrote:

 August 26, 2015

Ms. Reisa Miller
(my address)

Dear Ms. Miller:

     Thank you for contacting me regarding the recently release videos depicting senior executives of Planned Parenthood discussing the organization's practice of harvesting and selling the tissue and organs of unborn babies.  I appreciate you taking the time to share your views on this matter with me, and while we disagree, I understand your position.

     As you know, abortion is one of the most heavily debated social issues and it often invokes strong emotions from its supporter and opponents.  I am sure you are also aware that I have long opposed abortion and have consistently voted against federal funding for abortion-rrelated activities.  Because of my strong belief in protecting the sanctity of life, I found the videos regarding Planned Parenthood, and the apparent practices being discussed the videos, to be appalling.  With this in mind, I recently joined 42 other Senators on a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell questioning the legal, ethical, and policy implications of the footage and calling on the Department to cooperate with future investigations into planned Parenthood practices.

     I believe that society has a moral obligation to protect the unborn, and this obligation cannot be considered insignificant or irrelevant.  The Supreme Court's ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey did not overturn Roe v. Wade, but it did affirm the right of the individual states to determine whether and how abortion services could be regulated.  Therefore, I encourage you to let your state legislators know your thoughts on this issue.

     Again,, thank you for sharing your views with me.  I hop you will continue to share your thoughts on other issues of mutual concern with me, as I am sure that we will find that we agree on a number of these issues.  I look forward to hearing from you again.

Sincerely,

John McCain         United States Senator  JM/eh

My Reply:

Aug. 26, 2015

Dear Sen. McCain:

 The videos have been shown to be doctored.  Yet, you won’t admit that you’ve been duped. You continue to reside on the bandwagon of sound bites and deny the truth because it doesn’t suit you. Are you just too old to do your own thinking?  97% of the services Planned Parenthood provides are essential and life-saving services for women of little means.  Your position just tells me that you don’t care whether these poor women can access these medical services. And what you don’t understand is that no one WANTS an abortion but that women must have the right to LEGAL services and to make their own decisions about their own medical needs.

You’re an old, White crotchety male who has no right to stick your nose in any decisions women have the right to make. And you’re really wrong and a hypocrite about the so-called "sanctity of life” you profess to protect when you and your Republican gang constantly eradicate safety nets that help children, the poor, the elderly and everyone who is not part of your rich, White corporate world.

You are being led by the nose, you spout the same ideas every other Republican utters, you have nothing to offer, no empathy for the majority of citizens.  No, we don’t agree. And I can’t wait for the day you are no longer in the Senate and the harm you and your GOP cohorts perpetrate on us  will be, at least, diminished by one.

Sincerely,

Reisa Miller

Chandler, AZ 85225

Copyright ©2015, Reisa Sterling Miller. All Rights Reserved

My "conversation" with Senator John McCain regarding net neutrality

I recently wrote to Senator John McCain regarding net neutrality.  This is his response to me and below that, my reply.  It remains to be seen whether there will be any more communication.

April 10, 2015

Dear Ms. Miller:

     Thank you for contacting me regarding the issue of network neutrality.  I appreciate your taking the time to share your views with me.  I have been closely monitoring developments in the net neutrality debate as they have quickly unfolded in the months since the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down the FCC's 2010 Open Internet Rules in Verizon v. FCC in January 2014.

     As you may know, on February 26, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to approve a 317-page plan to regulate the Internet by classifying broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act.  The Commission's party-line vote will dramatically increase the government's role over our nation's broadband by treating the Internet as a public utility under federal regulations that were originally created for monopoly-era phone companies.

     Over the last two decades, the Internet has flourished under limited government oversight.  I have long opposed efforts to increase the government's control over our nation's broadband, and believe the FCC's action will undermine the innovation that has allowed the Internet to become what it is today.  Allowing businesses to thrive without burdensome regulations is the best stimulus for our economy.  This is a matter for Congress to carefully consider and correct.

     Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding network neutrality.  Please do not hesitate to do so regarding this or any other matter of concern.

                                        Sincerely,


                                        John McCain
                                        United States Senator

MY REPLY:

April 14, 2015

Senator McCain:

You're very much mistaken if you think I believe your reasoning.  Regulations preventing your big corporate friends from screwing the rest of us is what's needed.  You're just a shill for your very rich friends who want to control every damn facet of our lives.  What you think of as "burdensome regulations" are what's saving the average person from being drowned by rich corporations.  For further proof just look at the Internet overseas where the cost is significantly less and the speed is greater.  Without regulations, carriers here would slow down usage for those who pay less and favor more affluent businesses and individuals.  This would help your campaign contributions but would do little for the middle class and would certainly stifle the poor.

Can you explain what regulations have stifled US carriers' innovation so as to prevent them from coming close to providing services comparable to those in other countries?  The spectre of carriers creating a tiered Internet which would surely place burdens on most Americans but allow the rich unbridled access is most disturbing.  Your propensity (like all your Republican cohorts) for favoring the rich over everyone else is abhorrent and very un-American.

I strongly disagree with you and your position and, like me, we are numerous.  Regulations keep things fair and safe.  If you can’t see that, it’s time to pack it in.

Reisa Miller

___________, AZ

 My email address appeared here.