but since we lack the political clout of the ci lobby, our response has been scattershot. there is no single unified anti - childhood - implant organization. doesnt the ci cure deafness? doesnt it make a deaf person hear? doesnt it enhance the quality of life for deaf children? we are concerned about the way the implant is being promoted as a " cure for deafness. " calling the implant a " cure " is a fallacy. the implant does not cure deafness. from what we understand ( and we have discussed this at length with people who have chosen implants for themselves ), it is plain wrong to describe an implant as a " miracle " or " cure. " in most cases, profound sensorineural deafness is not a " curable " condition. its permanent. unless theres a middle - ear or bone - conductivity problem that can be reversed or remedied surgically, a deaf person will always be deaf. a ci doesnt magically or bionically undo this. there seems to be widespread misunderstanding about just what an implant can do and what it cannot do. what it does is to enable the user to perceive sounds and distinguish some degree of sound discriminationand there is evidently a wide spectrum of results from user to user, ranging from negligible to the superb. the user has to undergo intensive rehabilitation to learn to perceive these sounds as speech, music, danger sounds, noises, etc. it is not a miracle fix. it doesnt magically restore lost hearing ; it gives the user the functional capacity of some hearing. it doesnt make a deaf person hearing, but more like hard - of - hearing. while some implantees are able to carry on regular voice conversations on the telephone, others cannot. the outcome is quite unpredictable. just what is the quality of sound the implantees perceive? one audiologist was quoted in a sacramento bee article ( 2001 ) as saying that with an implant, 22 electrodes were " doing the work of 30, 000 hair cells. " the 22 or 24 electrodes in an implant cant possibly replace the thousands of microscopic hair cells in the cochlea that give richness and depth to sounds as they are perceived in normal hearing. one cochlear - implant usr likens the sounds he heard in his implant as " environmental noise. " perceiving " environmental noise " is not equivalent to hearing the full spectrum of sounds. isnt it important for deaf people to acquire good speech and listening skills? yes,


likens the sounds he heard in his implant as " environmental noise. " perceiving " environmental noise " is not equivalent to hearing the full spectrum of sounds. isnt it important for deaf people to acquire good speech and listening skills? yes, these skills are important, but we dont believe that speech and speechreading should be our # 1 educational priorities. many people automatically equate " good speech " with intellectual prowess. by this logic, to speak well is to think well. and this is simply not true. there are a number of hearing people who can talk well, but they certainly arent intelligent! we dont believe that the be - all and end - off of deaf education is the acquisition of " normal " speech. how many hundreds, even thousands, of hours does a deaf child with an implant spend in speech and auditory therapy? much of this time could be more profitably devoted to getting a real educationimproving literacy skills, for example. the oralists dont want to admit it, but the fact is, deaf children who have a strong foundation in sign language actually do better in acquiring good speech skills. why? because they already have a foundation in language when they start speech practice. compelling the children to practice speech and listening before they have a working knowledge of language only retards their progress. its putting the cart before the horse. arent deaf people who have good speech more successful than those who rely on signing alone? this is one of the most frequently - reiterated claims of the oralists : that oral - deaf people are more successful than signing - deaf people, that they have unlimited educational and employment options and a vast array of social opportunities, whereas deaf people who depend on signing as their everyday mode of communication are restricted educationally and employment - wise and limited socially to a small, isolated group of signers. this is negative propaganda. it doesnt represent the truth. the true picture is far more complex than the oralists would have you believe. sign language doesnt restrict us. it doesnt limit our horizons, it frees us to be ourselves. we dont consider ourselves constrained or limited by our preference for asl. members of the ci lobby want parents to believe that in choosing an implant for their children, theyre giving them a magic key to entry into a world without limitations. this, too, is propaganda. the reality is not quite that neat. how much person - to - person contact have you had with deaf people with implants? we have a few friends


them a magic key to entry into a world without limitations. this, too, is propaganda. the reality is not quite that neat. how much person - to - person contact have you had with deaf people with implants? we have a few friends with cis, and have had some degree of friendly contact with several other people who do have them, primarily those who have appeared on deaf life covers and those profiled in great deaf americans : the second edition. and people weve " met " through the internet, and in person. at an educational conference in north carolina, we met several deaf children with implants, and none of them could communicate with us. and since this was an inclusive conference, the kids could see deaf adults, teens, and children signing fluently to each other. since they hadnt been exposed to signing ( its typically forbidden in strict oral programs, and their parents were not using any signing at home ), they couldnt join in. they were smart enough to realize that they were missing out on something important. at another conference a few years ago, we met a deaf woman who had chosen an implant for herself, and we had a good talk. she told us that she didnt believe that implants were right for deaf children, that it should be a matter of informed choice, that implants didnt make a deaf person hearing. a number of deaf people with implants are fluent signers, and didnt sever their connections to the deaf community after getting one. ( getting flak from deaf anti - implant advocates is another matter entirely. ) choosing an implant is a decision theyve made for themselves because they want to gain access to the enrichment of sound, to be better able to modulate their voices, to hear the voices of their spouses and children, to enjoy music, maybe even use a voice telephone. they still consider themselves deaf. some members of alda ( the association of late - deafened adults ) have gotten them. late - deafened adults are often considered exemplary candidates. virtually all have retained clear speech, have " hearing " backgrounds, and maintain strong connections to the hearing community. some have already learned to sign and also participate in deaf - community activism. they represent a fascinating and colorful segment of the deaf - community population. do you consider people with cis part of the deaf community? certainly... if they want to be. we are amply aware that some oral - deaf persons, with or without implants, reject any idea of affiliation with this community. they identify


you consider people with cis part of the deaf community? certainly... if they want to be. we are amply aware that some oral - deaf persons, with or without implants, reject any idea of affiliation with this community. they identify solely with the hearing community. thats fine with us, since it represents their choice. its not likely that our paths will cross. oralists and signers have a number of shared concerns. some of these are : telecommunications ( access to 911 and other emergency services ; the availability of tty payphones ), media ( closed - captioning of local newscasts, open - captioned first run movies in cinemas ), access to public facilities ; and communicative access ( getting sign - language or oral interpreters when theyre needed ). and for most people with cochlear implants ( most of whom, as far as we can tell, have achieved more modest gains than the spectacular ones enjoyed by sigrid cerf! ), these concerns havent been eliminated. you would have to talk to the people with implants to get their views. some are oralists ; some are signers ; some are eclectics. theres a wide spectrum of experiences and a diversity of views. all deserve representation. arent most people with cis happy about their implants? we are quite aware that some implant users love their implants, enjoy what the implants do for them, and would never consider having them removed. some, who have received implants as children, are glad their parents made that decision for them. others arent. a good number of adults with cis ( and who are happy with them ) dont believe that theyre appropriate for children. do you have questions about the effectiveness and safety of implants? many questions. weve been following the biotechnological developments with interest. were aware that the 24 - channel implant is much less obtrusive - looking than the previous models, and small enough to be used in infants. we are simply not convinced that the ci is the ultimate solution to the " problem " of being profoundly deaf. as is fairly well known, the installation of a ci destroys whatever residual hearing the implantee might have. during ci surgery, a narrow tube containing the array of electrodes is inserted into the cochlea, like threading a flexible wire into a nautilus shell. this requires cutting into the cochlea and irreversibly destroying some of the tissue. there are a number of deaf people who


electrodes is inserted into the cochlea, like threading a flexible wire into a nautilus shell. this requires cutting into the cochlea and irreversibly destroying some of the tissue. there are a number of deaf people who consider this prospect scary, since the surgery cannot be undone. a number of these people are intrigued by the possibility of a pill that might enable the nerve tissue to regenerate, thereby gaining or regaining he capability to hear, but they are disturbed by the prospect of having to undergo invasive head surgery. the ci still, as far as we can tell, has a totally unpredictable outcome. the fda approved cochlear implants for adults in 1985, and for children over 18 months of age in 1990, and has subsequently lowered the age to infancy. deaf people ( e. g., the nad ) have complained that the fda did not consult them, that their concerns were not taken into account, and that the fda proceeded recklessly, bowing to the interests of a wealthy industry. the long - term effects of the implants are still unknown, and there is some fear that we may have another " meme " scenario in the not - too - distant future. sure, they say, the fda insists that cochlear implants are safe. wasnt this exactly what they were saying about silicone breast implants not so long ago? lately, weve learned that some cis manufactured in the u. s. may aggravate or even cause bacterial meningitis, a potentially fatal infection of the lining of the surface of the brain, in children and adults. an associated press report dated july 25, 2002 notes that thirteen implantees in the u. s. have come down with meningitis, including two deaf preschoolers who died. according to this report, seven implantees in other countries have also died from meningitis, and these cases are being investigated by u. s. health authorities. doctors have been asked to report " any suspicious meningitis cases " to the fda, to " aggressively treat ear infections " in implantees, and make sure children are properly vaccinated against meningitis. so there is a certain degree of medical risk involved with the ci. its not like getting a pair of eyeglasses. its not like having ones tonsils removed. it involves insertion of a foreign object inside the head. well, they can give implantees antibiotics, right? is it worth the risk? if the ci is here to stay, isnt


negative stereotypes, are not against technological progress. many of us have fax machines, signaling devices, ttys, computers, the internet, caption - capable tvs, and instant - messaging systems. some of us have wireless pagers. we use and appreciate these devices and programs because they enhance our communicative and working capabilities. they enrich our lives, or simply make them easier. some of us use hearing aids. some of us dont. we are extremely skeptical about the touted " benefits " of the ci. we dont see how it can de - isolate or de - marginalize the deaf community. only a wide - scale positive change in public attitudes can do that, and we dont see how cis are accomplishing that. we see it as having more of a negative effect. arent implants a good thing for society? for those who have lost their hearing, implants are undoubtedly " a good thing for society. " if we became blind, we would want our eyes replaced or fixed. as sighted persons, weve had all these decades of experience as a sighted person, so we know what vision means, and what wed be losing. those who consciously choose to accept an implant understand that there are no guarantees, acknowledge the risks involved, and accept the possibility that they may not derive significant benefit from it. those who have had previous experience with sound ( late - deafened or progressively - deafened people ) tend to do best. why are some deaf people so bitterly opposed to implants? because they dont consider themselves as patients with broken auditory equipment that needs fixing. they dont see themselves in terms of loss or deficit. they dont see themselves as candidates for head surgery. they see themselves as whole, just as they are. they live full, rich, rewarding lives as deaf people. they consider ci surgery a violently extreme intrusion into their bodies. the message theyre getting from the medical establishment is " society isnt comfortable with your deafness problem, so lets fix you. " the proponents of implants want the deaf person to bear the full burden of the responsibility for communication, the burden of conforming to what society sees as " normal " and " acceptable. " culturally - deaf people believe that deaf people are whole and healthy as they are, and that society should make communication more accessible and more just. they want acceptance and understanding. do you see deaf people in terms of deficit, of disability, as specimens of auditory pathology, or as full - fledged members of a cultural -


they are, and that society should make communication more accessible and more just. they want acceptance and understanding. do you see deaf people in terms of deficit, of disability, as specimens of auditory pathology, or as full - fledged members of a cultural - linguistic minority? the two views are essentially irreconcilable. someone who maintains that deafness needs to be cured will probably not understand the cultural view of asl. entirely aside from that is the expense factor. implants usually cost something like $ 50, 000 a pop, and we dont think that figure even includes the ensuing regimen of auditory and speech therapy. how many of these parents would plunk down that kind of money if it wasnt covered by health insurance? and one of the lines of reasoning used by these advocates is that the implant is, in the long run, cost - effective. its cheaper than the ultimate expense of sending a child to a school for the deaf and having the government put her on the ssi rolls after she graduates. ah... but is it really? all those clinical and rehabilitative and audiological services are expensive, and someones gotta pay for them! culturally - deaf people have moral qualms about helping to pay for someone elses implant, especially when that someone else is a deaf child. they also have qualms about the implant industrys making money off deaf peoples deafness. as far as we know, no deaf people occupy high positions in these corporations or clinics. few, if any, deaf people are directly benefiting from the implant windfall. the implant industry is profiting directly from deaf childrens deafnessand what is it doing to improve the overall quality of deaf peoples lives? to some of us, this is an ethical issue. ask any culturally - deaf person how s / he feels about this, and youre bound to get a vehement answer. why do you object to giving implants to deaf children? we dont feel that cochlear implants are good for born - deaf children. why? it confuses them. it aggravates sensory confusion. instead of being able to focus on language acquisition, theyre being forced to focus on auditory therapy. they should be encouraged to develop a strong foundation in visual language first before embarking on a speech - and - hearing regimen. learning should utilize our strongest senses, not our weakest one. deaf people are primarily visual learners, not auditory learners. our feeling is that you cant force a born -


language first before embarking on a speech - and - hearing regimen. learning should utilize our strongest senses, not our weakest one. deaf people are primarily visual learners, not auditory learners. our feeling is that you cant force a born - deaf child to comprehend sounds any more than you can force a blind child to see colors. the sounds theyre getting from the implant are not natural sounds, theyre electronic sounds. even if theyre responding to the sounds of a water faucet or a passing train, how " natural " are these sounds? they have to be trained to interpret these electronic sounds as speech, etcetera, dont they? isnt some hearing better than nothing? isnt artificial hearing better than no hearing at all? it depends on the " nothing, " doesnt it? if you envision deaf children as existing in a tragically isolated " world of silence, " of course youll want to end that isolation through medical intervention. thats the compassionate thing to do. but if you recognize that deaf people already have a language and a community, and that this can be made immediately accessible to deaf children, then you may change your mind : " oh, maybe its not necessary to compel these children to undergo head surgery to have full and rewarding lives, after all. " shouldnt all deaf children be able to enjoy the world of sound? yes, we agree that its good to expose deaf children to the world of soundbut not at the expense of their literacy! they should acquire a solid foundation in visual language first and foremost, and then literacy skills ( reading and writing ). arent a number of born - deaf or early - deafened children getting remarkable, even miraculous, results from their implants? its impossible to deny the glowing tones of the testimonials weve read. still, we find these claims difficult to believe, because this is exactly what the audiometrics industry was claiming about hearing aids for deaf kidsthat they would enable children to attain natural or near - natural oral - language acquisition, thereby eliminating the " deafness problem. " weve had a couple of generations of deaf children growing up with these " miraculous " aids, and we fail to see what " miraculous " effect theyve had on the acquisition of speech and literacy. we dont believe that electronic stimulation can be a " miraculous " substitute for natural hearing. well, you may note, so the 24 - channel implant enables a wider and more natural range of sounds to be decoded than


acquisition of speech and literacy. we dont believe that electronic stimulation can be a " miraculous " substitute for natural hearing. well, you may note, so the 24 - channel implant enables a wider and more natural range of sounds to be decoded than was possible with hearing aids? too bad we cant take loaner models home and sample them before committing ourselves to the purchase! wont the implant prevent illiteracy in deaf children? one thing that wed like to emphasize, and which we feel is getting overlooked in this cochlear - implant slugfest, is the crucial importance of teaching deaf children how to read and write. as you may already know, most everyone agrees that we have a really big illiteracy and substandard - literacy problem in the deaf community. no one agrees about the cause. alumni of oral / aural programs often have the same kind of problems stereotypically linked to those from schools for the deaf. so we dont think that asl is to blame for our illiteracy problem. it is crucially important for deaf kids to learn to read and write competently. the earlier they acquire these skills, and the more highly they develop them, the more academically and socially successful theyll be, and theyll enjoy more rewarding careers and happier personal lives. we have shared this view with teachers, parents, and students alike. in our outreach efforts, weve encouraged deaf teens to practice and improve their literacy skills, and to make reading and writing part of their everyday livesan enjoyable part. all this sounds ridiculously obvious. but we feel that this vitally important issue is getting trampled and buried beneath the stampede of cochlear - implant controversy. proponents of cochlear implants claim that kids with implants are able to receive information aurally, as hearing kids effortlessly do... but are they really getting all the information? arent they missing something? is the implant really the " miracle fix " for deaf illiteracy? for decades, hearing aids were touted as the great " cure " for our plight. most, if not all, students attending schools and programs for the deaf were required to wear them. it was mandatory, even for the profoundly deaf. and how well have these aids improved deaf peoples literacy skills? not much, if at all. this intensive aural - rehabilitation regimen thats part of the childhood - cochlear - implant packageis this really going to help their literacy? as far as were concerned, the ability


peoples literacy skills? not much, if at all. this intensive aural - rehabilitation regimen thats part of the childhood - cochlear - implant packageis this really going to help their literacy? as far as were concerned, the ability to read and write is far more important than the ability to speak clearly. ( how many deaf people can attain that degree of polish, and how many thousands of hours of speech therapy does it take? ) without a solid foundation in literacy, how can a person develop good speech and listening skills? this implant brouhaha ( give deaf kids bionic hearing so they can have better speech! ) has distracted us so badly that were in danger of losing sight of the priorities. and this is one thing that worries us : that children with implants are being categorically excluded from the advantages of visual language and visual learning. the implant has unleashed a new assault against asl and sign - based education. this is definitely not a good thing. as far as deaf children are concerned, audiometrics should not be at the top of our priorities. deaf children should learn how to read and write first. they need this far more than they need implants. reading and writing are far more important skills than speaking and listening. in the electronic - highway era, it has become increasingly important to know how to read well and how to communicate well through writing. using a computer keyboard to produce coherent, articulate written communications, or even searching the net, demands a high degree of literacy skill. the need for these skills has only increased, not lessened. among the hearing population, as youre surely aware, the level of literacy in the u. s. has declined precipitously during the past few decades, what with the incursion of television and video. deaf people with substandard literacy skills are already at a disadvantage in the fiercely competitive job market. wed like to see more abe classes for deaf adults, and a greater commitment to literacy in the schools serving deaf students. we dont think mainstreaming has been working out well for many deaf children. theyre just not getting an educationnot adequate, let alone equal. now we have an influx of deaf kids with implants coming into the public schools, the schools for the deaf, and the new oral schools. one deaf superintendent told me ( off the record ) that there were several deaf kids with implants in his school, and all of them had language delays. if the deaf community is losing the war against childhood cis, what


and the new oral schools. one deaf superintendent told me ( off the record ) that there were several deaf kids with implants in his school, and all of them had language delays. if the deaf community is losing the war against childhood cis, what are some of the reasons? the audiological / oral lobby has far more money and commercial clout than the deaf lobby does. compare the annual operating budgets of the alexander graham bell association for the deaf and the nad, and youll see what we mean. ( if the asl advocates are such a ruthlessly powerful and influential faction, as our critics argue, why werent they able to prevent the fda from approving implants for deaf babies? ) imagine what schools and programs serving deaf children, teens, and adults could do with the money thats being spent on childhood cochlear implants $ 50, 000 apiece! federal monies spent by the national institutes of health to study language acquisition in youthful implantees could be more profitably used to improve deaf childrens literacy skills. are cis improving public attitudes towards deaf people? we fail to see how the implant boom is improving public attitudes towards deaf people or asl or the deaf community at all. indeed, we see signs of a backlash. its so ironicat a time when more and more hearing high - school and college students are enrolling in asl classes, and a number of scholars and laypeople are showing increased interest in and appreciation of deaf issues, theres a redoubled movement to close down the schools for the deaf, reroute all deaf children into mainstream public - school programs, and to " fix the problem " with implants. when oral / aural and sign - language programs are competing for governmental funding, which one is going to get it? whats the real motivation of those who oppose childhood implants? do deaf people oppose cis because they need to recruit deaf children to keep the signing community viable? opponents of the deaf community like to accuse deaf people of wanting to keep deaf children deaf to maintain a population base for the purpose of perpetuating deaf culture, or more explicitly, of artificially prolonging a dying and ghettoized subculture by recruiting as many deaf children as they can. according to this logic, they oppose the childhood ci because it diminishes the pool of potential recruits. this is an invidious accusation. our motivation is not to artificially prolong a dying and ghettoized subculture, as some of our critics would have it, or to


childhood ci because it diminishes the pool of potential recruits. this is an invidious accusation. our motivation is not to artificially prolong a dying and ghettoized subculture, as some of our critics would have it, or to make sure that we have a sizable pool of young deaf culture recruits to sustain the deaf population, but the well - being of all deaf children and their families. our concern is for the welfare of deaf children. deaf adults, as you may know, have traditionally had an impassioned concern for deaf children. they are our brothers and sisters, in a sense, and who else speaks for them? certainly not hearing parents. only a deaf person can understand what its like to be deaf. and many deaf adults, especially those from oral / aural backgrounds, have personally experienced the pain of exclusion within their own families, missed connections, misconnections, and the terrible frustrations accruing from not being able to communicate or be understood. they understand the failings of oralism that the oralists have refused to acknowledge. this is what they wish to spare other deaf children. this is what theyve been trying to make parents understand. why should any more deaf children go through that ordeal? why should their parents spend enormous quantities of time and money to learn the hard way that theyve been bamboozled? a childs first human need is to communicate. that is the uncontestable first fact of life. before there can be literacy, there must be language, and to have access to language, you must have a means of communication. deaf people in the united states and canada have found that asl affords them an immediate means of communication and a source of enrichment and freedom. a means of liberation, if you will. this is something that neither the medical / audiological lobby nor the implant industry recognize. ( but why should they? when deaf children become asl users instead of consumers of expensive audiometrics, it cuts into their profit margins! ) we believe wholeheartedly that all deaf children have a right to free, full, unimpeded communication, to language, to literacy, and to the best possible education. we know that the reality is far short of the ideal. our task is never done. we dont advocate separatism ( being insular and exclusionary ), but establishing connections between the deaf and hearing communities. we seek to promote better understanding among the factions. ah, yes, factions. there is, after all, an ideological


we dont advocate separatism ( being insular and exclusionary ), but establishing connections between the deaf and hearing communities. we seek to promote better understanding among the factions. ah, yes, factions. there is, after all, an ideological rift between the signing and oral factions, and we dont think that it will ever be resolved. however, as weve noticed, the division between " signing " deaf and " speaking " deaf isnt always that absolute. a number of deaf people from oral backgrounds learn to sign, have deaf friends, and participate in deaf - community activities. some deaf people hold multiple memberships in organizations that putatively represent oppositional aims : the nad, alda, bell association, and shhh. however, the attitudes of the medical / audiological sector havent changed much, if at all. they still dont recognize deaf people as a linguistic community ; they have no interest in sign language ; they continue to see deaf people as physically defective, as having hearing disabilities, as needing to be fixed, as consumers of their audiological prostheses. those who oppose them are merely obstructing biomedical progress and, like picketers on the sidewalks of the entryway, can be ignored. lets proceed with business as usual! whats been happening with the ci controversy on deafnotes? our company runs a bulletin - board website called deafnotes, which has a forum on cochlear implants. it has been the most frequently - posted and hotly - debated of all the topics on that site since it was launched in july 1999. hotter than the sign - versus - speech and the mainstreaming debates. the debate quickly began getting acrimonious, with parents who have chosen to give their deaf children implants posting threads like " cochlear implant success stories, " and verbally slugging it out with deaf people who feel that implants for deaf children are a form of child abuse. it has been a real headache for the moderators and us. we recall how it started. when a woman who had chosen to give her young deaf son an implant entered the debate, it had an explosive effect. we had to delete a batch of postings because the dialogue had degenerated into crude, juvenile mudslinging, name - calling, and insults. this was in explicit violation of the deafnotes rules of conduct. and that was just the beginning. its not just that these parents think their childrens progress is miraculous and want to tell the world about it


and cussed at us. a few of them sent us obscene e - mails. they called us nazis. they accused us of censoring their free speech by suppressing their news about the miraculous progress their implanted kids have been making. in reality, we banned them because of their stubborn refusal to abide by the deafnotes rules. but arent the implant corporations interested in reaching out to your largely deaf readership? apparently not. in late 1997, after publishing a cover story containing an interview with sigrid cerf, we contacted the company that manufactured the implant she uses, and invited them to advertise in deaf life. we received no response. neither did we get a response from the other major ci company, which had been sending us frequent promotional releases and propaganda for years. neither of these corporations evinced the slightest interest in placing an ad in deaf life or a banner - ad in any of our websites. and yet, when we removed posts with promotional links, the implant evangelists cried foul. but dont kids with implants make miraculous progress? thats what the ci lobby and the implant evangelists would like the public to believe. were more apt to read about the " miracle stories " of deaf kids with implants because their parents have been actively publicizing and promoting implants, with the aid of the implant industry, which has one of the slickest propaganda campaigns weve ever seen. kids who start signing at an early age ( i. e., native asl users ) are relatively invisible in the mass media, since their parents arent engaging in the public promotion of asl. open up a womens magazine and youre bound to see a glowing testimonial by a happy mother about the joys of having a deaf child with an implant : " our miracle child. " but do you ever see an article about the delights of parenting an asl - using child? my proposal : parents of deaf kids should mount their own promotional campaign : " heres our miracle child! " we find it morally questionable, the way some of these parents parade their implanted children around to the media, show them off to legislators, have them testify before congress... more funding for cochlear - implant programs, please, and as long as youre at it, you can cut the budgets of those sign - language programs. we certainly dont need them. some of these implant evangelists exercise a form of denial. they claim that their children were born hearing, then


and as long as youre at it, you can cut the budgets of those sign - language programs. we certainly dont need them. some of these implant evangelists exercise a form of denial. they claim that their children were born hearing, then became deaf, so by giving them implants, theyre restoring their childrens original hearing. can they prove their children were born hearing? can they really provide proof? or are they saying these things to justify their agenda? if deaf children can benefit from a ci, why deny them the opportunity? why consign them to a childhood of silence? the issue is not inflicting a " world of total silence " on deaf children but providing them with a rich, immediately accessible visual language and social life. deaf kids benefit from a signing environment. they dont need a ci to derive this benefit. arent parents who decide to give their deaf kids implants giving them more communication choices, instead of limiting them to signing alone? many parents who give their kids implants want them to use the oral / aural mode exclusivelyno signing allowed. parents who make the decision to give their children implants often say things like, " we wanted to give our child a choice. if jimmy wants to learn sign language later and be deaf and switch off the implant, thats fine with us. " but how is jimmy going to make a choice when he has no daily exposure to asl or deaf mentors? when hes getting exposed only to an auditory / oral approach? when hes enrolled in a program that discourages signing? when his attempts to communicate in sign are rebuffed or ignored? signing does not limit ones communication options. it is the communication option preferred by most deaf people who have been exposed to it. it is the most natural, comfortable, and enjoyable mode of communication for many of us. it is simply untrue that skilled signers ( i. e., those who claim asl as their first language ) become " lazy, " that they cannot develop good speech skills. signers typically develop better speech skills than those who use the oral / aural approach exclusively. unfortunately, there are a number of parents who are adamantly opposed to signing, and those who feel that signing is too difficult to learn, and that the ci approach is easier for everyone. they may be far more committed to the ci than to signing. if they feel this way, the child wont get exposure to good signing at home, and if s / hes in a strict


and that the ci approach is easier for everyone. they may be far more committed to the ci than to signing. if they feel this way, the child wont get exposure to good signing at home, and if s / hes in a strict oral program, may not be allowed to use sign at all at school. that puts a psychological burden on the child. are implants a form of child abuse? thats what deaf culturalists claim. whats your view? the extreme culturally - deaf view is that cochlear implants are a form of child abuse, even genocideaccusations that anger parents and, moreover, would be exceptionally difficult to prove in court. we can understand why deaf people feel this way, why they feel that implants represent the latest of several organized attempts to wipe out deaf culture. to understand what seems to be an irrational, even reprehensible, opposition to biotechnological progress, you need to understand something about deaf history, the attitudes of the oralists, and the control they have wielded over the lives and destinies of deaf people. you need to understand alexander graham bells eugenicist views, his obsession with eradicating the " deaf variety of the human race, " his friendship with edward miner gallaudet, and the feud that ensued between them, which led to an ideological rift whose legacy was unhappy, even tragic : the turning of the tide of public opinion in favor of oralism and against signing, the upsurge of oral education with its concomitant suppression of signing, the methodical campaign to eradicate sign language, and the pathological view that still holds sway in the medical profession. e. m. gallaudet founded gallaudet university, which remained a bastion of signing, but the influence of the oralists pervaded that institution, too, although not as radically as it pervaded the schools for the deaf. at gallaudet, oralists were treated with deference. where oralism reigned ( and they had an iron grip on virtually all schools for the deaf for close to half - a - century at the least ), signing was proscribed, and the ban was enforced with varying degrees of rigor. you need to understand the terrible punishment meted out to deaf children in these schools for exercising that innate human urge, the need to communicate. and the inauguration of the shameful tradition of " oral failures, " and the low expectations that became part of the legacy of education of the deaf.


give them what they needed. where signing was forbidden, they signed in secretin the dormitories, in the lavatories, in the toilets. they signed wherever and whenever they could. they signed at the risk of punishment. one favorite tactic of the oralists was to tie students hands behind their backs, secured to a chair, to prevent them from signing surreptitiously in class. at mealtimes, they were strictly supervised by hearing staffers ( to varying degrees ) to prevent signing among themselves. the suppression of sign did nothing to make the students happier and more well - adjusted. indeed, its common to read firsthand accounts in which deaf people, products of these repressive regimes, look back at their schooldays with anger, frustration, and grief. however, on - campus chapel services were typically conducted in sign, because it was far easier for the students to understand. so the organized churches, some of whose institutions played an important role in the oralist movement, nonetheless helped keep asl alive during what we call the dark age of oralism. students at rigorously oral programs still go through this kind of experience, to some degree. true, they dont punish the kids for signing, but signing is discouraged. where signing is banned, forbidden, or officially ignored, deaf students find ways to sign to each other. do students in oral schools still practice signing? how do they pick it up? what about kids with cis? in oral schools for the deaf, there is usually a clandestine asl subculture. they manage to pick it up, sometimes from signing adults on staff ( since there are at least a few deaf adults employed by oral schools, although rarely in the top echelons, and these supposedly oral - deaf adults sometimes know sign very well ), or theyll learn it from each other. there may be one student or a few who already have a background in signing, and these students will teach the others. the others pick it right up. clarke school for the deaf, the oldest bastion of oral / aural education in the u. s., had a long - standing and rigorous anti - sign policy for students. they were not allowed to use sign language in the classrooms or outside of itthe hallways, the dorms, anywhere within the boundaries of campus. students routinely disregarded this policy, but at their peril. those who were caught signing were disciplined. for the first offense, they received a teachers reprimand. if a reprimand didnt work,


anywhere within the boundaries of campus. students routinely disregarded this policy, but at their peril. those who were caught signing were disciplined. for the first offense, they received a teachers reprimand. if a reprimand didnt work, they were sent to the principals office. if they were caught in the act again, the parents were summoned to the superintendents office. after nearly a century of trying to extirpate signing, the administration finally acknowledged the futility of its policy by decriminalizing it. although deaf kids were still not allowed to sign in class, they were at least allowed to sign freely outside of class without fear of punishment. we dont know what the current policies are at central institute for the deaf or st. josephs institute ( both in st. louis ), but wed wager that they too have their secret signing groups. and in the newly - opened schools for deaf children with implants, we wouldnt be at all surprised if the kids found a way to sign in secret, too. but its more difficult to do that in a day - school environment. its nigh - impossible to do in a mainstream environment where the deaf student may be the only deaf person in the school. traditionally, deaf children learned asl from each other, and learned it quickly. connecting with other deaf signers gave them a basis for communication and community. it undoubtedly saved their sanity, too. it enabled them to make sense of the environment they were in, the relentless bombardment of speech and speechreading they endured and tried to decode. without that connection, how does a deaf child thrive? the research of scholars like goldin - meadow and mylander have shown that deaf children, deprived of exposure to real sign languages, invent their own. we are concerned about the emotional and cognitive well - being of these young implantees in mainstreamed or strict - oral environments. some of them, of course, are receiving exposure to asl. but most, it seems, are not. what are the repercussions to their emotional health? wed like to see an objective, scholarly study on their progress. how is asl going to survive the ci onslaught? asl has survived all previous attempts by oralists to wipe it out, and it will survive the ci too. do kids with cochlear implants identify as deaf or hearing? very young deaf children who feel most comfortable in a sign - affirmative environment quickly develop a definite sense of self - identity as deaf. they dont


will survive the ci too. do kids with cochlear implants identify as deaf or hearing? very young deaf children who feel most comfortable in a sign - affirmative environment quickly develop a definite sense of self - identity as deaf. they dont mind being seen as " different. " to them, being deaf is normal. they want to be accepted as they are. what sort of self - identity will these implanted kids have? will they consider themselves deaf or hearing? a question : whats special about being deaf if youre merely seen as a defective hearing person with bionic hearing? whats there to celebrate? we ourselves dont have the answers to these questions. only deaf people who have grown up with cis can answer them. some reject what they see as a " deaf - culture mentality. " others consider themselves deaf, and cherish their connection to the deaf community. will the deaf community survive the cochlear implant? wont implants ultimately render it obsolete? as long as there are deaf people, there will be sign language. deny deaf children access to sign, and theyll spontaneously create their own sign systems. put deaf people together, and the creation process is accelerated. prevent from learning it when theyre young, and they will go to it as soon as they have the opportunity. the deaf community has managed to survive all previous attempts, well - meaning and otherwise, to demolish it. we believe that it will survive this latest onslaught. it will survive because it fulfils the innate need of deaf people to seek out and communicate with others like themselves, those who truly understand how it feels and what it means to be deaf. will the implant destroy deaf culture? no, deaf culture will not die out. it will survive, and it will evolve. we already know that many young deaf people who have had oral / aural educations choose to learn sign language and join the community when they reach their teens or college age. if this is so, we anticipate that a large number of implantees will do likewise. no matter how assiduously their parents, clinicians, medical professionals, and the implant industry try to make the deaf community irrelevant and invisible, we believe that many of these deaf kids with implants will ultimately choose to connect with our community. the reason is fairly simple : deaf people like to be with other deaf people, and we have a richly expressive visual - kinetic language ( american sign language in this country and canada ), and the bond of shared perceptions and feelings


connect with our community. the reason is fairly simple : deaf people like to be with other deaf people, and we have a richly expressive visual - kinetic language ( american sign language in this country and canada ), and the bond of shared perceptions and feelings. one of our challenges is to extend a warm welcome to deaf people with implants. we cannot afford to reject any deaf person simply because s / he has a ci. the deaf community, like any other community, contains its share of purists, elitists, and plain snobs. they do not represent all deaf people. we will do our best to accord " new arrivals " the warm welcome they deserve. if they want to join the deaf community, were here for them. whats so special about deaf culture? why should it be studied by hearing high - school and college students? why should people with cis care about it? hearing people have been teaching deaf people since deaf - ed began, of course. but we believe that deaf people also have much to teach hearing people about language, cognition, communication, coping, and the wonderful resilience of the human spirit. theyve transformed a devastating disability into a rich socio - linguistic culture. theyve created a vibrant language. theyve established a global community. that is cause for celebration. learning about deaf people enhances our understanding about what communication is about, the many varieties of language and approaches to learning, and also increases our understanding of how language is processed in the brain ( q. v. the ongoing research of klima and bellugi at the salk institute ). we already know how versatile and useful sign language is, and how babies can learn to communicate in sign before they can talk ( q. v. acredolo and goodwyns work on " baby signs " ), and how deaf people are developing a corpus of asl literature... theres a lot to be fascinated with. even the controversies are intriguing, for at the core lie the central questions about what it means to be human and to use language. deafness is a disability. arent opponents of cis denying their disability? all human beings have disabilities. what we do with our disabilitieshow we cope, how we respondis a reflection of our qualities as human beings. some of us have physical disabilitiesand some of us have attitudinal disabilities. prejudice, the refusal to accept human different - ness, is an attitudinal disability. some of the comments weve read from implant evangelists


. some of us have physical disabilitiesand some of us have attitudinal disabilities. prejudice, the refusal to accept human different - ness, is an attitudinal disability. some of the comments weve read from implant evangelists and journalists are proof that the cochlear - implant trend has not improved public attitudes towards deaf people. indeed, it has caused a retrogressive backlash. culturally - deaf people have been struggling for centuries to have their languages recognized, and to gain acceptance as they are. the fact is that many disabled people have achieved greatly not despite their disabilities but because of their disabilities. that is a human paradox worth studying. and a good number of deaf people see their deafness not as a curse but as a gift. every day now, were faced with the task of combating a super - slick propaganda campaign mounted by a powerful and wealthy industry and aimed at parents who may be in a state of shock, who desperately want their children to be " normal, " but may have scant idea of what " normal " encompasses. to us, being deaf is normal, and to be deaf is to be whole. we do not live in a " silent world. " we live in the real one, the same world that hearing people live in. our lives are just as busy and full as those of hearing people. we may communicate differentlyusing a visual - kinectic instead of an aural / oral modebut we have hearts, minds, and capabilities like everyone elses. thats what we, as deaf people, want to make the hearing community understand. we dont see ourselves as needing " bionic ears " to give us entry into the world. were here, were whole, and we want to be accepted as we are. please take note of that. this site is to be considered " in progress. " we solicit input from deaf people who have firsthand experience with implants, negative and positive. we welcome your participation. for parents only | myths & facts | deaf can do all original material used in cochlearwar. com is the property of msm productions, ltd. and is protected by copyright. no material can be excerpted, paraphrased, or published in any form ( whether in print of electronically ) without the express written permission of the owner. ©2003 - 2012, msm productions, ltd.


prescriptions for painkillers have reached completely outsized proportions in the nation and in missouri. according to the centers for disease control and prevention, “ enough prescription painkillers were prescribed in 2010 to medicate every american adult around - the - clock for a month. ” as every anesthesiologist knows, these drugs are potent respiratory depressants, so overdoses – intentional or not – can and do lead to death. these deaths have more than quadrupled in missouri during the past 10 years. the latest figures from the missouri department of health & senior services show nearly 900 deaths annually, compared to the low 200 ' s of a decade ago. from a public health standpoint, a 50 percent reduction in these deaths would save 450 lives, nearly six times more than are estimated to be saved by primary enforcement of seat belt laws. missouri ’ s rural counties have nearly twice the overdose rate of their urban counterparts. while the missouri society of anesthesiologists believes painkillers are indispensable for the management of pain when properly prescribed and used, much more can be done to reduce the improper prescription and use of these agents. a recent article in the wall street journal also highlights the impact “ pill mills ” and prescription drug abuse can have on neighboring states. the top recommendation of the cdc to reduce the abuse of painkillers is for every state to have a robust prescription drug monitoring program. these programs electronically track information about who is prescribed what drugs and at what location. state and federal laws already require this information to be provided in the prescription and dispensing processes. missouri is currently the only state in the country that has not passed legislation to enable a functioning monitoring program. “ doctor shoppers ” – those who claim to have a condition amenable to treatment by prescription painkillers and who go from one doctor ’ s office to the next seeking these drugs – are numerous in missouri. they are so common that a fellow physician told me that he expects more than half of the patients of any new physician ’ s office to be drug - seekers. having researched the signs and symptoms of their alleged conditions online, these drug - seekers tell very convincing stories to the doctor. at present, there is no way for a physician to know if his or her patient already has painkiller prescriptions. a key component to a robust monitoring program is the ability of a doctor to see, in real time, if his patients have painkiller prescriptions from other doctors. in other states, this ability has been


published on friday, february 16, 2007 by reuters greenhouse gases hit new high, rise accelerates by alister doyle oslo - greenhouse gases widely blamed for causing global warming have jumped to record highs in the atmosphere, apparently stoked by rising emissions from asian industry, a researcher said on friday. " levels are at a new high, " said kim holmen, research director of the norwegian polar institute which oversees the zeppelin measuring station on the arctic archipelago of svalbard about 1, 200 km ( 750 miles ) from the north pole. he told reuters that concentrations of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted largely by burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and cars, had risen to 390 parts per million ( ppm ) from 388 a year ago. levels have hit peaks almost every year in recent decades, bolstering theories of warming, and are far above 270 ppm before the industrial revolution of the 18th century. climate scientists say the heat - trapping gas is blanketing the planet. holmen said the increase of 2 ppm from 2006 reflected an accelerating rise in recent years. " when i was young, scientists were talking about 1 ppm rise " every year, he said. " since 2000 it has been a very rapid rate. " " the large increases in release rates are definitely in the asian economies, " led by china, he said. china is opening coal - fired power plants at the rate of almost one a week. carbon dioxide concentrations peak just before the northern hemisphere spring, when plants start soaking up the gas as they grow. southern hemisphere seasons have less effect since there are fewer land masses - - and plants - - south of the equator. the zeppelin station is run in cooperation with stockholm university and is one of the main measuring points along with a station in hawaii. remoteness from industrial centers helps. scientists say the concentration of carbon dioxide, according to the modern records, is at its highest in the atmosphere in at least 650, 000 years. the world ' s top climate scientists said in a report on february 2 they were more than 90 percent certain that human activities, led by burning fossil fuels, were to blame for warming. that was up from 66 percent certainty in a previous report in 2001. the u. n. ' s intergovernmental panel on climate change said that temperature rises were set to accelerate and could gain by between 1. 1 and 6. 4 celsius ( 2. 0 - 11. 5 fahrenheit ) by 2100, bringing more floods, droughts and rising sea


by bernard verdcourt john hanning speke. during the famous journey of 1858 which resulted in the first european sighting of lake tanganyika by sir richard francis burton ( 1821 - 1890 ), his companion, capt. j. h. speke ( 1827 — 64 ), collected a few shells on its shores. one of the most fascinating problems of east african conchology was thus made known before almost any of the more ordinary molluscs of the area had been described. these found their way back to the british museum where s. d. woodward ( 1821 - 1863 ) remarked on their curious marine appearance. the incredible arguments which were to fill hundreds of articles and several books were soon to begin. was lake tanganyika an inland jurassic sea cut off and isolated with subsequent freshening of the water? e. a. smith, when describing more shells from the lake in 188i, drew attention to the possibility. the subsequent discovery of a jelly - fish in the lake by dr. bohm seemed to clinch the matter. later of course, freshwater jelly — fish were found in other lakes and rivers, and different theories ( which i touched on in my first presidential address ) came to prevail. woodward ’ s early perspicacious placing of the shells in the melaniidae is now known to be correct. later speke made the famous journey accompanied by capt. j. a. grant ( 1827 - 1892 ) during which the first collections of dried plants were brought back from the interior of east africa and one of the sources of the nile found ; that perennial problem which had vexed men since antiquity ( though i suspect some ancient egyptians probably penetrated far south ), was at least partially solved. volumes have been written about burton and speke, two men so different in character that it is difficult to see how they could have tolerated each other for a moment. burton was a romantic arabist who spoke some thirty languages, had translated the arabian nights and more recondite erotica, a strange mixture of fastidious scholar and debauched libertine, but one of the best informed and scholarly of victorian explorers. speke was a more conventional respectable young victorian. about all they had in common was toughness and a remarkable facility for learning languages. those who wish to read more about this fascinating pair will find an excellent account in alan moorehead ’ s ‘ the white nile ’. some very revealing remarks made by speke about burton in some of his letters to others are mentioned in an auction catalogue for the sale


to read more about this fascinating pair will find an excellent account in alan moorehead ’ s ‘ the white nile ’. some very revealing remarks made by speke about burton in some of his letters to others are mentioned in an auction catalogue for the sale of j. a. grant ’ s papers which is well worth reading ( see beneath ). speke and burton were to have wordy battles later in england and even now no one is quite certain that speke ’ s death was due to " accidental discharge of his own gun ", the verdict returned by the coroner ’ s jury – the faint possibility that he committed suicide just before he had agreed to meet and argue with burton on a public platform is perennially suggested and, if true, very sad because speke was right and burton wrong over the fact that lake victoria was a source of the nile. list of molluscs described from material collected by j. h. speke | iridina ( pleiodon ) spekii | | woodward, 1859. | | tanzania, lake tanganyika. | | = pleiodon ( cameronia ) spekii ( woodward, 1859 ). holotype in bm 1818. 104. 22. 168 | | lithoglyphus zonatus | | woodward, 1859. | | tanzania, lake tanganyika. | | = spekia zonata ( woodward, 1859 ). syntypes in bm 1822. 214. 171. 124 ( two specimens, one marked with black dot by connolly? selected as lectotype ). | | melania ( melanella ) nassa | | woodward, 1859. | | tanzania, lake tanganyika. | | = lavigeria nassa ( woodward, 1859 ). syntypes in bm 18126. 96. 36. 199 ( two specimens, one not marked with black dot selected as lectotype ). | | unio burtoni | | woodward, 1859. | | tanzania, lake tanganyika. | | = grandidieria burtoni ( woodward, 1859 ). holotype in bm 18188. 8. 131. 52 ( also figured by sowerby, 1866, conch. icon. 16 unio species 251, pl. 47, fig 251 ). |


unwanted in the west presence of outlaws, indians, catholics delayed statehood for n. m., arizona this year marks the 100th anniversary of statehood for arizona and new mexico, but why did it take until 1912 for them to become states? amidst all the hoopla of centennial celebrations the actual history of statehood deserves a closer look. what it reveals is a pattern of racism and discrimination against native americans, hispanics and catholics. eastern politicians were not sure they wanted to dilute the body politic. for new mexico the long road to statehood included, according to new mexico state historian rick hendricks, " four constitutions and four referenda, some 15 congressional proposals, two enabling acts, six delegations to washington and 62 years " from territorial designation to new mexico ' s 47th star on the nation ' s flag. the new york times and harper ' s weekly railed against new mexico joining the union. explorers in the 19th century set the rhetorical pattern. americans sought the southwest ' s mineral wealth of gold, silver, coal and copper, but they weren ' t sure they wanted the outlawry of billy the kid and the infamous lincoln county war. santa fe was an exotic destination, and the rails of the atchison, topeka & santa fe railroad brought tourists west to see indian villages such as the pueblos of laguna, san ildefonso and acoma and then on to the grand canyon of arizona. but statehood? traveling in new mexico after the mexican war of 1846 - 48, the british writer george frederick ruxton complained about " the hostility of indians and the scarcity of water. " he described socorro as " a small, wretched place " where " the faces of the women were all stained with the fiery red juice of a plant called alegrita, from the forehead to the chin. this is for the purpose of protecting the skin from the effects of the sun, and preserving them in untanned beauty to be exposed in the fandangos " or evening dances. military men had a different perspective. e. h. bergmann, colonel of the new mexico volunteers, wrote in 1867 that northern new mexico " is beyond a doubt the best portion... and needs only an industrious white population to use the advantageous nature so generously afforded here. " what he meant was the development of minerals, forests and grasslands. david grey, writing in the newspaper chicago inter - ocean on july 4, 1875, after visiting northern new mexico, described men as " insolent and lazy. "


here. " what he meant was the development of minerals, forests and grasslands. david grey, writing in the newspaper chicago inter - ocean on july 4, 1875, after visiting northern new mexico, described men as " insolent and lazy. " he added that " the catholic priests wield an unbounded influence over these ignorant and half - civilized people, " though he believed everything would change when " the railroad, the school - house, ( and ) the steepled church reach the plazas of conejos, ojo caliente, rito and tierra amarilla. " writing in 1890, the itinerant methodist minister john l. dyer described new mexico as " the outside or fag - ends of an old latinized nation, that had been ridden over by romish priests, " yet he added " the mexicans are a kind, sympathetic people ( who ) will divide anything with even a stranger, especially in the rural parts. " california joined the union in 1850. nevada joined a decade later with colorado coming into the fold in 1876 and utah in 1890 after disclaiming mormon polygamy. but it was well into the 20th century before congress conferred statehood upon arizona and new mexico. the path was not easy, and it contained twists and turns that could have eliminated the four corners. arizona had been part of new mexico until 1863. seven years later an attempt was made to combine them into one state to be named lincoln, which would have included a part of southwestern colorado. in 1902 there was a proposal to combine both territories and admit them as a single state named montezuma. that failed. racism continued. the chicago tribune wrote that new mexico ' s population was " not american, but ' greasers, ' persons ignorant of our laws, manners, customs, language and institutions. " my hero teddy roosevelt visited albuquerque in 1903 and in a pageant in front of the alavarado hotel next to the santa fe railroad tracks, 46 girls represented each state in the union. the girl representing new mexico was not even on the platform. she stood on the steps " pleading tearfully for admission. " in 1906 congress passed a joint resolution combining arizona and new mexico into one state to be named arizona with its capital in santa fe. historian charles bennett explains, " new mexico voters approved this plan, knowing that arizona voters would kill it anyway, which they did. " finally in 1910 president william howard taft signed an " enabling act " for people of the territory to draft a state constitution. here it gets interesting. one


mexico voters approved this plan, knowing that arizona voters would kill it anyway, which they did. " finally in 1910 president william howard taft signed an " enabling act " for people of the territory to draft a state constitution. here it gets interesting. one - third of the delegates to the new mexico constitutional convention were hispanic. they had specific goals and achieved those ends in the state constitution. the 20, 000 - word constitution of 1910 had 130 sections and 22 articles. after decades of racism and pejorative comments about hispanic heritage, the hispanic delegates from northern new mexico insisted on article vii. historian francis levine explains the importance of the state ' s constitution because, " among its unique features was article vii, section 3, guaranteeing that the right of any citizen to vote, hold office, or sit on a jury would never be restricted or abridged on account of religion, race, language, or color, or the ability to speak, read, or write in english or spanish.... these important safeguards have kept new mexico unique and culturally rich. " for the first 20 years of statehood all laws were required to be published in spanish and english. spanish is an official language of the state, equal to english. those provisions might seem far - reaching and inclusive, but it was still a man ' s world. the new mexico constitution denied women the right to vote, excluded citizen initiatives, and maintained the old - fashioned election of u. s. senators by the state legislature, not by popular vote. this was the progressive era, but some reforms had yet to come to new mexico. the past also shaped the future. by 1912 the southwest ' s rich archaeological legacy of native american ruins and sites like chaco, bandelier and the gila cliff dwellings in new mexico ; and wupatki, casa grande and montezuma ' s castle in arizona inspired tourism and provided the united states with an indigenous heritage unequaled in europe. their prehistoric past helped propel arizona and new mexico into the union. so happy centennial birthday! it was a long slog to statehood, but thanks for being the 47th and 48th stars on our american flag. andrew gulliford is a professor of history and environmental studies at fort lewis college. he can be reached at firstname. lastname @ example. org.


what to do with our " detainees "? thirty years ago, american prisoners of war were being brutalized in north vietnam, and an outraged american government sought to shame their captors into respecting the geneva conventions. the treatment of americans never came close to being humane. but, as sen. john mccain ( r., ariz. ) has said of his pow ordeal : “ i ’ m certain we would have been a lot worse off if there had not been the geneva conventions around. ” that ’ s an important story to remember as americans debate whether the geneva conventions should be upheld in the treatment of prisoners from afghanistan. it reminds us that the issue is not about whether we sympathize with accused terrorists who probably don ’ t want our sympathy anyway. it is about protecting a set of rules that protect all people, including american servicemen and women taken captive in war. it is about preserving america ’ s right to complain when americans are mistreated overseas. to his credit, secretary of defense donald rumsfeld acknowledged last week that the conventions do apply to all of the prisoners at guantanamo bay, reversing earlier statements to the contrary. what do the conventions tell us about how these prisoners should be treated? the al - qaeda detainees probably are not entitled to formal pow status because they did not fight for a regular army, wear insignia that identified them as soldiers, or respect the rules of war. if so, they could be tried for war crimes or terrorist acts in the president ’ s proposed military commissions, as long as the trials respect due process. but the taliban detainees probably should be called pows. they fought for the regular armed forces of afghanistan. rumsfeld has suggested that this rule may not apply to the taliban because they weren ’ t internationally recognized as the government of afghanistan. but the geneva conventions don ’ t make that distinction. nor has the united states : in the korean war, for example, neither the united states nor the united nations recognized the communist government of china, but u. s. forces treated chinese prisoners as pows. if any of the detainees are pows, the geneva conventions oblige them to give only their name, rank and serial number. but that doesn ’ t mean the military can ’ t interrogate them about other things, including possible future attacks. and the united states can still prosecute them for war crimes in a military court martial. who determines whether they are pows or “ unlawful combatants, ” as the defense department has called them? rumsfeld cannot make that call himself


future attacks. and the united states can still prosecute them for war crimes in a military court martial. who determines whether they are pows or “ unlawful combatants, ” as the defense department has called them? rumsfeld cannot make that call himself. when there is any doubt about a prisoner ’ s status, the conventions require that they be considered pows until a “ competent tribunal ” decides otherwise, and so do u. s. military regulations. the defense department should respect its own rules by convening such tribunals without delay. whatever the prisoners ’ legal status, the geneva conventions entitle them to be treated humanely. in many respects, the military has taken this responsibility very seriously, while taking understandable steps to protect itself from dangerous prisoners. the main problem has been the confinement of prisoners in metal cages open to the elements – conditions americans would surely condemn if american prisoners were subjected to them overseas. for all the debate on this issue, the defense department has essentially acknowledged the conditions are inadequate by pointing out that the shelters are temporary, and promising to build permanent facilities. that effort needs to be accelerated. there is an easy way for the administration to settle the debate. the red cross is now inspecting the facilities in guantanamo and will be making its recommendations privately to the defense department. rumsfeld should release those recommendations, and he should pledge now to follow them. if the administration does that, it will clear up much of the controversy and confusion. it will be showing that nations can bring terrorists to justice without sinking to their level. and it will ensure that the next time american servicemen and women are imprisoned overseas, the geneva conventions will still be there to protect them. tom malinowski is washington advocacy director of human rights watch


the national register of historic places lists many properties significant for women ' s history. we take the opportunity of women ' s history month to highlight just some of the properties that exemplify the contributions of women to american history. new women ' s history properties featured national park units featured historic properties for women ' s history month : elizabeth c. quinlan house photograph courtesy of the minnesota state historic preservation office elizabeth c. quinlan house, minneapolis, minnesota the house was created for elizabeth c. quinlan, who was the co - founder of the young - quinlan company, which, in 1894, was the first woman ’ s ready - to - wear shop west of the mississippi river. her highly successful department store, innovative practices and entrepreneurial work led her to become a leader of national recognition in the apparel industry and a pioneering business woman. mt. airy ( grandma moses house ), augusta county, virginia grandma moses was a prominent painter who started creating pictures in the 1930s from her memories as a farm wife both in the virginia shenandoah valley and the new york hoosick valley. moses moved to the shenandoah valley in november of 1887, with her husband thomas solomon moses. mt. airy was the first house she and her husband owned in their married lives - - - they bought it for $ 6, 000 and lived there from january 1901 to september 1902. pennsylvania railroad depot and baggage room photograph courtesy of the dennison railroad depot museum pennsylvania railroad depot and baggage room, tuscarawas county, ohio " i was able to get only one sandwich for breakfast and the rest of the day i had nothing till we came to dennison, where a miracle happened. with people behind us we can do only one thing, and that is come out victorious. " the pennsylvania railroad depot and baggage room in dennison, ohio, was famous during world war ii for its canteen, where an estimated 1. 3 million american service men in the armed forces were served food and drinks on their way to training bases and disembarkation for distant fronts overseas. nearly 4, 000 local volunteers, primarily area women, staffed the canteen, and funds were collected to purchase food, coffee, and other supplies. the girl scouts 100 year anniversary : the juliette gordon low historic district consists of three individual properties in savannah, georgia : the wayne - gordon house / juliette gordon low birthplace, the andrew low house, and the carriage house and servants ' quarters for the andrew low house which became commonly known as the first girl scouts headquarters. anna hyatt huntington, georgetown


, georgia : the wayne - gordon house / juliette gordon low birthplace, the andrew low house, and the carriage house and servants ' quarters for the andrew low house which became commonly known as the first girl scouts headquarters. anna hyatt huntington, georgetown county, south carolina for women ’ s history month, the national register is showcasing two historic sites associated with the world famous woman sculptress anna hyatt huntington ( march 10, 1876 – october 4, 1973 ). atalaya, georgetown county, south carolina : atalaya was the winter home of world famous sculptor, anna hyatt huntington, and her philanthropist husband, archer milton huntington. in addition to being anna ' s husband, archer was also the designer of atalaya. brookgreen gardens, georgetown county, south carolina brookgreen gardens is known today as a botanical and sculpture garden. anna hyatt huntington was co - founder of brookgreen gardens and many of her sculptures are on display there. still pond historic district in kent county, maryland located at a crossroads surrounded by family farms, still pond served as a commercial hub and center of community life on maryland ' s upper eastern shore. on may 2, 1908 mary jane howard, annasandra " annie " maxwell, and eliza kelley made history as the first women in maryland to vote in an election. listed in the national register of historic places over 100 years later in august, 2009. mary and eliza freeman houses are significant as the last two houses to survive of " little liberia, " a settlement of free african americans in bridgeport, connecticut anna hyatt huntington photo taken peter a. juley & son repository : smithsonian institution o ' keeffe, georgia, home and studio : the home and studio of the artist georgia o ' keeffe ( 1887 - 1986 ) in abiquiu, new mexico ( approximately 50 miles northwest of santa fe ), is one of the most important artistic sites in the southwestern united states. mulberry plantation, kershaw county, south carolina : is the most important site associated with the writing of mary boykin chesnut ' s remarkable first hand account of southern society during the civil war. architecture of julia morgan : julia morgan was one of the nation ' s first prominent female architects. among the almost 800 buildings she designed are : hearst san simeon estate, san luis obispo county, california, berkeley women ' s city club, in alameda county, california, grandma prisbrey ' s bottle village, ventura county, california : built between 1956


buildings she designed are : hearst san simeon estate, san luis obispo county, california, berkeley women ' s city club, in alameda county, california, grandma prisbrey ' s bottle village, ventura county, california : built between 1956 and 1965, bottle village is a 1 / 3 - acre unique folk art environment designed and erected by folk artist, tressa south, chesterfield county, virginia : designed by amaza lee meredith ( 1895 - 1984 ), one of the nation ' s few black female architects, the house is a significant landmark of african - american material culture and design. piney point coast guard light station : between 1776 and 1942, 141 women were officially appointed keepers of the light by the united states government. nineteen women served as keepers in the state of maryland on the chesapeake bay. rachel carson home : in silver spring, maryland, is significant as the place in which american biologist, naturalist, writer, and poet, rachel carson, wrote the highly acclaimed 1962 book, silent spring, which made her, more than any other person, the acknowledged advocate of the early ecology movement. cather properties in webster county, nebraska : willa cather captured the spirit of the pioneer era as perhaps no other american author. elizabeth jane colter buildings, coconino county, arizona : the hopi house, hermit ' s rest, the lookout studio and the desert view watchtower are not only the best and least altered, but some of the only remaining works of the master architect and interior designer mary elizabeth jane colter. angelus temple, los angeles county, california : is historically significant as the base of operations for aimee semple mcpherson, a pioneer in the field of radio marietta canty house : in hartford, connecticut, is primarily significant for its association with actress marietta canty ( 1905 - 1986 ), who received critical acclaim for her performances in theater, radio, motion pictures, and television as well as her political and david t. and nan wood honeyman house in multnomah county, oregon : nan wood honeyman ( 1881 - 1970 ) was a progressive local and national leader for the democratic party and of prohibition reform. clara barton national historic site in montgomery county, maryland : resting on a slight knoll in a quiet, shaded yard above the potomac river valley, a large, pale yellow, warehouse - like building stands as a memorial to the complicated personality and persistent character of clara barton, a pioneer in women ' s history. hotel metropolitan in mccracken county, kentucky : the hotel metropolitan,


river valley, a large, pale yellow, warehouse - like building stands as a memorial to the complicated personality and persistent character of clara barton, a pioneer in women ' s history. hotel metropolitan in mccracken county, kentucky : the hotel metropolitan, the first hotel owned and operated by and for african americans in paducah, was constructed for a young black woman in 1909. turkey point lighthouse in cecil county, maryland : authorized by congress in 1831 with the tower and keeper ' s quarters built in 1833, was tended by more women keepers than any other lighthouse on the chesapeake bay. maggie l. walker national historic site in richmond, virginia : commemorates the life and work of an exceptional woman who became very active in the economic, social, and philanthropic life of richmond ' s african american community. loretta ensor, 1923 image courtesy of larry woodworth, ensor farmsite & museum ensor farm : in johnson county, kansas, is known for its historic association with loretta ensor ( 1904 - 1991 ) and her brother, marshall hamilton ensor ( 1899 - 1970 ), two of the most prominent radio amateurs who established one of the most complete amateur radio transmitting stations in america on their property during the early history of frank b. cooper elementary school : in the west delridge neighborhood of west seattle, washington, the frank b. cooper elementary school is historically associated with mrs. thelma fisher dewitty, who holds the distinction of being the first african american to teach within the seattle public school district. lowell national historical park in middlesex county, massachusetts : while there is no single birthplace of industry, lowell ' s planned textile mill city, in scale, technological innovation, and development of an urban working class, marked the beginning of the industrial transformation of america. eudora welty house, jackson, ms home of one of the most influential writers of the 20th century ellamae ellis league house, macon, ga self - designed residence of accomplished georgia architect ellamae ellis league woman ' s athletic club of san francisco, ca established by women in 1915 to improve themselves - - intellectually, physically and artistically eleanor roosevelt national historic site in dutchess county, new york : val - kill cottage, the simple, two - story stone building located within the roosevelt family property at hyde park, was the home of eleanor roosevelt ( 1884 - 1962 ) for the last 17 years of her life. patsy cline house, winchester, va home of 20th - century country music legend patsy cline matinicus rock and whitehead light stations, knox county, maine


home of eleanor roosevelt ( 1884 - 1962 ) for the last 17 years of her life. patsy cline house, winchester, va home of 20th - century country music legend patsy cline matinicus rock and whitehead light stations, knox county, maine two lighthouses in maine tended by a 19th - century female keeper, abbie burgess grant west feliciana parish, la gardens designed by martha turnbull, amateur 19th - century landscape designer mary mcleod bethune council house national historic site in washington, dc : was significant as a center for the development of strategies and programs which advanced the interests of african american women and the black community. marjorie kinnan rawlings photo taken by carl van vechten, 1953 rawlings, marjorie kinnan, house and farm yard, cross creek, florida home of the journalist and author marjorie kinnan rawlings. aldrich, nathan c., house and resthaven chapel, catherine regina seabury used this property to benefit the female factory workers of boston. catt, carrie chapam house, briarcliff manor, new york the home of the famous suffragist of the same name between 1919 and 1928, during the time when she played a pivotal role in securing the nineteenth amendment giving women the right to vote in 1920. violet oakley studio, philadelphia, pennsylvania studio of the artist and muralist violet oakley. bonniebrook homestead, taney county, missouri rose o ' neill, artist and creator of the kewpie doll lived and worked on this estate. anna leialoha perry - fiske, 1939 photo courtesy of hawaii state historic preservation office and the anna ranch heritage center anna ranch, kamuela, hawaii find out about anna leialoha perry - fiske who saved her ranch, gave to charity, and won horseman ship contests. fisk, robert and elizabeth, house, helena, montana political, charitable, activist, and mother : elizabeth fisk was a leader in the early days of helena, montana. our itineraries are online guides tours to historic places listed in the national register, national parks and other historic places. each includes detailed maps, tourist information, location information, and color photographs. travel to historic places that tell the fascinating stories of women in various professions including educators, artists, inventors, business leaders, and philanthropists. teaching with historic places this program offers a series of award - winning lesson plans that use places listed in the national register to enliven the study of history, social studies, and geography. twhp has ready - to -


and philanthropists. teaching with historic places this program offers a series of award - winning lesson plans that use places listed in the national register to enliven the study of history, social studies, and geography. twhp has ready - to - use lesson plans, available for free downloading, that examine important aspects of women ' s history. • navesink lighthouse and robbins reef lighthouse : lighting the way through new york bay • the old mormon fort : birthplace of las vegas, nevada • adeline hornbek and the homestead act : a colorado success story • back stairs at brucemore : life as servants in early 20th - century america • the battle of prairie grove : civilian recollections of the civil war • birthplace of john f. kennedy : home of the boy who would be president • chatham plantation : witness to the civil war • clara barton ' s house : home of the american red cross • first lady of the world : eleanor roosevelt at val - kill • from canterbury to little rock : • the struggle for educational equality for african americans • floyd bennett field : naval aviation ' s home in brooklyn • the m ' clintock house : a home to the women ' s rights movement • the penniman house : a whaling story • two american entrepreneurs : madam c. j. walker and j. c. penney women ' s history in the parks women ' s history month - national park service wide portal mary mcleod bethune council house national historic site maggie l. walker at maggie l. walker national historic site ( past feature ) clara barton at clara barton national historic site ( past feature ) mary j. colter properties at grand canyon national park ( past feature ) lowell national historical park ( past feature ) johnstown flood national memorial eleanor roosevelt national historic site ( past feature ) rosie the riveter - world war ii home front national historical park sewall - belmont house national historic site whitman mission national historic site women ' s rights national historical park women ' s history month - national park service wide portal women ' s history month : government wide portal eleanor roosevelt : american visionary this dynamic new website celebrates eleanor roosevelt, niece of president theodore roosevelt and the wife of president franklin d. roosevelt, eleanor helped transform the role of first lady and became a champion of domestic social reform, economic justice, and human rights. the website includes virtual tours of historic places associated with the former first lady, and numerous images of fascination museum objects. interpreting women ' s history in the national park service this publication focuses on what women ' s history is, the


, and human rights. the website includes virtual tours of historic places associated with the former first lady, and numerous images of fascination museum objects. interpreting women ' s history in the national park service this publication focuses on what women ' s history is, the current status of women ' s history in the national parks, new ways for scholars of women ' s history and nps staff to work together, and the role of the national park service in the preservation, commemoration, and interpretation of the history of american women. national park service uniforms : breeches, blouses, and skirts 1918 - 1991 the national park service has, for most of its existence, been a male dominated organization. women ' s role in the service was never clearly defined until the 1960 ' s, at which time a victorian mentality prevailed, treating them as objects to be protected, instead of the ranger status to which they aspired. this on - line book tells the story of those women who fought to achieve their goal of equality with their male counterparts not only as rangers, but as rangers with the right to wear the appropriate attire to perform the job. national women ' s history project the national women ' s history project is a non - profit organization dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the diverse and historic accomplishments of women by providing information and educational material and programs. the goal of the nwhp is to " make history " accurate by recognizing and celebrating women ' s contributions through its current and future projects. national collaborative for women ' s history sites ncwhs supports and promotes the preservation and interpretation of sites and locales that bear witness to women ' s participation in american life. the collaborative makes women ' s contributions to history visible so that all women ' s experiences and potential are fully valued. national register information system since its inception in 1966, nearly 80, 000 properties have been listed in the national register. together these files hold information on more than 1. 4 million individual resources - - buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects - - and therefore provide a link to the country ' s heritage at the national, state, and local levels. search by name, location, agency, or theme to locate national register properties associated with women ' s history. library of congress : built in america ( habs / haer / hals ) the historic american buildings survey ( habs ), historic american engineering record ( haer ) and historic american landscapes survey ( hals ) collections document achievements in architecture, engineering, and design in the united states through a comprehensive range of building types and engineering


about this lesson this lesson is based on the national register of historic places registration file, " port hudson battlefield " ( with photographs ), and other primary sources about the siege. it was made possible by the national park service ' s american battlefield protection program. the lesson written by gregg potts, site manager at the port hudson state commemorative area, and arthur w. bergeron, jr., historian at pamplin park civil war site in petersburg, virginia. twhp is sponsored, in part, by the cultural resources training initiative and parks as classrooms programs of the national park service. this lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into the classrooms across the country. where it fits into the curriculum topics : the lesson could be used in units on the civil war. students will strengthen their skills of observation, research, and analysis of primary sources. time period : late 19th century relevant united states history standards for grades 5 - 12 relevant curriculum standards for social studies find your state ' s social studies and history standards for grades pre - k - 12 objectives for students 1 ) to explain how the physical features of the area made port hudson strategically important for both sides. 2 ) to examine the particular characteristics of siege warfare and how it affected soldiers physically and mentally. 3 ) to determine if their own community has withstood monumental crises, and how it responded to such a situation. materials for students the materials listed below either can be used directly on the computer or can be printed out, photocopied, and distributed to students. the maps and images appear twice : in a low - resolution version with associated questions and alone in a larger, high - resolution version. 1 ) two maps showing the mississippi valley and port hudson ; 2 ) four readings about the siege, including several first - hand accounts from soldiers ; 3 ) five historic photographs made during the siege and after the surrender ; 4 ) one illustration of africanamerican troops at port hudson from harper ' s weekly ; visiting the site port hudson state commemorative area is located in east feliciana parish adjacent to the old town site of port hudson, louisiana. the main entrance is located on u. s. highway 61, approximately 15 miles north of baton rouge. port hudson state commemorative area is open from 9 : 00 a. m. to 5 : 00 p. m. year round, except new year ' s, thanksgiving, and christmas. for more information, contact the commemorative area manager, port hudson state commemorative area, 756 west plainsport hudson road, zachary,


- enter a word for the dictionary definition. from the collaborative international dictionary of english v. 0. 48 : wind \ wind \ ( w [ i ^ ] nd, in poetry and singing often w [ imac ] nd ; 277 ), n. [ as. wind ; akin to os., ofries., d., & g. wind, ohg. wint, dan. & sw. vind, icel. vindr, goth winds, w. gwynt, l. ventus, skr. v [ = a ] ta ( cf. gr. ' ah ` ths a blast, gale, ' ah ^ nai to breathe hard, to blow, as the wind ) ; originally a p. pr. from the verb seen in skr. v [ = a ] to blow, akin to as. w [ = a ] wan, d. waaijen, g. wehen, ohg. w [ = a ] en, w [ = a ] jen, goth. waian. [ root ] 131. cf. air, ventail, ventilate, window, winnow. ] [ 1913 webster ] 1. air naturally in motion with any degree of velocity ; a current of air. [ 1913 webster ] except wind stands as never it stood, it is an ill wind that turns none to good. - - tusser. [ 1913 webster ] winds were soft, and woods were green. - - longfellow. [ 1913 webster ] 2. air artificially put in motion by any force or action ; as, the wind of a cannon ball ; the wind of a bellows. [ 1913 webster ] 3. breath modulated by the respiratory and vocal organs, or by an instrument. [ 1913 webster ] their instruments were various in their kind, some for the bow, and some for breathing wind. - - dryden. [ 1913 webster ] 4. power of respiration ; breath. [ 1913 webster ] if my wind were but long enough to say my prayers, i would repent. - - shak. [ 1913 webster ] 5. air or gas generated in the stomach or bowels ; flatulence ; as, to be troubled with wind. [ 1913 webster ] 6. air impregnated with an odor or scent. [ 1913 webster ] a pack of dogfish had him in the wind. - - swift. [ 1913 webster ] 7. a direction from which the wind may blow ; a point of


6. air impregnated with an odor or scent. [ 1913 webster ] a pack of dogfish had him in the wind. - - swift. [ 1913 webster ] 7. a direction from which the wind may blow ; a point of the compass ; especially, one of the cardinal points, which are often called the four winds. [ 1913 webster ] come from the four winds, o breath, and breathe upon these slain. - - ezek. xxxvii. 9. [ 1913 webster ] note : this sense seems to have had its origin in the east. the hebrews gave to each of the four cardinal points the name of wind. [ 1913 webster ] 8. ( far. ) a disease of sheep, in which the intestines are distended with air, or rather affected with a violent inflammation. it occurs immediately after shearing. [ 1913 webster ] 9. mere breath or talk ; empty effort ; idle words. [ 1913 webster ] nor think thou with wind of airy threats to awe. - - milton. [ 1913 webster ] 10. ( zool. ) the dotterel. [ prov. eng. ] [ 1913 webster ] 11. ( boxing ) the region of the pit of the stomach, where a blow may paralyze the diaphragm and cause temporary loss of breath or other injury ; the mark. [ slang or cant ] [ webster 1913 suppl. ] note : wind is often used adjectively, or as the first part of compound words. [ 1913 webster ] all in the wind. ( naut. ) see under all, n. before the wind. ( naut. ) see under before. between wind and water ( naut. ), in that part of a ship ' s side or bottom which is frequently brought above water by the rolling of the ship, or fluctuation of the water ' s surface. hence, colloquially, ( as an injury to that part of a vessel, in an engagement, is particularly dangerous ) the vulnerable part or point of anything. cardinal winds. see under cardinal, a. down the wind. ( a ) in the direction of, and moving with, the wind ; as, birds fly swiftly down the wind. ( b ) decaying ; declining ; in a state of decay. [ obs. ] " he went down the wind still. " - - l ' estrange. in the wind ' s eye ( naut. ), directly toward the point from which