Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Marching to amend CPSIA

Tomorrow is a big day, other than being April Fool's Day. CPSIA opposers are having a rally in Washington to show why CPSIA should be amended.

To be kept updated on the activities tomorrow - go here and register for updates. I've been pretty quiet about CPSIA of late but there are several sites I've been following and commenting on as time permits. I've been so swamped with work that I haven't had a chance to really post much here. If you would like some really great info on CPSIA and how stupid this law is check out Rick Woldenberg's CPSIA site. He is updating regularly with articles and thought provoking information that really makes sense. Like the fact that the democrats who are supporting amending the law will not even show up to the rally (outcasts? afraid of what their peers will think of them? who knows but they should show up and shed some light as to why Waxman is so opposing any change to the law - I challenge Waxman to show up himself).

I've also been following Valerie Jacobsen's blog and she has a vested interested in all this - she is the mother of 11 children and is also a bookseller. She also has some thought provoking, sometimes humorous (we all need some humor in this day and age) postings about CPSIA and other things. Follow a few of the bloggers out there and really see what is going on. I'm sure by now if you Google CPSIA and blogs - you will come up with a plethora of them. This will probably come up somewhere but you will see that folks are blogging about CPSIA all the time.

I also know that as many that are talking about the new law and trying to fight it just as many don't have a clue about CPSIA. I was at a writer's conference this weekend and the majority of them hadn't even heard of CPsia. My local librarian didn't even know about the pre 1986 aspect of CPSIA as per ALA et al who have publicized it. It amazes me that CPSIA is not a household word yet. That tells me that not enough of the people of voting age are being reached and voicing their opposition to this law. Everyone who is legally a registered voter should be speaking out and opposing CPSIA for what it is worth. Don't depend on your neighbor to do it alone; get out there and rally your neighbors and everyone speak out against this horrendous, ill-written, poorly-thought out, harmful law - NO MORE CPSIA; CPSIA HARMS MORE THAN IT HELPS. We need to keep writing and calling. Everyone needs to call Waxman's office and complain, oppose, do whatever it takes to get CPSIA amended or repealed. It is a very damaging law that will have so many ill effects on the economy that we will be worse than the Great Depression of 1929. 1929 will look like a bed of roses to us. Speak up people. Don't sit back and think that CPSIA does not affect you at all; it will hurt every American citizen across the board for years to come - not immediately but it is coming. Call, write, tell them NO MORE.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Something fun regarding CPSIA

This video sums it up - CPSIA isn't about protecting the children but about saving the "fatcats" and large businesses. Enjoy and remember we need to continue fighting the battle, the little people will eventually be heard and make a difference. FATCAT fun

This is about right for CPSIA and I'm glad there is someone out there who realizes that we really need to fight this law, however we can - by whatever means we can. First amendment rights, save the small businesses, et cetera. For more check out this blog. Check his side bar because he has many articles and information there.

See you in the postings - E :)

Friday, March 20, 2009

And you thought CPSIA had really become a law?

According to Valerie Jacobsen, her posting on "First Amendment" rights over at The Bookroom blog hits it all on the head, wraps it up in a nutshell.

CPSIA is unconstitutional and violates first amendment rights big time. So even if CPSC says that CPSIA is a law and that it became effective February 10, it really doesn't exist as a law and the governing bodies cannot enforce it in any amount due to it being unlawful and a violation of our rights as given to us by our forefathers. So I think this will be the fight we now need to take, CPSIA - no worries, since it isn't a law based on the infringement of our first amendment rights.

For more read Valerie's blog. She has many good postings about CPSIA and fighting the good fight. She also has some cute sidebar pics and fun stuff about CPSIA.

See you all in the postings - don't worry about CPSIA any more since it isn't even a real law. - Keep you posted on more updates. E :)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Best description of what CPSIA will do to the nation

Yep, it's been a while since this topic has come up and although I'm not blogging as much about CPSIA, I am still voicing my opinion to folks about getting this dangerous law repealed, revoked, or totally revamped.

I found The Bookroom blog through a posting on Vivian's blog (scroll to the paragraph that starts: However, most libraries aren't complying...) with this posting and thought it was exactly what I've been looking to describe what CPSIA is really doing to the consumers in general. If you thought we were over racism, prejudice, and other horrors, read the description of what CPSIA is (as through the eyes of one person, but really is reflective of how every American voting citizen should feel about it) and how it will totally destroy the nation's well-being.

I cannot say what CPSIA is doing to us better than this and I feel as I did two months ago, that every American citizen of voting age needs to continue to contact their representatives and let them know that even if they don't have children this law will effect that eventually it will effect them in the long run by causing higher costs for every day products that they as adults need or will buy in the future. They also need to remind their representatives that they (the reps) work for the public, voting constituents and must do as the public wants since we are the ones who put them in office and we can very easily have them removed.

Don't let our libraries become shells of buildings where kids are no longer welcome to enjoy the freedom of speech (writing books is speaking in a way) found in books. Don't let our economy suffer any more. Speak up and let your voices be heard. Keep calling and writing your representatives and tell them - No more CPSIA; repeal stupid laws and start thinking rationally or listen to voices of reason. Everyone, old or young, with children in the home or not, needs to be heard and speak up.

(as a side note, I've heard from some overseas friends that CPSIA is also affecting the publishing industry in England and Canada and as far as Australia, so this is no longer a national issue; it is international but it is all because of our stupid governing officials that this law has been put into place and we are the nation that needs to get it repealed.) If you think George Orwell's 1984 was an extreme of "Big Brother", think again; CPSIA of 2008 is the ultimate, furtherest reaching "Big Brother" we have out there.

Follow other issues with CPSIA but going to Publisher's Weekly, the ALA and other large businesses who feel this is a very stupid, alarmist way for the nation to act. Hope you all continue to do your part and see you in the postings - E :)

Thursday, March 12, 2009

A day late (okay a few days late) update on the SC Book Festival

Usually this posting goes up within a day of returning if not the day I come home from the book festival. This was a totally different year.

My daughter went to Columbia with me and visited with her sister for the weekend. When we got to Columbia, I couldn't check in (too early) and my master class had gotten cancelled so I had some time to kill. We went to see a movie - saw Confessions of a Shopaholic - and had an enjoyable time. Spent some time with Hailie that we don't get to do much of (well I spend time with her but not like this - just relaxed and no worries).

Of course when we got to Columbia, it decided to rain on us. It was a wet weekend. After the movie, we went to my hotel to check me in and get my stuff taken upstairs. I stayed at the Homewood Suites and enjoyed it thoroughly. I had a pull out sofa if I had needed it; a full kitchenette with a table for dining for two, a king sized bed, a desk and work area. It was great. (yes beats sleeping in my car like last year.) So Heather (my stepdaughter) came by and got Hailie (I was supposed to take them out to dinner but they declined) and I went on about my way doing things I needed to (had to go to Wal-Mart to get a USB cable for my new printer, so went to dinner by myself).

Saturday was a leisurely day as I had planned to attend a couple of workshops and then just hang around my friend's booth and kind of relax. I did volunteer in the SCWW booth for about an hour. I made three book sales over the weekend and that was just from casual conversations and being in my friend's booth and having my wonderful bookmarks available. Those bookmarks were a hit. I probably put a couple hundred in the hands of folks down there over the whole weekend. My friend was also helping by putting my bookmarks in with her sales. It was a great weekend as I got exposure and made a few sales.

Sunday, I came in to see one of the workshops at the beginning. My daughter and stepdaughter came to the book festival about 1:30 and they walked a bit and I chatted with folks for a bit. Finally, they persuaded me to head out since they were hungry and the weather was kind of yucky as it was - rained the whole weekend, which is a first for me in the last five or six years since starting to attend this particular festival (usually rains one or the other days but not all weekend). The three of us had lunch and we went our separate ways, me heading home and my stepdaughter heading back to her home. The S word had come up several times Sunday while I was meandering around the festival. No, it couldn't snow, it was March 1 and that means we should have been having nicer weather coming along. Well, it was raining when I left Columbia and by time I got about 20 miles or so outside of the downtown area, sure enough there were some flakes seen (it was a mix at this time). By time I had gotten about 40 miles up the road, the flakes were even larger and coming down at a pretty fast rate. The ground was starting to show signs of being covered. By time I got to about 20 miles from my home, the weather was worse - snow covered the streets and it was that slushy stuff since it had been raining. The last 8-10 miles towards my town were very slow going since I had to drive at about 30 or 35 on a 55 road - that's how bad they were becoming. By time I pulled in to the grocery store to pick up milk and bread and get over to subway, the parking lots were getting almost undrivable. I made it home in the nick of time because the whole town shut down shortly thereafter - the stores were closing, the food places were closing, although I found out a couple of days later that Hardees stayed open on Sunday, which is ludicrist as the roads were not even drivable and they put their employees in danger.

So this was a weird but good book festival. I was not a volunteer for the festival, but for the SCWW group for a short time, I attended workshops that were very good and I got to spend time with my friend and my daughter that I normally wouldn't have been able to do and it snowed on the way home. Next year, with six books available, I'm hoping that 4RV will have a booth and that I can get on as a guest speaker. Hopefully, hopefully.

I really encourage all authors to attend a book festival in their area as a volunteer or an attendee and then work on getting on as a guest speaker somehow. Books are our friends. Happy reading - see you all in the postings - E :)