Martha Roby: Highlighting national breast cancer awareness month
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual international campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the second most common cancer in women, with the goal of someday ending it entirely. Although deaths from breast cancer continue to fall, they’re declining at a slower rate than in previous years, and the number of cases we’re seeing is rising. It is very important that we take this valuable opportunity to talk about this dreaded disease and increase our knowledge on the topic. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be more than 271,000 new cases of breast cancer this year alone, 99 percent of which will be diagnosed in women. Of course, risk factors like age and genetics cannot be avoided, but there are steps you can take to lower your own breast cancer risk, and most of them are related to maintaining good health in general. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and getting regular screenings if you are older than 40. Unfortunately, most of us have either faced a cancer diagnosis personally or been close to a friend or family member who has. Until we eradicate this terrible disease altogether, it is important to know about the resources available to those in the fight. Throughout my time in Congress, I have considered it a privilege to play in the Congressional Women’s Softball Game, a charity event benefiting the Young Survival Coalition (YSC). YSC aims to improve the quality of life for young adults affected by breast cancer. My team didn’t quite pull off a win during this year’s game, but I could not be prouder of what we accomplished. We raised more than $365,000 – a new record – to benefit YSC and their important mission supporting individuals battling breast cancer. A cancer diagnosis is certainly never easy, but organizations like YSC make it possible to navigate these challenging circumstances, and I am grateful for their work. During the month of October, I encourage you to increase your own awareness about breast cancer and the risks associated with the disease and tell your loved ones to do the same. As with many other forms of cancer, early detection is critical and saves lives. If you are currently battling breast cancer, please know that my prayers are with you. You can access valuable information by visiting www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer.html. Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband Riley and their two children.
Montgomery’s LEAD Academy under fire by school choice opponents
I know this is going to come as a shock so brace yourself – people who have never, and would never support school choice are declaring war on the LEAD Academy in Montgomery. The city’s first charter school opened its doors just seven short weeks ago. “Craziness” is how one such “open-mind” columnist described the situation at the new school. Important to note that the same individual has written for years about his opposition to school choice. Once titling a blog, “School choice is an awful choice.” Today, he wrote, “Mark my words: LEAD will fail, and it will fail soon.” Make no mistake about it: Those cheering for the school to fail were betting against its success before the first student was ever enrolled. No matter what they say or how they phrase it, at this point, anyone wishing for LEADS Academy to fail is wishing that 300+ students fail. They may tell you otherwise that’s just lip service. This is no longer about the politics of charter schools. Those arguments have been litigated and I’ll tell you who won – the students, their families, and the community. The school is open and operating. Do not be distracted or fooled; every conversation from the day the students crossed the threshold of the school should solely be focused on the safety, opportunities and education of the children. No everything hasn’t gone smoothly at LEAD Academy but it’s far from the only school in the state experiencing challenges and it’s brand new. Interestingly though the same vocal opponents of LEAD Academy have been silent on problems with public schools. In Birmingham, a special needs student was left on a school bus all day. I didn’t read any columns of condemnation about that. Another Birmingham public school had to cancel a full day of school because their air condition system was broken. I didn’t see any opinion pieces about the problems with those administrators. An Alabama middle-school principal was recently arrested for the “torture and humiliation” of an autistic child. I just checked and double-checked for an opinion piece about protecting special needs children in public schools and, nope. Came up empty-handed for any statements or pieces from the critics of charter schools on any of the many, many problems with public schools. The Alabama Education Association has said, “AEA has made clear we’re not against all charter schools, but we are against bad charter schools.” That said, I can’t find anywhere where they’ve said anything positive about any charter schools. I also don’t find any statements from them condemning the public school problems though they have taken up the cause of fighting high bus temperatures (which ironically have been a huge problem lately but in several weeks should take care of itself in most cases/places). So can we get down to the heart of the matter: How the Academy can and will improve for the sake of the students, parents, teachers and the community as a whole? Yesterday, I had the opportunity to chat with Charlotte Meadows on the News and Views with Joey & Jack. You can listen to the full audio of our hour-long chat here let me bottom line it for you – The administration isn’t dodging the fact they have room for growth and areas of improvement, nor are they’re not sitting on their hands or turning a blind eye to their challenges. They’re facing them head-on taking them as they come while anticipating problems as they gain experience. Personally, I’m sure this would be easier for them to do if they didn’t have to deal with all of the misinformation and flat out lies being spread across social media and by opinion writers with an agenda. To help sort through some of the madness here are a few myths I’ve personally read about and the truth: Myth: One consultant is being paid $30,000 monthly. Fact: The $30,000 contract at hand is for contracting the equivalent of “Central Office” administrative work. This amount funds 3-4 individuals from the consulting group to work at the school on a regular basis as well as some support from the companies main offices in Texas. Myth: The families don’t know what is going on. Fact: The administration has sent 3 different schoolwide emails to parents and has held 3 open meetings for parents and concerned individuals. Charlotte Meadows has been on 2 different radio programs and has made herself and other school administrators available to parents with questions or concerns. Myth: The principal was fired for bringing concerns about the school to the state. Fact: According to the Montgomery Advertiser, the Alabama Department of Education was crystal clear in debunking this one themselves. The department said, it “has been providing technical assistance to LEAD Academy, as the ALSDE does all schools, especially newly opened schools. Other than the regular technical assistance being provided, no formal complaint has been submitted concerning compliance issues regarding LEAD Academy.” The principal, Dr. Nicole Ivey, who was terminated was responsible for making sure that the school was in compliance with state regulations. If she was calling the state with complaints wouldn’t that mean she was calling the state to say she couldn’t do her job? Are you considered a whistle-blower if you’re speaking to your own inability or unwillingness to do your job? If problems at the school were dire it would have been incumbent on her document them, report them to the other school administrators and execute a plan to fix things. If she didn’t have the professional competencies to do so it’s a good thing she’s gone. After listening to some of the issues with her my problem is not that she’s gone but that she wasn’t terminated sooner. We’re talking about a school principal who didn’t get student or employee handbooks out until after school started. We’re talking about a woman who didn’t hold a single faculty meeting in the first six weeks of the new school being opened. It doesn’t take an education
Donald Trump busts another norm; GOP responds with silence, support
Republican leaders are reacting in two ways to President Donald Trump’s public call for another foreign government, China, to investigate his political rival: silence and support. Several House and Senate leaders stayed mum Thursday as Trump escalated the controversy that has fueled an impeachment inquiry and plowed through another norm of American politics. Foreign interference in elections has long been viewed as a threat to U.S. sovereignty and the integrity of democracy, and soliciting foreign help in an election is illegal. But Trump found support in his willingness to openly challenge that convention. Vice President Mike Pence made clear he backed the president and believes he is raising “appropriate” issues. Other allies agreed. “I don’t think there’s anything improper about doing that,” GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said of Trump’s call on China to investigate the business dealings of Hunter Biden, the son of leading Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. The responses followed a familiar pattern in the age of Trump. As the president broke another political barrier, his party leaders made no public effort to rein him in. Critics have argued that reaction has only emboldened the president, while doing lasting damage to the party and the presidency. Trump allies argue the president’s rule-breaking rhetoric is not as important as his policies, which they support. But the silence this time also reflects a sharper dilemma for Republicans. As Democrats pursue an impeachment investigation , Republicans have been struggling with how best to shield themselves _ and the unpredictable president who may decide their political fortunes _ from the steady drip of new revelations. With little guidance from the White House, lawmakers have tried to say as little as possible, blame Democrats or express vague optimism about the investigative process. Trump’s remarks Thursday demonstrated the limits of that strategy. Standing outside the White House, Trump defended himself against allegations that he privately pressured Ukraine to investigate the Bidens by inviting a geopolitical rival to launch a probe. “China should start an investigation into the Bidens,” Trump said after being asked about trade negotiations with the country. Shortly afterward, speaking at an event in Arizona, Pence argued that the Bidens’ ties to Ukraine are of interest to the American people. “There are legitimate questions that ought to be asked. We will continue to ask them because the American people have a right to know whether or not the vice president of the United States or his family profited from his position,” he said. One of the party’s most vulnerable senators, Arizona’s Martha McSally, stood at Pence’s side at the stop in Scottsdale. McSally has blasted Democrats for launching an impeachment investigation focused on Trump’s pressure on Ukraine, but has not commented on the whistleblower report and the loose transcript of the phone call that prompted the probe. Her office had no comment about whether she thought Trump’s statement Thursday was appropriate. In North Carolina, Sen. Thom Tillis, whom Democrats hope to topple in 2020, also stood by the president. Tillis has said he remains unconvinced that the evidence revealed so far exceeds the threshold necessary for impeachment. “We’ll see what comes out of their impeachment inquiry. They’re not drawing up articles of impeachment yet,” Tillis told The Associated Press in an interview Monday. “What I’ve said is if they’re basing this entire process on a now public, unredacted transcript and the whistleblower complaint, certainly that doesn’t rise to a level of impeachment, in my opinion.” Asked about his reaction to the public statements Thursday, Tillis’ office responded with a statement: “Democrats and the mainstream media are using anything and everything to justify impeaching the president and removing him from office.” At a town hall meeting in western Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst was asked about Trump’s Ukraine call and request for foreign intervention. “We’re going to move onto another question, but what I would say is we can’t determine that yet,” Ernst said. She said the Senate Intelligence Committee would evaluate it. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the powerful finance committee, also declined to comment, but his office pointed to the senator’s August request for the Trump administration to investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China. The office of Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, widely considered the most vulnerable Republican senator, issued a statement that didn’t reference Trump’s request of China. “The Senate Intelligence Committee is a serious and respected body that is looking into this in a bipartisan fashion,” the statement said. The offices of several other senators up for reelection next year alongside the president, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, also did not respond. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, tweeted, “Once again, @realDonaldTrump has called on a foreign country to interfere in our elections – just the latest example of him putting his personal political gain ahead of defending the integrity of our elections.”House Democrats are investigating Trump’s July 25 call to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in which Trump pressed the newly elected leader to look into the Biden family.Hunter Biden served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company at the same time his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings with Kyiv. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either the former vice president or his son. Notably, the office of Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who had called reports of Trump’s requests “troubling” last week, referred to that statement in saying he had no additional comment Thursday. Still, at almost the same time as Trump’s comments, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called on Pelosi to end the impeachment inquiry, saying it’s unclear whether it would be fair to Trump. “Anything less than a thorough, transparent and fair process would represent a supreme insult to our Constitution and the millions of Americans who rely on their voices being heard,” he wrote. By Nicholas Riccardi and
