string fever | photos + commentary.

mixed politics

I'm in DC this week with a 10-20mm Sigma wide angle lens on my camera- my friend J loaned it to me right before I left. I've never worked with anything but the 18-55mm that came with the Canon Rebel lens kit, so having this beautiful clean lens mounted on my camera is novel. It has heft and weight. I also get to see what comes of it when I use it indiscriminately, because it's the only lens I have other than the 18-55. Shooting EVERYTHING with a 10-20 is going to be interesting. I don't have the ability to upload photos this week, so it'll have to wait til I get home.

For now, I just want to report that I happened to be here in DC when the House put the health care reform bill to the vote late Saturday night. I was at the SisterSong conference with 400 other women (of color) who work for reproductive health and justice. When it became known that the House would be voting on the Stupak amendment, which would essentially ban abortion coverage from any public or private insurance plan in the health care exchange, there was talk of marching to Capitol Hill to make sure that abortion and women's health were not once again, as they eternally are, the compromises that Democrats were willing to make. Thanks to a bunch of setbacks, we did last-minute legislative visits instead. The Stupak amendment was ultimately passed as part of the larger health reform bill. My confusion and mixed emotions feel intensified when I'm here in DC with the magnitude of this week's politics literally in the air. I understand that passing a health reform bill was very, very important this weekend, for Obama's presidency and for the momentum of this thing, but Stupak is devastating. It is a huge step backwards in health care accessibility, especially for the women who don't need any more limitations in their options. This amendment was about achieving a pro-life victory and/or about Democratic compromise, not about protecting and expanding health. What a dangerous, ugly, frustrating compromise.

more thoughts to come- thanks for reading.
b.