ANNOUNCEMENT! BASTARD NATION WITHDRAWS FROM A DAY FOR ADOPTEE RIGHTS

June 1, 2008

To: Members, Bastard Nation: The Adoptee Rights Organization

Re: Withdrawal of Bastard Nation from A Day for Adoptee Rights

Bastards,

The Executive Committee of Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization announces with regret the withdrawal of our organizational co-sponsorship and official participation in A Day for Adoptee Rights, (DAR) scheduled for July 20-25 during the National Conference of State Legislature's annual meeting in New Orleans. We had planned to hold a "Bastard Boot Camp Teach-In" on July 20, participate in the protest on July 22, and help staff the DAR space inside the Mariol Convention Center July 23-25.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience or discouragement this decision may cause.

As of this writing the event itself has not been canceled, only Bastard Nation's co-sponsorship and participation. Please check the DAR website for updates on the status of the event. http://adopteerights.net/nulliusfilius/

Bastard Nation has been concerned for some time about the cost effectiveness of the project. While many people exhibited an interest in attending all or part of the event, the number of people who actually registered or made a serious commitment to attend was minimal. There were also hidden costs at the convention center, of which DAR and BN were not aware of until recently, which put our participation extremely over budget.

Bastard Nation believes that the Day for Adoptee Rights project is a sound idea. There is no dispute between BN and DAR. We have concluded that this is not the time or place for Bastard Nation to take part in a Day for Adoptee Rights. The cost of the event this year spiraled and did not balance with the number of participants coming forward to show our strength to the politicians who hold the keys to the records cabinets. Bastard Nation is an all volunteer organization that works on the foundational financial principle of bringing you the best bang for your buck. Spending several thousand dollars in member dues and donations on a project that at this point was sputtering is fiscally irresponsible, movement careless, and takes time and funds away from legislative and educational activities that can make a direct difference now.

Moreover, we are concerned with participation of Abrazo Adoption Agency in San Antonio, Texas. Unknown to DAR and BN until just a few days ago, Abrazo has been raising funds for the event in DAR's name. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/85456?recruiter_id=15092383

These funds went and continue to go directly to the agency, raising huge ethical issues for Bastard Nation and the equal access movement. Records and identity access is about our rights and has no connection with the marketing schemes of adoption agencies. BN has a long-standing, hard-line policy of accepting no support from the adoption industry. Bastard Nation specifically, and the adoptee rights movement in general, cannot and should not be co-opted or used by the adoption industry to promote its own agenda. We disavow all industry involvement in our work. Any entanglement with the adoption industry endangers the integrity and credibility of the adoptee rights movement.

Although BN solicited funds for our specific DAR activities, the only official fundraising site for DAR is on the DAR site. Do not send funds to any other solicitor.

Bastard Nation is in the process of working with the Country Inn and Suites by Carlson to release the rooms in our reserved block. We will personally contact everyone who registered under our agreement with the hotel about the procedure for you to cancel room reservations should you desire to do so.

We greatly appreciate the work that volunteers from Bastard Nation and A Day for Adoptee Rights have put into this event. Without them and you there is no movement. We applaud your enthusiasm, commitment and we look forward to future activities to restore our rights.

Please write to our Executive Chair, Marley Greiner (maddogmarley@worldnet.att.net) if you have any questions.

Yours in Bastardy,

The Bastard Nation Executive Committee

Anita Walker Field

Patricia Marler

Marley Greiner, Executive Chair

A DAY FOR ADOPTEE RIGHTS! CALLING ALL BASTARDS AND FRIENDS...

A DAY FOR ADOPTEE RIGHTS is major adoptee rights/Bastard Nation event.

Join us in New Orleans as we make history ushering in a new era of adoptee rights victories. Help us restore the right of all US and Canadian adoptees to their identity and birth records We still have plenty of hotel rooms in New Orleans for the July 20-22 Day for Adoptee Rights Protest and Teach-in during the National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Make your hotel reservations now. Reservation information for the Country Inn Suites by Carlson is here and on our left sidebar. When you make your reservations be sure to contact Marla Paul at CabnNThWoods@aol.com Marla is BN's liason with the hotel and is keeping track of reservations. We need to close our block of rooms in 2 weeks, so make your reservation now!

GOT YOUR DAY FOR ADOPTEE RIGHTS BADGE YET?
Go here for your blogger/webpage badge and other promotional materials.

WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS!
Security, clean-up and more!
Contact us at bn@bastards.org if you'd like to help

AND WE DEFINITELY NEED MONEY!


We've got the park. We've got the conference space. We've got the hotel.
Costs are mounting. Things like porta-potties, police, permits, program advertising, conference amenities (would you believe we're required rent a table, chairs, and carpet inside the convention center from...the convention center! Well, we are!

If you can't come to NOLA--or even if you can--we poor bastards need a financial boost. To donate go to the Who's Next Fund.

All proceeds for sales from the Bastard Boutique up to July 31, 2008 will go directly to cover the cost of A DAY FOR ADOPTEE RIGHTS
Contact Mccmtmd@aol.com for availability and shipping costs
(There should be some Bastard swag pictures up some here in a of couple days.)

We leave no one behind!

Fill the hotels. Fill Lafayette Park! Fill the streets. Let the leggies know we mean business!

PROTEST VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

A Day for Adoptee Rights organizer Ron Morgan sends this along.

Hi all,

I’m beginning to put together a list of volunteers for the Day for Adoptee Rights event. Please let me know if you can do any of the stuff listed below…

1. Transportation. Anyone driving to NOLA? We’ll need someone with a car or two to help us buying picket materials, bottled water, sunscreen, etc., and then the morning of the protest transporting everything to Lafayette Park.

2. Protest Monitors. Monitors will help with crowd control before and during the protest. Monitors will keep folks marching to the Morial Center from straying from the approved route, and once at the Convention Center will ensure that picketing is done legally. Monitor training and specific duties and instruction will be provided the night before the protest at the picket making party.

3. Clean up crew. I know, this is a shitty duty, but someone had to do it. Mainly making sure that Lafayette Park is clean after we leave. But a lot of it can be done by making sure that protesters dispose of their trash during the protest. House keeping announcements will be made during the protest.

4 Public Relations. Anyone with experience in dealing with the press or other media? Step on up, we can use you!

Ok that’s it for now. You can respond here on the site, by private message, or by email to me at bb_church@adopteerights.net

Thanks!

Ron

A DAY FOR ADOPTEE RIGHTS PROMO MATERIAL

Spread the word!

A Day or Adoptee Rights has designed a number of promotinal materials: flyers, bookmarks, even buttons for your webpage and blogs...and more. Go here and gets yours now! More on on the way!

WE'VE GOT OUR SPACE!

I've gotten very very far behind in posting A Day for Adoptee Rights information. I'll be doing regular updates from now on.

First off--

NCSL lets us in the door!

A Day for Adoptee Rights and Bastard Nation have officially procured exhibitor space inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Booth 246 surrounded by K2 Auto, the Association for Schools of Public Health, and most appropriately for Bastards, Allied Waste and the American Society for Gastroinintestigal Endoscopy

That's the good news!

The bad news is that there's lots of hidden costs here. Like being required to rent carpet and tables from Champion Exposition Services. You can read all about it here. [pdf]

The NCSL meeting is big. More than 10,000 legislators, most of whom kept our records hostage, are expected to attend. Please help us get to them. The leggies AND our records.

In the next few days you'll be reading how you can help us out with covering the cost of this event.

In the meantime, for more information go to the official Day for Adoptees Rights webpage.

JOIN US! A DAY FOR ADOPTEE RIGHTS PROTEST AND TEACH-IN, NEW ORLEANS, JULY 2008

JOIN US!

NATIONAL DAY OF ADOPTEE RIGHTS PROTEST

JULY 22-26, 2008 - NEW ORLEANS!

Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization is happy to announce its co-sponsorship of the July 22, 2008 National Day of Adoptee Rights Protest in New Orleans (http://adopteerights.net/nulliusfilius/) The protest is being held during the National Conference of State Legislature’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans, July , 2008. (http://www.ncsl.org/annualmeeting/) NCSL is the largest group of its kind, the national organization of STATE LAWMAKERS, the people who DECIDE whether you may access your records Nearly 10,000 legislators are expected to attend. LET BASTARDS BE HEARD!

Bastard Nation is planning week-long events and activities in conjunction with the protest, including a free teach-in on Sunday July 20. Details on these events will be announced later.

We've reserved a block of rooms from July 19th to the 23rd 2008 for Bastards at a fabulous price at the Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, New Orleans French Quarter!

315 Magazine Street , New Orleans LA 70130

Reservations: US Toll Free

Telephone: (504) 324 - 5400 Fax: (504) 324 - 5439

http://www.countryinns.com/

"The Country Inn & Suites, New Orleans French Quarter Hotel is superbly located within walking distance from the French Quarter, Bourbon Street , Harrah's Casino, World Famous Restaurants, Museums, the Mississippi River, IMAX Theater, Aquarium of the Americas , and Ernest N. Morial Convention Center . Created out of 7 historic buildings dating to the 1860's, the Country Inn & Suites New Orleans French Quarter Hotel is truly unique."

The hotel is located 2 blocks from the Lafayette Square park, the location where we'll start our march, and within close distance to all of these other attractions:

DISTANCES
From French Quarter/Bourbon Street: 3 blocks.
From Harrah's Casino: 3 blocks.
From Aquarium of the Americas : 4 blocks.
From Riverwalk (shopping zone): 4 blocks.
From Louisiana Children's Museum: 6 blocks.
From Louisiana Superdome: 8 blocks.
From Ernest N. Morial Convention Center : 8 blocks.
From Audubon Park Golf Club: 5.5 miles/9 km.
From Audubon Zoo: 7 miles/11.2 km.



Price per room is:

Standard (one or two occupants/1 King or 2 Queens ) $75.00

Executive---larger than a standard and includes fridge and microwave (one or two occupants) $85.00

Suite (one or two occupants---may have a pull-out couch depending on the room, but make sure upon reserving) $95.00

Any additional person (up to 3 per room total) is $15.00 a night additional. Continental breakfast included. These prices do not include taxes, phone calls, additional room charges, etc. Note: As with many hotels in the French Quarter area, there is no on-site parking. Valet service and parking is $23.00 a day to park your vehicle elsewhere.

The group sales manager suggests that unless you're planning on traveling farther out of the vicinity, renting a car isn't really needed. The streetcars and taxis are more than sufficient for local travel (if you don't want to walk). The hotel is 16 miles from the airport, but if there is a group arriving and you don't want to take a taxi, we have a phone number for a car service who's prices are very reasonable.

Bastard Nation members get priority room choices up until February 15th. Then we will be opening up whatever is left in our block of rooms to other non-member protesters. You must reserve your room with your own credit card, and be sure and tell them that you are with Bastard Nation to get the reduced fee.

Activities planned in addition to the march, and will be announced on an itinerary closer to the dates.

Important stuff:

If you need a disability-accessible room, you must reserve early, because there are a limited number of them.

If you find you have to cancel, you can do so up until June 5, 2008. Any later, and Bastard Nation may be liable for the attrition charge.

If you'd like to make a real vacation out of this and stay an extra few days beyond the march dates, you can get the special price extended if you let us know so that we can square it with the hotel.

If you decide to join us and take advantage of the great rates afforded to BN, you MUST send this information to cabnnthwoods@aol.com as soon as you make your reservation: Dates reserved, Type of room, Name room is reserved under, Bastard Nation Member name, Email address

To avoid being responsible financially for unreserved rooms (and to make sure our members get the special rates and aren't "accidentally" over-charged), we will be checking our list with the hotel's on a regular basis. Anyone who HASN'T sent in this information will be bumped from BN's block and will be responsible for paying the standard rates for their rooms