League of Maternal Justice

People are talking...

... and have many brilliant things to say about the removal of the Breast Fest Montage from YouTube.

If you written a post, please leave a link in the comments so we can add you to the list. Your support, your outrage, and your energy to continue to fight the fight is greatly appreciated and YouTube needs to hear what we think (that, and they also need a kick in the pants).

Wonderland: Women! Stop upsetting the Internet with your breastfeeding!

seattlepi.com - Working Dad: YouTube Bans Breast-feeding... Video

Suebob: (video)

Queen of Spain: (video)

Quarter Rest: YouTube: you, too, are assholes??

MOMocrats: How is Breastfeeding Related to Politics?

Dirty Little Secret: Jerseygirl's Signs Of the Coming Apocalypse

Commercial Nation: Can You Believe I Had To Post About This?

Left Coast Mama: When Will they Learn?

PunditMom: You Know This Would All be Different if Men Could Breastfeed

Moms Speak Up: You Know This Would All be Different if Men Could Breastfeed

Redefining Perfect: Breastfeeding is not Obscene!

The Fish Pond: And the List of Idiots Keeps Getting Longer - A Message to YouTube

Circle of Life: YouTube Bans breastfeeding video

Suburban Oblivion: First Facebook Bans Breastfeeding Pics, Now YouTube Bans Breastfeeding Video

My Life As It Is: Breasts

Cheese Party: Instinct

A Roaming Aussie Mum: Breastfeeding Images Banned!

Amazing Trips: an amazing trip trick: breastfeeding olympiad (and a rant)

The Langenheims: This is on PISSED mamma

Sparks and Butterflies: I matter

The Nest Baby New Arrivals: Seen this week on the web

No Response From YouTube; More Toy Issues

While we wait (in vain, most likely) for a response from YouTube, we'll be compiling your posts, the publicity, and reloading our montage. Your support, your outrage, and your energy to continue to fight the fight is greatly appreciated. Please continue to write posts, send our press release, and express your opinion about this!

And thanks to folks at my new favorite blog Eco Child's Play for this fantastic post about recalled toys still being on shelves and being sold on ebay. Yes they are still on the shelves. And YES people are actually trying to sell them on ebay.

It's Only Just Begun: YouTube Bans Breastfeeding Montage Video

*See updates below*

Apparently YouTube doesn't have a mind of its own because it has now followed suit with Facebook and MySpace by banning our League of Maternal Justice Breastfeeding Montage Video.

That's right. Not "flagged" as inappropriate so it's still viewable by folks if they enter their birthdate.

Totally BANNED.

We can't say we're not completely surprised, considering the continued inconsistencies with policing that these sites do. If you search through YouTube, you'll find plenty of breastfeeding videos still available for viewing. And, as always, you'll find plenty of boobages and butts, plus more disturbing videos like self-mutilation and starvation, all accessible to whoever wants to find them.

*So what was it about ours that ticked them off?

We have yet to hear from them, but that's not going to stop us from taking a stand. This movement we're supporting is not about glorifying breastfeeding. We're asking for policy change. We're demanding that these organizations read the laws and medical journals that state that breastfeeding in public is legal and the best choice (when possible) for babies. If the government is going to force breastfeeding on mothers then why aren't they taking a stand when we continually get asked to leave restaurants and YMCAs and when our pictures are banned as "sexually explicit."

Here's what you can do:

1. Email congressional reps (link to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ - enter your zip, and it returns all three addresses/home pages for your location) and Parliament members (link to http://www.canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html - enter your postal code, and it returns addresses/home pages of Parliament members) and ask them to tell YouTube/Google that removal of the video is socially and legally unacceptable.

2. Create a short video (not breastfeeding) that is tagged and titled "Message to YouTube" (feel free to include any other tags, including League of Maternal Justice, Breastfeeding, Health, etc). and tell them what you think about this. Tell them that breastfeeding is NOT obscene

*Updated: We're going to reload our video (with new music) in the next few days. If you want, hold your Messages to YouTube and you can make them as replies to our Montage! (Thanks Jenn)

YouTube is calling for these videos and we're more than happy to oblige. Make sure to send us your YouTube video link! 

3. Write a post and include these same directions on your own blogs and send us the permalinks (or leave them in the comments).

4. Return to the LMJ call to action post (where permalinks will be linked up) and post/vote for others' posts on bookmarking sites.

5. Submit our press release to online media outlets and social bookmarking sites (Reddit, Stumbleupon, etc.), get your message boards involved, send to your local reporters, or any national news contacts.

Vote now: Sk*rt

Digg it!

Bookmark now:  Delicious

We need your superpowers now more than ever!

Now I Know the CPSC Doesn't Care

Cross-posted from PunditMom (with permission)

Having worked for a federal agency that annually goes underfunded and understaffed, initially I sympathized a teensy bit with the Consumer Product Safety Commission over the whole lead in toys fiasco.

Don't call the League of Maternal Justice on me! I'm not justifying their actions, or lack thereof, but there's only so much that can be done when an agency's budget gets cut over and over again.

After I watched a CPSC spokesperson on CNN right before Thanksgiving, though, I realized my generosity was misplaced.

You see, it's not their fault, they say, that so many dangerous toys are making their way into the system. You know, it's not even their responsibility to catch them all. And hey, they have all of about 80 people, not one, keeping track of the millions of toys that come into our country and into our children's toy boxes every year.

If our children aren't being kept safe from dangerous toys, it's partly our fault, said the CPSC spokesperson. And they can't do their job unless we're on the lookout for problems that we then report to them.

Yeah, that's right.

It's our fault and even though we're not on Uncle Sam's payroll, the CPSC wants us to get with the program and be more vigilant about reporting problems we see with toys!

Well, maybe she didn't use the actual word 'fault.' But that was the clear implication with her comments and her snippy tone of voice and her oh-so-righteous body language. She was pretty much mocking American parents with this attitude -- hey, don't expect the CPSC to keep your toys safe.

'Cause shouldn't parents be checking to make sure toys are safe, too? And, hey, the CPSC has some resources, but they rely on consumers to tip them off to toys that could be harmful to our kids, she continued.

I realize there is definitely some truth to what this woman was saying, but her underlying message was that we're a bunch of slacker parents who have no right to rely on the federal agency specifically tasked with making sure the toys our kids play with don't kill them.

Next thing you know, they'll be blaming Santa and the elves for not doing their jobs.

Dads Weigh In On Toxic Toys

It's not just moms who worry about toxic toys, and it's not just lead that makes toys toxic. SciFi Dad - MBT's Daditorialist - weighed in recently on the latest scare in toys...

Fewer than 50 days before Christmas, a retail toy market that has suffered through multiple recalls was dealt another blow when Toronto-based Spin Master Toys' hot new product Aqua Dots was recalled because they were coated with a chemical which, when ingested, metabolized to gamma hydroxy butyrate - or GHB - the date rape drug. GHB can cause a variety of symptoms including drowsiness, coma, and even death.  According to the report, five children have been treated so far, with no fatalities, although there have been reports of non-responsive comas.

In August, after the second lead paint based recall, I wrote:

As trite as it may sound, this is the price we pay in North America to have cheap merchandise.  The reality of the economics of our world is that to produce a toy for the price (the majority of) consumers are willing to pay, North American labour proves too expensive.  Instead, countries with lower costs of living, lower standards of employment, and generally poorer working conditions are used to provide us with goods.  In short, I argue that to produce a toy held to North American safety standards requires it to be made in North America, by a North American workforce - and that subsequently the cost of producing that toy results in a retail price that exceeds what the market will bear.

However, this time it is not a lower standard that has created a problem.  This is a poorly tested, poorly researched toy.  The product is a collection of small beads of various colours, intended to be arranged into specific shapes and/or designs, and then sprayed with water to form a solidified decorative item.  (Think: those small plastic tubes that one arranges on a peg board and then irons over to create a design; only without the iron.) The operative words in that description are "small beads".  A toy company is marketing to children, little humans who explore everything, usually at some point with their tongue and/or the inside of their mouths.  To market a toy like this, one that clearly has been chemically treated to allow them to adhere together when wetted, without researching the effects of combining those chemicals with those naturally found in a human mouth or stomach is irresponsible.

In the article, a toy consultant is quoted as saying,

"This is something that they could not have foreseen. This is an extremely hot toy. ... It's a little scary,"

He got it half right: it is scary.  However, I think they could have foreseen a kid putting something small in their mouths.

To read more SciFi Dad, you can go to Tales From The Dad Side.

Fewer than 50 days before Christmas, a retail toy market that has suffered through multiple recalls was dealt another blow when Toronto-based Spin Master Toys' hot new product Aqua Dots was recalled because they were coated with a chemical which, when ingested, metabolized to gamma hydroxy butyrate - or GHB - the date rape drug. GHB can cause a variety of symptoms including drowsiness, coma, and even death.  According to the report, five children have been treated so far, with no fatalities, although there have been reports of non-responsive comas.

In August, after the second lead paint based recall, I wrote:

As trite as it may sound, this is the price we pay in North America to have cheap merchandise.  The reality of the economics of our world is that to produce a toy for the price (the majority of) consumers are willing to pay, North American labour proves too expensive.  Instead, countries with lower costs of living, lower standards of employment, and generally poorer working conditions are used to provide us with goods.  In short, I argue that to produce a toy held to North American safety standards requires it to be made in North America, by a North American workforce - and that subsequently the cost of producing that toy results in a retail price that exceeds what the market will bear.

However, this time it is not a lower standard that has created a problem.  This is a poorly tested, poorly researched toy.  The product is a collection of small beads of various colours, intended to be arranged into specific shapes and/or designs, and then sprayed with water to form a solidified decorative item.  (Think: those small plastic tubes that one arranges on a peg board and then irons over to create a design; only without the iron.) The operative words in that description are "small beads".  A toy company is marketing to children, little humans who explore everything, usually at some point with their tongue and/or the inside of their mouths.  To market a toy like this, one that clearly has been chemically treated to allow them to adhere together when wetted, without researching the effects of combining those chemicals with those naturally found in a human mouth or stomach is irresponsible.

In the article, a toy consultant is quoted as saying,

"This is something that they could not have foreseen. This is an extremely hot toy. ... It's a little scary,"

He got it half right: it is scary.  However, I think they could have foreseen a kid putting something small in their mouths.

To read more SciFi Dad, you can go to Tales From The Dad Side.

We Don't Need Safer Warnings. We Need Safer Toys

Our thanks go out to all our bloggers who took part in our collaboration with Parent Bloggers Network and the Consumers Union. The posts include helpful tips on finding safer toys, as well as ways you can make a difference by writing letters and speaking out to your local congresspeople.

And as a few bloggers reiterated, there is only ONE full-time staffer testing toys. ONE. And the person in charge has refused additional funding.

And even better, many of you probably received an email that includes an interview with Joan Lawrence, VP of Toy Safety at the Toy Industry Association. In this question and answer session, she clarifies the following:

• Toys are among the most statistically safe household items. Well I sure as heck hope so. They are TOYS. They had better be safe than a bottle of Windex.
• It's important to read the labels on the toys. I'm certain that most toys are not marked "may contain lethal amounts of lead in the paint." And children chew on toys, and may swallow pieces. While this might be on the warning labels, is it marked that if they do swallow them the magnets will clamp off their small intestine and kill them, OR send them into a GHB induced coma?
• All toys sold in the U.S. must conform to U.S. safety standards, regardless of where they are made. Well, guess what? No one seems to be enforcing these so called standards!

Thanks for absolutely nothing, Ms. Lawrence. We're not convinced. And we're taking action.
 
As a result of the efforts of the CU outreach (including the Blog Blast on Friday), more than 30,000 parents have signed on as Safe Shoppers and will be rallying in five cities (New York, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, and San Francisco) kicking off on Black Friday.

If you'd like to be a part of these rallies, please contact us and we can forward your information over to the Consumers Union staff. If you can't be there in person, consider putting up a button supporting their cause.

Now We're Getting Serious

If the Toxin Avengers haven't gotten your attention yet, then perhaps this article will.  Apparently Aqua Dots contain a chemical that converts into a dangerous date-rape drug when ingested.

No, we're not kidding.

Apparently it's not just lead and small magnetic parts that we have to worry about.

If you've posted our button and added the recalls feed to your RSS, then you're on your way.

But there's still more that you can do.

We're teaming up with the Consumers Union (you know, Consumer Reports!) and Parent Bloggers Network to help spread the word about the toy recalls. They're putting together a blog blast to promote the CU's campaign "Get the Lead Out This Holiday Season," calling parents to action with 12 days of safe shopping (11/23 to 12/4) where you can sign up to become a Safe Shopper and help spread the word at your local stores.

Participation is simple. Just write a post on 11/9/07 (This Friday) on your blog about the toy recalls -- how you're handling them, how you feel about them, or how you are avenging them!

Make sure you link blog.parentbloggers.com and the Consumers Union: http://www.consumersunion.org/SafeShopper      

Then send your link to parentbloggers@gmail.com by Midnight PST. We'll link them up here and on the PBN site, as well as on the CU's blog: Get the Lead Out!

And if you're feeling extra vengeful, join their Safe Shopper Campaign. They need 30,000 by Sunday!

Put your capes on and your foot down!

Bloggers:

All I Want for Christmas Is a Toy That Won’t Kill My Kids

All I Want for Christmas Is… Safe Toys

Alternative Gift Ideas to Hazardous Toys

A Plan for Buying Safe Toys - What’s Yours?

A Toy That is Safe. What More Could a Mom Ask For?

Back to Playing With Wooden Spoons

Bah Humbug!

But Those Toys are Too Expensive, So I’m Just Going to Buy DVDs

Buy Her Wood

Christmas is Com…(Shut Yo’ Mouth)

Denying James to an Autistic Boy

Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball

Don’t Put Me in This Position Again

For Real

Get the Lead Out!

Get the Lead Out!

Get the Lead Out!!

Get the Lead Out and Throw the Toys Out

Get the Lead Out: Safe Holiday Shopping

Go On. Just Try to Get the Lead Out.

Grateful for the Information

Happy Birthday, Baby Boo

Hippy Dippy Becomes Mainstream

Holiday Shopping and the Toy Recalls

How Safe Are Our Toys?

I’m Not Going to Jinx Myself

Island of Misfit Toys

Keep On Keepin’ On

Lead-Laden Toys Were Scary Enough

Lead Painted Toys: Whatcha Gonna Do?

League of Maternal Justice and Parent Bloggers Network - Blog Campaign Against Toxic Toys

Merry Christmas! Have a Rock and Some Sticks

Mostly Just Confused

Motherbumper Doesn’t Like Getting Mad…

New Toy Warning

NO TOYS FOR CHRISTMAS!

Outlaw Plastic Toys?

Parents Magazine Just Doesn’t Get It

Sickening

Sock Monkeys For Christmas

Sorry Toys, You Are Under Arrest

Stop the Insanity!

The Island of Misfit Toy Testers

Three, No, Four Reasons Why I’m Glad My Kids Are Too Old for Toys

Toy Recall: Coating Metabolizes to GHB

Toy Recalls: Oh the Angst!

What Are You Doing About the Toy Recall?

When Toys Are Too Dangerous

Who Needs Toys Anyway?

Would You Let Your Kid Take the Date Rape Drug?

Yet Another Recall

Supporters:

The Daily Dose

League of Maternal Justice

The Blog Exchange

Mommy Blogs Toronto

Parent Hacks