Everyone can use the whitehouse.gov petition process. Getting signatures is not easy, but positive action seldom is. I authored a petition after much thought over a still-pending issue, which if rightly addressed, might bring joy to me and others. Basic Liberty came to mind, so I wrote accordingly. The 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision is around the corner, January 22, 2013, and 40 years of enlightened good sense deserves commemoration.

Start at this Pew Research page. PLEASE, do read it first.

Now I expect Crabgrass readers embracing a "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" mindset may disagree with my thoughts, but unanimity on reproductive rights and family decision-making freedom remains unlikely. So I did it, and IT IS something that can be done entirely by Presidential action, no Congressional attention needed, since it urges mandating steps to be taken exclusively among executive branch personnel (click the image, go to the online petition):

That was fairly easy, step by step, child's play. But it was just the beginning, and if you doubt that, here is text showing on screen after creating the petition, in line with the "Learn about Petition Thresholds" link on that page, bottom right:

This is just the beginning! Right now only you know this unique URL. Share it with others to get more signatures on this petition. Until your petition reaches 150 signatures, it will not be publicly viewable on the Open Petitions section of We the People, so be sure to share this URL:

Short URL: http://wh.gov/mNhL

Save and Share this URL: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/instruct-post-office-and-mint-issue-commemorative-stamps-and-coins-honoring-roe-v-wade-decision/GGt1hYvp

An email has been sent to 4crabgrass@gmail.com with this information. You can forward it to others to help promote this petition.

And indeed there was the email. It restated the above live links, where any helpful reader can go to sign the petition.

If there are 150 helpful readers of Crabgrass, a hope if not a reality, each and all are urged strongly to help by signing. And by telling others. At that threshold, the petition switches from a by-invitation-only, to a publicly open-posted one. So, help is needed in getting over the first hump.

For those who have never used the whitehouse.gov petition page, and wish to learn more, start here:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/

To view currently open petitions that have surpassed the 150 "signature" threshold, use this link:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petitions

If the petitions are in any order I would guess chronological order applies, with a petition hitting over 150 taking the front of the queue.

To "sign" petitions, you have to log in, and first time users have to do an initial registration -- first and last names and an email, make up a password, regular stuff.

Of the unrequired but optional data, I only added zipcode, "55303."

The site is replete with gun bunny stuff, navigate it and you will see.

A few petitions of interest, including some I recommend aside from the two I highlighted in a prior post, are given (you can speculate which are recommended and which are listed merely as "interesting"): here, here, here, (breaking the code of silence, please vote for this), here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, again break the code of silence, I back this, here, and here. The one "Impeach President Obama ..." raises the conundrum that the President does not impeach himself, the Constitution is clear but the intent of the thing also is clear (even if the author does not know the Constitution, he/she doubtlessly rails endlessly about it at Tea Party confabs). Now, so much for examples, if you sign any of those, do not forget this one.

Getting a hundred thousand consensus signatures on a tight timeframe is unlikely, but it's presently what's mandated.

_____________UPDATE_____________
While hinted to above, one thing needs express mention. Starting this post with the Pew Research item and not the petition text was a very conscious choice.

The family-planning liberty organizations and individuals have an effective network, as was made clear from the Koman insurgency and the ensuing firmly and effectively voiced opposition.

However, like it or love it, the network's strongest allied individuals are aging. Young people facing an unwanted pregnancy, who are fortunate as being those who seek out the better advisory people vs those who would guilt trip abortion, (and who do guilt trip abortion big time, as a key part of their agenda); those young become aware and allied individuals within the general population, having learned and then knowing what Roe v. Wade is and means. Those fortunate ones most frequently do adopt a duly protective outlook; but beyond the opening screenshot text the Pew Research report has sobering demographic words, presented by a full-context screen capture rather than quoting:

Too many young are tuned-out on the importance of individual and family civil rights because the presently more publicized issue of civil rights and family constitution, via instigation from the choice-hating regiments of the right, has been the gay marriage attack and defense. Educated people are better informed, but the costs of education are skyrocketing so that the pool of networked educated individuals will become more of an additional club of the wealthy. Not necessarily preemptively so, but slanted so by demographic shifting. Because the family liberty in choice issue has been back burner among those setting right-wing attack agendas recently, too many taking on family liberty defense are too willing to "leave sleeping dogs lie," where, as with Koman, aggression can be addressed with prompt counterforce reserves.

Bottom line: Demographics suggest that instigators of anti-choice attacks may be gaining ground by currently staying quiet on Roe v. Wade, while waiting out the will of their opponents.

A proactive step rather than standing in reactive solidarity may now be needed.

That surely is the thought behind the petitions.whitehouse.gov commemorative proposal for seeking tangible top federal level commemoration of Roe v. Wade, with such federal commemoration being both a necessary and helpful educational step toward being as sound a nation as we can be.

Yes, it might awaken loud opposition barking, but in a good way if the top executive in the nation is awakened and prodded into giving the Roe v. Wade anniversary suitable publicity and attention, in terms of a tangible recognition toward those that put him into his presidential office twice and do not want to be ignored now for having done it.

Heat to his feet cannot be unhelpful, while if the President is likely inclined to be an ally, a show of petition solidarity should help jog his public persona on the issues of individual and family freedom to make reproductive choices.

That in turn may help jog the minds of the young into knowing what Roe v. Wade stands for, with knowledge of what existed before but was undone by that decision, and why Roe v. Wade needs to stand as firmly protected law against those who would undo the enlightened advance to reimpose a repressive regime.


____________FURTHER UPDATE___________
In the world of commemorative stamps, apart from coinage, the proposal in the petition is not at all out of line, given that commemorative stamps include: this, this, this, this, even this.

A modest, direct, and simple design might be:

A Roe commemorative likely is better a bit understated that way, emphatic but not provocative, e.g., it need not be this:

Moreover, there is precedent.

Factions have been accorded recognition that some might say overreaches the establishment clause:

Regardless of his intentions, I believe even Justice Scalia would acknowledge Roe v. Wade is a landmark Supreme Court decision. Justice Thomas, possibly. Intentions among those on the high court are a worry. Arguably, commemorating an earlier decision nationwide would add to its strength against being overturned or gutted piece by piece by piece.