By Jennifer Watson The world lost a true champion of health care and social justice when Jim Tallon passed away on July 9, 2024. He was one of the most influential figures in shaping health care policy in New York State. Tallon served in the NYS Assembly from 1975 to 1994, representing the Binghamton area. His tenure was marked by a deep commitment to public service and a particular focus on health care reform and accessibility. He was a strong ally of STIC and independent living, especially in the early days of our organization during his time in the Assembly.
By Sue Ruff Last week I drove to an appointment a few hours east. Nice day to travel – sunny, clear skies, light traffic. I noticed, however, that people traveling west on the highway were encountering LONG traffic jams, miles long, probably caused by road repairs or maybe, accidents. It is hard to be in a miles-long bottleneck, with hundreds trying to merge into one lane and no forward progress. I wondered about the travelers. What if you had a baby in the back seat who hated car seats and your car was stuck in this jam? What if your gas tank or electric charge was getting low? What if your body was regretting that extra burrito you had for dinner? And what if the next exit or rest stop was still many miles away?
There’s one place in the Western Hemisphere where torture has legal sanction as a “behavioral modification.” Would you believe that just southwest of Boston, in the lovely town of Canton, Massachusetts, a boarding school named the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) administers powerful electric shocks to innocent children?