Category Archives: social concerns

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They’re All Bums–Well Most of Them

cowgirl_says_bite_me__34679Yeah, you heard me.

I try to get away from the idiots but they just keep coming. There is no end to the incompetent, self-serving bull crap going on in Washington. I mean it makes your head swirl.

First we got old Wayne La pee pee Pierre and his survivalist mentality. How’s this for logic: we can’t do background checks (which he FULLY endorsed in only 1999) because criminals won’t come in to submit to them.

Why shock me to death Whiney Wayne. I guess we shouldn’t have laws against bank robbery either, cuz you know, the bank robber he’s just not going to obey it.

Why can’t we have limits of the types of weapons that are sold? “Because we can’t trust these people,” according to Wayne. These people being the operative word here, as in “liberals” or “blacks” you know. Just because they say they won’t take shotguns and hunting rifles and regular handguns, “they” might just be lying.

Just as you Wayne lie to your constituents when you tell them that “who knows, the next disaster like a tornado the government might not show up, and well, people will have to defend themselves from marauding hoards.” Yeah you utter base excuse for a human being. That is so likely to happen.

If gun manufacturers can’t come up with better arguments than that, well, you deserve to be pistol-whipped boys.

BITE ME!

And then there is the king wimp of them all, Mr. Harry Reid, you know the soft-spoken little twit that Democrats are somehow forced to accept as Majority Leader in the Senate?

Why Harry, when asked about his support for gun safety legislation, says, “these are all things we need to take a look at.”

Take a look at ?

Where the hell have you been for the last two months you mealy-mouthed sucker on the NRA teat?

You’re the freakin’ MAJORITY leader. You’re in charge of what gets brought to the floor. You’re supposed to be a good guy remember? What is there to “understand” about high-capacity clips? Shall we ban anything over 10, or anything over 6? Boy that took a lot of time to “study.” And doesn’t it behoove somebody on your staff to have actually read Diane Feinstein’s bill? Is it so much different from the last one you enacted? What exactly do you do all day, other than feed lettuce to the Turtle Man?

Get off your stupid ass and DO something, and while you are at it:

BITE ME!

Speaking of whom, or what, or it, Turtle Man McConnell, I hear tell you are gonna filibuster the President’s nominee Richard Cordray once again to head up the Consumer Protection Division? This after you all admit there is not a damn thing wrong with his qualifications. This is solely because you don’t like the agency. Well that’s a new one.

Never in the history of the Republic has a party filibustered a nominee simply because they don’t like the agency he or she is going to head. Now we understand that those beholden to big business want no part of protecting consumers. No that would be wrong, You’re the party of rugged individualism. People have to take care of themselves. I mean it can’t cost too much to have a lab test done to find  that the damn medicine that  Pfizer produces won’t kill me, immediately, or grow hair on the bottom of my feet in two years.

This crap is absurd. And your pal Harry, God bless his stupid little head, was so scared of your wrath that he ignored the real opportunity to put an end to this insane misuse of the filibuster when he had the chance. Jimmy Stewart is crying in heaven today.

So Mitch?

BITE ME!

And Harry?

BITE ME AGAIN!

The President mentioned that he went skeet shooting at Camp David. Of course the insane Right, went insane, insinuating that the President was lying. Not because they hate him, of course, and if he cured cancer, they would see it as a Muslim Brotherhood Plot. No. Not for that reason. They don’t trust him, since he’s done so many darn things that were illegal and well everybody knows all of our FREEDOMS are hanging by a threat.

So he no doubt lied about the skeet shooting, for some reason, but reasons don’t matter, and are too hard to figure out, so let’s just say he lied, because well Black people have a habit of doing that, *nudge nudge*.

So the White House produces a picture of the present firing a gun that all agree is the type used for skeet shooting.

So of course, IT’S A FAKE!

It’s another conspiracy folks and the survivalists sure do love them some conspiracy.

BITE ME! ALL OF YOU!

Some of you may have heard of Archbishop Roger Mahony, retired from the archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2011 after having served since 1985. He and his top aide, Thomas Curry were both implicated in covering up child abuse by a series of priests. Just released documents show they actively attempted to protect priests from prosecution and withheld their names from police.

They have, in their retirement, been stripped of all public and administrative duties. This was done by now Archbishop  Jóse Gomez.

Children, we are told were threatened if they told the truth of what happened to them.

There was one way that a Church which claims to be the holder of the Keys of St. Peter and THE church of  Christ, (which you may or may not buy. I don’t and I am a Catholic), and that is to expose and drive out of the priesthood anyone who assaults a child. Period. End of discussion. You can offer them all your prayers and whatever, but first you REMOVE THEM FROM THE PRIESTHOOD. They are not fit to be priests. They are not some common sinners. They are predators of innocent children.

To all you who make excuses for my Church and it’s utter failing in this matter, I say:

BITE ME!

Oh, and I’m in a darn good mood today. The Ravens won, I walked the dog, the housework is done, the Contrarian cleaned the oven, and he’s taking me out to lunch. I’m happy as a clam. You don’t want to see me when I’m hot. No I suspect you don’t.

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Okay God, Give Me the Ratio Will Ya?

What’s wrong with the type of men that Willard “The Stench” hangs with, is that they are experts at “locker room” talk when nobody is around. You know what I mean. They are the one’s who are so politically correct in public, except when they let it slip that they are quite different with the “boys.”

You can almost hear the snickering about the “masses” that goes on in the country club over lunch as they compare the latest vacation spot in Europe and prattle about the newest investment scheme to “harvest” some profits at low risk.

John Bolton is one of the “boys” to be sure, and a snarly nasty example of neo-con war hawking manliness. You can almost hear the laughter that permeates his macho speech. These are the anti-women, anti-gay, anti-minority men who surround Willard and give him his economic and foreign policy policies. Today Bolton called the President’s Libyan policy as “limp-wristed.” How nice of him to insult a whole segment of America unnecessarily, all to make his point that the President doesn’t live in the bomb- first league with him.

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A Manhattan storage company is having some fun with advertising boards. Apparently he’s been at it for some time.

The one about Michele “crazy eyes”  Bachmann is the best. We hear that MB is having herself some time in her re-election campaign. We can only hope that the people of Minnesota have finally come to their senses and discovered that she is insane.

But we doubt it.

We do hope though. Hope springs eternal among people my age.

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What’s going on in Republican circles these days? I mean once you ignore the silliness of Krauthammer, Dick Morris, Hannity, and the usual bilge dumpers. The question is “who decided to nominate this guy?” Yep the blame game is already starting up and it promises to be a doozy, once the election is finished and Willard starts ejaculating into the conversation how it wasn’t his fault. Hint: just remember what the other choices were (Huntsman excepted).

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Every day, if you read enough stuff in the old Google reader, you come upon the stupidest jerk on the planet, for the day. Each day, a new one. I can only figure that God has some formula for stupid. As a joke factor he slides us an idiot to keep the game interesting. Just what is the ratio?

Today the idiot meter went off and nearly woke up the house when I found out that there is a guy who is a mayor in Maine who has a lot of Somalian immigrants. Now said idiot says they have to stop living their own culture, and must leave it at the door, and adopt ours. Whatever that means.

His name is Bob McDonald and he ei-ei-ohed off some farm where he was probably sleeping with the pigs (as in sleeping, not that other thing–you potty brain!). Anyway, he is just another one of your colorful clowns who has managed to somehow pull the wool over his community who confoundedly elected him. My dog is smarter.

McDonald is a Republican. He ran against a dead guy. He only managed to win by 7 votes. Sigh. I’m signing up for the first interplanetary shuttle to NewStar when the begin the immigration. I sure hope I don’t have to leave my culture at the door.

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Nate Silver says that the convention bump of Obama did stall as predicted. But when you make God happy, good things happen! The infamous 47% story has got it moving upward again. Or, as we say, gee Mitt, you DID build that!

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This is why the Religious Right falls on deaf ears among rational people: Case in point. One pastor of a mega church in Indiana, Pastor Jack Schapp, has just pled guilty to having a sexual affair with a teen girl. The pastor had been counseling the girl, and was the author of a book for teen girls and dating. His advice? Keep your weight own. It’s not that there aren’t bad people in and out of religion, but it’s always the vocal “moralists” who are doing the most immoral things. They give all believers such a bad name. It’s a shame. They need to shut the pie hole.

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A close runner-up for idiot of the day is our favorite Todd Akin, remember the dude and his “legitimate rape” claims? Well Todd is one stupid man. After debating Senator Claire McCaskill, he called her “not at all ladylike like she was in 20o6.” Todd, shut your pie hole.

Once upon a time, Akin was supposed to finish off the Democrats and turn the Senate into a GOP love land. Well, that is not likely to happen now, and where once (was it so short a time ago?) the GOP was vilifying Akin for his anti-woman remarks, now they are sending him money again, because you know when it comes down to it, women take second place to the chance to get that seat.

There are no principles in the GOP any more are there?

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Inside Every Tighty-Righty is an Ethel Merman

This isn’t exactly new news. In fact it was alluded to in Max Blumenthal’s Republican Gomorrah. But a new study confirms the old, and well, frankly, confirms what we secretly always suspected.

The study done a research team from three universities shows that those who are most vocal in their denunciation of gay folks and their having normal rights, are, yeah, you guessed it, more like to be repressed homosexuals themselves.

They are most likely to have attraction for those of their own sex, especially where such feelings were severely restricted by authoritarian parents. Gays remind them of what they can’t bear to admit about themselves, as it were.

Our thanks to Juanita Jean for the heads up. And some whacked out group in Maine who is fighting against marriage equality, urges its members to refer to same-sex marriage as “sodomy based marriage.” Why some are so ugly I do not know. But then we do know don’t we?

I hit the top of some search engine the other day, and posted visits of like nearly 1,000 on Saturday. It was a post from a year ago on Good Friday. No idea why it peaked any interest. The Internet is just plain weird.

Here in the meadow, things are plugging along. I have pretty much finished with the packing of all but the necessities needed for the next few weeks. I’m fairly generous since I’ve already found I needed that jar of unopened olives that I’d already packed. The POD is ordered and will be here on Monday next. We are starting to look for a car to buy. We have a long list of little things to do, mostly calls to make and short visits like  to the bank (things get complicated with you have direct deposit, and with my SS starting in June). But I’m starting to see that there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel now.

A couple of weeks ago, Chris Hayes’ UP had a really great discussion about faith and science. Dawkins was on as well as Steve Pinker, both atheists, or agnostics as even Dawkins admits to. Susan Jacoby rounded out that side, with Robert Wright bringing up the more, I would say, nuanced side. Stanley Fish, in the NYTimes, Opinionator, has a really interesting two-part article discussing the issues, here and here. He makes a very thoughtful argument that, while it changes nothing in the determination of scientific reality versus religion, he sets the discussion on a more rational (I think) base.

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this, and rather doubt it is accurate, but I nearly fell off my chair in laughter when I saw it.

It came from the Constant Weader.

It’s an interesting thought experiment.

Now some of you will spend more time in reverie on that possibility of the physical experience, and will miss the fine political statement.

And most of you who do will be men.

Women just have a finer sense of morality and decorum.

But then, I’m not telling you anything new there am I?

Rick Warren never was a middle of the roader. He’s a thinly disguised righty, who harbors the usual right-wing belief system that supports all the Ryanesque harshness as Americanism at it’s best. This is what he said to Jake Tapper a few days ago:

Well certainly the Bible says we are to care about the poor….But there’s a fundamental question on the meaning of “fairness.” Does fairness mean everybody makes the same amount of money? Or does fairness mean everybody gets the opportunity to make the same amount of money? I do not believe in wealth redistribution, I believe in wealth creation.

The only way to get people out of poverty is J-O-B-S. Create jobs. To create wealth, not to subsidize wealth. When you subsidize people, you create the dependency. You— you rob them of dignity.

Sounds fairly tame? No. Not at all. First of all, Jesus never suggested that there were limits to “caring for the poor“. And what is fairness? Nobody on the left is suggesting that everyone “make the same amount of money”. We recognize that some are more ambitious, more talented, and more delay gratification in order to educate themselves to the level that will put them in a higher wage bracket.

What does fair opportunity mean? Arguably we have always had that, although the journey may be very arduous for some, extremely so, but there have always been rich people who bucked all the odds and succeeded. And frankly this is what Warren means. And most people can’t achieve under these circumstances. Fairness to us means that everybody pays their fair share without resort to fancy accounting practices that effectively reduce one’s taxes to zero, all the while that the average person is paying a painful amount.

While jobs are everyone’s goal, and frankly I cannot fathom a man who believes that receiving government assistance amounts to being “subsidized wealth”. Show me the wealth in SS benefits and we can talk.

Warren and the Right in general attempt to place the onus of poverty on the impoverished and to help the middle class feel victimized and threatened by efforts to redress the injustice. And they use the Bible to make the middle class the traditional poor that Jesus talked about.

How many times can we remind everyone that Projectionism is at work here.  

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Parachuting into Hammocks of Heavenly Ham Hocks

Yes, well you don’t stay up nights thinking up these titles do ya?

It’s hard, I tell you. I have a wastepaper basket full of rejects before I settle on the perfectly descriptive one that like a laser, pierces directly to the point I wish to make.

You can now be suitable impressed.

On the home front,  I’m a day from finishing the bedroom packing. I have only a shelf in the hole of Calcutta (closet) left to do. I actually found that much as the wardrobe in that movie, you can enter an alternative universe directly at the back of the closet. I stuck my arm through and pulled out a plum. . . .oh nevermind. And my name is not Jack.

A whole lot of the selling off of stuff is now taken care of. A friend of ours is going to take possession of tractors and rototillers and so forth and so on, and sell each at its appointed time. That’s a huge step forward, and so we will soon be at the visit to the real estate agent, visit to the RV sales and rental, visit with the bank, and blah blah blah. We’re hoping to get out of here by the first of May.

So, so much for that stuff.

I’m thinking to start a new weekly post on Friday. I got the idea from  Morning Joe and Up. Each does a closing segment called “what did you learn today”, and “what did you learn this week”.  I thought it might be fun. So, I’m saving up tidbits of stuff I’m learning to put on that post. If you wish to contribute, and I surely hope you will, just send along what you learned (subject matter is wide open) to troyspeyton@iowatelecom.net and let us know. No links are necessary unless you wish. I haven’t come up with a catchy title yet. Something snarky of course. Suggestions welcome there too.

I ran into a number of posts that I found worth your consideration this weekend. This first was I thought extremely revealing about what it means to live faith, even when you don’t have any. It reminds us that morality and values know no religious ideology; in fact they can well be independent of religion at all. Please take the time to read Rethinking His Religion.

Apropos of the SCOTUS oral arguments on the Affordable Health Care Act, is a fine piece in New York Magazine. Jonathan Chait writes The Barbarism of the Health Care Real Crusade and points out the essential difference between Democrats and Republicans on the issue. Fundamentally, Democrats believe that health care is a human right, while Republicans think it is an earned benefit that is obtained by personal responsibility. If they provide help at all, it is to be temporary and offered with plenty of rules. Chait although debunks some of the usual bogus claims made by the Right.

On the other hand, if you would like an amusing but frankly insightful look at Willard, then you can’t do better than How Mitt Romney is like a dog. The analogies are on point. Dana Milbank is your author.

On the other hand, don’t miss the ongoing weekly series by Steve Benen, called Mitt’s Mendacity, vol XI. Maddow has pointed out that all politicians lie a bit, and all stretch the truth. What Romney does is way beyond that. He lies, and the sooner people start using those words, the sooner he may realize that he needs to stop. Over and over, the truth is presented to him and he continues to mouth the same crap. Just bold-faced lies that are proven falsehoods. People are beginning to wonder if Mormonism allows lies as part of their doctrine. We rather doubt it. But then Mitt seems to shy away from his faith so perhaps he’s not much of a practitioner.

I haven’t seen any analysis of the Ryan budget that finds it anything but absurd and ugly. It says that it does not want a safety net turned into a hammock, since you know we all want to just lay back and live on the edge of poverty with our awesome federal subsidies. You know, food stamps and Medicaid, and public housing. Such a cushy life.

I’m told that the Ryan plan secures and additional $187,000 per year in tax savings to the rich. No hammock, but a lovely golden parachute wouldn’t you say?

Good luck trying to sell that one Paulie.

I do not give nearly enough credit to Constant Weader. I don’t always mention the H/T that is owed, since I go directly through their link and link you directly. But I sometimes get 2-3 at a time from her. If you don’t have it in your reader, you should.

A large number of legal experts (the notorious elite university professors) say that there is no chance that SCOTUS will overturn the Affordable Health Care Act. That’s simple because it is obviously constitutional. Based on that analysis, I’m going for a 7-2 vote (I’m not sure if Kagan is hearing it or not), with the two no votes being Thomas and Alito. I don’t think that Roberts has the cojones to twist the law in the way that ultra partisans Thomas and Alito are. Just my prediction.

What is amusing is that the GOP line is now that a win for health care is a minus for Obama. He’ll have to defend it now, instead of being able to rail at the Court for hurting the poor. Dumb reasoning, but then consider the source.

One wonders what goes on in the mind of Willard. It’s like the rich kid winning the trophy because he’s the only one who could afford to send each judge a 2-week vacation present. I mean, the luster on the trophy seems a bit dull doesn’t it? And it doesn’t even give him a head start in the main race, where he can’t buy off the judges, and the judges find him awfully distasteful for buying off the preliminary rounds. So what is left? To go down in history as another “candidate who lost”?

Oh gosh, I think I have overstayed my welcome.

Laters gaters 

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Where’s the Love?

They say that you need a thick skin in order to run for office, but geesh, these two dudes are NOT feelin’ the love these days. It’s got to be hard on the soul.

Willard is seriously in danger of losing his birth state to the Ragin’ Rickman. Polling is unanimous that he is falling behind across the board, and it appears he is only winning in one county in the entire state of Michigan.

Meanwhile, the Newtsy-Tootsy is taking on the title of “most hated person in America” with unfavorables now reaching 63%. I mean WHERE is the love?

Such disdain would cause most of us to curl into a little ball of sad and close the closet door, but somehow these hardy soulless ones tramp on with smiles firmly pasted in place, Barbie wives in their obligatory suits, and various supportive offspring as can be coerced to clap firmly at the same stale stumpy speech day after day standing dutifully by.

What fun!

Oh how one loves the smell of napalm indifference, nay downright distaste, in the morning. I guess, being the leader of the free world must be worth it. But, boy, I can’t see why.

Boy, the gods are determined to ruin all my dreams I tell ya. I just heard that not only has Herm Cain declined, but also our fair Belle o’ da loon, Michele B, has declined to trip the light fantastic at the Dancing with the Stars third-rate-ganza. Ah shucky ducky and I’ll raise ya a “one term president.”

The GOP has caved on the payroll tax cuts. They don’t want to revisit that fiasco again. Course, Boehner got up and said, they were just “determined to stop the Democrats from playing politics” with working family’s lives. Uhuh, yep, that was what they were up to, yep, in that there UNIVERSE OF DENIAL you bozos live in.

I just love it when people step forward and offer to help. I find it so refreshing don’t you? I knew I could count on my girl to do the right thing. I bet you did too.

 ”If one of the nominees, one of the GOPers, doesn’t get enough delegates, it could go to a brokered convention. If it does get to that, and someone said, ‘Governor, would you be interested,’ would you be interested? For one, I think that it could get to that… If it had to be closed up today, the whole nominating process, then we could be looking at a brokered convention… Nobody is quite there yet, so I think that months from now, if that is the case, all bets are off as to who it will be, willing to offer up themselves up in their name in service to their country.”

So said Sarah.

 My respect for the ennate goodness of my fellow human is restored. Listen? Can you hear the strains of . . . . “mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. . . .”

Now I am tearing up.

&&: This is Sissy’s new offering in the Wide World Word Salad Olympics.

As I’ve pointed out a number of times, the TeaNutz® brigade of know-nothings like to flip truth on its head. They see racism as largely non-existent in their Amerika, therefore they can demonize any black person with the title “racist” who doesn’t sing the correct tune.

Worse, they are encouraged and willingly adopt the new mantra that white folks are being put upon by people of color–the color being one Barack Obama specifically, but including any and all who don’t see that there is a war on white.

There is a good post over at We are respectable Negroes that speaks well to this subject. Go on over and take a look.

People like Santorum (Gingrich for instance) like to tell you all about so-called “cafeteria” Catholics, those Catholics who, they claim, pick and choose what Church pronouncements they agree with and follow. Of course people like Ricky are solid Catholics, “real” Catholics, if you will, and they follow all Church teachings. Sure they do. Juan Cole points out a few that Ricky (and Newt) tend to “miss.”  Of course, the “legalists” within the Church will undoubtedly quibble about what are ex cathedra teachings and what are personal opinions expressed by popes and bishops. That always happens, trust me. The comments are very good.

If you are not reading dampsquid, you are well, honey, just not being smart. He’s funny like I wish I could be funny. He’s insanely nuts, and I just love his stuff. Go read about “networking” today. I’m serious, you will be e-mailing his stuff to everyone you know.

The unemployment filings are down again for last month. If you believe the numbers. Did ya get that? This from Fox Noise. Let me explain how this is done. The Contrarian clued me in on this.

Fox starts off with reporting some fact, such as “unemployment filings are down” or “job creation is up”. Then they subtly question how reliable those numbers might be. They point out that the reporting agency is “a government agency” after all, and “might” be subject to Administrational (Obama) manipulation to suit the narrative.

No proof of this “possible” manipulation is ever offered. The viewer is just left with this little nugget of doubt, implanted in the brain.

Then, a few days or weeks go by, and another similar fact is reported. But now, we don’t question directly the possibility of the numbers being cooked. No, instead now you say, “some people suggest” that the numbers might not be reliable.

Of course the “some people” are themselves of the previous incident. Nifty how that works ain’t it?

Go out and face the day with a smile. Remember 63% of America doesn’t despise YOU, and that’s an uplifting thought!

 

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Getting on My Catholic High Horse

Ok, so I’m getting on a lot of high horses today. This is an editorial comment and I’m thoroughly pissed.

For months, if not years, the GOP Ring-Wing blithering toads have served up red meat to a certain slithery segment of the evangelical crowd. Namely, the desire, usually in the name of JE-sus, to control women’s bodies.

Issues that have long been settled by decades of law and implementation are again being assaulted on a regular basis by Republican-dominated legislatures, by insane GOP presidential campaigns, and by all those evangelical whigs who seek to create a Pavlovian response in foggy heads around the country.

It comes under the guise of “big government dictating your lives, to religious freedom, to ”right to life” and any other bell-ringer that they think might trigger a favorable response from those who are either unable or unwilling to actually learn the truth.

I have watched as GOP panderers have introduced and in some cases passed, legislation requiring women to view “sonograms” of their fetuses before proceeding with an abortion. Such legislation is ugly by its very nature, suggesting that women have no clue “what is in there,” and need be shown by benevolent men (in most cases) that “it’s a baby!” for God’s sake.

The Right has fought the use of “morning after pills” for those women who have been violently assaulted (in most cases) or otherwise find themselves compromised and unable for any of a hundred reasons to contemplate having a child. And they have attempted by every means to roadblock and delay women’s ability to seek abortive assistence.

While not a single person I know “favors” abortion, many of us are determined not to make that critical decision for someone else. It may be a religious issue for you, or a moral one, or neither. And it is not my right to decide, no matter my personal beliefs. Instead of helping women and girls to engage in practices that make abortion the last avenue of pursuit, the Right has sought to deny girls the right to learn about their bodies and contraceptive alternatives. They have insisted and successfully required that girls in some states be subjected only to “abstinence only”, a practice that is documented time and time again to not work.

Instead of working with “choice” people to help women in every way short of abortion, with the real result of their being less abortions, those opposed to abortion have dug in their heels and become even more draconian, denying abortive relief to victims of rape and incest. Some even question whether “the mother’s health” is a sufficient reason to terminate a pregnancy.

The Komen Foundation;s attempt to destroy Planned Parenthood was thinly disguised, apparently a result of their utter misreading of the public’s opinion. This, of course, is no new thing, as Republicans who have long supported Planned Parenthood and their life-giving assistence to women, especially poor women, have one by one, slipped into the more comfortable position of being against them. Comfortable I say, because it is a simple reponse to the rabid Right-Wing who has decided to make PPH the whipping girl for all their pent up anti-abortion hatred.

I need not report what is already well known. Planned Parenthood spends 3% of it’s budget on abortion services. The rest is largely spent on breast care, and other women’s health issues, providing women with no health insurance their only life-line to any health care at all in many instances.

Now we come to another “fake” crisis. That is the decision by HHS to require that all organizations, Catholic included, must provide contraceptive benefits within their insurance policy programs. This includes Catholic hospitals and universities.

First, some actual facts:

  • 28 states already require that Catholic (or other religious) hospitals and universities provide this through their own insurance regulatory provisions.
  • The mandate requires that the institution purchases a health care insurance that provides contraceptive care. It does not require any person to actually use it.
  • Such hospitals and/or universities employ tens of thousands of persons across the country (1 in every 6 hospitals in the US is Catholic), and a good percent of them are not themselves Catholic and should not be denied normal benefits by their employers.
  • Something in excess of 95% of all Catholics use contraception. It is disingenuous for the Church to claim that the government is attempting force them to “violate” their conscious. Contraception, right or wrong is considered to be a “matter of conscience” by the average Catholic, and they have so determined since the 60′s, when this issue first came forth. Tens of thousands of Catholics left the Church over precisely this issue, and the Church was seen to back off it’s insistance of compliance with a solution called “primacy of conscience.”
  • Before Mitt and Newt start bellowing, both Massacusettes and Georgia are of the 28 states who already require such adherence by religious organizations.
  • Note: by religious organizations, we do not mean the church. The offices of Dioceses and Archdioceses do not fall within the provisions.
  • So called “morning after pills” are not included.

The fact is, that as to the HHS mandate, most Catholics could probably care less. This “outrage” seems to be coming only from the Catholic hierarchy–namely the priesthood and those extreme Right-Wing commentators such as Bill Donahue.

While the Catholic institution can be expected to carry on about this, it will be seen as an opportunity by the GOP Right (which apparently is all there is now) to screech on about government control of religion, wars on religion, ad nauseum, when of course it is anything but.

It is time, ladies and gentlemen to stand strong against the extreme right wing and their desire to drive us back to the stone age of health, and to stand strong against the blatant pandering that the GOP is engaged in simply to gain votes. Of course, they don’t, by and large, give a rat’s ass about any of this stuff anyway. It’s just a means to gain control of the government reins in order to further their economic plans to keep us all serfs. Love a woman today, support her right to health!

And that’s what I think.

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Nobody Knows Just How Crazy Some Folks Are

We woke up today to the news that Moammar Qaddafi is reportedly dead, killed most likely by rebel forces. There are reports that he was found in a drainage pipe, and shouted, “don’t shoot” when discovered.

Of course, that was ignored, and it is widely believed that he was executed on the spot.

That seems the way of dealing with unsavory dictators. We have always done so historically, although I guess at times we have resorted to mock trials before the rope or firing squad was used.

It seems we make no progress. That Qaddafi was the author of much horror in the world is undoubtedly true. One would think however that taking satisfaction that he resided in a small cell for whatever time he has left would have been preferable. No more hair dye, no more fine wines or big screen television. The pound of flesh could have been savored one would think much more enjoyably rather than this quick dispatch.

But that is now how we function as humans. . .yet.

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Yes, I know, I changed the blog again. And before you ask, I don’t redecorate my house. I am not addicted to every passing fashion in shoes or clothes.  WordPress has this pesky problem of introducing new themes every time one turns around (literally every week), and well I was never that happy with the last one. I thought the sidebar was unattractive. I rather liked the header, but I have to tell you a secret. If you noticed the date (September 9, 2009) you would realize that the picture was of a teabagger rally in Washington. I never realized it until later, and I just didn’t have the time to find another.

The header up now is of the Return to Sanity rally run by Jon Stewart, et al.

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You might well have missed this important notice. It seems that Marines in Afghanistan were formally advised that they should cease and desist farting in the country. It seems it is considered a serious rudeness among Afghans.

I must tell you that the Contrarian is making it very sure that he is not drafted by the Marines. Just in case any are lurking outside our house waiting to scurry him off to a recruiting center. No sir, he is unfit. He farts as often as possible throughout the day and night, just to be sure they are aware.

And you still doubt my application for sainthood?

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Did you hear that Pat Buchanan has a new book out? You should no doubt skip it. As one person said yesterday, Pat gets away with some pretty obvious racism in the name of “analysis.”

The idiot claims that somehow we were all much happier in the 50′s when we were united as “one people” with similar goals. Now we have that pesky “African-American” thing and well, all those people from the South (America that is) with their “otherness”.

Buchanan basically bemoans the demise of whiteness in America. Read about it at Angry Black Lady Chronicles.

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I watched a bit of the festivities at the King Memorial this past weekend. I distinctly recall his children speaking. They rightly pointed out that their father would have supported the OWS movement. After all, he was assassinated while supporting union sanitation workers. Dr. King certainly understood the build in inequality of wealth distribution in this country. It is wildly worse now than it was in his day.

Yet, Adam West, (R-FL) all-around idiot, says nay. He claims that King would never have supported such detris as the OWS crowd. No, King was “divinely inspired” and wouldn’t be a part of such things.

Professor Chauncey de Vega weighs in on the continuing attempts by the crazy right to turn Dr. King into their pet hero.

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I like to report on Ricky (Don’t Google me!) Santorum. He’s amusing as a little circus monkey. He has not a chance of securing the nomination, and no doubt he knows that, but he is bored, and he likes the free food offered along the campaign trail.

So Ricky, ever in the hopes of finding somebody to listen, decided to appeal to the tiniest tiniest segment of the Catholic church. Contraception! Ricky will have none of THAT in his administration (the one in his head, where he is grand pupah president). Because THAT leads to, you know, THAT, and we can’t have any of THAT now can we?

And unicorns will graze in meadows, and butterflies will bring you faery dust at bed time.

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Some folks need a time out, a brain roto-rootering, and a sedative. One of them is Jim DeMint. He’s an idiot.  I think there is a certified letter to that effect.

He takes the collective IQ of South Carolina down a whole 17 points all by himself.

This super TeaNutz® has introduced an amendment to an utterly unrelated bill, that would make it illegal for a woman to have a video conference with her doctor if the subject was abortion.

I swear he did that.

I swear he needs to be committed for his own sake.

I swear a lot when Jim DeMint’s name comes up.

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What’s on the stove? Ribs, mac and cheese (a new recipe I’m trying out, so stay tuned), and broccoli slaw.

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