It’s not about contraception – it’s about your right to choose.

Santorum: “It’s not about contraception – it’s about
government control of your lives.” This means that as far as Santorum is
concerned, you can buy your own rubbers and pills, but the public hospital you work for won’t have to pay, or let you pay for insurance to help offset some of the costs. They pay to have the premature baby kept alive in an incubator for 3 months, they will pay to have the babies medical issues treated and they will pay to have the mother treated for any number of different complications. They just won’t pay to prevent the conception in the first place. Whew. Fair enough (although I don’t think it is fair at all.) So if Santorum and his ilk don’t want the government to control your life, ask
them why you can’t get an abortion in Kansas, and why they want Roe v Wade
repealed. The answer is simple: they are sanctimonious morons that want it
their way, their own pragmatic, ignorant, imposing on everybodyelse way. They
really want the government to control what they want or don’t want you to be
able to do. They just don’t want YOU to choose what YOU want to do.
Some examples: They don’t want to pay for contraception AND they don’t want you to pay for an abortion or family planning. They want clean air and water free of charge BUT they don’t want to regulate the industries that pollute them. They want to choose when and where to pray, but they don’t want YOU to choose when and where you have to listen to prayer.
Some time ago I wrote that the whole idea of human reproduction rights was at stake, and the conservatives were chipping away the right of every person to decide FOR THEMSELVES when, where, if and how they would procreate. Just around the corner folks. Let the conservatives take all the power in Washington and the next volley will be contraception availability.
They will take down sex education in schools, take down family planning
organizations, take down OTC sales of all kinds of contraception, and take down
their pants in hotels and bathrooms and have a ball on taxpayers money. Just an
“I think”.

Image: http://twentytwowords.com/wp-content/uploads/Sanctimonious-graffiti.jpg

The American Dream: Do You Have to be Alseep to Believe It?

Finally someone articulates the feelings many Americans
have. Where has the Dream gone? George Carlin (1), notably a iconoclast of biblical proportions (he has something very interesting to say about religion BTW) tells it like so many of us feel but either don’t, can’t or won’t tell it ourselves. We know we are being screwed by millionaires in congress. We know we are being screwed by millionaire corporations who (They are “People” now, don’t
forget) look only at the bottom line. We know we are being screwed by the health industry (After all, we pay way more for the same services the rest of the world gets). We know we are being
screwed by the educational industry (Industry you ask? Look at the fast track to privatization.) And we know we are being screwed by everybody else. And we elect the same millionaires with millionaire money and whispers being poured into their ears and pockets 24/7.
Time for a CHANGE? You bet.

Marty Feldman said it best “TOO LATE” (2).

Image: http://heyyoulooklike.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/igor1.jpg
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmFnX8So27U

Regressive = Republican

In a sleazy move that failed, but only just, the Florida legislature
once again proved it is Pro 1% and Anti 99%. What was this move, you ask? Well, the Republicans proposed to put an amendment to the Florida constitution that would greatly reduce the revenue for county and city governments . The latest iteration would add another sales tax to replace the lost funds.
Sales tax = regressive.

The less you earn the greater percentage of your income you pay in sales tax. The more you make, the more you can take advantage of the vast new tax breaks. And yes, there was some relief
for homeowners. But the poorest would have to pay for them through increased
sales taxes. The richest wouldn’t. See? Regressive = Republican. No brainer.
The measure died, and a good thing too. What morons.
Image: http://cartoonzone.eyeker.com/OregonRepublicans/RepugsWantSalesTax.jpg

the digitus impudicus: Flipping a Bird!!

American University law professor Ira Robbins (made) the case that the digitus impudicus (as it was known back in ancient Rome), just isn't obscene anymore. (1)
In fact, it never was!!!

It may be inappropriate or insulting, but obscene? It goes back
2500 years and has been used by friend and foe alike. The next time you see a “bird”
being flipped, think about it: the last thing Caesar might have done is flipped
off Brutus. I love it!!!!

Image: http://hiphappy.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/billmaher-flipping-the-bird.jpg
1. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/02/07/146534150/flipping-the-bird-just-isnt-obscene-anymore-law-professor-argues

Worship Beer Instead.

. . . Monday night, Romney rolled out some new material: the rights given to people by God.
"I am just distressed as I watch, as I watch our president try and infringe upon those rights," Romney said to the capacity crowd. "The first amendment of the Constitution provides the right to worship in the way of our own choice." (1)
Please someone tell me how requiring birth control assistance for non-Catholic women infringes the rights of Catholics to worship. Did I miss something here? Worship? Worship by denying someone else health benefits and forcing women to have babies they don’t want?
And exactly who is this god Romney talks about anyway? One of the pantheon no doubt. Certainly not my god. Mine wants everybody to be healthy, have a wonderful sex life and choose if, when or where or to procreate. And drink good beer and wine.
Image: http://www.wowdewow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/God-Beer.jpg
1. http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/02/07/146505114/romney-brings-up-religion-to-attract-social-conservatives

Dry Spell?

Watching the sunrise this morning was not very exciting. Clouds produced a diffuse gray kind of light, not the OMG colors and shapes we often see. Got me thinking about the lack of writing lately and wondering why. Certainly things are happening. Syria is coming apart at the seams with people dying every hour at the hands of a killer-dictator (not unlike Gaddafi or Amin). Alabama is coming apart at the seams: they have kicked out their workforce and figure the current losses are around $11 billion and rising. The globe is undergoing the continuing saga of climate change: jet stream moved to dump arctic air into Europe not North America giving us a warmish winter. Florida is trying to privatize everything: the latest is an insurance scheme to put home/business casualty insurance into the hands of off-shore companies that have no regulations for policy cost or reserves.
Dry spell? Hell, there is so much to process and comment on I don’t even know where to start. Russia? Putin is doing an end run on the country and protests are going on right now. Egypt? Protestors being badly treated. Israel/Iran? Threats and counter threats of nuclear annihilation Republican candidates attacking Obama for the “Egyptian 19”: nineteen Americans to be put on trial for licensing and financial charges related to NGO activities. One candidate compared it to the Iranian hostage crisis when Carter was President, tarring Obama with that brush. Only 6 of the 19 are even in Egypt, and they are not hostages. Lies, pure and simple.
Dry spell? I don’t think so. So where is the good news? Nigeria? No. South Africa? No. Canada? Possibly yes. Mexico? Not even close. Burma? A ray of light there. China? Who knows?
Like I said a few weeks ago: if you find any good news that is of an equal magnitude with the bad, let me know. I could use some pumping up.
Image: http://www.punkrockcds.com/images/Descendents-EverythingSucks.jpg
Descendents “Dry Spell”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dqR-qMLaDk