What I Think

Bush Still Trying to Sneak in "Conscience Law"

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:36:00 +0000

Rachel Maddow had a great segment on this, the discussion on the topic starts at about 1 minute and 37 seconds. She touches on the fact that this legislation would also give ANY worker the option to refuse to participate in "objectionable actions", which would of course mean abortion (which is legal), but also make it possible to allow doctors, nurses, orderlies, the billing staff at a hospital or medical center - ANYONE who works at a medical facility which receives federal funding - to refuse to serve you or even provide information and advice.

Her guest also points out that this could affect other procedures such as anesthesia, blood transfusions, etc.

And, just in case you think "Yeah, but who would actually refuse to serve a woman who just wants to buy birth control?" and conclude that this is just about far left liberals freaking out, check out this story about a Walgreens in Oxford, Mississipi that harassed a woman who wanted to buy Plan B, which is sold to any woman age 18 or over who can display a valid ID.

The pharmacy worker and the pharmacist both asked her for additional information, which they aren't supposed to, and then stated they have a policy of supplying adoption information and making the customer wait an hour. They also wrote down her drivers license number, which they had no legitimate need to do. When I bought Plan B (almost a year ago), I was asked to show ID to prove I was 18 or over, which is in accordance with the law, and then discreetly supplied with Plan B in a pharmacy prescription bag (which was a nice touch, so everyone in line wouldn't know my personal business). Simple as that. (Coincidentally, I saw the kind pharmacist that waited on me that day at my polling place on Election Day, and smiled at him. I was very glad to see that a pharmacist who respects women's rights to have control over their own reproductive health took the time to vote). I was VERY stressed out at the time that I needed to buy Plan B (yeah, worrying about an unwanted pregnancy will do that to you) and the last thing I needed was a total stranger refusing to do their job and trying to force their personal opinions on me.

And the 1 hour wait - that's ridiculous, and as any gynecologist will tell you, the sooner you take Plan B, the higher the chance it will be effective in preventing pregnancy. Even one hour can lower those chances significantly.

Here is the info for contacting Walgreens if you want to let them know your feelings on this situation:

You can contact the Oxford Walgreens at (662) 513-0894. You can also call the corporate offices and tell them that store number 7757 is harassing women trying to buy Plan B. You can also call them at (877) 250-5823 and ask about their company policy regarding birth control and how they make sure that their pharmacists aren't denying women medication.

National Advocates for Pregnant Women Illustrate Why Extreme Anti-Choice Laws Hurt Women

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:55:00 +0000

Amazing video - real stories of women who were hurt by extreme anti-choice laws that placed the well being of their unborn fetus at high priority than the life of the woman carrying the fetus. Absolutely insane.

For more info, visit the National Advocates for Pregnant Women's web site.

Samantha Bee Says it Perfectly

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:53:00 +0000

I really have nothing else to add.

"Real America"

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:59:00 +0000

So, since there is no farm in my town, I guess I live in...fake America?

I really have nothing to add...except that I love Jon Stewart.

Yeah...That Flimsy Health Excuse

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Just wanted to share this, I have nothing to add, she said it so perfectly.

Need a Laugh

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:06:00 +0000

Cause I do. Thank GOD for the SNL Weekend Update prime time special - it was actually hilarious, SNL hasn't been this funny in YEARS, and I really, really needed the laugh. I think the crazy lady from the McCain rally and Jesse Jackson were my favorite parts.

And this makes me laugh too. At least ONE funny thing came out of the debte last night!

McCain should NEVER, EVER smile again. It's one of the creepiest things I've seen!

For more scary ass McCain faces, click here.

Yes, the Health of the Mother

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:25:00 +0000

I'm still so pissed about this I can't even express it coherently. Here are some of the reactions I'm seeing today about McCain's display that he clearly views women as nothing but baby vessels:

Just When You Thought McPalin Couldn't Stoop Any Lower

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:45:00 +0000

Okay, maybe this still doesn't beat McCain putting air quotes as he scoffs at the "health of the mother" as a lame excuse of "far left extreme pro abortionists", but it's still pretty damn amazing.

The Republican National Committee launched a massive robocall campaign on Thursday designed to alarm voters about Barack Obama's past association with former radical Bill Ayers. The committee may be violating state law in the process.

read more | digg story.

Why, Obama?

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:33:00 +0000

Why on earth didn't you point out that Leonore Annenberg, the second name on the McCain campaign's list of 100 former ambassadors who endorse McCain, is also the President and Chairman of the Annenberg Foundation, the organization for which both Obama and Ayers, among other politicians both Republican and Democrat, served on a board together.

"It was never a concern by any of us in the Chicago school reform movement that he had led a fugitive life years earlier ... It's ridiculous," Republican Rep. Diana Nelson said. "There is no reason at all to smear Barack Obama with this association. It's nonsensical, and it just makes me crazy. It's so silly."
So, by his own admission, McCain's second biggest supporter also "pals around with terrorists"? Details at the Huffington Post.

And why, why, WHY ON EARTH didn't Obama bring up the Palin's association to the Alaska Independence Party? How can Palin and McCain repeatedly question Obama's patriotism when Todd Palin was a member of the AIP for years, and Sarah Palin has attended AIP conventions and sent them a video speech this year in which she told them to keep up the good work? Why, Obama, why, didn't you bring that up? The facts speak for themselves, whereas McCain can only bluster that you have a "long standing association with Ayers", but can't provide anything to back that assertion up.

What I Came Away From the Debate With

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:03:00 +0000

Yes, anyone who believes in choice is obviously pro-abortion, we get knocked up just to have abortions cause they are so fun and easy on your body, and we love spending our time and money that way. Oh yeah, and the whole "health of the mother" thing is total crap. Obviously stories like this are total bullshit.

Don't call me your friend, McCain. In fact, I really hate you.

Laugh Now While you Can

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:58:00 +0000

We'll save the crying in case McPalin actually wins, God forbid.

These two are geniuses! My hats are off to them!

Read an article about the video, lyrics author, and the lyrics here. I just wish they'd worked in the Palins' affiliation with the Alaska Independence Party, but I realize that doesn't really rhyme with anything...

On another note, the great John Cleese offers his perspective on Sarah Palin. God, I love him!

And the excellent Rachel Maddow covers Palin's reaction to the announcement that she did abuse her power in the Troopergate scandal.

I LOVE how he bursts out in laughter at the mention of her name! I almost died when he said Monty Python could have written this!

Oh, and one more fun thing: palinaspresident.com!

Let's Be Fair, McCain and Palin Have Ties to Domestic Terrorism Too!

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:39:00 +0000

So now that most major media outlets have actually admitted that William Ayers has been a professor for years and was named Chicago's Citizen of the Year for his volunteer work, most people are seeing how desperate that smear attempt was.

But let's not leave out McCain and Palin's ties to terrorism! For McCain's part, he has ongoing ties with militant anti-abortion activist Paul Schenck. In fact, McCain met privately with Schenk as recently as a few months ago, >when McCain named Palin his VP. Schenk even posted about the event on his blog.

McCain also voted against the Violance Against Women Act, and voted against several laws that would have protected women and health care providers entering clinics from violence and harrassment by protestors.

Although Palin was never, according to official records, a member of the Alaska Independence Party, her husband Todd was member until 2002, and Palin herself attended some of their events and sent them video messages that were supportive in nature of their "good work". Wow, how patriotic is that? Now the Huffington Post reports that Todd Palin's association with the AIP may present a problem if Todd Palin were to need a security clearance, which, as spouse to Palin, who may be VP, he would probably need.

I keep wondering why mainstream media are not mentioning the Palins' association with a secessionist party, but nobody is tired of mentioning poor William Ayers. That poor guy probably wants to move to a cabin on a lake for a few months.

Yes, Palin Really Did Sign Off on Charging Rape Victims for Rape Exams and Kits

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:09:00 +0000

Although the McCain campaign has said that this has been de-bunked, Sarah Palin really did sign off on charging rape victims for their post-attack exams and rape kits. In Alaska, where the rape rate is twice the national average.

There is an excellent video about this on The Wasilla Project's web site. As well as other things, of course.

Palin Has Never Seen Russia From Alaska

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Important Political News

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:55:00 +0000

I love how the "major" news outlets focus on the really important things, with the economy in crisis, people being laid off, and the election only four weeks away.

New York County prints "Barack Osama" on absentee ballots. Yes. They really did. Incredibly, this made it past three sets proofreaders. By "proofreaders" do they mean actual adults literate in English?

Some conservatives are outraged because they insist that the new cover of Newsweek, featuring Sarah Palin, is very unflattering, showing wrinkles and PORES! GASP! NOT PORES!

Palin rally moved to NASCAR track. Why does this not surprise me?

Four days after this was first talked about in the Washington Post and then later, the New York Times, CNN finally gave a blurb on their Political Ticker blog about the fact that McCain/Palin rallies are emphasizing Obama's middle name (Hussien), and trumpeting about Obama's supposed connection to William Ayers (which has been pretty well debunked here), talking about how he voted against funding for the troops and omitting the fact that he voted against one measure because it had no timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, and later voted for another funding bill that did have a timetable for withdrawal, and accusing him of being unpatriotic. Cries of "terrorist", "treason", and "kill him" have started popping up at McCain/Palin rallies. At one rally, the crowd began shouting racial epithets at black cameraman there with a news crew. Despite the fact that this has happened more than once, the McCain campaign continues to use these tactics. Nevermind that Ayers is a professor at the University of Chicago, has never been charged with a crime, and that plenty of Republicans also sat on the same charitable boards and school projects with Ayers that Obama did. One of McCain's biggest supporters, in fact, sat on a board with Ayers. Does that make her a terrorist too? Even though she's a long time Republican supporter? I bet she's pissed at McCain for calling her foundation a "radical educational organization". Wonder if she'll still support him now? And most media articles that mention Bill Ayers don't mention that he was Chicago's Citizen of the Year in 1997.

But nevermind all that. Let's complain because Palin's photo wasn't airbrushed.

Oh, and McCain calls a crowd "my fellow prisoners",but nobody's talking about it.

On the lighter side, here are some cool things that make me laugh:

Things Sarah Palin Can Name
PALINdrome - take voice clips from Sarah's speeches and rearrange them. Hey, you can put together a GOOD speech for her!
Sarah's not having a good day. However, no word on whether there will be any consequences.
McCain isn't having a good day either.
John Stewart sums it all up beautifully. The footage of McCain wandering around the stage at the second debate was beautiful.

Keith Olbermann points out that Palin has questionable associations much stronger than Obama's with a political party that wants Alaska to secede from the United States. Everyone stresses that Palin herself was never a member, but her husband was for years, until she ran for mayor, and she has spoken at the group's evens as recently as this year. Interesting.
And this didn't take long at all. Apparently this person bought the domain name right after McCain uttered the words "that one".

Women Say No to Sarah Palin

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:07:00 +0000

Two inspired young women in New York feel so strongly against John McCain's VP Pick, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, that they started a blog, Women Say No to Sarah Palin. They sent the following email to friends and colleagues:

Date: Saturday, September 6, 2008, 4:18 PM

Hello there list— Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters,

We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate that has a real possibility of becoming fact.

Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.

We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and altogether devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so demonstrably benefited from.

First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.

Therefore, we invite you to reply here: womensaynotpalin@gmail.com with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.

Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence. We will post your responses on a blog called "Women Against Sarah Palin," which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience. The greater the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.

Thank you for your time and action.

VIVA!

Sincerely,

Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston

New York, NY

womensaynotpalin@gmail.com

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY! If you send this to 20 women in the next hour, you could be blessed with a country that takes your concerns seriously. Stranger things have happened.

I applaud these young women for caring enough to undertake this enormous task. If you visit the blog, you will see that they are working very hard to keep up with the huge number of replies they are being deluged with. Pass this information on, and urge your local media to cover this very valid topic.

McCain Thought Rape Was Funny

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:00:00 +0000

In 1986. Apparently his campaign maintains that the people that all heard it had a collective hallucination.

Samantha Bee is a Goddess

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:14:00 +0000

I have nothing more to add. She said it all!

THIS is Why I Adore and Worship Jon Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:47:00 +0000

Media Apologizes for Coverage of Palin

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:48:00 +0000

I hope Sarah Palin and all Republicans are satisfied by the media's apology for their coverage of Palin and her family. This may be my favorite sarcastic published piece of all time!

McCain and Palin's Hypocrisy on Choice

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:41:00 +0000

Amid the cries of "Leave Bristol alone, she's a kid!", I have to point something out:
Bristol is five months pregnant. Her parents were aware of this when her mother decided to become McCain's running mate. If Palin really wanted privacy for her daughter, then perhaps choosing to run for such a high political office wasn't the best move. Has she learned nothing from seeing other political scandals in the news? Look at John Edwards - an affair that ended a few years ago just recently came to light and hurt his credibility, and aired his marriage's dirty laundry very publicly. Yet Palin chose to become McCain's running mate. How could she not see that people would be asking if she still supported abstinence only sex education until marriage, since her own 17 year old, unmarried daughter, who hasn't finished high school, is five months along with an unplanned pregnancy? Some people say that's a cheap shot, but it's not. The personal is political. So having a 17 year old high school student daughter that has an unplanned pregnancy - does that change Palin's views on sex education in schools? It's a valid question. McCain's campaign aides say that Bristol "chose" to carry her pregnancy to term and marry the boyfriend who described himself as a "fuckin' redneck" who didn't want kids on his MySpace page (it's no longer up) - as if Bristol would have truly been able to choose anything OTHER than carrying the pregnancy and making everything all better with a shotgun wedding now that her family is thrust into the international spotlight?
Same with John McCain, who during the 2000 primary McCain said that if his daughter got pregnant it would be a "family decision":

"The final decision would be made by Meghan with our advice and counsel," McCain said, referring to himself and his wife, Cindy. When reporters suggested that this view made him, in fact, pro-choice, McCain became irritated. "I don't think it is the pro-choice position to say that my daughter and my wife and I will discuss something that is a family matter that we have to decide."

So, his daughter and family deserve the option to even MAKE a choice, other than the default response of "Of COURSE she'll carry the pregnancy to term!", but other women and families don't deserve the ability to make that choice. Nice.
Hey Bristol - I know this sucks for you and we can't even begin to comprehend what you are going through, now that your sex life and personal choices have been made public fodder. But really - your mom signed you up for this. And maybe the two of you should discuss teaching kids the facts about sex, so that they can prevent unwanted pregnancy and infections. You know, since clearly it's not true that not telling kids about sex will stop them from having it.

CNN - Now They're Just Assholes

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:57:00 +0000

Approximately 5 minutes after McCain announced Palin as his choice for VP, a male reporter on CNN just asked another reporter something along the lines of, “Palin also has a baby with Down’s Syndrome. Those children require an awful lot of care. Do you think she’ll be able to balance taking care of that baby with being Vice President? I mean, having a Down’s Syndrome baby takes up a lot of time and energy.” (emphasis mine)

The (female) reporter answered by saying that the McCain campaign would probably point out that a similar question wouldn’t be asked of a man. She then said that although Palin “unfortunately” has a baby with Down’s Syndrome, having that baby was a choice she made knowingly as a person with strong anti-abortion views, and that may endear her to conservative voters.

How many times did that make you want to throw up? "Yes, her decision to have a disabled baby could make it impossible for her to have a political career, but she brought that on herself since she's anti-abortion." How...sweet?

Goodie...now we'll have the ultimate martyr - a working woman who claims to feel blessed because her child has Down Syndrome. Gee, I wonder if she'll have any understanding at all for women who don't want to get pregnant or have children?

CNN - So Sensitive!

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:23:00 +0000

There's really nothing for me to say here...

Calling it Abortion Instead of Birth Control Didn't Work, Now I'll Act Like I'm Protecting Doctors

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:39:00 +0000

The Health and Human Services new proposal, which would reclassify methods of birth control such as the pill, patch, ring and IUD as abortifacients, got too much criticism. You can read more details here.

Now the HHS has released a revised version of the proposal, which removed the redefinition of contraception as abortion, but centers on the idea of protecting doctors that are morally opposed to abortion and refuse to refer patients to other doctors that do perform abortions. That's right, if a doctor wants to block your attempt to have a legal abortion, this proposal would protect that doctor's right to do so. RH Reality Check has a great article on the revised proposal.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has been trying to argue that the justification for these new regulations are because the poor doctors who would want to be Board certified OBGYNs would be FORCED to provide abortion services in order to be certifed, and forcing doctors to provide medical services that they disagree with is wrong. You can't keep someone from being a gynecologist just because they don't want to provide abortions! Except, oh, wait...there is nothing that requires OBGYNs to perform abortions...there are plenty of OBGYNS that don't offer abortions NOW, and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology has publicly stated, multiple times, that whether or not an OBGYN performs abortions will have no bearing upon their certification or re-certification. Leavitt doesn't seem to have an answer to this, so he just keeps ignoring the fact that this new argument of his is wrong. I guess he doesn't want to come right out and say that he wants to keep women barefoot and pregnant.

Here's an idea - why don't we all go over to Secretary Leavitt's blog right now and leave him some comments letting him know how we feel about these proposed regulations? The proposal is also open for public comment, it's HHS_FRDOC_0001. And check out this excellent comment on Leavitt's blog!

I've been trying to figure out when I can fit my tubal into my schedule, with work and personal and family events, since I'll need to allow a few days for recovery time. This makes me want to run out and get it RIGHT NOW!

Nice Move, Dumbass

noreply@blogger.com (GottabeMe) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:31:00 +0000

Former Presidential candidate John Edwards actually made an even WORSE political move than admitting that he cheated on his wife, who is battling breast cancer. Not only that, but he made this horiffically bad move on Nightline!

"Asked how he could have cheated on his wife, Mr. Edwards noted that his wife’s cancer was in remission during the affair.”

Oh, well, then that makes it all hunky dory. I'm sure that is a great comfort to Elizabeth Edwards now. "Well, yes, he betrayed my trust and broke his vows...but at least he wasn't fucking some other woman before my cancer was in remission!" Wipes brow in relief.

Congratulations Dumbass. You actually managed to sink yourself even lower. Other politicians have cheated on their wives, but so far you're the only one to say "Well, at least I had the decency to cheat on her while her cancer was in remission." I'm just glad Elizabeth Edwards didn't do the "stand by your man" television appearance like so many other wives of political candidates.