It's The Hypocrisy, stupid.

At the very core of my outrage over this whole birth control/catholic bishop thing is the audacity a local priest had to demand first amendment rights for the church when agents of the catholic church are actively seeking to legislate against others' first amendment rights. Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion. Jesus did not legislate free will. I've found no where in the Gospel where he demanded that that the local governments of the towns he visited re-write their laws according to his word. So, bishops of the United States, if you are demanding your first amendment right, how can you, in good faith, seek to deny others theirs?

Part two: if you are a religious organization that takes federal money, you must obey federal law. You have the choice to take that money. No one is forcing you.

It's the hypocrisy, stupid.

This is EXACTLY what is wrong with politics today

I saw this picture going around Facebook and I just couldn't let it go. I totally understand that there are different points of view on politics and government, and I stand by the fact that open, INFORMED, debate is vital to the continuing prosperity of our country. But this? This is poison. And it is offensive on so many levels. Every citizen of the United States of America should be offended by this. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order:

1) I'm not racist and I voted for Obama. Does that mean I'm off the hook for voting for "someone else?" 

2) Am I not a Concerned Citizen of America if my vote for Obama had nothing to do with race? 

3) Is this funny if I flip it around? If you voted for McCain in 2008 to prove you're a racist, please vote for someone else (not sure if this would be Romney/Gingrich or Obama) to prove you're an idiot.  See that's not funny. That's offensive. 

When we start throwing around words like racist and idiot, we demean the whole system. This is a cop out for people who don't want to look at facts and have a rational debate. This is a ploy. Let's talk about issues and policy and get off the playground. 

WHAT FREE MARKET?!?

Again, I am at a loss on where to start. What I hear the GOP candidates saying is : get government out of the way and let the free market heal the economy. And then: Don't you dare cut federal subsidies to oil/farmers/whatever-industry-is-in-my-state! What I heard in Nov 2010: Let's cut spending, and get people back to work! What I saw in the next 8 months: an unprecedented attack on abortion services that will end up costing the states millions and no job creation bills!

Why is it Obama's fault that the unemployment rate is so high? He extended those tax cuts that Republicans said would create jobs. He signed the stimulus that all those republicans hated until they got the big checks and cut ribbons at stimulus funded facilities.

How is it ok to defund Head Start, but not insist that GE and Exxon pay some, ANY, taxes. Sure our corporate tax rate is high, but how many actually pay that? And did those CEO's that "deserve" their absurd pay use any government infrastructure while building their business? Were they completely ethical and exploitation-free in their employment practices?

I'd really like to hear from the conservative point of view here. Total respect for other points of view.

republican input part 2

Also need help understanding how one can both advocate for the free market and for subsidies.

Republican input needed

I need help understanding a few things:
1) if tax cuts create jobs, where are the jobs being created by all those big companies that are paying no taxes or getting a tax refund?

2) what does reducing the deficit have to do with job creation? I haven't yet seen anyone make this correlation in actual facts.

note to self: stop reading the comments

As seen in the comments section of the NPR article about Michele Bachmann's performance at last nights debate:
Democrats are ... Misogynists.

A preemptive apology: Snarkiness ahead:

Dear Tea Partiers, Republicans/Conservatives, or anybody who hates Obama:

It's possible that all those talking points you are running on are not entirely true. I know it's hard to verify the Talking Points Memo that you get every morning, I mean, you have to prep for that "fair and balanced" appearance you are making today to regurgitate those talking points. I understand how hard it might be to consider other points of view between tweeting and facebooking and all that. Honestly I'm impressed at your ability to multi-task so well. I know, I know, you've got control of the house now, so you really don't have to waste your time with this stuff, but you know, considering Boehner's heart-felt speech last night about working hard for Americans, I thought maybe before you lace up those boots and slip on those stilettos, you might just want to take a minute to consider a few things. I know the article is posted by that "lame-stream" bastion, Huffpo, those bastards, but really, it's not that long. Here, I'll even summarize for you:

1) Obama's actually reduced the deficit.

2)Obama cut taxes

3)Obama didn't bail out the banks

4)The stimulus did work, it just wasn't enough. We went from losing jobs by the thousands to gaining jobs. And seriously people, did you expect him to waive a magic wand and suddenly jobs would be every where? If you want to see where the jobs went why not ask those who favored outsourcing and loopholes for sending jobs over seas? Or those who deregged the banks so they could make these stupid loans. And the people who took out those loans when they obviously couldn't afford them...

5)Businesses don't hire when they receive tax cuts.

6)Obamacare actually reduced the deficit by 138 billion

7)Social Security Doesn't contribute to the deficit

8)Gov't spending doesn't take money out of the economy

The full text and link are below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/eight-false-things-the-pu_b_772643.html

It's called 8 false things the public "knows"

Here's the text;

Here are eight of the biggest myths that are out there:

1) President Obama tripled the deficit.
Reality: Bush's last budget had a $1.416 trillion deficit. Obama's first budget reduced that to $1.29 trillion.

2) President Obama raised taxes, which hurt the economy.
Reality: Obama cut taxes. 40% of the "stimulus" was wasted on tax cuts which only create debt, which is why it was so much less effective than it could have been.

3) President Obama bailed out the banks.
Reality: While many people conflate the "stimulus" with the bank bailouts, the bank bailouts wererequested by President Bush and his Treasury Secretary, former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson. (Paulson also wanted the bailouts to be "non-reviewable by any court or any agency.") The bailouts passed and began before the 2008 election of President Obama.

4) The stimulus didn't work.
Reality: The stimulus worked, but was not enough. In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus raised employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs.

5) Businesses will hire if they get tax cuts.
Reality: A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire.Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.

6) Health care reform costs $1 trillion.
Reality: The health care reform reduces government deficits by $138 billion.

7) Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, is "going broke," people live longer, fewer workers per retiree, etc.
Reality: Social Security has run a surplus since it began, has a trust fund in the trillions, is completely sound for at least 25 more years and cannot legally borrow so cannot contribute to the deficit (compare that to the military budget!) Life expectancy is only longer because fewer babies die; people who reach 65 live about the same number of years as they used to.

8) Government spending takes money out of the economy.
Reality: Government is We, the People and the money it spends is on We, the People. Many people do not know that it is government that builds the roads, airports, ports, courts, schools and other things that are the soil in which business thrives. Many people think that all government spending is on "welfare" and "foreign aid" when that is only a small part of the government's budget.

This stuff really matters.

If the public votes in a new Congress because a majority of voters think this one tripled the deficit, and as a result the new people follow the policies that actually tripled the deficit, the country could go broke.

If the public votes in a new Congress that rejects the idea of helping to create demand in the economy because they think it didn't work, then the new Congress could do things that cause a depression.

If the public votes in a new Congress because they think the health care reform will increase the deficit when it is actually projected to reduce the deficit, then the new Congress could repeal health care reform and thereby make the deficit worse. And on it goes.

This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture I am a Fellow with CAF.

An example of Fiscal Conservatism?

A lot of conservative candidates are running on a platform of small-government and fiscal conservatism and how out of touch Washington is with Main St. Here's an article I found that may be of interest to all of us still struggling under the burden of student loans, or perhaps, for those of us who know student loans are in our children's future.

"Backdoor Bailout, Tea Party Fakeout: The GOP's Secret $90 Billion Gift To Wall Street"

The gist of it is that GOP hopefuls want to repeal the legislation that removed "a cushy deal that gave private banks a percentage of government-loan funds for "administering" loans (they weren't actually lending the money). They performed their administrative duties both inefficiently and unethically. What's more, the banks took a portion of their vig and spent it on lobbyists in order to keep the pot sweetened for themselves."

In addition:

"The Republican repeal plan wouldn't just put tens of billions of public dollars in bank coffers. It would also raise the maximum amount a graduate is forced to pay each year from 10 percent to 15 percent of income. And it would extend the length of time before their debt is forgiven from 20 to 25 years."

I don't have an email address or phone number for you to call on this one, but perhaps a more basic question to start a discussion:

Can you trust a candidate to do what's right for Main Street, when they are funded by Wall Street? Can you trust a Representative or Senator to listen to doctors when they are funded by lawyers? This is an old question but more relevant than ever considering the ability of corporations to donate like people. What do you think? Will we ever get away from the hypocrisy?

Raped girl must cheer for her attacker

Here's an article (thanks Andrew Rihn) about a high school girl who was sexually assaulted by a basketball player at her school. When she refused to chant his name during his free throws, she was kicked off the team.

What's even more disgusting, is that after the incedent happened, the school officials urged her to keep a low profile, avoid the cafeteria, perhaps forgo homecoming...Good for her for refusing to be shamed into silence.

At the end of the article are the emails for the school officials. I urge you to take a minute and shoot an email to these officials who are supposed to be protecting our children, who are instead, more worried about the athletes' reputations.

http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/10/15/cheerleader-required-to-cheer-for-man-who-assaulted-her/

Richard Bain Jr., Superintendent, Silsbee Independent School District, 415 Highway 327 West, Silsbee, TX, 77656; rbain@silsbeeisd.org; (409) 980-7800

Eldon Franco, Principal, Silsbee High School, 1575 Highway 96 North, Silsbee, TX, 77656-4799; efranco@silsbeeisd.org; (409) 980-7800

Alimony Update:

It looks like my mom will be spared the continued victimization of having to pay alimony to her abuser. Phew! But for every one person who gets justice, hundreds more are still trapped into financially supporting the spouses that abused them. My mom is still working with Kathleen Chandler on this issue, in the hopes of making state-wide changes to the law. Look for updates on their progress in the coming months.

Thanks for all the support.

Domestic Violence Update - an email from Columbus!

When me and my brother started telling my mom's story (see previous victim blog), I emailed the Speaker of the House in Columbus. Last week, I received an email from Sarah Cherry, Legal Council for the Majority Caucus. She wrote me a personal, sincere email and explained some of the hang-ups with domestic abuse laws. Here's an excerpt:

One thing we want to be cautious about moving forward, is not changing the law so that it inadvertently traps the victims and prevents them from collecting deserved alimony. Often, a victim can also be convicted of domestic violence for participating in one instance of fighting with the chronic abuser. We want to be very careful not to create a system that encourages a true victim to stay in an abusive relationship by denying them alimony if they leave.

I am encouraged by this response and by the consideration that the Majority Caucus is giving this issue. Please send our Speaker of the House an email thanking him for the work they are doing on Domestic Abuse laws and urging them to push ahead, to make a difference for victims. Every email or phone call helps!

Armond Budish district08@ohr.state.oh.us

(614) 466-5441

Do Republicans Hate Women? Part 1

Ok so that title was to get you attention, though sometimes it does feel like the Grand Ole Party has it out for women. Take these guys, for example. They all voted against Franken's Anti-rape bill.

http://www.republicansforrape.org/legislators/

Sheesh these guys make being a Slactivist easy! Roll-over or click on the picture for contact info.

Here's an excerpt from Jaime Lee Jones' story: my comments in italics

Her employers [KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary] response to her claim was to lock her in a sparsely furnished shipping container with guards and no communication, food, or water. [This was after she was gang raped and beaten] Jones eventually convinced a guard to loan her a cell phone where she call her Dad who contacted his congressman who contacted the US Embassy in Baghdad who freed her. She was examined by army doctors who photographed her bruises and believed her wounds suggested vaginal and anal rape. They treated her with a rape kit and turned it over to private KBR security forces. The rape kit was later lost.

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977203863

http://www.jamiesfoundation.org/

Here's some info on Franken's Amendment

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/07/franken-gets-first-amendm_n_312399.html

What I'm hoping for is a legitimate conversation on why these men think it's ok for the government to do business with companies that don't protect rape victims. Besides the fact that they are owned by Halliburton.

What's wrong with my junk? Part 2

I have received an e-mail from Cornell regarding Dix Poppas and his disgusting practice. It is below. I hope you will take a second to email the president of Cornell.(see what's wrong with my junk part 1) It might be a form letter, but at least they are responding.

Dear Ms. Delgado,

President Skorton has asked me to thank you for your email and to follow up.

While it is too early to provide a meaningful response to your comments, please be assured that we take your concerns seriously and are looking into the matter thoroughly.

Cornell University and its Weill Cornell Medical College are committed to providing the highest quality education, research and clinical care.

Sincerely,

Tommy Bruce

Vice President for University Communications

Cornell University

Rant #2: Finally! A blog about Sarah Palin!

Here's why I'm not worried about 2012: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/06/21/palin-barton-philsophy/#comments

The Republican Party is so splintered, so obsessed with fear tactics and talking heads, and so eager to tweet/facebook/talkshow that they aren't paying attention to each other and the real issues here. Sarah Palin, you need to quit trying to be a celebrity and read the constitution you continually claim you are trying to protect. In fact, why don't you take a class or get a tutor...I know someone who used to teach constitutional law...maybe he'll give you a call *wink*

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/palins-phoney-call-me-off_b_605940.html

What's wrong with my junk? Part 1

This post is explicit. And gut-wrenching. It is about Dix Poppas, a pediatric urologist at Cornell University who routinely removes sensitive tissue from girls genitalia if he believes it is too large or "not normal." Not only are his motives completely wacked, his annual follow-up exams are disgusting and degrading, to say the absolute least. I've posted an excerpt below, as well as two links to articles about him, a few email addresses and the email I sent. Feel free to use it, if, like I was when I first read this, you are too shocked to even form a sentence.

Dix Poppas

dpoppas@med.cornell.edu the President of Cornell University

president-mailbox@cornell.edu

From Alice Dreger and Ellen Feder via Dan Savage's report "Female Genital Mutilation at Cornell University":

At annual visits after the

surgery, while a parent watches, Poppas touches the daughter’s surgically shortened clitoris with a cotton-tip applicator and/or with a “vibratory device,” and the girl is asked to report to Poppas how strongly she feels him touching her clitoris. Using the vibrator, he also touches her on her inner thigh, her labia minora, and the introitus of her vagina, asking her to report, on a scale of 0 (no sensation) to 5 (maximum), how strongly she feels the touch.... Poppas has indicated in this article and elsewhere that ideally he seeks to conduct annual exams with these girls....

Dear Dix Poppas,

You should be ashamed of yourself, you disgusting excuse for a doctor. If carving up the genitalia of 6-years olds because of your bizarre notions of what a "normal" clitoris is supposed to look like, which is influenced in part by a study that suggests larger genitalia indicates a propensity towards lesbianism, wasn't a tragedy in itself, the way you "prove" that your procedure works is morally outrageous. You are a horrible, horrible man who should not only be stripped of your license to practice medicine, but also your freedom. You should be in jail for the crimes you are committing against these girls.

You are repugnant, and I mean that sincerely,

http://www.ivygateblog.com/2010/06/cornell-researchers-performing-female-genital-mutilation-and-abusing-young-girls-slips-through-the-cracks/

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2010/06/16/female-genital-mutilation-at-cornell-university

File this under: Rant

Reporter Sara Carbonero is being blamed for Spain’s loss against Switzerland. She’s the goalie’s girlfriend and apparently, her presence on the sideline distracted him so much that he missed a crucial goal. Distracted, huh? I bet she was trying to get his attention to tell him about these cute shoes she bought, right? No? Maybe she was texting him their after game date-night plans? No? She was “so close to the field before and during the crucial match.” Oh, ok. I get it. You’re mad at her for DOING HER JOB.

You know, it seems pretty unfair for an industry to insist upon the aesthetic appeal of its female newscasters then berate them for it. And to her boyfriend/goalie Iker Casillas and all those outraged fans looking for a scapegoat: put on your big boy pants, keep your mind off “other things,” and do your job. From what I’ve read, Casillas was an inconsistent goalie at best. Regardless of where his girlfriend stands.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/article-1287343/WORLD-CUP-2010-How-did-muck-Iker-Casillas-WAG-presenter-berates-Spain-captain-live-TV-shock-World-Cup-defeat.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/17/sara-carbonero-iker-casil_n_615832.html

Update: I need your help!

Please email K. Chandler (D-Ohio) and tell her to support legislation that prevents domestic abusers from getting alimony from their victims! She'll be in Columbus today. Let's swamp her inbox!

district68@ohr.state.oh.us

Victim of domestic abuse pays alimony to abuser?

Those of you who know me know that I take politics very personally. Well, I’m going to start out this political blog by getting very, very personal. Last Christmas Eve my step-father attacked and threatened my mother. She walked out, went door to door until she found someone who was home, and called the Police. She was lucky, I know, that he didn’t pursue her, that he didn’t fight the police when they came. She was lucky that she had a place to go, and family close by to help her move while he spent Christmas in jail. I thank God that the situation wasn’t as bad as it could have been, which is an odd thing to be thankful for. It was enough to get my mom out of a marriage to him.

This post isn’t about him, though, or his pattern of verbal abuse, or everything my mom did to help him and support him for the ten and a half years they were married. This post is about divorce, and more specifically, divorce laws in the state of Ohio. See, my mom is a hard worker. She’s worked very hard for the last eleven years at a company that pays decently and has excellent benefits. They’ve helped her pay for school and they have a great retirement plan. My soon-to-be ex-step-father has no retirement, has no education, and has no job. Can you see where this is going?

That’s right. His lawyers are requesting that he get alimony. And the kicker is that even though he pled guilty to domestic violence charges, and there are civil protection orders in place, in the state of Ohio, he’s entitled to it.

Oh, that’s after he gets HALF of my mom’s retirement.

Of course, my mom is going to fight this. Part of fighting this is knowing where to start. And part of fighting this is raising awareness.

So if you have any info that could help us, please share.

If you have a similar story, please share.

If you are upset and outraged that an abuser can legally demand alimony from their victim, please, please contact your state representatives.

In Ohio, http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&Itemid=52

The rest of the U.S. https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Thanks.