Sunday, September 26, 2004
My other blog is . . .
My other blog includes cool pictures of my cats. I can't figure out how to upload graphics to blogger.com so this is a text-only spot. :-[
Maria Schriver - Stepford Wife
Where was Maria Schriver when her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, vetoed SB 1555, a bill that would have required individual health plans to include maternity coverage? I think she owes us an explanation after going on Oprah and urging us to vote for her husband, as Gropinator of California. Reported in the San Jose Mercury News:
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday sided with hospital and insurance interests in a series of health-related bills. . . . On the issue of hospitals, Schwarzenegger rejected three bills that were at the top of the hospital industry's "oppose'' list, including legislation aimed at reducing large hospital bills for low-income, uninsured patients. The bill (SB 379) by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, would have required hospitals to provide discounted rates.
Where is the Compassion?
An article in the Sacramento Bee points out:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have required California hospitals to give discounted care to the poor and also would have banned some of their most aggressive bill collection tactics.
The measure, SB 379 by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, would have made hospitals wait 150 days after treatment before sending patients' bills to collection and made it illegal for hospitals to foreclose on homes or seize other assets.
It also would have guaranteed that uninsured patients with income under 400 percent of the federal poverty level, about $62,000 for a family of three, pay no more than the rates typically charged to government health programs such as Medi-Cal and Medicare.
"This veto means that working families will be needlessly overcharged and sent into collections and on to court and then bankruptcy because the governor sided with industry against consumers," said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, a patient advocacy group.
In his veto message, the governor expressed sympathy for patients.
"Large hospital bills can lead to devastating financial consequences for those least capable of bearing the costs of unplanned visits to the hospital," he said in the message.
Talk is cheap mein Führer.
Chris Matthews states that Schwarzenegger called him a "girly man" because Matthews' wife won't allow cigar smoking in their home. So I wonder if Maria Schriver is so submissive to her über manly-man that she puts his demands over the health of her children? We all know that second-hand smoke is not good for developing lungs.
Speaking of "girly men" I don't find body builders appealing in anyway. I prefer brains over brawn, I prefer metro-sexual over retro-sexual and I didn't vote for Schwarzenegger either.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday sided with hospital and insurance interests in a series of health-related bills. . . . On the issue of hospitals, Schwarzenegger rejected three bills that were at the top of the hospital industry's "oppose'' list, including legislation aimed at reducing large hospital bills for low-income, uninsured patients. The bill (SB 379) by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, would have required hospitals to provide discounted rates.
Where is the Compassion?
An article in the Sacramento Bee points out:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have required California hospitals to give discounted care to the poor and also would have banned some of their most aggressive bill collection tactics.
The measure, SB 379 by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, would have made hospitals wait 150 days after treatment before sending patients' bills to collection and made it illegal for hospitals to foreclose on homes or seize other assets.
It also would have guaranteed that uninsured patients with income under 400 percent of the federal poverty level, about $62,000 for a family of three, pay no more than the rates typically charged to government health programs such as Medi-Cal and Medicare.
"This veto means that working families will be needlessly overcharged and sent into collections and on to court and then bankruptcy because the governor sided with industry against consumers," said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, a patient advocacy group.
In his veto message, the governor expressed sympathy for patients.
"Large hospital bills can lead to devastating financial consequences for those least capable of bearing the costs of unplanned visits to the hospital," he said in the message.
Talk is cheap mein Führer.
Chris Matthews states that Schwarzenegger called him a "girly man" because Matthews' wife won't allow cigar smoking in their home. So I wonder if Maria Schriver is so submissive to her über manly-man that she puts his demands over the health of her children? We all know that second-hand smoke is not good for developing lungs.
Speaking of "girly men" I don't find body builders appealing in anyway. I prefer brains over brawn, I prefer metro-sexual over retro-sexual and I didn't vote for Schwarzenegger either.
Falwell says evangelicals control GOP, Bush's fate
From the San Diego Union-Tribute
The Rev. Jerry Falwell said yesterday that evangelical Christians, after nearly 25 years of increasing political activism, now control the Republican Party and the fate of President Bush in the November election.
"The Republican Party does not have the head count to elect a president without the support of religious conservatives," Falwell said at an election training conference of the Christian Coalition.
Falwell said evangelical Christians are now "by far the largest constituency" within the Republican Party, their route to dominance beginning in 1979 with his founding of the Moral Majority, a precursor to the Christian Coalition.
"I tell my Republican friends who are always talking about the 'big tent,' I say make it as big as you want to, but if the candidate running for president is not pro-life, pro-family . . . you're not going to win," he said.
"Big tent" was coined by the late Lee Atwater as chairman of the Republican National Committee after the 1988 presidential election to summarize his view that the party should expand beyond its conservative base to include moderates.
Falwell expressed confidence in a Bush victory over Democratic Sen. John Kerry, adding, "You cannot be a sincere, committed born-again believer who takes the Bible seriously and vote for a pro-choice, anti-family candidate."
Falwell was among roughly a dozen speakers at the Christian Coalition workshop, which was held in a Senate auditorium, a courtesy arranged by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority whip, the No. 2 Republican position in the Senate. The speakers included:
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who said Bush's re-election is critical because "the next president is going to appoint two, perhaps four, Supreme Court justices," making it possible to reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion-rights ruling.
The Rev. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, who, in announcing a $1 million campaign to mobilize church-going voters, likened politicians who support abortion rights to people who support terrorism.
Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., who said "preachers must be free to speak out" in favor of anti-abortion office-seekers because liberals are attempting to "eliminate the Judeo-Christian principles upon which this country was founded."
The "Road to Victory 2004" conference ends today at a Washington hotel with several hundred Christian activists attending training sessions for registering new voters and getting those voters to the polls on Election Day.
Thanks to Linda who found this article.
The Rev. Jerry Falwell said yesterday that evangelical Christians, after nearly 25 years of increasing political activism, now control the Republican Party and the fate of President Bush in the November election.
"The Republican Party does not have the head count to elect a president without the support of religious conservatives," Falwell said at an election training conference of the Christian Coalition.
Falwell said evangelical Christians are now "by far the largest constituency" within the Republican Party, their route to dominance beginning in 1979 with his founding of the Moral Majority, a precursor to the Christian Coalition.
"I tell my Republican friends who are always talking about the 'big tent,' I say make it as big as you want to, but if the candidate running for president is not pro-life, pro-family . . . you're not going to win," he said.
"Big tent" was coined by the late Lee Atwater as chairman of the Republican National Committee after the 1988 presidential election to summarize his view that the party should expand beyond its conservative base to include moderates.
Falwell expressed confidence in a Bush victory over Democratic Sen. John Kerry, adding, "You cannot be a sincere, committed born-again believer who takes the Bible seriously and vote for a pro-choice, anti-family candidate."
Falwell was among roughly a dozen speakers at the Christian Coalition workshop, which was held in a Senate auditorium, a courtesy arranged by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority whip, the No. 2 Republican position in the Senate. The speakers included:
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who said Bush's re-election is critical because "the next president is going to appoint two, perhaps four, Supreme Court justices," making it possible to reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion-rights ruling.
The Rev. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, who, in announcing a $1 million campaign to mobilize church-going voters, likened politicians who support abortion rights to people who support terrorism.
Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., who said "preachers must be free to speak out" in favor of anti-abortion office-seekers because liberals are attempting to "eliminate the Judeo-Christian principles upon which this country was founded."
The "Road to Victory 2004" conference ends today at a Washington hotel with several hundred Christian activists attending training sessions for registering new voters and getting those voters to the polls on Election Day.
Thanks to Linda who found this article.
Congressional Power Grab
The House passed legislation Thursday that would prevent the Supreme Court from ruling on whether the words "under God" should be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance.
The bill, which the House approved, 247-173, would prohibit federal courts, including the Supreme Court, from hearing cases involving the pledge and its recitation and would prevent federal courts from striking the words "under God" from the pledge.
So would the Supreme Court be allowed to determine the constitutionality of this measure if it passes the Senate?
The bill, which the House approved, 247-173, would prohibit federal courts, including the Supreme Court, from hearing cases involving the pledge and its recitation and would prevent federal courts from striking the words "under God" from the pledge.
So would the Supreme Court be allowed to determine the constitutionality of this measure if it passes the Senate?
WingNut Gone Wild
From C-SPAN
"PETER SLEN, HOST: Kenner, Louisiana, good morning.
CALLER (in a very airy voice): Good morning. I’m going to vote for President Bush because, after all, you know, God made us there, you know, in His image, free from any black color and all [Host looks up, surprised]. The only church that Kerry can go to is where they say the Black Mass, and that is in the Merriam-Webster Pocket Book dictionary, where it says that that is the devil worshippers. [Host looks uncomfortably off-camera, at producer?] I would never vote for, you know, Senator Kerry.e every effort to give you the same booth again, or very near So, definitely, I would never vote for, you know, Senator Kerry.
And that isn’t the only reason. Also, in the Bible, God said … God … that, uh, also, like (unintelligible) and faggots, that he says, anybody that lays down with another man and has sex with his own sex, and any woman that lays down with another woman and has sex should be put to death and their blood upon them. It also says that about interracial marriages and everything. So that’s the reason why I’m voting for my president, Bush.
Read the rest of the transcript.
"PETER SLEN, HOST: Kenner, Louisiana, good morning.
CALLER (in a very airy voice): Good morning. I’m going to vote for President Bush because, after all, you know, God made us there, you know, in His image, free from any black color and all [Host looks up, surprised]. The only church that Kerry can go to is where they say the Black Mass, and that is in the Merriam-Webster Pocket Book dictionary, where it says that that is the devil worshippers. [Host looks uncomfortably off-camera, at producer?] I would never vote for, you know, Senator Kerry.e every effort to give you the same booth again, or very near So, definitely, I would never vote for, you know, Senator Kerry.
And that isn’t the only reason. Also, in the Bible, God said … God … that, uh, also, like (unintelligible) and faggots, that he says, anybody that lays down with another man and has sex with his own sex, and any woman that lays down with another woman and has sex should be put to death and their blood upon them. It also says that about interracial marriages and everything. So that’s the reason why I’m voting for my president, Bush.
Read the rest of the transcript.
Laura Bush Stepford Wife
Were you won over by Laura? It was nice, of course, to think she might be pro-choice, or have more enlightened views on education, but if any of that were true, it's been obvious for quite a while that her husband doesn't consult her for guidance. Lately Laura Bush has been used for President [sic] George Bush and his political advisors to justify his opposition to stem cell research.
Molly Ivins points out, in an article for Mother Jones magazine, “Laura Bush, it seems, is used to cast a softer light on her husband, who then proceeds to reverse whatever she’s just promised.”
Molly Ivins points out, in an article for Mother Jones magazine, “Laura Bush, it seems, is used to cast a softer light on her husband, who then proceeds to reverse whatever she’s just promised.”
Iran Executes a Child
Ateqeh Rajabi was reportedly publicly hanged on a street in the city centre of Neka, northern Iran, on 15 August 2004 for "acts incompatible with chastity".
Amnesty International is alarmed that this execution was carried out despite reports that Ateqeh Rajabi was not believed to be mentally competent, and that she reportedly did not have access to a lawyer at any stage.
During the trial the judge allegedly severely criticized her dress, harshly reprimanding her. It is alleged that Ateqeh Rajabi was mentally ill both at the time of her crime (having sexual relations outside of wedlock) and during her trial proceedings.
Her male partner was allowed to live.
Does anyone doubt that we could be subjected to this kind of harsh treatment if fundamentalists were allowed to take over our government? Oh, that's right, they have taken over our government. It's just a matter of time before birth control and abortion are illegal. VOTE OR DIE! This is not a joke. A recent article in Prevention magazine talked about one woman who takes birth control pills for a medical problem, not for contraception, and the pharmacist refused to fill her prescription. They are claiming that the birth control pill is really an abortion pill because it can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall. The article went on to say that scientists believe life begins when the fertilized egg is implanted, not when the egg is fertilized. The author goes on to say that Bush's policies have emboldened pharmacists and doctors to refuse to prescribe and fill prescriptions for birth control pills and for the "morning after" pill.
And they have the nerve to claim that "W" stands for women.
Amnesty International is alarmed that this execution was carried out despite reports that Ateqeh Rajabi was not believed to be mentally competent, and that she reportedly did not have access to a lawyer at any stage.
During the trial the judge allegedly severely criticized her dress, harshly reprimanding her. It is alleged that Ateqeh Rajabi was mentally ill both at the time of her crime (having sexual relations outside of wedlock) and during her trial proceedings.
Her male partner was allowed to live.
Does anyone doubt that we could be subjected to this kind of harsh treatment if fundamentalists were allowed to take over our government? Oh, that's right, they have taken over our government. It's just a matter of time before birth control and abortion are illegal. VOTE OR DIE! This is not a joke. A recent article in Prevention magazine talked about one woman who takes birth control pills for a medical problem, not for contraception, and the pharmacist refused to fill her prescription. They are claiming that the birth control pill is really an abortion pill because it can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall. The article went on to say that scientists believe life begins when the fertilized egg is implanted, not when the egg is fertilized. The author goes on to say that Bush's policies have emboldened pharmacists and doctors to refuse to prescribe and fill prescriptions for birth control pills and for the "morning after" pill.
And they have the nerve to claim that "W" stands for women.
Clinton is a Saint Compared to Bush
A Kentucky artist depicts the former commander in chief as a Catholic-style saint.
The portrait, titled "Saint Clinton," is the creation of Scott Ritcher, a 34-year-old graphic designer who is now marketing T-shirts, posters, magnets, coffee cups, coasters and even lunchboxes with the picture reminiscent of the "Sacred Heart of Jesus" images.
When Clinton lied, no one died.
The portrait, titled "Saint Clinton," is the creation of Scott Ritcher, a 34-year-old graphic designer who is now marketing T-shirts, posters, magnets, coffee cups, coasters and even lunchboxes with the picture reminiscent of the "Sacred Heart of Jesus" images.
When Clinton lied, no one died.
Swaggart Wants to Kill Gay Men
On his Sept. 12, 2004 television show, anti-gay religious broadcaster Jimmy Swaggart launched into a virulently homophobic diatribe in which he:
said he'd kill a gay man "and tell God he died"
said that public officials who support equal marriage protections for same-sex couples should "have to marry a pig and live with him forever"
...all to the applause, laughter and approval of his congregation.
Read the story.
Listen to the audio clip.
said he'd kill a gay man "and tell God he died"
said that public officials who support equal marriage protections for same-sex couples should "have to marry a pig and live with him forever"
...all to the applause, laughter and approval of his congregation.
Read the story.
Listen to the audio clip.
Law School Fundie Style
Jerry Falwell is the fundamentalist who opened the Republican National Convention in 2000 (the GOP kept him under lock-and-key this time around). He asserts that the AIDS crisis is "God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."
Now he has started a law school. The purpose: to train fundamentalists to ignore laws they don't support and reinterpret others to enforce their radical agenda. The "school" is only the latest move in a monumental power play by the extreme right wing. They have taken over the Republican Party - and have set their sights on every branch of our government.
In the coming weeks, Democracy for America wants to distribute $250,000 to candidates who will stop them. Supporting these candidates now builds the infrastructure we will need to compete with the radical right. But we need your help to make that investment in the future.
Now he has started a law school. The purpose: to train fundamentalists to ignore laws they don't support and reinterpret others to enforce their radical agenda. The "school" is only the latest move in a monumental power play by the extreme right wing. They have taken over the Republican Party - and have set their sights on every branch of our government.
In the coming weeks, Democracy for America wants to distribute $250,000 to candidates who will stop them. Supporting these candidates now builds the infrastructure we will need to compete with the radical right. But we need your help to make that investment in the future.
Bush's War Against Women
Bush selected Dr. David W. Hager to head up the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee.
Dr. Hager is a practicing OB/GYN who describes himself as "pro-life" and refuses to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women. Hager is the author of "As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring Women Then and Now." The book blends biblical accounts of Christ healing women with case studies from Hager's practice.
In the book Dr. Hager wrote with his wife, entitled "Stress and the Woman's Body," he suggests that women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome should seek help from reading the bible and praying. As an editor and contributing author of "The Reproduction Revolution: A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality Reproductive Technologies and the Family," Dr. Hager appears to have endorsed the medically inaccurate assertion that the common birth control pill is an abortifacient.
Dr. Hager is a practicing OB/GYN who describes himself as "pro-life" and refuses to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women. Hager is the author of "As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring Women Then and Now." The book blends biblical accounts of Christ healing women with case studies from Hager's practice.
In the book Dr. Hager wrote with his wife, entitled "Stress and the Woman's Body," he suggests that women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome should seek help from reading the bible and praying. As an editor and contributing author of "The Reproduction Revolution: A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality Reproductive Technologies and the Family," Dr. Hager appears to have endorsed the medically inaccurate assertion that the common birth control pill is an abortifacient.
Faith Based Sex Ed
Because of Bush’s support for abstinence-only sex education as governor of Texas, the state is now tied with Mississippi with the highest teen birthrate in the nation. Four percent of all 15 to 17 year old girls in Texas give birth.
Since 2002, a sex-ed group that criticizes the administration’s abstinence only policies has been audited by federal health officials three times and last fall Republicans pressured the NIH to investigate 157 AIDS and sexuality researchers on a list provided by the Traditional Values Coalition.
Since 2002, a sex-ed group that criticizes the administration’s abstinence only policies has been audited by federal health officials three times and last fall Republicans pressured the NIH to investigate 157 AIDS and sexuality researchers on a list provided by the Traditional Values Coalition.
The Army of God
"I'm not anti-Islam, I'm not anti-Allah," Lt. Gen. William Boykin said in an interview broadcast on CBS' 60 Minutes but when discussing the battle against a Muslim warlord in Somalia, Boykin told another audience, "I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol."
On at least one occasion, in Sandy, Oregon, Boykin said of President Bush: "He's in the White House because God put him there." Well at least he’s partly correct – Gore got more votes than Bush did. Perhaps Boykin has elevated the Supreme Court to Godliness?
"We in the army of God, in the house of God, kingdom of God have been raised for such a time as this," Boykin said of the war on terrorism raising questions about whether we are engaged in a religious war. President Bush's reference to a "crusade" against terrorism, which passed almost unnoticed by Americans, rang alarm bells in Europe. It raised fears that the terrorist attacks could spark a 'clash of civilizations' between Christians and Muslims, sowing fresh winds of hatred and mistrust.
On at least one occasion, in Sandy, Oregon, Boykin said of President Bush: "He's in the White House because God put him there." Well at least he’s partly correct – Gore got more votes than Bush did. Perhaps Boykin has elevated the Supreme Court to Godliness?
"We in the army of God, in the house of God, kingdom of God have been raised for such a time as this," Boykin said of the war on terrorism raising questions about whether we are engaged in a religious war. President Bush's reference to a "crusade" against terrorism, which passed almost unnoticed by Americans, rang alarm bells in Europe. It raised fears that the terrorist attacks could spark a 'clash of civilizations' between Christians and Muslims, sowing fresh winds of hatred and mistrust.
America the Religious
57% of Americans regularly attend religious services. Compare that to 15% in France, 10% in the U.K. and 25% in Israel. Source: Gallup International as reported in Mother Jones Magazine.
The "Science" of Hurricanes
In 2001 Jerry Falwell and Pat Roberts knew why God sent hurricanes, but no word from them about on why God hates Florida now.
FALWELL: “The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way – all of them who have tried to secularize America – I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen.’”
PAT ROBERTSON: “Well, I totally concur . . .”
Maybe Robertson convinced God to attack Florida, he claims to have used the power of prayer to steer hurricanes away from his Virginia Beach, Virginia headquarters. He took credit for steering the course in 1985 of Hurricane Gloria, which caused millions of dollars of destruction in many states along the east coast. He made a similar claim about another destructive storm, Hurricane Felix in 1995.
Falwell and Robertson have convinced themselves that when a hurricane hits Virginia Beach (Robertson’s neck of the woods), there’s no meaning to it, and that when a hurricane fails to hit Orlando as predicted in retribution for Disney’s equal rights policies for gays and lesbians, there’s no meaning to it, and that when AIDS devastates the (straight) population of Africa, or 460 die when a ferry sinks in the Red Sea – or six million innocent Jews or three million innocent Cambodians are exterminated – God merely works in mysterious ways . . . but that when religious fanatics crash planes into the World Trade Center, because they believe it will take them to a special place in heaven, this is not caused by a fanatic religious certitude greater in degree but not entirely dissimilar from their own. Rather, they concur, it is caused, at least in part, because people like me have made God mad.
FALWELL: “The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way – all of them who have tried to secularize America – I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen.’”
PAT ROBERTSON: “Well, I totally concur . . .”
Maybe Robertson convinced God to attack Florida, he claims to have used the power of prayer to steer hurricanes away from his Virginia Beach, Virginia headquarters. He took credit for steering the course in 1985 of Hurricane Gloria, which caused millions of dollars of destruction in many states along the east coast. He made a similar claim about another destructive storm, Hurricane Felix in 1995.
Falwell and Robertson have convinced themselves that when a hurricane hits Virginia Beach (Robertson’s neck of the woods), there’s no meaning to it, and that when a hurricane fails to hit Orlando as predicted in retribution for Disney’s equal rights policies for gays and lesbians, there’s no meaning to it, and that when AIDS devastates the (straight) population of Africa, or 460 die when a ferry sinks in the Red Sea – or six million innocent Jews or three million innocent Cambodians are exterminated – God merely works in mysterious ways . . . but that when religious fanatics crash planes into the World Trade Center, because they believe it will take them to a special place in heaven, this is not caused by a fanatic religious certitude greater in degree but not entirely dissimilar from their own. Rather, they concur, it is caused, at least in part, because people like me have made God mad.
The Humane Inquisition
In June the Vatican announced that church inquisitors had tortured people for ONLY 15 minutes at a time and ONLY in the presence of a doctor.
No word on whether fire fighters were present when their victims were burned at the stake.
No word on whether fire fighters were present when their victims were burned at the stake.
What the . . . ?
An 8-year-old girl who suffers from a rare digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid, because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Roman Catholic doctrine.
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