PIED TYPE
Law
War on women hits speed bump in Oklahoma
(Updated March 29 at 2:49 pm MT) Uh oh. Sanity is rearing its head in the nationwide war on women. A district judge has ruled that Oklahoma’s law requiring women to get an ultrasound before having an abortion is “unconstitutional and unenforceable.” Enforcement of the law has been blocked since May 2010 when a Tulsa … Continue reading
Carrots, sticks, and health insurance
We insure things of value because we know if something happens to them, repairs won’t be free. Our health is a thing of value. Therefore we insure it. Except a lot of people don’t. They don’t because repairs are free at the nearest ER. Why pay to insure something when free repairs are readily available? … Continue reading
Follow SCOTUS activity on the ACA
For those wanting to follow the current Supreme Court hearing on the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) or any other Supreme Court activity, a good source to check is the SCOTUS blog. It may take a minute or two to load; traffic today is very heavy.
Yet another reason to tighten gun laws
This is a good example of why I advocate much stricter gun laws in this country. A reporter is pursuing a story. A man suddenly confronts her and whether to threaten her or bolster his own courage, gets a gun from his car and approaches her. As far as I’m concerned, incidents like this negate … Continue reading
Text of senators’ letter challenging Patriot Act abuses
(Updated March 17 at 2 pm MT) The full text of the letter to Attorney General Eric Holder from Senators Mark Udall (D-CO) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) concerning our government’s interpretation and application of the Patriot Act speaks more eloquently for itself than any report or summary of its contents. The senators are members of … Continue reading
Patriot Act under fire from senators & FOI lawsuits
In response to a New York Times article this morning, “Democratic Senators Issue Strong Warning About Use of the Patriot Act,” I fired off a note to my senator, Sen. Mark Udall, one of the two mentioned in the story: Thank you for speaking out against the misuse and misapplication of the Patriot Act. In … Continue reading
Women legislators turn attention to men’s health
This CNN report brightened my morning: Ohio Senator Nina Turner is absolutely right. It’s only fair that legislation across the country pay as much attention to men’s reproductive health as women’s. Certainly the focus has appeared to be tipping too far toward women’s health in the last few years. It is critical we maintain a … Continue reading
KS anti-abortion bill would require medical malpractice
“Among other provisions in the proposed legislation are measures allowing doctors to withhold from patients medical information that might encourage them to seek an abortion and prohibiting malpractice suits if the woman or the child suffers a health complication as a result of information being withheld. A wrongful death lawsuit could be filed if the … Continue reading
HR 347: Pre-empting political protest, threatening free speech
An innocent-looking little bill, HR 347, has made its way through both houses of Congress last week and needs only President Obama’s signature to become law. The law is intended to clarify an existing statute that makes it a crime to trespass on any federal property or designated area protected by the Secret Service. In … Continue reading
Limbaugh advertisers know a bad thing when they see it
(Updated March 11 at 11:00 am MT) Last week conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh attacked a young law school student who spoke to a congressional committee about insurance coverage for contraceptives: What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke, who goes before a congressional committee and says that she must be paid to … Continue reading
Unless they are medical doctors …
When all Republican legislators, conservative religious leaders, and political commentators have MD degrees, I might be willing to listen to their opinions about women’s reproductive health. Until then, it’s a medical issue about which they are not qualified to speak. Particularly in an election year.
OK personhood protest: If I wanted the government in my womb …
(Updated March 1, 2012 @ 2:30 pm MT) Oklahoma women yesterday marched on the state capitol to protest a Senate bill that would grant a fetus full ‘personhood’ at the moment of conception. The bill sailed through the state Senate a few weeks ago and reportedly is expected to pass in the Republican-controlled House as … Continue reading
Komen Foundation just doesn’t get it
There’s an old axiom in politics and in life: When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Evidently Susan G. Komen for the Cure is unfamiliar with the rule. It wasn’t enough that they hired someone sworn to take down Planned Parenthood. It wasn’t enough to let that person dictate a politically inspired move … Continue reading
Abortion foes should try new tactics
Here’s an idea for the anti-abortion folks: Instead of trying to scare and intimidate women and girls into not having abortions, why not support and encourage them to have their babies. It’s called positive reinforcement — using reward to encourage a desired behavior instead of punishment to discourage unwanted behavior. Psychologists say it’s the best … Continue reading
Copy of OK personhood bill posted
Note: A screenshot of the Oklahoma “personhood” bill has been added to the recent post “Embryos gain personhood in Oklahoma bill.”
The religious rape of American women
Catholic men of America — and all conservatives who support them — you’re not going to win this debate. You are not going to deprive American women of the benefits of 21st Century science, medicine, and law. You are not going to inject your archaic religious beliefs into American jurisprudence and drag women back into … Continue reading
Embryos gain personhood in Oklahoma bill
Oklahoma, sometimes referred to as the “reddest” state in the union and the “buckle on the Bible belt,” is working hard to keep those titles. The Oklahoma Senate has approved a bill that says “personhood” begins at conception. The bill (SB 1433) will now go to the House, where it is expected to pass. Republican … Continue reading
Here comes the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act
Here we go again. Hot on the heels of the SOPA/PIPA shelving, Harry Reid and the Democrats are launching a new assault on Internet privacy — the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2012. This time the attack is not being led by the recording industry; it’s being done by our own government in the name … Continue reading
Semantics in religion and law
I’m still scratching my head over the furor with Pres. Obama and the Catholic Church about providing contraception for employees. As I understand it, the edict from Washington originally said all Catholic institutions had to cover/pay for/provide contraception for female employees. Church leaders and others had a fit about Obama’s “war on religion.” Obama came … Continue reading
SOPA/PIPA victory: Behind the scenes
OpenCongress.org played a big role in the success of the Internet’s Stop SOPA movement. This is their wrap-up of how we and they succeeded: Last month’s flurry of Stop-PIPA & Stop-SOPA online protests were an apex of activity for OpenCongress. Not only was January 18th, 2012 the single-highest day of traffic on OC since our … Continue reading
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