PIED TYPE
Politics
Florida revisiting ‘stand your ground’ law
(Updated April 6 at 7:50 am MT) Belatedly, the state of Florida, in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting, is starting to question its “Stand Your Ground” law and lawmakers today convened a task force to re-examine it. Task force members include prosecutors, law enforcement officials, public defenders, judges, law professors, and state tourism … Continue reading
Surprise! Romney in trouble with women voters
Note to Mitt Romney: Word is you’re in trouble with women voters and you’re trotting out your wife, Ann, to counter it. Lots of luck with that. It’s obvious she’s a woman, probably a loving and devoted wife — but we’re not voting for her. She won’t make one iota of difference in our evaluation … Continue reading
Don’t you dare miss an opportunity to vote!
Women’s suffrage was something I read about in a boring history text back in high school. A couple of paragraphs. No class discussion. Women have been able to vote since 1920. Big whoop. I’ve always voted. I don’t recall ever missing an election. I’ve always thought of it as something I get to do because … Continue reading
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
Hoodie in the House
It may have violated House rules of decorum (hats are prohibited), but Congressman Bobby Rush certainly made his point today about the Trayvon Martin case: Bravo, Congressman Rush! Related articles Congressman Bobby Rush Kicked Off House Floor For Wearing Hoodie (alan.com) Rep. Bobby Rush gets escorted from House floor for donning Trayvon-inspired hoodie (miamiherald.typepad.com) The … Continue reading
Cain commercials crossing the line
What’s with Herman Cain and the weird ads? They were strange enough while he was actively campaigning for the GOP nomination. (I’d still be having nightmares about that leering smile if Stephen Colbert hadn’t produced such a great parody.) But the ads didn’t stop when Cain dropped out of the race. Next up was the … Continue reading
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
Congress.org updates its look
Congress.org has redesigned and updated its website. It has a cleaner front page, has added a blog with current news, and no longer requires registration to use its services to write to Washington. Superficially, at least, the changes make it more like competitor OpenCongress.org. It doesn’t really matter, though. Both are excellent, easy ways to … Continue reading
Hey y’all, Mitt likes ‘cheesy’ grits and catfish
As a rule I don’t watch MSNBC. They are too unabashedly and stridently liberal for my tastes. However, today I tuned in briefly because CNN was wallowing in some lengthy “news” report about one of Michael Jackson’s obscure relatives. The discussion was about Mitt Romney, his current campaign in the South, and all his pride … 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
Santorum still confused
On Meet the Press this morning, GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum again condemned Pres. Obama for apologizing to Afghanistan for the accidental burning of some Korans by U.S. troops. He said the president should not have apologized for something that was “clearly inadvertent.” So … people should apologize only for intentional acts? Hmm …
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