I was under the impression that abortion, both therapeutic, and elective, is legal in the United States. As a recognized medical procedure that is legal why would a publicly funded health plan not, by law, have to pay for it? Right to lifer’s and pro choicer’s opinions aside, the Stupak amendment is probably unconstitutional, aside from being an obvious pander to the radical right to get the health care bill passed.
I wonder, by the way, if those opposed to public funding for a legal operation are prepared to drop their current health care providers if they already pay for abortion procedures? Although some specific plans may exclude abortion, every insurance company does provide coverage for abortions. Therefore, whether your specific plan covers abortions or not, the company you currently are insured with does pay for people to have abortions. That means your premiums help pay for abortions already. If I was strongly against abortions, I would cancel my insurance immediately. That would send a message to health insurance companies. If one thing will get their attention it is the threat of losing some money.
If the Stupak amended health care bill were to remain unchanged, and be passed by the Senate, the public option will actually be the only insurance available that does not pay for any abortions, under any circumstances. I would imagine the hard core right to lifer’s would be opting out of their current plans and lining up for the new public option. That would be odd, as many on the right who are also right to lifer’s are actually opposed to any public insurance plan. I suppose those folks, after canceling their current abortion providing health care providers, and being committed against public insurance will become the new uninsured. Talk about ironic.
Judge Sotomayor is Mr. Obama’s first selection to the Supreme Court, and her nomination could trigger a struggle with Senate Republicans who have indicated they may oppose the nomination. But Democrats are within reach of the 60 votes necessary to choke off a filibuster, and Republicans concede that they have little hope of blocking confirmation barring unforeseen revelations.
Initial reaction to the selection reflected party divisions and signaled that Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee would be spirited.
Spirited indeed. Let the Republicans have their rants, their meltdowns, whatever. Go ahead and continue to alienate women and Hispanics in one double whammy.
This should be an interesting evening for tequila, "Hardball," and "Countdown" since a California Prop 8 ruling is also forthcoming shortly.
Probably the most interesting thing I saw in the New York Times this morning was the piece on the nonagenarian bat mitzvah. Yep, you read that correctly.
Photo credit: David Ahntholz for The New York Times
At 94 she can be forgiven her fear that she might be seized by a senior moment or two as she stands on the bimah on Sunday to recite the section of the Torah that was read in synagogue on the Saturday closest to her 12th birthday. So can the other nine women who will take part in the bat mitzvah ceremony at the service in the synagogue of the Menorah Park senior residence in this Cleveland suburb.
The youngest, Mintsy Agin, will turn 90 in July. The oldest, Molly Kravitz, will celebrate her 97th birthday in August.
The women grew up in the shadow of the Great Depression, when bar mitzvah ceremonies for boys were weekly affairs but Jewish girls came of age without notice or fanfare.
[...]
A self-described “feminist all my life,” Evelyn Bonder, 90, said she “always thought girls should have the chance to participate” in something that Conservative, Orthodox and Reform congregations embraced in stages.
Ms. Agin said: “My daughter had a bat mitzvah. But it was on a Friday instead of a Saturday. It wasn’t held inside the synagogue, and she wasn’t allowed to read from the Torah.”
This was an odd weekend for me and I'm feeling the effects of whiplash. Sunday stands in stark contrast to Saturday. We received a phone call from the one friend in Los Angeles with whom we've stayed in touch for the past 11 years. She told us she has breast cancer and needs to have her right breast removed.
Granted, this is an all-too-frequent form of cancer and God only knows how many breasts have been lopped off as a result. It's still enough to throw you into a stupor when it's someone close to you, either a family member or close friend.
She was trying to keep her chin up as she made the occasional joke about it. Another of her friends told her they'd still love her just the same because it would still be her. Personally, I can't imagine that needing to even be said or reinforced. Of course it's still her! I said, "it's just that you'll be losing a few pounds, that's all."
But this is serious shit. It's very different from losing a few pounds. This is losing a body part, although not as essential as a hand or a foot, I can imagine a woman's breasts (both of them) are an integral part of her body, and losing one must require a tremendous amount of courage and a major mindset adjustment. I sure as hell would be freaking out if I was told I needed to lose a testicle. Not that I need it, but I sure do like having them hanging around.
I think her doctors wanted to remove it soon. She insisted on waiting until mid-November because, as she put it, "I want to be able to walk into that voting booth on election day and cast my vote." She also needs time to get herself psyched up for the procedure.
I can understand that feeling but I'm wondering if that's the best decision she could make. It has me worried. She just turned 51 last week. What a surprise she got.
For those of you who are pregnant, or thinking about it, or not planning to, but end up pregnant by accident, or getting raped and impregnated by a total stranger, or a father or brother, the Republican Party would like to remind you that the life within you has more value than your life, regardless of the stage of development, or the cause.
Because once knocked up, they believe your choices are over. The government will handle it from there.
The Republican Party platform this year will reassert the party’s opposition to abortion. And again it will not allow for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, even though Senator John McCain, the presumptive presidential nominee, has long called for such exceptions.
Apparently McCain got overruled by his superiors.
Connie Mackey, a lobbyist for the Family Research Council, said: “It is out of the platform. We were told early on that the platform is going to be pro-life and that any differences the senator has with it are his own.”
And by old, I don't mean the current 60-year-old member of the Phoenix Country Club which bars women from the men's grill room. Sounds very Talibany. I prefer the old Alice you see in the music video I've had in my sidebar for about a week (and will soon be changing).
According to a 2007 club directory, Mr. [John] McCain’s son, Andrew, is a member, along with scores of other notable Phoenix residents, including the rocker Alice Cooper.
Sigh... Whatever. It's a free country. Who am I to try and comprehend ridiculosity?
Women at the club are not permitted to have lunch in the men’s grill room with their husbands after a round of golf; they have been barred from trophy ceremonies after tournaments, even ones they have sponsored, and may not participate in one of the most sacred rituals of the men’s grill room — sealing a deal over a beer with a client.
“If at three in the afternoon I wanted to have a business cocktail, there wasn’t any place to go,” said Vicki King, whose husband recently resigned from the club. Ms. King had privileges at the club as the spouse of a member.
As teenage boys saunter into the sumptuously appointed men’s grill room, their mothers are relegated to the ladies’ grill, down the hall with a hot plate, some card tables and no bar.
What a life.
I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members. --Groucho Marx
Imagine falling 33,300 feet in frigid temperatures and surviving. Read the story of Vesna Vulovic; it is quite simply amazing.
Ms. Vulovic, then 22 years old, crashed into a wooded, snow-capped hill in Srbska Kamenice, Czechoslovakia. Miraculously, she survived, the only one among the 28 people aboard that day to live. Now she says she fears it is the political situation in her native Serbia that will kill her.
Unlike men, women apparently have a long history of infidelity. They are cunning, deceitful, and simply cannot be trusted. And males need to be advised: they will cause your dick to rot off if you are not careful. Protect yourselves. They like to "pal around" you know.
I usually keep a pretty close eye on the weather via weather.com and the New York Times weather page. Neither one mentioned a damn thing about a shitstorm this morning. I just came to my desk, started organizing a few things in preparation for blogging, and checked in to see what was going on at a couple of my favorite blogs, and the next thing you know...
I finally got disgusted with the stench and flying debris. I left, cleaned myself up, and went out to lunch. The day is nearly over and the storm is still churning. I suspect this one might last awhile.... early November is my guess. Hell, I'm not even sure it will end.
But damn it was worth it. I learned so much. I decided to create a true or false quiz just to see how much you know.
1. Divide and Conquer is even more effective than I ever thought possible. Those of us on the left can even do it to ourselves and save the Republicans the trouble. How thoughtful of us.
2. Feminism is way more complex than most people realize.
3. There are categories of trolls. Who knew!
4. If you plan to comment in a thread with an abundance of feminists with differing opinions, it's in your best interest to always say precisely the right thing. Good luck with that one.
5. Rest assured, your comments and opinions will always be respected by one and all, even if there is some disagreement in opinions, outcomes and/or solutions to problems. Rebuttal will be swift but quite cordial.
6. If you fuck up, even unintentionally just by virtue of being like, you know, a stupid fucking male or something, you can always explain yourself and apologize, and everything will be a-ok with all involved.
(6a. Not.)
7. Feminists indeed do have reasons to be angry but you can at least count on them to have a sense of humor, even in the face of adversity.
8. Condescension has been elevated to an art form.
9. Words and phrases like overreacting, you the man!, calm down, you're being irrational, and take some advice from a man are probably not going to be well-received and may indeed result in an expected trip to the emergency room.
10. By simply writing and posting this, I am a de facto sexist pig with no respect whatsoever for women and their struggles. In fact, I am a woman-hating fag; I just don't know it yet.
All kidding aside, if I seem angry or pissed off by the experience today, I'm really not. What I definitely am is hurt and disappointed that people with a common desire to achieve similar goals can't even get along at a like-minded community blog when so much is at stake. Honestly, it has me almost not giving a shit who wins the election, because if I can't count on the left to kinda sorta be united at this crucial juncture, then why the fuck should I bother getting worked up into a frenzy?
And it most definitely evokes a feeling of complete and total disgust with our broken political process and the shameless negativity infused in it.
Lastly, I feel for Melissa. I know she's not having a good week. I wish all the real assholes would stay off her blog and leave her the hell alone. I love Melissa like a sister and I have loved her blog and been an avid reader and Shaker for 2 years going on 3. I have learned a hell of a lot there and it has contributed immeasurably to my personal growth. The vast majority of my bloggy friendships were formed there. It is the only blog I have ever helped out financially albeit in my own small affordable and inconsistent way, because I truly feel it is a voice that must be heard; it is a unique blog, and I sincerely wanted to help.
That being said, I am not going to allow myself to be treated with contempt and disparaging diatribes from anyone for simply contributing an opinion, whether the topic is my perception of an environment of intolerance and hostility generated by other regulars in a thread, or whether I think someone's choice in sitting out the election over a sexist remark in the midst of an overall negative campaign is counter-productive to the long-term causes we value. Because honestly, for all my rhetoric, I really don't want to pack up and move to Canada.
Rather than allow myself to be subjected to that, I'll stay here and tend to my own blog, thank you very much. I have enough anxiety going on in my own personal life right now; I sure as a shitstorm don't need to go searching for trouble.
Congratulations to Hillary! And not because she is my preferred candidate, or because she beat Obama and Edwards, but because she simply kicked some ass after a grueling week.
Aside from the usual dirty tricks which always seem to emerge during a campaign and tarnish the image of whomever I have chosen as my favorite candidate, I must say I am fascinated by the events as they unfold. And I was riveted during the coverage of primary results in New Hampshire last night.
I amused myself by watching the wives of the various candidates as they gave their speeches. And the contrast between the Republicans and Democrats' wives says a lot.
Ann Romney looked miserable, as if she couldn't wait for Mitt to shut the hell up so they could get off-camera.
Janet Huckabee seemed far more involved and engaged in Mike's speech.
But the best of all was the introduction Elizabeth Edwards gave to the crowd. She oozed pride and energy and clearly seems to believe in their cause. I would sincerely love to have such a first lady.
A girl is Saudi Arabia, 19-years-old at the time she was raped, has been sentenced to receive 200 lashes for her "crime" of being in the same car with an unrelated man.
Lashing is a common sentence under the Saudi penal code, applied for crimes ranging from homosexuality and drinking alcohol to theft and adultery. Usually, lashes are meted out in increments because offenders could not survive hundreds of lashes at once. The administrator of the punishment is supposed to hold a Koran under his arm so he cannot swing the whip too fiercely; lashes are not supposed to leave permanent scars. The sentence is frequently delivered in public, often at the entrance to a jail.
Wow. Nice society! I won't be vacationing there. God only knows how many lashes I'd get for being a tequila drinker AND a homosexual. But at least I'm not a woman!
I'm so glad my country buddies up to to the Saudis. Let's keep buying their oil.
I was under the impression that abortion, both therapeutic, and elective, is legal in the United States. As a recognized medical procedure that is legal why would a publicly funded health plan not, by law, have to pay for it? Right to lifer’s and pro choicer’s opinions aside, the Stupak amendment is probably unconstitutional, aside from being an obvious pander to the radical right to get the health care bill passed. 
