Raging libido

Well you can't spell Huckster without the Huck and here comes Mike Huckabee peddling his own special brand of social populism. Huck is here to tell us the GOP is not waging a war on wimmin, it's waging a war for the little ladies. The real enemy is those evil oppressive Democrats.

Huckabee said Democrats rely on women believing they are weaker than men and in need of government handouts, including the contraception mandate in Obamacare.

"If the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing them for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it," Huckabee said. "Let's take that discussion all across America."

Leaving the silly sexytime stuff aside, Uncle Sugar? Interesting choice of words. But yes, there will be discussion now. So there's that...

[image via]

Pro-Life

I'm pro-life in the sense that I want everyone alive to have a decent existence, meaning they have food, shelter and a real opportunity for meaningful work at a living wage. For the rabid pro-life because sanctity of the unborn though, this remains a timeless commentary. [Nick Anderson cartoon]

Texas tramples women's rights

Well, it was an epic fight but sadly, despite the largest demonstrations in Austin ever, the Big Daddy Theocrats won this battle. Texas Senate legislated against women's health and free choice today. But there's no need to accept defeat. We do have options for the future.

"If you are angry about what happened in Texas tonight -- and what's happening in other states all around the country -- there is something you can do about it," spokeswoman Dawn Laguens said. "Register to vote, and vote for candidates who will protect women's access to health care."

And by candidates, we mean Democrats who fight for women's rights.

Democrats offered 20 amendments, ranging from proposals to add exceptions to the bill's 20-week abortion ban for victims of rape and incest to requiring annual inspections of abortion facilities and allowing teen mothers to be excluded from a state law requiring parental consent for family planning services. All were rejected on party-line votes in a debate that lasted until nearly midnight on Friday.

And not vagina obsessed cretins like this:

"It's about taking the life of an innocent baby," said Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston. "What choice does the baby have? Who speaks for the baby?"

Wouldn't be half as irritating to listen to this self-righteous crapola if these same panty sniffing vagina police cared one whit about that poor innocent baby once it's born. Especially if the unfortunate child has been born poor. These same people are the first to demand cuts in all social assistance that would give a child born into poverty a chance for a decent, dignified life.

Objections on monitor may be closer than they appear

I get really pissed off at the Big Daddy Theocrats for their vagina control obsession on the one hand.


[Nick Anderson cartoon]

On the other hand I want to believe their overreach is going to generate a backlash among women voters of every ideology come 2014 that will surprise all the pundits. So there's that...

Penis parity

Not the first time I've seen this happen, but would love it see become a larger trend. All these old guys obsessed with legislating our lady parts could use a good dose of their own medicine. So now comes a Cleveland Democrat with Senate Bill 307.

COLUMBUS [OHIO] -- Before getting a prescription for Viagra or other erectile dysfunction drugs, men would have to see a sex therapist, receive a cardiac stress test and get a notarized affidavit signed by a sexual partner affirming impotency, if state Sen. Nina Turner has her way.

Via Steve M. who correctly notes the only problem with this bill is that it's not invasive enough. It should at least also come with a lecture from a doctor on the benefits of celibacy versus chemical interventions and perhaps a counseling session from the local priest on how impotence is a manifestion of God's will. And waiting periods. There definitely be waiting periods before they get the prescription.

The People's Filibuster

The Republicans may yet ram through their Big Daddy Theocrat bills through but not without a fight. The wimmen are storming the Statehouse in Texas to defend their right to make their own choices without interference from vagina obsessed conservatives. [PPofGreaterTX photo]

The rush to Plan B

I'm totally on board with the point that any "moral" argument about Plan B is bogus. Those preaching about teenagers being unable to understand how to take the drug safely are really just vagina police who are all about denying any form of birth control to teens and oftentimes even to adults. Likewise, I'm sympathetic to the argument that putting up barriers to access to any form of birth control are mainly about controlling women's choices. Nonetheless, I have this nagging concern about Plan B that I can't shake with dispassionate logic. My problem is I can't bring myself to completely trust the science.

I was about eight years old when I first saw photos of thalidomide babies in the sort of tabloids sold in checkout lines. That was supposed to be a safe drug. In fact it's still on the market for many conditions where it's useful. But it turned out to be unsafe for pregnant women and tens of thousands of deformed babies and their parents suffered greatly from that mistaken trust in the science.

Granted we're stricter now about testing pharmaceuticals before they get to market, but the system can certainly be gamed. And even if the studies aren't deliberately skewed for profit, often the adverse effects of drugs don't become apparent until they've become so widely available that enough people are harmed. There's at least ten current class actions suits against drugs that were approved by the science right now.

Not saying access to Plan B shouldn't be eased exactly. Just worrying out loud. The old saw, "be careful what you wish for" keeps playing in my mind like a persistent earworm.

Women caught in conservative TRAP in Virginia

Conservative Virginia lawmakers vote for stealth rules to shut down women's access to reproductive health services.

The vote stems from legislation that cleared the legislature two years ago and has been slowly making its way through implementation.

The General Assembly voted in 2011 to impose stricter building codes on clinics, calling for costly physical renovations, such as wider hallways and doorways, expanded parking and entrance awnings. Supporters said the ­changes ensure the safety of women undergoing abortions at the clinics. Opponents said the measure was a veiled attempt to shutter them.

Actually, you don't have to be an opponent to see the agenda here. Couldn't be more obvious. Besides it's no secret. The theocrats have publicized their plan to the boss of all our lady parts.

The regulations — part of a nationwide anti-choice campaign to adopt so-called Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP, laws...

Friday’s vote represents the latest skirmish in an ongoing conservative war on abortion clinics. In the past three months, states have proposed an astonishing 694 provisions restricting or rolling back women’s reproductive rights. Efforts to shutter local abortion clinics disproportionately impact low-income women and significantly increase the incidence unintended pregnancies.

The theocrats assure us they only have the best of intentions:

“We need to be assured that a Kermit Gosnell-type practitioner is not operating in Virginia,” said Janet Robey, state director of Concerned Women for America.

Which of course has it ass-backwards. It's exactly this kind of restriction on responsible health care providers that leads to "Gosnell-type practitioners" who are more than willing to prey on low income and otherwise desperate women.

Social cons and the new back alley abortions

If the story wasn't so impossibly horrible, it would be amusing to see the half the internet claim Kermit Gosnell's illegal abortion mill is being ignored in the media. Even more bizarre is the accusations are coming from social cons who see some dark cover-up by the "right to choose" lefties. What makes this especially stupid is the trial is being widely covered locally. Moreover, the anti-choice cons didn't say a word when right to choose feminists were reporting on this story in 2011 when it first broke.

Not seeing why the anti-choicers think is a winner for them. Sure the gory details about brutal late term abortions, like near term babies being killed with scissors are appalling, as are the accounts of women left to die in filthy operating rooms. But it's an indictment on social cons insistence that responsible women's health care providers like Planned Parenthood be defunded and abortion be banned again. Gosnell's illegal abortion mill is where poor and desperate women seek treatment for unintended pregnancies they can't afford when there are no other options. Just as they did before Roe v. Wade. Maybe Gosnell didn't actually use coathangers, but this is future if the social cons dearest wish to repeal Roe is granted.

Religious right rebels against GOP rebrand

It may be true there's a fool born every minute, but the big time grifters of the religous right are smartening up. They're telling their flocks, time to stop being useful fools.

The president [Tony Perkins] of the Family Research Council, a top religious political group, said Thursday night that conservative activists should withhold their political donations to Republicans until the party decides where it will stand on social issues.

Of course, Mr. Perkins would encourage the faithful to continue contributing to worthy candidates and trusted family value organizations, say, such as his own.

Their political power may be waning as society evolves without them, but the fundies are still an important part of the GOP's shrinking base. They're the ones who send money and do the ground work on turning out the church vote. They've been working for decades without much in return except comforting rhetoric, which hasn't translated into much policy success in establishing the Christian theocracy of their fevered dreams.

Not going to be easy for the Republicans to rebrand into the new, all inclusive, oh so tolerant of the others party when these folks are demanding they adhere to the crackpot conservative platform established at the GOP convention. Their hostage demands appear to be working, at least when it comes "teh ghey."

Everything changes for same sex marriage

Everything changes. Always. In the case of equal marriage rights for same gender couples, support for gay marriage has grown almost miraculously quickly.

Support for gay marriage reached a new high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, marking a dramatic change in public attitudes on the subject across the past decade. Fifty-eight percent of Americans now say it should be legal for gay and lesbian couples to wed.

That number has grown sharply in ABC News/Washington Post polls, from a low of 32 percent in a 2004 survey of registered voters, advancing to a narrow majority for the first time only two years ago, and now up again to a significant majority for the first time.

In 2004 same gender marriage was one of the biggest wedge issues. Social conservatives showed up in droves to make it illegal in their states. Arguably, it was this single wedge issue that pushed George Bush over the top in 2004 and allowed him inflict four more miserable years of his administration on us.

One might speculate the reason Democrats did better than expected in 2012 is at least partly because they took the opposite tack. That's definitely a change for the better.

Hoping for a better Pope

Big buzz today about the sudden resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, who will forever be fixed in my mind as Pope Ratzo. It's a weird thing. I'm very attracted to the trappings of the Catholic church. Growing up as a Protestant in Italian neighborhoods, I was consumed with Catholic envy. They got the all the cool stuff. Holy water. Rosaries. Scapulars. Mysterious confessionals. The great pagent of first holy communion. Early release from school to get ashes. And the saints. Patron saints.

The pagentry was brilliant. But even then, I was never down with the Pope. The whole concept of an infallible man offended me. So have no emotional attachment to the office and little interest in the doings of the Holy See. Still, to the extent I paid attention, I did not like this Pope. I thought he was the worst one ever.

To be fair, he did advocate for some good social values when it came to caretaking tenets of the Christian faiths. However, he failed so miserably otherwise in advancing the Church's role in civil society that it overshadowed those few offerings. Think we're well rid of him. Can only hope the next one will be better.

Meanwhile, the news broke early this morning which immediately launched the social nets into a new Battle of the Witticisms. Have no idea what The Thick of It is, nor who Father Dougal might be. I'd guess it's even funnier if you know the reference. Still, even absent that knowledge, I've seen about a billion Pope jokes today and oddly found this one the funniest.

Monsignor Meth

Rather refreshing to see a Catholic church sex scandal that isn't about pedophilia. This one is consensual activity between adults all the way. Cross-dressing meth priest liked sex in rectory:

The Catholic priest busted for allegedly dealing crystal meth was suspended after church officials discovered he was a cross-dresser who was having sex in the rectory at Bridgeport's St. Augustine Cathedral. [...]

In his post-priesthood, Wallin, 61, bought an adult specialty and video store in North Haven called Land of Oz that sells sex toys and X-rated DVDs. Investigators believe the shop helped him launder thousands of dollars in weekly profits. [...]

While pastor of St. Augustine's, sources said he often disappeared for days at a time; and rectory personnel became concerned and notified diocese officials when Wallin, sometimes dressed as a woman, would entertain odd-looking men, some who were also dressed in women's clothing and engaging in sex acts.

In addition, diocese officials found bizarre sex toys in Wallin's residence, the sources said.

Diocese officials consulted lawyers about the situation and were assured none of Wallin's behavior appeared illegal.

As far as I know, the Vatican has not issued a statement. However, the Diocese is asking the parishioners to pray for his soul, saying he has "difficult days ahead for him." Possibly the understatement of the year.

Wayward Christian soldiers, marching as to war

It couldn't be more blindingly obvious this cockamamie bill is a backdoor attempt to establish fetal personhood:

Republican lawmakers in Michigan, a state which eliminated tax credits for children last year, have proposed a tax credit for unborn foetuses of 12 weeks gestation. [...]

One of the main sponsors of the foetus tax credit bill, Jud Gilbert, a Republican representative of Algonac, said the rationale behind it was to recognise that mothers have additional bills to pay.

"You're recognizing the fact that people have additional expenses, another person to take care of," he told told Mlive. "Money saved there could be contributed to doctor's bills and all kinds of things."

Gilbert said the move would speed up a tax exemption that parents only get when a child is born.

That is unless the parents happen to be on the low end of the income scale. This is what makes it so appalling.

However, tax exemptions for children and families have been cut in the state, to the extent that another 9,000 children have been forced into poverty as a result, according to policy groups.

Family values, "right to life" Republicans. They'll zealously protect the zygote in the womb. They'll fight like hell to make sure every unintended pregnancy happens. But once the child has been born, you're on your own baby.

I get that many of these people actually view themselves as good Christians, acting as warriors for their Lord, but I find this a very odd definition of Christianity.

When the little head does the thinking

Didn't get to post this last night before the debate but it's amusing enough that I still want to archive here for future historians. I mean it is kind of funny that the guy who claimed the terrorists hate us for our moral depravity, Dinesh D'Souza, got caught sharing a hotel room with his "finance" who appears to be half his age and for whom he apparently decided to dump his wife of 20 years.

Did I mention, this little tryst happened at some big Christian convention of the self-righteously "more moral than us heathens" where Mr. D'Souza was the keynote speaker? And our paragon of virtue quite suddenly decided to file for said divorce after their night together, where, he assures us, absolutely nothing that could be even remotely construed as carnal relations happened?

He should have just confessed to his momentary lapse into weakness of the flesh and begged God for forgiveness. The church elders love that stuff. Would have shortened the penance period before they could declare him absolved.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

If Obama loses

These guys win...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

False Christians - Updated

Help me. I live in a state overrun by bible thumping sociopaths. I mean the odious Amendment One passed by a 60% margin? So depressing.

I'm sure these God fearin' bullies are feeling very righteous this morning. Freaking hypocrites. I guess they missed the part in their Bible that said, "Judge not, lest you be judged." Not to mention the greatest commandment, "Love thy neighbor as thee love thyself."

Pretty sure they're not going to be raptured into heaven for this meddlesome crap.

Update: Such upstanding Christians. Looks like the proponents cheated to win. Guess they missed the do not lie or steal commandments too. [More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Prey away the gay

Is there anything Team Romney can't screw up? When he hired this guy, the media narrative was all, hey look! The Mittster is pivoting away from the icky social conservatives and throwing this appointment in their face. Now, only two weeks later, it's pretty clear the social cons own Romney's sorry ass:

Richard Grenell, the openly-gay conservative foreign policy spokesperson hired by Mitt Romney, has resigned from the campaign following right-wing pressure, the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin reports. “[M]y ability to speak clearly and forcefully on the issues has been greatly diminished by the hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues that sometimes comes from a presidential campaign,” Grenell said in a statement, which came less than two weeks after he was hired. Conservative groups like the American Family Foundation painted Grenell as a “homosexual activist” and condemned Romney for bringing him on board.

Team Romney is trying to put a brave face on this fiasco. They claim they begged him not to resign and they're very disappointed he decided to leave the team for "personal reasons." But all that happened behind closed doors. They didn't exactly deploy a vigorous public defense. They can't risk getting between the SocCons and their prey this early in the game. And it's difficult not to notice they hired the guy as a spokesman, but they never let Grennell speak.

Ari Fleischer, a former Bush administration official and one of Grenell’s most vocal defenders, raised that question in a telephone interview moments ago.

“Why wasn’t Rick the spokesman in the last couple of days, when foreign policy was paramount? That’s the piece I don’t understand,” Fleischer said. “I don’t know why he wasn’t the spokesman on foreign policy for the last several days. It’s something that nobody understands.”

Meanwhile, teh gay Republicans of the Log Cabin, blame both sides. And sure, the left immediately jumped on the guy for his long history of bizarre misogynistic tweets and such, but since when is pissing off hippies a problem with the base? Grenell scrubbed his timelines to fix that little problem.

No, this victory belongs to the social cons and anybody who thinks Willard is going to be able to "move to the center" before the convention is dreaming.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

That's how we deal with it around here folks

Mother of God. This guy doesn't live all that far from my home. This is what my local "independent conservatives" consider to be civil disagreement.



But, you know, it's the gay people who are the threat...

A couple of my neighbors have this sign on their lawn too. I have a nodding acquaintance with them, but I'm pretty sure most of my neighbors wouldn't find this over the top. I'm sure you can see why I haven't made a whole lot of friends in this state.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]