Healthcare reform? Not for woman's needs evidently.

From The Nation we learn that none of the healthcare reform bills require the health insurance corporations to pay for birth control for women:

None of the bills emerging from the House and Senate require insurers to cover all the elements of a standard gynecological "well visit," leaving essential care such as pelvic exams, domestic violence screening, counseling about sexually transmitted diseases, and, perhaps most startlingly, the provision of birth control off the list of basic benefits all insurers must cover. Nor are these services protected from "cost sharing," which means that, depending on what's in the bill that emerges from the Senate, and, later, the contents of a final bill, women could wind up having to pay for some of these services out of their own pockets. So far, mammograms and Pap tests are covered in every version of the legislation.

WTF? I am seriously pissed-the-fuck-off. We females endure the bullshit while all insurance companies cover fucking Viagra. I am beyond the birthcontrol age, but that doesn't mean I don't get mad when I see this shit for our sisters of child birthing age.

We are half of the adult population..so why in the blue hell are we expected to pay for typical needs for women, such as pelvic exams.

This isn't about abortions..until Congress overturns a federal law..abortions do not have to be covered by any insurance plan. This is about basic preventative procedures. Again, from The Nation article:

Consider what happened when the subject of women's preventive healthcare services came up in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) in July, after the minimum benefits package had already been determined. Because some essential care for women wasn't included in the list, HELP committee member Senator Barbara Mikulski proposed an amendment that would require the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to stipulate that basic women's health services would be covered. The language said nothing about abortion, referring only to "preventive care and screenings."

Yet the voting on the amendment went exactly along pro- and anti-choice lines. The amendment passed by just one vote, with all the committee's Republicans as well as Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey, an anti-abortion Democrat, voting against it. The committee's discussion of the amendment was dominated by Republicans' worry about the possibility of government money winding up in the hands of Planned Parenthood. Since there is no similar language included in the just-released House bill, the only hope for requiring full coverage for these essential services now lies with the Senate.

While some within the anti-abortion movement have long opposed birth control, there is still widespread support for it among the general public, with virtually all women of childbearing age who have had sex using contraception. So why would senators treat birth control and other basic women's health services as a proxy for abortion? "People equate family planning services with Planned Parenthood, and they equate Planned Parenthood with abortion," says Adam Sonfield, an expert on funding for reproductive health services at the Guttmacher Institute. The senators who turned Mikulski's language into a referendum on abortion "either misunderstood or purposely distorted the amendment."

This is such bullshit, I can not believe it. I am stunned that the assholes in Congress can not differentiate between a pelvic exam and a fucking abortion.They probably can, but they choose not to.

Fuck those anti-choice fuckwits,with a sharp object. I hope to hell they have to face the wrath of their constituents very soon.

Good reads today at Sirens Chronicles

I will be boarding a plane here in Billings within the hour. Praise Jeebus!!! The sky is dark and foreboding..hopefully I will not get stuck here another day. It's fucking cold here people!

Please check out Sirens Chronicles. We have excellent writers that would love your opinions on various subjects that are mostly political in nature.

Roadtrip update...

 No one was killed or maimed during our roadtrip from hell. Thank Buddha.

We finally made it into Billings MT last night around sunset. My sis and I were both exhausted after driving for three days through major snowstorm's and dealing with her dog who does NOT travel well, even when he is tranquilized up to his brown eyes.

For a trip that was supposed to only take a day and a half..it took us three full days of driving. The speed limit was anywhere from 75-80mph. But you can't go that fast when it's snowing..although the locals seemed to not mind the driving snowstorms and blew past us like we were standing still.

Since I did the majority of the driving, I did not get to take any photos of the beautiful countryside we drove through. Utah and Idaho were simply breathtaking.

The temperatures were always at freezing or below. This did not go over well with either of us, since we are both Southern Cali dwellers.

My sis got into her new home this morning. It was a shock to see that 'move-in ready' here in Billings means no fresh paint, nor does it mean a clean house. But it's a cool two bedroom house with a fenced backyard of at least a quarter of an acre. There are also two apple trees in the backyard. The fireplace is great and it's in the master bedroom. The hearth is stone and quite massive.

The other thing that didn't go as expected is the delivery of her household goods.

Those won't be here until Monday at the earliest.

My sis did not bring work clothes with her. She starts her new job on Monday.

So she will be living in an empty house that will only contain her blowup mattress.

I fly out tomorrow around 11'ish. I can't wait to get home but I am sad that my lil sis will be struggling. Once her household goods arrive, she has three days to unload them. She has several friends here in Billings that are supposed to help her.

Needless to say, I am staying an additional night here in the motel. She wants to stay in her empty house.

To each her own.

Normal political blogging will resume shortly.

On the road again...

I m in St George  Utah. It's a beautiful place. The rocks, the canyons, we were oohing and awwing all the way through the state yesterday afternoon.

Day one of the roadtrip did not go as planned. It started off with me locking my keys in my house. Nothing like having to break into your own abode just so you can get the hell outta town.

And it went downhill from there.

I will tell more later..got to get on the road as we did not drive very far yesterday and our schedule is all hosed up at this point in time.

Keep us in your thoughts..please. We can't take any more bad luck. seriously..

A day of action re: 350

350 is a very important number. From the website:

350 is the most important number in the world--it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above 350 parts per million.

Everyone from Al Gore to the U.N.’s top climate scientist has now embraced this goal as necessary for stabilizing the planet and preventing complete disaster. Now the trick is getting our leaders to pay attention and craft policies that will put the world on track to get to 350.
Is 350 scientifically possible?

Right now, mostly because we’ve burned so much fossil fuel, the atmospheric concentration of co2 is 390 ppm—that’s way too high, and it’s why ice is melting, drought is spreading, forests are dying. To bring that number down, the first task is to stop putting more carbon into the atmosphere. That means a very fast transition to sun and wind and other renewable forms of power. If we can stop pouring more carbon into the atmosphere, then forests and oceans will slowly suck some of it out of the air and return us to safe levels.
Is 350 politically possible?

It’s very hard. It means switching off fossil fuel much more quickly than governments and corporations have been planning. Our best chance to speed up that process will come in December in Copenhagen, when the world’s nations meet to agree on a new climate treaty. Right now, they’re not planning to do enough. But we can change that--if we mobilize the world to swift and bold climate action, which is what we're planning to do on October 24th.

Now, some photo's of the world-wide action taken today by 181 countries. 

London, Copenhagen,  Sydney

 

 India

 

Mexico City

A happy feline story, with music!

It's been a rough week here at the homestead. But I am not dwelling on it. Thanks to TheMom, I bring you a wonderful concerto..I mean catcerto:



The composer's site for the Catcerto is here. His name is Mindaugas Piecaitis, whether it's his real name..I dunno.  Nora, the piano cat's site is here.  Nora was a shelter kitteh, amazing no?

Dear sweet Nora has been named the ASPCA kitteh of the year. Visit her blog at the link.

Fox Noise: An adversarial relationship with the truth.

Lawrence O'Donnell fills in for KO friday night. I do love this Fox Noise history lesson, almost as much as I heart Lawrence.

Parody: CoC doesn't have a sense of humor.

I really enjoyed this story today. In fact, I loved the shit out of it. But it also jacked my jaw at how the assholes at the Chamber of Commerce reacted. Releasing the hounds..I mean, the lawyers is just so common for big ball-busting corporations and their supporters..isn't it? From the writeup:

After the Yes Men pulled their now-famous prank earlier this week on the US Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber issued a vague threat of "law-enforcement action." The group doesn't appear to have called the cops on the Yes Men just yet, but on Wednesday it issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act take-down demand notice for the parody site that the Yes Men set up to publicize their fake event, in which the "Chamber" announced that it would support a sane global warming policy after all.

The Chamber's attorney at the intellectual property law firm Kenyon & Kenyon issued a notice to the Yes Men's internet service provider, Hurricane Electric, asking them to take down the site. "The website infringes the Chamber of Commerce's copyrights by directly copying the images, logos, design, and layout of the Chamber of Commerce's copyright-protected official website, located at www.uschamber.com," they wrote.They ask Hurricane to "take down all such infringing material" and/or end their business relationship with the Yes Men. "Continuing to be the ISP for this material could subject Hurricane Electric to legal liability," the letter states.

Fuckers just can't take a joke.. And since when is spoofing or parody against the damn law? EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) takes aim at the fuckwits at the CoC here. Like the circle jerkers at the RIAA, the CoC is so full of shit, the head fuckwit-in-charge's eye's better be brown.

Being female is NOT a preexisting condition

This is the crap that needs to be addressed in the healthcare reform packages being considered by our fuckwits in Congress. It sickens me when I see insurance companies deny hardworking women who pay their premium’s regularly for years and even decades. Greedy mutha fucka’s have been raping American Consumers for decades legally by using the anti-trust exemption given them decades ago. A good writeup on this subject can be read here on NPR.

Senate passes bill to allow Gitmo prisoners to be tried in US

The yahoo’s in the House passed their version last week. From Jurist:

The US Senate voted 79-19 Tuesday in favor of a bill permitting Guantanamo Bay detainees to be brought to the US for trial. The measure was part of a $42.7 billion spending bill for the US Department of Homeland Security.While the detainees still may not be released on US soil or housed in US jails, the bill requires the Obama administration to develop a plan for the anticipated closure date of Guantanamo Bay in January 2010. Navy Rear Admiral Tom Copeman has announced that he can clear the base of all detainees given only 10 days notice and appropriate logistical support. Meanwhile, a group of retired generals has launched a national ad campaign in support of closing the facility. Tuesday’s bill also extends the life of the E-Verify program, which permits employers to check on the immigration status of their new employees. The bill will now go to President Barack Obama for his signature.

This doesn’t mean the US can now house prisoners in the US proper..Oh hell no..the assholes in congress won’t allow that. My thought is they don’t want the scrutiny that would come with incarcerating them in US prisons.

Lizard Cheney doesn't have the chops to debate Maddow.

She evidently only goes on shows that support her pov or have weak hosts that can't or won't call her on the fuckery and lies she spews. From ThinkProgress:

Liz Cheney probably won’t be appearing on Rachel Maddow’s show tonight, either. After Maddow dared Cheney to come on and “debate the issues” with her (something that Cheney is attacking MSNBC for failing to do), the former Vice President’s daughter has instead chosen to appear in a much friendlier setting. According to a Fox News email, Liz will be a guest on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show tonight at 9 pm ET (the same time that Maddow’s show airs on MSNBC) to discuss why Obama’s “‘radical’ policies are placing us all at risk”.

Just like her daddy, she is a putz that can't handle true debate. When someone can actually counter her bullshit, Lizard Cheney refuses to show up and support the crap she spews..like the true bat o' batshit that she is. Like father, like daughter. Below is a piece of Rachel’s show. Part of the transcript from last nights show, again courtesy of Think Progress:

MADDOW: Our booking producers have been calling Liz Cheney and asking her to come on this show and discuss her ideas, debate the issues for months. We have called her many, many, many times – including twice on Friday. So far, she has declined every single invitation that we have extended.
And I understand – a lot of people say no to being on this show. But not a lot of them do so while claiming that MSNBC is afraid to debate them. Be not afraid, Ms. Cheney. I promise I will not bite.

A week from today....

I will be driving to Billings Montana with my youngest sister. She is moving there with her dog Amadeus. I am going along in case the weather gets bad, as she hasn't driven in snow much during her life. Plus, I just don't want her driving by herself.

Billings is the largest city in Max Baucusland. It has a population of 100,000 . I have never been to Montana, so I look forward to this trip. I will be flying home on some airline I have never heard of and hopefully it's not using propeller-driven planes. I am not a big fan of cramped, prop planes.

So, is anyone familiar with the area? I will be there for about four days and obviously will need something to do as my sis's furniture won't arrive until day three. No tv, no beds..no nothing. Motel living at it's best..complete with free wifi! Yellowstone National Park isn't really close enough to take in on this trip. Bummer...

Rightwing nutters are using bogus 'facts'. No surprise there right?

Over at TomCat's blog, he has a post up about the rightwing nutters and their hate machines. Most progressives are aware of all the astroturf bullshittery that is passing for healthcare reform discussion lately.

Let me be clear.. my opinion is that the right has a lock on hate speech and violence. When a nutter in the comments section was asked to produce a link to prove her point that there are just as many violence-prone haters on the left, she coughed up a link to a rightwing blog of the catholic variety.

When you google news using the name of the individual, Kenneth Gladney, that she was trying to say was beaten up by a bunch of liberal haters who belong to the union SEIU,  no charges were ever filed against anyone in connection with the supposed beat down of the African-American conservative. There was even a video shot by rightwingers! Oh My!!!

Media Matters has been following this 'incident' since it supposedly happened. What's really pathetic is that the rightwing nutters have taken this as one of their cause celebre and frankly it stinks to high heaven with lies and obfuscation on their part, including a YouTube video. From a Media Matters article on this incident:

The problem was when you watched the clip, viewers saw Gladney get pulled to the ground before he popped right back up less than two seconds later. Viewers saw Gladney walking around after the incident without an obvious scratch on his body, and in no apparent pain.

 But within hours, and then days, the tale improved greatly. Soon Gladney showed up in a wheelchair at a right-wing rally thrown on his behalf. Why? because he was viciously beaten!!! Or something.

So yeah, the whole tale has been vastly improved over time in order to suit the right-wing mantra of how violent liberals are. And sure, if Barone wants to peddle that nonsense in his column, he's free to do so. And Lord knows he's peddled worse junk over the years.

 But here's where the correction comes in and I'm not sure how Barrone is going to avoid this one. He wrote that the black conservative victim in Missouri was 65-years-old. (Oh, the humanity!) In fact, Gladney, according to the St. Louis Post, is 38 years old. Barone was only off by 27 years. And yes, it's a big deal becuase the supposed age of the (supposed) victim is supposed to send Barone's readers into shock. (They're beating up seniors!)

It really chaps my ass when the nutters employ the usual Rethug tactics to smear the left. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  They have learned from the best, their elected officials. Even during the darkest hours of Bush43's presidency, No One from the Left was calling for his death or inciting violence on the scale we see the rightwing nutters doing since Obama was elected.

Bonus: If you haven't read the FDL writeup on Kenny Gladney, check it out here. Quite hard on the man, but he has earned every bit of it with his charade as a victim of liberal hatred. 

Federal Judge rules Prop 8 case can proceed

From Jurist:

A federal judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss a case challenging California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said that a trial is needed to determine issues regarding the level of constitutional protection afforded to same-sex couples and the state’s motivations behind the ban. Walker rejected the argument that only a rational basis was needed for the amendment, pointing out that the US Supreme Court does not have a clear level of scrutiny for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Walker also dismissed arguments of tradition and procreation. The trial is set for January.

The lawsuit (PDF) filed in May, challenges Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, on due process and equal protection grounds. The suit was filed by former US solicitor general Ted Olson and prominent litigator David Boies, of Bush v. Gore fame, shortly after the California Supreme Court ruled that challenges under state law lacked merit. In August, Walker ruled that several advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Lambda Legal, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and Campaign for California Families, could not intervene in the suit. Proposition 8, approved by voters in November, was a response to the California Supreme Court’s decision last year striking downa statutory ban on same-sex marriage as violating the equal protection and privacy provisions of the state constitution.

YAY! Another shot at the homophobes! Lets hear it for equality!

Climate Change- Pay now or pay later.

With the extremists on the right still screaming that climate change is a myth perpetuated by 'libruls', our government is still sitting on it's proverbial hands.

Inaction on this front could become very, very costly. It's the pay me now, or pay me a lot more later scenario. There is a new report out (pdf) that attempts to lay out what American's will end up paying if we don't get in gear and make sizable changes in how we deal with climate change NOW. From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

If global warming emissions continue to rise unabated, we will see growing costs related to climate change. This fact sheet reports some of the projected damages—to our coasts, our health, our energy and water resources, our agriculture, our transportation infrastructure, and our recreational resources—that will occur in states and regions throughout the United States.

Here in Cali's San Joaquin Valley, we already see the effects of climate change on agriculture, our number one job creator. The state is literally running out of water. Actually, it's been running out of water for years..decades even. We are now rationing water, which means the farmers are not getting enough water to plant all of their farmland.

This means fewer jobs and less food just for starters. From the MSNBC writeup in Feb of this year:

Federal water managers said Friday that they plan to cut off water, at least temporarily, to thousands of California farms as a result of the deepening drought gripping the state.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials said parched reservoirs and patchy rainfall this year were forcing them to completely stop surface water deliveries for at least a two-week period beginning March 1. Authorities said they haven’t had to take such a drastic move for more than 15 years.

*snip*

Farmers in the nation’s No. 1 agriculture state predicted it would cause consumers to pay more for their fruits and vegetables, which would have to be grown using expensive well water.

“Water is our life — it’s our jobs and it’s our food,” said Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the farm bureau in Fresno County. “Without a reliable water supply, Fresno County’s No. 1 employer — agriculture — is at great risk.”

The drought would cause an estimated $1.15 billion dollar loss in agriculture-related wages and eliminate as many as 40,000 jobs in farm-related industries in the San Joaquin Valley alone, where most of the nation’s produce and nut crops are grown.

Any move by the Fed worsens the problem here in the valley. The state has already started rationing to all cities and farming areas. The Governator and the state assembly can not, for the life of them, come to an agreement on how to deal with the problem of not enough water. Fuckers are dancing around the problem and playing politics at the same time. From the Mercury-News link:

Democrats and Republicans have tangled over water issues for years, pushing off decisions while conditions have worsened for farmers, water districts and wildlife. The trouble is especially acute in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the water conduit for two-thirds of the state's residents.

Federal courts and agencies have ordered severe reductions in pumping to protect the delta's collapsing ecosystem.

During negotiations, lawmakers have disagreed over protection of water rights, mandatory conservation standards for cities, groundwater monitoring of private water supplies, who should make water decisions in the delta and how to pay for the infrastructure and restoration efforts requested by lawmakers.

So, we are damned if we do, damned if we don't solve this problem. How do you feel about paying 10 bucks for a pound of broccoli, or any other veggie or fruit grown here in Cali? The price hikes also hit the dairy and beef farmers as they are having a hard time finding feed for their cattle and cows at a price that doesn't bankrupt them. Guess what..they pass the costs on to us, the consumer.

Because the less we grow, the more you will pay for what is grown. The citizens of Cali are now paying exorbitant rates for their suburban water needs, plus higher food prices.

Sucks don't it? And the shit hasn't even hit the proverbial fan yet..not by a long-shot.

This post is part of the Blog Action Day on Climate Change.
 Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

The apple didn't fall far from the tree. The Liz Cheney edition

Lizard Cheney really is her daddy's girl. She can spew bullshit and bravado like her daddy and then some. All with a straight face.

She has created "Keep America Safe", a one-stop extravaganza for all things neocon. From Foreign Policy:

Neoconservative foreign-policy heavyweights Liz Cheney and William Kristol are at the heart of the new initiative, called the Keep America Safe campaign. Their first Web video attacks Obama's decisions on altering the plan for missile-defense sites in Eastern Europe, the Justice Department's decision to look into interrogation abuses by the CIA, and the pending decision of whether or not to escalate in Afghanistan.

No really, Liz is a heavyweight in the foreign policy area? Who knew? And Billy Kristol, who can't find his ass with both hands, is also a co-founder? Holy fuckamoly..

Ben Smith at Politico has all the 411 on this bunch of nutters that just won't go away:

Keep America Safe will focus on issues like troop levels, missile defense, detainees, and interrogation, according to Liz Cheney, who is heading the group along with Weekly Standard editor William Kristol and Debra Burlingame, the hawkish sister of an American Airlines pilot killed in the September 11 attacks.

The group, incorporated as a 501 (c ) 4 non-profit, launches its fundraising drive online Tuesday with a web video accusing Obama of failing to back up his “tough talk” and with a website aimed to provide an organizing tool for hawks.

*snip*

The group’s mechanics are largely a product of former campaign aides to Senator John McCain: Michael Goldfarb, now a Weekly Standard blogger, is an adviser to the group; its executive director is McCain war room chief Aaron Harison, and the video was produced by Justin Germany, the McCain aide who produced a campaign video titled, “The One,” which mocked Obama as a messianic figure.

They are fund-raising..oh goodie! This means they will lie and obfuscate their collective asses off. All for the almighty dollar...well, it used to be almighty. Get ready folks, the spin machine is warming up!

Watch for Boss Limbaugh to talk this new group up..it's a no-brainer. 

SCOTUS accepts Skillings case. Irsay slaps Limbaugh around

The bag o' batshit will get his day in court sometime next year.

He is appealing all 19 convictions.

                                      Graphic by Dark Black.

On another political front..which also happens to be a sports story..the Colts owner slaps down the whole idea of Boss Limbaugh being a part of an NFL ownership group:

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said this afternoon that the divisive rhetoric of prospective Rams minority owner Rush Limbaugh makes him unappealing.

"I myself couldn't even think of voting for him," said Irsay speaking from the NFL's Fall Owner's Meetings in Boston.

Asked if he'd spoken to other owners about Limbaugh's candidacy, Irsay said, "I haven't and I don't think I would even go to the point of talking to Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, Dwight Freeney, talking to those men and seeing what their positions are. I'm very sensitive to know there are scars out there. I think as a nation we need to stop it. Our words do damage and it's something that we don't need. We need to get to a higher level of humanity and we have.

"I come from a different era where Marvin Gaye and John Lennon were speaking about [certain things] and we've been doing a slow crawl to some of the things they talked about. We don't need to go the other way," Irsay added. "We can't go the other way where there isn't forgiveness and understanding but we gotta watch our words in this world and our thoughts because they can do damage."

Well said Mr. Irsay.  Let there be a discussion on this issue, and that way, all of the divisive rhetoric spewed by Limbaugh will once again see the light of day. Limbaugh will bring nothing to the NFL except his money.

Update: The Commish has weighed in on Boss Limbaugh and it pretty much makes him persona non-grata:

“I’ve said many times before, we’re all held to a high standard here,” Goodell said. Then he continued: “I would not want to see those comments coming from people who are in a responsible position in the NFL –- absolutely not.”

 Goodell emphasized that the Rosenbloom family, which owns the St. Louis Rams, is not even fully committed to sell its majority stake in the team and that they were extremely early in the process. Limbaugh has teamed with the former Madison Square Garden executive Dave Checketts in a bid for the Rams. But Goodell’s comments were a thinly veiled signal that Limbaugh’s bid –- even if it were the highest –- would most likely not receive support from owners, who must approve any change in ownership.

YAY! Adios mutha fucka! ;)

Noble Prize for economics goes to a woman.

It is the first time a woman has been awarded the prize for economics. From Reuters:

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – A U.S. academic who proved that communities can trump state control and corporations became the first woman to win the Nobel prize in economics on Monday, sharing it with an expert on conflict resolution.

Elinor Ostrom defied conventional wisdom with studies that showed that user-managed properties — such as community fish stocks or woodland areas — more often than not were better run than standard theories predicted.

“Since we have found that bureaucrats sometimes do not have the correct information while citizens and users of resources do, we hope it helps encourage a sense of capacity and power,” the Indiana University professor told a news conference via telephone.

The previously accepted view was that common property was poorly managed and should be either regulated centrally or privatized.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded her half the 10 million Swedish crown ($1.4 million) prize, with the other half going to Oliver Williamson, who was recognized for his analysis of conflict resolution by firms and markets.

Of course I have no friggin clue what she does and what she found or figured out..but..Lets hear it for the broad!!!

7 games to choose from..

There are four football games today.

Three baseball playoff games

And of course the NASCAR race in Fontana CA.

So many sporting events and so little time to watch them.

I still hurt, so I need the distractions.

Hate crimes extension bill passed by House.

From Jurist:

The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill [HR 2647 materials] that extends the definition of federal hate crimes to include crimes motivated by gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act [PDF] was passed 281-146 as part of the conference report authorizing $681 billion in military appropriations for the 2010 fiscal year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) welcomed the bill's passage:

This nation was founded on the promise of pluralism; a commitment to equality and opportunity; and the belief that "liberty and justice for all" is not simply an empty pledge – it rests at the core of our identity as a people. No American should ever have to suffer persecution or violence because of who they are, how they look, or what they believe.

It's about fucking time. Now to get it through the ball-less fucks in the Senate. 

A few NFL players: I won't play for Boss Limbaugh

Several NFL players have said publicly that they would never play for a Boss Limbaugh-owned franchise.

Who can blame them? Some of Rush's choicest quotes regarding African-American players and the NFL in general, courtesy of Crooks and Liars:

Indeed, as CNN reported at the time, ESPN fired Limbaugh from Sunday NFL Countdown for “his statement that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.” But, of course, Limbaugh has a long sordid history with making racist remarks. Some of his more recent lowlights:

– “Look, let me put it to you this way: The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”
– “We need segregated buses. … This is Obama’s America.”
– “President Obama is black. And I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder.”
– Democrats are interested in Darfur to secure black “voting bloc.”
– “Minorities never do anything for which they have to apologize.”
– Obama’s nomination for president “goes back to the fact that nobody had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy.”
– Obama is a “halfrican-American.”

Hopefully the other owner's in the NFL would rather have a mouth-full of root canal's done without any pain medication than allow this bigot and racist to own a team. 

I will be offline tomorrow.

So there won't be any Feline Friday or any political rants. 

I know you all will miss me..right? ;)

I will be getting a surgical procedure done. I have to be at the hospital at 6-fucking-AM Friday morning.The upside is that NASA is going to blow up part of the moon tomorrow at 4:30am left coast time, and I will be up to watch it! ;)

There must be some post-surgery pain involved as my doctor gave me a prescription for vicodin and told me to fill it before my surgery tomorrow.

So, I might not be online all weekend either. Depends on how I feel.

So give em all hell tomorrow bloggers..dont' let up...keep the pressure on these fuckwits.

Cyber hugs to all of my six regular readers and those who lurk as well. ;)

Unfair to Halliburton? Our WTF moment for this week.

Jeff Sessions, asshole  for Alabama said that about Al Franken's amendment to the defense appropriation bill recently voted on. From Politico:

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) offered an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold defense contracts to companies who prevent victims from filing lawsuits against sexual assault and harassment.

Franken proposed the amendment after hearing the story of Jamie Leigh Jones, who alleges that she was brutally raped while working a contractor for Halliburton/KBR in Iraq.

But Jones was unable to press charges in court because her defense contract stipulated that any such allegations can only be heard in private arbitration.

Franken’s amendment, which passed 68-30, received the support of 10 Republican senators. However, most Republicans opposed the amendment because it went against the wishes of the Defense Department, and argued it gave Congress too much influence in altering defense contracts.

I can not believe that even Rethugs would put the needs of Halliburton and KBR ahead of human beings, specifically women, on this issue. I can not believe it. But then..I can, ya know?

Fucking douche nozzles like Vitter and Sessions need to spend a month in Iraq..as a worker for KBR and Halliburton. Fucking pigs..make me physically ill. From Current, a list of the fuckwits and fucktards that put corporate needs above human needs:

Franken's amendment ended up passing, 68-30. Here's a list of the Senators who showed broad support for Roman Polanski by voting against it:

Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)

ADDENDUM: It's been pointed out to me that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce lobbied against the Franken amendment as well:

Republicans point out that the amendment was opposed by a host of business interests, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and applies to a wide range of companies, including IBM and Boeing.

I guess we must cover up crimes like rape in order to save capitalism.

I guess capitalism IS more important than human rights for the bags of batshit above. 

Obama doesn't invite Docs that want single payer healthcare

When I saw Obama's press conference the other day, I wondered if any of the medical professional's that support single payer were in the group.

Seems they were not invited, per The Real News Network video below:

Batshit Betsy makes the rounds of MSNBC shows after Rep Weiner slaps her around

After she got her ass handed to her in a live debate with Rep. Anthony Weiner the other nite. She doesn't come off too well on MSNBC's shows either..which is an understatement.

Hurray!

Watch Rachel tear into Batshit Betsy then Dylan Ratigan takes his shots with the talented Rep Weiner.

The entire live debate between Weiner and Batshit Betsy below:

Migrant workers give more than they receive.

This info comes to us courtesy of CommonDreams:

Often vilified and mistreated, migrant workers benefit both the countries they move to and the ones they leave behind, says the latest Human Development Report released Monday.

The perceived negative burden of migrants on host societies does not correspond to reality, according to the report, produced annually by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP).

The key message of the 217-page report is that large gains to human development can be achieved by lowering the barriers to movement and improving the treatment of migrant workers.

*snip*

The study estimates that "approximately 740 million people are internal migrants, which is almost four times as many as those who have moved internationally."

And among those who have moved across national borders, "only one third moved from a developing country to a developed country". Nearly half of this group are women.

The entire report can be read here. The rightwing nutters love to go after the migrant workers, telling us how much they sponge off the taxpayer and all that other horseshit.

Next time a rightwinger starts spewing forth on immigrants and migrants..ask them when was the last time they picked grapes or lettuce in 110 degree temperature's for less than minimum wage.

An anniversary no one wants to celebrate..

October 7th is the anniversary of the Aghanistan invasion. Gee, time flies when you are having fun right?

But no one is enjoying the war..except the carpetbagging contractors or perhaps the extremists on the right.

Eight long fucking years.

And the soldier deaths are rising daily. How long will it be before the death count is as high as what we saw in Iraq for our soldiers?

Finally, a new week begins!

It wasn't a good week here. Sox went to the Rainbow Bridge and Sweetie got attacked by that fat,mean bastard Scooter.

I will save you the visual. It ain't pretty and it's even less fun to clean. 

So I will lay around and watch many a sporting event with Sweetie at my side, and Scooter will be outside the bedroom looking in through the newly added screen door. But on to other topics of note..


Baseball is winding down to the playoffs this weekend. Stockcar racing is into their playoff system. Football from dawn to dusk.

Yes people..it is a big sports day at our humble abode.

I have slopped the hogs and will now commence brewing some coffee.

Have a good sports sunday..and if you can't..well, know that I understand. ;)

Americans United takes aim at Ohio's Boehner

John Mr.Orange Boehner, head of the rethugs spin machine waxed poetic about Ohioan's desire to NOT have a public option. Yeah right jackass...from American's United:


Americans United for Change unveiled a new television ad today calling out Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) for his laughable claim that “I’m still trying to find the first American to talk to who is in favor of the public option” as part of health insurance reform.  Airing on cable television in Columbus, OH next week, the spot called “Boehner’s Bogey” notes that the Congressman may be spending too much time on golf courses in Florida and lost touch with his constituents back home considering a recent Quinnipiac University poll showing “Ohio voters support 57 - 35 percent the idea of giving American consumers the option of buying health insurance from a government-run plan.”  Recent national polls found 62 Percent of the American public and three out of four doctors support a public option. 

So, with all that truthiness..I want whatever the hell Johnny boy is smoking. 

Wendell Potter: Grassley a shill for the insurance industry

Wendell doesn't talk out of his ass..unlike the carpet-bagging douche nozzle's known as Grassley, Baucus, et.al. From Crooks and Liars, a section of the transcript of this interview by Amy Goodman for DN:

WENDELL POTTER: Well, clearly, this senator has the insurance industry’s best interests at heart, not the American public and not his constituents. The Medicare program is, as he said, part of the social fabric of this country and has been for many years. And it is a government-run plan that has meant a great deal of difference to a lot of people in this country, including certainly his constituents.

He has said that he didn’t think a public plan would be fair, compete fairly with insurance companies who—the private insurance industry. I’d like to ask him what is fair about the way that the insurance industries operate today, the companies that dump sick people when they need insurance most. What is fair about the way the insurance industry operates, Senator Grassley?

Give em hell Wendell!  

Roman Polanski is going to hell, but till then…

The child molester needs to do time in a Cali prison..one of the overcrowded ones of course.

Anyone that offers up an apology for Polanski needs a good kick in the nads..seriously, I haven’t seen too many women coming to his aid on this issue.

He drugged and got a 13 yo girl drunk. Then he proceeded to molest her every way imaginable. Sick sumbitch needs to pay the piper. NOW.

And I don’t care that he gave the victim a large sum of money, in a vain attempt to buy freedom. That has no bearing on anything as far as I am concerned.What he did was unforgivable. What he did was a felony in any city in the world.

People here in Bakersfield were convicted of child molestation and were found eventually to be innocent of all charges. Yet, they did long hard time for the crimes they did NOT commit because of a dirty DA Ed Jagels.

The irony isn’t lost on me. Polanski is and has always, as a director, been well-off financially. The Bakersfield folks were hard-working middle class families that were emotionally and financially bankrupted by the false accusations.

Once again..it is all about money..and those with the money can buy their way out of most things. Polanski can not be allowed to do that. Nope..not this time.

Todays WTF moment-courtesy of Roger Hedgecock.

The former mayor of  San Diego, who btw left office disgraced,(what rethug doesn't),  has come to a very strange conclusion of why Bill Sparkman was murdered:

It's the illegal immigrants and the Mexican Drug Cartels.

I shit you not. From ThinkProgress via the LAProgressive piece linked above:

The latest comes from right-wing radio host Rodger Hedgecock who seems convinced that the country’s “open border policy” must have had something to do with Sparkman’s gruesome death. Hedgecock dismisses the possibility that Sparkman was targeted and killed by someone motivated by the anti-government rhetoric being spewed by teabaggers and right-wing politicians who have explicitly bashed the US Census, and instead claims that “illegals” at “pot plantations” may be the cause of forest fires and Sparkman’s death:

 Now it looks more like Sparkman was yet another victim of illegal drug operations on national forest land, and possibly also a victim of our still open border with Mexico.
*snip*
Our open border with Mexico has been changing American society in a number of unpleasant ways. These fires, these destroyed national forest lands, and maybe even Bill Sparkman’s death, may just be the latest way.

Ole Roger is really stretching it here, as the law enforcement folks believe the meth activity in the area might be to blame and those dudes consist of  local inbred white guys.

These guys just crack me up..in a sick twisted way.