If we just had more kids

There is a lot of discussion right now about Social Issues (as opposed to those silly old jobs that the winning GOP promised during that election last November).  And of course the biggest issue that the Republicans are dealing with is the right of women to choose.  Arizona just passed a law that fights discrimination - of the fetus, basically.  They have outlawed "selective" abortions, making "it a felony to perform or provide financing for an abortion sought because of the race or sex of the fetus." (Fox10tv.com)

Now, in Kansas and Idaho, laws have been passed that would not allow abortions past the point when a fetus can feel pain (although it is not necessarily scientifically sound that there is an actual point in time).  Minnesota had already approved in committee a 20 week limit.  Kansas has opted for 22 weeks and Idaho agrees on 20. (MotherJones)

The most bewildering news regarding this particular social issue, however, is out of the mouth of Rick Santorum.  Santorum has decided that the problem with social security is "the abortion culture in this country".  He thinks that because "a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion" and therefore they don't pay into social security and support the retirees. (Salon.com)

So, if there was just more kids, the GOP wouldn't have to complain about social security either.

What is it good for...

Well, war is good for nothing.  But social media might be good for something.  Facebook actually helps fight hate and violence.  Just today, Fox News reports that a page that called for a "judgement day" and a killing all of the Jews had been removed from Facebook.


A spokesman for FB said that "people on Facebook should be able to express their opinions" but that pages with "direct calls for violence or expressions of hate" will be taken down.  That is what another page tries to do daily.  Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook presents pages that might want to spread violence and hate.
(Friend them here)


But, another thing that might be coming to Facebook will help other people.  A new service, called "Cloud Girlfriend" will create a girlfriend from a user's definition and then allow the user to connect and interact with her publicly on the social network.  (FoxNews.com)  Nothing like getting "poked" by your artificial intelligent girlfriend.


The website has yet to officially launch, but the service is already in high demand.  Oh yeah, I bet it is... where's my mouse, I need to click...

Hypocrisy

Just a little, that is.  Congressional Republicans want to cut funding to address the federal deficit.  One of the things that they want to cut is Planned Parenthood.  Yet, on the other hand, one Republican wants to provide federal funds to "pregnancy resource centers" (read: religious counseling centers) for the purchase of sonogram machines.  That way they can help counsel women against having an abortion. (MotherJones.com)

Now, to get the money for the sonograms, nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations would have to show every woman seeking services the ultrasound image and describe to them the "general anatomical and physiological description of the characteristics of the fetus." And provide "alternatives to abortion" like birthing the child and adoption.


So, let's cut funding to "family planning programs" like Planned Parenthood and fund anti-abortionist "pregnancy resource centers" to promote an ideal.

Perfect.  Perfect Hypocrites

The Final Frontier

That would be Alaska.  And it seems, from the news we get today, that those who are in that frontier are a little on the loony side.  Take the former Governor who says "I need NOW's defense like a fish needs a bicycle," when NOW said something about Bill Maher calling Palin a dumb twat.  She also says that she is through whining about a liberal press.  Will have to keep an eye on her tweets to see if that is true.  (BusinessInsider.com)


And then there is the current Gov. Sean Parnell's appointee for the panel that nominates state judges.  He would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage. (ADN.com)  Now, he wouldn't let his personal beliefs influence which candidates he'd approve for judgeships.  No, that would just be wrong.  But saying that fornication is a felony.  That makes sense.


Might want to avoid the good ol' 49th.  Crazy as a Willow Ptarmigan - the state bird.

There's an app for that...

And it seems, some Senators didn't think there should be.  This group had called on Apple and other manufacturers to ban an app that alerts drivers to DUI checkpoints.  The Dems described such applications as a menace to road safety.  They think "giving drunk drivers a free tool to evade checkpoints, putting innocent families and children at risk, is a matter of public concern."  (FoxNews.com)


However, the Senators didn't quite get the reaction they'd hoped for.  Joe Scott, CEO of PhantomALERT, said that downloads are up by 5,000 percent and sales are up by 3,000 percent since the four senators voiced concern about the product.  Our government at work to protect the nation.


Now, here is something that worked.  Truth Wins Out had started a petition on Change.org to have the "Gay Cure" app removed from Apple sites.  This download was designed to prove that homosexuality is “curable.”   Most respected medical associations such as the AMA and APA have all rejected “ex-gay” therapy.


Today, as that petition approached 150,000 signatures, Apple pulled the plug.  Exodus International President Alan Chambers, who created the app,  tweeted his frustration:  It’s official, the @ExodusInl App is no longer in the @AppStore. Incredibly disappointing. Watch out, it could happen to you. #freedom (WebProNews.com)


He is upset that his app promoting hate is no longer available. 

Hate.  There is NOT an app for that.

Maybe they should check with the followers

As we all are probably aware, the Catholic Church doesn't like gay people.  Archbishop Silvano Tomasi told the United Nations Human Rights Council that "the Roman Catholic Church deeply believed that human sexuality was a gift reserved for married heterosexual couples."   And they shouldn't be made to tolerate homosexuality. (LezGetReal.com)

But a recent poll has determined that "a large majority of American Catholics — 71% — support civil marriage equality for same-sex couples... and 74% believe that same-sex relationships should be accepted by society."  (TheNewCivilRightsMovement.com)

Somewhere along the line the Head Honchos in the Vatican lost touch with their followers.  Maybe 71% will become Recovering Catholics someday too...

... And winds don't create watches

Yes, the time-pieces.  That is what Republican state Rep. Bill Zedler of Arlington told MotherJones.com. Zedler is the author of a bill in Texas that would make it illegal to discriminate against creationists on the job.  So, if a teacher believes in intelligent design, then they should be able to keep working and teaching.


There are a few flaws in Mr. Zedler's defense of his bill, however.  First there is that thing about the watches.  Not sure exactly what he was trying to prove, but somehow the "by chance" theory of Evolutionists would mean that if a person walked out into a windstorm, they would assume that a watch was created.  And that just ain't right, according to Zedler.  No such thing is by chance. 


He probably believes in Henry M. Morris and John C. Whitcomb Jr.'s The Genesis Flood, that argued that creation was literally 6 days long, that humans lived concurrently with dinosaurs, and that God created each 'kind' of life individually. (Wikipedia.org)


So, equality is good.  Maybe the unscientific Creationists should not be fired for their beliefs.  But Zedler doesn't believe in a universal equality.  He has never authored a bill about discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status.  Texas has no such legislation.  When asked, he said he would have to think on a bill like that.


The forecast in Colorado today might be good... I could use a new watch

Are All Colleges Gonna Be In Jersey Now?

Or maybe on some Survivor Island?  Because one of the standards for getting in to college is changing the way people think about the standards of college.  The SAT Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT measures literacy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college.  (WikiPedia.org)


There have been some controversies with the SAT.  Some have accused designers of the verbal SAT of cultural bias toward the white and wealthy.  As an example, one question asks to find the pair of terms that have the relationship most similar to the relationship between "runner" and "marathon". The correct answer was "oarsman" and "regatta".  Not too many non-boating kids would probably pick up on that one right away.


Now, things are changing how the bias is being swung.  A question on one recent version of the SAT asked students to assess the social impact of reality television. (HuffingtonPost)  Now, the PBS watching, Regatta racing, college bound kids might not get that.  Snooki, on the other hand...


The question was pretty generic, though.  Not like they asked who the next American Idol was going to be.  "Do people benefit from forms of entertainment that show so-called reality, or are such forms of entertainment harmful?" 

But some writers at Huff Post thought up a few more that might be interesting:

• If the radius of Kim Kardashian's ass is 36 cm, what is the circumference?  Show your work.
• Compare and contrast the social impact of Kanye West's interruption of the VMA's with his tweet on abortion.
• Which of these celebrity Twitter accounts is not verified:  @charlieshee, @allyssa_milano, #JayZ, @therealadamwest?
• If a hot tub had a diameter of 8 ft and holds 500 gallons of water, how many cast members of the 'Jersey Shore' can fit in it?

Time to head to college!

Hog Wild

So, in Texas - of all places - a state lawmaker proposed allowing ordinary citizens with rifles and shotguns to thin out millions of wild pigs that tear up crops and eat just about anything in their path.  They would be able to get at the 300 pound critters via helicopter.  The "bubbas" will get to save $52 million a year in crop damage (but no beer during the hunt). (FoxNews.com)


Now, things in Kansas - of all places - have gone a little too far.  A legislator said Monday it might be a good idea to control illegal immigration the same way.  Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, said “I was just speaking like a southeast Kansas person.”  Although he did say that he was just joking, but his constituents are upset with illegal immigration. (LJWorld.com)

This is not the only odd Tea Party-esque legislative idea.  There is the Montana bill declaring global warming “beneficial to the welfare and business climate of Montana”; a plan in Georgia to abolish driver’s licenses because licensing violates the “inalienable right” to drive; legislation in South Dakota that would require every adult to buy a gun.  (WashingtonPost.com)

But perhaps gunning down immigrants from above is just a little more wild... Hog Wild.

Oh Gawd

Or perhaps the other God.  That is what some think is to blame for the devastation in Japan.  Because obviously, a loving God would kill innocent children and elderly women to show that the stuff we're doing is not really working out real well.


And who might be spreading this fantasy?  Well, A Christian far right-wing conservative and video blogger named tamtampamela.  She "prayed to her god" to open the eyes of athiests.  And what are the athiests going to see when their eyes are opened?  A God who caused the mess over there.  (OpposingViews.com)

Then there is good ol' Glenn Beck.  He thinks Gaia or Jesus is sending a message.  A message about that "stuff we're doing".  And Glenny thinks "Maybe we should stop doing some of it. The world, I mean literally, the world is moving under your feet. I mean, could there be a bigger sign?" (MediaMatters.org)

Does God or Jesus or Gaia send signs like this?  Do any of them really cause earthquakes to open eyes?  Or are earthquakes actually a reaction of the grinding together of the tectonic plates? (Wiki.Answers.com) Oh, yeah.  That must be it.  Scientifically, as opposed to right-wing-bat-shittery.


So, to Pamela and Glenn... all that can be said is "Oh Gawd."

Protect Marriage??

As part of their "About", NOM states the following:

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect marriage (NOM)

Their mission is to protect marriage.  But who are they protecting it from?  They say they need to "educate the public about the consequences of same-sex marriage."  Because, obviously it is same-sex marriage that is hurting marriage and thus makes it in need of protection.

But, what about the other attacks on marriage?  Does NOM not feel obligated to protect marriage universally?  Or are they just picking on those of us who would like some equality? 

And what other attacks on marriage are there, you ask?

Well, there is E!'s "Bridalplasty", which bases a good marriage on a good nose job.  Or VH1's "Wedding Wars" that pits 12 couples against each other to prove that a good marriage is one that starts out with a war over the best venue.  There are more along that line: WEtv's "Bridezillas" or TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress."   (FoxNews.com)
“When it comes to modern marriages, people forget that it’s not about the wedding ceremony or that one day, it is about the rest of your lives together,” relationship expert and author of “The Man Whisperer,” Samantha Brett, said.  But obviously, NOM doesn't have an issue with this.


The rest of your lives... together.  The President of the United States recently said that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional.  The GOP packed House decided that it was and they would defend that in court.  But, a repeal of DOMA already has 105 original co-sponsors and is headed for a vote this Wednesday.  (Advocate.com)

Marriage Equality - a much better thing to protect.

Headlines

A headline today in the Huffington Post:

Tsunami Relief And Preparedness Cut In GOP Budget Proposal: National Weather Service

Yes, it seems that the Republicans have "provisions for cutting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including the National Weather Service, as well as humanitarian and foreign aid."  (HuffingtonPost.com)

Makes you wonder if they saw the other headline - on many news sites today:


JAPAN DEVASTATED
8.9 Earthquake Among Largest In Recorded History. Tsunami Sweeps Inland, Reports Of 30 Foot Tall Wave.


Wonder if they will change their provisions now...

The Smart-ness of America

UNKILLED HAMBURGER MEAT 
Note To All Hunters:  This is from a San Francisco newspaper 

By Definition

On Dictionary.com, the definition of a "newt" is a "brilliantly colored salamander [with a] long slender body and tail and short feeble legs."  Now, that definition does not necessarily fit the other Newt.  Although there are some parts of him that are definitely feeble.


Former and failed Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich says that being Speaker was too stressful, and now he wants to be President.  He also says that maybe "things happened in my life that were not appropriate.”  Not appropriate? Newt has a little "family values problem."  (TheNewCivilRightsMovement.com)

After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Newt's first wife heard from him about a little affair he was having.  And his family values stand?  Well according to Newt "People need to hear what I have to say. There’s no one else who can say what I can say. It doesn’t matter what I live."  (FrumForum.com)

He divorced his first wife while she was sick.  He divorced his second wife after asking his third wife to marry him.  He conducted an extramarital affair at the same time he was one of the GOP's most vocal critics of then-President Clinton for his involvement with Monica Lewinsky.


And now he says that it was how "passionately" he felt about this country that made him work too hard.  So we can't blame him for his infidelity and his three marriages.  He was doing it for this country.


Newt needs to look up the definition of passionate.  Don't think he understands what it means.

International Women's Day

A lot is being written about this today. International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.  There have been some remarkable women in the past 100 years.  Time has a list of the "Top 25" and they include some very powerful women. (Full List)

• Corazon Aquino President who ran in the 1986 presidential election against Ferdinand Marcos
• Marie Curie discovered polonium and radium, founded the concept of radiology and — above all — made the possibility of a scientific career seem within reach for countless girls and women
• Indira Gandhi was elected Prime Minister in 1966
• Golda Meir was a formidable figure in Israeli politics
• Margaret Sanger founded the American Birth Control League — later known as Planned Parenthood
• Mother Teresa created a global network of more than 4,000 sisters running orphanages and AIDS hospices

These women did something.  The made their - and our - worlds better.  But what about the "powerful women" of today?  There aren't too many of them.  There is Hillary Clinton, who became Secretary of State in 2009 and Aretha Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1987.  But some of the women who believe they have power today, aren't doing a whole lot.

There is Jan Brewer, the Arizona Governor who wanted to re-deploy the National Guard of the United States along the southern Arizona border and make all immigrants carry a card to prove that they belonged.  She also cut Medicaid for one in five Arizonans.  She is now facing a recall.  (Huffington Post)

Then, Michele Bachmann, the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 6th congressional district wants to defund "ObamaCare" and Planned Parenthood.  She also has her eyes on 2012 and thinks that the current administration is running a "gangster government."  (Politico)


And what about the witch, Senatorial Candidate Christine O'Donnel, who is accused of using campaign funds for living expenses?  (Link)  Or the fact that she was offered a spot on Dancing with the Stars.


Of course, what list of disappointing women would not include Sarah Palin.  There is not enough blog space to tell everything she has done.  Just recently she called Kathy Griffin a "bully" and had to say that the rumors of her thinking Africa was a country were lies.  Although, according to Fox News Chief Political Correspondent Carl Cameron and the McCain campaign, she actually did think that.  (Huffington Post)

So, on this International Women's Day, we need some better women out there.  Geez, where are all the good women?? 


And what are we going to do about the future??

Happiness Is...

Well, it used to be a warm puppy.  But, really, what is happiness today?  According to Mother Jones it is no longer the newly born canine.  It is “a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year.”


Who would have thought?  And why do we think that now?  Because Gallup asked.  "For the last three years, Gallup has called 1,000 randomly selected American adults each day and asked them about their emotional status, work satisfaction, eating habits, illnesses, stress levels and other indicators of their quality of life." (NYTimes.com)


And he is really out there.  Alvin Wong. He is a 5-foot-10, 69-year-old, Chinese-American, Kosher-observing Jew, who’s married with children and lives in Honolulu. He runs his own health care management business and earns more than $120,000 a year.


So, we can forget puppies, and warmth, and ice cream sundaes... or any other vision of happiness that comes to mind.  Now all we get is Alvin.


Doesn't make me all that Wong-y

Real News

That is something, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that the U.S. is severely lacking in.  And she thinks that Al Jazeera is better at offerring more "real news" then the American Media.  Al Jazeera was "changing peoples' minds and attitudes. And like it or hate it, it is really effective." (HuffingtonPost.com)


And what "real news" does the U.S. get?  Well, once again, we get Faux News, who today has four different stories about Charlie Sheein on their webpage.  And in last night's Daily Show with Jon Stewart, their obvious hypocrisy was dutifully pointed out.  "Stewart took a look at how Fox News was reporting on the story (of the unions in Wisconsin), specifically compared to how they covered similar threats to the Bush tax cuts and bailed-out bank CEOs' salaries." (HuffingtonPost.com)

Stewart pointed out that on one hand Faux News says that those who make $250,000 a year are not rich - even close to poverty, but government employees in Wisconsin should expect to see cuts in their $50,000 a year salary plus benefits.  Faux News also says that teachers don't deserve as much money because they "don't work as much". (Megyn Kelly)  Really... The "Greed Based" bankers did work a full 12 months, and teachers only work 9 per year.


SO, it is ok to lower teacher salaries, but bailed-out CEOs should not have their incomes limited because it would be detrimental to the global economy.


There is definitely something wrong with "Real" Fox News.  Perhaps we should just consider Jon Stewart and the Daily Show the only "Real News" we need.

This Could be Good News

So, when you are a possibly running for President of the United States, you don't get to have free political advertising on a "major" network.  Or so it seems.  And you also don't get to be paid for advertising yourself on a "major" network

.
Fox News (ergo the quotes around "major") has suspended the contracts of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.  Their "contracts will be terminated unless they notify Fox that they are not running for president.”  (Time.com)  Now neither has officially announced a run for the presidency, but there is definite speculation that Gingrich will announce that he is forming an exploratory committee to run on Thursday.


Running for presidency will definitely hurt the checkbooks for these two, though.  Santorum has been making around $100,000 a year, and Gingrich has been making nearly $1 million a year. (HuffingtonPost.com) Not sure if the salary for world leader is that lucrative, but it might work out better for Santorum.


And now the good news!  As pointed out in the Swampland on Time.com:  Does this mean Palin and Huckabee have notified Fox that they are not running for president??  So could it be that good ol' Sarah doesn't want to lose her lucrative salary at Fox News??  And really, when would she find the time to lead the USA while she is so busy hunting caribou, tweeting and updating her TWO Facebook pages.


Wonder if we could encourage Glenn Beck to run for president??

Leave it to Texas

Because only in Texas would their hate of one group get to spread to everybody.  Instead of creating an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance, Texas decided to discriminate against all.  "Corpus Cristi, Texas's Flour Bluff Intermediate School District Superintendent, Julie Carbajal, has decreed that all extracurricular clubs on campus will be shut down to prevent the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance group."  (Bilerico.com)

There is a federal law passed in 1984 that requires schools to offer "fair opportunities for students to form student-led extracurricular groups, regardless of their religious, political and philosophical leanings." 
But Texas doesn't want to do that.  They didn't want to lose their federal funding for not allowing the GSA to form in the schools, so they figured out how to avoid that.


And what is soooo wrong about GSA?  Well, "a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a student-run club in a high school or middle school that brings together LGBTQ and straight students to support each other, provide a safe place to socialize, and create a platform for activism to fight homophobia and transphobia." (GSANetwork.org ) Homophobia and transphobia probably run rampant in the state of Texas and they must not be up for the fight.


With all of the hate that has been spewing out and the bullying that has been going on, it would seem that allowing a group of kids to get together and fight against it would be nice.  And the GSA is a good organization.  I personally know of two high-schoolers -one straight and one gay- who were part of a GSA at their school.  And, not to sound too much like a proud mom, but they turned out pretty well.


As a good mom, I think I will definitely tell both the kids to stay the hell out of Texas.