Californians’ Lives Not a Joke

Most of the time I hear Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice, I change the station. It irks me how he always seems to be joking about things I do not find funny. It’s a trait George W. possessed as well. I think it betrays their inability to discuss the situation at hand intelligently, like the class clown who acted out because he couldn’t read.

Californians are suffering. The budget has been hung up for months, over what increasingly looks like Republicans’ failed ideological stance against raising taxes. They even ousted their leader last night, during their budget nightmare sleepover that failed to reach an agreement. Due to the lack of one Republican vote, 20,000 people are getting pink slips in our state. Those are real people who probably would have chosen to pay a few more cents on the dollar in taxes to losing their jobs and their abilities to support their families.

 

Bill O’Reilly Can’t Use Teh Google?

Courtney Martin, of the Women’s Media Center and Feministing, took on Bill O’Reilly yesterday. In his segment, he defended his comments against journalist Helen Thomas, but quickly got off topic. O’Reilly accused women’s groups of staying silent on the issue of sexism against Sarah Palin, arguing they were hypocrites for only recognizing sexism against women whose politics they agree with.

Now, if Mr. O’Reilly had taken just 10 seconds to google his guest Courtney Martin, he would have found that not only has she spoken out against the sexism Sarah Palin faced, she even called out Bill-O himself for sexist comments regarding Ms. Palin.

Shakesville has a list of over 25 examples of Sarah Palin sexism. The Women’s Media Center also ran pieces covering sexism against Sarah Palin, including this one from Campbell Brown on CNN.

O’Reilly says that if Martin in fact did speak out against the sexism that Sarah Palin faced, he would apologize. We won’t hold our feminist breath. But seriously, do some research on your guests. What you’re doing is not journalism.

 

Women and Children Are Not Pork

Why is it that when it’s time to find places to tighten our belts, the first programs to go are those that benefit women and children? Who decided that education, health care and the Violence Against Women Act were pork? ThinkProgress notes that the proposed cuts to make the bill more “stimulative” (which of course leave tax cuts untouched, contrary to Economics 101), disproportionately affect women and children.

These cuts would include:

$150 million cut to the Violence Against Women Act

$50 million to the Victims of Crime Act

$25 million to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces

$1.1 billion to Head Start

$50 million to Teacher Quality Partnership Grants

$5.2 billion for Prevention And Wellness (including diabetes screening and HIV testing)

$13.9 billion for Pell Grants

$2 billion for Child Care Development Block Grants (ThinkProgress)

Basically, the conservatives have decided that anything that isn’t tax cuts is “pork.” So, like President Obama, when you hear their criticisms just ask yourself, “Are these folks serious?” What I want to know is, how are they planning to face their constituents after voting against programs like Headstart and Pell Grants in these tough times?

 

Change of Heart on Prop 8

Those of you planning to vote Yes today, please consider the realization that Mayor Sanders came to last night.

Two years ago, I believed that civil unions were a fair alternative. Those beliefs, in my case, have changed.

The concept of a ‘separate but equal’ institution is not something I can support.

I acknowledge that not all members of our community will agree or perhaps even understand my decision today.

All I can offer them is that I am trying to do what I believe is right.

I have close family members and friends who are a member of the gay and lesbian community. Those folks include my daughter Lisa, as well as members of my personal staff.

I want for them the same thing that we all want for our loved ones — for each of them to find a mate whom they love deeply and who loves them back; someone with whom they can grow old together and share life’s experiences.

And I want their relationships to be protected equally under the law. In the end, I couldn’t look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationship — their very lives — were any less meaningful than the marriage I share with my wife Rana. Thank you.

 

Vote!

The Creative Coalition: You vote video

 

Maddow Slams Anti-Obama Ad

 

Vote Pro-Choice

Check out NARAL Pro-Choice America’s great new get-out-the-pro-choice-vote ad!

Still undecided? Read more about McCain and Palin’s disregard for women’s health. And John McCain’s extreme anti-choice record.

Read more about Obama on reproductive health issues.

And finally, VOTE!

 

New Ad Replaces ‘Same-Sex’ with ‘Interracial’ Marriage

(h/t Rebecca at Skepchick)

There’s a video floating around YouTube featuring young people blathering on about how same-sex marriage in California will destroy civilization, so some enterprising Skeptics’ Guide listeners took it upon themselves to make a point by redubbing the voices.

By replacing “same sex” with “interracial,” the discrimination proposed by Proposition 8 is exposed. There is no argument against same sex marriage that holds water. The fact that the lies the Yes on 8 crowd is using (teachers will have to teach that interracial marriage is just as valid as traditional marriage, churches will have to allow interracial marriage, etc) sound ridiculous when we replace “same sex” with “interracial” demonstrates how their bigotry is a thing of the past. In the future, we will look back on Prop 8 just as we do laws against interracial marriage and wonder, how anyone could think it’s acceptable write their prejudices into law?

Professor What If…has a great post up about how the Yes on 8 argument reflects the de-volution of the US.

 

Palin Doesn’t Know If Abortion Clinic Bombers Terrorists

Perhaps she was following McCain’s lead.

On multiple occasions throughout his career, McCain sought to limit the government’s ability to punish violent anti-choice fanatics by:

– Voting against making anti-choice violence a federal crime. As the Jed Report notes, McCain voted in 1993 and 1994 against making “bombings, arson and blockades at abortion clinics, and shootings and threats of violence against doctors and nurses who perform abortions” federal crimes.

– Opposing Colorado’s “Bubble Law.” McCain said he opposed Colorado’s “Bubble Law,” which prohibited abortion protesters from getting within 8 feet of women entering clinics [Denver Post, 2/27/00]. The law was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

– Voting to allow those fined for violence at clinics to avoid penalties by declaring bankruptcy. NARAL Pro-Chioce America notes that McCain “voted to allow perpetrators of violence or harassment at reproductive-health clinics to avoid paying the fines assessed against them for their illegal acts by declaring bankruptcy.”   (ThinkProgress)

I am apalled by McCain and Palin’s ignorance. They have run a disgusting campaign that condones and encourages hateful speech, and now hateful action. Many people have died due to abortion clinic violence and these acts should be recognized and prosecuted for what they are, acts of terrorism. Palin said it herself in this clip, “harming innocent Americans…would be unacceptable.” Yet her unwillingness to call this violence what it is makes me question whether she believes the rule of law should protect all people equally, even those of us who disagree with her extreme anti-choice ideology.

 

Ellen Responds to Sarah Palin

With humor and sincerity, as always…

I don’t know if you saw this, but vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin said she’s in favor of a federal ban on gay marriage. Basically, she wants to change the constitution. So if you’re wondering — I’m sure you are — how I feel about this, I don’t like it. I don’t like it. I don’t agree. … And I don’t know what people are scared of. Maybe they think that their children will be influenced, and I got to say — I was raised by two heterosexuals and they did not influence me.

If you live in California, please vote no on proposition 8!