Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
I don’t think Barry Goldwater would recognize Conservatism or his Republican Party if he was alive today. Conservatism used to mean belief in safe and sound economic spending and freedom for all from governments getting too large and too restrictive on personal freedoms. Recently we have seen Republicans offer up a brand new and dangerous definition of rape in an attempt to restrict abortions and to restrict government money being used to pay for them. Now we are seeing another Republican attempt to restrict the use of contraceptives under the guise of ending the alleged use of Federal funds to pay for abortions.
A recent article outlined the legislation proposed by Rep. Mike Spence of Indiana to eliminate the entire $327 million dollar budget for Title X. Title X is a program that provides funding for women’s health and family planning costs. “The measure would eliminate all $327 million in funding for Title X, a family planning program that began 40 years ago under President Richard Nixon. And while Planned Parenthood receives millions of dollars from the program, Title X funds cannot be used for abortion services. The money is to be used for noncontroversial family planning services, mostly for low-income families.”
Rep. Spence and his fellow Republicans are trying to defund Planned Parenthood because it receives millions from Title X funds to assist women in their family planning and health matters. In order to try to end abortions without testing the strength of Roe v. Wade in the courts, the sponsors and backers of this bill don’t care if low-income women suffer by not getting the health care that they so desperately need. Many of these same legislators also backed the repeal of the Affordable Health Care act which would also assist low-income women get affordable health care.
The proposed legislation would end all monies from Title X and the effects of those funds drying up could be catastrophic for women. “The pro-abortion-rights group NARAL said the legislation would lead to more unwanted pregnancies by cutting funding for contraceptives. “The new anti-choice House leadership now wants to take away birth control and cancer screenings from millions of American women and men,” said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL. “While these politicians attack abortion coverage from every angle, they now want to deny funding for birth control, even though that’s the best way to prevent unintended pregnancy. Americans will not stand for this blatant hypocrisy.” ‘
Is it just me or do I detect a pattern here? What do these mostly male Republicans have against women? I was thinking of writing an article asking when America will have its own “Egyptian” moment, but maybe I should ask when will American Women have their “Egyptian” moment?
Source: Raw Story
Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
Blouise:
“You are on the losing side, dude … a real education would teach you that.”
so tell me what the winning side believes.
Sophomoric humor…Italian cuisine….scintillating discussions about various and sundry subjects. Does life get any better???
🙂
Hey Otteray!
What’s wrong with sophomoric humor? Are you trying to put me out of business? I warn you!- I’ll take my slapstick and go home. And my whoopie cushion,too! If this persecution continues, I’ll put your hand in a pan of warm water while you’re asleep. You have been warned.
What? That comment was about Chan?… Oh….Well….Hmmmm….
Never mind.
Blouise,
I am still hanging out, but I took some time out earlier this evening to get ready for a field trip for a basketball game tomorrow night about 6 hours from home. See you on the other threads.
Bob Esq,
“I think you know full well that there’s a difference between the social compact and laws promulgated thereunder. Analytically speaking, under the social compact, slavery was impossible because exercising power over an individual’s right of self ownership is tyranny per se. Did laws exist respecting slavery and ignoring the social compact; yes — observe the fugitive slave clause. Are they valid under the social compact; CATEGORICALLY NO.
Accordingly, I think you know full well that bringing up an old law for your new idea that you can exercise power over an individual’s right of self ownership carries zero weight whatsoever.”
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I really like what you wrote
There’s Elaine too … hey you
Buddha and raf,
The night owls are still here … I’ve been out and am so damn tired I can’t see straight … good times though … going to check out some other threads … perhaps I’ll see you there 🙂
Elaine,
Yeah, she’s pretty and all, but then you’d have to be Welsh.
So the question is Welsh culinary tradition or Italian culinary tradition?
That’s hardly a fair contest. 🙂
raff,
There are very few people in the course of civilization I would find intellectually intimidating based on just raw brain power, but Asimov makes that list. He was a frighteningly smart man. Did you know he wrote most (if not all) of his books as first drafts? Like Mozart, he did it all in his head before he committed it to paper. He was also a wise teacher.
rafflaw,
I’d love to reinvent myself as Catherine Zeta Jones!
🙂
It was also the invention of the printing press that led to the Catholic Church’s being able to increase the number of indulgences printed (Monks and Clerics used to have to do them by hand) that led to Luther’s protests etc. Irony is a beautiful thing.
Blouise,
You are right that an education that challenges you to think for yourself and not necessarily what others think is vital for all of us.
Buddha,
My life is a testament to Asimov’s rule! I have been repeatedly reinventing myself for a long time and I am sure that I am not done yet!
“The only constant is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.” — Isaac Asimov
Chan,
Interestingly enough … it was the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg that led to hundreds of copies of Luther’s 95 theses arguing against the sale of indulgences being printed and passed all around Europe which eventually led to the Reformation. That bit of technological advancement put the world in turmoil and you can bet there were lots of disgruntled folk running around trying to get everybody to go back to the old ways … The Roman Inquisition was established in 1542 by Pope Paul III to suppress Lutheranism
Fear of change has been with us forever … yet change continues to take place no matter how hard the superstitious and ignorant fight against it; no matter how many they slay.
You are on the losing side, dude … a real education would teach you that.
Woosty’s still a Cat
1, February 15, 2011 at 4:53 pm
I want to learn how to understand AAA better.~Chan
http://www.aaa.com
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Poor dude … i almost feel a little bit guilty but … naw … good one on you and 😆
Swarthmore MOm,
Great link. I think Gov. Huckabee will be Huck a bye-bye if he keeps singing that tune. He should stick to preaching.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/huckabee-puts-abortion-front-and-center-in-2012-gop-presidential-primary.php?ref=fpi
Chan,
I think the altruism and acceptance of diversity part is ok, but most liberals are religious, but there are some atheists as well. Part of the diversity. Most classrooms can have a free discussion if the professor and/or school does not have an agenda.
Chan,
Of course a classroom at a school with a pre-ordained political and economic ideology doesn’t lend itself to truly free discussion.
Most schools don’t operate under such a constraint. Certainly no good schools do. All ideas are welcome, but all ideas are challenged. Routinely and harshly. It’s a much more robust environment than one narrowly confined to a specific political end. That lack of constraint leads to better critical thinking skills and a broader base of knowledge. It’s the difference between driving a Ford Escort with a acceleration delimiter and driving a Ferrari 560. Going to a place like Hillsdale – or Regents, or Bob Jones, or (insert ideologically bent school of choice here) – does not provide a high performance well rounded education, but rather a low performance narrow band education.
rAFFLAW:
Actually I was being serious with just a little bit of fun. You have to admit that looking in from the outside I am pretty close with my AAA abbreviation.
And I was serious about my professors, we had some good discussions but nothing like this. Maybe a classroom doesn’t lend itself well to a truly free discussion.