Thursday, February 23, 2012

It's not the Pill....it is you that is immoral!



I will repeat that. Ladies, according to the GOP, the problem isn't contraception. It is your immoral whorish-ness that is the problem. Just keep your knees closed and your mouth shut and everything would be better. The absolute inability to even acknowledge the health issues or even the right of women to control their own bodies, is striking.

Increasingly the GOP is the party of old white dudes.

-Cheer

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Rev. Franklin Graham is a political hack.

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That is all but certain from this interview. Basically what he is saying is that, the only people who are "Christian" are those who agree with me.

My friends of faith, if you ever wonder why I am, at times hostile towards religion. Look no farther then this as an example. This is not about any sort of theological discussion, this is brute force politics. Live the way I say. Nothing more.

Rev. Graham, is definitely not like his father in that regard.

-Cheers

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

And now for something different....


There is evidently a Game of Thrones themed food blog. So of course, I had to check it out.

Some interesting recipes there. I will probably experiment with some of these over the coming months.

An example: Robert Baratheon’s Ideal Meal
  • Assorted Cheeses
  • Roasted Vegetable Medley, with a splash of cider
  • Red and Golden Beets
  • Mustard-Stout Deviled Eggs
  • Drunken Venison Steaks, marinated in mead and wrapped in boar bacon
  • Honeycakes with Lavender icing
  • Blackberry Jam tarts
  • Wine-Poached Pears
  • Lots and lots of Dark Beer
I am sure there are some people who would be interested in helping me test this out.....

-Cheers

Monday, February 13, 2012

Don't mind the man behind the curtain....

It can not be said enough, but this is not about religious liberty.

It has always been about making it more difficult for women to procure and utilize contraception.

Sen. Mitch McConnell goes all in on the anti-contraception band wagon. The amendment in question says:
“ensure that health care stakeholders retain the right to provide, purchase, or enroll in health coverage that is consistent with their religious beliefs and moral convictions”
Basically, any employer any where can decide that you should not have equal access to health care because he/she does not agree with your need to have it.

Much like the right to free speech, the religious freedom mentioned in the constitution is not the freedom to inflict your religious views upon your fellow countrymen, but protection from that.

Again I wish that women's health were not always used as a political football. Women do not deserve to have their bodies used as some sort of political bulwark, that is constantly re-litigated. They are equal citizens and should have the protections that come with that.

-Cheers

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Not a progressive value.....

This poll question, in the new Washington Post poll, is a tad depressing.

What if those suspected terrorists are American citizens living in other countries? In that case do you approve or disapprove of the use of drones?
Approve: 65
Disapprove: 26
This should not be the "liberal" view on the matter. American citizens have rights under the law. Even if they are suspected of terrorism. That is an American value and enshrined in our law.

So this is very disappointing.

-Cheers

The Catholic Church, HHS, Contraception, and you...

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This was the discussion on Morning Joe on Monday. The big hubbub is over the HHS' decision to implement the contraception coverage rules, in the Affordable Care Act.

There has been much said about it over the last 48 hours, about how it is an infringement upon freedom of religion and the like. Now I will confess, I am not Catholic, nor am I particularly religious, so prepared to accept that I am not as sensitive to this issue as some may be. I am however, very concerned about how women's health issues are treated and talked about.

To me, this more an issue of equal treatment under the law then about religious expression.

In my opinion, if the Church wishes to act as a large employer or insurer, then it has to meet the public policy requirements of those industries. Many will say this is a difficult issue, but it is not really. Women's health issues are not a separable thing, they are health care issues. If you provide health insurance to employees then contraception is part of health care. You do not have to approve of how people use that good, but the good offered needs to be uniform and non-discriminatory.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Bigotry and Intolerance.....

Are alive and well in the United States. If you read only one article this week I recommend this one.

If you have children, a weak stomach or anger easily, I would sit down before starting it.

Like many 13-year-olds, Brittany knew seventh grade was a living hell. But what she didn't know was that she was caught in the crossfire of a culture war being waged by local evangelicals inspired by their high-profile congressional representative Michele Bachmann, who graduated from Anoka High School and, until recently, was a member of one of the most conservative churches in the area. When Christian activists who considered gays an abomination forced a measure through the school board forbidding the discussion of homosexuality in the district's public schools, kids like Brittany were unknowingly thrust into the heart of a clash that was about to become intertwined with tragedy.
This is why I loathe Rep. Bachmann, and those that spread her brand of bigotry......

-Cheers