Republican leaders and pundits have shredded the Democrats' stimulus package on various fronts, but a recurring theme is sex education, contraception, and family planning.And they still wonder why we laugh our collective arses off every time they open their mouths ...
Matt Drudge's headline today: "$335,000,000 FOR STD PREVENTION IN ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL."
"How can you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives?" fumes House minority leader John Boehner. "How does that stimulate the economy?"
Here's the New York Times' Treatment:Mr. Boehner and other Republicans have taken issue with the large chunk of funding in the stimulus package — some $300 billion all told — that will go to shore up the budgets of states.
That figure includes billions in state aid to education and such controversial pieces as millions in spending for family-planning initiatives.
I think this kind of wink-nudge sex-stuff is dangerous for the GOP. Yes, it plays beautifully with the rural-conservative base.
By way of example, here's Rush Limbaugh's take:“When I think of reducing budget deficits, it would never occur to me to think about eliminating people. (A reference to abortion.) If [Nancy Pelosi] wants fewer births, I have the way to do this, and it won’t require any contraception. You simply put pictures of Nancy Pelosi … put pictures of Pelosi in every cheap motel room in America today, that will keep birth rates down because that picture will keep a lot of things down."
Snicker, snicker.
The truth is that in suburbs and the cities -- where Republican support is tanking -- voters are perfectly comfortable with family planning and contraception.
A survey conducted in Minnesota found that 89% of parents support modern, comprehensive sex education. That compares with less than 10% who supported abstinence-only programs.
(The study was conducted between 2006 and 2007 and was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.)
All of which is not to say that this stimulus bill shouldn't draw a critical review from Republicans. That's what opposition parties are for.
But surely the GOP can find a zinger-issue that doesn't re-enforce their image as the chastity-and-Bible-belt party?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Birds, The Bees and the gop
Over at The In Box they posted this nice piece on the idiocy that is the repugicans
The Music Died Fifty Years Ago
From the USAToday article:
Fifty years after The Day the Music Died — songwriter Don McLean's description of the Feb. 3, 1959, plane crash that killed musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson — rock 'n' roll fans are marking the event both in Iowa, where the private plane went down in a frozen cornfield near Clear Lake, and in Holly's hometown of Lubbock, Texas.Clear Lake's Surf Ballroom, recently designated a landmark by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the venue for the trio's final gig the night before they died, hosts a week-long series of seminars and other remembrances that culminates with a sold-out tribute concert Monday. Next Monday and Tuesday in Lubbock, activities at the Buddy Holly Center include a fan fair, panel discussions, and screening of former Beatle Paul McCartney's film The Real Buddy Holly Story.
So in Honor of 'The Music' we offer ...
Buddy Holly
Ritchie Valens
J.P. 'the Big Bopper' Richardson
"... I don't remember if I cried
when I read about his widowed bride
but something touched me deep inside
the Day the Music Died ..."
The Music is dead - Long live the Music!
when I read about his widowed bride
but something touched me deep inside
the Day the Music Died ..."
The Music is dead - Long live the Music!
Man puts 911 dispatcher on hold to buy drugs
From the "They don't call it 'Dope' for nothing you know" Department:
Police in Cleveland say a man called 911 because he felt he was in danger - then asked the dispatcher to hold on while he made a drug deal. Police Lt. Thomas Stacho said today that Alejandro Melendez was arrested after the call and was charged with possessing cocaine.
Police said Melendez called 911 late Saturday and reported that two men with guns were watching him.
Police records show he hung up, so the dispatcher called back.
Melendez answered and asked the dispatcher to hold on, but the dispatcher could still hear what was being said.
A voice can be heard on the recording of the call saying: "What you need? A 10-pack? You need a 10-pack? All right." Police say "10-pack" is slang for a bundle of heroin.
The dispatcher called police, who found Melendez at the location he gave, had the dispatcher call his cell phone again, and said they found cocaine in his trousers.
Man refuses to show license and calls 911 during stop
From the "Smart move there, Buddy" Department:
Authorities said a Florida man called 911 instead of showing his license during a traffic stop. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper stopped the 36-year-old man for speeding early Saturday on Interstate 4 in central Florida.
Authorities said a Florida man called 911 instead of showing his license during a traffic stop. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper stopped the 36-year-old man for speeding early Saturday on Interstate 4 in central Florida.
According to highway patrol, the man refused to show his drivers license, which is grounds for arrest. The man and the trooper allegedly grappled briefly before the trooper grabbed his pepper spray and the man grabbed his cell phone.
In a recording of his 911 call, the man told dispatchers that he was being assualted by an officer. He asked them to call his wife and the news media. The dispatchers told him to comply with the trooper.
Highway patrol spokeswoman Kim Miller said the trooper followed department procedures.
The man was charged with resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law-enforcement officer. He was released on $2,700 bail.
The Economy and Obama's arrival good for evening news
Tough economic news and the new Obama administration are driving TV viewers to the evening news, a broadcast staple that's been written off in the past.
ABC, CBS and NBC newscasts all had ratings milestones last week.
Monday night's telecast of NBC's "Nightly News," the ratings leader, was its most-watched broadcast in three years, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Meanwhile, CBS had its biggest weekly average in two years, and ABC its biggest in a year.
Oddly, enough, these broadcasts hadn't shown much of a surge during the election campaign, at least not as much as the cable news networks.
ABC, CBS and NBC newscasts all had ratings milestones last week.
Monday night's telecast of NBC's "Nightly News," the ratings leader, was its most-watched broadcast in three years, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Meanwhile, CBS had its biggest weekly average in two years, and ABC its biggest in a year.
Oddly, enough, these broadcasts hadn't shown much of a surge during the election campaign, at least not as much as the cable news networks.
California high court to hear Proposition 8 case next month
California's highest court will hear oral arguments early next month in legal challenges to the state's voter-approved same-sex marriage ban.
The state Supreme Court has scheduled a March 5, 2009 hearing date for oral arguments in a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn Proposition 8.
Gay couples, several local governments and Attorney General Jerry Brown maintain the ballot initiative, which passed with 52 percent of the vote, is unconstitutional.
If it opts to uphold the measure, the court has said it will also decide whether the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed when gay marriage was legal in California are valid.
After hearing arguments, the court's seven justices will have 90 days in which to issue a ruling.
The state Supreme Court has scheduled a March 5, 2009 hearing date for oral arguments in a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn Proposition 8.
Gay couples, several local governments and Attorney General Jerry Brown maintain the ballot initiative, which passed with 52 percent of the vote, is unconstitutional.
If it opts to uphold the measure, the court has said it will also decide whether the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed when gay marriage was legal in California are valid.
After hearing arguments, the court's seven justices will have 90 days in which to issue a ruling.
Girl dies in washing machine with button start
A 4-year-old girl in Southern California has died after she climbed into a washing machine that began tumbling when her toddler brother hit its simple push-button start.
Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said Kayley Ishii apparently climbed into the front-loading washer Monday afternoon.
Her 15-month-old brother either bumped or pushed the button to start the machine.
Amormino said the machine's controls were only 20 inches from the floor and the start switch was a simple push button.
The girl was in the water-filled, tumbling machine for at least two minutes before her mother found her.
An autopsy found Kayley died of blunt force trauma and the death was ruled accidental.
Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said Kayley Ishii apparently climbed into the front-loading washer Monday afternoon.
Her 15-month-old brother either bumped or pushed the button to start the machine.
Amormino said the machine's controls were only 20 inches from the floor and the start switch was a simple push button.
The girl was in the water-filled, tumbling machine for at least two minutes before her mother found her.
An autopsy found Kayley died of blunt force trauma and the death was ruled accidental.
Bill would require paid Confederate holiday in SC
A black state senator is pushing a bill that would require South Carolina cities and counties to give their workers a paid day off for Confederate Memorial Day or lose millions in state funds.
Senator Robert Ford's bill won initial approval from a Senate subcommittee Tuesday.
t would force county and municipal governments to follow the schedule of holidays used by the state, which gives workers 12 paid days off, including May 10 to honor Confederate war dead.
Mississippi and Alabama also recognize Confederate Memorial Day.
Years ago, Ford said, he pushed a bill to make both that day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day paid holidays.
He considered it an effort to help people understand the history of both the civil rights movement and the Confederacy in a state where the Orders of Secession are engraved in marble in the Statehouse lobby, portraits of Confederate generals look down on legislators in their chambers and the Confederate flag flies outside.
"Every municipality and every citizen of South Carolina, should be, well, forced to respect these two days and learn what they can about those two particular parts of our history," Ford said.
Senator Robert Ford's bill won initial approval from a Senate subcommittee Tuesday.
t would force county and municipal governments to follow the schedule of holidays used by the state, which gives workers 12 paid days off, including May 10 to honor Confederate war dead.
Mississippi and Alabama also recognize Confederate Memorial Day.
Years ago, Ford said, he pushed a bill to make both that day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day paid holidays.
He considered it an effort to help people understand the history of both the civil rights movement and the Confederacy in a state where the Orders of Secession are engraved in marble in the Statehouse lobby, portraits of Confederate generals look down on legislators in their chambers and the Confederate flag flies outside.
"Every municipality and every citizen of South Carolina, should be, well, forced to respect these two days and learn what they can about those two particular parts of our history," Ford said.
Top 10 weirdest hotels in the world
All righty then ...
I can not add anything to this so click the link and have a look for yourself.
Man will get 30 lashes for smoking on Saudi Arabian flight
A Sudanese man has been sentenced to 30 lashes for smoking on a domestic Saudi Arabian Airlines flight.
The unnamed smoker refused repeated requests from cabin crew to put out his cigarette on a flight to the Red Sea port of Jeddah from Qurayyat in northern Saudi Arabia.
He was arrested when the aircraft landed in Jeddah and promptly handed over to police.
The man apologized in court - and to prove his penitence presented evidence that he was attending a clinic to help him kick his heavy smoking habit.
But the judge was keen to make an example and gave a sentence designed to serve as a deterrent.
Smoking is banned in many public places in the desert Kingdom.
Smoking was outlawed on domestic flights of Saudi’s national carrier SAA in 1987 and on overseas flights in 1999.
Last April a man caught smoking on a domestic Saudi flight was sentenced to 50 lashes.
His cigarette triggered a smoke alarm that led to panic among passengers.
*****
Here's a law I can support. Make it 100 lashes for good measure
No-fly list: $100 million a year pissed away
From the journal Homeland Security Affairs, comes a chunky, stat-rich article entitled 'Just How Much Does That Cost, Anyway? An Analysis of the Financial Costs and Benefits of the “No-Fly” List.'
The bottom line?
We're probably paying $100 million/year for the no-fly list and so far, there's no evidence it's doing anything to fight terrorism.
The bottom line?
We're probably paying $100 million/year for the no-fly list and so far, there's no evidence it's doing anything to fight terrorism.
As will be analyzed below, it is estimated that the costs of the no-fly list, since 2002, range from approximately $300 million (a conservative estimate) to $966 million (an estimate on the high end). Using those figures as low and high potentials, a reasonable estimate is that the U.S. government has spent over $500 million on the project since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Using annual data, this article suggests that the list costs taxpayers somewhere between $50 million and $161 million a year, with a reasonable compromise of those figures at approximately $100 million. Clearly the no-fly list is a program that is not without substantial cost. It represents, at least financially, a large part of the government’s protection of air travel. 4 In order to begin to analyze whether or not the benefits are worth the costs, both must be identified and analyzed. It is that task to which the article will now turn...Just How Much Does That Cost, Anyway? An Analysis of the Financial Costs and Benefits of the “No-Fly” ListOne of the ramifications of the no-fly list over the last several years has been the number of flight diversions and delays due to list operations. A KLM flight from Amsterdam to Mexico, on April 10, 2005, is a representative example. The plane was en route from Amsterdam to Mexico and was due to cross over U.S. airspace. The U.S. government ordered the plane to return to the Netherlands before reaching the United States because it said two of its passengers were barred from entering U.S. territory. 45 The plane had been in the air for more than four hours before returning to Europe and caused 278 passengers delays of approximately twenty-four hours. The Washington Post reported, in July, 2005, that the two men removed from the flight were questioned but not arrested. In sum there have been seven total diversions, and presumably countless delays, due to no-fly list processing incidents that are not reported. The aim of this section is to assess the costs of these delays...
The problem with the first claim, that the no-fly system works, is that it is relatively easy to bypass the system with a little ingenuity. For instance, the no-fly list’s core mechanism is a matching a name to photograph identification. 50 As noted above, the process is for a passenger’s name to be cross-checked against the list and then verified as the name matching the individual by checking photo identification. This process assumes a number of key points. First, an assumption is made that the ticket was purchased using the passenger’s real name. If a would-be terrorist knows that he or she is on the no-fly list, the next logical step would be to purchase the ticket under an assumed name that is not on the list. Second, the process also assumes that the photo ID is real and represents the true identity of the individual in question. It would be relatively easy, for instance, for someone to make a reservation under an assumed name and either manufacture an ID or use the real identification of the assumed individual. Third, this process is made easier by the increase in “print-at-home” boarding passes, which are easy to forge and allow would-be terrorists to put any name they like on the boarding pass. These three aspects of the no-fly list make it simple for an individual to purchase a ticket under someone else’s name, use a real ID to enter the boarding terminal with a forged boarding pass, and then fly on the ticket that has someone else’s name. 51 Some security experts have gone so far as to create a “fake boarding pass generator” on the Internet to illustrate how easy it is to forge a boarding pass. 52 Importantly, this is not just a theoretical exercise. A CBS affiliate in Kansas City, in an undercover investigation, was able to enter the TSA secure area by producing a fake ID. 53 The undercover individual was not stopped or asked any additional questions. Thus, if the no-fly list is stopping individuals who wish to commit terrorist attacks, those individuals have not employed all of the strategies that are at their disposal; this should raise questions as to whether or not the no-fly list achieves the benefits its administrators claim. The second claim made of the no-fly list is that it does stop terrorist events, or at least dangerous individuals, on a routine basis; we do not hear about them because the government keeps that information close to the vest (except when questioned, such as in the Schneier interview). Three questions arise from this claim. First, why would the government want to keep such information secret? Perhaps more importantly, why does the empirical record of other terrorist prevention activities suggest that the government’s strategy is very often the opposite? It lets everyone know about potential activities before they are well formed. Finally, if what Hawley claims is true, are there many more potential terrorists in this country than is commonly believed (since they are being stopped several times a week) or is the no-fly list ineffective at stopping terrorists? Is it casting a much wider net and catching non-dangerous individuals as well?
Military Humor
A long time ago, Britain and France were at war.
During one battle, The French captured an English major.
Taking the major to their headquarters, the French general began to question him.
he French general asked, "Why do you English officers all wear red coats? Don't you know the red material makes you easier targets for us to shoot at?"
In his bland English way, the major informed the general that the reason English officers wear red coats is so that if they are shot, the blood won't show and the men they are leading won't panic.
And that is why from that day to now all French Army officers wear brown pants.
During one battle, The French captured an English major.
Taking the major to their headquarters, the French general began to question him.
he French general asked, "Why do you English officers all wear red coats? Don't you know the red material makes you easier targets for us to shoot at?"
In his bland English way, the major informed the general that the reason English officers wear red coats is so that if they are shot, the blood won't show and the men they are leading won't panic.
And that is why from that day to now all French Army officers wear brown pants.
Leave it to the Irish
Breaking news ...
Ireland's worst air disaster occurred early this morning when a small two-seat Cessna plane crashed into a cemetery. Irish search and rescue workers have recovered 1,826 bodies so far and expect that number to climb as digging continues into the night.
Ireland's worst air disaster occurred early this morning when a small two-seat Cessna plane crashed into a cemetery. Irish search and rescue workers have recovered 1,826 bodies so far and expect that number to climb as digging continues into the night.
Want to see in the future?
Modern Mechanix has always had some of the most interesting articles ...
The April, 1932 issue of Modern Mechanix had the magic clairvoyance drug you'd been seeking:
The April, 1932 issue of Modern Mechanix had the magic clairvoyance drug you'd been seeking:
A SOUTH AMERICAN plant called Yage is believed by natives to have the magical property of enabling the drinker to see great distances or through obstacles. Before the drinker falls asleep everything seems to be filled with hazy bluish rings. As the stupor deepens the sleeper sees vivid visions of things or people known to be somewhere else. This is the reason the drug is supposed to cause clairvoyance.
Look into the face of insanity
Woman arrested for recruiting female bombers
A woman suspected of recruiting more than 80 female suicide bombers has been arrested, the Iraqi military said, dealing a major blow to one of the most effective forms of attacks in Iraq.The woman, who was identified as Samira Ahmed Jassim or by her nickname "Umm al-Mumineen," was shown confessing in a video played for reporters at a press conference in Baghdad.
Dressed in an all-encompassing black Islamic robe, she described how she would persuade the women to be bombers, then escort them to an orchard for insurgent training and finally pick them up and lead them to their targets.
She said she was acting on behalf of insurgents based in the volatile Diyala province, north of Baghdad.
Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said the suspect had recruited more than 80 women willing to carry out attacks and had admitted masterminding 28 bombings in different areas.
The number of bombings carried out by women has spiked even as overall violence has declined, and U.S. commanders have warned insurgents are actively trying to find more recruits.
At least 36 female suicide bombers attempted or successfully carried out 32 suicide attacks last year, compared with eight in 2007, according to U.S. military figures.
The military said it couldn't provide information on the number of female suicide bombers so far this year. But there was at least one - a woman who blew herself up in the midst of Iranian pilgrims in Baghdad, killing more than three dozen people on January 4th.
The use of female suicide bombers is part of a shift in insurgent tactics to avoid detection at U.S.-Iraqi military checkpoints that have become ubiquitous in Iraq as part of increased security measures.
Iraqi women often are allowed to pass through male-guarded checkpoints without being searched, and they traditionally wear flowing black robes that make it easier to hide explosives belts.
To counter the threat, the U.S. military has stepped up efforts to recruit women for the Iraqi security forces.
Jassim, whose nickname means "the mother of believers," was arrested by Iraqi security forces acting on tips on January 21st and is allegedly linked to the Ansar al-Sunnah insurgent group, al-Moussawi said.
The spokesman would not say where Jassim was arrested because the investigation was ongoing.
But he said the recruits had been from Baghdad and Diyala province.
He also said she had contact with a pair of recently detained insurgent brothers.
In the video, Jassim said she had to talk to one elderly woman several times before persuading her to blow herself up at a bus station.
It also took Jassim two weeks to recruit another woman who was a teacher and had problems with her husband and his family, according to the confession.
The woman eventually attacked members of government-backed Sunni groups in Diyala province, the suspect said.
*****
Yes, do look into the face of insanity. It is time to end the insanity!
Where did all the repugicans go?
That’s right ... just five states, collectively containing about 2 percent of the American population, have statistically significant pluralities of adults identifying themselves as repugicans.
These are the “Mormon Belt” states of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, plus Nebraska, plus Alaska. By contrast, 35 states are plurality Democratic, and 10 states are too close to call.
*****
So, enough of this hogwash that the repugican party is the party of the Confederacy.
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Make plans for the future, but never forget about you're here and now.
Sounds like a good plan to me.
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have hailed from:
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Natanya, Hamerkaz, Israel
Bellevue, Nebraska, United States
Vermillion, South Dakota, United States
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Natanya, Hamerkaz, Israel
Bellevue, Nebraska, United States
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