Giving Everyday - Giving to good causes

Today is called by some Giving Tuesday, a counter to the consumerism, and just a reminder to invest in bettering the world around you. There are many places you can give money. Or time. Or moral support.

One such choice is the Salvation Army, a Christian organization. They spread out earlier and earlier each year. Ringing bells. Giving you expectant looks. And they do some good work. They can and do help people. And, people out there ringing away, are people that get hired for the season for a small wage.

But they are also not friendly to gay people. It's part of their religious tenets. Workers have been turned away for being gay. And there are stories of gay people being refused shelter. It isn't a representation of the whole group. But there are question marks in their policy. They say they are trying to do better, but how much is yet to be seen.

They have also run into other issues. Past treatment of union families. A large number of child abuse cases in Australia. And questions of mismanagement in some areas.

And, as it is, I would prefer to give to organizations that will not be funding religious efforts or antigay efforts. I like to find groups that are apart from that messiness.

So, as an alternative, let me suggest some of the numerous organizations out there that are more secularly focused, and not limiting where or how they aid.

Groups to support:

• Amnesty International - They campaign for the human rights of people around the world.
• Direct Relief - This organization works to improve health and lives of people affected by poverty, or emergency situations.
• Doctors Without Borders - Made up primarily of health care facilitators, they operate in 60 countries, helping people dealing with disasters and violence. 
• Engineers Without Borders - Support local efforts to work on development projects.They work on projects including, drinking water access, sanitation, and roads.
• Feed America - The organization works to help feed those in need of food. They do this with food banks. (And with the cuts to SNAP, they are in desperate need.)
• Goodwill - This organization works to give job training, employment, and other services for the disabled.
• Humanist Charities - Tied to the American Humanist Association, it offers aid in matters of health and welfare via a humanist approach.
• Madre - An international women's human rights group that addresses the wide range of issues affecting women in local communities.
• Planned Parenthood - Health care providers, educators, and advocates for health care access and knowledge. They work to guarantee a right to make one's own informed reproductive decisions. Also, to ensure those in poverty to have access to support. They also are at work on a global level.
• Red Cross - A well known organization, it does good work on disaster relief, producing almost half of the United States' blood supply, and offering training on health.
• UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund - They focus on children's interest around the globe. They work in many areas, including immunization, education, and emergency relief.

Not as direct, but important, the fighters for free speech and privacy.

More groups:

• American Civil Liberties Union - The organization works to preserve First Amendment rights.
• Electronic Frontiers Foundation - An organization that works to preserve digital rights. Among it's focuses are privacy, free speech, and consumer rights.
• Comic Book Legal Defense Fund - An organization focused on preserving First Amendment rights in the comic field, for artists to produce and readers to access.

The Religious Exemption. It's Principle, Except When It's Not.

There have been some constant battles since the latest effort to create a more comprehensive access to health insurance began. But one has been increasingly annoying, galling, and disingenuous. The demand for a religious exemption for businesses.

The idea is that some businesses are owned by religious people, and those people may oppose abortion and/or birth control, or common sense. Comprehensive health insurance would help pay for things like those listed. So, they should not have to offer comprehensive health insurance to their workers. They should be exempt from part of the law.

And many people love the idea of a "compromise" on this. The compromise being that you just let religious institutions deny people basic preventative health care...cause [holy writing of your choice]. And you let businesses with religious owners do the same. And in exchange, nonreligious owners can actually take care of their employees. It is interesting how saying you want to deny someone something for religious reasons sound reasonable to so many people...But that's for another post.

In July two federal appeals courts decided that it was ridiculous for a business to have a religion, as opposed to it's owners. But that is not where the story ended. Last week the federal appeals court decided to agree on how unfair comprehensive health insurance is on the pious.

... 

Requiring companies to cover their employees’ contraception, the court ruled, is unduly burdensome for business owners who oppose birth control on religious grounds, even if they are not purchasing the contraception directly. 

“The burden on religious exercise does not occur at the point of contraceptive purchase; instead, it occurs when a company’s owners fill the basket of goods and services that constitute a healthcare plan,” Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote on behalf of the court.  

...

It is an interesting point, I grant you. Is it unfair/unconscionable/unacceptable to force people of religious faith to fund and pay money into services that they feel contravene their religious tenets?

Should people be forced to pay for sinful stuff?


Well, I tried to think if there were any other good examples I could draw on for legal rulings. Then I recalled religious pacifism. For some war and fighting is unconscionable, a violation of the will of their god. And, as many point out, tax dollars go to many places in the government, including to the military.

MPR Photo/Elizabeth Stawicki

So, when a pacifist pays taxes, they pay for the ability to go to war. And during a war, they fund that war. So, should religious pacifist be exempt from taxes? Or, should special means be put in place to assure that their tax dollars cannot be used by the military? Should steps be taken to respect and maintain their religious concerns.

Lucky for us, a Quaker, Priscilla Adams, brought the question to court.

Back in 2003, you may remember it (we were at war), her fight with the government came to a head. Going back to 1996 she had been suing the government, saying that she and others had valid religious grounds to have protections against their money being used to fund the military. As part of her religious convictions. Adams for years had been refusing to pay part of her federal taxes.

The response from the government was to demand that she pay her back taxes, and a 50% penalty. She fought this, and worked to try and keep them from placing a lean on her wages to put money towards wars.

So the fight went up the judicial ladder. And, in 2003, the federal appeals courts rules against her. And then the Supreme Court chose to pass on offering an opinion. The courts had spoken.

The result, you may have religious grounds to not pay a portion of your taxes, but the courts, Congress, and the federal government don't care. Pay the taxes and pray for forgiveness.

That is quite a different view from what we are seeing now. Now when we consider should religious people be forced to fund services that may go to things like birth control, the courts say that it's wrong. (wag a finger) These people cannot be placed in this position. The law says everyone should be able to access the full array of preventative health. But, screw that...Religion. Religion trumps all...now.

Funny.

I wonder if religious pacifist should go to court again? They might have a chance now. Doesn't it follow? Shouldn't these grounds be sound enough for them to fight against tax paying? It does seem like the same strain of argument. Or, do supporters of ACA religious exemptions still hold the old opinion that if religion is getting in the way of funding the military, you should suck it up and fund the military?

I do get a feeling that many might have this attitude. That abortion and birth control are the legit religious concerns, the respectable ones. I'd like to think that's wrong, but at a minimum, I don't see religious conservatives as bothered by the Quaker's plight. They seem like they'd be first in line to condemn the Quakers.

But this ruling may not stand. This will be going to the Supreme Court...hmm. Okay, I' not feeling better with that thought. Will the court have their 90's attitude to religious exemptions? Or, will they have the oppose President Obama attitude?

Half the court is already friendly to attacking access to education, voting rights, and the ACA as a whole. That group will most likely be happy to further establish religious prominence over law. As it is, I think there is already a case coming up that may do this in one way.

I guess we will see. Because we are stuck waiting while conservatives play their petty games. And religious exemptions are such a petty game.

It's a TRAP...law. The Anti-Choice Empire and the ongoing War on Women. *UPDATED*

Before now I was unaware of the term TRAP laws. Now, I have seen them at work, but didn't know they had a name. (ThinkProgress looks at the states leading the charge on them.)

TRAP means Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers. It is a legal trick to ban abortion in a state, without actually openly creating a ban. Red tape and regulation. Yes, it is curious how conservatives seem eager to embrace regulation here, while EVERYWHERE ELSE they are violently dyspeptic about it.

Pressing. A cruel and barbaric
punishment.

But conservatives are regularly open to the idea that the ends justifying means, so I'm not agape. With TRAP, they get to micromanage facilities that offer abortions. How big are your closets? What medical machinery do you have on hand? What privileges do you have at hospitals? They just keep stacking on the regs.

It could almost sound sensible. The layering on of regs can seem benign. Safe and sound is good in medicine. But they don't care about making these facilities safe. This is just concern trolling. The rules are not meant to make things better or help the women of a state. These are meant to be just strict enough to make it impossible to have abortion providers stay open.

If one regulation doesn't do it, add another. And if that doesn't do it, keep adding them until they can't function. It reminds me of the old punishment known as pressing. In it weight is added on top of a person until it finally kills a person. When it comes to reproductive rights, conservatives have decided to add the weight of regulation, bit by bit, until those rights slip out of reach.

So, at long we can say the efforts by Republicans to shut down abortion access are, yes, a TRAP.

Yeah...I already know what it is.

So, to keep with the Star Wars imagery, we can't retreat now. We have to push on and fight. ...And we may also have to concentrate all fire on that Super Star Destroyer...I don't know why for sure...But it is really important. Okay?

__________
UPDATED:

Rachel Maddow looked at the TRAP laws last night:

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Anniversaries in Women's Health

Thought it would be useful to remember the anniversaries we have this year, in regard to some areas of women's health.


Roe vs Wade, making abortion a legal option for women, has been the law of the land for 40 years now.

Eisenstadt vs Baird, making it legal for a unmarried person to buy birth control for 41 years now.

Birth control pills were officially approved for sale in the United States 53 years ago. It was expected they would quickly become a nonprescription item.


50 some years of birth control pills. 40 years of legal access to abortion. And conservatives have continued a hostile fight to push us back into a fantasy version of the 1950's. Access to both has been pushed back. Have been going into place for decades now to keep women from their rightful access to abortion. Further attempts are being made to ensure it is not easy to get to birth control. And in the last several years it seems they have become only more determined to end women's right to make decisions on their reproductive cycles.

50 years on. Why are conservatives allowed to continue to dictate this fight? It is time things changed. I am tired of their garbage and need to control women. It needs to stop. We all need to be heard.

To appreciate what society has gained, and what we have to protect (and in some areas of the country gain back), some Loretta Lynn:

The trouble with religious medicine.

Writing that title for this post, I wish I was going to just be talking about new age medicine, or faith healing. But no, I am writing about medical facilities set up and run by religious institutions. Erin Matson wrote on this, and I wanted to focus in and expand a little on her piece.


A desire to aid and heal people is a fine agenda to have. The trouble arises when it's mixed with caveats for just how and if someone is going to receive medical services. At Catholic hospitals their is some question as to what reproductive medicine you can have access to. And this has an impact on people's lives.

If you end up at a Catholic hospital following being raped, what treatment will you get? What help will you receive? If you want to receive something to prevent a pregnancy, you may be out of luck, and they may work to prevent you from getting the treatment you want. And if you are pregnant and need lifesaving treatment that could the pregnancy...it can end horribly for you.

When it comes to abortion, Catholic doctrine is clear and cruel. In Ireland last year, under Catholic doctrine, a life saving abortion was delayed until the fetus was shown to have died, leaving it too late to save the woman. The disease progressed to far and she died. Fetus and mother dead. In 2010, following an abortion to end a pregnancy that likely would have killed the mother, the nun who made the executive decision was excommunicated. A warning to hospital executives everywhere. And in 2009, their was furor in the Church when a 9 year-old, raped by her stepfather, was given an abortion in Brazil. It was legal, under the circumstances. But the doctors and family were all excommunicated from the church, as a punishment and a threat to other Catholics, particularly doctors (Don't recall the step dad getting much grief for what he did.).

Where they can make it law, the church stops abortion services. Where it can't make it illegal, they make it inaccessible, or hard to get agreement to it.

But that is just Catholic hospitals. So no big deal. I wish that were so. As much as I would like to think that this issue is one we can handle, I have concerns.

First. Do you know how the hospital nearest to you is run? Is it religious based? In fact, what is the nearest hospital to you that isn't? Do you know? I have for awhile looked at the city I live in, and I've realized that there are two major hospitals, and they are both Catholic hospitals. So, if I was a women, what would my options be? As well, consider how clinics and other outpatient venues for medical support are setup. Many in this region have funding from the these two hospitals. How does that affect service? I am unsure how far, or where I would have to go to get medical aid unaffected by Catholic teachings on reproductive medicine. That troubles me.

This leads to my second concern  the move to "religious freedom". In many states they are trying to establish rules of Religious Freedom. It's meant to be a way to circumvent the law and use religious doctrine in it's place. It's a way to deny services to gay people, or anyone you don't like, and it is also a way to justify all sorts of medical providers don't have to accommodate patients. It's, apparently, the religious way.

Now, it is interesting to see very religious people eager to show that they mean intolerant and exclusionary when they call themselves religious. But this isn't helping women.

And women in many places in this country are expected to leap through a series of flaming hoops to even get in sight of an abortion provider. Abortion is a simple basic medical service that is legal in the United States. When you look at how it is treated by most states, you would think it is a dirty secret, or used an amazing amount. But that isn't reality. Just the fiction that some choose to believe. And through those lies, women who need medical aid are made to suffer and endure, to fulfill the religious demands of some. How can any of us see this as acceptable?


I don't care if a religious institution wants to open a hospital to help the sick and be of service to the community. But they should not be picking and choosing the basic medical assistance they will bestow. That is not how one ministers, in the medical sense. If you pick and choose like that, based on personal biases, you are not being a serious provider. And you DEFINITELY should not be receiving tax dollars for your work.

This is why we need national secular medical providers. People will provide the full range of medical services. People who are actually serious about medicine.


I also wanted to include a link from the original piece linked at the top, looking at the trouble happening as Catholic hospitals are merging with other hospitals, bringing over their antiquated rules on women's health. It's good to be informed.

What's next? Emergency managers appointed for every pregnancy? *UPDATED 2*

I am creating this post so as to not keep updating the older post on how Republicans continue to cut away at women's access to abortion.

The GOP is eager to fill the map below. And even then this has quickly become outdated.

Source

North Dakota has passed an Personhood Amendment through it's legislature. So it now moves to the ballot in 2014, for people to vote on. So it isn't enforceable yet, but we will see how voters in the state go to the polls. (And, it's another reminder of how much we need people to actually get out and vote next year. This type of law is on ballots all over the country.) Granted, this and North Dakota's other draconian law on fetal heartbeats should never pass judicial muster. But they still pass these laws. Tennessee is also pushing an amendment in 2014. They push and push at the perimeters of people's rights. They see how far they can go and not get push back. Then try and set a standard from which they can push further. 2nd Trimester. 28 Weeks. 12 Weeks. 6 Weeks. Conception. Pushing and pushing the rights of women back.

They have to be made to see the country does not want this dreck. We need to respect the needs of women when they make decisions about their own bodies. To do this we need people in office who will defend rights. And we need to go to the ballots (every time they open) and vote to defend our rights.

Because the GOP is fighting hard to on this. Let's hearken back to Kansas with it's recent additional moves to go after access to abortion. We know the GOP's newest bill is pretty severe. They want to give rights to fertilized eggs. They want to be sure women get no aid. They want doctors to tell women lies about abortion. They are trying to create such hardship.

So, to soften the blow of this bill, Democrats tried to offer up amendments. Amendments like giving some consideration to rape survivors, to be sure they get the services they need and want. But, no. Republicans, almost unanimously, voted to block any compassion in their rather cruel bill.

Kansas, you may also remember, is also one of the states where Republicans pushed in conscious clauses to let pharmacist choose to not sell women birth control. Even birth control is a controversy with Republicans. This is what the GOP wants. This what they want for you. To cut women off from basic medical services and medicines they don't like. And we've been dealing with this for half a century.

But, I also want to acknowledge the Republicans (the few Republicans) who have stood up to these moves. Like the governor of Arkansas before them, they point to the pointless expense of defending these doomed laws. But I am starting to think that's just the excuse and cover they're choosing to make the moral and right decisions. Pity they aren't representing folks who'd respect that stand.

_____________
ADDENDUM:

Kansas ain't done yet!

They are now trying to rush through ANOTHER anti-abortion bill, right as the session is getting ready to close. Like North Dakota, they are racing to pass a fetal heartbeat law, to further limit access to abortion (How many lawsuits do Republicans want to put their states through anyway?). They are giving people  24 hours notice on the public hearing on the bill. They waited and want to race this through, so they can get into line for getting sued. All so, they hope so badly, they can deny women access to a legitimate medical procedure.

This is the stuff the GOP focuses on. This is their priority.


AND MORE:

Washington Post has a nice graphic to show how across the country access to abortion gets denied, by weeks.

What's still wrong with Kansas? Conservatives inflicting themselves on the rest of the state. Spoiler.

Kansas. I hate to pick on it. It has it's good qualities.


But it also sometimes makes itself home to some ridiculous politicians, like Governor Brownback. And conservatives like to view it as a testbed for many of their balmy ideas.

One gambit conservatives have been playing across the country has been the childhood classic/irritant "I'm Not Touching You". And the conservative's favorite playmate/victim of this is women and their access to abortion.

So many days of waiting before getting seen. But we aren't touching you! 

Denying access after 30 weeks. But we aren't touching! 

Denying access after 20 weeks. But we aren't touching! 

Denying access after 12 weeks. But we aren't touching! 

Mandatory transvaginal ultrasound probing But they aren't touching! 

...Wait...They're changing the rules. Cheaters!

While conservatives are kept by Roe vs Wade from banning abortion outright. They can throw up hurdles. They can also harass and work to demonize.

Now, they have a new bill working it's way through.

... 

A Kansas House committee passed HB 2253 on Wednesday along party lines, with Republicans pushing the bill through while Democrats opposed it. The bill is a broad spectrum of anti-abortion laws sponsored by GOP state Rep. Lance Kinzer, who is the poster boy for many of the outrageous abortion bills introduced and passed in Kansas these days. Included in the bill are measures declaring that life begins at conception, measures that keep women from deducting the cost of abortion procedures on their tax forms, and measures that affect “information the Kansas Department of Health and Environment distributes on abortion and fetal development,” according to the Topeka Capital-Journal. 

...

So they want to keep abortion support from getting the tax breaks all other health care gets, and women as well.

It has a further affect.

... 

Much of the debate centered on a portion of the bill that bars anyone associated with an abortion provider from working in a public school. It is meant to prevent districts from contracting with groups like Planned Parenthood to provide sexual education materials, but Rep. Emily Perry, D-Mission, said the bill as written was overly broad.  

"I read this section to prohibit parents from going in and volunteering at their child’s school if they work at a place that provides abortion services,” Perry said. 

Committee Chairman Arlen Siegfreid, R-Olathe, confirmed with a staff attorney that the bill would, for example, prohibit an abortion clinic secretary from "bringing cupcakes" to school for his or her child's birthday party. 

...

This is the after effect when you rush through law to get extreme results. The Republicans are so eager to bar Planned Parenthood and other honest sources of information and support. They want to isolate.

Though to be fair, Democrats complained, offered an amendment to prevent at least this result, and this led to some republicans agreement. Though it was tweaked by Republicans. It looks like it will allow abortion providers to volunteer at schools. But it also seems to say school workers cannot volunteer at abortion providers. We can't have that, can we, GOP?

And while some Republicans don't want to go the whole hog (leaving some hoof), others are eager to be extreme, laying out the basic trajectory that the party is following.

... 

There was still opposition to the amendment from Rep. Allan Rothlisberg, R-Grandview Plaza, who said he didn't want anyone involved in "killing children or babies" volunteering in public schools in any capacity. 

“If they want to (volunteer) they can find another job that will allow them to do so," Rothlisberg said. "We should have people of integrity and morality teaching our children.” 

...

Alienation. Ostracism. The favorite toys of the conservatism.

And the GOP of Kansas are now looking at the 12 week bans, and getting very excited. Oh, Kansas.

But that's not all Kansas Republicans are eyeing. They have some great ideas of education and taxes. You see, Republicans have eagerly been cutting the income tax down to nothing. But that means the budget is too big, and something needs to be cut! (How exciting for Republicans!) So, they are going after funds meant to help poorer families send their kids to state schools. Some are saying that they wonder if getting poorer kids and education is a job for government. Shifting from income taxes to sales taxes is important, but education, not so much. But it's not like the Republicans ever show contempt for education, academia, or educated voters.

When they needed a program to go after, it wasn't one that inconvenienced richer Kansas citizens or out-of-staters. They went to the poorest in the state, trying to better themselves. And, sadly, that is what the GOP does. Where do you cut to balance your budget? For Republicans, you slash into education, you slash into hospital funding, you slash into mental health support. And hasn't that benefited us all?

Let me remind Kansas of something. 2014. Over a year until you get your say about these politicians. And you better be sure you're heard at the polls.

And, to remind us all, not that long about the governor of the state was a Democrat. So it shouldn't be an insurmountable effort. Kansas can change it's politics.

Hey ladies? You weren't going to use your rights, right? ^UPDATED 2*

Been wanting to get to this for awhile now. So, as we are in the 40th anniversary year of Roe Vs. Wade, let's see how the rights of women stand.

You may not like the state of reproductive rights.

In three states, access to abortion are all but gone. In North Dakota, South Dakota, and Mississippi, there are solitary facilities for women to, in any way, have an abortion procedure done. Per Roe vs. Wade, it isn't being banned. But conservatives are working on many ways to limit women. Through business pressure, social pressure, threats, and government. In Mississippi, the rules placed on any facility have grown more and more onerous. They've moved from demanding they own extraneous machinery to having closets of a certain size to demanding doctors have privileges at a nearby hospital. And that is the magic one. Because any hospital that doesn't want to be made to suffer is not going to give those privileges  We can only hope the court agrees that these laws are all bullshit.

Arkansas has just made it law that a pregnancy that reaches 20 weeks cannot (barring fine print exceptions) be terminated. The state senate overrode a veto to do this. And this follows on a number of states that have also passed bills into law to also ban abortions at 20 weeks. But it isn't stopping there. The now are working on a Heartbeat Bill. This will push the ban on abortion to the 12 week mark.

North Dakota is working on a bill that will give fertilized eggs legal rights. And as such, you can go after women seeking to abort them. More than this, it means, along with abortion, many forms of birth control and infertility treatment will also become illegal. These conservatives keep trying to pass bills that are loaded down with so many side effects. It is sickening.

Iowa Republicans are thinking a lot like North Dakota and pushing the idea now of redefining murder in the state. It would now include knowingly killing a fertilized egg. What is impressive here is that it is about charging murder. That means women will go to prison.

Indiana is looking at the transvaginal probe idea again. But they don't want to be banal about it. So, they want to force women to be transvaginally probed TWICE. Why? They don't like women. Also, it is worth reminding ourselves that 12 states currently go force women to have mandatory ultrasounds. This problem has not gone away.


South Dakota is placing mandatory new waiting periods on women seeking an abortion. Now they already require 3 days of waiting, along with being ministered to by anti-abortion advocates. But a new law will be declare weekends and any holidays WILL NOT count. So If you begin on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday do not count, and you have to wait over Monday and Tuesday as well. With only one facility in the state, and with it being on the edge of the state. This means a lot of travelling and hotel expenses for women (Not to mention missing work.). But more than that, why doesn't a Saturday or Sunday count as waiting? What's different? It's like having women face a second transvaginal probing. It's meant to trouble and stress women. It's about making women pay for daring to not follow the dictates of conservatives.

And, quite sadly, their is so much more being done to deny women their rights.

Not good news at all. Conservatives across the country are trying to find ways to bypass Roe Vs. Wade. In places like South Dakota, bans on abortion continually fail when put to a vote. So states just try and harass and torment to get what...a conservative zealous minority want. And that is not considering the segment of the US Supreme Court who are eager to tear down 40 year old decision.

This fight keeps going on. They keep pushing us back.

So, just as a reminder, 2014 is coming. Be sure to vote. It matters. And this year, be sure your state legislators and governors are reminded you have a vote and voice, and they don't get to stay in office forever. Get pissed off and get active.

_____________
ADDENDUM:

Hey! Remember how I said Arkansas was looking to bar women from seeking an abortion after 12 weeks? They passed the idea into law. If women don't act fast enough, and leap across every other hurdle the conservatives place to keep women from using their rights, you will be denied.

Welcome to the GOP vision of the future. Discovery of the pregnancy, decision to made, waiting periods, repeated counseling sessions, repeated doctor visits, and limited numbers of doctors available, all to be dealt with in 12 weeks from conception. If only they could force women to train for and run a marathon before they can visit a doctor.

Look forward to this being pushed into law in more states before long.


We can hope Gov. Beebe will veto this law, as he did the 20 week ban. But, as with that, the state senate looks ready to overturn the veto. Still, I hope he stands bu the fact this law is bad for the state, and will drag the state into a losing lawsuit.

_______________
ADDENDUM 2:

What has looked this year like a dash, among conservatives, to bar access to abortion services has turned into an outright speed race. It is only growing more disconcerting. Conservatives have encroached more and more on the rights on women. And following electoral losses, they are charging harder.

So, now, in North Dakota, following their previously mentioned efforts, they are now banning abortions after 6 WEEKS. No typo there. So, if their fetal rights law doesn't work, they are hoping to just make it impossible for women to have the time to get help.

So now women will have to learn they are pregnant, then travel to the ONE clinic in the whole state, which will depend on if they can get the time off work, etc. THEN they will be required to wait one day. So, if it takes you a month to realize a pregnancy, that's 4 of 6 weeks gone. With the time left you have to make your decision and then travel and wait.

It's just unbelievable. No, it isn't, is it?

We know, so many red states are howling at this bill now, conservatives bitterly jealous that they hadn't thought to push this far. So, soon, they will join. Or, they will be trying to ban abortion after 3 weeks, or 1 weeks, or 1 day.

It is what they want. They want a woman going to a hospital the morning after conception to be too late to get assistance. These are constraints that conservatives long have dreamed of placing on women, once again.

They salivate at the idea it could be true again. In so many ways conservatism wishes it was the 1950's.

113th Congress. Like the 112th needed a sequel. *UPDATED*

So we now enter the 113th Congress...

As we go into the mess that this may be, let's remember a couple of things (amidst the huge load that never got addressed, thanks to the GOP majority in the House) that the GOP House never let get resolved.

Source

The Violence Against Women Act reauthorization
In the reauthorization of this Act, the Democrats in the Senate added protections were added to help native women, LGBT, and undocumented women. And Eric Cantor worked hard to keep the reauthorization came about. And here we are, the Act lapsed. And women across the country are left at greater risk.

Of course what didn't help was how the media mostly ignored the looming end of the act. So there is shame to go around. But the GOP has taken great effort to not act on many subjects. And this one cannot be forgotten.


Hurricane Sandy Relief funding
Since the last Congress, the House has sat on acting to get funds and support to those hit by the hurricane in November. The Senate finished up, but the House has sat and sat on it. And, as the 112th came to a close, even Republicans from New Jersey and New York were chasing Speaker Boehner around the Capitol. They were trying to get him to just get the damn bill to the floor and voted on. But he refused, and was pretty testy about it. And now, in the 113th, they put forward a small portion of the funds, promising in the month to come to get to more of it. They are, again, penny pinching emergency aid. And, worse, they are slow walking it, weeks after it was first needed.

How can the GOP be seen as acting in the interests of the country?

But what did Boehner and the GOP race to do today, as they open Congress?

Okay. They did do partial funding of Sandy Relief. But they've only done it partially, and plan to be a pain about the rest. So they're racing to be dicks on the subject.

What else? First bill out, Michelle Bachmann's (Yeah, her.) bill to end "Obamacare." Brilliant. A dead end bill. What a good use of the session. Can't help but see this as a sign of how the session will likely go on.

And they also set the rules. And, buried in that, they've included funding to continue the fight to keep the Defense of Marriage Act (the federal anti-gay marriage law) in place. Guess there isn't always money to help people left homeless after a hurricane. But there's always money to go after gay people, and preserve intolerance and inequality in the law. Way to set an example GOP.


This is all just patently ridiculous. The last Congress was ground to a halt by refusals to act by the GOP, or just the damn incompetence of John Boehner to govern, administer, and legislate. ...And the GOP have reelected him Speaker again. I'd think he kept the post through political know how, but I think, rather, no one else really wants to be stuck with the job this session. They plan to screw this country a lot in the next four years.

I would repaint Boehner as a clown, but life's done that already.

_____________
ADDENDUM:

So! What have the Republicans done in the days since to right this sad image I have of them?

Marcia Blackburn (R-Tennessee) has put forward a bill to cut all funding to Planned Parenthood. ...For fuck sake. This! This is what they are doing with the People's times? Where's the bill to defund PBS? Where's the ban on rock music?

Why is the GOP so eager to be a cliched villain of our day?

STOP BEING THE APPENDIX OF POLITICS, REPUBLICANS!

Starting off the new year with positive memories of the last.

Last year had it's definite ups and downs. Your own monthage may vary. Still, at all times it is important to draw the positives that can from any event or time (Then start addressing the negatives, fill out the critique, etc.). So I want to end/start the year going over some of things I'm thankful for this last year. ...Gods! Another list, Jaded Skeptic? ...Well, yeah. I didn't get this done by Thanksgiving, or by Christmas! So here we are. Likewise, resolutions only go so far and often are just ways to verbalize regret. (I'll get to a plan of action for 2013 tomorrow, or today, depending on how long it takes me to finish this post.) Rather, let's talk what helped carry us through to year's end, and what we can call back next year to buoy us at dark times, or share with others to shore them up.

So! Let's talk about the good that came from the last year.

Why don’t we begin in politics, which brings out my cynicism and sarcasm, but has had certain moments and vistas to appreciate.

First, I’m thankful that President Obama has been reelected. I know there are issues with positions he’s taking and orders he's given for many liberals/progressives, but I can’t afford to be blind to what else has happened. The Affordable Care Act will continue, and health care access will expand. No global gag order reinstated. Supreme Court nominees for the next four years will not be in the frame of Anthony Scalia. An interest (at least) in green energy, green jobs, and environmental protection. And, restating, the basic point, NO NUTTERS in the White House. No folk who thinks they are prophesied leaders. No Ayn Rand acolytes. No pizza merchants. No sweater vest wearing internet sex jokes. That is something we should be thankful for. (And, yes, then we can get into what can and should move on to what can be done better.)

Also in this year's election, we saw the likes of Allen West and Scott Brown booted out. I can only hope we won’t see them on the news or as pundits this coming year. But at least they aren't voting in Congress.

Source

In 2012 we also had a lot of good and important work being done by groups not in government. These groups have and will continue to strive to make a positive impact on the world. Planned Parenthood is fighting the good fight to try and guarantee women have access to reproductive knowledge and medicine, along with aiding women with getting cancer screenings. It has been a back and forth struggle, where some states have taken large strides towards driving them from their borders. But PP fights on, and saves the lives of so many woman, and makes certain many families have a brighter future. Likewise the ACLU continues to work to be sure we all have our 1^st Amendment rights. I may not always agree with every fight they take on, but I applaud the principle they work towards. And we also can’t miss out on appreciating what the Occupy Movement has done. This year, among other efforts, they've been working to keep people in their homes, or getting people into one. Also they've done amazing work in the wake of the hurricane that struck the east coast. If you don’t know what they've been accomplishing, you ought to read up on it. There are plenty more groups acting as well, feel free to note and praise them in the comments so others (like me) can learn.

But now, let’s get into some of the more recreational pleasures of the last year.

In particular let’s get into the more merry and jolly…and things that end in -olly. 

What has helped me through some of my dark moments, something that has lifted my mood. Terry Pratchett and Discworld. I do love it. I already mentioned Hog Father on my list of great thing to watch at Christmas. But I also enjoy that miniseries anytime of the year. In fact, as I was feeling low today, I put it on, on my phone, as I worked. It does lighten one's mood. This also stands for the other series that have been produced recently (Colour of Magic and Going Postal) and the older animated work. Also, obviously, the actual written works of Terry Pratchett covering the various people and events of the Discworld (from the Unseen University to the witches to Death to the City Watch to the Post Office and so on).  There is something special in the mad logic and humor of the Discworld. It just connects with my often lost sense of whimsy and wonder. I know it’s not for everyone, but it is worth trying out and getting lost in.

Dark Knight Rises

ParaNorman

Movies are another fun escape. There have been some more serious and sober pieces that are worth talking about, but…I’m in more an escapist mood now. So let’s look at some of the movies that came out this year which gave took me to my happy place. The Avengers. I have noted before that I have some issues with the movie. But as pure superhero team up, with escalating danger and Whedon snark, it's hard to beat. Better, to my mind, was The Dark Knight Rises (I know, a controversial opinion.). The end of the Nolan Batman trilogy hit all the right marks and will be a movie I go back to for years to come. And Hathaway's work as Catwoman was everything I've hoped to see in a rendition of that character. Now, just as we end the year, The Hobbit has come out, and it was a treat (Many disagree.). Glad to be able to look forward to this new trilogy of films (I plan to soak in all the details from the book or added by Jackson over the next two years. I may be alone in that.  Dredd, was also fun. Not for everyone, this violent post-apocalyptic scifi cop adventure hits many of the fun aspects of 2000 AD. Much of this was missed in the last attempt at a Judge Dredd movie. ParaNorman was another enjoyable film to catch. It went way to quick from the theaters, and unlike Dredd, I didn't get to see it until the disc for it came out. Spooky and humorous, I am glad I saw it. For me, this makes a good double feature with the animated movie, Monster House. Wreck-It Ralph was another animated pleasure. It offered a fun story and characters, and plenty of arcade nostalgia. Brave, also an animated affair, gave us another great adventure with a daughter and mother at its core. We need more of this. Heck we need more of all of this stuff.

Once Upon A Time -
Emma Swan

Leverage

On TV, I have also gotten so needed escape (what a shocker). Sherlock has proven a fun translation of the old characters. And while it only gives a handful of mysteries each series, they've been pitch perfect, as far as I’m concerned. Also this year, I've finally started watching Once Upon a Time. It’s been a very palatable surprise. Fairy Tale characters trapped in our reality is proving a joy. I look forward to watching the second season this month. Community, while coming to an end, has also been a good laugh. It will be missed. As will Leverage, a great bad guys gone good heist show, which has been cancelled. Futurama, though, keeps coming back and still something that knows how to woo me. Doctor Who, as played by Matt Smith (being controversial again) has not lead me wrong yet. The adventures of the mad man with a box, the girl who waited, and the last centurion have kept me enthralled. And I look forward to what comes next with the new travelling companion, Oswin. Red Dwarf is another show that has risen again, and it’s proven in the latest series to still have the old charm, like their time traveling run in with Jesus. We also have had at least one new series of The Thick Of It. The political machinations continued wittily. If this is the end, they end on a strong bastardy note.

QI with host Stephen Fry

Also have to give some praise to all the British Comedy Panel and Quiz shows I watch, all helping to keep me sane and laughing. QI to Have I Got News For You to Mock the Week, thanks. Here's some of the QI to be found on YouTube.

Penny Dreadful and her cohorts

While it's more online these days, my favorite Horror Host shows have helped keep a smile on my face (whenever one appears). From Elvira to Penny Dreadful to Midnite Mausoleum, the snarky hosts dealing with horror and bad movies keep me coming back to join in the B-Movie mayhem.

Also online, largely, we have the movie riffing masters. From the great live shows of Cinematic Titanic (some available for download or ordering) , with part of the old MST3K team, to RiffTrax, with part of the old MST3K team. From the early MST3K on to today, these guys have helped me learn to laugh at the ridiculousness in life around me.

Captain Marvel - Art by
 Terry
and Rachel Dodson

Comics are also a great respite through the year. And, yes, their have been problems from many quarters, from bad ideas made manifest to editor meddling, good results have occurred. Captain Marvel (starring Carol Danvers) is proving a great read. Ed Brubaker, as always, has been a joy to read. His work with Captain America and Winter Soldier, have given me, and will continue to give me, great joy and satisfaction. Batman has been a good book though it's fight between the Bat Family and the Court of the Owls. Also at DC Comics, Demon Knights has proven to be a very enjoyable medieval romp, and Justice League Dark has proven to be far more engaging and interesting than the main Justice League book. Working somewhat in concordance at DC, Animal Man and Swamp Thing have kept me drawn in to the battle with The Rot. Along with these DC books, Smallville Season 11 has proven to be one of the better and more engaging reads now being released. I'm quite happy supporting these books.

Captain Britain and
MI13

As far as the creators behind these books. I really want to applaud and be so thrilled I get to enjoy the style and work of people like: Gail Simone (who's now back again with DC Comics after being fired for a short period). Ed Brubaker, now leaving Captain America, and taking my heart with him. His work on Gotham Central (a police drama book set in Gotham City and Catwoman has been amazing. Greg Rucka, someone who did amazing and interesting things in writing Superman and Wonder Woman, in their books, is also a favorite. He's also currently writing a new detective (P.I.) series, Stumptown (Worth a read.). And Paul Cornell. His work on Knight and Squire, Captain Britain, MI13, Doctor Who, Demon Knights, and more has been just a joy to read. 

Zack!

Ah, LEGO. I know, I should grow up. But there is something to putting the pieces together to build some place or thing. Or to come with a redesign. Or just do your own thing. It’s an accomplishment (Ages, 4 and Up.). And still I build, and it makes me happy.

I also want to remember those who are not doing well right now, and hope are on the mend next year. Hillary Clinton’s in the hospital right now, being treated, I hope things improve for her quickly. Also, a wonderful writer, Peter David, has just had a stroke. I can only hope he’s recuperating and will be better soon.

Also, want to be thankful for social media. From twitter to this blog to Tumblr to, yes, FaceBook, social media has helped keep me active, communicative, and engaged. I can only imagine what would become of me in a less techy world. I also am appreciative of those that FOLLOW or FRIEND me, or that I FOLLOW or LIKE. It is appreciated. Those people I do get to converse with and share ideas and jokes with are invaluable to me.

I also want to be thankful for my continued skepticism in life. For some, questioning, or not just accepting accepted wisdom or faith is a sad thing. But for me it means I'm trying to get a clear view of what is and isn't real. The world, humanity, and the universe are amazing. They don't need lies or tall tales to be staggering. The world is a wonder unto itself. And as a skeptic, I can take it in quite happily.

Which takes me to my ever persisting optimism. I am a grump. I am a pessimist at times. But, damn it, I do maintain some level of optimism. An odd sense that better results could still occur, that success could still be grabbed. And that is something that still amazes me. Even as dire as I can get, as lost as I can, I still see some way forward.

Many things help keeo me going. I hope you to have some sense of what helps propel you on, and appreciate it all.

Public funding of...

A refrain constant among conservatives seems to be that, DAMMIT, we have to stop all that federal funding going to pay for abortions!

You point out that for years now that money for that has been barred by law, it's not good enough. They want to pass another law. It's like they're afraid we all might come to our senses and think better of how we handle this aspect of health care, and want to make it harder and harder to change.

But part of this argument for awhile now has been a repeated assault on support to Planned Parenthood (at @PPact on twitter). As one of the shrinking number of access points for women to receive abortions or information on abortion, conservatives just salivate at the idea of destroying this organization. An act that would simultaneously cut access to health care support to millions of American women and countless families, not that I've seen much care an interest in the real impact of this crusade on Women's Choice.

So, we keep seeing attempts to drive Planned Parenthood from one state then another. Red states have also worked diligently to block the organization from accessing state funds, and if that can, federal. And that effort continues throughout conservative hive mind.

Part of the issue that conservatives try to argue is that they are opposed to Planned Parenthood getting tax dollars as many oppose the organization (Now, polling shows that a clear majority of Americans support federal funding of PP, but facts and their liberal bias...). As Bill O'Reilly has further put it, the Catholic Church runs it's charitable work by donations, and so should Planned Parenthood. It is an interesting argument. Too bad it is false.

Catholics run their charities primarily on government grants. That is 2.9 billion dollars from us to the Catholic Church. And that's 62% of Catholic Charities revenue. That's a lot of money, from us, and that's most of the money they are using...coming from us. We fund the Catholic Church AND Planned Parenthood. (To abuse a meme: Checkmate, Catholics.)

Now, I have A LOT of issues with the Catholic Church. I also have issues with how various Catholic institutions talk about and treat certain minority groups in this country. Does this mean we should be asking for that money back now?

Really. Do we? It isn't an easy issue for me. There is good being done. Perhaps we should be sure there are rules on how OUR money is being used by the Catholic Church? Like how we tell Planned Parenthood how they can use OUR money?

There should be many question we ponder now, like the future of our financial relationships with churches.

And being sure that government at the local, state and federal level support Planned Parenthood. Start talking to your politicians.