Supreme!

Today's ruling in upholding the Affordable Healthcare Act restores my confidence in the Supreme Court. I was so aggravated in their ruling on Citizens United which, to me effectively silences the voices of people like me who do not have millions to spend on elections. From my friend Dina on Facebook:

Words of Robert Kennedy "It seems that it is imperative that we reinstill in ourselves the toughness and idealism that guided the nation in the past.The paramount interest in self, in material wealth, in security must be replaced by an actual, not just a vocal, interest in our country, by a spirit of adventure, a will to fight what is evil, and a desire to serve.It is up to us as citizens to take the initiative as it has been taken before in our history, to reach out boldly but with honesty to do the things that need to be done." The Supreme Court answered the call!

Chief Justice Roberts was the determining factor and I feel that he and Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, Ginsburg, & Breyer have done a awesome job of upholding our Constitution. Justices Alito, Scalia, Kennedy, and Thomas seemed, in their dissent, to have put political rhetoric first.

I'm Sure Florida Appreciates Senator Rand Paul: Not

Most of Florida is still reeling from flooding caused the massive amounts of rain from Tropical Storm Debby. Senator Rand Paul has decided that adding a personhood amendment to the flood insurance program bill is the right thing to do: for him. Now is the perfect time for him to get all the attention he wants so he can pout and stamp his little feet like the majority of Republican and TEA party members of Congress are wont to do. I think the Republicans and TEA party should call themselves the cry-baby club. That's all they've managed to do except for trying to pass laws in their ongoing war on women.

GOP Translator: Know Your Doublespeak!

The GOP has used a lot of double-speak(see Orwell's 1984). I found a translator:

Shabbat Shalom!

'Since then, a duet between Udi Davidi Shlomi Shabat. The song talks about the connection between two worlds, seemingly so different. Indeed, all one sees a different picture because ... ', but' when the wave wash away all the fear, then, we remain pure and free from any bias. Words and Music: Udi Davidi words: Winds are blowing on our ship that one attracts, another there, striving without end Let's adjust it right, we will continue together after all, soon was dry from anywhere you can see the horizon but everyone sees because another of the image difference did not bother the beauty if not forgotten, my brother, listen to the soul so let's look at the sky and ask together the answer to my world your world will raise the banner of love as the wave wash away all fear then, we remain pure and free from prejudice, after all this ship Let us together then we will lead it to a correct way so let's look at the sky and ask together the answer after all we hope for the best two, like my world hope your world will raise the banner of love

Yom HaShoah

A picture is worth millions words and tears...




More posters at Yad Vashem.

ALEC: Their Corporate Sponsors are Abandoning Them

.... what about Mississippi state legislatures? Cottonmouth has a list.

The following are from the Coast:

Rep. Henry Zuber (R - Ocean Springs) - Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force

Rep. Jeffrey S. Guice (R - Ocean Springs) - Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force

Rep. Mark S. Formby (R - Picayune) - Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force

Sen. Thomas Gollott (R - Biloxi) - Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force

Sen. Michael Watson (R - Pascagoula) - Health and Human Services Task Force

What is ALEC? The American Legislative Exchange Council is responsible for the reprehensible flurry of legislation going on the states for the notorious "stand your ground" laws. They are also responsible for the slew of anti-immigration laws. Fortunately, Mississippi legislatures had more wisdom than their counter parts in Alabama and did not enact a similar law.

ALEC Exposed shows some of the very corporate friendly legislation that will curtail your rights as a consumer and as an employee. They also support suppression of voter's rights. Voter ID anyone?

The Gates Foundation was the latest financial supporter of ALEC to back away.

The foundation said it would not award another grant to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in the face of criticism of the council's involvement in voting laws and in "stand your ground" gun laws such as one under scrutiny in the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida.

"At this point, we've decided that it's not the right environment to continue working with them," Gates Foundation spokesman Chris Williams told Reuters on Tuesday.

The "stand your ground" laws are onerous and deserve the attention they are getting now. Hopefully, the voter ID laws will receive the same scrutiny and the legislatures who are members of ALEC deserve our scrutiny as well.

Mockingbird Serenade

Last year, in the weeks before my Mom died, I had the privilege of staying with her at night while my other sister worked. Her yahrzeit is Adar 10. During the last few weeks of February, a mockingbird would serenade each night. The first few nights, it was difficult to fall asleep but then, the charm of the bird song started to kick in. The video below is what is sounded like:



Today, at work, another mockingbird began his serenade. It is a beautiful reminder of the laughter my family shared in the last weeks of Mom's life. It is a beautiful reminder that Mom's last breath she took was laughing with us.

I can still hear the mockingbird's serenade and the echo of Mom's laughter.

"Aspirin Between the Knees"

Foster Friess, the billionaire backer of Rick Santorum, doesn't seem to have much smarts in spite of his accumulated wealth. When speaking of the birth control issue that is frothing around, especially in Santorum's camp, this is what Friess had to say during an interview:

“Back in my day, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly,” he said Thursday on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, setting the host back for moment.

I haven't heard a phrase like that in over thirty years. My Mom said it to me just before I started having my period. What she was trying to tell me was that the best thing to do is abstain from sex before marriage. Then she told me about birth control.

The Republicans are trying their best to make the birth control health coverage issue about religious freedom. But it's not about religious freedom at all. It's about women's health. Some women need to be on birth control because of hormonal issues. Some need to be on it because they could die if they have children. The hearing today, led by Representative Issa was a farce and played for the 28% of those Americans who believe that women are incapable of making their decisions about their health. Their "expert panel" didn't have any health professionals and consisted solely of men.

It would be nice if teenagers chose to abstain from sex and that there isn't a need for birth control. The reality is that teens will have sex. Mississippi has only teaches abstinence in its schools now.

Mississippi now has the highest pregnancy rate among teens:

Mississippi, a comparatively poor state in the South, had a rate of 68.4 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19 in 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report. That marked a 13 percent increase over 2005.

And that's not all:

It has rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis among youth practically twice that of the national average.

Additionally, the Sex Information and Education Council of the U.S. reports that:

“Nearly 60 percent of Mississippi high school students report ever having had sexual intercourse compared to 47.8 percent of high school students nationwide. Moreover, teens in the state are nearly twice as likely to have engaged in sexual intercourse before the age of 13, and 50 percent more likely to have had four or more sexual partners than their peers nationwide.”

Rick Santorum, Representative Issa, most Republicans in Congress, and billionaires like Foster Friess are sadly deluded if they think people are going to us an "aspirin between the knees" or abstinence as birth control.

Rick Santorum views on sex:

Here is an actual Rick Santorum quote: “One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country.” And also, “Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that’s okay, contraception is okay. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”
...
It’s pretty basic: Rick Santorum is coming for your contraception. Any and all of it. And while he may not be alone in his opposition to non-procreative sex, he is certainly the most honest about it — as he himself acknowledged in the interview.

Rick Santorum wants to do away with all birth control because its against his religious views. Kinda of scary that this man is actually in the running for President of the United States. I mean, do you really want Rick Santorum telling you how you must live your married life and you as a couple have sex?

Why Does Fox News Hate the Constitution?

The so-called "culture wars" are heating up. Apparently, Republicans, Rick Santorum, and Fox News doesn't like the fact that insurance companies must now cover birth control pills. To be fair, religious institutions do not have to provide that coverage. I can see that. What I can't understand is why some politicians, especially Santorum, believe that their faith and religious beliefs trump our US Constitution. Jon Stewart says it so much better than I can:

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Jewish views on be fruitful and multiply are very different than Christian views.

In a most remarkable ending to the Mishnah of Yevamot, there is a disagreement cited between an anonymous teacher and Rabbi Yochanan ben Berukah. The anonymous teacher (whose view is accepted Jewish law) states that women are not obligated to be fruitful and multiply. In traditional Jewish law, it is a man's duty to marry and have children, whereas a woman is free to remain childless…

The whole birth control controversy is not about so-called "culture wars". It's about a group of people trying to foist their religious beliefs on everybody else. The US Constitution is a remarkable document. Let's not let Fox News, Santorum, and Republicans try to change us from a representative democracy to theocracy.

Bullies

The Republican party, especially the TEA party faction remind me of bullies. It seems the only way they deal with those who differ in their beliefs is to shout them down, insult them and if that doesn't work, call them un-American.

The TEA party tactics consists mainly of shouting down their opponents. This was demonstrated clearly a couple of years ago when Congressman Gene Taylor tried to hold townhall meetings. The TEA party members kept shouting that no one could air their views and have debates about issues. Their tactics worked. Taylor was swept out of office and a TEA party shill by the name of Steven Palazzo took his place.

We saw Sarah Palin use the same tactics. Newt Gingrich uses the same tactics. These are the tactics of bullies and not statesmen and politicians.