Dr. Richard Carmona statement on legislature’s attempt to block access to contraception
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Former U.S. Surgeon General and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Dr. Richard Carmona, has issued this statement on our Tea-Publican legislature's war on women this week: Carmona statement on legislature's attempt to block access to contraception Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona released the following statement on the efforts by Arizona's legislature … Read more
Stock investors fare better under Democrats
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: I posted about this back in January 2009 (the changeover in blog software since affected the charts and graphs) Democratic Presidents Are Always Better For The Economy – Always. For what it's worth, Bloomberg News recently reported that the stock market invariably performs better under Democratic administrations. In 2004, a Bush cabinet official said job creation … Read more
ICYMI: ‘The Road We’ve Traveled’
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The full-length documentary video from Obama for America, "The Road We've Traveled" that premiered on Thursday, is below the fold.
It turns out only the ‘culture warriors’ think there is a war on religious freedom
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Yet another example of cognitive dissonance. The "culture warriors" of the far-right are waging a religious crusade against their fellow American citizens, but they are the ones who perceive there is a war on religious freedom — the God's Own Party (GOP) talking point dujure from Frank Luntz. Project much? The Public … Read more
Let’s hope Librotraficante gets as much press in Destination Tucson as it has elsewhere
March 16, 2012
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by David Safier
The Librotraficante Caravan should be pulling into Tucson some time today. A press conference is scheduled for 3pm, followed by a series of events Saturday (flier with details below the fold). Will our press give adequate coverage to this event which, after all, is a result of our school district's demolition of the MAS program and the banning of books used in its courses? We'll see.
Here's some of the press coverage in other cities in the past few days:
- Caravan brings book protest to Mesilla en route to Arizona (Las Cruces Sun-News)
- Group to Expose Arizona to Mexican-American Literature (My Fox Houston)
- Librotraficantes: Caravan moving through San Antonio on way to protest Arizona's dismantling of Mexican-American studies (San Antonio Current)
- Group Advocates Cultural Studies (Albuquerque Journal)
- 'Librotraficantes' Stop By El Paso To Protest Controversial Ariz. Education Law (KVIA El Paso [ABC])
There's been more far-reaching coverage as well, like the story in the NY Times (Books Without Borders), the story on Univision (Los Librotraficantes) and the story in Global Voices Italiano (USA: altri attacchi contro le culture degli immigrati messicani), which includes the Tony Diaz video and this paragraph:
Da questi segnali positivi si evince che l'onda di solidarietà guadagnerà sempre più forza e che sarà un valido antidoto contro l'abuso di potere, la paura e il razzismo. A marzo la carovana Librotraficante, che partirà da Houston per arrivare in Arizona, passando per il Texas, distribuirà i libri censurati.
Flier for Saturday's events below the fold.
Christian Taliban defunding of Planned Parenthood will cost Arizona federal Medicaid funds
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) aka the Christian Taliban assault on women's reproductive health care, in particular its attempt to defund Planned Parenthood this week, could wind up costing Arizona federal Medicaid funding, as it has for the state of Texas — not that these "legislative terrorists," as Sen. David Shapira called them, give a damn. Legislator David Schapira lambastes conservative lobbyist Cathi Herrod.
The Christian Taliban and its Christian Reconstructionist and Dominionist allies in our God's Own Party (GOP) Tea-Publican legislature passed HB 2800 through a Senate panel to defund Planned Parenthood this week. The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports Senate panel votes to cut off Planned Parenthood funding – Arizona Capitol Times:
Arizona Republican legislators are seeking to accomplish what their party mates in Congress failed to do — stop public money from going to Planned Parenthood.
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[Christian Taliban] lobbyists succeeded on March 15 in persuading a Senate panel to advance a proposal that would prohibit the state from contracting with any entity that performs an abortion or runs a facility where abortions are performed.
The prohibition would apply to Planned Parenthood, which performs other health services, including gynecological exams, testing for sexually-transmitted diseases and breast cancer screenings.
The measure, HB2800, would also require public funds for family planning to only go to certain places, such as state-owned health care centers and rural hospitals. The bill also specifies their order or priority.
No basic health care for you, ladies! (Can't you just hear Rush Limbaugh calling you "sluts" and "prostitutes"?)
Ah. Now we understand who the real bullies are
March 16, 2012
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by David Safier State Republicans have killed the school bullying bill which would increase efforts to minimize bullying in schools. At the forefront of the effort was Center for Arizona Policy President Cathi Herrod. The bill, in her "Christian Values" eyes, is part of the gay agenda. Since gays and lesbians are often targets of … Read more
Marriage Equality – Time To Take a Stance
March 15, 2012
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Posted by Bob Lord
So, if you believe this post, there’s a bit of a struggle over whether the Democratic Party platform will include a plank unabashedly supporting marriage equality.
This should be seen not as a challenge but as an opportunity. I needn’t dwell on the morally right position, correction, morally correct position. But that’s not why it’s such a golden opportunity. Politically, this could be huge.
