There are only 76 women in the House out of 435 —- 17%. 59 of them are Democrats and 17 are Republicans. Three of the Democrats are non-voting members (DC, Virgin Islands and Guam.)
Out of the 56 women in the Democratic caucus, only two voted for Stupak. All 17 Republican women voted for it.
What this adds up to is that 97% of the Democrats who voted for the Stupak amendment were male. 90% of the Republicans were male.
I would have to guess that if more than 17% of the congress were women, there would be a little bit less likelihood that women’s rights would be so often used as a handy tool to placate neanderthals. That’s just a guess. Habits are hard to break.
Obama’s Unhealthy Victory (via azspot)
And, in the event they lose seats in 2010, they’ll wonder how it all happened, and, sadly, assume they need to run more “centrist” (re: conservative, further right) to win people back.
take a look @ me now.
I promise not to make a habit of reblogging Phil Collins, HOWEVER, this song reminds of a great episode of This American Life about break ups. If you have ever broken up with anyone ever, you should listen to it. Especially the part about this song.
Giant octopus - extreme animals - BBC wildlife
The octopus gets a little close and personal.
M83 - “Teen Angst” - from Before the Dawn Heals Us
Gorgeous.
Ah the trailer to A Scanner Darkly, and my first exposure to M83.
“Further unsettling is the detachment with morality from pro-choice supporters. What happened to the coda of “Safe, legal and rare?” When did it become, “Safe, legal and my goddamn-given-right?””—
I Can See New York City From My House: “I’m angry too,” but…
When people kept getting in the way of my goddamn-given-right. The PP I go to to pick up my BC pills every month? Surrounded by high gates with black tarp wrapped around it and intense security. To even get to the clinic you have to be buzzed through three sets of doors. Why? There’s always protesters lining the streets/sidewalks. It’s intimidating enough just going to pick up my BC.
It became my goddamn-given-right when people started KILLING DOCTORS AND NURSES because of it. Because it is their goddamn-given-right to practice legal medicine in a safe and effective manner.
It became my goddamn-given-right because the people who control the laws of this country, at least one major group of them, can apparently be bought with the argument that it ISN’T my goddamn-given-right to do what I want with my body.
Pro-choice is just that - pro-CHOICE. As in, “choose what you want to do with your body.” And leaving out funding for a medical procedure that can and does save women’s lives every year? That’s despicable. Especially because the people who won’t be able to afford them are the same people who already don’t have health insurance and therefore can’t file claims to cover the procedure.
In my ideal world? Abortions wouldn’t be necessary. Everyone would have access to affordable birth control and knowledge about safe sex practices. People would be paid a living wage so if they DID get pregnant by accident they would be able to support themselves and their baby. Both men and women could get parental leave so they wouldn’t have to worry about losing their job when they actually have to push the baby out. Hell, in my perfect world you could just incubate the babies in external wombs so you can just come by and visit and say hey every so often for 9 months until you can take your baby home.
That’s not the reality, however, and it’s really easy to put your morality on someone else when you CAN afford an abortion without insurance coverage and don’t have to worry where your next meal is coming from or “What the hell am I going to do since my babysitter is sick and if I miss this shift I’m going to get fired?”
Katie, your righteousness shines like the full, white moon on a dark night.
Also, allow me to throw out the sobering statistic that abortion services are currently unavailable in 87% of US counties according to the Guttmacher Institute.
… The one thing I miss when I’m not in love are the little trips you get to take together … hotel sex, staying in bed all morning, having coffee and brunch, holding hands walking down the street.
And with a hook-up, at best only half of these are really feasible. (I mean it’d be very weird to have brunch and hold hands with someone you have no real intention of dating right?)
GlobalComment » Hey Stupak, women’s bodies are not bargaining chips, by the kickassed Sarah Jaffe (via pcquotes) (via)
Well this is a good point.
(via bryonmcdonald)
I’m trying to find strong enough ways of sharing this information with people. Please please please reach out to your Senator or (as Planned Parenthood is suggesting) President Obama himself to stop this amendment before it is finalized.
(via shinyredballoon)
And if Tea Party Republicans do win big next year, what has already happened in California could happen at the national level. In California, the G.O.P. has essentially shrunk down to a rump party with no interest in actually governing — but that rump remains big enough to prevent anyone else from dealing with the state’s fiscal crisis. If this happens to America as a whole, as it all too easily could, the country could become effectively ungovernable in the midst of an ongoing economic disaster.
The point is that the takeover of the Republican Party by the irrational right is no laughing matter. Something unprecedented is happening here — and it’s very bad for America.
As Tall As Lions - “We’s Been Waitin’”
They closed their set with this at the Tabernacle. I was disappointed the set wasn’t longer, but this sucker cooks live.
This was one of the best films of the 2000s.
