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Republican War On Women – Alaska Style
There’s a lot of lady parts business going on in Alaska. They have a forced ultrasound bill, a bill that “forbids full disclosure of pregnancy options and referrals for abortions,” and… Abortion Permission Slips from Men
UPDATED: Trayvon Martin Case To Go To Grand Jury, Feds Open Investigation, Trayvon On Phone With Friend During Incident
The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have opened an investigation into the “facts and circumstances” surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager shot and killed last month by a neighborhood watch captain in an Orlando suburb.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law
There’s been a lot of talk about Florida’s Stand Your Ground (SYG) Law since the death of Trayvon Martin. So I decided to take a look at this law (which approximately 20 other states have adopted). Welcome to the age of vigilantism.
Police Chief On Trayvon Martin Case Is “Sure” Both, George Zimmerman And Trayvon, Wished They Would Have Done Things Differently
What exactly should Trayvon Martin have done differently? Not walked to the store? Not worn a hoodie?
There is something very, very wrong in Sanford, Florida. And I’m beginning to think what happened to Trayvon Martin is related to how the Sanford Police run their department. I’m beginning to think that George Zimmerman knew, if faced with what happened on February 26th, he’d get off… maybe even get a pat on the back, or a medal. And if he had actually shot and killed a “bad guy” he’d probably be heralded as a hero today. And that is a frightening thought. Far too often stories of a heroic citizen gunman are touted as the reason why guns are good, while stories of gun tragedies are dismissed as isolated incidents that shouldn’t be considered in the equation.
Dead Teenager And No Arrest
I’ve been following this story for the past week, and I’m surprised by how long it’s taken the national media to cover it.
Trayvon Martin was killed in Sanford, Florida last week three weeks ago. He was killed by a Neighborhood Watch member, who followed him for several minutes, and called Sanford 911 to report a person acting suspiciously. That person was a 140lb African American teenager who was in the gated community visiting his father and step mother. When he called 911, the Neighborhood Watch member, George Zimmerman, was told not to approach or engage the person he was following. Instead, he killed Trayvon Martin with a handgun. Trayvon had a can of soda and a bag of skittles. You get to guess which ethnic group George Zimmerman is NOT a member of.
The Reason Behind Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s “You just have to close your eyes” Comment
The reason: Telling a woman to close her eyes, lie back and think of England is obviously the technique employed in Gov. Corbett’s bedroom. Click through to see the video.
Are We Asking The Right Questions About Education?
For those of you sick of my education posts, feel free to move on! Truthfully, I had no intention of writing about education today, but then I stumbled across this Daily Kos diary, entitled: Charter Schools Not the Answer, Especially if We Fail to Identify the Question. Go read the whole thing!
DOE Delays Newark Charter School Vote
Seems like the ACLU letter slowed things down for now. Nichole Dobo has the info.
ACLU Weighs In On Newark Charter School
The ACLU sends a letter to Secretary Lowery and Governor Markell. Check inside for the full letter. In the past I’ve been on the fence with Charter Schools, but my opinion is changing – mainly due to their admission policies, the way they can disinvite students, and, in the case of NCS, the way they can shape their population by not having a cafeteria, thereby eliminating a Free and Reduced Lunch program. Which leads me to ask… Are Charter Schools really public schools? Other than public funding and having to provide their own space (for now), how are Charter Schools comparable to public schools. The more I learn the more I think that Charters have more in common with Private Schools. Are Charter Schools really publicly funded private schools?
Republican War On Women – Crazy Arizona Goes Even Further
The bill doesn’t just aim to implement a Blunt Amendment-type law at the state level — it would also strike a protection from the books that forbids a religious employer from firing “an employee who independently chooses to obtain insurance coverage or prescriptions for contraceptives from another source.” That means that if women sought coverage outside of her employer plan, she could be fired, although that might conflict with other laws in Arizona that would protect women from such employer actions.
TED TV Launches TED-Ed
TED TV is a must in the pandora household. They offer the most amazing videos on a wide array of subjects designed to make you think. Now they are launching TED-Ed. They are calling on teachers to submit their best lessons, and they’re calling on animators to animate these lessons.
Women Are Not Single Issue Voters And Contraception Is Not A Single Issue
Lately I’ve heard politicians of all stripes state that women are not single issue voters. This statement appears when the subject of contraception emerges and the two parties use the line for different reasons. The point is… access to affordable contraception encompasses more than a single issue. Rush Limbaugh and the Republicans act like contraception is something that only pertains to a woman looking for a good time on a Friday night – as a way to cut loose without suffering the “consequences.”
For 99% of women who use, or have used, contraception, the decision to prevent pregnancy is based on economics. Can we afford to have a child at this time? Are we at a point in our lives where having a child would be a responsible financial decision? Do we even want to have children? (That last question has Republicans taking to their fainting couches.) If we were talking about buying a new car and whether we could afford it, or if spending our money on that was responsible when we were struggling to pay other bills, we would be applauded for demonstrating good fiscal sense. In fact, Republicans normally love to wag their fingers at people buying big screen televisions they can’t afford. Pointing out how people are irresponsible with their finances is one of the GOP’s favorite pass times.
So why don’t they admit that household economies are directly tied to family planning?
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