:: Ray's Periodic Rantings ::

:: Thursday, February 23, 2006 ::

Sigh. Seeth.

The NY Times today reports that the bill to ban almost all abortion in South Dakota passed in its senate yesterday.

After more than an hour of fierce and emotional debate, the senators rejected pleas to add exceptions for incest or rape or for the health of the pregnant woman and instead voted, 23 to 12, to outlaw all abortions, except those to save the woman's life.

Now the bill goes back to the house for approval of some minor changes, then to the desk of the governor, who opposes abortion, but has not yet indicated whether he will sign the bill. If he does, the state faces major legal bills to defend the law all the way to the Supreme Court.

I'd like people like "State Senator Brock L. Greenfield, a Clark Republican who is also director of the South Dakota Right to Life," to know that when I read about people like him trying to mess with reproductive rights, I write a check to his opposition, those who stand up for women. So yesterday I donated $50 to Planned Parenthood of South Dakota. You can, too, readers.

And another thing, Senator Brock: years ago I vacationed in your beautiful state. Someday I hope to bring my family there. If your state successfully bans abortion, however, I will nickname it The Coathanger State, my kids will never see the Black Hills, the Badlands, or Wall Drug, and South Dakota will never see a dollar of mine again.
:: Ray 6:59 PM [+] ::
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Attempted abortion ban discriminates!

Today's NY Times carries a story (reg. required) about a bill banning almost all abortions that is about to voted on in South Dakota:

The proposed legislation, which states that "life begins at the time of conception," would prohibit abortion except in cases where the pregnant woman's life was at risk. Felony charges could be placed against doctors, but not against those seeking abortions, the measure says.

Aside from the requisite photo of a fat white Republican guy (State Representative Roger Hunt, in this case) who thinks that all women should be forced against their will to give birth to babies that they don't want, and then refuses state support for the destitute single mothers that result, the thing that burned me up when I read the article was this aspect of the law: why does it discriminate against doctors? It takes two to perform an abortion. If you are going to outlaw the procedure, then aren't the women who seek it as guilty as those who perform it?

We need anti-abortion laws with teeth! Sure we'll go after the doctors, but if really want to end abortions, then let's nail the women seeking them! I want to see police-operated sting operations to entrap these pregnant harlots. I want to see the murderous sluts who had the audacity to get some sperm in their vagina (accidentally, forcibly, or otherwise) dragged into court and charged with attempted babycide! I want to see incarcerated women giving birth in prison maternity wards to the very babies they tried to kill! I want to see guys like the aforementioned Roger Hunt have to pay for kids in State-funded penitentiary daycare while Mom makes license plates, and the screwed up adults that would result. Better yet, let's give killer mothers the chair!

OK, I don't want to see any of these things, but it is increasingly becoming apparent that something approaching this is what it will take to shake the supposedly moderate and reasonable Middle American majority out of its stupor. How much worse can it get before it starts to get better?
:: Ray 1:38 PM [+] ::
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Kilovolt to electrify them again

Dr. Kilovolt makes an appearance at Belmont Burlesque Saturday night, Feb. 25, 12:15 at The Playground. Come on out and let the doctor illuminate your evening! I recommend you be in line by midnight to be certain of getting a seat.
:: Ray 4:47 PM [+] ::
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Deja vu via CNN

"Freedom fries," anyone?
:: Ray 6:57 PM [+] ::
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A reasoned response to insanity

Thank you to Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe for saying more eloquently and diplomatically than I could have (via Metafilter) what I have been thinking since reading about the riots in the Muslim world over the cartoons published in Denmark.

To me this is one more reason why we should be investing in an alternative energy Apollo program: so we won't be so dependent on such an unstable region for its oil.
:: Ray 11:49 AM [+] ::
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Home improvement follies Part 1

What happens when you abuse a cheap hammer:


:: Ray 5:18 PM [+] ::
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Like racists from 50 years ago

I am guessing that the Rude Pundit is as indignant about this subject as I am, because his post is uncharacteristically devoid (well, almost) of its usual colorful vernacular. He writes about LGBT Pride pages on the Health and Human Services website that were removed in response to pressure from groups like the "Family Research Council," a misnamed organization, if ever there was one. Please read his post.

Other extremists seem to have jumped on this antigay bandwagon ride. Don't these people hear what they sound like? Don't they get how ugly and unChristian their prejudice and condemnation of fellow humans is? The pages in question weren't some kind of government-funded gay recruiting propaganda. They were intended to raise awareness of the greater risks and abuse that gay people face, ironically in large part because of persecution encouraged by all these antigay bigots and homophobes. Sometimes I am ashamed of my country and humanity in general, and this is one of those times.

My initial response would probably more appropriately have been directed to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, but here it is:

To: nkennedy@samhsa.gov
Nancy Kennedy
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Department of Health and Human Services

Dear Ms. Kennedy,

I am writing to inquire about the reason Health and Human Services has removed the LGBT Pride pages from its web page. As a taxpayer and a booster of GLSEN and gay rights in general, I thought that the pages were important, informative, appropriate in tone, and inoffensive.

If the reason the pages were removed is that HHS has decided to buckle under pressure brought by an extreme conservative group such as the FRC, then it is disappointing to me that one group's religion (allegedly Christian, but you'd never know it by their actions) has been allowed to trump another group's equal right to receive government services. There are a lot of folks in this country in the LGBT category. Their orientation is not some kind of illness, nor is it wicked or wrong, it is simply who they are. They are also taxpayers, whose tax dollars ought not to be promoting or tolerating some kind of anti-gay agenda.

I hope to see the Pride pages reappear soon, and I will be writing Representative Schakowsky and Senators Durbin and Obama to inform them of this correspondence.

Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Sincerely,

Ray Koltys
(my address here)

:: Ray 3:33 PM [+] ::
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Hey Bush Fans, this turd is for you!

From DailyKOS today: Shit You Can't Make Up: Bush to Lay Off Renewable Energy Researchers. How many times does this guy have to do the exact opposite of what he says before you get it? Anyone who believe a word Bush utters is a chump, pure and simple. Incidentally, Republicans...lying was an impeachable offense when you spent $20 million to have Ken Starr catch Clinton doing it. Now that your golden boy does it on a regular basis right in front of all of us, you all seem to have gotten over it.
:: Ray 5:30 PM [+] ::
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Best quote yet about Brokeback Mountain

From Salon's The Fix today, regarding the film's strong box office returns in conservative Montana:

One of the first people to step up to the box-office window to see "Brokeback Mountain" when it opened last Friday at the Strand, an old single-screen movie house in Kalispell, was a gray-haired man who would identify himself only as Fishbah.

"What the hell, a couple cowboys? They've got the choice of sheep, cows and cowboys -- which would you choose?" he mused.

:: Ray 12:02 PM [+] ::
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