Bush Still Trying to Sneak in "Conscience Law"

Rachel Maddow had a great segment on this, the discussion on the topic starts at about 1 minute and 37 seconds. She touches on the fact that this legislation would also give ANY worker the option to refuse to participate in "objectionable actions", which would of course mean abortion (which is legal), but also make it possible to allow doctors, nurses, orderlies, the billing staff at a hospital or medical center - ANYONE who works at a medical facility which receives federal funding - to refuse to serve you or even provide information and advice.

Her guest also points out that this could affect other procedures such as anesthesia, blood transfusions, etc.



And, just in case you think "Yeah, but who would actually refuse to serve a woman who just wants to buy birth control?" and conclude that this is just about far left liberals freaking out, check out this story about a Walgreens in Oxford, Mississipi that harassed a woman who wanted to buy Plan B, which is sold to any woman age 18 or over who can display a valid ID.

The pharmacy worker and the pharmacist both asked her for additional information, which they aren't supposed to, and then stated they have a policy of supplying adoption information and making the customer wait an hour. They also wrote down her drivers license number, which they had no legitimate need to do. When I bought Plan B (almost a year ago), I was asked to show ID to prove I was 18 or over, which is in accordance with the law, and then discreetly supplied with Plan B in a pharmacy prescription bag (which was a nice touch, so everyone in line wouldn't know my personal business). Simple as that. (Coincidentally, I saw the kind pharmacist that waited on me that day at my polling place on Election Day, and smiled at him. I was very glad to see that a pharmacist who respects women's rights to have control over their own reproductive health took the time to vote). I was VERY stressed out at the time that I needed to buy Plan B (yeah, worrying about an unwanted pregnancy will do that to you) and the last thing I needed was a total stranger refusing to do their job and trying to force their personal opinions on me.

And the 1 hour wait - that's ridiculous, and as any gynecologist will tell you, the sooner you take Plan B, the higher the chance it will be effective in preventing pregnancy. Even one hour can lower those chances significantly.

Here is the info for contacting Walgreens if you want to let them know your feelings on this situation:

You can contact the Oxford Walgreens at (662) 513-0894. You can also call the corporate offices and tell them that store number 7757 is harassing women trying to buy Plan B. You can also call them at (877) 250-5823 and ask about their company policy regarding birth control and how they make sure that their pharmacists aren't denying women medication.

National Advocates for Pregnant Women Illustrate Why Extreme Anti-Choice Laws Hurt Women

Amazing video - real stories of women who were hurt by extreme anti-choice laws that placed the well being of their unborn fetus at high priority than the life of the woman carrying the fetus. Absolutely insane.



For more info, visit the National Advocates for Pregnant Women's web site.

Samantha Bee Says it Perfectly

I really have nothing else to add.

"Real America"

So, since there is no farm in my town, I guess I live in...fake America?



I really have nothing to add...except that I love Jon Stewart.

Yeah...That Flimsy Health Excuse

Just wanted to share this, I have nothing to add, she said it so perfectly.

Need a Laugh

Cause I do. Thank GOD for the SNL Weekend Update prime time special - it was actually hilarious, SNL hasn't been this funny in YEARS, and I really, really needed the laugh. I think the crazy lady from the McCain rally and Jesse Jackson were my favorite parts.

And this makes me laugh too. At least ONE funny thing came out of the debte last night!



McCain should NEVER, EVER smile again. It's one of the creepiest things I've seen!



For more scary ass McCain faces, click here.

Yes, the Health of the Mother

I'm still so pissed about this I can't even express it coherently. Here are some of the reactions I'm seeing today about McCain's display that he clearly views women as nothing but baby vessels:

• Our Bodies Our Blogs - "Health of the Mother" Deserves More than Air Quotes
  
  
• Rape Victim Speaks Out About Choice
  
  

Just When You Thought McPalin Couldn't Stoop Any Lower

Okay, maybe this still doesn't beat McCain putting air quotes as he scoffs at the "health of the mother" as a lame excuse of "far left extreme pro abortionists", but it's still pretty damn amazing.

The Republican National Committee launched a massive robocall campaign on Thursday designed to alarm voters about Barack Obama's past association with former radical Bill Ayers. The committee may be violating state law in the process.

read more | digg story.

Why, Obama?

Why on earth didn't you point out that Leonore Annenberg, the second name on the McCain campaign's list of 100 former ambassadors who endorse McCain, is also the President and Chairman of the Annenberg Foundation, the organization for which both Obama and Ayers, among other politicians both Republican and Democrat, served on a board together.

"It was never a concern by any of us in the Chicago school reform movement that he had led a fugitive life years earlier ... It's ridiculous," Republican Rep. Diana Nelson said. "There is no reason at all to smear Barack Obama with this association. It's nonsensical, and it just makes me crazy. It's so silly."
So, by his own admission, McCain's second biggest supporter also "pals around with terrorists"? Details at the Huffington Post.

And why, why, WHY ON EARTH didn't Obama bring up the Palin's association to the Alaska Independence Party? How can Palin and McCain repeatedly question Obama's patriotism when Todd Palin was a member of the AIP for years, and Sarah Palin has attended AIP conventions and sent them a video speech this year in which she told them to keep up the good work? Why, Obama, why, didn't you bring that up? The facts speak for themselves, whereas McCain can only bluster that you have a "long standing association with Ayers", but can't provide anything to back that assertion up.

What I Came Away From the Debate With

Yes, anyone who believes in choice is obviously pro-abortion, we get knocked up just to have abortions cause they are so fun and easy on your body, and we love spending our time and money that way. Oh yeah, and the whole "health of the mother" thing is total crap. Obviously stories like this are total bullshit.

Don't call me your friend, McCain. In fact, I really hate you.

Laugh Now While you Can

We'll save the crying in case McPalin actually wins, God forbid.

These two are geniuses! My hats are off to them!



Read an article about the video, lyrics author, and the lyrics here. I just wish they'd worked in the Palins' affiliation with the Alaska Independence Party, but I realize that doesn't really rhyme with anything...

On another note, the great John Cleese offers his perspective on Sarah Palin. God, I love him!



And the excellent Rachel Maddow covers Palin's reaction to the announcement that she did abuse her power in the Troopergate scandal.



I LOVE how he bursts out in laughter at the mention of her name! I almost died when he said Monty Python could have written this!

Oh, and one more fun thing: palinaspresident.com!

Let's Be Fair, McCain and Palin Have Ties to Domestic Terrorism Too!

So now that most major media outlets have actually admitted that William Ayers has been a professor for years and was named Chicago's Citizen of the Year for his volunteer work, most people are seeing how desperate that smear attempt was.

But let's not leave out McCain and Palin's ties to terrorism! For McCain's part, he has ongoing ties with militant anti-abortion activist Paul Schenck. In fact, McCain met privately with Schenk as recently as a few months ago, >when McCain named Palin his VP. Schenk even posted about the event on his blog.

McCain also voted against the Violance Against Women Act, and voted against several laws that would have protected women and health care providers entering clinics from violence and harrassment by protestors.

Although Palin was never, according to official records, a member of the Alaska Independence Party, her husband Todd was member until 2002, and Palin herself attended some of their events and sent them video messages that were supportive in nature of their "good work". Wow, how patriotic is that? Now the Huffington Post reports that Todd Palin's association with the AIP may present a problem if Todd Palin were to need a security clearance, which, as spouse to Palin, who may be VP, he would probably need.

I keep wondering why mainstream media are not mentioning the Palins' association with a secessionist party, but nobody is tired of mentioning poor William Ayers. That poor guy probably wants to move to a cabin on a lake for a few months.

Yes, Palin Really Did Sign Off on Charging Rape Victims for Rape Exams and Kits

Although the McCain campaign has said that this has been de-bunked, Sarah Palin really did sign off on charging rape victims for their post-attack exams and rape kits. In Alaska, where the rape rate is twice the national average.

There is an excellent video about this on The Wasilla Project's web site. As well as other things, of course.

Palin Has Never Seen Russia From Alaska

Important Political News

I love how the "major" news outlets focus on the really important things, with the economy in crisis, people being laid off, and the election only four weeks away.

New York County prints "Barack Osama" on absentee ballots. Yes. They really did. Incredibly, this made it past three sets proofreaders. By "proofreaders" do they mean actual adults literate in English?

Some conservatives are outraged because they insist that the new cover of Newsweek, featuring Sarah Palin, is very unflattering, showing wrinkles and PORES! GASP! NOT PORES!

Palin rally moved to NASCAR track. Why does this not surprise me?

Four days after this was first talked about in the Washington Post and then later, the New York Times, CNN finally gave a blurb on their Political Ticker blog about the fact that McCain/Palin rallies are emphasizing Obama's middle name (Hussien), and trumpeting about Obama's supposed connection to William Ayers (which has been pretty well debunked here), talking about how he voted against funding for the troops and omitting the fact that he voted against one measure because it had no timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, and later voted for another funding bill that did have a timetable for withdrawal, and accusing him of being unpatriotic. Cries of "terrorist", "treason", and "kill him" have started popping up at McCain/Palin rallies. At one rally, the crowd began shouting racial epithets at black cameraman there with a news crew. Despite the fact that this has happened more than once, the McCain campaign continues to use these tactics. Nevermind that Ayers is a professor at the University of Chicago, has never been charged with a crime, and that plenty of Republicans also sat on the same charitable boards and school projects with Ayers that Obama did. One of McCain's biggest supporters, in fact, sat on a board with Ayers. Does that make her a terrorist too? Even though she's a long time Republican supporter? I bet she's pissed at McCain for calling her foundation a "radical educational organization". Wonder if she'll still support him now? And most media articles that mention Bill Ayers don't mention that he was Chicago's Citizen of the Year in 1997.

But nevermind all that. Let's complain because Palin's photo wasn't airbrushed.

Oh, and McCain calls a crowd "my fellow prisoners",but nobody's talking about it.

On the lighter side, here are some cool things that make me laugh:

• Things Sarah Palin Can Name
  
  
• PALINdrome - take voice clips from Sarah's speeches and rearrange them. Hey, you can put together a GOOD speech for her!
  
  
• Sarah's not having a good day. However, no word on whether there will be any consequences.
  
  
• McCain isn't having a good day either.
  
  
• John Stewart sums it all up beautifully. The footage of McCain wandering around the stage at the second debate was beautiful.
  
  Keith Olbermann points out that Palin has questionable associations much stronger than Obama's with a political party that wants Alaska to secede from the United States. Everyone stresses that Palin herself was never a member, but her husband was for years, until she ran for mayor, and she has spoken at the group's evens as recently as this year. Interesting.
  
  
• And this didn't take long at all. Apparently this person bought the domain name right after McCain uttered the words "that one".

Women Say No to Sarah Palin

Two inspired young women in New York feel so strongly against John McCain's VP Pick, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, that they started a blog, Women Say No to Sarah Palin. They sent the following email to friends and colleagues:

Date: Saturday, September 6, 2008, 4:18 PM

Hello there list— Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters,

We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate that has a real possibility of becoming fact.

Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.

We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and altogether devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so demonstrably benefited from.

First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.

Therefore, we invite you to reply here: womensaynotpalin@gmail.com with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.

Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence. We will post your responses on a blog called "Women Against Sarah Palin," which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience. The greater the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.

Thank you for your time and action.

VIVA!

Sincerely,

Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston

New York, NY

womensaynotpalin@gmail.com

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY! If you send this to 20 women in the next hour, you could be blessed with a country that takes your concerns seriously. Stranger things have happened.

I applaud these young women for caring enough to undertake this enormous task. If you visit the blog, you will see that they are working very hard to keep up with the huge number of replies they are being deluged with. Pass this information on, and urge your local media to cover this very valid topic.

McCain Thought Rape Was Funny

In 1986. Apparently his campaign maintains that the people that all heard it had a collective hallucination.

Samantha Bee is a Goddess

I have nothing more to add. She said it all!

THIS is Why I Adore and Worship Jon Stewart

Media Apologizes for Coverage of Palin

I hope Sarah Palin and all Republicans are satisfied by the media's apology for their coverage of Palin and her family. This may be my favorite sarcastic published piece of all time!

McCain and Palin's Hypocrisy on Choice

Amid the cries of "Leave Bristol alone, she's a kid!", I have to point something out:
Bristol is five months pregnant. Her parents were aware of this when her mother decided to become McCain's running mate. If Palin really wanted privacy for her daughter, then perhaps choosing to run for such a high political office wasn't the best move. Has she learned nothing from seeing other political scandals in the news? Look at John Edwards - an affair that ended a few years ago just recently came to light and hurt his credibility, and aired his marriage's dirty laundry very publicly. Yet Palin chose to become McCain's running mate. How could she not see that people would be asking if she still supported abstinence only sex education until marriage, since her own 17 year old, unmarried daughter, who hasn't finished high school, is five months along with an unplanned pregnancy? Some people say that's a cheap shot, but it's not. The personal is political. So having a 17 year old high school student daughter that has an unplanned pregnancy - does that change Palin's views on sex education in schools? It's a valid question. McCain's campaign aides say that Bristol "chose" to carry her pregnancy to term and marry the boyfriend who described himself as a "fuckin' redneck" who didn't want kids on his MySpace page (it's no longer up) - as if Bristol would have truly been able to choose anything OTHER than carrying the pregnancy and making everything all better with a shotgun wedding now that her family is thrust into the international spotlight?
Same with John McCain, who during the 2000 primary McCain said that if his daughter got pregnant it would be a "family decision":

"The final decision would be made by Meghan with our advice and counsel," McCain said, referring to himself and his wife, Cindy. When reporters suggested that this view made him, in fact, pro-choice, McCain became irritated. "I don't think it is the pro-choice position to say that my daughter and my wife and I will discuss something that is a family matter that we have to decide."

So, his daughter and family deserve the option to even MAKE a choice, other than the default response of "Of COURSE she'll carry the pregnancy to term!", but other women and families don't deserve the ability to make that choice. Nice.
Hey Bristol - I know this sucks for you and we can't even begin to comprehend what you are going through, now that your sex life and personal choices have been made public fodder. But really - your mom signed you up for this. And maybe the two of you should discuss teaching kids the facts about sex, so that they can prevent unwanted pregnancy and infections. You know, since clearly it's not true that not telling kids about sex will stop them from having it.

CNN - Now They're Just Assholes

Approximately 5 minutes after McCain announced Palin as his choice for VP, a male reporter on CNN just asked another reporter something along the lines of, “Palin also has a baby with Down’s Syndrome. Those children require an awful lot of care. Do you think she’ll be able to balance taking care of that baby with being Vice President? I mean, having a Down’s Syndrome baby takes up a lot of time and energy.” (emphasis mine)

The (female) reporter answered by saying that the McCain campaign would probably point out that a similar question wouldn’t be asked of a man. She then said that although Palin “unfortunately” has a baby with Down’s Syndrome, having that baby was a choice she made knowingly as a person with strong anti-abortion views, and that may endear her to conservative voters.

How many times did that make you want to throw up? "Yes, her decision to have a disabled baby could make it impossible for her to have a political career, but she brought that on herself since she's anti-abortion." How...sweet?

Goodie...now we'll have the ultimate martyr - a working woman who claims to feel blessed because her child has Down Syndrome. Gee, I wonder if she'll have any understanding at all for women who don't want to get pregnant or have children?

CNN - So Sensitive!

There's really nothing for me to say here...

Calling it Abortion Instead of Birth Control Didn't Work, Now I'll Act Like I'm Protecting Doctors

The Health and Human Services new proposal, which would reclassify methods of birth control such as the pill, patch, ring and IUD as abortifacients, got too much criticism. You can read more details here.

Now the HHS has released a revised version of the proposal, which removed the redefinition of contraception as abortion, but centers on the idea of protecting doctors that are morally opposed to abortion and refuse to refer patients to other doctors that do perform abortions. That's right, if a doctor wants to block your attempt to have a legal abortion, this proposal would protect that doctor's right to do so. RH Reality Check has a great article on the revised proposal.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has been trying to argue that the justification for these new regulations are because the poor doctors who would want to be Board certified OBGYNs would be FORCED to provide abortion services in order to be certifed, and forcing doctors to provide medical services that they disagree with is wrong. You can't keep someone from being a gynecologist just because they don't want to provide abortions! Except, oh, wait...there is nothing that requires OBGYNs to perform abortions...there are plenty of OBGYNS that don't offer abortions NOW, and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology has publicly stated, multiple times, that whether or not an OBGYN performs abortions will have no bearing upon their certification or re-certification. Leavitt doesn't seem to have an answer to this, so he just keeps ignoring the fact that this new argument of his is wrong. I guess he doesn't want to come right out and say that he wants to keep women barefoot and pregnant.

Here's an idea - why don't we all go over to Secretary Leavitt's blog right now and leave him some comments letting him know how we feel about these proposed regulations? The proposal is also open for public comment, it's HHS_FRDOC_0001. And check out this excellent comment on Leavitt's blog!

I've been trying to figure out when I can fit my tubal into my schedule, with work and personal and family events, since I'll need to allow a few days for recovery time. This makes me want to run out and get it RIGHT NOW!

Nice Move, Dumbass

Former Presidential candidate John Edwards actually made an even WORSE political move than admitting that he cheated on his wife, who is battling breast cancer. Not only that, but he made this horiffically bad move on Nightline!

"Asked how he could have cheated on his wife, Mr. Edwards noted that his wife’s cancer was in remission during the affair.”

Oh, well, then that makes it all hunky dory. I'm sure that is a great comfort to Elizabeth Edwards now. "Well, yes, he betrayed my trust and broke his vows...but at least he wasn't fucking some other woman before my cancer was in remission!" Wipes brow in relief.

Congratulations Dumbass. You actually managed to sink yourself even lower. Other politicians have cheated on their wives, but so far you're the only one to say "Well, at least I had the decency to cheat on her while her cancer was in remission." I'm just glad Elizabeth Edwards didn't do the "stand by your man" television appearance like so many other wives of political candidates.

I Heart Sarah Haskins

She is SO AWESOME!

Sad, Sad State of Affairs

Two quick things:

This clip from The Daily Show about the hearing on the ban on gays in the military would be hilarious, except it's true...Anyone ever hear of Alexander the Great?



Hillary Clinton has a guest post up at RH Reality Check about the Bush Administration's attempt to label common methods of birth control, such as birth control pills, IUDs and emergency contraception as abortion, which would allow health care providers to refuse to provide these services to women. Wake up people, I'm not being paranoid. Check out this excerpt:

The regulations could even invalidate state laws that currently ensure access to contraception for many Americans. In fact, they describe New York and California's laws requiring prescription drug insurance plans to provide coverage for contraceptives as part of "the problem." These rules would even interfere with New York State law that ensures survivors of sexual assault and rape receive emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms.

Make sure to fill out the online petition.

Picking on McCain is So Easy, It's Not Even Fun

Consider McCain's quote to the New York Times about gay couples adopting:

Mr. McCain, who with his wife, Cindy, has an adopted daughter, said flatly that he opposed allowing gay couples to adopt. “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption,” he said.

What's wrong with that statement? And I don't mean morally, I mean logically.

Uh...gay couples would still provide two parents...his statement is actually an argument against single people adopting.

Mr. McCain, I offer you my favorite quote: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Food for Thought

I came across a comment on a feminist blog I read regularly and it made such a good point that I thought it was worth posting here. It just really made me think.

“Now, I firmly think abortion should not be used as a form of birth control, but holy shit.”

While it does certainly suck that your friend had such a shitty encounter, I have an issue with the above sentence. If abortion shouldn’t be used as another form of birth control, what should it be used for then? Should it only be legal in cases of rape, incest, and health?

When talking to anti-choicers they use they same rhetoric because it feeds into the notion that women who have elective abortions are heartless selfish bitches who enjoy killing babies. Having an abortion is not easy, as you can see from calling all the clinics. I live in Northern Nevada and there is only one abortion clinic and it will cost you $600 cash only. I highly doubt that there is a woman who thinks, in the heat of the moment; yeah I could use a $3 condom or $25 pack of birth control but nah I will just wait till I get pregnant so I can have a painful $600 abortion. If a women used abortion as her sole method of birth control she would have more than 30 in her lifetime, seems pretty costly to be.

I just don’t think we should judge women who have abortions.

Of course, the problem with making abortion legal only in cases of rape, incest, and immediate threat to the mother's health are all problematic, because they all need to be legally defined. Does the woman have to prove that she is a victim or rape or incest before she can get an abortion? If that's the case, she'll never be able to get one by the legal cutoff for the late term abortion ban kicks in. So then she is screwed by the legal system.

Making exceptions only for an immediate threat to the woman's health is also problematic, as this story shows. Just something to think about. And keep in mind, John McCain and others who agreed with him voted against requiring health insurance companies to cover birth control. Not a lot of options if you don't want to be pregnant.

My Feelings for John McCain in a Nutshell

Beautifully done!

Why Obama Trivializing the Ban on Late Term Abortions is Problematic - and Arrogant

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama recently clarified his position on late term abortion to the publisher of Relevant magazine:

"...I have repeatedly said that I think it's entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don't think that "mental distress" qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions."

Did that sound okay to you? It probably would to most people. But here is one of the best cases I've ever heard for not marginalizing "mental distress", and requiring and "immediate" risk to the mother's health, for exceptions to the late term abortion ban.

Poll - to Shop with Bitchy Cousin, or Not?

I have no idea how many people actually read this blog, but what the hey, I'll ask for some user feedback. My brother is getting married in September, yay. My mom and I have been stressing about finding dresses for the wedding. We looked once and saw NOTHING. And we looked at nice places, like Lord & Taylor, Macy's. Either they were sun dresses or waaaaaaaaay too expensive. I didn't even go into Nordstrom's, the store that sells $300 scarves. And then, you probably imagine how difficult it can be to go dress shopping if you're not a size 6.

Anyway, we need to buy dresses, soon. My mom called me the other day and said that my cousin, X, wanted to come with us. Now, I am less than comfortable with this for a couple of reasons.

Let me start off by saying I'm not fat, but I'm not thin. I'm not exactly toned and athletic, and I could stand to lose some weight and be in better shape. But I'm not obese, I can shop at most normal stores, and the tops and Lane Bryant are too big for me. Also, I used to have eating disorder issues. I was an obsessive dieter in high school, and in college I graduated to constantly dieting, obessing about my weight, starving myself or making myself throw up if I did eat something "bad". It took four years of therapy to get past that and put it in perspective, and I have a pretty healthy attitude about it now. It was a big issue for me. Thank God I got a handle on it (with the help of a good therapist) before I really hurt myself with it. I did get to the point where I had low blood pressure and low energy, but thank goodness, it never got to the point where I was throwing up after every meal, or losing hair, etc.

But in the past, this cousin, X, who weighs 80 pounds and wears low rise jeans and skintight outfits (even though she's 39) has said some pretty insensitive things about my weight. And has just been insensitive about weight in general. I remember once, when I hadn't seen her for a couple of years, she actually said "You look really good! Last time I saw you, you were kind of fat." Goddamn. What do you say to that? In case you were wondering who actuallly says things like that, my cousin X does.

Other times she's just done things like make incredibly fattening meals that include things like bacon, bacon grease, bread and pasta, and then after the meal, revealed how much bacon grease was included (I had no idea bacon grease was an ingredient), and how obviously you couldn't eat this often or you'd be a huge fat pig (here she used her arms and puffed out her cheeks to mimic a huge fat person). You guessed it - I barfed up as much of that meal as I could a few minutes later in the bathroom. My mom caught me. That was when she first took seriously the idea that I really had a bona fide disorder related to food.

My cousin, X, is the kind of woman who doesn't have very many female friends, at least not good ones. She has guy friends, and likes getting male attention. She has a reputation for being spoiled, catty, selfish and bitchy. To put it lightly, she's not usually considerate of others. At all.

So how the hell am I supposed to go dress shopping with her? I am not a fan of shopping anyway. Partly because it's not easy finding work appropriate clothes, especially since I'm an in between size. Size 12 at some places, 14 or even 16 at others. Sometimes I'm all of those sizes all in the same store, which is mind boggling. I know people who gasp when they hear me say size 12. Apparently I don't look like a typical size 12, whatever that means. But shopping is a bitch. I don't do it often. In fact, I put it off as long as possible.

Just to clarify, I know that in front of my mom, she's not going to say anything as overt as she has in the past. But she is really good at backhanded remarks...you all know how that is. Ugh. I could try and explain this to my mom, but she has a hard time dealing with the fact that her neice can be a bitchy bitch, so she might just sigh with exasperation and say that I'm holding grudges, and I need to let things go and let the past be the past. Fine and dandy, but my cousin is still insensitive and bitchy, but my mom wants to get along with her because she's family. But, I really don't need to have my self esteem ground into a fine powder because she makes some patronizing comment about how a dress "does so much for me". I'm really tempted to just make an excuse not to go. What do you all think?

Vent: Sex and the City

Okay, with the Sex and the City movie, and Sarah Jessica Parker's new clothing line called "Bitten" (the web site features photos of her as a singer, and something called 'SJP's Manifesto'), and the news crowing about wow, this movie made a lot of money...hmmm, maybe women over 30 are a demographic worth considering when making movies...I have to vent: I HATE SEX AND THE CITY!!!! HATE HATE HATE!!!!!

You may wonder, why do I hate SATC so much? Well, I'll tell you. Everyone who I've ever talked to who likes the show says they like the fact that it's "realistic" and "true to life". All of these people make under $100,000 a year and do not live in New York. And of course, it's a matter of fact that SATC's main characters are all thin and attractive - no bad complexions, crooked teeth, round faces, health problems, etc. Soooooo...the obvious question (to me, at least) is how the FUCK is SATC representative of real life experiences of lower and upper middle class women? No one I know has Carrie's cushy joke of a job, or her ridiculous wardrobe of hideous runway fashion, or the show's obsession with all things superficial and shallow. Let's see...clothes, sex, money, cosmos, underwear,fashion, relationships...yup, that's pretty much it.

In contrast, the realistic worries and problems of the lower and upper middle class women I know who like this show include:

• money - most people right now are worried about the price of gas, food, and the quickly growing numbers of homes in foreclosure
  
• weight - most women I know are not happy with their weight, or their appearance in general. But weight is definetely the insecurity to which no woman is immune, and most women who work and/or have kids don't have the luxury of personal trainers, dieticians, or just being naturally thin with no effort whatsoever
  
• clothing - most women who are fans of SATC are nowhere near being able to afford the clothes that the show's characters wear, and honestly, most of them wouldn't want to look like such a freak anyway. If you give me $10,000 to spend on clothes, I'm not going to look like an idiot whose friends lied and told me that yeah, this HUGE ruffled organza skirt really does look good, especially with the pink bandana tied around my forehead.
  
• race - the show's main characters are all white...in fact, I think the show's characters are all white. I've seen one whole episode and the 8 million commerdcials that were on TV, so I can't be sure, but I think it's true.
  
• work - the rest of us don't have the luxury of working at odd hours, from home, on our laptops. We actually have to buy work clothes, and commute to (gasp!) an office, where we report to our superiors and deal with annoying coworkers, customers, etc. And we don't get paid nearly enough for it.
  
• free time for all the cosmos you want! The people I know that watch this show all work full time, and most of them have significant others, spouses, kids. So they don't have time to sit around at bars drinking cosmos and talking fashion and sex with their best gal pals...ever, really, let alone daily. And apparently the characters on SATC aren't concerned with things like making the mortgage, keeping their jobs, the trials of raising kids, not having time to exercise, health problems, or - improving the world. Doing ANYTHING that shows some kind of desire to contribute to the world in a positive way. This one irks me the most because as a single woman in my early 30's who is not married (I live in sin) doesn't have kids (I don't want them), I am recently compared to these women, and not only do I have nothing in common with them, but I can't freaking STAND them, and they're not even real people!!!

So, in a nutshell, that's why I loathe SATC more than words can describe.

Venting and Photoshop Therapy

When I'm stressed or frustrated about something, I find it cathartic to do some Photoshop therapy. Warning - high levels of sarcasm to follow. Recently my mom had to travel to South America due to a death in the family. My stepdad couldn't go, which made things much easier for her, since he's given to anxiety and overreacting. To give you an idea, this is a man who knows that my mom usually gets home at 5:15 and calls at around that time (he works nights). If she isn't home by 5:30 and isn't answering her cell phone, by 7 he starts calling friends asking if they know where she is. My mom HATES this and gets pissed every time. God forbid she go to a friend's for dinner and forget to turn on her cell phone - Dad pratically puts out an APB.

We all use Skype, which makes calling much cheaper, and of course we've been calling to see how my mom is doing, as well as other family members. My step dad tried to call several times on Saturday and again on Sunday. He called me asking if I had talked to her. I said no, I had called a few times but nobody had picked up. I kept telling him not to freak out, that she was fine, she grew up there, speaks the language perfectly, she's with family, and she knows a lot of people there. She's fine. Of course, he keeps calling me to let me know he hasn't been able to get a hold of her.

Finally today he leaves a message on my cell phone saying that last night he couldn't stand it and called one of my aunts to see if she knew where my mom was. My aunt said everything was fine, the phones weren't working in part of the city, hopefully it would be fixed today. He admitted he had been freaking out. Well, at least now I don't have to worry about calming him down. But I had to do some Photoshop therapy to vent my frustrations.



And here is the hotel my mom is staying at. As you can see, they have excellent security. I don't know why my dad was worrying so much!

Various Interesting Things

Sorry I've been away for a while, a relative passed away recently and I've been taking a break from being online so much.

Now, here are some things I just have to bring up:

Sarah Haskins has struck again, and it's pure platinum!


I can't decide which one I like better, the yogurt one or this one. They're both so hilarious and spot on! I am so FREAKING SICK of Jamie Lee Curtis discussing her digestive health! But I am also so FREAKING SICK of the plethora of wedding shows, which insiunate that all women think about weddings all the time. Single women long for their "special day", which we've ALL been dreaming about since we were little girls, of course. And married women just love to relive their glory day, apparently. Who wants to join me in sending a "You Rock!" card to Sarah Haskins?

And of course, the nutty right wingers at the American Life League are planning "The Pill Kills" day on Saturday, June 7th, the 33rd anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut, which struck down a Connecticut ban which prohibited birth control. Yes, it flat out prohibited birth control, even for married couples, regardless of whether they already had kids or not. Feministing.com has a fantastic article about the craptastic propaganda that ALL is pushing about the birth control pill, and RH Reality Check has another good article about it, and goes into ALL's nutty talking points on their web site. Ugh.

Yogurt - What More Could a Woman Need?

I know I've blogged about this before, when I first noticed the plethora of commercials about yogurts (and even cheeses) that help you crap regularly. Now, thank goodness, another woman who found these commercials even more annoying than I do has made fun of them!


Oh thank goodness, I'm not the only one who thinks that these ridiculous commercials are a load of crap (so to speak). Based on these commercials, you'd think that women have extraordinarily sensitive digestive systems, and that consuming the least bit of fast food, or encounting even minor stress throws everything off and the poor thing is stopped up and bloated for weeks. Apparently this is not as big of a problem for men, although the only commercial I've seen targeting men who suffer form constipation was hilarious.

When Did the World Become So Stupid???

Is it something that has been coming on gradually? Or did it happen suddenly, and that's why it's taking me by surprise?

Suddenly I see evidence of the human population's stupidity everywhere. I can't NOT see it.

A few days ago, I noticed that some of the headlines on cnn.com have t-shirt icons next to them. If you click on the t-shirt icon, you see the headline available on various t-shirts.

Two questions came to mind - why would anyone want a headline on a t-shirt, and is there really a demand for this?

In other news, feminism, the quest for women to have rights equal to men's, is bad for the environment, according to Jack Cashill (I have no idea who the hell he is). The title of his column says it all: "Feminism is bad for the environment". According to Cashill, women demanding equal pay for equal work are also to blame for increased people driving to and from work every day, which increases pollution. Well-off moms are especially to blame since they have sitters or nannies drive the kids to school, putting three cars on the road (dad's, mom's and nanny's), whereas if mothers home schooled their kids, they would eliminate the pollution and traffice of school buses, carpools, and moms and/or nannies driving kids to school. Yeah, blame women for wanting education, or God forbid, a career that will allow them to provide for themselves and help to provide for their families! Blame women for the fact that the cost of living is so freaking high in many parts of this country that supporting a family that includes kids on a single income is becoming more and more difficult to do.

Also, the whole environmental awareness thing is really just a conspiracy to make abortion sound like a good idea. Yup, the Family Research Council send out an email on Earth Day (April 22, 2008) saying:

"Today isn't just another reminder to use recycled paper or drive energy-efficient cars. It's a calculated attack on the sanctity of human life. Population control is inextricably linked to the environmental and abortion movements. [...] The crisis du jour is global warming, but even that is just another excuse to fund "Planet" Parenthood and similar groups."

Yup, they figured it out - the whole thing is a plot by feminists to make abortion sound like a good idea. All those "facts" about pollution, landfills, contaminated drinking water, shortage of natural resources and overpopulation - it's all lies. Nevermind that the price of gas is soaring - it's all lies.

Yes, the DC Madam Trial IS Sexist

By now, probably everyone has heard about the DC madam trial currently underway in DC. When I first heard about it, it was on the morning news as my SO and I were getting ready for work and listening to traffic and weather reports. I didn't hear the segment about it, as I was blow drying my hair, but my boyfriend said he thought it was ridiculous that some people were calling the trial sexist for putting women on the stand who had worked as prostitutes. And originally I agreed. They broke the law and are now in court. That's what happens when you break the law, you usually suffer some consequences.

However, in further articles that I've seen about it, I learned that only the women who had worked as prostitutes were being made to testify, and grilled with unecessary and humiliating questions and having their names made publicwhile the male politicians who paid the women for sex were getting a free pass - only one has been subpoenaed to appear in court, their names are not being revealed (Vitter admitted he was a client of Palfrey's), and they aren't being charged with anything so far. THAT is the sexist part. In order to be fair, the rules and laws have to be applied and enforced equally for everyone - nobody gets a free pass, no matter what. The defense subpoenaed Louisiana Senator David Vitter to testify, and Vitter, through his lawyer, has said that he will not testify and that his testimony would be "totally inappropriate". Kind of like asking a woman how she did sex work while she had her period?

According to the Post article:

Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana and other powerful men appear likely to get a pass. Less lucky: the 15 terrified women being hauled by prosecutors into court to recount in graphic detail their past work as prostitutes -- and more than 100 other former prostitutes whose names prosecutors are trying to make public.

Wednesday, prosecutors forced a 63-year-old retired PhD - her name, like those of other witnesses, now a matter of public record - to testify about inducing orgasms in her client; the government's lawyers had similar questions for a mother of three who worked briefly for the escort service nearly 15 years ago.

Prosecutor Catherine Connelly asked the following questions of the retired 63 year old PhD:

"Did you specifically discuss what happened when you went in the shower?" the prosecutor wanted to know.

The witness explained, "I was having sex."

"What would happen if you were menstruating?" Connelly asked.

Yes, clearly that's crucial to a trial about whether Palfrey ran a legal escort service or a prostitution ring. And there isn't even the excuse that the prosecution is concerned that this was a major money laundering operation - estimates put the businesses' earnings at $2 million over 13 years. That's nothing compared to the call girl ring that former New York governor David Spitzer patronized. It certainly doesn't explain why the male politicians who also broke the law are being protected, while the women are being publicly shamed and humiliated. Ironically, Vitter is a sponsor of the Marriage Protection Act of 2007. I'd like to ask him how paying women for sex protects his marriage?

Am I the Only One Who Finds These Insulting?

Something that surprises many people, including those who know me in real life, becuase they can't guess my racial heritage by looking at me, is that I'm Hispanic. My parents are from Bogota, Colombia. I was born and raised in the US, and grew up speaking both English and Spanish until I started kindergarten. From that point on I stopped using Spanish and just spoke English. My mom wanted me to speak English really well, so she didn't use Spanish with me at home. At this point yes, I do wish I was totally fluent. I'm conversational, but there are certain verbs and tenses I have trouble with. I can read and write Spanish fairly well, but I couldn't read, say, an entire book in Spanish without constantly looking up words.

Yesterday a friend sent me a YouTube link to a Spanish campaign commercial for Hillary Clinton. At first I thought it was a joke, since it was set to a song called "Hillary, Hillary Clinton", which is in the style of old merengue music. The vidoe on YouTube featured photos of Hillary with lots of Hispanic people, including actress America Fererra, at rallies with lots of Hispanic people holding up Clinton campaign signs, a photo of Hillary with a Hispanic little boy in traditional Mexican mariachi dress, etc. There is also the "Oye Hillary - Latinas for Hillary" video and song, which is, well...see for yourself. And then you can catch an example of Hillary's Spanish speaking...yeah...she didn't pick the pronunciation up any better than that despite having spent so much time with her Hispanic supporters?

Then there are Obama's Spanish campaign videos. Take a wild guess at the demographic he's appealing to with this one. Yeah, I know, that's a real brainteaser. Take your time.

But then he also wanted to appeal to the urban Hispanic youth, so he made another Spanish commercial in the style of reggaeton. Damn, his marketing team is brilliant.

I sent these to my mom and cousins. My mom laughed, but then said, "How ridiculous. They act fake and go shake hands and make a little video with Spanish music, and now we're supposed to vote for them? Why didn't they just film him eating tacos?" Actually, I'm surprised his marketing wizards didn't think of this.

My Favorite New Site

Thanks to Feministe, who posted about the hilarious site Postcards from Yo Momma, which features actual emails and IMs that people have gotten from their mothers. I never thought it would be so funny! I've been reading it and cracking up all morning. Here are some of my favorites:

Mom and the kayak

"mom: I hated kayaking so much this weekend I used the F word on Dad
mom: He kayaked away for awhile and I was lost
mom: stupid me
mom: don't use the F word unless you can find home
mom: but he felt sorry for me cause I was paddling backwards at one point
mom: actually, I found backwards more relaxing
mom: but he thinks I was just incompetant"



About the Sign that Fell on Your Head

"I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M THINKING LIKE DAD NOW-BUT JUST IN CASE YOU HAVE TO SUE BED,BATH,ETC. FOR DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE SIGN FALLING ON YOUR HEAD, IT’S JUST ANOTHER GOOD REASON WHY YOU NEED TO GO TO THE DOC. FOR THEM TO CHECK IT OUT."



On 'The Change'

"FINALLY….IT IS OFFICIAL…..I AM IN THE TRANSITION STAGE TO MENOPAUSE. ISN’T THAT EXCITING?? Now I have an excuse to be a beaatch.

Due to all my symtoms as of late, the blood test does show elevated FSH which means I am moving on to my next stage of life. Not sure I am going to like it much.

Love Me"



Nordies

"Sweets –

C and T are spending Easter with us. I’m so excited. We haven’t seen them in ages. Yesterday was T’s birthday and they will be celebrating with her folks on Saturday and spend Sunday with us.

I bought a pair of size 6 Ralph Loren jeans at Nordies yesterday. I was there to check out your bra, but it’s just not good for my figure. So I’m gonna stick with Bali, the brand I’ve been wearing for 40 years. The ladies at Bible Buddies this morning said I looked “hot” in the jeans. Now I’ll have to wait to see what Daddy says.

Love and Hugs,

Your - m"



Enjoy!

If You Could Describe The Presidential Candidates as Animals...

Would you describe Hillary Clinton as an "eager beaver" and Barack Obama as "the black stallion" in an article where you urge people to stop seeing the presidential race in terms of gender and color? As Feministe pointed out, WTF? Erica Jong is seriously losing it...

On the plus side, I laughed so hard I almost spit my lunch out on my computer monitor! Thanks Erica...I needed the laugh.

Best Story Graphic EVER!

I get Alternet's daily update on news stories, and today it contained the best story graphic I've ever seen.The story is on the meeting that took place last Sunday in Rep. Jerrold Nadler's district in New York to urge Nadler to begin impeachment proceedings against Cheney. I just wish there were a larger version of the graphic available!

Oooh, thanks to Renee for the tip: more graphics of Cheney as the International Man of Mystery on the Daily Show last night:

Petition to Restore Affordable Birth Control Pill Prices

I signed this petition to restore affordable prices for birth control pills. Please sign and share with others!

If you haven't heard, a loophole in a new federal law caused the price of birth control pills to double or even triple at college and university pharmacies, which is a real problem for college age women, many of whom don't exactly want to explain to their parents that they need help paying for their birth control.

The price has also skyrocketed at over 400 community health centers that primarily serve low income women. One of the most common criticisms of low income families is that they are poor due to their own poor choices, such as having more children than they can afford. Well, if they can't afford birth control, can we blame them?

It's Educational. Really.

I am an animal lover, and I watch a lot of Animal Planet. Which has some new shows featuring male hosts that are knowledgeable, humane animal lovers, and also pretty hot.

There is a new show called "After the Attack". Despite it's grisly name, it really is a good show. The host, Dave Salmoni, is a strapping zoologist who specializes in large animals. He is also a humane accredited provider of trained animals. What I like about the show is that he really does delve into and explain the instincts and circumstances behind animal attacks on humans. For example, an 11 year old girl in Anchorage, Alaska was walking in the woods behind her house. A female moose charged her, knocked her down and trampled her, then ran off. The girl suffered a fractured skull, broken collarbone, and her ear was almost torn off her head. Her father said that female moose had been coming into those woods to give birth to their calves for years. It was likely that the girl stumbled upon a mother and baby, and the mother was protecting her calf. At first I was skeptical, wondering if Salmoni was a pretty face who had no idea what he was actually talking about, but the more I see of him, the more I respect his knowledge of animals, and the way he explains their instincts, dispelling the idea that animals attack because they are just "bad" or vicious. His special "Living With Tigers" was great - he and another zoologist release two young tigers into a wildlife refuge in Africa after teaching them to hunt.

The new show "Escape to Chimp Eden" is bittersweet, but uplifting. Handsome Eugene Cussons is the South African rescue director at the Jane Goodall Institute's Chimpanzee Eden. As one would expect from a facility associated with Jane Goodall, humane methods are used, and the chimps are treated with kindess and respect. It's truly heartwarming to see chimps enjoying the freedom, food, and company of other chimps after living in cages in deplorable conditions.

Check them out. The shows are great for any animal lover, and the hosts are a bonus.

Headline: "If you want more sex, do the dishes"

Don't you love the headline? You'd think that the moment a man put a dish in the sink his wife/girlfriend was shoving him down on the bed because all woman secretly have a fetish for men in rubber gloves and aprons.

Hardly. But what's really the big shocker here? Think about it: in households where men don't pull their weight around the house and the majority of housework falls on the woman, she's going to be more tired, and probably have some resentment toward him because she has to do all the housework, so she will probably be in the mood less often.

In contrast, in households where the house work is shared more equally, I'd think that would make a big difference. I know that for me, one of the quickest ways to kill affection/romantic feelings is a guy who takes it for graned that I am a housemaid and will do all of the cleaning. So yeah...egalitarian guys who share in housework probably do have more sex. Let that serve as an incentive for all of the men who don't pull their weight around the house.

Maryland Wants to Make "Crisis Pregnancy Centers" Tell the Truth

I've lived in Maryland almost all my life. You do occasionally see signs that say "Pregnant? Scared? Call us, we'll help." Those are "crisis pregnancy centers". And no, they don't help. They have staff with no medical training who give women sonograms and spout pro-life propaganda at them, outright lying about contraception and abortion, and pressuring women against terminating their pregnancies, regardless of their situations.

The bill would force such "crisis pregnancy centers" to tell the truth about their mission and the fact that their staff is not qualified to provide sonograms, read sonograms, or provide any reproductive health information, and that they are in fact "pro life"(anti-choice) based organizations.

This article in the Frederick News Post has a great quote:

Delegate Joseph Bartlett, a Frederick County Republican, said the centers should be able to continue to operate normally.

“The premise that we’re going to require these organizations to disclaim that they don’t have to tell the truth is just about the silliest thing I ever heard,” he said. “We certainly don’t do that in the case of politicians, do we?”

So, I wonder how he got into office?

Lots of Stuff to Piss Me Off Today

So here, I'll put them all out there and you all vote on which one is the worst.

1. Arizona just passed a bill that requires minors to "prove by clear and convincing evidence that she is mature enough to get an abortion without her parents' consent". So, if the minor can't prove she's mature enough to have an abortion, then she's forced to have the baby, even though she's too immature to have an abortion...
   
   
2. The Washington Post runs an op-ed by a misogynist woman about how dumb women are. The Post later says the piece was "tongue in cheek", which the author denied in an online chat yesterday.
   
   
3. Chicago sex therapist Laura Berman advises couples to "Try traditional gender roles: Men may become more sexually assertive if they feel more in control, and women may feel more desire for a mate with newfound machismo. "You don't have to get his slippers," explains Berman. "You just have to give him some control." She suggests a date where the man chooses everything -- her clothes, the restaurant, the food -- as a starting point." Yet she doesn't say what the woman should do about the involuntary vomiting that may begin immediately after reading that craptastic advice.
   
   
4. The NY Times runs an article about what huge fucking liars women are. No mention of men.

How Does He Dress Himself Every Day?

If he is THIS STUPID???

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”

Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception..."

Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”

Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”

This went on for a few more moments until a reporter from the Chicago Tribune broke in and asked Mr. McCain about the weight of a pig that he saw at the Iowa State Fair last year.

Well, I suppose someone had to change the subject. Me, I would have let him twist in the wind and made sure the entire thing was videotaped.

Finally!

My doctor called me back this morning about the Nuva Ring. I told her what happened, and she said that was very unusual. I guess the majority of women who use the Nuva Ring don't have problems with it sliding down, but if you look at the online reviews, there are women who have that problem.

Anyway, she said she would be fine with doing a tubal ligation for me, but she wanted me to wait 3 months (which is better than the 6 months she previously said!) and then come in and talk to her about getting it done. In the meantime I'm thinking of using the sponge. My doctor said I should use it with a condom. Hmmm. Well, it's only for three months!

Dumb Question of the Week

So I called my OBGYN's office to let her know that NuvaRing dod not work for me, since it wouldn't stay in place. The receptionist took a message. When I told her I couldn't use NuvaRing because it would not stay in place, she asked "And you're sure you're putting it in right?"

Okay, keep in mind that when I talked to my doctor about the NuvaRing on Tuesday, I had said I would worry about having it in right, and she said "There is no one right way."

So, does the receptionist think I'm some kind of imbecile? I mean, look at the Nuva Ring. You have to hold the sides together so that you can get it up there, and then you push it as far back as you can. Yeah, I'm too stupid to do that correctly.

So I firmly replied "YES." and she said "Okay...I'll give her the message."

Let Freedom Ring? Not So Much...

Well, the NuvaRing just didn't work out for me. I did have some minor pain/tenderness in that area after inserting it, but I thought that would go away. But, it didn't. But the big issue was that it wouldn't stay in place. You are supposed to push it as far back as you possibly can. Well, I did. But...it didn't stay there. It kept sliding down. Not out, but down. Sometimes I was freakin' walking around the office at work and I could feel the thing sliding down. Not pleasant. This morning I was washing in the shower and I could feel the stupid ring poking out. Um, that would DEFINETELY be a mood killer in the bedroom. And the fact that it wouldn't stay in place and kept sliding down did not instill confidence in me that it was a reliable method of birth control. So I did a Google search on Nuva Ring reviews, and it's a little scary. After 2 days of pushing it as far back as I possibly could, I realized it's not staying in place, so I just threw it out. Ugh.

In reading the reviews it sounds like a fair number of women had the same issue. I wonder why on earth they don't have different sizes? I mean, off the bat, I'd think that women that have had kids might need bigger ones, and young women who haven't had kids may need smaller ones. And hey, people's bodies vary. It's not a one size fits all situation, obviously. Oh well. The birth control search continues.

The Quandary of Endorsements and Affiliations

John McCain has been endorsed by Pastor John Hagee who believes, among other things, that there is no such thing as a good Muslim, that Hurricane Katrina was God's retribution for a gay pride parade in New Orleans, and that it is the duty of the President to hasten Armageddon in order to further the Second Coming. As Glenn Greenwald notes, not only does Sen. McCain not "denounce" and "reject" this support from this hate-monger, he is "very proud to have Pastor John Hagee's support."



Also today, Obama has just been endorsed by Louis Farrakhan. Obama also came under criticism because the church he is a member of, last year gave Farrakhan an award for "epitomizing greatness". To most people, the hate that Farrakhan preaches about whites, Jews and his view of women as second class raises some red flags.

The column caught the attention of the Anti-Defamation League, which was preparing to publicly press Obama to distance himself from the award and from Farrakhan. But Obama's campaign, before the ADL could act, put out a statement doing just that.

"I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan," Obama said in a statement released by his aides. "I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree."

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL's national director, welcomed Obama's words.

"Issues of racism and anti-Semitism must be beyond the bounds of politics," Foxman said in a statement. "When someone close to a political figure shows sympathy and support for an individual who makes his name espousing bigotry, that political figure needs to distance himself from that decision. Senator Obama has done just that."

This isn't the first time Obama's church, and his minister, have created a hiccup for his campaign. In February, Obama disinvited Wright from giving the invocation at his campaign kickoff in Springfield, Ill., apparently fearing controversy from Wright's Afrocentric teachings.

"Afrocentric teachings"? Look at the church's web site and click on "About Us". How would people react if "black" were replaced with "white"? Obama is actually multiracial, not just "black". But he attends a church that honored Farrakhan and whose head pastor favors "afrocentric" teachings?



Aaaaaand...begin uncontrollale vomiting...NOW!

So Cool!

So the NuvaRing welcome kit comes with a little timer. You start it when you put the NuvaRing in, and it beeps when it's time to put in the new one. But the REALLY cool thing, which really appeals to the techie geek in me, si that you can download a NuvaTime app to your computer!