Fitz!

roots!

Margaret Sanger!

The NY Daily News infuriated me yesterday and today with their pro-Liebherman editorials, so I wrote them a letter:

Editorial Wed – http://www.nydailynews.com/new…..4377c.html

Editorial Thur – http://www.nydailynews.com/new…..4592c.html

HERE IS MY LETTER:

To the Editors of the NY Daily News:

What is the matter with you? In your pro-Lieberman editorial you called Ned Lamont’s supporters “lunatics” and “zealots” simply because we support Ned Lamont against Joe Lieberman for US Senator.

Apparently the NY Daily News is no better than Lieberman himself, who also scampers away from real debate about the Iraq War, by calling us “lunatics”, “zealots”, and part of the “abandon-Iraq crowd.” Powerful rhetoric, zero logic.

Well, for your information, we “anti-war zealots” are now 58% of the US population (1) – now that everything we “lunatics” warned about has tragically come to pass in this dreadful war. And I am not sure how you calculated (in Wednesday’s pro-Lieberman editorial) that 33% of Connecticut Democratic Party delegates are a “small minority of Lamont activists.” Please tell me, how exactly is 33% a small minority?

Perhaps next you should editorialize that all of us “anti-war zealots” are unpatirotic for disagreeing with the President on the Iraq War. After all, that is what Lieberman did 6 months ago when he said” “It’s time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander in chief for three more critical years and that in matters of war we undermine the president’s credibility at our nation’s peril.” (2) That statement, more so than his support for the Iraq War, insulted not only me but democracy itself.

Sincerely,
Tobias Jackson
Brooklyn, NY

Notes:
1 – ABC News / Wash Post poll, June 22 – June 25, 2006
2 – NYTimes, December 9, 2006

Althouse is a complete dolt. Her hand is twisted and deformed from her continuous pearl-clutching…

Barbara Boxer’s Pac for change is asking:

Who’s Your Next Choice?

for her support for their senate run. Ned Lamont is not on the list, but I think it would be fun to send emails demanding he be on the list, and that she support the winner of the primary in CT.

poll page

email: info@pacforachange.com

I thought Dilation and Curettage were standard procedure for a woman coming into a hospital emergency after a rape.

What is the relevance of a ‘plan b’ pill at this point ?

Not trying to get flamed, just asking.

Approximately 25,000 pregnancies per year result from rape or incest according to Lackoff at one of the YearlyKos panels. That’s about 70 per day.

Surely some of these occur in Connecticut.

Women become pregnant as a result of rape more often than is assumed, I think. Is Joe aware of these figures.

She can read, but similar to many in the current SCAB (Supreme Court Appointed Bush) Administartion, they don’t care about facts… it is only their own personal convictions and opinions that matter, and to hell with the rest of us… Literally.

Althouse is suggesting, nay, stating clearly that YK was so shocking (what? The whacko liberal fringe? The Vegas food? The lack of cocktail weenies? The complete unwillingness to knuckle under to centerist poll-and-focus-group reading consultants?) that Boxer fled—excuse me, especially conspicuous(ly) fled—from the progressive blogsphere’s position? (Convoluted sentence of the week award)

What a tool.

I worked in a hospital emergency ward for about 10 years, and do know that pharmaceutical abortions, (according to one of the obstetrics docs) are basically massive dose contraceptives.

Sophist at 7 — my understanding is that it is no longer standard procedure, depending on the severity of tissue damage. But a rape kit swabbing would be if reported to police. But even a D&C isn’t full-proof in terms of prevention of an unwanted pregnancy from rape, as odd as it may sound. Because it is so physically and emotionally traumatic for a woman in those circumstances, I think most hospitals try to cover all the bases for them as much as possible. Frankly, that’s the most compassionate thing that anyone could do, under the circumstances.

Rootz be happenin

“THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph…” – Thomas Paine

If anyone hasn’t seen the update — I’m hearing that Boxer might be going a little wobbly on her decision to stump for Joe. If she were to issue a statement today saying she is not coming to Connecticut, that would just be a wonderful thing and she would be deserving of all praise for supporting women’s rights with her decision. You can call her office in DC at 202-224-3553, Sacramento at 916-448-2787, or email her here.

Boxer has been on the right side of so many issues, and has been such a good friend to women and progressives in the past, please be respectful.

Ahhhh…..the term offends her sensibilties and all 12 of her readers…

Dontcha love it..Obviously effective….let us continue to repeat it..

Larry….aka as a repeater of the term Rape Guerney Joe

It’s not standard to get a D’nC. That could leave scarring on your uterus, and sometimes you can never get pregnant again. The plan B pill ensures that you do NOT get pregnant. I would much rather take a pill than go in for an invasive operation that they may refuse to give you if you do happen to get pregnant with the rapist’s baby. (D’nC is not usually used for abortion, the suction operation is usually used for early abortion. Outpatient procedure. D&C is an major operation where they scrape the inside of your uterus. Bad!

for some reason that saying about “… using a sledge hammer on a mosquito” comes to mind regarding Boxer…

I cling to the belief that while Boxer is always a politician, she is persuadeable…

We are mad because we are disappointed, but I think in the end, she will make the right decision…

“polite pressure” applied with regularity should work…

Posted the Link to Dilation and Curettage from Yahoo Health, but link didn’t work.

http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/tw2462

At the time I was working emerg, it was still standard procedure, and my s.o. who still works emerg as an R.N. still preps D&C kits for docs investigating rapes and sexual assaults coming into emerg.

But I’ll admit, my experience is confined to a set of regional metropolitan hospitals.

I sent Boxer a quote from Redd’s post on the last thread, listing all the reason why *not* to support Joe. Asterisks (four of them) bracketing the ones on Plan B and supporting the Preznit being sorta mandatory. (Redd rocks!) Said that it was truly democratic to support the person who wins the primary.

Sophist — I spoke with Denise Merrill, the Rep responsible for the clause in the budget, who was very proud that the measure they were going to require was Plan B and that it did NOT constitute an abortion. Not that I care, but they did. So it’s a good question, but Plan B is specifically what they were going to require all hospitals to administer to qualify for the funding.

looseheadprop–

Any kind of help or research we can send your way for your voting project?

Just called her office in Sacramento. Got right through with only one ring. The staffer was very polite, as was I. It felt great!

Please call and urge her to not to campaign for Lieberman!

D&C is used for miscarriages (incomplete spontaneous abortion) and for diagnostic evaluation of the endometrium– the lining of the uterus.

Gotta love that Boxer is wobbly after one day of support. I wonder what it’s like to be a staffer for her at the moment. I know I put in calls to her San Diego, San Francisco, LA and Washington office telling her what exactly what i thought about her dallying in the CT primary.

I think, perhaps, I might just do it again today …

I wrote Boxer yesterday. Didn’t mention women’s issues, figuring they would be well covered, but I got into some of the other stuff. If she turns around, I’ll be sure to write again, with appreciation.

The pearl-clutching is great … there are some stunning leaps of logic (Boxer goes to YearlyKos, Boxer is shocked to find the Netroots supporting Lamont, so therefore Boxer’s support for Lieberman is basically her shocked reaction to YearlyKos). There’s also the “oh, my, you’ll make people think you’re angry, and that’s such a political turn-off.”

At least, however, there’s an acknowledgement that opposition to Lieberman may be based on other factors than just support for the war. Now, if only the press would pick up on that fact, although the CW has already ossified around “the anti-war candidate Lamont.” I’m guessing the debate is going to stun them all when they find out it’s about more than the war, stupid.

In an attack of bad judgement, I followed a link from memeorandum to the Bullshit Moose blog.

In which he said about “the lefty bloggers” and their “Lieberman Purge Attempt”:

Let’s be clear – these bloggers are the left-wing equivalent of the Freepers.

Just thought that I would share that with all you “Freepers,” who want crazy shit like a party primary that is decided by voters, rather than incumbents.

When I’ve written emails to Barbara Boxer at her Senate website and selected “Political Parties and Elections” as the topic, I’ve received an auto-response which states that the official resource (her Senate website) cannot be used for discussions of political parties and elections.

I’ve NEVER gotten any response from Boxer’s PAC For A Change website, but here’s the email address anyway: info@pacforachange.com

============
Had Enough?
============

Indications for D&C

A D&C or dilatation and curettage is a procedure to scrape and collect the tissue (endometrium) from inside the uterus. D&C or uterine scraping may be done to: diagnose conditions using the tissue samples collected (biopsies) treat irregular bleeding remove fetal or placental tissue ( used for some elective or therapeutic abortions and to remove any remaining tissue after a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)) D&C or uterine scraping may be recommended for: bleeding between periods heavy menstrual bleeding bleeding after intercourse investigation of infertility uterine fibroids endometrial polyps uterine cancer (early diagnosis) cervical cancer (early diagnosis) thickening of the uterus (endometrial hyperplasia ) an embedded IUD (intrauterine device) therapeutic or elective abortion miscarriage

http://www.henryfordhealth.org/115609.cfm

Kos has this list up on his site. Looks like a trend to me.

Those who would support the Democratic nominee

Hillary Clinton
Howard Dean
Russ Feingold
Al Gore
John Kerry
Bob Menendez
Barack Obama
Tom Vilsack

Those who would support a Lieberman independent bid

Ben Nelson
Ken Salazar

Update: I have heard from Obama’s staff that he will support the winner of the Democratic primary

http://dailykos.com/

Sophist: I worked in a hospital emergency ward for about 10 years, and do know that pharmaceutical abortions, (according to one of the obstetrics docs) are basically massive dose contraceptives.

While earlier contraceptive dose procedures may have been pharmaceutical abortions, and there was speculation that Plan B might work that way, medical studies have conclusively demonstrated that Plan B works by preventing conception. Anti-abortion groups have ignored these results and continued to push the discredited idea that Plan B is an “abortion pill.”

(And on a side note, since Plan B eliminates the need for abortion in these cases, that tells you a lot about whether their real motivation is opposition to abortion or just opposition to sex.)

Ugh – I forced myself to read through all the comments on Althouse’s blog, and the one word that came to mind whas “clueless.” Ms. Althouse apparently does not think any homework is required before gracing the world with her opinions. Her reading comprehension leaves a lot to be desired, as well. Sloppy, very sloppy.

I think Althouse is projecting her own dislike of Lamont onto Boxer, who, if Joe were not running, I suspect would be 110% behind Ned – Boxer just can’t see over the friendship thing.

I think when you take a position that a rape victim can just hop in a cab to go get Plan B at another hospital, there is no nice nickname you can be given that sums up the heartlessness of that position. Maybe she would prefer “Cabfare Joe,” or “No Womb at This Inn Joe.” The semantics do not change how crass his position is.

Rape Gurney Joe. The only thing that I think the only slag that pisses him off more is “Lapdog”. I’d bring this up along with “The Kiss” and all the comments he made about being friends with neo-cons in the debates tonight.

wxyz 23: yep, so did I. I live in the Bay Area, so I felt that this is something I really could do to make a difference, if only in a small way.

Somewhat OT, so I hope it’s relevant enough to stand.

I saw some grumbling from a few posters who complain that FDL is “All Lieberman all the time”, to quote one contributor.

In looking at my own fascination with this story and my need to check in with FDL more often than I can afford, here’s what I think may be going on – - at least with me, and maybe with you.

Day by day, the criminal Bush administration polarizes the citizenry while the Establishment Media labors to codify (back off, Punaise!) every issue so that we are left with just slogans and predictability.

It’s like the old story about people knowing each other’s jokes so well they assigned numbers to them, and all one had to do is pronounce a number and the others dissolved into appropriate laughter or groans.

To me, political discourse has gotten like that. A current example is every. single. commentator. on the EM insisting that all the opposition to Lieberman is about the war.

When you see Bill Schneider or Norah O’Donnell, and this race is the topic, you might as well reach for the shot glass because you know it’s a matter of seconds before they say “It’s about one thing: Iraq.”

If you are serious about the drinking game and you keep the teevee on, you’ll be flat on your ass before noon.

American political life has become a Kabuki dance.

You know what almost every pol is going to say about any subject.

You know how Schumer is going to behave.

You know that when Democrats talk about issues, Republicans will talk about Democrats.

You knew, in the summer of 2002, that the Iraq war was inevitable, because you saw Rice, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush and all the rest of them bring up the Iraq threat with increasing frequency and alarm.

You know that when real problems cry out for solutions, Republicans will pull out their tried-and-true war horses of God, Guns and Gays (and flags).

You know that when Arlen Spector huffs and puffs with steely indignation, he will crumple like cellophane in a campfire when it counts.

You get the idea, and you could probably come up with more and better examples.

The fact that everything in politics and national life has become entirely predictable and the outcome so grimly easy to foresee, has given me, at least, a dull sense of impotence owing to my inability to have any influence at all on so many of the things that affect me, personally, and this country I love.

Two things in the past year do not fit this pattern.

The first is Patrick Fitzgerald. None of us has any influence on what he does, of course, but what he does do doesn’t follow an ineluctable path toward a predictable result that will keep everything status quo.

He did something no one else has been able to do in five years when he held Scooter Libby accountable for what he did to the bedrock of our system of government when he misled officers of the justice system. No one but Patrick Fitzgerald has been able to touch anybody else in this maladministration.

What he did and may continue to do, is not a Kabuki dance. The outcome is not foretold nor programmed by the media nor the Administration.

What Fitzgerald did was authentic and real and scientific, in the sense that the evidence led to his conclusions, and irrelevant bits and pieces were excised from his process.

The second example of an unexpected event with an outcome that is not pre-ordained has come to us in the person of Ned Lamont.

Whaaa? A credible candidate who is well-spoken and has enough personal money that he had to be taken seriously? You must be kidding.

That’s the response from the participants in the Kabuki dance. “How DARE you modern and improv dance people horn in on our game.”

After all, pundits look like geniuses when they accurately predict the outcome. Hell, *I* could predict it, too, because most of politics is a freaking Kabuki dance, and we ALL know how it comes out.

They are comfortable in reinforcing what they already know, and the audience is comforted that there won’t be anything surprising that might disturb their sleep.

The Lamont candidacy is exciting to us because it is off-script. We don’t know the outcome. We can even influence the outcome.

Jane is on site. The CT bloggers are telling us what is going on and what we can do. Firepups remind each other how they can help (call Boxer, tell your friends about Ned, send money, and more).

At home, Christy is collecting every piece of information that might keep us informed and enthusiastic. Frequent FDL posters add their experience and knowledge, so that even I, down here in Texas, know the issues and players in CT and find myself savoring every anecdote and every morsel of info that will feed my hope that this race, this one race, is not following the choreograph.

This one is not a Kabuki dance.

Of COURSE we are fascinated. Maybe we are obsessed. So what?

Some people are obsessed about motorcycles. Some about eating or smoking. Some about gardening. We are fascinated by a real, authentic exercise in democracy that is going on – - not in Iraq or South Africa – - but right here in one of the original 13 colonies.

So forgive us our fascination, our hope, and our obsession where that applies.

If other Firepups are like me, this is one piece of American political life that is not a tiresome, soul-killing exercise leading to the same old grimly-predictable outcome.

Patrick Fitzgerald and Ned Lamont – - we cheer as they sail uncharted waters.

These are the two subjects that have most entrhalled FDL. Is it any wonder?

Gee, Teddy @ 29 – I think I’ve sent all my emails under that topic… haven’t heard a peep from them yet…

perhaps there is too much traffic?

Old coastie @17

I for one am sick of polite. “It don’t win knife fights.”

Let them know our rage. TRexoids unite!

HAD ENOUGH?

Would our world be any different if men had the babies and women were the soldiers?

Ohh, we’re on the same wavelength! I just called Barbara boxer’s office and had this very same conversation with her young staffer before checking in here and seeing your post. I think they are really backing off from having her come out and support lieberman–before I could say anything at all they said she had “no position right now” on whether she was coming out for lieberman and the young staffer listened, like she’d heard quite a bit about this, to my entire shpiel about lieberman and the democratic base.

aimai

and your little dog, too @ 36: I don’t think your post is terribly off-topic. I don’t think blogs have to worry too much about people who are genuinely concerned about topicality – it’s the trolls who track their muddy boots into the living room, flagranty disregarding what’s appropriate.

And I know what you mean about Kabuki. Not to try to compete with punaise but:

Right wing kabuki, just say noh.

How perfect is the combo of comments 37-38!

angie,39: Would our world be any different if men had the babies and women were the soldiers?

Fewer wars and more dirty diapers.

Phone and Fax numbers for Senator Barbara Boxer

Washington DC
Ph. (202) 224-3553
Fx. (202) 228-2382

SF
Ph. (415) 403-0100
Fx. (415) 956-6701

LA
Ph. (213) 894-5000
Fx. (213) 894-5042

Sac
Ph. (916) 448-2787
Fx. (916) 448-2563

San Diego
Ph. (619) 239-3884
Fx. (619) 239-5719

Fresno
Ph. (559) 497-5109
Fx. (559) 497-5111

San Bernadino
Ph. (909) 888-8525
Fx. (909) 888-8613

ha, ojs!

I’m still flabergasted that any Dem senator would not go on record as supporting the winner of the CT primary. It’s kind of a no-brainer. What in the world is their position, then? I’d sure like to hear the reasoning – Well, whatever cockamamie statement they’d like to release for public consumption anyway…

Larry – I’m just saying the size of the knife should be relative to the size of the “enemy”… that the force applied should be proportional – use what’s necessary and not a whole lot more…

One month to go till the primary–what’s the score? Anyone know what’s happening out there? Any recent polls or anything?

dog, too… speaks for me!

I tried to call Boxer’s DC office and after holding for a significant amount of time, my call was simply disconnected. I will try one of her other many numbers. Also, I had called Schumer’s office earlier today with the same request that he support the winner of the CT democratic primary. The staffer answering the call seemed genuinely interested. Schumer’s DC phone number is: (202) 224-6542.

fwiw, implantation of a fertilized egg takes place IIRC five days after conception. Plan b I believe prevents implantation of the egg into the lining of the uterus. So, for example, in the first 24 hours after a rape, the victim may be pregnant, but the fertilized egg is still making its way down the fallopian tube, on its way to the uterus. So a d c, being a procedure confined to the uterus, would not interfere with pregnancy.

I think I got that right.

Plan B is not an abortifacent. It is emergency birth control. It does not prevent implantation; it prevents ovulation.

Let me repeat: Plan B prevents ovulation.

One of the reasons it is so important to take Plan B as soon as possible is because once the woman ovulates, or if there is an egg that has already ovulated, the woman will get pregnant. Plan B does not prevent conception nor does it prevent implantation. Plan B prevents ovulation. There is absolutely no abortion issue here.

I am one of Barbara Boxer’s constituents. Here is the text of the e-mail I just sent her:

Senator Boxer,

Please do not campaign for Joe Lieberman. He is a DINO (Democrat In Name Only), who vociferously supports the Iraq war, opposes the right to choose, and aided and abetted the right-wing takeover of the Supreme Court.

A great candidate who shares your values, Ned Lamont, who is running against Holy Joe, deserves your support, and certainly not your interference.

Sincerely,

I just called and the message said to call her other office at 415-403-0100, then they picked up before I had a chance to hag up and redial. Told her that Joe was a big boy and didn’t need Boxer to bail him out.

Little Dog #36 – that long post of yours was great and spot on!

nice post, and your little dog, too . . . . @36!!!

Yeah, Dog speaks for me too. This CT race is fascinating for so many reasons. It’s a microcosm of a much bigger picture and brings up a myriad of germane issues that we’ve been grappling with for years. It’s good stuff and I for one am proudly obsessed.

Jane,
two pieces of news:

One I just got a survey from Boxer’s pac for america asking who should be the next candidate they choose to support. Joe was NOT one of the choices.

I can’t swear he was not a previous choice, but I don’t think he was. So, this seems to imply that her Pac is treating him as radioactive.

2) last night on the nationwide DFA call Jim Dean affirmed DFA’s committment to Lamont. I got a follow up voicemail from him this AM asking me to call him to talk about the Joe problem some more. Am still playing phone tag on that, so I’m not sure what more htere was to say. Jim was pretty forceful in DFA’s support for Lamont.

This was in response from a question I asked on behalf of our local group. Dean’s answer provoked our members to high five and do the happy dance.

Snip

1. What is emergency contraception?

Emergency contraception is a method of preventing pregnancy to be used after a contraceptive fails or after unprotected sex. It is not for routine use. Drugs used for this purpose are called emergency contraceptive pills, post-coital pills, or morning after pills. Emergency contraceptives contain the hormones estrogen and progestin (levonorgestrel), either separately or in combination. FDA has approved two products for prescription use for emergency contraception – Preven (approved in 1998) and Plan B (approved in 1999).

2. What is Plan B?

Plan B is emergency contraception, a backup method to birth control. It is in the form of two levonorgestrel pills (0.75 mg in each pill) that are taken by mouth [12 hours apart]after unprotected sex. Levonorgestrel is a synthetic hormone used in birth control pills for over 35 years. Plan B can reduce a woman’s risk of pregnancy when taken as directed if she has had unprotected sex. Plan B contains only progestin, levonorgestrel, a synthetic hormone used in birth control pills for over 35 years. It is currently available only by prescription

3. How does Plan B work?

Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). It may prevent the union of sperm and egg (fertilization). If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb (implantation). If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work.

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/i…..BQandA.htm

This government site also describes some of the goings on wrt FDA’s tortured history with Plan B.

Also

“If it is taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex, it will decrease the chance that you will get pregnant by 89%, meaning 7 out of every 8 women who would have gotten pregnant will not get pregnant.”

http://sexuality.about.com/od/…../planb.htm

and your little dog, too 12:03pm: thank you for putting into words exactly what i feel, think, see is the dynamic going on in this Country.

and we’ve got a front row seat…

OldCoastie your 47

I gotcha…understood…sorry I shrilled at you

Larry

yourlittledog: Great post–keep em coming!

rosalind, agreed.

Why are so many in the balcony making out, not paying attention or trying to divert our attention?

They are scairt.

E at 22

thank you so much for the offer. And I may take you up one that. This is the most rockin’ virtual think tank I know. Right now, I am more swamped with help than I can cope with. The first draft of the chapter outlines had to be run past a couple dozen other lawyers, so i am still sorting through and trying ti internalize their input.

The help is good an appreciated, but overwhelming and somewhat hard to absorb so many good ideas all going in different directions. I need to hew to a course (trying to navigate what that course might be right now)

This is meant to be a short simple snappy “cookbook” fpr lawyers to use, so we never have to read a Boby Kennedy article again and be POd that no one collected and preserved enough evidence to prove anything at trial.

Most of it, though is how to prevent fraud. An ouce of prevention is worth, well you know

Re: Contacting Sen. Boxer

Call or Fax – they don’t do emails – just something I figured out

my email to Babs (cribbing from Christy’s laundry list a few threads back):

Honorable Senator Boxer,

As a constituent who has always proudly voted for you, I urge you to reconsider your expression of support for Senator Joe Lieberman. He has undercut the very core values of the democratic process by failing to commit to respecting the results of the Democratic primary election in Connecticut on August 8. Rather, he is hedging his bets by preparing to run in the general election as an Independent should he lose the primary. This is an utterly selfish and unacceptable contortion of the process that puts his own interests ahead of those of the party. It has the potential to do great harm to the other Congressional races in Connecticut, thus endangering our goal of regaining the House in November. We all stand to suffer from his petulant behavior.

I happen to support his Democratic rival, Mr. Ned Lamont. Much of this support has been mischaracterized as a hateful effort to “punish” Senator Lieberman for his inexcusable hawkishness on the Iraq war. While I do object strenuously to the senator’s positions enabling the egregious actions of the Bush Administration, that is only one piece of the puzzle. Please consider these other failings:

- his lack of oversight on Enron when it could have done a lot of good for all those people who have no retirement now

- his lack of curiousness about the qualifications of Michael Brown during his confirmation hearings to become head of FEMA

- his history of voting with Republicans to throw procedural votes and then claiming to be progressive by ultimately voting another way on the final vote after the damage was already done (worst example: the Alito cloture vote)

- his comments on the morning after pill in the context of energency contraception for rape victims in Connecticut

- his lecture to all progressives who criticize the President’s ignorant policies on Iraq to shut up and salute, no matter the damage

I encourage you to learn more about Mr. Lamont’s mainstream Democratic values and ideas. He may or may not prevail, but regardless of the outcome, I urge you to pledge your exclusive support for the winner of the Democratic primary. If we are to regain control of Congress and begin correcting the damage wrought by the Republicans, then we must stand united as a strong Democratic Party.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

“Mr. Punaise”

since Senator Boxer is from Marin County, calling her San Francisco Office makes the most sense — except for DC, she probably spends more time in that office (it being closest to her home)

Thanks, Larry – last thread there were all kinds of propositions from one poster that seemed to think we needed to apply all kinds of shaming street theater outside of Boxer’s offices…

it seemed over the top and far too soon – save yer ammo! see what comes out of the regular kinds of pressure…

appears it might be working… it’s going to be a “long war” and we don’t need to exhaust ourselves on the unnecessary…

First of all, even when there is “conception,” there is no guarantee that the egg will implant. Plenty of “conceived” eggs get flushed down the toilet all the time even without contraception or abortifacents of any sort in the system. It’s natural.

Second of all, PLAN B DOES NOT PREVENT IMPLANTATION. Neither does Plan B guarantee that you won’t get pregnant. Why? Because PLAN B DOES NOT PREVENT IMPLANTATION. In fact, Plan B’s effectiveness goes down drastically if the woman (and very often the poor girl) does not take the pill within 24 hours. Nor does it prevent “conception” if sperm and egg happen to meet. All Plan B does is prevent ovulation. I can’t repeat this enough. All Plan B does is prevent ovulation.

If you want to argue this and point to reports that mention that Plan B might, maybe, has a chance of preventing implantation, then that report is full of crap similar to Global Warming deniers, and promoted by many of the very same folks, incidentally. Those who promote those reports are grasping at straws.

Mr. Punaise -

Wow. That is a fantastic letter. Beautiful.

john in sacramento 65

Call or Fax – they don’t do emails – just something I figured out

OK, I’ll send it as a fax

thx JftB

little dog at 36

Wow.

Stunning. Wonderful

I’m getting so sick of people in positions of power debating things like Plan B and the Internet when they have no f’ing clue what they’re talking about.

How about a Constitutional Amendment requiring Congress to demonstrate a fundamental understanding of something before charting a course for its future?

I know that’s not practical, but really… it’s one thing to have a different idea about process or policy, but if you don’t understand how email works, you shouldn’t have any input into the future of email. If you don’t know what a pill does, you shouldn’t be allowed to decide when it can be denied to other people.

I mean, right?

Called her SD office and her LA office got a call from my sister.
The SD office sounded pleased and said he would definitely pass my message along.

Of course I am a Californian and love her so I let him know. I asked for her to just stay away…until the people of Conn. decided in the primary.

Hugh at 59,

That report overemphasizes the chances of Plan B preventing “conception” or implantation. Seriously. It came out with this White House in power. The same White House that stopped foreign aid to family planning groups that even mentioned abortion as an option. All the talk about how it “may” prevent “conception” or “may” prevent implantation is just so much hot air. The chances of it doing that are unproven and, even if true, no more likely to occur than if the woman was on regular birth control.

I sent an e-mail to Boxer, mentioning support for the Iraq war, the Alito nomination, and emergency birth control as issues on which Lieberman is out of touch with maistream Democrats. Hope she is listening.

Hey gang,
Took Jane’s advice, just sent Sen. boxer this:

Senator:
Greetings and thank you for your ongoing hard work and dedication to progressive causes. I am a life-long Democrat, a consistent voter and, more recently, a donor and precinct committee officer.

I am writing today, however, in dismay over some of your recent actions with regard to the campaign of Senator Lieberman for reelection. I take tremendous issue with Senator Lieberman’s support of the Iraq war, his position on public support for limiting women’s access to emergency medical care, his betrayal of Democratic Party principles in his vote for cloture on the Alito nomination, and his willingness to undermine Social Security. He has consistently supported the disaster that is the Bush Administration and the Republican Party in general, seemingly never missing an opportunity to stab his “fellow” democrats in the back – perhaps most recently in his parroting of Republican/Rove talking points characterizing his challenger’s supporters as angry and hate-filled.

Senator Lieberman’s recent announcement that he intends to disregard the results of the Democratic primary should he lose is an affront to our party and to the democratic process more broadly. He has in effect stated that he will ignore the will of Connecticut Democrats should they decide that they want to be represented by Ned Lamont in the general election. This is the height of arrogance and tantamount to placing himself above the party and the voters of Connecticut. He serves at their pleasure, not the other way around.

Senator Boxer, I am deeply disturbed that you are considering actively supporting Senator Lieberman in the primary race against Ned Lamont. On so many issues Senator Lieberman has betrayed our party, its leaders, and our shared principles. He self-righteously condemned President Clinton, his performance as Vice-Presidential nominee was tepid at best and he actively undermined the efforts after the 2000 vote to secure a victory for Al Gore. He has partnered with Lynn Cheney to lead an organization dedicated to silencing progressive voices on college campuses. He has repeatedly and consistently provided political cover for some of the most egregiously wrong policies and actions of the Bush Administration and the Republican Party. Senator boxer, Joe Lieberman is not worthy of your support, particularly in a primary contest with a Democrat, especially one as progressive in his positions as Ned Lamont.

Ned Lamont has pledged to support the winner of the Democratic Party primary in the general election. I share this commitment. Joe Lieberman has refused to make such a commitment and has manifestly rejected the right of the Democratic Party to choose its own nominee, should it be anyone but him. Ma’am, this tells me the Joe Lieberman is not a Democrat and has no real commitment to the Democratic Party.

Senator Boxer, I urge you to reconsider your stated intent to campaign for Senator Lieberman prior to the August Democratic primary. Moreover, I urge you to publicly state your intent to support the winner of the Democratic primary election in the general election in November. It’s a matter of principle.

Thank you,

Punaise: sign it as “Seňor Pasador” — Punaise sounds kinda foreign, ya know …

lhp –

did you see my links in the previous thread, re GOP election fraud?

*ilson, indeed….

Althouse is making excuses, which is what I take Jane’s general point as being, next to Althouse’s displayed ignorance of the law regarding rape victims and hospitals.

It is one thing to debate what are appropriate norms of civic discourse (truth be told, Rape Gurney Joe doesn’t work for me either, but who really cares? Political speech is often quite blunt and always has been. Welcome to politics. Semantic aesthetics is a topic in its own right, but hardly the real issue here.)

It is another thing to argue that because someone uses a course phrase you dislike that that justifies endorsing Lieberman’s appalling position on rape victims. Because some bloggers use a harsh name for Lieberman his position is now acceptable? That isn’t just illogical, it is a cop out. Rather than address the specifics of what Lieberman is on record as favoring (which is illegal, factually challenged, and repulsive), just cry foul about somebody’s unkind name for Lieberman.

If she want’s to make a claim that leftwing blog speech norms hurt the political process, then make that argument. Don’t imply that to get around talking about what Lieberman believes.

angie @ 12:05 pm (#39) – No. Because the qualities that make one a good parent or a good soldier are not due to whether one has a penis.

Bribes #69

A link to support your view that Plan B only affects ovulation would be helpful.

I just called Barbara Boxer’s office in Sacramento and her spokesman says that he knows their office is aware of rumors and stories on the blogs about Barbara supporting Joe Lieberman but (according to him) she has actually made no public statement about that at all. He was very polite and said he would pass along my comments regarding how negatively I would view her if, indeed, she does decide to back JL.

Dover Bitch 74 – They know all they care to know, and that’s where the money goes and how they can get their share.

Update: I’m hearing that Boxer might be going a little wobbly on her decision to stump for Joe.

right on jane, and right on all you CA people who are leaning on boxer!

if boxer backs off from actively campaigning for joe in CT, the blogosphere can take enormous credit for that!

red staters like salazar and ben nelson are untouchable here, but boxer has her precious leftie credentials to maintain, and she is gonna get smashed if she thinks that she can come to CT and try to impart her leftie aura on joe -

again, good show people!

heck, let salazar and nelson come to CT and stump for joe; that would nicely establish joe’s red state credentials!

way, way, way OT: CNN is doing a clip about beauty shops still functioning in Gaza — it’s good to see queens in Gaza : that male hairstylist looks way gay !

Althouse is making excuses, which is what I take Jane’s general point as being, next to Althouse’s displayed ignorance of the law regarding rape victims and hospitals.

No, Althouse is making semantics the issue, rather than have people focus on the issues.

It is a “classic” repug election trick; its not the message, its the foul mouths of the lecturer.

As IF “Rape Gurney” is so outre to an adult – Althouse may not be – but anyone who claims that language is patently offensive is lying, AND ON PURPOSE.

is Boxer’s soapbox starting to tilt and wobble? (as a person of rather short stature she stands on a platform when speaking in public).

twolf1, you’re right.

leftofliberal 78 – great letter!

via thinkprogress.

Larry king on his impending interview of chimpy and chimpette

What will be your first question for the president?

No idea. It might be about Ken Lay, maybe North Korea. Lay was a friend of his. It’s the president’s birthday so I might go there.

I never know in advance. I won’t know until I say hello and start the interview.

I’ll definitely ask about Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, who says he’ll run as an independent if he loses the Democratic primary. I’d like to know if Bush would support him as an independent.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/…..index.html

Editorial in L.A. Times today re Lieberman:

http://www.latimes.com/news/op…..editorials

you can write to them here:

letters@latimes.com

“lecturer” should be “messenger,” and even I can’t blame spell check for that one – I could, but……

Evil PU at 89, I think we are saying much the same thing. To deflect attention you pull out strong language and get your outrage on rather than look at why people are mad at Lieberman, which is his repulsive point of view.

Some guy – Evil Parallel Universe or EPU, please. But not Evil PU.

little dog 36 and punaise 65, YOU DONE WAY GOOD!

arrff!

My apologies EPU.

*pats punaise on head, accepts smoochy slurps, scratches behind his ears*

Re: to EPU’s point (previously posted at my 33, above) –

I think when you take a position that a rape victim can just hop in a cab to go get Plan B at another hospital, there is no nice nickname you can be given that sums up the heartlessness of that position. Maybe she would prefer “Cabfare Joe,” or “No Womb at This Inn Joe.” The semantics do not change how crass his position is.

Emailed (and faxed) off a letter to my Senator…

Dear Senator,

I am a proud Democrat and feel very strongly that it is important for the nation that the Democratic party regain leadership positions in our Government.

With this perspective in mind, I am concerned that you have stated that you would campaign for Senator Joe Lieberman during the Connecticut primary, especially after his announcement that he would undermine the primary process by announcing in advance that if defeated he will run as an independent against the Democratic primary winner.

I respectfully ask that you reconsider this position, and that you back the winner of the Democratic Primary in Connecticut.

Best Regards,

Chula Vista, CA

Oh, that reminds me, punaise — the kitten’s name is . . . ?

lina @ 94

The LA Times has gone all neo-con since the Tribune Co. bought it from the Chandlers, I take what they say with a grain of salt

“Evil PU” lmao

I just called Barbara Boxer’s office in Sacramento and her spokesman says that he knows their office is aware of rumors and stories on the blogs about Barbara supporting Joe Lieberman but (according to him) she has actually made no public statement about that at all.

that doesn’t jive with the following AP story yesterday, and it looks like the Lieberman campaign fed this story to AP, which ain’t no blog:

Senate colleagues to help Lieberman

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/s…..TE=DEFAULT

lotus – kitten is still in search of a name, believe it or not. actually, he probably doesn’t give a hoot, but we’ve failed to come to a consensus as a family. (punaise jr. is away for a few weeks, delaying the decision.) as you may recall, my preferred choice “Fitz the Cat” did not gain any traction around the house. current candidates: Theo, Elliot, Zidane…

My bad. A quick visit to PubMed shows that Bribes is correct. Plan B does not affect events post fertilization in rats or monkeys. A review of mechanisms in humans concluded that it works by blocking or delaying ovulation.

Old Coastie, speaking of “street theatre” — our OTHER Senator’s home and office were subjected to a bit of that the past 24 hours. I stopped at One Post Plaza this a.m. to chat with and lend moral support to CODE PINK, demonstrating outside DiFi’s office in the McKesson Building. I was told the group had spent last night in the park across the street from her new $16,000,000 house in EssEff. No way to know if the Senator was at home last nite or in her 23rd floor office today.

Just called Senator Boxer’s DeeCee office — the woman who answered was pleasant (can I say “perky” without being mysogynistic?) and promised to pass my concerns along to the Senator.

===========
Had Enough?
===========

I’ve been wondering about the logic of Lieberman’s announcement earlier this week. Is he counting on voters thinking in the following way:

If Lamont wins the primary…
Joe will run as an independent something-or-other…
And the Democratic vote will be split…
And the Republican will win…
And we won’t like that at all…
So therefore we must support Joe in the primary!

Janet

Ordinary people can deal with rough language every now and then. What puts ordinary people off are the policies and politics that Joe Lieberman seems to embrace.

Ordinary people are put off by a medical professional refusing to provided safe and legal medical assistance following the obscenity of a rape.

Ordinary people are put off by those who are charged with vetting nominees for public office who abdicate that responsibility.

Ordinary people are put off by sanctimony.

Ordinary people are put off by those who enable predatory lenders, rapacious energy companies, and others to feed at the public trough.

Ordinary people are put off by those who want to bend and shape the rules for their own personal benefit.

And what do you call someone who does this “putting off”? A Putz.

OK, so can we rely on e-mail to Boxer’s address as linked by Jane above to be delivered, or do I need to follow up with a phone call or fax? I’m hearing different stories about that.

TeddySF – DiFi NEEDS street theater… gets her attention… good for Code Pink!

Boxer, I suspect, responds without so much bullying…

41 56 57 60 62 73 97

Thank you so much for your kind words.

I don’t know how you regular posters do it; that took me a couple of hours to get said.

FWIW, I didn’t come up with that thesis from the “authentic” side of things.

It came into focus as I was hearing some dreary pundit repeat a grindingly predictable outcome of something or other, and that’s when I realized that the heart-sinking feeling I get so often was in response to the dumb realization that most of what I see and hear is just a damned Kabuki dance.

Then when somebody griped about All-Lieberman-All-the-Time, it struck me that that narrative – - along with Fitzgerald’s story – - are two things that are real, live and unscripted.

Thanks again for your encouragement. It’s daunting to make a big post in the company of all the Kool Kidz. *g*

Just the communications I’ve heard about on FDL alone over the last two days must equal red eyes and cauliflower ears for Boxer’s staffers. No wonder she’s in hummahummahumma mode.

POUR IT ON, DOGGIES.

little dog – interesting and “not predictable” yourself. *g*

lhp – The first draft of the chapter outlines had to be run past a couple dozen other lawyers,

What evil things did you do in a prior life to justify that your good deeds for today are so repaid?

Hopespringsaturtle–

Here, I picked you a bouquet of violets. Thinking about you and hoping you are ok.

just a damned Kabuki dance

can Kobe key dance?

Peterr

Ordinary people should not be allowed to let their dislike for rough language shield them from dealing with rough facts, i.e. harsh realities.

It takes me months to name a cat. Good thing I never had any children, that would be a disaster. The cats don’t seem to mind, tho. :)

punaise — Poor Mr. Kitten, wid-out no name. Theo, Elliott or Zidane, hm? Guess I’ll go for Zidane.

Peterr 110 – fanfare for the ordinary man and woman. well said.

h_f_l:

Reading the AP story very carefully, perhaps Marion got in front of the story. Was the story released to the AP by HoJo’s campaign to push Boxer to make a statement? There seems to me to be none from her in the article, only Marion announcing the support of colleagues Biden, Salazar, and Boxer.

Wouldn’t put it past Marion — she’s mucked things up before, as I recall….

Is that wee cat of the male or female persuasion?

The review of mechanisms of action of levonorgestrel: Human Reproduction Update, volume 10, number 4, pp 341-348.

The monkeys: Human Reproduction 2005, May 20, p 1428 (a study carried out at a Catholic University in Chile).

Interesting reading.

Punaise 117

Heh, heh.

Did “codify” stump you?

lotus, Jenny – “it’s hard work” naming a cat.

re: animal names…. finally named the puppy, and while I use it repeatedly, she still comes fastest to “Puppy”….

and that won’t do when she hits 70 pounds or so….

male kitten, orange (some say ginger) tabby

neurophius — my e-mail to Boxer via Jane’s link produced an auto response from Boxer — albeit the response that says, “we don’t have time to read e-mails from out of state, . . . but thanks anyway . . .” So it goes through. Whether anyone reads/tablulates it or not is unknown. So a followup call/fax is safer.

A couple of things –

One – hartford for lamont: so, if Boxer never said she would campaign for Joe, and he fed that to the AP, does this put Boxer in the uncomfortable position of having to either deny that she is campaigning (Joe, meet bus), or make some token appearance and then fend off all the leaks and rumors that she was essentially forced to campaign (Rock – Boxer – hard place)?

Two – jlr – the Republican is currently polling at about 8%, so this is not about a close race between the Democrat and the Republican. As I understand it, Independents represent the largest segment of registered voters in CT, followed by Democrats and then Republicans.

ck – if you’re still here…thanks for the info on the companies.
I wondered about CPS. CEO is kind of a cowboy.

Oh yeah, its a total pain in the ass to search for you using “ck”.

and your little dog too 125: cod-piece-ify? LOL

Scarecrow – you probably gotta use a CA zip…

Peter, as always, I love how you put words together. This thread fairly crackles with excellence.

djinn @ 108: The confusion over Plan B indicates another effect of the life-at-conception rhetoric. Many prolife advocates really mean life at ejaculation, or conception at coitus, and regularly ignore the biology of conception even as they claim embryology has proven the metaphysics of ensoulment (a patently specious claim). This is the intent behind the abstinence discourse: sex should be about procreating. So on one hand you will hear pro-life advocates declaim conception is the bright line, and then turn around an confuse when that bright line occurs. The confusion of contraception with abortion goes back to the 19th century among those who have opposed birth control as “infanticide.”

From what cat people tell me, you don’t so much name a cat as wait for them to deign to inform you what their name is. Cats don’t have owners; they have servants.

Hmmmmm . . . How about “His Majesty?”

I know a guy with a black dog that had a white patch of fur around his throat. He wanted to call him “Bishop” just so he could enjoy saying “Down Bishop!”, “Bad Bishop”, etc. Decided not to, and ended up going with something much less dramatic, IIRC

Had a deaf cat once who couldn’t care what he was called. He lasted through three boyfriends. The latter two disliked the name I’d given to the cat (in consult with the previous BF) so the cat’s re-naming was twice a condition of the new relationship. The cat with three names outlasted all the relationships.

TeddySanFran @ 109

DiFi’s mansion

How they got the money

Punaise 132

Snort.

I just called Boxer’s Sacramento office and the staffer there said that she didn’t think that Senator Boxer had said anything about campaigning for Lieberman and that it was just a rumor callers were reading about on the blogs. She seemed genuinely surprised to hear that I had read about it yesterday in the NY Times.

punaise -

I take my time because I believe cats choose their own names if you listen real carefully.

My current kitties are on record as Lakshmi and Sophie but they decided on Shmi-Shmi and Tophie. Heh. Who am I to deny them?

Repeating the email to Boxer’s PAC For A Change, in case you non-constituents want to write to my Senator there:

info@pacforachange.com

I’ve received NO reply to any emails sent there, but they must pile up, no?

punaise 133

Is codpacification part of our strategery in Iraq?

Well, Peterr at 137 speaks for me. :)

now, if I can just get Puppy to stop sleeping on the coffee table!

Jane – how do you get those poodles to walk in such an orderly manner?

Our cats are Ebony and Ivory (and yes, Ebony is the black cat, and Ivory is the gray cat).

Your cat could be Ebenezer, which also shortens to “Ebbie.”

OldCoastie — yes, I had that option, but I chose instead to say I was from California, lived there 20 years and had voted for her, which were all true. I suspect someone will check the volumn of e-mails and ask, “what’s up?”

TeddySanFran 142
…

I’ve received NO reply to any emails sent there, but they must pile up, no?

eventually the tubes will fill up

scarecrow – seems like that’s the response I get whenever I write any Senator that is not mine…

Late to the thread so only .01 rant. Rape Gurney Joe sounds horrible, evil, and insensitive, even when one doesn’t know what the hell it’s about, yet will now ask. What it is about matches the name, unfortunately, all to well. The despicable actions of Ho,Jo earned this name. This is a very good sign imo. The attack is on us folks. Keep up the fight and win. What will we be called when we win our security in liberty back? Will it even matter? Of course not.

T-

glad it was helpful — and yeah, ck are my initials, and are totally worthless for searches. I really should come up with something else for a handle . . .

maybe adding a dash? ck-?

It would seem that the Lamont vs. Lieberman contest is more than a primary. We are battling to get our party off its collective behinds and fight the powers that are ruining this country.

big money has bought off too many of our dems and outside people, funded without much corporate money with strings, want to make the party a fighter for our freedoms in D.C.

Lieberman is a symbol for us, and for D.C.dems of the inside vs. the outside. We have had a few of these already — Hackett, and others — that we have lost. Tester is getting D.C. support, but when there is a true insider against a primary opponent, the dcers get nervous.

Whether Lamont wins or loses, we are showing strength. And if Lamont loses, he should step up for the next election position. And keep going. That is what republicans do — they never say ‘whoops, lost, going lay down and rest’ — no they keep on until they win.

This is yet another test. We get stronger with every one.

Jenny ftB – “for NPR News, I’m Lakshmi Singh“

OldCoastie

Do you have a dog named Puppy? We had a dog that our daughter waited a long time before naming, so we started calling her “Puppy.” When daughter finally started coming up with names, the rest of the family members did not like any of them, so years later, she is still “Puppy.” I’m sure she would get confused if we called her anything else.

‘Shadow’ human rights report to accuse United States of violating international human rights treaties

A scathing report submitted to the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee and copied to RAW STORY by a coalition of 142 U.S. non-governmental organizations alleges serious human rights violations by the United States.

The report, which will be delivered to the UN Human Rights Committee July 10, alleges that the US violated the right to life and non-discrimination statutes of international human rights treaties to which the US is a signatory – citing evacuations based on income and property levels in New Orleans after Katrina, alleged abuse at California prisons and the incarceration of children in adult jails.

It also chides the US for capital punishment, which it says “allows for individuals to be sentenced to death, even if they did not kill, intend to kill, or even contemplate that another human being would die as a result of their actions.”

The “shadow report,” as non-governmental rebuttals to state presentations are called, was leaked to RAW STORY early Wednesday. Its authors believed the 456-page document is a blistering indictment of U.S. violations of the 1992 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

. . .

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2….._0706.html

. . . seems like that’s the response I get whenever I write any Senator that is not mine…

Seems we’ve all been getting that response even from Senators that are “ours.” That’s a big part of the problem and I think the point of this topic — if I understand “little dog” correctly.

punaise -

LOL ! “for NPR News, I’m Shmi-Shmi Singh… “

I called Boxer’s LA office; intern said that Boxer hasn’t made an official statement yet about supporting Liebot.
told her that to expect phone calls and emails;

Boxer’s LA office: 213-894-5000

Yoo & W: Co-Defy the Constitution.

hah! my first fdl pun!

Neurophius – no, her name is “Molly”, but when I can’t get her attention, I return to “Puppy” because, well… it works!

she’s also known as “Mouse” and “Mosquito” because she’s either scurrying or flitting about…

a busy little girl (who for some strange reason thinks the coffee table is a perfect place to sleep – very odd)

That reminds me. When I was a kid, we had a cat named “Kitty.” That worked, too.

Add the dash if you like, but it won’t completely remedy your situation.
Hyphenated phrases are a bit of a problem.

If you choose to add a dash, add a space after the dash when you search. You can eliminate most of the hyphen hits.

OT – back to back stories on CNNtv

1) Tom DeLay must stay on ballot. Repugs can’t replace him

2) Rick Santorum is in trouble. Story titled “Panic in PA”

“It is another thing to argue that because someone uses a course phrase you dislike that that justifies endorsing Lieberman’s appalling position on rape victims. Because some bloggers use a harsh name for Lieberman his position is now acceptable? That isn’t just illogical, it is a cop out. Rather than address the specifics of what Lieberman is on record as favoring (which is illegal, factually challenged, and repulsive), just cry foul about somebody’s unkind name for Lieberman.

If she want’s to make a claim that leftwing blog speech norms hurt the political process, then make that argument. Don’t imply that to get around talking about what Lieberman believes.”

It’s the disingenuous Inbred-pundit school of reactive reasoning;

“Generally, I agree with the progressive opinion, but because of the mean words some use to defend it, I now have an out to be pissy and against it–which is where I really was in the first place, but you’ll never know, because you used those mean, widdle words.”

In “To Kill A Mockingbird”, there were two lawyers–Atticus Finch for the defense, and Gilmer for the mendacious prosecution.

Reynolds and Althouse evidently empathize more with the slimy “Gilmer”.

Some Guy: I agree. The distinction we make between abortion and contraception doesn’t exist in a patriarchal society that values coitus as the life-giving act.

The claim Catholic Hospitals make about Plan B is the same one they make about “the pill”. They say it’s an abortifacia that prevents a fertilized egg from attaching (which from what I’ve read is what happens most of the time anyway!). So what they are really saying is that if god decides to not attach an egg to a uterus that’s well and good but if a woman intervenes (in the case of rape no less) to do the same, well that’s not merely something they’re squeamish or unsure about, they absolutely come down on the side of the mysterious (and they’re sure not at all arbitrary) decision-making-intervening-in-our-daily-lives-deity-dude.
So, my take is that Joe and those Catholic Hospitals are taking umbrage at the audacity of women who want to take the dice from god’s hand and say “I don’t wanna play”. If there ever were a point at which religious dogma shows itself to be idiocy then this must be it. I wrote a poem about a young man I knew in the Navy whose faith blocked out everything else in his life. Like to hear it, hear it go

A Lament for Krill

Sing bird your song
one taught you by your faith
frail heart and truncheon dogma
young spirit turned to wraith

Sing your special knowledge
gleaned from ancient page
a song of truth and freedom
composed within a cage

It’s crappy but I get to use the word truncheon!

Kevin Drum can’t find something he’s looking for:

. . . The Bush administration literally seems to have no foreign policy at all anymore. They have no serious plan for Iraq, no plan for Iran, no plan for North Korea, no plan for democracy promotion, no plan for anything. With the neocons on the outs, Condoleezza Rice at the State Department, and Dick Cheney continuing to drift into an alternate universe at the OVP, the Bush administration seems completely at sea. There’s virtually no ideological coherency to their foreign policy that I can discern, and no credible followup on what little coherency is left.

As near as I can tell, George Bush has learned that “There’s evil in the world and we’re going to stand up to it” isn’t really adequate as a foreign policy for a superpower but is unable to figure out anything better to replace it with. So he spins his wheels, waiting for 2009. Unfortunately, the rest of us are left spinning with him.

LowerManhattanite @ 165: Exactly. And so rather than make an argument either way, either for Lieberman or against a kind of speech in general, just confuse the two so one does not have to defend Joe’s “reasoning.” It comes down to a very pathetic form of position politcs where people just try to align themselves rather than address the issues in terms of public policy or morality. In the end, Althouse proves nothing and says nothing, she just implies Joe is OK and lefty blogs are not. How informative.

Jane’s update up there:

(Update II: I’ll also be live blogging the Lamont/Lieberman debate from the Lamont war room here at 7pm ET/4pm PT.)

OT: I went on my occasional mid-day walk over to the 7-Eleven and looked over the newspapers. The Moonie Times had a front-page article declaring that the NK missile launch provided a “test” of the missile defense system. I was flabbergasted enough that I had to read how they justified this.

The missile “was detected by a military Defense Support Program satellite within seconds of its engines igniting.”

Right. So our satellites were able to detect the launch of a missile whose exact location we knew, and which we were intensely monitoring, a feat we’ve been able to do for the past thirty years, at least. But now they’ve slapped a new name on it and delared it to be part of a “missile defense” system. (Or, does anyone know, did they actually waste the money to launch satellites specifically for that?)

Oh, and there’s also this gem:

the failure of the long-range Taepodong-2 seconds after launch prevented the Pentagon from responding with a U.S.-based interceptor, defense officials said yesterday.

Don’t you feel safer?

OT – Conservative wins official count by 0.6 percent; leftist vows legal challenge
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13716709/

TeddySanFran

Yoo & W: Co-Defy the Constitution.

hah! my first fdl pun!

there’s no turning back. welcome to the dark side. now you too can contibute to the silent cringing of the masses.

djinn: Well said. And what is so galling about the contemporary lack of real discussion about reproductive control is that prolife advocates get to take advantage of that purposeful confusion.

Is it me, or Althouse the female version of Lieberman? Utterly self-absorbed, convinced that they sit atop the pinnacle of moderate principle, and far more disturbed by rational skeptics of the left than reactionary freaks of the right. Plus, they’re completely complacent as they’re used as tools of conservatives, whether it’s Lieberman going along with anti-Democratic arguments, or Althouse disdaining feminism. This stops neither, of course, from piously lamenting that the people they claim to identify with should refrain from criticizing them, even as they (Lieberman/Althouse) attack the groups they claim to treat as they own (Democrats/feminists). “If you’re really for freedom and choice and tolerance,” they argue, “you have to defend my right to sandbag you, or you’re not being faithful to our shared beliefs!”

Lieberman & Althouse: Whiny-Ass Titty-Babies in a pod.

(and how she and Glenn Reynolds became law professors I’ll never understand)

Grandma J @ 153 -

Yes, EXACTLY!

Well said…

Damn, for all my obsession I’ll miss the debate and live-blogging tonight. Ain’t that sumthin?

I’ll be up till the wee hours reading for sure.

P.S. to me at 174: The irony is that prolife rhetoric today pretends to be so crystal clear, so simple, and yet it trades on a number of (I would argue) intentional confusions. Peole think by endorsing prolife politics they are agreeing to something simple and clear. They are not.

ck, to add to T-’s advice –
If you choose to add a dash, add a space after the dash when you search. You can eliminate most of the hyphen hits.

If you add dashes before and after, it should distinguish it from any pieces of words.

Lamont’s website has a nice page with resources for the upcoming debate. It might be worth checking out:

http://nedlamont.com/blog/504/debate-headquarters

**I called Boxer’s SD office early this morning and asked the lady who answered if she could tell me the Senator’s rationale for deciding to campaign for Joe Lieberman, a man who is clearly hurting the Democratic party. She responded that she “was not privy to the workings of the Senator’s thought processes.” She said they were only to keep track of constiuent’s comments. I said to put me down as AGAINST the idea. Then I added “strongly.” She thanked me for my interest, and that was it. I do believe she’s gonna be rethinking this.

I truly believe we can turn this around.

punaise at 66–

Thanks for including me in your letter :D

ya know, it strikes me that Boxer may NOT have agreed to support Loserman… he may have been under that impression for some reason…maybe she said supportive things at lunch or something…

the AP report only quotes Holy Joe – it really doesn’t look like anybody at the paper actually CALLED Boxer’s office to confirm…

makes you wonder

Some Guy at 174:
djinn: Well said. And what is so galling about the contemporary lack of real discussion about reproductive control is that prolife advocates get to take advantage of that purposeful confusion.

It’s a general right-wing tactic, seen with global warming, creationism, and more. “You have to prove absolutely beyond a doubt that your position is correct, and if you don’t, then mine is automatically correct. Oh, and I’m allowed to lie and ignore evidence.”

like that?

OldCoastie — yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Or she told him she’d support him (perhaps no more recently than YearlyKos timeframe) and his campaign either deliberately or by someone’s honest mistake decided that meant she’d campaign for him.

I sent an e-mail to Boxer’s PAC for Change this morning, a basic “Shame on you” message for her support of Lieberman. Outlined briefly why she ought not to back him, as well as noting that I won’t sent money to her PAC or any other Democratic organization specifically because these groups give money to folks like Lieberman, Biden and other nonprogressives.

I don’t expect a response. But I hope that, if she gets enough bad vibes, she’ll change her mind about coming to Connecticut to stump for him. Glad to hear rumors that she’s wobblingk.

I would love to see support for Lieberman evaporate. I have disliked the guy since Gore brought him into the limelight lo those many years ago. Glad to see him getting what he deserves.

He’s a punk.

-ck- — Yep, that does the trick nicely.

This has been bugging me all day.

Did I hear correctly that Lieberman’s spokeswoman said
- – with regard to Lamont’s fund-cappying challenge – - that “We know that Mr. Lamont doesn’t do what he says he’ll do,” or words to that effect?

WTF?

That’s a crappy thing to say.

Redshift, I’ll fix that:

the failure of the long-range Taepodong-2 seconds after launch prevented spared the Pentagon from responding having to attempt a response with a U.S.-based interceptor, defense officials said yesterday.

Reading Fred Kaplan’s articles about the shield on Slate over the last few years has been scary and enlightening.

seems to me Joe is slippery enough and perhaps out of touch enough, that he might “misinterpret” something she said… somehow I imagine her trying to be soothing and he took that as support… (I do think they may be friends)

and Redshift – you are right – you don’t know what the timeframe was…. ‘prolly it was prior to his announcement that he might run as an independent – which has to have most everyone on edge.

Just phoned in my preference to Sen Boxer’s office here in L.A.

How ’bout *^ck
:-)

“We know that Mr. Lamont doesn’t do what he says he’ll do,” or words to that effect?

WTF?

That’s a crappy thing to say.

A very Rovian thing to say.

Isn’t a big part of Lieberman’s persona that he is a really good guy who gets along with everybody?

Seems to me the way he’s already going negative on Ned would hurt Lieberman more than it would the average pol.

CT people, am I right about his image?

OT: Apparently, reading Ann Coulter is bad for your health. At least, that appears to be true if you have a brain. TPM Muckraker’s Justin Rood interviews the guy who discovered Ann Coulter’s plagarizing:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001061.php

Thank you Bribes for your clarifications about how Plan B works, the push back against the anti-choicer’s distortion of language is so necessary.

Just called both offices and emailed. Staffers were friendly.

I hope she does the right thing, I really do.

-chris

Interesting bullshit about GW Clusterfuck’s expensive missle defense system- THAT DOESN’T WORK.

If they had really wanted to shoot down the Korean Missle- I suspect that they would have had to launch the CLUSTERFUCK as soon as the Korean missle ignited. That they didn’t just shows that the whole thing was bullshit.

Like this:
-ck-

your keystrokes will be:
ctrl F (to open the search window) then
spacebar-ck-spacebar
then click “find next” to execute the search

now back to your regularly scheduled programming

Hopefully Lamont will beat the pants off Lieberman tonight and expose Joe for the phony Democrat he is. But I really hope to find out Lamont’s views on foreign policy. I think I pretty much know where he stands on the domestic issues, and agree with him. I’d like to have an understanding on how Ned would treat the Mideast situation and global warming. I understand where Senator Lieberman stands on these two crucial issues, and completely disagree with his approach. It seems to me that if we continue along the same path in the Middle East, Afghanistan, North Korea and other foreign policy areas like global warming, we will be doomed. And then it won’t matter what anyone thinks about domestic policy or how we vote. Because there won’t be any “domestic” here to care about.

Dover Bitch @ 1:46 pm (#190) – One critic once described Star Wars as “trying to intercept a bullet with a bullet”. While it’s a simplification, it does get across what a big challenge this is technically. In all likelihood, the thing would never be effective enough to justify the costs.

Ctrl Althouse Del

How many fingers do I have up, Ann?

djinn #125

Thanks for the link. The money quote is:

“In conclusion, emergency contraception with 10 mg of mifpristone as a single dose or 1.5 mg of levonorgestrel [Plan B] acts mainly to inhibit or delay ovulation but does not prevent fertilization or implantation.”

From: Mechanisms of action of mifepristone and levonorgestrel when used for emergency contraception

K. Gemzell-Danielsson and L. Marions (2004)

http://humupd.oxfordjournals.o…..l/10/4/341

rwcole @ 1:54 pm (#199) – If it worked similarly to way the Patriot missiles work, then they would have launched about the time the missile reached the height of its trajectory, or slightly before. The T2 missile (I’m not looking that name up again) was a much longer range missile than was needed to strike Japan, so they had some time. The next target probably would have been either Taiwan or the U.S. I can’t think of anything else worth hitting that’s across the ocean from Korea and is in range of that missile.

Some Guy @ 178: You know, I can understand the attraction of simple, clear and forceful ideas. I think the Democrats could use some.

But you have to think through the ramifications of those ideas. Being prolife is not necessarily being prochild; IMO that’s the soft underbelly of the movement.

a D&C is also quite painful and takes several days to a few weeks to get over the cramping and bleeding.

What an enormous failure this administration is in every way. Richard Haass is talking about it now on msnbc. It just burns me up– they have screwed up everything they have touched and neglected so many other things.

hate ‘em.

meanwhile, 20 Palestinians and 1 Israeli dead today that we know about.

new thread

Here is mine:

Dear Senator Boxer,

I am writing in order to express my profound disappointment with your decision to campaign for Senator Lieberman in Connecticut. Senator Boxer, I have looked to you as a hero, a role model for women. That is why I am utterly confused by your choice to spend time supporting a man who does not care about women, rape victims in particular.

“Joe Lieberman supports the approach of the Catholic hospitals when it comes to contraceptives for rape victims (as reported in The New Haven Register, by Gregory B. Hladky on 03/13/2006. Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for ‘principled reasons’ shouldn’t be forced to do so.

‘In Connecticut, it shouldn’t take more than a short ride to get to another hospital,’ he said.”

A short ride. For a woman who has just been attacked.

I cannot even begin to understand how a person could be so insensitive.

Additionally, I must say that I was shocked on Monday to hear that Senator Lieberman is planning on collecting signatures in order to run as an Independent should he lose the primary next month. Why is Senator Lieberman so desperate to stay in power when he obviously has so little regard for our American political system? I find his actions a dishonor to the Democratic Party.

Please Senator Boxer, I beg you to reconsider your plans.

Just got a chance to read some FDL and have to tell little dog @ 36 that your comment is a great one! I’m so thankful that there is a Fitzgerald and a Lamont as a light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

Here’s my email to Barbara Boxer, my Senator, sent yesterday after talking to her SF office. Now that I know, I’ll send it as a FAX too.

Dear Senator Boxer,

I have just learned that you plan to travel to Connecticut to campaign for Joe Lieberman even though Mr. Lieberman refuses to pledge his support for the Democratic nominee chosen by Connecticut Democrats in their August primary.

Please seriously reconsider your decision to interfere with another state’s primary election, especially to support someone who holds views that are not the views of most Connecticut Democrats, especially women.

Mr. Lieberman’s time as a Senator is over. He is out of touch and he does not represent the values that are important to Democrats in Connecticut or to Democrats in the rest of our injured country. His view that the occupation of Iraq should continue indefinitely is wrong. His cloture vote for Alito was wrong. He is totally wrong to say that a raped woman should get up and go to another hospital if the hospital she first goes to refuses to give her emergency contraception. He has lost touch with reality when he says that any person who opposes his nomination is filled with hate. He undermines the entire Democratic party when he decides he will not abide by the decision of the Democratic voters in the state he supposedly represents. What is the purpose of a primary if the results are ignored by the loser? I could go on…

Connecticut voters are discovering every day that Ned Lamont is a terrific and genuine Democratic candidate who speaks out for their values and beliefs in a clear and truthful voice. Every person I know in Connecticut is going to vote for Ned Lamont and I believe he will win the Democratic nomination in a landslide. Ned Lamont has the support of CT Planned Parenthood, CT NARAL, CT Choice, and all the Connecticut women I know. And, Ned Lamont can win in the general election if his candidancy is not undermined by a selfish loser.

Please watch the Lamont-Lieberman debate on July 6 at 7pm EST, to be broadcast on C-Span, to see and hear Mr. Lamont before you jeapordize your good reputation in Connecticut.

Sincerely,

Hugh @ 1:56 pm (#204) – The Plan B information page Jane cited seems to say the opposite:

How does Plan B work (mechanism of action)?

Plan B is believed to act as an emergency contraceptive principally by preventing ovulation or fertilization (by altering tubal transport of sperm and/or ova). In addition, it may inhibit implantation by altering the endometrium. Plan B is not effective if a woman is pregnant. Plan B is a contraceptive and cannot terminate an established pregnancy.

Now, the bit about implantation’s a bit iffy, but it sounds like they’re saying it will prevent fertilization.

Jenny O at 207

A D&C should not cause cramping and bleeding for “several weeks.” Something is wrong if that happens, possibly an incomplete procedure or damage to the underlying tissue.

few weeks

just talked to Sen. Boxer’s SF office … they’ve received lots of calls, but were not commenting her position.

per the SF Chronicle, Boxer is even unwilling to say she’ll support the primary winner.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/…..1#readmore

calling an insensitive dork “rape Gurney Joe” is so ugly, but telling rape victims to FOAD because adequate treatment might upset the nuns and the republicans is the epitome of non-partisan civility, right, Ann?

Re: Plan B does not prevent fertilization or implantation; Plan B prevents ovulation

I apologize for not getting back to you, Hugh. Work called me away. By the time I came back, the thread had exploded. Luckily, djinn, Some Guy, TritoneSub, RedShift, and you yourself have picked up my slack, and in all honesty, you guys did a better job than I could have. I am humbled by the thoroughness of the response.

“Rape Guerney Joe” is very descriptive and accurate. I’m not offended at all. Maybe that’s because I tend to be more partisan than Ms Altmouse

by all means, we must use the power of the state to force catholic hospitals to perform “emergency contraceptions.”

Who cares what they believe? How dare they disagree!

This is probably a huge mistake for me, but I wish you would engage Ms Althouse and not savage her. Maybe voters in CT agree with you but many elsewhere do not. Flame away, but I don’t understand why you consider your moral feeling of choice should trump a couple of facilities and staff that feel their morals, under the oath, maybe they take “do no harm” as incompatable with this. Pass a law making them pledge to put up or shut up or at least warn them before time that the state’s policy overrides their ideas of morals. Don’t instantly demand they betray what they beleived the commited to with out warning. As I said feel free to flame away after all I am obviously a wingnut rethuglican or something.

I would engage her on her own website, but I need a blogger account.

Why did I post this? I know it’ll just be censored.

The ghost of Joe McCarthy is well and alive in the American right!

Cujo359 (#202):

I always hear that “intercept a bullet with a bullet” comparison when people want to argue that Star Wars can never work. It seems to me, though, that we already build particle accelerators to make atoms hit atoms — why are bullets such an insurmountable challenge?

poster at 222 is aptly named.

[Moderator: look at that comment now]

Could you possibly have missed the point of Ann Althouse’s post more completely? Speaking of having trouble with your reading skills . . .

1) There is no evidence that Plan B prevents fertilization or implantation.

Briefly, looking at ECPs’ effect on:

*Ovulation (release of mature egg from the ovary)

- inhibit or delay [established, main mechanism of action]

*Fertilization (union of egg and sperm)

- no direct evidence for prevention [effect cannot be ruled out]

*Gamete Transport

- no evidence of impaired transport in humans

*Effects on the Function of the Corpus Luteum

- all pills disrupt this phase, however it is not known whether such changes are incompatible with pregnancy. [Better evidence for mifepristone vs. the other types of ECPs.]

*Implantation (burrowing of a fertilized egg into uterus)

- …although the postovulatory administration of estrogen or levonorgestrel inhibits implantation in some animals, evidence of similar effects in women has been difficult to obtain. Minor changes in the histologic and biochemical features of the endometrium occur when high-dose estrogen, the estrogen/progestin combination, or danazol is administered after ovulation, but the effects may not be sufficient to inhibit implantation. In a recent morphometric study, postovulatory administration of estrogen plus progestin had only minor effects on the endometrium, and danazol had no effect.

- Mifepristone administered immediately after ovulation delays endometrial maturation

Bottom line:

…the proven mechanisms of action [of the hormones found in ECPs] consist of inhibiting or delaying ovulation.

2) Performing a D&C is NOT the standard of care in cases of rape.

3) Surely, a willingness to accommodate the religious scruples of Catholic hospitals is not something that outrages ordinary people, even ordinary abortion rights supporters.

In medicine, the standard of care is not based on the willingness to accommodate the religious scruples. So, when a hospital (any hospital) does not provide proper care to its patients, ordinary people should indeed be outraged.

From the PlanB website itself:

http://www.go2planb.com/ForCon…..Works.aspx

Plan B works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). It is important to know that Plan B will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus; it will not affect an existing pregnancy.

From its Pharmacalogy Datasheet:
Plan B works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). It is important to know that Plan B will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus; it will not affect an existing pregnancy.

So you guys saying that ‘it does not prevent implant’ might need to take a step back, and the people saying ‘it does prevent implant’ need to take a step back also. It’s not totally understood how the product works, like many drugs on the market these days.