First, the icky bits:

57% of my fellow Virginians voted yes on the proposed amendment regarding same sex marriage. The mind boggles.

In my district (that’d be 10 if you are keeping track), Congressman Frank Wolf (R) maintained his seat. Sorry, Judy. I was rooting for you.

On the edge of my seat:

At this time, with 99.88% of all precincts reporting, Jim Webb (D) is leading the race for Senate by a margin of less than 1%. My fingers and toes are crossed, and along with the rest of the nation, I’m anxiously awaiting the final tally. If the final tally is less than 1%, expect a recount.

In Montana, the Democratic challenger, Jon Tester, is also leading by less than 1%. If the final tally shows a lead of less than half a percent, expect a recount there as well.

Control of the Senate rests entirely with these two races. There are three possible outcomes here, and you know which one I’m on my knees begging the Good Mother for.

And the news that has several of us dancing in the hallways this morning?

For the first time in over a decade, the Democrats took the House. Oh fuck y’all, don’t blow it. Don’t make me come over there!

For the first time ever, the Speaker of the House will be a woman.

Oh, and South Dakota? I think I love you. You rejected one of the most foul pieces of legislation I have ever seen.

And, oh my gawd, could it get any sweeter? Rumsfeld is stepping down.

I can’t stop grinning!

I used to be a news junkie. I would turn on CNN and keep it on non-stop. I’d check all of my news feeds before turning in for the night. For the last six months or so, I’ve had to back away from the constant onslaught of news because it was hurting my soul. I no longer check the news in the evening, but I dutifully check every morning and get caught up on world events.

Have you read the news today, boys and girls?
BBC: US Senate backs terror trial bill
CNN: Senate OKs bill for detainee trials, interrogations
WaPo: Senate Approves Detainee Bill Backed by Bush

Need help in understanding what just fucking happened?
WaPo: Many Rights in U.S. Legal System Absent in New Bill
Glenn Greenwald: The legalization of torture and permanent detention
Cobert Report: The Word: Opposition Party

I have nothing left to say.

Because I need a distraction from my life, I give to you your government in action. Fear this boys and girls.

Read the rest of this entry »

From WaPo: The Food and Drug Administration approved an application today making the long-debated emergency contraceptive Plan B, commonly known as the “morning-after pill”, available without a prescription to women 18 and older.

About damn time. Thank you for recognizing we know what’s best for ourselves. Pharmacists nationwide have begun refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control, citing religious reasons. Of course, these same pharmacists probably don’t have a problem filling a Viagra prescription. Because, you know, 50 year old men getting it on is God’s will. Preventing pregnancy is not. Of course, neither is shutting the fuck up and paying your taxes to support the babies that you wouldn’t allow someone to prevent, but I digress.

This is a serious victory for women, even if it’s a limited one. Plan B is only available OTC to women 18 and over. Younger women will require a prescription still.

One day, in my dream world, future generations will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about. But for now, expect to see protests at your local pharmacy from the freaks who think all women should be barefoot and pregnant. Hrmmm, wonder if they read Forbes.

*sigh* I kept hoping this would all be a bad dream, and I’d wake up and it would all be over. Alas, that is not to be.

Today, Dear Leader urged Congress to pass the FMA.

If you haven’t already done so, please take the time to send a letter to your senator voicing your objection to this action. We cannot allow a constitutional amendment that treats our brothers and sisters as second-class citizens.

On the 33rd anniversery of Roe V. Wade, G.W. Bush proclaimed the day as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. The question isn’t whether or not human life is sacred or holy, but whose life is sacred or holy.

At last count, over 2200 US citizens have died in Iraq. This does not even begin to address the Iraqi victims. The actual number is unknown, and often in dispute, but even Dear Leader states it is in the tens of thousands.

In New Orleans, people are still awaiting the much promised FEMA trailers. The death toll is now over 1,300.

According to the National Poverty Center, over 13 million children lived in poverty in 2004. 13,000,000 sacred, holy lives. Living in poverty. Meantime, state goverments cut welfare and the federal government pushes for permanent tax cuts.

Since 1976, the United States has excecuted over 1000 human beings. Oddly enough, it would seem that the biggest supporter of the death penalty is often “pro-life.” Interesting, yes?

So back to the original question… whose life is sacred? Whose life is holy?

November 11, 1918… The Germans signed the Armistice and thus began the cease fire of the first World War. The following year, Woodrow Wilson issued an Armistice Day proclamation.

… “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nation.”

In 1938, Congress passed a bill stating that each November 11 Armistice Day would be celebrated. Eventually this morphed into Veteran’s Day, a name change being made official in 1958. No longer a day just to celebrate the truce of WWI, but a day to honor all American veterans.

To those who have served, thank you.

To those still far from home, you are not far from our hearts and thoughts and we pray for your safe return.

I have remained, on this blog at least, silent over the absolute asinine way our government has handled the Katrina debacle. I have ranted and raved elsewhere, keeping my little blog clean of the profanities that have streamed out of my mouth.

Quite frankly, I was quiet because I am lazy. *hangs head in shame*

I am not going to rehash it here; if you know me, you know how I feel. It was a complete clusterfuck and I’m ashamed of my government. We’ll just leave it at that.

However, while we were all staring at our television in horror, crying and ranting in fury and shame, the FDA pulled a quiet little stunt so mind boggling that I’m still trying to figure out the why of it.

On August 31, Susan Wood resigned her post as the Director of the Office of Women’s Health. She cites the continuing limiting of access to “Plan B” as her reason. Who can blame her? The FDA continues to dink around with this, giving no clear cut reason to deny the access of an emergency method of birth control as an over-the-counter product. And just so you aren’t confused, this drug is NOT the same as RU-486. It is not “abortion in a bottle”, it is an emergency contraceptive. And it is completely ignorant to not have it available OTC. Period.

Getting back on track… I’m so tweaked out that I’m close to ranting…

As mentioned, Dr. Wood resigns. And we all sigh and say, “Who can blame her?” And then, proving once again that our government is completely out of touch with reality, on September 16 FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford appoints a new Acting Director. One Dr. Norris Alderson, the agency’s associate commissioner for science, who has spent much of his career in FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. Yes, that’s right, animal husbandry. We women are, after all, just cattle.

*stream of profanities too obscene for public consumption*

Picked up quickly by women’s organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the FDA backpedals and sends out a different press release. So who’s in charge? Theresa Toigo has been named acting director, and the FDA claims they never announced anyone other than that.

WTF? How about this Google cache? Mmmm… love me some technology!

I’m not sure what frustrates me more, that it happened in the first place, that they lied about it, that there was so little reported in the mainstream media, or that I am so far behind the times that I didn’t hear about it when it happened. I’m still so pissed off that I’m seeing red.

Fucktards.