Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Letter to Senator Grassley
On your web page, you have a series of articles about President Bush's tax cuts: http://www.grassleyworks.com/grassley/wrapper.jsp?PID=4090-69&CID=4090-100604A
One of the articles quotes Mike Hintz, an Iowa resident and Assembly of God youth pastor, who connected the tax cuts with superior family values.
Sadly, Mr. Hintz was just caught having a sexual affair with a 17 year old child who was a member of his church youth group. Some family values!
I could make the usual rational arguments about how the tax cuts are abusing our children by making them carry the burden of our hazardous spending, but apparently all you people understand or think about is sex.
Sincerely...
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One of the articles quotes Mike Hintz, an Iowa resident and Assembly of God youth pastor, who connected the tax cuts with superior family values.
Sadly, Mr. Hintz was just caught having a sexual affair with a 17 year old child who was a member of his church youth group. Some family values!
I could make the usual rational arguments about how the tax cuts are abusing our children by making them carry the burden of our hazardous spending, but apparently all you people understand or think about is sex.
Sincerely...
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Letter to Tom Harkin
I am writing to ask you to ensure that Condoleeza Rice answers for her record as she goes to confirmation hearings to become U.S. Secretary of State. I watched her public testimony during the 9/11 commission hearings, and was appalled at how she clearly did not respect the seriousness of the situation. Within the strangely limited format of the commission hearings, her main purpose appeared to be to "run out the clock" rather than assist the commission in learning how we could improve our system in the face of large scale terrorist attacks.
I do not think the Democrats should use their precious political capital to filibuster. Rather, the confirmation hearings would be a chance for the nation to learn about the depths of the consequences we have suffered directly due to Ms. Rice's incompetence especially when it comes to diplomacy, and that we can expect little from her as Secretary of State. Indeed, we ought to be prepared for the damage that she is likely to do to our standing in the world.
I am counting on you to help us salvage something of ourselves as a country by bringing the truth to light given any opportunity.
Sincerely...
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I do not think the Democrats should use their precious political capital to filibuster. Rather, the confirmation hearings would be a chance for the nation to learn about the depths of the consequences we have suffered directly due to Ms. Rice's incompetence especially when it comes to diplomacy, and that we can expect little from her as Secretary of State. Indeed, we ought to be prepared for the damage that she is likely to do to our standing in the world.
I am counting on you to help us salvage something of ourselves as a country by bringing the truth to light given any opportunity.
Sincerely...
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Abortion brought me back
I'm all for reducing the need for abortion in this country, but that would require the states to provide reasonably accurate and informative sex education, easy access to birth control, and support for mothers in the form of good prenatal care, child care, and jobs that pay a living wage. The right won't consider any of these, except under duress.
I didn't really understand what it was like to have other people think they own your body until I was pregnant. People noticed what I did and sometimes felt free to comment on my actions. My first doctor continually nagged me as if I were a child. I don't think the rights of women to privacy and control over their own bodies is a compelling argument to the religious right, or as I call them, assholes who happen to be christian.
I think the assholes who happen to be christian want to control women's bodies. I think it bugs them that women can make decisions about their bodies without men involved at all. If we outlaw abortion, I think it will begin the inexorable march toward more sanctions against pregnant women for all kinds of actions that might or might not be harmful to a fetus: drinking coffee or a glass of wine, exercising too much or too little, eating too much or too little. As I mentioned above, people already feel ownership.
Women, we need to get it together. Other women came before you, fought and died for the rights you take for granted. It's only normal to feel emotional when making the most important decisions in your life, whether or not to reproduce; how, when, and with whom. I, for one, have always felt utter joy to be able to make the choice, knowing that it has not always been the case. Our mothers and grandmothers were enslaved and we are free! Reproductive choice truly is the most important issue in our lives and we must stand up to the assholes who want us as their handmaids.
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I didn't really understand what it was like to have other people think they own your body until I was pregnant. People noticed what I did and sometimes felt free to comment on my actions. My first doctor continually nagged me as if I were a child. I don't think the rights of women to privacy and control over their own bodies is a compelling argument to the religious right, or as I call them, assholes who happen to be christian.
I think the assholes who happen to be christian want to control women's bodies. I think it bugs them that women can make decisions about their bodies without men involved at all. If we outlaw abortion, I think it will begin the inexorable march toward more sanctions against pregnant women for all kinds of actions that might or might not be harmful to a fetus: drinking coffee or a glass of wine, exercising too much or too little, eating too much or too little. As I mentioned above, people already feel ownership.
Women, we need to get it together. Other women came before you, fought and died for the rights you take for granted. It's only normal to feel emotional when making the most important decisions in your life, whether or not to reproduce; how, when, and with whom. I, for one, have always felt utter joy to be able to make the choice, knowing that it has not always been the case. Our mothers and grandmothers were enslaved and we are free! Reproductive choice truly is the most important issue in our lives and we must stand up to the assholes who want us as their handmaids.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Tomato Observer for President!
As many know, the Crawford, TX Lone Star Iconoclast endorsed John Kerry. As a result, they received a lot of interesting mail, including this gem:
I'm flattered, but I'm really too busy getting out the vote for John Kerry this year to run for president!
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I believe the Democrats would nominate and vote for a vine ripened
tomato as long as that tomato was "a good socialist". That's right, a
tomato. All the (democrat) "talking heads" on television would tell us
"their tomato" would raise taxes on the evil rich, and be "fair" and "for
the children". Their tomato is pro-abortion, pro-queer, pro-black, and
environmentally friendly. And that their tomato would be "strong" on defense
by "working with our allies" and the UN. Their tomato is for "FREE"
education, health care, welfare, childcare, and medicine for the
"unfortunate illegal aliens" who just want a better life picking "our
tomatoes". And that Republicans are anti-tomato, and would ruin the air and
water as to "destroy" and discriminate against "all tomatoes" by "drilling
for Oil in the tomato patch". And that Republicans "have a plan" to keep
tomatoes from voting at the polls by chopping them up and putting them "in a
salad"!
JW
Bellmead, Tx. 76705
I'm flattered, but I'm really too busy getting out the vote for John Kerry this year to run for president!
Saturday, September 25, 2004
A few notes about pandemonium
It's been quite a while since I had time to post. I've been doing good things, registering students to vote, trying to slip in a few words about being a good citizen into my class discussions, trying to give my own kids a good life while they can get it.
Today I read a really paranoid posting at Atrios, but didn't find it so off the wall anymore. The person was calling people to be prepared for a terrorist attack here, which would spur panic and conflict. And it seemed true.
I guess the administration decided it wouldn't be such a good idea to announce National Preparedness Month, but the local Walmart quietly has a few "readiness" kits for sale. Cheap orange backpack with freezedried food. Doesn't look like anything that will get me through the apocalypse.
A couple of months ago, my husband and I decided to move to Seattle, to get away from the backward social conservatism in Iowa. He's going on ahead in a few weeks, and I'm following at the end of the semester. The kids are going sometime in the middle there. I'm going to wait until after the election to bring them out because I'm afraid no matter what the result, there will be violence. Iowa may be boring and provincial, but it's probably just a little safer.
Anyway, my posts from now on are likely to be rather disconnected wanderings. Maybe sometimes I throw in whatever I'm working on in the "real" world.
Like my letter to CBS this AM:
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Today I read a really paranoid posting at Atrios, but didn't find it so off the wall anymore. The person was calling people to be prepared for a terrorist attack here, which would spur panic and conflict. And it seemed true.
I guess the administration decided it wouldn't be such a good idea to announce National Preparedness Month, but the local Walmart quietly has a few "readiness" kits for sale. Cheap orange backpack with freezedried food. Doesn't look like anything that will get me through the apocalypse.
A couple of months ago, my husband and I decided to move to Seattle, to get away from the backward social conservatism in Iowa. He's going on ahead in a few weeks, and I'm following at the end of the semester. The kids are going sometime in the middle there. I'm going to wait until after the election to bring them out because I'm afraid no matter what the result, there will be violence. Iowa may be boring and provincial, but it's probably just a little safer.
Anyway, my posts from now on are likely to be rather disconnected wanderings. Maybe sometimes I throw in whatever I'm working on in the "real" world.
Like my letter to CBS this AM:
I was shocked to read in the NY Times that you are now planning not to cover the forged documents that led us into war, before the election. Undoubtedly, 60 minutes may not be the most credible source when it comes to forged documents, but the public has a right to know what's going on with something as important as a President's decisions about war in a timely fashion. If you can't run the segment, let someone else have the story. Be a good citizen!
Sincerely...
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Letter to the Des Moines Register
In his column, David Yepsen mentions the Time poll as another piece of evidence that President Bush received a huge bounce from the RNC. However, there are several problems with this claim. First, it is too early to tell what kind of bounce President Bush received; that is, just how big it is and whether it is long lasting. Second, the Time poll has very different results from all the other polls taken during this time frame, which all show Bush with a meager bounce at this point. Most experts in either party know there is a very small group of undecided voters and a poll showing that kind of bounce is highly suspect. But the most important problem with the Time poll is its methodology. It was conducted during the convention, which stands in contrast to the Time Poll taken 5-7 days after the DNC. Also, in contrast to other polls and to the Time Poll conducted after the DNC, this survey "pushed" undecided voters to choose a candidate.
This all may seem like a nitpick, but considering how bizarrely mainstream media behaved toward Al Gore during the 2000 presidential election, I feel it necessary to hold your feet to the fire this time around.
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This all may seem like a nitpick, but considering how bizarrely mainstream media behaved toward Al Gore during the 2000 presidential election, I feel it necessary to hold your feet to the fire this time around.
Friday, September 03, 2004
Yesterday, I registered about 15 people
I invited someone from the New Voters Project to my class to help new graduate students register, and most of them registered! YAY!
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