Sarah Palin's Final Solution For Witches

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing click to enlarge I think Sarah Palin's stance on feminism hearkens back to the Dark Ages. After watching way too many of her pastor's video tapes, and those that Palin appeared in herself, it is a theology that maintains female subservience to a male. In this case, it is "Jesus." All actions and ideas must be seen though the lens Christian Evangelical Fundamentalism where straying from the path and making decisions on your own without the benefit of celestial guidance, is frowned upon at best, Malleus Maleficarum at worst. It seems that the culture she lives in has no room for the philosophy of a "managed uterus." If you get pregnant, tough shit, you carry the child of your lover. If you are raped, tough shit, you will carry the child of your rapist. As a special little gift to those rape victims, under Palin, the victim is charged for the forensics rape evidence collection kit and we can't even get her to give an opinion on emergency contraception. Which brings us to witches. Throughout history, when women have exerted their power and influence, the male dominated society beat them down, tortured them, burned them alive and last but not least, outright murder. Being a witch, and by expansion here I include Wicca or any form of Goddess worship, it is the biggest slap in the face to Christian Fundamentalism, truly going against God. The women, and like-minded men, who believe in equality for women are an enemy that must be dealt with - a group where murder in the middle of the night by mobs of thugs is preferable. A quick Google Search for Witchcraft and Africa yielded a story today of Eleven dead in Congo football riot after use of 'witchcraft.' But this is not news, we have known for a long time that Palin and her ilk are hypocrites.

McCain: Only As Strong As His Weakest Lobbyist

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing click to enlargeJohn McCain showed his true strips (again) last week when he came out against the G.I. Bill on the eve of Memorial Day Weekend. He has a history of ignoring the needs of the military even though he was a prisoner of war. One would think he would have a firm grasp of the needs of the military but as my friend, Christine Hall, pointed out, "John McCain can easily be talked out of anything." That had to be the best description of John McCain I have ever heard. The SEIU published a research report exploring John McCain's health care record, policies and campaign plans. From AAP: As the research shows, McCain’s latest ideas for health care would actually make obtaining coverage more difficult for the average working family and cause health care costs to go up for millions of hardworking Americans. Deborah Roberson, a child care worker in Erie, PA, has diabetes and is currently uninsured. Under the McCain plan, she would not be guaranteed coverage because she has a pre-existing condition. Her net pay last year was $14,300 and her out of pocket health care costs were $3,000 – over 20 percent of her income. “I live in fear of getting sick,” said Roberson. “I have to stretch my medication. Sometimes I take one diabetes pill instead of the two my doctor prescribed. God forbid I should have to go to the hospital. I need health insurance so that I can stay healthy and take care of myself, my family and these kids. John McCain has no plan to ensure that people like me get the care we need.” Good grief! How in the world can John McCain believe a health care plan that maintains the idiotic pre-existing condition position? It is easy, he was talked out of it. If you are a woman, it gets worse. From HuffPo, Since 1983, in votes in the House and the Senate (where he has served since 1987), McCain has cast 130 votes on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues. 125 of those votes were anti-choice. Among his voting lowlights: He has repeatedly voted to deny low-income women access to abortion care except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life (although McCain is now wavering on trying to put these exceptions into the party platform). He voted to shut down the Title X family-planning program, which provides millions of women with health care services ranging from birth control to breast cancer screenings. He voted against legislation that established criminal and civil penalties for those who use threats and violence to keep women from gaining access to reproductive health clinics. He voted to uphold the policy that bans overseas health clinics from receiving aid from America if they use their own funds to provide legal abortion services or even adopt a pro-choice position. Of his anti-choice voting record, McCain has said, "I have many, many votes and it's been consistent," proudly adding: "And I've got a consistent zero from NARAL" through the years. And last month he told Chris Matthews: "The rights of the unborn is one of my most important values." What's more, McCain has made it very clear that if he becomes president he will appoint judges in the Scalia, Roberts, Alito mold. His big judicial speech earlier this month was filled with coded buzz words that make it clear that, if given the chance, he'd replace 88-year-old Justice John Paul Stevens with an anti-choice Justice who would tip the scales against Roe v Wade. Throw in an additional anti-choice replacement for the 75-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and you can kiss the right to choose good-bye for a long, long time. Why John McCain is so interested in my wife's uterus is beyond me. McCain's problems are deeper than that of course. These are probably not McCain's beliefs, they are the beliefs of his lobbyists and special interest pals. John McCain is nothing more blank sheet of paper where the highest bidder gets to write down their commands for McCain to follow. He has been following orders for years and can't get enough when he figured out there was real money in it. John McCain cannot seem to think for himself. He has to look to one of his moneyed superiors to tell him what to do. When he takes his 3AM phone call, a lobbyist will probably answer for him what to do based on THEIR interests, not the interests of the American people and not what is in the best interest of the United States of America. Simply put, John McCain is only as strong as his weakest lobbyist. SPECIAL REQUEST FOR TCD FANS: The San Francisco Chronicle is pondering the addition of new cartoons for their paper - a process that seems to be initiated by Darren Bell, creator of Candorville (one of my daily reads - highly recommended). You can read the Chronicle article here and please add your thoughts to the comments if you wish. If anything, put in a good word for Darren and Candorville. I am submitting Town Called Dobson to the paper for their consideration. They seem to have given great weight to receiving 200 messages considering Candorville. I am asking TCD fans to try to surpass that amount. (I get more than that many hate mails a day, surely fans can do better?) This is not a race between Darren and I, it is a hope that more progressive strips can be represented in the printed press of America. So if you read the San Francisco Chronicle or live in the Bay Area (Google Analytics tell me there are a lot of you), please send your kind comments (or naked, straining outrage) to David Wiegand at his published addresses below. If you are a subscriber, cut out your mailing label and staple it to a TCD strip and include it in your letter. candorcomment@sfchronicle.com or David Wiegand Executive Datebook Editor The San Francisco Chronicle 901 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94103

Laws

SATAN, n. One of the Creator's lamentable mistakes, repented in sashcloth and axes. Being instated as an archangel, Satan made himself multifariously objectionable and was finally expelled from Heaven. Halfway in his descent he paused, bent his head in thought a moment and at last went back. "There is one favor that I should like to ask," said he. "Name it." "Man, I understand, is about to be created. He will need laws." "What, wretch! you his appointed adversary, charged from the dawn of eternity with hatred of his soul — you ask for the right to make his laws?" "Pardon; what I have to ask is that he be permitted to make them himself." It was so ordered. --"The Devil's Dictionary," by Ambrose Bierce In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on a late-term abortion method and gave hope to the nation’s abortion opponents in their 30-year crusade to overturn Roe v. Wade. The new ruling was the first time the court approved abortion restrictions that contain no exception to protect a mother’s health. In other words, you're on your own, ladies. Good luck.

SCOTUS: We Need More Dead Baby Jokes

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Why is anybody surprised?

I know it's not polite to say "I told you so," but is it okay to say "I drew you so"? CLICK FOR MORE Really, did anybody not know this was coming? We knew who Alito was when he was nominated. Yes, we were threatened with the "nuclear option," but was that ever more than just a threat? And if it was, what would have changed? Either way, we get Alito. Failing to use the filibuster under threat is the very same thing as not having it at all. And really, do you think the Republicans were willing to risk a filibuster-proof President Clinton, or Obama, or Gore? CLICK FOR MORE So we just decided to "keep our powder dry," for the next fight, as if we weren't right smack in the midst of the single biggest abortion fight we would ever see. Would we have lost? Perhaps, but at least there would have been no question who was responsible. Now, instead, we see craven cowards berating the very Court they helped, through inaction, to create. CLICK FOR MORE Why did we accept nomination hearings in which the nominee said absolutely nothing? Why didn't anybody stand up and say "answer the damned question, Judge, just answer the damned question?!" CLICK FOR MORE So here we are, working our way backward to where we started, lo so many years ago. Women will die because the Supreme Court elected Bush. Women will die because of 9/11. Women will die because Democrats had to wait in line for hours in Ohio. And women will die because our own Democratic Senators refused to fight the fight, assuring themselves that we would have lots of lovely dry powder to turn over to the victorious Republicans at the end of the war. CLICK FOR MORE