[Content Note: Reproductive rights; hostility to consent and autonomy.]
"Who doesn't love an ultrasound image of a baby?"—Anti-choice activist Brandi Swindell, who "secured a basement room in the Idaho Capitol to conduct ultrasound procedures Wednesday on six women before an audience of 150" in order to try "to persuade lawmakers to support a bill that would require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound first. ... The ultrasounds were done on abdomens, not using the more-invasive vaginal equipment."
Despite Swindell's sideshow, the hearing on the bill was canceled and indefinitely postponed. Not because Republicans give a fuck about women and other people with uteri, of course: "Ten House Republicans expressed concern the bill could hurt their chances of re-election."
[H/T to @MarthaPlimpton.]
Quote of the Day
Primarily Terrible
GOOD MORNING! Now that an advisor has helpfully confirmed what we've suspected all along—that Mitt Romney is really an Etch-A-Sketch atop a Magic 8 Ball atop a pair of flip-flops—it's time for DAMAGE CONTROL! I mean, ha ha obviously Mitt Romney is definitely a candidate without a shred of integrity or a modicum of principle, but he doesn't want it getting DISCUSSED ALL OUT IN THE OPEN LIKE THAT! Geez! He just wants to be a cynical, unscrupulous, craven, opportunistic, fair-weather jack-of-all-policies who caters his positions to whatever voting bloc he's trying to condescendingly pander at any given moment! GIVE THE GUY A BREAK!
So, in his very, very awkward way, Romney mendaciously asserted his totes unwavering consistency as a conservative Republican:
Yes, that's an actual quote.
GOOD ONE, MITT ROMNEY! When you say it plainly like that, over and over, I definitely believe you! I didn't believe before that you are a CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN, but now that you have told me in THREE DIFFERENT WAYS that you are a CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN, I am for sure on board with how much of a CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN you are! Good job!
In other things that will absolutely make me more inclined to vote for Mitt Romney, he will be yukking it up with one of my least favorite people on the planet next week: Jay Leno. I hope Mitt Romney drives there in an old car and wears a suit made fully of denim! Because Jay Leno loves denim and old cars! TRUE FACT!
Ron Paul was on the Jay Leno show the other night. I know this because some ballsport broadcast must have pushed back Leno into our recording of the Jimmy Fallon show, so when Iain and I went to watch Jimmy the next day, we got a FACE FULL OF RON PAUL AND JAY LENO. I screamed and deleted it.
The preceding paragraph is, by the way, the best campaign coverage Ron Paul has had in two months.
In other news, Rick Santorum, Professor Emeritus of Smartology at Genius University, says that Rommey's so indistinguishable from President Barack Obama that voters might as well vote to reelect Obama. Nice one, Santorum. Please continue to urge President Obama to abandon his garbage centrism and get more progressive! What? You were actually suggesting that voters should vote for you because you're wildly different by virtue of being a rightwing extremist Christian Supremacist Dominionist?! OH NEVER MIND THEN!
Hmm, what else? Well, Newt Gingrich is still hanging in there, I guess. I'm sure you can read all about his excellent candidacy and fine policy positions in today's edition of the Who Cares News.
Speaking of Who Cares, Arlen Specter, still making a desperate bid for relevance, says he MIGHT vote for Mitt Rommey. Ha ha. That's cool. Hey, Arlen: Joe Lieberman called. He wants his shtick back.
Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.
Question of the Day
You are having the most fabulous dinner party ever thrown, to which you can invite any five people of your choosing, all of whom will definitely attend. You don't have to know them personally, but they do need to be living. Whom do you choose?
Photos of the Day
People hold hands during a ceremony held on World Water Day in Bogota, on March 22, 2012. Hundreds of people gathered in different parks and wetlands of Colombia to celebrate World Water Day with songs and prayers, in an initiative aimed at raising awareness about the importance of water resources. [Getty Images]
A Hindu women offers prayers on the banks of the River Ganges, on World Water Day in Allahabad, India, Thursday, March 22, 2012. The U.N. estimates that more than one in six people worldwide do not have access to 20-50 liters (5-13 gallons) of safe freshwater a day to ensure their basic needs for drinking, cooking and cleaning. [AP Photo]
Pavol Suty (L) and Stanislav Mikovcak (R) row their hand-built wooden raft on the Kysuca River in north Slovakia March 22, 2012. The pair cruised down the river to celebrate World Water Day and highlight the environmental problems threatening the river. Similar rafts were previously used in Slovakia to transport wood from the north to the south of the country. [Reuters Pictures]Learn more about World Water Day and how to help.
Set Your DVRs!
How well do you know the Bible? Jeff Foxworthy can help you find out.I know I'm a terrible secular atheist femifart heathen garbage monster and all, but I am, in fact, a terrible secular atheist femifart heathen garbage monster who's read the Bible, and furthermore followed 18 years of Protestant immersion intensive by taking classes with names with "Old Testament," "New Testament," and "Jesus Christ" at a Catholic University, and, I've got to say, there are a hell of a lot of parts of that book that are not so much "fun and entertaining" as "violent and disturbing."
GSN has tapped the comedian to host "The American Bible Challenge," a game show that tests contestants' knowledge of the scripture, with the intention of celebrating the Bible and incorporating it into contemporary life.
"I am excited to be hosting a show about the bestselling book of all time," Foxworthy said in a statement. "It will be interesting to find out what people really know, and an opportunity to present the Bible in a fun and entertaining way."
But this show will be superfun for the whole family, I'm sure. Good job, Game Show Network! Let the Christian Supremacy roll!
[H/T to Shaker MMC.]
What I'm Listening To
[Lyrics here.]
Video Description: A black father walking his two young sons home from school asks them what they learned today. "We're starting world history," says the older boy. "Today we learned about Africa and tomorrow we're gonna learn about Rome." His father asks him what he learned about Africa in one day. "That there were pharaohs and big huge pyramids in, um, Egypt, and that there are 86 countries on the continent, and that a lot of slaves came from West Africa."
His father asks, "Well, did you learn that Africa was full of queens and kings, and some of the first democratic societies were found in Africa?" "No." "That Africa was full of thousands of languages and religions, and that some of the most amazing artists and scientists that ever walked the face of the earth lived in Africa?" "No." Dad tells them that, after dinner, they're going to look at some of his African history books.
The song begins, with Spalding and Blesset onstage outdoors with musicians playing and the crowd dancing. Scenes of the performance are interspersed with scenes of the father showing his sons his African history books. Eventually one of the sons asks if his father hears music. They go to check it out, and join the crowd in the street.
In totally related news, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee has "temporarily removed himself from office Thursday, a day after city commissioners gave him a vote of no confidence." Despite the vote, and despite stepping aside, Lee said he "stands by the police department and the investigation" which did not see fit to arrest George Zimmerman for killing Trayvon Martin.
[Thanks to Shaker Whitney for passing along the video.]
Daily Dose of Cute
The current view just to my right: Dudley on his stripey pillow, the edge of which he's scooched up on the bottom of the bookshelf to create a little cushioned headrest for himself.
I don't even know what to do with how cute this dog is.
Secretary Clinton on World Water Day
Now, we are pursuing [reliable access to water] not only because we care about it around the world; we care about it here at home. We've had increasing problems meeting our own needs in the Desert Southwest or managing floods in the East. No country anywhere, no matter how developed, is immune to the challenges that we face.A complete transcript of the Secretary's remarks are here. Find out more about World Water Day here.
...Last year, I called on the intelligence community to conduct a global assessment of the impact water could have and was having on our national security. Today, the National Intelligence Council released the unclassified version of its report on Global Water Security. You can go online, read it for yourself [pdf], see how imperative clean water and access to water is to future peace, security, and prosperity, globally. I think it's fair to say the intelligence community's findings are sobering.
As the world's population continues to grow, demand for water will go up, but our freshwater supplies will not keep pace. In some places, the water tables are already more depleted than we had thought. In northern India, for example, over-extraction of groundwater could impact food security and access to water for millions of people. Some countries will face severe shortages within decades or even sooner.
...Today, we are launching a new public-private partnership to help answer that call for leadership and to expand the impact of America's work on water. The U.S. Water Partnership exemplifies the unity of effort and expertise we will need to address these challenges over the coming years, and it advances our work in three critical ways.
First, it brings together a diverse range of partners from the private sector, the philanthropic community, the NGOs, academics, experts, and government. This approach will help catalyze new opportunities for cooperation. For example, if Coca-Cola has the best data on available water supplies, and the Army Corps of Engineers has the capacity to advise on how to build water delivery systems, and the Nature Conservancy knows how to minimize the disruption to the environment, then we want everybody sharing information and delivering clean water in a sustainable way to communities in need.
Breaking down silos, barriers, obstacles has been one of my goals as Secretary of State, within our own government, with multilateral institutions, and between and among governments. Bringing people with varied water experience and expertise together will also force us to look for system-wide solutions. Now, you can't work on water as a health concern independently from water as an agricultural concern, and water that is needed for agriculture may also be water that is needed for energy production. So we need to be looking for interventions that work on multiple levels simultaneously and help us focus on systemic responses.
Now, of course, while water is a global problem, solutions happen at the local level. So the second goal of the U.S. Water Partnership is to make all this American knowledge and expertise accessible. The U.S. Water Web Portal will provide a single entry point to our data, best practices, and training to help empower people taking on these problems in their own communities. And it will help build international support for American approaches, technologies, companies, government agencies, our whole universe of experts standing ready to assist.
Finally, because this is a public-private venture, the U.S. Water Partnership will not depend on any one government agency or any one private organization to keep it going. The State Department is proud to be a founding partner, but we also hope that the partnership will spawn many new projects that may or may not involve us. The Water Partnership has built-in flexibility to address the world's changing water needs and to continue our work to find sustainable solutions.
In brief, we believe this will help map out our route to a more water secure world: a world where no one dies from water-related diseases; where water does not impede social or economic development; and where no war is ever fought over water.
BushQuotes!
Chapter 1, page 7: "Reporters frequently ask Jeb and me whether Dad gives us political advice. I always laugh inside when I hear that question. I think they envision the Bush family growing up, gathered at my father's knee, discussing America's role in the world or the impact of monetary policy on our economy. As Dad would put it, 'Didn't happen.' We were more likely outside playing baseball, basketball, or football. We discussed current events, just as any family does. But at the Bush family dinner table, the kids were usually most worried about whether Marvin would eat his vegetables so we could all have dessert."
Shrug.
Quote of the Day
"Any steps that the president can take toward non-discrimination benefit the whole country. I don't know how else to say it. It's the right thing to do. ... I want to see the president evolve because I believe that is right; marriage equality is morally right."—Democratic candidate in Massachusetts for the US Senate and total fucking rockstar Elizabeth Warren, urging the president to evolve already on the issue of same-sex marriage. She also said she would "be glad to see [marriage equality] included in the Democratic platform."
Greg Sargent notes:
Warren has voiced support for marriage equality before. But this is the first time she has publicly called on Obama to complete his evolution on the issue and for Democrats to include it in their national platform, which will draw much more attention to her position.It's also not a "politically easy" thing to do when it risks losing the support of the Democratic establishment. And yet here she is, doing it anyway. Because it's the right thing to do.
It's worth noting that even though Warren is running for Senate in Massachusetts, this is not necessarily a politically easy thing for Warren to do. Scott Brown oppses marriage equality, and Warren is under heavy attack right now over cultural issues.
See also: Nancy Pelosi.
[H/T to Political Wire.]
Water Wet. Sky Blue. Maher a Dirtbag.
King Glibertarian of Fauxgressistan Bill Maher was inexplicably provided space by the New York Times today to argue in favor of offending people. Or, at least not apologizing for it when you do.
There's a lot of stupid crap there, but I'm just going to make three brief points:
1. The problem with a lot of the garbage for which public figures end up having to apologize isn't that it's "offensive" (although it is). The problem is that it creates, entrenches, and maintains oppressions: It is the pervasive, ubiquitous, inescapable little things that create the foundation of a kyriarchal culture on which the big stuff is dependent for its survival. It's the little things, the constant drumbeat of inequality and dehumanization, that inure us to increasingly horrible acts and attitudes toward non-privileged people.
2. Maher routinely mistakes for "offended" what is actually contempt, and reads calls for an apology as a game of gotcha instead of a request for meaningfully accountability. See previously.
3. This line, ugh, this line: "I don't want to live in a country where no one says anything offensive." My question to that is WHY. Why would he not want to live in a country where no one ever says anything offensive (marginalizing)? What's the net positive of people saying marginalizing things?
Of course it comes down to the reason he doesn't want to live in a country where no one says anything offensive is because HE WANTS TO SAY OFFENSIVE THINGS, and the only kind of country in which no one says offensive things that he can imagine is one in which IT'S NOT ALLOWED.
Whereas, when I imagine a country where no one says offensive things, it's because it's populated by people who give a fuck about not offending other people, and thus CHOOSE not to offend them, no censorship required.
Unlike Bill Maher, I expect more. Firstly of myself.
Number of the Day
884 million: The number of people across the globe who lack reliable access to safe water supplies.
Today is World Water Day, which was established in 1993 by the United Nations to highlight the global water crisis. Nineteen years later, approximately one in eight people still do not have access to drinkable water.
Every day, women in parts of the world where safe water is not immediately accessible spend 200 million hours collecting water for their families, the equivalent to building 28 Empire State Buildings every single day. In many places, children, especially girls, are taken out of school and denied an education in order to help procure water for their families.
But it doesn't need to be this way.
Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. Only two years ago, a child died every 15 seconds. That improvement saves 1,440 children every day. More can be saved. We just have to make it a priority to save them.
[Water.org co-founders Gary White and Matt Damon, both white men, speak about the crisis over images of women and children of color using, carrying, and distributing water made accessible by simple pumps.]Water.org, a charity to which I donate and which I strongly endorse, has ideas for how you can help here.
Damon: Did you know that almost a billion people are forced to spend countless hours scavenging for even the smallest amount of water to survive each day?
White: It's hard to imagine that so many people survive on just a few gallons of contaminated water. The good news is there's solutions for this. We just need to have resolve to get this done.
Damon: March 22nd is World Water Day, a day dedicated to something so basic and simple that most people never give it a second thought—clean water. Join us to help end the global water crisis. Take action by donating your voice to the cause at Water.org. Thank you.
If you can, please consider donating. Only $25 will provide one person with a lifetime of safe water. Donate with a credit card here, or with alternate payment options (like PayPal) here.
If you can't donate yourself, you can start a fundraiser here. Or donate your voice here.
Teaspoons ahoy!
Portrait of the Trans Woman as a Medicine Drawer
The other week I was looking at my medicine drawer. Certainly, I'm quite privileged in that I've had not one, but two different insurance plans in the past year.
I'm not posting this to play Drug Olympics (certainly not on a weekday). What gave me pause was that all these bottles represent just five prescriptions-- three anti-depressants (go team!), estradiol, and a testosterone blocker.
It took me close to a year to find a doctor that would prescribe me hormones. Eventually, I decided to drive to Chicago (150 miles away) to get my script. When I moved to Upstate New York, it also took me a while to get settled in with a new doctor.
Basically, I'm paranoid (or justifiably anxious) about losing access to my medication. Maybe I won't be able to find a doctor to write a prescription. Maybe my insurance company will decide to stop paying for my hormones. Perhaps there'll be conscience clauses.
I subconsciously hoard pills. As soon I'm eligible to refill an order, if I can afford it, I do it (hooray for tax returns!). Over time, that can lead to quite a surplus. I hold on to old pill bottles just in case I ever need to prove to a pharmacist that back in ought-eight such-and-such doctor wrote a certain prescription. I'm not sure what sort of situation would lead me to desperately whip out a four-year-old prescription bottle. I guess it's best to be prepared.
Every day I hear of more and more laws that chip away at bodily autonomy. The less privileged the person, the higher the likelihood of finding oneself without healthcare. I'm worried that in one of the most affluent nations on Earth, hoarding and scarcity will increasing define our experience with medicine.
[NSFW: Crossposted]
Primarily Dreadful
Go ahead! Ask him ANYTHING! He will definitely tell you whatever you want to hear! And if you don't like his answer, just shake him up and ask again! KEEP TRYING! He is full of different answers for everyone!
Here is my favorite Mitt Romney headline of the day: An air of inevitability grows around Romney after decisive primary win. HA HA REALLY?! Only now? Not fully ONE MILLION years ago when this primary began? Okay then.
Only slightly less favoritey: Romney Praises 2008 Bank Bailout. "I keep hearing the president say he's responsible for keeping the country out of a Great Depression. No, no, no, that was President George W. Bush and [then-Treasury Secretary] Hank Paulson." Huh. 'Cause I always figured that Mitt Romney would argue the country should have been navigated through a "managed depression." I GUESS YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW ABOUT MITT ROMNEY EVERY DAY!
Like: Bailouts are awesome when Republican presidents do them, and terrible when Democratic presidents do them.
That standard is rounding first and heading to second! (Baseball.)
Hey, here's a fun quote about Mitt Romney, from The Real Romney by Michael Kranish and Scott Helman: "He is not fed by and does not crave, casual social interaction, often displaying little desire to know who people are and what makes them tick." What a great attribute for a potential president of a diverse democracy!
In all seriousness for a moment, incuriosity about other people is a really, really terrible quality in someone who wants to be a leader of pretty much anything, no less a country of 300 million people and thousands of divergent and intersecting subcultures. Without curiosity about people, there is no real empathy. And without empathy, there is neglect, hostility, and subjugation.
Mitt Romney's inability to identify with the needs and wants and lived experiences of other people has been manifestly obvious on the campaign trail, resulting in lots of awkward exchanges and ridiculous statements. But it's not a joke, really. A highly privileged man who's incurious about people unlike, or other than, himself will not and cannot be a good president.
What else? Well, Newt Gingrich is a human being who inexplicably continues to run for the presidency. Ron Paul is a human being who inexplicably believes forcible pregnancy is compatible with freedom. And Rick Santorum is a human being who remains a noxious nightmare who pledges to "pull up government by the roots and throw it out and do something to liberate the private sector in America." Because it's definitely corporations who are under the fucking thumb of oppressors in the United States, while those uppity women and queer men with whom Santorum is obsessively preoccupied just have TOO MUCH FREEDOM AND EQUALITY!
Yes, yes you are.
Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.
Scenes from the Protests Seeking Justice for Trayvon Martin, and Justice for All
Trayvon Martin's parents Tracy Martin, left, and Sybrina Fulton, right, take part in the Million Hoodie March in Union Square Wednesday, March 21, 2012 in New York. [AP Photo]
Supporters of Trayvon Martin march through Union Square during the Million Hoodie March. Thousands of protesters turned out to demonstrate against the killing of the black unarmed teenager by a white neighborhood watch captain. [Getty Images]
Supporters of Trayvon Martin rally in Union Square during the Million Hoodie March in New York City. The protesters marched through the streets after holding a large rally in Union Square. [Getty Images]
A protester holds a bottle of Ice tea and Skittles which is what the 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is reported to have been carrying when he was killed by neighborhood watch person, George Zimmerman on February 26 in Sanford, Florida. [Getty Images]That last picture. When I came to that last picture in the wire photos, I just collapsed into great heaving sobs. These are the things this child was carrying.
Relatedly: University of Notre Dame and Purdue University researchers have identified a "phantom gun phenomenon," finding that the "mere act of holding a gun makes it more likely that you will perceive an object as a gun."
In a decent culture where gun ownership wasn't prioritized over virtually every other Constitutional right, that sort of finding would immediately call into question the wisdom of "Stand Your Ground" laws. If "holding a firearm makes you more likely to see innocuous objects as guns," that means "Stand Your Ground" laws will inevitably result in "mistaking" iced tea and Skittles for a gun, especially in combination with the additionally perception-altering effects of racism.
Of course, opponents of "Stand Your Ground" legislation did predict this would happen. But dirty hippies are always, always, to be ignored, never mind how many bodies get racked up in foreign wars or domestic streets.
Finally, a piece of highly recommended reading: Danielle Belton's "No Apologies: On The Killing of Trayvon Martin and Being 'Good'."
Question of the Day
What's your favorite made-up product from television, film, books, etc?
For some reason I find Chippos (from The Simpsons) absolutely hilarious.
Photo of the Day
This image is one of the Telegraph's Pictures of the Day today.
Telegraph reader Jim Gooden writes: "This amusing photo of the Queen and Prince Philip was taken in Windsor Great Park on Saturday 19th June 2010, the last day of Royal Ascot. I was standing at the point in the park where the royal entourage change from the cars that have brought them from the castle and into the carriages that then take them to the racecourse. One of their two guests sitting opposite them both in the carriage had clearly just said something funny, and I snapped this shot as they reacted to the joke. It has to be one of the most informal photos you will ever see of them." [Picture: Jim Gooden]
