Stand With Women ~ Scenes from the Struggle

From Texas, to North Carolina, to Ohio, to Wisconsin women must stand and fight back against the Republican attempt to control women's bodies and freedom. Sneaky Governors and Legislators are conspiring to pass draconian bills that hurt poor women and take away legal choices that are rights in this country. This isn't about being "pro-abortion" but protecting the right of women to control their own bodies. This is about the right of doctors and women to be free to discuss healthcare issues in a private way uncontrolled by the state. This is about the GOP closing down clinics for poor women and children in the name of being "Pro-life" whatever that means.



Thanks to gerrymandering and spineless state officials we can't win every battle, but if we keep it up, we WILL win the war . . . again. This is a struggle going back to the Suffragettes and the Women's Liberation movement in the 70s, and we can't forget those who fought before and made great strides in equality. Whatever nonsense the GOP comes up with next, there will be no surrender. But we all have to vote and work and text and tweet and network and make signs and stand up for ourselves and our daughters.

Edward Snowden can call himself a patriot, but he ran away on his own to be a man without a country. Meanwhile, real men and Women are standing and fighting for their states and their lives, willing to go to jail for what they believe. That is REAL civil disobedience as it was lived by Thoreau, Gandhi, and Mandela.

Scott Walker quietly signed a bill requiring ultrasounds for all women seeking abortions in Wisconsin: http://t.co/4vgembVhGX

— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) July 5, 2013

My latest article: Wisconsin Joins the Misogynistic Ultrasound Club; Federal Judge Promptly Blocks the Law http://t.co/oMjdqCOB7B

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) July 9, 2013

Ladies in #WI this is a transvaginal ultrasound wand. Feeling violated yet! #wow #WIunion #fem2 #p2 #tcot pic.twitter.com/SU3XcdKCvf

— Shasta Merlot (@ShastaMerlot) July 8, 2013

Women are holding protest rallies in #Ohio, #NorthCarolina, #Wisconsin, #Texas. GOP has woken the sleeping giant #WomensRights #waronwomen

— Thunder Maker (@thunder_maker) July 10, 2013

North Carolina Republicans quietly attach abortion restrictions to motorcycle safety bill http://t.co/EdU3exaM9w #icymi

— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) July 11, 2013

“@Upworthy: YES. #motorcyclevagina RT @agoets: @NCAbortionFund @lizziefin @Upworthy Ask, and you shall receive! pic.twitter.com/fmowm3wYlz” YES.

— Kelli (@as_kell) July 11, 2013

Happening right now: @PPCNC supporters pack #ncga gallery for debate on #sb353. Stay strong, NC! #MotorcycleVagina pic.twitter.com/YrQ2lzcf4B

— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) July 11, 2013

Here's the scene right now at tonight's 10th #MoralMondays demonstration in NC: pic.twitter.com/PHHBLHbckl

— Kennett Area Dems (@KennettDems) July 8, 2013

Great photo RT @rjgeary: #moralmonday Crowd in Raleigh is biggest yet. Maybe over 3,000. 10 weeks, bigger every time. pic.twitter.com/SLbQtYmWMu

— New Raleigh (@NewRaleigh) July 8, 2013

#SanAntonio protestors outside facility where Gov Perry just announced he won't seek reelection-PIC #txlege pic.twitter.com/isz6pspiZC

— Mary Tuma (@TumaTime) July 8, 2013

Wow. This picture of TX House Dems at the mic during today's abortion debate. With hangers. #sb1 pic.twitter.com/hDEUWxe3DV

— jennifer bendery (@jbendery) July 9, 2013

Another shot of the orange crowd and state troopers outside the Texas House @OmarVillafranca #txlege #hb2 pic.twitter.com/2ht1aGCclX

— Kolten Parker (@KoltenParker) July 10, 2013

Marching back to the TX state Capitol. Great turnout against a bad bill! #SB1 #StopTheWarOnWomen #txlege pic.twitter.com/WNvkAAL7p8

— Les (@LesHugTX) July 9, 2013

High Noon for Texas Women

Crews setting up stage, barricades for pro choice rally at Capitol today. 6,000+ expected #txlege pic.twitter.com/FiTQfs6m89

— Adam Bennett (@AdamBennettTV) July 1, 2013

Activists on both sides of #Abortion debate expected at Capitol Monday. #ProChoice rallies at 10am, 12pm. #ProLife at 2pm. #TxLege #HB2 #SB9

— The Horn (@TweetTheHorn) July 1, 2013

I'll see you at the TX Capitol tomorrow to support Wendy Davis and women's rights.

— Natalie Maines (@1NatalieMaines) July 1, 2013

From Raw Story

Thousands of Texans on both sides of the abortion divide will descend on the state capitol in Austin on Monday, at the start of a special legislative session designed to pass a bill that would sharply restrict abortion services in the state.

More than 5,000 people have signed up to a “Stand With Texas Women” rally, to be staged at noon on the steps of the Capitol. The rally is being billed as a continuation of the dramatic scenes last week, when 400 pro-choice advocates staged a loud protest in the state senate chamber following Wendy Davis’s epic 10-hour filibuster that blocked the controversial bill, SB 5.



Anti-abortionists will stage their own rally in support of the new legislative session that the Texas governor, Rick Perry, called shortly after Davis’s filibuster ended. Some 700 pro-life campaigners have signed up to the rally called by Texas Alliance for Life.



. . . In the course of almost 11 hours of filibuster, Davis was required to speak in the chamber without pause, standing and without leaning on anything. Her extraordinary endurance propelled her into the national political limelight, and sent the pair of training shoes she wore rocketing up the sales charts.

Read More at Snark Amendment:
Wendy Davis and Texas Democrats Filibuster SB5 Abortion Bill
Governor Rick Perry Attacks Wendy Davis

The War on Women is Real

I see many people on Twitter and elsewhere pretending the War on Women is a joke made up by "hysterical" Dems. But there are real things going on in government that are aimed at controlling and limiting women for years to come. No one should close their eyes. No one should think these guys (and some women) in the GOP are kidding around or that they "don't really mean it." They do. This is not a joke.Other politicians take them at their word and we should too.

This is not a game and we Democrats are not "hysterical" if we fight back every way we can.

Need a reminder of what the War on Women is all about?

GOP = Cavalcade of Misogynist Derpitude

The Republican misogynist cavalcade of ignorance continues. The guys really are ignorant cretins, and the women in the party who go along with the talking points are worse!

For instance, we have Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America who recently said in an interview:

The question before us now is how are the Democrats going to handle that issue, how are they going to appeal to women? Is it going to be the Sandra Fluke sort of message that women are only interested in free birth control or free stuff at that. The question is what message works and it is a message of victim-hood, that you need free stuff from the government to be able to be productive in society? Is this just about the idea that really all it takes to win a woman's vote is free birth control which, by the way, we know that WalMart offers it for $9 a month. I often think I'd like to say to Sandra Fluke that if you'd just had less beer in college, I think you probably could afford the birth control you wanted.

Yeah, that's the kind of stupidity you get when women take their talking points from misogynist men like Rush Limbaugh.

And that brings me to Ann "I Love You Women" Romney, who tried to give an interview in Iowa the other day but instead merely stonewalled on every question pertaining to women's issues:

Anchor David Nelson: "Do you believe that employer-provided health insurance should be required to cover birth control?"

Ann Romney: "Again, you're asking me questions that are not about what this election is going to be about. This election is going to be about the economy and jobs."

Anchor David Nelson: "Well, a Pew Research poll shows those issues are very important to women, ranking them either "important" or "very important."

Ann Romney: "You know, but I personally believe, and this is what I'm hearing from women all across the country that they are going to look for the guy that's going to pull them out of the weeds and get them job security and a brighter future for their children. That's the message.

No, ANN, we are not just "looking for some guy to pull us out of the weeds." Women are not a bunch of swooning weak moochers looking for white knight (or a white horse) to ride up and tell us how to save ourselves. We'd rather have a President who sees women as his equals who can make their own decisions. We don't need a bunch of theocrat daddies who want to go back to the "saint in the kitchen - slut in the bedroom" school of family life.



Ohio Congressman Buchy Never Considered What Women Want

An anti-abortion crusading Ohio Republican lawmaker, state Rep. Jim Buchy, was unable to deliver an intelligent answer to a reporter who asked him why a woman would actually want to get an abortion.

“What do you think makes a woman want to have an abortion?,” an Al Jazeera reporter asks Buchy, as this video from last night’s Rachel Maddow Show depicts.


“Well, there’s probably a lot of — I’m not a woman so I’m thinking, if I’m a woman, why would I want to get — some of it has to do with economics. A lot has to do with economics. I don’t know, I have never — It’s a question I have never thought about,” responds Rep. Buchy.
“It’s a question I have never thought about.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

TPM: Rep. Joe Walsh, D-IL Attacks Sandra Fluke

So at the Democratic Convention Wednesday night their first prime time speaker was Sandra Fluke — Fluke, Fluke, whatever her name is.

Think about this: a 31-32 year old law student who’s been a student for life, who gets up there in front of a national audience and tells the American people, “I want America to pay for my contraceptives.” You’re kidding me. Go get a job. Go get a job Sandra Fluke.

This is what, I was offended. We’ve got Americans who are struggling. We’ve got parents in this country who are struggling to buy sneakers that their kids can wear to school that just started. We’ve got parents up and down my district who are barely keeping their house. And, and, and, we have to be confronted by a woman, the Democratic Party this is what they stand for. Their going to put a woman in front of us who is complaining that the country — you, me and you — won’t pay the 9 dollars per month to pay for her contraceptives.

How crazy is this? In a way it’s not her fault, because we teach people this stuff. You go back to fairness, we teach young people this. Don’t worry, government will take care of you. You’re having trouble with your student loans? Don’t worry, government will be there for you.

We are raising the Sandra Flukes of the world. We’re raising Americans who don’t know how to take care of themselves, who feel entitled. This a woman who feels entitled that we all should pay for her contraceptives. This is what we are teaching Americans? That was embarrassing. That was embarrassing.

Sandra Fluke in Prime Time

Last night, women's advocate Sandra Fluke seemed to be missing in action at the Democratic National Convention. Turns out, the powers that be had made a wise decision and moved her speech to prime time.

As always, she was eloquent yet plainspoken about what's at stake for women in this election. And she drew a stark contrast between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.



Here's the Transcript:

Some of you may remember that earlier this year, Republicans shut me out of a hearing on contraception. In fact, on that panel, they didn't hear from a single woman, even though they were debating an issue that affects nearly every woman. Because it happened in Congress, people noticed. But it happens all the time. Many women are shut out and silenced. So while I'm honored to be standing at this podium, it easily could have been any one of you. I'm here because I spoke out, and this November, each of us must do the same.

During this campaign, we've heard about the two profoundly different futures that could await women—and how one of those futures looks like an offensive, obsolete relic of our past. Warnings of that future are not distractions. They're not imagined. That future could be real.



In that America, your new president could be a man who stands by when a public figure tries to silence a private citizen with hateful slurs. Who won't stand up to the slurs, or to any of the extreme, bigoted voices in his own party. It would be an America in which you have a new vice president who co-sponsored a bill that would allow pregnant women to die preventable deaths in our emergency rooms. An America in which states humiliate women by forcing us to endure invasive ultrasounds we don't want and our doctors say we don't need. An America in which access to birth control is controlled by people who will never use it; in which politicians redefine rape so survivors are victimized all over again; in which someone decides which domestic violence victims deserve help, and which don't. We know what this America would look like. In a few short months, it's the America we could be. But it's not the America we should be. It's not who we are.

We've also seen another future we could choose. First of all, we'd have the right to choose. It's an America in which no one can charge us more than men for the exact same health insurance; in which no one can deny us affordable access to the cancer screenings that could save our lives; in which we decide when to start our families. An America in which our president, when he hears a young woman has been verbally attacked, thinks of his daughters—not his delegates or donors—and stands with all women. And strangers come together, reach out and lift her up. And then, instead of trying to silence her, you invite me here—and give me a microphone—to amplify our voice. That's the difference.


Over the last six months, I've seen what these two futures look like. And six months from now, we'll all be living in one, or the other. But only one. A country where our president either has our back or turns his back; a country that honors our foremothers by moving us forward, or one that forces our generation to re-fight the battles they already won; a country where we mean it when we talk about personal freedom, or one where that freedom doesn't apply to our bodies and our voices.

We talk often about choice. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to choose.

Obama Jokes that "Backwards" Todd Akin Missed Science Class

Via MattBors.com

LOL ~ the President last night at a fundraiser via Politico:

“Recently some of you have been paying attention to the commentary about the senator from Missouri, Mr. Akin,” Obama said. “The interesting thing here is that this, this is an individual who sits on the House Committee on Science and Technology but somehow missed science class. And it’s representative of the desire to go backwards instead of forwards and fight fights that we thought were settled 20 or 30 years ago.”

Via LA Times:

Meanwhile on Fox News, Ann Coulter is raving about Akins again, upset that he wouldn't follow her advice and drop out of the Missouri Senate race.

Via Daily Caller

“They have been pushing this war on women thing forever. They had nothing until now,” said Coulter. “Now they’ve got something. Every Republican is going to be asked about this.”

“Now we can complain about media bias,” she said. “But that is a fact. This is all we’re going to hear about. It’s not like [anyone] did this to him. He was trying to show off with the fancy footwork on what happens to a woman’s body after rape. How about, ‘Yes, rape and incest and life of the mother. Now give us the other 2 million babies’? Can we just stick with that as our argument?”

Now that the deadline for Akin’s possible withdrawal from the race has passed, Coulter said she hates the GOP congressman.

“I’m glad that I didn’t do the interview yesterday,” she said. “I didn’t want to be on radio yesterday because I couldn’t officially hate Todd Akin until the 5 p.m. deadline. Once he refused to resign — not even resign. He doesn’t hold the office — to withdraw as the candidate. Now I can officially hate him. If he had withdrawn, now we can rally around him. Say he is a fine man, good Republican doing what’s best for the party. Now we can’t say that. Now I officially hate him.”

Don't be so angry, Ann - we figured it out long ago from listening to Rush Limbaugh talk about Feminazis. Sandra Fluke was another clue. Oh, and Governor Ultrasound in Virginia - why don't you hate him for a while? Oh yeah - he's writing the Party Platform with the exact same language that Akin uses. Hypocrites, thy name is Republican.

Remove Todd Akin from the Science Committee

Via Politico
Tell John Boehner to Remove Todd Akin

PETITION: Remove Todd Akin from the Science Committee

Sign your name to call on Speaker John Boehner to remove Rep. Todd Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.

Republican Congressman Todd Akin told a Missouri news station:

"First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare... If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

Someone who believes nonsense like this has no part overseeing science policy.

Tell Speaker Boehner to immediately remove Rep. Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.

Akin Assumes Women are Liars - and That's OK?

The more Todd Akin tries to explain what he said last Sunday, the bigger the hole gets under Romney/Ryan and the Republican Agenda. Let's face it, Akin is probably the most honest representative the Republican Party has ever had. What you see in him is what you get when you vote red.

Stupidity, Misogyny, Anti-Intellectualism - they've got it all.

Akin's latest attempt to explain "legitimate rape" makes things even worse. He wasn't saying there are various types of rape, he says. No, he just thinks women are liars and can't be trusted to tell the truth after a traumatic experience. He believes even the landmark Roe vs. Wade is based on lies. The premise seems to be that "bad women" are in such a hurry to get abortions that they will lie and say anything to get it done.

From Think Progress

Arguing that he misplaced the word “legitimate,” Akin explained — during a follow up interview with Dana Loesch — that he meant to argue that women sometimes lie about being raped:

AKIN: You know, Dr. Willke has just released a statement and part of his letter, I think he just stated it very clearly. He said, of course Akin never used the word legitimate to refer to the rapist, but to false claims like those made in Roe v. Wade and I think that simplifies it….. There isn’t any legitimate rapist…. [I was] making the point that there were people who use false claims, like those that basically created Roe v. Wade.

This would merely seem absurd and grasping at straws, except that yesterday the Republican Party voted to leave the "no exception for rape and incest" clause in their Party Platform. And that's not all - they still want to ban birth control, too. So Akin is not alone, and even if he leaves the Party, there are plenty of his kind waiting in the wings.

From NPR

Later, in a discussion of health care, the platform committee waded back into the abortion question, passing several amendments. One, proposed by Illinois delegate Sharee Langenstein, says being "pro-life" is consistent with being "pro-woman."

Another amendment, proposed by a delegate from North Carolina, supports banning the RU-486 pill and similar drugs that end pregnancies. Jackie Curtiss, a delegate from Alabama, objected, saying in light of Akin's recent comments about rape, it sends the wrong signal to women. The amendment passed after others on the committee said the resolution would not affect the "morning after" pill.

A reporter tried to get Paul Ryan to go on the record about his past interactions with Todd Akin, but Ryan is a slippery devil and keeps hiding behind the "top of the ticket" candidate, Mitt Romney. But Ryan certainly didn't cut all ties with the past, and is still touting his "pro-life" record as a dog whistle to the base.

Ryan Interview with CBS Pittsburgh

Delano: “Should abortions to be available to women who are raped?”

Ryan: “Well, look, I’m proud of my pro-life record. And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress. It’s something I’m proud of. But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration.”

Despite Ryan’s views, Romney says he will allow exceptions for rape and incest. Ryan also seemed to back away from earlier views on types of rape.

Delano: “You sponsored legislation that has the language ‘forcible rape.’ What is forcible rape as opposed…”

Ryan: “Rape is rape. Rape is rape, period. End of story.”

Delano: “So that forcible rape language meant nothing to you at the time?”

Ryan: “Rape is rape and there’s no splitting hairs over rape.”

Okey, Dokey, only Ryan sponsored bills WITH Todd Akin that would change the definition of rape, distinguish between forcible and statutory rape, and would definitely ban several types of birth control. We can only conclude that Paul Ryan is lying now just to get elected.

Via Think Progress

 Ryan and Akin also cosponsored a federal personhood bill, the Sanctity of Human Life Act of 2009, which declares that a fertilized egg is entitled to the exact same legal rights as a human being:

(1) the Congress declares that–

(A) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being, and is the paramount and most fundamental right of a person; and
(B) the life of each human being begins with fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent, irrespective of sex, health, function or disability, defect, stage of biological development, or condition of dependency, at which time every human being shall have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and

(2) the Congress affirms that the Congress, each State, the District of Columbia, and all United States territories have the authority to protect the lives of all human beings residing in its respective jurisdictions.

Lest there be any doubt, this bill is unconstitutional. Congress does not have the power to overrule Roe v. Wade by an ordinary statue, only a constitutional amendment could serve that purpose.

And even Romney can't really hide from this mess. Turns out back in 2007, he aligned himself with voodoo pro-life Dr. Willke who started all this nonsense - the same guy Akin mentions in the first quote at the top of the page. All roads lead back to Dr. Willke.

Romney Press Relase 2007

Boston, MA – Today, Dr. John Willke, a founder of the Pro Life Movement, endorsed Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign for our nation's highest office. Dr. Willke is a leading voice within the pro-life community and will be an important surrogate for Governor Romney's pro-life and pro-family agenda.

"Unlike other candidates who only speak to the importance of confronting the major social issues of the day, Governor Romney has a record of action in defending life. Every decision he made as Governor was on the side of life. I know he will be the strong pro-life President we need in the White House," said Dr. Willke. "Governor Romney is the only candidate who can lead our pro-life and pro-family conservative movement to victory in 2008."

Welcoming Dr. Willke's announcement, Governor Romney said, "I am proud to have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement in our country. He knows how important it is to have someone in Washington who will actively promote pro-life policies. Policies that include more than appointing judges who will follow the law but also opposing taxpayer funded abortion and partial birth abortion. I look forward to working with Dr. Willke and welcome him to Romney for President."

Todd Akin Vows to Stay in the Race

Akin told Mike Huckabee that he was going to stay in the race today, even though everyone in Washington was begging him to drop out. He must have taken some "going rogue" lessons from Sarah Palin, eh?

His statements today are almost as incredible as what he said on Sunday. Almost.

From the Washington Post:

“I’ve had a chance now to have run through a primary, and the party people said when you win the primary then we’ll be with you. Well, they were with us. Then I said one word and one sentence on one day, and everything changed,” Akin told Huckabee, an early supporter. “I haven’t done anything morally or ethically wrong. It does seem like a little bit of an overreaction.”

. . . Akin said that his supporters and “good friends, closer than brothers,” had asked him to stick it out. He added that he has received “continuing calls from other congressman” expressing their support. (He did not name any of these congressman.)

He compared his race to the GOP primary, when he was outraised by rivals and lacked institutional backing. And he referred to the potential to attract more independent voters. “I realize that there are now a lot of other bravehearts that don’t fit into the political parties exactly,” he said. “I believe there is a cause here, and there is a part of the message that’s missing, and a lot of the people feel left out of the parties.

“What we’re seeing right now is a tremendous outpouring of support from just regular small people,” he said. “They’re not the big party people.”

No, but you can bet the "Big Party People" are furious right now because having Akin in this race will keep the topics of abortion and "personhood" in the center of controversy until November. And that road leads right back to his good buddy, Paul Ryan. Ha!

All my Liveblog Posts about Akin from Snark Amendment:
Todd's Countdown to Destiny
Todd Akin Under the Bus
Akins Empty Chair Appears on CNN
Akin Breakin' in Missouri - Should he Stay or Go?
Todd Akin (R-MO) Needs Legitimate Sex Education

Ryan and Akin, Akin and Ryan

Ryan and Akin.
Akin and Ryan.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
Two sides of the same coin.
Cut from the same cloth.
Thick as Thieves.

MoveOn.org has a new graphic you can share.
Click the link to share on Facebook or Twitter.

Excellent.

David Axelrod Says Romney/Ryan Views are "In Line" with Todd Akin

Today Mitt Romney tried to distance himself once again from crazy Todd Akin, the Missouri congressman running for Senate who spoke yesterday about "legitimate" rape and some other strange views about women's bodily functions.

Huffington Post Story

"Congressman’s Akin comments on rape are insulting, inexcusable, and, frankly, wrong," (Romney) told National Review Online. “Like millions of other Americans, we found them to be offensive."
He added that his view was "entirely different" and that Akin's statement was "entirely without merit and and he should correct it."
He did not call on Akin to bow out of the race.

Note from Me: Romney always uses a qualifier before any opinion. "Frankly wrong" is much weaker than saying "Just Plain Wrong" or simply "Wrong." To me, whenever he starts a sentence with "Honestly," "Frankly," "Truthfully," or "Seriously," it makes him less believable, and more like a con artist. He talks like a used care salesman and reminds me often of Mr. Lindegard from the movie "Fargo."

Akin was on Mike Huckabee's radio show today, and vowed that he isn't dropping out before tomorrow's deadline.
St. Louis Dispatch

"I'm not a quitter," Akin said. "We all make mistakes. . . The many people who supported me know that when you make a mistake what you need to do is say you're sorry."
Akin said no party leaders have called him and asked for him to drop out.
"This was a very very serious error," Akin said.
Akin, who is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Claire McCaskill, has until Tuesday at 5 p.m. to withdraw, according to Missouri election law. That law allows candidates to leave the ballot 11 weeks before election day, otherwise he would need a court order. The Republican state committee would have two weeks to name a replacement, under the law.

Yeah, okay - Akins knows he is in hot water now, but we also know that plenty of Republicans share his belief in magical body fluids that protect against pregnancy during rape. The conservatives are split down the middle - half calling for him to quit, others supporting his views.
Comments from the Far-Right on Snark Amendment

Paul Ryan has worked with Akin on "redefining" rape, so that women who are victims of statutory rape won't be given the morning after pill or an abortion.
From The Liberal OC Blog:

In 2011, Congressmen Ryan and Akin co-sponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, which would redefine a ban on federal funding for abortions to exempt only “forcible rape” and not “rape” generally. According to the Washington Post, the Act would make a version of the Hyde Amendment permanent. The Hyde Amendment, which had been renewed every year since 1976, prevented some federally-funded health care programs from covering abortions, with exceptions in cases of rape and incest, and when the life of the woman is threatened. However, under the language proposed by the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, rape becomes “forcible rape.” The Washington Post reported that the bill’s critics believed “the modifier could distinguish it from other kinds of sexual assault that are typically recognized as rape, including statutory rape and attacks that occur because of drugs or verbal threats.” [HR 3 Co-Sponsors, 112th Congress; Washington Post, 2/1/11]

We have come too far in this country to let men like Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and Todd Akin drag our country back to the stone-age. Their radical and extremist views are a recipe for disaster and the imposition of radical Christian-Biblical Law on our nation. These guys would have us believe that a woman who becomes pregnant as a result of rape, wanted it.

Ya know - statutory rape is still rape. Underage children are not considered old enough to "give consent" because often they are too innocent to know what it is they are doing. People who make these distinctions probably don't believe in date or marital rape either, and they can use it as a rationalization for why Jerry Sandusky can go free. The only reason this didn't come up was because Jerry targeted underage boys who couldn't get pregnant.

Obama's Strategist David Axelrod told Huffington Post today that Romney and Ryan are not really fooling anyone with their constantly shifting positions which contradict previously "firm" opinions on abortion or "personhood" of a fetus.

"When you look at who Akin's partner was on all the anti-choice legislation, it was Paul Ryan," said Axelrod. "When you look at the legislation that would limit a women's right to choose, even for victims of rape and incest, that is the Akin-Ryan position. And frankly, by endorsing personhood amendments ... Romney has gone there too. This is the prevailing position of the Republican Party."

"I think they find Todd Akin's comment terribly inconvenient," Axelrod said. "It is very inopportune. But they are certainly not inconsistent, when Ryan joined with him and tried to limit the definition of rape to forcible rape. What does that mean? They are trying to run away from what has been their own position and yet, while Akin's proposition was particularly egregious and outrageous, on the underlining principle of whether you are going to limit a woman's right to choose, and how rape victims are dealt with and how they would approach this issue, they are very much in line with him."

Romney's campaign said he and Ryan addressed the issue during an interview with WNUR in New Hampshire on Monday. . . . Romney briefly drew fire for seemingly endorsing a fetal personhood amendment in Mississippi, which would have established that a fertilized egg as a person under the law. But both he and his campaign have insisted that he never back the measure and was simply stating his belief that life began at the point of conception.

Romney has said that life begins at conception, and Ryan believes that the embryo has constitutional rights. I shudder to think what they would do to a young woman who had a miscarriage, which can happen to anyone for no apparent reason. And what about her doctor - does he or she have to report every late menstrual period? Where do we draw the line? One thing we know - the Republicans are really confused over women's rights when it comes to their own bodies. What about the "personhood" of women?

The War on Women - Keep Walkin' Boots

These boots are made for walkin', and that's just what they'll do.

One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

~ Nancy Sinatra's 1966 #1 Hit

OMG - look at those mini-skirts! Even in 1966 women didn't have to hide much on TV.

And yet, in Michigan in 2012, two female congresswomen were silenced for saying the word "vagina" in a debate about . . . wait for it . . . an abortion bill!

From The Detroit Free Press  

State Reps. Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, and Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, were told today that they wouldn’t be recognized to publicly speak on any matters before the House because of comments they made Wednesday during an emotional debate on a bill that puts new restrictions on abortion providers.
Brown, who voted against the legislation, told supporters of the bill, “I’m flattered you’re all so concerned about my vagina. But no means no.”
And Byrum was gaveled out of order after she protested when she wasn’t allowed to speak on her amendment to the bill that would have required proof of a medical emergency or that a man’s life was in danger before a doctor could perform a vasectomy.

This week Rush Limbaugh said a group of nuns had "Gone Feminazi." Yes . . . Nuns. Wow - yeah, the Nuns are just on a rampage these days. And he thinks the Vatican is right to "tamp it down." Wow - I thought that American Nuns were able to vote or campaign for anyone they chose since they are citizens too.

RUSH: “By contrast, CBS played up the supporters of a group of left-leaning Catholic nuns during four on-air segments between May 30 and June 1, 2012. Correspondent Wyatt Andrews hyped how ‘hundreds of Catholics have rallied behind the sisters,’ and that ‘protests in support of the nuns have been held in almost 50 cities.’” Have you heard about any of this? One paragraph Snerdley said he saw on the 164 rallies across the country. The nun story. Do you know what the nun story is? Yep. Yeah, but what are the nuns doing? Do you know what the nuns are doing? The nuns have gone feminazi on everybody. This small group of nuns in the Catholic Church is going feminist, and the Vatican is obviously — well, a figure of speech, slapping them down. And the Vatican is trying to tamp it down and say, “No, no, no, that doesn’t happen. There’s no such thing as a feminist nun.”

And on Fox News, anchor Gretchen Carlson finally showed the right spirit and walked out as her doofus male cohosts were dissing women. She was so fed up she walked off the set. From Think Progress

Thursday morning, Steve Doocy interviewed members of the U.S. Navy Band about the band’s recent inclusion of women. Reacting to the segment, Brian Kilmeade remarked, “Women are everywhere. We’re letting them play golf and tennis now. It’s out of control.” Visibly upset, Gretchen Carlson, the only female host, walked off of the set. “You read the headlines. Since men are so great. Take them [women] away,” she said. Kilmeade responded, “All right. Finally.” Then, as she walked further off of the set, Kilmeade jeered, “Leaving an all male crew” and added “she needed a shower.” Watch it:

If I were her, I would have kept on walkin' and demanded more respect. But look where you are, honey - FOX! Keep walkin' boots . . . yeah!