bitter-girl :: musings

Quote du jour (bold is mine):

Cecile Richards wants to beat back all of those forces. During a June address to the progressive group Take Back America, Richards said: “We have the potential to swing the vote in 2006, 2008 and 2010, and that’s a lot of power. The question is, What are we going to do with it? And the answer is, We’re going to use it. We’re going to marry our current reality as the largest reproductive healthcare provider in this country with our opportunity to be the largest kickass advocacy organization in the country…. We’re taking on the opponents of choice in the states and the districts where they live. Planned Parenthood is going to become more political so that healthcare can become less politicized.”

Cecile, your mother would be proud. As am I. I’m tired of all the wishy-washy middle-of-the-road political operatives, advocates and opinion leaders. Take a stand already! It’s time to tell it like it is.

In the current election cycle: when I see Ken Blackwell, my skin crawls. Not because he’s a Republican. Not because he’s black. Not even because he’s religious. My skin crawls because I see another human being who thinks I’m bereft of reason, and utterly incapable of rational thought. I see someone who would deprive me of my ability to make decisions about myself, my family, my health and any other number of issues just because we disagree. In short, a sanctimonious, opportunistic weasel who resorts to smearing his opponent when the going gets tough because that’s all he’s got. I wish the Democrats would strike back a little harder when they pull this stuff.

(Come on — Ted Strickland on a trip to Italy with a boy toy? Ted Strickland and his wife are gay? You have got to be kidding me — and watch what you smear around, because some of it will stay on your hands, too).

Healthcare does need to be less politicized, whether it’s reproductive healthcare or not. (Planned Parenthood is not Abortion Central, as the anti-woman activists would have you believe…they also provide basic healthcare for lower-income and uninsured patients — but you don’t see Jonathan singing their praises, do you?)

Overall, intrusions into our private lives need to be minimized: please tell me, oh Ken Blackwell, how same-sex marriage or abortion personally have an impact on you if you’re not the one participating? Just because we don’t believe in the same Sky Fairy doesn’t mean you have the right to color our laws (and restrict my rights) using your particular Fairy’s belief system. I don’t want to take away your guns, or your “patriot pastors” — you’re welcome to them. In exchange, I want you to stop advocating for discrimination. Which, dear sir, is what you’re doing whether you like the characterization or not.

My Republican friends (yes, I do have them, believe it or not) say I cannot possibly be a Democrat. I must be libertarian — either capital or small L — no Democrat believes as I do. Wrong. There are plenty of us, and as a voting block we need to step up and be loud. We’ve sat on the sidelines for too long. I hope the inevitable public spankings of Blackwell and DeWine this November show the right that we’re not going to allow them to dictate all the terms of debate anymore. That we won’t just lie back and think of England (and you know where I’m going with that particular turn of phrase). There is a better way. Vote for change next month — vote Democratic.

See also.