On discussing what they don’t want to discuss…

Shall we?

For the record, social issues are public policy issues.

When Carl P. Paladino (the Tea Party dude running for Governor in New York) says he’d like to move on from discussing his anti-gay rant and back to discussing public policy…well, he’s indulging in a public display of ig’nance over the job he covets.

Paladino is not alone.

Many candidates are working their asses off to avoid any discussion of social issues for fear that they many turn off independent voters.  They toss a wink at the base and then focus on the [insert policy issue that polls say turns on independent voters here].

But should these candidates win their elections, they will have a say in all manner of public policy issues…and a lot these candidates have yet to be asked a question about their stand on them.

For example, conservative Ed Martin of the “Emails? What emails?!?” Martins is running for Congress.  Martin often spouts off about his values…but a lot of voters don’t know what those values are.

Ed Martin is solidly anti-choice…even to the point of opposing access to birth control.

Pause…allow to marinate…continue.

And the choir asked…"Bitch, did you just say birth control?”

And a bitch replied...Yes, birth control.

Martin would restrict access to birth control and emergency contraception.  He thinks pharmacists should be allowed to refuse to fill prescriptions for the pill.

So, while some independent voters may find false comfort in Martin’s opposition to health care reform, folks in the 3^rd Congressional district may want to explore the hypocrisy of Martin’s values in practice.

He’s all for putting patients in the drivers seat when it means repealing the health care reform law that would cover the thousands of Missourians he was party to denying coverage just a few years ago…

…but he totally supports having government grab the wheel if a woman goes to the pharmacy to get her prescription for the pill filled.

Trust a bitch - Ed Martin’s values as policy would cause health care chaos and roll back patient rights to the Dark Ages.

But hey…so far he’s dodged having to discuss that shit or his involvement in the infamous mystery of those magically missing emails.

Sadly, the electorate has to wait for a verbal malfunction to find out where a candidate really stands.

Blink.

A note about voting…

***steps up on soap box***

I vote.

I vote when I’m uninspired by the candidates and I vote when I’m fired up.

Election Day isn’t the same as a movie opening…and it sure as shit isn’t like having a set of free tickets to a play you may skip because you didn’t pay anything.

I vote...because of the sacrifices made to gain that right for me, because of the lives lost to protect that right for me and because of what my vote…my very presence at the polls on Election Day…means.

Lots of people are talking about turn out and who will show up and why…lots of folks are spinning the current state of everything to either inspire or depress the electorate.

And the fact that they can…that that shit works…pisses me the hell off.

I’m going to keep this shit real as hell – there isn’t a ballot out there that doesn’t contain at least one fucking race and/or issue you care about.

Not one…and anyone who tells you otherwise is a Demon Sheep you shouldn't turn your back on.

Do the political parties make a body want to hurl on their best day?

Yes.

Do the big races often overshadow the state races and ballot initiatives that tend to come back and bite the masses in the ass?

Yes.

Does any of that really matter to a consistent voter?

Fuck it all if it does.

The only people getting screwed over by low turn out are the people who don’t turn the fuck out.

I vote and I’ve never walked away from the polls thinking that I just wasted my damn time.

Hell, more often than not I spend the weekend before Election Day studying all the shit on the ballot that no one has talked about so I can make and educated decision...and walk into the polls amazed at all the important as hell shit I'm responsible for voting on.

Sigh.

This is my tragically annual call to the masses – don’t believe the hype.

Don’t fall for the bullshit that it doesn’t matter…that there isn’t anything important on the ballot or that it’s all pre-determined blah blah and another blah.

This past August a primary race in Missouri was decided by one vote.

One.

Vote.

If we snooze on Election Day...we lose.

***steps off soap box***

Between hunger or food...

Shall we?

For new readers  - my sister and I are co-guardians of our older brother, who is autistic.  We recently wrapped up work on his Person Centered Plan for the next 12 months.  Part of working on the plan involves a review of his finances to make sure everything is in order.

I’ve written a lot about the challenge of balancing my role as guardian with my longing to have more time to be a sister.  In the last month it feels like I’ve fallen short – I spent a hell of a lot more time knee deep in guardianship paperwork than hanging out with Bill. 

But nothing drives home how important our guardianship is like looking at the money.

Contrary to popular belief, a diverse group of people receives food assistance from our government.  My brother is one of that number…along with many military families, working folk, seniors and disabled persons. 

And also contrary to popular belief, folks getting food assistance aren’t eating steak and lobster for lunch. 

My brother receives $160 a month in food assistance.  That hasn’t been increased in…well, not since we became his guardians.  He’s on a special diet for health reasons...and that doesn’t mean a damn thing to the formula. 

When the cost of milk goes up we have to deal with it…when his dietitian mandates more fresh veggies we have to strategize for it…and when Newt Gingrich rants about food stamps as if cutting funding is no biggie, he’s indulging in a public display of ignorance that attempts to insult and shame recipients even as his proposal puts the already anemic monthly allowance at risk.

Gingrich would like to shape the discussion as a choice between food assistance and jobs…he’s taken to Twitter to launch a 140 character messaging attack against Democrats that is built on the American myth that hunger is a motivator, only unemployed lazy people at ease feeding from the government tit receive food assistance and only a failure would need to apply for food assistance.

But we’re not being asked to decide between food assistance and jobs.

That’s bullshit.

Pause…consider…continue.

Let’s keep it real - when food assistance is up for debate the choice is between hunger and food.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

A bitch wishes my Canadian friends and readers a Happy Thanksgiving!

On a much lighter note…hockey is back!

 

Warning – if you don’t like or get illish when reading about medical shit or conditions related to a woman’s “lady parts”, you probably want to ship this post.

Okay?

Cool.

My uterine fibroids are back.   

Years ago I was diagnosed with uterine fibroids…they are benign yet HUGE tumors inside and outside of my uterus. 

I named them as one – Enid.

My war with Enid wasn’t Rumsfeldian…she aggressed first and, since that involved making me feel like shit and heavy periods that lasted up to 14 days, I decided to kick that heifer’s ass.  When hormonal therapy failed to shrink Enid, I had surgery and Enid was removed.

I knew that the odds were that Enid would return. 

I knew that the symptoms I’ve been having for the last year all pointed to an Enid sequel.

And yesterday my gynecologist confirmed Enid’s return.

Damn it all if the diagnosis wasn’t jarring as hell.

Sigh.

I’m sharing all this because this is the part of reproductive health care that gets lost in the mix…hell, this is the part of health care that gets lost too.

See, I’m damn lucky and I know it. 

I’m preparing for surgery in the next few months...and I’m fucking lucky to be doing so.

I have health insurance and short-term disability…and uterine fibroids that pose health risks that mean they can’t just be left alone or ignored or treated by a change in diet.

Without health care coverage I’d be shit out of luck…facing monumental debt or a delay in treatment that could eliminate a lot of treatment options or increase the health risks associated with fibroids.

I’m lucky to have health care insurance through my employer…because Enid is a pre-existing condition that would have made it hard if not impossible for me to get health insurance on my own.

I’m lucky that Enid is benign.

I'm lucky that I live in St. Louis Missouri, where we have outstanding medical centers and fantabulous doctors.

And you know what?

Treating uterine fibroids shouldn’t be about luck.

Bankruptcy in exchange for health is unacceptable.

Increased health risks due to a delay in treatment based on lack of coverage is not about individual responsibility.

Health care is a fucking right.

Yet, as I prepare for surgery…for the blood tests, scans, more appointments and surgery…I know that there are women out there who are unable to do the same.

That’s what health care reform is about.

And no, health care reform isn’t done…what passed Congress wasn’t perfect or even close to perfect, but it sure as shit will improve the lives of millions of Americans who are waking up today feeling unlucky as hell.

So when some asshole running for Senate or whatever tells you that he’d repeal health care reform because Americans don’t want or need it…ask that man if he means that Americans don’t want to wake up lucky, if he means that the millions of uninsured Americans out there prefer going bankrupt, if he means that women prefer not being able to treat conditions that are treatable and prefer facing long-term illness and pain to having the ability to see a fucking doctor.

Push back at that bullshit, because it’s fixin’ to smother reform to death just because people aren't thinking this shit through. 

I’m lucky.

I know it.

But luck shouldn’t have a damn thing to do with this.

That's what health care reform is about.

I'll keep y'all posted on Enid - The Sequel...

Pondering the Westboro case before the Supreme Court…

Shall we?

Members of Westboro Baptist Church have been protesting all manner of shit at a lot of locations and events for several years.

They hate gays.

They blame almost everything they define as wrong on what they see as America’s support of gays and abortion.

And they like to make their case by protesting at military funerals and screaming that soldiers died because America supports gays and abortion.

Those protests sparked legal challenges that have worked their way through the courts.  Now, the Supreme Court will hear all about Westboro Baptist Church and their ruling could have huge implications.

We the people have the right to freedom of speech…however painful, disturbing or vile.  I’ve been the target of some pretty heinous free speech…I’ve had people walk up to me at LGBT Pride festivals and say much of the same shit those Westboro folks say at military funerals.

And, even though I resent the hell out of that shit…even though I fret over the damage those hate-filled words may do to people who aren’t conditioned to handle it and don’t have a support network to help them purge post-alteraction…even so, I would fight like hell to protect the right of the rancid to speak their troubled shit in the public square.

Supporting speech we agree with is easy…it’s the speech we disagree with that challenges our commitment to the First Amendment.

And no, we don’t have the right to shout fire in a crowded movie theatre just to spark a stampede.

I get that.

But, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear the Westboro Baptist Church case, I’m pondering the implications of a ruling that may limit free speech and I’m concerned.

What door could that kind of ruling open…how many different ways could it be interpreted?

If the court limits free speech directed at individuals…what would that mean?  How would it all play out?

This shit ain’t easy.

The ruling has the potential to provide relief for many military families as they lay their loved ones to rest…

…and producing long-term drama for the masses.

Trust a bitch, this is a case to watch.

Pondering the new sex study…

The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, underwritten by condom manufacturer Trojan, is making news all over the internets and morning television shows.

Lauer and the rest of the Today Show crew are surprised…shocked even…by the results!

What’s so shocking?

Not all that much…except for the fact that Americans seem to be more open when it comes to talking about sex.

Oh yeah…results found that Americans are taking part in a veritable “smorgasbord” of sex.

No shit!

And teens aren’t taking part in as much sexting as parents who consume too much Good Morning America have been led to believe.

Uh huh.

Oh, oh…and we masturbate and experiment with a variety of positions and have same-sex relationships…and sometimes sex is just sex, regardless of who the partner is.

No shit, one more time!

Here’s what I really like about the report – it acknowledges that results are influenced by our increased openness and honesty in discussing sex.

Horray for honesty!

Hooray for sex!

Americans, on a whole, have struggled to publicly embrace a positive view of sex…and a lot of folks have been closeted about all manner of things.  This national inability to keep it real has influenced other people to not keep it real ‘cause they were thinking that they were the only person ON EARTH masturbating during their lunch hour.

As a result, when some State Rep. takes to the floor and goes on and on about how masturbation leads straight to after school orgies or how sex toys are an attack on traditional man-on-woman sanctified marriage…mercy…far too many of that Reps colleagues look around and say nothing because they’re not sure if they are the only person who is pretty damn sure a vibrator and some role playing added new life to their marriage.

So, this bitch is thrilled to see a study about sex that shows folks being more honest about sex.

I sincerely hope this leads to more folks supporting programs that promote sex positivitude throughout a person’s life…and comprehensive sex education for our youth, so that they can start out life positive and empowered, rather than conditioned to pretend they’ve never ever EVAH touched themselves “down there”.

Blink.