This is news? Forget about the Florida primaries; a bunch of old, out-of-touch white guys spent a buttload of money trying to scare people into voting for them. Winner Mitt Romney celebrated by telling the world that he doesn’t really care about poor people, a sound bite that should come back to haunt him should he become the nominee. Let unsaid in the mass media was the fact that actual voter participation levels in this primary fell by 15% when compared to 2008.
This is news! Meanwhile, the far righties have hijacked the ever popular Susan G. Komen Race for Cure Charity, using their power to cut off funding for breast cancer exams that happen to occur at Planned Parenthood facilities. The “reason” for the cut-off is that Planned Parenthood is now facing a Congressional “investigation”, which is actually more of McCarthesque ploy conjured up by the likes of nutjob Rep. Michele Backmann. Needless to say, a bunch of women are mighty unhappy about this, as this post from EvilSlutopia.com points out.
This is not news…. Yesterday was media day in Indianapolis, an event conjured up to get free mentions for the SuperBowl. Better that you should read this think piece about how the SuperBowl is really socialism is action. Or even this article about entitled “Occupy the SuperBowl, Now More Than a Slogan… Money quote: “Upsetting the Super Bowl— I couldn’t care less. This is about my life and my family.” —Lou Feldman, IBEW local 668
This might be news… The SDUT WatchDog reports this morning, “Assemblymen Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, and Marty Block, D-San Diego, plan to introduce a bill today that would mandate the San Diego Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies suspend collection of $2.6 million a year in fees from motorists until 2016.”
Further down in the story are simply outrageous quotes from local officials seeking to defend the program in question, one of which calls the redistribution of the agency’s $14 million slush fund “absolutely not useful.” The original investigation of this scam was credited in the story to the San Diego City Beat. (yay!)
This is made up news… Conserv blog SDRostra published a post yesterday by City Councilman, Mayoral wannabe and drama queen Carl DeMaio claiming that the San Diego City Council was “forced” to place his Comprehensive Pension Reform Ballot Measure on the June 2012 city election. With only one vote against his measure, DeMaio must have been sweating bullets.
Make up some news…. We’re always looking for local activism events to plug here. Send your stuff to Cuppa (Put that in the subject line) c/o OBRagBlog@Gmail.com
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more on the Susan G Komen scandal… a money quote from Pandawagon.net:
Anyone who thinks breast cancer can be neatly cordoned off from this growing circle of hate for all things women’s health care is fooling themselves. That’s not how witch hunts work. The fear here is not about fetuses or babies per se, but a deep-set fear of female sexuality. Already anti-choicers have scooped breast cancer under the umbrella “abortion”, claiming that abortion causes breast cancer. (It doesn’t.) Komen would rather side with people who see breast cancer as god’s judgment on you for having an abortion rather than side with people support comprehensive health care for women. That tells you all you need to know about their organization. I’m all for picking up your sneakers and taking up running as a hobby, but recommend now you do it for you, and not for the ever-elusive cure for cancer.
My very first “action” this morning was to make a donation to Planned Parenthood
http://tiny.cc/c7nqq My second action was to call the Komen foundation KOMEN(1-877-465-6636) You can also email news@komen.org
Women’s breasts are not political footballs and shame on the Komen foundation for reducing women’s health to that level. Ugh.
Plez Sign Annie Lane’s petition to the Komen foundation asking for a restoration of funds to PP here http://tiny.cc/k16t7
RIP Don Cornelius- Love, Peace and Soul! http://tiny.cc/jfhfy