Best. Political Poster. Ever.



Stolen from k...
Filed under:Politics

Moving, Moving, Moving Right

I had a discussion over a year ago with a friend who was very worried about how far right the US might swing before it began to swing back--if ever it did--toward the left, and how much toward the right each subsequent swing was taking us in general. I think I was being optimistic and naive at the time, thinking that the pendulum had to swing back sometime soon. I still want to believe that, but I don't know about the evidence--it's a pretty jumbled bunch of stuff to look at. People are starting to call Bush Jr. on some of his shit, yes, but we still have new Abortion Bans; and the calling Bush Jr. on stuff really does feel like too little, too late, especially when any of the Democratic hopefulls (and the party in general) isn't offering us much in the way of truly liberal movement. Reading The End of Faith by Sam Harris makes things worse for me emotionally, because I get to read facts like 64% of Americans believe that there is a literal Satan and that we have to, as a country, fight him.

I'm not in the give-up-and-move-to-Canada mindset or anything (particularly since Canada just elected the most right-wing group of people it ever has, apparently); I think that the freedoms we have still lend themselves to some truly progressive possibilities, and the backlash against Bush Jr. doesn't mean nothing at all. Still, more and more I'm turning pessimistic as regards long-term prospects 'round here.

Which is why it's always nice to have somebody like Don Asmussen to give you a funny take on it all...



Filed under:Comics as Life and Politics

Friday Morning Downer
It's all sunshine, puppy dogs and unicorns around here today, so I thought I'd bring it down a few notches (to the basement) and note that the number one cause of death of pregnant women in the US is homicide.

Gleaned from Nancy Goldstein's blog, where she has a conversation with Bill "Rape Isn't Cause for Abortion" Napoli:

Bill asked me if it wasn't time for a civilized nation like ours to end abortion. I countered that the US is almost entirely alone among so-called "first world" nations in its anti-choice fervor: that even France, a Catholic country, makes it easier for a woman to obtain a safe, legal abortion on demand. And then I reminded him that murder by a spouse or boyfriend is the #1 cause of death among pregnant women and asked him why he didn't express his concern for the lives of women and children by convening a task force on domestic violence.

Nancy got the idea to call Bill from this strip, by Stephanie MacMillan:


Filed under:Comics as Life, Feminism and Politics

Marching On

I'm not particularly patriotic, but this sort of thing does make me happy in a pseudo-patriotic way:




Filed under: Politics

Apparently, Bush Jr. is Going to Have to Have Himself Arrested...

...since it turns out he was behind the leaks regarding Iraq as well as Valerie Plame.

I mean, he's the one who said that he wouldn't stand for leaks:
The president of the United States on September 30, 2003, according the official White House transcript:

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Let me just say something about leaks in Washington. There are too many leaks of classified information in Washington. There's leaks at the executive branch; there's leaks in the legislative branch. There's just too many leaks. And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of.


Filed under:
General and Politics

Still Hate the Guy...

....but this is the response I recieved from the governator's office after sending his office an email urging him to not follow in the footsteps of South Dakota's governor (as part of NARAL's national campaign), which is sorta comforting:

"Thank you for your email regarding a woman's right to choose. I appreciate hearing your concerns on this important issue impacting so many Californians.

I have repeatedly stated that I strongly believe in a woman's right to choose and am pleased that we no longer have to witness the devastating effects unsafe abortions had on so many women prior to the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade.

The decision to end a pregnancy is not one which a woman enters into lightly. One of the most vital roles we can play is that of friend and supporter to a woman who is in the position of having to decide whether or not to end her pregnancy.

While I am a strong advocate for choice, I am heartened by the national trend showing a decrease in unwanted pregnancies and pregnancies ending in abortion over the past decade. I believe through continued access to education, safe and reliable contraception, and family support we can ensure this trend continues.

Again, thank you for writing to share your position on a woman's right to choose and for your concern about the future of all Californians.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger


I try to find ways that I actually agree with people like Arnold where I can get 'em, and this is really an important way that I agree with him (and that he actually distances himself from the current leaders of his party).

Filed under:Politics