22 | January | 2009 | The Velvet Cerebellum

2 posts in a day…what the hell!?
So today is the 36th anniversary of Roe v Wade. I have a request for those who support the Roe v Wade decision and the right to choose. Can we please stop using the ‘victim of rape or incest’ argument? I know, it’s hot button and all that, but really, it detracts from the real issue. The real issue, the real argument, is that decisions regarding the health and well being of my body, decisions regarding how my body will exist should remain between me and my doctor. There is not a single other person out there that has the right to interfere with those decisions. If a woman is pregnant it does not matter how or why she is pregnant. She has the right to make a decision regarding that pregnancy and she will make it with her doctor and that decision will be based on sound medical advice that comes from scientific fact, not emotional arguments.
A woman needs to make sound, reasoned choices when it comes to her body. The choice to have a baby is a serious and life changing decision. Having a baby is something that should happen when you are ready, not because of dogma and threats.
The ‘victim of incest or rape’ is a false argument that could backfire. What happens if it’s agreed that they should be available for the poor victims…but for no one else? We have to defend the premise where it stands and not where the other side might agree.
And could I love Barack Obama any more than I do?
His statement released today:

On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.

Speaking of loving him and false arguments…
His Executive Order to close Guantanamo. Awesome! yes? YES! I know he promised it, but I’d assumed long political fuckery before it happened and yet, there it is.
The false argument we need to stop using regarding torture, waterboarding, illegal imprisonment is “it’s not even effective”. What if it was an effective way of gathering useful intelligence, would you still support it? Would you? I wouldn’t.
* Eighth Amendment – Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
We. Do. Not. Torture. We do not do this. This is something we do not do. It does not matter how effective it might be, it does not matter how SURE we are that someone knows something, we do not torture. It is more important that we lose a battle than lose that thing which makes us truly free, truly American.

it’s been a while, I’ve been busy and distracted and whatever. Here are my random thoughts in no particular order.

I watched the inauguration at my dad’s place since he has a tv and all that.
Could Aretha Franklin’s hat been any more awesome? Seriously! From the moment she stepped out there I fell in love all over again. I want that hat. I love that hat. That hat was amazing.
It is a SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS when a leader has to promise to bring science back. I almost wept when I heard that. Bringing science back. How crazy is that? This THIS THIS is what brings me hope. I find hope in knowing that leadership and decisions and education will once again be based on fact and study, based on the empirical rather than ‘faith’
While we’re at it, can we have a one hour tv special explaining to the general population the difference between a theory and a hypothesis? These terms are NOT interchangeable and they do not convey the same idea.
When he mentioned Khe Sahn I really wanted to believe he did because he loves The Big Lebowski. I want to believe my president is that awesome.
“we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals” This is how I learned it in elementary school, in junior high, in high school. I learned that it is precisely our ideals that keep us safest. I learned that you may lose sometimes because the constitution does not allow you to go as far as you like in prosecuting or interrogating or spying but precisely because of that we will win in the end. A criminal might go free because he was not read his miranda rights, on the other hand the rule is in place so that every person who is arrested knows and understands their rights. A prosecuter may ‘know‘ that a person committed a crime, but they cannot just jail that person indefinitely while they try to find evidence. That keeps all of us safe. No one will be jailed indefinitely until ‘evidence’ is found. No one will be tortured, no one will be treated as less than a human. This is what I learned, this is what has always made me a committed advocate of the constitution. It is a document that says that it is willing to err on the side of the individual in order to maintain the safetly of the masses.
I thought the ‘non-believer’ thing was a bit of an obvious play, but still I appreciated it. It would be nice to know that laws and rights can be crafted to encompass everyone, not just the people who believe certain things. That a bible says that I can only marry a man means about as much to me as the pink unicorn in my garage telling you that you can only eat beef on sunny days. Your book is not the boss of me and my unicorn is not the boss of you and the law should reflect that.
I am sad that Ted Kennedy is dying. He is one of the last truly great liberal orators. Obama is getting close, but I fear the office will take a toll on him. I listened to a retrospective of TKs speeches and I was riveted. Is television killing our ability to write and speak truly great things?
What does it say about my faith in humanity that I was terrified every time the Obamas got out of their limo during the parade?
This is really one of the most touching photos of the evening
on the crafty front, I’ve been making headbands for sale on etsy except people buy them before i have a chance to list them!
I have a cold and I am tired a lot, but you know! eat lots of fruit or something.
Just a reminder: 15% of all January sales at Bubbo Designs will be donated to Darfur Stoves. I wish I had a way to truly express how important this is to me. A woman should not have to risk rape, torture or death every time she tries to care for her family. If you don’t want or need yarn or felted accessories, please consider a direct donation.
If there is any justice in this world this Nurse Practitioner will be charged with assault and battery. Provider Conscious rules cannot apply here as they can only exempt a professional from shirking their sworn duties in the dispensing of devices and medications that go against their ‘beliefs’. PC rules don’t cover the blatant attack and theft of these things. This is why I want science back in the forefront. I don’t give a good goddamn what your skyman tells you about my uterus! If you cannot uphold the professional obligations you have to my health and welfare then find another job. At the very least, Don’t lie and trick and assault your patients. Also, a nurse practitioner that DOES NOT UNDERSTAND how an IUD works needs to get her hands out of the vaginas and get her ass back to school. An IUD is NOT an abortifactant. Sloppy psuedoscience does not change this. Your magic skyman does not change this. My pink unicorn does not change this.