Talk about a disrespect toward women.  The national Republican party has directed its health insurance provider that it will  opt out of abortion coverage.  No one who works for the party can elect a perfectly legal procedure, making her own choice, and have it covered by insurance.  (Want to bet they can have breast implants, face lifts, or liposuction, though–things that make the little woman more attractive?)

Because, of course, the little women can’t make the choice for themselves.

Because the little women need to be “protected” from their own decisions.

Republican party chairman Michael Steel said “”Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose. I don’t know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled.”  This from the man who thinks Democrats’ power has gone to their heads.  ( He also said [about the NY-23 race] “If you don’t live in the district, you don’t vote there, your opinion doesn’t matter very much.”   Funny how that doesn’t apply if he isn’t a woman and didn’t fertilize that egg.)

Damn, I almost wish I worked for the Republican Party, just so I could publicly resign.

We need the Virginia General Assembly to keep the theocrats in check, now that they think they have some kind of mandate.  (It amuses me they’ll assume “mandate” on issues they didn’t mention during the campaign.)

They need to be reminded it’s GOP, not GOD.

Phone rings.

CALLER:  Hello, ma’am … (I’m with xxx research and we’re not selling anything, etc.).  We’re doing a survey to find out what people in your area think about the media.

ME:  I don’t know what people in my area think about the media; I only know what I think.

CALLER:  Okay, thank you for your time.  CLICK.

I’ve been listening to campaign bullshit for two years (can’t find an exact date, but it seems one of the AG candidates has been running since the day after his last election).   This became a race between the feel-good-do-something-even-if-it’s-wrong-and-let-the-government-solve-it-for-you crowd and the holier-than-thou-you-must-live-by-my-moral-code crowd.   In an hour and a half, the ads will cease, at least.  By Thursday, most of the crying and recriminations, at least in public, will be over.

Yeah.  People might, just might, be able to opt out of socialized medicine in the US.

Some people, that is.

But those of us who are “lucky” (our government doesn’t believe success comes from hard work, training, and good fortune) don’t get to “opt out” of paying for it.

Got this neat NRA ‘get out the vote’ e-mail urging me to attend political rallies this weekend.  The first one they listed WAS HELD IN A NON-GUN-FRIENDLY location — Interstate Van Lines in Springfield.

The politicovermin have a right to rally wherever they want, and of course the property owner has the right to determine behavior on his property.
But for NRA to sponsor and endorse this?  Bullshit.

I’ve written before that I cannot in good conscience vote for an Attorney General who only wants to enforce laws he agrees with, who thinks the AG should be involved in the legislative process, and who expresses such vehemence against fellow humans who disagree with his worldview.  I was once again reminded since I’m a gun owner and advocate of 2nd Amendment rights, I must vote for Cuccinelli.  Bullshit.    Since he’s right only on guns, I cannot reward his arrogance, pigheadedness, and pandering.  The other candidate is not only wrong on guns, but has shown an amazing willingness to read laws with a preconceived notion of how he wants to interpret them.  He has been negative, and has been sponsored by single-issue organizations I’ve spent much of my adult life opposing.

Then yesterday I got a stupid robocall “press 1 for …” political survey, which asked who I was going to vote for for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and delegate, and whether I had favorable, unfavorable, or neutral opinions of various candidates.  Finally, it asked if I would vote Democrat or Republican.   No option, on any of the questions, for “other”.  To quote one of my favorite characters — DUMBASS!  I vote issues, not candidates.

In this November election, the Republicans won’t leave me alone, and only one Democrat has contacted* me, asked my opinion on anything, or asked for a vote (I think.  I wasn’t feeling well, and asked the volunteer to call back another time; she never did).

* – disregarding the junk mail that arrives 2-3 pieces, from each candidate, per day

“None of the above” will be my write-in as my candidate of choice.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has set a new record by spending more of

his own money than any other individual in U.S. history in the pursuit

of public office. As of Friday, the mayor had spent $85 million on his

latest re-election campaign and is on pace to spend between $110

million and $140 million before the election on Nov. 3.

Source: Virginia Coalition for Open Government

Imagine, just for a second, this quote came from US Attorney General Eric Holder, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, or Democrat Steve Shannon:  “I will not defend what I, in my judgment, deem to be an unconstitutional law.”  (K. Cuccinelli, 4/4/09) [emphasis mine]

The fearmongers would be having a heyday.  Fox News would go national (probably giving it even a more tabloid spin).  Anti-liberals would be apoplectic, sputtering all over themselves about people who would ignore duly passed laws.  They’d be arguing that it’s not the government’s role to make those determinations, but the people’s.

So I cannot in any way comprehend why these same people are endorsing that attitude for the Virginia Attorney General seat.

What are they thinking????  Don’t tell me “conservatism” (in Cuccinelli’s case, conservatism manifests itself as anti-gay, anti- non-traditional family, anti-choice, holier-than-though power plays to control what choices you make for yourself), or logic.    Call it what it is … hatred of “liberals” – another undefined term.

I’ve been mistakenly supporting Steve Shannon for Attorney General in Virginia.

All this time, I thought he had voted to override SB1035, commonly referred to as the “restaurant ban”.  Virginia has a law that says you may not carry a concealed weapon in a restaurant that serves alcohol for consumption on the premises.  Thes, it’s open carry only.

Unless you’re a Commonwealth Attorney (whether or not you have a concealed handgun permit).

Or a Deputy Commonwealth Attorney (whether or not you have a concealed handgun permit).

Or other categories of privilege.

Shannon has in the past few days proven himself to be susceptible to the Brady Bunch’s attitudes, and appears to have taken his campaign ads from their website and from Omar Samaha.  (Yes, he’s the guy who took $5000 from ABC to “prove” he could buy a gun without ID.   Got news for ya, guy.  So can any criminal on the DC streets.)

Since I cannot in good conscience support Ken Cuccinelli, I need to find an AG candidate within the next 11 days.