Hello…

What a day it was yesterday. I’m glad it is over.  Although last night was a victory for the Democrats as they united to beat the republicans from filibustering. We got the 60 votes and we are that much closer to health care reform! But it isn’t over yet. And just as important as health care reform, we need to address the Stupak Amendment, and petition its place in the health bill to ensure that it is not part of the final health care bill.

I received the below e-mail from Barbara Boxer as I am sure many of you did.

Ten days ago, the House passed the Stupak Amendment, which would be one of the biggest setbacks to women’s health in recent decades — unless we stand together and stop it.

That’s why we are launching a petition at www.FightForWomensHealth.com, because women must not be denied access to safe and legal medical procedures.

Will you join us? Click here to stand with us to protect women’s health and help remove the anti-choice Stupak Amendment from the final health care reform bill:

www.FightForWomensHealth.com

For decades, a very difficult and delicate compromise has held firm: Women can use their own private funds for legal reproductive health care procedures, but federal funds cannot be used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother.

But in a stunning turn of events, anti-choice House members passed the Stupak Amendment as part of the health care reform bill and shattered that compromise.

The House amendment would tell women who participate in the new health insurance exchange that they can’t even use their own funds to buy a policy that includes abortion coverage.

In short, the Stupak Amendment would take away health insurance coverage that women already have. This would be a huge step back for women’s health.

You know I will be there speaking out on this issue at every stage of the process and everywhere I can. But as the details of the Senate’s health care bill are worked out, we need to be sure that all our voices are heard clearly on this issue.

Please stand with us to protect women’s health and help remove the Stupak Amendment from the final health care bill. Sign our petition now.

www.FightForWomensHealth.com

The Stupak Amendment is dangerous and unnecessary.

The original health reform bill did not change current abortion policy and already had a prohibition on the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services.

But that wasn’t good enough for the anti-choice forces. They want to use health care reform as an excuse to turn back the clock on women’s health. We need to speak out now.

How can we tell women that they will lose coverage that they already have? How can we tell women that they can’t buy insurance coverage for a legal health care procedure, even if it’s paid for with their own money?

The Stupak Amendment is discriminatory, extreme, and just plain wrong.

We cannot let it stand. Sign our petition now.

Thank you so much for joining us in this critical fight for women’s health.

In friendship,

Barbara Boxer

Readers: If you haven’t signed the petition, I am encouraging you to do so. If you click on any of the links above which takes you to a page to sign the petition, all of my info will be in the fields. I could not delete my info so please delete and add your info into the fields – thank you!

Ruth: Have I had that conversation with my mother? You bet I have. Did I include those exact words that you mentioned this time? Not exactly, but more or less. Will support of women into office be a topic that is broached again?  Yes, over and over.

You haven’t been reading my blog long enough to know that I have blogged these sort of conversations that I have had with my mother before. My mother is one who has given deference to men for many years, as powerful as she is. But she has seen the light, so to speak…or should I say she has seen the ‘white’. Old ‘white’ men that is, telling us what we can and can not do with our bodies.

When Hillary was running for president, my mother told me that she was not sure she thought a woman would be a good president. Oh…That was the wrong thing for her to say to me. I went off, in a gentle but firm way, of course; she is my mother. :)

After pointing out the lack of competency in men that ‘we’ve elected’, and the past administration(s), and asking her several questions such as, “What attributes or intelligence does any man possess, that a woman can’t compete with that would make her less of a candidate for the president of the U.S., than the lame ducks of the past? After my passionate grilling, she stared at me and said, ‘I never thought about it like that, but you are absolutely right.’ It was quite a moment…a revelation, a clarity, that I witnessed in her eyes, like she had just woken up from a deep sleep.  And from that point on my mother rode the Hillary train and rallied up her girlfriends too.  And to this day she still talks about that conversation as well as a few other eye-opening moments that we have shared in regards to men and women.

But these conversations are ones that need to be had quite frequently. Although, my mother is a smart woman, and eventually gets it,  her attention span is quite limited, and her revelations are short-lived.

How are you and the girls doing?

Carrie: You got that right. There is always enough money in the budget for war, yet health care in general, and women’s health more specifically, is not a priority. You are absolutely right and worth repeating: “Women need to make electing women to political office that put women’s issues on the top of the list a priority.”

Lora: Perfectly said. Great quote worthy words.

Brenda: Reading your comment got me fired up.  I too am passionate about the issue, and I thank you and Carrie, Ruth, and Lora, for bringing up again how important it is for us to elect women into office…women who will make women’s concerns a priority. Men certainly make their concerns a priority. The only way we are ever going to get ahead is to lead, and that means more women in office. It really is that simple. And totally doable, as long as women ‘woman up’ and start supporting women who support women.

Anna: As I had mentioned, I have several girlfriends who have breast cancer and they are in their 40′s. This over 50 BS, is an issue that should never even be on the table, in my opinion. What limitations are there out there that prevents men from getting care until a certain age? Are there any? I don’t know of any.

Larry: You do the best you can for you and for men; not women. How obvious is that? Obviously not obvious enough for some of the women to wake up and do something about it. For those that see through your self-centeredness: Watch out; we are a powerful bunch. Your day will come.

Billy: How are you? Good to hear from you again. Here’s one for you: ‘Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.’

Peace out.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

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I called my mother last night and we immediately got into a conversation about the debate happening over mammogram screening. We both spoke passionately as we discussed how women’s health always seems to be the subject of debate, and when will women’s health be given the priority and importance that is given to men’s health.

After a few minutes, she said how it has been this way for so many years. She couldn’t understand why abortion was made legal, and yet with every new president, abortion comes up again in debate. “Control mom,”  I said. “Men want to have control over women. We need women and men to continually stand up for women’s rights and issues.” She just sighed and said, “I got so upset with so-in-so the other day when she told her daughter who is 6 years old, and so independent and intelligent, that her father was the boss of the house, and not her.” (the mother).  Then she said, “What is wrong with some of the women in this country who listen to these men, don’t think for themselves, and teach their daughters to do the same thing?   I smiled to myself. I love it when my mother is so right on.

One of the things that I love about my mother is her directness, and her honesty. One of the things that I dislike about my mother is her directness and her honesty. :) This was obviously one of those times that I loved it.

Then she asked me if I felt that I would see women reach equality in my lifetime. ‘In my lifetime.’ Those words felt so disheartening for some reason. I didn’t want to even think that this kind of change would take years, not to mention a ‘lifetime’, when I feel that so many women are fighting for change to happen NOW.  I wondered if their mothers had asked them the same question.

I realized that for me the fighting has just begun.  Yet for many, the fight has been going on for years, at a time when I was just still too young…still too naive, thinking that women were already considered equal. And when I had been shown that we were not considered equal,  that we were still considered second class, I had yet to discover just how powerful women could be when we came together in support of each other.

I said to my mother that we must continue daily to take our place of equality and accept nothing less.

So this brings me back to my topic: Mammogram screening. Some of you blogged about it yesterday. Thanks Anna and Evelyn for posting your finds. Here’s me two on the subject:

Once again, the republicans are up to no good. Their one last ditch effort to scare women over breast cancer is truly abhorrent.  First it was death panels. Now they are breeding fear by playing to women’s confused and anxiety ridden emotions, about the latest news in mammogram screening, trying to sell us the notion that health care reform means ‘rationed care’, where the government will value cost containment over saving a small incremental number of lives. Don’t believe it. This debate over the efficacy of mammograms for women between 40-50 has been going on for years but the republicans are bringing it to light as if it is something new, as if this has never been a topic of discussion….just to scare women.

“The US Preventative Task Force, recommended that women between 40-50 no longer needed annual mammograms and did not need to do self exams.”

So what. On a side note let me guess…is this task force mostly men? Because I don’t think many women would push to get less care for prevention of a disease that is second to skin cancer in killing women. Here’s the latest from the Breast Cancer Society:

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment. Right now there are more than 2½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Let me repeat:  ’Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment.’ Are they trying to prevent me from finding cancer early and getting better treatment? Are they trying to having control over my own health…my own body? Let me make the decision whether I want a mammogram or no longer need one for now. Let me do a self examination if I feel the need. Let me be in control of my body.

I know of at least 3 girlfriends who have had breast cancer in their 40′s. Yearly mammography screening should be a woman’s choice and it should be supported by our health care system. Period.

“The US Preventative Task Force informs us that radiation risk is higher in younger women and it is critical that women know this so that they can make an informed choice.”

Great – thank you for the info – now allow me to make an informed choice for myself. Don’t take away my right for care.

Breathe girls. Thankfully, the task force has no jurisdiction over setting health care policy or insurance rates. As I said, this is just another republican scare tactic.

‘Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius wisely announced that government insurance policies would continue to cover mammograms in this age group so if there is any evidence of some sinister plot to ration health care you cannot be clearer than the HHS Secretary disavowing the panel’s policy.’

In spite of the fact that while the health reform legislation that is before Congress may indeed severely and unfortunately curtail a women’s right to choose, – thanks to those that voted for the Stupak Amendment, what health reform does do for women’s health is huge:

‘It ends the decades long practice of discriminating against women with their health care coverage. Insurers in most states are permitted to consider gender when determining both individual and group rates and therefore women are frequently charged much more than men for premiums. www.nwlc.org. Moreover, a C-section can be viewed as a “pre-existing condition” and insurers can now refuse to pay for future C-sections or deny a woman who has had a prior C-section from health coverage entirely. Equally abhorrent, in eight states and in the District of Columbia, insurers can legally deny a woman’s health insurance application if she has been the victim of domestic violence. All these discriminatory practices will be corrected in the health care reform legislation.’

What is it with these republicans? Once again, they’ll jump aboard any topic and do whatever is necessary to gain control, and take down this administration. Yes, and at the expense of women by politicizing an incredibly important emotional and health issue for women.

Readers: The republican’s disingenuous nature is showing face once again. Do you honestly think that they are really that concerned about women’s health and issues, when they fought so hard against health care reform?

*************

It is my early day today so I’m out of here. I’ll address those that I want to address tomorrow -

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning….

This new scam isn’t part of the series that I have been blogging, but it is a recent one from Scambusters that all of you should know about. Tax season will be upon us sooner than you think. As I always say, “Forewarned is forearmed.”

Major IRS Scam Exploits Unpaid Tax Fears

It may not be tax season right now, but for crooks it’s always tax scam season — and the latest IRS scam has been labeled the most prominent spam-delivered virus in the world during late summer and fall.

In this Snippets issue of Scambusters, we take a close-up look at this IRS email scam which has turned up on millions of PCs.

We also spotlight two potential identity theft threats — one the revival of a bank failure phishing scam, the other a worrisome experience encountered by a member of the Scambusters team who was asked to put confidential personal information into the hands of her child.

But first, that IRS scam…

Bogus “Notice of Underreported Income”

Messages purporting to come from the IRS have been dropping into millions of email inboxes in recent months, with the ominous subject heading “Notice of Underreported Income.”

This phony IRS spam is said to account for 10% of all email spam sent out during those months.

In one version, the message asks you to click on a link that takes you to a bogus IRS page where you’re asked to provide your Social Security number and credit card information, supposedly to make an additional tax payment.

In other words, it is simply an IRS phishing scam.

In other cases, the message contains an attachment you’re supposed to click to install a tax statement viewer.

In reality, clicking the attachment installs a virus called the Zeus Trojan, which enables the scammers to hack bank accounts.

Researchers say this Trojan — said to be missed by most anti-virus software — has been draining more than a million dollars a day from victims’ accounts.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — the IRS never makes unsolicited contact by email. And when they do use email to respond to a message you sent them, they never ask for personal information.

If you receive this IRS scam message, simply ignore it and delete it. If you’re still worried that it might be genuine (though we assure you it isn’t), contact the IRS by phone.

Just don’t click on that link! And if you already did, contact your bank and the police straightaway.

The Busted Bank Scam

Even though we might be past the worst of the recession, banks are still going bust. And scammers are still using that fact as a ruse to hoodwink unsuspecting victims.

When a bank fails, you should still be able to withdraw your money for up to 30 days after the collapse. If not, provided it’s covered by the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) as most are, you’ll get a check from the government to cover the money you had on deposit, currently up to $250,000.

Using this as a lever, scammers send out messages to customers of failed banks, pretending to be messages from the FDIC, warning that their ATM cards have been disabled and/or their accounts frozen.

Then — guess what — victims are asked to provide birth date, Social Security number, mother’s maiden name and other personal information. It all adds up to a nasty phishing scam.

As with the IRS case above, the FDIC never asks for information in this way — so never give it. If you’re on the receiving end of a bank collapse and you’re unsure what is happening to your money, contact the bank or the FDIC directly.

Visit the FDIC site for more information.

Should You Entrust a Child With Personal Information?

Would you trust an elementary school child with all of your personal information? That’s the dilemma Scambusters team member Andrea recently faced.

A note from her children’s school district asked her to provide all sorts of information, including Social Security and driver’s license numbers, for background checks that were being performed on all school volunteers and chaperones.

We agree it’s a good idea to do the check. But a fail grade for the way they wanted to do it: the kids were supposed to carry this precious information to school themselves in their backpacks — with a check (containing more personal info) to pay for the verification.

And then, Andrea wondered, if the information did safely complete its journey, who else would have access to it and how would it be stored?

Discovering that many parents were planning to comply without weighing the risks, Andrea raised her concerns with the school board who decided to shred all of the forms that had been turned in and simply request the name, telephone number, and email of volunteers/chaperones.

These were then to be passed to a background checking company so they could send the volunteer/chaperones a SECURE link to log in and provide additional private information. Subsequently, the school would only be told if individuals had passed or failed the check; no other details would be provided.

With more and more schools rightly requiring background checks on their volunteers, perhaps you might find yourself in a similar situation. If so, we recommend you ask the following questions:

• How much of my personal information will you require?
• Who, and how many people, will have access to my personal information?
• Where will the information be stored and how will it be protected?
• What is the file retention policy and, when you’re done with it, how will it be disposed of?
• What information will be gathered in the background checks (e.g., criminal and driving history, civil issues, credit history)?
• Who will see the results of the background check?
• And, finally, what constitutes a pass or fail result?

And if, like Andrea, you have concerns about the approach adopted for this activity, or about the answers to the questions we’ve outlined, voice them immediately.

The IRS scam and the other stories in this Snippets issue illustrate perfectly the broad range of identity theft risks each one of us may face.

In fact, a researcher reported back in 2000 that by using only a zip code, date of birth and gender, 87% of Americans can be uniquely identified. It’s that easy.

So, what can you do? Be careful who you release your personal information to. And always ask about the privacy and data retention policies of those who have your personal information.

For more help, visit the Scambusters Identity Theft Center. And stay safe!

That’s a wrap for this issue. Wishing you a great week!

**********

Doug: I knew you would find the truth about that video. I wish the story was authentic – it would be so much more fun and interesting. Nothing against digital, but you know me, I am a hands-on kind of a girl, and I loved the idea of people collaborating on something as cool as this, not to say that there wasn’t a ton of collaborating going on, but you get my drift. Digital or not…still incredible; and watching it and hearing it, still makes me smile….

…got to go. Enjoy your Sunday everyone!

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129 Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good Morning…

Have you seen any of these signs in your neighborhood?

(click on photo to read)

I don’t know if you’ve seen signs like this in your neighborhood but here in San Francisco, Obama’s stimulus package is working….jobs are being created. You want to know if Obama’s stimulus is doing something. I am happy to say that here, it is.

We can bitch at the bank bailouts and wonder just where all of the money is going besides into the pockets of big boys till when ever…I know because I bitch about it too.  But there are some good things happening out there, and they deserve the recognition too.

Back in January Obama had a goal to put together a plan that “not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term.” That stimulus package, the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” has come to fruition and is working.

Focusing on providing assistance to low- and middle-income Americans, Obama’s plan from the beginning was to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure by investing in states that are struggling with falling revenues. California currently in a bankrupt state, is one of them. Obama’s goal was to create or preserve at least 3 million jobs over the next two years. Is it working? Is he reaching his goal?

Readers: You tell me. The stimulus plan is working in our beautiful city. How successful it is, how many projects are really being supported by the package, I really don’t know.  But I am happy to see that there is some progress…is progress happening in your city? – blog me.

************

BTK:  How goes it? Are you able to post your comments on The Huff successfully now or what? After I post, I’m gonna trip on over there and read a bit. I have commented myself over there. However, I do need to watch it with my spicy language and ribald badinage :) (That’s a nod to you George – Not George the Bigot :) By the way…loved your dig on Dylan.

Hi Ruth: loved your story. :)

Theresa: Your story was horrifying. Just having a baby or not, I’m pretty connected to down there, not just to the obvious physical part, but I know when my girls happy and when she’s falling apart – pun intended. :) Great write – hope it never happens to me or anyone else – good advice: Anything funny happening down there? Feeling ‘flat’ with no hole? –  address it immediately, please.

Anon:  You’re right; the woman that you saw at the party doesn’t write this stuff – Yeah my husband is my ghost writer- just like your husband thinks for you- he does for me too.

Zen Lill: No offense taken – why would I? I didn’t know half the people at the party. Anon is obviously not a friend of mine; no woman friend of mine would ever make that kind of statement towards me, and any man that knows me wouldn’t say that about me either. The words had no impact on me what-so-ever. I laughed when I read her comment – Hard to be offended or take Anon seriously when the words are so far from the truth.

In regards to twitter: All it means is that if people know your twitter address, they can follow you unless you block them. I have blocked a few spammers – yes there are spammers here at twitter too. Anybody can chose to follow you just by doing a search to find you and see if you have a twitter address. Your followers can check in to see what you’re up to. Whether you make a comment or not they are still followers if they choose to be or until you block them from following. It’s really very simple and much easier than FB, although FB has its place too I am discovering.  Tweet me baby.

Alexander: Let me tell ya, Suzy Wong’s got it goin’. I’m sure Bita would look gorgeous in anything but a little Asian spice is always nice…..garters and stockings underneath…outfit complete…Ready to praise, peel off, and take pleasure in :)

Evelyn:  Thank you for your comment and for including your article. When I wrote about Major Hasan, my research did not include that vital piece of info, and I misunderstood my source. My apologies to my readers for the misinformation. Big mistake.

And my apologies to Major Hasan for writing that he turned the gun on himself, and calling him a gutless wonder. Now I’ll just call him a mass murderer.

But much more importantly, big kudos and congrats to Sgt. Munley, the true hero who, didn’t give up despite being shot three times herself….saved the day.  Love her courage. Women rock.

Ingrid: Thank you for your comment. I know the feeling. I get anxious about the state of the world myself too. We all should be a little anxious or it means we’re not paying attention to the happenings in this world. Anxiety can be good if it is the impetus for change.

Your statement, “So now the world is full of people willing to kill others who do not believe as they do,” is a truth that has been going on for centuries. When were people not killing each other over some religious belief? Now we are blessed with the internet that gets us the information in split seconds from all over the world. No one has the excuse that they aren’t informed when there are so many ways to be informed. All one as to do is get involved.

Obviously you are involved in the world. I love when I hear people, especially younger people, inspired by me, my blog and the things written here. You are the future of this planet – You do have the opportunity to contribute a different attitude to a better world. You just have to do it. Love….right back at you :)

Mike:  Good points. I have been trying to rid my blog of ads that I don’t particularly want to advertise, but I can see from your comment and Libby’s that some are worth running, if nothing else but learning what the other side is doing (knowledge is power), i.e. your words: (1)….”get to see what bulls**t he is exporting and (2) he it cost him money to do it.” I enjoyed your comment and your view – keep it coming.

Readers: As always, good to hear your views- blog me – tweet me.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129 Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

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Good morning!

I am sure that all of you by now have noticed that this bird, moi,  has joined twitter and is now tweeting! Join twitter and come follow my tweets. It’s easy to join and much more simpler than FaceBook. Although I am not knocking FB. I faced off awhile ago but I am back at it again and have figured out how not to be on it for hours on end. Now I am enjoying connecting with so many of you on all 3 venues. I have even recently joined some of my fave websites where my comments are now connected to my twitter. Pretty cool. So if you are having a hard time commenting here, or just want to connect in another way, join twitter and come tweet me baby!

Okay enough of blog biz.

Hi Mike:  Thanks for the compliment and the offer. If I could be in SF at 4:00 on Thursday, I would be there to support but I work during the day so it is a no go for me. Are you going to be there? Let us know how it goes – thanks.

Eunice: My pleasure.

Libby: I removed that ad of Newt – As you can see it’s still up. – it takes a while to get it out of the system.  But hey, maybe I should keep it for that one purpose. :) Since you joined – please keep us posted.

Anon, Anon 2: Well, well, well….are either of you close friends of mine? I can’t imagine that if either of you knew me well,  you would know that my blog would never be a subject that you could not broach.  Are you just too shy or is it something else? I spoke about my blog several times that evening, and happy to do so. So no, I do not mind being approached in public – why would I? I love chatting about my blog.

Let me guess….hmmm were either of you amongst the 4 in the bedroom who were totally silent when I was speaking to a woman who I just met, about my blog? I knew all of you quite well except for the one guy….And even though we haven’t seen each other in years, we had all grown up together, and yet not one of you said a word when this new acquaintance and I were chatting it up.  Yeah I noticed the silence. :) Look, I won’t put you on the spot. I don’t expect you to answer. I just find it humorous that both of you had topics that you wanted to discuss yet you didn’t come up to me. You must know that I am so approachable. And if you didn’t, you do now!  Talk to me.

Hey Zen Lill: As much as I agree that we need to pump up availability and research in prevention, I am not sure if you are saying that you personally would not like to pay for penile dysfunction products, viagra or abortions, meaning that people in general should get these for free through health insurance etc., or if you mean the government public option, should not subsidize these products and procedures.

A ‘personal decision‘ is a very shady area in my mind. Circumstances change. People change. Sometimes women get pregnant, and the man gets cold feet and leaves. Should a woman be forced to have the baby as a single parent? Women can be persuaded into pregnancy thinking that she does want a child, gets pregnant, and then wakes up one morning, reality hits and she realizes that maybe she really doesn’t want a baby. Maybe a young woman wants to have a child, gets pregnant, and a month later gets the raise and promotion that she has been working so hard for, but knows she won’t get the support from her boss – a man. She makes a tough decision and opts to have an abortion, knowing that she can live the dream job and have children later. My girlfriend just went through this only she chose to have a baby, and her boss, a man, laid her off – she is now in a law suit.

The point being, having a child is a huge life changer. I know you know this even better than me :)

I just feel that during the decision process, women can change their minds, and they have every right to.  And women should be supported for changing their minds if they choose. There are all sorts of personal reasons and decisions why women chose to get pregnant and then choose to have an abortion. And because women are the only ones who truly experience this on a physical level not to mention an emotional level, women need to be supported by it. And worrying whether they will be covered by it, shouldn’t be an issue.

Here’s an article that I read this morning on the Huff Post. (I tweeted it too :)

Boxer: Senate Has Votes To Block Stupak Amendment

One of Congress’s foremost champions of abortion rights said on Monday that the Senate did not have the votes to add a more restrictive anti-abortion amendment to health care reform legislation.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said that 60 votes would be needed to strip the current health care bill of its abortion-related language and replace it with a version resembling that passed by the House of Representatives on Saturday. And, in an interview with the Huffington Post, the California Democrat predicted that pro-choice forces in the Senate would keep that from happening.

“If someone wants to offer this very radical amendment, which would really tear apart [a decades-long] compromise, then I think at that point they would need to have 60 votes to do it,” Boxer said. “And I believe in our Senate we can hold it.”

“It is a much more pro-choice Senate than it has been in a long time,” she added. “And it is much more pro-choice than the House.”

Boxer’s reading of the political landscape might seem like the hopeful spin of an abortion-rights defender. But it was seconded by a far less pro-choice lawmaker, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.)

“It would have to be added,” sad the Montana Democrat of an amendment that mirrored that offered Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) in the House. “I doubt it could pass.”

Speaking days after House Democrats helped pass the Stupak provision — which would greatly restrict private insurers from covering abortion — Boxer and Baucus’s proclamations are undoubtedly music to the ears of pro-choice activists. President Obama, likewise, stressed during an interview with ABC News Monday night that he would like to see the Stupak amendment changed before a final version of health care legislation is produced.

In making her argument, Boxer described the provision as inherently prejudiced, as well as bad policy and unfair politics. The Stupak amendment, she said, would deny women access to “a legal medical procedure” even if she agrees to pay for it with private funds (a supplemental policy would have to be purchased to cover abortion).

“It’s bad enough on the first count, but on the second count it seems to me very unfair and very discriminatory,” she said. “I don’t see them picking out anything that a man relies on, any kind of procedure that a man relies on. This is very discriminatory towards women.”

She noted that it was predominantly men who were making these policy decisions.

“In all my years in politics, this is what it’s been like,” Boxer said. “This is the way it is. It always amazes me. The leading voices always, since I’ve been in Congress, have always been males. And that is one of the reasons why I think it is so important to have more women. Not that every woman is pro-choice. It is not true. But most of the women are.”

“And so when I see man after man come down there I just feel, in my heart our of hearts: Why don’t you trust women to make this decision? We are deserving of your trust,” the senator added.

Currently, the Senate bill’s language would allow for insurers participating in a health care exchange to cover abortions so long as they ensured that federal funds are not used to pay for the procedure. An amendment similar to Stupaks’ effort — which was offered by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) — had already been voted down in the Senate Finance Committee.

To re-introduce such a provision, Boxer said, 60 senators would be required to cut off debate on the floor. And the votes for that, she said, likely won’t materialize.

“If they try to add the language we would try to stop them,” she said. “If somebody wants to take it out they are going to need 60 votes to take it out… And my view is that we do have the numbers.”

Boxer is slated to meet on Tuesday with Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) as well as other Democratic women in the Senate to discuss the topic of abortion vis-à-vis health care reform.

“When we sat down to do health care, I thought there was an understanding that we would be abortion-neutral,” she said. “In other words we wouldn’t change anything on abortion; that federal funds couldn’t be used but of course private funds could as long as this was legal. And Roe v. Wade is the law of the land.”

********

Hey BTK: Loved your comment – you are so right on. And here…on my blog….you can say anything you like, even twice :)  – go for it.

Jeff: Awesome – thanks for making such a big commitment.

Readers: Comments? Thoughts? Complaints? Compliments :) – blog me or tweet me!

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

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For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"