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Sunday Reads: Who says no to women? The Bears….

Posted: October 21, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: 2012 elections, 2012 presidential campaign, abortion rights, Accommodation and Compromise, Affordable Care Act (ACA), Barack Obama, birth control, child sexual abuse, Foreign Affairs, Iran, Main Stream Media, Mitt Romney, morning reads, nature, Paycheck Fairness Act, Planned Parenthood, Religious Conscience, Reproductive Rights, Republican politics, the GOP, War on Women, Women's Healthcare, Women's Rights | Tags: , , , , , , , |68 Comments »

Good Morning!

I am using a new blog editor for this post, so hopefully it formats properly…

Ooooo, do I have some interesting links for you this morning. And since there are so many, let’s start and finish with animal stories.

First we turn to the Bears…and the title of today”s post is a hint:

Owners of Chicago Bears Gin Up Fear About Access to Contraception as a Religious Freedom Issue

On Sunday, the owners of the Chicago Bears hosted a meeting at the team’s practice facility where religious leaders and politicians (bad combo) pounced all over the “Obamacare” requirement that contraception be covered by employer insurance plans.

According to the Chicago Tribune, speakers lamented the “eroding freedom to speak in the language of faith in the public square.” How denying women contraception the same women pay for through their own insurance premiums equals “freedom of speech” is anyone’s guess.

And this:

“Some speakers cited evidence of religious persecution in abortion laws, gay marriage, and efforts to characterize opponents of the contraception mandate as anti-women.”

So let me get this straight: If a woman makes the extraordinarily personal decision to end a pregnancy, everyone who disagrees with that decision is being religiously persecuted? How do my reproductive decisions affect your religious faith or freedom in the slightest?

Trick question! They don’t.

Apparently, the team’s senior director of special projects serenaded the crowd with a “religious liberty-themed rendition of ‘Bear Down, Chicago Bears,’” which sounds absolutely hideous and should qualify as “religious persecution” itself, if we’re going by the Bears’ event speakers’ standards.

Sounds like torture to me.

I don’t understand it…and I know, you know, that it pisses me off, so what else can I say.

I have a few more women’s issue links for you:

This first one is no surprise, Abortion may be legal, but very difficult in many states; in past 2 years, 41 set new limits – The Washington Post

We have been talking about the measures the GOP is taking to stick it to women. War on Women? You bet your ass there is a war on women!

From the Topeka Capital Journal: GOP: Women’s Rights and Equal Pay are “Small Things”

This is another review of articles and memes but it is good to see it getting some attention in these newspapers, at least.

Add the Miami Archdiocese to the list of plaintiffs against the ACA mandatory birth control coverage: Miami Archdiocese sues over birth control mandate

One thing we have not mentioned here is the release of names from the Boy Scout files. There is a database here: Database: Search the Boy Scout ‘Perversion’ Files where you can search these files, and seeing all the names of pedophiles is very disturbing. Pages and pages of names!

Damn, I gotta lighten the mood, all these stories are depressing me. How about a birth control story that is funny? Giants rookie David Wilson compares himself to birth control, thinks he’ll be a Hall of Famer

In his first NFL game, New York Giants rookie running back David Wilson found himself in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse after fumbling on just his second rushing attempt of his career, a costly fumble that derailed a possible scoring drive. That fumble may have contributed to Wilson receiving just four rushing attempts over the following three weeks, but it hasn’t affected his confidence.

According to Bob Glauber of Newsday, Wilson just thinks the team needs to believe in him and he’ll get the job done when called upon.

“I’m like birth control. You have to believe in me. Like birth control, 99.9 percent of the time I’m going to come through for you,” Wilson said.

“I never know when that opportunity is coming, and that’s why you have to stay prepared. But when I do get that opportunity, I’m going to get lost in the moment and keep it going. Once I get my chance to go out there and play football and do what I do, I’m not going to want to let go of that.”

I’m like birth control…. I’m gonna come through for you, 99.9 percent of the time. Sounds like a Obama t-shirt to me!

I guess you all may have seen the move Murdoch is making here in the US, rumor has it he is looking to buy Chicago Tribune and the LA Times.

Here is a quick read for you on the GOP agenda: An Excerpt From “How to Rig an Election: The G.O.P. aims to paint the country red”—By Victoria Collier (Harper’s Magazine)

I saved this next article from last week, it was very interesting to read and watch these videos. Check it out: ReConstitution 2012: Visualizing of the Language of the Debates in Real Time

“We wanted to offer a tool for people to objectively look at the debates, as opposed to deal with pundits, who come on immediately after and with no data tell you who won or lost the debate,” John Rothenberg explains in this short video from the Creators Project. His emphasis — “with no data!” — is indignant. Rothenberg and the rest of the team at Sosolimited, an art and technology studio founded by a group of MIT grads, decided to build an interactive web app to provide a radically different perspective on the debates.

ReConstitution 2012 is a dizzying display of animated typography, color-coded words splashing across a web page as the debate progresses. You can follow the first debate in real time, fast forward (x2) or super fast forward (x10). The program runs a statistical analysis of Obama and Romney’s words to highlight those associated with positive and negative emotions, or even lying. Click on “stats” to compare the candidates on “positivity” or “shit they repeat” — words like “tax” and “small business,” of course. The candidates are also placed on a sliding scale from “truthy” to “deceptive,” based on how much their language patterns match those statistically associated with lying or telling the truth. Using “we” instead of “I,” for example, is supposedly a sign of deception.

Bloomberg has some bones to pick with Obama and Romney: Bloomberg Has Tough Criticism for Obama and Romney

For Mr. Romney: “I do think that Romney’s business experience would be valuable, but I don’t know that running Bain Capital gives you the experience to run the country.”

For Mr. Obama: “This business of ‘Well, they can afford it; they should pay their fair share?’ Who are you to say ‘Somebody else’s fair share?’ ”

For both: “Their economic plans are not real. I think that’s clear.”

Asshole! But…if that comment about fair share is all he is critical of, sounds a bit like sour grapes from a man who is going to be hit with Obama’s kind of fair share.

The latest on the poll watch, well as of midnight, via Nate Silver: Oct. 20: Calm Day in Forecast, but Volatility Ahead

Ohio’s largest newspaper endorses Obama. Ohio newspaper again backs Obama, though with ‘less enthusiasm or optimism’

Less enthusiasm? That is an understatement.

Drudge has tweeted some surprise crap about Gloria Allred, and Joe Cannon takes a look at it here: Cannonfire…The new October surprise (update) Supposedly, Gloria Allred has a game-changing October Surprise ready to go.

Joseph thinks it has something to do with a Democrat, but Radar thinks the dirt is on it is Mitt himself.

Emptywheel thinks the “October Surprise” has to do with Iran, and that Hillary is involved…Hint: If Hillary’s Involved with Negotiations, They’ve Started Already

Have you noticed how items at the grocery store seem to have the same size packaging but less product? Supermarkets Find that Less Inventory Means More Money (and Less Waste): Scientific American

We think we want more. We actually want less: less variety, less confusion, less options. This counterintuitive Paradox of Choice (watch the TED talk by Swarthmore College psychologist Barry Schwartz to understand how this works) is driving a new movement by supermarkets, restaurants, and others to slash some of the billions of dollars in food waste every year, and save hundreds of millions of dollars, by doing something simple: offering less.

Ugh….Yeah, but keep the price the same, we love paying more for stuff and get less for our money!

Hey, this next link I found funny, now I know for sure I could never get a job as a Met Police Officer…not because my ass is so big! But because I have too many tattoos!  Tattoo ban for Metropolitan Police officers

The head of the Metropolitan Police has banned officers and staff from getting visible tattoos because they “damage the professional image” of the force.

Whoa there! That ain’t right!

The memo sent to officers and civilian staff on Monday made clear they must not get any more visible tattoos and declare all those they currently have within a month, or face a disciplinary hearing.

The Met’s official statement said: “The standard of appearance required from serving police officers and staff has recently been reviewed to promote consistency.”

It also said applicants wanting to join the police service were already to declare tattoos.

Mr Tully said it seemed rather a harsh policy and questioned the need to use misconduct procedures over tattoos.

“Clearly anything that is overtly offensive shouldn’t be allowed but I think using the sledgehammer, which the commissioner seems to want to use for gross misconduct under our discipline procedures, for anyone who has these or doesn’t declare them is a bit heavy handed.”

Damn, taking it too far in my opinion.

I know I started this post about animal stories, well…take a look at these images from a 15th  century manuscript…beasties and hunting drawings:

BibliOdyssey: The Time of the Hunt

15th century illuminated manuscript miniature: Henri de Ferrières, Les Livres du roy Modus et de la royne Ratio 91

Traps for squirrels:

15th century illuminated manuscript miniature: Henri de Ferrières, Les Livres du roy Modus et de la royne Ratio 124

And some kind of Quado horror creature, this dude has a face in his gut:

 

Personally, I like the image with the midget in a basket…but you can go look for it yourself at the link.

This video is amazing: Kind of Incredible | TPM Editors Blog

And finally one more animal story I am sure you will like: A Gorilla Is Born at Lincoln Park Zoo

They have not yet determined the sex of baby but it looks like everyone is doing fine.

Hope you all enjoy your Sunday, and we will see you around the blog later!

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68 Comments on “Sunday Reads: Who says no to women? The Bears….”

  1. JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    October 21, 2012 at 5:26 am

    The new Nazis are pushing their views in Greece: Anti-immigrant stance gains ground in Greece with Golden Dawn – Europe – World – The Independent

    In Lebanon: Thousands gather for ‘day of rage’ in Lebanon – Middle East – Al Jazeera English

    And in Syria: Syria Live Blog – Al Jazeera Blogs about an hour ago
    An activist group has posted video online claiming to be of the attack site in Damascus’ Bab Touma square.

  2. JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    October 21, 2012 at 5:27 am

    Taliban Binders – Political Cartoon by Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – 10/21/2012

  3. JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    October 21, 2012 at 6:24 am
  4. bostonboomer says:
    October 21, 2012 at 9:12 am

    Lots of interesting links this morning, JJ. I’ve been working through them for awhile.

    The Iran story is really fascinating, and Emptywheel is so good at figuring these things out! Do you get the feeling Obama may drop some big news on Iran during the debate tomorrow night?

  5. bostonboomer says:
    October 21, 2012 at 9:19 am

    The Charlotte Observer endorses Obama as the better of two not-so-great choices.

    http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/10/21/3608441/at-a-crucial-time-uninspiring.html

    • JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
      October 21, 2012 at 10:22 am

      So many of these endorsements for Obama have that touch of reluctance…Giant Douche & Turd Sandwich – Character Guide – South Park Studios

      When PETA comes to town protesting the school mascot, Mooey the Cow, the students are forced to hold a special election, and in turn, nominate these two brave new candidates: Giant Douche and Turd Sandwich. Kyle’s squad is pro-”Giant Douche,” while Cartman (and Butters) get hard behind “Turd Sandwich.” Turns out, they are both really shitty choices.

      • bostonboomer says:
        October 21, 2012 at 11:18 am

        The ones I read yesterday were pretty positive toward Obama. The Tampa Bay Times was. I think the main thing I’m noticing is that most editorial boards think Mitt Romney is not even a serious candidate because of his vague policies, his flip flopping, and his obvious financial conflicts of interest.

    • RalphB says:
      October 21, 2012 at 10:23 am

      At this point, I imagine we should take whatever we can get. I got curious and looked at Ohio. The only polls, out of the last 10, at RCP and HuffPo to show 1 Romney lead and 1 tie are from Gravis. FWIW.

  6. peregrine says:
    October 21, 2012 at 10:39 am

    We’ll have political bickering over foreign policy Monday night rather than a much needed discussion of our military power and the wise use of it in a world increasingly violent and anti-American. This link and it’s excellent link to “The Risks of Ignoring Strategic Insolvency” offers a thoughtful discussion of how our leadership, or meddling, invading, and occupying, can lead to our downfall:

    http:www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/stop-fiddling-around-on-foreign-policy/2012/10/19/be072db6-19f4-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html?hpid=z7

  7. RalphB says:
    October 21, 2012 at 11:00 am

    I really wish Obama could find a way to do this in his own speeches.

    NYT: Bill Clinton in Green Bay

    GREEN BAY, Wis. – Get-out-the-vote events are usually as full of substance as high school pep rallies. But the guest speaker had other plans.

    Bill Clinton took the stage at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Friday night and delivered an hour-long education in the real issues at stake in this election. He talked about Medicaid and financial reform and the student loan system with an appreciation for the granular not usually displayed by the man he was stumping for, President Obama.

    It was the dream speech of a policy wonk, but Mr. Clinton never assumed that the details would bore a general audience, and they did not. The 2,200 people packed into the Kress Events Center – mostly students, whose flagging enthusiasm Mr. Obama desperately needs in this contested swing state – soaked up the details, laughing and applauding through discussions of derivatives, visibly grateful for a speaker who didn’t condescend to them with the usual platitudes.

    • bostonboomer says:
      October 21, 2012 at 11:19 am

      Bill Clinton just gets better and better.

    • peregrine says:
      October 21, 2012 at 11:26 am

      I do too. I’d also like Obama to really try to win this election. If he loses, his lack-luster performance in the first debate, which I’m still angry about, began the downward spiral that he never could recover from.

      Romney looks and sounds more presidential than Obama, and he plays up that image. I re-watched Romney’s speech within 24 hours of the Benghazi attack and his campaign workers had arrange a podium with an American flag behind him and he answered a few questions. During his speech, his eyes looked gleeful in “catching” Obama in what he frames as Obama’s leadership and security weaknesses. While answering questions, his eyes narrowed and he looked too serious, almost mean.

      • peregrine says:
        October 21, 2012 at 11:36 am

        But, with a Romney win, Americans will actually have elected their first “boss” (CEO), and everyone knows you don’t question the boss, or expect a smile when he dodges questions from peons.

      • bostonboomer says:
        October 21, 2012 at 12:28 pm

        I don’t think Mitt Romney looks presidential, and he certainly doesn’t sound presidential. He looks and sounds like know-nothing CEO, not a president. And I don’t believe he will win either.

      • peregrine says:
        October 21, 2012 at 12:55 pm

        I was responding as I believe voters think of Romney now, not from my own choice of president. There were many reasons polls showed a tightened race after the 1st debate; one of them was Obama didn’t act assertive, combative, or strong. Or like their idea of how a president acts. They may now be sold that CEO will turn-around the economy. They know Romney will not be bowing to world leaders or kissing any rings. As far as my prediction for who will win: both sides better have attorneys waiting to contest the other sides’ win. It’s that close.

    • NW Luna says:
      October 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm

      Perfect example of why we shouldn’t have term limits.

    • HT says:
      October 21, 2012 at 1:58 pm

      so true connie. Puts me in mind of my own Pierre Eliot Trudeau – Clinton is in a space by himself now that Trudeau is gone.

  8. JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    October 21, 2012 at 11:07 am

    This is a fun post, and check it out. Barnabas Collins aka Jonathan Frid is Tricia Nixon’s guest at a Halloween party, White House Halloweens: Jackie Kennedy, FDR, Reagan, Hillary & More in Costume « Carl Anthony Online: Presidential Pop Culture, Mythic Americana, Holidays, Legends, Pie & Dogs

    • ecocatwoman says:
      October 21, 2012 at 11:39 am

      Who knew? Loved the photo of JFK with Caroline & John-John. I thought it was so cute how John had his little hands on each of JFK’s knees. And the Barnabas picture – how I longed for him to bite my neck! Priceless. Thanks for sharing JJ.

  9. bostonboomer says:
    October 21, 2012 at 11:23 am

    Todd Akin compares Claire McCaskill to a dog.

    http://politicmo.com/2012/10/20/akin-mccaskill-fetches-expansive-government-like-a-dog/

  10. bostonboomer says:
    October 21, 2012 at 11:26 am

    I’m starting to think we should just ignore those likely voter screens after listening to Nate Silver and Sam Wang on NPR Science Friday. The new NBC/WSJ poll finds Romney and Obama tied in likely voters and Obama ahead by 5 in registered voters.

    http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/21/14593294-nbcwsj-poll-presidential-contest-now-tied?lite

    • ecocatwoman says:
      October 21, 2012 at 11:40 am

      It would certainly be better for my blood pressure.

    • RalphB says:
      October 21, 2012 at 11:52 am

      This is pretty good from booman concerning the voter registration and gotv ground game of the Obama campaign.

      Ground Game vs. Likely Voter Screens

      In Nevada statewide, Nevada Democrats now have a 90,187 raw vote advantage. And yes, that makes for a 7.17% advantage. Back in March, Democrats only had about a 4% statewide edge. And it was even smaller earlier this year.

      North Carolina has an innovation unavailable elsewhere. In-person early voting is called “one stop” voting in the state because a person can register and vote all in one stop at an early voting polling location. Over 100,000 people took advantage of this in 2008. Unregistered voters don’t even make registered voter poll screens, much less likely voter screens. It will be worthwhile to watch if one stop voting moves the North Carolina polling as early voting progresses.

      • peregrine says:
        October 21, 2012 at 12:22 pm

        Not to take away from NC’s innovative, “one-stop” voting, but NC has a longer ballot than most states. Voters select the governor’s cabinet and obviously the winners could be from a different party than the governor’s. They select judges, which run in non-partisan races. It’s quicker to vote a straight ticket; however, voters are warned that such a vote doesn’t include the office of President/Vice President or any nonpartisan race or issue. You can also write-in your choice for President/VP and Governor.

  11. RalphB says:
    October 21, 2012 at 12:38 pm

    What can you say about these folks, except they’re batshit.

    RawwStory: Pro-life protesters: Abortion worse than Hitler and Obama a ‘Communist Nazi’

    • janicen says:
      October 21, 2012 at 12:47 pm

      “Communist Nazi” Gods, they are ignorant!

      • dakinikat says:
        October 21, 2012 at 1:58 pm

        How on earth does any one forget that the communists and NAZIs hated each other and fought a huge war against each other and the freakin communists were our allies? Sheesh!

      • Fannie says:
        October 21, 2012 at 2:10 pm

        I was going to mention to JJ that last night I watched 1981 REDS with Diane Keaton and Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson……………..I am not good linking the movie trailer, but It’s worth the watch for the couple I see on you tube……………..You just understand so much more when you feel like you are really reliving the times…….Don’t want to return to the dark ages, but I think we are being pushed back.

  12. RalphB says:
    October 21, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    Just to sow a little more confusion with polls, this one show Obama ahead by close to 6 pts wit LVs.

    IBD/TIPP Poll: Obama Expands Lead Over Romney

    President Obama holds a 5.7 point lead over Mitt Romney, 47.9 percent to 42.2 percent, according to the latest IBD/TIPP daily tracking poll released Sunday. That represents an improvement from Friday, when Obama held a two-point lead over Romney in the same poll.

  13. dakinikat says:
    October 21, 2012 at 1:52 pm

    Dancin Dave is awful. He was talking to Portman and repeated the falsehood that there are 6 studies out there supporting that Romney tax plan. Why is this man in charge of anything having to do with interviewing politicians if he can’t actually not repeat memes?

  14. dakinikat says:
    October 21, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    Sheesh:

    Mark Agee ‏@MarkAgee
    TRUE STORY: A friend got called by a Romney canvasser. She asked, and he was in the Phillipines. Mitt outsourced his own fucking campaign.

  15. bostonboomer says:
    October 21, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    I saw this at dailykos: Memo from Obama campaign says “We’re winning Ohio. Period.”

    1. All public polling shows that the President has a double-digit lead among those who have voted:
    –Survey USA found that Obama leads by 19 points (57/38) among those who have voted already.
    – Rasmussen, a Republican pollster, found that Obama leads by 29 points (63/34) among those who have voted already.
    – The Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found that Obama leads by 26 points (63/37) among those who have voted already.– PPP found that Obama leads by 52 points (76/24) among those who have voted already.

    2. Registration numbers strongly favor President Obama:
    – Four in five Ohioans (81 percent) who have registered to vote in 2012 are either female, younger than 30, or African-American or Latino – all demographics that strongly favor President Obama.
    – Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Ohioans who have registered to vote in 2012 – and the same percentage among those who have already voted – live in counties that President Obama won in 2008.

    3. Early vote numbers strongly favor President Obama:
    – More than half (55 percent) of the early-vote ballots requested so far this year have been requested by women, 3 percentage points greater than 2008 early voters.
    – 582,402 ballots have been requested this year from precincts that Obama won in 2008, 33,414 more than in from precincts that McCain won.
    – The total number of votes already cast this year (both by mail and in-person) from precincts Obama won in 2008 is 261,304 – 55,636 more than from precincts McCain won.
    – Democrats’ margin over Republicans in votes cast has increased by 21,792 compared with this point four years ago.

  16. bostonboomer says:
    October 21, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    LA Times endorses Obama

    http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-end-president-20121021,0,3229774.story

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