fuming

Dec. 14th, 2011 01:37 am
cassidyrose: (Harlie claw)
I am fuming fucking mad about the HHS decision to overrule the FDA's decision to lift restrictions on OTC access of emergency contraception. See, the FDA had decided it was fine to allow any girl or woman of any age to purchase Plan B OTC. The HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius decided we just couldn't have this and overruled this decision.

Fucker.

Then President Obama backed her up with the most asinine, intelligence-insulting, pandering, sexist explanation.

Fucker.

Seriously.

Fuck that shit.

How dare he insult my intelligence like that? Plan B is going to cause no one any serious harm, but you know what will? Nyquil, Tylenol, Advil, rubbing alcohol...all things kids can walk into any drugstore/grocery store and purchase. This was all about pandering to right-wing sexist nut-jobs who think they own my and every other female uterus in this country and who suddenly are thrilled to have the government get involved with our lives.

Fuck that.

No, really, FUCK THAT.

It shouldn't be so goddamned freakin' hard to gain adequate reproductive care in this country.

And those who said it more eloquently than I have: Susan Wood issues response to Sebeliuss overruling of emergency contraception access and Godammit Part Two.

FUCK.
cassidyrose: (glasses/high contrast)
S. is sick with some sinus thing and I was up with him until 4:30 this morning. Thankfully he finally slept and stayed asleep until 11:30. He cannot breathe when he is lying down so he doesn't want to sleep. Poor guy.

I have officially hit the final-weeks-of-pregnancy-wall. I am so tired I don't want to do anything. Seriously. Unfortunately we have a whole lot of stuff to get done. Just putting one foot in front of the other.

[livejournal.com profile] ptor has an in-person interview today and another (at a different company) tomorrow. We are hoping something comes of either or both of them. However, now that we are so close to Baby Pickle showing up it is not great timing, but we need the income so we will do whatever we need to do. I am very disheartened that Adobe is laying off 680 employees, Applied Materials 1,300-1,500, and EA is cutting 1,500. These are all huge tech employers in the Bay Area and that is a whole more jobs just gone. Not to mention Sun's recent massive downsizing and the impending NUMMI plant closure which will eliminate nearly 5,000 jobs at NUMMI alone, not to mention the tens of thousands that will be affected by the plant's closure.

The weather is finally sorta kinda changing around here. No longer feels like the end of summer.

I am jamming away on a baby blanket for the baby, and also need to get a hat done for my nephew and for S. We also need to take care of holiday gift shopping very soon. I'll put it on the list.

The political climate continues to distress and depress me. The Stupak Amendment to the health care reform bill is just one glaring example of why. It is clearly the goal of far too many to restrict access to abortion to a level which would effectively make it illegal once again. It's just wrong and tragic.

And with that I should go fix S. the blackberries he has requested and convince him that we need to rest today because he is SICK!!!!
cassidyrose: (Harlie claw)
I could almost laugh at these idiots if I didn't a.) think there were far too many of them, b.) they weren't holding signs with things like "We came unarmed this time" and c.) there weren't palpable levels of racism present.

WTF?

Seriously, WTF is up with committing oneself to being so damned ignorant and hateful?

cassidyrose: (Harlie claw)
Really.

This is just straight-up crazy, fucked-up, bullshit. The presence of confederate flags, blatant racism, and total disrespect for what actually happened under the Nazi regime just makes it all even more infuriating. Of course, every single person in those photos is white, white, white. It is all just appalling.

The ignorance just burns.

we voted

Nov. 4th, 2008 12:35 pm
cassidyrose: (glasses/high contrast)
We voted during poll downtime, at around 10:30am today. Short line, but it clearly had been a busy day. There was a man standing the requisite number of feet from the actual polling place with "No On 8" signs handing out "No On 8" postcards. We explained we were already voting no and thanked him profusely for standing out there. He seemed so relieved to have someone be nice to him. I think he was very brave. Although we live in the Bay Area, we are in one of the more conservative pockets and there have been many more "Yes on 8" donations made by our city's residents than "No on 8". It is disheartening and scary.

I will be holding my breath the rest of the day. The presidential race, Prop 8 (ban on same-sex marriage) and Prop 4 (parental notification for abortion which I oppose) are the big ones I am looking at toady and the results will either make me very happy or very, very sad. I am also very interested in Prop 5 which will provide treatment for non-violent drug offenders as well as make marijuana possession of under 28.5 grams an infraction rather than a misdemeanor for both adults and minors. These would be very good things.

And now we wait.
cassidyrose: (Harlie claw)
Aside from being disgusted that Prop 8 is even on the ballot, I am further disgusted at the "Yes on 8" television ads. In particular, I am disgusted by the one that basically tells us if Prop 8 gets passed then our precious children will learn about same-sex marriage in school and this is WRONG and EVIL and BAD. I hope my children grow up in a world with schools where children do indeed learn that men can marry men and women can marry women. It makes me sad and disgusted that anyone hopes otherwise and wants to make sure that my children are taught that same-sex relationships as less than opposite-sex pairings.

Bleah.

I am also horrified that we have another fucking parental notification proposition on the ballot. Fuck. That is just bad news for so many girls if that gets passed.

I am trying not to get too over-depressed about this election but what I am seeing depresses, disgusts and horrifies me. Everything from these propositions and the rhetoric I hear people using to defend them, to the frightening amount of racism I see surrounding the presidential race. I am so sickened by the Obama=Arab=Muslim=TERRORIST bullshit that I see flying all over McCain's campaign. I have no words to even describe how it makes me feel to see people using Obama's name (and, let's face it, his skin color) to "prove" he is an evil terrorist. Actually, it is the evil "other" they are afraid of and the racist underbelly of this country is revealing itself with vigor and a despicable amount of pride these days. I am scared for all of us right now. It is no great nation when so many of its proud inhabitants, and leaders, cannot even parse the basics of what Arab and Muslim actually are and mean and have no shame in vilifying same. It is no great nation that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. It is rather a sad and backwards place, where "San Francisco" is still used as code for "place where the scary gays with AIDS live" and racism is embraced as patriotism. I knew things were bad, but I didn't realize just how bad until the past few months.

I have nothing pithy to say about it. It just scares me and I fear for our future, and I am not even talking about the economy which is fucking scary in its own right. I really will cry if McCain wins and/or Prop 8 passes as more than what they immediately indicate, it is a sign of worse things to come.

I weep

Feb. 5th, 2008 12:58 am
cassidyrose: (light blur self)
Sometimes people just scare me.

The bizarre not-even-thinly-veiled racism (and just plain crazy) evident in this letter to the editor of a newspaper serving the town I grew up in (among several others) just chills me. Sure, it is some random wacko who writes crazy letters to the editor, but you know what? I went to school with people who thought and talked like that. I don't mean high school. I mean college. I think one of my favorites was the woman who didn't understand why a.) we kept talking about Islam in a class about middle eastern gender issues and b.) why the bible wasn't considered an appropriate academic reference source for a paper in a women's studies class. Oh, and how could I forget the woman who insisted there were no African-Americans in local law enforcement for no other reason than "they just don't apply for the jobs"?

Then there is this flavor of crazy. Yep, ol' Barack is just waiting to get elected so he can turn the good 'ol US of A into the People's Republic of North America. It is part of the super-seekrit-liberal-gay agenda.

And while those letters are bad, it pales in comparison to some of the bigotry, hatred and racism I have experienced and witnessed in that particularly scary pocket of California and in other places, like say, rural Missouri. I mean, it's really endearing that men my dad works with tell him he has "fag stickers" on his car because he has an "equal rights are not special rights" bumper sticker. Or, say, it is so heartwarming to be approached by a stranger in Missouri who tells me she is fascinated by my "dark, shiny hair" because "You ain't even oriental, are you?" Or, say, I just loved that when I was president of the GLBT club on my university campus and our posters either got torn down and shredded, or had bible verses written on them. Oh, yeah, that brings me back.

It is easy, sometimes, to feel a bit too comfortable in the Bay Area, to think that maybe the world is as hateful as I often tend to think it is. Then I read those letters, or travel, and realize just how much hatred, bigotry, racism, sexism and homophobia is acceptable in so much of our country. I cannot even believe (well, sadly I can) that Huckabee got any votes at all. I swear he has some sort of Handmaid's Tale fantasy going on.

So, I weep. And then I vote. Please do the same.
cassidyrose: (glasses/high contrast)
The US just keeps lagging further and further behind in granting equal rights to its citizens. Weren't we supposed to be the great leaders of all this? Oh, that's right, all that "equality" talk when the nation was founded was only intended for white, straight men. The rest of us didn't/don't matter.
    Ireland to Legalize Gay Partnerships

    Monday, April 3, 2006 (04-03) 12:28 PDT DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) --

    Ireland will legalize civil partnerships for gay couples, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern pledged Monday as he opened new offices for the country's main homosexual rights pressure group.


    Civil partnerships allow gay couples the same rights to inheritance, state benefits and other financial rights as held by married heterosexual couples.

    "Sexual orientation cannot, and must not, be the basis of a second-class citizenship. Our laws have changed, and will continue to change, to reflect this principle," Ahern told an audience at Ireland's Gay and Lesbian Equality Network.

    Ahern said it would be more difficult to legalize gay marriage in Ireland than it was in the United Kingdom, which approved the civil unions in December. Ireland's constitution has a clause requiring the predominantly Roman Catholic state to protect the institution of marriage, whereas the UK, which includes neighboring Northern Ireland, has no written constitution.

    "This challenge, however, is one that the government is determined to meet. We are committed to legislating on this issue," said Ahern, who noted that a government-appointed group of experts would recommend several possible options in a report expected in November.

    "Although there is a growing climate of equality and support for anti-discrimination action, I also recognize that members of the gay community still face isolation, abuse and victimization on the basis of their sexuality," Ahern said.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am fully aware that Ireland has boatloads of other issues, such as the fact that divorce was not made legal there until 1997 and even so, there are some crazy requirements that must be met in order for a divorce to be granted. However, the statements by the prime minister regarding gay marriage are amazing--can any of us who live in the US imagine a president of ours taking a stand like this? I thought not.
cassidyrose: (glasses/high contrast)
Molly Ivins wrote a great piece about the abortion ban in South Dakota:
Full text at the link.

It is very frightening where all this may be headed.
cassidyrose: (Harlie claw)
My head hurts. I wonder what kind of "restrictions" will be placed on who gets to purchase property?:More at the link of course.

I am not sure what is more disturbing--the fact that this thing is being created or the fact that Jeb Bush endorses it. Just what we need...faith-based cities. So much for the ostensible separation of church and state.

Oh, yeah, this is all going to turn out well.

The US is becomming more and more embrassing by the day.
cassidyrose: (Harlie claw)
I am going to thwrap the next person who tells me the US is so damned spiffy and free.

Just last week abortion became a felony in South Dakota. Think you are safe because you don't live in South Dakota? Think again. If it can happen there, we are all at risk.

And don't get me started on the fact that same sex marriage is legal in that bastion of the Catholic faith, Spain, but gay people in Florida cannot adopt children, let along get married there or in any other state in the good 'ol US of A expect Massachusetts.

And then there is the institution today of the FDA's Accutane registry, iPledge. Among other things, iPledge requires the following:
    "As part of the ongoing risk management of isotretinoin products, it is crucial that a female of childbearing potential selects and commits to use two forms of effective contraception simultaneously for one month before, during, and for one month after isotretinoin therapy. She must have 2 negative urine or blood (serum) pregnancy tests with a sensitivity of at least 25 mIU/ml before receiving the initial isotretinoin prescription. The first pregnancy test is a screening test and can be conducted in the prescriber's office. The second pregnancy test must be done in a CLIA-certified laboratory according to the package insert. Each month of therapy, the patient must have a negative result from a urine or blood (serum) pregnancy test conducted by a CLIA-certified laboratory prior to receiving each prescription.

    Each month, the prescriber must enter the female patient's pregnancy results and the 2 forms of contraception she has been using in the iPLEDGE system. The iPLEDGE system verifies that all criteria have been met by the prescriber, patient, and pharmacy prior to granting the pharmacy authorization to fill and dispense isotretinoin. The pharmacist must obtain authorization from the iPLEDGE system via the program web site or phone system prior to dispensing each isotretinoin prescription for both male and female patients."
I do not even know what to say except that this is one of the most disgusting invasions of privacy I have yet to see. I'm suprised they didn't find a way to justify this under the Patriot Act.

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