This week’s earworm: “How Soon is Now” by The Smiths
Many probably know this song best as the theme from the television series Charmed. The version that is played on the series, however, is performed by Love Spit Love. I like them both and probably would have put the Love Spit Love version here, if I’d been able to find it without video of Charmed and/or animated characters from video games or Japanese shows.
Todd Dorman has a must-read postthat centers around the Gazette’s interview of Linn County Supervisor hopeful Dave Machacek. It seems that Machacek — and no doubt others — believe Linn County switching to five county supervisors can make local government even more “efficient” by the elected officials having non-quorum meetings. Basically, under open meeting laws, two out of five officials elected to the same body could meet privately and discuss organization business without there being a legal problem. This is because two such members couldn’t pass whatever was discussed.
While elected officials might like to bang ideas off each others heads while far removed from the watchful eye of the press and public, there’s a reason we have open meetings laws. Elected officials — the people who decide things that will impact us all — have no business meeting privately over coffee to discuss the people’s business.
I will refrain from posting the Reuters photo of Sen. John McCain making a funny face at the end of the final presidential debate. I will, however, mention that I’ve seen these same hand gestures and facial expression from my 6-year-old and 8-year-old when I serve certain entrees for dinner.
I ran across discussion this week in connection with presidential politics that was news to me. Glenn Sacks, who I admit that I don’t know in reference to political leanings or whatnot, has a storythat discusses what he perceives the presidential and vice-presidential candidates’ views to be toward fathers.
According to Sacks, he doesn’t like any of them on this issue. The part that bothered me most, I think, was his critique of Sen. Joe Biden’s work on the Violence Against Women Act. Sacks believes this legislation has allowed women to push otherwise good fathers away on the false grounds of abuse. I’d argue that the legislation has saved many, many women’s lives.
A hat tip to Looking In At Iowa for the link to this story at MSNBC. The Cedar Rapids attorney of a woman who sued an eastern Iowa dentist for giving her HPV spoke out in the MSNBC report on lawsuits from the bedroom. In the Iowa case, the woman was awarded $1.5 million — although 75 percent of the population has been exposed to HPV and often, because there are no symptoms, is not aware.
One of the most disgusting things I encountered this week is the misleading propaganda pushed by Kim Lehman, associated with Iowa Right to Life and the Republican Party of Iowa, to Life News. Actually, I’m disgusted enough that I’m not even going to provide a link — searchfor yourself if you want to read it. Here’s a clip:
An eastern Iowa abortion business is marking 35 years of doing abortions, but one leading pro-life advocate says all the Emma Goldman Clinic has to show for itself is a history of hurting women and children and preying on the college students at the University of Iowa.
…
The only legacy the abortion business has in Lehman’s eyes is that “Emma Goldman is where the University of Iowa sends college girls to have their babies killed.”
To be sure, the Emma Goldman Clinic offers abortion — and makes no apologies for it. But to attempt to paint abortion as being the only service the clinic provides is to overlook the wealth of health care services available to men and women because the community is fortunate enough to have the clinic. To name a few: annual exams, birth control, adoption referral, STI testing, pap smears, breast exams, pelvic checks, sports physicals, blood pressure testing, vaccinations, mammography referrals, testicular exams, PMS consultation, menopause consultation, urinary tract infections and even some prenatal care.
Matter-of-fact, at a time when many people are having a difficult time affording basic health care services, I would characterize demonizing Emma Goldman as negligent. Those who truly wish to help women don’t offer them, or the general public, misleading propaganda in an emotional appeal. Those who wish to help women understand that women are capable of hearing all the facts and making their own educated decision. Shame on Lehman for not only wishing to steer women away from affordable medical services, but for not holding women in a high enough regard to give them the full truth.
