Nutbag "Taunters"

My comments, as always, are in red:


Youngster apologizes for role in taunting incident


(Hartford-AP, June 14, 2005 11:30 PM) _ A 17-year-old high school student was sentenced to a suspended five-year prison term and three years probation today for taunting a mentally retarded Hartford man who died during the incident.

Sam Cooke apologized to Ricky Whistnant's family.

The 39-year-old Whistnant died April Fifth, 2003, in the lobby of his apartment house in Hartford, where a group of teenagers hurled soda bottles at him and repeatedly kicked him when he fell. By what definition is this "taunting" and not "harassment" or "assault"?

The state medical examiner ruled that Whistnant did not die from the attack, but from a heart attack brought on by an enlarged heart and a severe diabetic condition. Yeah, right.

In March 2005, the Fatality Review Board found Whistnant's death should have been classified as a homicide. The board said it was the taunting and assault that fatally activated his physical disabilities including a severe breathing disorder.

Four other youths have pleaded guilty to various charges and were sentenced to prison or probation in adult and juvenile courts.


I'm telling you, sometimes the world makes me so fucking sick...

Poo Flags

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging so much lately...life catching up with me and all. I'll rectify the situation soon, I promise.

Until then, enjoy this:

Bush Poo Flags

Price Listing on eBay: 3 pounds. Digital camera to take photo, 100 pounds. Selling your ex's car for 50 pence? Priceless.

Just had to share this:



Sweet Revenge!



And if you REALLY want a laugh...check out the seller's feedback from other sellers, and click on the item number of the last purchase. It's well worth it.

NDN NEWZ: Housing Funds May Go To War Effort

Independent - June 8, 2005: Indian housing funds may go to war effort
By Pamela G. Dempsey
Diné Bureau

June 8, 2005

WINDOW ROCK Next year's federal housing dollars are up for grabs but the efforts of Native American tribes to get a piece of the pie may go unnoticed by congressional leaders.

While Congress may make "polite statements" to those Native American leaders lobbying for more funding, Chester Carl, chief executive officer of Navajo Housing Authority, said that congressional appropriations will most likely boost war budgets.

"The truth is, we don't have the voting power," Carl said.

In a position paper to the Navajo Nation Government Services Committee, Navajo Housing Authority reported that the Navajo Nation could lose $14 million in Native American federal housing grants if President George Bush's 2006 budget is implemented.

"That is nearly $14 million in lost opportunity for some of the nation's poorest and most neglected citizens in a program that was already under-funded," the report stated.

While federal appropriations for the upcoming budget year have been sorted, Carl said the housing end of it is just getting underway.

Federal policies, such as the Housing and Urban Development's decision to use the 2000 Census Multi-Race American Indian and Alaska Native data to distribute Indian Housing Block Grants, draw money away from those tribes with the most need, the report stated.

Instead, Navajo Housing Authority is advocating the use of verified enrolled tribal membership.

"The Navajo Nation, which in the 2000 Census count has over 180,000 tribal enrolled members, has already lost over $10 million due to this policy decision that has been redirected to core urban areas like Chicago, IL., Portland, OR; and the state of Oklahoma," the report stated.

But money isn't the only contributing factor to tribal housing needs.

"Money is a big part of it," Carl said, "but there are other vehicles not conducive to housing."

Tribal dependency on federal government funds, prioritizing housing needs, and the multiple red-tape steps from start to finish in buying or building a home on tribal trust lands are all contributing factors, Carl said.

Navajo Housing Authority reports that each year 2,000 Navajos join the housing markets and estimate that the current housing need on the Navajo Nation is more than 20,000 units.

"We're taking every piece and working on it," Carl said.

********************************************************
Hey, Bush & Cronies? You want this damned war so much...YOU pay for it. Leave our housing dollars alone!

A Directory of Tin Gods (So Far)

Question: What is Tin God Syndrome?

Answer: Well, Tin God Syndrome is a dreaded, terrible disease only contracted by doctors, dentists, psychiatrists, physician's assistants, nurse practioners and a few physical therapists. Not everyone in those professions, thankfully, will catch this horrible syndrome. For those who do, however, it is incurable...and affects not only the professional, but his unwitting patients as well.

Symptoms include: believing one to be infalliable, never admitting to mistakes (believing, of course, that they can never MAKE mistakes), deception, snottiness, holier-than-thou attitude and a generally insuffrable personality. It manifests itself in many ways, some of which are still being discovered and diagnosed. Treatment would be recommended, if Tin God Syndrome sufferers believed they needed it and would, as a result, take it. But those with Tin God Syndrome have either never heard of "physician, heal thyself," or they believe it applies to someone else. But not them. Never them.

THE ZEN PRETZEL TRICK is dedicated to helping diagnose the various strains of Tin God Syndrome, and to helping patients both recognize when and if their doctor has it. As we said, Tin God Syndrome is incurable. But patients can be aware...and find a new, unafflicted physician.

Here are the various categories of Tin Doctor Syndrome to date:

The Aha! Tin God and the Otherwise Busy Tin God

The Aha! Tin God is usually a mild strain of the disease: he is consumed with the desire to diagnose, even if it's the WRONG diagnosis. He especially loves to disprove any previous diagnosis made by any other health professional.

The Otherwise Busy Tin God is far too busy to be bothered with the minor matter of practicing medicine. Simply coping with being a Tin God is a job in and of itself for Otherwise Busy.


The My-Way-Or-The-Highway Tin God

My-Way-Or-The-Highway is one of the most vicious and easily-identifiable strains of the illness. Highways Tin Gods lack the part of the human brain which contains the ability to percieve that he might, in any fashion, be wrong...about anything. Highway is also very authortative and downright pushy. He has the ability to become defensive, aggressive and even vindictive. Avoid Highway Tin Gods at all costs.


The Pageant Judge Tin God

Pageant Judges believe they are so capable of diagnosis that they don't even need to actually examine a patient. They can gauge the validity of a complaint by the patient's appearance alone. Pageant Judges are incapable of seeing, and will automatically discount, any and all medical concerns from patients who have dyed hair, piercings, tattoos, bad teeth, scars or shabby clothing. Young mothers and minorities are also sometimes unfortunate victims of Pageant Judges' inability to not judge a book by its cover.


The Celebrity Tin God

Celebrity Tin Gods are doctors whose disease is so advanced that it compels them to not only expose their patients to it, but the general public as well via books, radio and television.


The Siren Tin God

Sirens often contracted Tin God Syndrome in medical school, where they were alternately fascinated by and terrified of the various descriptions of medical calamities. Sirens have little impulse control and exaggerate even the smallest symptom. While Sirens can, inadvertently, be good for your health (sometimes all that paranoia pays off and they actually DO diagnose an illness you were unaware you had)...they are nearly always bad for your pocketbook, and your heart (when those bills for all those tests come in).


The Wannabe Tin God

Tin God Syndrome is almost always contracted solely by health professionals. Occassionally, however, a non-professional will contract a similar disorder: Wannabe Tin God Syndrome. Wannabes usually have no medical training. Many cannot even spell "biology." However, they suffer from strong delusions which convince them that they know as much, if not more, than actual doctors with actual medical degrees. Listen to them at your own risk...there's a reason they aren't doctors, you know.



Stay tuned for more Tin Gods....

As Promised: Nutbag Lawyer Hassles Secretary Over Four Pounds

Ketchup Spill Sets Off Lawyer-Secretary Feud

LONDON (June 17) - An e-mail between a highly paid lawyer and a secretary over a tomato ketchup stain has become the talk of legal circles in London, leaving the sender distinctly red-faced.

British media reported with glee the tale of Richard Phillips, who e-mailed the secretary to ask her to pay a four-pound ($7.30) dry-cleaning bill after she accidentally spilled tomato ketchup on his trousers.

Several newspapers on Friday reprinted the exchange, which began with a May 25 message purportedly from Phillips, a senior associate at law firm Baker & McKenzie, to his secretary.

''Hi Jenny. I went to a dry cleaners at lunch and they said it would cost 4 pounds to remove the ketchup stains. If you cd let me have the cash today, that wd be much appreciated,'' it said.

Amner, who was off work because of her mother's death, replied in piquant style on June 3.

''With reference to the e-mail below, I must apologize for not getting back to you straight away but due to my mother's sudden illness, death and funeral I have had more pressing issues than your 4 pounds,'' said the e-mail.

''I apologize again for accidentally getting a few splashes of ketchup on your trousers. Obviously your financial need as a senior associate is greater than mine as a mere secretary.''


Amner sent the exchange to colleagues, who passed it on to others. Along the way, recipients added comments, many criticizing Phillips for his stinginess.

Baker & McKenzie said the incident was ''a private matter between two members of staff that clearly got out of hand.''

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

Geez, what an ass. Four freaking pounds. That's what, 15 seconds or so of billable hours paid? Talk about a skinflint! You probably couldn't pull a dime out of his ass with a tractor. And to bother this woman over this pittance during her mother's funeral? Cheap AND heartless.

Nutbag Sicko: Man Kills Nesting Swans in Park

Just when you think you've heard it all...it takes a really sick fucker to do something like this. And anyone who thinks that he's going to stop with swans needs their heads examined.

My comments, as always, are in red:



New York Daily News - City News - Loon kills 2 swans in Bronx park

By LISA L. COLANGELO
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU


A heartless thug fatally beat and stabbed two swans, slashing one's throat, while the birds guarded unhatched eggs in their nest at Veterans Memorial Park in the Bronx yesterday.A group of young men were hanging out in the park around 1:20 p.m. when one of them grabbed one of the graceful birds and stomped on it while laughing, a witness told the Daily News. They found this FUNNY? Beating and slashing nesting swans? I think I'm going to be sick.

"He grabbed the bird's neck and sliced its throat," said the witness, who requested anonymity. "He kept looking to his friends for encouragement.

"They didn't do anything. It was quite disgusting. The person that did it needs help." Gee, ya think?

The men left the scene in several cars as the witness was calling for help. Neighbors alerted Animal Care and Control officers, who were nearby on an unrelated call. They rushed to the scene and called ASPCA cruelty investigators.

ASPCA Special Agent Joseph Pentangelo said the dead swans and their six eggs were brought to the ASPCA's animal hospital for examination. Officials were hoping to save the hatchlings. I hope they save the hatchlings, too.

Pentangelo said a male swan was stabbed in the chest and a female was stabbed several times and had its throat slit. Good gravy...what kind of sick asshole does this sort of thing?

"We really need people to come forward with any information about this heinous act," Pentangelo said. "This was an act of violence." I urge anyone who might have witnessed this heinous crime to come forward and turn these bastards in. As I said before...they aren't going to stop at avian life forms, folks.

The swans were well-known to residents of the area who fed them and enjoyed watching them.

"People are crying. Everyone knew them," the witness said. How sad, for a community
to lose such treasured animals because some young dirtbags want to practice for their upcoming serial killer exam. Rot in hell, guys. And I hope your hell includes being beaten and stabbed repeatedly, every day for all eternity, by large swans while others stand by and laugh. You deserve no less.

Anyone with information is urged to call the ASPCA's confidential hotline at (877) THE-ASPCA.

"Gateway Drug" Funny

You've got to read the whole article to really appreciate the joke...but trust me, it's well worth it:

Ban Milk

Canada OK's Marijuana Use for MS Patients

Perhaps the US will someday follow?


---------------------------------------

Canada OKs Cannabis-Based MS Painkiller


By BETH DUFF-BROWN
Associated Press Writer

April 21, 2005, 9:03 AM EDT


TORONTO -- Canada has become the first country in the world to approve a cannabis-based painkiller for patients suffering multiple sclerosis, a move applauded by those with the disease and proponents of medical uses for marijuana.

Health Canada, the federal agency that oversees medical care for Canadians, announced on Tuesday it had approved the prescription painkiller Sativex, made from components derived from the cannabis plant that have been shown to ease pain.


The British drug company GW Pharmaceuticals, which developed the drug, said Canada is the first country to grant regulatory approval for Sativex, which will be marketed in Canada by Bayer HealthCare and could be in pharmacies by summer. The drug can be sprayed under the tongue or inside the cheek, avoiding the carcinogenic dangers of smoking pot.

Medical professionals voice high hopes for the drug's success.

"The pain (of multiple sclerosis) can be absolutely excruciating and very debilitating," said Judith H. Watt-Watson, a professor at the University of Toronto's Center for the Study of Pain. "There's an urgent need for more options."

Many people with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, treat their pain by smoking marijuana. But the dose is hard to regulate and the drug is difficult to obtain legally.

About 50,000 Canadians and 400,000 Americans have MS and some 2.5 million people are believed to be afflicted worldwide, according to the New York-based National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

About half of MS patients suffer from chronic pain.

"It's hard to explain to someone who has never felt this type of pain," said Steve Walsh of Ontario, who suffers from MS and was eager to try the new drug. "It's like being plugged into an electric socket all the time. At times, putting on clothes or anything touching me can be too much to take."

He told The Globe and Mail that he's smoked marijuana in an attempt to ease his pain, but didn't like the feeling of being out of control.

Dr. Allan Gordon, a neurologist and director of the Wasser Pain Management Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, said that because Sativex is administered as a spray, it provides controlled doses and allows the patient to decide how much he or she needs.

Proponents of legalizing medicinal marijuana are hailing the new drug.

"This confirms that virtually everything the U.S. government has told us about marijuana is wrong," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.. The organization is fighting to have marijuana legalized for medical use. "This product offers patients and doctors a new option and we hope Americans will have access to it soon."

In the United States, the federal government has classified marijuana as a drug that is as dangerous as heroin, although 10 states have passed laws that allow its use under medical supervision.

In 2001, Canada became the first country to adopt a system regulating the medicinal use of marijuana for people suffering from terminal illnesses and chronic conditions.

* __

Music A-Z

I'm having a pretty shitty day (thanks to what I am only willing to refer to here, in rather Victorian terms, as "female problems"), so I'm blogging to pass the time away. I found this idea on another blog (and promptly forgot which one, for which I apologize). You're supposed to go to your downloaded music and make an A-Z list. So here's mine:



A Afternoon In Bed--The Bats
B Ballad In 4/4--Dream Academy
C Charming Man--Cresta
D Don't Phunk With My Heart--Black Eyed Peas
E Everyday I Write the Book--Elvis Costello
F Frozen (Razed in Black Mix)--Gene Loves Jezebel
G Gush Forth My Tears--Miranda Sex Garden
H Help Me Lift You Up--This Mortal Coil
I Instant Karma Coffee House--Loud Sugar
J Jilted John--The Vandals
K Kind & Generous--Natalie Merchant
L Love Affair--k.d. lang
M Magical Dream--808 State
N No Killing--Violent Femmes
O Ornaments of Gold--Siouxsie & the Banshees
P Punk Rock Academy--Atom & his Package
Q Queenie--Ethyl Meatplow
R Reunion--Korea Girl
S Sweetest Taboo--Sade
T Teenage Lobotomy--Ramones
U Until the End of the World--U2
V Very Bad a Bitter Hand--His Name is Alive
W Wave of Mutiliation (UK Surf)--The Pixies
X (nothing)
Y Yeha-Noha--Sacred Spirits
Z (nothing)


Yep...an adequete waste of time...

Nutbag Judges: Eroding Our Religious Freedoms

Well, ZPT fans, I have not one but TWO Nutbag Judges for you today, eroding our religious freedoms and making our founding fathers do somersaults in their graves. My comments (as always) are in red:


NUTBAG JUDGE #1: Church or Jail?



AP) A judge has been offering some drug and alcohol offenders the option
of attending worship services instead of going to jail or rehab -- a practice some say violates the separation of church and state. Gee, you think so?

District Judge Michael Caperton, 50, a devout Christian, said his goal is to
"help people and their families."

"I don't think there's a church-state issue, because it's not mandatory and
I say worship services instead of church," he said. Oh, I'm sure that fooled the Constitution. It's old and getting senile. @@

Alternative sentencing is popular across the country--ordering vandals to repaint a graffiti-covered wall, for example. But legal experts said they didn't know of any other judges who give the option of attending church.

Caperton has offered the option about 50 times to repeat drug and alcohol offenders. It is unclear what effect the sentence has had. You mean, other than forcing religion down their throats?

David Friedman, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said the option raises "serious constitutional problems."

"The judge is saying that those willing to go to worship services can avoid jail in the same way that those who decline to go cannot," Friedman said. "That strays from government neutrality towards religion."

CBS News Judge's Offer: Church Or Jail May 31, 2005 13:30:09


NUTBAG JUDGE #2: No Pagan Beliefs!



Judge: Parents Can't Teach Pagan Beliefs

Author: Kevin Corcoran Source: Indianapolis Star (IN)


An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals." Who gets to decide what is "mainstream" and what is not? Let me guess: fundamentalist Christianity is mainstream...everything else is not. Right? Jerkwads.

The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth. An old and venerable religion, I might add, practiced by countless law-abiding citizens and terrific parents. Which is really what this asshole judge is saying, when it all gets boiled down, isn't it? That only fundamentalist Christians are fit parents? What a load of shit that is!

Cale J. Bradford, chief judge of the Marion Superior Court, kept the unusual provision in the couple's divorce decree last year over their fierce objections, court records show. The order does not define a mainstream religion. Of course he didn't "define" it. He thought it was "self-explanatory," right? Numbnuts.

Bradford refused to remove the provision after the 9-year-old boy's outraged parents, Thomas E. Jones Jr. and his ex-wife, Tammie U. Bristol, protested last fall. What the fuck is the point of this provision? Neither parent objects...this is their family's religion. HOW DARE this asshole attempt to dictate his personal beliefs as to what should and should not constitute "appropriate" worship onto this family?

The ICLU and Jones assert the judge's order tramples on the parents' constitutional right to expose their son to a religion of their choice. Both say the court failed to explain how exposing the boy to Wicca's beliefs and practices would harm him. News flash: the court didn't explain it, because IT WON'T HARM THE CHILD. Self-righteous, bigotted, moronic BASTARDS.


****************
Let me say this: I am a Christian. But it will be a cold day in hell when I agree to any of THIS shit. These judges (and the people who support them) are the ones giving Christianity a bad name.

They ought to be ashamed of themselves...and removed from the bench. ASAP.

UPDATE: Tom Cruise, "The View"

I'd like to take a moment to update two of my previous posts, one about Tom Cruise and his ridiculous comments about post-partum depression, and the other about "The View" and their anti-breastfeeding antics.

Click here to read the original post about Nutbag Tom.

Tom Cruise, who is neither female nor a doctor, critized Brooke Shields for openly discussing both her post-partum depression and the medications she took to treat it, saying that "women really just need vitamins" and claiming that he himself has helped women "off those nasty drugs."

Apparently, the former model wasn't going to take such nonsense lying down---and good for her:

Shields Attacks Cruise for Criticizing Her Drug Use

Actress Brooke Shields has lambasted former pal Tom Cruise for criticizing her "misguided" use of drugs to combat her post-natal depression. Cruise - who claims to have helped people fight drug addictions through his controversial Scientology religion - recently attacked the Suddenly Susan star for becoming dependant on Paxil, following the birth of her daughter Rowan. But Shields is disgusted by the Top Gun star's "dangerous" comments and took a swipe at his Scientology beliefs, by saying she wouldn't take advice from someone who devotes his life to creatures from outer space. She fumes, "His comments are dangerous. He should stick to saving the world from aliens." Shields is currently weaning herself off her medication so she and husband Chris Henchy can have another child.


Tom, in true nutbag fashion, is unrepetant. In an interview with the Entertainment Weekly:

Your comments about antidepressants on Access Hollywood — do you think going after Brooke Shields for her book about postpartum depression might have made the argument a little too personal?
It's not a matter of making it personal. I care about Brooke. I want to see her do well. I think she's really talented. But she's misinformed. And, you know, from that Access Hollywood interview, I've gotten over 154,000 responses from people thanking me. You should see some of the letters I get. People go for help but their lives don't get better because of these drugs. They get worse. They feel numb and they're told that's a good thing. It's becoming like Huxley's Brave New World. It's like what the English did to China with opium [in the 19th century]. How is this different? It's how you degrade a society — by drugging the piss out of it.


I'd LOVE to see Mr. Cruise get a taste of multiple sclerosis...he'd be begging for those "dangerous drugs" by the end of the week. And that's being generous, as I doubt he'd even last a day without begging for morphine (an opiate, wouldn't you know). For that matter, I'd love to see HIM go through nine months of pregnancy, give birth (which feels like shitting out a lead cabbage patch doll), and go through post-partum depression while trying to care for an infant. And until he's done all that...all I can say is FUCK YOU TOM CRUISE.

On to my second update...

Click here to read the original post about "The View" and their hatred of nursing moms.

I found out today that instead of addressing the nursing issue on Friday's show as promised...they spend the time instead talking about Madonna.

It figures.

Rot In Hell, Banner Bastard

A friend of mine on a message board ran across this banner while accessing Livejournal:

Sick Banner

I cannot tell you how absolutely sick to my fucking stomach this makes me.

I am not saying that false allegations never happen---I know quite well that they do. When I was 18, an ex-boyfriend of mine (with whom I had remained friends) was accused of rape. Not only rape, but rape of a 15-year-old girl...a serious, serious charge. I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that he was innocent, and testified on his behalf. He was acquited, after the girl in question changed her story no less than six times, lied on the stand, failed a polygraph and finally admitted that she'd made the whole story up so she would not get into trouble for coming home late one night after a party.

My friend's life was shattered by these accusations. He lost friends. He lost his job, as he was on house arrest for nearly four months. He lost his car, as he couldn't pay the car payments or insurance while on house arrest. He had to move back in with his mother. And worse, his reputation was destroyed. To this day, there are people who question his innocence. He has held up remarkably well, and has my admiration for it...but it never should have happened. I partially blame the girl, for telling the lies...but I also blame the police and prosecutors, who continued to investigate and prosecute this case long after it was clear to everyone that the girl was not telling the truth (in one version of her story, he had a knife; in another, he threatened her with a broken bottle. She also got the dates off---by more than a month---several times). The true damage, in my opinion, is that every time a woman makes up charges, and lies, it makes it that much harder for a woman telling the truth to be believed. And that's just plain wrong.

As I said, I know false allegations happen. But to claim what this banner claims...that so many women/girls lie about sexual abuse, that women INSTIGATE date rape and use alcohol to do so...that is just SICKENING.

I say this, not only as a friend of a person who was falsely accused...but as a sexual abuse survivor myself. I've been on both sides of the courtroom: as a witness for the defense, and as an accuser for the prosecution. I think I know this topic fairly well...unfortunately.

To the creator of this banner: rot in hell, bastard. You have NO IDEA what it is like to be the victim of sexual abuse, what it does to a girl/woman, how it completely fucks up your life in so many ways. The nightmares. The shame. The fear.

If you've been falsely accused, I feel for you. I really do. But having watched what my friend went through, and having gone through actual sexual abuse myself...let me tell you, I know which one is worse. And it's not being falsely accused, I can tell you that fucking much.

Rot in hell, banner bastard. Rot in hell.

Nutbags in the Morning: "The View" Insults Nursing Mothers

Now, I am no fan of the show "The View." It is catty, it is boring and Star Jones sets my teeth on edge. But lately, these women have shown that they are close-minded, judgemental little nutbags...as well as being boring and catty.

"The View" has a long history of making anti-breastfeeding remarks. Barbara Walters seems to lead the pack in this: she has complained about being seated near a nursing mom on a plane and commented that "you can't breastfeed triplets," which came as a pretty big shock to the thousands of moms breastfeeding multiples--including triplets--every day. Star Jones, forever in love with the sound of her own voice, has added, "That's not what breasts are for!" This proves (as if more proof were needed) that the woman is a moron. "Disgusting" is another term the ladies on this show have used to describe nursing, they've called members of La Leche League "nuts" and applauded fellow commentator Elizabeth when she gave up nursing after only one month.

Now, I breastfed all three of my kids. I nurse in public, but I have always done so discretely...most people don't know I'm nursing, unless of course they are staring---in which case, I am hardly the rude one. I was once thrown out of a restaurant for nursing when Phoenix was about two months old---he was completely covered by a blanket, and no one could see a thing. That still, apparently, wasn't enough...and the management told me to either nurse in the bathroom or leave. I let him know, in no uncertain terms, that until the person who made the complaint eats his dinner in the bathroom, my son won't be doing likewise.

Don't get me wrong---I am not militant about breastfeeding. I am pretty big on personal choice. Neither of my sisters breastfed their kids, and got no grief about it from me (despite the fact that one of them was pretty vocal on how "crazy" I must be to nurse). I chose to nurse for a number of reasons: it helps lower the chance of diabetes, which is prevelant on both sides of the family, it's healthier, it's easier, it's cheaper and for a great bonus: it helps keep many of my MS symptoms at bay. It was clearly the right choice for me...but as I am fond of telling people, my choices aren't right for everyone...they are just right for me.

I am, however, both offended and baffled by the comments on "The View." What the hell is their problem? I can see not wanting to nurse, but is Star Jones really that stupid as to say, "That's not what boobs are for?" What I am saying, of course she is. This is a woman who tried to get sponsors for her wedding, as if it were a NASCAR event. Look, honey: boobs ARE for breastfeeding. They aren't for selling beer and porn. Just so you know.

As for Baba-Wawa...if you don't like looking at nursing women, DON'T LOOK. No one is forcing you to do otherwise. Believe it or not, your head does turn the other way...even under as much hair spray as you put on it.

I also take offense at the idea that breastfeeding is either "gross" or "disgusting." How could anyone think that way of a baby eating? And for women to be saying these things...a double pox on them. I could almost expect it out of a knuckle-dragging man who thinks breasts were put on a woman so they'd look good in nudie magazines...but women, some of whom have kids? Educated women? Journalists, even? You should know better, ladies.

I am, apparently, not the only one who thinks so. A nurse-in was held in front of ABC studios to protest the anti-breastfeeding comments. Instead of apologizing, or even conceding that her statements may have offended some people...Barbara Walters chastised the women for "making a big deal out of a little comment." Grow up, Barbara. I've seen you make people cry for "little comments." Hypocrite.

For the record: I don't think the nurse-in was that great of an idea. If you're wanting to educate people on breastfeeding, people who already don't like to see nursing moms and find it "disgusting"---a crowd of women nursing their babies is NOT going to change their mind. A letter-writing campaign I would have gladly supported, as I would a petition. But the nurse-in, in my opinion, did no good and only reinforced "The View's" anti-nursing viewpoints.

I learned today that in response to the nurse-in, "The View" is going to have some pro-breastfeeding advocates on the show to talk about nursing. I am curious as to whom they have chosen for this (any licensed lactation nurses or counselors, for example) and how ol' Barbara will react.

Maybe she'll ask them what kind of tree they would like to be...

Nutbag Employers: You're Mine, All The Time?

This is from last month, but I just stumbled upon it. My comments follow the article:



(May 12) - More companies are taking action against employees who smoke off-duty, and, in an extreme trend that some call troubling, some are now firing or banning the hiring of workers who light up even on their own time.

The outright bans raise new questions about how far companies can go in regulating workers' behavior when they are off the clock. The crackdown is coming in part as a way to curb soaring health care costs, but critics say companies are violating workers' privacy rights. The zero-tolerance policies are coming as more companies adopt smoke-free workplaces.

· Weyco, a medical benefits provider based in Okemos, Mich., this year banned employees from smoking on their own time. Employees must submit to random tests that detect if someone has smoked. They must also agree to searches of briefcases, purses or other belongings if company officials suspect tobacco or other banned substances have been brought on-site. Those who smoke may be suspended or fired.

· At Investors Property Management in Seattle, smokers are not hired. Employees who smoked before the ban was passed about two years ago are not fired; however, they can't get medical insurance through the company.

· Alaska Airlines has a no-smoking policy for employees, and new hires must submit to a urine test to prove they're tobacco-free.

"The debate has gone from where they can smoke to whether they can smoke," says Marshall Tanick, a Minneapolis-based employment lawyer.

Such bans are not legal everywhere: More than 20 states have passed laws that bar companies from discriminating against workers for lifestyle decisions.

There are other ways that companies are taking action against off-duty smoking, such as raising health care premiums for smokers.

Employers say it's about creating a healthy workforce. But it's also a bottom-line issue: Tobacco causes more than 440,000 deaths annually and results in more than $75 billion in direct medical costs a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Legal experts fear companies will try to control other aspects of employees' off-duty lifestyle, a trend that is already happening. Some companies are firing, suspending or charging higher insurance premiums to workers who are overweight, have high cholesterol or participate in risky activities.



Now, I don't smoke cigarettes; I gave them up years ago when I got pregnant with my first child. But this...this is just plain ridiculous, folks. What you do in the workplace IS the business of your boss...but what you do at home? That's your fucking castle, not the boss'. If you want to smoke cigarettes naked while dancing the fandango, that's your own damned business.

When did America become such a nosey country? For crying out loud...firing people for being FAT? Unless the job is "supermodel," what the fuck is all that about? And losing your job because you like to rock climb or your cholesterol's on the high side? Fascism, people, pure and simple. Next it will be men with low sperm counts and women with PMS. Mark my words.

Oy vey.

Supreme Court Ruling on Medical Marijuana

Supreme Court Says Federal Drug Law Trumps State Medical Pot Laws
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SAN FRANCISCO (June 6) - The two plaintiffs in the medical marijuana case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday say they will defy the ruling and continue to smoke pot, even at the risk of arrest by federal authorities.

''I'm going to have to be prepared to be arrested,'' said Diane Monson, who smokes marijuana several times a day to relieve back pain.

The Supreme Court ruled that federal authorities may arrest and prosecute people whose doctors recommend marijuana to ease pain, concluding that state laws do not protect users from a federal ban on the drug.

The Bush administration had argued that states, even the 10 states with medical marijuana laws, could not defy the federal Controlled Substances Act, which declares marijuana to be not only illegal, but of no medical value.

Justice John Paul Stevens, writing the 6-3 decision, said that Congress could change the law to allow medical use of marijuana.

Monson, 48, of Oroville, was prescribed marijuana by her doctor in 1997 after standard prescription drugs didn't work or made her sleepy. She is battling degenerative spine disease.

''I'm way disappointed. There are so many people that need cannabis,'' Monson said.

Fifty-six percent of California voters approved the nation's first so-called medical marijuana law in 1996, allowing patients to smoke and grow marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.

Even though the state law was on the books, Monson's backyard crop of six marijuana plants was seized by federal agents in 2002. She and Angel Raich, the other plaintiff, sued then-Attorney General John Ashcroft.

''If I stop using cannabis, unfortunately, I would die,'' said Raich, who estimates her marijuana intake to be about nine pounds a year.

Raich, 39, suffers from scoliosis, a brain tumor, chronic nausea and other problems. She said she uses marijuana every few waking hours, on the advice of her doctor, who said dozens of other medications were of little help.

Many other cannabis clubs still operate openly in California and other states, but have taken measures - such as not keeping client lists - to protect their customers from arrest.

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer said he was disappointed with the ruling, but not surprised, and that ''people shouldn't panic ... there aren't going to be many changes.''

Local and state officers handle nearly all marijuana prosecutions and must still follow any state laws that protect patients.

''Nothing is different today than it was two days ago, in terms of real world impact,'' Lockyer said. ''There's a California law which conflicts with the federal law. Federal law treats heroin and marijuana the same, which is illogical.''


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I am extremely disappointed by the Court's ruling. I live in one of the ten states where state law allows medical marijuana...and as a person struggling with multiple sclerosis and trigeminal neuralgia, I voted for it twice and would happily do so again. I do truly believe that it is only a matter of time before medical marijuana is legal throughout the US...especially as the Baby Boomers age and face a world where chronic pain and other symptoms aren't someone else's problems, but realities in their own lives. I'm also of the opinion that marijuana in general should be decriminalized, but I don't think that is going to happen prior to the decriminalization of medical marijuana.

Now, before we go any further, let me make it crystal-clear that I do NOT use medical marijuana at this time, nor have I in the past. In the past, my pain and nausea were controlled by prescription drugs, and it was simply not an issue. In the present, I am still breastfeeding Eden, so it is out of the question entirely. That said, in the past six months my pain issues have worsened in ways I could not have foreseen. I no longer respond to preventively measures, and only (legally prescribed)narcotics give me any relief--and that, not much at all. To make matters worse, said narcotics make my stomach issues much worse...and when you live with nearly constant nausea, it's tough in ways that are very hard to explain to those who haven't been there, I'm afraid. For the first time in my life, I am considering using medical marijuana in the future. I do not know if it will help. It may be of no use to me; I know that not everyone responds to it. But I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that it might be worth a try. However, it is simply NOT an option so long as I am breastfeeding. And since the breastfeeding is keeping many of the more unpleasant aspects of MS at bay, as well as providing the best possible healthy start for my child...I'm not willing to give it up yet (I may go into more detail about why I nurse, and my experiences, in another post. But that's for another day).

Until recently, my personal experience with medical marijuana was limited to my mother. During her lifetime, she would have been embarrassed for me to speak of this, and as far as I know, I am the only person outside of my husband and hers who knew about her using marijuana. My mother fought breast cancer for many years...and the chemotherapy made her very, very sick. So sick, she could not work...and she loved her job. It broke her heart. Nothing the doctor prescribed made her feel any better, and she was becoming despondent. That's when I broke the law. I bought my mother marijuana, and urged her to try it. She did, and it helped. I continued to buy her marijuana during her chemotherapy. When the nausea was gone, she stopped smoking. Sadly, she lost her battle with cancer in 1998.

I am not ashamed of what I did. I made her life easier. It's regrettable that I had to break the law to do so. It's not right that a person who is suffering should have to chose between relief and prison. It's shameful that I had to sneak around and purchase drugs secretly so that my mother could work again, and so that she did not spend all day, every day, vomiting her guts up. Marijuana WORKED for her. It made her life bearable. It is cruel beyond words that people like that fucknut Bush and his asshole administration want to deny people like my mother that relief, based only on some antiquated morality that says you can drink like a fish but marijuana is the devil. It's a shame people actually BELIEVE that, and that as a result, dying and chronically-ill people suffer. Your morality should end where my suffering begins...I'm a firm believer in that.

The reality of the situation is, however, that people are NOT going to stop buying marijuana for medicinal purposes...law or no law, Supreme Court decision or no Supreme Court decision. Chronic pain makes a person desperate. Desperate for any kind of relief. Sadly, some choose suicide because they can't get that relief. I'd rather have them killing a few brain cells with a joint than killing themselves any day. And if a person with chronic pain can get relief with marijuana...they are going to buy it, and they are going to smoke it. Breaking the law is such a minor thing compared to having just a few hours of freedom from unrelenting, mind-numbing pain.

So as it stands, we can either legalize it already...or turn sick and dying people into criminals. I know in many areas of the country, the cops simply won't arrest those smoking for medical reasons. DAs won't prosecute. They turn a blind eye to it, because no one wants to put Grandma Betty with end-stage ovarian cancer in handcuffs. No one wants to fingerprint Joe Blow for buying a quarter bag for his partner dying of AIDS. And no one wants to throw Jane down the street in prison because she grew a few plants in her closet to help treat her MS.

Good laws should be upheld; bad laws should be challenged and destroyed. The Supreme Court, for reasons unknown, still thinks treating the sick and dying like criminals constitutes a good law.

I wonder what THEY'RE smoking.

Blog Help (I am Hopeless)

If anyone has the foggiest clue as to why my sidebar is at the bottom of the page, please leave a comment. I can't seem to fix it. :(

New Blog: Message Board Hell

I used to be in an email loop, and for kicks, I would copy & paste what I called "Weird Posts of the Day" for the members of the loop. These would be strange, funny, weird or just downright stupid posts I found on various message boards.

Well, the loop died, but I keep finding the weird posts. So I created a blog for them. It's good for a laugh or two, so stop by and see it!

Message Board Hell: Weird Posts From Cyberspace

Nutbag Parents: Mom Makes Contract For Boyfriend to Rape Daughter

I am violently, physically ill over this:

Mother Jailed for Allowing Rape of Daughter

Police say a Wilmington woman made a contract with her boyfriend, 38-year-old Albert Laing, and the deal allowed him to have sex with her daughter for a certain amount of money.

Laing faces numerous charges. He's in jail tonight.

The unidentified mother is behind bars as well. She's charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The 15-year-old victim is staying with relatives.

*********

It's hard to know what to say in the face of such unspeakable evil.

Nutbag Homophones Strike Again: FDA Proposes to Ban Gay Sperm Donors

Just when you think you've heard it all, heard every way a homosexual can be degraded and discriminated against in this country, along comes this filth:

New Rules to Bar Gay Men as Anonymous Sperm Donors

NEW YORK (May 6) - To the dismay of gay-rights activists, the Food and Drug Administration is about to implement new rules recommending that any man
who has engaged in homosexual sex in the previous five years be barred from serving as an anonymous sperm donor.

The FDA has rejected calls to scrap the provision, insisting that gay men collectively pose a higher-than-average risk of carrying the AIDS virus. Critics accuse the FDA of stigmatizing all gay men rather than adopting a
screening process that focuses on high-risk sexual behavior by any
would-be donor, gay or straight.

"Under these rules, a heterosexual man who had unprotected sex with
HIV-positive prostitutes would be OK as a donor one year later, but a gay man in a monogamous, safe-sex relationship is not OK unless he's been celibate for five years,'' said Leland Traiman, director of a clinic in Alameda, Calif., that seeks gay sperm donors.

Traiman said adequate safety assurances can be provided by testing a sperm
donor at the time of the initial donation, then freezing the sperm for a six-month quarantine and testing the donor again to be sure there is no new sign of HIV or other infectious diseases.

But it is the provision's symbolic aspect that particularly troubles gay-rights groups. Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal, has called it "policy based on bigotry.''

"The part I find most offensive - and a little frightening - is that it isn't based on good science,'' Cathcart said. "There's a steadily increasing trend of heterosexual transmission of HIV, and yet the FDA still has this notion that you protect people by putting gay men out of the pool.''

In a letter to the FDA, Lambda Legal has suggested a screening procedure based on sexual behavior, not sexual orientation. Prospective donors - gay or straight - would be rejected if they had engaged in unprotected sex in the previous 12 months with an HIV-positive person, an illegal drug user, or "an individual of unknown HIV status outside of a monogamous relationship.''

But an FDA spokeswoman cited FDA documents suggesting that officials felt the broader exclusion was prudent even if it affected gay men who practice safe sex.

Many doctors and fertility clinics already have been rejecting gay sperm donors, citing the pending FDA rules or existing regulations of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

However, some sperm banks, notably in California, have welcomed gay donors. The director of one of them, Alice Ruby of the Oakland-based Sperm Bank of California, said her staff had developed procedures for identifying gay men with an acceptably low risk of HIV.

The FDA rules do not prohibit gay men from serving as "directed'' sperm donors. If a woman wishing to become pregnant knows a gay man and asks that he provide sperm for artificial insemination, a clinic could provide that service even if the man had engaged in sex with other men within five years.

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

Under the Bush regime, even the FDA has foregone science in the name of discrimination, homophobia and questionable morals. It is a sad, sad day indeed. Shame on the FDA, and on any sperm bank that uses this "policy" to blacklist homosexuals. Geez, you'd think this was 1985, not 2005, with all this "gay men are a higher risk, even if they are monogamous" crappola....