Farewell to Miss Gerri

Geraldine Miller

Feminists lost one of their own when Geraldine Miller passed on March 28, 2005. This stalwart champion of the hard working women who labor in their own homes and those owned by others was 85 years old.

She had a glorious life with many accomplishments. Read more about her in this memorial hosted by the National Organization for Women. Click here to read more.

Terry and Karen Ann, Pinar in Turkey, Log Cabin Repugs show their red colors

I'm sure that most, if not all, of you are probably tired of the overexposure of the Terry Schiavo saga in Florida. Poor Terry. I certainly do hope that her journey to the Summerland is smooth and uneventful.

In the course of viewing, reading, and listening to the numerous stories about Terry Schiavo, I remembered a similar flip-side story from my youth in which a young woman named Karen Ann Quinlan became comatose from a combination of alcohol and sedatives. Her parents waged a valiant battle against the powers-that-were to get their daughter off the ventilator so that she could die in peace. After successfully weaning from the ventilator, Karen Ann lived nearly ten more years in a persistent vegetative state due to an enteric feeding tube.

What do these two cases have in common? Besides the obvious, the two young women had serious health issues that were completely ignored in the din and hoopla surrounding the end of life issues that they have come to represent.

Quinlan's apparent problem with chemicals (although the cause of death in her case has been disputed) and Schiavo's bulimia are virtually nonissues in the debate that fseems to focus solely on the rights of her husband versus her family of origin. The critical information and interventions that could have kept both of these young women from suffering the brain damage that eventuated their respective persistent vegetative states are all but ignored in the press.

Both of these issues are front and center for anyone concerned with the health of young women in western culture.

On the other side of the globe, tradition appears to be a major obstacle to women's health and safety. Pinar Hukum heads up ELELE, a Turkish group organized around issues such as forced marriage and marital violence. I often think that tradition is just as imposing an obstacle to the
women in the United States...perhaps the social barriers are not as obvious, but they are just as real and being made more so by the wave of evangelical zealotry that is currently washing over this nation.

One last thing before I depart this evening. I recently heard a rather disturbing report regarding the Log Cabin Republicans and their apparent shift to the right after reconciling with Bushie post-election. I found further evidence for my feelings of disquiet in my inbox this morning. Not satisfied with snuggling up to W, they have embraced his plan to destroy the Social Security program along with other goodies. Surely they aren't cozying up to Jarvis of USA Next as well! Surely these sweet bois of the elephantine persuasion can see that to do so is sheer collaboration with the homophobes from hell.

Ah, I suppose they have to toe the line if they want that drug money to keep flowing. That's what Michelangelo Signorile says quite eloquently in his article. Check it out here.

Good news this evening

For those of you that haven't heard, there are two items that are cause for rejoicing in my house.

The Boy Scouts of America long-time executive Douglas Smith has been fired on the grounds that he has been charged with receiving and distributing child pornography.

The best part? He hails from Irving, Texas, down where the yellow roses bloom. Wonder if he's friends with Bushie?

I just don't get it. They won't have any good, upstanding gay men in their leadership, but they put up with this pedophile for 39 years.

One other tidbit, then I have to run.

Johnny Cochran, infamous defender of O.J. Simpson, has died.

I am not sad...not one bit.

As the daughter of a battering victim who died at the hands of her husband/perpetrator/abuser/murderer, I find it very difficult to feel anything other than joy at the prospect that maybe by his death, a potentially guilty client of his may get his just due.

One can only hope.

The Secret of Senator Frist's Success: Freedom from Gender Competition

Did you know Sen. Frist won the best boy award at his elite boys' school here in Nashville? (Does any other kind of school have best boy awards?) I learned about the Senate Majority Leader’s "best all around boy in the school” award from the grown-up Senator's 25 page curriculum vitae (page 4).

The Frist c.v., which is posted on the Senator’s website, is a long and winding list of accomplishments (or purchases) traveling all the way back to high school. Yeah, 25 pages. But see the Daily Howler for some documentation on the Frist vanity factor.

According to the best boy’s school, Montgomery Bell Academy, the private school consciously chose to remain an all boys’ school (like when all of a sudden girls could go to real schools too) in order to "free" the boys from the stress and anguish of “gender competition.” For some mysterious reason, this confession has gone down the memory hole (last seen on July 14, 2003). But here’s a snippet of the confession I saved to my hard drive:

Why A Boys' School?

Boys are free to venture across a broad spectrum, to realize their full potential unencumbered by gender competition or stereotypes. Thanks to this freedom, our young men are successful in their individual quests for fulfillment.

Gee, all this time I thought best boy Frist owed his success to an excess of wealth. Come to find out, he owes much of his good fortune to a paucity of girls. Apparently, there's nothing quite like a little freedom from the burden of "gender competition" to make a man excel. (As some have noted, elite male bloggers also prefer to be "unencumbered by gender competition.")

Nowadays, elite best boys with presidential ambitions tend to think of “gender competition” as the Hilary problem. Does this mean that best boy Frist will be ill-prepared for the ordeal of running against Hilary in 2008?

Oh woe! Who will protect our best boy from gender competition in 2008?

A Small History of Same-Sex Marriage-like Unions in the U.S.

I wrote this piece for the Freedom Press, Nashville's weekly LGBT newspaper. It's in this week's issue. A modified version will go out to all the state newspapers; the usual pattern is for articles like this to be picked up by city papers only, but there's always the hope.

For those who haven't followed the antigay agenda promoted by Tennesssee lawmakers, I'm prefacing the Op-ed with a bit of background.

Background

Tennessee’s anti-marriage amendment, “The Marriage Protection Act” passed the final legislative hurdle on March 17, and should be on the ballot in 2006. It passed in the Democratic-controlled House with a vote of 88-7, and in the Republican-controlled Senate in February by 29-3.

Shortly after returning to Nashville for the legislative session, lawmakers filed as many as twelve antigay bills. There was the antigay marriage amendment, the antigay adoption bill, the antigay foster parenting bill and the antigay civil unions and domestic partnerships bill. You could say Tennessee lawmakers are obsessed.

At no time did our Democratic Governor speak out against the bigoted legislation. It’s generally known that Governor Bredesen has some pretty inclusive views, as well as some gay friends who have adopted children. Some of our Democratic legislators are also known to be not as bigoted as their votes suggest, but standing on principle is something Tennessee Democrats are not known for.

There are a few exceptions. State Rep. Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis) voted against the bigoted bill and made her views very clear: “I tried to spend my life to teach my children to always stand up against bigotry and intolerance,” Marrero said. “And to write bigotry and intolerance into the constitution of the state of Tennessee I find to be a very unfortunate thing.”

You can see how the others voted here.

The ACLU has promised to sue the state before the amendment appears on the ballot.

A Small History of Same-Sex

Marriage-like Unions in the U.S.

As expected, Tennessee Republicans and Democrats joined forces to pass the marriage amendment. The discriminating constitutional amendment will be on the ballot in 2006. To date, all antigay marriage ballot initiatives, so fervently endorsed by state legislators, have succeeded at the polls.

According to Rep. Bill Dunn, who never met an antigay bill he didn’t embrace, "The purpose of this amendment is to keep this definition of marriage what it's been for thousands of years.” Dunn also likes to cite biblical passages about men cleaving only to wives.

Despite a long history of legislative tinkering with the legal definition of marriage, lawmakers have a tradition of denying that marriage is a political construction that has seen many variations. Legislators like Dunn insist that the rules surrounding marriage have come down from God. Yet over the last few hundred years, lawmakers have changed the definitions of marriage in countess ways.

These include: denying blacks the right to marry and then permitting them to marry, allowing married women the right to own property, forbidding and then permitting married couples the right to use contraception, lifting the prohibitions on divorce and interracial marriage, and more recently, making wives the legal equals of husbands.

In every instance, legislators could be heard protesting that the changed rules were an “abomination under God” and a “perversion of nature” which would lead to the “destruction of marriage” and “the end of civilization.” Or, as Dunn puts it, “If you destroy the definition of marriage, then it would have an adverse effect on society."

Yet it is the reality of a changing society that demands changes in the laws. In each of the above examples, lawmakers were forced to change the legal definitions of marriage in order to accommodate changes that had already occurred in society. Somehow, society has survived.

One would not expect Tennessee lawmakers like Dunn to know it, but marriage-like unions between same-sex couples are a common fact of life. And, as scholars such as William Eskridge have demonstrated, they have occurred across cultures throughout all of human history.

In an article on the topic of “lesbian love”, written in the 19th century, a U.S. physician reported that Lucy Ann Slater wore men’s clothes, lived in the wilderness, and supported her same-sex partner by hunting. According to the physician, the “wife” referred to Lucy Ann Slater as her husband. Soon, other lesbian couples in-hiding were noticed.

During the same period, Mary Anderson, a politician much like Dunn, managed to pass as a man for more than thirty years. By doing so, she was able to support both herself and her wife, in style. In those days, of course, women were rarely permitted to support even themselves.

In the early 20th century, lesbian couples held large elaborate wedding ceremonies in gay subcultures in Harlem and other U.S. cities. Some obtained real marriage licenses by “masculinizing” a first name or by sending a male to the marriage bureau. A number of these marriages were on record in the New York City Marriage Bureau.

By 1953, the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organization, was debating the topic of same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples continued to hold elaborate wedding ceremonies, make vows of love, and exchange rings, secretly.

In 1979, Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson declared their undying love, made vows of lifelong devotion, and exchanged rings, all in secret. When a car accident left Sharon paralyzed and unable to speak, Karen was forced to ‘come out’ in order to honor her vow.

Sharon’s conservative parents were aghast and made every effort to persuade Karen to go away. After the court awarded guardianship to Sharon’s father, he moved his daughter to a nursing home some 300 miles away from Karen and barred her from visiting Sharon.

Over the next nine years, Karen would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in court battles fighting for the right to honor her vow and care for the woman she loved.

Because of Karen’s persistence, Sharon was eventually moved from a nursing home to a rehabilitation facility where she improved dramatically. In the final court battle, 16 medical witnesses testified that Sharon was competent to choose her own guardian, and that she chose Karen.

Some nine years after the accident, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the women were “a family of affinity, which ought to be accorded respect.” Finally, Sharon was permitted to go home.

When Tennessee lawmakers voted to put a ban on same-sex marriage in our state constitution, they expressed a profound disrespect for the vows made by committed couples such as Karen Thompson and Sharon Kowalski.

Same-sex couples have a long history of marriage-like unions. The societal change that is going to finally force lawmakers to modify the marriage rules, yet again, is that couples such as Karen Thompson and Sharon Kowalski are no longer hiding.

-------

Lest We Forget Why We Blog, Look to a Red State Newspaper

Lest we forget why we blog, check out this front-page story in Nashville's daily newspaper. This red state Gannet paper is surely vying for the Irrelevancy Award of the 21st Century. In my view, it deserves it. I can remember when I was proud of The Tennessean. Those days are long gone. The mission of this paper (which pretends to be liberal) is not to educate or inform the public; its mission is to entertain. If only that was the paper's worst offense.

Increasingly, The Tennessean seems to be in the business of telling the public what it thinks.

Headline: Few in state see fallout for Frist over Schiavo: Tennesseans say his role in Senate's involvement not politically damaging

Perhaps you might have made the same assumption I made: Oh, they took a poll. Think again.

Or better yet, read the story and count all the Tennesseans who say that Frist will suffer no political fallout. Or, you can count them here and on the fingers of one hand. You can also gauge
the weight of their statements:

1. Brad Todd, a Roane County native and GOP political consultant
"He doesn't see the Schiavo politics having much of a political effect."

2. Randy Button, the head of Tennessee's Democrats
. ."there may not be any political downside . ."

3. Prof. Coleman McGinnis, Tennessee State University, political science
". . McGinnis doubts Frist's intervention will cost him with the voters . ."

4. Prof. John Geer, Vanderbilt University, political science
''I don't think it has any long-term political effect.''

It was bad enough when I read the hard copy; it got really annoying when the headline appeared in my inbox as a google alert. It should come as no surprise when I tell you that this same newspaper practiced a very similar art of deception throughout the entire presidential campaign.

Family Values? Culture of Life? Try Sweden, or Canada, or Cuba, or ..

For a number of years now, Sweden has been working on the project of improving men’s parenting. Despite the generous paid family leave policy, there is still room for improvement in the number of men who actually take time off from work to spend time with a newborn or a newly adopted child.

Sweden offers a year of paid leave to new parents. The compensation is 80% of salaries. With a view to encouraging men to spend more time with children, the Swedes are considering an “equality bonus,” which would bump the compensation up to 90% of salaries. The bonus would be available to families in which moms and dads split the parental leave equally.

There are only six nations in the world that do not mandate some form of paid family leave. The U.S. is one of six, and as we all know, it is the only industrialized nation without a policy of healthcare for all. And then there's childcare. Forgive me for not providing a link, but I can tell you that there are so-called third world countries that do better than us in the childcare department. In many parts of the world, the idea of sending women to work without providing a safe place for her children is simply unacceptable.

In the absence of such family supportive policies, it’s no wonder our infant mortality rate is not as good as Canada’s, or Cuba’s, or China’s. Little wonder that there are 41 countries in which babies have a better chance of surviving their first year of life than in the U.S. If we can’t afford to take care of our babies, it’s sure not because we’re spending the money on their mothers. American “women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth” than are women in Europe.”

If we could catch up to Cuba, we'd have 2,212 more American babies a year. If we could catch up to Singapore, we’d have 18,900 more babies a year.

Family values? Culture of life?

This is a culture of life:

It is hereby declared that the primary objective of Canadian health care policy is to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers. Canadian Health Act

Oh well, at least our lawmakers are hard at work protecting marriage from gays. Too bad if all those gay people who are raising children can't offer their kids the benefits of marriage.

At least our lawmakers have succeeded in forcing poor women to carry pregnacies to term. Too bad if so many of their babies die before the age of one.

Bin Laden can sit back and wait. Our leaders are going to bring this county down all by themselves.

Re: Hate Amendment: Dear Lawmaker, Don't Tell Us Who We Can Marry!

The following letter was sent to one of the Tennessee lawmakers who voted for the Hate Amendment. The legislator is sending out emails that brag about the passage of the anti-marriage amendment. I got one even though she is not my Rep. (thank the Goddess).

If you want to tell her what you think of the Hate Amendment, email Rep. Harwell here.


Dear Beth,

The actions of the Tennessee legislature in moving to put the anti gay marriage act into the Tennessee Constitution is tragic and wrong. It seems to me to be more intelligent and of greater good to the state to encourage the stability of marriage or civil unions [what ever the couple prefers] between loving couples.

I have been married to the same man for 34 years. We have four children, and having been blessed with gay friends or acquaintences has never been any threat to our marriage or to our children. This entire move to bash gays and deprive American citizens of their rights because of sexuality is barbaric, unAmerican, and speaks poorly of Tennessee.

I would be pleased to see you use your considerable intelligence and power to change the attitudes of the body you serve in. Remember, these people help pay your salaries, and I, as a heterosexual taxpayer expect you to pay attention to what is truly important as government business.

Our personal business is not the govenment's business. Don't tell us who we can marry or when or how to have children.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Barger

Blogging Legislators, Flying Pigs, and Conservative Bloggers

Well I guess pigs really can fly. Here I am agreeing with conservative bloggers, and on more than one point. (not to fear, my disagreements are far more serious.)

Apparently, House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh (D-LOL) is punishing Rep. Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) for the crime of blogging. Naifeh seems to be afraid that Campfield will speak his mind. Speaking one's mind is not a trait that TN Democrats are fond of (there are a few exceptions, very few.)

Everything I know about Naifeh tells me this is true. They don't call him "the dictator" for nothing. Like a lot of old white men, he's an authoritarian who likes to crack the whip. After his effort to pass tax reform failed, he punished dissenting Democrats by moving their offices into the Republican wing. Now that's punishment. It's also childish.

I read Campfield's blog. He should keep on blogging. Although Campfield is a Republican from conservative east Tennessee, I was rather astonished to find that he doesn't talk like Cotton Mather. It's refreshing to come across a legislator from east Tennessee whose every other phrase is not a thunderous "Abomination under God!"

Who talks like this? Lots of Tennessee legislators. I'm convinced that many of them have quantum-leaped straight from the 17th century, which would explain their intolerance for people who do not share their views. We're just lucky they let women and blacks vote in this state.

Example: "Civil Unions are an Abomination under God." --Rep. Nathan Vaughn (D-LOL).

Never mind the absurdity of singling out civil unions with such extreme language, it's exceedingly difficult to take anyone who speaks like Cotton Mather seriously.

Imagine if all of them had blogs. Gee, you might even know what they were up to. You might know which of them are literate enough to actually read up on the issues or laws they force upon us. I have more than one email on file that are proof positive of Illiteracy on the Hill.

Blogging legislators is a good idea. Legislators in sneakers is another good idea; it might help some of them shake off their stuffy arrogance. If a certain legislator can wear mini skirts (talk about credibility issues!), what the heck is wrong with legislators in sneakers?

Bill Hobbs says he'd be happy to set up blogs for Republican lawmakers and maybe a few conservative Democrats. So he only wants to hear what his "own kind" have to say? I think it would be much more interesting if they all had to blog. Maybe some of them would actually express their honest-to-god opinions. Or maybe not.

While I'm on the subject of conservative bloggers, I've noticed that they are obsessed with Howard Dean. There are far more conservatives blogging about Dr. Dean than progressives. They all seem to agree that Dean will ensure that Democrats lose future elections. I doubt they would talk quite so endless of him if they really believed that.

Finally, Blogging for Bryant responds to our criticism of Governor Bredesen (D-LOL) by suggesting that we somehow persuade the man to support civil rights for everyone, even people who are different from the Governor, the General Assembly and the Blogger. The idea being that this would bring the Governor down.

In other words, intolerance and disrespect for people who are different from you are requirements if you want to get elected in Tennessee. Well, the blogger has a point. This is exactly the reality in this conservative climate. We are long overdue for the inevitable shift in political winds, and democrats who are indistinguishable from republicans need to go down.

Howard Dean Comes to Tennessee: Says Days of Writing Off the South Are Over!

Howard Dean was greeted with a standing ovation at Vanderbilt University here in Nashville. The new DNC Chair told the students: "If you want to make American democracy strong, you have to do more than just vote. You have to run for office."

He spoke about the Republican habit of passing legislation aimed at dividing America. The charismatic Democrat added: "I will never divide this country by race, gender, or sexual orientation -- we need to win ... by appealing to the very best of America and not to the very worst."

He said that if Democrats hope to win Tennessee, they need to start by showing up in the state.

Dr. Dean urged his audience to become politically active. He asked: ''How many people in the audience think they can't be just as good a president as George W. Bush?" The audience roared with laughter.

''It's not about Republicans and Democrats, but about democracy that works," he added. "I'd rather see someone go to work for a Republican campaign than sit on their butt.''

Dr. Dean didn't limit his Nashville visit to the upper-class white side of town; he also spoke at Nashville's historically and predominantly Black Tennessee State University (TSU).

There too, he was greeted with a standing ovation.

Students from TSU, Fisk, MeHarry Medical College, American Baptist College, Middle Tennessee State University and Nashville State College turned out to hear Dr. Dean and welcome him to the state. The blogger from Whitescreek Journal was there, but unfortunately I didn't get to meet him. Of course, members of Democracy for Tennessee were there.

There was no charge to hear Howard Dean speak.

House Speaker Pro Tempore Lois DeBerry was there. As noted elsewhere, Governor Bredesen (D-LOL) failed to turn out to welcome the DNC Chair to the state. Like the Governor of Mississippi, Bredesen had better things to do than give anyone the impression that he is a Democrat. This was a move not exactly designed to win the hearts and minds of the state's democratic base.

While Dean was in Tennessee, the GOP ran attack ads on radio stations across the state. The ads poked at both Dean and Bredesen. They suggested that both democrats were (gasp) liberal. The GOP ads had the desired effect; they made Bredesen's cowardice starkly visible.

Dr. Dean answered the charge. The cowardly governor did not.

''I've been called worse things than a liberal,'' Dean said. ''The reason the Republicans call names is because they have nothing to say about balancing the budget, creating jobs or doing anything about health care or education.''

At TSU, Dean said that if Kerry had won the election, we'd be moving toward universal health care instead of eliminating millions of citizens from the health care rolls. Governor Bredesen plans to cut 323,000 Tennesseans from TennCare, the state's health care plan for the poor.

Dean told the predominantly Black audience that Black males had voted in record numbers during the last election. He said they need to be even more politically active. He urged students and everyone in the audience to run for office.

Although Dean spoke at length about the need to embrace conservative democrats, implicit in his remarks was the understanding that Tennessee has a desperate need for democrats who stand for something other than their own self-interest. Tennessee has a desperate need for democrats who can be distinguished from republicans.

Dr. Dean told the audience that the conservative Wall Street Journal recently reported that a white person with a record of drug convictions has a better chance of being called back for a second job interview than a Black person with a clean record. He said he doesn't limit his comments about race to predominantly Black audiences because white audiences are the ones who really need to hear that racism exists.

There were a number feminists in attendance. When Dr. Dean spoke of a Matriarchy in his office, we applauded. The DNC Chair said that when he asked his office staff if there wasn't a need for some gender balance, they replied that qualified males were hard to find.

The Democrat's comments on gay rights were minimal. Obviously, Dean was aware that TN Democrats have joined Republicans in an effort to forbid gays from adopting and foster parenting. Obviously, Dean was aware that TN Democrats have joined with Republicans to pass an anti-marriage amendment (which will be on the ballot in 2006). Dean said he knew that Tennessee is not going to have same-sex marriage. He urged students to run for office.

A "Pro-Gay Marriage" button was spotted in the exceptionally diverse audience.

When Dean asked for questions, long lines formed. Almost without exception, questioners expressed an almost embarrassing gratitude to Dr. Dean for actually coming to Tennessee, or for breaking the national party's misguided tradition of writing off the South.

Howard Dean has something that few Tennessee Democrats possess. He has the courage and conviction to speak his mind. Here in Tennessee, we are accustomed to democrats who say one thing to gays and another to straights, one thing to whites and another to Blacks, one thing to pro-choice constituents and another to anti-choice constituents. Dr. Dean presents a stark contrast to democrats who speak out of both sides of their mouth.

And that may be exactly why Governor Bredesen did not want to get too close to Howard Dean. If the Governor of Tennessee got too close to Howard Dean, he might look small.

Governor Phil Bredesen's Lizzie Borden Plan to 'Fix' TennCare

This is buried in another post. I've decided to give it one all its own. Feel free to contribute some stanzas. The original version: Lizzie Borden took an axe, Gave her mother 40 whacks, When she saw what she had done, She gave her father 41.

Phil Bredesen's

Lizzie Borden Plan to 'Fix' TennCare

Phil Bredesen took an axe,
Gave TennCare enrollees 40 whacks,
When he saw what he had done,
He gave prescription benefits 41

Right-Wing Men May Be Coming to a Planned Parenthood Near You

Indiana seems to want to come into the good-old-boy Confederacy. Pseudo-Adrienne reports that the state is demanding that Planned Parenthood turn over the records of sexually active teen girls. The state wants the records of girls who are both under the age of consent and over the age of consent.

Did these girls have abortions?

Did they have (gasp) sex?

The inquiring right-wing men who control the state of Indiana want to know.

It's a good idea to check out the grim details at Pseudo-Adrienne's Liberal Feminist Bias because:

Right-wing men may be coming to a Planned Parenthood near you

Right wing men may hear that YOU have been sexually active

Disclaimer: Does not apply, no need to worry, if you are in their club, i.e., if you are and have always been male (but never gay, bi, etc.).

Will Dr. Frist & Senator Hyde Save The Life Support of 323,000 Tennesseans?

Sharon Cobb over at Save TennCare asks if Dr. Frist & Senator Hyde will do for the victims of Gov. Bredesen's 'Lizzie Borden Health Care Plan' (Bredesen plans to rob 323,000 Tennesseans of healthcare coverage) what he's done for Terri Schiavo.

Sharon's query was published in yesterday's Nashville City Paper:

If Schiavo was on TennCare …

To the Editor

If Terry Schiavo had been on TennCare:

1. If in a hospital, she would be limited to 20 days of inpatient care per year.

2. If receiving private duty nursing (intensive home health nursing) care at home, the service would be terminated altogether.

3. If receiving care in a nursing home, she would continue to receive basic institutional care, but whether she would receive more than four prescriptions per month remains unclear. The governor said in January that they provide an exemption from . . .

4-Rx limit for nursing home residents, but now they say that is undecided.

With the above in mind, how can Bredesen cut off the life support of thousands of people in Tennessee who are pleading on a daily basis not to have their life support taken away, when a woman in a persistent vegetative state has the right to her life support?

Will Bill Frist take to the Senate floor to argue for the lives of his constituents?

If this new law applies to Terry, then it applies to thousands in Tennessee who will also die within weeks of losing their TennCare.

Sharon Cobb

Dr. Frist and Senator Hyde

Before Dr. Frist flip-flopped into Senator Hyde, he actually advocated pulling the plug on babies who are in the same medical state as Terri Schiavo.

DC Inside Scoop has the story. Here's a teaser:

"Frist wrote a book in 1989 called Transplant where he advocated changing the definition of "brain dead" to include anencephalic babies. Anencephalic babies are in the same state as Terri Schiavo except that she suffered a physical trauma that put her into a vegetative state while the anencephalic babies are born that way." There's more . . .

Also, it turns out that Dr. Frist has a long record of pulling the plug. And, this time, we are not talking about cats!

Dubya's Fetish (Not for the Fainthearted)

From Pith in the Wind, I discovered that Rigorous Intuition and Julius Blog have some fetish-revealing photos of Dubya. The photos suggest that our evangelical prez has more on his mind than theocracy building.

You need to see them for yourself.

Jeb's lawyer suggests armed guards for Terry Schiavo

Well, holy toledo Catwoman! What does the wonderboy from Florida have up his sleeve now?

Jeb Bush's attorney in the Terry Schiavo matter, Ken Connor of Family Research Council Fame has proposed that our Congress send armed guards to Terry Shiavo's bedside to reinsert her feeding tube.

All the time I spent studying and gaining a nursing degree and license was just wasted time, it appears. Why, all I had to do was signed up for guard duty in DC for our esteemed Congress, and I would have been ready to do one-on-one patient care for the most complicated of cases. Silly me!

You just never know about these fast track programs.

Chattanooga Peace Rally - 3-19-2005

Peace rally held in Chattanooga – Saturday, March 19, 2005

In the face of a near blackout of the peace rallies here in the good old USA, the word seems to be getting out despite the efforts of our mainstream press.

Chattanooga was the site of one such action on Saturday, March 19, 2005. Contrary to the forecasted predictions, it did not rain on their parade.

Actually, it was a march and a rally that was attended by a total of around 200 people according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

There were also three counterdemonstrators - not exactly a madding crowd for Bushie’s war machine.

Organizers were pleased to note increased public interest compared with a similar 2004 rally in which 129 people participated.

Sponsored by United for Democracy and Justice, the event offered a variety of speakers covering a wide range of topics centered on peace issues from Vietnam War veterans to a Palestinian small business owner who grew up in Iraq and now makes his home in the Chattanooga area.

United for Democracy and Justice member, Ariana Tipper, speaks with conviction and enthusiasm to the need for action on the part of the people of this country and the globe.

“We need to make public our core values and use those values as tools to help prepare for the future,” says Ariana whose passion is evident in every word.

“It is time for all of us who share progressive goals to come together and create a world in which peace and justice are more important than profits,” says the young peaceworker who is in training on The Farm in Summertown learning permaculture. Her sincerity is evident in every word she speaks.

Ariana is also active in the Women in Black, a group that uses public silent vigil as a way to protest war, rape as a tool of war, ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses. They are a loosely organized international group. Knoxville has an active vigil.

The loose organization of WIB seems to be the order of the day. Many of the most effective newer action-oriented groups have little or no structure. They seem to value action over detailed structure. Our movement needs all types of organizations to move our values front and center so that we can renew hope for movement away from the neo-fascist state our nation is fast becoming.

So, back to the Chattanooga protest last Saturday…

On the speaker's roster were Denny Haldeman, seasoned Vietname era activist; Hippie Rick, poet and peace activist; John Bailes, essayist and feature writer/columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press who spoke on “Weapons of Mass Deception.”

Other speakers included Dr. Fritz Efaw, renowned draft resistor from the Vietnam era, and Mr. Mohammad Al-Tmimi, the previously mentioned businessman, who was born in Palestine, grew up in Iraq, and came to the United States to study engineering in the 1980s.

Food Not Bombs supplied the crowd with munchies, and two bands, John Lathim and The Buskers, offered their talents for the crowd’s listening pleasure.

All told, the event lasted around 3 ½ hours and was without incident.

Howard Dean Comes to Tennessee! Spineless Gov. Bredesen (D-LOL) Cites Scheduling Conflicts

Well it's finally happened, a Democrat to the left of Zell Miller has come to Tennessee. For Dems and progressivs who live in a state routinely shunned by the national party this is quite a day.

Okay, so our so-called Democratic Governor won't be there to welcome the DNC Chair to the state. And apparently, Dean will not be met by a TN Congressional delegation. But considering that these are the same yahoos that couldn't bring themselves to pronounce the name K E R R Y during the entire presidential campaign, well, their democratic credentials are every bit as impressive as the state's literacy rate.

All of this will add yet more fuel to the fire of resentment that is already simmering in the TN democratic base, due to the Gov's increasingly rethuglican mode of operation. Bredesen is apparently planning to be re-elected by the rethugs.

Only thing is, even some of the rethugs don't like his Lizzie Borden Plan to 'Fix' TennCare - the state's healthcare plan for the poor. (330,000 Tennesseans will lose healthcare if the democratic? Gov has his way.)

Phil Bredesen's Lizzie Borden Plan to 'Fix' TennCare

Phil Bredesen took an axe,

He gave TennCare enrollees 40 wacks,

When he saw what he had done,

He gave prescription benefits 41

Scroll down for the details on the TN GOP's adolescent campaign (cheap labor) to make Dr. Dean think he's entering the 19th century confederacy. No wonder so many people prefer Mississippi.

According to the 'Dean in TN' discussion over at MYDD, spinelss dems have also been spotted in Kansas and Mississippi.

Dean will be at Tennessee State University in the morning (3-23-05, 11:30-1:30, Humanities Bldg.). It's free; I hope to see some of you there. Bring your Dean signs (mine's still in the yard). I'll post about it tomorrow.


Here's more on Dr. Dean's visit to Spineless Dem Country, from the Knox News Sentinel:

Dean begins a two-day visit to Nashville this afternoon with an appearance before a Vanderbilt University political science class, followed by a later speech on the campus. On Wednesday, he will attend a breakfast fund-raiser for the state Democratic Party and then go to a "town hall meeting" at Tennessee State University.

Asked how he deals in Tennessee with the perception that he is a "liberal Yankee elitist," Dean replied, "I actually don't believe there is a perception like that.

"It's Republican propaganda," said Dean, adding that he was consistently given an "A" rating by the National Rifle Association as Vermont governor and that he shares Vice President Dick Cheney's views on gay marriage and civil unions.

"If I'm liberal, so is he," said Dean.

The Dean trip to Tennessee is part of a nationwide tour by the new Democratic National Committee of states where the party fared poorly in the 2004 presidential race.

"I think we made a big mistake in the Democratic Party by giving up on any state," he said. "I would like to see a resurgence of the Democratic Party in Tennessee."

He said federal spending deficits under President George W. Bush and Bush's attempt to "dismantle Social Security and turn it over to the people who run Enron" would be selling points for the party in Tennessee.

Asked about speculation that Gov. Phil Bredesen might someday become a presidential candidate, Dean said Bredesen was "a terrific governor" and "if he decided to do that, he would be an outstanding candidate."

Dean said he and Bredesen have met several times and he considers the governor "a good friend." The two men will not see each other during the current trip, with Dean explaining the governor would be "in Memphis."

Bredesen's schedule shows him in Milan this afternoon though returning for Wednesday morning speeches in Smyrna and Nashville. Bredesen said last week that he would be willing to meet with Dean if requested and if his schedule permitted.

read the whole thing

TN GOP Runs Adolescent Radio Campaign (cheap labor) for Howard Dean's Benefit

The Tennessean has this story too, but the copy from GOP Bloggers is more amusing, (they steal copy from the Tennessean without giving credit) so I've pasted it way below.

GOP Bloggers also has a link to the GOP's snide little radio jingle. It only takes a sec to listen to it, and then join me in wondering why our children can't find grown-up role models.

On the GOP Radio Jingle (From the Tennessean) :

The 30-second commercial suggests the two ''get together and talk about the issues important to Democrats … I'm sure you'll have a lot in common — two peas in a pod.''

The ad is punctuated twice by a sound that appears to mimic Dean's primary-night scream in Iowa. It also takes shots at how Bredesen has governed, citing ''Tennessee's failing schools, rising unemployment and the TennCare crisis.''

The GOP said it is running the ad today in Nashville and today and tomorrow in Jackson, Knoxville, the Tri-Cities area and other parts of East Tennessee.


From GOP Bloggers:

Tennessee GOP Runs Radio Ad During Howard Dean's Visit To The State

Tennessee Republicans are using a two-day Nashville visit by Howard Dean as a backdrop to link Gov. Phil Bredesen with a liberal agenda.

The GOP is airing a radio commercial today and tomorrow that describes the Democratic governor as ''peas in a pod'' with Dean, national chairman of the Democratic Party, who is pegged as a ''Northeastern liberal.''

Dean is speaking at Vanderbilt University today, and will be raising money for Tennessee Democrats. It is of course interesting to note that Dean and Tennessee governor will not be meeting during the DNC Chairman's visit, citing "scheduling conflicts."

''I wonder why Phil Bredesen won't meet with Howard Dean?'' said Bob Davis of Nashville, who is chairman of the state Republican Party.

''I'm guessing that even Bredesen wants to distance himself from Dean's liberal agenda.''

Wanted: Republican Sex Scandal / $20,000 Reward Offered

Kelly Collins over at Washington Socialites has the info on a $20,000 reward for proof linking Jeff Gannon, sexually or romantically, to any "top-ranking Washington official(s)," or proof that Gannon has been involved in any illegal sexual or other activities.

Rethugs Hold Congressional 'Hypocrisy of Life' Drama at Midnight: CNN Asks No Embarrassing Questions

I watched the Congressional 'Culture of Life' circus tonight. CNN cast it as the 'Save Terry Schiavo from Starvation' show. There was much made about the fact that Bush cut his vacation short in order to rush to town to sign the 'Save Terry' law. With this emergency legislation, Republicans will force the Schiavo case into federal court. If they get their wish, the judge will order the feeding tube reinserted into Terry. This will be the third reinsertion!

When I get old and sick, I sure hope Congress will come to my aid with an emergency law mandating medical marijuana. Or, how about they come to the aid of the 330,000 Tennesseans about to be without healthcare (one at a time, please)?

CNN didn't say a word about the Texas Futile Care Bill, signed into law by Bush himself during his years as Texas Governor. Nor did CNN say anything about the recent victim of the Bush law, a Texas baby who just had life support withdrawn - against his mother's wishes - due to inability to pay.

The hypocrisy never quits. Armando at Daily Kos has the grim details.

"By now most people who read liberal blogs are aware that George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. . .

Those of us who read liberal blogs also understand that that the tort reform that is being contemplated by the Republican congress would preclude malpractice claims like that which has paid for Terry Schiavo's care thus far."

There's more

Here's the story about the baby who was not worthy of being saved by Congress.

According to the hospital's lawyer, "This isn't murder. It's mercy, and it's appropriate to be merciful in that way. It's not killing, it's stopping pointless treatment."

"The hospital's description of Sun — that he was motionless and sedated for comfort — has differed sharply from the mother's. Since February, the hospital has blocked the media from Hudson's invitation to see the baby, citing privacy concerns.

'I wanted y'all to see my son for yourself,' [the mother] told reporters. 'So you could see he was actually moving around. He was conscious.'"

There's yet more that CNN didn't mention. Randall Terry, the extremist anti-abortion leader is involved; he escorted Terry's mom to a press conference earlier today and more.

CNN missed so damn much of the story, kind of makes you wonder if this midnight drama was just another government produced video.

Conservative Opposition to Gay Marriage Amendment Hits Mainstream Media, House to Vote On Amendment Tomorrow!

Today's Tennessean has a front-page headline story about the sudden opposition to the gay marriage amendment by the Christian Family Network Policy.

We had the same story up here last Friday (we beat the Tennessean by 5 days!).

The Tennessean headlined the story: Opposing groups fight gay marriage ban : Gays say amendment discriminatory; pro-family group fears political domino effect

Our own headline was far more accurate.

Pro-Family Group? Hmm, the Gays vs. the Pro-Family group. Wonder who'd win that poll? I hate to say it, but the Tennessean is rather famous for such bias.

How about the Pro Family Gays vs. the Pro-Family Conservatives? Or, the Gays vs. the Christian Conservatives?

As is so often the case, The Tennessean frames many of its stories in the language of the right. Oddly enough, I suspect that the paper is completely unaware of its daily bias.

The Knoxville News Sentinel also carried the story today.

The Family Policy Network says it has 1,000 Tennesseans on it's email list. They sent out yet another alert today urging conservatives to pressure legislators to strengthen the marriage amendment. By 'strengthen' they mean add provisions outlawing civil unions and domestic partnerships.

The House is scheduled to vote on the marriage amendment tomorrow morning (3-17-05) at 9:00 am in the State Capitol.

With both Republicans and Democrats supporting the bill of discrimination, and in droves, this amendment has been a sure thing all along.

It will be interesting to see if the conservative group can pressure legislators, at this late date, to attempt to change the measure. If that were to happen, the drama could continue throughout the entire legislative session.

An amendment banning civil unions would be far harder to pass. One can only hope.

Whose justice is it?

The evening news brings two very different results in two California courtrooms. Robert Blake is acquitted of all charges in the death of his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. He had been accused of shooting her to death after his attempts to hire a hit man were unsuccessful.

Also on the news is the finding that Scott Peterson, previously convicted of killing his 8-months-pregnant wife, Lacie, will receive the death penalty for those convictions.

I am stymied by the differences here. I know that Bonnie Lee Bakley was disparaged for her sometimes quasi-criminal past. She was painted as a groupie - a woman somewhat unhinged by her need for attention and desire to be associated with famous people. She gave birth to a child fathered by Blake. Her child is now being raised by Blake's older daughter.

Lacie Peterson, on the other hand, was seen as an ideal wife. Scott was the errant husband, deceiving his girlfriend by telling her he wasn't married. We are all now familiar with the picture of Lacie proudly displaying her obviously pregant belly.

I do believe that this along with Blake's superior financial resources account for the differences in the outcomes. Those factors weigh far more heavily in criminal court decisions than any amount of evidence or proof.

Whether you believe Blake and Peterson to be innocent or not, the two dead women (and Lacie's poor baby who will never be born) are examples of the all-too-often minimized war on women that is waged daily from coast to coast and border to border in the good 'ol USA.

Consider these statistics:

• In 95% of reported domestic assault, the female is the victim and the male is the perpetrator. 3% of reported domestic assaults are homosexual male couples. In 2% of reported domestic assaults, the female is the perpetrator.
  
• Each year, 7% of all American women are physically abused by their spouse or partner.
  14% of all American women acknowledge having been violently abused by a husband or boyfriend.
  
• In 1998, 35% of all violence against women was by an intimate partner.
  75% of domestic homicides occur after the victim has left the perpetrator.
  28% of all homicides of women are related to domestic violence.
  
• Violence against women in the home causes more injuries to women than car accidents, mugging, and rapes combined.
  
• Every day, 4 women are killed by their intimate partner.
  
• Kids in homes of Domestic Abuse are 1000x more likely to abuse as adults, 74x as likely to commit crimes against other people and 24x as likely to commit rape or sexual assault.
  (Source: Murray Strauss, University of Durham, N.H.)(Recent research from American Psychological Association confirms this study.)

These numbers point out the reality of domestic violence. They tell you who is being abused and by whom. They tell you why the victims "don't just leave." They speak volumes as to the truth of women's lives.

The cases heard in Tennessee courtrooms are just as bad as those heard in these two California courtrooms. We may have a few battered women's shelters. We may have a few advocacy programs in place. We may have domestic violence task forces, working groups, and other associations populated by sometimes well-meaning professionals. But until we cut more deeply into the flesh of the beast in the living room, the numbers cited above will never change.

We must begin early. The children are the hope for change in this battle against a monster that deforms many lives. Until we begin to teach our children - all of our children - that love makes no excuses for violence, we will spend our resources and energies cleaning up after this beast.

Wolfowitz to Guard the Henhouse; Bankruptcy for Millionaires Only;TN Gay Adoption Ban Defeated in Committee

I thought I would take a day off today. In the midst of the extremist strongarm tactics seen in our state and nation these days, I guess the day off will just have to wait.

I pulled up my email this morning to find that Paul Wolfowitz has been appointed by Bush to head up the World Bank. Aghast, I read that the Bush Administration is pushing for "major reforms" in how the World Bank operates. We all know what that means.

Following that lump of coal in my stocking, I moved on to read about how the Republicans are steamrolling the bankruptcy "reform" while Democrats wait and wonder. Included in this legislation are loopholes big enough for the wealthiest Americans to drive their Hummers through.

Thank goodness for the news about the defeat of the gay adoption ban. If it weren't for that, I would wonder why I got up this morning.

Conservative Bloggers, Communists for TennCare, & A Song I've Heard Before

Conservative bloggers in TN are having a good ole time with the Communists for TennCare blog. Hardly a day goes by without a conservative blogger citing it with glee. It's anybody's guess which one of them is behind it. The blog is one part jargon, one part jab and one part link. It has about as much substance as conservatives have compassion.

For a view of conservative compassion, check out Blogging for Bryant's lyrical rant on the subject of cuts to TennCare. The rant has no name, but might well be called "Poor People are the Lazy Scum of the Earth and Don't Need No Healthcare." This little exercise in conservative compassion brands poor, sick and disabled Tennesseans as lazy scum. Thirty years ago, it was common to hear stereotypical rants like this, but in those days they were aimed at African Americans.

Some days I try to understand conservativism as something other than a political ideology meant to rationalize and justify selfishness, but bloggers like this one don't give me anything to work with. It's even more mystifying when selfishness bills itself as Christian, as it so often does these days.

Disability Law talks about how the proposed cuts to TennCare threaten large numbers of disabled Tennesseans. I don't have a link handy, but there's been plenty of press about Tennessee's already very high infant mortality rate; a rate that will only increase with the kind of cuts Bredesen has in mind. But such things don't seem to bother conservatives.

Blogging for Bryant's smug little jab at the poor is his response to the song contest initiated by Citizens to Save TennCare. He learned of the contest from his friends at Communists for TennCare.

On the project of trying to find something in conservativism other than selfishness, I discovered Newshounds today. They watch Fox so we don't have to.

Holy Homosexuality! Anti-Gay Crusader Rep. Chris Clem is Less than Straight

By now you've probably heard that when antigay crusader Chris Clem agreed to allow the "Anybody but Gays Can Adopt" bill to morph into the "Ozzie & Harriet Can Adopt First" bill, the crusader was being less than straight with us.

state Rep. Clem put on his not-quite-straight face in order to get the amendment out of the subcommittee. Apparently, Clem's 'honest to god' plan is to "amend it back the way it was" by the time it reaches the House floor.

No word yet on the details of Clem's plans to install gay radar in the Department of Children's Services. We're sure he's waiting until the bill is safely passed before he reveals the dirty details.

Perhaps Clem and fellow antigay crusader Sen. Jeff Miller will teach some "How to Spot a Queer" classes to DCS employees. Given the DCS's failure to protect children from abusive heterosexuals, we're sure they're excited about the prospect of taking on the task of detecting homosexuals in the home.

Certainly no one could be more qualified to be Gay Detectors than these two straight shooters. Neither men have ever met an antigay bill that did not whet their appetites. Both men are so gay-obsessed that they have made mini careers in the "No Homosexuals in Our Club" field.

Some speculate that Sen. Miller's obsession is fueled by the fact that he has an out-of-the-closet brother. One source goes so far as to suggest that it was only after the media carried the story about Miller's gay brother, that facial hair began to sprout on the antigay crusader's face.

When you view the fervent crusaders side-by-side, Miller's hairy masculinity makes him the obvious Angry HeteroMan, leaving baby-faced Clem to the role of Uptight Boy Wonder.

You won't want to miss the show on the Hill when the Boy Wonder tackles the adoption bill and reveals to one and all that he was only fooling, he never really stopped thinking about homosexuals, not even for a minute.

Right-Wing Org Urges Defeat of TN Anti-Gay Marriage Bill (You are Not Hallucinating!)

Hold on to your seat! The well-heeled and influential right-wing Family Policy Network ("informing Christians and confronting the culture on the moral issues of the day") is sending out email alerts in Tennessee urging conservatives to work for the defeat, or withdrawal, of the anti-gay marriage amendment.

No, they haven't suddenly come to their senses. Rather they have changed their strategy in mid-stream and now argue that legislation which merely defines marriage is next to useless, since all the rights inherent in marriage can also be gained in civil unions or domestic partnerships. They argue that this change in strategy is necessary because "homosexual activists and liberal politicians have dramatically changed their tactics."

Thus, the right-wing organization now supports only amendments that explicitly outlaw civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Included in their email alert is a list of states with "strong" marriage amendments, meaning they also outlaw civil unions or domestic partnerships. Tennessee is listed as a state with a "weak" amendment. So-called 'weak" amendments do not outlaw civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Thus, the conservative Family Policy Network wants Tennessee's anti-gay marriage amendment defeated or withdrawn. If enough conservatives in Tennessee decide to oppose the marriage amendment, it has a very good chance of going down.

Nevermind their reasoning, the defeat of this homophobic bill would be a major psychological victory for progressives in Tennessee. Such victories help us keep the faith that there is indeed a progressive light at the end of this dark regressive era. Obviously, it is very hard to keep on fighting when you suffer nothing but defeat after defeat.

The House is set to consider the marriage amendment on Tuesday, March 15.

Please spread the news, especially to your right-wing friends and/or enemies.

Below is part of the alert that I recieved today from the Family Policy Network.
You can read the rest of it here.

If you would like me to forward the entire message to you, email me.

Family Policy Network Alert:

Dear Friend:

I have some bad news.

The marriage amendment proposals that Tennessee's House of Representatives will consider this Tuesday, March 15 are so problematic that FPN would prefer they be withdrawn or rejected so language that will actually accomplish something may be introduced next year.

This email contains an FPN Policy Paper outlining the reasons that that the CURRENT marriage amendment proposals are bad. Unfortunately, homosexual activists and liberal politicians have dramatically changed their tactics aimed at creating "homosexual families" in the last few years. Therefore, despite all of the great intentions and truly Godly people behind the push for a Tennessee marriage amendment, passage this year would actually be detrimental to the long-term efforts of conservatives to protect the institution of the family in the Volunteer State.

To summarize, the problem with the language currently proposed is that the bills would only define the word "marriage." Homosexual activists are now primarily attempting to gain all of the benefits of marriage through "parallel legal institutions" with different names (like "civil unions" and "domestic partnerships"). Therefore, merely defining the term "marriage" is no longer an effective way to defend the family against attempts to redefine it. The Policy Paper below gives a broader explanation of the problems associated with only defining marriage in a state constitutional amendment.

Please pray for this year's marriage amendment proposals to be withdrawn, or to fail when they are voted on in the House of Representatives this Tuesday, March 15. Pray simultaneously for our friends who are still promoting this language, that God will provide "a way out" that enables them to somehow gain ground in their quest to protect Tennessee families. This is an awkward situation for everyone involved, especially since homosexual activists will be jubilant over the failure of an amendment to pass, regardless of the reason. As Christians, we know the temporary shame associated with the perception that Christ had been defeated at the cross was worth the ultimate victory to defeat Hell and the grave.

May God bless you as you continue to live for Him.

Ron Shank,
State DirectorFamily Policy Network

Tennessee's Pending Amendment:

Tennessee: (WEAK) “The historical institution and legal contract solemnizing the relationship of one man and one woman shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state. Any policy or law or judicial interpretation, purporting to define marriage as anything other than the historical institution and legal contract between one man and one woman is contrary to the public policy of this state and shall be void and unenforceable in Tennessee. If another state or foreign jurisdiction issues a license for persons to marry and if such marriage is prohibited in this state by the provisions of this section, then the marriage shall be void and unenforceable in this state.”

The Blood of TennCare on Gov. Bredesen

Speaking of Phil Bredesen's possible bid for the Presidency:

"[I]t wouldn't be easy for Bredesen to step onto the national stage with TennCare's blood on his suit." Ron Brownstein, LA Times

More thoughts on Bredesen from Gordon Bonnyman:

''I respect him. He is extraordinarily gifted,'' Bonnyman said. ''I believe he is a decent person. He is not cruel. He is not mean-spirited. But he is pursuing policies that are going to be far more destructive to the people he wants to serve than the policies of any other governor over the 35-year history of this program among 50 states.

... Everybody I've talked to who knows the governor has said, because of his experience in the health-care industry, he doesn't really believe that he needs to defer to anybody else,'' Bonnyman said. ''... There is no tolerance for people who disagree with him ... He's a numbers guy. He doesn't need anybody else telling him what to do about that. In fact, he resents it, I've found. On the other hand, he doesn't see himself as a politician."

In Bonnyman's assessment, there's only one thing that will make the Governor save TennCare:

"It will only be because he thinks it's costing him politically.''

For the latest on the Governor's plan to cut more than 300,000 Tennesseans from TennCare and, thus, remain popular with the "Me-First" Republicans, go here.

"Anybody But Gays Can Adopt" bill Morphs into "Ozzie & Harriet Can Adopt First" bill

Republican Rep. Chris Clem revised his “Anybody but Gays Can Adopt” bill. The new version mandates that preference will be given to married couples. In Clem’s words, the new bill will ensure that the “heterosexual Ozzie-and-Harriet-type family” is first on the list. The “Ozzie & Harriet Can Adopt First” bill passed the House Domestic Relations Subcommitee with only three democrats voting against it (Sherry Jones, Beverly Marrero, and Mike Tuner).

Clem said he had not discussed his revised bill with Sen. Bryson, who sponsors the senate version of the bill. Given that the senate is a body dominated by white ultra conservative men, whose idea of tolerance is not aiming their rifles at you, the original bigoted version may pass as is.

If that happens, we can expect yet another round of the annual Drama on the Hill, led by white conservative male legislators who would have us believe that they actually know something about children and gays. The people who do know something about children – women - are only 17% of the TN General Assembly. The people who do know something about gays – LGBT persons - are 0% of the legislative body (as far as we know).

Legislators will huff and puff and battle it out over the Ozzie & Harriet bill vs. the Anybody but Gays bill. It’s likely the whole affair will come to nothing other than a lot of wasted tax-payer funded hours and yet more explanations for why Tennessee ranks as one of the most dysfunctional state governments in the entire nation.

Every minute that legislators devote to the project of banishing gays and lesbians and resurrecting Ozzie & Harriet, is a minute they are not devoting to the project of solving some of Tennessee’s potentially catastrophic problems. Hmm, maybe the most serious potentially catastrophic problem in the state is the TN General Assembly.

Stop the Anti-Gay Agenda Protest #2 Tonight in Nashville

Place: Downtown @ the Capitol
Charlotte Avenue facing the Capitol
Time: 4:30-6:30pm

We've had conflicting reports about when the House will cast the final vote on the anti gay marriage bill. It appears that the vote may happen this Thursday instead of tonight. Some have argued that we should postpone tonight's demonstration in order to gain "maximum media coverage."

In my view, we should have been on the streets a long time ago. There are more reasons than "maximum media coverage" to demonstrate. The idea behind demoralization and stigmatization is to keep people quiet, or in the closet, if you will.

If a few brave souls (and I mean straight and gay) speak up first, others will follow. It felt really good last Wednesday. Simply by being there, we empowered each other. We need more empowerment, not less.

In my humble opinion, there's a lot more at stake here than the passage of their damn bills. Regardless of whether all or none of the bills pass, the damage has been done.

The General Assembly has promoted prejudice and intolerance throughout the entire state. People who were already afraid to own up to who they are in the workplace or in their families are now more afraid.

Somebody has to go out on the street and say that's not okay. We need to do this for ourselves and for all those who have been silenced.

Hope to see you all tonight - 4:30-6:30 at the Capitol.

Reframing 'Conservatives' into 'Regressives'

Professor David Green makes a cogent argument for reframing 'conservatives' into 'regressives.' For TN Guerilla Women, this would mean a change in our slogan (above).

We are thinking about it.

Here's a snippet:

What is needed is a term which meets several criteria in order to be most effective. It should, first, represent just the right stretch from the current conventional wisdom that comprises our unfortunate but unavoidable starting place. Far enough to do damage, that is, but not so far as to be immediately dismissed on its face for lacking credibility (e.g., 'fascist'). We also need a term which conveys powerfully the distinction between us and them. And we want a term which offers a thematic lodestar that can orient and encapsulate the full series of individual policy differences that separate us. Finally, and especially, we need a label with an inherently pejorative connotation - one which involuntarily and subconsciously creates negatives images and feelings within those who hear or read it.

Given these criteria, and that we do and should describe ourselves as progressives, I propose that one of the easiest and smartest single moves we can make toward winning the political war in which we are engaged is to start calling our opponents 'regressives' instead of conservatives. 'Regressive', as in: "We don't want to regress back to consigning our elderly to a life of poverty." Or, as in: "We oppose returning to back-alley abortions." Or: "We believe in moving the civil rights agenda forward, not backward." Or, "The regressive right is taking us back to a polarization of wealth not seen since the Gilded Age." And so on.

This term meets all the criteria just described. It makes powerfully clear the distinction between the us and them. It takes policy disputes over reproductive rights, civil liberties, Social Security, taxes, foreign policy and most everything else, and it fits these into a simple thematic framework which unites these otherwise disparate ideas. And, it does so in a fashion which is intrinsically and, (to us good guys) favorably, judgmental: We're forward thinking. They want to return to the bad old days.

Read the whole thing.