Monthly Archives: February 2012

Are Some Women’s Most Private Rights Being Violated By Law?

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Is there such a thing as “State Sanctioned Rape?”


How would reasonable people view a practice where a woman is being examined in connection with a pregnancy termination and an attending physician with strong anti-abortion views decides to perform what is known as a “Transvaginal Ultrasound” as part of the procedure?


This procedure is reported to involve the insertion of a medical instrument into the private reproductive parts of the patient and moving it repeatedly around in order to get a desired reading or view.


If the state where this procedure is being performed has passed one of the controversial “Mandatory Ultrasound” bills that are being discussed all over the country right now, the woman being thus examined would reportedly have absolutely no say in the matter and no right to object at all. That is the way it has been explained to this writer and I assume that is where some opponents of this course of action have come up with the idea that this constitutes some form of “Rape.”


I hear some horror stories that claim that where these laws are in effect, the attending physician is required by the law to display the ultrasound images to the patient before proceeding with the  procedure and at the same time is required to give a running verbal commentary on everything that is happening.

I will assume that all this conversation would be carried out in the most graphically descriptive manner possible and that none of this would be at all pleasant for some patients  undergoing this kind of treatment.


As if this kind of stuff isn’t bad enough (In my opinion anyway) I also hear that the patient must pay for all this attention and “Care” out of her own pocket and that some experts are saying this medical procedure is completely unnecessary and that it is probably a ploy of some Far Right Wing Religious nuts in the affected state governments to take away a woman’s right to choose what she wants to do with her own body.


According to the information I have been reading about all this, the woman has no choice but to submit to the procedure and there is no opting out. I hear that even victims of rape are required to undergo this treatment.


These kinds of laws have been called “Republican efforts to legislate a woman’s most private parts.”


I am shocked by all this as I am sure that many others are as well.


I cannot believe that anyone who ever claimed to be a proponent of “Christian” Family and Moral Values could ever come up with Laws like these.  I personally consider such Laws to be absolutely absurd and when I read about them, I start to question just what might have happened to this Land of Liberty that I love so much.


I can only imagine the intensity of the humiliation and shame that some women who are subjected to this kind of thing must feel.  I think this kind of legislation is draconian, Big Brother-ish and Third-Worldish.  I think this kind of requirement is both Unchristian and Unamerican. It may be legal as all get out but I see it as totally immoral and inexcusable. That is my opinion about it and I must say that whoever would dream something like this up is disgusting.


My question now is, “When will American Women wake up and see what some of these Far Right Wing Radical Religious nut cases with agendas are up to and when will their resultant rage over these insults finally find resolution at the voting booth?


Read more about this. The article may take a moment to load. ( Click Here )


Here is even more information on this awful subject: ( Click Here )


Posted by John Liming as his personal political opinion.


Photo Credit:  Wikimedia Commons Public Domain Image



Thousands Of Texas Women Lose Health Care!

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Lawmakers in The Great State of Texas are reported to have signed a “Rule” that officially bans Planned parenthood and other health care providers for women from participating in their “Texas Women’s Health Program.” (WHP).


I have observed, over the years, that where there is a great outcry against anything suspected of supporting abortion, there is usually a heavy influence of The Far Right Religious Fringe involved somewhere along the way.



I have absolutely no way of knowing for certain whether any of this Christianized ideology is involved in that decision in Texas and Texas is certainly privileged as Americans to vote whatever they want to vote into law according to The Constitution– but  I, personally, find this kind of seemingly discompassionate  legislation extremely discomforting to say the least.

There are some devout “Christian” types who have reportedly gotten the notion into their heads that Planned Parenthood is some kind of Abortion Mill and so I guess they spend a lot of their time and energy fighting against it.

Does anybody even care that Planned parenthood provides needed cancer screenings and other health services for as many as 130,000 lower-income Texas women?

Does anybody care that many of these 130,000 women will now be left without the necessary health care that might even save their lives?  Are they now to just be cast out into the streets of Life to fend for themselves?

So does this new Law down there mean that there will be a resurgence in the “Midwife” business?  Will mysterious, dark and questionable “Back Alley” abortion clinics make their sinister reappearance on the American Scene as the religious purists go about the business all over America of destroying support for legitimate agencies? Is all this conjecture?  What will these women do now? Does anybody care?

Read some more:  (Click Here)


Here is someone opposing the Texas action: (Click Here)


Posted by John Liming as strictly his personal political opinions.


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There Ain’t No Doubt I Love This Land!

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It is so very sad to think that there are a few poor, deluded cynical people out there who, for one reason or another, are under the mistaken impression that the American Government is some dark and sinister conglomeration of “Criminals” who are just waiting to do something awful to them and their loved ones.


There are some individuals who seem to pass many hours of their days  doing little else  but collecting conspiracy stories and forwarding them via e-mail to a list of recipients they have selected to hear this garbage. Some of these seem relentless in their desire to discredit everything good about America.  I have often wondered what drives this behavior.


There are others out there who are so bitter that their very inward parts must be almost corroded away with the most vile hatred of everything and everybody that can be imagined and they spend a lot of time trying to leave “Attack” comments on this blog calling whoever will listen to them every nasty thing they can think of to call someone and then wondering publicly why their nasty little Troll comments get deleted.


There is no doubt that America has accumulated a large number of codes, regulations, policies and laws over the years because an entity the size and complexity of The United States requires a complex set of rules by which its Citizens are required to abide.  The very diversity of our nature would dictate a complex legal system.


Imagine what Anarchy would be like.  Imagine what America would be if every single individual were totally free to do absolutely anything that might strike their fancy?


I have lived as an American ever since birth some 74 years ago and I know that I may be unwittingly in violation of some little-known law or something that is archaic, no longer enforced but, for one reason or another, still on the books.  Yes, there is the possibility that all of us are in violation of something or other at one time or another– that is true.


But so far, I am not in the clink over these infractions that I know nothing about and neither are most people with which I am acquainted.


Yet, the paranoiacs persist in sweating about these invisible threats and they simply cannot seem to resist letting everybody else know the “Imminent Danger” that all of us are in– every minute of every day– from all of what they term as “Those Criminals” who are authorized to enforce all these horrid dangerous laws that are rarely if ever enforced much less even remembered.


To some of these folks I have a word of advice:


It is probably not good to mix psycho-active medications with alcohol. But that is strictly my opinion and the advice of a qualified and properly licensed health care giver needs to be obtained before paying any attention at all to my personal opinion.


Those “Criminals” who have the authority to enforce these threatening regulations and laws that the paranoids like to harp about have been duly elected in legitimate elections where the majority of voters have placed their trust in their capabilities.

They are duly elected Representatives who are licensed by the Public Will through a Democratic Process to make decisions about governing us.  In my opinion There is nothing “Criminal” about them until and unless they might perform some such act and get caught at it.


If one of our legally-elected Representatives would do or say something that offends the Public, then the mechanism is in place for the situation to be remedied.  The mechanism to which I refer is called “The Elective Process.”  It has been around a long long time and it has done a really swell job so far.


Like the great song writer, Lee Greenwood has said:


“And I’m Proud to be an American, Where at least I know I’m free…


“Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,


God Bless The U.S.A!”


Posted by John Liming as pure political opinion.


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All You Need To Know About Radical Right Wing Stupidity!

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Last night as I was sitting innocently at my computer looking for something to write a blog post about, I got a really disturbing e-mail from someone who lately has seemed to go off the deep end of politics. 


The e-mail was some inane garbage about whether or not President Obama is secretly a Muslim instead of a Christian.  I immediately assumed that the e-mail was some of the same old trite and tired Radical Right Wing “Birther” garbage.  But, as it turned out, it was a little more than that.


The e-mail went further than the “Birther” Conspiracy.  It went into issues of color and race as well.


As the recent spate of Republican debates unfolded, I kept hearing more and more what seemed to me to be racist-based comments from candied-dates and more and more complaints from news sources that there was a lot of racial stuff being talked about by the Radical Right and I kept getting more and more disgusted with the turn of events.


Needless to say, all the Conservative types that I have any communication with immediately and vehemently denied any of this.  They either denied it or they tried to shift the subject of our conversations onto something else.  I think any suggestion of Race issues during a political debate is absolutely abhorrent.  It is abhorrent and it is distasteful and it is unacceptable in America.  That is me and that is how I feel.  That is my opinion.


After having watched the Candied-dates political debates and hearing a few of their crazy ideas being bandied about, I can understand why their Party and their co-horts would be desperate and scratching for anything on which to build a case for themselves to occupy the White House in 2012.


Obama’s success with the Economy so far has caused them to switch their attack mechanism off fiscal issues and back onto things like “Family and Moral Values” once again, but I don’t think that old dead horse is going to fly with the majority of American Voters any more. I think people are beginning to see through the “Religious” smoke screen of the Radical Right and I don’t think it will work for them any more like it did in 2000 and 2004.


I think the desperation of the Radical Right has been more than adequately demonstrated by the fact that after all their obstructionism against anything that our President has tried to do, they finally caved on the single issue of the payroll tax  cuts measure recently. I really don’t think their constituents gave them any choice.


As a blog post by Mario Piperni, one of my favorite bloggers suggests, “Republicans may be dumb but they ain’t stupid.” (My paraphrase)  (I have linked the article at the end of this post for anyone who wants to look.)


After watching the Radical Right try to stick it to the millions of middle class workers, the elderly, those on Medicaid and Medicare and some Academic Students and the Unemployed (Among others), I have come to the conclusion that the only thing they care about is making some more of their rich friends, associates, cohorts and cronies fatter and richer on the Public Dime.


I don’t even think that they care about some of their own kind– especially the “True Believers” among them who are just common, ordinary, every-day, down-to-earth average Main Street types– the ones who work at jobs and who cannot even begin to claim to be rich.  These are the Right Wingers who keep on entertaining some kind of fantasy that their chosen overlords will take care of them somehow and who live to discover that their “Leaders” don’t care about them at all and will consume them right along with the Liberals  if the opportunity arises.


Yet, many of these misguided fools still continue to vote their straight Radical Right Wing ticket because they have absolutely no idea that Conservatism doesn’t care a whit about whether they live or die.  They always can be counted on to vote against their own best interests.  That is just how ignorant they are and that is just how good a job the Right Wing Propaganda machine does in keeping these “Sheep” in line and subservient to their dark agendas.


No, I do not listen to their spiel anymore. I do keep an eye on what they are up to because, as a blogger, I have an obligation to do my best to keep America informed and warned of what is out there.


It is pointless to try and make sense of anything they have proposed because most of the so-called “Ideas” they have come up with are, in my opinion,  either totally unrealistic, unworkable, untenable, a little on the nutso side and possibly dangerous for the future of The United States of America.


I, for one, don’t want the long arm of Radical American Conservatism in my bedroom and I certainly don’t want to see it at the helm of our government in 2012.


Read More: (Click Here)


Here is an example of some of the kind of stuff people are sending to me via e-mail.  I find all these claims to be ludricous and this issue has already been put to rest and I think America has moved on. But here is some of what some Radical Right Wing types have been pestering me with.  (Click Here)


Interesting (But in my opinion disgusting) moments of Racism in the Republican Primaries to date:  ( Click Here ).


Posted by John Liming (Strictly My Own  Personal Political Opinion Entirely).


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Is Abortion Murder Only When God Doesn’t Do It?

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Taking a life may not always be murder… unless one has the audacity to accuse God of murder.   And if we are created in the Image of God, (Like The Bible says we are) and if God is reputed to have killed all sorts of people for all kinds of reasons, then how can we even begin to speak about the act of taking a life as “Murder?”


This is already a touchy subject and already a subject that has the potential for being considered as inflammatory in some circles. I am not advocating Murder or killing here. I am investigating a question that seems to have always plagued humanity and which is getting a lot of play in the media in our own times.


We get all these arguments about Abortion and about the death penalty for crimes in various states.  We hear arguments that seem to be in favor of abortion and the death penalty and we hear arguments that seem to be against these activities. The arguments have been raging for years and years and will, most likely, go on for many years to come.


There are arguments out there that would abolish death penalties because those who oppose the death penalty see it as nothing less than more “Murder.”


There are all kinds of people (Especially Right Wing Conservative Christians) who view any form of abortion for any purpose (Sometimes including saving of a mother’s life) as Murder and they therefore work hard to try and get all such things outlawed.


Some seem to think of legal executions for crimes as “Inhumane” and some think that the abortion of a child at any stage of development should be outlawed and made punishable as a crime.


I guess one of the most bizarre things that might happen is something like the following (Which is only my opinion:)


Suppose some of the Far Right Crazies finally got a law passed that made abortion of any kind (Or capital punishment, for that matter) totally illegal.  What would the moral argument become if this bunch also attached the death penalty to such laws as the most extreme punishment?  Would that create a conundrum or what?


Some of the more morally-inclined among us– particular those who espouse some kind of “Values” related to their religious faith– tell me that “Life Is precious from the time of conception until the time of the funeral.”


That is a very commendable attitude, I am sure.  It is an attitude that is based, in many cases, on what might be considered by some as good, solid “Christian” values– Biblical Values– Godly values!


So, would that be accurate?


Let’s take a little look at  situations where God seems to be approving, advocating and possibly even commanding the murder of some people (Including innocent children) in that precious Bible and see what our conclusions might be:

Isaiah 13:15-18

King James Version (KJV)

15Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.


16Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.


17Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.


18Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.


Wow!  That is some heavy stuff!


For those who would argue that “Precious” unborn children have no “Rights” or any “Voice” when they are subject to the act of abortion, let me ask the question, “What “Rights” and what “Voice” did the kids in this quoted Scripture passage have when God reportedly decided to have them killed?”

Surely some of the writers of these Bible Verses must have gotten a little carried away with their imagery, right?


My next question, then is:  If America is ever taken over by the Right Wing Radical Religious crowd and made into that Theocratic Republic their Dominionist agenda calls for, will there be cases when abortions and executions can be done for “Righteous” reasons in the sight of Gawd?


I believe the answer to that would be, “You betcha there will!”  There always seems to be provision for such things when Radical Religion gets a firm enough hold on government.  Some of this is already reported to be going on in this old world. I do not have to mention any names or places, do I?


Posted by John Liming as his political opinions.


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How I Learned To Subordinate Myself To The Republic!

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America is a diverse nation and I think that is a good thing.


There are those who really love their country and who are happy and true Patriots and there are some who live in imagined fears and paranoia that something or someone is always “Out To Get Them” and to take their freedoms away from them.


Yes, there is every shade, degree, flavor and level of human perspective in The great fabric of Social America. 


That is why this country has been referred to as a “Melting Pot” for all these years.  It is our diversity that makes us unique and it is our diversity that makes us great.  It is our Constitution and our Bill of Rights that makes this kind of diversity possible in the first place and it is absolutely a wonderful thing as far as I am concerned.


I was reading this article awhile back by someone who remembers their experiences in school as a kid and who was sharing  experiences.


The writer was conveying a sense that he or she felt as if he or she had been subjected, as a kid, to some kind of “Indoctrination” in the school experience.


I guess every school kid comes to the point, sooner or later, whether he or she questions the difference between “Indoctrination” and “Education.” 


I have entertained such questions myself from time to time.  I think this is a normal part of the maturation process. 


Questioning is a good thing.


In a truly oppressive country, questioning is a dangerous “No No” and I am glad that no one goes to endless incarceration for the crime of questioning things in America.


When I was in school, as a very young student– the lower grades– I remember saying The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag like a lot of other kids did.  As I remember, this was a custom not only in the Public, Tax-Supported Schools, but in the parochials as well where I lived.  


We too sang The National Anthem as a group and we went one step further as well.


We recited The Lord’s Prayer!


If that isn’t enough to curl the toenails of the conspiracy nuts, we also heard our Teacher read stories from The Bible to us during the period just immediately following the lunch break.


That was the way it was in our school and no one ever questioned it and I certainly had no idea or feeling like I was being indoctrinated into something evil.


In fact, I enjoyed doing all these things and I am here to tell you that I am glad that we did all those things because I have loved being an American.


I have never felt like I have ever subordinated myself to the Government and there are times when I have been darned glad that we have the kind of government that we do have.  I think Americans are blessed to have a government that is big enough both to care and to help and to protect.


I am glad that we live in a country where we can enjoy Freedom From Religion just as much as we can enjoy Freedom OF Religion as we desire.


Even though we all said prayers in school, no one ever cornered us in a dark room and sat us in a chair with bright lights in our face for hours telling us how we would go to Hell and burn forever if we didn’t become “Christians.”


I have heard of certain forms of government where it is entirely possible for completely innocent people to be taken into dark rooms and have the blinding lights turned on them and spend many captive hours listening to “Interrogators” telling them why it is so “Glorious” to be a part of The Fatherland.


We do not live in that kind of country even though there seem to be plenty of myth-informed idiots out there with some kind of agenda to try and convince us that we do.


I don’t care what some who seem to be obvious agents of Right Wing Extremest so-called “Christian” Conservatism try to tell me about how evil America has become and how corrupt our government is.


I know from personal experience that no one has ever, in any way, shape or form ever tried to force me to believe that the state is paramount in importance above all other considerations and that I should be happy to become some glazed-eyed automaton in blind subservience to my “Leaders.”


I have always breathed the clear, fresh, pure air of Freedom as an American and I will bet a donut to a dollar that I am not alone in this.


In fact, I served with several hundred thousand others of like mind when I wore the uniform of my country for seven years and three months in both the U.S. Army National Guard and The Regular United States Air Force.


I am so glad to be an American.


If the detractors of this great nation don’t like it here, let them take their ridiculous conspiracy theories and move somewhere else where they will be happier.


Posted by John Liming strictly as his political opinion.


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I Support Our President’s "Tactical" Decisions!

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Feel free to file this post under “Home Spun” political “Back Fence” or “Sitting Around The Old Campfire” banter.  I am about to share some of my own personal political opinions and that is all they are– for what they might be worth– to whomever might be interested.


I was tooling around the Internet just looking for ideas to write about when my eye fell on a quote that was attributed to one of the current Republican Candidates for the office of President of The United States and I thought it was interesting for a couple of reasons.


The quote was attributed to Rick Santorum (Republican Presidential Candidate)  according to the source from which I was reading it (I have linked the source at the end of this article.) and the quote went like this:


“The decision he (President Obama) made with Usama bin Laden was a tactical decision.  It wasn’t a strategic decision.  The strategic decision was made by President Bush to go after him.  What President Obama has done on his watch, the issues that have come up while he’s been President, he’s gotten it wrong strategically every single time.”


I want to take this opportunity to reply to that quote with my own opinions.  I think that is something Americans do; reply with their own opinions– and nobody is more opinionated about almost anything besides me.  If you don’t believe that, ask any Conservative who knows me– they’ll tell you.


Anyway, here goes:


I, for one, am damned glad that President Obama made that particular “Tactical” decision for the simple reason that it was the decision that got the results– it was the decision that got the job done!  Can anyone join me in” kudos for The President?”


I am pleased as punch that President Bush made the strategic decision to go after Bin Laden.  That was commendable on the part of President Bush.  He deserves a great deal of credit for making that decision in my opinion.


But it was Obama’s “Tactical” decision that got the job done!


I think there must be a lesson in that somewhere. I believe The lesson is that Conservatism’s path so far has led to new hope for future Liberal, Democrat and Progressive victories in American Politics.


As our economy is now on the upswing because of President Obama’s policies and actions and many Conservatives have been forced to lay off criticizing Obama for his policies (Because they are proving successful even after all the obstructionism from the Conservative side of the fence), the opposition has no recourse but to drag out their tired old “Family and Moral Values” arguments that had been mothballed for so very long. They had to find something to use as a diversion and they chose the social issues again. (Those social issues seem to often fire up  their religious base of supporters.)


There are a few major areas of focus that I believe appeal most to Conservatives  these days:  In my estimation those areas include the following:  Abortion, Contraception, Gay Marriage and Obama Bashing.  I get the feeling that these are the agenda items the Right Wing feels are most representative of the worst problems facing our nation in these trying times. I think they really believe that if they can be successful in getting Government into bedrooms and getting Obama out of The White House, the whole country will somehow, miraculously morph into a glistening, prosperous utopia where everyone can live a happy “Christianized” life forever and ever amen.


But getting back to the quote I was talking about in the first place:


I disagree with the suggestion that our President has been strategically wrong on all the issues that have come up since he has been President. ( With, perhaps, one exception.)


The exception to the above that I would propose is that Obama was dead wrong in his original strategy for dealing with the Republicans and Conservatives on the vital issues facing America.


I believe his original strategy was to ignore their publicly revealed agenda priority of making sure that he is a one term president and to try and actually reach across the aisles and work with them.


I think that strategy was a disaster because the obstructionists didn’t seem to budge an inch until the very last minute when they finally, for one reason or another, decided to approve a payroll tax issue and allowed Unemployment Insurance Benefits to continue without demanding an offset against the national budget.


It is my opinion too that the only reason they capitulated on these points was that some of their leadership told them that if they kept up their obstructionist antics it might well cost them the election in 2012.  (And of course, it might cost them the election..and I, for one hope that it does! But then, who am I after all?)


No, my friends, I feel the President’s “Tactical” decisions have been both “Tactically” and “Strategically” correct for the nation and I am totally committed to voting for him again in 2012 because I think some of what has been proposed by his adversaries on the other side of the political spectrum are just too far out and potentially dangerous for the country.


But you see, as I said– these are my opinions.  My opinions may be shared by millions of other Americans– and I believe they are–but that is beside the point.  The point is that as long as there is a Liberal anywhere in politics, I know that my Right to express my opinions will be preserved under the First Amendment.


Read More: (Click Here)


Posted by John Liming as his personal political opinion.


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