Woman Who Weaves

...and for Christmas (or rather, feast of the ten good omens) I would really appreciate a special gift.  This song from the Mixed-Tape keeps speaking to me.  It so richly expresses the quality of my fury with eloquence I do not aspire to: If you were feeling up to it, would you possible re-work it so I could send it politicians when they are ignorantly, belligerently, anti-choice?  I get so tired of having to think up things to say when they pass ridiculous laws that do nothing but cause difficulty and heartbreak? This wonderful post by Dr. Gunter on   what you learn providing 20 week abortions.   This collection of stories of women who have had later abortions. Could some body write a screed against the people?  Then in the future I could save my energy and just send this to the John Kaisch's and the Rick Perry's of the world.  And that awful, AWFUL Blackburn woman from Tenessee.  

1)    Add two years of people to Medicare to each year until people are being enrolled at their 50th birthday.  Continue to require 40 quarters of work.  Advertise that fact. a)    The evidenced based screenings mostly begin at 50yo.  Colonoscopy, mammogram. b)    Enroll 65 and 64 year olds this year, next year 64 and 63.  It will take 15 years to get back to 50 yo, but it will be a gradual and absorbable change. i)      As current, people can stay on approved employer plans if they prefer. ii)    People under 65 might have additional surcharge based on means to help defray costs.  (Pay for Medicare A until they turn 65?) 2)    Expand the children’s insurance programs to the age of 26 (Maybe do it year by year like Medicare).  Children or employer insured parents can stay on their parent’s plans until then.  Make Tricare keep all dependents on until 26. 3)   ...

In a couple of days I may have more to say.  But I am in shock.  I have great privilege and yet...?

I have two more things. This is the victims statement from the Stanford rape case. It is one of the most powerful things I have ever read. I don't like talking about rape. I don't enjoy caring for the victims, but because of what I do for a living I am sometimes the first person they tell if they don't go to the ER or the police. I don't think I'm particularly good at it, I do the best i can. I did a bunch of research when I started out in this and realized that it was highly unlikely that any of them were lying. Or that it was a "misunderstanding". So I do them the courtesy of listening and believing. I can't convey to you how uncomfortable it makes me to be there in that room with these young women, and sometimes young men. I test them for STDs and give them the morning after pills and then I move on. This victim statement really brought home for me, they don't get to move on. Lastly, I hope, Vice President Joe Biden's response to t...

Recently  "1 in 4 service women experience rape during their service" was put on Reddit.  Predictably a number of servicemen objected. This study   in 2009 showed that 13% of Navy enlistees reported behaviour that met the legal definition of rape at the time of enlistment, dating back to their early adolescence in some cases; and when studied over time, 71% of those repeated the behavior after joining the service. They frequently used substances to incapacitate their victims and their victims were known to them. This 2002 study  helped me realize that the guy who takes advantage of the drunk girl didn't just "happen" to be there. The average rapist leaves 14 victims in his wake, knows his victim and has groomed them to some extent. So if 9% are committing multiple rapes using alcohol and picking the targets they think won't talk, and the average rapist has 14 victims....you can get to 1/4 rather quickly. "Not much can be done about the problem ...

After which therefor because of which.... The West Wing Weekly  podcast debuted yesterday.  I loved it.  Next week they are going to review what is possibly my favorite piece of television of all time.  I started watching The West Wing close to the beginning, I rewatched the entire series in the early 2000's.  I did not fully understand the second episode until 2009 when I taught a class to aspiring massage therapists in medical terminology.  I had three sessions for a subject I found to only need two.  The third I dedicated to how to be a properly suspicious bastard.  I made them read How to Lie With Statistics   .  In the book there is an excellent description of ad hoc ergo propter hoc , which lead me to rewatch Episode 2 of The West Wing and to FINALLY understand it.        I love Josh Malina's behind the scene knowledge.  He is a steadily employed character actor who knows everyone.     ...

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary." --James D. Nicoll   Me on Reddit:  People choose the option that is least frightening. They may be more afraid of giving up control, then they are of being sick or dying. People will choose the strangest things to be controlling about. The only time I have turned anti-vaxxers around is by knowing them over time. They still don't love vaccines, but they get their kids vaccinated to make me happy. They trust me and I trust vaccines. And I'm so obviously worried about them choosing not to vaccinate. As you continue your education you will discover how often we fly in the data-free zone. In those situations I let the patient pick the option they like best.

1. Bloomberg is TOTALLY to left of Sanders on guns. Sanders represents a rural state with hunting and 3 quadruple homicides in the last 70 years. 2. If Sanders does nothing but protect Clinton’s left flank, dayenu. “Bernie is Clinton’s stalking horse.” 3. New Hampshire is the 3rd whitest state in the union. Vermont #1, Maine #2 Lands of my birth, breeding, and higher education. 4. My sister still lives in Maine, and she points out that electing Trump will resemble having LePage as governor. Google. Be afraid. 5. As a resident of a state with open primaries, I may vote in the Republican this year. I’ll have to wait and see how things are shaping up, but I would rather have Kaisch than anyone else. 6. I don’t think Bill is conflicted about Hillary being president because of his ego, I think he’s tired. 7. Hilary being a woman or Obama being black aren’t the only reasons people dislike them, but it does add to the butt-hurt-bro attitude of some people. 8. New Hampshire unof...

I’m currently a registered Republican. Who knew? (My current state has open primaries but they keep track and when my decidedly right leaning landlady and I went to our last local primary [caucus?] she was the one who had to sign the pledge because the last primary I had voted in was republican. Capish?) That aside, I’m a flaming liberal. I came out as an Obama supporter at work and I swear, they would have prefered it if I were gay. I pray for Ted Cruz on a regular basis, ’cause he ain’t right. I worry for his immortal soul. Trump I find hard to take seriously. My family has known Bernie Sanders since before i was born, and I will support him as far as he can go. If nothing else, he keeps Hillary from feeling that she must move to the right. I quite like Martin O’Malley and I’m sorry he hasn’t gotten more play. His healthcare reform for cost control in Maryland is truly wonderful with minimal disruption to the current system. I have no idea what kind of president Hillary will be. I...