elections 2008

i started my blog almost 2 years ago to check out some of the new fangled technology and it took on a life of its own- hence the name- life's journey. i come down squarely on the left but i don't really think of myself as a democrat- more of a progressive. splitting hairs, i know. i used to consider myself middle-of-the-road in terms of my viewpoints and stances but as i have gotten older, i have redefined my priorities and taken a hard look at issues i feel are important. i believe in reinstating the constitution and taking a look at 21st century security needs without stripping civil liberties; i believe in basic health care for everyone, equal educational opportunities for all american children, and that in a country as wealthy as we are- no one should go without basic necessities. i feel that a blend of capitalism and commonsense socialism works best. free markets with a conscience if you will. i don't believe that a few wealthy folks in this country and on this planet should determine the fate of millions of their fellow human beings and i don't believe in classcism. we are all human beings underneath- skin color, gender, or how much you have in your bank account- shouldn't determine how we treat one another. we have started a new century and this is a pivotal moment in this planet's history because we have to make changes on a global scale- and change is difficult under the best of circumstances.

which brings me to the 2008 presidential election here in america. i come down squarely for dennis kucinich. i have followed the platforms of all of the democratic candidates from the start. each candidate has a website that is easy to find with google. i have also peeked at their voting records as the big 3- and dennis k- and the folks who have dropped out already- have them. interesting, no? congresspeople instead of the usual crop of governors. with a few exceptions, of course. that is how i based my decision to vote for dennis k. i don't watch the staged photo ops that pass for debates in this country at this time. i search out the answers i am looking for through the voting records and the public stances on issues. i am sorry to see many states moving the primaries up earlier- but i have a feeling that there are money issues behind that. i live in new york so we vote february 5th. there is much to watch this election season- and not just the candidates. folks are on the alert for fraud and manipulations in iowa and new hampshire. not many folks know that wyoming also had one. with the emotions running high already- it is going to be interesting to watch. i guess i am wondering how voting can remain honest with the election system we have in place. folks talk about how everytime we vote- our government changes peacefully and without the turmoil and civil strife in many other countries around the world. i would ask the questions- is it really the government we want elected? or is it the government we are told we want?

other resources:

electionline.org

just $6- campaign finance reform

project vote smart- candidates' voting records

TX Governor Rick Perry mandates cervical cancer vaccine for girls

I suspect some monetary windfalls. Buzzflash might get some more copy cats with this latest idiocy!

As someone mentioned, this doesn't pass the smell test:

"Bypassing the Texas Legislature, Republican Gov. Rick Perry issued an order
Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get
vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical
cancer.By employing an executive order, Perry sidestepped opposition in the
Legislature from conservatives and parents' rights groups who fear such a
requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way Texans
raise their children.Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the
sixth grade — meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 — will have to
receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human
papillomavirus, or HPV.Perry also directed state health authorities to make
the vaccine available free to girls 9 to 18 who are uninsured or whose
insurance does not cover vaccines. He also ordered that Medicaid offer
Gardasil to women ages 19 to 21."

hmmmm

"Perry has ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.The governor also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.The order is effective until Perry or a successor changes it, and the Legislature has no authority to repeal it, said Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody.Legislative aides said they are looking for ways around the order for parents who oppose it.''He's circumventing the will of the people,'' said Dawn Richardson, president of Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education, a citizens group that fought for the right to opt out of other vaccine requirements. ''There are bills filed. There's no emergency except in the boardrooms of Merck, where this is failing to gain the support that they had expected.''The federal government approved Gardasil in June. "

The Boston Herald inquired a little further.

Now this is what I had written to send in to the Austin-American Statesmand but they accept letters to the editor with only 150 words. At this point I would need to do a little editing..ehem!

Having this mandated vaccination law actually undermines the validity of the abstinence programs here in Texas which actively misrepresent the effectiveness of using condoms (negatively) or not mention condoms at all. (See Human Rights Watch Report http://hrw.org/reports/2002/usa0902/) To me, it seems like a backwards way to ensure the same thing. Instead of educating and informing children about the dangers of sexual activities (the various sexually transmitted diseases, emotional and inter-social effects), and/or the prevention of them, be they abstinence or proper protection using condoms, the Perry administration sooner inject girls with a vaccine who’s long-term efficacy has not been proven. It is like a parent who’d rather sneak in ‘the pill’ in his/her daughter’s food rather than talk straight about the birds and the bees!
Now to the mandate of vaccination. First of all, since this is not a contagious disease such as Hep A, I am opposed to having this be mandatory. According to the American Cancer Society, they estimate 940 new cases of Uterine/Cervix cancer. Their report on estimated new cancer cases for selected sites in the US for the year 2007 shows that Texas has the highest number in the country. The overall estimated number of new cases in the whole of the US is 11,150. This from an overall population of 300 million Americans and the number is split between uterus and cervical cancer. If the relation of the HPV virus to the cervical cancer is because of sexual transmitted disease, then clearly, knowing the high rate of teen pregnancy in the state of Texas, a vaccination program is not the answer to the root of the problem. Social and educational issues can eliminate a whole slew of issues surrounding teen pregnancies and teen sexual transmitted diseases, some of them, which lead to cervical cancer. Also, the information surrounding the efficacy of this vaccination is suspect, please check out the National Vaccination Information Center.
Mandating this vaccine will only make the rates go up for health insurance and I would be curious to know how much money Merck spends in campaign donations. If anyone looks at funding they deem important and necessary here in Texas, anyone can find areas that can benefit so much more from the millions of dollars that will be spend on these vaccinations: law enforcement, education, increased health coverage for the uninsured you name it. Oh hey, and honest and effective sex education programs! I will not have my daughter be vaccinated. I will do my parental job and talk with her about sex, the pressure of having sex at a young age, and boys! If I could, I would mandate that men and especially the Perry administration watch a few Oprah episodes. Maybe they will learn what goes on with teenagers today in this country.