At a great blog called "That's My Congress", there is a story about Georgia Republican Paul Broun and his 'Sanctity of Human Life Act' (HR-4157) that is right on the money. Let's find out about the bill itself, shall we?

H.R. 4157, which Representative Broun refers to as the Sanctity of Human Life Act, might more accurately be entitled the Zygote Political Enfranchisement Act or the Anti-Fertility Act. The legislation has been written by Congressman Broun in order to define a human egg created in the United States from the moment of fertilization, through its development into a fetus ready to be born, as a complete person with full legal rights and constitutional protections equal to that of any other American citizen.

Under Broun's proposed law, this award of full legal protections to all fertilized eggs, even one created just one minute ago, would be given regardless of the ability of the fertilized egg to implant in a womb and grow to become a baby. H.R. 4157 states this very directly:

The first in a series of reports exploring the ramifications of a controversial state ballot measure winding its way through Colorado.

Hard-line, socially conservative activists are gearing up to enact state laws to restrict abortion since President Bush and Congress have all but abandoned the federal cause. To that end, Colorado is once again serving as a political incubator in yet another attempt to chip away at Roe v. Wade.

But for all the hue and cry, do efforts at the state level have a chance of success and what cost do they exact from the larger conservative movement in a watershed election year?

With the bitter primary battle continuing to make delusional fools of the two Democrats' most partisan supporters, McCain continues to benefit from media laziness. As he basks in the myth of "the Maverick," he continues to lay out a platform that would not just prolong the Bush Administration's policies, but would truly bring the full scope of Bush's bizarre vision for America to fruition. So far, he's flip-flopped on torture, he's flip-flopped on fiscal responsibility, he's flip-flopped on his "opposition" to a permanent occupation of Iraq, he's flip-flopped on his attitude towards right-wing demagogues, he's flip-flopped on social security privitization...

Folks who are regular readers of this column know that I'm particularly focused on political links to dominionists in this column.  Today will not be an exception.

It's rather rare that I refer to dominionist preachers as literally being chunder-inducing; it's even rarer when this is literally accurate.

In the case of John McCain's present "spiritual advisor", John Hagee, the comparison is both literal and figural--right down to the "deliverance ministry" practice of upchucking the Devil (no, we aren't making this up).  Thanks in part to a successful expose by Matt Taibbi that finally blows the cover off the "private face" of neopente dominionism, we learn the vomit-induciveness isn't just figurative.

In yesterday's post, we described some of the more...ah...unusual and disturbing public statements by John McCain's supporter and advisor John "Turn Iran Into A Glass Parking Lot For Jesus" Hagee.

Today's post is a little different.  Instead of focusing on Hagee directly, we're going to focus on the sorts of stuff that are not in the public eye--namely, that Hagee runs a weekend "Jesus Camp" for grownups that was successfully infiltrated--and escaped from--by Matt Taibbi, reporter for Rolling Stone.

What Taibbi reports on is illuminating--and horrifying, if old news to us survivors.  I also will give commentary on just how these tactics are used as a form of thought reform.  Hopefully it gives you a better perspective on why this sort of stuff must be actively resisted politically by anyone.

Much noise has been made re Barack Obama's former association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

A limited amount of noise, though worrisome enough, has been made of Hillary Clinton's association with Doug Coe, leader of the secretive "Family" group.

What has gotten surprisingly little coverage in the press--especially compared to the coverage of Obama and Wright (I'll grant the lack of exposure re Clinton's association because "The Family" is so darn secretive and only one person is really writing about them)--is John McCain's association with no less than John Hagee--a guy who thinks gay people are responsible for Hurricane Katrina, that reproductive rights caused the 11 September terror attacks, and wants to use the State of Israel and the world's Jewish population as a trigger for Armageddon.

Read on, and educate yourself...

Fox News:

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has perpetuated a "genocide on the black community," says a group of African-American pastors who claimed Thursday the birth control and abortion provider has had a racist agenda since its beginnings in 1921.
[...]
"Every day ... over 1,500 black babies are murdered inside the black woman’s womb," said Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, of Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND). "This is a race issue."

Hmm...now where have I heard that name before:

If whites were to just leave the United States and let blacks run the country, they would turn America into a ghetto within 10 years. The audience, shall we say, disagreed with me strongly. Now I have to disagree with me. I gave blacks too much credit. It took a mere three days for blacks to turn the Superdome and the convention center into ghettos, rampant with theft, rape and murder.

First of all, Happy 10th to my oldest son, Duncan.

You are a mighty mini warrior.

Bob Sanders.

Go Hemp!!

Okay, check out this image.

Here at SCUM-O, we pride ourselves in finding out more about each and every one of these faceless, nameless pluggers, so that to us they are more than just "Crony #32" in the credits.

Tonight, without further ado (clichés for the clichéd): Dr. W. David Hager.

April 18, 2007 is the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling upholding a federal ban on certain abortion procedures even though the law did not include an exception to protect a woman’s health. And that ruling, which significantly chips away at women's reproductive freedom, upheld the federal ban even though the Court had struck down a virtually identical state law several years ago. What had changed in the interim?  Well, as Justice Ginsburg observed in her dissent in last year's case, only the composition of the Court. Justice O'Connor, who had voted with the majority to strike down the state law, had been replaced by Justice Alito, who voted in last year's case to uphold the ban.

Samuel Alito, an extreme, far right nominee, was put on the Supreme Court by President Bush and complicit Senators.

The AP story on the Sunday evening Faith Forum begins with the declaration of Senator Clinton that potential for life begins at conception. Is this new ground? Obama's response, essentially he had not come to any firm conclusion on when life begins, was also discussed in the article. It seems to me this must be examined.

NY Times today has the story of how US drug manufacturers are pushing for a Supreme Court decision that would protect all manufacturers of products certified by the government.

So, we want to be WORSE than the Chinese. Essentially unregulated corporate greed. But apparently one fifth of Hillaroids and Obamanoids say they'll vote for McCain (or sit on the sidelines) if their candidate doesn't get the nomination.

How clever.

(Crosspost from Green Mtn Daily)

Since February, the world's largest database on reproductive health (including information on STDs, birth control and the like) has been programmed to ignore the word "abortion" in database searches. "Popline" is administered by Johns Hopkins University and if you're scratching your head, scratch no more - it's federally funded. The US Agency for International Development expressed concern after finding what a spokesman called "two articles on abortion advocacy." University officials seem to be up in arms (the dean of the Public Health School has called for the term to be reinstated), and NARAL wants to know who is responsible.

This diary is for the 19% of Obama backers, and the 28% of Clinton backers, who according to a recent Gallup poll, would support John McCain in the general election.  Please don't.  We've all gotten wrapped up in this, emotionally invested in arguably the two greatest Democratic nominees for President in our time.  This emotional investment has translated into bitterness and outright anger with some, causing many to threaten to abandon the Democratic Party if their respective candidate does not win the nomination.  For those of you who would consider this, I pose this question to you.  What would John McCain's America look like?

I thought my first diary entry would be more specifically inline with Presidential politics or "ragging" on the latest smear tactic between the candidates. However, when I read this story about a recent Supreme Court decision (or non-decision, as the case may be) on CNN's website the other day, my interest was peaked for numerous reasons.

This diary is about presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his record on abortion rights.

A lot of people talk about John McCain as "a maverick moderate." What I'd like to make clear today is that McCain's no maverick and no moderate on abortion rights. Ask David O'Steen executive director of the National Right to Life Committee:

"He's been very consistent; he hasn't changed his position," O'Steen says. He says that his group has supported McCain in every one of his senate races. "We've always considered him pro-life," he says.

That's a pretty clear track record from Senator McCain's lifetime of experience...

NCD = NON CANDIDATE DIARY
The Anti-reproductive rights coalition, headed in large part by soon-to-be-ex-governor Matt Blunt, is working hard to make choices even harder to come by in the state of Missiouri.

As The Kansas City Star's report on MO House Bill 1625 indicates:

Legislation presented to a House panel last week would classify emergency contraception as an abortion-inducing medication, contrary to the definition used by the Food and Drug Administration.

I like Obama and even if I didn't I'd most likely wind up voting for him since it appears he's winning and I would NEVER vote for a repug. BUT I'd like to see him take a stand or make a statement about at least one tough issue.

Well, folks, I think it is time we raise the issue of abortion care in our presidential race.  This is an American moral imperative.  Our democracy demands that we defend the right of poor women who are pregnant and don't want to be.  No American should be forced into "state mandated" motherhood.

This is pretty simple.  All Americans deserve professional abortion care.  That means true support.  Do you think the abortion care your loved ones have received is created by the "abortion fairy"?

Providing quality abortion care is increasingly harder.  Clinics are closing.  Who in their right mind would provide abortion care in this hostile and legally INSANE system?  That any of us remain at all is a miracle.