FSM Devotees--Your Gospel Has Arrived--AARGH!

Finally:

Powell's Books - The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster by Bobby Henderson: "Behold the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM), today's fastest growing carbohydrate-based religion. According to church founder Bobby Henderson, the universe and all life within it were created by a mystical and divine being: the Flying Spaghetti Monster. What drives the FSM's devout followers, a.k.a. Pastafarians? Some say it's the assuring touch from the FSM's noodly appendage. Then there are those who love the worship service, which is conducted in pirate talk and attended by congregants in dashing buccaneer garb. Still others are drawn to the Church's flimsy moral standards, religious holidays every Friday, or the fact that Pastafarian heaven is way cooler: Does your heaven have a Stripper Factory and a Beer Volcano? Intelligent Design has finally met its match-and it has nothing to do with apes or the Olive Garden of Eden."

ENVIRONMENT: RealClimate

Since climate change is on my short list of Real Threats to Human Life (and the Middle East, except as a portal for bird flu, is not) you'll be getting lots more ENVIRONMENT posts. So today let's look at a very cool blog: RealClimate or as they subhead it; Climate science from climate scientists. As they state it their mission is:

..."a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. We aim to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion here is restricted to scientific topics and will not get involved in any political or economic implications of the science."

I like their posts because they lack hysteria and have great links. Their comments get my thinking more in line with their reality, not mine, which is admittedly heavily colored by the doom and gloom of liberal politics. Yes, you got that right. When it comes to dangers such as those posed by global warming and other environmental issues I really want the rosy-colored beliefs of wingers to be true--I want it to all just go away.

Although RealClimate does not support winger opinions that all is well and (yes, they say, NYC will one day be submerged from global ice sheet melting) I don't get the feeling we'll be swimming along the A-Train line in my immediate family's lifetime. BUT, just because that might not happen is no reason to do nothing to reverse the trend now. If anything it renews my conviction that something can be done.

Politically, you know what that means: hard-working liberals in, wishful thinkers out.

The Billionaire's Club

Ah yes, the Billionaire's Club. That group to which I referred in my recent Environment rant as the group that would own the world's habitable resources and to which you would never belong. Here is Forbe's lauding of that kingmaking crowd (which is actually larger at 793 then I'd imagined). Note that under six percent share US citizenship:

Billionaire Bacchanalia: "The U.S. is home to 44 new billionaires and commands nearly half of the fortunes on the roster. Bill Gates retains his title as the world’s richest person for the twelfth straight year, proving that while it’s getting easier to make a billion, the same can’t be said for making $50 billion."

BUSH JOKE: Bush in Hell (v.1.1)

Frankly, we need to be laughing more so I've decided to start posting some of the Bush jokes I get in my email. Of course these are jokes I like and which for me are new. If they're old news to you maybe you should email me your favorites, using the link in the upper right side-bar. Thanks!!

George Bush has a heart attack and dies. Obviously, he goes to hell where the devil is waiting for him.

"I'm not sure what to do," says the devil. "You're on my list but I have no room for you. Unfortunately, you definitely have to stay here, so I'm going to have to let some-one else go. I've got three folks here who weren't quite as bad as you. I'll let one of them go, but you have to take their place. I'll even let you decide who leaves."

George thought that sounded pretty good, so he agreed.

The devil opened the first room. In it was Richard Nixon and a large pool of hot water. He kept diving in and climbing out, over and over. Such was his fate in hell.

"No!" George said. "I don't think so. I'm not a good swimmer and don't think I could stay in hot water all day."

The devil led him to the next room. In It was Tony Blair with a sledge hammer and a room full of rocks. All he did was swing the hammer,time after time.

"No!" I've got this problem with my shoulder. I would be in constant agony if all I could do was break rocks all day." commented George.

The devil opened a third door. In it, George saw Bill Clinton lying on the floor with his arms staked over his head, and his legs staked in spread-eagle pose. Bent over him was Monica Lewinsky, doing what she does best.

George Bush looked at this in disbelief for a while and finally said, "YEAH, I can handle this."

The devil smiled and said, "Ok, Monica, you're free to go!"

HT to bratmouse.

James Spader for President (Hell, James Spader For Anything)

When a bloated but still painfully sexy James Spader flatly ends his faux-lawyer speech with: "It's far easier to fight for principles, than to live up to them," I nearly wept. Now we have two great shows that edgelly remind me of the principles dearth in America: the West Wing, otherwise known as "Government as you wish it were" and Boston Legal aka "Lawyers as you wish politicians were". If you missed this past week's BL segment in which Kelly uses Spader to skewer Americans for not standing up to Bush's lies, enjoy it here: David E. Kelley, James Spader, and The Writers of "Boston Legal", Wings of Justice Honorees.

The War on Women

Yes, in my opinion revived moralism has kick-started a new war on women. And yes, that would be given the thirty-year hiatus from 1972 when the first war on women (most notably furthered by that queer Christian disciple Paul) commenced.

Girls, you'd think that by now we'd get it: clitoral envy. Men just can't stand the fact that their big honkin' 'clits' can't get them off as many times as our tiny little 'penises'. Our evolutionary superiority in the form of sexual staying-power either intimidates or angers the livin' piss out of 'em, not to mention the shock and awe of knowing that all humans biologically begin as women (gasp) not men! Poor Freud...

Anyway, this post from a Kossack attempts to bring together the recent political attacks on our sex and for my money, is a great place to dive in and take a sounding from which your feminist actions can be directed. Daily Kos: The War on Women - Ladies, start your engines

Air America Phoenix: "They're Ba-ack!"

Liberal Phoenicians' voices to be back on the air in less than two weeks!

Friends,

I come bearing good news.
We are proud to announce that starting April 3rd Air America Phoenix will return to the airwaves.
Our new home is at 1480 AM KPHX.
We will be carrying all of your favorite Air America personalities plus Dr. Mike Newcomb in the morning.

Thanks to all of you who contributed to the effort. This has been a remarkable effort and perhaps the most intense three weeks of my life. In the end we were able to negoitiate a better deal than we were first offered to get us in the door. We are not out of the woods yet. We need to raise more funds to finish paying the lease. We will be continuing the pixel drive in hopes to offset some of the money we have had to borrow to get on the air.
Go to www.saveairamericaphoenix.com to contribute.

Thanks again and we look forward to talking with you on the air.

Jeff Farias
Air America Phoenix

INCOMING: Orwell's Internal Revenue Service

For my winger readers who don't always support Bush (or so you claim), please get your shorts in a bunch and do something about this:

Orwell's Internal Revenue Service: "The headline noted above was atop a Treasury Department December press release announcing that your tax return and mine will soon be up for sale to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

The Internal Revenue Service is quietly moving to loosen the once-inviolable privacy of federal income-tax returns. … If it succeeds, accountants and other tax-return preparers for the first time would be able to sell information from individual returns -- or even entire returns -- to marketers and data brokers. … The change is in a set of proposed rules the Treasury Department and the IRS published in the Dec. 8 Federal Register, where the official notice labeled them 'not a significant regulatory action.'

Like the Dubai ports deal, the administration tried to slip this little gem by with as little advance warning or fanfare as possible. The press release was issued the same day the 30-day comment period began. The entirely misleading headline was designed to throw off newsroom editors who routinely toss out reams of government agency press releases because 99.9998 percent of them are no more interesting or noteworthy than a 5th grader's 'What I did on vacation,' report.

But someone noticed, and now the administration is in full Sgt. Shultz mode again: 'I don't know nutting, I didn't see nutting.' Suddenly, no one of any rank seems to know anything about the genesis of this rule. (This new proposed 'safeguard' awkwardly made headlines the week after corporate tax preparer H&R Block was indicted for screwing taxpayers by selling them bogus savings accounts.)"

[UPDATE 3-27-06] CBS falsely suggested new IRS proposal on selling tax info "improve[s] taxpayer protections"; in fact, selling would expand.

ENVIRONMENT: NASA Shot of Alaskan Sunset

This is the sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest point.

And, you also see the sun below the moon (as it melts the ice caps).

ENVIRONMENT: Rant

I clipped this comment from another blog's post about global warming:

My wife is a climatologist working for the very institute that Jim Hanson (the guy finally standing up against Bush) is in charge of. She talked about hearing Hanson speak recently and his views are becoming more and more depressing. He feels that we CAN act to mitigate the effects of warming, but he also feels that because of politics we won't and that the effects are going to be worse than previously predicted. My wife also, as she reads the most recent scientific literature on the subject, is starting to feel that things are going to get very, very bad.

It is hard to imagine from our comfortable lives just what might be in our future. Imagine the New Orleans levees situation...and apply it to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle...pretty much ALL coastal cities. Take Florida, all except the highest ground in the North part of the state, and just throw it in the ocean. Seriously. Almost the entire state will be inundated.

Now people know how to keep the ocean out. Amsterdam and even London already are fighting the sea's encroachment. So, we could do that. Except where will the money come from? Such huge public works projects would require an unprecedented expenditure on the part of the Federal government...and we are already so deeply in debt that it is hard to figure out how we will keep alfoat, let alone build massive levees to preserve our coastal cities.

The "don't worry, be happy" attitude of most conservatives to this issue is suicidal. Almost every aspect of our children's lives will be affected by this--shifting patterns of agriculture (probably favoring Canada at the expense of our breadbasket), shifting patterns of disease bringing tropical diseases into our heartland, loss of our coastal cities...

These are not the visions of environmental extremists. These are the visions of people who spend their whole lives quietly at a computer studying climate data and modeling what might happen under different circumstances. These are the visions of the world's top scientists. These are the visions of people who are normally apolitical. Our top scientists are telling us we are fucked and they are getting spooked about it.

Are we like all those Japanese monster movies where no one listens to the scientist who is warning them of the monster about to attack Tokyo? Our top scientists today are in the position of Tireseas of Greek mythology--seeing the future but fated to have no one believe you until it is way too late

I didn't bring you the blog post because it says essentially the same as all liberal articles on global warming: scientists are talking but the conservative run media isn't reporting; or scientists are talking but no-one among them or the politicians are agreeing; or scientists are talking but every other country in the world is burning fossil fuel so why shouldn't we. You not only refuse to act on the information that for the last 30 years has been fed to you pratically by spoon, you refuse to even acknowledge the issue.

I know the answers to those questions and so do you: politics. The politics of fear and greed controlling the media, the administration and finally, you.

Sarcastically speaking, each and every one of us knows in is or her heart of hearts that if global warming is coming (and I know that you know that it is), then the best place to be is America and the best position in America to be in, is rich. So it makes sense for Americans to bury their heads in their home-town sandbox's and focus on what they believe they can control; work and family, growing their bank accounts and expanding their broods.

When you do that it feels like you're in control, right? Feels like you believe down deep that somehow the greatest country in the world will either figure out and stop global warming (in your town anyway) or make it profitable, right? Feels like your conservative friends and church mates are right, that there is no global warming and even if there is, it is a normal and cyclical earth change and that nothing you've done (or can change by altering consumption) can undo, right? And that it's all going to be just fine and if it's not, then you're going to work your ass off anyway, keep your ducks in a row and get to Heaven one way or another, right?

Don't think that countries that turn sub-Saharan hot in a decade won't start eyeing the northern climates like the one in which we live. Don't think that now dirt-poor ravaged or threatened countries won't band together to create blocks of influence, money and power to wage their own "pre-emptive" strikes against others that impede global climate-saving actions. Don't think China will be your friend. Don't think millionaires will be rich enough to afford, or even allowed, to own lands with tolerable climates and resources; those will be owned by the billionaires club of which you will never be a member. No, don't think it will be like anything you can imagine because everything you can imagine is based on the history of a world with the climate of the last ten thousand years and since you can't imagine how bad it could be why are you afraid to do something-- anything--to stop it? Slow it? Understand it?

Climate change will be fully on us before your kids are having their own families. Nice wedding present you're preparing. Better hope your death certificate is tucked in that gift card because that's what you'll wish upon yourself for having foolishly, selfishy, frittered away your opportunity to loudly, vigorously and endlessly call for the leadership the deterence of global warming requires.

You complain more about a waitress who burns your toast than an event the Pentagon reports will be more catastrophic than terrorism.

I am ashamed of you.

Top Three Religious Right Leaders in Abramoff Scandal

Doesn't it say somewhere in the Bible: "...and ye shall know them by their fruits"?

Tell the rotten apples what for:

"These three leaders of the religious right were part of Jack Abramoff's gambling machine. Former Christian Coalition Director Ralph Reed took money from gambling interests to rally religious opposition to projects opposed by Abramoff's casino and lottery clients. Focus on the Family's James Dobson recorded ads at Reed's request that benefited gambling interests -- at the same time he was preaching against gambling. Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition was paid $25,000 by online gambling outfit eLottery to lobby Congress.

Don't let them get away with it -- take action now. Send them this letter and tell them to practice what they preach."

AMERICAN HISTORY XXX: Race and The Study of Sex

Did you know...

The Study of Sex: "Melendez contends that 'when you study sexuality, race and ethnicity are pivot points. Who you study and what you find will be influenced by race. There needs to be a lot more people of color doing sexuality studies.' Sexuality studies has immediate relevance to communities of color, she argues, because of historical and contemporary intersections between sexualized racism and racialized sexism, and because of the ways in which sexuality can be a particular source of joy for persons of color as well.

Race 'hasn't been dealt with very well' in sexuality studies, Melendez says. Despite the fact that many people of color are interested in the topic, 'there has been mainly a large group of white men and women in the field of sexuality. A lot has to do with the word 'sexuality'; it gets associated with white people.' Melendez finds that when the word 'sexuality' gets added to a course title, people of color don't enroll."

Go ahead, tell me the discussion of sex has no place in politics, then go stuff your head back under that rock where you've been hiding.

INTERNET FREEDOM: Stop AOL's Email Tax

Hmmm...

"AOL's plan to implement an 'email tax' is a threat to the free and open Internet. This system would create a privileged Internet in which affluent mass emailers could pay for a guarantee that their messages go directly to AOL members' inboxes.

Those who do not pay the 'email tax' would increasingly be left to the mercy of unreliable spam filters. This is the first step down a slippery slope that will harm the free flow of ideas and innovations on the Internet.

AOL's pay-to-send system would actually reward AOL financially for failing to maintain its email service. By switching to certified email, AOL has a financial incentive to degrade email for non-paying senders. This would disrupt the communications of millions who cannot afford to pay their fees while setting a dangerous precedent that other large email service providers will follow.

Tell me more

So let me see if I've got this right. AOL user's Inbox filters will be rendered useless if you have the money to pay for a "Pass Jail" card that AOL will sell to high-dollar advertiser's?

That's like me paying the USPS to stop delivering junk mail, their pocketing the cash and then taking a bribe from big companies to ensure my request is ignored.

Yep. Sounds like "big business as usual" is coming to an inbox near you.

AMERICAN HISTORY XXX: Opinions of a Sexpert

In my ongoing campaign to free American politics from sexual control, via Alternet I bring you:

Opinions of a Sexpert

Andi Zeisler: In your essay collections Sexwise and "The Sexual State of the Union," you wrote about the hypocrisy of our government meddling in the sex lives of its citizenry. You were one of the first people to talk about politicians in a kind of tongue-in-cheek way as these people whose values are so misaligned with their actual behavior. Do you think it's become more obvious how hypocritical government policy is when it comes to legislating and policing sex?

Susie Bright: One of my favorite fairy tales is "The Emperor's New Clothes." And it seems like, for a long time, puritanism in America has had this very tight class structure that dictates who can be unmasked sexually. I mean, you can always take some poor wanker and make him out to be a dirty old man. But historically, you could never do that with the rich, the protected, the elite. And yet here they were, making the decisions about what everybody else got to read or look at.

The Coming Resource Wars

Some time ago in one of my many posts railing at the Bush administration for its stupendous ignorance arrogance in ignoring global warming, I mentioned this Pentagon Report. In it the Pentagon states that wars over resource loss due to global warming was a greater threat than terrorism. It was, of course, suppresssed by Rumsfield.

Hey guess what. That's what Europeans are discussing now:

The Coming Resource Wars: "It's official: the era of resource wars is upon us. In a major London address, British Defense Secretary John Reid warned that global climate change and dwindling natural resources are combining to increase the likelihood of violent conflict over land, water and energy. Climate change, he indicated, 'will make scarce resources, clean water, viable agricultural land even scarcer' -- and this will 'make the emergence of violent conflict more rather than less likely.'"

Irksome isn't it, to have this country go from being the first on the international scene in humanitarian, science and peacemaking matters to trailing behind in the yellow bus?

Impeach the Motherfucker Already

Hysterical new blog from sex columnist Dan Savage. He even gives tips on how to make your own ITMFA logo wear: ITMFA

Preg-a-Nazi's Gleeful: State-Mandated Pregnancy in South Dakota and Beyond

What some wingers say about some liberals is true; that we are filled with hate. When it comes to forced child-bearing I am one of those who hates the anti-choice ban.

Here, from Liberty Counsel (one among those many who hate women's choice) is their press release praising the return-to-the-dark-ages attitude of South Dakota and it's passage of a bill CRIMINALIZING abortion:

South Dakota Governor Signs Law Banning Abortion

Pierre, SD - Today the Governor Mike Rounds of South Dakota signed legislation to ban most abortions. House Bill 1215, which passed the House by a vote of 50-18 and the Senate by a vote of 23-12, is scheduled to take effect in July.

HB 1215 concurs with the findings of a task force established by the legislature and the governor to study abortion. The task force created a 71-page, single-spaced document presenting a comprehensive overview of a broad range of testimony from counselors, abortion clinics, former abortion practitioners, experts in the field of medicine, and almost 2,000 women who had abortions. The findings address the physical, psychological and societal devastation caused by abortion.

The law states that "life begins at the time of conception, a conclusion confirmed by scientific advances since the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, including the fact that each human being is totally unique immediately at fertilization." The law says, "to fully protect the rights, interests, and health of the pregnant mother, the rights, interest, and life of her unborn child, and the mother's fundamental natural intrinsic right to a relationship with her child, abortions in South Dakota should be prohibited." The law also states, "guarantee of due process of law under the Constitution of South Dakota applies equally to born and unborn human beings, and that under the Constitution of South Dakota, a pregnant mother and her unborn child, each possess a natural and inalienable right to life."

The new law bans abortions except in cases where it is necessary to save the mother's life, but with no exceptions for health, rape or incest. The law prohibits both chemical and surgical abortions but does not apply to contraceptive measures or to unintentional death to the unborn child.

Mathew D. Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, stated, "I applaud the governor and the legislature for extending life and liberty to all Americans, including our unborn. To the skeptics that say some legislation is premature, I say that this legislation is long overdue. We can no longer remain silent while our children are killed, women are exploited, and our families are destroyed by abortion. One day we will look with shame on our history of legal abortion since 1973. I believe in the near future, Roe v. Wade will be overturned and the right to life for all people will be firmly protected by our laws."

Mississippi Moves Toward Abortion Ban

South Dakota is not the only state to consider an abortion ban. Similar legislation was passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives on Thursday by a margin of 94 to 25. Before passage, Senate Bill 2922 was altered by the House to add exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. The bill will return to the Senate for a final vote. Governor Barbour is expected to sign the bill. Please pray that the atrocity of abortion in America will end quickly - one state at a time.

Download their "Single-Spaced Document" and use it to construct your attacks on this religion-led invasion of your privacy. Remember, the government is in place to protect Americans from such infringement. You need to remind them that their place is to work for, not against, you.

Air America: Phoenix Progressives Back on the Air!

Just in from Phoenician liberal media sources:

You wanted a way to keep AA Phoenix on the air? Well, here it is. Station hosts Mike Newcomb, Jeff Farias and other KXXT alumni have a station with a 10,000 watt signal. The sum for half a year's lease is $500,000 and they're asking liberals to put up the cash.

At the end of the lease term another investor (whose details I'm not disclosing but with which I am familiar and can testify to their being solid gold) will either pick up the lease or buy the station. In either event the upshot will be an Air America Phoenix affiliate station owned and run by liberals for liberals.

What more can I say?

(UPDATE) Here's my dKos post on the same.

(UPDATE 03-07-06) Someone needs to start asking these guys some harder questions. Maybe folks putting in the bigger bucks, maybe the public. Those questions begin with: why do you need $500,000? That's nearly $3K a day. Clearly this is about operating costs but like I said before, liberals supported the last AAP and a lot of the cash went into whose pockets? And in the end, who made out except the rich owner?

Are these really the right guys to support? Are we really just going to belly up to the bar--hearts in hand--again? If we are learning anything doesn't some of it amount to 'just because you're nice doesn't make you right', or 'just because you say you're liberal doesn't make you my kind of liberal'? Hello? "Alito nominations" ring a bell? Are these progressives left enough to be liberal? To talk outside the "big D" democratic box?

I read emails from folks saying things like "I just want my AAP back". Well, I don't. I want a great liberal talk format for the valley and I'm not so willing to give my "pixel" dinero to just anyone. I deserve to have my trust earned. Am I the only one who wants a better station this time?

(UPDATE 03-09-10) I have a bit of the skinny on the doings partly through my association with the M&M Brothers (I did the blog report segment on their Sunday afternoon show) as well as direct chats with Jeff Farias. With Jeff I have more than once now suggested that he and others associated with the new endeavor do the job liberal/progressive (whatever you want to call it) talk in the valley did not get from Christy: a display of their serious commitment to liberals.

Christy made a six-figure salary, true. Goyette was bringing in five and Goyette's engineer was doing okay as well. NO other talent on the show was paid. How do you feel about that? Does that tell you anything? Christy and Goyette are libertarians--that is not a liberal position--it is in some cases as far right as to be anarchist and at least as far right as to be unfettered free-market. Either one, particularly when it leaves all other folks unpaid, is not reflecting the liberal values of which I'm a subscriber. At least one of those values is equity--a stake at the table.

Now, it has been suggested to me that Christy's pay may have included a loan repayment--and I don't know that it didn't--so I am willing to reserve some of my irritation about that salary based on my ignorance of the full situation, but it doesn't have any effect on another of my opinions about the old AAP and the "new" one: the station must be built for longevity for the liberal voice. 'By liberals, for liberals and about liberals', is the way I put it in my first post put up the night the station folded.

I've also been asking Jeff to suggest to all involved that they use this opportunity of raising the new Phoenix AA to use it as an opportunity to model leadership and true liberal values. They can start to do that by creating a page on the site where the non-proprietary business details can be viewed by all. I suggested a mission statement, five-year plan, some details about those involved (like profiles and related background) et al. In short, I'm suggesting (hell, asking) that they treat it like an opportunity to sell the station to potential investors--even when those investors are just average folks with ten dollars they're willing to contribute.

Why? Because among the many factors contributing to the negative stereotype of liberals are these two: lack of business acumen and lack of leadership. The raising of a new AAP gives the liberals involved a very public forum to demonstrate--to us and the valley--liberal skills in both of those areas. After all, who discloses such stuff publicly in a business deal? It's not really done, is it? Hey, maybe it could be an idea (gasp) from "new" liberals--or better yet, an outside-the-box approach from the enduring 'old' ones--wrongly framed as incompetents by valley (and national) Republicans whose sole purpose is to take over, not help--our communities.
In fact liberals/progressives always have been and always will be not only more than competent ( we are exemplary in our abilities) in our commitment to community, in our commitment to *transparency* (so unlike the current Republican culture of corruption). Commitment to the well-being of others is in our progressive DNA. After all, was it the current AAP Phoenix team (Farias/Newcomb, et al) getting the big buck salaries? No. By the way, where are the guys who were? They and Ed Schultz (who has already stated he does not want to participate in the current AAP team) are looking for the financial solution that's right for them--and as far as I know--they still aren't including input from you or me.

I'm a true blue liberal--not an anarchist or a softie rightie. I champion community. I want community in my radio and if not full-bore community radio (which BTW, is always a possibility for those of you so inclined) then at least enough disclosure to know for who and what I'm voting with my pixel dinero. I value myself, my time and frankly, my voice. I don't just want the best for me; I want it for us all. Don't you deserve that kind of commitment from those bringing you media? Then get it.

Women Beat Walmart On Morning After Pill

Wingers want you to believe the majority of Americans support the Preganazi agenda. They are wrong. Were they correct, the largest retailer in the world would not have bowed to pressure:

Victory against Wal-Mart: A first step.: "Wal-Mart did the right thing. Thanks to pressure from activists like you and three brave women in Massachusetts, Wal-Mart reversed its discriminatory policy against stocking the “morning-after” pill! Starting March 20, its pharmacies will start filling women’s prescriptions for the morning-after pill.

Though this decision is a step forward for women’s health, the retailer also said it would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill these prescriptions if they personally oppose birth control. This decision leaves the door open for women to lose access to this legally prescribed medication due to a pharmacist’s personal beliefs."

This is good news. Keep up the pressure. Drive the looney Right back where it belongs: under a rock.

1010 KXXT Phoenix AZ: Dead Air

At midnight MST Air America's Phoenix affiliate 1010 KXXT, shunted from Stephanie Miller's mix of humor and satire into a featureless Christian broadcast. Without so much as a "how-do- you-do" Phoenix's "liberal" voice vanished into the warm night air.

I had tuned in especially to witness the event--sort of like making the extra effort to to stay up late just to watch Haley's comet or Mars' close rotation to the Earth--an event that comes once every 60,000 years. Unlike a celestial event the switch from liberal talk to Christian tell was chilling. I felt the reach of clammy dogma for my brain. Instead of shutting down my brain I went online and started streaming...

Most Phoenician liberals are going to mourn KXXT. For better than a year a mix of syndicated national talk show hosts mingled with old local and newcomer talent alike. Day and night free-thinkers valley-wide had a respite from the conservative talk that normally blankets the valley. Issues near and dear to liberal hearts from actual coverage of the Bush administration's endless failures to the lifting up of our own values like social justice, peace and personal accountability, filled the waves. Drive-time home took on meaning. Hell, Randhi Rhodes got me through the 2004 elections without my killing a Republican!

I however, won't miss KXXT. Why? It wasn't a "liberal" radio station at all.

From what I understand only two of the local broadcasters were compensated appropriately (if at all). For the underpaid even expenses went uncovered. There were feeble, well, no investments in marketing and none in developing a long-term vision for the station. KXXT was run to show a profitt. In the end the station managed by a libertarian made millions for its Christian Republican owner, who then unceremoniously sold out and cashed in. Yea, some liberal there.

I think those who made out on the sale of KXXT owed we who invested their broadcast and loyal listening time better than a kick in the ass on their way out the door, but since that's all we got I say good riddance. Maybe next time Phoenician liberals will be smart enough to invest in themselves, for themselves, by themselves. Until then, I'll be getting my AA fix the 'old-fashioned' way: online streaming.

Oh, and don't despair Phoenicians. Those of us interested in alternative media are putting our heads together. We know you're out there and we believe we can step in and somehow give you the media and loyalty you earned: you are NOT forsaken.

[UPDATE 3-27-06] They're Ba-ack!