Oh, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz......

Liz Cheney needs to grow up. For goodness sakes, she's 43 years old, and still believing her father hung the moon! "What prompted that outburst?", you might ask. I recently read that she believes her father should run for president in 2012. Really? The man who actually should be awaiting trial in a War Crimes Tribunal? The man who was so frightened by the events of Sept. 11th that he cannot think or talk sensibly about anything but total decimation of the Middle East (and the sooner, the better)? That guy?
When I was a little girl, I believed my dad was the best thing ever. No matter what he really did, I believed he could do no wrong. I fiercely defended him against naysayers. But as I got older, I realized he was as human as the rest of us; he made mistakes, and he wasn't as perfect as I once thought. I think all well-adjusted adults do go through this same process. It doesn't mean you love your parents any less, doesn't mean you won't do anything you can for them; it just means you have finally become a person in your own right. I feel sorry for Liz Cheney, but more sorry for her husband--what must it be like for him to live in the shadow of her father, knowing that he will never be as great a man as she believes her father to be?
It runs in the family too: I read Mary Cheney's book, Now It's My Turn: A Daughter's Chronicle of Political Life, a couple of years ago. I was hoping she would talk a little about her personal life; what it was like for her (and for her partner) as a lesbian in a Republican family. What was it like to face people every day out on the campaign trail who hated her and the life she was living? I was disappointed, but not surprised, that she didn't address any of that in the book. I was, however, a little taken aback by how fawning she was about her father. It was touching to see how loyal she was to her father, but a little unnerving to read how black and white it was for her. As in, "what my father believes is always right, and those who disagree are unpatriotic, undereducated, delusional people". I didn't think she should trash him, but she could have at least made him appear human instead of the god they worship in the Cheney home.
But at least Mary didn't take the Church of the Dick Cheney on the road; she had the sense to put it all down in a book, and then appear to move on. Liz should take a cue from her sister, and let that old man of hers retire. Take the gloves off, and realize that's what happens in politics--at least one person is not going to love your father the way you do.

Weighing in on Stupak

So, Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan tried a trick play during the Health Care "game". Stupak said, if the Speaker of the House would allow consideration of his amendment, he would guarantee a certain number of reluctant representatives would vote for the full Health Care Bill. Something must have gone wrong in that brief moment between mouth and ear, because while the reluctant representatives voted FOR HIS amendment, they did not vote in favor of the full Health Care Bill.

This "trick play" in the "game" effectively takes away a legal medical procedure for women who choose the public option. According to The LA Times, the Stupak amendment "would prohibit federal dollars from being used to buy any policy offered through the exchange that covered abortions other than those related to rape, incest or danger to the mother's life. It also would require insurers that offered elective abortion coverage through the exchange to also offer policies "identical in every respect" except that they did not cover such abortions. The main effects of the amendment would be to stop anyone receiving a federal subsidy from buying a comprehensive health insurance policy that covered elective abortions, and to bar the proposed government-run insurance plan (a.k.a. the "public option") from covering such procedures. The amendment would allow insurers to offer "supplemental" policies that covered abortions, but their customers could not use federal subsidies to buy them." In essence, what Rep. Stupak is saying, if you're not able to afford insurance, you are SOL if you want to control your own body. Your options are limited, and if you decide to go ahead with the birth, your government will probably not help you with the expenses of raising that child, and I wouldn't be surprised if Rep. Stupak rails against you in the House at some future date for being irresponsible and having so many children that you cannot support.

I wish I could drill a hole in his head (and in the heads of others like him), and get directly to the part of the brain that doesn't understand that abortion is a medical procedure, the right to which is protected by law. What if his doctor said to him, "Stupak, you need to have a procedure. But I'm sorry--you can't afford it, and insurance doesn't cover it. Go home and make the best of it."? The scary thing is, he does understand, and it bugs the shit out of him. His "trick play" is a end-run around the legal right for a woman to choose. The travesty is that it got into the final bill; the game he's playing could become law. His game could have dire consequences in the lives of women, and he doesn't care.

While others were expressing outrage at Stupak's amendment, I found myself feeling resigned. It's just that it's been done so many times before; some men are always trying to control women in any way they can--killing abortion doctors, bombing clinics, instituting state "regulations" that force women's clinics to close, withholding money. They just can't stand it that a woman can have utter control over something they cannot.

As I was writing, I was reminded of that quote: "If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament." And, I might add, safe, fully funded, and readily available on every street corner.

Indeed.

Feels Good

It feels good to do something for someone else, even if you don't know that someone. Yesterday I donated a sample of breast tissue for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center. It was quick, easy, and fairly painless, thanks to the 50 or so volunteers they had at our local Cancer Center. I had heard about the event from a friend, and because I will do anything for a t-shirt, (besides the fact that my mom, aunt, and best friend have all had breast cancer) I signed up. They said the appointment would take one hour, and they were right on the mark. I walked in, signed a consent form, provided a medical history, gave a little blood, and before long, I was with a doctor and an assistant, ready to give the sample. The doctor numbed the area (I felt a little stick and that was it), and took 3 samples from the same area. That was it! The assistant applied pressure to the area for a few minutes, put some gauze on the little, tiny cut, gave me an ice pack, and I was free to go. I got a goody bag, a free smoothie, and could have waited and had a massage, but by then I was feeling a little guilty about all the thanks I was getting for doing such an easy thing.
The Tissue Bank is asking for these donations of breast tissue, so they can establish a bank of healthy tissue to compare against specimens from women with breast cancer for research purposes. For me, I felt like I was doing a little to help some smart people who are studying a horrible disease.
I didn't write this as a "Yay Me" post--I wrote it to demystify the process. It's not a painful procedure, and you'll feel good about it afterwards. My hope is that if you hear about an event like this in your area, you'll sign up to donate. Please.