07:58 – The lead article in our morning paper is about the efforts of local Republican state legislator Debra Conrad (formerly Conrad-Shrader; apparently she’s gotten a divorce) and a large group of other Republican state legislators to pass a bill that would (a) allow medical personnel to refuse to participate in performing abortions, and (b) allow employers to exclude contraception coverage from the health insurance they provide to employees. In other words, they’re striving to make North Carolina just like North Dakota, which has, de facto if not de jure, outlawed abortion.
Conceptually (so to speak), I have no problem with either of the measures in their bill. Medical personnel should be free to refuse to perform abortions, just as their employers should be free to fire such people, who are refusing to do their jobs. And employers should not be forced to provide medical insurance that covers contraception. Indeed, they should not be forced to provide medical insurance at all. I’m all in favor of personal freedom. But this bill isn’t about increasing personal freedoms. To the contrary, it’s all about restricting personal freedoms.
This bill is really about forcing women to have babies whether they want to or not. What these maniacs would really like to do, if they could get away with it, is outlaw contraception and abortion, period. In fact, I suspect they’d like to make it illegal for women to refuse to have sex. The only purpose of women, as far as they’re concerned, is to produce babies. Lots of babies, who can then be raised to be good little Christians. Preferably Southern Baptist.
13:03 – I’m glad someone said it: Godless in Boston mourn, too
16:20 – Oh, my. Cyprus has now decided that their bailout isn’t a done deal, but requires approval of their legislature. It’s anyone’s guess what the legislature will decide, but anti-EU feeling is certainly rampant among the legislature, reflecting the feelings of the general population. From the point of view of many Cypriots, dealing with the EU after the bad faith the EU has shown them is simply feeding the hand that bites them. If Cyprus decides not to participate in the bailout, the ECB can no longer legally support Cyprus, which then crashes out of the euro in a matter of days. That’s assuming that Merkel doesn’t order the ECB to continue supporting Cyprus until after she’s re-elected, or so she hopes. In reality, Merkel’s re-election is by no means certain.
“This bill is really about forcing women to have babies whether they want to or not.”
If a physician refuses to perform an abortion women are free to seek a physician who will. Pro choice groups, I’m sure, will make lists of such physicians freely available. And why should employers be forced to provide any sort of coverage? I know that you said you agree in principle with this move so I don’t see why you’re making a fuss. There’s no real chance that women will be forced to have kids they don’t want to have.
Unfortunately, that’s not how it works in practice. There are already US states where it’s effectively impossible for a women to get an abortion, even if her life is at stake. The religious nutters use all kinds of methods to effectively outlaw abortion. One of the popular ones is to require any doctor who performs abortions at a clinic to have admission privileges at a local hospital. So of course the religious nutters just make sure that no doctor who works in an abortion clinic can get such privileges. If a doctor who does have admission privileges begins working at an abortion clinic, he finds that his admission privileges have been revoked. And so on.
Don’t underestimate these maniacs. They’re evil, but they’re not necessarily stupid.
They’re evil, but they’re not necessarily stupid.
It is like most groups and many people. They see no problem in attempting to enforce their beliefs on others. They think it is their job, their right, their role in life. When turn the tables and it becomes horrible. How dare someone tell me what to do. It is not the religious nutters, it applies to all the nutters. Pro-life telling companies they should not provide conception protection, pro-choice telling companies they should provide contraception protection.
As I have said before, I think abortion is wrong except in extreme cases such as rape or danger to life of the mother. But I also think it is just as wrong for me to tell someone else what they can, or cannot do. What they do is their problem and as long as it does not affect me I don’t give a rat’s ass what they do.
Ray, you almost nailed it. The nutters aren’t saying you should or should not do something, they’re saying you must act the way they want. And they’ll bring in brute force if they can possibly manage it.
As I just said to Kim, the fundamental problem is that everyone seems to hate everyone else’s guts.
Although I don’t think I’ve ever met one, I’m sure there are pro-choice nutters out there who think that for every abortion clinic the pro-choice nutters bomb, a church should be bombed in return. There have certainly been many churches bombed/burned, but it’s hard to say what motivated the criminals. Maybe abortion, maybe not.
It’s the same with almost any contentious issue. The nutters, of which there seem to be an increasing number on both sides, want literally to kill those who disagree with them. But, so far at least, it seems to be mostly the right-wing nutters who actually bomb places, with the few exceptions being those who’ve bombed/burned Religious Right churches.
Now, I have to admit that I have a great deal of sympathy with people who’ve taken action against Westboro Baptist Church. I loved it when someone slashed the tires on their van and no one in town would sell them replacement tires. But I suspect eventually WBC will be bombed, and even many reasonable people will have mixed emotions about that. I do know that if ever one of the parents of a dead soldier guns down members of WBC and I were on the jury I’d vote to acquit without a moment’s hesitation.
In some southern states until fairly recently, someone charged with murder had three choices of plea: guilty, not guilty, or “he needed killing, your honor”. And there’s no question in my mind that WBC members need killing.
Re WBC street protesters, I never did understand why someone doesn’t drive a nice, big, heavy, stolen SUV right through their little picket line.
Failing that, I never did understand why someone doesn’t start singing “Fred Phelps takes it up the ass, doo-dah, doo-dah. Fred Phelps takes it up the ass, oh-de-doo-dah-day. Sucking dick all night, burping sperm all day. Fred Phelps takes it up the ass, oh-de-doo-dah-day.” And then shoot their dumb asses if they try to silence the singer.
Robert, we agree on liberty, but live in very different states. Here in Kalifornia it is mostly the left wingnutz who cause trouble. Why can’t we all just get along?
I think it’s hilarious that a certain jerk who thinks God Hates Certain People is a Democrat and a disbarred lawyer. I choose not to dignify him by mentioning his name or the name of his alleged church.
What’s that? Fred Phelps was the center of a circle jerk?
And in light of all of this I am currently listening the best of Barry Manilow on my iPhone. Mandy is playing at this very moment. Chastise me if you like.
Well Ray, I’ve always thought you have excellent taste in music… 🙂
Preferably Southern Baptist.
As far as I can tell, the Southern Baptists aren’t against all contraception – that the Roman Catholics, some Orthodox Jews, and some Muslims. They are against some kinds of “morning after” pills.
One of the popular ones is to require any doctor who performs abortions at a clinic to have admission privileges at a local hospital.
This is true of any MD that does office surgery, not just abortions. In fact, if you work at a freestanding surgery center, you have to have admission privileges at a nearby hospital.
How about if female homo sapiens sapiens keep their legs closed and male homo sapiens sapiens keep their units in their pants? Can’t we all just get along???
That would nip this abortion/contraception thing right in the bud, so to speak.
But we can’t have that, can we? Everyone must have sex whenever they want it, however they want it, no questions asked, and to hell with the consequences. This is the culture we live in now. So we have the spectacle of wackos on both sides, and rest assured, the religious and political wackos have by fah most of the firepower if it ever comes to that.
For y’all down South, that means that if the shit ever really does hit the fan and a Southern Baptist (and allied denominations) becomes a de facto theocracy there, you will toe the line or else. For a whole host of reasons, we will never ever see a Roman Catholic theocracy here or in Europe. Yes, I know; all our clergy don’t really care about abortion because they’re so busy buggering small boys. While the higher-ups either condone it or cover it up RUTHLESSLY.
And I find it astounding, sort of, that we have genuine Barry Manilow fans here. I myself favor Blue Cheer and Spooky Tooth.
And I find it astounding, sort of, that we have genuine Barry Manilow fans here.
I can tolerate most music with the exception of rap which should have been called crap. Oh, anything by the ego blimp that is called Aretha Franklin. Her voice is like fingernails on a blackboard.
And I am now listening to The Carpenters. I personally met Karen after a concert in Hawaii. I was in love. Wonderful voice, wonderful personality. Too bad she married a loser.
We all might have to emigrate to Oz:
“From a macro perspective, Australia is in much better shape than the rest of the bankrupt western hierarchy.”
Greg, you got room at yo digs, homes?
http://www.sovereignman.com/finance/why-this-place-is-becoming-the-new-switzerland-11663/
Manilow’s ugly but I bet his “unit” gets plenty of work.
All Hail Karen Carpenter! I remember when I heard of her death 30 years ago. It was really sad. Such a talent.
“Greg, you got room at yo digs, homes?”
Sure. Send her over.
The word here is that China is soon going to suffer a financial meltdown that will put the GFC in the shade. When that happens our minerals based exports are going to tank big time.
Psssh
If anybody hasn’t seen the movie “God Bless America”, at least watch the trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEFj0Pngu_E
Thanks. I just added it to my Netflix queue.
I’ve often thought that quite a few of the people who post comments here might actually do this if they’re ever diagnosed as terminal.
-sniff- I love a feel-good movie.
I not only have plans for that, I’ve been encouraging others to at least think about it. Ref zombie patriot.
Also, re the movie, it’s free on Amazon Prime. (So is Hunger Games, which was supposed to be pretty good.)
Saw it listed on Netflix a couple of times and was tempted to watch it; probably in a coupla weeks when Mrs OFD is gone again for three weeks all over the country.
If I was terminal I’d probably just hang around Retroville and get out in the canoe and tool around the countryside and wildlife refuges and stuff like that, read, listen to the radio, pray; hell, pretty much what I do now when I’m not slaving on the Plantation for clueless PHB manglers and their fascist overlord oligarchs.
That dude in the flick needs to get off his ass, lose some weight, and quit watching the goddamned tee-vee. And if he’s such a tough mofo with that pistol, where was his fat ass when we coulda used him in ‘Nam or Cambodia or the Suck? Or out in a ‘crime impact area’ ‘hood in the big city?
In other nooz, someone in the hierarchy finally did the right thing:
“Cyber and drone warfare have become part of the equation for 21st-century combat, and those who fight such battles with distinction certainly deserve to be recognized. But The American Legion still believes there’s a fundamental difference between those who fight remotely, or via computer, and those fighting against an enemy who is trying to kill them.”
http://www.legion.org/security/214755/distinguished-warfare-medal-cancelled
” I’m glad someone said it…”
Nothing wrong with that; but I haven’t heard anyone saying that this act or any of the others were perpetrated by “the godless.” If anything we all know full well from whence these sons-of-bitches spawn; it is a slavery-and-death cult that has infected over a billion people in the world. If we were smart we’d link up with the Russians and Chinese and wipe them all out once and for all.
Or we could just stay home and mind our own biz and quit poking sticks in hornets’ nests around the globe.
But we won’t do either one: everything is always half-measures, half-ass. NYC and DC got hit? Why then, we’ll invade Iraq and Afghanistan, using Second-Generation mil-spec strategy and tactics. Boston Marathon got hit? Gee, guess we better rush over and kiss the Saudi princes’ asses again and back home keep screaming for “gun control.”
” In reality, Merkel’s re-election is by no means certain.”
In reality, the days of Merkel and her ilk in Europe, the UK and here are coming to an end. Their time is nearly over now. They may think and plan differently, and hope like hell their armed forces and stormtrooper cop thugs can keep them in power, but they have sown and shall eventually reap the whirlwind. The smarter ones among them know this and have been bailing out and are pretty much in hiding.
Hi,
I would be interested in hearing your comments about the West, TX NH3 explosion? Will hot NH3 react with air and explode?
I kind of doubt it. The initial reports said it was ammonium nitrate, which makes a lot more sense. Ammonia will burn, but unless you provide a catalyst it’s hard to keep ammonia burning because the flame temperature is lower than the ignition temperature. Ammonium nitrate, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous in bulk. In bulk, exposed to flame/heat, it can actually detonate (as in high-order detonation rather than conflagration) without an initiator. On the other hand, the amount of damage and the radius of destruction looked a bit small if indeed 27 tons of ammonium nitrate detonated.
Will hot NH3 react with air and explode?
No. With water. It sounds like the firefighters were spraying water on the fire next to the tank of Ammonia nitrate??? And the tank either vented to atmosphere with a pressure relief valve or the tank failed (the wall split). And then the big boom happened.
http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2013/04/what-is-ammonium-nitrate-and-why-do-we-use-it/
Bad, bad, bad accident. This is why only highly trained firefighters should go into a chemical plant. Looks like they took a bad situation and made it worse, way worse.
Nope, I am totally wrong, it was the tank exploding. There is an actual video of the explosion on a video on this page:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2013/0418/Texas-fertilizer-plant-Why-was-the-blast-so-enormous?
Wow, I have never seen anything like that.
It’s amazing that nobody has brought up the Texas City Disaster. From Wikipedia:
If you look at the Google Maps satellite view, it appears that the plant in West makes liquid fertilizer, as there are spray tanks all over the yard in the overhead photos.
I had a brush with anhydrous ammonia myself. On May 11, 1976, a tanker truck full of it went off an interchange ramp at the busiest intersection in Texas and impacted on the main lanes below. Fortunately it was Saturday and only 7 were killed. Also, I was delayed leaving the lab at Rice to take lunch to my girlfriend (now wife) and was just getting on the freeway when the accident happened. I saw the cloud, heard about it on the radio, and got off and headed upwind.
Years later, I was part of a NASA project for a thermal bus for the space station that used NH3 as the working fluid. I had to go to “Ammonia training”. Very, very nasty stuff.
(For those of you who know Houston, the truck was going outbound on the Southwest Freeway (US-59) and took the exit to IH-610 Southbound, IIRC.)
Apropos of nothing, we went to a modern dance performance last night. The dancers – six men and one woman – were really very good.
When I’m watching a performance, it’s rare that I get totally absorbed; I almost always seem to have a running analysis going on in the background. In this case, what struck me in particular was the encore at the end. The male dancers were – as good dancers are – very muscular. For the encore, they threw off their shirts and performed to “I’m sexy and I know it”. The women in the audience loved it. There was no equivalent performance by the woman. Make of that what you will.
For one thing, the protesters often take their children with them. I don’t think many people are heartless enough to do as you mentioned — especially not when they’d endanger children.
I grew up in New Castle, PA, and I still remember the day the American Cyanamid explosives plant blew up back in 1964.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19640707&id=LbYhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MJ0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=4440,3105806
Our house was several miles from the site, but it shook the house and rattled our windows. I’d just turned 11 years old and was working in my lab in the basement at the time. My mother ran to the top of the stairs and shouted, “Bobby! Stop that!”
The explosion blew a locomotive off the tracks and rolled it something like 800 yards. There were bolts and pieces of concrete raining down literally miles from the blast.
The explosion moved something that weighed at least 88,000 pounds a half mile? Although the locomotive could have easily been 160,000 pounds.
Yes, I remember from the followup newspaper reports at the time that the locomotive had literally been rolled half a mile by the force of the largest explosion. It was a nitroglycerin plant.
That explains it. When I was a college co-op student in the 1980s, I worked with a chemical engineer who had worked in a plant that made nitroglycerin. He said he decided to switch to a safer area of chemical engineering after one day when they had such an explosion. He had the good fortune to be home sick the day of the explosion.
I don’t know if it was the nitroglycerin plant you mentioned. I think given his age, it easily could have been the plant in question.
‘Our house was several miles from the site, but it shook the house and rattled our windows. I’d just turned 11 years old and was working in my lab in the basement at the time. My mother ran to the top of the stairs and shouted, “Bobby! Stop that!”’
You ever watch Hogans Heroes? Carter, the POW chemist, would be working in the tunnel complex and there were repeated massive explosions in his lab that shook the camp but didn’t harm him or wake the Germans.
Yeah. As a matter of fact, Hogan’s Heroes was the first television program I ever saw in color. We didn’t have a color TV yet, but our next-door neighbors bought one and invited us all over to their house to see it. We got a color TV shortly thereafter.
I’d only just turned 11 years old when the American Cyanamid plant detonated, so I wasn’t yet working with highly energetic materials. I was making black powder–pretty darned good black powder, actually–and IIRC I’d made up some flash powder in very small batches to experiment with making cherry bombs and silver salutes. But it wasn’t until a year or two later that I started messing with serious stuff like nitroglycerin, TATP, and so on, and later still that I got into synthesizing serious military explosives like RDX, PETN, TNT, and the like, usually in pretty small amounts. I was very careful, and I never had an accidental explosion in my lab.
I hope no one invents a working time machine and goes back to when Bob was eleven and twelve in his town/state and phones up (dial phone, party line, probably) the local cops to inform them of his activities there. Jeezum!
I thought I was bad!
The local cops knew. Their attitude, and just about everyone else’s was “boys will be boys”. Remember, this was the mid- to late-60’s. Almost literally every boy (and a fair number of girls) had a chemistry set, and a large percentage of them made rockets, fireworks, and other things that went boom.
RBT, I hope that after the earth stopped shaking, you looked up at your mother with your best Mad Scientist/Evil Overlord grin and said, “Fear my power!”
Nah, I just shouted back something like, “It wasn’t me! Honest!”