My New Hero, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)

[filkertom]

The first part, with Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) will likely piss you off, but the last three minutes are fabulous.

Comments

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

You know, no matter how bad the government gets, as long as there are some like this on the inside, I will still feel represented.

That, at least, is worth something, if only to my sanity.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

I like her. She cuts to the quick & she does it with style.

[kilbia.livejournal.com]

I hope somebody out there gets the message, who didn't already have it.

I hope the fact that it was not just a woman who said that those sorts of procedures are not done lightly, but that it was a woman who *has* undergone it (and, you'll note, used words like "lost a baby" to remind folks that not everybody who undergoes these procedures is doing so willingly), will actually mean something to somebody out there.

Run along, little man from New Jersey. Go home and pray for the second coming, in hopes that Jayzus agrees with you about wimmins needin' ta know their place.

[cainle-bean.livejournal.com]

She did very well. Especially for off the cuff reaction.

[wickedladybear.livejournal.com]

I like her! Hooray for Dem's with some bite to them.

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

Yes, we need more with backbone.

[joecoustic.livejournal.com]

Very well done!

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

Rep. Speier's rebuttal is marvelous.

Rep. Smith needs to take an elementary civics lesson. One of the very first things I remember learning about goverment is that you don't get to decide where "your" taxes go. Pacifists still pay taxes that support the military. That's how it works. His argument is insipid.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

A better approach would have been to ask the representative from New Jersey if he was willing to use the money saved from cutting funding to PP to help fund social programs to insure that even unwanted children had access to health-care and education.

I'd further postulate how interesting it was that he considered a child the mothers responsibility once it was OUTSIDE the mother, but his responsibility while it was INSIDE her.

I like the way she went at it better

[capplor.livejournal.com]

Defending abortion at that time just plays into the real purpose of keeping Republicans in power by defining them as the "moral" party. (For unquestioned values of "morality")

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

Here's an odd notion for some of you filk writers in the audience: a feminist parody of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5YrB7TpT1Y I notice one of the commenters had a good suggestion: Keep your rosaries off my ovaries. Too bad it doesn't exactly scan.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Hell, I wrote an abortion chantey a few years ago. Not only managed to work some pirate lingo into the procedure ("Shiver me trimesters!") but I also get to do some vicious snarking at the pro-liars.

It gets great responses when I do it at filk cons -- and the best part are the women who come up to me afterward, women I've often known for years, to tell me about their own abortions, or one their grandma got in the dangerous days.

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm sure it's a very nice song, and I'd like to hear it sometime, but I was suggesting a parody of a song that's more on the topic of legislating morality, and your song doesn't sound like it has much of anything to do with what I was suggesting. Did you listen to the song I linked to?

I DO have a legislating morality song

[capplor.livejournal.com]

ask for "The Fort Walton Beach" nudity ban at the next filk. All true, except for the last line, which was true but is now out of date.

Robin

Re: I DO have a legislating morality song

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

Closer, but still no cigar. The concept of the original has to do with keeping religious morality, represented by specific icons, from having legislative control over male body parts. The idea is to change the original to female body parts. Problems with line 8 are overwhelming.

Re: I DO have a legislating morality song

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

I heard the original. I don't really feel a need to parody it or change it to female parts - it's a generic talking-blues with no discernible melody. I could write one of those (with a less-labored scansion than the original, I could add).

[emiofbrie.livejournal.com]

Actually, it can scan ok if done right. :) I don't even think Eric Schwartz would complain.

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

It only works, for me, if you cut a syllable out of each word, which is kind of awkward. Or should I make that three syll'bles and say it's awkyward?

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

You could use Obly the Good Die Young:

o/~But you got your rosaries
And I don't want tham on my ovaries

[caraig.livejournal.com]

Wow. Those were some damn powerful words, delivered plainly and straightforwardly. That was like a breath of fresh air.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

This is going to sound politically motivated, but I tell you this, If Jackie Speier ever wants to run for President, a lot of us from CA are right there for her, working on her campaign. I have relatives who worked in the state capital when she was in office there, and they found her admirable. She would consistently bring the discussions back to the point and get things done. You'd go a long way before you'd find another candidate as sharp and expert on the issues.

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

As someone once pointed out to me, "70 percent of the leaders of the self-styled 'pro-life' movement are male. 100 percent of them will NEVER get pregnant. Think about it." Someone should tell this Smith bozo and all the rest like him, "You got a uterus? No? Then you don't get a vote on the medical needs or choices of those who do have one. Sit your penis-brained ass down and shut the fuck up!" Brava to Rep. Speer for giving it a good start.

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

I get so damned tired of saying this, so, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to cut and paste from a previous post I made in Face Book:

When will these Republicans put forth legislation that would pay for unwed mothers health care, schooling, daycare, food, shelter. You know, silly stuff like that.
Someone should remind the Republicans that their responsibility to a baby and it's mom does NOT end when the child leaves the womb.
Republicans are damned hypocrites.

[living400lbs.livejournal.com]

It's not just about choice, either. Ectopic pregnancy? There will not be a baby born. But if the pregnancy isn't terminated in time, the woman will die too.

There are many, many complications that can lead to a pregnancy ending despite the woman's wishes - and which abortion legislation seeks to make more difficult to treat.

[smoooom.livejournal.com]

I wonder why this is still a debate? isn't abortion legal in the US? What am I missing? Or is this more of right wing stupidity?

[pixel.livejournal.com]

It is legal, the republican party has been working since it was made legal by the supreme court to make it illegal again.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Just like they've tried with Social Security.

[rickvs.livejournal.com]

Legal, but becoming less practically available as more of our abortion doctors get picketed out of business. Or killed.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Chills...