BuyBlue

Some really interesting reading if you haven't yet checked it out.

For instance:

Curves currently has a 0% BuyBlue rating due to political contributions for the 2003-2004 election cycle. Curves executives contributed exclusively and heavily (over $112,000) Republican. Curves does not have a political action committee.

In addition to being solidly red, Curves CEO Gary Heavin, is firmly against women's rights. The things you have heard are in fact true, Heavin has spent huge amounts of cash (upwards of $5 million) funding extremist anti-choice organizations such as Operation Save America. One would think that Heavin would be supportive of women given that is his customer base and you'd be wrong. It is time for women across America to stand up and shut this guy down.

I could not agree more - if you know anyone who goes to a Curves Gym, make sure they know what their membership fees are funding!

Republicans Redefine Dignity

From an LCYD member:

The home page of the Republican Party of Florida reads "Good government is based upon the individual and that each person's ability, dignity, freedom, and responsibility must be honored and recognized". One must wonder, then, what the Republican Party considers as an individual, or if they know the definitions of the words "ability", "dignity", "freedom", or "responsibility". Twice in the last few months the Republican Party through the tool of state government has tried to directly interfere in the lives of the individual.
We all remember the Terri Schiavo case. A woman, who had been in a permanent vegetative state for 15 years, was not allowed the dignity to die as she had wished. This was a woman who had anticipated such an event and had personally asked her husband to remove life support in such an occurrence. Such decrees are known as a living will, and under Florida statutes her wishes should never have been disputed. However, the Republican owned Florida government had other ideas. Using power never granted to them under any constitution or law the Florida executive and legislative branch Republicans, as well as the national executive and legislative branch Republicans, attempted to stop the removal of a feeding tube that would have allowed Terri Schiavo's wishes to be granted.
However, the Republican Party's "recognition" and "honor" of Schiavo's dignity and freedom did not stop there. Not only was the efficacy of her living will turned into a circus of illegitimate political power, it was turned into a circus the entire world could see. For weeks it was difficult to turn on the news or look at a paper without seeing a headline about some new power ploy. Eventually, thanks to the relative neutrality of the judicial system in the U.S. (the one branch that Republican leaders are constantly attacking) the feeding tube was removed and Terri Schiavo's dignity and personal freedom were respected.
Now a new case of personal freedom is being tried by the Florida government. A 13 year old girl in state custody attempted to have an abortion procedure on April 26. The girl did so through all of the proper channels -- she was well informed by a counselor, discussed the physical and mental harm it might incur, and had a trained adult discuss all the options with her and her caseworker. According to Florida law a minor does not need to seek parental permission in order to have an abortion (though, unfortunately, this will soon change thanks to a ballot initiative). However, even though it was well out of its range of powers, the Department of Children and Families had a court issue a stay to the abortion. In essence, the DCF wished to force the minor to have the child. It is a well known fact that Republican governor Jeb Bush has enormous amounts of pull within the Department. Once again the Republicans wished to interfere with personal freedom.
Thanks to our GOP deemed “activist judges” the girl was allowed to go ahead with the abortion, but not until after the media and legal attention that caused undue psychological harm. For reference, the stalled abortion also placed the girl at further risk of physical harm, but the abortion was still safer than childbirth would have been.
For what the Republican party claims to be it is amazing what they are not. Repetitively they have attempted to destroy a person’s claim to freedom, dignity, and responsibility. We, as citizens of Florida, can no longer allow the unchecked hypocrisy of a government party that’s apparent main goal is to undermine us as individuals. Perhaps it is time for the Republican website to cite the party’s true stance. "Good government is based upon the disregard of the individual and that each person's ability, dignity, freedom, and responsibility must be ignored".

LCYD Elections, Monday June 6th at 7pm EST!

LCYD Members;

We have Elections this Monday, June 6th at 7pm at the FDP Headquarters.

All paid members should try and come to this meeting and elect your new Executive Board. It's important that you all give your voice to this election process by showing up and being involved. If you wish to seek a position, please show up and have someone nominate you or nominate yourself. All are welcomed to run as long as they are paid members of the group.

This is the Order for which the Offices will be considered:

1. Administrative Vice President
2. Community Affairs Vice President
3. Political Affairs Vice President
4. Student Affairs Vice President
5. Treasurer
6. Executive Vice President
7. President

A Call In Number will be made available later this week so that if you can't be in attendance at the meeting on Monday, you would still have the ability to take place, run and vote in the elections. If needed, contact Alan Brock if you have any problems in this regard.

I hope ALL MEMBERS will come out and help elect our new Executive Board. I look forward to seeing you all there on Monday night.

Thanks.

You Know You're A Republican When.....

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..Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

...trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

...A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

...Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

...the best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

...providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

...global warming is junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

...being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.
_______________________________________________________

Where has the posting gone people?!?!?!?

Compassionate Conservative – The Ultimate Oxymoron

From a LCYD Member:

These days we hear a lot of talk about the compassionate conservative. This is a Republican who cares, truly cares about the people. They believe in raising teacher salaries (link to Chris Petley’s article), in freedom to live in the way you choose, and in the discrimination against all those that are dissimilar to themselves. They believe in the ability to choose, in equity of access to important social structures, and the privatization of programs so that millions will be put below the poverty line. But above all they believe in liberty, in the freedom that America was built on, and that if you ever piss them off you are a terrorist and have no right to phone calls, bail, or the justice system.
Hold on a second. Those ideas aren’t nearly as congruent as they should be. How can freedom and discrimination live together? How can tax breaks and social programs be friends? Quite simply, they can’t. The Republicans are lulling the nation into complacency while they destroy the government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Nothing can illustrate this more than the failure of house bill 1303 this past week; a bill entitled “Student Safety and Campus Violence Prevention Act”. The bill was one designed to help protect students within schools by requiring that each district develop a set of comprehensive anti-harassment/anti-discrimination rules. Some of these rules included things such as providing teacher training on bullying and harassment and using the Florida hate crimes statute (section 877.19(2)) to define categories of discrimination and harassment. Sounds threatening, doesn’t it?
For some reason, it did. Advocates for the bill were told by the chairman of the education committee, Representative Arza, that he would make sure the bill died in committee. And he did. As the bill came into debate Rep. Arza began to walk around the committee, laughing and joking with the other Republicans there. A student who had traveled all the way from Miami out of support for the bill spoke for about four minutes about the horrors she faced every day before the “compassionate conservative” Rep. Arza rudely interrupted. He then called on a known “right wing nutcase”, forced a vote (while one of the bill’s main supporters was out of the room; coincidence? I think not) and the bill was slaughtered, even as Rep. Gottlieb tried to table it for further consideration. The “compassionate” Rep. Arza shot a hateful glance to the students standing there and left with a half smile upon his face.
Two weeks ago ten people were murdered in a school shooting fueled by the discrimination and harassment that student faced in the school. Studies show that thousands of students drop out or do not attend school every year because they are afraid. Florida has one of the lowest graduation rates in the country. Yet, the “compassionate conservatives”, those who supposedly believe in freedom, education, and the people, literally butchered a bill that at no fiscal cost offered a chance for students to stop feeling afraid. The question now to ask is: How many thousands of lives have been destroyed because of the failure of this bill and others like it at the hands of the “compassionate conservatives”, the Republicans?
The Republicans are playing the oldest game in history. They are using blanket lies to screen their actual goals and actions. The scariest part is that the nation is believing it! “Compassionate conservatives” cannot exist because compassion is what creates the party lines -- in politics you can’t play for both teams. It is time to hold the Republicans accountable for their lies and to wake up the nation so they can see the Republicans for who they truly are: the Cruel Conservatives.