rkrenke's Comments (503)

“Women do not need celibate men dictating their reproductive choices.”

“Great bumper sticker potential!”

“You can add pedophilia to that list.

Also, the church's recent "abstinence only" (no condoms or birth control), dictate to Catholics in Africa and the Philippines is just another atrocity advocated by this church. Indigent women continue to get pregnant, having more children than they can feed or care for, and AIDS continues to spread.

We need to expose church leaders for the misogynists they are.”

“While some may resent the use of their tax dollars to fund abortions, I resent my tax dollars subsidizing lobbying firms disguised as religious institutions.

The DOJ needs to investigate both the Catholic and Morman churches for outright advocating against abortion and LGBT issues - it's no secret that these churches are funneling funds to activist groups/candidates in order to impose their dogmatic beliefs on all US citizens.

Time to draw a clear line between separation of church and state.”

“I truly hope you don't believe that, Gretel. The Stupak amendment clearly penalizes indigent women. How accessible­/affordabl­e do you think birth control is to poor women?

This has nothing to do with brains - it has everything to do with the added emotional, physical, and mental stress these woman must endure if they become pregnant.

Speaker Pelosi, in addition to several other female Democratic reps, strongly denounced this amendment on the House floor last night - they clearly recognized the harm this would do not only to poor women, but to middle-class women, as well.

The Democratic Party once championed the poor and those who could not speak for themselves. . .it's truly a shame if those days are gone.”

“Unfortunately, most people will decide to stay home in 2010 - apathy will, once again, rule.

History has shown that Dems lose when voters stay home.”

“You claim that you are pro-choice but the rest of your comment indicates just the opposite. Doublespeak perfected.”

“I remember a time when a Democratic president would have vetoed any bill restricting a woman's reproductive rights.”

“Provisions as outlined by the Hyde amendment were in the original bill - the Stupak amendment goes even further and penalizes indigent and middle-class women because no federal funds can be used to purchase private health plans that include coverage for abortion.

In essence, lower income women who have to depend on federal subsidies to purchase "mandated" insurance as outline in this bill, will not be able to buy coverage from either a public or private plan.”

“Hopefully, this amendment will be stripped in conference committee; however, if we're going to restrict federal funding for abortions, we should also restrict funding for vasectomies and Viagra – it's time that men paid out-of-pocket for their reproductive and sexual freedoms.

I’ll consider withdrawing my support for federal funding of abortions just as soon as the Catholic, Mormon, and fundamentalist churches relinquish their tax exempt status. While some may resent the use of their tax dollars for abortions, I resent my tax dollars subsidizing political lobbying firms disguised as religious institutions. The DOJ needs to step up and investigate any church that politicizes the pulpit.

Michigan can do better than Bart Stupak - we need to rid The People's House of any public servant who would use his position to derail something as critical as healthcare reform in order to advance his dogmatic religious beliefs. Michiganders are hurting in unprecedented numbers and his assault on indigent and middle-class women has not gone unnoticed.

It's time to clearly draw the line between separation of church and state - we can start by defeating C-Streeters like Stupak.”

“Unfortunately, there's a lot of groupthink going on at HuffPo these days. Whether you agree with him or not, Rich is articulating the mood of mainstream voters.

For those who unwaveringly defend Obama - do you take the time to read comments on local news and newspaper sites? That’s where you'll find the average voter, the working and middle-class people who are truly hurting both economically and emotionally. Many understand that the economic debacle is due to 30-years of failed conservative leadership, but they also believe that Obama's policies are simply exacerbating their problems.

Apologizing for Obama's missteps will not help the Dems in 2010 or him in 2012. As citizens, we have a responsibility to speak out when we disagree with the actions taken by our government, whether this White House likes it or not.

The more Obama and his acolytes try to scream Progressives down, the louder we're going to get. The notion that we have nowhere else to go will prove false if the Dems continue to legislate like Republicans on the big issues.”

“If we’re going to restrict federal funding for abortions, we should also restrict funding for vasectomies and Viagra - let men pay for these procedures and drugs out-of-pocket.

I'll consider withdrawing my support for federal funding of abortions just as soon as the Catholic, Mormon, and fundamentalist churches relinquish their tax exempt status. While some may resent the use of their tax dollars for abortions, I resent my tax dollars subsidizing political lobbying firms disguised as religious institutions.”

“Stupak will pay for this outrage against poor and middle-class women. It's clearly time to draw the line between separation of church and state and we can start by defeating C-Streeters like Stupak.”

“You are referencing the Hyde amendment, not Roe v Wade - it's you that needs to wise up.

The type of misinformation serves only to pollute the public debate and dumb down voters.”

“That is absolutely false - The Roe v Wade decision was based on guaranteeing a woman's right to privacy, as well as ensuring that women have access to safe medical treatments.

Save your propaganda for another website.”

“I just received another email from Planned Parenthood that states, "Late yesterday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met with leaders in the House of Representatives in their bid to eliminate women's access to abortion care under health care reform."

Anyone who's concerned about a woman's right to privacy, as well as ensuring that women have access to safe medical treatments despite their status or income, should be very concerned about the Catholic Church's interference in this issue. Churches that engage in political lobbying should lose their tax-exempt status and we should call on the DOJ to investigate both the Catholic and Mormon churches for their outright political advocacy and manipulation of abortion and LGBT legislative policies.

Please take a minute now to call your Rep and ask them to stand strong against the Stupak amendment. And, Michigan residents need to ensure that Stupak has a strong primary challenger come 2010!”

“You do understand that Roe v Wade was decided to protect a woman's right to privacy and ensure that she has access to safe medical treatments, right?

Your comment is shortsighted and anything but "pro choice".”

“The Dems will pay a political price if they pass this legislation as is - this bill is terrible and will do little to nothing to reform healthcare.

The Stupak amendment is simply insulting and has no place in a Democratic bill. Time for him to go; hopefully, he has a primary challenger.”

“I commend Rep. Weiner for his strong advocacy of a single-payer health care system - the political pressure must have been overwhelming for him to drop his support. The Dems are truly delusional if they think they won't pay a political price for foisting watered-down healthcare legislation on the American people. The Stupak amendment alone is simply abhorrent.

We need leaders, not professional politicians, running this country. Political aspirations should never trump good governance and sound policies.”

“These ballot measures lost because of the infusion of millions of dollars from outside special interests. It also doesn't help that the Catholic and Mormon churches are actively encouraging their congregations to vote against these measures while secretly financing these efforts.

Any church that politicizes the pulpit should lose its tax exempt status”

“These kind of attacks are becoming more commonplace - commenters who disagree with the White House or DNC are regularly exposed to this type of mentality and remarks.

The Dems are not doing themselves any favors by attacking the very individuals they'll look to for financial and volunteer support come election time.”

“Hopefully, we won't stereotype this man because of his ethnicity but choose instead to look at the underlying factors that led to this tragedy. I wonder if Major Hasan's mind had become so twisted that he honestly thought he was doing these individuals a favor by taking their lives so they wouldn't have to deploy overseas.

Multiple deployments are stressing our soldiers to the brink; '’ve often wondered what kind of a country would use its citizens in such a manner. We dehumanize our "troops", ignore the inhumanity of war, and refuse to look at the consequences of these actions.

I believe that both the military and media seriously underreport PTSD. It's my understanding that there's approximately one-mental health professional for every 700-soldiers at Fort Hood. It's simply disingenuous to believe that these professionals are immune to the anguish and grief they witness everyday.

Society has a way of stigmatizing soldiers who suffer from PTSD, which leads to many of these cases either being ignored or improperly diagnosed. These unending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are creating a whole generation of people who will suffer from unimaginable physical, mental, and emotional disabilities.

This incidence clearly indicates that in addition to providing proper treatment for those who suffer from mental trauma and psychological disorders, we also need to closely monitor those who are responsible for treating and caring for these individuals.”

“No doubt, you're much more informed than Greenwald - can't imagine what I was thinking.”

“Rescinding the Bush tax cuts would be a good start.”

“You should read this - I don't believe that these stories are made up and neither does Glenn Greenwald.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/index.html?story=/opinion/greenwald/2009/11/04/anonymity”