Saturday, April 30, 2011

Kansas Republicans continue to attack abortion clinics

From

Kansas Legislators have passed some of the strictest bills since Roe v. Wade and it is all designed to block abortions from being performed in Wichita. The bill now goes on to the state governor.
According to The Wichita Eagle abortion clinics would be inspected at least twice a year. There have been no credible claims that abortion clinics are dirty, sloppy or unsafe. Some republicans have accused abortion clinics of “cutting corners” to save money, but no evidence of this has ever been presented. Pro-abortion rights groups have seen the new regulations a different way.
“(These bills are) designed to impose such strict regulations that most abortion providers in Kansas will find it a challenge to keep their doors open,” said Julie Burkhart, of Trust Women. “Here's a video that shows Representative Ritze talking about how unsafe abortion.”
Kansas Republicans are claiming that this bill is being passed because the health and safety of women is at stake."But the reality is that all of these Republicans got elected with the backing of anti-abortion churches and organizations.
It is very likely that this bill will not be the last. The present Republican controlled Kansas House and Senate will continue to pass more restrictions on abortion until it is completely impractical to get an abortion in Kansas. The assumption that the abortion providing clinics are unsanitary or unsafe is just a scare tactic and an insult to abortion providing doctors in Kansas.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Kansans rally for Planned Parenthood

From Steve Otto

A few hundred people came out to show their support for the funding of Planned Parenthood, this Saturday at noon. It started with a rally where several people testified how important Planned Parenthood has been in their life. One positive sign was the amount of young people who came. Some were only teenagers.
“They claim that 99 percent of our services are abortion related,” said Kari Ann Rinker, one of the rally’s main speakers and a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood. “That is a lie. The truth is closer to 5 percent.”
She also said that legislators on capital hill have an agenda and they don’t care that the many services offered by Planned Parenthood, such as pap smears, breast exams and prenatal care would not be available to poor women without insurance. She said for every dollar spent on Planned Parenthood, it would cost this society six dollars for poor people’s services.
As most people know, Planned Parenthood provides birth control which prevents pregnancies. It also supplies testing for venereal disease.
After the rally, people lined Central Street with signs supporting Planned Parenthood.
Earlier, people were encouraged to sign cards to send to Kansas legislators to stop the attacks on Planned Parenthood.  Planned Parenthood has been in existence for the last 80 years.

 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Anti-abortion terrorists win in court

From

So far Federal judges have protected an avowed anti-abortion terrorist from keeping away from an abortionist doctor who plans to practice here in Wichita.
A federal judge on Wednesday refused the government's request for a preliminary injunction ordering Angel Dillard, of Valley Center, Kan., to stay away from Dr. Mila Means, of Wichita, Kan., her clinic and her home.
Even though Dillard has written a letter threatening Means, the courts have ruled she is protected by the First Amendment of the constitution.
According to a letter published in The Wichita Eagle;
Thousands of people are already looking into your background…..They will know your habits and routines.
They will know where you shop, who your friends are, what you drive, where you live. You will be checking under your car  everyday-because maybe today is the day someone places an explosive under it.
The rest of the letter is mostly an attempt to shame Means, but threatening her with a bomb under her car is a threat not an opinion.
The government has had no problem arresting anti-war protesters for allegedly supporting foreign terrorist, only by meeting with people outside the U.S. or for their opinions on foreign affairs. These people have been refused protection from the first amendment, but local anti-abortionists are a different story.
According to Gonzo Times;
…in response to the FBI raids on seven homes and an anti-war office on Friday, September 24, 2010. The FBI also handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to fourteen activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. These activists are involved in many groups, including the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, the Palestine Solidarity Group, the Colombia Action Network, Students for a Democratic Society, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. These activists and many others came together to organize the 2008 anti-war marches during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. In December, 2010, 9 Palestine solidarity activists in Chicago were also subpoenaed.
What happened to the first amendment rights of these people? It seems only those whose aims are different from the Republican Party can be treated as terrorists and only then can a threat be considered a crime instead of speech.

Why do we need such big vehicles?

Saturday, April 16, 2011

New Workers Comp Laws are class warfare

From

The Kansas Legislature has enacted new worker compensation laws that appear to be nothing more than class warfare against Kansas workers. All the new laws are designed to make it harder for a worker to get compensated for injuries caused by their job.
According to the Wichita Business Journal the new laws will;
  • Require additional proof that an injury was suffered at work,
  • Limit the payout to workers who don’t make a good-faith effort to return to work, and
  • Raise the caps on settlements.
The Kansas House and Senate unanimously voted on the bill. Gov. Sam Brownback is expected to sign the bill and it will go into law and take effect May 15.
One focus on the bill is to try and eliminate people getting compensated for long term affects of such problems as corporate tunnel syndrome. Many companies have a company doctor who will do anything to keep a worker on the job no matter how bad they are injured. This bill may make it harder for those who get a second opinion from a different doctor.
There is no doubt these new laws will make it easier on businesses. It will save them buckets of money. But it will leave working people with a very limited safety net if they are injured and unable to work. They may even make it harder of an injured worker to get unemployment if they are injured and can’t work before a layoff. They won’t be eligible for unemployment. If they can’t get workers comp. they will have no income at all.
This is the new age brought to us by the new Kansas Republicans.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Brewer new mayor-same old business

From


Wichita Peace and Freedom Party Examiner;


Mayor Carl Brewer won re-election as Wichita’s Mayor. The race was never close. Brewer had all the money and businesses behind him. He got 69 percent of the votes according to The Wichita Eagle;

Council winners included Michael O'Donnell, the only candidates that opposed spending the city’s money on business partnerships. The others were, Pete Meitzner, James Clendenin, and Jeff Longwell, all Brewer clones.

With this crew, Brewer and his bunch can continue what they refer to as “down town development.” That does not mean the emphasis is to restore the businesses down town that are now boarded up and closed, but to allow developers to clutter up the Arkansas River banks with new stores, mostly national chains.

This is a town that has nearly half a million people and a buss system that doesn’t even go to half the city. The buss closes at 6pm, before many workers haven’t even got of their jobs yet. Taxis are hugely expensive and for all practical purposes, mass transportation does not exist.

The turnout was low. Usually such elections draw under 30 percent of the voters and little attention is given to them by our local press and TV news. All those who won outspent their rivals, so once again it is moneyed interests that run Wichita.

Wichita is a pro-business city where the needs of wealthy business people get what they want and infrastructure is ignored to the working class neighbourhoods. The poor and working class are completely ignored. In other words, it’s business as usual.