The war on women continues in the Republican Party.  Now we have  a group of male Congressman -- get that MALE, equating the birth-control mandate with Pearl Harbor and 9/11.  Also calling it Catholic bigotry.  Guess they don't understand how many Catholics use birth control.  Most women today don't want to have a lot of children -- they prefer to have the number of children they can handle.  Why should they be made to stay bare foot and pregnant because some idiot Congressmen demand they not be given birth control as part of their health insurance.  Take away Viagara and the rest from the healthcare programs as part of a prescriptions -- let men pay for it since they want women to pay for all birth control.

Note to the idiots -- federal employee health insurance has been paying for birth control for years.  I had three C-Sections and was told a 4th could kill me.  I wasn't willing to take a chance with three small children but my mother-in-law who was Catholic even though I wasn't, blasted me but good and wanted her son to leave the three kids and I because I decided to make it permanent I was having no more children.  I know what bigotry is being a non-catholic in a catholic family.

If this is what today's Republican Party is turning into, I want no part of it because it is a war on women and their rights.  Let's see women are not supposed to get an abortion for any reason even the life of the mother and not supposed to take birth control.  Maybe if men had to go through nine months of pregnancy, they wouldn't be so out of touch.  These statements by members of the House including Boehner's who wants this portion overturned as he panders to the far right for his job, can take and shove it.

After November, I will make the decision on whether to remain in a Party who does not value women or leave the Party I have been part of since a teenager.  This group of people in the House and a few in the Senate are some of the meanest Republicans I have ever seen filled with hate and loathing for anyone who doesn't agree with them.

This is not anti-Catholic bigotry -- not even a little and 80% of Catholic women on birth control will agree.  This is giving all American women the right to have birth control.  If men don't like it, tough!

GOP lawmakers equate birth-control mandate with Pearl Harbor, 9/11

By Elise Viebeck - 08/01/12 01:05 PM ET 

The heated remarks came at a press conference marking the mandate's first day.
House Republicans called the Obama administration's birth-control mandate "religious bigotry" and compared it to the events of Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11, 2001.

"I know in your mind you can think of the times America was attacked," said Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), a freshman. 

"One is December 7 — that is Pearl Harbor Day. Another was September 11 — that was the day of the terrorist attack.

"I want you to remember August 1, 2012 — the attack on our religious freedom. That is a date that will live in infamy, along with those other dates."

Starting Wednesday, most employers will have to cover contraception in their health plans without a co-pay.

Republicans have denounced the policy as an attack on the religious freedom of people who object to birth control or consider some forms equal to abortion.

Another freshman, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), said the mandate marks the return of "anti-Catholic bigotry" to American life.

"We thought we were past that," he said, "but the mandate from this administration represents the rearing of its head again."

House Republican leadership, striving to keep its focus on taxes, encouraged the freshmen to take responsibility for the press conference.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) released a statement saying the Health and Human Services mandate "must be reversed."

"On this day, let us renew our determination to reverse the mandate and restore the religious liberty that has been demolished by the Obama Administration’s actions," he said.

The new policy covers a range of preventive healthcare services apart from birth control, including disease screenings and counseling for women who are breastfeeding or are victims of domestic violence.

But the birth-control provision remains the most controversial, and 24 lawsuits have been filed in response.

Under the policy, employees of some religiously affiliated institutions, such as Catholic hospitals and schools, will receive birth control directly from their insurance company, still without a co-pay. Churches and houses of worship are exempt altogether.  

"I know in your mind you can think of the times America was attacked," said Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), a freshman. 

"One is December 7 — that is Pearl Harbor Day. Another was September 11 — that was the day of the terrorist attack.

"I want you to remember August 1, 2012 — the attack on our religious freedom. That is a date that will live in infamy, along with those other dates."

Starting Wednesday, most employers will have to cover contraception in their health plans without a co-pay.

Republicans have denounced the policy as an attack on the religious freedom of people who object to birth control or consider some forms equal to abortion.

Another freshman, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), said the mandate marks the return of "anti-Catholic bigotry" to American life.

"We thought we were past that," he said, "but the mandate from this administration represents the rearing of its head again."

House Republican leadership, striving to keep its focus on taxes, encouraged the freshmen to take responsibility for the press conference.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) released a statement saying the Health and Human Services mandate "must be reversed."

"On this day, let us renew our determination to reverse the mandate and restore the religious liberty that has been demolished by the Obama Administration’s actions," he said.

The new policy covers a range of preventive healthcare services apart from birth control, including disease screenings and counseling for women who are breastfeeding or are victims of domestic violence.

But the birth-control provision remains the most controversial, and 24 lawsuits have been filed in response.

Under the policy, employees of some religiously affiliated institutions, such as Catholic hospitals and schools, will receive birth control directly from their insurance company, still without a co-pay. Churches and houses of worship are exempt altogether.  

Source:  The Hill

On Birth Control, Romney Mirrored Obama

UPDATE from CNN email (11:22, 2/10/12) -- rumors were right that Obama was going to cave:

President Obama today announced a compromise in the dispute over whether to require full contraception insurance coverage for female employees at religiously affiliated institutions.
Under the new plan, religiously affiliated universities and hospitals will not be forced to offer contraception coverage to their employees. Insurers will be required, however, to offer complete coverage free of charge to any women who work at such institutions. 

Female employees at churches themselves will have no guarantee of any contraception coverage -- a continuation of current law. 

*******

Vision to America didn't realize how right they were when they wrote this yesterday. Obama has flip flopped just liked Romney on the issue as now today Obama is now going to allow religious groups to opt out of a mandate which means it is not a mandate and is also going to change its rules for employers as well:

Faced with opposition from religious organizations, the Obama administration will change its rule requiring employers to offer free contraceptive coverage in their healthcare plans and will allow additional religious groups to opt out of the mandate, senior administration officials said today. President Obama is due to discuss the changes at 9:15 a.m. PST.  More soon at http://latimes.com. 

Neither man seems to have any core values that they will stand up and be counted when backed into a corner -- they both do a flip flop and cave.  I have more respect for people who stand or fall on their convictions even if I don't agree with them then I do politicians like Romney or Obama who put a finger in the wind to see which way it is blowing.

Written on February 9, 2012 by V2AOn Birth Control, Romney Mirrored Obama

Cracking down on contraception was never the way for Mitt Romney to ingratiate himself with voters in Massachusetts, even the Roman Catholics who mostly see it as a moral neutral. Now that that position is coming back to haunt Romney like the ghost of Christmas past, he’s taking cover with the religious right. And after last night’s surprising three-state sweep by social conservative Rick Santorum he’ll need all the cover he can get. 

Some Catholic leaders in Massachusetts are already (finally) speaking up against what they see as Romney’s politically convenient about-face in the emergency contraception debate. C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, told Salon he didn’t want to “let Romney off the hook because the initial injury to Catholic religious freedom came not from the Obama administration but from Romney’s administration”; he explained that there was a preexisting exemption for religious institutions already in the Massachusetts law that was stripped out on the advice of Romney’s gubernatorial legal counsel. “President Obama’s plan certainly constitutes an assault on the constitutional rights of Catholics, but I’m not sure Governor Romney is in a position to assert that, given his own very mixed record on this.”
Doyle said Romney was “very consistent at working both sides of the street on the same issue,” but his record on this has been “one of cynical and tactical manipulation.” 

Post Continues on www.salon.com 

Looks like what we had were religious leaders in MA staying silent on Romney when they knew the truth.  Finally they are speaking out what he was like as Governor.  He didn't take office until January of 2003 which is less than ten years ago but we are supposed to swallow the koolaid that he has changed his core values now that he is running for President?  Give me a break.  With all his gaffes when he pretends to be conservative, it shows he is trying to play the part of a conservative but doesn't have the core conservative values.

Romney supporters are all over the net this week trying to tell 'real' conservatives to sit down and shut up about Romney because he is really conservative.  Not working and frankly getting irritating to hear the Reagan 80% quote when I don't agree with Romney even 20% of the time.  In fact, I am not sure I can agree with him any more than Obama because I frankly don't know how Romney would govern.  All we have to go on is his time in liberal Massachusetts where he signed Romneycare into law bragging about it and Florida AG Pam Bondi's comments that she will serve on his healthcare task force to mandate healthcare in every state when he is President.

That is not conservative so no matter what he says in his speech I would hazard to guess that most conservatives will not buy into his speech.  We have all read the stories of the establishment telling him he has to hit a home run with this speech.  Be prepared for loud cheering from his peanut gallery he once again has bused into CPAC -- pays their way, for their food, and for the straw poll ballot which makes the straw poll meaningless.

All that money in spent on advertising and he loses all three states last Tuesday to Santorum and yet the establishment and his supporters are still pushing him as a the front runner?  When he most likely wins Michigan where his father was Governor, we will be hearing it all over again that Romney is the inevitable nominee but Michigan and even Arizona with the large Mormon contingent mean little.  Michigan has some conservatives, but we would bet they have a lot more moderate Republicans.  Hope we are surprised and Romney loses Michigan or Arizona or at least it is close.  Romney just does not relate well to regular people and a lot of his crowds come from heavily Mormon participation or people who bought into the koolaid that Romney is the inevitable candidate.

Stay tuned for the Romney spin from CPAC as he attempts once again to play the part of a conservative Republican.