I will be at the state Capitol today to sign up to testify before the one hearing the people may be allowed before we get Republican Party primary battles shoved down our throats.
There will be fewer people there today so hopefully bandwidth will be better and they won’t turn off the public wifi.
Thanks to all of you for your encouragement and for the people who found me yesterday, introduced themselves, and asked for a haircut.
If there’s other political news in the world other than us and Ohio, please let me know.
I’ll be back after lunch.
NEW UPDATE: There are between 500 to 1,000 anti-choice people here in the Capitol wearing blue. They are carrying signs and singing church songs.
For reasons that will soon become clear, the chairman of the committee reserved a room for the hearing that only holds 100 people. That information was apparently given to the blue people before the public got it. They have filled the room.
On top of that, the Governor has reserved every damn meeting room in the Capitol for the entire month. So, we have no where to go.
We are told we will get a room eventually.
I got here three hours early and this is the best seat I could find.
meanwhile …. We wait.
other news: Rick Perry has announced that he’s gonna announce his future plans on Monday. I hope it involves a library and a bunch of drugs.
The chairman just announced that 1,600 people have signed up to speak.
The chairman (a Republican) cannot answer why the hearing is being held in such a small room. The only answer he has is that “it was recommended.”
Jodie Laubenberg is the Republican who is sponsoring this bill. She’s the one who thought a rape kit “cleaned out the woman” and took care of that.
Sylvester Turner (good guy) asks the Laubenberg that if this bill truly is for the health and safety of women, can the state finance the changes for the centers that have to close because they cannot afford the cost to meet her standards. Asks her to join with him in an amendment that the state will fund the clinics that cannot afford to meet the standards. She refuses to answer. She calls it hypothetical.
Although Laubenberg continues to say that this is for the health and safety of women but everyone here in a blue shirt is anti -choice.
After Sylvester Turner made a fool of Laubenberg, the Republicans want to change the rules and not let members of the committee question Laubenberg. They say 1,900 people have signed up to speak.
Democrat Jessica Farrar questions Laubenberg about her research for this bill. All Laubenberg will says, “I only filed this bill for the health and safety of women.” She continues to have that as her only answer.
On a very personal note, I want to say that I flat love Jessica Farrar. She rocks.
If you want to watch live, here ya go. http://www.texastribune.org/
It’s 4:45 and the first speaker has started.
Not one speaker for the bill has said, “health and safety.” Every speaker for the bill only talks about abortion. This is not about the health and safety of women.
Okay, tacky observation. I just went in the hall to take a phone call. There are a slew of anti choice people out there. My personal favorite was a man wearing a pre-printed sign that said, “I regret my abortion.” I wonder if he also regrets his sex change operation.
Anyway, these people brought their children to use them for political purposes. I was standing in a small alcove talking to a friend on the phone. A man in blue was watching his four children run wild in the hall. One of the kids, a boy about 5 years old, smashed into me while chasing his brother. I raised boys. I know how they are. However, the second time the kids ran into me and knocked me against the wall while their father watched, I got very tacky. I looked him in the eye and said, “if you’re going to have them, teach them to behave.” I bet you money they were home schooled.
I know. Tacky.
Man testifies by starting with a prayer. He’s upset because his sister had an abortion so he didn’t get to be an uncle. Seriously. An uncle. Makes you wonder who got his sister pregnant, huh?
General counsel for the Texas Hospital Association is speaking against the bill. She says that requiring the doctors to have admitting privileges at the local hospital would be hard to carry out because hospitals only do abortions with several abnormalities or health of the mother. She says that if no doctor could get admitting privileges under current law, then this bill simply outlaws abortion.
Gynecologist speaking against the bill. Endangers women’s health. Great line from the doctor. When asked about fetal pain at 20 weeks, the doctor said, “how about fetal pain at 40 weeks.” Asks, “are we going to keep babies from coming through the birth canal? I’m sure I experienced pain when I came out of my mother’s birth canal but I don’t remember it.”
IRONY ALERT: I just went to the bathroom and had to walk by two men over the age of 65 arguing about abortion. I went to get some young women to see it.
TACKY ALERT: Okay, I hope God forgives me if I am wrong but all these sobbing sisters talking about how they regret their abortions and carrying on about feeling that they are murderers even 20 years later really worries me. I think that the anti-choice people do not want these women to heal. They encourage them to sob in public to make their point for them. They are encouraged to call themselves murderers and that they have to suffer. I saw it today from the people sitting in front of me. I wanted to swat them.
You would not believe some of the improbable stories some women are telling. One woman walked into an abortion clinic wanting information and they forced her to have a abortion which, of course, made her an alcoholic and drug addict.
Guys, we been here from 11:30 until 8:30. I’m running out of oxygen and power on my phone. We are leaving for the night. We will be back next Tuesday.
