Angelina!!!!

Dear Dad, I was just thinking about you this morning. It's been a little over two months since you left on your journey. I wonder what you are experiencing. Are you meeting new friends? Perhaps old friends and acquaintances. I'm sure you're feeling much better than your last few months here on this old rock. Your preparation for this journey took a lot out of you. I want you to know that you are missed. You hold a special place in the heart of many still here. Safe journeys Dad. I love you. Love, Kenny

Republicans want to defund Planned Parenthood because of their on-going battle over abortion. But as you can see from this chart from the Washington Post, very little of their service involves actual abortions. For some reason the radical religious right are also against the big orange section of this pie chart; contraception. It's not just the catholics either. Many of the religious right want to have complete control over a woman's body. You would think that if the right wanted to lower the number of abortions in this country, they would be all over providing birth control to women.

Half Moon Bay P.D. to Shut Down

04-03-11

According to http://www.sfgate.com/, the Half Moon Bay City Council voted Saturday to shut down it's police department and turn over it's police duties to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department.

The decision is blamed on a recent $18 million lawsuit settlement the city had to pay, the struggling economy, and sales tax revenue and tourism being down sharply. The voters also rejected a sales tax measure to help fund the department. The decision is expected to save the city $5o9,000.

The interim police chief, Lee Violett who works part-time because of budget cuts, said the city can't afford it's skeletal department of 12, which has no detectives, no one to ride it's two traffic enforcement motorcycles, and not enough time to patrol schools or work with the youth.

I used to say that I never thought I would see the day when police officers would be laid off. Then El Monte P.D. laid off 17 officers in 2008. Now an entire police department is being closed down because of fiscal issues. I fear this won't be the only city to have to make this decision. I'm told that West Covina P.D. is having to trim it's sworn personnel down to 90 officers from a high of over 120.

"Hell hath no fury..."

I may have found another part-time job to supplement my retirement income. I wonder what kind of training is offered???

Democratic Representitvie Jackie Speier, from California, recently shocked the House floor with her description of a 2nd trimester abortion she was forced to have after the fetus moved to where it couldn't survive. "I lost a baby." Congresswoman Speier said angrily. "But for you to stand on this floor and to suggest, as you have, that somehow this is a procedure that is either welcomed or done cavalierly or done without any thought is preposterous."

Speier had just listened to Rep. Chris Smith R-N.J., assail Planned Parenthood as a place where babies are "exterminated." He described a procedure known as "dilation and evacutation" as fetal murder.

She later told the San Jose Mercury News she shared here story after listening the graphic description of the procedure and thinking, "not one of you has endured this procedure. How dare you? How dare you talk about it in those terms."

The Republican led House of Representitaves voted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. According to their website, Planned Parenthood "delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of men, women and young people worldwide."