The Presidential Candidates & Women's Rights

Posted by Christine Luhnow
on Feb 15, 2012 at 7:34 PM
Moms Matter 2012

women on megaphone This discussion about who, among the presidential candidates, is and isn't a woman hater is interesting. And I would argue, very calculated. The flap over whether birth control should be covered by health insurance was a not so subtle attempt by the Obama camp to insert birth control as a wedge issue when the Republicans were vulnerable. And it worked. Obama came off looking moderate because he changed his mind. Ditto the flap over whether pregnant teens under 16 should be allowed to get the morning after pill without a prescription. In both cases, there were major headlines and then a retreat to the middle. In an election where moderates will be crucial, I would say the Republicans need to take a cue from the women in their party, many of whom are pro-choice.  As we've said before, the social conservatives are slam dunk Republicans. It's the middle that will determine the next election. And a lot of those Republicans who voted for Obama were women.

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This Just In

Tragic Honduras Prison Fire Exposes Humankind's Dark Side

Posted by Lindsay Mannering
on Feb 15, 2012 at 5:32 PM

honduras prison fireOne of the world's deadliest prison fires ripped through a jail in Honduras today, burning and suffocating over 350 inmates to death. As of now, over 475 prisoners have escaped. It's believed that the blaze started after a prisoner set fire to a mattress late Tuesday night. It didn't take long for the flames to cause epic damage -- the AP reports that within minutes, 100 inmates were killed as firefighters tried to find prison guards who had keys and could unlock the cells.

The prison was built in the 1940s to hold about 400 inmates, but as of yesterday, it housed over 800, and 100 guards. It's a terrible tragedy, but wouldn't you know, not everyone sees it like that

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Heartbreaking

LA Mother Accused of Drowning Her Kids & It’s Every Bit as Tragic as It Sounds

Posted by Jeanne Sager
on Feb 15, 2012 at 4:58 PM

tub faucetIt's a sad and horrific story. An as yet unidentified LA mother has been taken into custody for allegedly attempting to drown her 1- and 5-year-old daughters in the family's tub. And just like Andrea Yates -- the Texas mom convicted of doing the same thing a decade ago -- there's talk that this mom was suffering from depression but never got the treatment that very well could have prevented tragedy.

According to the LAPD, the girls' father was out at the grocery store when the woman "snapped." Police say he came home and was able to stop his wife before calling 911, but not early enough to prevent injuries that would claim his 1-year-old's life. Their 5-year-old remains in critical condition.

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Say What!?

Couple's Kinky Valentine Role-Playing Gets Totally Out of Hand

Posted by Nicole Fabian-Weber
on Feb 15, 2012 at 3:46 PM

furry handcuffsHow was your Valentine's Day? Was it sexy? Was it steamy? Did you ... you know? Well, however it was, I can tell you this: It was not more memorable than Stephanie Morgan Pelzner and Nikolas Alexander Harbar's. 'Cause they got arrested for doing some dirty, dirty things.

The Oregon couple thought they'd add some spice to their relationship yesterday with a little role-playing. But we're not talking run-of-the-mill French maid/businessman named Sven role-playing here, we're talking serious role-playing. Dangerous role-playing. Tie up naked Stephanie, duct tape her mouth shut, and throw her in the back of a Subaru role-playing. And, yes, she was into it. The cops, however, not so much.

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OMG

Rick Santorum's War on Birth Control Is Political Suicide (VIDEO)

Posted by Maressa Brown
on Feb 15, 2012 at 2:59 PM

rick santorum caffeinated thoughtsHold the phone! Rick Santorum may have just committed political suicide. I know, I know, the guy keeps winning primaries, and as recently as yesterday, reports said he was beating Mitt (what the hell?!), but the latest news on the GOP presidential candidate is being called his "October Surprise." Although, after you read/see it, you will most likely thank GOODNESS we're not as far along as October, and he is not yet the actual GOP candidate with a true shot at the White House.

We already knew Rick Santorum pretty much hates progress/gay people/women's rights, but did you know if he was president, he'd like to turn the clock back to the Dark Ages, aka pre-1960, before birth control? Interview footage from this past October shows the candidate saying that as chief executive, he would confront the "dangers of contraception." (Dun dun daaaaah.) Oh, and that's not all ...

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OMG

Off-Duty Cop Saves Wendy’s From Man With a Sledgehammer

Posted by Lindsay Mannering
on Feb 15, 2012 at 1:59 PM

french fryThere's a certain hysteria that accompanies almost every fast food experience. Maybe it's the glorious scent of fries being cooked in gallons of oil that makes us lose our minds a little bit, but there's definitely something that sends us into an irrational frenzy when our order gets messed up. The struggle is usually internal -- the furthest most of us go is to say something to the cashier like Excuse me? Sorry. I ordered a cheeseburger. This is chicken nuggets. -- but when the fury is not compartmentalized and we forget to remind ourselves to calm the eff down, things can get out of hand. Case in point: a man attacked a Wendy's with a sledgehammer.

The 45-year-old perp was so frustrated with what went down at a Wendy's in Ohio that he got up, went across the street to a Home Depot, bought himself a six-pound sledgehammer, and returned to take his anger out on the burger joint's windows.

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This Just In

Missing Child Ayla Reynolds’ Life Insurance Policy Is Too Strange to Ignore

Posted by Jeanne Sager
on Feb 15, 2012 at 12:33 PM

Ayla ReynoldsAnother day, another chilling revelation in the case of missing child Ayla Reynolds. Two months after the then 20-month-old toddler disappeared from her crib in her Waterville, Maine home, her mother, Trista Reynolds, is telling the media that the girl's father, Justin DiPietro, took out a life insurance policy on the child. It's looking like any benefit of the doubt people were willing to give the man who was the last person to see his daughter alive is about to go out the window.

I hate to jump to conclusions here, but I just don't see how DiPietro is going to explain this one away. Especially when you look at the timing.

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Political Wrangling

Republican Investigation of Media Matters Would Be a Huge Waste of Taxpayers’ Money

Posted by Adriana Velez
on Feb 15, 2012 at 11:47 AM

media mattersWell it looks like Republicans in Congress are zeroing in on a very important project. Passing the transportation bill? Nope. And as usual, it has nothing whatsoever to do with job creation or any other important matters that would actually improve our lives. Apparently a few members of Congress want to investigate Media Matters for violating their 501c3 status.

And why not? They have time on their hands (apparently?) now that the investigation into Planned Parenthood has been revealed as totally bogus -- oh no wait, I think that's still going on. But anyway, as part of their ongoing demonstration of what government waste looks like, they would like to yank the rug out from under a liberal watch-dog organization so the elections go just a little bit smoother for them. Yes, yes, they should definitely do this. But let's cast the net a little wider, shall we?

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This Just In

Josh Powell's House Held an Awful Secret

Posted by Kim Conte
on Feb 15, 2012 at 11:13 AM

josh powell's houseThe latest details about the Powell murder-suicide in Washington state were revealed at a public meeting held by fire and law enforcement officials to brief neighborhood residents about the harrowing tragedy that occurred right in their own backyard.

One of the most chilling revelations to come out was the fact that the house that Josh Powell showed social workers on his supervised visits -- the one he blew up last week -- was a complete sham. According to authorities, he staged it to look like a loving, family home complete with photographs of his family on the walls. But in reality it was a "fake home" meant to fool the social workers (which apparently it succeeded in doing).

Here's the secret about the home that's almost too awful to believe: Josh Powell didn't even live there!

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This Just In

Secrets of Monica Lewinksy Scandal Revealed in Upcoming Bill Clinton Documentary

Posted by Jacqueline Burt
on Feb 14, 2012 at 7:14 PM

monica lewinskyNow that we've heard former White House intern Mimi Alford confess to her long ago affair with JFK, this is a good time to take a step back and look at former White House intern Monica Lewinsky's not-so-long ago affair with Bill Clinton from a different perspective. Fortunately, a new two-part, four-hour documentary about Clinton's career is scheduled to premiere on PBS next week ... and it's expected to be a shocker.

Especially considering what we currently know (or have been told) about the way the White House handled these scandals once upon a time.

Think about it: We crucified Clinton for initially denying his affair with Lewinsky; whereas (assuming there's any truth to Mimi Alford's story) JFK never even considered coming clean about his extramarital activities.

Taking into account the way Clinton apparently agonized over whether or not to tell the truth -- and how his honesty was "rewarded" -- I'm sure there were times he wished he never considered it either.

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