What are you paying for besides food when you shop at Ralph’s? 

The Suppression of Women’s Rights.  Ralph’s and Bayview shoppers are paying to support a backwards attitude towards women’s, and everyone’s, reproductive rights.  Not content to merely keep the condoms under lock and key, Ralph’s Thriftway is refusing to stock emergency contraception.  Initially represented to several community members as a business decision, Kevin Stormans, vice president of Stormans Incorporated, changed his story for media interviews with the Olympian and Seattle television stations by calling this policy a “moral” decision.  He characterizes it as an issue arising out of when one believes life begins.  He clearly has a mistaken understanding of what emergency contraception is and does, along the lines of Christian extremists’ intentional mischaracterization of it.  Plan B is not an abortifacient; it does not dislodge an established pregnancy.  There is not any clear medical evidence to suggest that Plan B prevents a fertilized egg from implanting.  Plan B works primarily by inhibiting fertilization, as conception often occurs when an egg is released after sexual intercourse.  But science is irrelevant to those whose minds are morally entrenched.  Evangelical christian extremists are encouraged to spread their faith in whatever “spheres of influence” they may have, including places of business, church, families, governments, education, media and healthcare. 

From KOMO News:

OLYMPIA - Can Washington State avoid the violence that came with a Neo Nazi rally last year in Toldeo, Ohio?

Some of the same groups that triggered riots there are headed to Olympia on Monday.

Local counter protesters and the State Patrol are lining up with a message of their own. That message: no violence, no problem.

The group staging the Olympia rally is the National Socialist Movement. The Anti Defamation League says it is one of the fastest growing Neo Nazi organizations in the state.

While they've hosted small gatherings, Monday's is billed as a large national rally.

Why Olympia? Possibly because of the reaction they could get.

"They know Olympia doesn't want them," says Rob Jacobs, the Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League. "They know the Olympia community is a really strong multi-ethnic community that is going to react strongly to this. They're hoping, actually, that it will be a negative reaction."

In Toledo, police made 116 arrests, and many of them were counter protesters.

I'm going to try and go see former Vice-President Gore's film this weekend. It will probably be closer to next weekend, though.

I just thought I would share that the film Why We Fight is out on DVD now. I watched the first half and it's pretty good, I thought.

Also, I just finished watching the trailer to America: Freedom to Facism. The basic premise of the film is interesting: What constitutional basis is there to tax the wages of an American citizen who is earning their living from within the Union?

The "facism" in the title doesn't just refer to, say, the Department of Homeland Security and President Bush.

It seems to make the case that organizations such as the IRS are unconstitutional and that the only reason we have to pay taxes is because the People are outgunned by the Government.

I've noticed folks making identical posts lately under various content types. There are a several options under the "create content" menu, so let me explain the different functions of each option:

• Event: Events are for activities that have a specific time and place. Events are posted on the calendar as well as the front page.
• Forum Topic: Forums are focused on specific issues such as the City Council or the Olympian Watch.
• Personal Blog Entry: Blog entries are where you post your own thoughts, questions, observations, pictures, video, music, etc. Do not automatically go to the front page, but can be promoted by a moderator.

Please use the Personal Blog Entry for stuff that doesn't pertain to an existing forum. If you would like a forum created, drop me a message and I'll set it up.

Over one hundred protesters gathered at Ralph's Thriftway to express their support for women who need access to emergency contraception in the form of "Plan B". There were also 20-30 counter-protesters present. Nobody was quite sure what the counter-protesters wanted to say.

I had a conversation with the fellow above with the sign. I related to him that the particular pharmacist in question at Ralph's wanted to be able to offer Plan B, and thus, his choice was being limited by the Storeman's policy. He didn't seem to get that, however.