UPDATED POST HERE: Missouri Has Been Akin for too long

Since I couldn’t convince Ben to run for Congress this time around, and I’m not at the right point in my life to do it, the best chance for getting rid of Bush’s YES MAN, Todd Akin seems to be Charles Karam. Unlike the perenial losers of Hogan and Weber, Karam is willing to take contributions and is a successful businessman which means maybe he can collect money and give Akin a race.

I think I’ll start floating some of my ideas Karam’s way to see if I can influence his policy making.

Side note - Remind me to vote for Mike Morris to get rid of the psycho-anti-science-creationist Cynthia Davis. Yes, I know I voted for her as a payback for the Highschool swimming vote, but the rest of her voting record and proposal are downright scary.

Side note 2 - if you want to check out who is running for what offices in Missouri, click here.

I got an email from Jim Talent today — okay, it was actually just that by sending him emails I got on his mailing list.  His first big issue was the illegal alien/undocumented worker issue.  From his email:

The Senate is debating immigration reform. Many Missourians have contacted me to express their views on this issue and I wanted to share mine with you. This is a nation of immigrants, but it’s also a nation of laws. I oppose the amnesty measure being considered in the Senate. Congress should not give the benefits of citizenship to those who have entered the country unlawfully; and it’s especially unfair to put them at the front of the line ahead of those who have waited patiently for years to enter the country lawfully.

Okay, I agree that its not fair to put them at the front of the line, but we’ve also pretty much ignored them for decades — almost like a don’t ask, don’t tell policy. *Wink*Wink* I don’t know why you are willing to work so cheaply in the field or maintain my lawn or do my cleaning; and I don’t know why you want to be paid in cash, as long as the work gets done. So are we really moving them to the front of the line if they have been working in the country for longer than those on the track to citizenship?

That aside, here’s the typical Washington B.S.

I share the concerns of many Missourians that the United States requires a border control system that protects us from terrorist attacks, illegal immigration, illegal drugs and other contraband. A lot of people view border security as an immigration issue. It’s not. It’s a national security issue. That is why I introduced the Border Security and Modernization Act, which authorizes $5 billion over five years for security fencing and surveillance along the border, increases penalties for human smuggling, and increases the number of jail beds available to detain those who cross illegally.

Okay Jim, can I ask how you are going to pay for that? Is there a reason that our elected officials think that the answer to every problem is to throw more money at it? Especially when they are already spending more money than they are bringing in?  I am so sick of politicians increasing spending without matching it with either a cut somewhere else or a tax increase.

I have a thought Jim, why don’t you add a proposal to your bill to go after the businesses hiring the illegal aliens for less than the minimum wage, and not paying social security for them.  Can we get a billion dollars a year in fines out of these companies to pay for your big wall?  And what is it with walls lately?  We yelled at the Russians for years about the wall in Germany, but now Isreal is building a big wall, and Talent wants to build a big wall.

Instead of just trying to keep people out (since that is working so well in the drug war), why don’t you get rid of the demand for illegal immigrants.  If they couldn’t find jobs, they wouldn’t be flocking over the borders.

After last night’s South Park, I have to agree with Frank that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are punishing Comedy Central for caving in to the terrorists and not showing the Mohamed cartoon. There must not be anything in the news worth parodying (if parodying is a word). Of course I think that Al Gore and man-bear-pig was the absolute worst they’ve ever done, while Frank believes that the show with Towelie and Oprah was.

Do you think cruchy Granola Bars are more like particle board or plywood.  As I sit here eating one, I can’t help but think that you could build a house out of them is you have big enough sheets.

Justin had his hockey playoff game today.  On his very first shift he was set up on the left side of the crease and blasted a shot past the goalie for his first hockey goal ever.  Less than a minute later, he was set up in the same spot and took a pass that he sent back in front of the crease where one of his teammates scored.  Justin’s team won 10 - 0 with about 10 minutes left in the third period.

The championship game is next Saturday at noon.

Full stats can be found here but the score keeper wasn’t doing a very good job recording shots or when goals happenned.

The Science Creative Quarterly has published my mathematical proof on the existence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.  It is on the front page of their site today, but the permanent entry is here.  In the words of Steve Martin in the jerk — I’m somebody.

I found a great post describing in detail how Plan B contraception works and why it should not be confused with RU-486.  Here is the gist of it.

Progesterone helps maintain the uterine lining, but also suppresses LH production by the pituitary. It’s a kind of timer. The corpus luteum is maintained by the levels of LH, but the corpus luteum also produces rising levels of progesterone, which shut off LH…and when too little LH is produced, the corpus luteum shuts down, no estrogen and progesterone are produced, the uterine lining is no longer maintained,

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The key thing to remember about this part, though, is that progesterone suppresses LH.

Put two pieces of the story together: a spike in LH levels triggers ovulation and progesterone suppresses LH. Hmmm. This suggests an idea. If you wanted to prevent ovulation, how would you do it?

(Consider this a test. Imagine that Jeopardy jingle playing right now.)

Time’s up—I bet everyone came up with the right answer, though. Giving someone a large dose of progesterone would shut down LH production, so there would be no ovulation, so no egg would be released, and any sperm happening to be in the woman’s reproductive tract would find nothing to fertilize.

You have just figured out what is called Plan B contraception. It is a form of birth control that tells the woman’s ovaries to hold off on releasing any eggs for a short while.

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Plan B is not an abortion.

Plan B doesn’t help if one is already pregnant, and it doesn’t affect any implanted zygotes. Pregnant women produce progesterone naturally.

Plan B gives women the ability to control, to a limited extent, when they will expel a gamete.

I talked about this a bit before, but I will say it again anyway.  Plan-B contraception needs to be legalized and made available immediately. The science supports that it is safe and effective, and it will reduce the number of abortions in this country.   I don’t know how you can claim to be Pro-Life and against Plan-B.