VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: A perfect illustration of how rights are taken away in the United States:

Option one: The most direct option is to try to make that thing illegal. If it turns out that you are treading on people’s constitutionally protected rights in order to try to make this thing illegal, then the courts, of course, will stop you and you’ll be left with fuzzier options. You could try persuading people not to do this thing you disapprove of, you could try persuasion, you could try scaring people, you could try threatening people — or go about making it so difficult to do the thing you disagree with that even though you can’t technically outlaw it, you can de facto prohibit it by making it almost impossible for anyone to do it.

That last option is a very effective means of eliminating rights in America, eliminating them even when it’s illegal to technically take that right away. “The Washington Post” has reported that the crusading super-conservative, increasingly high-profile attorney general of the state of Virginia, Mr. Ken Cuccinelli — has declared that the state can begin regulating first trimester abortion clinics. Because the anti-abortion movement has chased abortion services out of many hospitals and doctors offices, it is a service that is largely provided in specialized clinics now.

And right now, in Virginia, these clinics are regulated in the same way as other offices where patients receive other forms of outpatient services, places like, places where you get oral surgery or plastic surgery. But under the crusading attorney general’s new legal opinion, clinics that provide abortions could instead be regulated like hospitals — in which case, according to abortion rights groups, 17 of the 21 abortion providers in the state of Virginia would probably have to close their doors. If the attorney general got his way, those 21 clinics would be newly required to be no more than 15 miles from an emergency room. [ VIEW VIDEO FOR MORE DETAILS ]

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I keep my TV on CNN all the time; I’m surprised the CNN logo hasn’t been permanently etched on my screen. I’m a political news junkie, and when I’m not watching CNN or MSNBC I’m reading the online news sites.

   McCain and Palin [ Enlarge ]
But even I was surprised when John McCain selected a virtual unknown, Sarah Palin, as his vice-presidential running mate. Like millions of other Americans I googled Palin to find out everything I could about her.

The most shocking and disturbing fact that I learned is that Palin is totally unqualified to be one heartbeat away from assuming the mantle of leader of the free world. The sum total of her political experience is one and half years as governor of Alaska, and six years as a part-time mayor of a small town outside Anchorage. Her resume qualifies her to work in a Moose petting zoo, but it falls far short as preparation to be the president of the United States.

Not only is Palin unqualified, she also far to the right of most Americans. Palin is vehemently anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest. The former beauty queen supported the anti-Semitic, anti-immigration Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. The governor from Alaska is an evangelical Christian who believes that creationism should be taught in public schools. Unlike most Americans, Palin doesn’t believe that humans are responsible for global warming.

Palin is unqualified and unvetted, McCain met her only twice before offering her the vice-presidency. A Burger King applicant undergoes a more rigorous vetting process before he’s offered a position flipping burgers.

Palin is unqualified, unvetted and under an ethical cloud, lawmakers in her home state are investigating whether she abused her power in firing a public safety commissioner.

Palin’s stump speeches since McCain named her as his Veep have done nothing to ease my worries. Her high-pitched delivery will drive even her most ardent supporters nuts over the next two months. This is not a sexist jibe, I have also criticized Obama for his tentative delivery in debates. For someone who is frequently lauded as eloquent, Obama has a habit of saying “you know” or “ah” almost every other sentence.

In her first three appearances Palin has delivered the same speech with only slight variations. This indicates a person who can’t think on her feet; she relies on memory more than smarts. I do give her props for removing any mention of Hillary Clinton from her stump speech, after she was booed for giving her credit for cracking the glass ceiling.

Sarah Palin is Patrick Buchanan in a beehive and high heels; and I tremble at the thought that one day she may be president of the United States.

John McCain has irrevocably stained his reputation with this desperate act of political expedience. To appeal to Hillary’s disaffected voters and to appease the right wing of his party, McCain has put the security and safety of America at grave risk.

I’m hoping that Americans will punish John McCain for his reckless act by voting for Obama/Biden in November.

REFERENCES:

1. 8 Reasons Sarah Palin is More Qualified than Barack Obama