The Rep

I'm posting this as a response to Stacie Campfield's recent blog post. I have included his entire post, and will interject my comments as I go. The post in question is in response to comments he says he received on an earlier post. I read the comments on that post this morning, and noticed no yelling, screaming, or foul language in the comments, but he may have chosen not to post comments including yelling, etc.

More facts

Once again I have been challenged on my numbers by
he[sic] lazy left. The lesser minds who like to make up numbers out of thin air, Who like to yell scream and use foul language to try to prove their point. Once again with my good friend Google and a little work I have been able to dig out the facts to prove my point and show the hypocrisy of the left.

OK, let's go. Starting out with name-calling and denigrating your critics makes me think that what follows might not be civilized political discourse. I like Google, too. I don't think of it as a scholarly resource. What are your sources, Stacie? Hopefully not just Google. Notice that I provide links to the pages where I get my info. And that they are all reputable sources.

Work and facts, the enemy of the lazy left.


Once again I will state I am not in any way in favor of dog fighting. It is illegal in 48 states, a felony in Tennessee and should stay that way. I am doing this for comparison only.

Glad we have that out of the way. Why do you feel that you have to tell us that you don't support dog fighting? You didn't mention cock fighting, Campie, what's your position on that? How do you feel about stiffer penalties for these types of animal cruelty? Do you think there should be a difference in fighting dogs vs. fighting chickens? Would you support/sponsor legislation in Nashville to upgrade chicken fighting to a felony?

Now, on to the facts.

About time.

ASPCA estimates 10,000 dogs a year are "involved" in dog
fighting. I am not sure if they mean killed or "involved" as far as breading [sic], training, dogs that fight and live or what but for the sake of argument we will say they mean killed. The ASPCA is a pro animal rights group and some people may say their numbers are inflated but just for comparison we will use them.

Let's assume that nearly all dogs involved in dog fighting are killed. I doubt that they have dogs who are used exclusively for breeding, and others for training, and still others for fighting, etc. They breed successful fighting dogs in order to beget more successful fighting dogs.

On average each day 25 Americans die at the hands of illegal aliens in the United States. Twelve Americans are murdered by illegal aliens. Another ten Americans are killed by drunk-driving illegal aliens. Finally, an additional three Americans will die because of negligent homicides by illegal aliens, such as running a red light, speeding, or the negligent handling of a dangerous weapon. That total works out to 9125 killed.

Is that 9125 killed annually? Source, please? Why don't you back up your statements with sources? Do that, and I'll find you more credible.

The number of abortions a year numbers are derived from pro-abortion sources courtesy of The Alan Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood's Family Planning Perspectives so they are probably a little low, Still we will use them.

So the ASPCA lies by inflating the number of dogs involved in fighting, and Planned Parenthood and The Guttmacher Institute lie by under reporting the number of abortions performed annually? I see, the left are a bunch of lying, filthy scumbags, while the right is squeaky clean. Like this guy, and this one, and let's not forget this one. And the biggest angel of them all, this guy. Wait, when the hell did we start talking about abortion? I thought we were talking about illegal immigration. For that matter, weren't we actually talking about dog fighting?

WORLDWIDE

Number of abortions per year: Approximately 46 Million
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 126,000

UNITED STATES

Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700
We will use the smaller U.S numbers.

Why not use the smaller US numbers. Since our dogfighting numbers are for the US, and not worldwide. What does all this have to do with dog fighting? Oh, I see. If we weren't aborting all our fetuses, we would be too busy taking care of our kids to fight dogs, right? Is that your point? Oh, then what the crap ARE you talking about?

So lets do some simple math shall we?

1,370,000 Abortions
+ 9,125 Killed by illegals
______________
= 1,379,125 Total killed

So now should we compare?

Yes, I think we should.

10,000 dogs killed a year in dog fighting.
1,379,125 people killed a year by illegals and abortions.

Wait a minute! You mean that the total number of people you dubiously claim are killed each year by illegal immigrants PLUS the total number of abortions performed annually in the US is MORE THAN the number of dogs involved in dog fighting in the US?!

My mind is blown! Let's try this with something else: Cardiovascular disease killed 871,500 people in the US in 2004. And in the same year, 42,836 people were killed in traffic accidents, and 2 people were killed by shark attacks in the US.

Let's do some math of our own.

871,500 CV disease deaths
+ 42,836 traffic deaths
______________________
=914,336 total deaths

2 people killed in 2004 by sharks.
914,336 people killed in 2004 by traffic and CV disease.

At that rate if dog fighting continued but abortion stopped and all illegals left the US immediately then the numbers killed would equal out in only 137 years!

Sarcasm!!! Ha, ha! I love it! And if we conquered heart disease and quit driving, it would only take 457,168 years for the sharks to catch up! Your point has yet to be made.

Once again I will say both are important but I will ask what do you think is the bigger problem? what do you value more, Children or dogs? Does the left respect the life of a dog more then they respect the life of a human? where are your energies, outrage and interest focused?

posted by the rep @ 7:34 PM

Notice the capitalization of "children" in the middle of the sentence, and the failure to capitalize "what" and "where" when they begin sentences. Did you go to elementary school, Campie? Why does everything come back to abortion and illegal immigration with you? It's funny. In the comments to his posts, his supporters (whose comments are nearly the only ones
posted) chastise the left for changing the subject in their arguments. I love it! Once again, weren't we talking about dog fighting? And then, all of a sudden, we're talking about abortion and immigration.

Now, Rep. Campfield, tell us what you have done in the legislature to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in the state of Tennessee. I know you introduced a bill a while back that would make the name, address and social security number of anyone who receives an abortion in Tennessee a matter of public record. How would that bill have helped? What else have you
done? Notice that I have avoided any name-calling (even though you called the left, and by extension me, lazy and of lesser intelligence) and (with one very small exception) objectionable language. I have stated only facts, and backed up my statements with the sources I am citing. I have nothing but contempt for you.

--snikta

Great Expectations

My wife, J, and I are expecting our second child at the end of November. We are very excited by this prospect, as we have been hoping for some time for a sibling for C (who is now 7, and will be 8 by the time her brother/sister is born). C's birthday is in the middle of November, and she treats pretty much the whole month as a time that is all about her. We will have to make an effort to keep her birthday very special, lest she feel neglected.

J has recently left a job in which she was required to work long hours (her shortest shift each week was 12 hours) overnight. During the approximately two years she held this job, a heart arrythmia has manifested itself. We were also unable to conceive during this time. No sooner than she left this position, she got knocked up. Her heart condition has also been alleviated to some degree. Now I'm not blaming these conditions on her previous position and the work environment (though I did often encourage her to file complaints and to leave the position), but I do see the correlation between her resignation and these health events. Now she has taken a position with regular work hours. We didn't realize how lucky we were, not having to make childcare arrangements. We would like to avoid traditional day care if possible, because all of our experiences with them have taught us that even the best ones are less than ideal. If anyone has an idea, feel free to leave it in the comments. If you know some responsible person in the Morristown, TN area who would like to care for a seven year old girl four days a week during the summer, please let me know.


Recent quotes:

J: C, will you please let the dogs in?
C: (a la Rodney Dangerfield) I get no respect around here.
J and Me: ???


C: Hey daddy. . .
Me: Yes?
C: Boys go to Jupiter, to get more stupider.


C: The Easter Bunny isn't real.
J and Me: Oh, really?
C: No. A little bunny couldn't hop around on his back legs and carry a basket full of eggs.
J and Me: OK. . .
C: But let's just pretend I believe in him. And don't tell Santa that I know the Easter Bunny is fake.


Why the hell would Santa care?


-snikta

My legislator

Much like Rachel, I used the NARAL action form to contact my state legislators (John Litz in the House, Steve Southerland in the Senate). I did not alter the text of the letter at all. Much has been made of Rachel's reaction to the "response" she received from Senator Douglas Henry. I fully agree with Rachel- this is not the kind of action we like to see from our elected leaders. Whether they agree with us or not, I feel they should either address concerns, or not respond. I will say that I do understand the time constraints on our part-time legislators in Nashville, who have to be in the capitol for important state business, and also have to hold down a full-time job at home. And they don't have a lot of staff. That's why I so appreciate the pertinent response I received from my Representative.

snikta,

Thank you for your recent e-mail concerning your opposition to
HB-982which would require a death certificate to be filed for every abortion in Tennessee. This bill was assigned to the Public Health & Family Assistance Subcommittee, and I do not think this bill will ever get out of that subcommittee. If it does by some slim chance, I will not vote for it.

Again, thank you for your e-mail and input. Please feel
free to contact me anytime I can be of assistance to you.

Rep. John Litz

That was in response to this email:

Dear Representative Litz,

As your constituent, I'm writing to ask you to oppose HB 982, which would require a death certificate be filed for every abortion in Tennessee.

Women who live in Tennessee already face an uphill battle when it comes to their reproductive rights. Anti-choice legislators in recent years have passed biased counseling and mandatory delay requirements, mandatory parental consent rules, targeted regulations against abortion providers, and an unconstitutional ban on abortion as early as 12 weeks in pregnancy.

This bill is not only unnecessary, it is an assault on women's dignity and privacy. Tennessee's Office of Vital Records already keeps track of the number of abortions in the state, but these records keep the women's identities private.

If passed, death certificates would include personal and identifying information -including full name and mailing address - that would become public record.

Women in Tennessee deserve their constitutionally protected right to privacy when they make their personal reproductive decisions. Please help defeat this dangerous bill by voting "no"on HB 982.

Sincerely,
snikta

I would like to applaud Rep. Litz for his timely response, and for taking the time to address my concerns. I am also pleased that he agrees with my position on this bill, but even if he did not, I would appreciate his responding to what I said, rather than just saying "I am on the side of the children". I am glad that I have true representation in Nashville.


snikta

Went to meeting

Senator Corker gave a pretty good talk this afternoon. Not much substance except that he feels we should give the President's escalation plan six months. I didn't hear him say what we should do at the end of six months. I also did not have a chance to speak with him one-on-one. I was pleased, however, that there was about 30 minutes of Q&A. Several people had good questions about the war against Iraq. There were a few questions regarding illegal immigration. There was a question regarding the Rules of Engagement for TN National Guard troops on the border, but I think the Senator misunderstood. The question related to the four TN Guardsmen who were confronted by a rather large group of armed men in early January. I think Senator Corker's answer related to the shooting of an un-armed man by two Border Patrol agents. In the Senator's defense, he has been on a whirlwind trip to Kuwait, Iraq, and several US cities over the last few days, and was sleep-deprived. All in all, I feel that he will be a pretty good Senator. Like all of our elected leaders, he will need our input in order to know how we feel. Please visit the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives websites to learn who your representatives are and how to contact them.


snikta

Goin' to meeting

United States Senator Bob Corker will be at the courthouse here at 2pm for a "town hall meeting". I'm a little skeptical about the true nature of this event. At a true town hall meeting, ideas are brought forth by the public, and everyone there is free to discuss and offer solutions. That is the purest form of democracy. I don't expect that to be the case. I'm sure that the Senator has a speech written, and that there will be no opportunity for the public to comment. There may be a few plants by the local Republican party with softball questions, but I'm a little doubtful of even that.

I disagree with Mr. Corker's stated position on some issues, like abortion and the Iraq war. But he did vote to increase the federal minimum wage, while my representative in the House did not. Shame on you, Rep. Davis. Both TN Senators voted "Yea" on the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. I am thankful for that. I look forward with interest (mixed with a small amount of hope and a little trepidation) to hearing what the Senator has to say this afternoon. I shall post later with my thoughts on what he says.


snikta

Short post

Thank you, Representative Campfield. While I disagree strongly with most everything you say, you obviously put a lot of effort into your position, and people like you help me practice patience. That said...

What do you support? I see your opposition to the Governor and his policies, and to the Democratic party in general, but I don't see what you stand for. I am not a constituent, so I have no expectation of an answer. (If I REALLY wanted an answer, I would email the Rep. I am just posting it here.) I don't beleive that we need to have an alternative plan in order to complain, but I do kind of expect our elected leaders to go further than just saying "I don't like it." I would like to see his bill regarding issuing death certificates for aborted fetuses pulled. I will be contacting my repsentatives asking them to oppose it if it should ever get a vote. If you don't know about it-this is a bad bill. It's bad because it doesn't do what the Rep says. It's bad because it only divides us from each other. It's bad because it is not a stretch of the imagination to see this being used to harm women.

It is wonderful for people to oppose abortion. They have every right to do so. They need to be honest about their objectives when they do so, however. Stacey Campfield is trying to use his position in the General Assembly to take a sneaky swipe at abortion-and that is wrong.

Abortion is a legal and safe medical procedure. As such, it deserves the same treatment as any other. Leave abortion to those whom it affects. Let's stop trying to reverse Roe vs. Wade, or making thinly veiled attempts to get information about who is having abortions. If you just want to know how many (like you say), that info is available. If you want to know about statistics such as race and age and geography, it's not really your business, but do a study.

For a very good perspective on this issue and other issues facing (mostly) women, check out Women's Health News. The blogger is a friend of mine, and always makes valid points.


snikta

commentary

**Note: this post is in response to a comment I read on Cup of Joe Powell. I was going to leave a comment of my own, but it just kept getting longer and longer, so I made it a post of my own. I do recommend this blog, though he occasionally gets his info from a biased source. So, without further ado, my post. . .


When will they learn? There is no way to defeat terrorism. The very act of fighting terrorism creates terrorists.

This is a problem whose only solutions are through words. The way to resolve this issue is through some combination of diplomats, civic organizations, and religious leaders. One of the biggest hurdles on the path to peace is the attitudes we all bring to the table. We cannot approach this issue with a closed mind (on either side), or failure is emminent. A fanatic CAN be reasoned with, but only when you and he both realize that you were created by the same God (or Allah-just different names for the same figure) with the same care and love, and that He doesn't favor one person over another. We need to come to the realization that we are not fighting Islam, we are fighting people. To claim that we are fighting Islam leads to the conclusion that this is another Crusade, and I think we all agree that the Crusades were not in accord with Christian beliefs.

Like many Americans, I was in support of the war before it started. I believed that the government in Iraq was actively seeking to do harm to us, and I was a little excited (I'll admit). Since then, though, we have learned so much:

We have learned that Iraq had no capacity to harm us or their neighbors. We learned that Iraq was not engaged in a program that would give them that capacity. We learned that there was no connection between Iraq and al-Qa'ida (though there is now-thanks to us). So we waged war based on contrived "evidence" that we were to be attacked again one of these days. What we don't hear enough of is that this war was waged in violation of international laws.

We invaded a sovereign nation, that had neither harmed nor threatened to harm anyone. Then we removed a democratically elected leader and arrested him for crimes that he did not commit. Yes- the election was rigged, and there was no chance of Saddam losing it, but our own elections are also corrupt. Yes- Saddam did commit horrible crimes against many thousands of people, and he stood trial and paid the price for those crimes. But what have we gained from this flaunting of international law?

Nothing.

We are not safer. So we haven't had a terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11/01. That's 5 years and change. When was the last foreign terrorist attack on U.S. soil before that? Wasn't it in 1993? We didn't go on a global rampage after the WTC was attacked then, and we went 8 years without a foreign attack. And to say that the U.S. hasn't been the victim of an attack since 2001 is just inaccurate. We are attacked every day in Iraq.

To say that the terrorists will follow us home if we leave Iraq is nothing more than fear-mongering. I think we've had enough of that; what we need now is honest discussion. We need facts-not rhetoric.

We got off to a good start in Afghanistan, but we didn't finish. We just moved on to Iraq, and now Afghanistan faces a real threat from the Taliban. We overthrew the Taliban (which WAS a dangerous government) five years ago. Shouldn't Afghanistan be better off by now? Afghanistan has virtually no capacity to ensure public health, and medical care is almost non-existant. But what are we doing about it?

Also nothing.

Just like the Iraqi people, the Afghani people are worse off since our "help". Let's look for a diplomatic solution to Iraq, because there is no military one. Let's take care of the people we can take care of. Let's start here at home. Let's finish the job in Afghanistan. Let's finish the job in New Orleans. Let's fix our health care system. Let's fix Social Security. Let's urge and help our southern neighbors to create good-paying jobs, so that their citizens can stay at home and still make a living. Let's do something about global warming. Let's legislate higher CAFE standards for cars AND trucks. There is no reason that we should think of 20 mpg as good, even for a pick-up truck. Let's increase funding for embryonic stem-cell research, because that science has the possibility to cure diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Diabetes. Let's do something about the ongoing genocide in Darfur, or the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Let's work to end hunger and poverty.

The war in Iraq is a waste of our resources. The last thing we should be doing is sending more of our brave soldiers to fight in a civil war. We certainly cannot cut off funding for our troops who are there right now, but I would like to see Congress refuse funding for any escalation of the war.


snikta

QUIT MONKEYIN' AROUND

While surfing the web this morning I came across an ad for the site CareerBuilder.com. It was a banner with a picture of a chimp and the copy read "Only zookeepers should have to work with monkeys." Now, I've seen this ad campaign before online, in print and on TV, but this time it made me mad (well, it bothered me a little). Maybe it was because I was online and could let them know how I feel about their ads easily that I decided I would tell them. I mean, come on! I'm not gonna get up off the couch, go to the computer, dial up (I know, I know), open a browser window (Firefox, of course), go to their website, look for the number, log off, and then call them when I see one of those commercials on TV. That's a lot of trouble for something that really doesn't matter at all (plus they are kind of funny). But it was easy here at work with a high-speed connection and a fast computer to go to their page, click on the link to leave a comment and give them a piece of my mind. They actually responded (now I'm getting to the point of my story) to my comment! They didn't just send an auto response to say "we got your comment, thanks a bunch!", but they ADDRESSED my comments in their email. This is the email I got:

This email is in response to a question you submitted to CareerBuilder.com. Please do not consider this email as spam. To respond with further information, please click the link at the bottom of the email. On 8/30/2006 you posed a question to CareerBuilder.com which was noted as inquiry 322680. The question you posed and our response are listed below. Your Question, Comment or Feedback: Feedback: I am sure this is not the first comment regarding this issue, but...THOSE ARE NOT MONKEYS IN YOUR ADS!!! Chimpanzees are apes. Monkeys have tails; apes do not. Response: Dear snikta, Thank you for contacting Careerbuilder.com. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We are aware that the Chimpanzees that we use in our advertisements are actually Apes. We call them Monkeys instead as that name was tested to be more popular even though it is incorrect. We do appreciate you taking the time to write us however and commend you on your knowledge of primatology. If you have any additional questions or comments, please let us know. We are available on the web at http://www.fuzeqna.com/careerbuilder/consumer/question.asp or by phone at 1-866-438-1485, 8:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday through Friday and 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday (Eastern Time). Good luck with your search! Try our new automated online assistant! Available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week! To Ask Careerbuilder, click here: http://www.careerbuilder.com/cbchat/redirout.aspx Do you want to learn how to navigate our site better? Take a look at our Jobseeker Online User Guide: http://www.fuzeqna.com/careerbuilder/consumer/search.asp?catID=44 For additional free career related information please click on the following link: http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/careerbytes/

Sincerely, Kelly (I deleted her last name)
Customer Service Representative CareerBuilder.com
A Better Job Awaits!
(I deleted her phone number, too.)

Customer Service Please use the link below to respond with further information if applicable. You may need to cut and paste the entire link (it may span two lines) into the address line of your web browser. http://www.fuzeqna.com/careerbuilder/consumer/clarify.asp?-
incidentID=%7BC80C862A-6877-4929-8907-8642E507FF2C%7D

OK. Is Kelly a bitch, or am I taking her the wrong way? You know, Kelly, this didn't cause me any inconvenience. I didn't wreck my car over it or anything. And what's with the capitalization of "Chimpanzees" and "Apes" in her response? What, are we writing in German? (All nouns are capitalized in written German) And it's not just the chimps used in the ads that are apes, but ALL chimpanzees are apes. And if I hold a focus group, can I call anything whatever I want just because that name tested to be more popular than the real one? I drive a Toyota, but I now call it a Bugatti. I held a focus group (just now) and Bugatti tested to be more popular than Toyota. You (I'm addressing CareerBuilder now) "commend" me on my "knowledge of primatology"? What-the-fuck-ever.

A Better Job Awaits indeed! Calling things by the wrong name and writing smart-assed emails to people you don't know.



Did you know that I got stung by a yellow-jacket Sunday? I sure did. I was mowing the lawn, and one of them stung me on the back of my left leg, just above the ankle. He didn't fly away after, either. I looked down and there he was, on the back of my leg with his ass stuck in me. So I smashed his head and pulled the stinger out. Now the back of my lower left leg is all swollen and ITCHES. Damn!


snikta

PS-Blogger's spell-checker didn't recognize the word monkeyin' and wanted to replace it with monogamy. I think that's funny. It also wanted to replace fuck with Fuji, but that's not humerous.