Update: Palin Donates $800k to Planned Parenthood

by juliacsmith

From Ben Smith’s blog:

A viral email urging people to donate to Planned Parenthood “in honor of Sarah Palin” generated more than 31,313 donations totaling more than three-quarters of a million dollars ($802,678) as of September 27.

Meanwhile, the stars at Planned Parenthood have been circulating an email of their own, urging folks to sign an open letter to Sarah Palin before the debate this Thursday.

Next Stop, St. Louis!

by lawyerlylisa

First, my quick take on debate #1, from a text message exchange at 10:09ET Friday night:

Dylan: What the f!*# is happening in this debate? Has a single thing really been addressed?

Me: No, but there has been a historic “I Have a Bracelet” speech.

I am already moving on and getting excited for the next debate between the two VP candidates, which will be held about 500 feet away from my second home (the law school) on Wash U’s campus.

While I was not one of the lucky few who got tickets through the student lottery to attend the debate, it will still be a really exciting time to be on campus – despite the parking garages being closed and the really tight security in place. I will try to “live blog” from there on Thursday.

Oh! And, I’m taking suggestions: in 2004, when the debates were on campus, the Students for Choice group had t-shirts that said “The Only Bush I Trust Is My Own.” I’m trying to think of something witty and anti-Palin for Thursday…please leave any ideas in the comments!

Demand the Debate!

by juliacsmith

As of last night, more than 3,500 people had signed the petition at DemandtheDebate2008.com. Will you join us?

Update: Troy Davis Execution Stayed

by lawyerlylisa

The U.S. Supreme Court convened an emergency session and granted a stay of execution for Troy Davis, only two hours before his scheduled execution in Georgia. The stay will last until the Supreme Court decides whether or not to hear his appeal…

As a strong believer in abolishing the death penalty, I very seriously appreciate the efforts of Davis’ attorneys. To say that death penalty work is TOUGH doesn’t begin to cover it. These lawyers have my thanks tonight.

Link to earlier post.

Thank You, Sarah Palin, for Your Donation to Planned Parenthood.

by juliacsmith

Predictably (if you know my friends), I have now received the Eve Ensler “Drill, Drill, Drill” piece in four different emails, and the following several times as well:

Dear Friends,

We may have thought we wanted a woman on a national political ticket, but the joke has really been on us, hasn’t it? Are you as sick in your stomach as I am at the thought of Sarah Palin as Vice President of the United States?

Since Palin gave her speech accepting the Republican nomination for the Vice Presidency, Barack Obama’s campaign has raised over $10 million dollars. Some of you may already be supporting the Obama campaign financially; others of you may still be a little honked off over the primaries. None of you, however, can be happy with Palin’s selection, especially on her positions on women’s issues. So, if you feel you can’t support the Obama campaign financially, may I suggest the following fiendishly brilliant alternative?

Troy Davis: One Day to Live?

by juliacsmith

Tomorrow, Troy Davis is scheduled to die—six days before the United States Supreme Court is scheduled to make a decision on whether to hear his last-ditch appeal.

The New York Times says that “rushing to execute Mr. Davis on Tuesday makes no sense at all”:

No one anywhere would benefit from killing Mr. Davis on Tuesday, as opposed to waiting a week to see how the Supreme Court rules. So why the rush? The murder happened in 1989, and Mr. Davis has been on death row for 17 years. Six or seven more days will hardly matter.

Amnesty International has a ton of background and research on this page. You can listen to Troy tell his story; spread the word via text message; and send a letter to the Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles.

Photo of a rally in Paris courtesy of the Troy Anthony Davis website.

Shifting Opinions on Starbucks

by joannameng

Normally Starbucks makes me cringe a little. Their prices are too high, the names of their products (and sizes…ugh, I refuse to say tall when I mean small) are snooty and artificial, some of their attempts to seem socially conscious seem insincere, and I’m tired of seeing one on every other block. I was impressed that they offer health insurance to part-time workers. And they at least carry some fair trade coffee, even though they don’t use it in most drinks. But I usually avoid buying anything from Starbucks.

I was surprised to see a ColorLines article that actually defends Starbucks and laments its decision to close 616 of its “underperforming” stores. Kim Fellner makes some interesting points:

Break’s Over: Barack Meets Bartlet

cross-posted by lawyerlylisa

I truly loved this fictional meeting of Barack Obama and TV’s West Wing prez Jed Barlet, featured in today’s Maureen Dowd’s NYTimes column.

Please note, however, that it was guest-scripted by Aaron Sorkin. I’m normally not a fan of Maureen Dowd’s writing – if you’re wondering why, you can read her book, “Are Men Necessary?” But I wouldn’t recommend doing so, it’s a big waste of time. Most of the time, I think Dowd is a pretty sorry excuse for one of the only women voices represented on the New York Times editorial page. But today is a great exception, thanks to her inviting Aaron Sorkin to write for her, and she deserves credit for the great idea to commission him to write it.

A Second Take on “Generation Unsatisfied”

I felt pretty depressed after writing this post because of the way I concluded it. But the truth is that I think I have already begun to work myself out of that paralysis.

One part of it, for me, is developing the confidence to admit what I’m passionate about. When I was younger, I used to say that I liked every single color in the rainbow. I said that I could see the beauty in them all and loved them all. (I was a serious child.) But at one point, when I got older, I realized it was OK to put myself out there and say that red was my favorite color. Because I was really always drawn to red.

Republicans Race to the Middle in Missouri

by lawyerlylisa

I live in the great “key swing state” of Missouri, and today, while listening to the radio in the car, something about this McCain ad made me want to vomit, and also jump for joy.

The ad is posted below, but the message, essentially, is: “STEM CELLS = the future of health care and mavericks like John McCain will save people’s lives by supporting more research if you vote for him for president.” You should take a listen…I think they say STEM CELLS four times and don’t bother mentioning any other health care policy priorities.