A progressive political blog that highlights the infringement of religion upon today’s government.

Jim Slattery has officially launched his campaign to seek the US Senate position currently occupied by Republican Pat Roberts. I feel really good about Jim Slattery. He has a good record and strong support here in Kansas and I strongly believe that he has a chance to beat Roberts. It has been a long time since Kansas sent a Democratic Senator and now is absolutely the right time to do so.

Important Links

• Slattery’s Campaign Website
• Slattery’s ActBlue Page (psst! … Make a donation)
• Jim Slattery’s Facebook
• Jim Slattery on Myspace
• Jim Slattery on YouTube

If you live in Kansas and can I highly suggest that everyone donate time and/or money to this campaign. Slattery is already off to a very strong start in contributions but it will take more than that to beat Roberts. I will try to keep this website updated as much as possible on the campaign.

William ~ WWJV4.com

Dale and Leilani Neumann, the parents who prayed over their 11 year old daughter while she died from untreated diabetes, will be charged with second-degree reckless homicide. This ends the speculation on how the tragic and easily prevented death would be handled. Second-degree reckless homicide carries a maximum sentence of 25 years though I would expect that even if convicted the sentence will be reduced.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out but I made my feelings clear earlier this month when I stated that these parents are as much responsible for their daughter’s death as the woman who stabbed her “possessed child”. Regardless of the intent, both little girls are dead due to the actions of their parents.

I wrote this morning about the hidden dangers of homeopathy. Faith based healing is another issue that can sound harmless on the surface yet really results in great damage. The death of Madeline Neumann is hardly unique. There are many other children who have died in the recent years due to their parents’ religion.

On March 2nd Ava Worthington, a 15 month old infant, died of an easily treated infection. Her parents have also been charged with manslaughter and criminal mistreatment. Ava and Madeline are only two of the most recent deaths caused by fundamentalist beliefs.

While I would never support any restrictions on freedom of/from religion it is important that we hold those who allow the deaths of children accountable. It is good that Madeline’s parents are facing charges. Hopefully this case will cause others to think twice before they allow their children to die.

William ~ WWJV4.com

A judge has Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline’s request for the private medical records from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Phill Kline has been on a religious crusade against Planned Parenthood in Kansas in an effort to prevent abortion access. In his crusade Phill Kline has trampled over the privacy rights of countless women in a fruitless chase for any evidence of wrongdoing.

This was a good ruling that reinforces women’s right to privacy. I wish it was going to be enough to remind Phill Kline that he has an actual job to do other than pursuing his personal vendetta against abortion providers. I would think that after failing to indict Planned Parenthood the taxpayers of Johnson County would have reminded him of that. Guess not.

William ~ WWJV4.com

In a 6-3 ruling (Breyer, Ginsburg and Souter dissenting) the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an Illinois (doh) Indiana law that requires photo ID to vote. This law was pushed by Republicans who claim that it will prevent fraud. There is little evidence that this is true but one thing that is not disputed is that those who will be affected by this law (minorities, the elderly, and the poor) are overwhelmingly Democratic.

I don’t buy that the Republicans are just concerned about voter fraud considering their history the past two elections in Ohio and Florida. I say that this is just another version of the Poll Taxes that were used so effectively to prevent minorities and the elderly from voting in the past.

My primary concern with these types of laws are a little different than most. I strongly feel that any American who makes the decision to abstain from getting a state ID has the right to do so. If they feel that their privacy or freedom from the government is worth the hassle then the government should not be able to restrict them from their basic rights. And Yes voting is a basic right.

William ~ WWJV4.com

copyright © 2007-2008, Rudis Muiznieks

Normally on Mondays I try to post a few funny things to make everyones worst day at work or school a little easier to deal with. Today I thought I would try something different and concentrate on a funny yet important subject, Homeopathy. For most rational people homeopathy is an easy subject to laugh at. Sadly though the misplaced belief in these superstitious “remedies” has many dire consequences that are often overlooked.

For those unfamiliar with homeopathy here is a short summery. Homeopathy is based upon the theories of Samuel Hahnemann who believed that disease and sickness were caused by imbalances in the body. Whats more he believed that these imbalances could be cured by taking microscopic quantities of minerals, herbs, and other bizarre substances. For a good overview I strongly suggest this article “Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake“.

It is important to remember that homeopathic remedies have never been proven more effective than placebos. However homeopaths are quick to defend their beliefs by saying that their remedies have special magical attributes that prevent them from being tested scientifically. If this defense sounds familiar its the same as the one used for intelligent design. For an excellent overview of the science behind homeopathy I strongly recommend Ben Goldacre’s “The End of Homeopathy“.

Skepchick ran a series on Homeopathy a few weeks back during Homeopathy Awareness Week. I read every one but since we don’t normally cover superstitious nonsense never brought it up here. However if you have time to read them they are very good.

• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #1
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #2
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #3
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #4
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #5
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #6
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #7