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NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia has announced that all three contenders for the opportunity to run as the Democratic  candidate for the 29th Virginia Senate seat are 100% pro-choice.

That is good news.  Those nasty TRAP laws that keep popping up (Remember Ken Cuccinelli’s diabolical building code intrusions?) came into being because of a vote from the current senator from the 29th.  Virginia Democrats want to make sure those ridiculous parking lot rules aren’t used to stomp out reproductive rights for the women of Virginia.

Having three well-qualified candidates presents another problem.   I have had a very difficult time deciding who gets my vote on June 9.  All 3 candidates are strong.  All have worked hard for my vote.  The real question becomes which candidate has the best chance of beating Republican challenger Hal Parrish who has lost the pro-choice votes in the 29th by casting a tie-breaker vote for very restrictive zoning rules within the City of Manasssas.  His vote would restrict future reproductive care within the City of Manassas.

Pro-choice Virginians will not forget about Parrish’s indiscretion when he recently sided with anti-choice agitators who have been determined to remove choice from within the city limits.  The women of Virginia are capable of making their own morally appropriate decisions without help from far right religious zealotry intruding into local government.  According to insidenova.com:

Against a backdrop of election-year politics, the Manassas City Council moved this week to enact new hurdles for hospitals, outpatient surgery centers and women’s health clinics that want to expand or open new facilities within the city limits.

Residents on both sides of the abortion debate packed the Manassas City Hall chambers April 27 to watch the council update its 69-year-old zoning ordinance to include new rules for “medical care facilities,” which will likely require special use permits to locate anywhere in the city.

Introducing the measure, Mayor Harry J. “Hal” Parrish II sought to frame the issue as “reasonable land-use regulations” intended to allow the council to consider things like parking lot size, hours of operation and access for emergency vehicles before approving the permits, which are also subject to public hearings

Parrish, who is the GOP nominee in the hotly contested race to replace retiring Sen. Charles J. Colgan, cast the tie-breaking vote on the issue, joining fellow Republicans Marc Aveni, Vice Mayor Jonathan Way and Councilman Ian Lovejoy in supporting the changes.

Republican Council Members Mark Wolfe and Sheryl Bass joined the panel’s only Democrat, Ken Elston, in opposing the measure. A second reading and vote on the zoning ordinance is scheduled for May 11.

All three of the Democrats competing in the upcoming June 9 primary to run against Parrish in November – Del. Michael Futrell, 2nd, Atif Qarni and Jeremy McPike — were present for the vote and quick to criticize Parrish’s decision.

“He’s created this façade that he’s moderate and he really isn’t,” Qarni said. “And this vote is just an example of that.”

The zoning overhaul was initiated more than a year ago when Aveni first proposed that the city change its zoning rules to require new or relocating women’s health clinics to obtain a special use permit because of the impacts they pose to their neighbors.

This state senate  election will be an important one for Virginians.   Senatorial wanna-be Parrish has sent a clear signal that he is  not the moderate that he purports to be.  Any of the three Democratic candidates for the 29th can be trusted to support women’s reproductive rights.  Sources have told me that he is quite smug about his chances of winning and that he doesn’t feel his tie-breaking vote will have any impact on his bid for the state senate seat.  Ha!  Don’t count those chickens before they hatch, Mr. Parrish!

The question now is which one of these men win against Hal Parrish.

Remember to vote in the June 9th Democratic primary.

29 Thoughts to “Democrats vie for opportunity to run for the 29th”

  1. Furby McPhee

    I am having similar problems deciding who to support between Michael Futrell and Atif Qarni. Jeremy McPike is out because we need more PoC. But I don’t know how to choose between Michael Futrell who is African American and Atif Qarni who is of Middle Eastern ancestry.

    Do you know if either of them is gay or trans*? If both are cisgender, then I guess it would need to be Atif Qarni, because having someone who is most likely a Muslim is more diverse than an African American Christian. But Atif Qarni was part of the imperialist occupation in Iraq, and I’m not sure I can support someone like that.

    Where’s a good lesbian WoC when you need her? That would make the choice easy.

    (I said her because I assumed the candidate would be cis. Forgive me. I’m still learning to adapt and old habits die hard. I would of course use the preferred pronoun of the candidate)

  2. Pat.Herve

    Furby – you are not funny, just sayin’.

  3. blue

    What does 100% “pro choice mean? Are we talking debate within the 1st trimester or an advocate of unrestricted termination of the unborn human in the name of reproduction rights?

    1. It means that they answered the questions to suit NARAL. NARAL pretty much adheres to the provisions outlined in Roe v. Wade. No, they don’t support unrestricted termination of the unborn human. Neither does Roe v. Wade.

      BTW, Blue, this new federal restriction of abortion bill after 20 weeks pretty much leaves parents hanging if there is fetal anomaly. Talking about forcing expenses on parents without their permission.

  4. Furby McPhee

    Pat,

    I’m glad you didn’t find it funny, because I wasn’ t trying to be funny. I’ve had a political conversion and now consider myself to be a socially liberal independent.

    What is wrong with seeking out diverse candidates once certain political litmus tests are met, like being 100% pro choice? Are you saying we shouldn’t choose candidates based on race, sex, gender, etc? I want under-represented groups to finally get a chance to participate in society. Why are you against that? There have been plenty of white men in the Virginia senate already it’s time for some new voices to be heard!

    blue, 100% pro choice should be that abortion is legal whenever the woman wants to have one. We should repeal any law that says what a woman can or can’t do with her body!

  5. Steve Thomas

    @blue
    “What does 100% “pro choice mean?”

    It means they support abortion through the 4th trimester.

    Oh, and all three are full-on anti-Second Amendment. I’ve been getting their mailers, and have researched their positions. Full of lies and distortions like this:

    -Support Universal Background checks for internet gun sales, to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and doemstic abusers. (Whippdy Freakin’Doo and here’s why)

    Truth: ALL…every single…100% of internet gunsales go through a NICS Background check. This ain’t like ordering off Amazon. The seller is a Federally Licensed dealer, and will only ship to another Federally Licensed Dealer. The receiving Federally Licensed Dealer MUST have both the Federal AND VA state forms filled out by the purchaser, plus two forms of government issued ID, AND run a NICS check through the Virginia State Police, prior to releasing the firearm to the purchaser.

    All three are throwing out the approved, focus-group’d newspeak, so they can get that fat DavidBloombergEverytownforgunsafety money.

    Oh, and Jeremy McPickel has a bit of a scandal on his hands…according to his opponents. He’s fond of illegal retaliation against those protected under Whistleblower Shield Laws….Hope he wins the nomination.

  6. Steve Thomas

    @Furby McPhee
    “I’m glad you didn’t find it funny, because I wasn’ t trying to be funny. I’ve had a political conversion and now consider myself to be a socially liberal independent.”

    I found both your orginal, and the above-quoted comments “soda through the nose” funny. Guess I have some soul-searching to do. NAW! Who am I kidding? Ain’t gonna happen.

  7. Jackson Bills

    100% pro-choice means that they support partial birth abortion just like President Obama. Doubt me, just ask any of them and see how they respond.

    1. There is really no such thing as “partial birth abortion”. That is an emotional term used to stir people up. You tell me what you think partial birth abortion means.

      I already told you what 100% pro choice means. Why would you contradict me?

  8. Lyssa

    So how many people are single agenda voters? Works badly from each perspective.

    1. Lots more people than you think are single issue voters.

  9. Lyssa

    I’m sure there are more than I want to believe. Everything has been dumbed down….cloth napkins need a comeback.

    1. There are indicators. With 99% of the candidates, if I know how you would vote on a couple issues, it tells me how you would vote on 100 other issues. It really isn’t a single issue. Its more of a filter.

      Exception–Senator Colgan. His anti-choice vote was an anomaly for many years.. This last session he has turned more Republican.

  10. ElGuapo

    I got two nasty mailers in a row attacking another candidate from Qarni. I threw both in the trash along with any chance my family or I would vote for him.

    I want to hear what he stands for, not below the belt attacks on his running mates.

    1. I got a nasty gram on McPike that didn’t even make sense from some group. I pitched it.

      I thought most of mail, and there has been a lot of it, had been positive and dealing with issues until I saw that mailer.

  11. Furby McPhee

    @Steve Thomas
    Steve,

    You’d better reconsider that soul-searching. We now live in a world where software watches social media and publicly ‘educates’ you when you use unacceptable language, such as misgendering a trans* person. (Like the brave and courageous national hero, Caitlyn Jenner) People can lose their jobs over unacceptable language or supporting the an unacceptable political position (such as opposition to marriage equality)

    Meanwhile members of Congress are advocating criminal racketeering investigations against people who fund the wrong kind of scientific research. (ie. studies that support climate change deniers)

    I’m sure some people still think I’m joking, but I’ve seen the light. My old political views were not just wrong, they were dangerous. Dangerous to society, but even more dangerous to me.

    1. Furby, at one time in my life I feel certain my mailman thought I was a member of the communist party I had so many left wing groups contacting me (be careful what petitions you sign)

      Nothing happened to me.

      On the other hand, its pretty stupid to go to work and express your political opinions, regardless of what they are. Unless your line of work deals with politics, why would anyone care?

  12. blue

    @Furby McPhee

    Well its about time Furby, but you are still on the watch list.

  13. Ray Beverage

    @Moon-howler
    Actually, Moon, there is such a thing as a Partial Birth Abortion (medical term is intact dilation & extraction). It is prohibited in the US under the 2003 Law “Partial-Birth Abortion Act”.

    1. Ray, there is no medical “partial birth abortion.” You are correct, it is medically a D&x. “Partial birth” is an emotionally charged expression created for that purpose. It conveys a much different meaning and image than the actual procedure. It was just another way to restrict 2nd trimester abortions.

      The key word here is extraction. Outlawing D&x procedures did nothing to change the number of 2nd trimester abortions (probably 8%). It just took up a lot of time.

  14. Furby McPhee

    @blue
    I understand. I’ve only read part of a People’s History of the US and I haven’t even started Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century. But I read the wikipedia page on it. I’ve got both of them in physical books though so people can see I’m working on them though. Any other must reads you’d recommend?

    I didn’t really watch Faux News before, but I set my cable box to skip the channel when I’m channel surfing so the only thing I’ll hear about them is through Media Matters. I’ve set my DVR to record the Daily Show and will use them for my main source for current event news other than Facebook and what else I read on the Internet.

  15. blue

    @Furby McPhee
    Good start, well done. I myself have set my DVR to be sure that Shultz and MSNBC are in my record and have subscribed to Time. I am also making a donation to Bernie Sanders so that I can mount a strong defense when the Progressive PC Police file for lack of patriotism or require attendance at a re-education facility.

    Piketty should be required reading as he sets the stage for and advances a new round of predjudices, arguing against the concentration of capital in the name of equalitarianism, much as western societies did against the Rothchilds and others in the mid 19th to mid 20th centuries. History like fashion repeats itself, but then I repeat myself.

  16. Emma

    Moon, you are correct that “partial-birth abortion” is not a medical term. However, the cervix is either mechanically or chemically dilated, the fetus is rotated into a breech position, and only the head remains in utero while the surgeon snips the base of the baby’s skull and aspirates the baby’s brain. It was done this way because removing a live baby totally from the mother would obviously result in a charge of murder. So while the term “partial birth abortion” is politically charged, it’s a fairly accurate representation of the procedure.

    1. Speaking of politically charged….

      Most of the D&X procedures were done second trimester. Actually the reason that procedure was adopted was because it was less physically stressful to the woman. I don’t think “murder” ever came up, legally. You might want to check out how 2nd trimesters are performed now. The end result is the same.

      Let’s face it, no one ever said abortion was a pretty business.

  17. Furby McPhee

    @Moon-howler
    On the political expression at work issue:
    I was actually referring to Brendan Eich, the CEO of Mozilla that was fired after it was revealed that he donated money (personally, not company money) to a group supporting Prop 8 (A ban on same sex marriage) in California. He donated $1000. Donations are supposed to be secret but the list of Prop 8 donations was illegally leaked.

    After word of his became public, there was a boycott of Mozilla, including by some websites (like OKCupid) Users trying to visit the site with Firefox were sent to a page explaining that the site was not available to them because they were using a web browser written by a company who’s CEO donated $1000 to a group opposed to same sex marriage. (Prop 8 passed but was eventually overturned by the court.) The boycott worked: Eich was asked to step down by Mozilla’s board.

    That’s a big part of why I’ve now joined the Left. Call me a sellout if you must, but none of my former political beliefs are worth ruining my livelihood over. So I have renounced all of them and joined the Left with the zeal of a new convert.

    An least maybe that will convince some that I’m not trolling and that my conversion to the Left is legitimate.

    1. I am looking askance at your efforts to convince us.

      However, that is simply the political reality of doing business in America and it works both ways. Do I think it should work like that? No. I think people ought to be able to feel how they want to feel. However, there are consequences to one’s actions, I guess.

      Of course, we will never know if Eick was forced out over that for real or if they were just looking for an excuse. Look at the boycotts on Chick Fil A.

      Maybe the fault is with Mozilla for caving. Perhaps I would respect them more if they said he was a private individual and he could give his money to whoever he wanted to give it to.

      Remember proctor and Gamble had a boycott against them because a bunch of nut wings thought they saw the sign of Satan in the logo? same thing.

  18. Furby McPhee

    @Moon-howler
    Can you cite a case similar to Brendan Eich for the other side? (ie. where somebody on the Left has been fired for their private political activities when they were working for a nonpolitical company) I’m not saying it’s never happened, but I’ve never heard of it. I’d genuinely be curious to hear about one.

    1. Let me think on it for a while. I just had a huge sneezing fit. I cant think after that.

  19. Furby McPhee

    Gesundheit!

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