Fimian, Pharmacies and Birth Control

MoonHowler

For the past several days I have been seeing and hearing a Gerry Connolly campaign commercial that paints Candidate Keith Fimian as an extremist.  Most campaign ads are background noise to me so it went in one ear and out the other.  Besides, most campaign ads are full of hyperbole and exaggeration.  Then I perked up my ears.  The ad said that Fimian supported the rights of pharmacists to not dispense contraception.  Now THAT IS extremist. 

I have tried researching this allegation, without much luck.  I even went to the  Legatuswebsite.  Fimian is a member of Legatus, which is a Catholic organization, founded by Dominos Pizza Magnet Tom Monaghan for very wealthy Catholic business folks and their spouses.  I didn’t find out much there either.  Maybe it’s me.  However, I haven’t heard anything which disputes this claim.  This makes me nervous. 

There has been somewhat of an uproar the past several years about pharmacists with religious objections being forced to dispense contraception, in particular, the morning after pill.  NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia  has this to say:

In addition to lack of contraceptive equity, Virginia’s so-called “conscience clause” allows pharmacists to decide which prescriptions they will and will not provide. This means that a pharmacist could legally refuse to fill a doctor’s prescription for birth control or stock or distribute emergency contraception. Since when do pharmacists get to step inside the doctor-patient relationship and refuse to fill necessary prescriptions?

 

Conscience Clause?  Where did that come from?  Someone slipped that one by me.  The more I google, the more I unearth and the angrier I get.  This thread needs to be a work in progress.  First of all, anyone who has knowledge of Fimian’s position on allowing pharmacists to cherry pick what prescriptions they will fill, please let us know.  I don’t have a bone to pick with private pharmacies who post, in clear view on their door that they do not sell or dispense contraception.  However, other stores open to the public without disclaimers should really not be involved in type of exclusionary behavior.  I consider it equivalent to the Muslim cab driver who wouldn’t let bottles of liquor in his cab.  Find another job. 

Secondly, what kinds of legislation have been passed that allow ‘conscience clauses and require pharmacist counselling?  How offensive.  If one works for a pharmacy, the job is to fill prescriptions, not chime in with a moral opinion.  If that is an issue, go work for a private religious hospital or pharmacy. 

I would especially welcome and appreciate word from the Fimian campaign that this information is indeed false.  This is the year 2010, in the United States of America.  Griswald was decided 45 years ago. 

 

 

 

 

Democrats and Fimian Spar over Legatus

MoonHowler

Today’s News and Messenger reports that the local Democrats have called out Keith Fimian over his membership in Legatus, which Democrats believe is an extreme right wing group. According to News and Messenger:

Prince William County, Va. – Democrats are again calling out Keith Fimian for his affiliation with the Catholic group Legatus, which they consider a radical right-wing organization.

Democrats initially brought up the issue in 2008 when Fimian, a Republican, first ran against Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly, a Democrat serving his first term in the 11th Congressional District.

The Fimian campaign says it’s all nonsense.

Legatus describes itself on its website as an organization for top-ranking Catholic business leaders.

“The organization offers a unique support network of like-minded Catholics who influence the world marketplace and have the ability to practice and infuse their faith in the daily lives and workplaces of their family, friends, colleagues and employees,” the website stated.

Democrats say Fimian’s comments during the 2008 campaign for the 11th Congressional District describing the group as a “social club” were off the mark.

“For two years, Keith Fimian has tried to claim that he wasn’t involved in a radical political organization but rather was just a member of a social club in order to deny his right-wing extremist anti-choice views,” said Pete Frisbie, chairman of the Prince William County Democratic Committee. “But now it turns out that his involvement in this radical group was entirely political and proves that Keith Fimian not only has radical extremist views, but he can’t even tell the truth about them.”

According to the Federal Election Commission, Fimian used congressional campaign funds in 2008 to pay a Legatus conference fee. Democrats say that implies that he was conducting official business with the organization.

Fimian’s campaign manager, Tim Edson, said paying a fee didn’t constitute conducting business with a given group.

Did I read that correctly? Fimian used campaign funds to pay Legatus conference fees? That sure doesn’t seem right. What exactly is Legatus? How does it differ from Opus Dei? I know Legatus was founded by Tom Monaghan, former owner and founder of Domino Pizza. He gave huge amounts of money to organizations I disapproved of like Operation Rescue. I also got the impression that unless you are very wealthy, you don’t get in to Legatus.  Check out membership requirements below.  So much for the eye of the needle concept.  The eye of the needle must have grown.

 

Let’s hear what they have to say about themselves.

Perhaps our readers will enlighten us as to what Legatus really is. Why is membership in this organization important enough to warrant attention from the Democrats as well as a first page story? Inquiring minds want to know….

Additional Sources:

D. C. Examiner

Legatus

NeilJConway.com

GOP Dust up in the 11th

MoonHowler

The GOP dust up in the 11th congressional district threatens to leave silt everywhere.  The 2 candidates, Keith Fimian and Pat Herrity are duking it out.  The winner will take on the one term incumbent, Gerry Connolly.  Connolly is a former Fairfax county supervisor.

The lastest saga of the dust up is over Fimian’s college past at William and Mary.  Apparently he was involved in a dorm water fight that went awry and he was arrested and convicted of assault.  This 35 year old incident has now become part of the political arsenal.  Readers should be reminded of the former Delegate Paul Nichols run- in with the law as a passenger in a car in North Carolina and its ensuing impact on his re-election.  Its just what happens around here.  According to the News and Messenger:

Fimian was convicted of assault in 1976 while a student at the College of William & Mary, according to the circuit court clerk’s office for Williamsburg and James City County.

He was sentenced to 30 days in jail with all but seven days suspended, and fined $200.

Fimian doesn’t dispute the details of the incident. But he accused Herrity of trying to use it to smear him.

“Now he is faxing around court documents about a college incident in 1975—35 years ago,” the Fimian campaign said in a statement Friday, though word of the assault was provided to the News & Messenger anonymously. “Herrity has surrendered his personal integrity.”

The Fimian campaign’s statement said that when Fimian was a freshman, a “dorm water fight spun out of control” and Fimian “injured another male student.”

“Keith Fimian was wrong and remains sorry that it occurred,” the statement said. “Keith Fimian has apologized to the other person in the fight and regrets it to this day.”

The Fimian camp also said that Herrity is down in the polls, and that his campaign is “spinning into a disaster.”

Someone should have warned Fimian that is just what Republicans in this area do to get each other.

The local blogs are rife with attacks on 50th state district Jackson Miller for supporting Pat Herrity.  Other politicians out of Prince William are also supporting Mr. Herrity.  It seems to me that this would be their right to support who they choose.  Somehow the Fimian/Herrity race  is  being tied in to the immigration issue in Centreville.  Strange that Jackson Miller is being singled out by name.  He won’t even be up for re-election for another year and a half.

Why is a proposed Centreville Day Labor site being turned in to a political incident?  Haven’t people learned by now that politicians will find a way to exploit the immigration  issue any way they can? That ship has sailed in our area.  The citizens of Northern Virginia are concerned about jobs, transportation, education and protecting their environment.  Northern Virginians  are too smart to be taken in by a subject over which they have found they have little control at the local level.

Attempts by a few to drag Jackson Miller down will not work either.  He is far beyond being dragged down by an immigration issue feebly  tied to Pat Herrity.  Jackson has become a Manassas icon, a favorite son so to speak.  Fortunately, Mr. Miller is seen as representing all the people, just not a few uber-cons.  That’s as it should be.

The primary election is being held this Tueday in the 11th district for the Republican seat.  There are no Democrat primaries in the state.  Their dust ups are all being  handled in convention.   A reminder that all registered voters can vote in primary elections regardless of party.

There is some talk of democrats voting for Fimian.  He is seen as less mainstream, more closely tied to the far right, and frankly, easier to beat in a general election, especially one that takes in a large part of Fairfax County.  Light voter turn out is expected.

[UPDATE:  Additional information at Not Larry Sabato regarding Candidate Keith Fimian.  What Poor Richard did not tell us was that this candidate has been accused of violence and dishonesty by a former business partner.  I would consider this a very critical read if I lived in the 11th Congressional District]