And Now, A Word on Those Who Didn't Even Show Up

Last night, the main attraction... Wait, scratch that. The NV-03 debate was the only debate at Ner Tamid Synagogue in Henderson. For some reason, the other candidates backed out of the candidates' debate.

Hmmmm, we wonder why...

Yep, this happened. pic.twitter.com/PatJmWufEh

— Andrew Davey (@atdleft) October 21, 2014

So Ralston was left having a live "Face to Face" chat with Lt. Governor candidate Lucy Flores (D). During their chat in stage, Flores had the opportunity to speak directly to voters on why she's running for this office and what's the truth to all the TV ads they've been seeing lately. And yes, she actually took it.

Flores explained to Ralston and the audience how she can use the Lt. Governor's Office as a platform to pursue progress on a host of issues. She promised to work for better support for public education if elected. And she promised to ensure that efforts to bring more business to Nevada actually employ Nevada businesses.

Let's try this again. @LucyFlores w/ supporters after her opponent was no show. #DebateTime #Vegas #NVGov #lf4lg pic.twitter.com/jnGeC181eL

— Andrew Davey (@atdleft) October 21, 2014

Ralston was probably hoping for at least some of the fireworks that exploded at Vegas PBS studios last week, but that didn't happen here. Nope, Mark Hutchison (R) was nowhere to be found.

And the same could be said about Clark County Sheriff candidate Joe Lombardo. He also backed out of the Ner Tamid debate. But why? Especially why would the "frontrunner" who likes to boast of his "superior qualifications" back out of a chance to directly show voters his "superior qualifications"?

So Ralston was left to interview Larry Burns solo. He answered a couple questions, somewhat evaded Ralston's final question, then stayed after Ralston left to speak directly with voters.

@BurnsForSheriff @ Ner Tamid, but no debate b/c opponent didn't show up. #Vegas #LVSheriff pic.twitter.com/mLkp00HH4G

— Andrew Davey (@atdleft) October 21, 2014

Can anyone guess the pet peeve that's irritating us today? At least Rep. Joe Heck (R) and Erin Bilbray (D) showed up to debate each other. Why couldn't Mark Hutchison and Joe Lombardo extend the same courtesy to Mr. Ralston, Ner Tamid, and local voters?

And don't get us started on the certain State Senator who was more than happy to saunter across the Ner Tamid stage in 2010, only to go into hiding now. We know exactly what he's up to. He can't stay in hiding forever.

Happy Marriage Equality Day, Nevada!

It's here! It's finally here! It's finally happening.

Washoe and Clark Counties are now good to go. Carson City was actually first to the marriage equality party, as the County Clerk there decided not to wait for Judge Mahan's order. But once that injunction order hit the Twitter wires, everyone else quickly hopped on board the Equality Express.

Here's the official Freedom Nevada statement on today's joyous news.

“Today is a day for the history books. The freedom to marry has come to Nevada, and soon across our great state, loving same-sex couples will at long last share in the respect and dignity only marriage can provide,” said [State Director Ward] Curtin.



“From this day forward, marriage equality will strengthen our families, strengthen our communities and make Nevada a better place to live and work.”



“We are forever grateful for the incredible legal team at Lambda Legal and the brave plaintiff couples who put their families front and center in this historic fight. Without their heroic efforts, today’s victory would not have been possible.”

And here's Lt. Governor candidate Lucy Flores (D) on tonight's most pleasant (not really a) surprise.

“My sincere congratulations to my good friends Kelvin and Woody,” Assemblywoman Flores said in her official statement. “This is a great day for the LGBTQ community in Nevada. Allowing people to marry who they love is fundamentally the right thing to do. Very soon all Nevadans will be able to experience the legal rights that come with full marriage.”



“It is unfortunate that my opponent does not support equal rights,” she continued – referring to Sen. Mark Hutchison, the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor.

Here's what Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) tweeted:

#MarriageEquality finally! Congratulations to the couples getting married! #Nevada is on the right side of history! #NVproud #LGBT

Oh, and according to KSNV/News 3's Reed Cowan, State Senator Kelvin Atkinson (D-North Las Vegas) is now married! Congrats to Kelvin & Woody!

Consider this an open thread. We may update later if more major news breaks. Otherwise, we'll have a clean summary of the big break tomorrow morning.

Happy Marriage Equality Day, Nevada!

Something Different

Ever since her arrival in Carson City, she's been making waves. And now, she's ready to bring a tsunami into the Lieutenant Governor's Office.

Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) knows she's doing something different. She's represented a minority-majority inner city district since 2011. She hasn't been afraid to take on issues like sex education, LGBTQ civil rights, mental health care, public school funding, and even medical marijuana (along with the legislative process). Clearly, she's not following "standard operating procedure" on "how to succeed on the Nevada political scene".



Yet now, Lucy Flores is running for Lt. Governor. She's running to provide a different perspective. She's running to represent those who often aren't even heard in Carson City.

Last weekend at the Nevada State Democratic Party Convention in Reno, Lucy Flores explained why she's running and why she's not afraid to offer something different to the table.



We know this whole race has turned out to be something quite different. With the "official top of the ticket" not being contested, the Lt. Governor race has become the "de facto top of the ticket". And even though the Lieutenant Governor's Office may not seem important at first glance, this year's election has turned into a different kind of choice.



But then again, is it all that different of a choice? There's Lucy Flores, someone who has overcome multiple life challenges and knows the challenges working class Nevada families face. And then, there's this.

Lucy Flores is offering something different this fall. And this Lt. Governor race should keep things interesting this year.

It's the Field, Stupid

There's a strip mall on Eastern Avenue, near Sunset Park and a short drive away from the back end of Las Vegas' McCarran Airport. It doesn't look all that special at first glance. There's a grocery store. There are a few restaurants. And there are furniture stores.

But take a closer look. There's a new office that just opened there. And that office may very well make an impact on this fall's election results.

Those who have been reading this blog for a while have become quite familiar with the story of how Nevada Democrats win elections. And for those who haven't, here's a helpful hint: It's the field, stupid!









The Nevada State Democratic Party (NSDP) has become such a potent force in this state's politics because it's spent several election cycles building a reputation on field. And it has no plans to let it slide this cycle. So last Friday, over 300 grassroots Democrats came over to the new NSDP field office on Eastern... And caught a first glance of what lies ahead this year.

And they weren't the only ones taking in the scenery. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) took some time out of his busy weekend schedule to stop by the new field office and greet a bunch of soon-to-be campaign volunteers.



So did Assembly Member & Lt. Governor candidate Lucy Flores (D). She came by to fire up the crowd and remind them of what's at stake this fall.



Shortly after, it was NV-03 candidate Erin Bilbray's turn at the podium. She talked about her history HERstory with Eastern Avenue, then made a contrast between her Nevada values and what her opponent, incumbent Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson), seems to value.



Her father, Former Rep. James Bilbray (D-Las Vegas), joined her, along with her mother, her husband, her children, other family members... And over 300 local grassroots Democratic activists. It was one large family affair.









And this probably won't be the last large family affair in this office in the strip mall on Eastern Avenue. In fact, this is only just the beginning. With so much at stake up & down the ballot this fall, Nevada Democrats don't want to leave anything to mere luck. Luck alone doesn't win elections.

So what does? Look above. Look back. And keep an eye going forward. It's the field, stupid.

Ours to Make

Let's just get this out of the way now: Outgoing Assembly Member & current Lt. Governor candidate Lucy Flores (D) kicked @ss on "Ralston Reports" last night. She drove the narrative. She generally answered Ralston's questions in the best way possible. And she came off far more polished than the two other candidates running in the other major party's primary for this race.

Yet with all this being said, there was one moment that gave many progressives at least a little heartburn. Of course, that was when Lucy Flores proposed an alternative to The Education Initiative (TEI). She said she has problems with TEI...

And she's not alone. Many state legislators do. Yet when it was in the Legislature last year, none of them proposed an alternative... Until it was too late. And even then, that supposed alternative was still very half-baked.

So now, the choice is this: TEI or nothing. And the choice is not Lucy Flores' to make for us. In fact, the choice is no longer in any one legislator's hands. It's now in our hands. The choice is now ours to make.

For years, this issue has been studied. Eventually, it became studied to death. We know our schools are "grossly underfunded". We know our business climate does suffer due to our gross underfunding of public education. We know our 19th century tax system is in dire need of 21st century reforms. And we know our Legislature has dragged its feet on tax reform for far too long, as it's only succeeded in delivering broken promises of reform.

This is why TEI happened. And this is why TEI will be on our ballot this fall. After seeing the same cycle of FAIL spin around for far too long, many thousands of Nevada citizens decided enough was enough. These citizens decided to break the cycle of #NVLeg #nved #FAIL by turning the decision of tax reform to "We the People" to make.

We're sick & tired of too late & half-baked alleged "alternatives". We're sick & tired of absurd straw men standing in the way of reform. And we're sick & tired of the long string of broken promises from Carson City. We're sick & tired of waiting for reform. TEI is now here, and it's the only tangible option for real reform now.

While we understand why Lucy Flores, Jon Ralston, and various other politicians & pundits have problems with TEI, we also recognize that the decision of long awaited & badly needed tax reform is no longer solely theirs to make. It's now ours to make. It's either TEI or nothing, and that decision will be made by all of us later this year.

No Means No

It isn't new, far from it. We've seen it happen time and time again. And we're seeing even more of it now.

We saw it happen to Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) last year. We saw it happen to Sandra Fluke two years ago. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) went there last month. And Wall Street Journal columnist James Toranto is going there today.

Working off a piece in the New York Times, Taranto highlighted an incident last year at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where a young man named Matt Martel prevented his intoxicated male friend from sleeping with a drunk female student. The young woman thanked Martel the next day, which apparently left Taranto baffled.

Taranto just doesn't think men and women — physical disparities, be damned — should be treated differently in such cases if both parties are drunk.

Taranto is a reliable soldier in what he's called the "war on men." He wrote last June that Democrats such as Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) were trying to "criminalize male sexuality" in their efforts to eliminate sexual assault from the military. McCaskill promptly shot back at Taranto's "bizarre and deeply out of touch understanding of sexual assault."

Except that James Toranto does believe men should be treated differently. He obviously doesn't support efforts to "criminalize male sexuality". And as long as a woman is also drunk, a drunk man has free reign to "do what he wants" with those "blurred lines".

Once again, we're seeing how slut shaming is used to silence those who criticize Rape Culture and its pernicious infiltration into mainstream culture. "Oh, but she wanted it! She was drunk. And she was probably scantily clad as well. And she likely has sex with lots of men all the time. She wanted it, so how dare she complain!"

Here's an easy rule of thumb when it comes to determining rape: No means no. If someone has not provided consent, then forcing oneself onto that person is rape. It's really that simple.

This is why it's incredibly difficult to take seriously those G-O-TEA politicians when they claim there's no War on Women. Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has even gone as far as claim Democrats have a "woman problem". And why's that? Oh, he's rehashing then President Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky. No, we're not even kidding.

Never mind the G-O-TEA's obsession with "legitimate rape". Never mind their campaign to kill the Violence Against Women Act. And never mind the ongoing G-O-TEA attacks on women's reproductive health care. No, the real threat to American women is Hillary Clinton, her husband, and the affair she drove him into committing nearly two decades ago. (Obviously, we're kidding here. #snark)

Today, James Toranto and Rand Paul reminded us that the War on Women still rages on. According to their army of G-O-TEA Culture Warriors, consensual extramarital sex threatens to destroy the world... But rape "isn't really rape" if both parties are drunk. They've yet to understand that at the end of the day, no means no.

The Meaning of Public Service

Earlier this week, we were discussing the ongoing plague of sexism in our society and our politics. Even now, some are still trying to justify misogyny as "morality", "art", "conviction", "fun", or something else. And it's having a strong influence on the major policy fights of our time.

This past spring, Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) had to confront this head on. After she testified on comprehensive sex-ed legislation and shared her personal experience on the matter, she was confronted with horrific death threats and disgusting "slut shaming" from the state’s largest "newspaper" and its 21st Century Know Nothing allies. Despite these personal attacks, Assembly Member Flores continued to speak out and aid efforts to pass the sex-ed bill. The bill (AB 230) ultimately passed the Assembly, but died a rather mysterious death in the State Senate.

Yet since that fight, Lucy Flores has gained an even higher profile than the one she had before the 77th session (and that was already pretty high). In fact, it's now so high that there's a grassroots #WhyNotLucy campaign to draft #FierceFlores to run for Lieutenant Governor next year. Now talk about a meteoric rise...

And colossal fall? Early on, Lucy Flores looked like a potential frontrunner as enthusiasm was building for a possible statewide run. However, a major plot twist emerged this week. On Wednesday, Jon Ralston reported on whispers from prominent political power players that indicated growing buzz for Susie Lee.

And who is Susie Lee?

Lee is a longtime ally of state Board of Education member Elaine Wynn, and this flattering profile of her role in Communities in School shows her commitment on a key issue for voters. As one key insider put it: "Susie is smart, effective, aggressive. A longtime Nevadan.  Brings a unique set of skills to the position and to the campaign - is someone who can get things done. An education champion - long pushing an agenda of equal opportunity for quality education. Ties to gaming so understands value/role of Tourism to this economy. And has demonstrated a commitment to this community."

Oh, and her ability to self-finance.....

Susie Lee is close to Elaine Wynn, so Susie Lee is automatically assumed to have "the inside track" for winning statewide office. That's because Ms. Wynn has all the right "juice" with all the right people. Oh, and of course, she's a billionaire who served on the board of one of the state's top gaming companies.

Now don't get me wrong, Elaine Wynn has done many good things with her money. She has often given back to the community. And her politics (thankfully) doesn't match up with her ex-husband's.

Yet with that being said, Ms. Wynn has very strong ties to the school privatization "reform" campaign. We've discussed before the fallacy behind the promise of "school reform". And far too many in Southern Nevada have had to learn this the hard way.

Perhaps Susie Lee will offer something different. After all she's running, not Elaine Wynn. But then again, Lee's well connected allies seem be promoting her by talking up her ties to Wynn. And until Susie Lee articulates her own policy platform, we won't know for sure if her plan is really all that different from Wynn's.

Lucy Flores, however, already has a record. She's already been tested in campaigns. And she clearly knows how to fight back when opponents attack.

Fortunately for everyone involved, sexism isn't the issue this time (at least for now). Both prospective Democratic Lt. Gubernatorial candidates are women, and that in and of itself says something. Now, it's a matter of who, what, and why these candidates stand for. Public office is supposed to be about public service. And as we learn more about these candidates and all the other candidates announcing for the 2014 cycle, we need to ask them all if they truly understand the meaning of public service.

All too often, it's easy to forget this as we experience the day-to-day hurly burly of contemporary American politics. Who's up? Who's down? Who has the most "juice"? Who has the most money? Who has the party bosses? And who has the inside track?

How about who has the best vision for this state's future? Who has articulated smart policy proposals? And who truly wants to demonstrate good public service? These are the kinds of merits we need to see more in Carson City.

So far, Lucy Flores shows promise in this regard. And maybe Susie Lee will be able to prove she's more than just "juiced up". We just have to keep in mind the meaning of public service as we're about to choose new public servants.

From Shame to Fear

Last weekend, the local "newspaper" ex-publisher/current columnist engaged in some good old fashioned "slut-shaming" and enhanced it with a touch a racism in an effort to kill AB 230. Who knew comprehensive sex education we at the center of this? And that's only the start of it.

Shortly after her stunning testimony last month on her life story and why she supports AB 230, Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) received death threats. And then when AB 230 finally hit the Assembly floor, opponents uttered complete nonsense just before the bill passed anyway. So why are opponents so afraid of AB 230? That's a good question.

“There’s a whole mythology to this bill that has really gone off the tracks,” [Assembly Member David] Bobzien [D-Reno, and author of the bill] said. “We’ve diverted this whole conversation of an important policy issue to someone’s visceral worst-case scenario.”

The Reno Democrat said he’s worked with the advocacy and education group Planned Parenthood to introduce a bill that would update the state’s standards for sex education in public schools.

His goal is to standardize the state’s sex education law from the 1980s while respecting local school districts and the rights of parents. He also hopes the bill helps reduce Nevada’s teen pregnancy rate, which is the fourth-highest in the nation. [...]

Beyond what’s already taught, [CCSD Chief Lobbyist] Haldeman said the bill would add to the curriculum discussion of gender stereotypes, sexual exploitation and human trafficking, relationship negotiating skills, resources for counseling, “effective and safe methods of contraception,” and sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment.

And it's likely not a coincidence this is happening. We're really talking about common sense. This should have been fixed long ago.

As usual, the 21st Century Know Nothings are stirring up controversy in hopes of defeating the bill. Since the actual policy is quite straightforward, they must invent things to scare people. And when people get scared, wild things happen. (See above.)

At the heart of this controversy is fear. It's fear of the unknown. It's fear of "the other". And it's fear of empowerment. But really, why should we fear empowering our kids to make smart choices?

AB 230 Passes Assembly

Over the course of this month, sex education has blown up into a major issue in Carson City. AB 230 was introduced. Then, Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) shared her compelling personal story in explaining why Nevada students need comprehensive sex education.

Today, Assembly Member Lucy Flores again gave powerful personal testimony, this time on the Assembly floor.

@LucyFlores in support of #AB230 :"In a perfect world, we wouldn't need this bill. But we don't live in a perfect world." #sexed #nvleg

"If we don't arm students with information, they make decisions based on wrong information." @LucyFlores #AB230 #sexed #nvleg #FierceFlores

She followed the bill's original sponsor, David Bobzien (D-Reno), who reminded his colleagues of what's at stake.

"Giving students the information they need can and will save lives." - @BobzienNevada #AB230 #sexed #nvleg

A few of their Republican colleagues predictably rose in opposition. And they seemed completely oblivious to what's actually in AB 230.

But in the end, it didn't matter. AB 230 just passed 26-15. All Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while all Republicans voted against. And just before the vote, my own Assembly Member (Andy Eisen [D-Paradise]) said this.

Asm. @andy_eisen "I represent a special interest group...and that is the youth of Nevada " stands up for #SexEd #AB230 #NVleg

In the end, they're the ones who matter. And they're the ones who stand to benefit from AB 230. So now, the Assembly approved consistent statewide standards for life-saving sex education. The bill now moves onto the Senate.

Why AB 230 & SexEd Matter

Earlier this month, a whole lot of controversy arose over AB 230. Its first hearing at the Nevada Legislature was already full of fireworks. But when a few opponents of comprehensive sex education (SexEd) actually made death threats (??!!) against Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) for simply sharing her own story on the matter, it just brought even more attention to the cause.

And this past Wednesday, the Assembly Education Committee passed AB 230 with a friendly amendment from Assembly Member Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas). So another bill passed the first test at the Nevada Legislature this week. Why are we talking about this one today?

Here's why: According to the Guttmacher Institute, Nevada has the fourth highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. And teen parents are more likely to drop out of school than their peers. And high school dropouts are less likely to earn living wages than their peers & more likely to need public assistance.

And we're incurring these costs now because we can't guarantee decent SexEd. Just providing proper SexEd can ultimately save our state loads of money while also saving many kids' lives and opportunities. Yes, this is what's actually at stake with AB 230.

But in case you need a better understanding of what's in AB 230 and why it's necessary, read this from Sin City Siren.

AB230 is not creating a new standard out of whole cloth. There is already an antique sex ed law on the books. It’s just bringing it from the tapedeck era into the blue-ray era. And don’t let the NIMBY’s fool you. According to a January 2013 poll, 67% of Nevadans are in favor of sex education in schools, including teaching age-appropriate information about birth control. And the majority — we’re talking above the 90th percentile — of parents nationwide support sex education. Plus, research shows that sex education is linked with delayed first-time sexual experience. The more kids know, the longer they wait! [...]

In fact, 88 percent of teens said they support sex education. And need I remind you, research shows that sex education is linked with delayed first-time sexual experience. So the truth is, talking about sex does the exact opposite of making kids have sex! Talking to them and giving them the information they need to make healthy choices actually does just that… helps them make healthy choices! It can also help prevent the spread of STDs and AIDS. It can prevent unwanted pregnancies. And it can potentially save someone from remaining in dangerous situations that can turn violent, or even deadly. Look, I don’t exactly look forward to sex talks with my kid. I have the same fears that many parents do that my kid might make bad choices or wind up in bad situations. But if she does, DEAR GOD I want her to be armed with knowledge and confidence to act on that knowledge! I want to give my child a full voice in her life and the power to back it up! Why would you want anything less for your kids? [...]

Nevada has the fourth highest rate of teen pregnancy. Our current law, which mandates abstinence-only education, is a failure at preventing unintended pregnancies as well as informing youth about things like rape, domestic violence, sexting, cyber-bullying, and much more. A Congressional study already confirmed that abstinence-only education does not work and the American Academy of Pediatricians has recommended a comprehensive sex education approach, which includes but is not limited to abstinence education. And, let’s face it, parents don’t know everything (don’t tell my daughter!). We get intimidated about talking about certain subjects. Or, in some cases, parents just aren’t equipped or emotionally available to have those conversations. Does that mean that kids should grow up ignorant just because some parents cop-out or don’t have the latest information? I’m sorry, but that’s just stupid.

Got it?

Perhaps enough people in Carson City finally are. For everyone's sake, they must. We can either fix this problem now or continue to pay the consequences of the broken status quo. The Assembly Education Committee decided to finally fix it this week, and hopefully other legislators are paying attention to this.

Food for Thought on AB 440/SDR

So today's been the big day. AB 440 & AB 441 faced a big hearing in the Assembly Legislative Operations & Elections Committee. AB 440 calls for same day voter registration (SDR), and AB 441 establishes election day vote centers.

There's been plenty of testimony today. Secretary of State Ross Miller (D) and Assembly Member James Ohrenschall (D-Sunrise Manor) began by explaining their legislation. And then, Clark County Election Department Chief Larry Lomax spoke. Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey (R-Reno) specifically asked him about the great, nonexistent "voter fraud crisis". Here's Lomax's response.



Following him was PLAN's Howard Watts. He explained the real voter problem here, which is that far too many voters are disenfranchised.






Those sentiments were echoed quite cogently by the Nevada State Education Association's Gary Peck.



And local progressive super-volunteer and voter registration maven Teresa Crawford shared her personal experience. Yes, otherwise legitimate voters couldn't exercise their right to participate in our democracy. Why? They missed the arbitrary deadline.





Earlier in the hearing, Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) stated, "If a single person [who could legally vote] hasn't had a chance to vote, then we haven't done our job." That's the problem right now. People who can otherwise legally vote can't because they just couldn't make an arbitary deadline set up by the government.

And funny enough, another Assembly Member has personal experience with this proposed solution. When Elliot Anderson (D-Winchester) lived in Wisconsin, he personally took advantage of that state's SDR law. Why? He found out about a local election at the last minute. And let's face it, many in this state don't even realize approaching state & federal general elections until the last minute!

And let's face it, most people's lives are hectic. They don't pay as close attention to politics and elections as we do. I've personally run into family & friends who couldn't vote... Just because they missed the registration deadline.

These people are not out to commit fraud. They're not interested in any kind of nefarious electioneering. They just want to cast their legal right to vote. So why are we stopping them with the current arbitrary deadline?

Think about it.

On #FierceFlores, SexEd, & Sharron Angle's "Second Amendment Remedies"

What a week this has been. On Tuesday, the Nevada Legislature held its first hearing on AB 230, the comprehensive sex education bill. Sin City Siren told us about Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) and her heart wrenching testimony on Tuesday. Yet while that moved us to tears, others had a very different reaction.



On Tuesday, Lucy Flores told her story of seeking an abortion at age 16 because she didn't have the kind of SexEd that AB 230 calls for. Her mother left the family when she was 9, so her father had to work 2 jobs to support her family. And after seeing all her sisters become pregnant as teenagers, Flores did not want to meet the same fate.

“I didn’t want to be like that (teen mom)," Flores said. “I wanted to do better and I knew I couldn’t do that if I had a baby, just like everyone else (in my family). My dad gave me the money and I went with a friend of mine (to have the abortion) and I will never forget that, having that done.”

Flores said she didn’t regret having the abortion. Clearly, however, it was difficult to talk about it.

“I don’t regret it,” Flores said. “I don’t regret it because I am here (at the Legislature), making a difference, at least in my mind, for the young ladies and letting them know their options. They can do things not to be in the situation I was in, to prevent it.

“And so how do we prevent this? We prevent by education," Flores said. "We prevent by giving them the information and the resources that they need, so they don’t have to go to their dad and say, ‘I need $200 for an abortion.’

“So I wholeheartedly support this because this is an epidemic that is affecting so many of our young people. And I am here today because I did not have the burden of raising children (as a teen).

This was incredibly moving testimony. Yet for anti-choice extremists, this was a call to arms. Oh yes, that's right. Sharron Angle and her "Second Amendment Remedies" struck again! Sin City Siren has more.

Within hours of the hearing, Reno Gazette-Journal political reporter Ray Hagar posted a story about Flores’ testimony. As far as I can tell, Hagar was the only mainstream journalist to cover the announcement, with his story posting about an hour before my re-cap of the hearing, here on The Sin City Siren. But just days later, local television producer Dana Gentry broke the news that Flores had cancelled her scheduled April 4 appearance on the political news show Ralston Reports after receiving death threats stemming from her abortion story. [...]

Those opposed to reproductive health care —lest I remind you that abortion is a legal form of health care —and those opposed to comprehensive sex education share the same goal: To silence and shame women. They seek to demonize human sexuality.

The real story here should be about Lucy Flores’ bravery and determination to not be shamed or silenced by the threats of an incredibly loud opposition, who is actually in the minority. Polls show that regardless of religious affiliation or political party, the majority of Americans support comprehensive sex education over an abstinence-only curriculum. And, on this year’s 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade, the Pew Research Center released a poll stating that 42 percent of Americans find no moral objection to abortion, while only 25 percent do (the rest were a mix of other opinions). An NBC Poll that same week found support for abortion rights at an “all time high” with 70 percent of Americans saying they do not want to see Roe overturned.

But while the anti-choice folks have made hay with headlines declaring, “I Don’t Regret Killing My Baby,”* it is disturbing that any person or persons have threatened the Nevada lawmaker with violence. As a Christian and a mother, I pray for her safety. When I tucked my toddler into bed tonight, I hugged her that much harder as I struggled to hold back tears thinking about Lucy Flores, not because we should condescend to characterizing even highly educated, powerful women as simply “somebody’s daughter,” but because Lucy is a fellow human being living with fear tonight. I have empathy for the worry she must feel.

It is this complete lack of empathy that is at the core of the opposition to women’s autonomy, and their access to legal forms of health care, or even the education that can help them establish healthy relationships, healthy sexual experiences, and healthy futures. Rather than live and let live —or even turn the other cheek, as Jesus might say —the anti-choice movement cannot see the humanity in any person not living their life as a man in a heterosexual man’s world. Because if you are anything other than a heterosexual, cisgender man you are cast as unequal, weak, or even deviant. I daresay the only humans who come close to having equality with men in their patriarchal, misogynistic, homophobic, and often blatantly racist world-view are the fetuses they fight so hard to legally classify as “persons.”

So now, #FierceFlores is trending on Twitter. She is showing tremendous courage by sharing her story, and by refusing to back down in the wake of death threats. She is a woman who had to make a difficult choice. And she should be commended for what she's done with her life since then. She shouldn't be threatened with murder.

And really, when did advocacy for comprehensive SexEd start warranting death threats? Hello, comprehensive SexEd saves lives! And it means fewer teen pregancies, which also means fewer abortions. Is the extreme anti-choice religious right that out of touch with reality?

And that leads us to the other hot zone of public policy that this story leads us to. Just this past Tuesday, (Member of Congress) Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) received death threats for her gun safety reform advocacy. Again, when did this behavior become acceptible? When did Sharron Angle become a "source for good advice"? Just about 48 hours after this and less than a week after Steven Brooks was expelled from the Nevada Legislature for allegedly threatening the life of Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D-North Las Vegas), this happened.

Again, comprehensive SexEd saves lives. So why threaten people's lives over this? Perhaps it's finally time for the right wing to stop paying so much attention to Sharron Angle. It's time to stop with the "Second Amendment Remedies".

Why "The T Word" Still Matters

In today's "newspaper", we see a list of education bills on the docket for the 77th session of the Nevada Legislature. There's a whole range of bills that will be considered. However, there's one key issue that's missing from the list.

Fortunately, one (more) lawmaker recently spoke up when discussing the next session with The Sun.

We need to have some serious conversations about education and it being adequately funded, and what that means. … Everyone always talks about how they are for education. You don’t ever find anyone who is against education. So what I tell people is the question should not be: Do you support education? The question should be: Do you support funding education? Because at the end of the day, that’s where the parties diverge. That’s where you’re either for education in action or you’re just about education in words. I think for a very long time we’ve been about education in words.

Now, how you go about actually ensuring that this gets done, that’s the million-dollar question. There is a finite amount of funds, and unless we talk about the topic we should’ve been talking about for a very long time, too, which is tax structure reform and dealing with our revenue issue, then we’re never really going to get to the answer (of the question): How do we actually make education a priority by funding it adequately?

And Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) has a great point. It's easy for politicians to say they "support education". It's been more of a challenge for many of these politicians to put the money where their mouths are.

As we've been discussing this month, a growing number of Nevadans are demanding real solutions for real tax reform that delivers real revenue for our schools that really need it. Of course, the forces defending the status quo have been (mis)using the failure of the CCSD bond this month as an excuse not to pursue tax reform. And of course, they do so by downplaying both the mendacity of the CCSD administrators and the clear desire of the voters for better funded schools... And schools better funded by way of having the largest corporations doing business here pay their fair share.

As we approach the start of the 77th session, we'll be hearing more and more about how much our state legislators "support education". OK, that's fine and dandy. So how about actually supporting public education by properly funding it? It's time to bring back "The T Word".