While Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett (R) doesn't seem to know what actuallyqualifies as proper ID under the new Voter Suppression ID law he signed,
I bet he knows why he signed it:
FUNFACTS!
1 in 3 PA voters don't even know about the new voter ID law!
Between 11 and 13% of PA's eligible voters, registered voters, and people who voted in 2008 believe they have the photo ID they need to vote in November, but actually don't!
A whopping 43% of Philadelphia voters may not possess a valid PennDOT ID!
Had the new law been in effect in 2008, Barack Obama would have lost the state’s contest to John McCain by 200,000 votes! (The only fact that Republicans care about.)
Rep. Joe Pitts recently replied to a constituent’s letter with a rather interesting position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon need to come back to the negotiating table. There’s just one problem. Arafat has been dead since 2004 and Sharon in a coma since 2006.
In a seven minute and 43 second video today, Sarah Palin addressed the massacre in Arizona last Saturday. Well, actually, she spent only the first minute and a half addressing the people who were killed and injured. She spent the rest of the time explaining how the violent language and images that she used against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (and all the violent rhetoric used by Republicans this past year) not only had nothing whatsoever to do with Giffords being shot in the head, but was the height of patriotism:
Vigorous and spirited public debates during elections are among our most cherished traditions. And after the election, we shake hands and get back to work, and often both sides find common ground back in D.C. and elsewhere. If you don’t like a person’s vision for the country, you’re free to debate that vision. If you don’t like their ideas, you’re free to propose better ideas. But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.
"Blood libel"?!?
Does she even know what that phrase means?? (Even uber conservative Jonah Goldberg has a problem with it.)
And, then there's her idea that when she and other Republicans use violent rhetoric ("crosshairs," "reload," "Second Amendment remedies," "armed and dangerous," "Our nation was founded on violence," "a bloody war," "the tree of freedom is occasionally watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots," "Put anything in my scope and I will shoot it," "And if ballots don’t work, bullets will") that is merely engaging in "spirited public debates," but when anyone dares to criticize the violent rhetoric that is inciting hatred and violence.
Yes, Sarah, you are the true victim in all this and people who object to violent language are the true perpetrators of violence. It all makes so much perfect fucking sense that I need to rush right out and buy your books. You have slain me with your logic. Please, please run for President so that I may vote for you.
In case you missed it, here's poor, little Sarah huddled by the hearth in her hovel in the shetl trying to get her words out before the Cossacks come:
"I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out." - Senate Candidate Sharron Angle, Republican
“We have become, or are becoming, enslaved by the government ... I dare ‘em to try to come throw me in jail. I dare ‘em to. [I’ll] pull out my wife’s shotgun and see how that little ACS twerp likes being scared at the door. They’re not going on my property.” - CNN Commentator Erick Erickson, Republican
"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax, because we need to fight back." - US Rep. Michele Bachmann, Republican
"Our nation was founded on violence. I don't think that we should ever remove anything from the table as it relates to our liberties and our freedoms." - Texas Candidate for U.S. Rep. Stephen Broden, Republican
"We are aware that stepping off into secession may in fact be a bloody war. We are aware. We understand that the tree of freedom is occasionally watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.” - Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Debra Medina, Republican
"Does sharia law say we can behead Dana Milbank?...I think you and I should go and beat him up." - Fox News Host Bill O'Reilly, Republican
"Put anything in my scope and I will shoot it." - U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, Republican
"Meet Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson." - Conservative Radio Show Host Glenn Beck, Republican
While most Republicans seem to take their cue from their patron saint Ronald Reagan that government is the problem, a current segment of that party takes it one step further by not just constantly disparaging government, but calling for its violent overthrow -- or at the very least using eliminationist rhetoric against Democrats.
And, I'm calling BULLSHIT right now on anyone who tries to paint some false equivalency. There simply isn't this level of violent language by politicians, political candidates and cable hosts coming from the Democratic side.
I'm also calling BULLSHIT on anyone who would try to say that when Jared Lee Loughner killed six people and wounded 13 others yesterday including Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at her own event that this was just some "crazy person" acting out and that it was not a political act. Loughner could have just as easily gone to a mall or a McDonald's or a school. But he didn't. He targeted a politician -- and a Democratic politician. He clearly had problems with the government as seen by his now deleted MySpace page:
What he seems to be is a mentally disturbed individual living in a time of historic vitriolic rhetoric and in a place where threats and violence had already been directed towards Giffords as noted by Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik:
What had been aimed already at Giffords? Sarah Palin had her in her crosshairs:
We have this from her Tea Party opponent:
And, we have the Congresswoman's own words on the issue:
We also have six dead and 13 wounded, including:
A Congresswoman fighting for her life: Gabrielle Giffords
A slain chief judge for the United States District Court: John M. Roll
And, a little girl cut down in her ninth year of life: Christina Taylor Greene
Christina was born on 9/11. She was a member of her student council who was brought to the event to meet a role model.
Shortly after the massacre, Sarah Palin deleted the "crosshairs" from the web. Would that she and her ilk delete any more violent garbage from coming out of their mouths. .
In a newly published interview in the legal magazine California Lawyer, Scalia said that while the Constitution does not disallow the passage of legislation outlawing such discrimination, it doesn't itself outlaw that behavior:
In 1868, when the 39th Congress was debating and ultimately proposing the 14th Amendment, I don't think anybody would have thought that equal protection applied to sex discrimination, or certainly not to sexual orientation. So does that mean that we've gone off in error by applying the 14th Amendment to both?
Yes, yes. Sorry, to tell you that. ... But, you know, if indeed the current society has come to different views, that's fine. You do not need the Constitution to reflect the wishes of the current society. Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn't. Nobody ever thought that that's what it meant. Nobody ever voted for that. If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, hey we have things called legislatures, and they enact things called laws. You don't need a constitution to keep things up-to-date. All you need is a legislature and a ballot box. You don't like the death penalty anymore, that's fine. You want a right to abortion? There's nothing in the Constitution about that. But that doesn't mean you cannot prohibit it. Persuade your fellow citizens it's a good idea and pass a law. That's what democracy is all about. It's not about nine superannuated judges who have been there too long, imposing these demands on society.
Here's the relevant part of the 14th Amendment:
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
This would mean that either Scalia believes that women still aren't "persons" or "citizens" or that since discrimination was allowed against women when that amendment was written they still don't have rights. You know, the same way that he believes that the 2nd Amendment only allows people the right to own muskets and cannons. Right.
Apparently Scalia said something similar back in September. Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks points out his hypocrisy when it comes to being a "strict constitutionalist" here:
Apparently, when Sarah Palin wrote crib notes on her hand in ink for the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville back in February she was only trying to be green.
From Sunday's episode of "Sarah Palin's Alaska" (via HuffPo via Politico -- video at link):
"Conservationists write me these nasty letters because I support an industry like this," the former vice presidential candidate said, after taking a chainsaw to an Evergreen Timber tree. "They write me these nasty letters using their pretty little pencils on their pretty little stationary not realizing. Where do you think your pencil and your piece of paper came from, people? It came from a tree that was harvested."
“Today marks a lot of tragedy. … Tragedy comes in threes... Pearl Harbor, Elizabeth Edwards’s passing and Barack Obama’s announcement of extending the tax cuts, which is good, but also extending the unemployment benefits.”-Christine O'Donnell, speaking at the launching for her new political action committee, "ChristinePAC."
Even though the mayor has threatened the city with police layoffs, the $200,000 in overtime pay "is not a story."
Despite stopping the highly successful sweeps on the South Side after only four weeks with no reason given, the $200,000 in overtime pay "is not a story."
And, while it's completely inexplicable that there could be any overtime when his bodyguards work in shifts, the $200,000 in overtime pay "is not a story."
Hat Tip to Ginny @ That's Church for picking up on the story which most missed when it was broadcast on the eve of Thanksgiving and thanks to KDKA for their original report! .
I think that this version makes as much sense as the Post-Gazette's (little to none):
PelosiObama must go: House Dems need a new leader after the debacle
November 05, 2010 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In the recent midterm elections, the Republicans had ready labels to demonize many Democratic causes -- and one favorite label was "Pelosi." "Obama." The simple name took on a life of its own and was used as if to pre-empt all debate, the assumption being that the audience understood "Pelosi" "Obama" was an acronym for evil.
In real life, the most powerful woman in American politics and the most vilified was never evil. She remains a dedicated, smart, attractive 7049-year-old grandmotherfather with fivetwo children and eight grandchildren. As the first female speaker of the U.S. House African American President of the United States, she was not without faults, but she cut a historic figure that infuriated heris enemies beyond all reason.
For whatever cause, Nancy PelosiBarack Obama has aroused a visceral dislike in heris critics that goes beyond the fact that heris job has been to push an agenda that affronts conservatives. Perhaps it's because she is a wealthy, pro-choice liberal from San FranciscoChicago, the most liberalDemocratic of cities. Perhaps it's that a powerful progressive womanAfrican American man offers a special affront to some, especially as she offered a sharp and unflattering contrast to heris Republican predecessors, the unimpressive Dennis Hastert and the flaky Newt Gingrich George W. Bush.
Take your pick of reasons -- but you are still left with a hard-to-argue fact. Nancy PelosiBarack Obama has become a brand name, and not a flattering one for the Democratic Party. That's a problem for Democrats as they regroup after a disastrous election and a need to rebrand themselves to better appeal to voters. They can start with Nancy PelosiBarack Obama.
Clearly, heris time has come and gone. In acknowledging that, party members need not subscribe to the unreasonable stereotype of Speaker PelosiPresident Obama so cleverly pedaled by heris enemies. All that has to be done is to recognize reality and to thank herim for heris service. There was a big battle. She helped lead the charge. The charge failed. A new House leader must now take charge if President Barack Obamathe Democratic party is to survive in 2012.
Msr. PelosiObama has not declared heris intentions, saying questions about heris future will be addressed in caucusdown the road. Heris fellow party members should find a graceful way to insist she step down as their leader in the House.
It is true that the Republicans are masters of demonizing their opponents, and whoever takes up the challenge will be the next worst person around. But at least the Democrats should make the GOP spin doctors start over and have to work harder at it -- by picking someone who will play better in the nation's heartland.
I was just polled by a firm called Issues & Answers about US Senate and gubernatorial races in Pennsylvania.
What was completely disturbing was that the interviewer could not pronounce "Sestak."
In fact, the first time she tried to say it I had to ask, "Do you mean Joe Sestak?" because I really wasn't sure who she was asking about. She pronounced it something like "seasicks" or "seestix" -- and continued to do so throughout the interview -- despite my correcting her each time.
How in the hell can the results be valid for the surveys that she's conducted?
They have call centers in IN, MI and VA. I did try their corporate offices in VA, but got voicemail, so for the hell of it, I called the first phone center listed and registered a complaint (I should have asked for her supervisor while I still had her on the phone).
When a neighborhood in San Bruno, California was decimated by a giant fireball from an exploding natural gas pipeline last month, you probably assumed that the company which operated the pipeline had a plan for such emergencies (correct) and that the plan was open for review by local government officials and first responders, industry watchdogs and the public (wrong).
Apparently, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) doesn't require these companies to provide them with copies of these plans so no one can request to see the plans under any sort of sunshine laws -- including the city, county and state governments wherein the pipelines reside.
The PHMSA merely visit the plans at the offices of these companies.
Nothing like using the tragedy of Flight 93 to make your political/religious point.
While this is certainly constitutionally-protected speech, if there were, say, Punctuation Police (or Style/Taste Police) heads would roll.
I am cringing now imagining that First Ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush might see this on their way to the memorial tomorrow.
And, is it just me or does it look like the plane is landing on the head of Jesus rather than him holding it aloft, which of course if he had, there would be no need for a memorial.
That would be much of public discourse now (and some of the policy proposals out there).
The War Against the Poor It's not enough to give the ultra rich huge tax breaks, you must actively punish the poor:
Carl Paladino, Tea-Party-backed Republican candidate for governor of New York (who has showed up on these pages before for is racist and hardcore porn emails), advocates for the creation of prison dorms for welfare recipients where they can receive training including lessons in "personal hygiene" (because everyone knows that the poor are stinky).
Utah state Sen. Dan Liljenquist wants to cut all elective epidurals and elective C-sections for women on Medicaid (I'm going to take a wild guess here that he's also "pro life" in addition to being pro pain).
The War Against US Muslims
What does it say when the voice of sanity in the Republican party on the Ground Zero Mosque Burlington Coat Factory Non-Mosque is Ron Paul? '...Paul argues that the opposition to the mosque “is all about hate and Islamaphobia,” stoked by “neo-conservatives” who “never miss a chance to use hatred toward Muslims to rally support for the ill conceived preventative wars."'
And, just in case you think it isn't all about "hate and Islamaphobia," you can view a video here of "a person of color wearing a skull cap and wandering through the crowd was targeted with insults and nearly attacked by protesters for the offense of looking vaguely Muslim" at an anti Burlington Coat Factory Non-Mosque protest. You can also hear a person chanting "Mohammad is a pig."
The War Against President Obama Last week I spent some time in my old stomping grounds (Jeannette, Hempfield, Greensburg -- or as I like to refer to it -- The Heart of Darkness). While there, the following marred the lovely landscape:
A group of four billboards. One said "Obama Care Shovel Ready" over a picture of a cemetery. Another announced a 9/11 T.E.A. Party at Bushy Run Battlefield. Right under that, was one with a graphic of the US Capitol dome with the words "Throw the bums out" (I'm guessing based on the other two signs that "bums" referred to Dems). A little further down Route 30 was a billboard which proclaimed "Marriage...God's plan for Safe Sex" (you can be sure that the picture was of one man and one woman). There were also more yard-size T.E.A. Party signs on the back roads of Greensburg than I cared to count.
A man I met who, while telling me that he didn't follow politics, was absolutely certain that Obama didn't have a US birth certificate. When I told him that a copy has been available online for two years, he looked like I told him his parents were really Santa Claus.
