Florida man fires gun into car of escaping shoplifter in order to "mark" the man's car. Surprised when he gets arrested.

Courtesy of Raw Story:

A gun owner in Florida was arrested on Wednesday after he opened fire at a suspected Walmart shoplifter because he said he felt threatened and wanted to “mark” the man’s car for police. 

As unarmed 42-year-old Eddie McKee allegedly ran from an Orange City Walmart with stolen merchandise, 35-year-old Jose Martinez pulled out his gun and fired at least five bullets, according to WKMG. 

“I saw one black gentleman running from the parking lot, he dove in his car,” a caller told 911. “And there were two older gentlemen chasing him down. One drew a gun, ripped open the guys car door and screamed, ‘Freeze, freeze, don’t move!’ And then fired shots.” 

Bullets riddled McKee’s vehicle, hitting the trunk and shattering the back window. Two other cars were also hit by gunfire. 

Martinez told WKMG that he was shocked that police arrested him because he thought no one other than the shoplifter was in danger. He said he just wanted to mark the man’s car for police. 

Orange City police argued that surveillance video showed that the gun owner was never in danger because McKee was in the process of fleeing when the shooting occurred. 

Yeah who would have ever thought that firing indiscriminately into traffic would be considered a bad idea?

Some of these asswipes carry those guns around just hoping for the opportunity to go all John Wayne and shoot some  guy that they think has given them an excuse to end their life. If successful this idiot would have given a death sentence to a man who probably will only be convicted of a misdemeanor.

You know the guy that shoplifted and knocked that lady over is certainly no victim here, but the idea of firing numerous shots in a crowded parking lot because you feel you have the right to do so in response to criminal behavior is EXACTLY why supporting the arming everyday citizens is simply a ridiculous, and dangerous, idea.

Tell me again that there is no GOP "War on Women." Update!

Just take a moment to look at that graphic from today's vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Oh, and it is not ONLY women they are at war with.

This from Mother Jones:

Republicans had held up the law for more than a year over provisions designed to protect undocumented immigrants, Native Americans and members of the LGBT community. In a separate, earlier vote, the House rejected an alternative, stripped-down VAWA pushed by House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, instead embracing the bipartisan version of the bill the Senate passed last week. 

The Senate version of the bill, however, was itself a modified version of Democrats' original bill, passed after Democrats acquiesced to Republican objections and removed a section that would have made more visas available to undocumented victims of domestic violence who help law enforcement prosecute their abusers. But the Senate's compromise bill wasn't good enough for the House Republican leadership, who introduced an alternate version that removed protections for members of the LGBT community and made it harder for tribal courts to prosecute non-Indian abusers. 

Just to provide some context:

Thursday's vote was much closer than 2005, the last time the Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized. This year, the bill passed 286-138, with just 87 Republicans joining all 199 Democrats (one Democrat did not vote). In 2005, there were only four "no" votes. 

And look at the groups of people that this act will help protect, women, gays, and immigrants. The VERY people that the Republican party has admitted they need to do a better job of reaching out to.

Well good job so far morons!

If this does not absolutely prove beyond any shadow of the doubt that this Republican party is overrun with most misogynistic, xenophobic, homophobic group of chubby old men in all of Washington D.C., I don't know what will.

You know in the sixties women symbolically burned their bras to demonstrate their independence, perhaps now is the time to burn their Republican party member card to demonstrate the same.

Update: Just what in the hell is wrong with Michelle Bachmann?

Courtesy of Star Tribune:

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann was the lone member of Minnesota's congressional delegation to vote against the Violence Against Women Act, a law credited with raising awareness about abuse of women

A woman hating woman. 

I think it is high time that Minnesota kicked this batshit lunatic to the curb.

Mark Kelly calls out the NRA for working to make it "easier, instead of harder, for criminals and the dangerously mentally ill to get guns."

Courtesy of Politico:  

I’ve been on the road lately, and everywhere I go, I hear huge determination to curb gun violence and real excitement about a simple, really important first step we can take: closing the so-called gun show loophole and instituting one simple system for background checks. 

But then I read the newspaper or watch TV, and I hear other voices — specifically, the leadership of the National Rifle Association — describing this proposed legislation in terms that are misleading at best. They’re calling on legislators to make it easier, instead of harder, for criminals and the dangerously mentally ill to get guns. 

You read that right. Not harder, easier. Which isn’t what the more than 74 percent of NRA members in this country who are law-abiding citizens and responsible gun owners, as Gabby and I are, and who support expanding background checks, believe. 

Making the system of background checks fair and consistent isn’t hard to understand. If you don’t think there should be two different sets of rules, leveling the playing field and expanding the effective National Instant Criminal Background Check System is the way to go. For the same reasons we don’t make getting screened for bombs or weapons at the airport optional, or registering your car something you only have to do if you want to, having a giant loophole in the background check system just doesn’t make sense. 

I have said it before, but it bears repeating, that the single biggest threat to the NRA's ability to wait out the outcry for new gun laws after Newtown is Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly.

Gabby is a living reminder of the devastation done in this country due to ineffective gun legislation, and with Mark by her side they are a force that NO amount of NRA money will be able to minimize or defend against.

And they are not alone. This from NBC News:  

In the latest poll, 86 percent of African Americans, 82 percent of Democrats, 72 percent of Hispanics, and 71 percent of urban respondents said they were in favor of stricter gun laws, all up double-digits from 2011. 

Urban: 71% (Feb. 2013) - 55% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +16 
African Americans: 86% (Feb. 2013) - 71% (Jan. 2011) Net change: +15 
Republicans: 37% (Feb. 2013) - 24% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +13 
Hispanics: 72% (Feb. 2013) - 60% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +12 
Democrats: 82% (Feb. 2013) - 71% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +11 
Men: 51% (Feb. 2013) - 42% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +9 
Women: 69% (Feb. 2013) - 61% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +8 
Suburban: 59% (Feb. 2013) - 51% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +8 
Whites: 55% (Feb. 2013) - 48% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +7 
Rural: 48% (Feb. 2013) - 41% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +7 
Independents: 49% (Feb. 2013) - 48% (Jan. 2011). Net change: +1 

SOURCE: NBC/WSJ poll

You know we all said that this time it was different after the Sandy Hook shooting occurred and at the time I for one was saying that more hopefully than assuredly.

But do you know what? This time it IS different.

And those that do not see that are doomed to lose politically, personally, and morally.

Where have all the Teabaggers gone? Long time passing. Where has all the Tea party gone? Long time ago.

Courtesy of Salon:  

Who are the names that come to mind when you think about leaders of the Tea Party movement? Maybe Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Jim DeMint, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann? Those were the most popular leaders listed by self-identified Tea Party activists in a 2010 Washington Post poll, at the height of the movement. You could add to that list a handful of other congressmen, especially outspoken Reps. Steve King, Allen West and Joe Walsh, among others. 

And then you’d realize that every single one of them either lost their job or abandoned being a voice of the movement. 

The 2012 election was devastating for the outspoken leaders in Congress. Allen West lost after a protracted battle, Joe Walsh was trounced by rising star Tammy Duckworth, and Ron Paul retired. Other, lesser-known members like Roscoe Barlett also lost. The two House Tea Party Caucus members who ran for the Senate last year both lost — Reps. Denny Rehberg in Montana and Todd Akin in Missouri. 

Meanwhile Jim DeMint, the most prominent Tea Party leader in the Senate, who funded primary challenges against more moderate Republicans, left the Senate a month after the election to head the Heritage Foundation. 

As for Bachmann, the founder of the Tea Party Caucus, she’s gone almost completely silent, as MinnPost noted last week. Since the November election, she hasn’t done any national television, has appeared on the radio only once, and has ducked most interview requests. Instead, those close to her say she’s focusing on the quotidian work of a legislator — advancing bills and helping constituents — instead of the more exciting work of being a national movement leader and media star. 

The same is true for Rep. Steve King, who has rarely been heard from since November, when he got a run for his money from Democrat Christie Vilsack. Perhaps a bit chastened, or perhaps in anticipation of a rumored upcoming Senate bid, King has laid low and spoken out mostly to soften his hard-right image. 

King has always staked out the far-right flank of the the party on immigration, so it was shocking to hear him say in January that he supports most of the comprehensive immigration reform bill emerging in the Senate. It seems to be indicative of a concerted effort to moderate his image. 

Then there’s Sarah Palin, whose long decline into irrelevance got a big kick from behind when Fox News dropped her in January. 

It’s a similar story for Glenn Beck, who, despite his success on the Dish Network, has nowhere close to the following he had during his Fox News days. And he’s moved away from the partisan red meat that made him famous, rebranding himself as a nonpartisan libertarian with a big emphasis on faith and religion.

Essentially all of these people who once trumpeted the Tea Party movement at the top of their lungs, have lost their jobs, lost their credibility, and in the case of Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck, essentially lost their minds. With Palin now fanning conspiracy theories about government buying bullets to exterminate citizens and Beck working on plans to build a 2 billion dollar tree fort in the woods, the only people REALLY listening to them are those measuring them for straitjackets.

Today the ONLY real prominent Teabagger still making the news is Ted Cruz, whose vicious tactics in the Chuck Hagel confirmation hearing and elsewhere, have earned him comparisons to Joe McCarthy. If that sticks, and the Tea Party becomes inextricably tied to McCarthyism, the Tea Party is not only doomed but they will serve as an object lesson for the dangers of allowing the fringe a place at the political table for decades to come.

Personally I don't think this Koch brother backed Astro-turf party can end too soon. Already their damage to the ability of policy makers in Washington to do their jobs has been extensive and threatens the very stability of our nation.

Father of Newtown victim gives heartbreaking testimony as to why we need more gun control laws.

Courtesy of CBS News:  

During emotional testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, the father of a first grader slain at Sandy Hook Elementary School fought back tears as he stressed the need to ban weapons like the assault rifle that a gunman used to kill his son, 19 other children, and 6 educators in Newtown, Conn. 

Neil Heslin described how his son Jesse "was brutally murdered at Sandy Hook school on December 14, 20 minutes after I dropped him off." 

"He said 'It's all going to be OK'," Heslin recalled his son saying as he was dropped off at school. "And it wasn't OK." 

"Jesse was the love of my life. He was the only family I have left. It's hard for me to be here today, talking about my deceased son," Heslin said. But he added, "I have to. I'm his voice. I'm not here for the sympathy...I'm here to speak up for my son." 

"There's many changes that have to happen to make a change effective," he continued. "Mental health issues, better background checks, bans on these weapons, bans on high capacity magazines - they all have to come together and they all have to work effectively...common sense tells you that."

I have watched this testimony  about three times now but I still cannot get through it without tearing up. And I doubt that any person with any feeling of empathy toward their fellow human beings could.

Around the 5:50 mark Mr. Heslin makes a very important point about the 2nd Amendment:  

"They warn you about the 2nd Amendment. Well the 2nd Amendment says a well regulated militia. Bear arms, freedom of state...It HASN'T been well regulated. It's not being well regulated."

That is a very important observation. The 2nd Amendment may provide the right to "keep and bear arms" but it does NOT afford that right free of government regulation.

And that is all anybody is asking for here. The right to protect our babies from the fanatics who stockpile weapons and may someday use them on their fellow citizens, or worse yet, a classroom full of innocent children.

And if you don't agree with that then perhaps you need to watch Mr. Heslin's testimony again.

In the end your right to bear arms is secondary to our right to protect our children. Period!

It is well past time for this to change.

I have known people that have gotten married on a whim, due to pregnancy, and because their parents arranged it when they were young. So the idea that somebody in a committed relationship spanning decades cannot have the protections, and privileges, provided all of us by marriage in this country makes a joke of this phrase from out Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Of course I don't attach much credence to the "endowed by their creator" nonsense, but I am certainly down with the rest. And believe that if one of us has these rights, then ALL of us should have these rights.

Illinois Republican (Jim Sacia) finally states, for the record, that 2nd Amendment supporters equate guns with their penises.

Courtesy of Raw Story:

“Here is the problem in Illinois,” he said on the House floor. “I love you folks in Chicago. You’re the ones that have the problem, you have a runaway gun problem. Don’t blame the rest of us. This isn’t about Democrats, it’s not about Republicans. It’s because Chicago wants a warm fuzzy. ‘Let’s pass a bill that will eliminate assault rifles.’ Last year there were more people killed with hammers than with assault rifles.” 

“Here’s an analogy folks, I ask you to think of this. You folks in Chicago want me to get castrated because you’re families are having too many kids. It spells out exactly what is happening here. You want us to get rid of guns.”

What have I been saying?

Essentially the reason that men fight so damn hard to hang onto their guns is because they have become the substitute for their manhood.

They are afraid that if you take away their guns you make them vulnerable and impotent, and that frightens them to death.

Look let me say this, I live in Alaska where there are actual wild animals no more than a quarter of a mile from me at any given time and I completely understand the desire to have a weapon to even up the odds. (I don't carry one, but then I am Alaskan born and raised.) But if you own a gun, or a bunch of guns, because you feel frightened of your government, or because it makes you feel like man, then you have a serious problem and, in my opinion, should absolutely NOT have access to weapons of any kind.

In other words if your manhood is something metal that you put into a holster, then simply put there is NOTHING manly about you.

Sean Hannity gets spanked on his show by Rep. Keith Ellison and finally ends the interview early in frustration. Gotta love it!

Courtesy of Mediaite:

 Right at the top of the interview, Ellison told Hannity, “You are the worst excuse for a journalist I’ve ever seen.” He scolded Hannity for trying to blame the president instead of providing accurate information on the sequester fight, and called Hannity a “shill for the Republican party.” Hannity invited Ellison to “keep ranting.” 

After Ellison spoke for a bit, Hannity cut him off to ask another question, but Ellison fired back, “No, wait a minute, you said I could rant, and I am.” Hannity said he’s had plenty of time to rant, but before he could get onto the next question, Ellison kept loudly talking. Hannity asked, “Why are you so angry?” 

Hannity told Ellison he was acting “comical,” and in response to Ellison’s bewilderment and light mocking, he said he gave him enough time to rant without getting another question. Hannity said that in the spirit of bipartisanship they should have a dialogue. Ellison shot back, “I thought you weren’t a Republican.” 

Hannity clarified he’s a registered conservative. Hannity then moved on to his question. He claimed the sequester was the Democrats’ fault, to which Ellison immediately insisted it was the Republican-led House’s fault. Hannity tried to call out President Obama for the massive debt, and Ellison fought back with a few suggestions for how Democrats want to lessen the debt, which Hannity practically laughed at. 

As Hannity attempted to ask Ellison another question about the “immoral” debt, Ellison called Hannity immoral and accused him of telling lies. He insisted that the massive debt is not Obama’s fault, which led to a brief shouting match between the two men. Hannity cut Ellison off by telling him the interview was a “total waste of time.”

I have to tell you that it was beyond satisfying watching Hannity get called out on his partisan bullshit.  And I damn near busted a gut when he claimed he was not a Republican.

The whole network is one giant propagnada arm for the Republican party and the more that people like Rep. Ellison call them out over it the better.

You know perhaps next he should invite Florida Congressman Alan Grayson on his program. I am sure he will let Hannity get a word in edgewise. Yeah probably not.

Feds and media debunk Sarah Palin's claim that the government is "stockpiling bullets."

Courtesy of Politico:  

The feds say Sarah Palin is firing blanks with her claim that the government is “stockpiling bullets” for potential civil unrest in case the country defaults on its loans. 

While government agencies are, in fact, purchasing large amounts of ammunition, they are doing so for training exercises and shooting ranges, according to federal officials. The Washington Post last month summed up the Department of Homeland Security’s buying of more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition for training with an article headlined, “Not so sinister: Homeland Security is stockpiling ammo for target practice.” 

“Media reports expressed concerns over the type of ammunition ordered,” the statement continued, apparently referring to hollow-point bullets. “In fact, this type of ammunition is standard issue for many law enforcement agencies. OIG’s special agents use this ammunition during their mandatory quarterly firearms qualifications and other training sessions, to ensure agent and public safety. Additionally, the ammunition our agents use is the same type used at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.” 

Meanwhile, as the Atlantic Wire noted on Wednesday, Snopes had debunked the rumor last August tracing it (in part) to an anonymous online conspiracy letter from last August. 

Palin - who wrote on her Facebook page on Tuesday, “We’re going to default eventually and that’s why the feds are stockpiling bullets in case of civil unrest” - joins conservatives Alex Jones of InfoWars.com, who wrote about the ammo buy last year, and radio host Mark Levin, who said on his radio program earlier this month that the government is “arming up” because society is “unraveling.” 

So now Palin is firmly identified along with the looniest of the Right Wing lunatics.

And thanks to these recent Facebook rants, she has made that abundantly clear, even among those who may have once thought she had something viable to offer in the political sphere.

With every tweet and ghostwritten Facebook post she drains a little more out of the pool of support that she still has left, until, as we are seeing today, she becomes nothing more than a barometer to measure the incompetence of political figures, a fall back joke for late night comedians, and a cautionary tale for those who want to parlay their fifteen minutes of fame into a life of wealth and luxury.

Stephen Colbert covers one of my favorite political fantasies, that Texas will vote Democrat in the next Presidential election.

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To me having Texas go blue is ALMOST a bigger deal than if Alaska voted for the Democratic candidate.

Though I have to say that if Alaska votes Democrat in 2014 I will be over the moon and drive everybody in my life crazy about it.

Come on Texas and Alaska! We can do it!

Things that you cannot get put in jail for in Alaska, exploding 300 lbs of explosives that do $15,000 of damage. Really? Even if you are named during the trial of a domestic terrorist?

I know that many of you read about that huge explosion near Riverbanks that happened earlier this month, because I received the link about a dozen times.

I am sure that you would naturally assume that causing such a monster explosion and doing so muhc damage would result in a conviction for SOMETHING. But you my friend would be oh so wrong.

Courtesy of Newsminer:  

The criminal case has been dismissed against a Fairbanks man who was accused of setting off a destructive explosion last month in the Chena Ridge neighborhood. 

Following the explosion, Fairbanks chiropractor and business owner Guy “Chris” Mannino was charged with felony criminal mischief, the crime of recklessly putting the property of others at risk. 

Neighbors said shockwaves from the blast, which was heard as far away as North Pole, did at least $15,000 in damage to windows and other property. 

Alaska State Troopers said there was evidence Mannino detonated the blast and recommended a felony charge under the theory that blowing up more than 300 pounds of explosives put more than $100,000 in property at risk. 

A Fairbanks grand jury disagreed last week. Asked to indict Mannino to continue the prosecution, the grand jury returned a “no true bill” instead of an indictment. 

“The grand jury, after careful deliberation, decided that Mr. Mannino’s conduct was not criminal in nature,” Fairbanks District attorney Michael Gray said by e-mail. 

Because the grand jury failed to indict, the state cannot again pursue the case unless new evidence emerges. In some cases the state can pursue misdemeanor charges if the grand jury does not indict, but in this case the misdemeanor version of criminal mischief corresponds with the crime of intentionally damaging up to $500 worth of property, not Mannino’s alleged reckless conduct.

Now look I live in Alaska, and I know that there are a lot of things you can get away with up here that would have your ass in jail for years down in the lower 48. You know like firing your weapon into the air at night, driving your snowmachine down the middle of the road, raping a reindeer, you know things like that.

However you might assume that setting off an explosion that does $15,000 worth of damage and puts $100,000 worth of property at risk, would get you SOME time in jail. Right?

So I thought to myself who does this Guy Mannino fellow know? And why is his name vaguely familiar?

And I found that answer in a transcript of the Schaeffer Cox trial put together by our friend Jeanne Devon over at the Mudflats. This is from a portion of an FBI surveillance tape that was played in court, of a conversation between FBI informant Bill Fulton, defendant Lonnie Vernon, and the other FBI informant JR Olson:  

The next snippet of conversation talks about grenades and fuses, C4 explosive, and silencers, which are also called ‘supressors.’ This conversation takes place the night after the convention. 

 FULTON: That whole — that’s what I’m saying, but you also want good ones… They have to be brand new but off the books. I know a couple of gun shops in the area. That’s not a problem. 

VERNON: Really, no kidding? 

OLSON: That’s all I want to know. 

FULTON: That’s prepay, and you’re going to wait six months for it. 

VERNON: Really, no kidding? 

FULTON: Yeah. because they’re going to want cash, and in order to make it clean it’s got to get lost… It’s not like they can just order one up. 

VERNON: You can’t grind the numbers, weld over it and that kind of stuff? 

FULTON: No, no, no, no, because each one of those is accountable. 

VERNON: Oh, I gotcha. 

FULTON: You see what I’m saying? So, let’s say that I go to him and I give him a thousand dollars, okay? It’s going to take a while for him to order the piece to begin with, because it’s not like anybody stocks them. Order it, get it shipped, do the paperwork, get it lost, and then get it to me, yeah. 

VERNON: I was going to ask you, you don’t deal with an Mannino, do you? 

FULTON: Who’s Mannino? No. 

VERNON: Okay. 

FULTON: Who is he? 

OLSON: He’s a dealer. 

VERNON: No, no, no, no, no, no. He’s a tour president and everybody — he’s in the ‘dot gov’ thing. He is a worm … 

FULTON: Okay, who is this asshole? (…) 

OLSON: He’s a chiropractor. 

VERNON: He’s the one that — he’s a meddler. 

OLSON: He’s got class three. 

VERNON: Oh, yeah, he’s got — he’s got explosives and everything. But, if you try to buy… 

OLSON: Don’t deal with him. 

VERNON: If you try to buy something from him, all of a sudden you make the list, on his list, and all of his buddies are the cops, FBI, everything. He is such a smartass. 

Here is what Jeanne wrote about the guy they were talking about: 

The twerpish, wormy, meddling, smartass, chiropractic asshole turns out to be a Dr. G. Chris Mannino from Fairbanks – a chiropractor who also happens to be a Class 3 gun dealer. If he is the same G. Chris Mannino that has (or had) a business called Arms & Equipment, and was listed as a Class 3 dealer in Fairbanks.

Okay so now do you get it?

Perhaps if you are a regular Joe Blow in Alaska, and you blow a giant hole in the state, you might go to jail. But if you are a gun dealing chiropractor, with ties to certain militia members, and lots of cop buddies, well....

Things that make you go, hmmm.

A pretty damning anti-Mitch McConnell ad that a progressive group is trying to get on the air in Kentucky.

Okay that one is going to leave a mark.

If you want to help with the funding to broadcast it, you can do so by clicking here.

You know speaking of Mitch McConnell it looks like the Right Wing is so worried about the possibility of Ashley Judd challenging him that they have already started to do opposition research in order to stop her from even seeking the nomination.

Check out the "scandalous" information that the folks over at the Daily Caller dug up about the lovely potential challenger:

Here is a sampling of some of Judd’s most stunning comments: 

— On her decision not to have kids with her husband: “It’s unconscionable to breed, with the number of children who are starving to death in impoverished countries.” 

- On her comparing mountaintop removal to the Rwandan genocide: “President Clinton has repeatedly said doing nothing during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 is the single greatest regret of the Presidency. Yet here at home, there is full blown environmental genocide and collapse happening, and we are doing nothing. Naturally, I accept that I set myself up for ridicule for using such strong terms, or perhaps outrage from human victims of slaughter.” 

- On fathers giving daughters away at weddings: “To this day, a common vestige of male dominion over a woman’s reproductive status is her father ‘giving’ away her away to her husband at their wedding, and the ongoing practice of women giving up their last names in order to assume the name of their husband’s families, into which they have effectively been traded.” 

- On the coal industry, which employees thousands of Kentuckians: “The era of coal plant is over, unacceptable,” she tweeted in October. 

- On how Christianity “legitimizes” male power over women: “Patriarchal religions, of which Christianity is one, gives us a God that is like a man, a God presented and discussed exclusively in male imagery, which legitimizes and seals male power. It is the intention to dominate, even if the intention to dominate is nowhere visible.” 

- On men: “Throughout history, men have tried to control the means of reproduction, which means trying to control woman. 

You know perhaps it is just me but I don't think that is going to turn off as many potential voters as this dipstick thinks it will. Especially female voters.

But perhaps my favorite miscalculation from this article was their original choice to use the picture below to make Judd appear to be just another airhead with a pretty face.

They have since changed the photo. Perhaps due to the realization they might be perceived as sexist, or perhaps because they realized that if the appearance of Sarah Palin could get the horny male Republicans to show up at the polls in droves, this picture of the gorgeous Ashley Judd might have them jumping over to the Democratic side in order to pull their levers in her honor.

The truth behind the push for "School Choice."

Courtesy of Salon:  

To still relatively scant notice, the call for “School Choice” or Vouchers continues to play out in state capitols across the nation in an effort to increase Biblically based education through a redirection of tax dollars from public to private religious schools. In order to accomplish the end goal of Christianizing all students, stealth remains largely the rule of the day. In 2002, Dick DeVos told The Heritage Foundation.

“We need to be cautious about talking too much about these activities. Many of the activities and the political work that needs to go on will go on at the grass roots. It will go on quietly and it will go on in the form that often politics is done – one person at a time, speaking to another person in privacy. And so these issues will not be, maybe, as visible or as noteworthy, but they will set a framework within states for the possibility of action on education reform issues.” 

During the 2011-2012 school year, thirty-two private school choice programs were in place with more than $800 million available for vouchers and scholarship tax credits, money that by all rights should have gone to our public school systems, many of which are in dire need. Groups with heart-warming names like The Alliance for School Choice and American Federation for Children encourage naive donors to support vouchers for reasons that are as deceptive as they are fundamentally non-democratic. 

Additionally, over the years, far too many of these overzealous Christians have quietly insinuated themselves onto School Boards across the country and are hard at work challenging the historical mandate to provide a religion-neutral public education by insuring that the Bible become part of high school curricula. 

In 2007, a piece of legislation backed by the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ and the American Family Association, passed in the Texas State House. The bill stated that Texas public schools must offer, as required curriculum the “history and literature of the Old and New Testaments.” Recently, the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) issued a chilling report on a study they coordinated with Mark Chancey, Professor of Religious Studies at Southern Methodist University. 

In his report, Chancey stated that “at least 57 (Texas) school districts and three charter schools taught courses about the Bible in 2011-12, a number that more than doubled the districts teaching such courses in the 2006-07 school year.” The oversight spelled out in the bill that should have protected students from religious indoctrination was largely ignored leaving whole districts with Biblically driven curricula. At the time of the bill’s implementation, the bill’s co-author, Rep. Leo Berman, blatantly stated, “I don’t believe there’s such a thing as the separation of church and state.” 

Of particular concern is the textbook-like use of scripture to condone homophobia, to slander blacks and Jews, and to deny basic climate and evolutionary science. And Texas is not alone. According to The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools’ website over a half a million students have already taken these courses nationally for credit. Take a half a million public school minds along with those who are already enrolled in religious schools or who are homeschooled, multiply it by a decade and it’s easy to see why it matters.

This agenda to undermine public education and reintroduce Christianity into the classrooms was the brain child of Jerry Falwell and the so-called Moral Majority, back in the 1980's. And even after Falwell's death it continues apace.

This is why on the local level it is important to keep the Fundamentalists out of our school boards and fight at every turn the idea of charter schools, school vouchers, and "teaching the controversy."

If we are not vigilant these anti-education trolls will destroy the very foundation of America's educational system in the hopes of keeping them ignorant and uninformed enough to continue voting Republican candidates, and continuing to support old fashioned religious faiths that are soon to go the way of the dinosaurs.

And that would be the ACTUAL dinosaurs, not those silly animatronic ones they have hanging out with primitive people at the Creation Museum.

Dinosaurs and humans were NEVER alive at the same time, but you will not learn that in many charter schools.

I was not terribly happy with his job hosting the Oscars, but this quote pretty much makes up for that.

One of my pet peeves when I hear people talking about Evolution vs Creationism is that the argument has been defined as depending on "which one you believe." But that is allowing the Fundamentalists to define the terms of the debate.

Science is not a faith based discipline. It's acceptance, and progress, are based on the fact that if a scientist does not accept the findings of a previous scientist they are welcomed, nay encouraged, to discover on their own whether or not it holds up to scrutiny or to the introduction of new evidence.

That happens all of the time of course, which keeps science a constantly evolving exploration of the world around us.

Creationism on the other hand is fragile and is based on the notion that the whole of it must be taken on faith and cannot be questioned too closely nor argued against too aggressively. On the other hand they feel completely justified in suggesting that if there are ANY unanswered questions in Evolution that the entire field of study should be dismissed out of hand.

The only way I would support the introduction of Creationism in the public schools is as an example of exactly what kind anti-intellectual arguments are made by people terrified of the truths that science may discover about their world, and the fact that those discoveries might endanger their ability to use faith in unseen forces to comfort themselves in the face of a confusing and sometimes frightening reality.

The CDC study into gun violence that the NRA is desperate to keep Americans from ever seeing.

Courtesy of Raw Story:

President Obama has directed the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence as part of his legislative package on gun control. The CDC hasn’t pursued this kind of research since 1996 when the National Rifle Association lobbied Congress to cut funding for it, arguing that the studies were politicized and being used to promote gun control. We’ve interviewed Dr. Mark Rosenberg, who led the agency’s gun violence research in the nineties when he was the director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. 

Q: So what were you were able to find before funding got cut off? 

One of the critical studies that we supported was looking at the question of whether having a firearm in your home protects you or puts you at increased risk. This was a very important question because people who want to sell more guns say that having a gun in your home is the way to protect your family. 

What the research showed was not only did having a firearm in your home not protect you, but it hugely increased the risk that someone in your family would die from a firearm homicide. It increased the risk almost 300 percent, almost three times as high. 

It also showed that the risk that someone in your home would commit suicide went up. It went up five-fold if you had a gun in the home. These are huge, huge risks, and to just put that in perspective, we look at a risk that someone might get a heart attack or that they might get a certain type of cancer, and if that risk might be 20 percent greater, that may be enough to ban a certain drug or a certain product. 

But in this case, we’re talking about a risk not 20 percent, not 100 percent, not 200 percent, but almost 300 percent or 500 percent. These are huge, huge risks. 

Q: I understand there was also an effort to collect data on gun violence through something called the Firearm Injury Surveillance System. What did that involve? 

We were collecting information to answer the question of who, what, where, when, and how did shootings occur? 

We were finding that most homicides occur between people who know each other, people who are acquaintances or might be doing business together or might be living together. They’re not stranger-on-stranger shootings. They’re not mostly home intrusions. 

We also found that there were a lot of firearm suicides, and in fact most firearm deaths are suicides. There were a lot of young people who were impulsive who were using guns to commit suicide.

Gee no wonder the NRA wants to keep this information quiet, it essentially refutes virtually EVERYTHING the gun lobby tells us is true about guns and whether they make us safer, or less safe.

You I know here's what kind of bothers me about the gun debate. Most of this should be fairly common sense. I mean if you have more guns in the country that clearly increases the possibility of gun violence, yet the NRA argument is that if more people had access to firearms there would be LESS gun violence.

That kind of thinking is illogical to say the least, and insane to give it the title that it deserves.

And furthermore I am damn sick and tired of hearing that old "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" line from these gun nuts. Strictly speaking that may usually be true, but guns give these people so much additional power to cause injury or death, that even a dog can suddenly become a possible assassin, even if only by accident:

Gregory Dale Lanier of Frostproof was riding in his truck on Feb. 23 when the dog knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor of the truck, causing it to discharge into the man’s leg, a police report indicated. 

This by no means is the ONLY time a man has been shot by his dog either. Not by a long shot. (Pardon the pun.)
 
So perhaps the saying should be more along the lines of "Guns are so effective at killing people, that with them even the family pet can kill people."

How would THAT look on a bumper sticker?

Sarah Palin takes to Twitter to attack Democrats. Democrats respond with both a "ho" and a "hum." Update!

America's sick & tired of yet more ginned up crisis. DC: Grow up. Get to work. Go around lefty obstructionists then get out of workers' way.
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) February 26, 2013

"Lefties?" Who is she Archie Bunker? I am surprised she didn't call them long haired "pinkos" as well.

It looks like Palin is REALLY sucking up the the Right Wing before her big upcoming flop in front of CPAC in March. You know, in case they forget just who in the hell she was.

Palin knows that the way to a Teabagger's heart is through name calling and attacking the Democrats.

But hey, at least it seems she might actually tapped this one out herself with her very own gnarled clawed hands.

By the way it might be worth noting that the most popular Republican politician in the country, and the ONLY one that has any shot at the White House (If Hillary doesn't run that is) has NOT been invited to CPAC:

The Republican rock star governor of New Jersey was reportedly not invited to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March, where potential 2016 hopefuls like Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan will be rubbing elbows with activists. 

Yeah I guess that Christie's photo-op with the President while they were both touring the devastation from Hurricane Sandy was just TOO much for these simple idiots to stand.

Update: It looks like the tweet was just the first volley while Palin's Facebook ghostwriter put together a longer rant for her about the sequestration, It is essentially the same old crap, but here is a rather entertaining nugget:

If we are going to wet our proverbial pants over 0.3% in annual spending cuts when we’re running up trillion dollar annual deficits, then we’re done. Put a fork in us. We’re finished. We’re going to default eventually and that’s why the feds are stockpiling bullets in case of civil unrest.

Well I guess Palin would know all about the wetting of the pants since she is such good friends with Ted "Pants load of excrement" Nugent. And as for having a fork stuck in you to indicate you are done, I think the media has done exactly that to our once ferocious Mama Grizzly, don't you think?

By the way since she brought up that "feds stockpiling bullets" conspiracy theory here is the link that explains what is really going on.

I think the only people still reporting on her Facebook posts these days are us (For their comedic value only!), C4P, and Breitbart.

Alaska lawmakers pass bill exempting Alaskans from Federal gun laws.

Courtesy of ADN: 

In a chamber dotted with female legislators wearing new camo scarves, the state House on Monday passed a gun measure that is wildly popular among the GOP-controlled Legislature even though it raises serious constitutional issues. 

House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, is the prime sponsor of House Bill 69, which passed 31-5 on Monday after a lengthy and impassioned debate. 

It declares that guns and ammunition possessed by Alaskans are exempt from federal gun laws. It also subjects federal agents to felony charges if they try to enforce any future federal ban on semi-automatic weapons or ammunition or enforce any new federal requirement for gun registration. 

A legal opinion from a legislative lawyer said the measure likely is unconstitutional. When federal and state laws conflict, the U.S. Constitution declares that federal law is supreme, legislative counsel Kathleen Strasbaugh wrote in a Jan. 30 memorandum. 

Republicans said they are willing to let the courts sort out the issues. They said that they must stand up for Second Amendment gun rights and won't bow down to the federal government on this. A number said they heard from constituents who back the bill. 

You know sometimes living here is like being the only hominid on an island of non-tool using, old world monkeys. Except I would probably expect even the monkeys to realize how stupid a law like this is, and the potential for conflict that it creates.

Number one this is NEVER going to stand up to legal scrutiny, but number two it attempts to pit local law enforcement against Federal agents in some sort of Roman gladiator fight for dominance over gun laws.

Not to mention that it sends a message to every anti-social, barely literate, asshole who came to Alaska to hide in the woods because the voices in their heads told them that the government was beaming messages into their brains from space (And yes we have a lot more of these then you might imagine.) that they don't have to listen to federal laws and that if they happen to come under investigation for a federal crime they can fight back and expect local law enforcement to have their back.

What would happen if the Feds were trying to serve a warrant concerning a weapon that was used in a crime in another state and the accused called the State Troopers to defend him and tell them they have no authority over him in this state?

A scenario very much like that just played out here recently concerning the murder of a teenage barista. And I hate to damage anybody's view of our state but we attract way more than our fair share of serial killers.

When the people who fought so hard to get statehood for Alaska did so, they did so with the understanding that we were then subject to federal laws and guidelines. And they were fine with that because it offered far more positives than negatives in their opinions.

These Republican idiots get into office and immediately seem to forget that the state they represent is one of the united states in the United States of America. They are not politicians in Mexico or Canada, they are politicians in the good old US of A, and it is high time that they acted like it instead of acting like insurgents attempting to overthrow an evil dictator.

You know I think it is well past time for the progressives up here to wrest control of our state from the oil funded conservative morons that are currently in charge. Personally I am tired of this shit.

Westboro "God Hates Fags" church decides to protest Santa Monica High School. School responds by protesting them back, with hilarious results.

Courtesy of Americablog:  

Rev. Fred “God Hates F-gs” Phelps was protesting Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California this morning. 

The Phelps’ made the trip to California for the Oscars, but since they were already there, they decided to picket a high school too.

So the kids decided that two could play that game and came out onto the sidewalks to do a little protesting of their own.

 They clearly had superior numbers on their side, but they also had some things the Westboro folks lacked completely, youthful energy, creativity, and a sense of humor.

Have I mentioned yet how much I admire the youth of today?

Well I do. I do indeed.

Let's take a moment to look around and see how Republican lawmakers are currently damaging our country.

These examples come to us courtesy of Salon.

First up criminalizing gun control:  

In Missouri, state Rep. Mike Leara believes even proposing gun control should be illegal. So he has proposed legislation that would make it a felony for “any member of the general assembly who proposes a piece of legislation that further restricts the right of an individual to bear arms, as set forth under the second amendment of the Constitution of the United States.” 

“I filed HB 633 as a matter of principle and as a statement in defense of the Second Amendment rights of all Missourians,” Leara told Buzzfeed. “I have no illusions about the bill making it through the legislative process, but I want it to be clear that the Missouri House will stand in defense of the people’s Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.”

From Oklahoma we have the attempt to undermine the benefits to women from Obamacare:  

The full state Senate in Oklahoma will take up a measure to allow companies to strip birth control and abortion coverage from employer healthcare plans under a bill that unanimously cleared the committee level last week. 

“Notwithstanding any other provision of state or federal law, no employer shall be required to provide or pay for any benefit or service related to abortion or contraception through the provision of health insurance to his or her employees,” the bill reads. 

That would put the law in conflict with the Obamacare provision that mandates contraception coverage in employee group insurance plans, unless the company in question meets the religious organization that qualifies for an exemption.

In Idaho a bill was introduced that would have forced students to pass a test about Ayn Rand before being allowed to graduate:  

The chairman of the education committee in Idaho’s Senate introduced a bill earlier this month that would make students read — and pass a test — on “Atlas Shrugged” as a requirement for a high school diploma. 

Then he backed away from the bill, saying he was just trying to make a point. The senator, John Goedde, told the Idaho Spokesman-Review he was “sending a message to the State Board of Education, because he’s unhappy with its recent move to repeal a rule requiring two online courses to graduate from high school, and with its decision to back off on another planned rule regarding principal evaluations.” 

Why that book? It “made my son a Republican,” he said, then adding, “well, he’s not a practicing Republican. But it certainly made him a conservative.”

And in Kansas teachers are being strongly encouraged to questions science that the Republican led School Board deems "questionable:"  

In Kansas, the state Board of Education will vote on new science standards this year, so the legislative jockeying has begun. A bill before the House Education Committee would make schools include evidence against climate change in science classes. 

According to the bill, science teachers would be required to “provide information to students of scientific evidence which both supports and counters a scientific theory or hypothesis.” 

As the Topeka Capital Journal notes: “The bill says instruction about ‘scientific controversies’ should be objective and include ‘both the strengths and weaknesses of such scientific theory or hypothesis.’ The only controversy identified in the bill is ‘climate science.’”

Yes they only identify "climate sciences" but we all know the ultimate goal is to sneak in a way for teachers to be forced to refute Evolution or perhaps have to teach Creationism along with it. Sneaky assholes!

And that my friends is just a sampling of what is happening around the country to control women's bodies, stop gun control legislation, and dumb down our children.

And people ask why I am a Democrat.

Having Facebook friends from the Bible Belt can be very eye opening, and a little sad.

This is not from my Facebook account, fortunately I don't have anybody quite this nutty, but it apparently has shown up on numerous other Facebook accounts and I have received it in e-mails multiple times.

I don't even know where to begin with something like this, but it does raise the question as to how a religion dedicated to the teachings by a man identified as the "Prince of Peace," could also embrace gun ownership so aggressively?

Stephen Colbert breaks character for a good cause, to endorse his big sister's Congressional race.

Courtesy of Mediaite: 

Discussing the “character Stephen Colbert” from The Colbert Report, he said, “He talks about politics all the time, and he has stuck his toe in the waters of American politics, and occasionally his finger in the eye of American politics, but I have never actually supported any candidate before.” Colbert added that if he didn’t support Colbert-Busch, he 92-year-old mother would be very “disappointed.” 

From there, he went on to praise his sister, retelling some of the charming childhood stories he shared during the only time he has discussed her candidacy thus far on his show and sharing details about her career.

I thought this was very touching and demonstrated a great deal of love between Stephen and his sister "Lulu."

By the way I think that we can all agree that we owe Stephen Colbert a huge debt of gratitude for his work exposing the corrupting influence of SuperPACs and the shady manner in which they launder money from rich donors.

I think that South Carolinians are in a unique position to thank him for that hard work by supporting his sister at the polls. Besides if she has half the brains that her brother has, she is going to an incredibly effective member Congress.

Study finds that most mass shootings target women and families, and are perpetrated by men with legally purchased weapons.

Courtesy of Alternet:

A new analysis of 56 mass shootings across America since 2009 finds women and family members are the most frequent victims, and that the shooter almost always acquired his guns legally, in cases where the gun source is known. 

“In at least 32 of the cases (57 percent), the shooter killed a current or former spouse or intimate partner or other family member, and at least eight of those shooters had a prior domestic violence charge,” the Mayors Against Illegal Guns report on mass shootings said, suggesting that the problem of gun violence is far more related to violence against women in homes than rampages in public settings such as schools and theaters. 

The study also found that in the cases where the source of the guns was known, almost all were acquired legally: only two examples were given of mass killings with a stolen or illegal gun. That finding runs counter to the gun lobby’s oft-cited rhetoric that only criminals abuse guns. 

“We had sufficient evidence to judge whether the shooter was a prohibited gun possessor in 42 of the 56 incidents,” the report said, referring to laws barring ex-felons, mentally ill people, drug addicts and other categories of people from owning guns. “Of those 42 incidents, 15 (36 percent) involved a prohibited possessor and 27 (64 percent) did not.”

You know personally I already knew this to be true but it is good to see it backed up with data.

Now the only question is can we get it out to the public at large, and help to change the debate that has for too long been shaped by the NRA and other 2nd Amendment fetishists?

By the way speaking of awards, the Oscars weren't the only big trophies given out yesterday. "Big" being a relative term.

Here is a picture of the Toad holding his trophy for coming in fifth place in the Iron Dog, that was found on Chuck Heath Jr's Facebook page.

Apparently the fifth place win came not only with that nifty little trophy, but also $10,000.

But before Todd had a chance to blow it all on prostitutes and Viagra, his wife stepped in and announced to the world (Or at least the morons who still follow her on Facebook) that Todd was giving the money to a charity that reinforces her Right Wing credibility.

From Palin's Facebook page:

Todd's race winnings are donated to The Chris Kyle Memorial Fund. For the kids and me, we're proud of our Iron Dogger, especially his dedication to family and freedom. 

- Sarah Palin

Damn and this is the first money Todd has earned on his own in months! Oh well, I am sure Palin made it up to him by letting him hold the balls that she ripped off of him yeas ago and keeps in that little purse she carries.

"Here Todd, touch them. Remember what it was like to be a real man? Well, now you can just hand them back and get those thoughts right out of your head. Cause your ass belongs to me!"

Michelle Obama steals the show at last night's Academy Awards celebration. Conservatives pissy as usual.

I am sorry about showing you a video that comes from Glenn Beck's lunatic Right Wing website The Blaze, but sadly that was the best video I could find of the event.

Here is the text of her speech:

“Welcome to the White House, everyone. I am so honored to help introduce this year’s nominees for best picture, and to help celebrate the movies that lift our spirits, broaden our minds, and transport us to places we have never imagined… “These 9 movies took us back in time and all around the world. They made us laugh, they made us weep, and they made us grip our arm rests just a little tighter. They taught us that love can endure against all odds, and transform our lives in the most surprising ways. And they reminded us that we can overcome any obstacle if we dig deep enough and fight hard enough and find the courage to believe in ourselves. These lessons apply to all of us no matter who we are, or what we look like, or who we love…”

Of course the First Lady's appearance did not sit too well with the conservatives who have already started to bitch about it.

First this from the same website from which I got this video:

Oh My God: The Academy actually drafts First Lady Michelle Obama to help present Best Picture from presumably the White House? So unnecessary and inappropriate to inject politics into the Oscars yet again. Hollywood will get pilloried by conservative pundits tomorrow. I don’t understand this very obvious attempt to turn off right-leaning audiences. Clearly the studios only want to sell their movies to half of America.

Yes because as we know the Obama's are only the President and First Lady for half of the American people, right?

But wait, there's more:  

Has a First Lady ever intruded on Oscar night in such fashion? My memory says no, but it's possible this isn't the first time. It is, however, typical of a White House operation that excels in glamour over substance, that feels compelled to enter every public space from sporting events to late night shows to even the biggest night of the year for Hollywood. 

Yes, the Obamas owe Tinsel Town plenty for all their support - financial and promotional - during the 2012 election. But there's simply no reason for Michelle Obama to be given the biggest assignment on Oscar night. 

Conservative viewers, if there were any left by the time the show wrapped, will not soon forget this.

And of course the Washington Post weighed in as well:

It is not enough that President Obama pops up at every sporting event in the nation. Now the first lady feels entitled, with military personnel as props, to intrude on other forms of entertaining (this time for the benefit of the Hollywood glitterati who so lavishly paid for her husband’s election). I’m sure the left will holler that once again conservatives are being grouchy and have it in for the Obamas. Seriously, if they really had their president’s interests at heart, they’d steer away from encouraging these celebrity appearances. It makes both the president and the first lady seem small and grasping. In this case, it was just downright weird.

You know considering the fact that three of the nine nominees for Best Picture had overtly political themes (Lincoln, Argo, and Zero Dark Thirty) it seemed to me oddly fitting that the First Lady be the one to hand out the award. And like, am sure, most Americans I really enjoyed seeing Michelle Obama participate.

However with that being said, the fact that it ticks the Righties off so much just makes her appearance at the awards even more awesome.

Let's face it, both this President and his First Lady are going to be a hard act to follow. Especially for any uptight, repressed conservatives that might want to hold those positions in the future.

Update: By the way it looks like Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence has a message for those Right Wing critics of the First Lady's presentation.

 You know I am liking this young woman more and more every day.

Four year old finds father's gun with predictable, and heartbreaking, result.

Courtesy of Raw Story:

 A 4-year-old boy in Houston died early Sunday morning after finding his father’s handgun and shooting himself in the stomach. 

Houston Police Sgt. Harris told KTRK that 4-year-old Jaiden Pratt’s weekend with his father, 23-year-old Marquez Pratt, ended in tragedy. The father and son had gone to sleep on the couch. After waking up, Jaiden picked up the gun and accidentally fired a round into his own stomach. 

Paramedics tried to revive child, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

“This is not a case of a responsible homeowner having a weapon for protection,” Harris said. 

According to the Houston Chronicle, the serial number of the handgun was listed as stolen. Marquez Pratt was expected to face charges resulting from drugs and several weapons found in the home.

Of course the 2nd Amendment crowd will point out that this was a stolen gun and therefore gun laws that affect the ability of law abiding citizens to purchase and own firearms would have little effect. But I disagree.

You see I think that once you go through a background check and take possession of a firearm it is your responsibility, until you have either sold it in lawful manner (Complete with insisting that the purchaser have the gun registered in their name) or until you die.

In other words EVERY crime or accident that occurs with the weapons stolen out of your house, if it is discovered that you did not do EVERYTHING in your power to keep that from happening, should open you up to both criminal and civil legal proceedings.

No more of this, "Well officer that gun was stolen out of my house so I am not responsible for how it was used." If you are responsible enough to own a weapon, then by the gods you should be responsible enough to maintain control over that weapon.

I can guarantee you that if we had laws like that on the books there would be a HELL of a lot less guns sold, and a a whole HELL of a lot fewer guns stolen. Which also means less crime, and fewer terrible accidents like this one.

It is hard for me to imagine too many things more enjoyable than watching a young earth Creationist shut down by a Catholic priest.

Gee and look he also used my line that teaching Creationism to children is tantamount to child abuse.

I will resist the urge to mention that the Catholic church is in a unique position to identify what is, and what is not, child abuse.

Oscar night open thread. Update!

Tonight is the night of the Academy awards, or as my daughter says "The best night of the whole year!"

I thought since she will be calling me all night to yell about her favorite movies not getting the Oscar I would provide all of you a similar venue to express your confusions, frustrations, or joy at the winners.

Here is the list of nominees for those of who are not movie addicts like my daughter and I.

1. Best picture: "Amour," "Argo," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Django Unchained," "Les Misérables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Zero Dark Thirty." 

2. Actor: Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"; Hugh Jackman, "Les Misérables"; Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"; Denzel Washington, "Flight." 

3. Actress: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"; Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; Naomi Watts, "The Impossible." 

4. Supporting actor: Alan Arkin, "Argo"; Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"; Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"; Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained." 

5. Supporting actress: Amy Adams, "The Master"; Sally Field, "Lincoln"; Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"; Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"; Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook." 

6. Directing: Michael Haneke, "Amour"; Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"; Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"; David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook." (There are more nominees at the link,)

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have only seen a few of these movies, since my usual movie fare involves car chases, things that go bum pin the night, and superheroes.

However I have seen "Lincoln," "Les Miserables," and "Life of Pi" so I am not completely in the dark.

Since I have seen so few I really cannot make much of a prediction as to who might, or might not, win.

But I will say that for Best Picture Lincoln" has set a ridiculously high bar for others to reach in order to take that prize away from Spielberg.

So go ahead put on your best party dress. open that special bottle of champagne, and let's enjoy a night of star studded movie magic.

Wait, is Seth MacFarlane really the host?

Oh well forget the champagne and party dress, I think a bottle of room temperature Miller Lite and comfy pajamas will suffice.

Let the festivities begin!

Update: Jennifer Lawrence on her way to receive her best actress Oscar.

Don't worry she recovered well.

This young woman is going to be a huge star in the very near future.

Indiana teacher who believes gays "have no purpose" suspended.

 As I imagine many of you remember from a previous post, the above teacher, a Diane Medley, was interviewed concerning plans by students and parents to hold their own prom in order to exclude gay students who were NOT excluded from the official one, and who made the following unfortunate statement:

"Do you think (gays) have a purpose in life?":

 "'No I honestly don't. Sorry, but I don't. I don't understand it. A gay person isn't going to come up and make some change unless it's to realize that it was a choice and they're choosing God."

In response many people around the country became very upset at her words, and have sent numerous e-mails to her school and to members of the School Board demanding her removal from the classroom.

It appears those e-mails have had an effect.Though not one that I believe is worth celebrating.

Courtesy of WTHITV in Indiana: 

Corporation officials say the teacher made a controversial comment. 

Since then officials say the teacher and the corporation has received "aggressive e-mail". 

 Doctor Mark Baker, the schools' superintendent issued this statement. 

“We have conveyed our disappointment and our disagreement with these statements and have emphasized her comments do not reflect our schools' views or opinions. ” 

Based on the threat, state police and Sullivan County deputies have placed an officer at the school. 

Below is the complete statement from Dr. Mark Baker, the school’s superintendent. 

To Students, Parents, Faculty and our Community: 

As many of you know and appreciate, our school corporation is continuing to manage as responsibly and respectfully as possible the fallout from comments made by an employee as she attended a meeting outside of school or a school activity. 

We have conveyed our disappointment and our disagreement with these statements and have emphasized her comments do not reflect our schools' views or opinions. 

The administration and one school employee in particular at North Central Jr/Sr High School have received aggressive email messages. We are turning over to law enforcement all such communications. Further, and as a precaution, the Indiana State Police and the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department have deemed it necessary to station an officer at our high school. Additionally, these law enforcement agencies, while they are here, are familiarizing themselves with our buildings, as is part of their regular training. 

For that, we are grateful for their support of our school and our students. This matter has created some heartbreaking differences in opinion. Please know we are always going to put the safety of our students and faculty first and any disruption of our educational process will be managed quickly. 

In response to our concerns for the safety and security of everyone in our buildings, we have placed the employee at the center of this concern on administrative leave. 

Dr. Mark A. Baker- Superintendent NORTHEAST SCHOOL CORPORATION of Sullivan Corporation

I have to say that I am troubled by the fact that this teacher was removed for fear of harm coming her way. THAT should not be the case.

I feel that it is our right, even our responsibility, to express our opinions about injustice and cruelty. However we have NO right to make these people feel physically threatened in any way.

I would support the boycott of a business that was not fair to their employees, support letter writing or e-mails to officials who are wrong on policy decisions, and even back the shaming of the truly horrible people who emotionally, physically, or mentally abuse others.

But I would never, and I mean NEVER, be okay with making threats against a person, or institution, or support doing anything that makes them feel unsafe.

That is what the people we are fighting against do, not what we do!

So while I hope that this teacher comes to understand why people were so passionately upset with what she said, and perhaps even comes to view gay people differently, I also hope that she understands that the majority of us simply wanted to make sure that she was not inflicting her homophobic and insensitive attitudes on her students, and that we certainly meant her no harm.

Growing number of firearm manufacturers may refuse to sell weapons to law enforcement if new gun control laws restrict them from selling to everybody.

Courtesy of Alaska Dispatch:  

A growing number of firearm firms in the US are vowing to reverse-boycott local and state governments that enact any new infringements on the Second Amendment. 

Vowing to close what they're calling "the police loophole," at least 50 US companies, ranging from gun machinists to gun shops, are now saying publicly they'll refuse to sell weapons and gear to police in places where governments have banned the use of the same gear by civilians. 

Quality Arms, located in Rigby, Idaho, writes on its website that it "will not supply any firearm or product manufactured by us or any other company, nor will we warranty, repair, alter or modify a firearm owned by any state, county or municipality that infringes on the right of its citizens to bear arms under the 2nd Amendment." 

The move comes as Congress and some state houses are considering new gun controls in the wake of the Dec. 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The most direct target of the "police loophole" movement seems to be New York State, which put into law a raft of new gun control regulations, including limiting the size of magazines, last month. 

"Based on the recent legislation in New York, we are prohibited from selling rifles and receivers to residents of New York [so] we have chosen to extend that prohibition to all governmental agencies associated with or located within New York," York Arms of Buxton, Maine, writes on its website. 

So far, none of the major gun manufacturers have joined the list, and it's an open question whether the smaller companies are bluffing or would even have occasion to sell directly to governments in New York State, for example.

I doubt that ANY of the major gun manufacturers, especially those that have contracts with law enforcement, would be willing to join such a ban, which makes it an empty gesture that smacks of desperation.

However it also reveals a very troubling mindset of those who create this death dealing instruments in that if they there are any restrictions places on who they can sell them to, regardless of that person's intent, they are saying they would be willing to further place the citizens of this country at risk by not selling weapons to law enforcement that would use them in defense of those citizens.

Sounds a little like passive aggressive terrorism to me.

Two reporters discuss the end of Sarah Palin. Outraged Palin-bots with pitchforks in 3..2..Oh wait they already responded.

Willow Palin with her giant pupil sporting mother, sitting in the warm truck at the Iron Dog (Photo courtesy of Facebook,)

So two Bloomberg reporters, Ramesh Ponnuruand and Margaret Carlson discuss the career trajectory of Sarah Palin and Jesse Jackson. (For the purposes of this post I will leave out the Jesse Jackson Jr. portions, which is of little interest to me as it is clear he has bi-polar syndrome and is now receiving the care that he needs to deal with it. However if you wish to read the entire article simply click here.)

First off this was Ramesh Ponnuruand's take on her upcoming CPAC appearance:

You ask, Margaret, what I think of Sarah Palin’s upcoming CPAC speech. I suspect, like you, that it will get the crowd cheering: The lady can deliver a speech, particularly one for the conservative faithful. Other conservative media figures with a mass following will also get applause. 

Palin has decided she wants to be grouped with the Sean Hannitys and Ann Coulters of the world, not with the John Kasichs and Marco Rubios, and I am not going to second-guess her about the best use of her talents. The dilemma she now faces is that interest in her as a media figure has been dependent on the possibility that she has a political future. Her endorsements have been pretty savvy as a matter of picking primary winners, but I suspect that their effectiveness has peaked.

I think that most of us would agree with that assessment. (Though I would disagree slightly with Ramesh's assertion that Palin has any discernible "talent" and that she was "pretty savvy" in her picking of primary winners. since I think only a little over 50% of them won their races.)

Here was Margaret Carlson's contribution to the discussion:

Oh, and regarding Sarah Palin: My surprise at her re-emergence has faded to boredom, which is how most people feel, according to polls. She has gone from It girl to an ex-Fox reality star. Fox doesn't fire people who can still get ratings. 

Still, I bet she gets the largest ovation of the conference. I realized that CPAC attendees are celebrity-prone in 2011, when they went wild over Donald Trump, creating a monster Mitt Romney had to bring inside his tent in 2012.

So essentially  what both reporters are saying is what ALL of us are saying, and that is that Palin is yesterday's news and her relevance has diminished to such a point that, using Carlson's description, interest in her has"faded to boredom," which for an attention whore like Sarah Palin is MUCH worse than being a national laughingstock, which was her previous incarnation.

Speaking of laughingstocks those sad little Palin parasites over at the Sea O'Pee took great umbrage that their idol was mentioned in the same breath as a man with an actual diagnosed mental condition:

Classic case of Palin Derangement Syndrome coupled with self-inflated opinions. Governor Palin has “faded to boredom” yet Carlson and Ramesh find her relevant enough to place her in a headline with a felon. It’s humor at its best. 

 The sad thing is, idiots like these want to be taken seriously. The problem is they always wind up proving the perils of establishment politics and end up describing why it is that establishment politicians will never be what’s right for the people.

You know in the old days this kind of knee jerk Palin defense would have garnered over a hundred or more comments, but as of this post this one has only attracted 24 comments, many of them the same people commenting over and over. 

Which, if you think about it, kind of makes Margaret Carlson's point for her.

Pro-wrestlers break character in order to lecture Glenn Beck. Oh you HAVE to see this!

So the other day I wrote a post about some pro-wrestlers that were doing this anti-immigrations, racist, teabagger shtick and how upset the Right Wing were about it.

Well with people poking fun at the Teabaggers you know Glenn Beck cannot keep his mouth shut about it. So he responded, and during that response he referred to them as "stupid wrestling people."

Which is kind of amazing considering the incredibly low IQ's it must take to be a regular Glenn Beck listener.

Beck's characterization of the wrestling audience as "stupid" really pissed them off to the point that the two character actors portraying the wrestler and his manager actually broke character to tell Beck off.

Courtesy of Mediaite:

“We aren’t in the political business, or the immigration business. We are in the entertainment business,” Keown said. He went on to attack Beck directly for failing to give his audience credit when it comes to the general understanding that pro-wrestling is fake. “Many of your followers are WWE fans and they understand the difference between reality and entertainment,” he added. “Are you out of touch with your audience Glenn? Or are you just a ‘stupid political commentator?’”

I find this kind amazing as these people NEVER break character, for any reason. And I mean never! (Think Stephen Colbert on steroids.)

So you know they were REALLY ticked off at Beck.  Plus they essentially made the same argument that I made in my post, which is that the demographic of the Tea Party and pro-Wrestling are pretty much identical, and therefore so is Beck's audience.

So now we have professional actors saying that their audience is smart enough to know that what they do is only acting. Which then kind of begs the question, is Glenn Beck's audience smart enough to know that HE is only acting as well?