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Signage at the Tea Party “Code Red” rally in Washington, DC.  Some Teabaggers weren’t satisfied with racial and sexual epithets — they needed threats of guns to make their point.  Someone should be calling out Republican Representatives Steve King (IA), Michele Bachmann (MN), and Mike Pence (IN), all of whom spoke at the lynch mob gathering.  This is the level to which what passes for political discourse on the Right has sunk.  Who need rationality when you’ve got pistol-toting lunatics to make your point for you?

From Think Progress:

Then to make it even better, Representative Devin Nuns (R – CA) defended them on C-Span’s Washington Journal:

SCULLY: A lot of angry comments aimed at a couple of your colleagues, including Barney Frank and Congressman John Lewis, using the “n” word as some of the protesters jeered at him as he walked through the halls of the Capitol.

NUNES: Yeah, well I think that when you use totalitarian tactics, people, you know, begin to act crazy. I think, you know, there’s people that have every right to say what they want. If they want to smear someone, they can do it. It’s not appropriate. And I think I would stop short of characterizing the 20,000 people protesting, that all of them were doing that –

SCULLY: — those are just some of the stories.

NUNES: Of course. I think the left loves to play a couple of incidents here or there.

This makes me long for the days of the detested Moral Majority.  They, at least, brandished only words.  I honestly fear for the safety of our Congressional Members when the health care reform bill passes.

Tell me again why this isn’t terrorism to be prosecuted under the (recently renewed) Patriot Act?

Via ***Dave

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This afternoon, as they exited President Obama’s speech to Democratic House members at the Capitol Visitor Center and made their way to a House office building, several lawmakers were subjected to epithets hurled by protesters, and in one incident, a protester was arrested after reportedly spitting on Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, an African-America who represents Missouri’s 5th District, according to Sam Stein of the Huffington Post.

And TPMDC’s Brian Beutler reports that Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., said they were confronted by a crowd that shouted “Kill the bill, nigger” several times. Beutler also reports personally hearing a protester shout “you faggot” at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., to the eruption of laughter by fellow protesters.

To the tea partiers I know: nice company you keep.

From Alternet

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A state senator wants Missouri to collect information from women about why they choose to have abortions.

Legislation by Republican Sen. Tom Dempsey, of St. Peters, would require doctors and clinics to ask women about the specific medical, social or economic reasons for seeking an abortion. Women would not have to respond.

Dempsey says it would be useful for policymakers to know if most abortions are sought because of relationship problems, finances, health concerns, a desire to limit family size, or a variety of other reasons.

Senators briefly discussed the bill Wednesday without taking a vote. The legislation also would expand the information provided to women during Missouri’s 24-hour waiting period before abortions.

Another day, another asshat Republican male attempting to intimidate and control women.  If this passes I hope every woman answers “none of your damn business.”

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A NEW lipstick has gone on sale that shows when women are in the mood for sex.

The saucy slap changes from clear to deep crimson as the wearer feels frisky.

It works by reacting with a girl’s body chemistry.

And each £12 tube comes with a colour chart so men can work out how randy their partner is feeling.

The Mood Swing Emotionally Activated Lip Gloss was invented in California.

A spokesman for makers Too Faced said: “The colours change depending on your emotional state.”

Celeb fans include singer Katy Perry, engaged to randy funnyman Russell Brand.

Dating expert Lorraine Adams said: “This is the ultimate date ice-breaker.

“But using it every day could get embarrassing. Would you really want the man next to you on the bus to know if you’re turned on?”

The lippy is available at Boots and ASOS.com.

The ultimate icebreaker?!  Oh.  My.  God.

Read my lips:  No matter what color they are, no still means no.

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From Merriam-Webster:
belligerent
Main Entry: bel·lig·er·ent
Pronunciation: \-rənt\
Function: adjective
1 : waging war; specifically : belonging to or recognized as a state at war and protected by and subject to the laws of war
2 : inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness

This definition is key, because this bill is no joke.  It’s for real.  Also real are these clauses:

The military will hold you and decide how you are to be charged.  While in custody you have no rights.  You can be declared a high value detainee and interrogated by both military and civilian authorities under terms of their choosing.  You can be held indefinitely without trial.

And for those who think this is hyperbole:

An individual, including a citizen of the United States, determined to be an unprivileged enemy belligerent under section 3(c)(2) in a manner which satisfies Article 5 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War may be detained without criminal charges and without trial for the duration of hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners in which the individual has engaged, or which the individual has purposely and materially supported, consistent with the law of war and any authorization for the use of military force provided by Congress pertaining to such hostilities.

These charges echo that of treason, as defined in the Constitution, but with a new, non-constitutional twist.   Read the full text and see if you can sleep at night.

Via OpenCongress.Org

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Since the Zags shot only 62% from the penalty stripe in their conference tournament, they could use a little brush up before the Big Dance starts on Friday. This wiki could help them fine tune things.

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Via the Alan Grayson for Congress newsletter

Amusing, no? However, I’m pulling this quote out of a source that I find largely problematic. In response to a speech Palin gave on a visit to Florida, Grayson let fly with a barrage of insults, including calling her a “chillbilly” and referring to the migratory path of the “wild Alaskan dingbat.”

He sent out an email newsletters to his constituents with this scathing subject line : Subject: Palin Attacks Grayson; Grayson Applies Calamine Lotion to the Resulting Reddish Skin.

From that email:

In response to Palin’s attack on Rep Grayson, Grayson actually complimented Palin. Grayson praised Palin for having a hand large enough to fit Grayson’s entire name on it. He thanked Palin for alleviating the growing shortage of platitudes in Central Florida. Grayson added that Palin deserved credit for getting through the entire hour-long program without quitting. Grayson also said that Palin really had mastered Palin’s imitation of Tina Fey imitating Palin. Grayson observed that Palin is the most-intelligent leader that the Republican Party has produced since George W. Bush.

I am bothered by the smug, self-congratulatory tone of Grayson’s campaign statement, and how, rather than address issues, he’s strung together jabs designed to humiliate Palin. These cheap shots are not only bad manners, they’re bad politics. His statements, and the repetition of them in his official literature, are not designed to convince anyone that he’s taking an ethical stand on any issue. All he is doing is showing that he’s adept at playground taunts.

I know it’s tempting to snicker to ourselves and mutter that she has it coming. But this is not what we need. Talking with my 20-year-old son on the drive from Moscow to Spokane, he stated that he couldn’t support a party that would sink so low as to respond to the Republicans on their own level. He speaks quite well for the middle, I believe. Revenge is so very attractive right now, but I’m also a supporter of the old saw “living well is the best revenge.” Pushing for a fair vote on our agenda is the best revenge for the slash and burn politics of the previous administration. Letting everyone in the country live well is the best revenge for the last 8 years of abandonment of the poor and marginalized.

I’m not saying roll over and take negative campaigning. I’m just saying that personal attacks that border on sexism are counterproductive. They drum up sympathy and support for Palin, which is the last thing we want or need.

Rep. Grayson, I toss your challenge back to you. Debate on the issues or face the risk of appearing to know nothing about them. That’s what will push this country forward, not petty insults that reflect more poorly on you than on your opponent. Be the adult here. Someone has to be.

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Subject: A Modest Proposal

Given the refusal of poor people to die when they are no longer needed by the Free Market

Given the refusal of poor people to pay their entire income for medical insurance, as they stubbornly insist in buying food

This Modest Proposal will ensure that every poor person will receive medical care without recourse to Socialistic-Communistic measures like Single Payer

It is called D.I.Y.M.P. (Do It Yourself Medical Plan.)
Do It Yourself Surgery is easy when the patient is operating on himself guided by a web can camera connected to a doctor in India. By applying local anesthetic, the patient can open himself up following the advice of the doctor in India. We recommend to begin with buying guides like: “Surgery for Idiots.”

If these poor people insist on being seen by an actual doctor, we suggest our B.Y.O.T.P. (Bring Your Own Tent Plan). By eliminating the cost of the hospital room, enormous cost savings can be made. And by eliminating dirty people coming into our hospitals, it will no longer be necessary to build large hospitals.

Clearly, we have been spoiling the poor who have no right to be sick in the greatest country in the world.

–EARL GILMAN

As the health care reform bill struggles toward a vote, it’s very easy to buy this reasoning. Since poverty is a moral issue, lack of health care is a sin, and we know how the Right feels about sinners.

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This would be a lot funnier if I was sure the morons knew it was a joke.

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“I am an ordinary citizen from Omaha, Neb., who just may have the chance to preserve liberty along with you and other people like you,” she said at a recent panel discussion with tea party leaders in Washington. (Virginia) Thomas went on to count herself among those energized into action by President Obama’s “hard-left agenda.”

… “I adore all the new citizen patriots who are rising up across this country,” Thomas, who goes by Ginni, said on the panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “I have felt called to the front lines with you, with my fellow citizens, to preserve what made America great.”

Who is Virginia Thomas and why does she matter?  You may be more familiar with her husband’s name:  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.   In January, she created Liberty Central Inc., a nonprofit lobbying group whose website will organize activism around a set of conservative core principles.

The group plans to issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election.  Thomas says it would accept donations from various sources — including corporations — as allowed under campaign finance rules recently loosened by the Supreme Court.

Make no mistake about the brand of conservatism that Thomas espouses.  In her website biography she lists herself as a fan of Rush Limbaugh and says she is “intrigued by Glenn Beck and listening carefully.”  This, to me, does not speak of an intellectual fascination with constitutional limits; rather these are the hallmarks of the knee jerk self-protectionism of the ignorant and self-satisfied.

Now, I’d be the last one to say that a woman is an echo of her husband, and I’d never suggest that Justice Thomas has no mind of his own, but I do recognize that in a relationship with any approximation of equality the exchange of ideas and support flows both directions.   I completely reject any Lysistrata scenarios.  But I believe her involvement with a lobbying group — conservative or otherwise — constitutes be a serious breach of objectivity.

I would never suggest that the spouse of a Senator, Representative, or even a President be prohibited from working in the political arena.  For example I had no problem with the dual careers of the Bob and Libby Dole.  However I do believe judges must be held to a higher standard.  Unless Justice Thomas is willing to recuse himself from any case involving the right to privacy or any other controversial issue upon which Liberty Central takes a stand, I think we’ve got a serious problem on our hands.  And since justices are appointed for life there’s not a thing we can do about it.

I, for one, find that very worrisome.

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