GOP Shame: Abuse of 9/11
We saw it at the Republican Convention in 2008 when the GOP used the 9/11 attacks to try and strike fear into the hearts of Americans in hopes they would vote for John McCain. Now, we’ve seen it again with the GOP’s biggest representatives decrying a “mosque” that is allegedly going in at ground zero (despite the fact that you can’t even see Ground Zero from what is not even a mosque). And in the very next breath, while using 9/11 as a rallying cry, they’re voting to deny funding to 9/11 responders. It is shameful and indicative of the current GOP’s willingness to put party loyalty before God and country.
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, for one, has had enough with the abuse. Check out his response to Republican efforts last night to defeat a bill that would’ve given $7.4 billion in aid to 9/11 responders:
From the Huffington Post:
At the heart of the debate was a procedural maneuver made by Democrats to suspend the rules before consideration of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The move allowed leadership to block potential GOP amendments to the measure (there was worry that Republicans would attach something overtly partisan in hopes that it could pass on the otherwise widely-popular measure). It also meant that the party needed a two-thirds majority vote.
When the final tally was announced, there were 255 representatives for the measure, 159 against. The defeat of the bill, which would have provided free health care to those affected during the 9/11 rescue and recovery, likely means that the court system will have to settle compensation issues.
Weiner did not stop there continuing to attack this morning hammering the GOP leadership for blocking the bill.
I understand that there may be people who think the courts are better equipped to handle this and that the federal government shouldn’t be spending this kind of money. But at what point do you stop voting against the laws against rape and money for 9/11 victims for some sort of “idealistic” notion and instead start doing the right thing?
Title IX Delima: Cheerleading – Sport? No?
So when does cheering become merely sport versus an athletic competition? Is the competition to be better than the other school’s cheerleaders really a “competition?” These are, surprisingly, relevant questions, especially as it pertains to the women’s movement. And it’s an issue addressed far better than me by my sister. She says of a recent ruling by a Connecticut federal judge that cheerleading is not a sport, “dur.”
The judge ruled that schools cannot use cheerleading to count toward gender equality in sports, ie to fulfill the school’s Title IX requirement.
As dumb as I think cheerleading is, I can’t decide what I think about this ruling. Is it pro-feminist or anti-feminist? I actually think it’s anti-feminist. And I do think cheerleading is dumb. After all why stand on the sideline and yell when they actually let you play in the game now? But I’m not going to argue that it’s not a sport. I know you have to be incredibly athletic to do what they do. And they go places and compete against the other schools.
I know that when my mother was growing up there weren’t women’s sports. Not in the schools, not in rec leagues, there just weren’t opportunities. The one chance for women to be involved in sports was as a cheerleader. Thus, the athletic women of that generation probably were primarily cheerleaders. But then Title IX came along and changed all that. I played soccer from the time I was five all the way through college. I started swimming on a swim team when I was seven. And didn’t give cheerleading much thought. We did pelt them with soccer balls a time or two when we had to share the indoor practice field with them at KU, but that was merely because we missed our shots on goal. I swear.
Arizona Officials Misidentify Hispanic Girls, Says Wrong One Dead
A federal court in Arizona has blocked controversial provisions of the state’s new immigration law just as a shocking case of Arizona officials misidentifying two Hispanic girls after a car wreck comes to light. According to Arizona officials, in the “chaos” of the wreck, Abby Guerra was pronounced dead, and her family told, while Marlena Cantu’s family was told their daughter was in critical condition. Only it was the other way around. And the families didn’t find out for a week.
From News 25 in Evansville:
The family of a University of Evansville soccer player finds out the daughter they thought died in a car accident last week, is actually still fighting for her life and it was a friend who died in that accident.
The University of Evansville Athletics Director says 19-year-old Abby Guerra is alive and in critical condition. This news comes one week after investigators reported she died in a car crash.
We’re told Abby Guerra and four of her friends were gong back home to Arizona from a trip to Disneyland when they blew a tire and their car flipped on an interstate. Investigators told the Guerra family their daughter was dead and another girl’s family their daughter was in critical condition. The families found out Saturday it’s actually the other way around.
A friend of Guerra’s told a local newspaper, The Arizona Republic, it was dental records that made the positive identification. The University of Evansville Athletics Director says it’s been an emotional roller coaster for everyone.
According to GMA, officials at the scene made a hurried identification and then told the families before the medical examiner’s office could confirm who was who.
You’d like to think that people are better than that, that officials always do their job correctly, that law enforcement officials especially can be counted on to get things right. They can’t. Not always. That’s what makes the Arizona immigration law so scary. To put that kind of “stopping” and “detaining” power in the hands of officials who are, after all, human, is terrifying. The Fourth Amendment has already been stretched to the breaking point, especially under the Bush Administration. Let’s hope the federal court in Arizona doesn’t decimate it even further by allowing the Arizona immigration law to stand.
Also published at Daily Kos.
Beck, fearing for life, Apologizes to Urlacher
Turns out Beck is an equal opportunity stereotypist, even including white people in his Nazigasims. Beck was named to TheRoot.com’s list of “The Blackest White Folks We Know.” Said The Root:
The emotional right-wing talk show was probably the last person on earth we’d put on this list until he discovered that blacks have been all but removed from the history of America’s founding, and actually gave a black history lesson on his cable TV show. Yet we suspect we’ll have to revoke it after his upcoming rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the “I Have a Dream” speech anniversary.
So what did Beck do? He put photos of the 32 other people named to the list on his “black”board and started to try and identify them. His first fascist smear was to call Emeril Lagasse Hugo Chavez. Then, when he got to Brian Urlacher, he said he was a “Neo-Nazi.”
Beck apparently was told Urlacher could do severe bodily harm to him so he actually “apologized” to Urlacher, or as Beck calls him, “U-Lick-Her.” Beck says he only made the fascist joke because of Urlacher’s white skin and short hair. Oh…..that makes it okay! I guess Emeril got called Hugo Chavez cause he has dark skin and dark hair. Here’s the so-called “apology.”
I hope Urlacher sees the “apology.” If you think he was mad at Gale Sayers, I can only imagine what he’ll say about this.
Also posted at Daily Kos and Glenn Beck Check.
The Wasilla Witch Project – Kate and Sarah’s Reality Show
TLC is excited to announce a brand new reality thriller show. The Wasilla Witch Project: two families divided, pitted against each other for ultimate control of the Alaskan woods.
Meet Sarah and Kate, two grizzly mamas who are headed into the woods to try and put their children in danger so as to create an exciting reality TV show. But lurking in the woods, hoping to get their own reality show are Bristol, Levi, and Jon (you know, the guy who used to be married to Kate)! This evil trio is hoping to steal the limelight and bring about the downfall of both women’s careers!
Who will win? Only time will tell if Kate and Sarah have what it takes to wrangle with the loathsome threesome. Guess starring in the first episode is Mel Gibson who hopes to stage a coup and win his own reality show. It’s mama grizzly v. playgirl wannabes v. anti-Semite!
Thursday, 9pm ET, on TLC, where no one really “learns” anything.
Rick Warren Copies Beck Blind Trick
God has struck blind another conservative. Only this time it’s apparently real. I hypothesized that Beck’s claim he may or may not go blind was all made up to garner more people at his August rally. Now, Rick Warren gets in on the act. From CNN:
“My eyes were severely burned by a toxic poison,” Warren wrote on his Twitter page Thursday morning. “Hospitalized Mon. Excruciating pain. Now home. Pray my sight loss is restored.”
The sap of the firestick plant is toxic and can cause skin irritation and temporary blindness if it comes in contact with the skin or eyes, according to the website gardenguides.com. The firestick is a succulent with spiky orange branches.
At least it only causes temporary blindness, unlike Beck’s which could be for the rest of his life. Or not.
I have to ask, is God attacking all the conservatives in a fit of blind rage? What would Jesus do? According to John 9:3, Jesus said of a blind man, he did not go blind because of his sins (or his parents sins) but rather “so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” For Rick Warren, yep. Beck? Uh….judgment day has yet to come.
‘Seinfeld’ the Thriller
Daily Caller: Top Five ShakesPalin Quotes
Chris Moody at the Daily Caller rounds up the best of the Twittersphere’s slapdown of Palin after she compared herself to Shakespeare.
The Twittersphere can be a very cruel — and clever — place.
Only moments after Sarah Palin compared herself to William Shakespeare for using the non-existent word “refudiate” on Twitter, literary nerds and political junkies did not hesitate to spread the word far and wide.
“English is a living language,” Palin tweeted last weekend. “Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!”
Using the hashtag #ShakesPalin, the race was on to pen the best satire of Palin’s literary comparison. Here are a few of our favorites at The Daily Caller:
1. @normative: “To suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous liberals, or to quit halfterm, and by opposing, rake in speaking fees” #shakespalin
2. @spsenski: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some are just picked by John McCain’s aides.” #shakespalin
3. @Zagrobelny: “O Levi, Levi, wherefore art thou Levi?” #shakespalin
4. @chriscesq: “Two households, both totally devoid of dignity, in fair Wasilla where we lay our scene.” #Shakespalin
5. @jerekeys: “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is Russia, and Putin is in the airspace.” #Shakespalin
Shakespeare was known to invent new English words in his plays, including “accommodations,” “obscene,” “generous” and perhaps most fittingly, “laughable.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/19/palin-as-shakespeare-the-top-five-shakespalin-quotes/#ixzz0uHKCHjEd
Here’s my input:
“To read or not to read, that is Katie Couric’s question.”
Liberals Have No Sense of Humor
After a brief foray into the world of liberal blogging, I have had to retire. After only a month. I kid you not.
So Daily Kos. The liberal stronghold. It’s comprised of a few sanctioned writers who’ve proven their liberal fortitude, hundreds of “diarists” who are supposed to blog about things that help get Democrats elected (per Kos rules) but who also weigh in with comments on other things like Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck’s latest idiot sayings. Of course, if you bring up substantive issues, you’ll never know what you’re going to get. For instance:
I wrote a diary about Glenn Beck claiming to have macular dystrophy (which I subsequently deleted in a fit of frustration). The whole point of the diary was that Beck would use this kind of thing to his advantage. Nowhere in there did I say, “All blind people are idiots. Especially Glenn Beck. And yahoo! He’s going blind. Isn’t that awesome!” In fact, I said this:
So Beck has set it up so that he can go blind. Or not. According to his doctor, he “might not” go blind. Of course, Beck isn’t going to act privately about his health like some other more noble, famous people (see Dean Smith). He’s going to go out there and squeeze every inch of sight out of this turnip. Just one more way to reel them in. I know he has some sort of Kool Aid, Doomsday scenario planned. I just hope to God it’s not going to occur in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
I’ll admit, I shouldn’t be so harsh. Perhaps he will turn out like Saul/Paul. God will make him blind only to remove the “crazy” scales from his eyes so that he can become a liberal and lead Democrats to the Promised Land. Plus, if he does go blind, for he and his audience, it will truly be the blind leading the blind.
The last paragraph is my total lame attempt at sarcasm and humor. In response, from the bleeding heart liberal crowd, who love to hate Glenn Beck, I get these comments:
“My Grandpa is blind. This is a serious issue. You shouldn’t make fun of Beck.” AND
“What a heartless diary. I wouldn’t wish blindness on anyone.”
About my diary. About Beck!! No mention in the comments about how Beck made fun of blind people a few years ago, about how he hasn’t donated a cent of his $32 million salary to researching a cure for macular dystrophy. Only, “gosh you’re mean.”
Then, I posted this diary about the Gun Owners of America trying to lobby to repeal a federal law that outlaws anyone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor from owning a gun. I figured, slam dunk, liberal do-gooders love this shit. Nope. They actually attacked me for being anti-gun. They said I lumped all gun owners in together and was unfair. Seriously. Liberals.
And the comment police! Good, Lord. They’re out there telling people they’re being too mean, they’re using bad language, and to not attack other people with their comments. In fact, on the “Daily Kos FAQ” page there’s actually an entry that says: “Why are people yelling at me for posting a link to my diary?” Rules rules rules. I guess free speech is only allowed to a certain extent. If you’re mean, you can’t say anything.
I’ll give you that I may not get my point across well at times, and I may not always label my sarcasm as sarcasm, but come on! The problem with liberals is they’re too damn serious. I don’t know how Jon Stewart came into existence as he is actually able to laugh at these people. You’ll notice, however, whenever he does go after Obama nervous laughter like the kind you hear when Grandpa tells a racist joke rumbles through the audience.
Get over it people. The best diary I ever read at Daily Kos was this one. Wrote toots74:
Right now, I’m looking at at least three sky-is-falling alarmist diaries at the top of the rec list. Ohhhhhhhhhh Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!! The economy is crumbling! The bankers are pillaging us! We’re gonna die!
Man up, you saps!
Is this Daily Kos, or Daily Kleenex? Is this the Netroots, or the Nut-less-roots?
Stop all this goddamn defeatism and get a pair. Things are better than they’ve ever been. How do I know? Because every goddamn kid from every income strata – even poverty – has a cellphone. And not just a cellphone – a fucking SMART phone. Those things – and their data plans – ain’t cheap.
How do I know? Because every other house I pass has not one – but TWO satellite dishes on it – even in the poorest of poor neighborhoods.
How do I know? Because you belly-aching pansies don’t know what hard times are. Things are a little tough, but they’re nowhere near hard yet.
And I hope they never will get hard, because if THIS is what you think is the end of the world, you saps will never make it in real troubled times.
So what comments did he get in return?
“I think that pansies is pretty offensive…” AND
“Sexism? Check. Homophobia? Check. Condescension? Check. I would perhaps rethink this.”
Seriously! Do you guys ever quit with the PC bullshit? I am a woman and an attorney who spent the last ten years defending Dr. George Tiller. I also understand that if people say, “grow a pair” they’re telling you to get a backbone. Of all the things I have seen and heard done to women over the course of the last ten years the very last thing that’s going to get my blood boiling is someone telling you to “grow a pair.”
I stand by my initial reaction to liberal elitism, which is to stay far, far away. When you get a sense of humor, I’ll come back and we’ll talk. Until then, adios Daily Kos!
I’m going to post this over at Daily Kos and see how many angry comments I’m going to get. 100? 200? Maybe I’ll finally have a diary “recommended!” In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Republican with liberal tendencies. Guess that makes me humorless, too. Probably why my sarcasm never works!
Glenn Beck’s Blind Ambition
From the Glenn Beck Check (my other blog):
Call me cynical, but this latest announcement from Glenn Beck reeks of opportunism. Glenn Beck told an audience in Salt Lake City (if you’re going to make up a wild story, Mormons are a good audience):
“A couple of weeks ago I went to the doctor because of my eyes, I can’t focus my eyes…he did all kinds of tests and he said, ‘you have macular dystrophy …you could go blind in the next year. Or, you might not.’ I said, did you just charge me a thousand dollars for knowing what I knew my whole life?”
Just for good measure, Beck threw in some of his patented crocodile tears.
So Beck has set it up so that he can go blind. Or not. According to his doctor, he “might not” go blind. Of course, Beck isn’t going to act privately about his health like some other more noble, famous people (see Dean Smith). He’s going to go out there and squeeze every inch of sight out of this turnip. Just one more way to reel them in. I know he has some sort of Kool Aid, Doomsday scenario planned. I just hope to God it’s not going to occur in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
I’ll admit, I shouldn’t be so harsh. Perhaps he will turn out like Saul/Paul. God will make him blind only to remove the “crazy” scales from his eyes so that he can become a liberal and lead Democrats to the Promised Land. Plus, if he does go blind, for he and his audience, it will truly be the blind leading the blind.
