…here’s what I’ve collected over the last five days:

HEALTHCARE -- THE DEBATE THAT’S KILLING US SLOWLY:

• Despite the thorough, public debunking of the ridiculous “death panel” claims, and the fact that even the right-wing press outlets aren’t mentioning the conspiracy theory anymore, some politicians may not have received the memo.  Representative Pete Olson (R-TX) was holding a recent town hall meeting, and he told the crowd about a girl named “Britney.”  The girl’s unborn child was found to have a heart defect…and despite her best efforts she couldn’t find a doctor to treat her baby until she located a remote, out-of-state specialist.  Olson goes on to claim…that in any proposed “government-run” system, the baby would have died for lack of treatment.  The crowd, who apparently HAD received the memo…and who knew that these types of claims are false and intended only to scare them…proceeded to boo Representative Olson, and shouted, “Oh Jesus Christ, that’s terrible,” and, “That’s not true!“  To these people, Olson nonsensically responded, “For those of you who say it’s not true, don’t talk to me, talk to Britney.”  Wait…what?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_MvNF2GUE0

• Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee…not only didn’t get the “mentioning-death-panels-now-makes-you-look-like-an-idiot” memo, but he also decided that merely repeating a claim that has been proven false…wasn’t quite tacky enough.  So Huckabee went on his radio show and suggested that the recently departed Senator Kennedy…would have been urged to “go home to take pain pills and die” under Obama’s reform plan.  And we’ll add some more “tackiness points” since Huckabee, just last week, chided Democrats for what he perceived as them using Ted Kennedy’s death to advance the cause of reform.  Oh Mike: it’s just as sick to use his name AGAINST reform…especially when you consider health care reform was his LIFELONG goal.
• Generally, I don’t pass on “moving stories that explain the need for Health Care Reform.“  Except, in this case, the story is a lot more “illuminating” than it is “moving,” and it represents yet another deficiency of our current system that most people are not aware of.  You probably did know, that nearly 68% of all bankruptcies in America result from medical costs.  What you may not know…is that many divorces are also caused by a mixture of financial and medical necessity.  Case in point, read this story…it’s actually quite common: husband develops debilitating disease, doctors shock wife by suggesting she immediately get a divorce or she will lose everything, wife consults lawyers who confirm what the doctors are saying, wife has a terrible choice to make…leave her husband or lose all their savings, retirement, and property.
• Interesting: I’m first to admit that I am no expert on taxes.  But it is interesting to note, as this columnist does, that while Republicans have been heavily utilizing the “health care reform will urge grandma to die sooner” attack…many past tax bills (sponsored by Republicans, and notably one Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) have done just that:  urged grandma to die sooner.  In addition to initiating tax changes that penalize seniors for living longer, Republicans have supported companies that swindled seniors out of their retirement money (they dismiss it as “that’s the way the free market cookie crumbles!”), and they refuse to let more money go into Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s research.
• And Jesus Shakes His Head, Woefully: At Congressman Frank Pallone’s (D-NJ) town hall, a woman was attempting to describe her situation…from her wheelchair, she told the congressman that she had “two incurable auto-immune diseases.“  As the woman continued, anti-reform members of the crowd…started heckling her.  I’m just guessing that most of these hecklers would call themselves “Christians“…I’m also guessing that Jesus might have a problem with that.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkrW22u7SwU

• Most Lopsided Interview This Week: On MSNBC, Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and CNBC’s anchor Maria Bartiromo were on as guests, to discuss Health Care Reform.  From early in the interview, it is apparent that Weiner appeared more than a bit better versed on the subject…but the best moment occurred when Bartiromo mocks Weiner’s support of Medicare, snapping, “How come you don’t use it [Medicare]? You don’t have it. How come you don’t have it?“  Representative Weiner…points out that he is only 45, to which Bartiromo lamely retorts, “Yeah, c’mon…“

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfv_KeKRsBo

• Word is now coming out of the White House, via correspondence with Health Care Advocacy groups, that the administration may be abandoning its fight for the public option and several other KEY elements of the reform bill.  While some White House insiders seem to support the idea that “some bill, even a bad bill, is better than no bill“…too many people disagree.  House Speaker Pelosi has chosen to side with the caucus of Democratic Progressives who are saying that they WILL NOT support a bill that does not include the public option.  Representative Weiner has made his own claims, that these compromises represent a failure of leadership on the part of the President…and as some point out, if “change we can believe in” becomes “change we can barely stomach,” Obama could face challenges in the next primaries from Democrats claiming that they would show a bit more backbone if given the majority in both houses of Congress.  I think the votes are in: if the majority of the public wants reform and the public option to be a part of that reform, and you control all of Congress, and all the Republican minority promises is dissent…then you really have no excuse for not going to the mat, fighting for the best reform possible.

POLITICIANS BEHAVING BADLY:

• Stand Back, Genius At Work: Robert F. McDonnell is a candidate for Virginia Governor, and in a recent speech, he proudly mentioned his Master’s thesis, which he wrote while attending an evangelical college in Virginia Beach.  Apparently…McDonnell didn’t think anyone would bother to look up the thesis in question…but they did.  The thesis, which outlines the steps McDonnell suggested the Republican Party should take to “protect” families…says that feminists and working women are “detrimental” to families, contraception for unmarried people is “illogical,” and that government should show clear preference for married people and not “cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators.“  Hear that WHOOSHING sound? Enjoy your trip down the political whirlpool, Mr. McDonnell.
• First Representative Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) made the mistake of referring to Republican’s search for a viable presidential candidate as the quest to find “The Great White Hope.“  Jenkins then responded to the resulting outcry, by stating that she had no idea that this was a racist sentiment referring back to the search for a white boxer who could defeat black boxing champion, Jack Johnson.  THEN…we find out that back in JULY (that’s right, just a few months ago), Jenkins supported a resolution that explicitly STATED the history of the phrase: “Whereas the victory by Jack Johnson over Tommy Burns prompted a search for a White boxer who could beat Jack Johnson, a recruitment effort that was dubbed the search for the ‘great white hope.’“  Jenkins new position?  She says she never read the resolution, choosing to look like an incompetent legislator, rather than a racist.
• Minnesota Republican Representative Michele Bachmann is now well known for making odd and inflammatory statements (most recently she proposed that health care legislation should be defeated with “fasting and prayer”).  But now, she has her own theory why Democrats, and apparently most of her constituents, want her out of office: “Also with women politicians, they want to make sure no women, no woman becomes president before a Democrat woman, and so they’re doing everything they can to, I think, sabotage women like Sarah Palin, perhaps women like myself, or similarly situated women, to make sure that we don’t have a prominent national voice.  But the thing is, the people in our country, they don’t care who the voice is, they just want someone, they want to know that someone is speaking out for them against what will certainly bring about the destruction of our great country if we continue to go down the Obama path.“  Yeah…it’s the DEMOCRATS who have such a pronounced diversity problem…

GHOSTS OF OUR PAST:

• Flip-Flop Number One: President Obama has now reversed his initial position, and has said that the White House visitor records will be released to the public, in a clear reversal of Bush policy.  That’s great…one down, eleven to go.  Next we’d like to see an end to renditions, warrantless wiretaps, signing statements, excessive use of the “State Secrets” defense, and refusal of Due Process to detainees…
• Flip-Flop Number Two: Former Secretary of Homeland Defense Tom Ridge stunned many when his book was released and clearly indicated that he had been suspiciously pressured to raise the Terror Alert Level.  He surprised everyone even more when he went on Rachel Maddow’s show, denied that the claim was true, said that any suspicions he had in the past he now knew were false (but not for any particular reason…he just “knows”),  he criticizes the government response to Katrina…then defends it, and he says that even though every reason the government gave us for going into Iraq has been proven false, it’s “ok” because it was really always about bringing democracy to the country.  Rachel…seemed to take issue…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIzsZ3g7dTU

• Flip-Flop Number Three: Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales…raised a few eyebrows when he stated that he approved of Attorney General Holder’s investigation into interrogators who exceeded the bounds of the controversial DOJ memos justifying torture: “...if people go beyond that, I think it is legitimate to question and examine that conduct to ensure people are held accountable for their actions, even if it’s action in prosecuting the war on terror.“  It took about a day for Alberto to change his mind: “I don’t support the investigation by the department because this is a matter that has already been reviewed thoroughly and because I believe that another investigation is going to harm our intelligence gathering capabilities and that’s a concern that’s shared by career intelligence officials and so for those reasons I respectfully disagree with the decision.“  I don’t know how he keeps from getting whiplash…my neck hurts just reading this.

THE MEDIA -- HACKS, PUNDITS, AND OTHER INVETERATE LIARS:

• The Today Show has a new hire:  Jenna Hager, formerly Jenna Bush, daughter of former President George Bush.  Ok…yes, she has knowledge of “living in the White House,” but that does not equal “White House insider knowledge.“  She is a fledgling school teacher…but that does not make her an “expert on education.“  Lastly, besides her apparent expertise in NOTHING, I’m just not certain that hiring the daughter of one of the most partisan presidents in recent history will result in anything resembling unbiased, non-partisan journalism.  Just my prediction…
• How Does This Guy Stay On Television: Pat Buchanan…it’s not bad enough that he was part of Nixon’s cabal…or that when running for president he revealed a deep-seated anger towards immigrants…and later as a columnist and MSNBC commentator, he voiced racist and anti-Semitic sentiments…but now, his recent column “Did Hitler Want War,” Buchanan seems to defend the worst genocidal dictator in world history.  You be the judge.  When a man has an entire page dedicated to him on the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) website, maybe he should not be featured so prominently in the mainstream media…

MISCELLANY:

• Has everybody lost their minds? When I heard that the President was going to address the nation’s schoolchildren, I thought “big deal.“  Presidents do this.  All presidents…both parties.  They say “hey, stay in school…don’t do drugs…you could be presidents someday…wink.“  Well, the conservative media, and the GOP, specifically the Florida Republican Party, have decided that the message is an attempt to…wait for it…INDOCTRINATE OUR CHILDREN.  They say kids, “will be forced to watch the president justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other president.“  Of course…this is BEYOND ridiculous, and Politifact.com has chosen to give the myth the much coveted “Pants On Fire” designation.

That brings this week to a much-needed close.  Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, and we’ll see you next week.

Since the start of the last presidential election, we have been repeatedly informed of new instances of overt racism among members of the conservative movement, conservative pundits, and Republican politicians and operatives.  First, there were the shocking clips on YouTube and other sites, of McCain/Palin supporters…holding up signs and shouting slogans which contained either thinly-veiled or, at times, direct racist attacks.  More recently, we saw much of the same in clips and photos of Tea Party gatherings.  A candidate for the RNC chairmanship sent out a “Christmas CD” with a song titled “Barack the Magic Negro“…and then the man who was instead elected RNC chair DEFENDED it.  We heard about the GOP activist and his sick “joke” about Michelle Obama being related to a gorilla.  It was revealed that a Republican California Mayor sent out an email with a picture of the White House…the lawn covered by rows of watermelons.  Recently, a Tennessee staffer for a Republican state legislator sent out an email with an equally racist picture…she only apologized for sending it to the wrong people.  That staffer…was not terminated, even despite calls from other Republicans.

You may well be asking…what on EARTH is going on in the Republican party and its supporters?

And recently…more instances have occurred:

• So many comments, jokes, and attacks regarding Sonia Sotomayor’s ethnicity were made by Republican members of the Senate (and the conservative media) that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy had to call a stop to it: “…I understand [Sen.] Mitch McConnell and I’ve worked with Sen. McConnell on different things. But like the other leaders of the Republican Party, he came out very, very early against her and he doesn’t want to change his mind. You had one leader of the Republican Party call her the equivalent of the head of the Ku Klux Klan. Another leader of the Republican Party called her a bigot. To Sen. McConnell’s credit, he has not used those things, but the leadership of the Republican Party came out against her long before we ever had the hearing, long before they had a chance to look at her record. I think that’s unfair.“  Leahy went on to say, “I hope we don’t go back to the day when we used to put African Americans up for confirmation and say yes, but you belong to the NAACP so we’re really suspicious of you…Come on, stop the racial politics.“  In this day and age, a senator should not have to remind OTHER SENATORS that racial attacks are indefensible and unacceptable…and the ranking Republican senator on the committee (Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama) should not be a man who failed his own confirmation hearing due to his history of making racist statements.
• A Republican California City Councilman, Gary Frago, sent at least six racist emails to staff and prominent members of the community.  In these emails he quips that “n—er rigs” should now be referred to as “Presidential Solutions,” and that “Playboy just offered Sarah Palin $1 million to pose nude in the January issue. Michelle Obama got the same offer from National Geographic.“  His defense: he says these “jokes” were only meant for the eyes of friends…and that he thinks it’s ok because he ALSO makes jokes about Jews and Hispanics.  No, Gary…that DOES NOT make it ok.  He has since apologized.
• On the RNC’S OWN WEBSITE, they recently added a new feature…a “game” where the website’s visitor gets to buy items using a make-believe “Obama Credit Card.”  The obvious intention is to emphasize and criticize the cost of the President’s various proposals.  This would be fine…if it weren’t for what the RNC website allows visitors to “purchase“…the items include pornographic materials, anti-Semitic literature (including a book titled “The Jews and Their Lies“), and anti-Latino literature (such as a book titled “The Latino Threat“).
• New York Republican Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney decided it was appropriate to quote someone else’s use of  the n-word when criticizing Hillary Clinton’s replacement, Kirsten Gillibrand.  She said: “It’s the NRA, it’s immigration, it’s all these other things. In fact, I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico, said [Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only [education]. And he said, ‘It was like saying n--r to a Puerto Rican.’  I don’t know--I don’t know if that’s true or not. I just called. I’m just throwing that out. All of her -- well, what does she stand for?“  She has since apologized.
• Brian Kilmeade has had to apologize for the comments he made on FOX and Friends.  According to Huffington Post: “Kilmeade and his co-hosts were discussing a Swedish and Finnish study which found that married people were less susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease than unmarried ones. Kilmeade downplayed the study’s significance in America, saying ‘we [Americans] keep marrying other species and other ethnicities . . . Swedes have pure genes . . . in America we marry everybody…’“
• I recently posted a clip of Pat Buchanan voicing flagrant white supremacist ideology while being interviewed on the Rachel Maddow Show.  The statements he made were similar to the sentiments he had communicated on several shows, during his strident opposition to Sonia Sotomayor and to Affirmative Action policies.  Rachel did us all the favor of later revealing that Buchanan’s assertions are NOT ONLY racist…but they are also factually, historically, and categorically FALSE:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaYMUC5qJWY

• Want a round-up of several of the racially charged attacks on Sotomayor, and a wonderful response?  Here’s Stephen Colbert’s treatment of the subject through his own, unique brand of satire:

So…

Why is this happening? Why now…why these people?

WHY NOW: We are experiencing a period of remarkable change.  An African-American President.  A Latina candidate for Supreme Court Justice.  An African-American Attorney General.  A new Hate Crime bill protecting gays against violent acts spurred by hated for their sexual orientation.

WHY THESE PEOPLE: Why conservatives, their media leaders, and their elected officials?  To understand this…we need only to do a quick, basic examination of what conservatism IS…not politically…but ideologically (again, these are NOT political definitions -- they are not the policy platforms of our two parties…these are the core principles BEHIND such things).

Conservatism is: an inclination towards resisting change in favor of the status quo and a preservation of tradition.  It tends to revolve around a presumption that our society needs to stay as it is, or possibly even go back to resemble more the way it once was.

Liberalism is: an inclination towards supporting change, usually revolving around the presumption that society, through change, is consistently evolving towards something better.

That being said…can you see why conservatism is important? It serves several functions, including the preservation of valuable traditions, that are a part of our cultural and societal heritage, and it also SLOWS THINGS DOWN.  That is to say, conservatism can provide the necessary function of helping to make sure that change does not occur needlessly or recklessly because, let’s face it…change is not always necessarily effective, nor is it necessarily good.  The best changes are those that are well planned, that address a specific problem, where all reasonable options are considered, and all probable outcomes are studied.

The problem occurs when the opposition to a particular change or set of changes is NOT because of concerns that it will not be “effective” or “good,” but is instead because the conservative person or group in question wants to maintain a system of corruption and/or inequality.  And THAT is where the problem exists for many of today’s conservatives.  Because, ask yourself, who in America stands to benefit the most from things going back to what they were?  It’s Christian white people, especially men…which is, of course, why the Republican Party predominantly consists of Christian, white men.  In their remembrances of “the good ol’ days,” men were in the driver’s seat in the home, in the family, and in the workplace.  White men had the advantage in terms of education, employment, opportunity, and advancement.  In other words, you aren’t likely to find too many minority members, women, or gays who think of 1950′s America as the “good ol’days.“  These people I just mentioned (minorities, women, and gays)…want change.  And they will continue to want change until true equality exists.  Their hopes and dreams of equality…are one of the threats that some conservatives are reacting to when they voice outdated and prejudiced opinions.

A related note on discrimination: It’s also important to remark that in the past, more people in America identified themselves as Christians, and more families were regular church attendees…this and the lack of diversity of faith (including atheism) meant that it was easier to get people to accept arguments that were “scripture only,” that is to say, arguments that didn’t necessarily have any logical or scientific justification.  Back then, if a person voiced an opinion that originated from the church pulpit or from scripture…it was likely that most others would accept it without question or debate.  Now, conservatives seem besieged by opponents who respond with science, and data, and who refuse to accept an argument in favor of maintaining an unacceptable social injustice simply because “it says so in the Bible.“  This threat, a threat to justifications which worked unfailingly in the past, has resulted in attempts by conservatives to either preserve old (or insinuate new) Christian references in government policy and practice.  These fears are also responsible for conservative attacks denigrating members of other faiths (or those without faith), and their attempts to ensure that positions of power are only occupied by self-identified Christians…which is nothing more than another form of institutionalized discrimination.

In my opinion, we are witnessing the conservatives’ cultural “fight or flight” reaction to these strong attacks on their race-based and scripture-based justifications…justifications which our current society, with all its diversity, will no longer tolerate.  Our society’s response SHOULD be to reject these justifications, and not to reject conservatism as a concept, for as I mentioned earlier, it plays a crucial role.  And in the end, conservatism, like a force of nature, must survive and will survive…and like all things, it will do so by evolving.  It will always, by necessity, be the “status quo, resist change” ideology…but resistance to change on the basis of racial or religious discrimination will be abandoned.  In nature, that which is detrimental to a being does not survive to be seen in future generations.  In this case, once American conservatism has found enough of their positions continually rejected because of the use of race and religion in their arguments…race and religion will cease to be used, and will be replaced with new, more effective justifications.

Until then, we have to suffer these attacks…we have to reject them…and should acknowledge them as the “death knell” of one aspect of the American dialogue.

Without further ado…

PALINWATCH -- BECAUSE SHE JUST WON’T GO AWAY:

• In “News That Should Surprise Nobody:“  Sarah Palin’s reasons for leaving the Governor’s office early…don’t stand up to much scrutiny.  Aside from her perpetual grousing over “media unfairness,” the primary reason that Palin gave for resigning involved the ethics charges against her, the time it was taking her to address those charges, and the money it was costing the Alaska taxpayers.  Do you know the actual, additional dollar amount it was costing those taxpayers?  Zero.  Alaska, like all states, has its own legal department and its own attorneys on permanent staff…those attorneys get paid every year even if there aren’t ANY ethics charges against the governor.  True, if they weren’t having to spend so much of their time getting Sarah out of jams, they could focus on other things…but the budgetary bottom line stays the same.
• Oh, and all that time she was having to spend defending herself…that was cutting into her regular duties to the extent that it was “paralyzing?“  Well, it couldn’t have been THAT much time…there are only three outstanding charges out of the EIGHTEEN that have been filed against Palin while she has been governor.  According to the Anchorage Daily News, they are as follows:  “Jan. 26: Two complaints filed by McLeod alleged two of Palin’s top aides misused their official positions for Palin’s personal and political gain. The complaints said then-press secretary Bill McAllister and Kris Perry — director of the governor’s Anchorage office — worked on state time to benefit Palin’s interests during and after her vice presidential quest.  April 27: Contends Palin is misusing the governor’s office for personal gain by securing unwarranted benefits and receiving improper gifts through the Alaska Fund Trust. The fund was recently established by supporters to help Palin pay off more than $500,000 in legal debts stemming from other ethics complaints, including troopergate. Complaint filed by Eagle River resident, Kim Chatman.“
• Ooops…spoke too soon.  There’s a new complaint.  The new complaint alleges that Palin still received her salary and utilized resources from her office towards the purpose of campaigning for Vice-President.  Jack Coghill, an Alaska Republican and an author of the state’s constitution, responded to the new charges by voicing his assertion that the constitution required that Palin officially place the lieutenant governor in charge while she was out of the state.
• Liberal activist group, MoveOn, has found a way to capitalize on Palin’s move…their fundraising drive focused on Palin’s “lies” netted them $100,000 in just 24 hours.  This begs the question:  besides the fact that Palin does not have the popular support for a Presidential run…shouldn’t Republicans also be concerned that even ATTEMPTING to rally around her would likely cause massive campaign fundraising success FOR THE DEMOCRATS?
• Just for fun:  Here’s the Daily Show’s treatment of the Palin resignation (I just love Samantha Bee)…

POLITICIANS BEHAVING BADLY:

• Under “What is with these guys?:” I’ve proposed earlier that the real issue with Governor Mark Sanford is NOT that he had an affair…it’s that he abandoned his post.  The release of emails during the relevant period brings this idea front and center; people were really trying to contact the governor…but he was completely AWOL.  But now…I’m starting to look at the “affair” issue.  Bear with me:  First there was Sanford, then there was the news of Senator Ensign’s affair (who also, interestingly, has now been tied to what some are calling a “do-it-yourself-exorcism” movement…okaaaay)…and now, we are hearing about the affair of Representative Chip Pickering.  Why is this interesting, beyond the sordid details and the fact that they are all Republicans?  It’s because they are all affiliated with the same C Street building…they all lived there at one point…it is the “HQ” of a Christian group called “The Family” that has described itself in the past as being a sort of “Christian Mafia“…and there are some claims that seem to indicate that some of the “indiscretions” actually occurred INSIDE the C Street building. A group named Youth With a Mission actually owns the C Street building…here’s their “plan” for Christian world control:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQtB-AF41p8

• Senator Russ Feingold has written to Attorney General Holder, asking him to investigate Bush-era CIA practices.  My reaction: if not now…what would it take?  Seriously…let’s examine the claims we have so far:  torture (both within and outside the bounds of the DOJ memos), warrantless domestic wiretapping (both within and outside the approved bounds), failure to inform Congress (read the law…it says Congress shall be informed of ALL activities, even planned activities, even minor activities), rogue assassination squads, extraordinary rendition.  I’ll leave it at this: if Holder doesn’t investigate when faced with THIS LEVEL of potentially criminal, treaty-violating, unconstitutional activity…then he IS NO Attorney General and we HAVE NO Justice Department.
• Representative Michele Bachmann believes the census asks too much personal information.  She has even gone so far as to suggest that people should refuse to take the census.  Even her GOP colleagues were quick to point out that what she was asking people to do…IS AGAINST THE LAW.  Even FOX’s Glenn Beck found her stance a bit confusing (of course, adding to a very long list of things that confuse Glenn Beck). Others pointed out that failure of Bachmann’s constituents to fill out the census would likely cause a redistricting…that would ELIMINATE HER SEAT IN THE HOUSE.  Bachmann…not one to be burdened by the laws and logic of our world, is pressing ahead with her anti-census campaign.
• Catherine Crabill, the Republican Party’s nominee for Virginia’s 99th District in the House of Delegates chose a recent Tea Party event to voice her suggestion that the “war against taxes” might be fought with conventional weapons: “We have the chance to fight this battle at the ballot box before we have to resort to the bullet box.  That’s the beauty of our Second Amendment rights…Our Second Amendment rights were to guard against tyranny.“  Since Crabill seems interested in the Constitution and the laws of our country, I would like to suggest that she research another concept: treason, and/or fomenting armed insurrection.  You see…there are certain things that don’t fall under the protections of Free Speech.  You are NOT allowed to shout “fire” in a crowded movie theater…you are NOT allowed to threaten the president…and you ARE NOT ALLOWED to call for the violet overthrow of the government.  Ms. Crabhill…it is a crime for which you may be prosecuted.  A serious one.
• Just yesterday, I wrote on the topic of the new Health Care bill.  One of the points I made was that we are not looking at the final bill…revisions will be made.  Well, as expected, revisions ARE INDEED being made…revisions that the Republicans want…and also as expect, just like during the Stimulus bill debate, the Republicans are saying that they are being given NO INPUT WHATSOEVER.  That’s funny…out of 788 amendments filed, 67 came from Democrats, 721 came from Republicans…and of the Republican amendments, 161 have been approved.  Right…no input at all.  Here are the details.

THE SOTOMAYOR SENATE CIRCUS:

• Senator Jeff Sessions had to squeeze in just one more embarrassing comment before the Confirmation Hearings for Sotomayor closed.  To Wade Henderson, the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights: “Mr. Henderson, It’s good to work with you. Senator Leahy and I are talking during these hearings, we’re going to do that crack cocaine thing that you and I have talked about before.“  Huh?
• Not to be outdone by Sessions, Senator Lindsey Graham managed to make several sets of ridiculous remarks.  First, instead of adhering to the LAW when dealing with detainees in the “War on Terror,” he suggested that he’d like to suggest that some “deserve to stay in jail until they die“…regardless of the actual crime the committed, but due instead to the “nature” of the conflict.  Then, he admitted that he would have lacked the courage to support school desegregation if he had been in office back in 1955.  AND lastly…he added that Sotomayor: “said some things that just bug the hell out of me.“
• Jon Stewart of The Daily Show thought Senator Graham’s comments were worth a mention:

• David Arquette paid a visit to Fox and Friends and made some comments guaranteed to garner him another invitation.  Discussing Sotomayor, he said: “I think Latina women are, I mean, it depends on the woman, but I think they are very, they have great judgment, but there are some that are just nuts. I’m just saying.“
• Filed under “Things That Disgust Me:”  I won’t say much about this clip, except that it features Pat Buchanan as a guest on the Rachel Maddow Show, discussing Sotomayor and Affirmative Action.  If Buchanan did not expose himself as an unqualified racist during his bid for the presidency…he did in this interview.  When asked why 108 of 110 Supreme Court Justices have been white, and 108 of 110 have been men…Buchanan asserts that all the founding fathers, most of the soldiers at D-Day, and most of the soldiers at Gettysburg were white men…and so maybe most of the people on the Supreme Court should be, too.  It’s disgusting, unmitigated racism:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrtqE4WyUdY

MISCELLANY:

• If you’ve been paying ANY attention, you’ve heard that California is on the edge of complete financial collapse.  Obama has rejected most of their cries for help…and major banks are refusing to accept their “IOU’s.”  I’ve said it before, and I’m certain I’ll say it again:  Why are the President and other dismissing the idea of legalizing marijuana so cavalierly?  It’s already the number one cash crop in the state…but the state economy benefits little.  Imagine the possible tax revenues…imagine the business opportunities…imagine the money that would be saved in law enforcement…imagine all the money saved in the Corrections system (no longer having to jail people for years for minor marijuana offenses).  Apparently…I’m not alone in thinking this way.
• Have you heard about this guy: U.S. Army Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook argued that he doesn’t accept Obama as president…because of the whole, well-debunked “birth certificate” nonsense…so he says he shouldn’t have to deploy to Afghanistan.  The Army responded:  because Cook was a reservist who VOLUNTEERED to go back on active duty (but hadn’t started active duty yet)…he can be UNVOLUNTEERED, which is exactly what they did.  It’s a bit like if I went and interviewed to work for a company, and then the day before I started work I called them and said “You know what…I really don’t want to work for you, and you can’t make me.“  Their response would be the same as the Army’s: “Fine…don’t show up.”  Apparently, these fringe conspiracy theorists have come to be known as “birthers” and, of course, FOX News is doing all it can to support their fact-free-fanaticism…and some GOP members in Congress would like to help them, too.  They may be nuts (if you don’t know why…here’s a resource)…but they vote Republican.

With that out of the way…we’ll start fresh on Monday.  Have a wonderful weekend…