Day: July 6, 2006

With Christians Like These, Who Needs Satanists?

Trish

The demented vicious weirdos of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka were a big no-show at the funeral of a Florida vet killed in Afghanistan, after authorities made it clear that they would be pleased to make an example of them.

If they are not being monitored like their fundamentalist brethren in better-known terrorist groups, there’s something really wrong with national security

Florida’s two-week old law, similar to a national one, bars protests at military funerals. It was enacted just for the sick puppies at Westboro and any other freaks of nature of who might get a similar idea to proclaim that God kills soldiers to exact revenge on gays. Because you know, God can’t just take the direct route and kill gays. Or something.

The Patriot Guard Riders, a group of mostly former veterans on motorcycles, did attend the service. The group formed to protect the families targeted by Westboro and its ilk and its captain, Clayton Murphy, correctly predicted the so-called church members would chicken out.

Murphy praised the new laws but said Westboro members probably won’t show. The group often sends announcements of protests that never happen, he said.

If the protesters come to town, Murphy suggests people ignore them.

“They feed off people who show up to counterprotest,” Murphy said. “When they break the law, let the local law enforcement officers in the area arrest them.”

I’m not exaggerating how bizarre these folks are. Among their teachings are that the idea that God loves everyone is “the greatest lie ever told,” and that God in fact hates America. If they are not being monitored like their fundamentalist brethren in better-known terrorist groups, there’s something really wrong with national security. Check them out yourself at godhatesfags.com, but be warned: you will want to take a hot shower after you visit their site.

What Foreign Policy?

Jon Ponder
Bush has no foreign policy, so he spins his wheels, waiting for 2009. Unfortunately, the rest of us are left spinning with him.

What we know for certain about President Bush is that he is a man of very limited gifts. Even in politics, the only arena besides being a college cheerleader where he has found sucess, he is a one-trick pony. He knows how to conduct slash-and-burn, smoke-and-mirrors campaigns, and that’s it.

Fortunately, his bag of Rovian tricks won’t work in the international arena, so — unfortunately for the future of the United States — is he bereft of ideas — much less solutions — for dealing with international crises, which are too big and complex to dodge or obfuscate with spin and stage management:

the Bush administration literally seems to have no foreign policy at all anymore. They have no serious plan for Iraq, no plan for Iran, no plan for North Korea, no plan for democracy promotion, no plan for anything. With the neocons on the outs, Condoleezza Rice at the State Department, and Dick Cheney continuing to drift into an alternate universe at the OVP, the Bush administration seems completely at sea. There’s virtually no ideological coherency to their foreign policy that I can discern, and no credible followup on what little coherency is left.

As near as I can tell, George Bush has learned that “There’s evil in the world and we’re going to stand up to it” isn’t really adequate as a foreign policy for a superpower but is unable to figure out anything better to replace it with. So he spins his wheels, waiting for 2009. Unfortunately, the rest of us are left spinning with him.

Poll: Sorry Muslims, Only Jews or Christians Need Apply for Prez

Buck Banks

God is my running mate: According to National Journal’s PollTrack, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll shows that both parties have work to do to secure the “religious vote,” whatever that is. Apparently a majority of Americans allow their superstitious reliance on an omnipotent imaginary friend to cloud their political affiliations.

And if your imaginary friend’s name is Allah, you can forget becoming the most powerful public servant on the planet.

Majorities of both Democratic (56 percent) and Republican (61 percent) respondents said they couldn’t vote for a Muslim for president, while a slight plurality (45 percent) of independents said they could.

Sixty-six percent of respondents indicated they’d have no problem voting for an evangelical Christian

The Mormon religion fared a bit better in the poll: A slim 51 percent majority said they could support a Mormon for president. That’s good news to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), who is considering a presidential run; 61 percent of Republicans said they could vote for a Mormon. Democrats were evenly split, with 43 percent saying they could and 42 percent saying they couldn’t.

Sixty-six percent of respondents indicated they’d have no problem voting for an evangelical Christian, including 53 percent of Democrats, 69 percent of independents and 81 percent of Republicans. Of course, we’ve already had an evangelical Christian president in Jimmy Carter.

However, respondents were most receptive to voting for Jewish or Catholic candidates for president. Overall, 76 percent said they could support a Jewish candidate, but along party lines support was strongest among GOP respondents at 83 percent compared with 72 percent of Democrats. (Good news for Joe Lieberman — a Jewish senator from Connecticut — but bad news for the Democratic Party, unless he runs as an independent, then it’s bad news for everybody.)

Eighty-three percent of respondents said they could vote for a Catholic candidate, the highest of the five religions tested in the poll. But Catholicism already passed the test when John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960. Another Catholic senator from Massachusetts — John Kerry (D) — failed most recently in his 2004 attempt, but we all know that wasn’t because of his religion. It was because of his wife. And his flip-flop on the Iraq War. And his inept campaigning. Etc.

Maybe Kerry should consider converting to Judaism ….

Not Too Late to Wish Pres. Blowhard a Big Birthday

Trish

One Tampa-area T.V. station is still collecting birthday greetings for little Georgie. A few like-minded souls have made it there ahead of you.

Trust me on this one, Dubya’s birthday will never be a national holiday….. But I am sure there will be a lot of clowns at this Bozo’s birthday party. There is such a long list of them right there on his staff…

Happy Birthday Bush. I bet the troops in Irac (sic) would like to celebrate their birthday without having to be worried that their going to get shot at or bombed…

There are a bunch of dumbasses too. My favorite, because it really illustrates the thinking of the Others:

He ain’t perfect (there’s no such thing) but I can bet he’d do a better job than any of you and since I didn’t see any of your names on the ballot – guess that says it all!! Happy Birthday Mr. President! I’m glad to have a president with some balls, BRAINS, ethics and morals!

So there. I didn’t see your unknown, not part of a political dynasty name on the ballot.

Come on, PR readers, surely we can do better than these folks, and maybe even spell “Iraq” correctly. Give the president your regards on this happy occasion.

Update: Love this post from Greg Wilcox in Des Moines, Iowa:

Twenty-five other Americans born July 6, 1946 served and died in the Vietnam War.

Justin Marshall Lynch, Hezekiah George
Guadalupe B L Garibay, Brian Francis Gibbons
Lawrence Raymond Hagedorn, John Michael Henderson
Donald James Sheehy, Vins Ronald Hooper
John Patrick Collopy, Henry Robert Hocknell, Jr
Norman Ellsworth Fine, Jr, Robert Lee Stanek
Ronald Michael Obenour, Terry Lee Baxter
John Arleigh Nixon, William Henry Boswell
Samuel Reyna, John Joseph Cimorelli, Jr
William Henry White, William Joseph Oskilanec
Thomas Michael Casey, Jr, Lawrence Raspberry
George Joseph Fuerst, Nicholas Allen Berger
Raymon Horace James, Jr

John and Jeb in 2008: Dismally Possible

Trish

Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas makes a depressing case for a McCain/Jeb ticket in 2008.

Given his brother’s lagging popularity, the name that got Jeb where he is could stop him from going any further. Diluting that name with McCain’s makes it more palatable…

If he had any other last name, [Jeb] Bush would be a front-runner for the 2008 Republican nomination. But given his brother’s lagging popularity, the name that got Jeb where he is could stop him from going any further.

Diluting that name with McCain’s makes it more palatable for a Bush-weary nation. It gives Jeb a chance to get people to look beyond the name.

If they lose, that sets him up for 2012. If they win, Jeb would fit the new VP mold of an Al Gore or Dick Cheney, an active participant in the White House…

Playing second fiddle allows Jeb to stay engaged while we recover from the George hangover…

As for McCain, his problem isn’t beating Hillary Clinton as much as it is getting to that point. Jeb gets him there. Jeb’s presence eliminates any serious opposition within the Republican Party.

For McCain, the only drawback from Jeb would be if the Bush name penalizes him in a general election.

But come on. Jeb’s dad won with Dan Quayle.

Norquist Vs. McCain May the Best Loser Win

Jon Ponder
Possible next move: If there is more about Norquist’s involvement in the money-laundering scheme that the committee could have “stuck” in the report, it would not be surprising to find that it is leaked to the media within a week or so.

Anti-government rightwing activist Grover Norquist saysallegations emanating from the Senate’s Indian Affairs committee, chaired by Sen. John McCain, that Norquist laundered tainted money from Indian tribes in the Abramoff scandals are just political payback for Norquist’s anti-McCain activities in the 2000 GOP primaries:

Norquist says a Senate Indian Affairs Committee report last month outlining his efforts to funnel money from Abramoff’s tribal clients to former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed is riddled with half-truths and falsely implicates his nonprofit group, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), in wrongdoing.

The activist says McCain, chairman of the committee, issued the report in retaliation for Norquist’s efforts to thwart McCain’s 2000 presidential bid.

“He has exhibited personal animus toward me,” Norquist said. “McCain, who’s running for president and is ostensibly the front-runner, takes time and effort to throw a punch at me and Ralph Reed. Why? He has told people we stopped him in the presidential election last time, and he thinks we might do it again. He is delusional. George W. Bush Beat [sic] him in South Carolina. But that’s high praise of the taxpayer movement that he has told so many people this.”

McCain staffers said the 373-page report, the culmination of a two-year investigation, is a neutral, factual account of Abramoff’s movements. E-mails from Abramoff cited in the report indicate that the disgraced lobbyist used ATR — for a fee — as a conduit for moving money from the Mississippi Choctaw American Indian tribe to anti-gambling grassroots activists who would have been uncomfortable receiving money from gambling profits…

“If that was a personal attack they would have stuck more in there,” one McCain adviser said. “Grover’s fingerprints where all over this stuff. You would have to work hard to keep him out of it …”

Norquist is notoriously obnoxious and McCain is notoriously bad-tempered. This dust-up could play out as a terrific grudge match of the circular firing squad variety.

Possible next move: If there is more about Norquist’s involvement in the money-laundering scheme that the committee could have “stuck” in the report, it would not be surprising to find that it is leaked to the media within a week or so.