Here is Why Republicans Suck

Tags

Bob Carson, Bob Goodlatte, Chuck Grassley, GOP, immigration reform, racism, right to privacy, Roe v Wade, teabaggers

Never heard of him?

Lucky you.

He’s the chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the House. He’s from Virginia. He’s an asshole.

Big time.

I mean really big time.

He’s the point man for the GOP on immigration reform in the House.

Did I mention he’s an asshole?

He spoke with NPR recently, and gave his views on how he plans to shape the House response to the bill created in the Senate.

Did I mention he’s an asshole?

He’s made it clear. There will be no path to citizenship on his watch. No sirree bob.

But he has a plan. It’s called guest worker. See, he wants all the undocumented workers to be given guest worker status with no hope of citizenship. There is a reason he wants it done this way.

“You’re going to have to have a program that assures those farms and those processing plants that there will be workers,” he says. “Because if you give them legal status, they can work anywhere in the United States — they’re not going to necessarily work at the hardest, toughest, dirtiest jobs.”

Ya see, Bob wants a permanent slave labor pool. And the only way to insure that is to never give them citizenship. No, they are here to do the dirty jobs that Americans can’t be expected to do, being superior in every way, you know.

Bob is a superior in every way too. Superior in being an asshole. He’s the best at that job I’ve seen this week.

His name? Forgettable: Bob Goodlatte.

Good luck with that piece of work Johnny B. of Orange.

Δ

My good old friend Chucky the Farmer, Grassley, is probably learning that those town hall meetings are not as much fun as he expected (as Johnny McCain learned too!).

If you were unaware, Chuck, is an old curmudgeon who is the perfect conservative foil to Tom Harkin, both senators from Iowa. Except of course that Chucky is not quite the bright light that Harkin is.

At his town meeting, some yahoo from wacko land, asked if it was true that the government was about to microchip all children under the ruse that they were just tracking their medical files. Grassley unlike Mitch the Turtle McConnell was asked about a similar urban myth (in McConnell’s case the claim was that Gitmo prisoners were getting the benefits of the GI Bill), Grassley knew the answer. “No truth to that” he muttered and then went on to say:

No. First of all, nothing can be done to your body without your permission. It’d be a violation of the constitutional right to privacy if that were to happen.

Now, I do agree with Grassley on this statement. But I doubt Grassley believes in it, for you see, the basis of Roe v. Wade is based on the implicit right to privacy that all the amendments imply. So held the Roe Court.

This is not the meme of the GOP, which through its ally Antonin Scalia, completely rejects. Scalia and other Republicans have steadfastly said that Roe is unconstitutional precisely because there is no constitutional right to privacy.

I am most sure that Grassley will retract that statement. I think sometimes a man needs a push to get him to retire. It’s time Chuck. You’re losing your edge.

Δ

Republicans continue under the delusion that if they can find a black man to glom onto, they can win an election.

It goes something like this:

• Black people vote for other black people because their black.
• If the GOP can put up a black candidate, they will surely split the vote, presumably African-Americans will just play a game of eenie-meenie, or rock, paper, scissors to decide which to vote for.

Of course they don’t get that such a belief is in itself racist as all get out.

Anyway, the new latest GOP savior is Ben Carson, neurosurgeon in pediatric care. Carson has a compelling story, coming from humble means. He has risen to being director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins.

But his ideas are decidedly ultra conservative. Combining the usual GOP mishmash of biblical literalism and individualism, Carson argues for the usual laundry list of Republican talking points on taxes, and smaller government and so forth.

Foxy Noise and the WSJ are all in a tither hyping Carson as the new Herm Cain/Alan West/Alan Keyes/ blah blah blah black man to prove the GOP en mass is still not a largely white organization with no clue about its own racism.

HINT: Black folks vote for issues just like white people do. Color plays at best a tangential role, the same role it played for me when I voted for the Black guy occupying the WHITE House right now. It was really nice to be part of a historic event made possible by the fact that the candidate in question WAS A COMPETENT AND WORTHY CANDIDATE TO BE HEAD OF STATE.

Got it now?

No, I suspect you don’t. But I tried.

I leave you with this, because I thought it was really cool. From Don in Massachusetts.

Related articles

• Grassley says he hasn’t decided whether to seek re-election (thegazette.com)
• Guest worker issue may kill immigration reform (cnn.com)
• Analyst: Dems Worry Guest Worker Program Could Create Permanent Underclass (voicerussia.com)
• U.S. Work Programs ‘Close To Slavery’ (huffingtonpost.com)
• Meet The Virginian Shaping The House GOP’s Immigration Plan (wnyc.org)
• McCain fails in defending amnesty scheme to angry AZ citizens (seeingredaz.wordpress.com)
• Obama’s decoy plan could deliver a winner on immigration reform (newsobserver.com)
• Why Republicans Won’t Pass Obama’s Immigration Plan (politicalwire.com)
• Pathway To Citizenship Becomes GOP Roadblock On Immigration Reform (crooksandliars.com)

 

I Can Play That Game Too

Tags

Books, Chuck Grassley, Jeff Sessions, John McEnroe, Johnny Depp, Michael Jackson, prose, Rafael Nadal, retreats, Roger Federer, Sonia Sotomayor, weather

It doesn’t happen that often, but today, after running through well over one hundred blogs, I’ve still seen nothing to awakens an idea in my magnificent brain to write about. The last one, a snotty little offering from our dearest friend Randal, at that oh so smarmy Frenchy sounded blog l’ennui melodieux, well, it gave me the idea.

If you go over, and go you should, you’ll find a nice little post that says and means essentially nothing, but is a pleasant enough stringing of words, much like poetry, that can mean what you want it to. I shrugged, and thought, well why the hell not. I can string with the best of them.

I once upon a time thought Randal was just “too deep” for me, but then, he reads my blog, so that killed that idea. I finally realized he was just putting it over on us with his fancy words. And hey, nobody can claim Randal ain’t read, cuz he is. I think it’s like having your cranium shook a bit each day or two, knocks the dust down and all those synapses snap back into place, and you’re ready once more for molecular physics. Quarks anyone?

There seems to be no abatement in the Michael Jackson phenom, and that’s starting to be a problem in the meadow. The Contrarian is threatening to write off forever whole networks if they don’t stop, and no amount of explaining that “THEY DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK” seems to sink in. I just threw in this comment, cuz then I can list MJ as a tag and up my readership some more. I have 5,000 hits on Sunday. They are really tracking everything I say these days about MJ and Depp, Johnny that is. Wow, now I can add him too. Those are the search leaders these days, and you know how much time I spend talking about either of them.

I am pained a good deal looking around at the sky. I keep figuring that something is about to happen, given that the temperature more closely resembles like late September than freakin’ July. I mean we are looking at a high of 73 tomorrow. The garden simply groans in confusion. You can hear it if you listen carefully. It’s various components don’t know whether to set fruit or just give up in disgust. We’re about to see I guess how strong the drive to reproduce is.

I have been watching the Sonia Sotomayor hearings a bit today. The judge seems to be holding her own quite well, as the idiot likes of Sessions and a few others look foolish by comparison. I understand that Sessions some years ago was appointed to a federal judgeship but was not confirmed. I think he’s a mean spirited guy, but then most Republicans are these days. Our own Chuckie cheese Grassley says he’s “troubled” by her empathy statements. But oddly, he wasn’t troubled when Alito said much the same during his confirmation hearings. Grassley, agrees that he’s being a bit inconsistent. Hard to toe the Republican line when your past keeps contradicting you.

I usually watch Wimbledon every year. I like tennis, though I loathe John McEnroe. But if I turn down the sound I can handle it. Which brings to mind, why do we reward idiot nasty people with long term “commentator” contracts? Anyway, I didn’t watch this year because my dog in the race, Rafael Nadal, was out with an injury. Isn’t that a perfectly lovely name? Rafael? Ahhh, just sublime. Anyway, Federer, Roger has both a pedantic name and a brow ridge akin to Neanderthal origins. Rafael, has as they say a “body to die for.”

I do tend to choose my favorites in that disgustingly superficial way. I’m not ashamed of it. I mean isn’t that obvious? Johnny Depp is beyond gorgeous. I have been known to root for some not so gorgeous types. I was a real fan of Johnny McKenzie of the Boston Bruins a few dozen years ago. And he was how can you say it nicely? Dog butt ugly comes to mind, but don’t quote me.

God and me are doin’ find. Thanks for asking. I’m getting the chance to join that education program at my church after all. They insist that they have scholarships and so I’m blessed indeed. I’m reading a new book, another to review. Hopefully, unless I come across another “must have” I’ll read a few of my own collection and then enjoy some from our church library. Now we do have a selection that makes the average biblical study nut like me just salivate. I can hardly wait.

I was over at FranIAm’s blog yesterday, and she was just back from a retreat. I’m, embarrassed to say how long its been since I’ve been on any kind of one. We have a retreat center that is closer to me than my church, so I really am going to do that soon. She’s another blog that should be visited regularly. I do, but don’t always comment.

Speaking of which, it sure would be nice if that feature, commenting, were available within the reader, without bringing up the page. Easier for me at least. Oh and hit that Westminster button now and again if you have the time. I got a whopping 8 points so far. Need 50 for a book! lol…okay here’s hoping for Christmas?  I guess I should have thrown in a recipe to be complete, but hey, we can’t have everything.

So Randal, I know it’s not as elegant as yours, but did I do this streaming bouncing off the wall prose okay? It’s the best I can do on short notice. Have a superb day folks.

A Little Depp Will Do Me

Tags

Chuck Grassley, Hillary Clinton, Mel Gibson, psychology, Sean Hannity, Ted Nugent, u-turnisms

So sue me. It’s rainy and dark and I have to go into town for some shopping and a church meeting. Tomorrow we have another appointment at the VA. I’m grouchy, so I got me some eye candy to brighten my day. Sighhhhh, oh that most certainly is delicious looking.  And before you open you mouth, the Contrarian is free to post his pics of  (the list is extensive, but mainly reflects excessive delight in the  butts of several well known and not so well known nymphets around the viewing dial) various women he casts a discerning eye for.

I continue to be busy. Alas, not always busy with things I  desire to do, but what’s new with that? Housework is a mean mistress, always managing to rear her ugly dusty paws on a too regular basis. I mean why can we just step outside while it sucks itself clean? Who is working on this? Somebody must be–imagine the  payoff on that patent?

I have received two more books for review. I guess I’m being convincing in my requests these days. I’m near finished with one and will hopefully post a review no later than next Monday. You may wonder why all my reviews are positive? Well, quite simple really. I usually know something about the book or a lot about the author before hand, and I choose what I WANT to read. I can’t live long enough to read crap I don’t like. So it stands to reason, I’m usually right in picking something I can rave about. I will tell you when I don’t, you can be sure. Should that happen.

I’ve been getting a kick out of thinking that we all have rather selective memories. Our Senator, Chuck Grassley, only a year or so ago, maybe a bit more was claiming that filibustering was “unconstitutional.” Now with a new Supreme Court nominee looming, it’s looking more constitutional all the time. Gotta do it ya know, no choice. Wrong takes a u-turn.

It seems most of us are forgetful of the fact that much of what we now say is recorded for all time. So when we say the exact opposite, it comes back to bite us. But we do it anyhow, not realizing that a large number of people have nothing but time to search the archives of public discourse and find those embarrassing tidbits of u-turnisms. (I am claiming that I just coined that word, so do give credit when you use it.)

I read another example this morning. Seems our aging matinee idol of the wagging finger, Sean Self-Righteous Hannity has oopsed a u-turnism. He has been berating entertainment blogger Perez Hilton who asked that embarrassing question to that bimbo contestant from California.  Oh, how dare he call Ms. Prejean a “bi*ch! I might well agree. But Sean in his holier-than-everybody on Planet Earth, went on, and on, and on, about how saying such a degrading thing to ANY woman was unforgivable, just terrible and sooo very wrong. Again, we might agree, but…..

It seems that during the T-baggy thingie, one Ted Nugent (aging rock star and big mouth extraordinaire) called Hillary Clinton a “worthless bi*ch” in front of Hannity, and not an eye was batted. Even when called on it later back on his show, he claimed Ted was his personal friend and would continue to appear on his show. So much for calling a woman something unforgivable!

I have to laugh, and I often do when I go to a particular forum. They have a section devoted to Politics 2009 which of course is nothing else much but a place for a ton of nearly insane right wingers to run around waving their arms and crying “the sky is falling” and having vapors attacks, and wringing their hands and preparing for Armageddon. All because a black man who is a dirty Democrat is running the show in Washington. Mostly because he is ungodly and evil and actually may be the anti-Christ.

They have a huge number of forums actually, some quite good, and occasionally you can meet some intelligent people and have interesting conversations. I can’t remember which one had a discussion of  Mel Gibson.

Personally, I don’t pay attention to him. He’s a anti-Semite as far as I’m concerned so I don’t view his work. Beyond that, I find only amusement in his claimed ultra conservative religious beliefs and how he’s dealing with that given his marital woes. As much as I’ve garnered at this point is that his wife (long suffering as I understand her to be)  has filed for divorce, and he has been, for some time living with his girlfriend who is divorced herself and may be pregnant.

As the story has developed on the forum thread, a number of supporters have reminded everyone that “we don’t know his heart” and it’s “up to God to judge.” They keep talking about how if he is living as brother and sister with the girlfriend he is still in good graces with the Church. (Yep, and of course pigs still fly after midnight we all know.) This in full u-turnism from their about face when they talk about various Democrats who happen to be divorced. They are just “adulterers.”

Mores to the point, a woman who declares her clear personal knowledge that “I belong to the only church started by Jesus Christ, and you wouldn’t have a bible if it weren’t for us” is busy u-turning. This same woman who routinely tells everyone of every denomination, even her own, that they are far from pious, faithful, and knowledgeable, is haranguing everyone on the Gibson thread with “ye who is without sin cast the first stone.” “Are you without sin????? ” she rants.  I’m sure she doesn’t see the  u-turnism.

I have no doubt at all that we are all pretty much guilty of this. Our lens get so dirty that we can’t see the u-turn arrow. We somehow see our about face as different than the other instance. It’s good when we are called on it. It reminds us that we all bring our prejudices to the table. Me too. So remind me when I stumble.

Anyway, I’m going to get back to Johnny. I’ll never u-turn on you buddy. No way!