Another Seemingly Good Idea That Isn’t – Tennesse Wants to Label All State Issued ID’s with Sex Offender Status

The state legislator in Tennessee has come up with absolutely horrible idea of making every state ID stamped with the words "SEX OFFENDER" in red in three different places.  Seriously?  While this may sound good on the surface we all know that the reasons that some people end up on these lists are bogus, the laws are too broadly written.  

Think back to that young man who was pulled a high school prank of streaking at football game.  While we don't know what would have happened to him but before his suicide he was told he would end up on the state registry for sex offenders.  Streaking is hardly a crime that constitutes being labeled a sex offender for the rest of your life.  

I am all for protecting children from predators.  But the truth is this, if these people are so dangerous that they can't be trusted to be around young children without raping them why aren't they in jail where they belong?  

The lawmaker, Matthew Hill(R), says the idea came to him from a constituent talking about how many day cares ask for an ID in order to pick up the child.  Again, on the surface that sounds good, but let's be realistic here, don't they have a list of adults that are able to pick up the child?  If not, isn't that the answer to the problem?  

Some of the crimes that can get you listed on a sex registry list is prostitution.  Engaging in consensual sex for money is not something that I would personally do, that doesn't mean that you are a "sex offender".  Some states go as far as putting people who are convicted of public exposure onto these lists as well.  Again, not behavior I would engage in but is that person really a danger to society for the rest of their lives?  

There are many instances where the sex is consensual but one person is under the legal age.  We are legally allowed to label an 18-year-old who is having consensual sex with his 15-year-old girl friend.  While I wouldn't approve of that behavior in my son or daughter I would like to think that they wouldn't have their driver's license stamped in big, bold, red letters for the rest of their lives because of it.  

Your ID is used for many things that have nothing to do with being a danger to children.  You need to cash a check, get into many businesses around the country, get on an airplane, and hundreds of other things that are have nothing to do with your past sexual history.  

The real goal should be to protect children by not allowing these people, who have a proclivity to harm, out of everyday society by strengthening the amount of time they spend in jail.  Not putting a scarlet letter on the ID's of some high school kid that decided it would be funny to take his clothes off at a football game.  

This bill needs to go the scrap heap where it belongs.  

A Little Twat and a Whole Lot of Controversy - When Republicans Are Their Own Worst Enemies

Bob Fitzsimmons, Treasurer of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) used the word twat in a facebook discussion a few nights ago.  Twat in case you don't know is sometimes used as slang for the female vulva.  

Now, I am not going to sit here and defend the use of that word.  It never should have been used.  The problem is that if you read the exchange in context, he was referring to the comment that someone else had made as ridiculous.  He used the wrong.  Obviously he isn't up on sexual slang words.  He should have used the word twaddle, which means stupid speech.  

Now, what you can't see in the above graphic is the comment he was answering.  That comment was about why Delegate Barbara Comstock should be the nominee in the hotly contested republican primary simply based on the fact that she is a woman.  His comment was about identity politics.  I am not sure who, if anyone, he is backing in this contest, but I can tell you that I support Barbara.  I like Barbara.  I have worked many a days knocking doors in her elections for the state delegate seat that she currently holds.  But I don't support her simply based on the fact that she is a woman.  I HATE identity politics.  It is a losing game and I have little respect for people who voted based upon gender, skin color, or financial status of the people in the race.  To me that is the democrats game and played a big part in why President Obama won his election.  On this Mr. Fitzsimmons and I agree.  We are never going to beat the democrats in that game, so lets put up the best possible candidate in each and every race.  I happen to believe that Barbara is that person.  Her voting record speaks for itself.  At the end of the day that is what really matters.  

What really sits in craw about this entire unfortunate episode is that people who don't like Mr. Fitzsimmons, for reasons ranging from he is a supporter of conventions over primaries (which I am not) and he is also a big supporter of Ken Cuccinelli and more libertarian leaning people, have used this to try and force him from his job.  Insert primal scream here.  

This has turned into a national story that has been on HuffPo and in The Washington Post simply because people, who I won't mention by name, even though I would bet my bottom dollar are involved, are using this to oust someone they disagree with.  

The man made a mistake.  He used an unfortunate word when he wasn't clear on the meaning.  There is no way that anyone reading what he wrote can misconstrue that he was calling Delegate Comstock a twat or even the young woman he was having the discussion with that word.  

Here is the post he was responding to with the name of the person not included:

I also think women are going to be very frustrated about about a man trying to usurp Barbara's position in this race. If women come out in force for her, it will create a battle cry for Republican women so loud that Howie Lind won't have a prayer of competing with her. Republican women are a force to be reconed with and I for one want to see this power harnessed effectively in key political races.

His response was the he doesn't like sexist twat.  Now, if he was talking about this woman or Barbara it would make sense that you would be able to replace the word with the name and it would still make sense.  But you can't do that in this case.  Because he wasn't referring to a person, he was referring to the thought of using identity politics.  

So, now we have a national story about how republican men and party officials were using sexual terms to talk about a woman when clearly that isn't what happened.  

We don't need the democrats to do anything, we are doing a bang up job all on our own.  Should he have apologized for using that word?  Absolutely.  Should he lose his job over it?  No, a very clear and unambiguous NO.  This has been blown out of proportion by people who don't like him and his stances.  Those are the people who should be called out in all of this.  Not a man who obviously needs to spend more time with a dictionary.  

The SNAP Challenge and the Congressional Aide

There has been an ongoing debate in the House in regards to the "Farm Bill" which contains additional money to be added to the SNAP program.  Many people in the house who feel that the money should be added have decided to take the "SNAP Challenge", which is basically living off the amount of money which most people get for benefits on a monthly basis.  Know the SNAP program stands for  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.  A few key words here, supplemental and nutrition.

adjective

1.

supplementary.

2.

nonscheduled (  def 2 ) .

3.

(of a pleading, an affidavit, etc.) added to furnish what is lacking or missing.

The entire point of the program is give people of limited means additional money towards eating healthier foods.  It is was never meant to be your only source of groceries.

As such the democrats that are taking this challenge are being dishonest because they are basing their claims that this is the only source of food these people have.  So in walks Danny Ferguson, an aide for Steve Stockman (R-TX).  He decides to do a little experiment on his lunch hour.  He goes to a dollar store to buy a weeks worth of groceries with the budget of $31.50 per week.  Here is a list of what he purchased:

Two boxes of Honeycombs cereal
Three cans of red beans and rice
Jar of peanut butter
Bottle of grape jelly
Loaf of whole wheat bread
Two cans of refried beans
Box of spaghetti
Large can of pasta sauce
Two liters of root beer
Large box of popsicles
24 servings of Wyler’s fruit drink mix
Eight cups of applesauce
Bag of pinto beans
Bag of rice
Bag of cookies

This is what he feels that people of limited means should be eating for a week.  He says his total cost came to $27.58, so he came in at $3.92 under budget:

“Not only did I buy a week’s worth of food on what Democrats claim is too little, I have money left over.  Based on my personal experience with SNAP benefit limits we have room to cut about 12 percent more.  “I didn’t use coupons, I didn’t compare prices and was buying for one, instead of a family. I could have bought even more food per person if I were splitting $126 four ways, instead of budgeting $31.50 to eat for one. I could have bought cheaper vegetables instead of prepared red beans and rice, but I like red beans and rice.  Folks aren’t buying fast food instead of vegetables because of benefit limits, they’re buying fast food because fast food tastes great and vegetables taste like vegetables.”

So he will get some protein from the peanut butter, he will get some fiber from the wheat bread, and some vitamins from the apple sauce and milk.  He will also get very large amounts of fat, salt, and cholesterol.  I don't know how old he is or what his fitness habits are, but it is very possible if that he ate like this on a permanent basis he would gain a great deal of weight and over time develop some health issues.  It would seem from his above statement he isn't a big fan of healthier foods, but many people are.

Now I recently moved from the D.C. area and where I am living now is actually more expensive when it comes to food.  I spend more than $40 a month on milk alone.  I don't live on peanut butter and beans & rice.   Where is the meat in this diet?  It is possible that he is a vegetarian, but most vegatarians I know personally spend a great deal of money on food because fresh vegatables and grains can be very expensive.

So I decided to buy his grocery list at my local grocery store.  I went to the online section and purchased the list.  Now, I don't buy many of these items on a regular basis, but the milk and the peanut butter  was the same price online as it is in the store.  My total came to $45.37.   Now I had to buy a larger jar of peanut butter and the pinto beans and rice could be different sizes, but I got as close as I could.  Now I don't want to eat some sugary cereal every morning, call me picky, but it isn't my cup of tea.  So if I had bought the type of cereal I wanted it would have cost me more as it seems when they put less junk in a box of cereal it actually costs more.  So to say that it can be cut across the board for every area of the country is simply untrue. A facebook friend and I were discussing this and she said she ran out of money as well.  As I said I lived that area for years and years, dollar stores are pretty much everywhere.  I left that area about six months ago, and I couldn't tell you where the nearest dollar store is here.  I am sure there are some, but I don't know where.  So that type of store isn't going to be accessible to everyone.

The truth is this, both sides politicalize this issue and end up sounding like idiots.  Democrats forget the fact that people are supposed to be adding their own funds to the grocery bills over the month.  But republicans have the habit of only talking about the fraud in the system and how easy it is to live on Food Stamps and that those that do end up eating better than they do.  Neither is true.  I have heard people say that they see people in the grocery stores all the time buying better cuts of meat then they can afford.  The average payout for the SNAP program is about $6 per person per day.  For that budget you are not eating filet mignon and lobster every night.  It just isn't possible unless you are putting your own money in as well.

Another thing that happens is the fraud issue is overblown by both sides.  Democrats hold onto the myth that it doesn't go beyond the 3% estimates given out by the federal government.  That is what they catch.  That isn't what the fraud is.  Republicans act like the Fraud is about 50% or even higher.  There are those that think the program should be done away with altogether.  I am not among them.  I think the SNAP program is necessary and I have no problem with my tax dollars being used for it.  But I would like to see more crackdown on the fraud.  I worked for years with a homeless day shelter, and I can tell you the fraud is well above what dems say and well below what the GOP says.

Sadly, real people are caught up in the middle of the back and forth.  People who are having a hard time making ends meet.  People who have real reasons why they need some help from time to time.  Food banks around the country say they cannot keep up as the need is great right now.  So to say that it should be only charity that does this isn't working at the moment.  Especially when you consider that many food banks do get government grants to cover some of their costs.  The day shelter I was involved with got some state money, while many of their expenses are covered by churches (it is a faith based organization) and chartiable contributions, they don't cover all of the costs.

The economy is improving but not quickly enough for many people.  Many families that never thought they would need assistance have found themselves in the unfortunate situation that they must look for other sources to feed their families.  What this aide really did was demonize those people.  They don't need no stinkin chicken.  Heck they don't even get hamburger.  So for those on the right that say they eat better than you do, is this diet you want to eat week after week?

But hey, don't worry about Ol' Danny.  His salary is public record, he made $17,211.10 for the first three months of 2013, so I am sure he can afford to buy himself a steak sandwich on occassion.  People on food stamps, hey they can have some pinto beans.  Is it any wonder that conservatives get told they don't care about the less fortunate?  Sadly, I don't think he even sees what he did.

We need to make changes to these programs.  We need to cut out the fraud and abuse.  We need to find ways to make these programs a helping hand to people in need and not a lifestyle.  What he did just makes it all the harder to accomplish.  Shame on him.

Quote of the Day - Jim Allen Edition

"Rodney Davis will win and the love child of the D.N.C. will be back in Shitcago by May of 2014 working for some law firm that needs to meet their quota for minority hires, the little queen touts her abstinence and she won the crown because she got bullied in school,,,boohoo..kids are cruel, life sucks and you move on.. Now, miss queen is being used like a street walker and her pimps are the DEMOCRAT PARTY and RINO REPUBLICANS."

 Jim Allen, Republican Party Chair on Congressional Candidate Erika Harrold 

There are days that I am ashamed by republicans and this is one of them.  I don't know much about Ms. Harrold and her stances, but what I do know is that she is a human being that deserves more respect than this man has shown her.  

We have gotten to the point in this country that anytime anyone disagrees with your views it is perfectly acceptable to personally attack them.  To bring her race into this just makes it all the worse.  People like this need to be drummed out of party leadership.  This reflects on all republicans, even though it is not their views.  

Is it any wonder we get called racists?  

Mint Juleps and the Stay at Home Mom (or Dad)

"There are some people who want to lean in. There are some people who want to lean back and be on a rocking chair drinking a mint julep."

Yep, this is the latest attack on SAHM's.  Sadly, this one came from a "republican", Ana Navarro on Meet the Press over the weekend.

It is now almost 10:15.  I have made breakfast on two different occasions.  I am on my second load of laundry, I have read three books, hung some crayon art, and am presently getting ready for some finger painting.  I will need to make some lunches, pick someone up from school about an hour after that.  Then I will have snack time and listen to all the adventures that went on in school today.   Two play dates will follow the snacks.  My kitchen floor is a mess and must be cleaned today (I hope anyway).  Grocery shopping must be done before dinner if I want to eat.  I have dishes that need to be put away, fold the laundry, put it away, take the dog out for her walk (which I try to make at least a mile, she is a big dog and needs a great deal of exercise).   I will have a few more stories to read before the day is over, bath times, a dinner to make, a birthday cake to bake for tomorrow, a church meeting to attend, a blog to keep up with, a man that I need pay attention to as well.   Oh yeah, I have yet to make the beds, I am still somewhat getting a new house in order, three handwritten thank you notes to write; I guess I have a stop at the post office to make too!  The flower beds need some tending, I had the windows opened last night to save a little money on the electric bill, so the chances are good I have to wipe off the window sills; allergies.  

She then went on to slam the even smaller community of  the SAHD:

When I say in my house that I want to be a kept woman, the answer I get back is I want to be a kept man. So, you know, that`s not working -- it`s not working in my house.

A kept woman?  That is what she thinks I am.  I looked up recently the costs of what I do every day.  It is about $60K per year.  Personally I think that is very low.   I think I am being way underpaid, but I don 't mind.  This is what I CHOOSE to do.  I am not being forced, I am not doing this against my will, nor do I put other women who make other choices down.  Some families simply cannot afford for a parent to stay home.  Some women put a great deal of time into getting an education (I graduated from an Ivy League school by the way) and decide not to put that on hold while raising their children.

I know plenty of single mothers who have done an incredible job raising their kids.  One of my high school friends has two kids in college now and they both are honor students, very motivated, happy, healthy, well-adjusted young adults figuring out their place in the world.  I also know people who had stay at home moms are very troubled.  There is no one way to guarantee your children will grow up to be well-adjusted adults, but virtually all studies show that children that have both parents in the home and a mother who stays at home statistically will do better.

Wanting to give that best chance to my children doesn't make me lazy or someone who is sitting in a rocking chair drinking day after day.  It well past time that women stop putting down other women and their choices they make for their familes.

Quote of the Day - State Senator Tommy Tucker Edition

"I am the senator, you are the citizen. You need to be quiet,"

Sadly he is a republican.  Obviously it matters none which party you are from, this attitude is all to prevelant.  

He has denied saying this, saying that he actually said:

"I'm the senator here, let me finish."

But, three others in the room have confirmed that what is being reported is correct.  

Time for this man to take a lesson at humility and I think it should start at the ballot box.   

For Those Keeping Track, Republicans Who Voted for Largest Tax Hike in VA History

Yep, brace for it Virginia.  You have a massive tax increase coming your way.  Here are the republicans that voted for it.  Sadly, due to schedule, getting someone to primary these people this year will next to impossible.  But, I think they knew that and that is why they voted on this on the last day of the session.

House of Delegates: Dave Albo (42), John Cosgrove (78), Kirk Cox (66), Mark Dudenhefer (2), Jim Edmunds (60), Tag Greason (32), Chris Head (17), Gordon Helsel (91), Keith Hodges (98), Sal Iaquinto (84)*, Riley Ingram (62), Chris Jones (76), Terry Kilgore (1), Barry Knight (81), Jim LeMunyon (67), Manny Loupassi (68), Joe May (33), Donald Merricks (16), Randy Minchew (10), Richard Morris (64), John O’Bannon (73), Bobby Orrock (54), Charles Poindexter (9), Bob Purkey (82), Lacey Putney (I, declared R if running for re-election – 19), Tom Rust (86), Ed Scott (30), Beverly Sherwood (29), Chris Stolle (83), Ron Villanueva (21), Michael Watson (93), David Yancey (94), Joseph Yost (12), Speaker Howell (28)

State Senate: Harry Blevins (14), Bill Carrico (40), Jeff McWaters (8), Tommy Norment (3), Frank Ruff (15), Walter Stosch (12), Frank Wagner (7), John Watkins (10).

H/T Bearing Drift

The Ugly Politics of a Tragedy

New Jersey and Parts of New York City are quite literally a disaster area.  Hospitals are without power after the back-up systems also failed.  The National Guard had to carry the patients out to relocate them to another hospital that can give them care.  There is little power, train stations are flooded, tracks are littered with debris (such as boats), some track is simply missing.  There are people in  New Jersey that have lost most of what they own.  Think about that, all their family photos, mementos, their keepsakes of people who have passed away; things that can never be replaced.

Chris Christie is being given sh*t about saying that President Obama has been available and given him the resources he needs to help the citizens of his state rebuild their lives.  I am floored.  This is how far people are willing to go to play politics days before a presidential election?  A very sad state of affairs, very sad.  No, it is shameful.

While of course going to survey the damage is nothing more than a photo-op, but the reality is this; had he not gone and done that photo-op he would be lambasted for that.  Sadly, we have gotten to the point in this country that no matter who is president when these tragedies take place they are a in a no-win situation; damned if they show up, damned if they don't.

Tucker Carlson has gone as far as to say that Christie can't stand Romney and he is saying this to get back at him for some reason that he doesn't clearly define.  Others have said he is positioning himself for a run for the presidency in 2016, therefore it is in his interests for Governor Romney to lose.

It wasn't all that long ago that people were talking about Christie was going to be the VP pick, and what a mistake that would be.  Christie was a supporter of Mitt early on, giving him calls of RINO for turning his back on the more conservative candidates.

Lets look at the facts, Christie has travelled around the country to campaign for Mitt.  It seems to me that people are taking their hatred of President Obama out on Christie.  The truth of the matter is, the president does very little when it comes to a disaster.  Most of the work is done on the state level.  The president signs a declaration of major disaster that allows FEMA to start flowing federal money into the state.  But the real work is done by NGO's such as The Red Cross, The United Way, and countless others.  The calls for the National Guard comes at the state level.  The federal government can do nothing without permission at the state level (Remember Gov. Blanco during Katrina dragging her heals?).

Yes, there is an election in five days.  Yes, I personally believe that President Obama being re-elected would be a horrible for this country.  Yes, Governor Christie is not a conservative.  None of that changes the facts that we should be thinking about the people who are living in the aftermath of the storm before we think about the politics of it all.

I think that the people who are criticizing Christie who is dealing with an overwhelming situation should STFU.  He is the one that is walking around looking at the affected areas with the residents and listening to their tears and stories of grief.  I watched a little of it on the news yesterday and I had tears streaming down my face watching this woman talk about the things from her deceased husband and son that were lost.  She is devastated.  While it is true that she should be grateful that she survived, it doesn't make her loss any easier to deal with.  Her emotions are raw.

I was appalled at how the left politicized Katrina and turned President Bush into a murderer and uncaring monster to score political points. I am equally appalled that it seems the right is bound and determined to do something similar to Governor Christie for simply saying that President Obama has helped to give him the resources he needs.

This is not about politics.  This is about a tragedy of almost biblical proportions.  Real people are in pain, almost sixty people lost their lives, the temperatures in that area are dropping in the overnight, and these people are without heat and basic necessities.  The water systems are not working correctly in some areas, which can cause major health problems.  People are living in makeshift shelters, trying to get over the trauma of losing most of what they own.  There will be people who will be unable to work and will not get paid.  In these times when people are already struggling to pay the bills, think of the long-term effects that can have on their lives.

Get over yourselves.  This isn't about politics, this is about helping your fellow-man.  If you are unable to help, then the least you can do is shut up.  This is a time to come together and do what we can to help those who have lost everything.

Instead of complaining, donate to The Red Cross here.

This has just furthered my belief that politics are ugly and downright inhumane.

Judge Jaqueline Hatch Needs to Resign

In Flagstaff Arizona an off duty cop named Robb Gary Evans got drunk, flashed his badge to enter a bar for free, then walked up to a woman, slid his hand up her skirt and fondled her genital region.  The unnamed victim showed a great deal of courage by not only reporting this incident to the police, but by following it through to a logical conclusion; a guilty verdict of sexual abuse.

The judge in this very sad case not only gave Mr. Evans no jail time, he also doesn't have register as a sex offender.  But to make matters worse this is what she told the victim in the case:

If you wouldn't have been there that night, none of this would have happened to you. I hope you look at what you've been through and try to take something positive out of it. You learned a lesson about friendship and you learned a lesson about vulnerability."

Ugh.  What kind of 19th century thinking is this?  Women who are sexually assaulted are not to blame for someone else's disgusting behavior.

Judge Hatch was originally seated after being selected by a bi-partisan panel then Governor Jan Brewer made the final selection.  She ran for re-election in 2010 and won with 52% of the vote.  If she doesn't resign, lets hope that the people of that county are reminded of this and decide to send her into retirement where she belongs.

The Judge has since issued an apology after this made international news:

"It was never my intention to make a situation worse for any victim,"

What did she think was going to happen when she made her statement?  A woman going up against a police officer on a charge of sexual abuse is, at best, a very difficult thing to do.  While I had never heard of this case until now, I am sure that locally it was quite a story.  During the sentencing hearing another cop testified for the convicted felon:

"These people put their lives on the line every day," Evan's former partner said. "I hope you'll be lenient on him. To me, this is one way we can give a little back to those in law enforcement who give so much to us everyday."

I don't care what a cop does everyday, once he crosses the line into criminal behavior he is like any other defendant.  It is very well-known that cops stick up for other cops that are dirty or otherwise engage in criminal behavior, The Blue Wall as it is called.  So the fact that victim pushed ahead with her case says to me that she has a great deal of courage.  The judge slapped her in the face with her comments.

Please let me know who is running against this judge in 2014 so I can write them a check.  Republicans wonder why the left keeps up with its "war on women" theme.  Well, here you go.

Akin Must Step Aside - Now

I feel for the man.  I do.  He is in a difficult position.  He worked hard during the primary to get the nomination.  It was a three-way race and it didn't come easy for him.

But the truth is this.  He can't fix it.  He can't walk it back.  Especially since earlier this afternoon he admitted that he was wrong on "the science" that a woman can stave off pregnancy during a rape.

His comments were not only wrong from a medical point of view, they were wrong from an ethical point of view.  Every pro-life politician should be better prepared for the "what about cases of rape and incest" question.  You know they are coming.  It is no different for anti death penalty candidates getting the what if your wife/daughter was raped and murdered question.  They are designed to make the politician look silly when they can't adequately answer the question.  Politics is a rough and tumble business.  The media loves tripping you up and takes particular pride when you are a conservative republican.

Clare McCaskill is the worst possible choice to win that seat.  Akin continuing in this race is will all but guarantee that not only she gets re-elected, it also says that Harry Reid will more than likely stay Majority Leader.

I will go further and say he doesn't deserve to win this seat after these comments.  They were irresponsible, false, and more importantly demeaning to women.  I have seen the data and the numbers that are complied about pregnancies that occur due to rape and incest.  They are very small in comparison to the amount of pregnancies in this country each year, less than 1%.

But let me tell you, if you are the woman who ends up being in that 1% you don't care that it is rare.  That is an academic discussion at that point.  If you don't believe me, just ask yourself if you developed a very rare form of cancer, would that make you feel any better that it was rare?  Would you say 'lucky me"?  I don't think that you would.

When I was still living in Connecticut I used to volunteer at a rape crisis center.  I used to talk to woman of all different ages.  Most of whom were raped within the past few hours.  They were trying to decide if they should call the police, or go to the hospital.  Many of the women I talked to wanted to know if they went to the hospital would the police be called.  Which of course they would be.  Some elected not to go to the hospital for that reason.  They common thread among these women was shame.  There was no such thing as legitimate or illegitimate rape.

It is very possible that what he meant by that part of the comment was the fact that rape is the most over-reported crime according to stats.  Sadly, some women use the accusation as a hammer.  There are some LaCrosse players who are well aware of that.  That is true.  There have been men who were sent to jail and years later the accuser recants.  One such story was a woman who said she thought she was pregnant and didn't want to tell her parents.  Horrible, absolutely horrible.  I personally felt that woman should have been prosecuted for what she did to that man's life.

None of that makes what Akin said OK.  I don't care that Whoopi Goldberg once said "It wasn't rape, rape".  I don't care that Hollywood lionizes Polanski.  Again, none of that matters.  What matters is, is this man competent to serve as a U.S. Senator?  I think the answer is quite obviously no.

He has until 5pm tomorrow afternoon to have his name removed from the ballot and still give another person a decent chance to compete for that seat.  For the good of the party he should do it.  But he also should do it because it is the right thing to do.

I, for one, am very proud that republicans have not tried to justify his actions or his words.  At least not in large measure.  There are a few.  But generally speaking most seem to feel the same way I do.  Akin must step aside, and he should be doing it tonight.

Quote of the Day - The Clare McCaskill Re-election Bid Just Got Easier Edition

"First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare.  It it's a legtimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

Todd Akin, GOP Senate Candidate, Missouri

What a jackass.  While he is correct that pregnancy from rape is rare, about .008%, it isn't because "your body shuts down".  Many women in this country use birth control on a regular basis.  

There were three people running for the GOP nomination and this was the best of the lot?  One of the other two had to better than this lunatic.  

Senator McCaskill must be doing cartwheels tonight.  Her re-election bid just got a whole lot easier.  

Is Bob Marshall Fit to Serve in U.S. Senate?

As many know there is an open senate seat in Virginia due to the retirement of Senator Jim Webb.  Four republicans are vying for the GOP nomination to go up against Tim Kaine, our former governor and former head of the DNC.  One of the republicans that is looking for the nod is Delegate Bob Marshall.  


Very early yesterday morning (I mean really early, 1:30 AM) the Virginia House of Delegates took some votes for judgeships as the final act of this years activity for the legislator.  Most of the judges sailed right through.  Except for one, the appointment of Tracy Thorne-Begland has been denied a seat on the Virginia court.  Thorne-Begland is a former Navy, currently a prosecutor in the Richmond area, and gay.  


He served in the military before President Clinton enacted the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.  Thorne-Begland was honorably discharged from the Navy after he questioned the policy of not allowing gays to serve.  Honorably discharged.  The Navy had no choice at the time to release him from the service as the law was clear, gay people were not allowed to serve.  But, he was not stripped of his rank or given a dishonorable discharge.  Which the Navy would have been able to do had they wanted to at the time.  


Bob Marshall never questioned the qualifications of Thorne-Begland, he only hammered home the fact that Thorne-Begland was a "homosexual activist".  There was no other questioning of his qualifications other than being against the now defunct ban on gays in the military.  Nothing about his record as a prosecutor.  Since it never came up, one would can easily assume that his record is a good one.  Marshall questioned whether he can uphold the Virginia's Constitution since our law states that marriage is between one man and one woman.  That alone is what disqualified him from the seat on the bench.  He has already taken this oath as a prosecutor.  There is nothing in his prosecutorial record to suggest that he has not upheld his oath.  


One of the biggest problems with this argument is that the court Thorne-Begland would have been serving on would not be answering questions on this issue.  It is not a court of record.  Meaning that if the decision is appealed, the case is then heard at the next level as it never been heard before.  Any decision that is made at this level will have no record.  There will be no opinion put in writing. How exactly could one be a "judicial activist" at this level?  It would seem to me that Bob Marshall simply doesn't like gay people.  Which is fine, he is entitled to his opinion.  


But the question has to be asked, can Bob Marshall serve in the U.S. Senate when it is clear that he  is willing to discriminate against people simply based on what they do in their bedroom?  Mr. Thorne-Begland isn't running around the country being an activist, which then would question his impartiality. He is in Richmond, doing his job and raising a family.  You can disapprove of his "lifestyle" all you want, but do you get to say that someone shouldn't have a job that they are otherwise qualified for simply based on sexuality?  That is exactly what Delegate Marshall did.  


Bob Marshall is not fit to serve in the U.S. Senate if he is this willing to discriminate against someone due to a private and very personal matter.  Thorne-Begland deserved a fair hearing for his qualifications for the position.  Not the witch hunt that Delegate Marshall allowed the proceeding to turn into.  One of the judgeships that sailed through easily was a former delegate who comes from a family of union activists.  It seems pretty clear that the only thing Thorne-Begland has against him is what he does in his bedroom.  Shame on Delegate Marshall.  Not only do I hope that you don't get the nod for the GOP nomination for the senate seat, I hope that your district wakes up and sends you packing when it comes time for your re-election to the House of Delegates in November of 2013.  So thanks Delegate Marshall for making all Virginia republicans look as intolerant as you are.  

It's Getting Ugly Out There - Debbie Wasserman-Schultz Portrayed as a Dog

It seems that people are all too willing to roll around in the dirt to get into congress.  Ozzie deFaria is one such guy.  He is a republican fighting for the chance to go up against Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in the Florida 20th congressional district.  How does he go about trying to get noticed?  He puts a picture of Wasserman-Schultz up with a photoshopped image of her wearing a spiked dog collar and calling her Obama's #1 attack dog.

Wasserman-Schultz and Biden are neck and neck in the who is winning the most embarrassing democrat contest.  You have to really scratch your head to try to decide who commits the biggest gaffes between the two.  As such there is no reason to stoop to this level.  Loop her own words, people will hear for themselves how insane this woman's stances are.

deFaria calls himself "The Tea Party" candidate.  I have not spend the past three years working my butt off to be represented by the likes of this man.  This is vile and disgusting.  It also seems that the man has a criminal past as well:

CACE11005287 -2011 Auto Negligence(Pending) (Circuit)

DVCE05007368 -2005 Repeat Violence (Domestic Violence)

COCE05011501 -2005 Civil litigation (Circuit)

06011986MM10A-Misdemeanor (Circuit)

09033561TI30A -Traffic Infraction (Circuit)

COWE07027615 - 2007 Small Claims litigation (Circuit)

Sounds like a great guy.  Luckily there is another republican running for the nomination in this district.  We may as well not have an election if this guy is the nominee.

All this accomplishes is to allow the left to continue the meme of the imaginary war on women.  Both republicans and Tea Partyers can do much better than this man.  Sadly, by the look of his facebook page, he is doubling down on this and attacking his primary opponent for distancing herself from these types of attacks.  All I can say is Karen Harrington for Congress.  Send Mr. deFaria back to whatever rock he climbed out from under.

Portrait of a Jackass Edition 3

Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman has sponsored a bill that essentially cites single parenthood, specifically single mothers as a contributing factor to child abuse.  He wants to force the child protections services in the state to list single parenthood as contributing factor when investigating claims of abuse and neglect.  


There is evidence that factors relating to child abuse do include single parenthood, there is also evidence that having large families and multiple children under the age of 5 is a contributing factor.  This coming from the Mayo Clinic:

• A history of mistreatment as a child
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Marital conflict or single parenting
• Domestic violence
• Financial stress
• Social isolation
• Lower parental education
• Alcoholism or other forms of substance abuse
• A child in the family who was born prematurely or who is developmentally or physically disabled
• Young children in the family, especially multiple children under age 5

Notice how they also say martial conflict.  The factors for child abuse vary greatly and to pass legislation that puts single parenthood above the rest of the other factors, including a history of being abused as a child is wrongheaded and greatly unfair.  They also list multiple children under the age of 5.  In many cases those are people who are married, not single.  Substance abuse is not exclusive to single parents, many married people have substance abuse issues.  


Sadly, this story gets worse.  State Representative Don Pridemore, a co-sponsor of the bill had to add his two cents about staying married, even if that relationship is abusive:

"If they can refind those reasons and get back to why they got married in the first place it might help, 

Look, I believe in marriage.  I think it is the ideal to raise a child in.  I think that family is the bedrock of our society.  But no one in their right mind should be saying that while a woman is getting the stuffing beat out of her she should lie there quietly and remember why she married the man.  Or even better, while she is helplessly watching a man beat her child she should think back to how wonderful their first date was instead of taking her child and running as fast as she can in the other direction.    


There are man factors as to why child abuse happens in our society.  In a perfect world we would get married, have babies, and live happily every after just like the Cleavers.  But we are not all the Cleavers.  Telling a person that they should stay married to a person who is abusing them or their child(ren) is one of the most reprehensible things I have heard.  


How do these people get elected?  If you know who will be running against either of these men in the future let me know.  I would like to make a contribution to their campaign.  

Quote of the Day - Rick Santorum Edition Part 2

"The bottom line is that we do well among people who take their faith seriously, and as you know, just like some Protestants are not churchgoing, they are folks who identify with a particular religion but don’t necessarily practice that from the standpoint of going to church and the like.” 

Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum.

Oh, my.  I really hope that there is more context to this statement, because if there is not he is essentially saying that if you don't support him you are a bad Christian. Sorry, Rick, but you don't get tell me or anyone else for that matter who is and who is not a bad Christian.

Maybe, just maybe, it is this attitude that people aren't supporting.

Ann Coulter has Offically Crossed over to the Dark Side

Yeah, Ann Coulter is now saying that the tea party is being hypocritical for not supporting Romney. Of the four candidates left, Newt has the highest conservative voting record. While Romney was never in Congress so it is hard to compare apples to apples, but there is this one little, ok not little, really big thing called Romneycare.

It wasn't all that long ago that Coulter was saying if Christie didn't run, Romney would be the nominee and he would lose to Obama. Romney's record hasn't changed in the past year. He will still lose if he is the nominee. I fully understand if what she is trying to do is be a cheerleader for the party's nominee to get Obama out of office. But that isn't what she is doing.

I am left dumbfounded and disappointed in Ms. Coulter.



Mark Levin on Ann Coulter's Mystifying Defense of RomneyCare

It will be very interesting to see what type of response Ann Coulter will be getting at 11:50 A.M. next Friday.  That is when she is scheduled to speak at CPAC.  Oh look, that is lunchtime.  I guess I will be missing it. 

Portrait of a Jackass - "Tea Party" Candidate David Lewis

John Boehner is far from perfect.  But a socialist?  I don't think so.  One of the things that I really admire about what Speaker Boehner has done is that he has given more power to the committee's in the house, and by doing so he is giving more voice to the individual congress member.  Which in turn gives more voice to the people in the districts they are representing.  He has ceded some of the power that when Nancy Pelosi was speaker grabbed away from the members.  She only allowed a few people to make all the decisions.  That is not representative government. 

Hey Romney

How can we trust someone who doesn't want to admit that Social Security needs to be reformed or it won't be there for the younger generation?