Are Americans this fucking stupid?  Is this the type intelligent discourse they crave?  Why do some of us presume to be more enlightened than others?  Clearly we are not, judging by this idiot’s disrespectful banter.  [editor's note:  I have broken my unbreakable vow not to comment or post anything about the messiah Glenn Beck.  I feel so cheap.]

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Republicans in the Arizona House of representatives voted for a measure that stipulates President Barack Obama must show his birth certificate if he is to be on the ballot in Arizona for the 2012 Presidential election.

The Republican-dominated legislature voted 31-22 to tack the requirement onto another bill, which still faces approval.

The legislation, aimed at President Barack Obama, has been criticized by Arizona’s secretary of state, who noted that the qualifications for the presidency are set forth in the U.S. Constitution and not subject to amendments by states.

Both Obama’s campaign and the state of Hawaii have provided documents showing that the president was born in the United States and therefore constitutionally qualified to serve as president.

The language requiring that candidate demonstrate that they are a “natural born citizen” was added by GOP state Rep. Judy Burg

I’m sure Arizona’s steadfast defensive of the Constitution would be commendable, if it weren’t so misguided.  It’s nice to know that the Arizona House is spending time on this issue, rather than things that actually affect the lives and livelihood of Arizonians.  This is another example of using divisive wedge issues to divert attention and opinion.

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This picture was taken at a Tea Party rally in 2009 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  It seems to commemorate the 14  anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing quite well.  (For the record, I am not implying a Tea Partier is responsible for this sign.  Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t.)

Or maybe these Tea Partiers align very closely with Tim McVeigh and his views.

H/T:  TIOMR

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Remember this despicable display?

The piece of trash who tossed dollar bills has been identified as Chris Reichert of Victorian Village, Ohio. Per Wonkette:

The now-adult turd, “Chris Reichert of Victorian Village,” bravely wasted many days after the videotaped display of insane rage denying that he had, in fact, heckled and then tossed a few dollar bills at a very sick man who had come out to Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy’s district office in support of health insurance reform. But now, it’s time for the Healing to Begin.

“Let the healing begin.”  Right…

HT: Wonkette

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I don’t have anything to say.  Anyone?

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For those who haven’t seen the seminal film The Birth of a Nation, it remains to this day revered by some as a significant cinematic achievement– because of its usage of technical innovation– the usage of lighting, editing and close-ups was ahead of its time.  It’s also despised for its graphically stereotypical portrayals of Black people, as everything from sex-crazed beasts, to mammies, sambos and toms.  

Quite frankly, I cannot quite grasp the technical achievements of the film, due to the overwhelming urge I get to wretch every time I see one of Griffith’s black characters cross the screen.  But in unearthing this American “classic” over the weekend, I noticed one particular black character– whose motivation and behavior in the film conjured a host of metaphorical imagery for me relating to today’s political culture:  His name was Silas Lynch.

In Griffith’s tale, Silas Lynch is the dastardly villain– the man who almost single-handedly destroys the way of life that white people enjoyed– before the civil war ripped the union asunder.  Lynch is given all of the trappings of a maniacal despot:  He thirsts for power, indulges heavily in alcohol consumption, is wracked with seething rage and animalistic blood-lust, and suffers from an uncontrollable, deviant sexual appetite.  In the film, the Lynch character appears in its second half–after President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination– to seemingly symbolize a clear, calculated distinction between good and evil. 

Lynch, as a black man, represents everything that is destructive and wrong about post Civil War America. He is free to act upon his desires– and he desires power, the subjugation of the white race, voting opportunities for blacks, and the legalization of interracial relations.  In short, he aspires to be equal– which is anathema to the America Griffith has created. There is one more fascinating aspect to Silas Lynch though.  One that is the impetus for this story:  Silas Lynch was biracial.

It was a relatively innocuous observation on my part.  Until I actually thought about it.  It began five days ago with the release of the Republican National Committee’s fundraising document.  The RNC’s game plan– using fear to generate money to fight our country’s precipitous slide into socialism– was not shocking in and of itself.  The images used to project this fear were.  Barack Obama, the nation’s first black commander-in-chief, is of mixed parentage.  The son of a white mother and a black (Kenyan) father– President Obama has reveled proudly in his biracial heritage– extolling it in books and countless speeches. But in this flyer, you have Barack Obama– the black President of the United States– portrayed as a ghoulish spook in white face. 

A black man in white face. This was the same image we’ve all seen in the last year and half–produced by crazies mostly out of the mainstream.  But this time it’s different. This time, this image was circulated by the Republican National Committee– the legitimate fundraising and organizing arm of the national party.  The party hell-bent on turning Barack Obama into Silas Lynch.

In the last year and a half, I’ve watched as opponents of the president have painted him as everything from a Nazi, to a Marxist, to a Socialist, to an illegitimate citizen of Kenya who stole the election, to a rabid fomenter of anarchy– using the Constitution as toilet paper in his quest to usurp power.  The strategy of fear.  This is the re-invention of Silas Lynch in modern times. President Obama has become the evil tragic mulatto, out to destroy the country and the white race.

In Birth of a Nation, Griffith portrays the biracial Lynch as a divider, not a uniter.  His bronze skin is literally and figuratively symbolic of black -white relations, and the disunity it brings.  It is Lynch’s very existence that is tainted and foul–he is not just black, he is the product of a union between black and white– and this was considered corrupt and against God.  The mulatto was the chaos bringer, thought to be power-hungry and salaciously conniving and evil.  Silas Lynch has morphed into Barack Obama.

Fear is a powerful deterrent to change. Fear is projecting Barack Obama as the divider, whose ideals and methods are contrary to what a unified nation should be.  This goes to the heart of republican dissent today.  In essence, the incessant fear-mongering and that subsequent RNC document has accomplished its goal.  The injection of fear has successfully immobilized rational debate, and paralyzed leadership in Washington.  D.W. Griffith’s prophetic racist vision has provided the backdrop for this new strain of political theater.

Perhaps this is some new, dangerously upgraded version of the Southern Strategy.  Whatever the motivations of those engaged in this reckless approach, it proves that the color of fear remains.  And Silas Lynch lives on in American politics, reborn in the 44th President.

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The National Tea Party Convention concluded this past weekend, and  If you’ve already read part one, then you know that the tone of the convention was set very early on.  Racial paranoia wafted heavily in the air over the weekend, dampening the intended message of anti-tax, and anti-government intervention the movement was trying to focus on.  It’s hardly a surprise that beneath the surface of the angry, pro-liberty message– exists a bubbling brew of right-wing extremist views– and disdain for cultural changes taking place in the country.  As the convention dragged on, more emphasis seemed to be place on social commentary, and divisive issues.  Here’s an example:

The birther meme seemed to be in vogue, as evidenced by WorldNetDaily’s Joseph Farah’s widely praised speech about the president’s birth certificate, and his citizenship:

“The media, the politicians … all say, no, it’s all been settled. I say, if it’s been settled show us the birth certificate. Simple,” Farah’s said, as his remarks were cheered by the roughly 600 activists gathered in Nashville for the event.

Farah’s role as publisher of the ultra-conservative WorldNetDaily, affords him a consistent base to launch virulent attacks on the president’s citizenship, and fitness for office as seen here.  Farah also led the charge in urging the 600 tea partiers in attendance to engage in a cultural war, and to “take over not only the political institutions, but the cultural institutions, like the press, the entertainment industry, the universities, and yes the churches.”

What occurred after Farah’s speech was, in my estimation, the high point of the entire convention.  Farah got into a heated confrontation with conservative media magnate Andrew Breitbart about the birther issue.  The exchange was almost to good to believe, especially if you believe that the birthers have lost touch with reality.  Here’s a few amazing snippets.  Farah is first, followed by Breitbart:

“It is a winning issue!”

“It’s not a winning issue.”

“It is! It becomes even more of a winning issue when the press abrogates its responsibility–”

“You don’t recognize it as a fundamentally controversial issue that forces a unified group of people to have to break into different parts? It is a schism of the highest order.”

“Nothing exposes the president’s–”

“Then prove it!”

“The press isn’t asking the question–”

“Prove it!”

“Prove what?”

“Prove your case.”

Read the full, amazing text here.  I highly recommend it.

I don’t necessarily have any issues with protest and voter antipathy toward politicians.  In fact, it should be a part of our DNA to engage in active civic discourse.  What demeans the entire process is irrational paranoia and fear-mongering.  It disguises the fundamental disagreements we all have, and dilutes political engagement.  This birther issue is being ridden to the point of exhaustion, and there is no salient outcome that would appease its proponents–save the resignation of the president.

In a way, birthers exist in that same parallel universe homophobes do– questioning existing truths already known– and denying the actual realities because of those truths.  The strains of homophobia were present in Nashville, as speakers denounced the president’s proclamation of a “gay pride month.”  The former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court stated that the president “has elevated immorality to a new level.”  But this one quote takes the proverbial cake:

“[Obama] has ignored our history and our heritage, arrogantly declaring to the world that we are no longer a Christian nation. He has elevated immorality to a new level, setting aside the entire month of June to celebrate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender pride. He now threatens to change our law to allow homosexuality in our military … He’s apologized to the Arab world for our past, subjugated our national sovereignty by bowing down to the king of Saudi Arabia. He has pursued a socialist agenda by taking control of private companies and pushing a national health care plan with a public option. Backed by a willing Congress, he’s bought off our senators and representatives with our own money in an effort to mandate his agenda.”

Not exactly creating a warm inviting climate in my opinion.  But then, that wasn’t the point here.  The point was to release all of their pent up repression about how this country had the temerity to change, and elect new leadership.  Eight years of ramped up deficits, misguided foreign policy, and illegal torture procedures did nothing to dampen their appetite for more of the same.

And where does Sarah Palin fit into all of this?  Quite snugly actually.  As the keynote speaker Saturday night, Palin pulled out her usual rhetorical assault of President Obama, and the state of the country.  But there was one important difference in her recycled rant this time:  Palin used a black sharpie to remind herself of her talking points.  It wasn’t unusual in and of itself, except for two thing:  She was already reading from prepared notes, and she only wrote down three things on her left hand.  It makes you wonder how prepared she would be if she had to do a Q&A session in hostile territory without the benefit of any prep time (As most politicians worth their salt have to do from time to time).  She couldn’t remember three words?  Maybe she is the right person to lead this movement.

This convention, for all of its blustery, anti-government animus, exposed some seriously dark elements of tea party society. Right or wrong, the meaningful policy arguments this movement may have, will be shrouded under the shadowy hateful rhetoric of many of its speakers.

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“Our country is being destroyed. Every generation has had to fight the fight for freedom… Terrorism? Yes. That’s not the big battle,” he said. “The big battle is in D.C. with the radicals. They aren’t liberals. They are radicals. Obama, Pelosi, Walz: They’re not liberals, they’re radicals. They are destroying our country.” — Republican Allen Quist, running for congress in Minnesota’s first congressional district.

Do we need another ideologue in Congress like Allen Quist?   I say that not to just single out Republicans for their views.  Both parties are seemingly cemented in their ideologies today, and that’s caused a gridlock that has the potential to affect millions of American lives.  But it has not extinguished all the bright stars in the sky.  In fact, one particular star seems to be burning brighter than ever.

Want to know what makes Dr. Maureen Reed extraordinary?  Plain, old fashioned common sense.  It’s not fancy or flashy.  In these polarized times– where the dearth of common sense is quite palpable– Dr. Reed stands out as the lighthouse does in the deep black of night.  I spoke to Dr. Reed last last week about a variety of subjects, one of which included the great partisan divide that is engulfing our nation’s capital:

“Too many people in Washington have narrow political backgrounds.  They’ve spent most of their adult lives as political people.  There are far too few people in Washington, with backgrounds in health care, and business, and education.  We need many more people with broad backgrounds working on capital hill.  Narrow backgrounds lead to narrow thinking.”

Narrow backgrounds lead to narrow thinking.  Dr. Reed’s line perfectly encapsulates the state of  politics today.  She went on to explain how important issues facing Americans like health care and education, need to be addressed by those who have “deep experience” in those areas.  Sounds like a common sense approach to me.  To illustrate:  In congress, there are 435 members.  Of that number, only 24 have a background in health care.  24.  How is it possible that such an important piece of legislation as health care reform, is delegated to a body where less than five percent of its members are qualified to discuss it, let alone craft the legislation?  Dr. Reed:

” In other sectors, we don’t hand over problems to people who have not had a lot of experience in that field and ask them to craft a solution.  What are they going to do?  They’re going to turn to the arm chair experts, and the special interests.”

And while mismanagement and misallotment of resources is nothing new in Washington political circles,  Dr. Reed provided a fresh take on the approach taken by the administration and congress.  It’s a case study in political rigidity and inflexibility–both of which explains the D.C. bone yard  built for failed policy initiatives.  We discussed in detail the political polarization blanketing Washington and the entire country– and I asked Dr. Reed what her thoughts were on this partisan rancor gripping us all:

“Most Minnesotans reside in the middle of the political spectrum.  Our elected officials are more polarized, and have moved to the far left and the far right.  I am a big tent Democrat, which means I have an appreciation for opinions from the left and the right, the up and the down.  There is no appreciation for the views of the middle ground.  The middle is where the work gets done.”

Another relevant line considering that moderates and independents have proven that they– and not the ideologues on the left or right– swing elections.  Here’s more from Dr. Reed on the issue of polarization:

“Somewhere along the way, these career politicians lost their ability to dial down rhetoric, and solve problems.  Sound bites don’t equal debate.  Polarizing rhetoric leads to an inability to get stuff done.  It is intended to inject fear and anger into people– When people are afraid, they do not solve problems well.  Professionals try to dial down fear and anger in order to make better decisions and provide solutions.”

In other words– it’s not a technical problem– it’s a political problem.  It seems that the “professionals” in Washington, care more about providing venomous soundbites– than offering concrete solutions to help Minnesotans and all other Americans find jobs.  People are worried about what they may potentially lose, not the political blame game hijacking our discourse. Dr. Reed injects a measure of clarity into this debate that is rarely seen.  Her candor and her honest approach is more than refreshing.  In a district currently represented by conservative ideologue Michele Bachmann, Reed proves herself the antithesis of the oft-times controversial Congresswoman.  If you examine her record closely, you’ll notice that she’s more than qualified for her upcoming battle.  But delve a little deeper.  Look past her success as a physician, and President of the Board of Regents at The University of Minnesota.  What you will find is her intimate connection with real people, and her innate sense of collaboration and sacrifice.

In 2010, we all must adhere to Dr. Reed’s mantra that “all Americans can solve tough problems.”  By believing in common sense solutions and ignoring ideological boundaries–Dr. Reed is perfectly positioned  to lead the sixth district in Minnesota as part of its delegation to the United States Congress– one technical solution at a time.

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Ghoulish science + ObamaCare= health hazard, July 24, 2009

I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this post.  It inspired me to cleave deeply through a lot of bullshit, written by anyone who feels the need to write bullshit.  Granted I put myself in that category sometimes, but at least I can qualify my actions.  People like Michelle Malkin cannot.  You see, it’s in her best interest to spread the most egregious lies and distortions, and pass them off as truth.  Her reputation is made by fear-mongering, so why not engage in it at a high level?  Enough about that, let’s get into the meat of Ms. Malkin’s rant:

Gulp. It’s precisely the Obama administration’s view of sound “science” that should send chills down patients’ spines. Case in point: The president’s prestigious science czar John Holdren refuses to answer questions about his radical, published work on population control over the last 30 years.

Last week, I called the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to press Holdren on his views about forced abortions and mass sterilizations; his purported disavowal of Ecoscience, the 1977 book he co-authored with population control zealots Paul and Anne Ehrlich; and his continued embrace of forced-abortion advocate and eugenics guru Harrison Brown, whom he credits with inspiring him to become a scientist.

After investigative bloggers and this column reprinted extensive excerpts from Ecoscience, which mused openly about putting sterilants in the water supply to make women infertile and engineering society by taking away babies from undesirables and subjecting them to government-mandated abortions, the White House issued a statement from Holdren last week denying he embraced those proposals. The Ehrlichs challenged critics to read their and Holdren’s more recent research and works….

Wow.  Really heady stuff there right?  I took it upon myself to write a piece back in August, rebutting Ms. Malkin’s ridiculous assumptions about Mr. Holdren– and his scientific philosophy– using actual facts, and not wild, loopy theories.  I was only to happy to do it.  Ms. Malkin truly disgusts me.

This post was a favorite of mine not for its contents or the author’s political acumen, but for the pure inspiration I derived from it.  It made me truly focus, and more determined to expose frauds passing themselves off as honest journalists.  Thank you Ms. Malkin.  I look forward to your work in the year 2010.

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This just keeps getting sadder and sadder.  Watch the clip:

Are you kidding me?

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