Bachmann Leaving Congress

Michelle Bachmann announced today that she will not be seeking reelection in 2014.  This certainly opens up that district of Minnesota for another crazy reactionary to fill that seat but they could never live up to her unique brand of crazy.

Congress will be a little smarter next time simply without her.

It will be interesting to see what she does next.

Happy Memorial Day

Why Us?

It is toward the end of the class I am taking and I am working on a paper so I may be a little scarce around here.  I will try to throw a cartoon or something up each day at least but it will be hard to write here as well as my paper for a few days.  Who doesn't like political cartoons anyway?

The Benghazi Coverup

Friday Shakedown

This week has seen a lot of scandal and general craziness but the problem of guns has not gone away.  People need to not forget that this is still very important and this is why.

In Florida, a 4-year old and a 2-year-old were playing with a gun they found.  11-year-old Jarvan Jackson tried to take it away from them and in the brief struggle with the 4-year-old, Jarvan was fatally shot in the neck.  The 4-year-old also received an injury during the struggle but it was not life threatening.

Police have ruled the shooting as an accident but are investigating how the 4-year-old had access to the weapon.

Babies with guns, Rep. Stockman...

In Tullahoma, Tennessee, Kevin Sayre, 26, was "field stripping" two handguns attempting to show how the parts were interchangeable between the two.  He failed to unload the weapons first, however, and shot his 1-year-old daughter in the chest.

Police have said that Sayre acted recklessly and have charged him with aggravated assault.  The child was last listed in critical condition.

Some people just don't seem to get it and unfortunately, too many of them are in Congress.  Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) believes that abortion is to blame for school shootings in recent years, as if that makes any sense at all.

Forty years ago, the United States Supreme Court sanctioned abortion on demand. And we wonder why our culture sees school shootings so often.

 Yes, that's the reason.  Let's ignore how conservatives make it easier to buy a gun than to get a job.  A lot of jobs require a background check of some sort but you don't need that to buy a gun because FREEDOM!  Idiocy at it's finest.

A Week Of Scandals

I cannot not post on the scandals that have come to light over the past week.  

So the IRS was specifically targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny.  Their justifications had better not have been purely political because that is a turn we cannot tolerate.

The Justice Department was spying on the Associated Press reporters.  There really is no spin that makes this a good thing.  This is a clear violation of the first amendment and it will be interesting to see how long it takes before the AP wins their case.

I don't have much to comment on at this time about these issues because information is just coming to light.  I do know that there will be some serious punishment for those responsible.  I just wonder how high these scandals will go.

War Drums

Been out of town all weekend.  Back to a normal schedule tomorrow.  Happy Mother's Day!

Friday Shakedown

The GOP is continuing it's ridiculous attacks on the President over the "non-conspiracy" Benghazi.  Bob Cesca posted a list of 13 more "Benghazis" that occurred during the Bush administration that Fox News did not seem to care about.  Go check it out.  It's pretty good.

Missouri has joined the league of states toying with nullification.  The bill that was just sent to Governor Jay Nixon (D) would render all federal gun laws null and void in Missouri.  Should the Governor sign the bill, which I think is unlikely, Missouri would become the second state to actually pass such a law.  Kansas was the first and Attorney General Eric Holder has already sent them a letter threatening to take Kansas to court over the issue.  

The bill would also relax other gun laws in the state by lowering the age to obtain a concealed carry license from 21 to 19.  It would also allow firearms to be carried by certain school personnel.

Another day, another child getting shot by another child.  In Camden, New Jersey, an 11-year-old boy shot a 12-year-old in the face.  The incident is being called an accident.  The child is being treated at an area hospital and is expected to survive.  There was supposedly an 19-year-old relative nearby when the accident happened but it is currently unclear how the children obtained the gun.

When does it stop?

Another Baby With A Gun...

Another baby with a gun...

In Corsicana, Texas, a 2-year-old boy fatally shot himself in the head with his father's handgun.  He found it in a bedroom while his father was in another room.

If you can't secure your guns, you don't deserve to have them.

A Broken Record

There are too many stories like this and far too often.

This story comes out of Miami.  Two children, 13 and 6, were left home alone.  Justin Latourrette had seen them outside earlier in the day and thought it was strange that he didn't see any adults around.  Later on, he heard a loud boom and police confirmed that it was a gunshot that he heard.

The 13-year-old had found the handgun and shot his sister in the chest, just above the heart.  Latourrette watched as paramedics carried her out.  He had this to say:

"Her shirt was bloody, and you could see through a piece of gauze that she had a hole in her chest above the heart. Her eyes were wide open in a blank stare, like she was in shock. I'll never forget that look."

She is currently in critical but stable condition.

Again, in Florida, a 3-year-old boy fatally shot himself after finding a loaded handgun in the backpack of his uncle.  The uncle, Jeffrey D. Walker, held a concealed carry permit.  Walker has been arrested and charged with culpable negligence.  The boy's parents were in their bedroom at the time of the shooting.

How many stories like this must there be before something is done?  What percentage of Americans need to support gun legislation before Congress will pass it?  Apparently, 90% is not enough.

According to the Children's Defense Fund, one-third of all households with children younger than 18 have a gun, and more than 40 percent of gun-owning households with children store their guns unlocked. 

The fund also reported that 22 percent of children with gun-owning parents handled guns in their homes without their parents' knowledge.

These types of statistics cannot be ignored forever.

Iron Man vs. Congress

Too Young

Exactly.

Nullification Continues And What To Do About It

Alabama is rolling right along with its effort to subvert United States law.  I have posted several times about the nullification epidemic growing in some states across the country.  This is more than a little annoying.  These states actually think they can ignore Federal Law.  We fought a war over this notion.  I've covered that a lot here so I won't repeat myself here.

Kansas, Mississippi, Wyoming, Alabama, and a few more have/are contemplating nullification laws in their states either over Obamacare or gun control legislation.  We know this is happening but what do we do about it?

As with many issues, it's not a bad idea to follow the money.  The following is a map that shows how much money each state gets from the Federal government for every dollar it sends in taxes.

Wyoming and Kansas are not doing too bad.  They only take a little more than they give but then look at Alabama and Mississippi.  They both take close to double what they give and they feel they have the right to tell the Federal government what to do?  

Just for fun, lets look at tome of those predominantly liberal areas of the country.  New York, California, Massachusetts, etc. all give more than they get.

But for the states that want to decide that the Federal laws do not apply to them, what do we do?  Maybe we should stop giving them so much of our money.  Clearly, their conservative principles are not working if they have to ask for money constantly.  

Note: The figures on the map are from 2004, but I doubt much has changed.  If someone finds a map with updated figures, I'd love to see it.  Especially if it refutes my argument.

Let them secede, and we'll see who has the last laugh.  They need us more than we need them.

Friday Shakedown

Dan Bidondi, an Infowars "reporter," went to Massachusetts and didn't plan on running into opposition like this.  An unnamed resident engaged him on Infowars' crazy conspiracy theories.

(NSFW)

I wish more people would confront wackos like this in this way.  It's just like the Westboro Baptist Church.  They do not respond to reason, reason, or facts, and they contribute nothing to the debate.  Having an argument with them is not a good use of your time.  You will walk away from the encounter feeling more frustrated than you were at the start and they will walk away thinking they've won.  The only thing they respond to is ridicule.  

North Carolina is trying to make it harder for students to vote.  Shocking, I know.  The bill, which was sponsored by six Republican Senators, would force the parents of out-of-state students to pay higher taxes if they claim their child as a dependent and the student is registered to vote in their college district.  If you are a student, you should be able to vote for the district that directly represents you where you live.  When I was a student at Ohio State, I petitioned the congresswoman for Ohio District 15, which was where the school sat.  For the time I was attending and living there, I considered her my voice in Congress.  I should have been able to vote in that district if there had been an election while I was there.  Speaking of Ohio... They're trying to do a similar thing there.  This is just another example Republicans trying to suppress the vote and change the rules of the game.  Instead of having a message that appeals to a majority of the country, or people in their districts, they try to keep opponents from voting.  That isn't how democracy is supposed to work.

In other news, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, famous for being one of the most hated members of the Senate on both the Left and Right, floated the notion of a presidential run.  This move was promptly met with laughter all around.

The NRA has a new president and he's possibly more to the right than the last one.  At a speech in New York, he referred to the Civil War as the "War of Northern Aggression."  There is so much wrong with that, I don't even know where to start.  The historian in my head is speechless at the moment.  

Maybe more along the lines of the Civil War tomorrow...

Doof Quote Of The Day

NH State Rep. Stella Tremblay (R)

TREMBLAY: And the more I looked at this, in my heart, something told me there’s something wrong here. You just have to look at that backpack and you can see. If there’s an explosion, the backpack is blown to smithereens. There’s nothing left. What was it doing just laying there? Then, my first gut reaction seeing the horror of that person that had their legs blown off… you know, with the bone sticking out? And he was not in shock. I looked and I thought there’s something… I don’t know what’s wrong, but it seems surreal to me. I talked to my sister, who’s not into politics at all, and she said, “Yea, I saw the same thing.” He was not in shock. He was not in pain. If I had had those type of injuries, I’d be screaming in agony.

Via ThinkProgress:

Citing Alex Jones and his conspiracy theory site Infowars, Tremblay notes that while she once believed 9/11 was a real attack by terrorists, 9/11 “truthers” have opened her eyes. This attack too, she argues, was a “Black Ops” attack staged — apparently unconvincingly — by the federal government.

Wonderful.  I wish everyone could see the harm that Infowars and crazies like Alex Jones cause.  They have no evidence for their crazy theories, only questions and they press on with the conspiracy theory no matter what.  You can never prove them wrong in their eyes because they'll just ask more questions or dismiss actual evidence.  Now, these crazy theories are being floated by Republican politicians.  Like this one where Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) floated a theory about the U.S. shipping guns to Turkey.  Secretary Clinton's response is priceless.

This is not the only example, not by a long shot. Republican Reps. Jim Jordan (OH) and Jason Chaffetz (UT) held a joint hearing "to examine the procurement of ammunition by the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General." They, and others, believe the U.S. government is buying up ammunition to either keep regular Americans from being able to buy it, or they are preparing for war against their own people.  This is the silliness that goes on on the Right these days.

The conspiracy theorists are not serious people but unfortunately we have to take them seriously because they influence those that vote in Congress.  

5-Year-Old Kills 2-Year-Old With His Own Gun

Meanwhile, in Kentucky:

(Reuters) - A 2-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed by her 5-year-old brother with a rifle he received as a birthday gift, Kentucky authorities said on Wednesday. 

The shooting occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Burkesville, Kentucky, a community in the south-central part of the state, when the boy was playing with the .22-caliber rifle and accidentally shot his sister in the chest, state police said.

Can anyone explain to me why a 5-year-old was given a rifle for his birthday?  Freedom is not an acceptable answer.  5-year-olds do not have any freedom and certainly have no conflicts a .22-rifle would help solve.

There are several manufacturers that make guns specifically for children.  This is one of them.

Gohmert Again, And Schoolhouse Rock!

I think some members of Congress need a little refresher course on U.S. Government.

Speaking of Congressmen that need a refresher on government and history, our favorite Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert is still blaming the wrong people for the Boston bombing.  Last week he said this:

“He [Obama] has advisers around him that do not have the same goal as he does. He has people around him giving advice who support the Muslim Brotherhood and who steer him in wrong directions”

Well, he must have thought that wasn't crazy enough because today he said this:

"Think about it, when your attorney general spent more of his legal career helping terrorists than defending the country, then you know we all have certain biases and lean certain ways."

Louie Gohmert is asserting that Attorney General Eric Holder has a bias in favor of terrorists and against defending the country.  I would like to know where he is getting his information, or what he considers "bias in favor of terrorists."  I know it is hard to cite your own rectum, but give it a go, Louie.  

Maybe he thinks reading the bombing suspect his Miranda rights and not torturing him is a bias in favor of the terrorists.  Treating the suspect like a human being and an American citizen, of which he is both, is just too much for those on the far right.  The Right (capital "r") have been in a tizzy since authorities captured the suspect and did not lose their minds interrogating him.  The government officials are handling it like they should be and are conducting a proper investigation.

Answers will come.  Allow the authorities to do their jobs.

7-Year-Old Football Star Meets President

Remember this kid?

That is 7-year-old Jack Hoffman, who has been fighting pediatric brain cancer for a long time.  He became friends with Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead and gained some media attention locally.  Today he met with President Obama.

Here is Jack talking about his meeting with the President.  And here is Rex Burkhead talking about the trip to the White House.  Burkhead accompanied Jack and his family to Washington. 

It's very cool that President Obama would take the time for something like this.  Hopefully this does raise awareness for childhood cancer like Rex Burkhead said.  

Friday Shakedown

I know it's Saturday, but I'm still calling it the Friday Shakedown...

We begin the cavalcade of crazy with Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX).  He loves his conspiracy theories so much and is a great example of what is wrong with this country.  Here is what he said this week about the Obama administration:

“He has advisers around him that do not have the same goal as he does. He has people around him giving advice who support the Muslim Brotherhood and who steer him in wrong directions,”

He really thinks the President has advisors who support radical Islam.  This isn't the first time he has said things to that effect.  Thank you, Texas, for sending this clown to Congress.  The rest of the country is so excited to have him help make decisions on their behalf.

Next, we have a story from the University of Arizona.  Anyone that has frequented a college camp in the past several years knows there are always very religious people holding signs, telling people they are going to hell, or otherwise trying to spread the "good" word.  I saw this a lot in my undergraduate days.

At the University of Arizona, there is a student, Dean Saxton, who regularly does this.  He has been nicknamed "Brother Dean" and seems to have become a fixture of the campus.  Here is a video of his demonstration on Tuesday where he held up a sign that said "You Deserve Rape."  The video is long but the introduction fills in some of the story.

University of Arizona spokeswoman Jennifer Fitzenberger released a statement to The Huffington Post on the controversial Brother Dean demonstration:

The University of Arizona does not endorse or condone the message of the campus speaker - in fact, it considers it to be vile and repugnant. However, because universities in particular are bastions for free speech, even when it is offensive, the University of Arizona will uphold the right of this speaker and all others to engage in constitutionally protected speech on its campus. Should the University receive complaints or otherwise become aware of allegations of misconduct that fall outside the realm of constitutionally protected speech, it will investigate and deal with them as appropriate.

In a way, he's like a live-action internet troll.

CNN's Don Lemon Discusses BSA Lifting Ban On Gays

CNN invited John Stemberger and Zack Wahls on Don Lemon's show earlier this week to discuss the Boy Scout's proposal of lifting the ban on homosexuals for scouts but not scouters.  

Here is the exchange:

John Stemberger says it is an awful proposal, and that seems to be the end of where he and I agree.

Stemberger says that it would destroy Scouting as we know it. He lists a bunch of religious groups that would not agree with the change of policy and warns of a mass exodus from the Boy Scouts. I don’t see how this is necessarily a bad thing. All the bigots will be out of the organization just like that and you will be left with an organization that can teach leadership and camping skills without all the discrimination.

“Foster open homosexuality among its boys” Does he think this means someone is going to sprinkle gay people in among the troops? What a ridiculous proposition. It simply means you cannot discriminate based on sexual preference, open or otherwise.

This man is a disgrace to scouting. Like Zach Wahls stated, he wants gay scouts to violate the first tenant of the Scout Law, trustworthy. He wants them to lie about who they are. Being open and comfortable with who you are is liberating and allows you to concentrate on other things, like maybe Scouting for Food or other programs that help people.

There are many LGBT folks involved in Scouting now whether Stemberger acknowledges it or not. They are doing good work and it is only fair to them, and the organization, to allow them to continue serving those troops without lying about who they are.

They’re halfway there. Now, we need them to get rid of the ban completely.