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.  

Limbaugh Proves The Fight Isn't Over

Earlier this week, Rush Limbaugh went on a rant that seemed to imply that he didn't think civil rights are very important.  He said: "Young People Have This Almost Romantic Attachment To Civil Rights, Civil Liberties"

Have a listen:

Why shouldn't young people support civil rights and equality?  Oh, here's a better question: Why isn't everyone in support of these ideals?

Why do we need laws protecting these groups?

On June 7, 1998, James Byrd Jr., a black man, was attacked by three men with ties to a white supremacist gang.  A fight broke out and the outnumbered Byrd was tied to the truck bumper with a 24½-foot logging chain. Three miles later, what was left of his shredded remains was dumped between a black church and cemetery where the pavement ended on the remote road.

In 2008, Brandon McClelland was killed by two men with ties to a white supremacist group. McClelland died after going with two white acquaintances on a late-night beer run across the state line to Oklahoma, investigators said. Authorities said he was run over and dragged as much as 70 feet beneath the truck. His torn-apart body was discovered along a bloodstained rural road on Sept. 16. His mother said pieces of his skull could still be found three days later.

After being severely bullied for being gay, both in person and online, Jadin Bell, a 15-year-old Oregon high school student climbed on a playground structure and attempted to hang himself.  This happened this year.  2013.

Marco McMillian, the first openly gay candidate for public office in Mississippi was beaten, dragged, and set on fire.  This happened this month.  March 2013.

This is why we still fight.

Clearly Rush doesn't have any notion of history of facts of any kind really.  He spouts his bigotry and revisionist history every day on the airwaves and millions of people eat it up.  The man at CPAC that thinks segregation is a good thing is the kind of crowd Rush caters to.

If people could relax and see past their own prejudice, they would see a person.  A person that bleeds the same as you.  Laughs the same as you.  Loves and cries the same as you.  Sadly, this takes a lot of time, but we are making progress.  And have made progress.  And will continue to make progress.

50 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. stood in Washington and said these words that are just as applicable to LGBT issues as it was to end segregation:

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

We're trying, Reverend, we're trying.