Georgia Time Warp

In Georgia, four high school student's approached Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to ask him to endorse their proposition to integrate their high school prom.  Rather than be shocked that there is a school in his state that still has a segregated prom and attempt to rectify the situation, he brushed the students off.  He said such an endorsement would amount to a "publicity stunt."

While it may be a publicity stunt, or could easily be one, you endorse this integrated prom, Governor.  This is a no brainer.  Brown vs. Board of Education was 60 years ago and we still have stuff like this going on?  You should be angry that this is happening at all but you should be angrier that it is happening in your state.  Some high school students came and asked for your endorsement probably because they thought you could help their cause.  Really, they served to you a beautiful campaign issue on a silver platter.  You could have been the governor that helped stamp out the last remnants of segregation in your state but instead you have brushed it off as unimportant.

This makes one believe or at least suspect that you don't care if the prom remains segregated.  Worse, it might make one wonder if you think there should be more segregation.  Comments like this, while perhaps having good intentions, are not helping:

We’ve come a long way in the state of Georgia. We don’t need things like this being divisive. We think we have put most of those issues behind us. None of us condone things that would send the wrong message about where we are with regard to race relations. But by the same token, I think that people understand that some of these are just local issues and private issues, and not something that the state government needs to have its finger involved in.

Integration wouldn't have happened in the first place without government intervention.  It's foolish to hide behind that now.  You support things like his because they are the right thing to do, Governor.  I'm sure you'll get the segregationist vote in the next election.  Congratulations.

Gohmert Joins King

Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) joined Rep. Steve King (R_IA) in his blaming the Boston bombing on immigrants or people "that look Hispanic."  He and other conservatives are claiming that the Boston bombing is a reason why immigration reform needs to be delayed.  

“We have seen this in Israel,” Gohmert said of the Boston attacks and recalled visiting areas that had been struck by suicide bombers. “Finally the Israeli people said this is enough. They built a fence and the rest is a wall to prevent snipers from telling their kids. They finally stopped the domestic violence from people that wanted to destroy them. I am concerned we need to do that as well.”

“We know Al Qaeda has camps on the Mexican border,” he said. “We have people that are trained to act Hispanic when they are radical Islamists.”

How do you know this?  Where is the evidence?  It would seem like you are just saying this to blow that racist dog-whistle for your constituents.  

I would put money on it being done by a white, right-wing extremist.  

Thank you, Texas, for sending this idiot to Congress.

Steve King Continues To Be Awful

Today, Rep. Steve King (R-IA), gave his thoughts on the bombings in Boston.  He has decided to put forward that an immigrant might have done it and since it might be an immigrant, immigration reform must be stalled.

"If we can’t background-check people that are coming from Saudi Arabia, how do we think we are going to background-check the 11 to 20 million people that are here from who knows where?"

He clearly is blowing dog whistles for his perpetually crazy constituency.  I would like to see what evidence he is privy to that indicates to him that it is an immigrant.  I think he is simply stating the first racist, ignorant nonsense that enters his head.

He has acknowledged that we can only speculate at this point, but then went on to provide the most ridiculous suggestion yet.  

King has a history of being extremely anti-immigration holding questionable beliefs.  He also has a history of saying crazy, racist and ignorant things.  So really, this is just business as usual for the Congressman.

It would be nice if the people of Iowa booted him from office, but I don;t see that happening any time soon.

Boston Massacre Part Deux

Obviously news has spread very quickly this afternoon abut the attack in Boston.  It is certainly a terrorist attack, but the question is what sort of terrorists: Foreign or Domestic?  Only time will tell.  Hopefully we'll have a few answers by the end of the week.  

*Note: The runner knocked down by the blast in the picture above is reportedly unhurt.

"We Came Here To Do Something"

Earlier on CNN, Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) gave their take on gun regulations and defended their proposal for tighter gun regulations.  

CROWLEY: Are either one of you worried about any kind of challenge, primary or general?

MANCHIN: Let me just say I know Pat and I have talked, we came here to do something. We came here to make a difference. If you would have met with the families, the strongest people I’ve ever met with, the families of the Newtown victims, they never asked for anybody to take their guns away. They never asked to repeal the second amendment. They said, ‘we’re gun owners and we respect and honor all that.’ We know, and they’ll even say, we know that this bill that you’re working on would not have saved our children. We know that. But it might save somebody else’s child somebody. I mean, if we just had half the courage [the Newtown families] had, Candy, just half the courage. So, yes, I came to do something and I want to do something.

TOOMEY: In 1999 I supported expanding background checks. I just think it makes common sense. And I’ll just let the political chips fall the way they fall.

Watch it here:

We need more in Congress like them.

Michelle Bachmann's Greatest Hits

Last fall, Rep. Michele Bachmann held onto her seat in Congress despite Democratic challenger Jim Graves' efforts. Now, Graves wants a rematch in 2014.  "A lot of people come up to me and say we're kind of embarrassed by our representation in Washington," he has said. "People are tired of her antagonistic, propagating gridlock."

It is true that she is one of the most polarizing members of the House of Representatives.  I thought I would throw together some of the most ridiculous things she has said/done in the past few years.

Michele Bachmann on Homosexuals:

Bachmann doesn't understand Obamacare:

I wish Jim Graves luck in 2014.  We need to get her out of Congress.

Friday Shakedown

Tea Party Republicans in New Hampshire have called for the arrests of the lawmakers that voted to repeal the stand your ground law in that state. They say that those lawmakers have violated their oaths of office by trying to trample the Constitution.  I guess we're just supposed to forget all those ridiculous times the stand your ground laws have been cited to protect shooters.  This is a perfect example of this law being abused.