Conservatives desperately try to justify Glenn Beck's remark: "You're going to have to shoot them in the head"

It's OK by conservatives that Glenn Beck tells people "You're going to have to shoot them in the head" ... because Beck wasn't appealing to his supporters, so that makes it OK.

This astonishing apologist rhetoric comes streaming to us with denials and supportive comments (all non-supportive comments are of course deleted) from the Patterico blog. And these bloggers consider themselves "Christians"! How's that for Christian behavior... defending this quote?

"They believe in communism. They believe and have called for a revolution. You're going to have to shoot them in the head. But warning, they may shoot you. They are dangerous because they believe Karl Marx is their George Washington. You will never change their mind. And if they feel you have lied to them — they're revolutionaries. Nancy Pelosi, those are the people you should be worried about." -- Glenn Beck, Fox News, 6/10/10

Yes, the same Glenn Beck who pulled a photo of himself with a gun from his website after the Tucson shootings.

In the title of Patterico's post: "Glenn Beck Did Not Tell His Viewers to Shoot Anyone in the Head" ... no, but it's ok that he told Democrat leaders to shoot so-called radical members of their party in the head.

WTF is wrong with these people ... defending a statement like that?

Christians. heh.

Republicans love the Constitution so much they want to change it

The first day of the Republican controlled House, they intend on reading the Constitution.

Why is it that Tea Party Republicans that have wrapped themselves in the Constitution are so bent on changing it? They want to change the 14th amendment, the 17th amendment, they want to reject the supremacy clause Article VI, Clause 2, and federal taxation Article I, Section 8, ...clause 2.... and if it were up to them, they'd have a religious (Christian) test for political office which violates Article VI, paragraph 3.

Actually, Republicans want to change the Constitution in a dozen different ways.

Now that's respect for the Constitution!

To top it all off, they had Antonin Scalia school them on the Constitution - he's the guy who thinks that the 14th Amendment - "equal protection under the law" - does NOT apply to women, despite a 1971 unanimous SCOTUS ruled that the equal protection does apply to women.

Scalia also has no problem with promoting religion in government (which is unconstitutional), and is basically one of the most dangerous people of power in America. Let's hope for a retirement soon.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

UPDATE: Denialist blogger who can't handle debate - Patterico - stikes again. I commented on Scalia yesterday. My comment was of course deleted but wha-lah .... he has a post on Scalia today. heh...

Republican Tea Party Positions - In their own words. GO VOTE!!

1) Eliminate Federal funding for colleges and Universities – Dick Armey

2) Outsource American jobs oversees and prevent the Democrats from bringing jobs back to America by using foreign funding to attack their candidates. (GOP defeats Dem bill to prevent outsourcing)

3) Government should not prevent private businesses from discriminating on the basis of race. – Rand Paul

4) Gays and single sexually active women should not be legally allowed to teach. – Jim DeMint

5) Victims of incest rape should be forced by the federal government to bear their rapists child. – Angel, Palin, Paul, O’Donnell (official GOP platform calls for illegal abortion - no exception)

6) Evolution is a myth, intelligent design needs to be taught in schools. – Christine O’Donnell, Michele Bachmann, Palin

7) Eliminate the minimum wage. – Joe Miller, Michele Bachman

8) Raise the social security retirement age. – Rand Paul

9) Impose a $2000 Medicare deductible. – Rand Paul

10) “Second Amendment remedies” are needed against government – Sharron Angle

11) The separation of church and state is invalid – Ken Buck, Angle, O’Donnell

12) Abolish public schools and the Dept. of Education – David Harmer, Rand Paul
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The Tea Party supposedly touts the US Constitution, yet we have never seen a group more bent on CHANGING the the Constitution. They want to change the 14th amendment, the 17th amendment, they want to reject the supremacy clause Article VI, Clause 2, and federal taxation Article I, Section 8, clause 2.... and if it were up to them, they'd have a religious (Christian) test for political office which violates Article VI, paragraph 3.

Now that's respect for the Constitution. They raise their "Taxed Enough Already" signs in a year where the US saw the lowest taxes in 60 years. A real real bright group you have there!

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Republican Tea Party Positions - In their own words. GO VOTE!!

GOP's Bogus "Pledge to America" doesn't pass 8th grade arithmetic

The GOP Pledge: increase the deficit by trillions of dollars and take health-care insurance away from tens of millions of people.

The party of NO becomes the party of nonsense. It must be difficult for any thinking person to be a Republican these days.

As House GOP leader John Boehner said, "We're not going to be any different than what we've been." That's reassuring.

More.... here and here.

In essence, what they [the GOP] say is, “Deficits are a terrible thing. Let’s make them much bigger.” The document repeatedly condemns federal debt — 16 times, by my count. But the main substantive policy proposal is to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, which independent estimates say would add about $3.7 trillion to the debt over the next decade — about $700 billion more than the Obama administration’s tax proposals.

-- Paul Krugman, award winning economist

UPDATE:
GOP pledge fails the Fact Check.

"Teabagger:" a working definition

I had been asked why I use the term 'teabagger.' It is obviously a slang term that has become part of the political vernacular, kind of like the verb, 'swiftboat' (which means: to smear). To some, it has some weird sexual connotation which is certainly unintended in my usage. So, for the record and for reference, I'd like to quote UrbanDictionary.com, which has provided some excellent definitions for the modern political animal I often refer to as a 'teabagger.'

Definition:

TEABAGGER (n.)

A misinformed, right-wing corporate media consumer who often fails to understand that Republicans represent a corrupt plutocracy that steals from the middle class by taxing labor and profiting from corporate tax subsidies.

A teabagger also often fails to acknowledge that George W. Bush and his neo-conservative minions perpetrated one of the boldest and most egregious executive power grabs in the history of the United States. Furthermore, teabaggers mistakenly continue to blame a newly elected President Obama for all that ails the United States of America, based on a grossly flawed perception of reality (including latent racial prejudice) and despite the fact the U.S. economy collapsed on the previous administration's watch.

Teabaggers are also known to base their misguided, right-wing-media-inspired beliefs about President Obama on stupid conspiracy theories about totalitarian takeovers, FEMA camps, etc., despite the fact these very same theories have been circulating around on the Internet for years, and were originally ascribed to neo-conservative cabalists at a time when Barack Obama had not even entered national politics. Teabaggers also are known to be particularly paranoid, xenophobic and intolerant, especially with regard to immigrants and anyone who isn't white.

Additionally, teabaggers generally echo stupid myths about entitlement spending (it actually only accounts for about 1% of federal budget spending), have no idea that most poor people in America are not lazy, actually do work and don't want to be on welfare, and have no idea what socialism actually means or that socialist reform in this country is actually what allowed a middle class to flourish and ultimately make the U.S. one of the most prosperous nations in human history.

Furthermore, teabaggers incorrectly equate socialism with Stalinism, think a system that rewards greed (capitalism) is the divine preference (despite Gospel evidence to the contrary), and are shameless champions of a misguided belief in American exceptionalism. Teabaggers also fail to recognize the inherently unpatriotic nature of their failed every-man-for-himself ideology that ultimately vilifies anyone who supports public policy aimed at reaching out to fellow Americans in need. They celebrate an exploitative corporatocracy (holy creator of jobs, blah blah blah) while denigrating the little guy for being "weak."

Interestingly, teabaggers uphold an immoral, morbidly obese, twice divorced, draft-dodging, college dropout and known drug addict as their de facto leader, and are even known to advocate burning books. Of course, teabaggers fail to recognize the blatant hypocrisy within the GOP and tend to oversimplify all political debate and social issues, much like their pseudo-intellectual, fat-ass leader.

Finally, incredibly, teabaggers fail to recognize the hysterical double entendre associated with their proudly adopted teabag moniker.

Every village has its idiots, of course, but it's sad when citizens of any nation allow themselves to be whipped into a frenzy en masse by a state-run propaganda machine masquerading as a legitimate, fair, balanced and independent news organization. Teabaggers are right to believe the future of the U.S.A. is in jeopardy, but sadly they have not yet correctly identified the real enemy. Perhaps when teabaggers finally grow up and mature into thinking adults, they will see the right-leaning power establishment for the oppressive and cunning beast that it is.

Teabagger: We don't care that George Bush tripled the deficit and lied us into a war. The new administration only cut taxes for 90% of the population... fascists. Let's go throw some Lipton tea bags into a fountain!

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some shorter defintions:

TEABAGGER (n.)

A whining fool shouting loudly for liberty but not willing to pay the bill.
After most American workers saw more money in their paycheck due to the lower tax rate, the teabaggers at Fox News railed against high taxes, but did not discuss how much Jesus hated hypocrisy.

TEABAGGER (n.)

A conservative activist who is so ignorant that they protest against tax cuts (that benefit them) by throwing tea into a river.

TEABAGGER (n.)

A republican who:

1. Protests taxation WITH representation (just because you disagree with it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist)

2. Thinks colonial Americans were prophetic, just because they lived during an earlier time period

3. Falsely claims that the 2009 Teabagging Festival was "bipartisan"

4. Agrees with Joe the Plumber on most major issues

5. Agrees with Glenn Beck, but can't explain exactly what he or they stand for

6. Doesn't understand Constitutional law

7. Doesn't understand what democracy is

8. Blindly uses the words "socialism" and "communism" without knowing what the fuck they mean

9. claims not to be a republican

10. Criticizes democrats, even though their own party has been in office for the past 8 years

11. Thinks the GOP needs to be "more conservative" to get more votes

12. Will listen to every high school dropout before hearing the opinion of ONE intellectual

13. Believes that Fox News is "fair and balanced"

14. Claims to be independent, but certainly doesn't have any liberal beliefs, and listens to guest speakers from the CPAC conference

15. Is a closet anarchist/Paultard

16. Thrives on a mob mentality

17. Prides himself/herself on doing everything he/she has made fun of when Bush was in office

18. Says things like "Where's MY bailout" without understanding how the economy works

19. Like Glenn Beck, has an extremely high word-to-meaning ratio

20. Uses TONS of words from the GOPAC memos of 1990

21. Thinks Russia is still a "threat" to the U.S.

22. Thinks China is still a "threat" to the U.S.

23. Thinks Cuba is still a "threat" to the U.S.

24. Thinks Europeans hate living in Europe

25. Doesn't believe Obama's actual birth certificate is real, but has no problems with McCain's ties to the Iran-Contra Affair or the Keating Five

26. Would rather have the GOP tell them what to think than raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans from 36% to 39%

27. Doesn't realize that they actually benefit from the stimulus package

28. Is only teabagging because Sean Hannity told them to

29. Says they like books by Ayn Rand, but cannot correctly pronounce her name

30. Gets their information from Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Google searches, YouTube videos, partisan blogs, and Wikipedia

Fear of the black man: paranoid psychosis runs deep in wingnut land

Fear is the best way to manipulate the ignorant, particularly the older generation that tend to be less racially tolerant. This fear of people who are different, whether they be black, Arab, Islamic, liberal, whatever... seems to be a hallmark of a significant faction of the far right. (Hence, the title: "White KKKristian Party"). At times, this level of paranoia reaches an almost delusional paranoid psychosis.

Take for instance this post on Bear Creek Ledger. This is a conservative gun nut militant blogger who preaches hate of everyone who is not a white Christian conservative. (However, if you happen to be a black soldier that has died in combat, well then, you're ok).

In the post she warns of the "bitter anti-American Afrocentric ideology" of Barack Hussein Obama and his alleged ties to "extremist Afrocentrists." She also says that Obama will assist Islamists in their "Twenty-Year Plan" to target America.

People like this blogger, Toni, wrap themselves in the flag while denouncing American ideals and stoking the fear of the diversity that has made America great.

Deepak Chopra: analysis of Palin and conservatism - NAILS IT !

Deepak Chopra is a highly respected Indian medical doctor and best-selling author. He's written extensively on spirituality.

He provides a stunningly accurate analysis of the type of conservatism that Sarah Palin and her religious right wing conservatives follow:

------------------------

Chopra:

Look at what she stands for:

• Small town values — a nostaligic return to simpler times disguises a denial of America’s global role, a return to petty, small-minded parochialism.


• Ignorance of world affairs — a repudiation of the need to repair America’s image abroad.


• Family values — a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don’t need to be needed.


• Rigid stands on guns and abortion — a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.


• Patriotism — the usual fallback in a failed war.


• ”Reform” — an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn’t fit your ideology.

Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that minorities and immigrants, being different from “us” pure American types, can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is a foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of “I’m all right, Jack,” and “Why change? Everything’s OK as it is.” The irony, of course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.

------------------------

This provides an amazingly well thought out analysis of why conservative people (like Glen Dean) react with disdain when they hear that Obama is favored by the world as next American president. Look at their comments on this post. An excellent look into the conservative mindset. A mindset with no useful purpose in a peaceful and cooperative world.

The Myth of a Conservative America

The notion of a "conservative America" has been thoroughly debunked. Actions and beliefs speak louder than a simple isolated poll question.

While many American’s may call themselves conservative, the overwhelming majority of Americans support progressive policies. Indeed, a majority of Americans…

– Want universal health care.
– Want to expand environmental protections.
– Support increasing the minimum wage.
– Want abortion to remain safe and legal.
– Want federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
– Want to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for national priorities.
– Want same-sex couples to be legally recognized.
– Oppose the Iraq war.

A recent survey of the American middle class that a majority of both Democrats and Republicans favor similar policies. And after 8 years of conservative rule, a record 81 percent of Americans believe the country is on the “wrong track.”

Not to mention, the 'generic congressional vote' has been leaning Democratic by a solid 10+ points for years now.

One reason people don't use the liberal label is that the term "liberal" has been victim to a relentless conservative marketing campaign that has succeeded in vilifying liberals and liberalism. Smear is a part of the conservative agenda - even giving rise to the synonym "swiftboating." The consequence is that only strong liberals are willing to identify as such. But many people who hold liberal issue positions call themselves moderates, or even conservatives.

But, lets remember the very definitions of the terms we're dealing with. Tell me, which group would be best suited to cope with a fast changing world? (Roget's Thesaurus list of synonyms)

Conservative: antiprogressive, regressive, conventional, diehard, lethargic, old-fashioned, reactionary, traditionalistic, unenterprising, fundamentalism, inflexible, uncreative, hide-bound, unimaginative, undaring, clinging to obsolete ideas

Liberal: generous, abundant, broadminded, tolerant, enlightened, charitable, free, advanced, flexible, free, giving, hospitable, knowledgeable, latitudinarian, magnanimous, munificent, open

Also, there is a clear correlation between educational attainment and political leaning. Sorry to generalize but it can't be ignored that people living in the "Red States" tend to be fatter, poorer, smoke more, and be less educated. Sorry.

I just hope in 2008, the smart people will get the opportunity to elect a president. I'm dubious.

H/T: TP

Republican Congressmen who have gay sex and commit adultery co-sponsor the Marriage Protection Amendment

That's right, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), who was arrested June 11, 2007 on charges of soliciting gay sex in a Minneapolis airport terminal, is co-sponsoring the amendment along with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) who was implicated in an sex scandal involving his repeated use of prostitutes in DC and LA.

This is GOP hypocrisy at it's finest. These wingnuts who put their dicks where they don't belong sponsor a constitutional amendment to protect marriage - when they didn't obviously value their own. Classic Republican behavior.


H/T: Jesus General (graphic)

Not befitting of a great nation

Some might say it's excusable to torture an innocent detainee to death, or to detain war combatants for no reason, these are just isolated instances. After all, nothing is worse than the videoed beheadings we've seen or the way that the enemy extremists have tortured. But as a nation as great as these United States, do we need to stoop to that level for no apparent reason? The Supreme Court has ruled we shouldn't. Now the courts will expose the Bush policy for what it is... illegal war crimes.

NYT:

In the first case to review the government’s secret evidence for holding a detainee at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a federal appeals court found that accusations against a Muslim from western China held for more than six years were based on bare and unverifiable claims.

The court compared that to the absurd declaration of a character in the Lewis Carroll poem “The Hunting of the Snark”: “I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true.”

“This comes perilously close to suggesting that whatever the government says must be treated as true,” said the panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The unanimous panel overturned as invalid a Pentagon determination that the detainee, Huzaifa Parhat, a member of the ethnic Uighur Muslim minority in western China, was properly held as an enemy combatant.

The 3 judge panel included one of the court’s most conservative members, the chief judge, David B. Sentelle, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, and Judge Thomas B. Griffith, a 2005 appointee of President Bush.

Ignorant religious conservatives - deep in the heart of TN

H/T: Hendrix Keats

I think you just have to see this to believe it. Normally, I wouldn't bash people for their ignorance but when it comes to something as important as justifying their vote for a presidential candidate, I have little patience for ignorance that when repeated become lies.

Or see it on youtube




Pharyngula:

They're probably good, decent people who care about their families, but listen to what they are saying — they are picking a president on the basis of his dedication to the Bible. They are advocating a foreign policy based on biblical prophecy. They measure patriotism by whether someone "worships" (interesting slip, there) the flag and Jesus. They parrot lies, such as that Obama is planning to be sworn in on the Koran. …but the whole problem here is that their brains have been poisoned by religion, a lying, dishonest, corrupting religion that has turned them into deluded fools. Lay the blame for this criminal distortion of human minds right at the feet of religious belief.

Like I said, probably good people…but the whole problem here is that their brains have been poisoned by religion, a lying, dishonest, corrupting religion that has turned them into deluded fools. Lay the blame for this criminal distortion of human minds right at the feet of religious belief.

How 'southernism' has affected American politics

From an interesting op/ed in Newsweek on how the conservative south has changed the face of American politics: "How the South won this Civil War" by Michael Hirsh.

Based on these trends, I'd say it's not been a healthy direction for America. Hirsh cites the founding fathers, the Jefferson-Adams letters:

When Jefferson, in his letter of May 5, 1817, condemned the "den of the priesthood" and "protestant popedom" represented by Massachusetts' state-supported church, he was speaking for both of them--the North and South poles of the revolution. Yet John McCain, even with the GOP nomination in hand, would never dare repeat his brave but politically foolhardy condemnation of the religious right in 2000 as "agents of intolerance." Why? Because we have become an intolerant nation, and that's what gets you elected.

And as a result you have this kind of shit in politics as Hirsh points out:

We must endure "lapel-pin politics" that elevates the shallowest sort of faux jingoism over who's got a better plan for Iraq and Afghanistan. We have re-imported creationism into our political dialogue (in the form of "intelligent design"). Hillary Clinton panders shamelessly to Roman Catholics, who have allied with Southern Protestant evangelicals on questions of morality, with anti-abortionism serving as the main bridge.

Hirsh explains the irrational southern conservative hero worship of GW Bush:

In Bush there seems little trace left of the Eastern WASP sensibility into which he was born and educated, and which explains so much of his father's far more moderate presidency. The younger Bush went to Andover, Yale and Harvard, but he rebelled against the ethos he learned there. The transformation is complete, right down to the Texas accent that no one else in his family seems to have.

And you can see where we are now as a result: seriously lacking leadership possessing sensibility, intelligence, prudence and the competence that moderate, balanced and diverse influences bring. Some might say it's a culture war where a lack of knowledge coupled with religious fundamentalism, authoritarianism, isolationism, and bigotry have indelibly changed American politics. Hence the emergence of intolerance, the 'white Christian party' and the neo-cons. I shudder to think where we'd be right now if the Bush presidency had been successful in any measure. Fortunately, the jury is in on that.

Bill Hobbs - a denialist, slime shoveling COWARD who runs from the light like a cockroach

Cowardly Bill Hobbs called out on Obama smear, earns reprimand from RNC Chair. Nice spokesman you have there, TN GOP.

On this post - Barack Obama: Naive about al Qaeda in Iraq , Hobbs couldn't handle the truth so he deleted my comment (the post he linked to didn't accept comments - of course):

1) The Bush Administration has vastly overstated the number of foreign fighters in Iraq according to a report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS).

2) The Conservative CATO Inst reports:
"foreign fighters make up a relatively small component of the Sunni insurgency against the U.S. and British occupation forces. It strains credulity to imagine 1,300 fighters (and foreigners at that) dominating a country of 26 million people."

The article goes on to say how al Qaeda is nearly universally hated by Shiites, Kurds, and most Sunnis.

3) In speech after speech, Bush insists that "this is a war in which, if we were to leave before the job is done, the enemy would follow us here."

But is it true?

Military and diplomatic analysts say it isn't. They accuse Bush of exaggerating the threat that enemy forces in Iraq pose to the U.S. mainland.

"The president is using a primitive, inarticulate argument that leaves him open to criticism and caricature," said James Jay Carafano, a homeland security and counterterrorism expert for the Heritage Foundation

This is one of the stupidist lines ever fed by an Administration with a big shovel trying to save face for what the vast majority of Americans see as a total incompetent screw-up. Spending $333 million a day supposedly fighting al Qaeda - a rag tag group of shadowy bomb builders that offer no threat to the US - although the GOP would like you to think so, fear is their controlling mechanism.

Obama has mentioned many time about going after the real stronghold of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, now that it is reported today by the AP that the Afghan government has no control over 70% of the nation.

So, I gave Bill Hobbs a second chance. That didn't work, he closed comments on that post after my submission. He complained that liberals were attacking him and using foul language. You see any foul language in my comment? None, no excuse Bill.

So, I gave Bill a third and final chance on a different post on the similar fear mongering topic: Hey Obama, al Qaeda is not just in Iraq, they're in America too.

Nope, he deleted for a third time, although he did allow a "yes man" comment 12 hrs after I submitted mine. This is how conservatives operate. Authoritarians don't know how to handle facts that refute their position of fear mongering and swiftboating. Amazing, this level of unprofessionalism since he represents the GOP in TN, you wingnuts sure have a problem. Let me add one more word to his description: hypocrite.... and after these deletions, Hobbs has the balls to say:

"The left always finds something to pick at other than to describe the issues; we're not surprised at all."

If you've ever visited this political blog - Loose TN Canon, you'll know that I encourage debate, NEVER delete comments - which is one of the main tenets of my site. I deal with facts. Anyone who has debated with me knows my regard for citing facts and making fact based arguments. But facts don't fit into the world of Bill Hobbs.

Speaking of Hobb's unprofessionalism, he was reprimanded by national GOP party chairman Mike Duncan in a statement sent unsolicited to Politico: “The RNC rejects these kinds of campaign tactics. We believe this election needs to be about the critical issues confronting our nation.”

Yet Hobbs proves he doesn't want debate about critical issues, he doesn't want to talk about facts, just a soapbox from which to shovel his slime about Barack Hussein Obama - including this vile statement:

"Obama has pledged to hold a Muslim Summit to determine Middle East policy with the very leaders that have as their goal to remove Israel from the map, referenced Jews to be “dogs” and “pigs,” among other vile references."

Hobbs has had his "reprimand story" on CNN, MSNBC, and some of the leading political blogs. This is not about Barack's middle name, this is about implying he is a Muslim who would make Israel unsafe, in league with anti-Semites.

Bush lawyers knew about the destroyed CIA interrogation (TORTURE) videos, criminal investigation launched

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey appointed an outside prosecutor to oversee the case. The CIA acknowledged last month that it destroyed videos of officers using tough interrogation methods while questioning two al-Qaida suspects. The acknowledgment sparked a congressional inquiry and a preliminary investigation by Justice.

Consider these facts and statements:

• Bush says, "We don't torture."

• Bush reserves the right to torture by subverting the McCain bill to ban torture by issuing a signing statement.

• Four White House lawyers discussed the destruction of the CIA videos, including Harriet Miers, one of Bush's closest associates.

• 9/11 Commission chairman, Thomas Kean says: "Those who knew about those videotapes -- and did not tell us about them -- obstructed our investigation." -

• Bush says he didn't know the CIA 'interrogation' videos were destroyed.

And Bush expects people to believe him?
Covering up possible evidence of torture - another example of compassionate conservatism

UPDATE:

Constitutional expert Jonathan Turley said that as many as six criminal offenses could be involved in the 9/11 Commission charge alone, including obstruction of Congress, obstruction of justice, perjury, and conspiracy.

However, Turley emphasized that the real crime under investigation is not merely obstruction, but the actual torture documented by the tapes. "It is still, even after the last seven years, a crime to torture suspects," Turley commented.

Turley suggested that under those circumstances, the failure to appoint a special prosecutor was a serious problem, because "the investigation will essentially be the Justice Department investigating itself. ... Picking some guy in Connecticut or Cincinnati or Delaware or any other state doesn't make any difference. His boss is Michael Mukasey. And Michael Mukasey's boss is the president of the United States. If torture occurred, he [Bush] was the guy who ordered it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sounds like another Bush lie:

Kind of like when it was revealed that the convicted felon Jack Abramoff had 485 contacts with the White House and raised at least a quarter million dollars for Bush/GOP campaigns, Cheney ordered the Secret Service White House visitors logs destroyed, and millions of White House emails were 'lost.'

After all this, President George Bush says of Abramoff:
"I don't know him"



And the devoted Bushies will tell you - the President never lied.

Abstinence-only sex education: Teens who take "virginity pledges" 6 times more likely to engage in anal and oral sex

Conservative values in action

I heard Bill Maher say this in my previous post and had to fact check it. He's right.

"The conservatives don't really care about educating your children. What they care about is that teenagers don't fuck.... they've spent millions of your tax dollars to start abstinence clubs in the high schools."
-- Bill Maher

A spending bill before Congress for the Department of Health and Human Services would provide $141 million in assistance for abstinence-only sex education programs.

According to a study* published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health:

Those teens that take the "abstinence pledge:"

• were six times as likely to have engaged in oral sex as as those who did not pledge

• were four times as likely to have engaged in anal sex as those who did not pledge

• were much less likely to use contraception the first time they had sex

• were less likely to use condoms during their first sexual experience

• were less likely to get tested for STDs

• have similar rates of STDs as teens who have not made pledges.

Conclusions:

"Not only do virginity pledges not work to keep our young people safe, they are causing harm by undermining condom use, contraception and medical treatment," -- William Smith, policy director at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States

Another Study concurs:

"At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners" among teenagers, the study by the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

The study found that while abstinence-only efforts appear to have little positive impact, more comprehensive sex education programs were having "positive outcomes" including teenagers "delaying the initiation of sex, reducing the frequency of sex, reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom or contraceptive use.

More here....

UPDATE:
via TP

Where else but Fox News would you hear something like this?

Fox News guest: sex education proponents want kids to get STDs for financial gain

During the Dec. 31 broadcast of Fox News’ Special Report, Concerned Women for America President Wendy Wright claimed that proponents of comprehensive sex education are trying to “encourage” sex because “they benefit when kids end up having sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies and then they lead them into having abortions.” She then added, “You have to look at the financial motives behind those who are promoting comprehensive sex ed.” Watch it

--------------------------------

*Study co-authors Peter Bearman, sociology department chair at Columbia University, and Hannah Bruckner of Yale University used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and CDC, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports. The national study surveyed students nationwide in grades seven through 12 and followed up with interviews one, two and six years later. The Yale and Columbia report looked at data from 12,000 teenagers.

Mike Huckabee fired State Police Chief who refused to help cover up his son's torture and killing of a dog

Compassionate Conservatism

This pig of a man, David Huckabee, son of the religious conservative Republican presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, was fired from his job as Boy Scout counselor 9 yrs ago for torturing and killing a dog.

Utopia Animal Rescue:

(Miller County, Arkansas) Two boy scout counselors, [David Huckabee (18) and Clayton Frady (17)] ... admitted to catching a stray dog during their summer session at Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, AR, and hanging the dog by his neck, slitting his throat and stoning him to death.

How did Governor Huckabee respond? By getting his son off without an investigation.

According to NEWSWEEK, Huckabee fired Arkansas State Police director John Bailey who refused to help coverup this criminal act of cruelty. According to Bailey, Huckabee told him one of the reasons he was being fired was because - "I couldn't get you to help me with my son when I had that problem."

"Without question, [Huckabee] was making a conscious attempt to keep the state police from investigating his son," says I. C. Smith, the former FBI chief in Little Rock, who worked closely with Bailey and called him a "courageous" and "very solid" professional.

David Huckabee was also arrested on a gun charge and got off with a slap on the wrist.

Michael Vick, you should have a cell mate. This is one disgusting redneck asshole who has gone unpunished because of the 'moral compass' of his father. Typical Republican hypocrisy and corruption.

Remember, Huckabee claims his religion “defines” both him and his approach to his official duties. He touts his status as an ordained minister with a theology degree as part of his qualifications for the Presidency.

Zogby Poll: Liberals enjoy a broad range of music, while conservatives dislike most music genres

This survey speaks generally to conservatives' tendency to be ethnocentric.

MUSIC
THE ZOGBY/LEAR CENTER SURVEY ON POLITICS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Liberals enjoy a broad range of music, while conservatives dislike most music genres.

-- Out of 15 musical genres, conservatives were more likely than the rest of the respondents to listen to only two of them: country and gospel.
-- Conservatives are the least likely group to listen to jazz (34% vs. 44% vs. 53%) and reggae (8% vs. 20% vs. 26%).
-- Over 90% of conservatives said they never enjoy reggae, electronic music or Latin music. Over 95% said they never enjoy world music
-- Liberals, on the other hand, are more likely than other respondents to enjoy almost every music genre, including world, punk, Latin, hip-hop and rap, blues, reggae, electronica, R&B and soul, jazz, folk and traditional music. Rock was the most popular genre among liberals (67%).

Conservatives do like classical music however. Makes sense, an art form primarily of white European men.

I guess this explains why Republicans are always trying to cut funding for the arts. Why fund arts when we can fund war?

Reminds me of that Churchill quote - When fighting the Nazis during WWII, Winston Churchill was advised to cut arts funding, he answered, "Good God no! What do you think we’re fighting for?"

Appreciation of diversity of arts and culture offers richness to life. Those that boast about disliking various and unfamiliar forms of art show their narrow-mindedness, ethnocentrism, cultural ignorance and intolerance. I think it is important to be curious about unfamiliar cultures and to make an effort to learn about things and people different from ourselves. It fosters a global perspective which is good for the world community.