Godhatesgrads.com

Via Tild, it appears that the minions of "Reverend" Fred Phelps is making a trip up north to protest Eden Prairie High School's graduation ceremony this year.

I once had the honor of running into his group when I was a Junior in college. We were coming back from a road trip to Austin, Texas, and had to pick up a friend in Topeka. His people were protesting something involving homosexuality, and we thought it would make sense to read to them some of the kinder words of Christian theology I happened to have on me at the time (I believe I was doing some reading for my Epistles of Paul class, and was working through some Krister Stendahl handouts).

In less that 3 minutes we drove away with a cracked back windshield and another round of rocks trying to see which other windows they could break.

If they get heaven, I think I'll be a lot happier in hell.

Terrible Twos

This week, Drinking Liberally will be celebrating it's two year aniversary. Celebrate the terrible twos with us!

PZ Meyers, Lord of All Things Evolutionary (but not that kind of Lord, oh no!), will be coming down from Morris to share his knowledge, his wisdom and his complete disdain for ID Creationists.

Liquor Lyle's
2021 Hennepin Avenue South
6-9 p.m., Wednesday, June 1st.

I'll bring the candles.

I suppose it shouldn't surprise me

That Mr. Sticks is a Kersten Fan. What does surprise me is that a man who is such a big fan of "fisking" would let her get away with such obvious misleaders as

"Is home-schooling a luxury available only to the well-to-do? Not at all. A study released by the National Center for Educational Statistics in 2001 found that home-schooling families' average income is similar to that of other families. [Sure, if you take into account that they obviously are doing with one income what the "average family" is doing with two]"

or

"The same study found that, on average, home-schooling children accomplish their academic achievements at an average cost of only $400 a year for educational materials.[Not counting a teacher's salary, which would cost an additional 30,000 per year per student.]"

But maybe this is what counts as "right on" in wingnuttopia. At the very least, I'm starting to understand how they feel about Nick Coleman.

Good Slate Article

On the use of Snowflakes for propaganda, and the White House's use of science only for convenience sake.

On May 24, as the House of Representatives was preparing to vote on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, President Bush appeared with a prop designed to dramatize his opposition. The prop was a baby—21 babies, rather, former frozen embryos that had been relinquished by their biological parents and gestated by other couples. The president wanted to show what an embryo can grow up to be if it doesn't grow up to be a stem-cell line; that there are other options, aside from eternal replication in a Petri dish, for the nation's half-million frozen embryos that are left over from in-vitro fertilization procedures. What the president did not seem to know was that for months the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had been preparing new tissue-testing restrictions that would make embryo donation impossible, foreclosing the very option he was holding up before the cameras.

But somebody, apparently, realized this in the nick of time. Shortly before the stem-cell vote went forward, an amendment to the new FDA rules was quietly announced, noting that a strict infectious-disease-testing requirement would be waived for donated embryos. Clinics, which had been braced to shut down their donation programs, suddenly found the problem had evaporated.

More on Pharmacists for Life

One gain, one more for the courts.

Penny Wise...Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Foolish

Northwest Airlines announced today that they will stop serving complementary pretzels on all flights. The company is willing to take the potential PR hit that this move brings because it will save the airline approximately two million dollars a year.

Two Million Dollars is a lot of scratch, right? But if you actually read the story you see that NW has expected losses of $458 million...in one quarter. So, at the cost of bad publicity and traveler anger, they've less than 1% of their total operating losses for a year.

Now I know why executives are paid so much money. Because they have to make tough, but important, decisions like these.

Not that I'm suggesting anything, but the CEO of Northwest Airlines makes more than "Pretzel Money" every year...maybe there's another 1% they can cut from the budget?

Oof

Bad Day. Thank Goodness Smartie took the reigns. I didn't even get to catblog, so here is one for the road...



Must drink now.

Lunch is Almost Over

But before I go:

This post over at Pandagon is right up REW's alley. Since she's busy today, I'll link to it for her. I would say it proves we live in strange times, but that would depend on what the meaning of "live" is. A definition which is, apparently, getting murkier all the time. Link found via The Blog of the Moderate Left.

UPDATE: Deleted the part about mules. It was in poor taste.

The Tax on Patience is more than 6.5%

I'm as passionate about social issues as the next powerliberal, but let's be honest for a moment. Politics is about money, plain and simple.

Unfortunately, that means that politicians are even less honest about this issue than normal. "Abstinence-only education works" is a little white lie compared to whoppers like "we have progressive taxation," or "this bill is a job killer."

Since all of the tax rhetoric has been getting pretty fevered lately, I'm going to make my miniscule contribution to calling out the liars when they make themselves known.

To that end, I'm introducing the official Taxing my Patience Award (the TPA). This award goes out to particularly egregious examples of people lying about taxes or else actually rigging the tax system to be more unfair than it already is.

If I had introduced this award yesterday, the hands down winner would have been Katherine Kersten for her article The Poor Should Just Be Happy The Rich Let Them Live Out Their Miserable Little Lives.

Alas, I was a day late with this.

No worries, though, because Rep. Phil Krinkie (R-Wingnutopia) steps up to the plate today and knocks one out of the park with his bill to make it more difficult for the State to catch Income Tax cheats.

Way to go, Phil. You'll be getting your award in the mail just as soon as I figure out what it should be. A bronzed 1040 form, perhaps? Suggestions anyone?

Anyway, if you doubt my assertion about the fairness of our tax system (or even if you don't) you really should read Perfectly Legal by David Cay Johnston.

A fun game to play is to see how far you can make it in the book before you have to put it down in disgust. This book is really an excellent read regarding the nuts and bolts of how the more money you make, the less taxes you pay, and why that's not really a good thing for the rest of us.

Is the Holy Grail beneath St. Cloud Cathedral?

Just saw this hilarious post over at Pharyngula this morning. It gave me a good laugh so I thought I'd share the love.

Bonus points for working in the Wookie Defense.

I guess every sperm IS sacred

White House refuses to go on record as supporting birth control. Seriously.

Q There are news reports this morning that parents and children who were guests of the President, when they visited Congress, wore stickers with the wording, "I was an embryo." And my question is, since all of us were once embryos, and all of us were once part sperm and egg, is the President also opposed to contraception, which stops this union and kills both sperm and egg?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President has made his views known on these issues, and his views known --

Q You know, but what I asked, is he opposed -- he's not opposed to contraception, is he?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, and you've made your views known, as well. The President --

Q No, no, but is he opposed to contraception, Scott? Could you just tell us yes or no?

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I think that this question is --

Q Well, is he? Does he oppose contraception?

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I think the President's views are very clear when it comes to building a culture of life --

Q If they were clear, I wouldn't have asked.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and if you want to ask those questions, that's fine. I'm just not going to dignify them with a response.

Gaggle-iscious

(from yesterday's press briefing)

Q The other day -- in fact, this week, you said that we, the United States, is in Afghanistan and Iraq by invitation. Would you like to correct that incredible distortion of American history --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, we are -- that's where we currently --

Q -- in view of your credibility is already mired? How can you say that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, I think everyone in this room knows that you're taking that comment out of context. There are two democratically-elected governments in Iraq and --

Q We're we invited into Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: There are two democratically-elected governments now in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are there at their invitation. They are sovereign governments, and we are there today --

Q You mean if they had asked us out, that we would have left?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, Helen, I'm talking about today. We are there at their invitation. They are sovereign governments --

Q I'm talking about today, too.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and we are doing all we can to train and equip their security forces so that they can provide for their own security as they move forward on a free and democratic future.

Q Did we invade those countries?

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead, Steve.

They Melt Your Heart, They Do

Won't someone please think of the children?

"The first little snowflake child said yesterday in her message to Congress, her mother just told me, she said, 'Don't kill the snowflakes, we're just kids,' Pitts said.

Ah...manipulation at it's finest. Just remember, every embryo is a wanted embryo, even those who agree that they want theirs to be used for research.

But every time a human embryo is used for research, another snowflake is destroyed, another glimmer of hope for some future parent is dimmed. Since 1998, there have been more than 80 children born to parents who adopted snowflakes, and 15 more are due.

"Each embryo, no matter how small, is an American who has a constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," snowflake parent-to-be Sarah Cochran said. "And if we murder them through experimentation, we are denying them rights that we wouldn't deny a serial killer."

Over 1 million couples have used in vitro fertilization. Assuming each couple created only 5 embryos, and implanted the normal 4, that is over 1 million embryos.

From the Georgia Reproductive Specialist website:

Q: What happens to any extra pre-embryos?
A: A maximum of four pre-embryos will be transferred to the uterus for possible implantation. Patients will have several other options regarding the disposition of the remaining pre-embryos. One option is to freeze pre-embryos for your later use. Other options are to donate or simply dispose of them. Excess pre-embryos, if any, belong to you, and you will determine what is to be done.

That used to not be a foreign concept to conservatives.

Boning Up on the Constitution

With less than 4 months to prepare (thanks, Kevin!), I suggest everyone start pulling together lesson plans to be used. After all, there is more to the Constitution than just a right to bear arms.

Smartie Lives!

Okay, I don't have the energy yet to make too many posts, so I'm just going to tick off a few items here and then go back to being cranky and off-line.

#1-the Coalition of the Whining has claimed another victim: My childhood. Or at least that little part of it associated with MST3K. From today's Strib:

Several times in the May 25 Star Tribune editorial on the filibuster you refer to those with whom you disagree as "radicals" and "fundamentalists."

Question: In your paper's view is there any such thing as a left-wing radical? Any secular fundamentalists?

Sen. Ted Kennedy, perhaps? Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg? Ward Churchill? Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Margaret Marshall? Noam Chomsky? The Democrats who, for the first time in the history of the Senate, filibustered judicial nominees who enjoyed majority support?

Or are they all "progressive"?

Michael J. Nelson, Minneapolis.

Seriously, people, you control 99% of this country and yet you still whine about every real or imagined slight. Get a grip. Last time there was a Democrat in the White House the right wing had him impeached on trumped up charges and we still complained less than you all do. You all need to develop that British "stiff upper lip" if you're going to hold power.

And in case anyone was wondering, yes, I'm pretty sure it's that Mike Nelson. I knew there was a reason I always preferred Joel. Whatever happened to Joel, anyway? I miss him and his sleepy-eyed comedy. So Minnesotan. It's funny, but it's not that funny. Anyway...

#2-I would again like to thank T.Paw for almost doubling my morning commute. Enforcing the toll lanes 24 hours was a stroke of genius. Now the number of people stuck in traffic each day on 394 has almost doubled! That's the kind of results people expect from their government.

#3-Thank you, Mr Wilf. You've already earned a spot in my heart the first day you owned the Vikings when you said you wanted to build an open air stadium. That's the way football was meant to be played. You drink a beer and use the empty cup to dig your seat out of the snow. We're not candy-ass baseball fans who can't even tolerate a little rain.

Have I offended anyone yet? Dang, this Percocet is good stuff. Anyway, that's it for me today.

Guess Who's Looking to Pack the Courts

Go figure:

"There's a normal process that the White House has definitely been pursuing for at least six months where they are soliciting views and recommendations," Samuel B. Casey, executive director of the Christian Legal Society (CLS), told The Washington Times. "We have submitted our views."

The Christian Legal Society, he said, has "made it known to the White House who we believe are our top three most qualified candidates...." Not surprisingly, the CLS's top candidate is Michael W. McConnell, a notorious foe of church-state separation. (Their other choices were 5th Circuit Judge Edith Jones and 3rd Circuit Judge Samuel Alito.)

McConnell alienated supporters of civil liberties when, as a University of Utah College of Law professor, he accused the four justices who uphold separation of church and state John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer of employing "extremist rhetoric."
...

As Church & State reported in October 2002, congressional opponents of church-state separation know they have a friend in McConnell. In 1995 they drafted him to offer testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in favor of a constitutional amendment that would have removed church-state separation from the Bill of Rights.

During his remarks, McConnell asserted, "In the past few decades, there has been an extraordinary secularization of American public life, especially in the schools." He blasted the idea that "laws must be based on strictly secular premises, public education must be strictly secular, public programs must be administered in a strictly secular manner and public monies must be channeled only to strictly secular activities."

McConnell told the committee that the "separationist model" of church-state relations is erroneous and recommended adoption of a policy of giving government aid and support to all religions on an equal basis.

I'm Gonna Tell Your Parents...

From the same people who claim that medical costs are rising too much, and there's too much bureaucracy in the world, a new law has just been instated to add even more levels of hoop-jumping to minors seeking abortions. This also puts a mandatory waiting period on abortions for minor, previously unenforceable in Florida.

The law applies to girls 17 and under who aren't married and don't already have children. Unless it's a medical emergency, doctors are required to notify a parent in person or by phone 48 hours before the abortion or, if that's not possible, by certified mail 72 hours in advance.

On the bright side, once you have a baby out of wedlock in your teens, that seems to earn you an exemption. Way to go, Jeb!

Scott McClellan is a dink

Dink:

NEW YORK At a White House press briefing Monday, Press Secretary Scott McClellan, pressed by reporters and with Afghan President Karzai in disagreement, retreated on claims that Newsweek's retracted story on Koran abuse cost lives in Afghanistan.

He also claimed that he had never said it did, even though a check of transcripts disputes that. On May 16, for example, he said, "people have lost their lives." On May 17, he said, "People did lose their lives," and, "People lost their lives" due to the Newsweek report.

Wednesday Check-In

A little harried this morning, so I hope to have something once this winds down. Maybe I should consider this option (thanks, All Seeing Eye!)

Drinking Liberally is going to take a week off, and come back on June 1st. For those who don't know, Lyle's back room, where we normally meet, is going through some reconstruction. They said it should be done by next week, which is good, since it made meeting last week a pain. Doubly good is the hope that PZ Myers will be able to swing into town for a drink next Wednesday. He said he is going to try to clear his calendar, and I am prepared to offer much beer to sway him.

Fili-blustering

Maybe some good will come out of this after all. It's been noted that the giant echo chamber is VERY VERY ANGRY. But it seems that they are more than willing to go spiting their faces as a result. Knife provided, oddly enough, by Mr. Hewitt.

I'm not a big fan of the compromise, but in honor of the Republican nose cutting going on, I'm going to send $50 dollars to the DNC today.

Special Session

I've been remiss in keeping up with Capital Press, but now we have a special session. In the hopes of encouraging his narcing, some words of wisdom from his last post: "If that [Concealed Carry] and the gas tax increase pass, we're going to be in trouble. Higher gas prices, road rage and more guns. Make sure to use your blinker."

To The X-treme

So, with the new compromise (thank you Flash for getting me all caught up), you are only allowed to filibuster in "extreme" cases. And should the other side not deem it x-treme enough, they are allowed to rescind their not changing the rule.

How exactly is this a win, or even a change at all? Other than making many of the Goosey Lucy's froth a bit, of course.

All Seeing Eye (Hey, I'll keep doing it until it catches on) states we must have only had 49 votes, and blames Lieberman. Being a good Nebraska girl, I'm going to say it was Nelson, especially since Hagel went from being pro-filibuster to anti-filibuster in a chance to both put pressure on Nelson and launch some fool-hardy presidential bid (Seriously, if one-legged Vietnam vet Bob Kerrey can't do it, you have no hope.).

How long til mid-terms again?

Sigh

It would appear that Wege doesn't like that name. In being forced to google for an alternative, the first non-bibilcal site for Mark was here.

From here on out, he shall only be refered to as "The All Seeing Eye." All appropriate changes will be made.

Thank you.

Update

Posting has been a little low. Smartie had minor surgery yesterday, and now he's on bedrest for a bit. I'll be on and off all day, depending on how much the drugs keep him knocked out. Otherwise, he needs constant entertainment.

This must be "in sickness" thing they say I signed on for...

Friday Morning Cat Mai'Blogging

"It still smells better than this beer." 

For All Seeing Eye...

Now that's a good poll

Maybe they should let Smilin' Norm create the new Star Tribune polls. Via Clever Peasantry (who's entire post is excellent, so go read), Normie's latest gem:

Upon a person's death, his or her assets of a certain value are taxed again by the federal government. This policy, often referred to as the death tax, forces many small businesses and family farms to shut down rather than being passed down to the next generation. Do you support permanently repealing the death tax?

Currently at 67% anti-estate tax.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Exhibit Traces Influence of Freemasonry

I guess they aren't as secretive as I thought last night.

From Media Matters

Since Fox News is still saying implying the term "Nuclear Option" is a Democrat term, I thought it would be a good time to put up this:

Top Ten Filibuster Falsehoods

Some Words From Reid

Our Constitution says the Senate should give "advice and consent." Not advice as long as we agree with everything President Bush wants. Not consent as long as we rubber-stamp the most extreme elements of the Republican agenda.

These checks and balances were put in place by our founding fathers. And they are there for a reason: to prevent any political party from abusing its power.

Look at the facts: more than 60 of President Clinton's nominees to be judges never were allowed an up-or-down vote. In contrast, we have approved 208 out of President Bush's 218 nominees. That's the best record any president has had in a quarter of a century. But its not enough for George Bush and the Republican leaders.

We've approved 95 percent of their picks. But that's not enough for them. They want 100 percent. They want it all. All the say. All the control. All the power. It's their way or the highway. But that's not the American way.

Read it all here.

What A Boob

(Via MAWB Squad)

Thank god they got BUSTED...

Reminder

Time for Liberals to Clean up the Mess

(From Tild)

Drink Liberally, the hotties want you to!

Why I like Lifenews.com

At least they get right to the point:

Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- The Michigan state House is expected to approve legislation requiring abortion businesses to provide women with an opportunity to see the development of their unborn child through an ultrasound. Viewing an ultrasound often leads a woman considering an abortion to decide otherwise.

...

[R]ep David Robertson, the sponsor of the proposal, says women aren't obligated to view the ultrasound.

"There is nothing in the bill that compels the woman to view the image. The decision is entirely hers," he told the Journal.

Go Figure

You Are a Snarky Blogger!

You've got a razor sharp wit that bloggers are secretly scared of. And that's why they read your posts as often as they can!

What kind of blogger are you?

Next Up, Legislating Space (I thought that was up to the Met Council?)

Since the legislature has effectively asserted their will over that pesky irritant, "Time".

People turning 21 would have to wait eight hours before they could legally drink under a bill the Senate passed 48 to 15 that's aimed at preventing binge drinking.

The legislation to combat the so-called "power hour," between midnight and closing time on a person's 21st birthday, was included as part of a Senate bill making a number of changes to regulations governing the liquor sales.

With the state budget in a mess and everything else that's going on in the world, this is the kind of useless bill they find time to pass?

E-Cheery!

I'm not sure why REW gets depressed reading right-wing blogs, I find them quite entertaining. Really, where else are you going to go for "what color is the sky in their world" knee slappers like this:

The Republicans spend too damned much time negotiating compromises on issues that don’t need it.
-KAR

It's especially funny when it's said with a straight face. Unfortunately, I can't say it out loud without cracking up.

Mea Culpa

I've been a little too preoccupied lately to write anything. Then again, why bother when the City Pages is going to do such an excellent job of summing up everything I've been saying?

Just go over here and read this short article by Britt Robson and imagine me standing over your shoulder the whole time going 'heh' and 'indeed'. Then you can feel like you had your full rich Smartie experience for the day with minimal effort on everyone's part.

Mood Shift

A Few of My Favorite Liberal Things

George Galloway beating up on Norm Coleman

A one year anniversary of marriage rights for all men

Bush's approval goes down like a bird with no wings


These are a few of my favorite things!

Come celebrate a few of your favorite things at Drinking Liberally...

Wednesday, May 18th

6-9 pm

Liquor Lyle's - 2021 Hennepin Avenue

E-Weary

It's going to be another busy day, and after a brief run through my blogroll, I think I am glad. Not to be melodramatic, but I am literally feeling "heavy of heart" today. Maybe it's too many days with too little sun, but I am hitting the point where I literally feel a weight on my chest as I read certain posts and comments.

Examples here, here, here and pretty much anything here.

In essence, I think this new sense of E-Weariness comes from MNSpeak. Before them, I could read the couple of conservative blogs I enjoyed a bit because I wasn't reading all of the others. Now, as I scroll through the blog aggregator, I get sucked into the little preview panes of the ones I'd completely given up on: Captains Quarters, Powerline, and for the most part Shot in the Dark. And it's a lot of bile, and it's starting to make me sigh a lot.

Go ahead and tell me how we're just as billious. We are them, just without the American flag blogads and copious pop-unders. In this mood, I'll probably believe you, too. I expect a "Well, Democratic Underground/Kos/liberal media did this..." in about ten seconds. But I'm not going to see it. Today, I'm going to be a good American earning my keep and not thinking about anything but what I'm going to make for dinner after work.

Pritchard, I'm looking at you!

(Via All Seeing Eye)

From Americablog:

Monday, May 16, 2005

NCFR Breakin' all the rules, part II
by Joe in DC - 5/16/2005 04:21:00 PM

Like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going. And our readers are doing our research for us now. The National Council on Family Relations has clammed-up, big-time, after we've pointed out how their federally-funded website on straights-only marriage breaks their own rules and forces them to ban their own research on gay families. They refuse to even talk with anyone about it until the website goes live in June. I'll quickly sum up: Compare the demands of this:

As defined by ACF [the Administration on Children and Families at the Dept of Health and Human Services], the project has an exclusive focus on heterosexual marriages.

with this:

The executive director [of NCFR] shall not allow practices, activities, decisions, or organizational circumstances which violate the Board's value that NCFR provide a context supportive of diversity by race, ethnicity, culture, age, gender, religion, physical ability, country of origin, and sexual orientation.

NCFR is based in Minnesota. One of their partners in this anti-gay website -- their neighbor, The University of Minnesota. Of course, like their other partner Syracuse, the University of Minnesota has rules too:

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance, veteran status or sexual orientation.

U of M has a GLBT Program office that might want to be let into the loop.

Is Michael Benjamin (mbenjamin@ncfr.org , (202) 659-1190), the executive director failing to enforce his own rules, even listening? How arrogant do you have to be?

It gets worse. more soon...

Blinding them with "Science"?

From Yahoo:

The Kansas school board's hearings on evolution weren't limited to how the theory should be taught in public schools. The board is considering redefining science itself. Advocates of "intelligent design" are pushing the board to reject a definition limiting science to natural explanations for what's observed in the world.

Instead, they want to define it as "a systematic method of continuing investigation," without specifying what kind of answer is being sought. The definition would appear in the introduction to the state's science standards.

Couldn't they redefine math, first? That "imaginary numbers" crap has got to go.

Newsweek apologizes

as well they should, since they killed 9 people.

President Bush, not so much.

(Link to CNN Story via Moses here.)

And here comes another one

Real-Estate Developer Kelly Doran is throwing his hat in the ring for the DFL Endorsement for Mark Dayton's seat. See DFL Senate Blog for more info.

Land of 10,000 Taxes

This is a follow-up to REW's post from yesterday about my nonchalance over living in THE FOURTH HIGHEST TAX STATE IN THE COUNTRY!!!!! EEEGADS!!!!

The MN Politics Guru crunches the numbers for us and comes up with a (not) surprising result:
High tax states actually have greater GSP growth than low tax states.

Obviously, there is a lot that goes into that figure, but if the right can offer vague platitudes without backing them up, then dagnabbit, so can we.

Now, can we finally put to rest this "job killer" horsepucky?

Fishing Opener

(Via New Patriots)

BushFish

The Land of Tollz

We're waiting for a report from Smartie on how the commute is with the new Tollz lanes implemented.

Whenever he finally makes it in to work, that is.

UPDATE: I guess they don't start until 11:30. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Governor Tim Pawlenty Strengthens Marriage

The Strib published an editorial by Tim Pawlenty today (and if the Governor would really like to decrease wasteful spending, he should consider a pay cut to the P.R. guy he has writing his editorials.)

In the piece, Pawlenty states, "Minnesota is ranked 4th highest in taxes." Then he moves on.

"Like Minnesotans get nothing in return? So Minnesota is ranked 4th highest in taxes. So what?" was Smartie's answer when I read it aloud to him.

I was doing laundry while we read, and went to grab a load out of the dryer. He came in to fold and I told him to go sit down. "I feel like you've been doing all of the work lately," I said.

"And Minnesota is ranked 4th highest in taxes," he replied, folding socks.

I love my husband.

What a difference a day makes

The Pioneer Press (via DumpBachmann):

Ryan Flugaur, deputy chairman of Minnesota Teenage Republicans and an intern at the state Capitol, said he posted the request a month ago after speaking to Bachmann earlier this year about her bill. He said he offered to help by contacting the 700 teenagers in Minnesota who belong to the club.

The Star Tribune:

The author of the website, an admittedly overzealous high school senior from Eagan, said that he spoke to Bachmann briefly about his own personal experience and that the website material was entirely his responsibility.

Technically, exactly the same. Any lawyer would say so. Just because he offered to help doesn't mean she accepted or endorsed it. And surely Ms. Bachmann can't be expected to follow-up or be aware of the ramblings of an "over-zealous" senior.

But I wonder if Luke is going to have some competition in the near future.

Shameless Blogwhoring

Send him feedback. If I can't get into his blog this summer, I'm never going to be able to move this blog out of the links basement and up in the Politics section where Tom gets to hang.

Posting Like the All Seeing Eye

WARNING: Last night I discovered I am allergic to Lilacs (not Lileks, although they both seem to make me wheeze after minimal exposure.) I also learned that The All Seeing Eye might actually go on a vacation sometime this summer.

"Let me run your blog while you're gone," I demanded, menacingly waving a thick glass mug in his face."

"My readers are much more savvy than those fuckers who come to your fucking baby blog," he informed me. "No fucking way I'm going to let you mess with my genius site. You don't fucking swear enough. Unless," he smiled evilly, "You want to give me a 10 step thesis of your plans and provide me with a Powerpoint outline."

"Bring it on!" I cried. "We have wi-fi in the garage!"

* Actual dialogue may not in any way resemble the recreated dialogue in this post.

Smartie dragged me away at that point, and I don't have Powerpoint, so instead, I shall amuse myself by posting like The All Seeing Eye.

/start All Seeing Eye

I don't really read the Strib anymore. Not that I think its full of leftist propaganda, I just think it's a really bad newspaper. In the "wipe my ass" category, it's still ahead of the Pioneer Press, but way behind the metro mailer I got in my mailbox yesterday. A new sewing shop only three blocks away? And coupons? That's a keeper.

But the Strib has local polls, which my mailer doesn't, like this one, stating that more Minnesotans are starting to come around to the idea that the Prez'dint might not be the next coming of Ronald Reagan.

Overall, the president's job-approval rating in Minnesota has declined by 9 points since January, the last time it was measured by the poll.

Bush's approval rating fell virtually across the board, but it declined most sharply -- by double digits -- among men, young adults and those with a high school education or less.

"He's just done a terrible job of managing the stuff that's on his plate," said Keith Privette, 31, a Democrat and a business analyst from Watertown. "He's got one idea and that's what he sticks with, and he doesn't listen to any reason or any common sense from anybody else."

Dwight D. Eisenhower said it himself: "Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are [a] few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

Sing on, Brother Dwight.

----

Pot calls Kettle, or a Rocket says "What?"

"But it can't be a good thing for a party to be led by men who have so little judgment or self-control."

----

Ever wonder what I'm doing when I'm not posting? J/O

----


And at this point, it may outlast the Constitution...

----

From the "And they call US hypocrites" files, the anti-abortion crowd let's us in on why they are pushing for parental consent laws:

Abortion advocates offered an amendment to the bill that would have exempted grandparents or other adult relatives.

In other words, if little Suzy becomes pregnant after Grandpa Fred rapes her, he could take her to another state for an abortion – covering up his dirty deeds – and Suzy's Mom and Dad may never know. Fred's actions would be legal and he wouldn't face prosecution for the rape unless Suzy had the courage to tell her parents or authorities.

Thanks. Maybe your "Conscientious Pharmacists" could stop providing Grandpa Fred with his Viagra, as well.

----

And a final note from Phyllis:

"The atomic bomb is a marvelous gift that was given to our country by a wise God."

/end All Seeing Eye

The Great Debate

or it would have been, if someone hadn't gotten so scared....

Activist!!

A federal judge has struck down Nebraska's constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions of any kind.

This goes way beyond striking down DOMAs. I have to read over the text of the decision a little bit before I can offer up too much in the way of cogent thoughts, but at the very least this seems to signal that opponents of gay marriage are now going to have to push for a national constitutional amendment to legalize their bigotry.

UPDATE: Changed the first link to CNN, rather than the subscription requiring New York Times.

Mark Your Calendars

Because this is the one and only time you're ever going to hear this:

I agree with Powerline.

Or, at least with this one sentence:

"But, if Galloway does show up, you won't want to miss it."

No kidding. I would watch that confrontation on Pay-Per-View. Have you ever watched the British Parliament debate? Galloway would rip apart Smilin' Norm like the cheap empty suit he is.

I'm not even particularly a fan of Galloway's, but the idea that Norm is going to come out of a face to face confrontation with him looking good is risible.

Norm better have some solid evidence when he makes claims like this. More solid than any other evidence this administration has ever produced, at least, or these accusations are going to hurt a whole lot more than Norm's clownish political career. It's going to be yet another reason why no one will trust or take this country seriously anymore, and I think we've had enough of those over the last couple years, no?

Getting Into the Children's Book Business

As Smartie mentioned yesterday, "...[W]hen your worldview can be threatened by a children's book you should probably rethink it."

I don't agree. I see this as a perfect time to cash in on the conservative children's book fad.

I have the titles, I just need a ghostwriter to do the rest of the work.

Heather Has Two Mommies (So Don't Talk to Her Or You'll Catch Gay)


No One Poops Except for You, You Wicked, Shameful Child


The Gas We Pass, But Not God, and Especially Not During the Big Bang


Where the Wild Things Are and Should Stay Because You Shouldn't Be Near Them


The Star Belly Sneetches Really Are Better

Friday Morning Cat Groggy

It's been a long few weeks for everyone. Even promising a lazy weekend couldn't get everyone out of bed this morning.

Friday Morning Cat Blogging 

Submitted Without Further Comment

I am way out of touch with the mulefucking traditions in Real America.

Concerned Women For America Do Satire

I think. Maybe.

What If They Filibustered American Idol? 5/12/2005
By Jan LaRue, Chief Counsel

What if millions were denied a chance to vote when guest judges filibustered a skinny singer from New Jersey?

I had a nightmare. I may be the only person on the planet who’s never watched American Idol, which is why this is so weird.

Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, the regular judges on Fox’s hit TV show, were replaced for one night by none other than Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and the Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada). If you think Simon is cold, you should have seen these guys.

Only one contestant performed on the show. Even though he was a smash hit, millions in the audience were denied the right to vote on the Italian-American singer named Francis Albert Sinatra.

Sen. Reid set the tone. (Many of these comments are based on actual statements made by these senators about the president’s judicial nominees.)

REID: Why is Fox picking a fight by sending us contestants like this? Why are they refusing to move on to less controversial contestants? They want to make us look like obstructionists. We know the difference between opposing contestants and blocking contestants. We will oppose bad contestants but we will only block unacceptable contestants. They won’t send us any new contestants because the president of Fox doesn’t want to give us a chance to demonstrate that we are reasonable. He’s just giving a big wet kiss to Italians on the far right. This is about checks and balances. I’m feeling unbalanced. I need to step away from the precipice before I’m swayed.

AUDIENCE: Shut-up and let us vote!

Not about to let that happen, Sen. Schumer began an extreme criticism of Sinatra’s style and performance.

SCHUMER: Well, his voice is clearly out-of-the mainstream. The extreme way he expressed the lyric—the extreme snapping of the fingers on his extreme right hand—he’s sending an extremist message to the far-right-handed. What does that mean for the minority of the far-left-handed among us who are mainstream? He’s obviously pandering to the far-right extremists who want to force extreme music on the rest of us in the mainstream. I mean, how extreme—The Lady is a Tramp—a not-so-subtle extremist attack on women’s rights. He obviously favors certain extreme composers and discriminates against other mainstream composers struggling for mainstream recognition. We will not be swayed by the extreme mass of the extremists on the extreme right!!!

AUDIENCE: Shut-up and let us vote!!

KENNEDY: We fought the, ah, Revolutionary War, or, ah, the Civil War or some, ah, war, I didn’t fight but heard about it, so that all singers would finally be protected by the Constitution. But this nation will never be America until we free ourselves from the domination of Italian singers. We will not turn back to the days of discrimination and prejudice by sending another Italian singer on to a lifetime recording contract when the likes of William Hung are left to perform in a silly commercial.

I have here in my mainstream left hand the lyrics of songs this Sinatra person has sung that reveal a narrow intolerance for the rights of others: My Way, All the Way, All or Nothing at All, All of Me—it doesn’t get any more extremist than this. These songs express an intemperate musical opinion, not those of a consensus singer. That’s Life is clearly an attack on choice. Then there’s The House I Live In. Well sir, some of us don’t even have access to affordable housing. How will we who dwell in trailer parks, tents and igloos feel welcome at your concerts?

My Kind of Town is nothing less than blatant geographic favoritism. Next thing you know it’ll be New York, New York. Where’s the regard for musical precedents? And most intolerant of all, My Boy Bill. How can gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, tri-sexual, trans-sexual, trans-gendered, bi-gendered, multi-gendered, gender-confused, other gendered and cross-dressers, the over-dressed, under-dressed and badly dressed expect fair and impartial entertainment from this singer?

AUDIENCE: Oh, shut-up and let us vote!!!

I awakened from this nightmare In the Still of the Night singing Send in the Clowns. I think somebody already did.

And I thought the CWA was a bunch of dried up old biddies. How could I have ever been so wrong?

Does This Mean No More Sunday School?

"I think the school can decide it is not going to introduce second- and third-graders to the origins story and say we ... should not be teaching origins at this age. I think that is an appropriate policy," said John Calvert, managing director of the Intelligent Design Network.

That juicy quote came from this article in today's Strib.

As a little Smartie I remember being told about Adam & Eve a long time before being told about evolution. You see how much difference that made.

Face it, John Calvert, when your worldview can be threatened by a children's book you should probably rethink it. See also, Heather Has Two Mommies.

Shades of '79?

Afghan anti-US violence escalates

I'm a little young to have first hand memories of how this went down before...but isn't this pretty similar to what happened to the USSR? An economically depressed populous sparked by real or perceived anti-religious actions on the part of the occupiers rises up and starts a protracted and bloody insurgency? Wasn't it this exact scenario that caused Afghanistan to become a terrorist haven in the first place?

Does anyone still think it was a good idea to move on to Iraq before the situation in Afghanistan was more settled?

I, For One, Welcome Our New Robot Overlords

My God, people. Hasn't anyone seen The Terminator or read Second Variety? It's not science fiction anymore.

The Science/Tech. Headline on MSNBC this morning is: Self-replicating robot created.

If that doesn't send chills up your spine it must have already been ripped out by a cold metal fist.

Town Hall Front Page

It occurred to me this morning that I haven't checked up on Phyllis Schlafly in a while, so I popped over to Town Hall.

While glancing at the front page stories, I saw, "Minnesota tax plan is both destructive and immoral."

"Oooohh, we're national!" I thought. "What important national conservative is talking about us?"

Turns out, it's Mr. David Strom, himself. They just added a Minnesota Taxpayer's League press release.

Organized Theft!
DFL Tax Plan Both Destructive and Immoral
Author: David Strom
May 05, 2005
(phone number removed)

Minneapolis--The Senate DFL Caucus revealed a tax proposal that promises to drive entrepreneurs from the state, and perpetuates a theory of class warfare that should have died along with the Soviet Union.

"Larry Pogemiller wants Minnesota to look more like Cuba than Wisconsin," Taxpayers League President David Strom quipped when he reviewed the Senate DFL tax plan.

The central feature of the $1.4 billion tax increase proposal is a huge 40% increase for the rate on taxpayers in the highest income tax bracket--increasing some taxpayers' bills by $20,000 or more.

"Apparently Pogemiller and company view government as little more than organized theft. They seem to think that anything left in your wallet when they get done with it is a gift from the government back to the taxpayer," said Strom.

"Minnesota's economy is finally on the mend, and the first thing the Senate DFL does is propose to raise taxes and crush our economic recovery. Governor Pawlenty is right, this plan is just plain stupid," Strom concluded.

The Taxpayers League is Minnesota's largest taxpayers advocacy organization.

O/T, 'quipped' is an awful word. I prefer joshed or zinged.

Drinking Liberally May 11th Crib Sheet

Last night was a good night at Lyle's, a little smaller than usual, but a good group.

Mr. Sticks provided us with a good discussion on everything from how conservatives should look at the civil union issue, be its recipients gay or straight, to smoking bans, No Child Left Behind and abortion. After speaking with him it seems liberals and libertarians aren't as far apart as I thought. Now, if only that pesky economic gulf could somehow be bridged.

The beer flowed, he kept us thinking, and Mr. Sticks has now moved into the Drinking Buddies category on the blogroll.

So many are moving up that I'm needing replacements soon. Let me know if you have a local lefty or righty that should fill out the Henny and Goosey spots.

Also at last night's meeting was Kendall of Minnesota Young DFL, and his girlfriend Elizabeth. Look for a Drinking Liberally in June to be co-hosted with this group, assumably sometime after those two finally decide what city they want to live in.

For those who have wondered, Drinking Liberally is not an action group, nor a speaker group. It's just a group of people who get together and drink beer and talk politics, sometimes with a tangential stroll over to the land of improper sword cleaning in Kill Bill, or other bits of random fluff. Stop by anytime, and come early, the first pitcher is on me.

(cross posted at DL message board)

Powerliberal Playhouse Presents

The Republican Asks for Directions.

Have you ever noticed that your Republican acquaintances seem to have mental blocks around certain words? That anytime you say these words it's like their brain just shuts down?

Well, we here at Powerliberal Playhouse have noticed that, too. Which made us wonder are these blind spots only in their political thinking or do they extend to daily life...

[Scene: A Busy City Street. LOCAL stands on sidewalk, shading eyes from sun. A Large SUV pulls up beside LOCAL and the window rolls down. THE REPUBLICAN, a heavy set, balding man smoking a cigarette leans out of the window.]

THE REPUBLICAN: Hot enough for ya?

LOCAL: Yup.

THE REPUBLICAN: Say, fella, can you tell me how to get to Ronald Reagan Memorial Parkway?

LOCAL: Sure, you just go down to the end of the block there.

THE REPUBLICAN: Uh huh.

LOCAL: Then, you take a left and go two blocks...

THE REPUBLICAN: [Interrupting] Wait, what was that? I didn't hear anything after "hates America."

LOCAL: What? I didn't say anything like that. Look, you go down to the end of the block here, then you take a left and go down....

THE REPUBLICAN: [Interrupting, Again] Okay, I go down to the end of the block and then I "wants to turn all children gay"?

LOCAL: [Suspiciously] Are you all right in the head there, mister? I never said anything like that all I said was "take a left".

THE REPUBLICAN: [Also Suspicious] I'm fine. I just want to know why you keep spouting all this hippie commie nonsense. I've got a gun right here, and I'll use it if you don't watch yourself.

LOCAL: [Exaspirated] Fine, go down to the end of the block, take a right, at the end of that block, take another right, at the end of that block take another right, go three blocks and you're there. Now, go on. Get out of here you wingnut.

THE REPUBLICAN: There you go, now you're talking sense. God bless and don't mess with Texas. [Drives off]

LOCAL: [Muttering] I'm moving to Canada. [Wanders off]

[Scene]

Throw Down!

All the Kittens in the Hiz-ouse, IT'S ON!

So, since I don't want to pit them against other cats, let's finally fight this out right here.

June



or Nico?



Winner gets a can of G-o-o-d F-o-o-d.

True Blue Liberal

Some DL leaders in St. Louis started this site, which has interesting essays. I am not linking directly to the home page, since all it does is try and sell merchandise.

From their Religious Essays page:

Religious liberals have often been an integral part of American politics. Much of the social and political progress we so revere was brought about in no small way by religious liberals. From the abolition of slavery to the civil rights movement, from women's suffrage to gay liberation, these living, breathing "oxymorons" have been at the vanguard of the fight for justice.

Site not to be confused with Shakespeare's Sister regular, True Blue Liberal.

Questions

Anyone who would like to throw in some questions to ask David Strom, please email me at rewatpowerliberal@yahoo.com. Mr. Strom has been gracious enough to offer to answer some questions from "the other side of the aisle" (since I was so cruel to Craig about his interview last week).

I am trying to convince him to stop by DL sometime, but if he is unable to, questions are always an option.

Drinking Liberally May 11, 2005

For those of you who missed it, we had a fantastic time getting to know Robert Fitzgerald, independent Senate Candidate, last week.

This week at Drinking Liberally, we have been promised a visit by Pioneer Press Columnist and self-proclaimed Libertarian Craig Westover. Maybe after a few beers we will finally be able to see where libertarians and liberals have common ground.

Where: Liquor Lyle's - 2021 Hennepin Ave South, Minneapolis
When: 6-9 pm
Why: If you're going to drink, Drink Liberally.

(cross-posted on DL board)

Easily Amused

Although I agree with the letter writer in question, I must admit that I find the Frat Boy's rebuttle hi-larious:

Craig Westover's May 4 column was a feeble attempt to polish David Strom's tainted image. Westover and Strom reside in the same neocon camp where truth-twisting is standard operating procedure.

A damn lie! Although it is true David Strom and Craig Westover were assigned to the same cabin at Neocon Camp last year, and both received merit badges in Truth Twisting (not to mention War Mongering and Lack of Compassion for the Poor), the standard operating procedure at Neocon camp is NOT truth twisting. It is "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!." Get your facts straight, sir.

Cake and Kool-aid

I always prefered Cake with milk, anyway.

(via Doug)

Match Game

This and this:



Why do I love the people Tom links to so much?

Updated: Yes, I do think you all should read the bible more.

Updated 2: I don't want to be a bandwidth thief.

Paging Alex P. Keaton

Speaking of Teachers...

(via DumpBachmann)

Can educating our nation's youth get any easier?

Views From The Heartland

For those who don't know, I come from a very conservative family. The mention of Hillary Clinton at the dinner table will send my grandfather on such a tirade, the plates shake. My brother moved back to Nebraska from Seattle because the liberals were too annoying. And my mother voted for Bush because she hated the fact that the teachers union told her she should vote for Kerry.

They are the core of the conservative movement, they assume that whatever they don't like in the party isn't going to happen, and that the only good democrats are Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman, because they understand "bipartisanship."

And this weekend I learned that the Republicans are losing these people in Nebraska.

It started with Social Security. They can remember first hand or from their parents what things were like during the Depression. They believe that the Social Security changes being proposed are going to put retirees out on the street, and the more Bush and his helpers run around talking about "the plan," the less they believe in it.

Then there was Schiavo. Too many people have had to deal with end of life issues. They should be private. There is nothing a Nebraskan hates more than someone pulling the curtains back so the whole world can watch a private show on their tv screens. They are Republicans because they don't trust the government, and the government in now in their hospital beds. They want them to get out, and are willing to switch their vote if necessary.

But oddly enough, the ID Creationists are what may finally push them over the edge. Said my mother the school teacher, "Why can't science be science? I teach in a school, not a church, although maybe a church would get more funding."

My mother voted for Bush thinking he'd never really rip apart the educational system the way he has with No Child Left Behind. Now her school has become the dumping ground for other schools who are afraid of their high-risk students. And she has been pulled off of teaching summer school, even though she has the most experience in her department, because they can't afford to hire a teacher with that much tenure. Instead, they are filling the slots with new teachers and out of district teachers to keep the costs down.

The heartland is losing its faith in the Republicans. Can it be too long before "What's Right with Nebraska?" comes out at the bookstores?

Sort of Funny

But only if you actually swing:

Roe Rangers

Letter of the Day

From the Strib:

According to the self-appointed enforcers of morality in this country, the Constitution and their "conscience" tell them they get to compel the rest of us to live by their narrow and exclusive beliefs regarding the dispensation of legal birth control medication.

Here's a solution to the problem that works for everybody: Don't believe in birth control? Don't use it. Think abortion is wrong? Don't have one.

Shelley Robinson, St. Paul.

We Now Return You To Your Regularly Scheduled Prewgram

Well, I'm on my way to the airport to pick up REW. I would like to say thank you to her for trusting me to run the blog for a couple days, and a thank you to everyone who read and/or responded to me. We laughed a little, we cried a little, and hopefully we all learned something.

I will still be adding posts from time to time in the future, but for the most part this blog is now back in the capable hands of the original Power Liberal.

This One Goes Out To All The Babies Mommas

Happy Mother's Day!!

Buy her some flowers, you cheapskate.

A Shout Out

To the woman standing at the bus stop on the corner of 1st Ave. and 2nd St. NE. You know who you are. The woman who was standing there all by herself clapping her hands for ten minutes straight. I don't know what the heck you were so excited about, but I like your enthusiasm.

A Communal Art/History Project

Whatever you thought about the concealed carry gun law, it appears to be a dead issue in this State. However, for a while there property owners were forced to put up “bans guns in these premises” signs on their doors and windows. Now that that chapter of Minnesota history is closed, those signs are likely to become nothing more than a memory. I would be interested in preserving this brief but interesting chapter in State history. To that end, I am asking that everyone with a digital camera go out and take pictures of any of those signs you still see around your area. Send me a copy of the picture and I will see about putting them together into some kind of montage or digital scrap book. I’m going to go out this afternoon and cover the area around my apartment. Anyone with submissions or who would be interested in making suggestions for the final product are invited to send them to me here: sdmartie@gmail.com

I know it’s a little late and a lot of these signs have already disappeared, but I bet there are still a few hanging around. Plain pictures of the signs are appreciated, as are more artistic interpretations. I look forward to seeing what we can come up with.

UPDATE: Drat the luck. After a pretty thorough canvasing of the area around my apartment it looks like inspiration may have struck too late on this one. Still, I'll keep my eyes open for remaining signs and I would still invite submissions from anyone who sees one.

Smartie's Modest Proposal

Apparently Moses gets up earlier than I do. He scooped me on the only really interesting story in the news today. I'll refer you over to his Yowlin' for the story.

I only have two things to add to that:

1. Right on.

2. I would like to put forward a profoundly stupid idea of my own. Since T.Paw wants so desperately to claim he speaks for the "mainstream", how do you think he would feel about the following proposal:

For most "mainstream" people, their homes will be the largest investment they will ever own. Out of control property taxes cause serious problems for those people on tight budgets or those who are trying to plan for retirement when all the while just holding on to their one major asset is eating up a larger and larger part of their income. The extremely wealthy, on the other hand, put large portions of their incomes into interest and/or dividend bearing investments on which the tax rates are comparatively low. One of the many ways the rich get richer and so on…

My proposal, then, in order to "mainstream" the pain-Let's tie increases in property taxes to increases in capital gains taxes, with the extra money to be funneled back to the municipalities. So, for example, if a city needed to increase revenue by 10% they would up both property and capital gains taxes by 5%. Obviously, there are a lot of details that would need to be figured out to make this workable, but that’s the general idea.

Businesses wouldn’t see that much difference, because the hit they would take in new capital gains taxes would be balanced out by them not paying out of control property taxes. Hopefully, it would make those at the top of the income scale a little less cavalier about raising only property taxes, though, if they couldn’t avoid them anymore. Does this have a chance in heck of working?

I'm really bad at this (take 2)

Okay, Blogger ate this the first time I typed it. Let's try again:

REW left me in charge of the blog for the weekend in order to keep it from getting rusty and what do I do? Sleep in. Ooops.

Anyway, thanks to Flash for hosting the drinking and the talking last night. A good time was had by all. It was good to see Norwegianity outside of the confines of Liquor Lyles. Plus, I got to meet two new bloggers, Carson and Moses. Both fine gentlemen. Good talking to you! Also in attendance were Andy, Jerry and the good Dr. I don't think they have blogs, so I can't give them spiffy links, but they were no less appreciated. Also, I'm told I just missed MNObserver. Sorry about that. Oh, and Tild~ was with us in spirit. I wore my Miskatonic U. shirt in your honor (or was that in your horror?) Ia!

In other news, why didn't anyone tell me Stardust Lanes was closed? Politics is one thing, this is serious! Fortunately, the sign on the door said it was only for remodeling...let's hope when they're done they look as good as Midway Pro Bowl. Ooooh, shiny.

Finally, for the record, I was only at Flash's until 11:30. I can't vouch for him after that.

Morning 'Braska Blog

Yup. Pretty much just like always.

Couple new Wal-Marts, though.

I guess you can't go home again, or if you do, you're sleeping on the couch.

Be Excellent to Each Other

Well, I am soon to be heading out for a long night of bowling and keg-slaying. While I'm gone, play nice with each other, mmmm'kay?

Buzzkill

I'd like to try something new here on the Power Liberal and see how it works: a serious discussion. I know, I know, Booo! Still, I know there are a lot of smart readers out there, and I bet one or two of you have interesting things to say, so let's give it a shot, okay?

I'm curious to see what everyone thinks about the situation in North Korea. This topic is taking on fresh urgency lately, for example: this story in the BBC.

I'm going to say something here which will probably shock both the conservatives and liberals in the audience today: I supported the President's stance towards NK until fairly recently. I honestly believed that NK was a state on the edge of collapse and all it would take was a little prodding to push it over. At the very least it seemed possible to isolate them to the point of insignificance.

It seems obvious to me now that that was a mistaken belief. I'm not sure if it was faulty all along, or if NK is receiving aid from China and SK to keep it from collapsing or what. Whatever the reason, NK doesn't seem to be weakening and this policy has resulted in a nuclear armed state headed by a madman.

So, where do we go from here? Should we sanction NK and really try to starve it? Should we try to threaten China into not supporting them? And, how the heck would we go about doing that? Should we launch a first strike? Should we try to restore the Agreed Framework?

Seriously, all options on the table. Nobody gets attacked for expressing an idea. The ideas themselves are fair game. Let's mix it up.

Go!

Nipping it in the Bud

Here's a meme I want to put a stop to right now. From the Letters to the Editor in today's Strib:

What? No referendum on a new Twins stadium? Isn't that taxation without representation? I thought we dealt with that issue a couple of centuries ago.

Am I ever glad I moved out of HennepinCounty.

George Mayerchak, Long Prairie, Minn.

Apparently, the American education system is in worse shape than I thought. This is the second time I've seen the phrase "taxation without representation" recently-the other being when T.Paw proposed his "Turbocharged Truth in Taxation" idea.

One Sentence Civics Lesson: You HAVE representation. You elect them every 2, 4 or 6 years. If you don't like what they're doing, fine you know what to do. Vote them out.

I don't support this stadium initiative, either. But please don't call for a referendum on everything the government does that you might possibly disagree with. It doesn't work. Look at the financial mess that California is in. There are reasons the founders (should that be a capital "F"?) instituted a Democratic Republic and not a direct Democracy.

Pharyngula Deux

Teach the 4 elements?

Sounds kind of Pagan to me.

Tampering in God's Domain

A while back, P.Z. Myers wrote a post about the problems that Evolutionists face when debating ID proponents. Not because the ID people are right, but because they have all these pithy little answers that sound good while the actual scientists have to try to, you know, use science, which doesn’t make for great sound bites.

Well, Dr. Myers, if you’re ever unfortunate enough to get sucked into one of those debates again, I would like to humbly submit a gotcha! that you can use:
The appendix.

Seriously.

How the heck does ID explain the existence of the appendix? Is it God’s “The Designer’s” sense of humor at work?

Or is it some kind of mad scientist-style self-destruct mechanism? “If I am ever displeased with you the device in your small intestine will explode and kill you! Mwaaa! Ha! Ha!”

Or do they actually have some kind of wacky non-explanation for it?

Oh, and this made my morning: Also, God Speaks English.Good stuff.

For my first post...

I'd like to pose a question to all the T.Paw apologists out there: What the heck is the reasoning behind charging tolls for the HOV lanes on 394 in the off-peak hours/direction? The original rationale behind toll lanes was to reduce congestion and to help pay for new roads. So T.Paw proposes to reduce congestion by taking away a lane? And how does this help pay for new roads? 394 is already there. I don't even want to imagine how much the state paid to study traffic patterns, resign the entire freeway, set up the MN Pass system, advertise the system, etc. How long is it going to be before they recoup that investment, much less actually turn a profit? I have a crazy theory as to why they set it up this way, but first I want to see if someone can give me a reasonable explanation for it...

Oh, and PS to Keegan's: The "window sticker" needed for the toll lanes is called a "MN Pass". I deserved another point last night.

Speaking of this weekend

Smartie has been given the keys to the castle for the weekend. Yall play nice.

Friday Morning Cat Blogging

I may be leaving town for the weekend, but June will take care of Smartie.


Friday Morning Cat Blogging 

They may not have come to Drinking Liberally

But tonight they were drinking buddies nonetheless.

Welcome Doug and Kevin. Come next week with Craig, and you are up on the blog roll.

Just in case

If you still read, Luke, I'm not digging the new site layout. It's a little too stark for me.

Draft T-Paw?

I've been somewhat remiss in my DvK4Evah reading, and have been catching up as of late.

Some things are worth the wait.

The Movement has just begun...

I assume they are not talking about America's bowels.

Sidebar Update

We had a great crowd at Drinking Liberally last night. The Sidebar has been updated to show new Drinking Buddies Robert Fitzgerald, Tild, and Tom.

Sadly, Tom has moved up, but lost his designated "Cyber Boyfriend" title, as I don't believe I'm allowed cyber-boyfriends anymore.

Kudos to Robert Fitzgerald

He held up to all of out heckling.

I look forward to the official launch of your campaign in June.

For Mr. "Boring Ring Picture"

Is this better?


For Mr. "Boring Ring Picture" 

I'm Immortalized

Thank you, Electric Kool Aid Acid Report:

Rewd (rood) adj.

1) describing a moral relativist who supposes her "values" are superior to those of others. see also: "irewny"

2) describing a person who takes a predrawn (usu. by Daily Kos) half-truth caricature of one's political opponents, reduces it to a pithy phase, and asserts it as truth. e.g.: When Rew wrote: "in Wingnutopia it makes perfect sense that you can reduce the number of abortions by preventing access to birth control and not teaching sex-ed. Or: the God of Wingutopia is capable of designing the unbelievably complex laws of chemistry and physics, but evolution is completely beyond His capacity" she was being rewd.

see also: "oh that's so fourth grade"

May your conservative dictionary grow as fat as Liberal-Lingus.

Minneapolis is Famous

or is that infamous?

New York: May 4, 2005 - A new report released today by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute titled, A Report from "Love Won Out: Addressing, Understanding, and Preventing Homosexuality," provides a first-hand account of an anti-gay conference that took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota in September 2004. The report's authors, Jyl J. Josephson, an Associate Professor at Rutgers University-Newark, and Cynthia Burack, an Associate Professor at Ohio State University, detail the theories and world views espoused by the presenters and "ex-gay" leaders who spoke at the conference, one of at least four such conferences sponsored annually by Focus on the Family around the country.

Among the key observations highlighted in the report is the claim that homosexuality is caused by a lack of "appropriate or fulfilling" relationships between a child and his or her same-sex parent. One speaker, who first said that parents should not be blamed as the principle source of homosexuality in their children, went on to warn that mothers who are "doormats," "manipulative," "domineering," and "self-consumed," can cause their daughters to become lesbians.
...
One of the most disturbing observations detailed in the report is that a number of conference attendees appeared to be parents accompanying their young teenage children, presumably to help "prevent" them from becoming gay. The outreach of "Love Won Out" to youth is exemplified by a picture of a young teenager on the ministry's website with a confused and sad expression, placed right next to the phrase, "A dynamic one-day conference addressing, understanding and preventing homosexuality."
...
"The pastors, clergy, and lay leaders of the Task Force's National Religious Leadership Roundtable have witnessed the negative impact of Focus on the Family’s so-called ex-gay or conversion therapy ministry. Ex-gay ministries are groups that attempt to change people's sexual orientation because of conservative religious beliefs that say homosexuality is a sin. In their funding and promotion of these so-called ex-gay ministries, Focus on the Family is destroying families and the faith of young people." Richard Lindsay, spokesperson, Religious Leadership Roundtable.


To download a free copy of the full report, go to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force publications library at http://www.TheTaskForce.org/lovewonoutreport.

MN Speak Aggregator

MNSpeak's blog aggregator has been added to the blogroll down at the end. I'm going to forgive them for alphabetizing me by the "T" rather than the "P" (little known fact, I picked the title of my blog so I would always be on top of Powerline), as they are running our Drinking Liberally ad on their site for the next two months.

Be sure to check out their straight site here. I will add them to drinking buddies if Rex manages to make it to the bar tonight.

One more reminder -

Drinking Liberally
6 - 9 PM
Liquor Lyles (Franklin and Hennepin)

Rumor has it Robert Fitzgerald is buying.

And the Gag Rules Keep Getting Gaggier

(Via Shakespear's Sister)

No doubt this is another one of those "set it up so it can be ruled unconstitutional and everyone can be mad at the judges again" instances, but it still makes me mad.

(My bold added at the end.)

NO PUBLIC MONEY can be used to fund abortions in Missouri. But a bill approved last week by the Missouri Senate would deny state aid to hospitals, clinics or counselors who so much as mention the word "abortion."

The bill sends state government snooping into places where women have a reasonable expectation of privacy. It sets an impossible-to-monitor standard for what doctors and other health care providers can and cannot say, which intrudes on their obligation to provide essential information about safe, legal medical options for their patients. And it creates cumbersome audit requirements that will add to health care costs and require a larger state bureaucracy.

Hospitals, clinics, rape crisis lines and domestic violence counselors would be audited every three years to make sure they don't mention abortion or answer patients' questions about how to obtain it. Those affiliated with abortion providers would face annual audits.

The bill is sponsored by state Sen. John Loudon, R-Ballwin, who insists that it's designed to "enhance safety." In fact, it's designed to keep women - especially poor women - from finding out about their right to safe, legal abortion.

Most outpatient surgery centers have arrangements with local hospitals to take patients who suffer surgical complications. But Mr. Loudon's bill goes well beyond that, to require that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. In Missouri, there now are only three places where abortions are performed: Columbia, St. Louis and Springfield. This bill will reduce the number of doctors who can perform abortions, which is exactly what it's designed to do. But it won't necessarily reduce the already low rate of complications.

Delaying access and gagging health care providers means women will be further along in their pregnancies when they finally get an abortion. That alone increases the risks. And the bill prohibits any abortion provider from distributing sex education material to public school students. Without access to comprehensive sexual education, young people are more likely to have unprotected intercourse, which results in unintended pregnancies.

Ironically, many of the legislators who supported this glorified gag rule also voted to cut subsidies to parents who adopt through the foster care system, and health care to disabled and elderly state residents.

Fostering a culture of ignorance won't prevent abortion. The House should vote this ill-considered bill down.

Yeesh

This site screams TOO MUCH!

As an experienced political chameleon, Hillary Clinton is already beginning a massive makeover campaign where she will try to make her look "mainstream" while hiding her extreme left-leaning agenda of government-run national health insurance, sky high taxes, and giving felons the right to vote.

All of America has a tremendous stake in this effort, especially our courageous soldiers overseas. The Clintons national defense policies left us weak and vulnerable in a dangerous and hostile world.

That's why we need your help today...

We need you to help us finance a massive media blitz and public education campaign...

And we need your help now, before Hillary and Bill Clinton are able to pull the wool over America's eyes once again.

Seriously, how can you type with sucha heavy, heavy hand?

UPDATE: Rumor has it there are a lot of Baptist churches who think she should be stopped, or something.

Quote of the Day

From Up The Hill Backwards:


"Our job is to create the world that gives their kind heartburn."

Sidewalk Counselor?

While Swiftee continues to make fun of Coffee Technicians and Shelf Maintenance Engineers, I would like to give some applause to the most overlooked of the over-titled, the "Sidewalk Counselor." Underappreciated and underpaid, he turns to the legal entities to bring him fame and fortune. Apparently, dislike for activist judges and need for tort reform takes a backseat when it's your cause.

Daniel Heenan, who attends Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, had participated in a prayer vigil and sidewalk counseling outside the Washington Planned Parenthood for three years. The suit contends he was injured when a security guard knocked him to the ground.

The incident occurred after Heenan approached the abortion facility and crossed a picket line painted on the ground that limited the protests of a group of pro-life advocates involved in an unrelated lawsuit.

The line did not apply to Heenan, but he contends the Planned Parenthood guard forcefully shoved him to the ground after tackling him.
...
"In this case, a college-aged Catholic sidewalk counselor was attacked from behind and thrown to the ground on a public sidewalk for no other reason than seeking to offer his message of hope and help to women approaching the Planned Parenthood facility," Henderson explained.

Case Closed in Florida

Jeb Bush has decided not to push the case of the the 13 year old girl in Florida requesting an abortion any further (registration required).

I haven't spoken much about the Department of Families and Children, who were trying to force her to have a child because she is "too young to decide what she wants for herself."

She is too young to decide she doesn't want to have the baby, which I assume means they think she would also be too young to be able to raise a baby. To me, that means she was being forced into the baby-making trade.

But who is forcing her? Not the Judge, he granted her choice and ruled she was competent to make a decision:

Palm Beach Circuit Judge Ronald Alvarez, who only last week temporarily blocked the girl's decision to terminate her pregnancy, ruled late Monday that the teenager may obtain an abortion, said Maxine Williams, the girl's attorney at Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County. The girl is identified in court papers only as L.G.

''Judge Alvarez did issue an order saying she is competent,'' said Howard Simon, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which also represents the girl. ``She has made a decision. She has a right to exercise that decision. And, acting on her decision is in her best interests.''

The Department of Children and Families had decided to stall it in court, saying they were "looking out for the best interest of the child." In this case, "the child" must mean unborn fetus, since everyone else has ruled in favor of the girl.

The DFC refused the order to take the girl to the doctor, then filed a stay to delay the procedure once the judge ruled her lawyers could take her. If they continued to delay, the decision would have been made for everyone. This, by a group that lost contact with the same girl for a month while she was a runaway. Where was their "concern for the child" then?

Bitch PhD. says it best:

I read, at some point, a horrific sci-fi short story told from the pov of a man whose mother was being held in prison, chained to the wall, in order to force her to carry a baby to term (he himself had been, if memory serves, an unwanted pregnancy and she had been forced to bear him; if the story rings a bell for anyone, let me know and I'll post a link or at least the title of the thing). That's basically what's going on here, and Jeb Bush and the state of Florida have done it before. Last time was a mentally retarded rape victim. Nice, huh?

Ya gotta love this statement:

In a statement released at 8 p.m., the DCF's West Palm Beach spokeswoman, Marilyn Munoz, quoted from a state law: ''In no case shall the department consent to sterilization, abortion or termination of life support.'' Munoz added: ``The DCF has the custodial responsibility to do what is in the best interest of the child, as state law requires.''

Yes, the DCF damn well does have that custodial responsibility. And by jerking this girl around, they are snowing they do NOT have her best interests at stake. There is no way that forcing her to bear a child she does not want, at risk to her mental and physical health, is in her best interests.

I am glad this ordeal is over for the girl, and I am equally excited that Jeb Bush did not decide to try and make another political statement in this case. This is a girl with her whole life in front of her, and I hope the DFC decided that the "best interest of the child" in this case if to help her work through this event with counseling.

Wing-nutopia

Wing-nutopia (wing NEW topia) - The fantasy land that wingnuts inhabit in their heads; it obeys no known laws of cause and effect or logic. Example: in Wingnutopia it makes perfect sense that you can reduce the number of abortions by preventing access to birth control and not teaching sex-ed. Or: the God of Wingutopia is capable of designing the unbelievably complex laws of chemistry and physics, but evolution is completely beyond His capacity.

(via Smartie)

Made in the USA

(via Political Forecast, by way of 'yeti)

Riddle Me This

How does the Heritage Foundation have a Social Security Calculator that obviously knows what the President's Social Security overhaul plan is, yet no one else, including the President, knows what the plan consists of?

And while we are on the subject of things I don't get, why are all of the pretty babies on the Prolife Minnesota billboards always white?

Jottings

1) Doing a little Blogroll Spring Cleaning....

I've added a new section at the top called "Drinking Buddies" for any blogger who has turned up at Drinking Liberally since its launch. As others show, they may get added in or moved to the Drinking Buddies list. Am I basically just bribing bloggers to show and write about the group? I prefer the term "gentle persuasion".

I'm starting to implement an very small, very tight budgeted media plan for Drinking Liberally, and welcome suggestions.

2) Speaking of Drinking Liberally...

Tomorrow, despite all forms of utter chaos, I will be at Lyle's from 6-9 pm. Well, my husband Smartie will be there at 6 pm (will that ever stop making me giggle?), I will be there at 6:22, according to Metrotransit. Robert Fitzgerald, "i"ndependant candidate for U.S. Senate will be dropping by before hitting First Avenue (and how many senate candidates can say that?).

And yes, he knows he will possibly be heckled.

Not that I Needed Another Reason to Dislike Bachmann

But here it is...via DumpBachmann:

Phyllis Schlafly has been doing Bachmann fundraisers.

How do I despise Ms. Schlafly? Let me count the ways.

Oooh, here's 5!

"It's very healthy for a young girl to be deterred from promiscuity by fear of contracting a painful, incurable disease, or cervical cancer, or sterility, or the likelihood of giving birth to a dead, blind, or brain-damage [sic] baby even ten years later when she may be happily married."

"We are starting a movement in the state legislatures...to forbid the installation of clinics that dispense contraceptives. [Phyllis Schlafly, President, Eagle Forum"]


"Women have babies and men provide the support. If you don't like the way we're made you've got to take it up with God. [Phyllis Schlafly, who has had a successful business career and run for public office]"


"Sex education classes are like in-home sales parties for abortions."


"Many years ago Christian pioneers had to fight savage Indians. Today missionaries of these former cultures are being sent via the public schools to heathenize our children. [Phylis Schlafly's Eagle Forum]

"

Skivvies

Norwegianity asks: "Just out of curiosity, do any lefty bloggers even own a pair of pajamas?"

Not me. I blog nude.

I think that's why they gave me a more private cubicle.