The Democrat Thread

[NorthSideSox72]

*obligatory smug Obama response*

LOL, even in the worst characterization, one thing Obama is not is stupid, or uninformed of basic political information. He has plenty of other problems, but he shouldn't be in the same paragraph as O'Donnell.

 

[lostfan]

My biggest complaint about Obama is either that he over-analyzes and outmaneuvers himself or he is a p**** (depending on how I feel that day).

[Balta1701]

Seriously, she makes Sarah Palin look like wonkish.

Pennsylvania voters can't afford cap and trade legislation, says Sarah Palin. And that's why they need to send Republican John Raese to the Senate.

 

Except that John Raese is the Republican nominee in West Virginia.

 

Welcome to the latest Sarah Palin Twitter #fail.

I liked the timing on that.

[bigklita]

Watching that video makes me want to punch something. She doesn't understand the Constitution (establishment). She doesn't understand court decisions (ID is creationism). She doesn't understand evolution at all (JUST A THEORY!!!!). She's repeating creationist talking points from the 60's.

 

Wow! You picked out all three of the things that I was severely frustrated with as well. By the way StrangeSox, a couple of weeks ago I went to a lecture given by Ken Miller. I think it was you that suggested his books to me. It was awesome and now I have both of his books signed.

[Balta1701]

I thought about that remark for a while and in particular how NSS thought it was jaw-droppingly stupid, but I think there's another point here. The farthest right wing of the Republican Party, which I would consider the Tea Party, doesn't consider the concept of "Separation of church and state" to be something in the constitution. Their justification is that although there is the establishment clause, you could conceivably do all the Christian government things that they want to do without establishing an official religion if you were to interpret that clause a certain way. If you took that clause in the way they'd take it, you could have an official nationwide communion time at 3:00 every sunday, but as long as you didn't pass a law saying that everyone had to be Catholic, you'd still be ok because you hadn't actually violated the text saying you can't establish an official religion.

 

Obviously, I don't buy into that line of thinking, but my point is that while you may think that was an insane response by Christine, that is a perfectly normal response for a certain segment of the country...the farthest reaches of the activist religious right...which I would say overlaps perfectly with the Tea Party. They say these things all the time, they write books on these things, the media just doesn't cover it because when they do cover it, it makes them look foolish, and we can't have that done to such a mainstream movement. Hell, the Exalted leader endorsed exactly that opinion yesterday.

 

The difference here isn't that it's what she thinks or what she doesn't know...it's that she wasn't careful enough to cover up her language with code words like most of the candidates who appeal to that portion of the party.

[Balta1701]

WTF?

A few days ago, Brandeis University professor Anita Hill received a message on her voice mail at work.

 

“Good morning, Anita Hill, it's Ginny Thomas,” said the voice. “I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. OK, have a good day.”

 

Hill didn’t think the call was real.

 

“I initially thought it was a prank,” Hill told ABC News. “And if it was, I thought the authorities should know about it.”

 

She reported the call to campus police.

 

Mark Matthews of our affiliate KGO learned about this and reached out to Virginia Thomas.

 

Thomas e-mailed him, saying: “I did place a call to Ms. Hill at her office extending an olive branch to her after all these years, in hopes that we could ultimately get passed what happened so long ago. That offer still stands, I would be very happy to meet and talk with her if she would be willing to do the same. Certainly no offense was ever intended.”

 

Hill told ABC News: “Even if it wasn’t a prank, it was in no way conciliatory for her to begin with the presumption that I did something wrong in 1991. I simply testified to the truth of my experience. For her to say otherwise is not extending an olive branch, it’s accusatory.”

 

She continued: “I don’t apologize. I have no intention of apologizing, and I stand by my testimony in 1991.”

 

So, not only does the Thomas family think Ms. Hill has something to apologize for, they think it's appropriate to 2 decades later place a call in the wee hours of a Saturday morning to Ms. Hill to ask for an apology, and they consider that to be an olive branch. Wow.

[NorthSideSox72]

I thought about that remark for a while and in particular how NSS thought it was jaw-droppingly stupid, but I think there's another point here. The farthest right wing of the Republican Party, which I would consider the Tea Party, doesn't consider the concept of "Separation of church and state" to be something in the constitution. Their justification is that although there is the establishment clause, you could conceivably do all the Christian government things that they want to do without establishing an official religion if you were to interpret that clause a certain way. If you took that clause in the way they'd take it, you could have an official nationwide communion time at 3:00 every sunday, but as long as you didn't pass a law saying that everyone had to be Catholic, you'd still be ok because you hadn't actually violated the text saying you can't establish an official religion.

 

Obviously, I don't buy into that line of thinking, but my point is that while you may think that was an insane response by Christine, that is a perfectly normal response for a certain segment of the country...the farthest reaches of the activist religious right...which I would say overlaps perfectly with the Tea Party. They say these things all the time, they write books on these things, the media just doesn't cover it because when they do cover it, it makes them look foolish, and we can't have that done to such a mainstream movement. Hell, the Exalted leader endorsed exactly that opinion yesterday.

 

The difference here isn't that it's what she thinks or what she doesn't know...it's that she wasn't careful enough to cover up her language with code words like most of the candidates who appeal to that portion of the party.

Its ignorance, no matter how you want to color it.

 

[Balta1701]

Its ignorance, no matter how you want to color it.

Obviously you're going to get me to agree with that...but the key point I'm trying to make is...this opinion is pervasive on one side. It just never gets attention paid to it. We shouldn't be shocked that a "tea party" candidate holds views that line up with the people who put her on the ballot.

[southsider2k5]

Obviously you're going to get me to agree with that...but the key point I'm trying to make is...this opinion is pervasive on one side. It just never gets attention paid to it. We shouldn't be shocked that a "tea party" candidate holds views that line up with the people who put her on the ballot.

 

I think a better analogy is that the view of the direction of this country is so bad right now that even that sounds more palatable than what we have now. It is viewed as the lesser of the evils.

[Balta1701]

I think a better analogy is that the view of the direction of this country is so bad right now that even that sounds more palatable than what we have now. It is viewed as the lesser of the evils.

I don't think that's it either...because Christine isn't going to win, barring an epic meltdown on the other guy.

 

For a certain segment of the country, that is the case, because America has turned it's back on its Christian roots in their eyes. It's not what that says about the country as a whole...it's what that says about that part of the country, which I would call the Tea Party, and what it says about their promoters.

[NorthSideSox72]

I think a better analogy is that the view of the direction of this country is so bad right now that even that sounds more palatable than what we have now. It is viewed as the lesser of the evils.

You think the answer to fixing the country is choosing ignorance? Sorry, but that looks to me like a step backwards, no forwards.

 

[BigSqwert]

WTF?

 

Funny tweet I just read regarding this:

"Al Gore. Clarence Thomas here. While we're at it, thought you might want to apologize about the '00 election. Hope you're well."

[NorthSideSox72]

I don't think that's it either...because Christine isn't going to win, barring an epic meltdown on the other guy.

 

For a certain segment of the country, that is the case, because America has turned it's back on its Christian roots in their eyes. It's not what that says about the country as a whole...it's what that says about that part of the country, which I would call the Tea Party, and what it says about their promoters.

By the way, I want to re-post her last line in that bit:

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t bring my Constitution with me. Fortunately senators don’t have to memorize the Constitution.”

 

How could anyone vote for her with a straight face?

 

[BigSqwert]

Joe Miller's Alaskan security team is owned by a way-out-there Alaskan militia-man, and a local commander thereof, according to Palingates; and his security company's license had expired when its goons handcuffed a journalist daring to ask a question at a public forum.

 

via

[BigSqwert]

*shakes head*

 

Have you ever seen a half-monkey, half-person? No? Well neither has Glenn Beck, which is how he knows evolution doesn't exist.

 

On his radio show today, Beck wondered how many people in the country believe in evolution, and said he doesn't: "I don't think we came from monkeys. I think that's ridiculous. I haven't seen a half-monkey, half-person yet."

 

"If I get to the other side and God's like, 'You know what, yep, you were a monkey once,' I'll be shocked, but I'll be cool with it," he said.

 

"They have to make you care," Beck continued. "They have to force it down your throat. When anybody has to force it -- it's a problem. You didn't have to force that the world was round. Truth is truth."

 

Et tu Christopher Columbus?

 

via

[StrangeSox]

I don't want to live on this planet any more.

[Balta1701]

There are pretty much no words for how vile this mess has been.

The front-page newspaper story featured a list of Uganda's 100 "top" homosexuals, with a bright yellow banner across it that read: "Hang Them." Alongside their photos were the men's names and addresses.

 

In the days since it was published, at least four gay Ugandans on the list have been attacked and many others are in hiding, according to rights activist Julian Onziema. One person named in the story had stones thrown at his house by neighbors.

 

A lawmaker in this conservative African country introduced a bill a year ago that would have imposed the death penalty for some homosexual acts and life in prison for others. An international uproar ensued, and the bill was quietly shelved.

 

But gays in Uganda say they have faced a year of harassment and attacks since the bill's introduction.

 

The legislation was drawn up following a visit by leaders of U.S. conservative Christian ministries that promote therapy they say allows gays to become heterosexual.

 

"Before the introduction of the bill in parliament most people did not mind about our activities. But since then, we are harassed by many people who hate homosexuality," said Patrick Ndede, 27. "The publicity the bill got made many people come to know about us and they started mistreating us."

 

More than 20 homosexuals have been attacked over the last year in Uganda, and an additional 17 have been arrested and are in prison, said Frank Mugisha, the chairman of Sexual Minorities Uganda. Those numbers are up from the same period two years ago, when about 10 homosexuals were attacked, he said.

Here's some background reading if this interests you.

[BigSqwert]

There are pretty much no words for how vile this mess has been.

Thank goodness for karma.

[Soxy]

*shakes head*

 

 

 

via

 

And this ladies and gentlemen is why we NEED to teach evolution. Because clearly no one understands what the f*** it is.

[Soxy]

There are pretty much no words for how vile this mess has been.

Here's some background reading if this interests you.

 

Ugh, that was f***ing grim. There are days were I want to turn in my membership to the human race. Become an honorary rhesus monkey or something.

 

I believe Uganda is also the country that turns down aid from the Episcopal Church USA because of the gay issue--and a lot of the very conservative episcopal churches are flocking to for leadership. At least the American "religious" leaders that sparked the worst of this fatwa/jihad/crusade/whatever are a little contrite. Just shows the continued problem of religious/cultural imperialism and going in and saying s*** like that when you don't know a damn thing about the culture. They make me absolutely sick.

[Balta1701]

Ugh, that was f***ing grim. There are days were I want to turn in my membership to the human race. Become an honorary rhesus monkey or something.

Impossible. I haven't seen no half woman, half monkey running around anywhere.

[BigSqwert]

Impossible. I haven't seen no half woman, half monkey running around anywhere.

[Balta1701]

reading that again, I should have put "nowhere" as the last word to get the triple negative.

 

Such a wasted opportunity.

[BigSqwert]

A group trying to register voters in Houston received threats and emails containing racist slurs after being targeted by a local tea party group accusing it of "voter fraud."

 

Here's a sample email they received:

 

"You liberial scumbags should be hung by the neck in public ! We are on to your voter fraud. Keep it up you MOTHER f***ERS and you will soon be put down for a long dirt nap! Your nothing but a bunch of white guilt ridden assholes, N*****S and greasy mexican spics! The WAR is comming and we are going to dispose of each and every one of you while we take OUR (White) nation back."

 

via

[lostfan]

WTF?

 

 

So, not only does the Thomas family think Ms. Hill has something to apologize for, they think it's appropriate to 2 decades later place a call in the wee hours of a Saturday morning to Ms. Hill to ask for an apology, and they consider that to be an olive branch. Wow.

"I'm not trying to say you're a lying whore. But I would like you to explain why you're such a lying whore because I am delusionally stuck on 20 years ago"

 

Funny tweet I just read regarding this: