Right Wing Review: 8/28 - 9/3, 2011

It's easy enough to poke fun at the certified nuts and extremists featured in this week's review, and to treat them with well deserved sarcasm, which I most certainly do. If only I could forget the article I wrote not too long ago about the 14 characteristics of fascism, maybe I would have less cause for concern, less reason to be afraid or so damn angry. None of the stupidity, hate and racism found here is the least bit funny. Taken as a whole, it is truly frightening and more than a bit overwhelming.


All God's Children

Comparing atheists to "convicted sex offenders, ex-convicts, terrorist cells, hate groups like the KKK. skinheads, radical Islamists, etc.," Florida pastor Michael Stahl wants an organization and website that would keep track of known atheists. This heavenly site would list all atheists by city and state, and include photos of the criminals and their personal information such as place of business. The good pastor seems to be missing a congregation but no doubt he would welcome visitors here.

Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association is about to go into a major rupture over that sinister New York City mayor's decision not to invite religious leaders of any ilk to participate in the 9/11 ceremonies. Obviously, Bloomberg is "playing favorites, and his favoritism is heavily stacked toward Muslims." Obviously, public prayers should "be reserved for Christians and Jews." Obviously, the Founding Fathers would have wanted it that way.

The leader of a "Christian environmental think tank" Dr. E. Calvin Beisner says, "protests outside the White House by members of the 'religious left' over a proposed oil pipeline from Canada to Texas are just a publicity stunt." ". . . the Bible tells them that they're supposed to obey the governing authorities unless those governing authorities either require them to do what God forbids or forbids them to do what God requires -- and that has not happened. So they are actually disobeying scripture by doing this."

The sickest and most bizarre "Christian" site I've ever seen offers to purchase your children.
(UPDATE: I've been informed that this is satire. Hell, you could have fooled me. I guess I wouldn't be surprised at anything some fundies would do.)


Capitol Hill Circus

To help his fellow Republicans block President Obama from making any appointments while Congress is in recess, last Tuesday Freshman Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) had the dubious distinction of playing House speaker pro tempore -- an awesome task that bears much responsibility. During this brief four or five minute session Denham read the Pledge of Allegiance, someone said a prayer, and then he was off and running to the races. Er, the ballgame -- in California where he was scheduled to throw out the first pitch at a Modesto Nuts game. Nuts?

Apparently not happy with just slashing hell out of funding to vital programs in the U.S., Republicans have introduced legislation "that seeks to force major changes in the United Nations, using as leverage the threat to withhold some of the U.S.'s 22 percent contribution to the world body's operating budget." The bill was sponsored by Wonder Woman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which is on a par with NC's Virginia Foxx heading a subcommittee on education.


Crazy Candidates


In a rare moment of right wing hypocrisy, Rick Santorum says criticism of his views on homosexuality is an "act of bigotry."

That unlovable old curmudgeon Ron Paul says "95 percent of black men are criminals."

The always delusional Allen West proclaims he's the "modern-day Harriet Tubman," and says he's the one that will get the nation's African-Americans off the "21st century plantation." They just have to follow his footsteps and join the Tea Party -- that political movement which wants to take the country back to a bygone era of a slave in every home.

In yet another delusional moment, West thinks the Congressional Black Caucus is going to beg this dandy not to leave the caucus as he threatened to do after Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) remarked that Tea Party members in Congress would "love to see you and me hanging on a tree." Carson has it; West doesn't.


Potpourri of a Smelly Kind

Good grief, there must be something in Florida's drinking water besides salt. Freshman Tea Party Rep. Steve Southerland "hates his new job." The poor fellow said "his $174,000 salary is not so much, considering the hours a member of the House puts in, and that he had to sever ties with his family business in Panama City." The median income in his district is $34,718. There's more to this heart-breaking tale.

There are those in the know and then there are those who don't have a clue. Freshwoman Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY), who voted to repeal the health care law, was puzzled when a couple of those pesty constituents asked about her health benefits at a town hall meeting. At first she couldn't understand why folks were so interested in "her' health care -- "taxpayers don't pay any of it." She corrected herself after staff members handed her a note. Maybe this explains why she gets an 80 percent rating from the Heritage Foundation.

To his credit the honorable Joe Walsh (R-Ill), who allegedly owes over $100,000 in child support, had a racist slip of the tongue in an MSNBC interview when he implied that Obama was elected only because he's black. "I think that we elected the president for who he was, a historic figure and made the country feel good to elect him. . . " Of course, "the president is bankrupting the country and destroying jobs creation. . ." And of course, "it is purely political for him to call a Joint Session of Congress to announce some jobs plan." And of course, Walsh has no intentions of attending -- speaking of being "purely political."

Frank Gaffney believes we need a new House Un-American Activities Committee kind of thingy -- you know, like the one we had during the McCarthy era. Only this new committee would be an Anti-American Committee for Islam. The new House Anti-American Activities Committee would look into American-Muslims and "those who support them or don't do enough to stymie what Gaffney considers their pernicious influence."


The State Asylum

Michigan Republicans cut welfare and twist the Bible. They "passed a 48-month lifetime limit on welfare benefits expected to cast more than 11,000 families off the welfare rolls on Oct. 1 -- including more than 29,7000 children." Read the article to learn what the Bible says -- or doesn't say -- depending on who's saying it.

Michigan Republican Sen. Phil Pavlov wants to privatize public school teachers, allowing the school districts "to hire teachers through private, for-profit companies." Privatizing the hiring process would presumably allow the districts to bypass compensation packages "sought by teachers unions and let private companies compete for contracts with districts."

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley rejects millions of federal dollars to help state create a health care exchange.

VOTER SUPPRESSION 

Maine GOP chairman Charlie Webster says if students want to vote, they should pay taxes, and accuses them of voter fraud. A lively article that is scary as hell.


Right wing idiot and fear mongering columnist Matthew Vadum writes that registering the poor to vote is un-American and like "handing out burglary tools to criminals." "It is profoundly antisocial and un-American to empower the non productive segments of the population to destroy the country. . ." (Emphasis mine and oh how I'd love to bitch slap this sick sub-human.)


Women's Issues


The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that S.D. can require doctors to tell women seeking abortions that "they have an 'existing relationship' with their fetus that is protected by law and that they can't be forced to undergo the procedure. . ."

Women who hate women. Penny Nance, writing on Concerned Women for America, blasts President Obama, Kathleen Sibelius and the Department of Health and Human Services for the decision requiring insurance companies to cover birth control and breast pumps with no co-pays. Very sick. Supremely twisted.

Take a Bow

A Tennessee Court rules that Muslims have a right to build houses of worship in this country. It's called religious freedom, nitwits.

Former Republican senator Chuck Hagel says his party has "an astounding lack of responsible leadership."

NJ Governor Chris Christie angrily tells Congress not to delay federal disaster aid to Hurricane Irene victims over Federal spending cuts. "Our people are suffering now and they need support now."

Bi-partisan condemnation was swift in Arizona this past week. All it took was the GOP to announce that they were going to raffle off a Glock similar to the one used to shoot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head.