Two U.S. Citizens Have Been Charged With Starting Arizona Wildfire John McCain and FOX PAC Claimed Was Started By Illegals?

According to Reuters two cousins who allegedly left a campfire unattended have been charged with starting Arizona’s largest ever wildfire that torched more than 800 square miles of wilderness prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Caleb Joshua Malboeuf, 26, and David Wayne Malboeuf, 24, were charged with starting the so-called Wallow Fire on May 29, in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a news release. The Malboeufs are United States citizens.

But wait just a minute, revered Republican Tea Party (GOTP) Senator John McCain – backed up by the “fair and balanced” folks of FOX PAC – claimed over-and-over the fire was started by illegal immigrants hiding out in the Arizona wilderness.

The Malboeuf cousins, both from southern Arizona, have been charged on five counts including causing timber to burn, leaving a fire unattended and unextinguished and building a campfire without removing all surrounding flammable material.

During June as several wildfires raged in the Mexico border state, McCain claimed there was “substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally.”

McCain really needs to keep his pie hole shut on just about all things, and he really needs to think about retiring before he embarrasses himself beyond recovery – if that hasn’t already happened.

But McCain wasn’t alone in his claims as multiple FOX PAC personalities also made the same claim. Of course anytime anything happens you can bet FOX PAC will blame one of three parties, illegal aliens, Muslims or President Obama – we’re still waiting to see who gets the blame for Hurricane Irene.

FOX is not a news agency, it’s the propaganda wing for the GOTP and everyone knows it even if conservatives and viewers of FOX PAC won’t admit it. Clearly the reporting on FOX is becoming more-and-more inflammatory, biased and anything but fair and balanced.

 

GOTP Congressman stops short of ‘shooting’ illegal immigrants?

Where does the Republican/Tea (GOTP) Party find these people? Seriously, a United States Congressman, Mo Brooks from Alabama, actually said “As your congressman on the House floor, I will do anything short of shooting them. Anything that is lawful, it needs to be done because illegal aliens need to quit taking jobs from American citizens”?

You’re killing me Smalls!

Brooks made his incredible statement during an interview on WHNT, an Alabama TV station on 29 June 11.

During the interview Brooks went on to say, “They (illegal aliens) have no right to be here. They are clogging up our emergency rooms, and making our education system more expensive. If you go to the Madison County Jail, there are far too many illegal aliens there because they have victimized Americans.”

So, once again a GOTP politician has decided to blame his state’s ills on illegal aliens; according to Brooks, illegals are responsible for problems in health care, and education and are roaming around victimizing “real” Americans; thus he feels his violent rhetoric is acceptable. When American politicians begin to use one group of people – easily identified by race – as the cause of all ills they take steps down the same road a political party took in Germany in the early 1930s.

They are advocating people be arrested if they can’t prove their citizenship – show me your papers.

They are advocating “anything short of shooting them” meaning beating them is OK? Stabbing is OK? Lynching is OK? Anything short of shooting is an awfully big anything.

Congressman Brooks was wrong to say what he did, and his ignorance is showing. Maybe folks in Alabama think this is OK, or at least the folks in Brook’s District might, but someone, somewhere in the GOTP needs to stand up and say “enough is enough”. Someone in that party needs to grow up, be the adult and reclaim it from the lunatics on the fringe.

 

McCain puzzled?

Former Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential candidate Senator John McCain, AZ, says he’s “puzzled” with all the controversy surrounding remarks he made suggesting illegal immigrants were responsible for some of the massive wildfire in eastern Arizona.

Wow, really? You’re puzzled? Tell us something we didn’t know. We’ve still puzzled over your choice of Sarah Palin as your running mate.

When McCain later appeared on NBC’s “Today” show he tried to explain that all he was doing was repeating information he’d been given by federal officials earlier that day at a briefing.

McCain said, “We all know that people who come across our border illegally … that these fires are sometimes, some of them, caused by this.” He said “I’m puzzled … that there should be any controversy.”

McCain earlier had said that illegal immigrants “have set fires because they wanted to signal others … and they have set fires because they wanted to divert law enforcement agents.”

And after making these statements he’s confused at the reaction of the public? This is one of two things; first, the Senator’s ignorant of the mood of the country, and more particularly his home state regarding illegal immigrants; or second, this was a typical far right conservative racial stereo-type in an attempt to blame another group for the country’s troubles.

So far “illegal” aliens are responsible for kidnappings, beheadings, prostitution, gun running, an increase of criminal activities, destroying the economy, tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes in the Atlantic and now starting forest fires.

When you start to blame one particular racial minority you’re setting the stage for public reaction – both violent and non-violent – against that group. You begin to pass laws against that particular group, and you begin to not only prosecute them, but to persecute as well. That’s why people were upset about your comments Senator. It appears you’re comments might have been made to further enrage, and possibly even to insight conservatives; and they were wrong.

If you’re truly “puzzled” about them, then perhaps it’s time for you to retire Senator. You’re either out of touch, or you’re deliberately making racially charged statements in order to score cheap political points.

 

Utah immigration law blocked?

A federal judge has blocked a Utah immigration law that would have allowed police to check the citizenship status of anyone they arrested, citing its similarities to controversial parts of the immigration law recently passed in Arizona and no doubt soon to be before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The National Immigration Law Center along with the American Civil Liberties Union led the suit to stop House Bill 497, saying it could lead to racial profiling. The civil rights groups submitted hundreds of pages of evidence and affidavits to prove their claims. U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups agreed, at least in part, issuing his ruling in Salt Lake City, saying there was sufficient evidence for him to believe that parts of the Utah legislation would be found unconstitutional.

If it stands, the Utah law requires police to check the citizenship status of anyone arrested on suspicion of a felony or class-A misdemeanor, while giving officers the discretion to check the citizenship of anyone stopped for traffic infractions any other lesser offenses.

So, just like the Arizona law, any police officer, sheriff’s deputy or state trooper can demand anyone they stop provide proof of American citizenship. Of all the people in the United States, those living in Utah should understand what it means when Constitutional liberties are ignored and the state can treat everyone as criminals with no more justification than a policeman’s whim.

How soon they forget, these descendants of pioneers driven from their homes by similar feelings of prejudice and injustice; how soon indeed. Many claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, but they forget the Master’s teachings, and instead persecute the poor and the needy because they do not want to share the material wealth, or liberties, with which he has blessed them.

“Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

“And the King shall answer, … Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

 

President mocks GOTP immigration stand

A few weeks ago, while visiting El Paso, TX, President Obama countered Republican Tea Party (GOTP) calls to focus on border security saying their demands had been more than met by his administration but “they’ll never be satisfied.”

On his first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border since becoming president, Obama boasted of increasing border patrol agents, nearing completion of a border fence, and screening more cargo.

“We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement,” Obama said. “But even though we’ve answered these concerns, I gotta say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time.”

“Maybe they’ll need a moat,” he said mockingly to laughter from the crowd. “Maybe they’ll want alligators in the moat.”

“The question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the work we’ve started,” he said.

But of course the GOTP immediately disputed the President’s contention, “The president’s off talking about comprehensive reform. We’ve been down that road before,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, GOTP -Va., told reporters. “I believe, in turn, we should do things that actually produce some progress and results.”

Rather than continue to make deals with conservatives who believe they have some kind of mandate – and to try to talk to some GOTP members of Congress who once supported a comprehensive overhaul have turned against it – The President has taken his argument directly to the country.

“I am asking you to add your voices to this,” President Obama said in El Paso. “We need Washington to know that there is a movement for reform gathering strength from coast to coast. That’s how we’ll get this done.”

He said what was at stake was nothing less than the basic American idea: “You make it here if you try.”

The far-right conservatives of the GOTP don’t care what this President will ever offer up on any subject. They will oppose whatever this President puts forward. So, the President has done the only thing he can, he’s taken his arguments to the people. But, to the GOTP immigration is just one of the many topics they’ve decided is a watershed topic to exploit rather than to fix. They’ve decided that legislation such as the Arizona “show me your papers” law is the way to go. They’ve no desire to help the reportedly 11 million illegal immigrants already here to ever have a chance at becoming a citizen. Apparently for the far-right, only their “kind of people” have a right to live here. You know – the far-right conservative, white, Christian kind.

 

Fox & Friends Distorts the President’s Record On Border Security?

According to the stellar reporting at Fox & Friends, the Huns – or somebody – is threatening at the border, and President Obama is not taking the situation very “seriously”, and it won’t be long before we’re all eating Mexican food for breakfast and that dogs and cats are living together (can’t use that line too much).

In a recent early morning gabfest, the shows happy trio repeatedly suggested that because of a joke the President made during a recent speech about immigration, he is not taking border security “seriously”. But of course what the intellectual triumvirate at Fox & Friends completely ignored were the facts deportations of illegal immigrants have increased under President Obama, and the number of border patrol agents and funding for border security projects have also increased.

But the issue here is that facts don’t matter to conservatives, it’s all about feelings. The fact the number of border guards has increased, or that the number of deportations had increased, or that there is more fence now doesn’t matter. If Steve Doocy says it isn’t so, well, then, it isn’t so.

During his 10 May speech in El Paso, Texas, about immigration reform, President Obama said, “So here’s the point.  I want everybody to listen carefully to this.  We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement.  All the stuff they asked for, we’ve done.  But even though we’ve answered these concerns, I’ve got to say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time.

“You know, they said we needed to triple the Border Patrol.  Or now they’re going to say we need to quadruple the Border Patrol.  Or they’ll want a higher fence.  Maybe they’ll need a moat.  (Laughter.)  Maybe they want alligators in the moat.  (Laughter.)  They’ll never be satisfied.  And I understand that.  That’s politics.”

That’s exactly right Mr. President. It doesn’t matter what you do, because the right-wing crazies at FOX, and their viewers, are never going to say it’s enough. Case in point was just this last few weeks, the President gets Bin Laden, but the right-wingers all want to claim it was because of George Bush, or it was because of torture, or because Dick Cheney shot a friend in the face while duck hunting …

What was Doocy’s reaction to the President’s joke?

“Just days after a dozen people were massacred near the United States- Mexican border, the president made fun of the fence,” the Doocy said. “Can he keep us safe without securing the border?”

Of course what Steve failed to tell his viewers was he was referring to a raid at Falcon Lake, on the border between Texas and Mexico, conducted by Mexican officials in which – reportedly – one Mexican Marine and 12 suspected drug cartel members were killed.

So, Doocy spins the attack on a Cartel, and the killing of 12 suspected cartel members, “a massacre” on the border? Were there beheadings there too Steve? You know, like Arizona Governor Jan Brewer claims are going on all the time? This is the kind of far right-wing spin that passes for news at FOX PAC.

Not to be out done however, a few moments later, co-host Gretchen Carlson – the brains of the outfit – interviewed Rep. Ted Poe (GOTP-TX). During the “interview”, Carlson repeatedly invited Poe to criticize the Obama administration’s record on border security and like the top notch FOX PAC journalist she is did not push back against Poe’s suggestion the President has made the U.S.-Mexican border less secure.

“So in that little clip that we just played [from Obama's May 10 speech], the president said that you guys got all the stuff that you asked for. Is that true?” Gretchen asked.

To which the man from Texas replied, “No, that’s completely not true. I have asked the president to put more National Guard troops on the board — 10,000 National Guard troops. That hasn’t happened. So the president is misinformed when he says that he is — we have — he has done everything we’ve asked him to do. The border is not secure. His own agency — inspector general says that only 44 percent of the border is secure. That means 56 percent of the border is controlled by somebody else. And that’s not Mexico, and that’s not the United States. So, I’ve been to the border numerous times, been to Arizona. And the president is incorrect when he tries to mislead the American public, especially people who aren’t on the border, that the border is secure. It is not.”

And because her role on the show is to be the pretty dumb blonde, and not to in any way be a journalist, Gretchen sets the ball up for Poe to spike at the net, “See, here’s what I don’t understand, congressman, because it would seem to me that most Americans would be in favor of securing our border. Just that fact alone. Then it gets dicey. I mean, then it gets dicey — what do you do with all the people who are already here? What do you do with the rest of the family members who still want to come? But am I missing something here? I don’t really understand who’s against securing the border?”

“There are different political entities who actually believe in open borders,” the Congressman replied. “We want people to come here the right way. If you can’t come here legally, don’t come. And that includes everybody. And we have to make sure that we secure that southern border, especially. Third World countries secure their borders better than we do. We protect the borders of other nations, Afghanistan, Iraq, but we don’t protect ours. It is — it is just a song and dance to try mislead folks that the border is secure. The border patrol does as best job as they can, but they need more reinforcements. Everybody knows that drug cartels cross back and forth into the United States every day. They bring people, they bring drugs. And it’s very disheartening to find Americans throughout the country who don’t live there that don’t want the borders secure.”

Later during the show, Carlson teased an upcoming segment by playing the Doocy massacre card, including a short clip of the President’s joke, “Days after a massacre on the Mexican border, President Obama made fun, then, of the fence.

Video clip of the President, “Maybe they’ll need a moat, maybe they’ll want alligators in the moat. They’ll never be satisfied.”

“He was talking about Republicans,” Gretchen said. “So will Republicans get the last laugh? Well, Karl Rove is here next to let us know his thoughts.”

Yes, when FOX PAC wants to talk about criminals in our country, who better than a criminal to comment, and so they bring on Karl Rove. But can you see how distorted FOX plays things up? Twelve members of a cartel are killed by Mexican Marines, and it’s very nearly played as a massacre at a Church picnic by the cartel.

Now, what about the claims FOX & FRIENDS is trying to implant into the mushy grey matter of its dedicated fans?

PolitiFact has rated as “true” President Obama’s statement that “the Border Patrol has 20,000 agents — more than twice as many as there were in 2004.”

PolitiFact stated, “In a speech on immigration reform in El Paso, Texas, President Barack Obama boasted about an unprecedented number of border security agents along the U.S. border with Mexico, but he said critics probably still won’t be satisfied.

‘Under Secretary Napolitano’s leadership, we have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible,” Obama said in his May 10, 2011, speech. “They wanted more agents on the border. Well, we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history. The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents — more than twice as many as there were in 2004, a buildup that began under President Bush and that we have continued.’

“In March 2011, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report, ‘Border Security: DHS Progress and Challenges in Securing the U.S. Southwest and Northern Borders,’ in conjunction with testimony from GAO Director Richard Stana.

“The report confirmed that personnel and other resources to stop illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border have increased dramatically in recent years. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was created, reorganizing several federal agencies under a single roof. That year, the agency had 10,500 agents to patrol land borders.  That number now stands at nearly 21,000.

“In other words, manpower has roughly doubled since 2004, as Obama said in his speech in El Paso. Again, that trend began under President Bush, whom Obama credited, but it continued under Obama. We rate Obama’s statement True.”

A 23 June 2010, Associated Press article noted: “You wouldn’t know it from the public debate, but the U.S.-Mexico border is more fortified now than it was even five years ago. Far more agents patrol it, more fences, barriers and technology protect it and taxpayers are spending billions more to reinforce it.”

Based on Department of Homeland Security data, The Arizona Republic created the following chart showing the increase in border patrol agents since 2001.

According to  13 August 2010 Reuters article, President Obama signed a $600 million border security bill to “fund some 1,500 new border patrol agents, customs inspectors and other law enforcement officials along the border, as well as two more unmanned aerial ‘drones’ to monitor border activities.”

According to data reported by USA Today in February of this year, “[w]eapons seizures rose 28% and illicit-currency seizures were up 35% in fiscal 2009 and 2010.”

According to 14 February 2011 data from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), nearly 100,000 more people were deported by ICE in both 2009 and 2010 than in 2007.

As is often said, “You’re entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to your own set of facts”. FOX PAC – and particularly the folks at FOX & FRIENDS – just doesn’t seem to care. Why mess with facts? They just get in the way. “You’re watching FOX PAC, we report what we think, you decide”. But when a so-called “news” organization deals more with opinion than journalism the line becomes so blurred its viewers can’t tell the difference. Hence you end up with a number of people dissatisfied with the President’s job approval matching the percentage of daily viewers to FOX. When the only news you ever watch isn’t news, what exactly are you basing your opinion on? That’s right, you’re basing it on what FOX thinks it should be, and that’s not called news, its called propaganda.

Truth – as in facts – is the border is far safer now than it was under BUSH & FRIENDS, and the conservatives can’t take it! They can’t take it that a progressive President got Bin Laden, and they can’t take it that a progressive President is making the borders safer either.

(thank you Media Matters for the facts shown here today)

 

Arpaio Misspent $99 million dollars?

A six month investigation into the Maricopa County sheriff’s office has discovered that Sheriff Joe Arpaio has inappropriately spent $99.5 million from two jail funds over the last eight years to pay for other law enforcement operations—including immigration patrols.

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox has told the Washington Post, USA Today and the Phoenix New Times blog, “This is really a disaster for the county … Taxpayers are looking at us and saying, ‘How in the hell did it happen?’…For eight years, [Arpaio has] been signing paperwork that says the budget is balanced, but it’s not.”

The investigation began, after budget officials and members of the county Board of Supervisors suspected that “America’s Toughest Sheriff” was using jail tax money to fund pet projects, such as rounding up undocumented immigrants at places like the Burlington Coat Factory and Pei Wei restaurants, or following county supervisors and judges around in failed public-corruption stings.

The budget paper was quoted in USA Today, “Discrepancies existed for years between sheriff’s employees’ actual duties and the duties reported in county payroll records. As sheriff’s employees were transferred around the agency, the payroll records were not always updated, creating a massive financial problem that will have to be confronted in coming years.”

OK everyone, can you say, “Cover up”?

Interim Chief Deputy Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said there was nothing criminal about the misplaced funds, which he blamed on an outdated payroll system that failed to track when jail duty officers were transferred to regular patrol.

Yeah, right, just a small clerical error; just a small $99 million dollar error; just how stupid do you think people are? Well, wait a tick, that’s not exactly a fair question, after all almost all of your most ardent supporters spend their days listening to Rush, Hannity, et al, and watching FOX PAC the rest of the day. But, how stupid do you think everyone else is?

It’s clear Arpaio manipulated funds to pay for numerous highly questionable operations against immigrants and anyone who opposed him. Yes, the noble sheriff of Maricopa County has used public monies to fund private little witch hunts against county and state officials who questioned his tactics. Where have we seen a person in power going after anyone who questioned him? Well, besides in any number of Steven Seagal movies? Nazi Germany? Soviet Russia? Sarah Palin’s Alaska?

Arpaio is punk thug, and a bully. He’s not the ideal law man. He’s as crooked as a $3 dollar bill. He’s not a hero, he’s a corrupt little fascist and it’s time for him to step down and turn over the keys to his private little Bastille. But please little Tea Party folk, don’t cry for your hero, he’ll be just fine, I hear Hollywood might be thinking about another Duke’s of Hazard movie – he’d make a perfect Boss Hog.

 

GOTP presidential hopefuls hammer health care, have nothing new to offer? Nope not one new idea, just more of the same old tripe they’re always scooping out …

And so, it’s 20 some odd months until Election Day 2012 and a very small group of potentially high-profile Grand Old Tea Party (or the group formerly known as Republican) candidates show up like the early spring honey bee hoping to impress the equally small hundred or so conservative activists Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa that most Americans (that would be GOTP, Independent and the very small smattering of Democratic voters) agree with their particularly odd variation of “values”, and opposition to all and everything President Obama represents, but mostly his socialistic health care overhaul; and that all of this could somehow magically help the GOTP make historic gains in 2012.

One of the most incredible long shots in political history, except for possibly with this year’s gathering of right-wing odd balls and fruit cakes is Michigan Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who not surprisingly is a huge a tea party favorite, and who – also not surprisingly – got the noisiest reception when she told the “huge” hundred plus crowd gathered that voters are ready to overturn the federal health care law and oust President Barack Obama during next year’s election.

“The ultimate arrogance, in my opinion, is Obama-care,” Bachman said. “That’s why I am so absolutely confident in 2012. Americans have made the decision that we’re going to take our country back.”

Ah yes, the perennial GOTP favorite line, “we’re going to take our country back.” But to where do you want to take it, and for whom Congresswoman? Are we going back to 2008? Back to those happy carefree days of Bush/Cheney when habeas corpus was suspended on a whim if your name had Mohamed in it, or before our military was free from Gays and Lesbos? Or back to the pre-Camelot days before all those pesky Black people dared to eat at the same lunch counter?

Of course the Newt was there, and the deep south’s Haley Barbour and even former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain spoke to add a splash color to the Midwest white bread event as the token conservative African-American, since Justice Clarence Thomas was unable to attend due not being sure how to bill the gathering and still at least try to appear impartial on the bench.

But why Iowa you ask? Is it because it’s a field of dreams, and hopefully Newt, Barbour and company will all walk into the corn and finally fade away? Or is it simply because event organizer, Iowa Congressman Steve King, believes that his home state, the state where the nation’s first presidential caucus will take place, is the proper venue to help conservatives shape the debate as members of the GOTP begin looking for a candidate to run against Obama.

“We need to take this nation to the next level of its destiny,” King told the crowd. “You can shape that destiny.”

Of course with Bachman, Newt and Barbour that “next level of its destiny” can only mean backwards or farther off the cliff of economic collapse started during the last administration.

While Iowa is the traditional launch pad for the presidential nominating season, when one sees the sharply conservative rhetoric from Saturday’s little rally, allegedly reflecting an Iowa GOTP that’s drifted not just to the right, but to the far right, coupled with some polling data from last year showing more than 60 percent of GOTP caucus-goers there are identifying themselves as not only Christians but evangelicals, you have the makings of a gold old fashioned revival meeting, the type where Mormons – such as Mitt Romney – need not apply; of course it’s also then going to be an evangelical crowd that’s going to have a hard time getting its arms around a two time adulterer, or a deep south nominee, which leaves the nomination wide open for Huckleberry, Bachman and Palin. How wonderful.

Interestingly enough Newt insisted that most Americans agree with his conservative values, with the Newtster actually saying the 2012 election would provide a chance to end the “domination of the left and move this country back to the center-right.”

That would be the center right where family values stands for cheating on not just one but two spouses, marrying each mistress in turn and then claiming you couldn’t control your hormones because of your deep seated love of country?

Haley said the GOTP can win next year if their candidates stay focused on key issues — health care and balancing the federal budget — without getting distracted by arguments about personality. Of course by balancing the budget he means zeroing out any progressive programs, while continuing to cut taxes to the top 2% of the nation’s population and allowing defense spending to maintain its unabashed feeding frenzy.

“What is important to us is to have a new president,” Barbour said. “This election needs to be about policy.”

That’s right. It’s all about the policy of taking our country back to a time when uppity folks like foreign born blacks knew their place, isn’t that right Governor? It’s about an America where homos and lesbians weren’t allowed in polite society, and it’s about the America where the term foreign policy meant telling our allies to shut up, sit down and do what we told them to do.

During the “event”, the speakers all focused on criticizing President Obama and the Democratic Party, and the Newter even took the time to say how he “helped balance a budget for four straight years” while House speaker. That of course was due more largely to the efforts to his fellow philanderer President Clinton, than for anything he himself managed to do, between his own affairs while impeaching the President for his infidelity.

But of course, Newty also took the opportunity to attack – yet again – President Obama’s handling of the air strikes in Libya. He ridiculed Obama for consulting the Arab League and the United Nations, but not Congress, before getting involved. The Newt said he wouldn’t have approved the air strikes, even though he pushed for air strikes and a no-fly zone just a week or two before the President implemented that very policy, but said Newt, “once you get involved, you put on the pressure and you win quickly.” As compared to becoming bogged down in not one but two wars with absolutely any exit policy, clear cut goals or objectives.

Cain, who decided to be the one speaker not talking about the federal health care law, said the conservative movement is gaining strength and will help the GOTP “take back the government”.

He does understand that the GOTP’s version of “taking back” the government would mean he’d be serving them the pizza, and driving Miss Daisy around town, doesn’t he? Taking the country back doesn’t mean equality for Blacks, Hispanics, Gays or Lesbians. It’s taking the country back to the happier times of Herbert Hoover before Labor Unions and desegregated class rooms.

Seeming to be oblivious to all of this, and believing the fact that since he’s a wealthy black man meant he shared in the GOTP dream, he said the U.S. has “an entitlement spending crisis” that must be reformed in order to solve the nation’s financial woes. Being the GOTP code for throwing the poor and the elderly out on the street where they belong. Cutting social security benefits to the disabled, cutting WIC and women’s pre-natal and health care, slashing college loan programs to the poor and zeroing public broadcasting, and arts programs.

“We don’t like the radical socialist agenda that is being shoved down our throats,” he said.

And what he wanted to say is we don’t like the idea that the poor can have free health care, and have their standard of living increased, and that we have a minimum wage and child labor laws and the like, and that he could’ve made much higher profits if only he could’ve paid lower salaries or could’ve had five and six your olds slaving away in his pizza kitchens.

Meanwhile, Bach on the farm, the Congresswoman from Michigan steered things back onto the effort to repeal the health care reform law and said that American’s bad feelings for the law had created a strong tide of support for the GOTP positioning itself for next year’s election.

“It’s never gone below a majority of Americans who want to see Obama-care repealed,” Bachmann said. “This is, I believe, the greatest power grab that I have ever seen.”

Really, “it’s never gone below a majority of Americans who want to see Obama-care repealed”? While that might be true of any Rasmussen poll, in the world outside of the FOC PAC bubble the clear majority doesn’t want it repealed, and is happy with the law. And are you really serious when you claim this is the greatest power grab you’ve ever seen Congresswoman? So, one can only assume you either haven’t paid any attention to the whole political coup thing in Wisconsin? Or, you wholeheartedly agree with it?

Bachman exhorted the hundred or so listeners that the stakes in next year’s election are enormous, and that “what we are going to determine together, here in Iowa, is quite frankly whether we will pass the American Dream on to the next generation.”

Of course that’s the American dream of white, Anglo-Saxon, Christian evangelicals. Not the one that includes people of color – except to clean the house, repair the roof, pick the vegetables and maybe collect your garbage. It’s also not the American Dream of any of those darned Muslims and their Mohamed; it’s not the American Dream of religious freedom, unless you strictly uphold to the idea that America is a Christian nation; of course it’s a Christian nation that is largely denying the Christ, and his teachings regarding caring for the poor and the sick among us, and of brotherly love etc. It’s the Evangelical Christian American Dream of the Old Testament where Gays are stoned to death, and only white people get to be President. It’s the American Dream of preemptive warfare and unending tax cuts and never having to pay the bill for the Wild West diplomacy.

 

Kansas State Representative Comes up with a Final Solution to Illegal Immigrants, Shoot Them Down Like Hogs?

Virgil Peck, a Kansas State Representative suggested yesterday during a House Appropriations Committee meeting that undocumented immigrants should be hunted down and shot, and yes he’s a Republican.

The Lawrence Journal World reports that during a debate on appropriations for controlling Kansas’ feral swine problem Peck suggested the problem could be handled by shooting them from helicopters.

But wait, there’s more, Peck continued his observation on shooting wild pigs – adding how he would solve the state’s illegal immigration problem too, “It looks like to me if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works, maybe we have found a [solution] to our illegal immigration problem.”

Of course Peck – in good old fashioned GOTP manner – has refused to acknowledge he might have spoken inappropriately, saying he was “just speaking like a southeast Kansas person” and that he expected no further controversy over his comment.

Is this yokel for real? He was speaking like a “southwest Kansas person”? So, by his comment we can assume people from southwest Kansas are racists?

Somos Republicanos, a national Hispanic Republican organization, has called for an apology saying, “We are sick and tired of the bigotry from state legislators who would rather advocate for violence and shooting people than to focus on reasonable solutions.  Hasn’t Mr. Peck learned from the mistakes of Sarah Palin when she put what appeared to be gun sight crosshairs over our Congresswoman, Gabby Gifford’s district?…In a time of extreme tension and occasional violence over illegal immigration, such as the slaughter of a Mexican-American family in Arizona including a nine-year old girl, allegedly by Minutemen, elected officials should refrain from the use of violent metaphors.”

Peck attempted to back pedal his way out by saying he was merely voicing the frustration his constituents feel about the lack of governmental response to illegal immigration.

So, when he said he was speaking as a “southwest Kansas person”, he was speaking as his constituents would speak? So, he was saying people from southwest Kansas were racists?

Of course, why should this surprise anyone? Kansas is, after all, the home of the Westboro Baptist Church, those fine upstanding Christian folks who protest military funerals claiming “God hates America” and he allows soldiers to be killed because “God hates faggots”.

Ah yes, the many faces of today’s Republican Party, the many faces of the conservative Midwest. Enjoy.

 

There’s no tie to right wing rhetoric and violence in America?

In 2007, Lou Dobbs – then at CNN – prominently backed a sweeping law against undocumented immigrants in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

Fourteen months later, and just 20 miles from Hazleton, Luis Ramirez, a 25-year-old Mexican, was murdered by teenagers yelling racial slurs and “this is America, go back to Mexico” as they kicked him to death.

According to a New York Times report, “Many people believe the debate fueled by Hazleton’s actions helped create the environment that led to Mr. Ramirez’s death.”