Five Before Chaos

I’m off to go to it shortly, but if you want a bit more background, there’s now a piece in the Burlington Free Press about it.

Huck’s winning this dubious honor twice in a row. We all thought Bush had that special gift of talking to God, especially when he wanted to know how to proceed with the best way to kill tons of innocents as the Lord wishes. But he can’t hold a candle to the Huckster. As ThinkProgress has revealed, Huck actually receives phone calls from the Almighty! And yes, the Sky Fairy really is a Republican! Who knew?

This was from the Republican Governors Association Dinner in 2004. Undoubtedly, VT governor Whinin’ Jim Douglas was in that audience, yucking it up as Huck did the Pandering to the Stupids®. I wonder if Douglas considers himself a foot soldier in that “army” that Huck was referring to?

Just wanted to pass along some information to those of you that are interested in shaking things up. And yes, I’ll be there.

CALL TO ACTION!
November 30, 2007 – 3:00 pm
“OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS – OUT OF IRAQ!” Williston Military Recruitment Office
166 Sycamore St. in Williston, VT
Nonviolent Civil Disobedience and Rally!

“Out of Our Schools – Out of Iraq”
Unites Iraq Veterans Against the War, Mount Mansfield Union High School Peace Club,
and all Vermonters Opposed to this War to Demand an End to Military Recruiters Preying on our Public School Students, and an End to the Occupation of Iraq.

Not one new soldier recruited from VT.

One less soldier in Iraq =Ten less casualties!

Stand up! Stop lies! Save Lives!

The insidious and pervasive presence of military recruiters preying on our young people with their arsenal of lies and deception in our public schools has gone on long enough!
The unjust, immoral and merciless occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan must end immediately.

Join us in putting Life before Lies! People before Profit!
Education before Occupation!
Once and for all!

November 30, 2007 – 3:00 pm
Williston Military Recruitment Office
166 Sycamore St. in Williston, VT.

Those of you that are blog addicts are well aware of the issue of a blog’s liability as well as “ownership” of comments, whether it be if a blog’s owner is legally responsible for the content in the comments section, or it be Bill O’Reilly bloviating about the worst comments in a section and trying to paint the whole blog as extreme as those comments. Apparently, the concept of trying to silence a blog by going after the owners is still a fresh one, as the owners of the community blog iBrattleboro (Brattleboro, VT) are now being sued for libel, over some comments that someone posted there. Go below the jump for more.
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Last month, I did a bit on Mike Huckabee in regards to his creationist beliefs and how they reflect on his overall judgement, and how important it is that we require that our next President be one grounded in reality. Over at the Chimp, Steven Pizzo reflects on the questions that really must be asked of Huckabee and Romney, the two GOP candidates most stricken with the God virus:

For example, does he really believe, as the BoM states, that that American Indians (“Lamanites” as described in the BoM,) were one of the lost tribes of Israel, and were direct descendants of pre-Columbian Judeo-Israelite colonists who fled to the American continent around 400 AD? Does he believe this central tenet of the Mormon faith? And if so, how can he believe it since DNA testing has proven beyond doubt that America Indians actually descended, not from Semitic lines ,but rather Asian and Eurasian linage? I want to hear him reason that one through.

I’d eat my shoes to hear someone ask that one. But it’s important. Real important:

Why is that important? Because it tells us a lot about a person’s critical thinking and reasoning. And since the American presidency is an office that is often faced with reasoning through some of mankind’s most potentially deadly matters, wouldn’t you like to know how Mitt’s mind works? Wouldn’t you like to know how he navigates the world or real things with the spirit world he inhabits as a devote Mormon. I sure would like to know.

At the very least I would not want a fellow as president who actually believes that the ancestors of American Indians were, at any time in their history, a part of a worldwide Jewish Diaspora. I sure as hell don’t want someone that gullible and — let’s not mince words — stupid, mucking around in Middle East politics. And I sure don’t think we want someone who defend or otherwise rationalizes the absurd and entirely fictional version of human history making decisions about how we educate our children. (So, call me picky.)

But of course, no one will ask that question or anything similar, because it’s just so rude to ask a candidate a tough question about their faith. The fact that they continually bring it up at every opportunity is just so darn genteel, I suppose.

“While stating that the two leaders had done “impeachable things,” [he] said that impeachment proceedings would occupy the congress and prevent them from doing anything else with their majority.”

No, it wasn’t Congressman Welch, but you’d swear it was. It was Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY-Brooklyn) at a recent town hall meeting with some rather pissed off constituents. He’s giving the same bullshit line of “reasoning” that Welch does, and his constituents aren’t buying it, either. You’d think they’d at least come up with something plausible when they come from districts that are high in approval for impeachment, such as Vermont and Brooklyn.

Over at American Humanist,  David Swanson speculates on this reasoning, believing that Pelosi and Co. are taking this line because they believe that having Bush around in 2008 will help them, come election time. Gee, small price to pay, having Bush around for that extra year so the Dems can do well at the polls. I woulda thought it was a moot issue, considering the Repugs are about as popular as spring thaw dogshit on a warm early April morning, and have nowhere to go but down.  Regardless, it’s infuriating, because to give the kind of answers Welch and Weiner do really gives the impression that they think their constituents are all stupid. They’d have to be to believe that premise. More importantly, as Swanson points out:

Impeachment, as the one course of action that can’t be vetoed, turns out to be the only thing Congress can do. And impeachment proceedings that would put the White House on the defensive might actually lead to a backing off on veto threats, as they did under Nixon. But there’s a larger point: when in the world did reinstating the Bill of Rights become a distraction? 

When, indeed, Mr. Welch?

Brattlerouser at GMD has the scoop on H.R. 1955: The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. Yeah, I know, it sounds scary. According to an article in the Baltimore Sun:

(The bill) tramples constitutional rights by creating a commission with sweeping investigative power and a mandate to propose laws prohibiting whatever the commission labels “homegrown terrorism.”

The proposed commission is a menace through its power to hold hearings, take testimony and administer oaths, an authority granted to even individual members of the commission – little Joe McCarthys – who will tour the country to hold their own private hearings. An aura of authority will automatically accompany this congressionally authorized mandate to expose native terrorism.

Ms. Harman’s proposal includes an absurd attack on the Internet, criticizing it for providing Americans with “access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda,” and legalizes an insidious infiltration of targeted organizations. The misnamed “Center of Excellence,” which would function after the commission is disbanded in 18 months, gives the semblance of intellectual research to what is otherwise the suppression of dissent.

While its purpose is to prevent terrorism, the bill doesn’t criminalize any specific conduct or contain penalties. But the commission’s findings will be cited by those who see a terrorist under every bed and who will demand enactment of criminal penalties that further restrict free speech and other civil liberties. Action contrary to the commission’s findings will be interpreted as a sign of treason at worst or a lack of patriotism at the least.

While Ms. Harman denies that her proposal creates “thought police,” it defines “homegrown terrorism” as “planned” or “threatened” use of force to coerce the government or the people in the promotion of “political or social objectives.” That means that no force need actually have occurred as long as the government charges that the individual or group thought about doing it.

F-ing great. Anyways, to add insult to injury, Congressman Peter Welch voted for this bill. Go here to give him some grief. When the hell someone’s finally going to get up the nerve to mount a primary challenge, well, it seems like that time is drawing near, don’t you?

It remains to be seen how this will fare in the Senate and how Leahy and Sanders will vote. As soon as I get more info on the Senate bill, I’ll let you know.

Review below the jump…

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Be thankful I’m coming out of my food-induced coma long enough to give you a quick linkdump…

Turkey makes you sleepy? Not true.

I’ve said it before… fundies think about gay sex more than gay people do. Top ten most-viewed on Conservapedia? Well, two of ‘em are “gay bowel syndrome” and “Homosexuality and Parasites”. And seven more also have the word “homosexuality” in them. I know, big surprise, right?

Too bad Giuliani has to pay firefighters to speak well of him.

Finally, if you missed the NOVA special on the hooey known as “intelligent design theory”, go watch it online. You’ll be glad you did.