Michelle on the Environment

While we are talking about Michelle Bachmann, it is importent to talk about the fact that she has admitted to considering drilling in the Everglades if it meant getting us off the dependance on oil. She also claims to want to do it without harming the environment. I can already point out some hypocrisy: she has admitted to wanting to shut down the EPA, because it "kills jobs." Instead, she wants to rely on a panel of experts in order to figure out if it's safe to drill somewhere. Question: what good are jobs if you die from health problems, which could have been prevented by environmental protection? So why should a person care? I had to look for the facts on this one, and here they are: The Everglades are a watershed. For those of you who didn't major in science, watersheds are basically a system of water flowing to and from a basin. So why should people care if something happens to the everglades? First of all, as a watershed, it prevents flooding. Secondly, it supplies water. Which means, if you drill there, and something goes wrong, the water becomes toxic, which means no drinking and no bathing. People would have to relocate. So what could go wrong? A leak, a spill, an explosion, all these things. I point at the Deepwater Horizon and say "That's what could happen." This is very irresponsible of her, and I hope she reconsiders.

More immigration bills are passed...

But, as Alabama will tell you, that doesn't necessarily mean they will go into effect anytime soon. U.S. Judge Sharon Blackburn was lobbied by church leaders, the Justice Department, and the ACLU. In a two page order, Ms. Blackburn has said that she is stopping it because there was no time to go over the legality and constitutionality of the bill. The bill does the basics, such as checking on those who are suspected of being immigrants, but it also goes further. Under this law, the status of school students will also be questioned. I think we need to ask for clarification here. Are the students in question children of illegals? Were these children born in the U.S.? If so, then they cannot be deported due to the 14th Amendment. State officials have been saying that undocumented immigrants would still have access to education in public schools. But I highly doubt the schools are as good in the country they get deported back to.

Hurricane Jokes

Leave it to a Republican to make "jokes" about Hurricane Irene. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the person who made the joke is Michelle Bachmann, who is currently running for the Presidency. Bachmann suggested that the disasters were happening because Washington was not listening to voters, and continuing spending. If it is a joke, I am less than amused. I believe this is a horrible lack of empathy for the people that she hopes to lead. This had no business being thought, let alone said. The Tea Party wishes to elect someone who obviously doesn't care. It is for this, amongst other reasons, that I label Mrs. Bachmann a "fail." She should not be nominated, and if she is, Democrats will, in my opinon, hold the White House. As they so obviously should.

The GOP has a gay candidate?

Yep, and I can guarantee you have never heard of him. His name is Fred Karger, the first openly gay person to run on any party. So how come we haven't heard of this man? Well, the media isn't helping matters. He was excluded at the Iowa GOP debate, and there is a good chance he will be at the next debate on September 7th, at the Reagan Library. So what is he running on? He wants to eliminate the Defense of Marriage Act, increase finding cures and vaccines for HIV/AIDS, get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, lower the voting age, and legalize Marijuana, as well as tax it. These are just a few of his platform pieces, and I do support some of his goals. However, whether I would support his candidacy is something else. I will put in an update when I have decided. In the meantime, to get an idea of some of his other positions, I would recommend going to fredkarger.com and click on issues.

Are you happy with the debt deal?

Most Republicans aren't. Some have gone so far as to air this displeasure, including Bobby Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana. Mr. Jindal apparently believes that compromise is to be avoided, saying that the "press roots for it..." Damn straight we do. Compromise is a sign of willing to work for the greater good. But that doesn't fit in with the extremists in the Party. He has even gone so far as to say the idea of default was overblown. Was it really? Without a debt limit increase, we wouldn't be able to pay bills. Debt would pile up, our credit rating would go down, we'd end up paying even more on our outstanding bills.  So, to me, it was, and still is, a very real possibility. He also went so far as to say the Wall Street traders, who still vote Republican, for some reason, would call for raising the debt limit. That's because they would lose money otherwise. And now, a couple of questions for Mr. Jindal. First off, why not compromise? It'd would make you look like you aren't being held hostage by the base. You would bring in the moderates, which would help your political prospects. So why not compromise? The second question is for all Republicans who think there was no chance of defaulting: What if you are wrong? Would you be willing to stake money, the lower classes jobs, YOUR jobs, and who knows what else on something like that? I don't think you would. Just one more sign that the Republican Party is not looking out for us.

Rush Limbaugh is a Metorologist!?

And if you want to see the further disconnect between conservatism and sanity, there is no need to look and further than everyone's favorite, Rush Limbaugh. This man, Rush, has said, albeit last month, that there is no extreme heat. No extreme heat, it's all because of that heat index, which is how hot it feels when you add in the humidity. I hate to say this....no that's no true. I'll enjoy saying this. I don't know any weather group that has been saying the heat index is the real temperature. You go to weather.com, and pull up current temperatures. As of 6:15 p.m., much of the South has been having temperatures over 100 degrees, for over a month in a row. At 6 P.M., and this is the man who claims there is no heat wave. Of course there's no heat wave, Rush, you get to sit in an air conditioned building! Jeremiah Morris just dropped dead while running in Kansas City, Missouri's "Warrior Dash." So what if his temperature got as high as 111 degrees and he had organ damage. His 29th birthday will be his memorial service, but of course there's no heat wave! 12 other people had to go to the hospital, but it wasn't because of the heat! There's probably going to be blackouts from all the people running there air conditions, but they are just doing it for the hell of it, because there's no heat wave! It was 114 degrees in Arkansas, but that's normal for the time of year! DonTeria Searcy and Forrest Jones passed out at football practice in Atlanta and and Florida, but there's no heat wave! Wade McLain, a 55 year old from Texas passed out during football practice, and the medical examiners decided it was from heat. What the hell do they know, they're just professionals. There's no heat wave! Rush, thank you. I'm so glad you could set us all straight on this.

Republicans on the Slur

Just when I thought the Republican Party couldn't go any further out of its mind, I found just how wrong I was. Doug Lamborn, of Colorado, was on a radio show, giving an interview, when he said, "Even if some...say 'Well, the Republicans should have done this...or that,' they will still hold the president responsible. I don't even want to be associated with him. It's like touching a tar baby....you're stuck and you're a part of the problem now..." How many get the tar baby reference? For those who don't, it has two connotations. The first one, the one I have heard of, is a reference to the Uncle Remus stories of B'rer Fox building a tar baby to catch B'rer Rabbit. The other, which I had never before heard, is a derogatory reference to an African American. While he is not the First Republican to use the phrase (Mitt Romney and John McCain did as well), he is the first one that I know of to refer to the President of the United States in this way. He did end up issuing an apology that, to me, isn't a real one at all. He said that he was sorry and that he shouldn't have used a term that "some may find insensitive." Let's ignore the fact he's a politician for a second. To me, it's not genuine because he did not say he found it offensive, but that some may. He then went on to say that he was criticizing the policies. The context, however, doesn't seem to fit that idea. The President has not commented.