The Daily Drift

Hey, wingnuts, yeah we're talking to you, this is the true 'symbol' of you cabal ...!  

 

The Truth Be Told is read in 203 countries around the world.

 
Wingnuts really hate the truth - it contradicts everything they are ... !

Today is - There is no particular celebration today
 

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Some of our readers today have been in:

The Americas

Buenos Aires and Villa Maria, Argentina

Brasilia, Limeira, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil

Henry Farm, Kingston, Ottawa, Quebec and Victoria, Canada

Soacha, Colombia

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Boaco, Nicaragua

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Battle Creek, Bay City, Beaverton, Bethel Park, Birchwood, Bolingbrook, Boston, Brooklyn, Buffalo,

Palo Alto, Parkville, Phoenix, Plainwell, Pontiac, Portland and Providence, United States

Europe

Brussels, Belgium

Hadzici and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Glavinitsa, Bulgaria

Zagreb, Croatia

Karlin, Mala Strana and Stare Mesto, Czech Republic

Frederiksberg, Denmark

London and Northampton, England

Tallinn, Estonia

Grenoble, Lyon, Paris and Salon-de-Provence, France

Athens and Piraeus, Greece

Reykjavik, Iceland

Waterford, Ireland

Milan, Prato, Racconigi and Settimo San Pedro, Italy

Riga, Latvia

Skopje, Macedonia

Chisinau, Moldova

Almere Stad, Roosendaal and Woensdrecht, Netherlands

Gjovik, Oslo, Norway

Warsaw, Poland

Lisbon, Porto, Portugal

Moscow, Ryazan, Saint Petersburg and Vostochnyy, Russia

Edinburgh, Scotland

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Valencia, Spain

Stockholm, Sweden

Zuchwil, Switzerland

Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine

Asia

Shanghai, China

Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Bokaro, Kangra, Lal Bahadur Nagar and Panaji, India

Jakarta, Indonesia

Tehran, Iran

Beirut, Lebanon

Kluang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Sandakan and Shah Alam, Malaysia

Islamabad, Pakistan

Doha, Qatar

Riyadh and Ta'if, Saudi Arabia

Colmbo, Sri Lanka

Bangkok, Thailand

Hanoi, Vietnam

Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa

Lusaka, Zambia

The Pacific

Homebush, Kyogle and Sydney, Australia

Quezon City, Philippines

April is Humor Month

As we promised more wingnut 'humor'.
It is so easy.
Wingnut jokes are written every second by the wingnuts themselves in everything they say and do.

For example calling the truth 'hate speech' using actual hate speech when doing so (one of the oldie but goodie standbys wingnuts use) resulting in gales of laughter among normal people.

Another is accusing everyone else of their own foibles: Like someone being uneducated when in fact their own lack of education is glaringly obvious in their syntax and verbiage (for the uneducated, sorry, we mean wingnuts, that means the words you use and how you use them).

Want to know how dumb wingnuts are?

Just ask the next wingnut you see if they know what a Sphygmomanometer is and watch their head explode.
(And for the wingnuts out there, yes, it is a real thing, and , yes, it is in English, and you need one badly.)

P.S.
To the troll(s) who tried to flood this blog with your slimy brethren by posting a link here on a Disqus message board and telling the ditto-heads to inundate the comments section with wingnut tripe, we would like to formally thank you for more than tripling our domestic readership overnight among people other than your fellow bottom-feeders who aren't paying any attention to you either ... not one of your mentally defective troglodytes have visited the blog and left any comments.

Progressive minded folks are streaming to the blog however thanks to the link.

Even at this attempt at sabotage the wingnuts failed as they fail at everything and anything they try to do.

Oh, and by the way we've been chuckling about that failure all day.

See there is humor in anything the wingnuts do. Not for them, but for the rest of us they are hilarious.

Doctor Responds With Perfect Letter To Employers’ Demand For Sick Day Notes

When his patient required a sick note to be excused from work, this doctor knew exactly what to say.

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Stanford Just Made College Free For More Than 80% Of American Students

Talent and brains come from all walks of life. Society shouldn’t lose out on potential greatness just because someone can’t afford to go to college.

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Vermont Moves Toward Major Progressive Voting Reform

This one easy trick has been proven to boost voter participation rates by at least seven percentage points.

President Obama Makes History With Tough Deal To Cut Off Iran’s Nuclear Program

From the Rose Garden, President Obama announced the historically tough deal that the United States and the international community has negotiated to halt Iran’s development of nuclear weapons.

The President said:

Today, after many months of tough, principled diplomacy, we have achieved the framework for that deal, and it is a good deal. A deal that meets our core objectives. This framework would cut off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon.

Iran will face strict limitations on its program, and Iran has also agreed to the most robust and intrusive inspections and transparency regime ever negotiated for any nuclear program in history. So this deal is not based on trust. It’s based on unprecedented verification. Many key details were be finalized over the next three months, and nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to.

The President made it clear that if Republicans in Congress sink this deal, they will be responsible destroying an entire international diplomatic effort.

President Obama laid out three options. Bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities and delay their program for a few years, increase sanctions, which would not delay their program at all, or negotiate a comprehensive deal via diplomacy.

The Republican hawks who are craving a new war with Iran are likely to reject any deal, but what this president has negotiated is historic. The international community has come together to agree on a pathway to prevent Iran from developing their own nuclear weapons.

It is an important moment for global security that Americans have to hope that Congressional Republicans don’t screw up.

Here are some of the points that Iran has agreed to:
• Iran has agreed to reduce by approximately two-thirds its installed centrifuges. Iran will go from having about 19,000 installed today to 6,104 installed under the deal, with only 5,060 of these enriching uranium for 10 years. All 6,104 centrifuges will be IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge.

• Iran has agreed to not enrich uranium over 3.67 percent for at least 15 years.

• Iran has agreed to reduce its current stockpile of about 10,000 kg of low-enriched uranium (LEU) to 300 kg of 3.67 percent LEU for 15 years.

• All excess centrifuges and enrichment infrastructure will be placed in IAEA monitored storage and will be used only as replacements for operating centrifuges and equipment.

• Iran has agreed to not build any new facilities for the purpose of enriching uranium for 15 years.
• Iran has agreed to reduce by approximately two-thirds its installed centrifuges. Iran will go from having about 19,000 installed today to 6,104 installed under the deal, with only 5,060 of these enriching uranium for 10 years. All 6,104 centrifuges will be IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge.

• The IAEA will have regular access to all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including to Iran’s enrichment facility at Natanz and its former enrichment facility at Fordow, and including the use of the most up-to-date, modern monitoring technologies.

• Inspectors will have access to the supply chain that supports Iran’s nuclear program. The new transparency and inspections mechanisms will closely monitor materials and/or components to prevent diversion to a secret program.

• Inspectors will have access to uranium mines and continuous surveillance at uranium mills, where Iran produces yellowcake, for 25 years.

• Inspectors will have continuous surveillance of Iran’s centrifuge rotors and bellows production and storage facilities for 20 years. Iran’s centrifuge manufacturing base will be frozen and under continuous surveillance.

• All centrifuges and enrichment infrastructure removed from Fordow and Natanz will be placed under continuous monitoring by the IAEA.

Liberals Bernie Sanders And Al Franken Stand With Obama In Support Of Iran Nuclear Deal

Senators Bernie Sanders and Al Franken are standing with President Obama by praising the progress towards a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program.

In a statement, Sen. Sanders (I-VT) said, “While much more work remains to be done this framework is an important step forward. It is imperative that Iran not get a nuclear weapon. It also is imperative that we do everything we can to reach a diplomatic solution and avoid never-ending war in the Middle East. I look forward to examining the details of this agreement and making sure that it is effective ‎and strong.”

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) called on Congress to give the negotiators more time to finish the agreement, “Americans want to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and they would prefer to do it through diplomacy rather than military action. This breakthrough agreement is an important step toward that goal. I believe that Congress now should give our negotiators time and space to work out the details of a strong, verifiable comprehensive agreement.”

Democrats and liberals get it. Republicans are trying to sabotage any Iran nuclear agreement because they want a new war in the Middle East.

President Obama laid out the options for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program during his statement today:

For the fact is, we only have three options for addressing Iran’s nuclear program. First, we can reach a robust and verifiable deal — like this one — and peacefully prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The second option is we can bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, thereby starting another war in the Middle East, and setting back Iran’s program by a few years — in other words, setting it back by a fraction of the time that this deal will set it back. Meanwhile, we’d ensure that Iran would race ahead to try and build a bomb.

Third, we could pull out of negotiations, try to get other countries to go along and continue sanctions that are currently in place or add additional ones, and hope for the best — knowing that every time we have done so, Iran has not capitulated but instead has advanced its program.

Congressional Republicans are firmly in the camp of option # 2. The GOP has made it clear that they will not support any deal that President Obama negotiates. In part because it is associated with Obama, but also because some Republicans believe that Iran is the great evil that must be defeated in military battle.

Republicans have turned the Iran deal into a partisan issue, and some key liberal voices are already standing with the President. The vast majority of Americans want a diplomatic solution. Behind the Republican talk of a good or bad deal, the question boils down to war or no war?

Liberals and Democrats speak for a majority of Americans who are rejecting the Republican calls for new U.S. war in the Middle East.

What The Iran Deal Means For Obama's Foreign Policy Legacy

The Iran deal, if and when finalized, will be to Obama’s second term what the Affordable Care Act was to his first: an unforced, high-risk, presidency-defining choice. Once again he is diving into a complex, seemingly insoluble problem. Once again, he risks not only failure but also further division in an already dysfunctional American political system. But if there has been one consistent motif to Obama’s public life, it has been his willingness to look for answers that do not begin and end with military force.

Planet Politics

The Truth Be Told

The Republican Cabal Descends Into Madness As Ted Cruz Vaults Into Top Tier Of 2016 Republican Cabal Candidates

A Public Policy Polling (PPP) national survey conducted from March 26-31, 2015 shows Ted Cruz pulling into contention with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, for the Republican pretender nomination. The survey, released on April 1st, but apparently not as an April Fool’s joke, shows Ted Cruz gaining ground on the leaders, and sitting in a strong third place position for the Republican nomination. His presidential announcement speech at Liberty University appears to have resonated with Republican voters.

Cruz has surged from 5 percent support a little over a month ago, to 16 percent now. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker still leads with 20 percent support. Jeb Bush is in second at 17 percent and Ted Cruz is at 16 percent. Ben Carson and Rand Paul sit at 10 percent each. Four other candidates (Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, and Rick Perry) remain mired in the single digits.

With Republican Cabal voters, Ted Cruz is popular. 52 percent of cabal voters have a favorable opinion of Senator Cruz, to just 30 percent who view him unfavorably. His support is especially strong with Republicans who identify themselves as teabagger supporters. With teabagger Republicans, Cruz enjoys a 74 percent favorable rating to 21 percent unfavorable rating.

It would be very easy to dismiss Cruz’s candidacy as a joke, given his penchant for outlandish remarks, and impractical proposals like abolishing the IRS and repealing every single word of Obamacare. However, his particular brand of madness seems to have attracted him new supporters from within the ranks of the wingnut electorate.

Polling consistently shows that Republican voters are not warming up to Jeb Bush’s candidacy. Reupublican primary voters are seeking a more wingnut alternative who will give voice to their radical lunatic fringe wingnut perspectives, 'informed' as they are by hate speech radio hacks and the 24/7 bash Obama cycle over at FOX News.

Cruz has tapped into Republican resentment, stoking the politics of rage to fuel his campaign. Whether or not his polling surge is but a temporary bump, or a more permanent boost that could make him a threat to seize the Republican nomination, remains to be seen. But one thing is now clear. Ted Cruz’s policy prescriptions may still be a joke, but his candidacy no longer is. America had better be ready because if Senator Cruz’s momentum continues to grow, the Republican primary could descend into madness, dragging the whole country along for the ride.

Boehner Alienates WW II Vets By Inviting Japan’s PM To Speak on Emperor’s Birthday

Leave it to Boehner to alienate World War II vets by inviting the Prime Minister of Japan  to speak before a joint session of Congress on April 29.  That just happens to be Showa Day also known as Hirohito’s birthday.  Aside from alienating World War II vets, Boehner provoked the wrath of usual friends like The Washington Times and Newsmax.  Not bad for a single invitation.

In a statement announcing the invitation, Boehner said:

Abe’s “address will provide an opportunity for the American people to hear from one of our closest allies about ways we can expand our cooperation on economic and security priorities,” Boehner said in a statement. “That, of course, includes working together to open markets and encourage more economic growth through free trade.”

The issue here is not who was invited, but like part of the problem with his invitation to Benjamin Netanyahu, the timing is really bad. In this case, Boehner shows a total disregard for what April 29th symbolizes to World War II vets.

As Jan Thompson, president of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society explains :

For many World War II veterans who suffered through torture and imprisonment in Japanese detention camps, “the wounds are still healing — and some may never heal.

Thompson goes on to spell out the significance of April 29^th to WW II vets who were POW’s in Hirohito’s Japan and who are members of her organization.

The members of our organization are fully aware of the significance of the date chosen for Prime Minister Abe‘s address. The POWs [70 years ago] all had to bow in the prison camps to honor the emperor on that date,

Aside from being the date of Hirohit’s birthday, April 29th is significant because the Allied International Military Tribunal for the Far East convicted  Hideka Tojo, Japans Prime Minister in WW II and other Hirohito government officials for war crimes and sentenced them to death.

Still, loving the troops and Republicans say they do would mean recognizing that perhaps its a bad idea to ask the PM of Japan to speak on a day that continues to haunt surviving World War II vets.

According to the Washington Times, Congress doesn’t want to discuss if it Boehner even bothered to consult with surviving World War II vets or surviving family members.  If he did, evidently he didn’t care about the effect of the loaded symbolism that comes with the timing of this invitation.

Comparatively, it makes his invitation to Netanyahu look like the height of sensitivity, even though that invitation alienated a majority of Americans and Israelis.

Is there anyone Boehner and company hasn’t offended? If so, it’s probably a matter of time before they do because in Republican world being sensitive to people has become so Democrat.

Republican Asshole calls Real American an Asshole

‘Give it up, asshole!’: Tennessee Republican shouts at health care protester 

Typical wingnut trying to accuse others of being what they are.

The Republican Dictionary

Oops: Indiana RFRA Could Allow Wiccans To Get Freaky On State Capitol Steps

Yet another unintended consequence of Indiana’s religious freedom law proves once again that Republicans didn’t think their plan through when they passed it.

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Jeb Bush Tries To Fool Voters By Pulling A Romney On “Religious Freedom” Laws

An intense and growing public backlash forced Jeb Bush to pull a Mitt Romney and flip-flop on his support for “religious freedom” laws in less than two days.

The New York Times reported:

Jeb Bush appeared to modify his public comments about Indiana’s “religious freedom” law on Wednesday in a closed-door Silicon Valley fund-raiser, telling a small group of potential supporters that a “consensus-oriented” approach would have been better at the outset.

…

“By the end of the week, I think Indiana will be in the right place, which is to say that we need in a big, diverse country like America, we need to have space for people to act on their conscience, that it is a constitutional right that religious freedom is a core value of our country, ” Mr. Bush said.

But “we shouldn’t discriminate based on sexual orientation,” he said.

Bush reversed course from what he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday, “I think if you, if they actually got briefed on the law that they wouldn’t be blasting this law. I think Governor Pence has done the right thing. Florida has a law like this. Bill Clinton signed a law like this at the federal level. This is simply allowing people of faith space to be able to express their beliefs, to have, to be able to be people of conscience. I just think once the facts are established, people aren’t going to see this as discriminatory at all.”

Jeb Bush’s own donors were voicing confusion about what his real position is after his remarks on Wednesday. Confusion was the point. Bush is pulling from Mitt Romney’s playbook of his true agenda by supporting everything that everyone wants.

The former Florida governor has also fallen into the Republican frontrunner trap of trying to run a general election campaign during a Republican presidential primary. Bush is pulling a Mitt Romney. He is trying to fool the voters of this country by muddying his agenda so much that it is unrecognizable.

The strategy didn’t work for Romney in 2012, and it won’t work for Bush in 2016.

Hey, Religious “Freedom” Laws Open The Door To Discrimination Against Women Too

One day people will wake up and wonder why they can no longer get the pill in their state, let alone an abortion. They can thank a Republican…

One day people will wake up and wonder why they can no longer get the pill in their state, let alone an abortion. It will be a matter of some concern, no doubt since many people enjoy having sex for reasons other than procreation.

President Obama proclaimed that April is “NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH“, because we should be “standing together against the quiet tolerance of sexual assault and refusing to accept the unacceptable.” After all, “Nearly one in five women in America has been a victim of rape or attempted rape.”

So it’s under the dark cloud of this reality that the press largely ignores the impact of certain state versions of “Religious Freedom Reformation Act” (RFRA) bills. That name is an Orwellian attempt to use the same name as the federal law for a law that does pretty much the opposite of the intentions of the federal law; the federal law was meant to protect religious minorities, not give the majority a club with which to beat minorities.

University of Buffalo associate law professor Michael Boucai explained that this issue “is far from solely an LGBT one.” Boucai said, “People have religious convictions about any number of things, he said. One can imagine demands for religious exemptions from laws that prohibit racial discrimination, laws mandating that insurance provide full coverage of reproductive health expenses, laws prohibiting animal cruelty, vaccination laws and environmental laws, to name a few.”

“It’s important that the public see how these RFRAs – not just Indiana’s – open the door for every person to become a law unto her – or himself. In that way, these laws are enacting as a statutory right what the Supreme Court, in cases involving Mormon polygamy and the ritual use of hallucinogens, has consistently and wisely rejected as constitutional right,” he said.

From racial minorities to animal rights, Republicans’ “religious freedom” is coming for you. No one is safe when everyone becomes a law unto themselves. Since the Indiana law is framed on the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision against covering contraception, it’s safe to imagine targeting women’s health is not just an accidental discrimination, but rather, deliberately on the agenda.

The Guttmacher Institute pointed out that legislators in 16 states have introduced versions of the RFRA, yet the potential impact on contraceptive coverage and women’s health has received little attention, “However, the potential impact on contraceptive coverage—and reproductive health more broadly—has received little, if any, attention.”

Of course, it’s easy to see why a little thing like women’s health can be so easily ignored. After all, Guttmacher points out, “By the end of the first quarter of the year, legislators had introduced 791 provisions related to sexual and reproductive health and rights.”

Hey, it’s just an infringement of the rights and liberty of over half the population of the country. No biggie.

Wondering how to source all of this draconian manipulation and discrimination? It goes back to Hobby Lobby’s fight to deny covering contraception, because they are (allegedly) against abortion so they figured the smartest thing to do would be to object to the ONE thing that reduces abortions for sure — contraception. The pill. The magical pill that gave women some measure of control over the planning of their families and lives. The pill that allows many to have sex with relative freedom from worry. The pill that regulates the cycle of women suffering from a myriad of diseases and reproductive system related medical issues.

Many state RFRAs, like Indiana’s and now the measure passed by the Arkansas legislature, open the Hobby Lobby door to discrimination against women and their healthcare needs. Expect the pill to no longer be covered in those states, because a Republican has decided that their alleged religion (sorry, but I’m not buying the notion that christianity supports deliberate and painful discrimination as well as actual physical harm to women) trumps your right to medical care.

When your doctor prescribes the pill to you or your family member for a health reason and your insurance declines it, just remember that somewhere there’s a Republican who feels that women taking care of their health is an infringement upon said Republican’s religious freedom.

When you’re wondering why you can’t get the pill anymore, thank a Republican.

Cotton compares US to Iran, sees discrimination as unimportant

by Steve Benen

With his home state of Arkansas embroiled in a controversy over a right-to-discriminate bill, Sen. Tom Cotton (R) was asked yesterday about how his state should proceed. “In Arkansas, we believe in religious freedom,” the far-right senator replied.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reminded the Republican, “Everybody believes in religious freedom. The question is the discrimination, potential discrimination against gay Americans.” Believe it or not, this was Cotton’s response (via Judd Legum):

“I also think it’s important that we have a sense of perspective about our priorities. In Iran they hang you for the crime of being gay. They’re currently imprisoning an American preacher for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in Iran. We should focus on the most important priorities our country faces right now.

“And I would say that a nuclear armed Iran, given the threat that it poses to the region and to our interests in the region and American citizens, is the most important thing that we’d be focused on.”

He didn’t appear to be kidding.

It’s an incredible perspective for anyone to share, but for a U.S. senator to make this argument on national television is striking, even by 2015 standards. Arkansas’ legislature approved a proposal that would empower business owners to legally discriminate against members of the public. For Tom Cotton to endorse such a proposal would be par for the course.

But note that his argument goes much further: the far-right senator effectively argued that gays shouldn’t complain too much about discrimination, since Arkansas is at least better than Iran. That’s his point of comparison – Cotton doesn’t compare Arkansas to America’s highest ideals; he compares his home state to a Middle Eastern theocracy.

Sorry, gay Americans, you may face discrimination in your own country, but Arkansas isn’t talking about arresting or executing you, so apparently Tom Cotton doesn’t want to hear your complaints.

Let’s also not overlook the fact that the senator seemed annoyed that a debate over discrimination even exists at all. As Cotton argued, “the most important thing” is whether or not Iran might, at some point in the future, have a nuclear weapon, not whether some of his constituents face public discrimination. That, the Arkansas Republican said, is what we should all “be focused on.”

And for those involved in ongoing, international nuclear talks, that clearly is the principal focus. But those of us who care about current events are usually able to walk and chew gum at the same time – people, including Tom Cotton, need not have tunnel vision on one important issue, to the exclusion of literally everything else. The resolution of nuclear talks with Iran matters, but civil rights matter, too. So does climate change. And health care reform. And countless other issues.

Those elected to powerful offices don’t have the luxury of effectively telling the public, “I don’t care about your issue; I only care about mine.” Similarly, those in positions of authority should resist the urge to say America isn’t as bad as Iran, so those trying to make America better should pipe down.

Wingnut Defense of Indiana’s Hateful RFRA is Awash in a Sea of Lies

Republican and Religio-wingnut damage-control over Indiana’s RFRA is chaotic and entertaining, and as dishonest as the day is long.

Wingnut Nut Daily, in an attempt to defend Indiana’s so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act claims that the “Fine print doesn’t mention ‘christian,’ doesn’t target ‘gays.’

If the fine print doesn’t mention christians and doesn’t target gays, “how can it be an anti-gay hate bill?” they ask triumphantly.

How about I pose a question for Wing Nut Daily:

The United States Constitution does not mention dog, jesus, the bible, the ten commandments, or christianity. Using your own logic, how can the United States be a christian nation?

We have already seen efforts to claim that the RFRA is just the federal version writ small. The christian post attempted this a few days ago, claiming, “Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act is a state-level version of the federal RFRA.”

This is not true, and charitably, I will suggest the possibility that cp did not bother to actually read the bill. The White House has debunked this lie.

What’s more, Pence and his fellow Republicans KNEW this was not just a repeat of the federal law, and 30 law professors warned them of this fact beforehand, informing them, in a letter,

The proposed state RFRAs threaten to destabilize the harmony among fundamental rights struck by Indiana courts in a long line of cases and in a complex set of contexts. The proposed law seeks to override this reasoned balance among rights by bluntly and categorically granting religious liberty rights a special status.

We’ve even got Sean Hannity and Dinesh D’Souza asking why gays are mad at Indiana but aren’t getting all hot and bothered by Sharia law.

Well…I’m making a wild guess here, but maybe it’s because nobody is legislating Sharia law in Indiana?

It is obvious who the RFRA is directed toward. Its architects were anti-gay religio-wingnut agitators – Micah Clark, Curt Smith, and Eric Miller – who then had their photo taken with Governor Pence at the signing ceremony, and who now vociferously defend the law:

EVERYONE knows what this bill is designed to do, from Franklin Graham on down. You might remember Graham’s exclamation of joy, posted on Facebook just before the bill was signed into law:

“Thanks to those in government who are standing up for the freedom and protection of christians to live out their delusion.”

christians. Not muslims. Not jews. Certainly not gays, whatever their religious leanings.

Then there is the little matter of Indiana lawmakers admitting that the law permits “no gay” signs, which sort of puts paid to Ann Coulter’s dishonest claim about “the utterly apocryphal assertion that the law will be used to turn gays away from restaurants.”

Enter Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, whose owners, Crystal and Kevin O’Connor, had already admitted they would refuse to cater gay weddings (does anyone order pizza for weddings?) thanks to the new law. The local ABC affiliate said they were the “first business to publicly deny same-sex service” after Pence signed the RFRA into law.

THEY understood what this law does. And at least, unlike Wing Nut Daily or Ann Coulter, they were being honest and up front about it, however bigoted they might be.

You can bet they expected to be the first of many as all the world rose up to denounce gay-dom in America’s basketball heartland. Except, the day the law was signed might become the day basketball died.

Turns out, there are a lot fewer bigots than the bigots thought. People who don’t think faith is defined by who you refuse to serve, or who you refuse to do business with. That discrimination is not a testament to faith.

Especially faith in a guy who hung out with prostitutes, tax-collectors, and other low-life’s – a guy like Jesus.

It is wrong, if it happened, for people to have harassed the owners into closing their doors. I have not seen any examples of threats, or of anything beyond criticism, which is certainly fair, given the owners are more than happy to criticize gay people.

What the owners have to realize is that they are not martyrs. LGBT people experience this level of persecution all the time. They are bullied, beat, harassed, and refused service. The persecutors are not the victims.

Still, the best response would have been to simply decline to give Memories Pizza their dollars. There are other places to eat.

An irate business owner could have even refused to serve the owners under the new law. A vendor could refuse to supply them with ingredients. Religious convictions, you see. All legal. All protected by the well-meaning fascists at the American Family Association who didn’t think very far ahead about some of the unintended the consequences of their new law.

Wingnuts are in damage-control mode now. With the Arkansas bill’s unraveling and denunciations coming in from all across the country, with Mike Pence stammering that maybe some clarification is needed and the religio-wingnuts and Republican pretender hopefuls all saying “no gays” signs equal dog’s love, and Ann Coulter saying people like the O’Connor’s don’t exist, obfuscation and panicked lies seem to be the order of the day.

It’s the Iran-Contra hearings all over again. And like the Iran-Contra hearings, it’s entertaining, to a degree.

I don’t think it’s all intentional either, this confusion. It’s just that they are all so flabbergasted at the rejection of their message that they don’t know what to say, so they’re all saying different things.

Pence has even been Romney-ized by the experience, saying more than one different thing all by himself.

It’s not pretty. But neither was the law or its intended effects pretty. The lies that have followed have just made an ugly situation worse.

Maybe we should just tell the law’s defenders that when they have got their story figured out, to get back to us. In the meantime, we will keep our dollars away from Indiana. Oh, and use our own First Amendment rights to make our opinions of their bigotry – and lies – heard.

Teabagger ‘Terrorist’ Seeks Dismissal Of Charges For Anti-Muslim ‘WMD’

Attorney Kevin Luibrand: “(Crawford sought funding for) what he believed was a never-before-considered idea — an idea only — to use on Islamic terrorists.”

Read more 

3 members of Florida Department of Corrections found to be in KKK; arrested for murder plot

by Shaun King

No need to pinch yourself, it really is 2015. According to the Orlando Sentinel:

Two current and one former prison employee who all belonged to the KKK planned to kill a black inmate as he was released in retaliation for a fight, officials said Thursday. The three men — Thomas Jordan Driver, 25, David Elliot Morgan, 47, and 42-year-old Charles Thomas Newcomb — each were arrested Thursday on one state count of conspiracy to commit murder, according to a statement from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's office.

In light of this, you must remember that a record 346 inmates died in Florida prisons last year—including men and women who were gassed to death, burned to death, and beaten to death, all by staff. It can be hard to really believe that we are in 2015, but this is absolutely our new normal.