Colorado wingnut: Planned Parenthood is the ‘real culprit’ in the shooting

Colorado wingnut: Planned Parenthood is the ‘real culprit’ in the shooting

"The true instigator of this violence and all violence at any Planned Parenthood facility is Planned Parenthood themselves. Violence begets violence. So Planned Parenthood: YOU STOP THE VIOLENCE INSIDE YOUR WALLS."

Lunatic Fringe Religio-Wingnut 'Christian' Extremist Instructs Sycophants To Make Planned Parenthood Doctors ‘Afraid For Their Lives’

The American Taliban, fully supported by the Republican cabal.
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Watch O’Reilly Accidentally Admit His Violent Rhetoric Got An Abortion Doctor Killed

Oops.
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Kelly Attacks 'Liberal Media' For 'Biased' Planned Parenthood Coverage

A religio-wingnut, pro-forced birth maniac shoots up innocent people and Kelly thinks the media is irresponsible to lend credence to the culpability of dangerous rhetoric

Cruz Picks Lunatic Fringe Religio-Wing Extremist To Lead Virginia Campaign

Fresh off announcing endorsements from radical anti-choice and anti-gay activists, Cruz announced his Virginia Leadership Team last week, naming state “Dick” Black as his state campaign co-chair. Black is one of the most lunatic fringe wingnuts in the state, if no... MORE

Cruz says there is no ‘war on women’ because we don’t have a condom shortage

Cruz says there is no ‘war on women’ because we don’t have a condom shortage

The Democratic National Committee pounced on Cruz’s comments on contraception, advising him to “quit mansplaining women’s health and listen to women who know how ridiculous his statements are.”

Trump Issues His Most Bullshit Demand Yet Ahead Of CNN Debate

He really has outdone himself this time.
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Fox’s Doofus (Ahem, Doocy) Defends Trump, Claims He Remembers Muslims Celebrating On 9/11, Too

Fox hack Doocy came to Trump’s aid today by slyly suggesting – without actually saying – that Muslims had cheered on 9/11 in New Jersey, as Trump has claimed.

Jeb So Bad At Running For Pretender That Even Herman Cain Is Mocking Him

Jeb So Bad At Running For Pretender That Even Herman Cain Is Mocking Him

Against all odds, Jeb has been running a campaign so godawful, so maladept, so mind-numbingly boring that we almost feel weirdly sorry for the guy. He's just so pathetic about the whole thing, veering...

Snot-Nosed Wingnatween Does Not Want To Be Your Wingnut Hero No More

Snot-Nosed Wingnatween Does Not Want To Be Your Wingnut Hero No More

We hate to say we told you so, except for nuh uh, we love it. And we so told you so. This kid, CJ Pearson, he is kind of terrible. How terrible is he?...

Sorry, Wingnuts, But Denying the Gender Wage Gap Is 'Truly Delusional'

Sorry, Wingnuts, But Denying the Gender Wage Gap Is 'Truly Delusional'

Walker’s Xmas Present To Wisconsin: Bankrupting The State’s Food Banks

Walker’s latest plan to screw the poor involves kicking as many people off of food stamps as he can – and just in time for the holidays.

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Xmas Tree, O'Xmas Tree: A New Record For DC Cynicism?

Every year, corporate lobbyists look for must-pass budget bills to attach riders to that help pad their companies' profits with specially designed tax loopholes or subsidies. These insider deals would make any normal ethical person blush, but they are part and parcel of a DC culture which has grown steadily more corrupt over the last 35 decades. In token of the season, here's this year's American Family Voices version of O'Xmas Tree: An Ode to this appalling practice 

The Statue of Liberty's design was inspired by an Arab woman

Cue wingnut hissy fit in 3 - 2 - 1 ...

Statue of Liberty's design was inspired by an Arab woman

The Supreme Court’s Set To Hear One Of The Biggest Race Cases In Years

The Supreme Court’s Set To Hear One Of The Biggest Race Cases In Years. It Has No Business Doing So.

The Daily Drift

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The Rip-Off

Government Surveillance and the Third Amendment

The Third Amendment to the US Constitution gets less respect than the other amendments in the Bill of Rights. It has been used in Supreme Court cases fewer times than the rest, and on the surface, seems hopelessly antiquated. It says, "No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." Now, that was a problem when we were a colony in the British Empire, but no one regards it as a possibility now. Or do they? California assemblyman Mike Gatto believes the amendment could be used to prohibit the National Security Agency (NSA) from spying on American citizens.

    Let's examine whether a case may be made. The National Security Agency is part of the Department of Defense and therefore of our nation's military. By law, the NSA director must be a commissioned military officer, and per its mission statement, the NSA gathers information for military purposes. That's strong evidence that NSA personnel would qualify as soldiers under the 3rd Amendment.
    And why did the framers prohibit the government lodging soldiers in private homes? Besides a general distaste for standing armies, quartering was costly for homeowners; it was also an annoyance that completely extinguished a family's sense of privacy and made them feel violated. Sound familiar?

It’s been said many times that the US Constitution guarantees no right to privacy, but a broad interpretation of the Third Amendment might actually include some expectation of privacy. Ars Technica lays out some of the pros and cons of this argument.

Reality

Republicans Ramp Up The Koch Crusade And Inquisition Against Science

When NOAA published research using empirical data to refute wingnut climate-change denial, Smith (R-TX) subpoenaed to the scientists…

If there was ever any doubt whatsoever about exactly who Republicans work for and represent, or who is directing their time and money-wasting agenda in the U.S. Congress, an event in Texas reveals what most Americans already know.
If one was unaware of what era this is, they may think it is the 16th Century and congressional Republicans are the high and holy roman catholic cult attacking science and scientists for contradicting god almighty and the 'christian' bible. But this is 21st Century America and instead of “the church” conducting an inquisition and attacking science and scientists, it is the fossil fuel industry using congressional Republicans to impugn and “intimidate” scientists for being scientists contradicting the fossil fuel industry.
At a Texas Public Policy Foundation event this week where the fossil fuel industry gathered to plot their attacks on the climate, the owner and CEO of coal giant Murray Energy thanked the industry’s leading inquisitor for using the U.S. Congress to attack scientists. The recipient of the glowing praise, heartfelt gratitude and effusive congratulations was anti-science Chairman of the House Science Committee Smith (R-TX). The Murray Energy CEO, Robert E. Murray, enthusiastically praised Smith for leading an inquisition into noted and prominent climate scientists and environmental officials tasked with gathering empirical data to help protect Americans’ air and water.
Murray, after “congratulating” Smith for doing the lord’s work in issuing a congressional subpoena to the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) head Kathryn Sullivan, issued further orders to Smith. Murray demanded that Smith immediately issue more congressional subpoenas and start investigating the American Meteorology Association (weather forecasters) and the Union of Concerned Scientists; two private nonprofit organizations that serve the scientific community and the American people. According to Murray, the organizations also “need to be investigated” because they have empirical scientific data and mounds of research contradicting the fossil fuel industry’s claim that global climate change is a liberal hoax to rob Americans.
It is noteworthy that the anti-science climate-denying attendees, all donors to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, were “inadvertently” disclosed as billionaires at Koch Industries, ExxonMobil, Chevron, VF-Russia, ConocoPhillips and Murray Energy among many others. The president of the event’s sponsor, Brooke Rollins, explained how and why event was conceived and why it is “critical” to the industry’s assault on scientists, the environment, and Earth’s climate. Rollins said,

“About a year and a half ago, a supporter of ours that I know well and is a good friend, said ‘Brooke, I think we really need to pull together the best and the brightest who are debunking the myth of climate change and global warming.'” Rollins then revealed that the filthy rich “supporter and good friend” was none other than noted hydraulic fracturing executive and climate change denier Bud Brigham; a real piece of fossil fuel work and Smith cohort.
Since the anti-science Smith has chaired the House Science Committee, he has led a series of unrelenting fossil fuel-funded attacks on the scientists and scientific consensus around global warming. Smith even wastes taxpayer money by holding congressional hearings for the sole purpose of allowing Koch Republicans to each take a turn at berating NOAA, National Science Foundation (NSF), and National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) scientists involved in providing empirical data necessary for climate policy founded on reality.
Smith has also proposed Koch-ALEC legislation to create new fossil fuel industry-mandated criteria for all future National Science Foundation studies and duly slashed the budgets of scientists involved in climate research; he has not yet prohibited the words “climate change” from being uttered like other state-level Republicans, but it is likely on the near horizon. Smith has rapidly ramped up his aggressive tactics against science and scientists that garnered high praise from the coal industry’s largest corporation and inspired Smith to get serious about expanding the industry’s crusade and inquisition.
For example, in June, after NOAA scientists published a study in the highly-regarded peer-reviewed journal Science that used scientific research and empirical data to refute the absurd Republican claim that global warming they claim does not exist has “paused,” Smith immediately issued congressional subpoenas to the scientists who participated in the study.
The very serious House subpoenas included NOAA director Kathryn Sullivan demanding, not more scientific data, but all personal “communications between or among all NOAA employees.” It is what Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson(D-TX) charged was just Smith’s way of “furthering a fishing expedition.” Less politically-correct human beings would label Smith’s actions a religious witch hunt or what they truly are; 16th Century Vatican-like inquisitions and attacks on science that targeted the likes of Galileo and Copernicus. In Koch Republicans’ minds, disagreeing with the fossil fuel industry is tantamount to disputing the authority of the holy roman catholic cult and dog almighty himself, and they have congressional authority to do something about it.
Americans not beholden to the Kochs’ fossil fuel industry say Smith’s investigations are deliberate attempts to intimidate scientists whose research may pose a financial hardship to the fossil fuel industry which donates heavily to Republican politicians; including Chairman of the House Science Committee Lamar Smith. As well-regarded scientist and Slate writer Phil Plait notes, Smith’s subpoenas are “politically-motivated strong-arm tactics,” and not remotely related to “an actual attempt at oversight.” Although Plait is highly-respected in the scientific community, and by this author, it is curious he failed to question how on Earth a science-denying moron and fossil fuel industry puppet like Smith could possibly provide any oversight to scientists, but perhaps that is why Phil is a noted and respected science spokesman.
This week, seven leading scientific societies issued a damn tersely-worded letter to the anti-science Smith asserting that, “Scientists should not be subjected to fraud investigations or harassment simply for providing scientific results that some may see as politically controversial.” It is true, of course, scientists should not be investigated or harassed for doing their jobs with due diligence, but this is America controlled by fossil fuel acolytes and driven by a 16th Century religious mindset with congressional subpoena power; power bestowed on them by the Koch brothers’ fossil fuel industry.
It is not difficult to imagine how far back in time Republicans will eventually take America. First it was deluded teabaggers driving to return to the 1950s, and then it was evangelical fanatics lusting to return to old testament theocratic rule. Of late, it is a small vocal group of Republicans intent on tactics devised by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime and now it is the Koch-Republicans drawing inspiration from the 16th century roman catholic cult attacking scientists. Besides a push to leave the 21st Century, the only connection between all the wingnut’s attempts to “take their country back” in history is that they are driven by special interests. And it is not the interests of the incredibly stupid people who continue putting Republicans and their fossil fuel masters in power.