Judge Richard Posner, a conservative on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Chicago, has long been one of the nation's most respected
and admired legal thinkers on the right. But in an interview with NPR,
he expressed exasperation at the modern Republican Party, and confessed
that he has become "less conservative" as a result.
Posner
expressed admiration for President Ronald Reagan and the economist
Milton Friedman, two pillars of conservatism. But over the past 10
years, Posner said, "there's been a real deterioration in conservative
thinking. And that has to lead people to re-examine and modify their
thinking."
"I've become less conservative since the Republican Party started becoming goofy," he said.
Read on...
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Showing posts with label wingnuts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wingnuts. Show all posts
Birtherism Is Expensive
David Ariosto at CNN writes about the rift in the Republican party as the four-in-ten Republicans who can be classified as "birthers" are starting to conflict with the party elites who rightfully see birtherism as electoral poison in general elections. At the center of the conflict this week is Jan Brewer, who vetoed a bill passed by wide margins in the Arizona legislature that would require presidential candidates to produce proof beyond just their birth certificate that they were born in the U.S., since Obama has a birth certificate, and the point of the law is to try to force him out of office. Brewer forcefully denounced the birther bill in her veto, thus the theory that she's trying to distance herself from the craziness.
I would argue that while Brewer might have her eye on mainstream credibility (though that didn't stop her from signing overtly racist laws meant to harass people walking around while Hispanic in Arizona), I'd argue there's a lot more going on here than a simple dislike of birther conspiracy theories. Part of it is that Arizona, along with all the other states considering similar legislation, really can't afford to fight this battle in court. These bills are so poorly written they can be challenged on a number of levels, and since the presidency of the United States is such an important office, you can expect pretty much all of these challenges to happen in one form or another. Brewer singled out a provision in the bill that would allow circumcision or baptismal papers to work as further proof that you were born here, and I imagine it was more than personal offense that played a role. After all, such a provision does amount to a religious test for office, if viewed in a certain light. (Though a weird one that ends up excluding people who belong to Protestant religions that eschew baptizing newborns.) Brewer also mentioned that the bill only gave a single person—the Arizona secretary of state—to declare a birth certificate acceptable or not. If that had been the law in the last election, and the secretary of state allowed John McCain, born in Panama, to be considered a native citizen but disallowed Obama, born in Hawaii, the same distinction, that would have resulted in a massive lawsuit that would have cost the state millions of dollars in defending it. Since the law allowed no appeals process to simplify things, it would have gone to lawsuits immediately. Additionally, the law would have threatened federal powers. It really wouldn't have been long until Arizona was dealing with lawsuits from groups representing the voters, the federal government, and the candidates themselves.
30 of the Most Loathsome People in America
From the right-wing Koch brothers to Mel Gibson to Michele Bachmann, here are the Americans we should be least proud of.
-David & Charles Koch
-David & Charles Koch
Charges: In a land filthy with noxious liars, these two are the filthiest. Their dad founded the ridiculous John Birch Society which claimed fluoridated tap water was a Communist mind-control plot—while his company built oil refineries for Stalin. And they’ve not fallen far from the despicable hypocrite tree. Koch Industries, the second biggest privately-held company in the country, generates its annual $98 billion in profits from coal mining, stealing oil from Indian reservations, refining and piping Canadian tar sands oil, and every other clear-cut, mountaintop-removing environmental abomination under the sun. How they make money is dirty; how they spend it is dirtier. From free-market-humping think tanks CATO and Heartland to Tea Party-backing Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Works, they invest vulgar amounts of money in misappropriating populist rage and misinforming the ignorant masses on climate change, tax reform, environmental policy, health care, and any other issue that could cut into their fat bottom line.
Aggravating factor: In a philanthropy-meets-disinformation masterstroke, the Smithsonian’s new $15 million David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins is a climate change whitewash, which teaches that destroying our environment is no big deal because we can just adapt and evolve.
Justices Alito, Kennedy, Roberts, Scalia and Thomas
Charges: Their majority opinion in Citizens United v. FEC was the worst decision since Scalia instituted SCOTUS Hot Pants Fridays. In lifting a century-long restriction on corporate campaign spending, the Justices flouted a firmly-ingrained precedent and finally provided examples of the nefarious and mythical “Activist Judge.” The original case dealt with the very narrow issue of whether Citizen’s hit-piece/documentary Hillary: The Movie was “electioneering communication” under McCain-Feingold. A district court panel ruled that it was and, hence, could be regulated. Citizens appealed, and the Roberts court took it upon itself to hear the case and inexplicably broaden its scope into a corporate free-speech issue. This is the very definition of “legislating from the bench” and ensures our elections will be dominated by well-funded Swift Boating for the foreseeable future. If democracy was an experiment, this case blew up the lab.
Aggravating factor: “I will remember that it’s my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat.” -Chief Justice Roberts
Anyone got any suggestions for the top ten loathsome Canadians? Tom
Armed Revolt in the Obama Era? Right-Wing Gun Nuts Share Their Paranoid Worldview
By Max Blumenthal, The Daily Beast. Posted May 1, 2009.
Gun show enthusiasts make it abundantly clear why they're stocking up on firepower.
On April 18 and 19, I attended gun shows in Antioch, Calif., and Reno, Nev., to probe the culture of gun enthusiasts at the onset of the Barack Obama era.
I came away from these events with a portrait of a heavily armed, tightly organized movement incited by right-wing radio to a fever-pitched resentment of Obama and his allies in Congress.
Even as the economy suffers, gun dealers and their Washington lobbyists are leveraging renewed anti-government sentiment into unprecedented sales figures and fattened membership rolls.
Read on...
Wingnuts on the warpath....won't turn out well. Tom
Gun show enthusiasts make it abundantly clear why they're stocking up on firepower.
On April 18 and 19, I attended gun shows in Antioch, Calif., and Reno, Nev., to probe the culture of gun enthusiasts at the onset of the Barack Obama era.
I came away from these events with a portrait of a heavily armed, tightly organized movement incited by right-wing radio to a fever-pitched resentment of Obama and his allies in Congress.
Even as the economy suffers, gun dealers and their Washington lobbyists are leveraging renewed anti-government sentiment into unprecedented sales figures and fattened membership rolls.
Read on...
Wingnuts on the warpath....won't turn out well. Tom
Gun-Crazed: Americans armed to the teeth, paranoid as hell.
by xxdr zombiexx
Gun-Crazed: Americans armed to the teeth, paranoid as hell.
Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 05:25:19 AM PDT
The Last Person on Earth Will Carry an Assault Rifle
At the October 2008 gun show, said one of the organizers of the Jungle Walk ($35 for an Uzi and a stroll through a path of pop-up targets), "it was like a McCain-Palin rally in here. It felt like we were going to win. Then you know what happened."
Ever since the election of President Barack Obama, gun store owners have reported massive increases in sales of firearms and ammunition. Attendees and sellers at Knob Creek can confirm that. Ron Hansen, a retiree from Michigan, grumbles that the ammunition supply at the show has "declined dramatically" since the displays of only a year ago. Myron Moore, a seller making a brisk trade in pistols and clips, explains that sales spiked right after the election and have slipped only a little because people worry this will be their last chance to stock up. "I’m selling everything Obama’s trying to ban," he laughs.
Paranoid much?
What it is with wingnuts and guns I can only speculate, but limited intellectual curiosity coupled with moral retardation goes a long way in "solving for this particular"X"". And the description of the event as a "McCain-Palin Rally" solidifies my perspective that the bulk of "gun nuts" are republicans, which implies a sort of intellectual shortfall.
Read on...
Gun-Crazed: Americans armed to the teeth, paranoid as hell.
Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 05:25:19 AM PDT
The Last Person on Earth Will Carry an Assault Rifle
At the October 2008 gun show, said one of the organizers of the Jungle Walk ($35 for an Uzi and a stroll through a path of pop-up targets), "it was like a McCain-Palin rally in here. It felt like we were going to win. Then you know what happened."
Ever since the election of President Barack Obama, gun store owners have reported massive increases in sales of firearms and ammunition. Attendees and sellers at Knob Creek can confirm that. Ron Hansen, a retiree from Michigan, grumbles that the ammunition supply at the show has "declined dramatically" since the displays of only a year ago. Myron Moore, a seller making a brisk trade in pistols and clips, explains that sales spiked right after the election and have slipped only a little because people worry this will be their last chance to stock up. "I’m selling everything Obama’s trying to ban," he laughs.
Paranoid much?
What it is with wingnuts and guns I can only speculate, but limited intellectual curiosity coupled with moral retardation goes a long way in "solving for this particular"X"". And the description of the event as a "McCain-Palin Rally" solidifies my perspective that the bulk of "gun nuts" are republicans, which implies a sort of intellectual shortfall.
Read on...
The Impending Perfect Wingnut Hate Storm
by Vyan
We've all seen the warning signs and heard the angry cries from Wingnuttia - but it's time to stop laughing and recognize a very real threat that faces this nation.
The Southern Poverty Law Center headed by Morris Dees is the countries premier anti-hate resource, and in it's current yearly "Intelligence Report" on the activities of various domestic Hate Groups, there are more than a few familiar faces.
This week a report detailing at least 60 Post-9/11 plots of violence by Militant Right-Wing Militia and Birther groups was spiked in Missouri under the argument that sharing the information with Officers in the field would have been Political Profiling!
Read on...
Add in a bit of economic collapse and you have a toxic mix. Tom
We've all seen the warning signs and heard the angry cries from Wingnuttia - but it's time to stop laughing and recognize a very real threat that faces this nation.
The Southern Poverty Law Center headed by Morris Dees is the countries premier anti-hate resource, and in it's current yearly "Intelligence Report" on the activities of various domestic Hate Groups, there are more than a few familiar faces.
This week a report detailing at least 60 Post-9/11 plots of violence by Militant Right-Wing Militia and Birther groups was spiked in Missouri under the argument that sharing the information with Officers in the field would have been Political Profiling!
Read on...
Add in a bit of economic collapse and you have a toxic mix. Tom
15 Most Loathsome People of 2008
By Allan Uthman and Ian Murphy, Buffalo Beast.
Limbaugh, Palin, Warren, and more. They're the worst people in America, and unfortunately they dominated last year's headlines.
The Buffalo Beast has released its 50 Most Loathsome People in America list for 2008. We here at AlterNet rounded up 15 people from their list that we thought most deserved the insulting honor. Read through our top picks from their list, go check out the Beast's full list, and then drop some of the folks you think are the most loathsome people in America in the comments below. Happy hunting.
15. Michele Bachmann
Charges: Exemplifies the simmering, all-American fascism lurking behind the forced smiles of uptight church ladies throughout "real America." Echoing Sarah Palin's alarming hints about "helping" the media do its job, Bachmann's casual call for a "penetrating" press investigation into "anti-Americanism" in congress was so fucking dumb it made Chris Matthews seem smart. Once it occurred to the Oral Roberts University graduate that calling for witchhunts against Democrats might be a tad extreme for election season, she decided to just pretend she didn't say it, and then she blamed Chris Matthews. Then she just blamed words. Then she denied it again. Then she won. Way to go, Minnesota's 6th.
Exhibit A: BACHMANN: Actually, that's not what I said at all. COLMES: Well, I'm just -- I'm reading your exact quote. BACHMANN: Actually that's not I said. It's an urban legend that was created. That isn't what I said at all. COLMES: We have -- it's on tape.
Read on...
Crimbrary didn't do any year end lists so thought this might make up for it. If you have ideas for a top 10 loathsome Canadians List put them in a comment. Tom
Limbaugh, Palin, Warren, and more. They're the worst people in America, and unfortunately they dominated last year's headlines.
The Buffalo Beast has released its 50 Most Loathsome People in America list for 2008. We here at AlterNet rounded up 15 people from their list that we thought most deserved the insulting honor. Read through our top picks from their list, go check out the Beast's full list, and then drop some of the folks you think are the most loathsome people in America in the comments below. Happy hunting.
15. Michele Bachmann
Charges: Exemplifies the simmering, all-American fascism lurking behind the forced smiles of uptight church ladies throughout "real America." Echoing Sarah Palin's alarming hints about "helping" the media do its job, Bachmann's casual call for a "penetrating" press investigation into "anti-Americanism" in congress was so fucking dumb it made Chris Matthews seem smart. Once it occurred to the Oral Roberts University graduate that calling for witchhunts against Democrats might be a tad extreme for election season, she decided to just pretend she didn't say it, and then she blamed Chris Matthews. Then she just blamed words. Then she denied it again. Then she won. Way to go, Minnesota's 6th.
Exhibit A: BACHMANN: Actually, that's not what I said at all. COLMES: Well, I'm just -- I'm reading your exact quote. BACHMANN: Actually that's not I said. It's an urban legend that was created. That isn't what I said at all. COLMES: We have -- it's on tape.
Read on...
Crimbrary didn't do any year end lists so thought this might make up for it. If you have ideas for a top 10 loathsome Canadians List put them in a comment. Tom
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