Governor Perry Sticks Foot in Mouth on State Senator Wendy Davis and is Called Out by Republican Speaker

Will Rick Perry run for another term as Governor or he is setting up to run for President again?  

Looks like Governor Perry has trouble in his own party in Texas with his over the top personal remarks against State Senator Wendy Davis as he attempted to score points with the National Right to Life people.  IMHO Perry will say anything to get the hard right on board his next run for President.  Cannot fathom he is going to run again for Governor as he has been Governor for over 12 years.  The last few have been a total disaster.

Top Texas Republican: Perry Crossed The Line With Remarks On Wendy Davis 

TOM KLUDT 3:34 PM EDT, FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) insisted Friday that he wasn't rendering a harsh judgment of state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) with remarks he made earlier this week, but a leading Republican in the Lone Star State doesn't share his interpretation. 

After Davis, the daughter of a single mother, led a filibuster effort to derail a tough abortion bill in the legislature earlier this week, Perry said it was "unfortunate" that she didn't learn a lesson from her own example. 

Perry subsequently claimed that he was actually offering praise of the Democrat, but Republican state House Speaker Joe Strauss evidently doesn't have the governor's back on the matter. Strauss said Friday that Perry's remarks undermine the GOP's effort to pass what would be one of the most restrictive abortion measures in the country. 

“Disagreements over policy are important and they’re healthy, but when he crosses the line into the personal, then he damages himself and he damages the Republican Party,” Straus told The Texas Tribune.

The Texas Senator Wendy Davis who did the one-woman filibuster broken up illegally by Lt Governor Dewhurst may be the start of a resurgence of Democrats in Texas.  If she runs for Governor, Perry and Dewhurst can look back at their words and actions on the horrendous abortion bill and think maybe they should have  handled this differently instead of acting like dictators.   She is not going to let the change of time stamp on the bill by Republicans just go away.   Everyone watching the feed of the filibuster and the follow-on saw the bill was passed after midnight but it took until 4 a.m. for Dewhurst and Republicans Senators to admit it hadn't passed.

Filibuster heroine Senator Wendy Davis told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the time stamp was changed intentionally on the recording of the vote on SB 5 in order to make it appear as if the bill had passed. 

Watch here courtesy of CNN: 

“I know it was done intentionally based on a conversation that one of my Senate colleagues had with the office that actually puts that online or makes that information available,” Senator Davis told Anderson Coooper. “And he was told by them when he asked why it was changed that they were instructed to do it.”

Who instructed the change to the time stamp on the bill?  Here is the Texas Penal Code that applies to tampering with documents like Republicans tried to do this week:

Texas Penal Code Section 37.10:
§ 37.10. TAMPERING WITH GOVERNMENTAL RECORD. (a) A
person commits an offense if he:
(1) knowingly makes a false entry in, or false
alteration of, a governmental record;
(2) makes, presents, or uses any record, document, or
thing with knowledge of its falsity and with intent that it be taken
as a genuine governmental record;
(3) intentionally destroys, conceals, removes, or
otherwise impairs the verity, legibility, or availability of a
governmental record;
(4) possesses, sells, or offers to sell a governmental
record or a blank governmental record form with intent that it be
used unlawfully;
(5) makes, presents, or uses a governmental record
with knowledge of its falsity; or
(6) possesses, sells, or offers to sell a governmental
record or a blank governmental record form with knowledge that it
was obtained unlawfully.

Governor Perry with calling another special session at taxpayer's expense to pass this horrendous abortion bill may be regretting all of this before it is done since 80% of Texans oppose this bill.  His actions toward Senator Wendy David are disgusting and reflective of the hard right GOP attacks on women and their reproductive rights today.

Will any Republican Senator or Fox News admit they are wrong on Benghazi?

According to The Associated Press, Gibson told a Republican-led congressional committee on June 26 that he was never ordered to "stand down."

You would think that sometime Fox News is going to actually go on the air and admit they are wrong but so far crickets are chirping on the "stand down" narrative.  Does Roger Ailes even have one honest bone in his body?  This Benghazi "Stand Down" narrative would have been the perfect time to say they were wrong but because if affects their narrative against the President, no way will they admit on the air they made a mistake.

One by one the narratives against President Obama are falling apart but Fox News and their lapdog Republicans continue to push narratives not facts as we have seen on Benghazi.  It is like they are hoping if they keep slinging mud it will stick and facts be damned.  It is beyond my comprehension that  a group of US Republican Senators will use Fox News as their source when time and time again Fox News has been proven wrong.  Shows that Republicans are following a narrative themselves today versus facts.

Hard for me to believe all these months later Benghazi is still a topic and the Republicans like Senator Lindsey Graham still wants a special investigator to look into the matter.  What a waste of tax dollars by the GOP as they try to pin another phony scandal with no basis in fact on the President.  You would think they would have learned but no the hard right keeps trying hoping something negative will stick to this President.

Wonder if the hard right will believe the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs that there was no 'stand down' order issued.  Probably not.  Media Matters has the facts on their blog today:

No Benghazi "Stand Down" Order Was Given: Another Fox Narrative Falls Apart  

Narrative Was Pushed In 85 Fox Primetime Segments 

Blog ››› 7 hours and 17 minutes ago ››› ZACHARY PLEAT

A claim pushed dozens of times by Fox News that security forces were ordered to "stand down" during the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attacks on a U.S. diplomatic facility collapsed after the commander of those security forces testified that he received no such order. 

More than a month after the attacks in Benghazi killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, Fox began airing accusations that security forces present in Libya at the time were ordered to "stand down" by the Obama administration. Fox's confused coverage over the months claimed that both a reaction force that was dispatched to Benghazi and suffered two casualties while trying to defend the facility, and a group of four special forces troops in Tripoli received "stand down" orders. This accusation was given new fuel after former Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Hicks May 8 remarks made before a congressional committee appeared to confirm claims that Lt. Col. Gibson, who commanded a small team of special forces troops in Tripoli, was ordered to "stand down." Fox baselessly speculated that either President Obama or then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the alleged order. 

A search of the Nexis database shows that the accusation that these security forces were ordered to "stand down" was made in 85 segments on the network's primetime shows by Fox hosts, contributors, guests, and in video accompanying news reports and commentary.
But now even Republicans are admitting that a "stand down" order was never given. According to The Associated Press, Gibson told a Republican-led congressional committee on June 26 that he was never ordered to "stand down."

The former commander of a four-member Army Special Forces unit in Tripoli, Libya, denied Wednesday that he was told to stand down during last year's deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi. 

In a closed-door session with the House Armed Services Committee, Lt. Col. S.E. Gibson said his commanders told him to remain in the capital of Tripoli to defend Americans in the event of additional attacks and to help survivors being evacuated from Benghazi. 

"Contrary to news reports, Gibson was not ordered to 'stand down' by higher command authorities in response to his understandable desire to lead a group of three other special forces soldiers to Benghazi," the Republican-led committee said in a summary of its classified briefing with military officials, including Gibson.

This is not the first time the Fox "stand down" narrative has been discredited. The day before Hicks' May 8 testimony, a Pentagon spokesman stated that there "was never any kind of stand down order to anybody." After Hicks' testimony, a Pentagon spokesman further explained that the security forces in Tripoli "were told to stay" in Tripoli to help with the security there. On June 12, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reaffirmed this point, telling Congress:

GEN. DEMPSEY: They weren't told to stand down. A stand down means don't do anything. They were told to -- that the mission they were asked to perform was not in Benghazi but was at Tripoli Airport.

(Click Here to see video from June 26, Fox's Special Report with Bret Baier reporting on Lt. Col. Gibson's testimony debunking the "stand down" order myth, but never mentioned that the claim was made repeatedly by the network.) 

Other Fox narratives criticizing the Obama administration over Benghazi have collapsed. 

Fox repeatedly engaged in ridiculous transcript trutherism to deny the fact that the president called the Benghazi attacks "an act of terror" the day after they occurred. The network also repeatedly accused former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice of lying to the public when she said, based on unclassified talking points drafted and edited by the intelligence community, that the attack had in part been inspired by a Cairo protest over an anti-Islam video. But a release of nearly 100 emails between government agencies about the talking points showed that the intelligence community from the start thought that the video played a part in the attacks.

Read more at Media Matters about Fox News pushing the "stand down" theory.  The comments to this story are priceless.  More American people are waking up to the fact that Fox News cannot be trusted to tell the truth as they push any narrative they think will hurt President Obama.  Fair and Balanced?  That went out the window years ago if they ever were fair and balanced.

The fact that President Obama named Ambassador Susan Rice to be his National Security Advisor which requires no confirmation hearing from the Senate still makes me smile.  It was like in your face to GOP Senators who had been using baseless attacks Rice and her credibility.

Will never forget the President's remarks to Romney on Benghazi at the debate -- "Proceed Governor, proceed" which was my favorite part of all the debates.  Romney took the bait and Obama reeled him in resulting in pretty much of a landslide victory for the President.

The attacks on Rice by a group of Senators led by McCain, Graham and Inhofe showed a lack of judgement on their part as they like so many other Republican officials seem to be relying on Fox News for their information.  Inhofe also relies on World Net Daily which would be one of the last places I would go to get my news.

Will any Republican Senator or Fox News admit they are wrong on Benghazi?  My bet is on "NO!"

Texas State Senate Republican's Cheating in order to Pass SB 5 on Abortion FAILS!

One thing learned from last night's live stream of the Texas Senate was that the rebranding effort by the Republican Party is an abject failure.

Two groups lost last night in the Texas fiasco on State Senate bill 5 which was a draconian anti-abortion bill.  The bill would have hurt women's access to healthcare and taken the choice away from a woman and her doctor.

First group of losers was Texas Hard Right Republicans in the Senate led by Governor Perry and Lt Governor Dewhurst who attempted to cheat to get the bill passed.   

The second group was the Mainstream Media and Cable News who ignored what was happening in Texas last night.  Twitter had it all with almost second by second updates and links to watch on line.  We watched the numbers grow of people viewing on-line until it was around 200,000 as the special session ended at midnight.  

Last night I was watching the Texas State Senate break the rules to try and pass an abortion bill  including time stamping the vote by taking it back even though almost 200,000 were watching everything unfold on-line at midnight when the special session officially ended.   During the talking filibuster by State Senator Wendy Davis, I was reminded of how lame the filibusters are in the US Senate today.  Wendy Davis showed the Country how it is done yesterday by filibustering for 11 hours.

State Senator Wendy Davis

Was struck by Lt Governor Dewhurst IMHO illegally stopping the talking filibuster by Senator Wendy Davis with lame reasoning which was flawed but then have come to expect that from Texas Republicans.

The crowd of demonstrators in the capitol cried "Shame! Shame!" when Davis' filibuster was halted by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who ruled that her discussion of mandatory ultrasound testing was off-topic. Then the protesters roared after state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte asked, "At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over her male colleagues?”

Was appalled that Dewhurst would even pull such a stunt.  Actually was dumb enough to think he was more honest and had more integrity then Ted Cruz, his opponent in the TX Senate race.  I was dead wrong as Dewhurst has the integrity of a gnat.  The protesters voices sent chills up my spine until they sang "The Eyes of Texas" from UT and this Sooner turned off the feed.  There are certain things I don't want streaming into my home and that is one of them.

Their cries continued to echo inside the chamber -- and over a livestream watched by thousands around the world -- until after the midnight deadline passed. 

Although some Republican lawmakers later claimed the bill had passed in time, Democrats denied that the vote was completed before the clock ran out on the session. 

A time stamp showing the vote completed after midnight was the deciding factor. “This will not become law,” Sen. John Whitmire (D), told The Austin American-Statesman.

This special session of the Texas Legislature called by Governor Perry for the purpose of passing  Abortion Senate Bill 5 failed in the end because it was passed after midnight even though Dewhurst announced it had passed and someone tried to backdate the bill.  The people watching knew differently that it passed after midnight and was not a legal bill.  TX State Senator Wendy Davis filibustered the bill for over 11 hours and is owed a debt of gratitude by women around the Country.  As for the hard right Texas Legislature with zero common sense, they will be going down in history as handing the State of Texas to the Democrats in the future IMHO.

According to The Texas Tribune, Dewhurst was less than pleased by the evening's turn of events. After ruling that the time on SB 5 had expired, he told reporters that "an unruly mob using Occupy Wall Street tactics" had derailed legislation that was designed to protect women and babies. 

The legislation would have prohibited abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, regulated first-trimester abortion clinics as ambulatory surgical centers and restricted access to medication abortions. Had it passed, nearly all of the clinics in the state would have been shuttered. 

Dewhurst also hinted that Gov. Rick Perry may call another special session to get the bill passed, saying: "It's over. It's been fun. But see you soon." 

Despite a long day of filibustering, Davis was upbeat when she greeted the crowd of supporters, who applauded the senator and chanted her name. 

"Today was democracy in action,” Davis said. “You all are the voices we were speaking for from the floor.”

In polling, the vast majority of Texans were opposed to this bill but that didn't stop Governor Perry and his hard right legislature from wasting taxpayer money on a special session on a social issue.  Still think all these draconian abortion bills being passed in the States are going to eventually get overturned.  Sick and tired of a bunch of white guys sitting around determine what a woman can and cannot do with her own body.

Most Texas residents don’t support Senate Bill 5, the omnibus anti-abortion bill currently advancing in the legislature, according to a new bipartisan poll. In fact, 80 percent of Texans don’t want their lawmakers to be considering abortion-related bills during the special session that Gov. Rick Perry (R) convened at the beginning of the month.

Was Governor Perry brandishing his pro-life credentials for another run at the Presidency?  Is this what this was all about as it turned into epic failure?

Several months ago I agreed with speculation that Texas was going to turn blue in ten years but after last night, I think Texas turning blue is getting closer.  In years to come you can probably point to last night as the tipping point when women along with a lot of men realize just how bad having social conservatives in charge of your state really is.  Texas Legislature makes Oklahoma's look good which didn't think was possible.  Seems Texas Legislature is vying with North Carolina for the most hard right in the Country.

Can someone tell me why a business would want to move to Texas now and be subject to such an out of control Governor and legislature?

President Obama's Plan for Climate Change Charts a Path for the Future

Wherever somone stands on climate change, I have never figured out why they would not want to do more to help our environment.  Why take a chance?  
Climate skeptics diss science and yet want us to believe they are on the right side of the debate?   Would much rather air on the side of the people who are doing things to help our environment not on the side of business as usual and it is all junk science like Sen Inhofe (R-OK) likes to tell us all.   May was the oddest month, we have experienced since moving to Oklahoma - huge tornadoes within a couple of days of each other, cooler temperatures and broke records for amount of rain and cold.  Latest I have planted my garden since moving to Oklahoma.   Yet conservatives still deny there is any climate change as they morph into pretzels trying to convince people they have all the answers but don't believe in science.  
The President gave a very speech on Climate Change and the White House website at the link below has some really good information. You can view the President's Plan on Climate Change at the White House website. Part of his plan includes wind and solar energy.  I whole heartedly support both.  We had solar hot water when we lived in SoCal and it was great.  In the summer, spring, and fall, the backup gas hotwater tank never came on.  In fact, we turned it off.  Wouldn't mind having solar hot water again.   Living in Norman, it has been easy to help the environment.  Signed up for 100% windpower from OGE along with their smart grid and smart meter.  Get price alert signal for weekdays so from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, I agree not to use as much energy or the cost is higher.   It is very simple and every week when I get a summary of energy used, I love being at the low end.  Saved a lot of money last summer and intend to save even more this summer with being careful of using big appliances during key times.   Also recycle everything I can at the huge recycle bins in Norman about every two weeks.  We also have curbside recycling but it is easier to gather everything up and take it to the recycling area.  Then I can always stop and get a custard on the way home.   President Obama made the right decision in turning down the northern Keystone Pipeline.   Tar Sands is the last thing we want running through pipes.  Let the Canadians send it to Vancouver instead of down through the states with a huge possibility of a spill which would devastate the environment.   This is not the type of oil we want flowing through any pipeline in the United States.  Wish he would end fracking as well that is using so much of the water supply and then contaminating water because of the chemicals that are used.   Water is a precious resource not to messed with my oil and gas companies who put greed before the environment especially when fracking.  Guess I go back to being a Teddy Roosevelt Republican who believed in preserving our land for future generations which is lost on today's Republicans.   Minority Leader McConnell came out trashing the President's plan before the plan was released.  The Congress probably has the worst GOP leadership in the House and Senate ever.  Hard to believe they are even Senators the way they talk and act.  They are like little puppets for oil and gas, NRA, and wealthy donors starting with the Koch's.  IMHO, the Senate Republicans only got on board the Immigration bill as they know it is DOA in the House.  That was easy to figure out as everything is DOA in the House except for anti-abortion and anti-gay bills.   Social conservatives rule the Republican Party today which includes the deniers of climate change.  Not shocking when you discover they believe man roamed the earth with the dinosaurs  6,000 - 9,000 years ago because that is when the earth was formed.  Forgot real science as the evangelicals of this Country have their own version we are supposed to follow.   President Obama laid out a plan which is a great start to getting a handle on improving our environment with the air we breath and the water we drink.   Let's move America forward by becoming more energy efficient and help the world at the same time.  Plant a tree, drive less, recycle, and cut back on energy you use for starters.  If everyone does that, it will make a difference.   Oklahoma, an oil and gas state, is leading the way with windpower and smart grid with smart meters.  Governors Fallin (R-OK) and Hickenlooper (D-CO) have launched an intiataive for state vehicles to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).  Here in Norman the University of Oklahoma was the first to start converting their fleet of vehicles to CNG including their buses and now the City of Norman is even ordering garbage trucks that run on CNG.  When I see $1.03 per gallon for CNG versus my $3.39 makes me want to switch. Key to success of the President's Agenda for Climate change is ousting hard right Republicans from the House to return some common sense to the dicussion.

Hard Right Texas GOP is Going to Turn Texas Blue After Texas House Rammed Through Abortion Bill

Texas Republican Legislators are out of control as rules do not apply to them just like their Governor, Rick Perry, who is now a huge social conservative.

Governor Perry fits the mold of someone who will do and say anything to get a second chance to run for President.   The difference being this time he is running to the hard right more then before trying to be the candidate of the Tea Party social conservatives.   The fixation of the Republican males on women's bodies and their desire to tell women what to do is so far over the top I have a hard time recognizing candidates and office holders I have known for years.  Don't want to be in the same room with them today as they pander to the lowest common denominator - Tea Party Republicans.

Until 2003, the GOP Neanderthals kept the federal employees health benefit plans from paying for contraceptives but they would spend all kinds of money for erectile dysfunction.  Some of the comments I see out of Republican males make me cringe that they have this arrogant attitude they know more than a doctor and a woman on what is best for them.  Their junk science on abortions and boy babies masturbating in the womb is indicative of a Party where enlightenment is no more as they want to go back in time.

What the Republicans in Texas are doing to women's right to choose is deplorable - there are no exceptions in the latest abortion bill that passed the House early this morning despite all the protest from pro-choice advocates.  Same Republicans after the baby is born don't want to provide food or healthcare as they want to cut both programs.  Something is really wrong in the Republican Party and there is no fix because the loons have taken over with their hard right agenda.

Despite Massive Protests, Texas GOP Rushes Through Abortion Restrictions In The Middle Of The Night 

By Tara Culp-Ressler on Jun 24, 2013 at 9:00 am 

More than 600 women’s health advocates crowded into Texas’ state capitol building on Sunday night, hoping to prevent a vote on a package of abortion restrictions before the state’s special session ends early this week. Ultimately, however, their efforts were unsuccessful. In the early hours of Monday morning, Republicans used their majority to cut off debate and give preliminary approval to Senate Bill 5, an omnibus measure that would force most of the abortion clinics in the Lone Star state to close their doors.   

SB 5 combines several abortion restrictions that failed to advance during Texas’ regular sessioninto one sweeping bill, and would ultimately leave Texas women with just five abortion clinics left in the entire state. Gov. Rick Perry (R) forced a last-minute vote on several pieces of anti-abortion legislation, including SB 5, to give them another chance. Since the current special session operates under different procedural rules, it’s more difficult for Democrats to block legislation from advancing.  

On Thursday night, nearly 800 protesters registered to testify against SB 5. Their “people’s filibuster” stretched on for 12 hours and successfully delayed the House from voting on the restrictive measure. They tried again on Sunday night, filling the capitol rotunda with protesters as Democrats continued delaying a vote for 15 hours.  

“Women are not going to tolerate the constant chipping away of their rights, we are not going to be bullied,” Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D)said on Sunday night in reference to the legislature’s attempt to push through last-minute abortion restrictions. “We are soldiers in the army of women’s rights, and while today we may be outnumbered and out gunned, our cause is just and we shall prevail.” 

Excerpt:  Read More at Think Progress 

Governor Perry and the Texas Republican House may be riding high today after passing this abortion bill, but their days are numbered.  Most of America is not hard right and never has been.  Well over 50% of Americans believe abortion should be safe and legal all the way to partial birth abortion, but that wasn't good enough for the arrogant Governor Perry who wanted to have the toughest law on the books on abortion.  Same Governor Perry who has been cutting women's healthcare benefits.  Does the moronic Governor not understand that women vote?  If he is depending on the white male conservatives to get reelected, he could be in for a shock.

GOP War Against Women Continues in Texas.  Time to start turning Red States back to Blue because conservatives have shown they want to be dictators against women as the 'my way or no way' crowd where there is no room for disagreement in their small minds.

Women need to unite as a voting block and throw out the Neanderthal conservative Republicans from office at all levels!  Vote Dem in 2014 to return sanity to the Country.

TGIF - Time for Some Humor about the Anti-Science Republican Propoganda

Stupid Party aka Republicans strikes again this time on dumb things they think and say about Science

It is TGIF so I thought I would have a little fun with Alternet's article on 7 Jaw-Droppingly Dumb Things Republicans Think About Science.  They didn't even include the unborn boys masturbating from this week as one of the seven.  That stupidity was covered at the beginning of the article.  Anyone with a brain  knows that a new born cannot hold a bottle but Texas Representative Michael Burgess wants us to think a boy boy masturbates for pleasure as a fetus so they must feel pain.  That is sick!  Where did the GOP find these people to run as they are so far out of the mainstream I cannot believe.

Enjoy reading about the lunacy of the hard right followed by my experiences with these people.  Used to think they were only in Oklahoma but there seem to be popping up everywhere although we have more than our fair share:

1. Abortion Leads To Cancer, Birth Defects, And Everything Else 

Burgess’ absurdity actually masked a very serious GOP belief. The “fetus pain” theory, which holds that fetuses begin to feel pain around 20 weeks, has been the primary logic behind a slew of recent abortion bills in state legislatures. As no reputable science backs the theory up, the GOP has been forced to find anything wearing a lab coat to make stuff up. 

Abortions are rare after 21 weeks, and usually occur when a woman develops serious complications with her pregnancy. But some Republicans go so far as to think the health exemption is a cover for the abortion industry. “There’s no such exception as life of the mother, and as far as health of the mother, same thing,” Joe Walsh said in 2012 on his way to losing his House seat. “With advances in science and technology, health of the mother has become a tool for abortions for any time under any reason.” (Republicans have no problem invoking science when it suits their needs.) 

Burgess is hardly alone in digging up scientific-sounding nonsense to back up his abortion views. Rick Santorum was the most recent peddler of the long-discounted theory that abortions lead to breast cancer, while out in Virginia, which has a nasty strain of abortion-based delusion, a state delegate advanced the notion that abortions lead to handicaps. “The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps have increased dramatically,” Bob Marshall said. “Why? Because when you abort the firstborn of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children.”

Note:  I would have dropped the GOP a long time ago if I knew that the anti-abortion crowd that doesn't think the life of the mother counts as an exception was going to someday take over.  Anyone who has had a c-section could have a lot of complications if something goes wrong so don't tell me that the life of the mother cannot be impacted to the point a pregnancy has to be terminated to save the mother.  A patient of my OB/GYN doctor in CA lost a patient due to rupture of stitches at a little over five months - lost the mother and the baby because her husband was adamant about her having her tubes tied after her third c-section.  Ended up costing her three children their Mother.  

2. Everything They Say About Rape 

Burgess’ comment was notable for not featuring the word “rape,” the hook on which many right-wing legislators hang their crazy coats, to the point that Stephen Colbert has instituted a “Days Without a Rape Reference” segment. 

This started with Todd Akin’s famous “legitimate rape” comment last fall, though the theory is still being repeated. Akin’s comment was so bad that even lawmakers who didn’t entirely agree with it were caught in its net: Richard Mourdock blew a gimme election in Indiana when he tripped himself trying to get away from Akin’s remark. 

Like Burgess, Akin’s comment was important not because it was an aberration, but because it reflected a real belief on the right, one that’s beginning to infect policy. Arguing against a rape exemption in his anti-abortion bill last week, Trent Franks stated that the incidences of pregnancy from rape are “very low.” Some see daylight between Franks’ iteration of the rape/pregnancy connection and Akin’s, but it’s minor. And while Akin’s view was rooted in medieval medicine, Franks’ theory traces its lineage right back to Nazi experiments. Whether dealing with centuries-old pseudo-science or its bleak modern mutations, the GOP’s rape/pregnancy link is bad science at its most savage.

Note:  First time I heard a hard right candidate say that if you are being raped, just lay back and enjoy it because you cannot get pregnant  I was appalled and furious.  Told the candidate what I thought and he said I didn't know anything about science as it is almost impossible to get pregnant from a rape.  I told him that is one of the dumbest things I had ever heard.  Then he told me most rapes are not rapes because women want rough sex.  I told him I wouldn't vote for him if he was the last person standing and left the room.  You cannot have a discussion with a moron.  He didn't get the nomination but that was before the hard right nutcases took over and the anti-abortion crowd became the face of the Republican Party.  Men have been dominating the discussion in many states about abortion and now in Congress.  

3. Climate Change Doesn’t Exist, and If It Does It’s Caused By Trees 

Not all Republican science denial involves evil lady parts. Their resistance to the very idea of climate change is so staunch that it bred an entire theory of GOP-specific ignorance. 

The least crazy of the party acknowledge climate change is occurring but refuse to link it to human behavior, instead seeing the rise in temperatures as part of a natural cycle. After all, it’s not like Hurricane Sandy was the first extreme weather event in history. “I would point out that if you’re a believer in the Bible, one would have to say the Great Flood is an example of climate change and that certainly wasn’t because mankind had overdeveloped hydrocarbon energy,” Texas congressman Joe Barton said during a House hearing on the Keystone Pipeline. (You will remember Barton from his apology to BP over the company’s oil spill.) 

There’s one problem with this: refusing to link global warming to human behavior greatly reduces your options for curtailing it. See Dana Rohrabacher, a far-right California congressman, who found a natural solution to a natural problem. "Is there some thought being given to subsidizing the clearing of rainforests in order for some countries to eliminate that production of greenhouse gases?” Rohrabacher asked during a House hearing on U.N. climate policies. 

This is for the Republicans who actually admit climate change exists. Many don’t, and they made sure we knew about it last year when they rejected an amendment that would have simply acknowledged the occurrence of global warming. The amendment didn’t garner a single GOP vote.  

It gets worse. In 2012, North Carolina’s legislature went the full-ostrich route. Not only did they refuse to admit that global warming was happening, they actually banned scientists from researching it, passing a bill prohibiting the measurement of sea-levels so nobody could notice they were rising. (The ocean rudely rose anyway.)

Note:  The 1984 Olympics is the best example of how climate is affected by humans.  First of all they planted numerous trees and ask residents to do the same throughout SoCal to help air quality because they understood the science of using trees:

Trees Improve Our Air Quality

Urban forests help to improve our air quality. Heat from the earth is trapped in the atmosphere due to high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other heat-trapping gases that prohibit it from releasing the heat into space. This creates a phenomenon known today as the “greenhouse effect.” Therefore, trees help by removing (sequestering) CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis to form carbohydrates that are used in plant structure/function and return oxygen back into the atmosphere as a byproduct. Roughly half of the greenhouse effect is caused by CO2. Therefore, trees act as carbon sinks, alleviating the greenhouse effect. 

On average, one acre of new forest can sequester about 2.5 tons of carbon annually. Young trees absorb CO2 at a rate of 13 pounds per tree each year. Trees reach their most productive stage of carbon storage at about 10 years at which point they are estimated to absorb 48 pounds of CO2 per year. At that rate, they release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support two human beings. Planting 100 million trees could reduce an estimated 18 million tons of carbon per year and consequently save American consumers $4 billion each year on utility bills.

Then for two weeks, trucks were forbidden from being on the freeways except at night which should have been the standard because there was no smog.  Where we lived, we could actually look down and see parts of the valley that normally had smog hanging over it.  We were above the smog area then.  If you looked east from our home, it was beautiful but if you looked west on a hot afternoon you just so gunk hanging in the air.

4. Breast Implants, On The Other Hand, are a Fine Use Of Science 

Okay, most of their science denial involves lady parts, but not all of it’s negative! Tom Coburn proves the GOP would be scientists’ best friend if those nerds would stick to expanding things men want to look at. 

"I thought I would just share with you what science says today about silicone breast implants,” Coburn said during a hearing on class action lawsuits, a nagging problem for plastic surgeons. “If you have them, you're healthier than if you don't. That is what the ultimate science shows. . . . In fact, there's no science that shows that silicone breast implants are detrimental and, in fact, they make you healthier." (They don’t.)

Note:  I am sitting here drinking a Coke while I do my blog today -- almost lost it when I read #4.  Abject stupidity is all I can say.  Guess the lawsuits were phony on breast implants.  What is it with Republican males and their focus on a woman's body to the stage that it is creepy?  Guess the GOP is the party in favor of bigger breast even if phony.

5. No Dead Fetuses In Your Soft Drinks' 

But the GOP’s science permissiveness begins and ends with breasts; anything that might help with, say, medical research is off the table. Stem cells in particular give Republicans the bends. 

Where most see the frontier of medical research, Republican candidates for senate see islands of Dr. Moreaus. 

“American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains,” Christine O’Donnell told Bill O’Reilly in 2007. Talking Points Memo guessed O’Donnell was referencing an experiment in which doctors grew human brain cells within mice—“not the same as an actual functioning human brain, but a demonstration that human brain cells can be made from stem cells”—but they didn’t sound too confident speculating on her inspiration. 

At least O’Donnell wasn’t actually a lawmaker. Last year, Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortley got wound up over a zany Internet theory claiming stem cells were being used in the production of artificial sweeteners, and proposed a bill prohibiting companies in Oklahoma from using aborted fetuses to make food.

Note:  The 'I am not a witch' O'Donnell strikes again.  Funniest part of her video saying she wasn't a witch was she was wearing a black outfit.  The word that comes to mind is dumb.  Why am I not surprised that another Oklahoman would make this list.  Speaking of dumb OK State Sen Shortley gets the prize.  Cannot even believe he submitted a bill prohibiting companies in OK from using aborted fetuses to make food.  That is one sick individual.  You could probably sell him anything if he believed that.

6. Evolution Is (Still) Out To Get Jesus 

“I’m not a scientist, man,” Marco Rubio recently told GQ. “I can tell you what recorded history says. I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians. 

Whether the Earth was created in seven days, or seven actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that.” 

But Rubio’s fellow Republicans think they have answered it, as evidenced by the fact that they want schools to teach that humans and dinosaurs used to read GQ together. Republican-controlled state legislatures have been busy trying to pass bills forcing public schools from elementary to college to teach that the world was created 6,000-9,000 years ago. 

Their cover for this is the necessity of "teaching both sides” of the debate—though only one has scientific backing—but Georgia Representative Paul Broun recently showed the right’s hand. 

“All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell,” he said during his (unopposed) run for reelection last year. “And it's lies to try to keep me and all the folks who are taught that from understanding that they need a savior.”

Note:   Another Oklahoma one where most evangelical churches here teach the earth is around 7,000 years old and refuse to allow their children to take trips to the Sam Noble Museum of History on the OU Campus because they might actually learn about the real word through the exhibits and how the earth evolved.  I thought people spouting that theory were kidding so I put foot in mouth asking if they were sure you haven't been watching too much of the Flintstones where there Dino the dinosaur acts like a dog.  Received a whole lecture.  Then my son told me that is what they actually believe - dinosaurs and man roamed the earth together.  Now these people run the Party in my State and others and wonder why a lot of us are telling them and the GOP to take a hike.  Would never give one red cent to a party who refuses to acknowledge the scientific evidence of how the earth has evolved along with plants and animals.

7. It’s Only Science If Republicans Agree With It 

In perhaps the most unintentionally revealing law ever written by a Republican on science, Texas Representative Lamar Smith recently proposed that all scientific knowledge get his okay first. Called the “High Quality Research Act,” Smith’s bill would require any research receiving federal funds to go through Smith’s Congressional Committee on Science, Space and Technology, all in the name of “accountability.” Accountability in this case means agreeing with Smith, a climate change denier who has no problem going after projects he, or his donors, disapprove of. 

If the GOP had its way, this is how all science would work: no rising sea levels to worry about, and all the breast implants Congress can afford.

Note:  Cong Smith (R-TX) was my Congressman before we moved to Norman, OK.  I could not get over when GOP Leadership made Smith the head of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology when he has been living in the dark ages when we were in Texas refusing to acknowledge the role of science in so many endeavors unless some donor wanted it and then he jumped on board.  

If someone had told me in the 90's that Smith would be heading a Science Committee for the GOP, I would have burst out laughing.  Trust me the only thing I am laughing about now is how stupid the GOP Leadership headed by Boehner and Cantor really are - word incompetent comes to mind.  As I was sitting here going over these dumb GOP beliefs, it is such a relief to know that's not my party.

Yesterday I received a survey from the RNC for the 4th District for me to fill out.  As one of my last forms I fill out while still a registered Republican, I am going to enjoy this one.  Then when I am done going to scan into my computer and let everyone see my answers to some really dumb, slanted questions.  Shocked I even received one as last year I wrote comments against Romney and the GOP all over my survey last year along with going after the Tea Party and religious right.  All I got back was a letter thanking me for my participation.  I would have taken me off the list so fast after those comments last year that I would have been on no mailing lists but that didn't happen.

Let's vote out the anti-science party in November 2014 and replace them with common sense.  Republicans have showed they cannot lead as witnessed yesterday by the Farm Bill failing and then blaming Democrats which I am still laughing about.

Hope this gave you a laugh for your Friday afternoon as much as it did me!  Have a terrific weekend!

 

It is 2013, but in the GOP it seems more like it is the "Leave it to Beaver" of 1950's.

UPDATE from The Hill, 1:15 p.m., 20 June:

In a blow to House GOP leaders, the House on Thursday rejected a five-year farm bill.
Members voted down the $940 billion bill in a 195-234 vote that only won 24 Democratic votes. Most Democrats voted against the bill because it cut food stamp programs by more than $20 billion.

Many Republicans also voted no, but for a different reason. They said it was too expensive a bill to pass when the country has $17 trillion in debt.

In the final vote, 62 Republicans opposed the bill, and with the Democratic defections that was enough to send it to defeat.

*******
Cong Gingrey (R-GA) wants to teach grade school children proper gender roles in their future life as a "Mommy and Daddy." The GOP House just passed a 20-week Draconian abortion bill to protect a fetus.   In the House Agriculture bill the GOP wants to cut $20 billion from food stamps which would hurt the baby after it is born.  Makes zero sense!      

Are there no Republicans in Congress with the backbone to stand up to their members when they make such ludicrous statements like Congressmen Gingrey?  No one chastised Trey Franks either - they just moved in Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to run his bill as a woman since no women sits on their all male committee that came up with the horrific abortion bill.  Women have no voices in the Republican Party in Congress unless they agree to everything they are told to say.  If you agree to spout their GOP rhetoric, Leadership will put you out front like they did Blackburn to make a fool of herself on the House Floor and in an interview.  Still cannot get over in an interview Blackburn compared the abortion bill to something that will put more rapists behind bars because of its reporting requirement:

In case you doubt that Blackburn, the gentler face of the GOP, is as bad as Franks and Akin, here she is today defending the indefensible HR 1797:

Blackburn went on to defend the reporting requirements in the legislation, arguing, "[T]he hope is that that will help with getting some of the perpetrators [i.e. rapists] out of the population that are committing these crimes against women and against minor females. We certainly would hope that we could rid our society of these perpetrators." 

In other words, the Tennessee Republican thinks her bill will reduce rapes. When Melvin asked, "How do you fight rapists with an abortion bill?" Blackburn changed the subject. 

She went on to say, three times, "Science is on our side on this." The American Medical Association disagrees. Blackburn added that "80 percent" of American women support her bill, but there is no poll that supports this argument.

How Blackburn can do an interview and say with a straight face that 80% of the American women support her bill is beyond me.  First of all it is Trey Franks bill not hers.  Secondly there is no way 80% of women would support that bill.  I will bet no Democrat women, very few Independent women, and even some Republican women will not support that draconian abortion bill.

Why do Republicans keep assuming that all GOP women are pro-life? Is it because the Republican women are afraid to speak out if they are pro-choice because all the nastiness that will come their way.  Unfortunately, many on the GOP side are married to the same type of conservative as Gingrey, Akin, Franks, Santorum, or any other conservative male who believes they know what is best for women which is to be subservient to their husbands - you are to service your husband, get pregnant, stay home with the children and answer to his every want and need which would make you the perfect wife in their small hard right conservative minds.

Then you have Gingrey who wants proper gender rolls taught to grade school students:

“This is what a father does that is maybe a little different, maybe a little bit better than the talents that a mom has in a certain area..."

I want to throw up that this man is even in Congress.  The way he talks is so condescending talking down to people like we are all five or six year olds. Revise that to 1-3 year olds when he references Mommy and Daddy.  Unbelievable!  How dare he wants to teach young children their roles in life - there are no roles - each person is different in what they do with their lives.  Some stuffy Congressman have no right to want to put his idea of gender roles in the public schools.

Every morning I wake up I discover some Republican idiot in the US Congress has taken it to new lows and wasn't disappointed this morning when I read this from The National Memo of what Gingrey had to say about Father's Day:

Georgia’s Phil Gingrey: Teach Proper Gender Roles In Grade School [VIDEO]
June 19th, 2013 3:29 pm @LaurieInQueens 

As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the Constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Republican congressman Phil Gingrey of Georgia took to the House floor to make the argument for the discriminatory legislation. 

Children, he insists, need both a mother and a father… and should be taught — in separate classes for little boys and little girls, of course — proper, traditional gender roles in school. Because mommies do mommy things, and daddies do daddy things. 

“You know, maybe part of the problem is we need to go back into the schools at a very early age, maybe at the grade school level, and have a class for the young girls and have a class for the young boys and say, you know, this is what’s important,” Gingrey suggests. “This is what a father does that is maybe a little different, maybe a little bit better than the talents that a mom has in a certain area. And the same thing for the young girls, that, you know, this is what a mom does, and this is what is important from the standpoint of that union which we call marriage.” 

And though he believes children need two parents, Gingrey — who is running for retiring Saxby Chambliss’ Senate seat in 2014 — is quite clear that same-sex parents simply do not make the grade. Mommy can work, but afterwards, she should be coming home to daddy. The adult females in his family, he points out, all have jobs. “But they’re still there as moms,” he says. “And when they come home and take over that responsibility, they need a shared partner, and that partner is that partner for life. And I’m talking about, of course, the father.” 

If you can stand it, watch this stunning display of sexism and homophobia below:

Gingrey just doesn't take a swipe at gay parents, as he also hits single parents, and Dads who stay home with their children while their Mom's work.  Then there are the grandparent who may have custody of their grandchildren.  IMHO children need a loving home with parent(s) who they know care and are willing to become part of their lives and be there for them.   The worst part of Gingrey's remarks is that they are shared beliefs of the hard right of the Republican Party and no one in the GOP has the nerve to tell people like Gingrey to sit down and shut up because it might make their hard right base mad - bunch of Republican wimps are in the halls of Congress.  It makes sense when you look at who the GOP put in charge of and members of committees. The GOP Leadership in the House put Lamar Smith in charge along with some members on the science committee who don't believe in science and think the world is 5,000 to 8,000 years old.  There are all GOP males headed by Trey Franks on a committee that handles the numerous abortion bills and women's reproductive rights who believe you cannot get pregnant from rape.  You have people on the Intel committee like Michelle Bachmann which in itself is funny.  She has trouble with the truth and has for some time and you trust her with our nation's secrets?   Then there is the infamous former car thief who plea bargained and insured a building of his for three times the amount - burned down three weeks later who is head of House Investigations.  We saw how dishonest Chairman Issa was when he only allowed redacted transcripts to be released on their feigned IRS scandal.  He was warned by the ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings (D-MD) to release all the transcripts but Issa kept up the farce it went to President Obama.  Cummings released the transcripts this week that showed Issa was liar and that it did not go to the White House. The latest one the GOP has come up with to defend their abortion bill comes out of a Texas State Senator on the reason for not getting an abortion is that young male babies masturbate so you have to teach when they are born not to do that.  The Republican Party and its members of Congress have officially jumped the shark!  Wonder if it is necessary to explain to the Neanderthal GOP what 'jump the shark' means? In all this hyperbole about abortion by the Republican Party and the fetus must be protected,  what is lost is their voting in the Agriculture bill to strip $20 billion from food stamps.  It can be summed up in one sentence:

Almost all Republicans in the House have shown a belief a fetus should be protected at all cost but after they are born want to cut the food stamp programs that lead to a healthy baby and child.  

Chris Hayes covered these cuts very well on his new program All In:

All In   |  June 18, 2013 

Republicans want to cut $20 billion from food stamps 

The House is slated to debate a farm bill this week, in which Republicans want cut $2 billion a year from the food stamp program. The president has threatened to veto it. 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

There is one person who is standing in the way of the archaic Republican ideas and ready to use his veto pen - President Barack Obama. Best decision in politics I ever made was to join Republicans for Obama and support his re-election. If I knew what I know now, I would have supported him in 2008 against McCain/Palin.  Republican hardliners are making it very easy to switch parties.

Republican Party is Dead to Me After Passing Abortion Bill Last Night

Thank you Mr. President for being the last line of defense for women with a notice you will veto  this monstrous bill that could cause harm to women if this unconstitutional bill was made into law.

These Republican males who support the unborn are the same creatures that want to cut the SNAP program  by devastating numbers which would affect children who are born into poverty or low incomes when their mothers carried their babies to full term.  Their reward for not getting an abortion?  Not being able to feed their children.  What a Country with a House of Representatives run by barbarians who could care less about the American people especially chldren AFTER they are born.  The GOP War on Women continues.  I am joining the other side to fight these people to return some common sense to the House by throwing the obstructionists Republicans out.

Was already on the edge of the cliff with the hard right Republicans in Congress who put wealthy donors/lobbyists ahead of the American people, but last night they tipped the scale with passing a law that came out of a committee of all men and makes themselves judge and jury of what is best for women.  Then they put a woman, Marsha Blackburn, out in front with this bill when she doesn't sit on the Committee - despicable bunch of men in leadership starting with Boehner.

When I was pregnant with my third child after having had two c-sections, my OB doctor said that after a really bad experience that I would to sign a form saying this would be my last child because she no longer would be the doctor for a woman who had three c-sections and got pregnant again.  We were in California  at a high risk clinic run by a Christian organization who ran the hospital.  Several months before I came to her office, she had a patient who was on her fourth pregnancy after having three c-sections who called her at almost 22 weeks to say there was some blood coming from prior stitches.  She sent her to emergency but the hospital refused to allow a procedure as it could result in an abortion so she was put in an ambulance to go across town, but en route she ruptured at her stitch line which cost her life and the life of the baby.  She left three small children.  That was 1984.

Like so many men, her husband didn't approve of her having her tubes tied after he third c-section as she was there to have his children and take care of his needs according to what the women told my doctor.  My woman doctor then handed me the form to sign and said your husband cannot stop you but I will not be your doctor if you decide to get pregnant again.  That was an easy choice for me - unlike the woman who died no one could talk me out of it.  I had two small children at home and wanted to make sure all three had a Mom.  Was not willing to take a chance with my life no matter what I was told.  Best decision I ever made to be able to raise three healthy children.

No matter what Neanderthal Republicans say, it is a matter between a woman and her doctor and no one else including her husband.  The jerks have no idea of circumstances behind the decisions when they stand for the unborn but they know exactly the circumstances when they stand against the babies who are born by cutting programs that will help them like SNAP and WIC.  The GOP wants to raise interest on student loans to make it harder for students that don't have rich parents to get a college education.

There is only one place for today's Republicans in Congress and that is the unemployment line - they have crossed the line with this lifelong Republican as I will never vote for another Republican.  They can take their abortion bill and shove it down their throat because all they care about is playing to their base when people need jobs.

Despicable party now run by the hard right who put an unborn child above a mother's life and then refuse to take care of that child after the baby is born.

From Politicususa: 

The GOP-led House advanced their anti-women abortion bill Tuesday, by a vote of 232-193 in favor of the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act”. 

The fact that the measure was initially approved by a committee made up of 23 Republican men and no women wasn’t helping the GOP escape their “war on women” branding. But after Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ) made a fool of himself explaining that it was okay that Republicans were banning abortion after 20 weeks for rape and incest victims because the odds of rape from pregnancy are “low”, the Republicans decided they’d better put a woman’s face on the matter. This theory relies on their notion that American women are so stupid that they’ll buy anything if it’s packaged properly (see Sarah Palin). 

So, Republicans shoved Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) out in front to be the face of the debate on Tuesday, because who better to sell a bill limiting freedom than the woman who believes that women don’t want equal pay laws. Also, Marsha used to be an “image consultant” apparently, something that no doubt came in handy for her while she faced 33 scolding letters from the FEC. 

Poor Franks with Akin on his face had to sit it out. No more limiting freedom glory for Franks. 

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) was outraged that House Republicans got Blackburn to be the new face of their anti-freedom bill, especially since, of course, Ms. Blackburn is not on the all male committee behind the bill. Apparently Marsha can only be trusted to sell the bill, not actually have any input into it. 

Slaughter scoffed, “If that’s not a first, I don’t know what is, and if that is not PR I don’t know what is. Such a cowardly move is an insult to the intelligence of women across America.”
If only Ms. Slaughter had heard Speaker Boehner trying to sell his party’s obsession with limiting freedom for women… 

When asked why his party was so focused on abortion instead of economy (jobs?), Speaker Boehner pivoted desperately but tripped on his epistemic closure, “After this Kermit Gosnell trial and some of the horrific acts that were going on, the vast majority of the American people believe in the substance of this bill and so do I.” 

Actually, unless you watch Fox News or are subjected to people who do, you probably don’t know much about Gosnell. And yet pretty much everyone knows someone who is underemployed or unemployed. Go figure. 

The “substance” behind the Republican bill is based on dubious science (aka, the non-science “believed” by conservative voters) that fetuses feel pain at 20 weeks and thus women should be forced to feel pain all of the time. 

 Excerpt:  Read More at Politicususa

This group of House Republicans has wasted my tax dollars on repealing Obamacare and now an archaic abortion bill and have the audacity to say women stand with them.  They are living in a dream world.  The GOP was smarter in the 80's then they are today as they try to turn the clock back.

Sometimes in life you have to take a stand - last night was mine.  I was already going to work to elect Democrats to oust the GOP from leading the House but now it is personal.  I refuse to continue to be a member of a party that shows no empathy and spends more dollars on phony investigations and bills they know are not to going to be law in order to try and hurt Obama to bolster their base then they want to spend on the SNAP Program or Meals on Wheels.

Please join the first to oust Republicans from leadership in the House and keep Democrats in charge of the Senate so we can move the Country forward not turn the clock back.