The Journal of Left of Center Thinking :: April 24, 2005 - April 30, 2005

What the GOP Stands For

Andrew Sullivan compiles a list of what the GOP, under the current leadership, stands for (or, more specifically, against):

I would add to that list a free judiciary, access to information, and freedom of (non-Christian) religion.

Live Bush Blogging

Note to Bush – Gay families don’t even get burial benefits when one of them dies. Thanks. For asking.

My job is to lay out idea on Social Security. Which, really, I didn’t do. But, you listened anyway.

I hear teachers tell me how good no child left behind is. Just like I hear all these people tell me how much they like my social security plan.

More fair = pay what you owe!

Tax Cuts! Legal Reform. ASS-pestos reform.(I thought this was a flub, but he repeated ASS-pestos,exactly the same.)

Higher gas prices are a tax on companies and people. And I want to cut taxes!

Sept. 11 is mentioned for the 3rd time. 5:50pm pst.

Do you feel you’re partially to blame for the lack of bipartisanship?Answer: I’m disappointed in that. I’m proud of my party, though. It’s a party of ideas.

Sept. 11 is finally mentioned.

Why does Bush insist on explaining who people are, when everyone should know. Condi – My Secretary of State. I asked that question to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – my top military advisor.

If ownership in society is so important, why is Bush focusing on ownership for people after they’ve retired?

He asked Bolton if the UN was important – because he didn’t want to appoint someone who didn’t think the UN was important? Didn’t this man say the UN didn’t exist to him?

When did being confirmed for one post automatically make you the best person for another post?

B-O-L-T-O-N. I’m 100 percent behind him. I have nothing else to say about that.

He looked so proud when he pronounced Slovakia.

Clean Burning Coal Research is a good alternative to coal.

When you liquefy gas, it’s in solid form?

Admittedly, Bush did a good job following up on the religion question.

Wow. The questioner seems to be more aggressive than I remember that press being in the past.

That's how I've lived my life. By Example.

Skipped over the role faith is playing question, and stumbled into ‘Up or down vote’.

The Disinfected people of Iraq?

A president who follows polls is like a dog who chases his own tail? Huh?

4th time he said he will listen to ‘people of both parties’.

Good - Questions. This is where Bush shines!

Social Security is too important to play politics with. Which is why I traveled the country the last two months, holding false town meetings.

Treasury Bonds? Are those more secure than the government, who currently hold the money?

Empty promises? Because the Government is taking the $$ and spending it elsewhere? Social Security isn’t the problem there. Maybe he means ‘You can’t trust us – please! Send your money elsewhere. To other people you can’t trust.’

Damn I came in late. Did he mention gay marriage yet?

A call for civility

Stanly Kurtz has suddenly decided that there is enough heated rhetoric in our society. And he’s warning us all. A Harper’s Magazine article called ‘Christian Right's War On America”, apparently crossed the line.

Now, someone might suggest that there are some on the right who have also fanned the flames of hatred. Indeed, anticipating this, Kurtz pulls out James Dobson’s recent flub where he compared judges to the Klu-Klux-Klan. Kurtz recognizes that this was over the line, and had some harsh words for Dobson.

Indeed. Which probably explains Dobson comparing Gay Marriage to Pearl Harbor (An attack on America). Or Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell blaming 9-11 (an attack on America) on a whole slew of people (Gays, Feminists, ect). Kurtz himself decsrbied the clash between consertiaves and liberals as a Culture War, echoing Pat Buchanan’s ‘Culture War’ speech which most likely lost Bush the elder’s re-election so many years ago.

Of course, we know where the real hatred comes from. Those on the left.

Why? Well, apparently the anti-Bush rhetoric induced violence.

And, the biggest offenders? Homosexuals! (It always comes back to them!)

What’s he talking about is that CA Assembly passed a resolution which included ‘Sexual Identity and Gender identity’ to a voluntary form politicians can sign called the California Code of Fair Campaign Practices. So, there’s no banning of political speech. Here’s the beginning of the document.

And here’s the specific section which was amended:

Kurtz is not without a sense of humor, though:

Right. Check out the NRO archives, and get back to me.

Anyway, you can see the ending coming:

Yes. We on the left are busy destroying schools and have been so successful at ostracizing the religious right, they now control the white house and both houses of congress.

Those poor people.

Republican Values

Hmmm, the GOP in the house and senate have agreed on a tentative budget.

Farms, Education, Pension programs and Medicare will help shoulder the deficit issue, and an additional $106 billion in tax cuts.

Finding a balance

Okay – as much of a Church/State separatist that I am – I’m not sure I see the problem with offering an elective class on the bible. As long as it is elective, and there is some sort of oversight as to the testing of the materials.

The oversight is important only because I don’t want students getting As for attending bible study , as opposed to studying the bible. It needs to test on the understanding of the materials within, not the belief of said materials.

Yes, I know, there’s a slippery slope argument against such a scheme, and I half-heartedly agree. I’d be interested to see if other non-biblical elective were shot down – IE Gay Studies, Muslim History, ect. Though, on the grand scheme of things I’m not overly concerned.

Rick DeMent said (at April 28, 2005 05:16 AM):

Can we be alarmed yet?

A Republican state representative in Alabama, Gerald Allen has filed a bill which would prevent public school libraries from purchasing books written by gay people, or including gay characters.

If you’re keeping count, this would include works by Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams, Socrates, Sontag, Ginsburg, -just to name a few. It’s unclear if the bible (which has gay characters) will be allowed an exemption, however I understand that history books will be required to deny the existence of Barney Frank and Eleanor Rossevelt. Lincoln will get a pass, assuming he doesn’t make reference to his thighs.

The world gets crazier and crazier every day....

Organic Chemicals on Titan

Another piece of evidence which suggests life must exist beyond our planet.

Queer eye on the President

Yesterday had him holding hands with another man.

Now, certainly, that is not enough to suggest Bush’s flight suit may have been more than a prop but, then here’s Bush today:

"Splash Day" is a fully gay and lesbian event on the beaches.

Cockroaches

Turn on a little light, and see them all scatter.

Congressperson: Umm, yea. I just realized that that trip I took two years ago with that dinner by the lobbyist? Funny thing, my Visa statement just showed and, even though I specifically asked for the check to be split, they didn’t charge me. Signed credit card receipt? Of course I *scribble scribble* have one.

Partisan Note: In terms of travel, the cockroaches pretty much seem to be both sides of congress. Check out who is having trips paid for here.

On the other hand, some of these trips are valid. The issue with DeLay is that he knew, or should have known, the tripe was paid for by lobbyists. On the other, other hand, DeLay is not, I’m sure, the only one who turned a blind eye to who was really picking up the tab.

If nothing else, maybe our elected officials will police this aspect of their ‘perks’. I think, in light of the fact that the IRS has deemed that frequent flier miles are taxable income, trips and dinners paid for by someone other than the congressperson should be taxable income as well – regardless if it’s paid for a “valid” source or not.

Up is Down

This is a great example of the press twisting a story to enflame what is not really (to me) a story.

The police handcuffed a five year old girl. If you watch the video, though, you’ll see a 5 year old girl out of control – tearing things off the walls, breaking things, kicking and swinging at a teacher, climbing on furniture – all of this after she was removed from the classroom for being disruptive.

And, if you listen to the audio, you realize that the police have been called in about this girl before.

Was she calm when the police came? Yes. As soon as they came, she sat down and stopped being disruptive. Still, I don’t think the police did anything wrong in handcuffing her.

The pictures you see, of the police putting the cuffs on the young girl is then end of the story – not the whole story.