I had thought the “penny-pinching” remark would be the best example of Conservatives digging a deeper hole just by being themselves. Then along comes this gem from a Deep Thinker in the Party of Ideas. (Those self-assigned labels for Conservatives and Republicans seems so far from the truth they aren’t even ironic anymore, just completely irrelevant.)

Think Progress » GOP Rep. from district where civil rights workers were lynched talks about shooting ‘tree-hugging Democrats.’ 

In a new interview with Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), Politico asks the congressman what the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus does. Harper’s response:

We hunt liberal, tree-hugging Democrats, although it does seem like a waste of good ammunition.

Harper represents Mississippi’s 3rd congressional district, which contains Neshoba County — the place of one of the most infamous race-related crimes in American history. In 1964, white supremacists lynched three civil rights workers.

Think Progress » GOP Rep. from district where civil rights workers were lynched talks about shooting ‘tree-hugging Democrats.’

Of course a joke about killing people can be funny, unless it comes from people who have the means and inclination and feel they are so cornered they must “resist.” But the petty “waste of good ammo” truly reveals an ugly mindset. My advice: Shoot yourself between the eyes, not in the foot. That solves our mutual problems with the least amount of good ammo.

Update: Politico’s Glenn Thrush reports that Harper is unrepentant about his remarks. Harper’s spokesman said the remarks were "supposed to be fun. … It’s having a good time."

Har. Har.

Get ready for conservative Bible – Leonard Pitts Jr. – MiamiHerald.com 

So we may soon have ourselves a conservative Bible. Besides Fox News, I mean.

This new Bible is from Conservapedia, a website that bills itself as a conservative alternative to the perceived liberal bias of Wikipedia, the user-edited online reference.

You may judge Conservapedia’s own bias by reading its definition of liberal: “someone who rejects logical and biblical standards, often for self-centered reasons. There are no coherent liberal standards; often a liberal is merely someone who craves attention, and who uses many words to say nothing.”

For the record, Wikipedia defines conservative as a word referring “to various political and social philosophies that support tradition and the status quo, or that call for a return to the values and society of an earlier age. . . .”

Now, having protected unwary Americans from — ahem — Wikipedia’s bias, Conservapedia founder Andrew Schlafly (son of Phyllis) tackles perceived bias in the Good Book. He proposes to correct the Bible by creating a new translation based upon 10 principles, including: concision (as opposed to “liberal wordiness”); an emphasis on “free market parables” and the exclusion of “liberal passages” he says were inserted into the original text.

Get ready for conservative Bible – Leonard Pitts Jr. – MiamiHerald.com

It would appear the nut hasn’t fallen far from the tree in the case of Andy Schlafly and his mommy.

ABQJOURNAL UPFRONT: Rotten Tomatoes for Political Theater, by Winthrop Quigley

Tea Baggers don’t mention that as a percentage of national wealth, tax collections in the United States are lower than any developed country except Korea, Mexico and Turkey, which suggests that instead of being taxed enough already, Americans could afford higher taxes and still remain competitive in the global economy.
    Such nuance can’t be put on a protest sign, but it might form the basis of discussion of and even solutions to public problems.

ABQJOURNAL UPFRONT: Rotten Tomatoes for Political Theater

Eugene Robinson – Obama’s Peace Prize Won’t Reset His Agenda – washingtonpost.com 

Let the rejectionists fulminate and sputter until they wear their vocal cords out. Politically, they’re only bashing themselves. As Republican leaders — except RNC Chairman Michael Steele — are beginning to realize, "I’m With the Taliban Against America" is not likely to be a winning slogan.

Eugene Robinson – Obama’s Peace Prize Won’t Reset His Agenda – washingtonpost.com

Think Progress » Teabaggers Try To ‘Flush’ Graham Out Of GOP; Graham Responds: ‘If You Don’t Like’ Moderates, ‘You Can Leave’ 

One attendee of the event asked the senator, “when are you going to announce that you are switching parties?” The question drew loud applause from the crowd. Graham defended himself, and denounced the influence of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) on the Republican party:

GRAHAM: I’m going to grow this party, I’m not going to let it get [inaudible], I’m not going to let it be hijacked by Ron Paul. […] I’m going to find people in Maine, Delaware, Illinois, other places–

AUDIENCE: Move there!

GRAHAM: That can win as Republicans, and I’m going to go up, and we’re going to move this party, and this country forward, and if you don’t like it, you can leave.

Think Progress » Teabaggers Try To ‘Flush’ Graham Out Of GOP; Graham Responds: ‘If You Don’t Like’ Moderates, ‘You Can Leave’

 Think Progress » Bar Owner With Racist Anti-Obama Sign: Obama’s A ‘Half-Breed’

The Georgia Peach Museum and Restaurant — which boasts that it is “the original Klan bar” on its website — caused a media firestorm last week when it put up a sign that read, “Obama’s plan for health care – [n-word] rig it.” The restaurant’s owner, Patrick Lanzo, told a local paper that his sign is “strictly about free speech,” and noted that he has in the past been a member of the NAACP and has marched on behalf of gay rights. …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed Lanzo inside his restaurant last week. They took this picture of him, where a “Whites Only” swimming pool sign sits underneath a portrait of Barack Obama.

Think Progress » Bar Owner With Racist Anti-Obama Sign: Obama’s A ‘Half-Breed’

Think Progress » Federal authorities investigating anti-Obama Nazi message on Massachusetts golf course. 

The U.S. Secret Service and the FBI are investigating an incident at a Lakeville, Massachusetts golf course, in which vandals etched “I” above a swastika and “Obama” on the green. The Boston Herald reports that vandals used the heels of their shoes or cleats to scrape the message into the grass:

“We investigate these cases thoroughly,” said Steven Ricciardi, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Boston office. Authorities say the incident “likely constitutes a hate crime, whether the culprits meant it as a prank or not.”

Think Progress » Federal authorities investigating anti-Obama Nazi message on Massachusetts golf course.