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.

Think Progress » WH communications director: Fox News operates as ‘a wing of the Republican Party.’ 

This morning on CNN’s Reliable Sources, White House communications director Anita Dunn defended her recent comment to Time magazine that Fox News is “opinion journalism masquerading as news.” Noting the inordinate amount of attention Fox devotes to stirring fake controversies like Bill Ayers and ACORN, Dunn explained:

The reality of it is that Fox News often operates as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party. And it’s not ideological. I mean, obviously there are many commentators who are conservative, liberal, centrist, and everybody understands that. What I think is fair to say about Fox is — and certainly the way we view it — is that it really is more of a wing of the Republican Party. […]

They’re widely viewed as, you know, a part of the Republican Party — take their talking points, put them on the air, take their opposition research, put them on the air, and that’s fine. But let’s not pretend they’re a news network they way CNN is.

Think Progress » WH communications director: Fox News operates as ‘a wing of the Republican Party.’

The Back Forty » Nobel Laureate Obama 

The DNC’s Brad Woodhouse sent around this statement in response to Republican sniping, which I’m not going to quote.  If you want to find their snark, it won’t be hard.  Here’s the DNC’s response:

The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists — the Taliban and Hamas this morning — in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize. Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving the Nobel Peace prize — an award he did not seek but that is nonetheless an honor in which every American can take great pride — unless of course you are the Republican Party. The 2009 version of the Republican Party has no boundaries, has no shame and has proved that they will put politics above patriotism at every turn. It’s no wonder only 20 percent of Americans admit to being Republicans anymore – it’s an embarrassing label to claim.

Now the RNC is crying foul, as if they never tried to link Obama to terrorists, communists, socialists, the anti-Christ, and god-knows-what all else. What a bunch of crybabies.

The Back Forty » Nobel Laureate Obama

Think Progress » Citing ‘Fascism, Socialism, Obamaism,’ Republican Strategist Launches Impeachment Campaign 

While the international community is heralding President Obama for his leadership, right-wing activists here in America are clamoring to impeach him. Republican operative Floyd Brown, “one of the nation’s dirtiest political strategists” and the architect of the racially-charged Willie Horton ad against Michael Dukakis, has launched a campaign to impeach Obama. Brown, who registered his impeachment website in August, worked closely with congressional Republicans to push a similar crusade against Clinton, starting in 1994. During the 2008 campaign, Floyd ran commercials claiming Obama is Muslim.

Rather than cite any specific crime, Brown is demanding Obama’s removal for pursuing progressive agenda items like health and clean energy reform. His website blares: “Are you willing to let [Obama] construct a totalitarian regime… fascism, socialism, Obamaism… take your pick?”

Brown, a proud “birther,” explained to radio host Alan Colmes yesterday that he is also outraged because he doesn’t believe Obama was born in America

Think Progress » Citing ‘Fascism, Socialism, Obamaism,’ Republican Strategist Launches Impeachment Campaign

Fox News Coverage (or Lack Thereof) of Obama’s Nobel Prize – Tuned In – TIME.com 

Finally, at 9:39, Fox anchor Megyn Kelly mentioned the prize award for (I timed it with a stopwatch) 11.1 seconds. After which Bill Hemmer segued: "Hey, meet the guys who built a pumpkin cannon!"

To be fair, it was a really awesome pumpkin cannon.

Fox News Coverage (or Lack Thereof) of Obama’s Nobel Prize – Tuned In – TIME.com

 Think Progress » Broun calls Pelosi a ‘domestic enemy of the Constitution.’

At a town hall last week, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) continued his campaign to inject over the top, paranoid rhetoric into America’s political discourse. “I’m chairman of the Second Amendment Task Force fighting for Second Amendment rights. Those gun rights are actually critical to prevent treason in America,” said Broun, [mjh: How, by shooting guys like Broun?] according to Athens Banner-Herald reporter Blake Aued, who provided a transcript of Broun’s remarks to TPM. Broun then said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of the “domestic enemies of the Constitution” that he says he swore to defend against:

I’ve gotten to be good friends with Justice Antonin Scalia, who he and Justice Clarence Thomas are the only ones who have any concept of what the Constitution is supposed to be and, and do what they’re supposed to do as justices by upholding the Constitution. But, in fact every, when I was sworn into the Marine Corp, I was sworn to uphold the Constitution against every enemy, foreign and domestic. We’ve got a lot of domestic enemies of the Constitution (applause) and one of those sits in the speaker’s chair of the United States Congress, Nancy Pelosi.

Previously, Broun has said that President Obama wants to go “down the road” of Hitler and has the pieces in place to “establish an authoritarian government.” He has also said that Obama, Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) are part of a “socialist elite” that wants to declare martial law in America.

Think Progress » Broun calls Pelosi a ‘domestic enemy of the Constitution.’

Read that again. This guy was a marine and claims his duty to protect the Constitution. How? By armed insurrection against duly elected representatives. INSANE! Again: Idiots like Broun will deny any culpability at the first bloodshed. That blood will be on his hands and his compatriots.

This was a particularly horrific and despicable crime against all humanity. We need to figure out how to prevent such monsters from growing and how to punish them in any effective way. (Each of the rapists should tearfully apologize to the whole world moments before ending his own life as painfully as possible. One can only hope Hell is real and ever-lasting.) Al Franken has proven that the Republican who called him a clown is himself a jackass.

In 2005, Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped by her co-workers while she was working for Halliburton/KBR in Baghdad. She was detained in a shipping container for at least 24 hours without food, water, or a bed, and “warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she’d be out of a job.” (Jones was not an isolated case.) Jones was prevented from bringing charges in court against KBR because her employment contract stipulated that sexual assault allegations would only be heard in private arbitration.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) proposed an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold defense contracts from companies like KBR “if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.” Speaking on the Senate floor yesterday, Franken said:

The constitution gives everybody the right to due process of law … And today, defense contractors are using fine print in their contracts do deny women like Jamie Leigh Jones their day in court. … The victims of rape and discrimination deserve their day in court [and] Congress plainly has the constitutional power to make that happen.

On the Senate floor, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) spoke against the amendment, calling it “a political attack directed at Halliburton.” [mjh: And the Dark Lord, Dick Cheney.] Franken responded, “This amendment does not single out a single contractor. This amendment would defund any contractor that refuses to give a victim of rape their day in court.”

In the end, Franken won the debate. His amendment passed by a 68-30 vote, earning the support of 10 Republican senators including that of newly-minted Florida Sen. George LeMieux. “He did what a senator should do, which was he was working it,” LeMieux said in praise of Franken. “He was working for his amendment.”

Appearing with Franken after the vote, an elated Jones expressed her deep appreciation. “It means the world to me,” she said of the amendment’s passage. “It means that every tear shed to go public and repeat my story over and over again to make a difference for other women was worth it.”

Update 30 Republican senators voted against the amendment, including Sen. David Vitter (R-LA).

Think Progress » Franken Wins Bipartisan Support For Legislation Reining In KBR’s Treatment Of Rape

NAYs —30

Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
McCain (R-AZ) [mjh: the maverick? hardly.]
McConnell (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting – 2

Byrd (D-WV)
Specter (D-PA)

Vote Summary
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