Quote of the day

"It is ironic that many of the same people who zealously defend the state’s righteous duty to become intimately involved in a woman’s decision to get an abortion are also positively scandalized at the government’s gross overreaching in the area of health care."

District Court Judge Sam Sparks, TEXAS MEDICAL PROVIDERS PERFORMING ABORTION SERVICES, et al. v. DAVID LAKEY, M.D., Court File No. A-11-CA-486-SS, United States District Court, W.D. Texas, Austin Division, August 30, 2011, granting the preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the Texas statute requiring women seeking a legal medical procedure to undergo unnecessary and invasive procedures. In granting the preliminary injunction, Judge Sparks pointed specifically to the forced speech requirements of the law. The law requires doctors - under pain of losing their licenses to practice medicine - to give a description of the sonogram that follows a script designed to convince a woman to not proceed to terminate a pregnancy.

Judge Sparks' decision in that matter was overturned yesterday by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in an opinions that characterized the concerns of the abortion providers as "trivial" and referred to the zygote inside a woman's body as "her child."

Pictured above is an illustration of precisely how much the Texas legislature and Governor Rick "time to end the nanny state" Perry want to keep governmental intrusions out of your life.

Update: MNO's post reminded me of this Bachmann quote, one of the favorites at Drinking Liberally in Minneapolis. S

Another marvel from the Stillwater bridge designers

James Kunstler collects architectural atrocities. Here's November 2011's pinup:

Notice how the crosswalk strides off with great purpose, on a seemingly important mission. When we arrive at the other side, however, the cruel trick is revealed.

A good metaphor for the proposed giant honking river crosser, don't you think?

Current Not Romney not a Tenther

From an E.J. Dionne commentary in the Strib:

It isn’t every day that political candidates are asked whether the 10th Amendment allows states to nullify federal laws, but that was precisely the question Rick Santorum faced at a forum here a few days ago organized by a libertarian-leaning group. 

To his credit, Santorum did not pander to the nullifier. “We had a Civil War about nullification,” Santorum said with a smile. “I’m not sure I want to go there.”

What are Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul (and probably other Republican presidential candidates), Tom Emmer, Dan Severson, Sue Jeffers, Craig Westover and Mitch Berg and the rest of the Tenthers going to think now?

Austerity Today: Food Inspections

Tuesday morning, the US Department of Agriculture announced the closure of hundreds of offices nationwide, including the Food Safety and Inspection Service office in Minneapolis. From Fox News:

Other parts of the announcement were a surprise. Andrew Lorenz, deputy district manager for the Food Safety and Inspection Service in Minneapolis, learned his office would be closed, along with those in Madison, Wis., and Lawrence, Kan. "They wiped out the entire Midwest," said Lorenz, whose office handles all federal inspections of meat, poultry and egg products in Minnesota, Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming.

Despite assurances from the USDA that this was only a cut of office and management staff, crazy left-wing groups like the National Cattlemen's Beef Association are concerned:

Colin Woodall, a spokesman for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which represents more than 147,000 ranchers nationwide, applauded the USDA for trying to save taxpayers' money in tight economic times but also expressed concern about food safety. "We can't say this is all great news because some offices will be closed," he said. "We have to make sure we have the process in place to keep food safe."

How much do you want to bet that the next time there's big E. coli outbreak that the industry blames the cut in the inspection service? I'll bet you $10,000.

Follow me on Twitter @aaronklemz

Panetta: Iran not developing a nuclear weapon

Well then, by all means, try to cripple Iran's economy and start a shooting war

Posted on the Democracy Now website:

Mitt: "I like being able to fire people..."

 We know, Mitt. We know.

By the way, I know this is out of context; you needn't explain that to me. But coming from the mouth of a guy whose advisors adamantly justified quoting President Obama out of context, it's sauce for the goose.


Follow me on Twitter @aaronklemz

The Good Lord's stenographer

Come on, Pat, spill

God told Pat Robertson who will be elected president this fall. But Pat isn't saying who he was told that the winner would be, coy fellow that he is.



Pat did let it slip God told him that President Obama is a radical who will bring on America's economic collapse.

Pat's God has a mean streak all right. Pat believes that Hurricane Andrew was visited on Florida because it was too gay friendly, that September 11th was caused by, inter alia, the ACLU , feminists, abortionists, and the the gays and lesbians, that Hurricane Katrina was caused by abortionists, and that Katrina and September 11th could be related in some way. He also says that the earthquake in Haiti was God's punishment for Haiti making a pact with the devil.

How would you like to be this crackpot's co-host? We'll be back after these messages with a question: is it schizophrenia or just dementia that Pat suffers from? You'll want to stay tuned for that!

Thanks to Robert Ebert for the link.

Dear Jason Lewis,

Ron Paul, the candidate you champion, is a misogynist, a racist, a homophobe, and an anti-Semite. He has a coin dealer's understanding of monetary policy.

He named a child "Rand" after the author whose two turgid polemics that have accounted for more anti-social moral ciphers in the 20th century than another other books, perhaps save Mein Kampf.

He's as old as dirt.

And other than that, there isn't much to say for him.

Gun rights for dogs!

That's the advice for Michele Bachmann on coming out as top crazy. It's too late, I know, but imagine what a campaign appearance by Boomer carrying heat could have done.


Did The Media Treat Bachmann Unfairly Because She's An Insane Woman?

Thanks to Kevin Hoffman for the link.

I prefer it in the original German

traditio.com

The words of Archbishop John Nienstedt:

Ich appelliere an dieses Versprechen in diesem Bemühen um die Ehe zu verteidigen. Es sollte nicht geöffnet werden Zwietrachtwerden zu diesem Thema. Wenn keine persönlichen Vorbehaltehaben, will ich nicht, dass sie öffentlich genutzt werden. Wenn jemand im Gewissen glaubt, dass er nicht kooperieren, I will, dass er direkt an mich wenden und ich planen, sich persönlich zu reagieren.

I don't want any dissent on this marriage business, says the archbishop to the clergy and deacons in the archdiocese. If you have any misgivings, come to me and we'll have a little talk.

Ja, und zen ve vill zee vut happens!

If you want to read more about the archbishop's little homily warning about backsliding, go to the link above and read the English translation in a post by Dave Mindeman.

["I prefer it in the original German" was the phrase that the incomparable Molly Ivins used to signal her contempt for a speech by Pat Buchanan.]

Sex, lies, and (a missing) video tape

Who needs Rosemary Woods with this bunch in charge?

THE SEX: at a press conference on Friday, December 16, 2011, then Deputy Majority Leader Geoff Michel, flanked by Sens. Chris Gerlach, David Hann, and (what should we make of this?) new Majority Leader David Senjem (elected in a caucus meeting on December 27th), called for the public stoning of recently deposed resigned Majority Leader Amy Koch over her "inappropriate relationship" with a male staffer. [And that, boys and girls, is a single complete sentence with only one independent clause.]

The four, shown here, led us to believe that this "inappropriate relationship" was fresh news to them, and they wanted to be completely open and transparent with the public about it. Right.

MPR photo

THE LIES: It wasn't a week before that whopper was unraveled. It turns out that the "inappropriate relationship" was known about for months, and the then Deputy admitted it.

And to complete the week of cheek, Sargent (Cal) Ludeman says that Michael Brodkorb -- Koch's paramour -- who was being fired by Sargent Ludeman at just about the same time the presser was occurring, was not fired for having an "inappropriate relationship" with Sen. Koch. Senate leadership just lacked the "will" to keep Brodkorb on, necessitating his immediate firing and cleaning out his desk at midnight.

THE MISSING VIDEOTAPE: It would be fun to go back and watch the presser on December 16th, wouldn't it? You know, at the Senate Media Services website. The one where they have videos of the press conference announcing that Minnesota cattle are tuberculosis free, or the presser where Lester Bagley moans about the changes in stadium financing plans.

Yes, boys and girls, that would be fun. But you can't do it.

Do you know why?

Because no video was taken. Apparently, nobody in the GOP caucus thought it would be newsworthy. (And you can be sure that the DFL caucus wasn't consulted.) Certainly not as newsworthy as tuberculosis-free cattle or the moaning Lester Bagley!

Really, though, Cal and Geoff knew it would be very newsworthy, and for a very long time. So they made sure there would be no tape. How did they do that? By letting the media services office of the Senate know about the presser ten minutes ahead of time, when, according to a spokesman there, the media crew was "out." (I've searched for video taken about the same time as the presser elsewhere on the Senate media website, but I can't find any.)

The same person said he didn't think, alas, that  there was any video anywhere extant on the presser. What a surprise.

Remember, this is an "inappropriate relationship" that the Senate caucus leadership knew about for months. But suddenly, there was the need for a hurry-up press conference on a moment's notice on a Friday afternoon.

Hmmmm. Curious, no?

There is one other curious thing I didn't know until I started looking into this. Do you know who the Senate media services people report to? Sergeant (At Arms of the Senate) Cal Ludeman.

Michele Bachmann quatrains

Bachmann's hysterial screed against President Obama in her goodbye speech this morning reminded me of the quatrains of hers we discovered a couple of years ago.

In the sulfurous year of 2010
If men do still exist by then,
The King of Kenya will, I warn ya, leave
A mark from Maine to California.

In his fetid wake I see
A country that looks less like me.
Where hate and prejudice once flourished,
The human spirit is sadly nourished.

So patriots keep thy powder dry,
The reasons I can’t tell you why, exactly,
But know that when at last I call,
You’ll have to come and shoot them all.

She hasn't changed a bit.

Nate Silver, you're good, but you're no Tony Angelo

I know Tony Angelo, Tony's a friend of mine. Tony is wizard with numbers.

Here's the rhetorical Tony yesterday:

Rick Santorum will win the Iowa Caucuses on Tuesday. 

But Tony, no poll has yet shown Santorum in the lead in Iowa and guru of election predictions Nate Silver, currently has him pegged at just a 21% chance to win, behind both Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, why would you be predicting a Santorum win?

Tony goes on his is post to explain his prediction.

CBS caucus results tonight after 11:00 PM show Romney and Santorum in a dead heat for first place at 25% each, with Ron Paul trailing at 21. Not a clear win for Santorum, at least so far, but close enough for government work Congratulations, Tony.

Michele was ours; we decided to share

And now, an ungrateful (and perhaps vengeful) nation sends her back, marked "Refused"

Thanks. Really.

God decided to step out for a sack of groceries or maybe was playing cribbage with Lucifer, but whatever it was, he (or she, of course!) didn't deliver the miracle that Michele Bachmann predicted in the Iowa caucuses.

This is why it is so much better to explain that what happened is an act of God, not what will happen. The Good Lord apparently has a sense of humor and will screw you up every time, just for fun.

It is only around 8:30 PM on caucus night, but Fox News projects Bachmann to finish last among the candidates who campaigned in Iowa. But she'll clobber John Huntsman.

Vertigo!

This is what a jury looks like when it isn't buying the defendant's final argument

NYT photo (in the Strib)

The photo accompanies a story that reports that one of the reasons that the caucuses in Iowa are considered important is that voting for a candidate requires a "commitment of several hours." I think that's overblown, both in terms of the time and its meaning.

It appears that four in ten people intending to attend the caucuses have not finally made up their minds:

"It'll depend on my prayer and my gut," says Troll, 50, a stay-at-home mother of five from Grimes, Iowa.

Delaying a firm decision is not an uncommon action in Iowa. A Des Moines Register statewide survey released over the weekend found four in 10 likely caucusgoers who had a first choice for the Republican presidential nomination were open to changing their minds.

For at least some voters in Iowa, it seems that going to the caucus is a little like the cows coming home every evening to be milked -- it's a habit, and a civic one at that -- but it's not because they're willing to march over hill and dale and all along the dusty trail for the one true candidate who speaks to them.

Incidentally, the candidate who is making the young man in the photo throw up in his mouth -- just a little -- is Newt Gingrich.

God's short coattails

Just a couple of grafs from Andy Mannnix's story (at City Pages) on Meteor Michele and the Smoking Crater:

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians," Bachmann told a crowd in Sarasota, Florida, perhaps the worst place in America to make light of a hurricane. "We've had an earthquake, we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?' Listen to the American people, because the American people are roaring right now."

The implication was that the Lord was destroying Americans' homes up and down the East Coast because he was pissed about healthcare reform and the stimulus package. Bachmann's campaign later brushed off the quip as a joke, but it was at best ill-timed, coming just six months after the Japanese earthquakes that had left more than 15,000 dead.

"It shows sort of the twisted thinking that goes on in her mind," says Karl Bremer, co-author of the book The Madness of Michele Bachmann. "To me, it's like Pat Robertson blaming Katrina on the gay pride parade that weekend."

Andy is being charitable when he calls it "ill-timed." In bad taste, or poisonous are just a couple of the other terms that come to mind.

In addition to being a good telling of the arc of Bachmann's candidacy, it has a great Avidor graphic, too.

Update: In Bachmann's Bible, there is apparently a passage where God says, "When I give you lemons, make lemonade!" She's repeating line about God creating visiting Hurricane Irene on the U.S. as an example of her great sense of humor, rendering her the clear choice in the caucuses.

A Caucus Eve blessing

From Michele Bachmann!

Here are parts three and four of The Wit and Wisdom of Michele Bachmann. Part one is here, and two part two is here. This is a reprise of the videos originally posted this fall: quotes of Michele Bachmann "performed" by the Drinking Liberally Players of the Minneapolis - St. Paul Chapter.

One more thing

As we bid goodbye to the mess that was the Minnesota Republican Party's 2011, we here at the Stool want to point out one more silver lining in the cloud that will follow the party into 2012.

Remember that Federal Election Commission fine (actually it was part of a conciliation agreement, but let's not quibble) of $170,000 that is still hanging over the party? Remember the Matter Under Review 5926 that prompted it? The accounting mess that we've spoken about frequently here at the Stool? Remember that it dealt with the problems in the Party's record keeping back in 2006-2008?

It only dealt with the problems in 2006-2008.

Now, it would be irresponsible to speculate what treasures are buried in the stinking pile that is the Minnesota GOP's past three years of record keeping, so we won't. But Happy New Year, Chairman Shortridge and Treasurer Sturrock.*

*Treasuer Sturrock, of course, has already submitted his resignation. No word yet as to possible successors.

Michele Bachmann is not Christian enough!

The Cross and the Cuckoo

This man will tell you why:

Go to Dump Michele Bachmann to see the video of him telling you how she's deficient in the Christian department.

The woman who killed "Happy New Year!"

The audacity of hope

Hahahahahah. Didn't somebody write a book with that title?

She didn't write the book, but here are a couple of opening grafs of her column on New Year's Day about how goldarn lucky we are to have the thing called hope:

We Americans are fortunate that hope is built into the architecture of the cultural world we inhabit. It's an element of the precious patrimony we received from Western Europe -- the happy marriage of Athens and Jerusalem.

As inheritors of the Western cultural tradition, we Americans do not believe that the future is foreordained, or that human beings are the helpless playthings of the gods. We do not conceive of history as a giant wheel, condemning us to endlessly repeat the past. We have a different idea: that hope -- and human resolve, ingenuity, self-discipline and self-sacrifice -- can broaden and enrich our world, improving our lives and those of our children.

We believe that Oriental cultures do not value human life that way we do, and we believe that human kind is on a sure path to history's conclusion! Why, Francis Fukuyama said we've already done it! Western civilization -- and Christianity, of course -- are already the winners! I guess he had to take it back, but he definitely is on to something! We're on the path to the world's conclusion, too, I guess. It just depends on how much stock you put in the Book of Revelation!

As the spawn of a European man (probably God) and a middle eastern woman (Mary), we really are lucky (and to repeat, just a little):

As inheritors of the Western cultural tradition, we Americans do not believe that the future is foreordained, or that human beings are the helpless playthings of the gods. We do not conceive of history as a giant wheel, condemning us to endlessly repeat the past.

Yes, we have only One True God to tell us the score; just ask a Calvinist, or even your garden-variety fundie. And we're not condemned to repeat our history; we're just condemned to live the lives that ancient busybodys wrote for us, so it just seems that way.

I've picked out the best stuff in the column for you to read, boys and girls. The rest descends into even greater incoherence and cultural viciousness. I can hardly wait for Easter.