Head-Spinning Political Shit!

[DMW]

[*Anya*]

Tea Party Group Founder Calls For Class Action Suit Against Homosexuality

By David Badash

October 18, 2013

Rick Scarborough, the founder of Tea Party Unity, thinks homosexuality is worse than smoking, and is calling for a class action lawsuit against homosexuality — just like attorneys general of 46 states brought against the top four tobacco manufacturers in the 1990s. No word yet on who the manufacturer of homosexuality is, but given that Scarborough is a self-described “Christocrat,” it’s a pretty good guess that serving papers will be an other-wordly experience.

Scarborough spoke on a nationwide Tea Party conference call yesterday with anti-gay hate group leader Peter LaBarbera, and floated the ridiculous idea.

“Peter,” Scarborough said, “the whole issue of a class action lawsuit, you and I have talked about this a little bit. I just wonder if you’ve explored that, talked to anyone about it. Obviously, statistically now even the Centers for Disease Control verifies that homosexuality much more likely leads to AIDS than smoking leads to cancer. And yet the entire nation has rejected smoking, billions of dollars are put into a trust fund to help cancer victims and the tobacco industry was held accountable for that. Any thoughts on that kind of an approach?”

Of course, LaBarbera liked that idea a lot. “Yeah I think that’s great. I would love to see it.” Because what would be better than declaring homosexuality illegal, and… what, throwing every gay person in jail, perhaps?

How very “Christian.”

But that’s not even the worst part of the conversation, because, face it, Scarborough’s idea is just plain stupid and easily dismissed.

LaBarbera went on to say, “We always wanted to see one of the kids in high school who was counseled by the official school counselor to just be gay, then he comes down with HIV.”

Yes, he said that.

Even if it was a, “Hey, this would be an awesome marketing campaign thing” comment, it’s one hundred percent disgusting. This is a grown man who is a father saying that he “always wanted to see” a high school kid come down with AIDS.

Sick.

But it’s important to remember that Scarborough is a radical right wing religious extremist. He’s surrounded himself with other religious and conservative extremists, like disgraced former House Republican Majority Leader and now acquitted convicted criminal Tom Delay, who is on Scarborough’s Tea Party Unity steering committee.

Delay was charged and convicted of criminal election law conspiracy, and the prosecutor is appealing the acquittal.

Also on Scarborough’s steering committee are Don Feder of the World Congress of Families, and Robert Knight, a draftsman of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Feder in 2011 likened the Democratic Party, and Obama especially, to Hitler’s Nazi Party, and the Occupy Wall Street Movement to Hitler Youth in an op-ed, ”Top 10 Ways Democrats Are Like Nazis.”

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/author/davidbadash

[DMW]

http://nation.foxnews.com/2013/10/22...n-barack-obama

Faux news.
Cheney went and wrote a book about the heart. He still doesn't have an honest one after his transplant. Maybe he figured writing a book with " heart" in the title would help him. Anyhow, the spin continues. "Obama is the extremist", Cheney claims in this clip. In addition, Cheney said, Obama " is the guy who has done enormous damage to America's standing in the world".

Wow.
Reminder Fox News is outlawed in Canada because they don't allow broadcasters to lie.

[Sparkle]

The Supreme Court handed down it's decision in McCutcheon vrs. the Federal Election Committee (FEC) today. As expected, aggregate campaign contributions were eliminated, significantly increasing the influence of a tiny fraction of the public on American policy.

AND I AM SO BLOODY ANGRY!

I genuinely believe that the undue influence of a few uber-rich donors corrupts our democratic systems and block progress on almost every issue I care about: healthcare, education, jobs, the environment, immigration reform.

I work for an organization that is trying to do undo the damage rulings like McCutcheon and Citizen's United have done to our democratic systems by curbing the influence of corporations and uber-donors like the Koch Brothers, and closing the loopholes that lobbyists exploit.

I know... zzzzzz.... campaign finance reform isn't a very 'sexy' subject, people's eyes usually glaze over about 20 seconds after I start ranting about this. I think most people just tune out and write it off as another example of our deeply corrupt political system.
'they're ALL corrupt' rolls eyes - throws hands in the air

But that's part of the problem... overcoming the disillusionment and cynicism of the American public as concerns political corruption is an enormous hurdle. People need to get ANGRY about this, and they need to stand up say "FUCK THAT - WE DEMAND A HIGHER STANDARD FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS"

Today we (the team I work with) launched our McCutcheon satire video, you can see it on our microsite: www.unlimitedcorruption.com

Or on our youtube channel


Here's a non-tongue-in-cheek analysis from our Comms Director, featured on HuffPo today
http://huff.to/1ktpU7R

If you're politically inclined and you care about this issue have a look around our campaign site www.represent.us and consider volunteering in your Congressional District, or if you're short on time and energy - just sign on as a Citizen Co-Sponsor to the American Anti-Corruption Act.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Tea Party Candidate Says It's OK To Stone Gays To Death




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5486678.html

[Jess]

an article taken from the Institute for Southern Studies newsletter "Facing South"

NC fracking bill orders prison time for disclosing chemicals, ignores health risks
North Carolina's legislature convened last week, and lawmakers introduced a bill that brings the state one step closer to allowing oil and gas drilling.

One aspect of the Energy Modernization Act (SB 786) that's gotten considerable attention is the provision that would make it a Class I felony for someone to intentionally disclose chemicals in fracking fluids that are classified as trade secrets. A conviction of this lowest-level felony could bring civil fines and several months in prison.

The bill requires the state geologist in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to serve as the custodian of trade secrets, including ingredients in fracking fluid. It allows information about such secrets to be disclosed only to emergency responders, health care providers dealing with emergencies, and federal and state agencies that need the information to carry out their functions.

Hannah Wiseman, a Florida State University assistant law professor who studies fracking regulations, told Mother Jones that North Carolina's proposed law "is far stricter than most states' provisions in terms of the penalty for violating trade secrets." She said that the bill was "so poorly worded" that it's unclear whether emergency responders would be charged with a felony for disclosing the information they obtain legally.

But while the bill is careful to protect what corporations claim are trade secrets, it fails to address some of the biggest risks fracking poses for the environment, public health and landowners, according to an analysis by the N.C. Conservation Network.

Among the concerns the legislation does not address are compulsory pooling, whereby drillers can drill on land without the owners' permission; disposal of toxic fracking wastewater; toxic air emissions from fracking operations; long-term contamination that comes to light after a drilling operation is finished; and how to protect landowners and the environment from the lines that move gas from wells to processing facilities. In addition, the bill shrinks the zone of liability for drillers who cause drinking well contamination from 5,000 feet to 2,640 feet, and it prohibits local bans on fracking or the siting of wells.

The bill's primary sponsors are Republican Sens. Robert Rucho of Mecklenburg County, E.S. "Buck" Newton of Wilson, and Andrew Brock of Mocksville. It also has six co-sponsors, all of them Republicans. The GOP holds supermajorities in both the North Carolina House and Senate.

The legislation was introduced as new revelations surfaced about the outsized role industry interests have played in shaping the state's proposed approach to chemical disclosure.

Greenpeace recently obtained a cache of emails and meeting schedules from members of the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission (MEC), a 15-person body in charge of crafting fracking regulations for state lawmakers. The documents show what the environmental advocacy group calls a "cozy relationship" between the industry and the MEC -- including Chairman George Howard drinking beer and spending evenings with D. Bowen "Bo" Heath, a lobbyist with the law firm McGuireWoods who represents fracking giants Halliburton and Koch Industries. Howard is the CEO of Restoration Systems, an environmental remediation company; his former business partner is DENR Secretary John Skvarla.

An earlier version of the chemical disclosure rule crafted by the MEC was pulled from consideration last year after Halliburton complained it went too far. Instead, Greenpeace reports, Heath promoted a weaker chemical disclosure bill from Colorado that was based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group that promotes corporate interests in state legislatures. Heath has ties to ALEC, having attended the group's annual meetings.

The legislation introduced last week in North Carolina would disband the MEC next year and replace it with an Oil and Gas Commission that would administer civil penalties and adopt new rules as needed. The bill also creates a Mining Commission within DENR to issue fracking permits.