Whining for an Apology

President Obama is rightly outraged over allegations of IRS flagging of tea party groups, as should be both liberals and conservatives. But to insist that the president apologize for this as suggested by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is ludicrous.

Tell you what, in the spirit of bi-partisanship, how about the GOP apologize for the targeting by the IRS of liberal churches during the Bush Jr. years? How about the GOP apologizing for IRS targeting of enemies of Richard Nixon? Heck, why not apologize for Richard Nixon.

I could go on and on, but you get the point. I think a bi-partisan look into using the IRS by both parties to investigate those you don’t agree with is a great idea. Just get over the faux-outrage as though your side never did it.

I'd Be Pissed Off Too

From Kevin Drum at Mother Jones regarding the IRS flagging tea party groups:

Conservative groups are as outraged as liberals would be if the Bush-era IRS were flagging groups with "environment" or "progressive" in their names. So even if, as seems likely, this whole thing turns out to have been mostly a misguided scheme cooked up by some too-clever IRS drones, it doesn't matter. Conservatives are right to be outraged and right to demand a full investigation. They suspect there might be more to it, and so would I if the shoe were on the other foot. We need to find out for sure whether this episode was just moronic, or if it had some kind of partisan motivation.

Absolutely right. I don't care (well, I do) that conservatives ignored our pleas for justice when the Bush administration was sending the IRS after groups opposed to his agenda (and they did), it's wrong to use the IRS as a tool for partisan reasons.

Leave the Stupid to the Republicans

Because, while they're better at it, it doesn't help when our side is saying stupid things like this.

Sissy Boy LaPierre Steps in it Again

National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre (what do you want to bet that sissy last name led Wayne to be such a bully), had this to say recently: "How many Bostonians wished they had a gun two weeks ago?"

What an asshole.

He then ironically followed with this statement: “Boston proves it. When brave law enforcement officers did their job in that city so courageously, good guys with guns stopped terrorists with guns.”

Yep, well-trained professionals. If LaPierre had been there I’d bet two or three other innocents would have been visiting hospitals. STFU.

Looking for some bi-partisan love from my friend, James Wigderson.

Profiles in Teabaggery

You can't make this shit up.  A New Hampshire state legislator believes the government was behind the Boston bombings because one of the injured, who lost both legs, did not appear to be in pain in a picture taken just after the explosions.

I wonder if my friend, James Wigderson, will go all bi-partisan and denounce this nutcase.

R.I.P. Roger Ebert

I only knew Roger Ebert from his movie reviews.  What I have learned today is he was an unabashed, unafraid liberal.  He called out opponents of ObamaCare.  He called out the corporations and their political lackeys who prey on the sick and the poor for profit.  He said this about ObamaCare:

"My reasoning brings me back again and again to these truths: Health care is good. There comes a time in most lives when we will need it. Apart from the very richest sliver of people at the top, no one can afford to have a really major illness. Even with an excellent insurance plan, they'll find there is a limit to the costs that can be paid. If they are so sick they lose their jobs, chances are their job-connected insurance will be lost, too. If they are lucky and recover, they'll have a Pre-Existing Condition that makes them uninsurable. They can't risk getting sick again.

Every Western democracy except ours offers Universal Health Care. It is not always perfect, and we are told horror stories about this or that case in Canada or France. In America our horror stories are worse, because they're caused not by imperfections in a health care system, but by the complete absence of one. Many people know of at least one family that has been destroyed as a unit by the unavailability of affordable health care."

I always laughed at those "horror" stories the wingnuts would use as reasons not to pass ObamaCare.  Ebert was absolutely correct.  For every one "horror" story from Cananda, there are probably hundreds of real horror stories resulting from the crass neglect and indifference of corporate-run healthcare.

Rest in peace, Roger Ebert.

Why KFC is Switching to Boneless Chicken

Because they will be easier to catch.

Ba-dump.

The Face of Modern Conservatism, Part 4

North Carolina.

From Wonkette:

"So let’s sum up today in North Carolina news that you can use, shall we? Don’t move there if you’re any religion that isn’t Christianity. Don’t move there if you’re at all attached to the Constitution, except probably the Second Amendment. Don’t move there if you’re a parent that has a kid in college and needs the tax deduction for said child to continue, which it totally should because you’re paying for the little brat’s everything. Don’t move there if you’re a college kid that wants to vote where you go to college. Don’t move there if you need to vote at any “unusual” times. Don’t move there right before an election, because you won’t be able to register on election day. You know what? Just don’t move there."

The Face of Modern Conservatism, Part 3

Local attorney Rick Esenberg epitomizes the modern face of conservatism.  In the March 22 edition of the JournalSentinel he feeds the sheeple by asking seemingly reasonable questions of voter ID opponents in the wake of voting fraud charges recently being made.  He doesn’t mention (he does link) that only ten charges were filed and none of the alleged infractions would have been prevented by voter ID laws.  Ten charges out of how many millions of ballots cast in the last election?  It’s hardly the massive voter fraud imagined by the fevered minds on the right.

They’re dishonest questions.  The only purpose is to reinforce the idea that voter fraud is a problem in Wisconsin.  It’s a hack job.

The Face of Modern Conservatism, Part 2

Former South Carolina GOP executive director, Todd Kincannon, likes the military so much that he wishes one member had come home dead. He tweeted this to Iraqi war veteran, Mike Prysner:

"You are an Iraq veteran? Shame you didn’t come home in a body bag."

It’s all about the compassion for our fearless modern conservative, who didn’t fight alongside Mr. Prysner … other priorities I’m sure.