Bad Deeds for 3/24/2010

Republican Representative Thinks You Should Not Have the Right to Vote for Your Senators – Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) is calling for a strong re-assertion of state’s rights against Congress — in the form of a Constitutional amendment to eliminate the direct popular election of Senators, and go back to the pre-17th Amendment setup of state legislatures appointing them.

Palin Tells Followers to ‘Reload’ and ‘Aim for’ Democrats – Since the passage of health care reform last weekend, there has been increasingly violent language coming from opponents of the legislation, along with vandalism directed at Democratic members of Congress.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has now done her part to raise the rhetorical intensity, telling her Twitter followers, “Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: ‘Don’t Retreat, Instead – RELOAD!'”

Palin then refers supporters to her Facebook page, where she once again employs gun imagery in the form of a map of the United States showing gun crosshairs over the targeted districts.

For Those Inciting and Supporting Hate – The hateful acts that occurred at the tea party rally in Washington this weekend were not isolated incidents — they are part of a growing pattern of violent rhetoric, racially charged imagery, and paranoid conspiracy theories emerging from the Republican party’s grassroots supporters.

Republicans officials have contributed to this atmosphere with fear-mongering and coded racism, and they have actively courted this element of their party. It’s time that Republican leadership is forced to address what it’s helped to create.

Please join us in confronting Republican leaders and demanding that they take responsibility for tamping down the bigotry and hate among their supporters, and that they disavow the fear-mongering that leads to it. And please ask your friends and family to do the same — unless we take a strong stand against this kind of hate, it will continue. We need as many people as possible — of every race — demanding that it stop.

Senate Republicans Refusing to Work Past 2 p.m – Senate Republicans fuming over the passage of health care reform are now refusing to work past 2 p.m. — a tactic they can employ by invoking a little-known Senate rule.

On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee was forced to cancel a hearing as was the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tweeted today : “Disappointed. Rs refusing to allow hearings today. Had to cancel my oversight hearing on police training contracts in Afghanistan.”

Sen. Mark Udall also complained that he had to delay a hearing on the cause of Western forest fires.
Republicans blocked testimony from Admiral Robert Willard, United States Navy Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; from General Kevin Chilton, United States Air Force, Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, and from General Walter Sharp, United States Army Commander, U.S. Forces Korea. They also shut down a hearing on helping homeless veterans.

Global Warming Solves Territorial Dispute – A tiny island claimed for years by India and Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal has disappeared beneath the rising seas, scientists in India say. The uninhabited territory south of the Hariabhanga river was known as New Moore Island to the Indians and South Talpatti Island to the Bangladeshis.

Recent satellites images show the whole island under water, says the School of Oceanographic Studies in Calcutta. Its scientists say other nearby islands could also vanish as sea levels rise.
In the past, however, the territorial dispute led to visits by Indian naval vessels and the temporary deployment of a contingent from the country’s Border Security Force.

“What these two countries could not achieve from years of talking, has been resolved by global warming,” said Professor Sugata Hazra of the School of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University in Calcutta.

George W. Bush Wipes Hand On Bill Clinton’s Shirt After Shaking Hands With Haitians – During their first joint visit to Haiti this week, George W. Bush appears to have wiped his hand on Bill Clinton’s shirt after shaking hands with a crowd of Haitians.
If that is what happened, it builds on Barack Obama’s story of Bush’s compulsive need for hand sanitizer. But whatever Bush’s reason, it looks pretty bad. Video at the link.

Republicans Seeks Federal Mandate: Everyone Must Buy Their ‘Bullshit’ 😉 From a Republican Press Release: 😉

“Too many folks, particularly young people with brains, refuse to voluntarily buy into our bullshit, so we’re gonna’ make them join our cow manure exchanges, and even give them tax credits for it.”

Regards,

Jim