Poor Mike Pence. Sign one lousy anti-LGBT discrimination bill and everybody jumps on you. He had to spend his weekend “clarifying” the bill, saying it protects religious freedoms. Its Hoosier’s 1st Amendment right!
Couple of problems Mike:
1. While it plays to your base, it’s political suicide.
2. It’s bad for business. And Indiana needs all the business it can get.
3. It’s ripe for litigation. Something about being un-Constitutional.
Now that you’ve taking a stand and saying the law won’t be repealed, you’ve got yourself a real problem.
The BackChannel Blog 
At least Jan Brewer, our former gov, had the sense to veto this bill in Arizona. She set an good example which Pence chose to ignore.
He was pathetic on ABC on Sunday morning, he just wouldn’t answer the damn question, kudos to steph….. for continuing to push the point.
Awesome job on Chris Cuomo part.
Cuomo must’ve been a prosecutor in a previous life.
I wonder what these businesses in Indiana who want to discriminate against gays would do if they needed a gay cop or firefighter.
I’m glad this blew up in the discriminators’ faces. The Indy Star today: “Fix This Now” is a thing of beauty. The Lord/FSM/world works in mysterious ways, and having some backwater Christianists play such a large role in enshrining equal rights and treatment for the LGBT community, and for all manner of minorities (religious, cultural, etc.) when it was the opposite of their intent — priceless.
http://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/2015/03/30/editorial-gov-pence-fix-religious-freedom-law-now/70698802/
Hoping the tide is turning against decades of rightwing ugliness, purveyed under the guise of Christianity and conservative politics.
Yeah. At the signing ceremony there were three religious homophobes. And yet in a WSJ op-ed Pence says he “abhors” discrimination. Then why did he invite the homophobes to the signing ceremony.
Didn’t they read or hear the herd of businesses, individuals etc., complaining and demonstrating about the AZ bill last year? I even went to the demonstration at the capitol. Surely they must have seen the news last year in the Indianapolis Star which is owned by Gannet which also owns the Arizona Republic. These religious people are definitely getting carried away with their one size fits all approach.
Seth Hutchinson tells dad-the-governor not to sign religious freedom bill:
Gonna be an interesting family dynamic at Easter dinner this year.
There is an upside to all of this, the national outcry shows we have truly turned a corner in this country. Guess the repugs just have to learn, you can’t fuck with the gays anymore!
Don’t tell Larry Craig that!
Or Arron Schock!
Happy Good Friday!
Happy Passover!
And happy 75th birthday Brian!
57, bitch!
Guess I transposed the digits. My bad. Oops 🙂
Happy Birthday, Brian. Happy Passover and Good Friday weekends to us all. And, as a pastafarian, I am declaring it Manicotti Day. So Happy Manicotti Day too.
This has been a great week of news domestically (internationally, some sad stuff — Kenya, Germanwings). Feel like it was a hingepoint, with pushback against the religious right to discriminate (and don’t their arguments sound the same as segregationists’) and progress on a nuclear agreement with Iran.
Which the GOP, patriots all, might try to derail, but maybe they’ll get pushback there too.
Also: mandatory water restrictions in California is huge, and actually overdue. Focuses attention on progress we can make, and steps we need to take to move to a green (power) and grey (water) future.
So a good week, capped by Brian’s bday.
Only dismaying news in my corner: Virginia Commonwealth U basketball coach Shaka Smart got hired away by the Texas Longhorns. He’s Austin-bound and Richmond has a sad. Shaka is probably the most popular Richmonder ever in recent years, and a class act.
As if there weren’t enough going on, with Richmond’s commemoration activities of the end of the Civil War and Confederates fleeing (and torching) the city. 150 years ago this week. Which means the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s death is soon upon us too, and that is one of the major losses, ever, in US history. I would think Reconstruction could have gone so much better with a smarter and more committed president at the helm. Tragedy.
Indiana RFRA Fuss Shows Where the Real Mainstream Now Runs
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-sanders/indiana-rfra-fuss-shows-w_b_6997014.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013
There are such shitty comments from the R about Obama and the nuclear
agreement. If I was religious, I’d pray that they get a big Taser in the ass.
Bev,
The right has learned that shitty comments get them TV face time and money from donors.
Some on the right are comparing the nuclear deal with Nazi appeasement. An interesting take on Godwin’s law: “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1”
In other news, at his Easter address the Pope praised the nuclear deal.
For those of you who are, Happy Easter and Passover to all.
tell us how you really feel bev
https://www.facebook.com/hardball?pnref=story
The Rude Pundit:
Brief Note to RFRA Supporters: Just Say You Hate Fags
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2015/04/brief-note-to-rfra-supporters-just-say.html
John McCain Will Run for Re-Election to the Senate in 2016
http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/mccain-run-reelection-2016-n336511
Bev can’t you do something about this? Seriously!
Mike Lee R-Utah is releasing a book Our Lost Constitution. Jeeze I didn’t know someone misplaced it. The right has now co-opted the word “Constitution” as code for “something I don’t like.”
Rand Paul is announcing his bid today in KY. The swift-boat crowd has already spent a million to defeat him.
Jeb Bush’s voter ID form classifies him as a Hispanic.
And at 78 Sen Crankypants wants six more years.
The clown car is filling up!
Yeah Brian, I’ll be glad to stop McGrumpy. How I wish. However, the possibilities for replacements are just as nuts if not more. He might be the best of the bunch in AZ.
Here we go with all the fun stuff, dark money, and lies. I do think the Rep debates will be interesting seeing the variety of candidates. The new “Daily Show.” No wonder Jon Stewart wanted to retire before all this crap began.
On my way to Madison Wisconsin, WiFi in the clouds, in easily amused
This year’s Conference on World Affairs is live streamed. To check it out:
http://www.colorado.edu/cwa/schedule.html?year=2015
Another Black man dead shot by another police officer. This time, a real time video. The officer has been charged with murder. Will he be convicted?
I don’t see how he can’t be convicted. Shot in the back five times. No probable cause he’d be dangerous to anybody. I’m wondering if the other officer who saw him plant the tazer and didn’t say anything will be charged with obstruction of justice?
So does the Boston bomber be put to death or not? And why?
I hope Tsarnaev does not get the death penalty. He was 19 when he participated, and his brother was the instigator. I understand that federal guidelines may call for life without parole. I wish he would have a chance for parole, once he’s served decades (like four and up) in prison for his crimes.
What do you guys think? Also, I am not comfortable with a “Death Qualified Jury.” It rules out seating the more mercifully-inclined, which might be the majority of those eligible for jury duty. Anyway, you get a jury of your death-sentence-supporting peers, and that might not be representative of the actual community.
I think the life w/o parole is because of federal statutes regarding terrorism. As for “death qualified jury” the reason is that it only takes one on the jury to prevent the death penalty.
Personally, I hope he gets life. Three reasons:
1. If he’s put to death he could be viewed as a martyr by radicals.
2. Death would give him a sentence in Livingston (sp?). Death row there is likely easier that life in Supermax. The endless death appeals trials are only good for the lawyers.
3. Sitting in a 9’x12′ Supermax cell for 23 hours a day, no outside windows, the only human interaction is with guards, would give him a goodly long time to reflect on what he’s done.
RE North Charleston: Bev, I hope they clean house of every officer, coroner and support person that tried to hide that execution by police officer. This sh*t has got to stop. Made the cover of this week’s Time magazine.
Black guys are getting shot by cops constantly. Amazed that a lot of people seem not to want to see that.
Yeah, and after he’s had a chance to reflect, and maybe repent, I hope he could get some more humane treatment; a chance to interact a bit with others, albeit behind bars. Life without parole in solitary sounds like cruel and inhumane. He’s a bomber, but a human too.
I think the reason they don’t let Supermax inmates interact with one another is not punishment. I believe it’s that they don’t want information spread.
I agree with Dog re: N. Charleston. The Police Dept needs intense cleaning. Everyone lied until the video came out.
I agree with D re: the Boston sentencing. If anyone was watching the outcome of the Jodi Arias trial in Phx, there was ONE jury member who held up the death penalty. It happens.
I like the idea of Bernie Sanders running for Prez.
Madison WI
Brian,
When in WI, be sure to get some cheese curds and Leinenkugels (or Stevens Point).
I hate it when the computer does shit like that!
well that didn’t work either, screw it, I’m tired, 🙂 click on the pic and it will display properly
Bev: I didn’t follow the Jody Arias trial, by choice, but wasn’t that a case of that howler monkey Nancy Grace flogging the case for a death penalty? She got Scott Peterson stuck on (natural) death row in California too. Are Arias and Peterson such threats to society that we have to kill them? I think not. Nancy Grace, maybe.
I loved how “Gone Girl” sent her up. Did you see it?
Looks like you, from any angle, Brian. Is Spring starting to show in Madison?
I hear it’s a nice city. I’ve not yet set foot in Wisconsin.
Madison seems pleasant enough, the weather has been seriously shitty. Epic’s campus is seriously impressive, this is my first time being on the campus of a large software company, it’s seriously cool I have to make two more trips out here later this month, and will probably return in late summer for my anesthesia certifications.
I’m in medical geek heaven, it’s fun
Madison is to Wisconsin as:
Austin is to Texas
Eugene is to Oregon
Boulder is to Colorado
Berkeley is to California
Tuscon is to Arizona
Missoula is to Montana
Laramie is to Wyoming
There are probably a lot more analogies, but the bottom line is Madison is a fun city. Except for Gov. Walker…
BTW what are all of your thoughts regarding Lincoln Chafee’s possible run for prez? I’m a big fan!
I too am a big fan of Chafee. Honest, pragmatic and center/center-left. Of course by today’s right standards, he’s a commie.
Came so close to fostering a beagle, but I think she might have a forever home. Which is better for her. But I am so ready for a pet, although can’t have one of my own for about another year …. dogs are so wonderful.
How are you guys this weekend? Think I might venture downtown to DC this week to see the cherry blossoms. They’re magical.
Sra Dog,
Dogs are good for you. You know it’s God spelled backwards.
Those cherry trees Japan gave us are the best gift ever. I think the Japanese word for cherry blossoms is “sakura.”
Around here all we have are crabapples. Nice white blossoms, but bitter fruit that only the bears like.
Happy Hillary Day everybody. Most hyped announcement ever!
Yes, Sra Dog, despite the fact that dog is god spelled backward, they are good for you! 🙂
To paraphrase Ben Franklin: Dogs are proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy.
And bone cancer is proof he hates your guts?
Dogs can sniff out early stages of cancer so you can get treatment. God loves you. But He loves dogs more.
This morning I saw the image of golden lab in my breakfast toast
Which Lab is Marco Rubio?
Love it, Brian.
Today would be the best day to venture downtown to see the cherry blossoms, but I am actually in the mood to sort through my Mom’s house, so not fighting that urge. Rest of the week might be more sodden (today is glorious), but also fewer manic tourists, perchance.
I’m ready for Hillary. Liked her announcement video very much.
But going to savor every single day Barack Obama is in office.
Brian – my boys have 2 goldens. They are the sweetest dogs. Go to FB and look for Mr. McGruff. They almost adopted him, but someone beat them to him.
I guess if you’re a police officer and shoot a Black person, you an get away with it and say you’re sorry or lie all you want, ……… unless someone catches it on video. Whoops !
Brian, read “lab” as “golden.” My age, you know. Labs are in the very sweet category too. Maybe I took the toast picture too seriously. (it didn’t show on my computer. Just put jam on it and eat.
All retrievers are sweet dogs, it’s part of their DNA
A new breed – Lab/Rottweiller
So I’ve seen clips of the Rubio announcement. Red meat platitudes for the base. It made me think that Hillary was smart to do the video. Doing a speech in front of a bunch of wildly cheering lunatics just looks silly.
Rubio = Little pisher
I think Rubio is the Meth Lab.
Hi everybody…
I try to read daily, however I have been under the weather for some time now so I’m not online to long at a time.
I hope everyone is doing well and good luck with your new job Brian.
dnd, tempbev and dog’s eye I’m glad too see your all doing good as well.
I have been diagnosed with emphysema:COPD and also had such a severe cough trying to clear my throat that I also think I now have a chest hernia as will. Waiting for the test results on the ct scan w\contrast too come back.
Feel totally helpless and unable to do very much of anything. The suspected hernia has made it difficult to burb or pass gas and causes great pain.
Originally the doctor put me on an inhaler, but after my coughing spell I got much worse and finally went back since I had difficulty swallowing so the doctor gave me a steroid for the throat and stomach pain and ordered the scan. I had that Monday so the results should be back sometime today I hope.
The doctor was the other one where I go and she also put me on another inhaler which I feel isn’t really helping me at all. That one I considered a waste of money.
Anyway I just wanted to let everyone know I’m still around though not very active. Hope everyone has a great week and I will let you know what is going on when I am able.
Take care and have a great week. AP
AP – take care of yourself buddy. Let us know how things go.
AP: It’s wonderful to hear from you. Sorry you’re having health issues; I hope they can do a lot more for COPD/emph these days. I hope your docs find the treatment that works better for you. Stick around; always great to see an Anon P update.
Do you still have any pets? Didn’t you have a cool cat?
Hey AP,
Good to hear from you. When my respiratory issues started up I tool was diagnosed with COPD, I use 2 inhalers, Symbicort is my maintenance inhaler and Ventinol is my rescue inhaler. I felt that my maintenance inhaler wasn’t helping me till I didn’t take it for two days and then saw the difference. Hope you find the one that works best for you, the Symbicort was the third one I tried. Getting old sucks! Were you a smoker? I don’t bitch much about the COPD, price i’m paying for almost 40 years of smoking!
Hillary Clinton Hires Openly Gay Campaign Manager
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/uncucumbered/hillary_clinton_hires_openly_gay_campaign_manager?recruiter_id=17
AP – I’m so sorry to hear about your COPD. Thank you so much for checking in and bring us up to date about your condition. I’m crossing my fingers you don’t have the same problems with your insurance as last time. We miss you. Take care of yourself and check in when you can.
Fast update…
Dog…
Yes I still have all four furry friends and now I worry that if I don’t get any better I may have to adopt them out. I hope not.
Yes Brian I have smoked for 58 years before finally have it take its toll on me. I also worked on press-rooms, job shops where the ink is a floating ink that one ends up inhaling, along with the chemicals used to clean the presses and ink buckets used to fill the ink wells.
I also worked in garages and I am sure I probably ended up inhaling asbestos as well. So the combination over those years is the sum cause of my diagnostics.
Symbicort is the inhaler I got from my first visit and the other one is Ventolin HFA. I still have not heard back from the doctors office as to the result of my CT Scan. I am going to call them later today and see if they got them back and what the results are. Will keep you posted when I hear anything.
Thanks again for tll the well wishes and have a great day. AP.
Quick update…
Tomorrow morning I go in for a PET Scan for large mass on lung. Full body scan w\contrast. The test is at 11 AM and I need to be there by 9:30 AM. A friend is picking me up at 9 AM and will bring me home after.
:My neighbor will take me to the hospital Sunday afternoon for admittance to have a biopsy done Monday morning. I’m really, really scared that I have lung cancer and that I don’t have very much longer for this world. But that’s just me since I always seem to see the darkest side of things.
I may need to start getting my house in order as fast as possible and in case I don’t find the time or remember tell all of you how thankful I am that I got to know you all. You have all been very good online friends since day one and I am eternally grateful for that.
I’ll let you know more as I find out more and once again thanks for all the love you have shown me through the years.
Have a great evening and weekend. I”ll check back on Monday sometime unless something serious happens before than. AP
Keeping you in my thoughts, AP, for a good outcome.
When I had my CAT scan done is very worrisome for cancer, luckily it turned out to be a fungal infection. AP I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you. Keep us posted.
Woke up thinking good thoughts about AP today. And all of us! Happy Friday. It’s Spring, people!
Thank you for the updates, AP. I’m sending good thoughts and best wishes for a good result on PET scan. You are a joy to know and I’m looking forward to many more posts from you. Lots of love. TB
Ditto what everybody said AP. I’m hoping for the best. Take care.
Well this may be the last update for awhile.
The doctors office called and informed me that the hospital will call me Sunday morning sometime about what time I need to be there in the afternoon to check in and get my room for a biopsy on Monday.
They said that they could not tell me if I would be going home after its done or not. I ask if it comes back positive do they do surgery then and remove it or send me home and schedule surgery for a later date or do they keep me and schedule surgery as soon as possible.
So right now i have no idea what’s going to happen once I get admitted tomorrow.
My daughter may not be able to come down before the end of the month and I don’t know how she’ll get to the house let alone the hospital since she don”t drive. My niece who is down here is unreachable and has no home phone nor has her father who was my sisters husband.
If she has a cell I don’t have the number and even though my number has been the same since I first got it 20 years ago they have never bothered to keep in contact since my sister died of Cancer around 7 or 8 years ago.
Have no one to take care of my cats so I’m not sure about anything anymore. It’s horrible to feel all alone and helpless and now I’m more scared than I have ever been about anything.
Please keep me in your prayers if you pray or in your thoughts if you don’t. Thank all of you for all the goodness you have given me and may you all have a great weekend and week.
Take care and God Bless… AP
Hey AP,
Keeping my fingers crossed the news isn’t bad, more than likely if you do have to stay in the hopsital it won’t be for more than a few days. You can probably leave enough food and water out for the cats to cover that period of time, maybe an extra litter box. Another thing, when you’re in the hospital and if you have to stay or are going to need help when you get home you should ask to speak to a social worker. There are lots of services you can avail yourself of and get the help you need!
AP,
You are in my prayers and thoughts. Like Brian said speak to a social worker. They can help you with your cats and your house. You don’t need any more stress right now.
Martin O’Malley Says Executive Experience Would Make Him A Better President Than Hillary Clinton
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/19/martin-omalley-hillary-clinton-_n_7095616.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013
O’Malley is pulling the “Bill Clinton the candidate” gambit against Hillary!
Rubio is doing likewise with the “young age” “new face” narrative.
The real issue for the party is to decide who can be trusted to cary on the work of President Obama. President Obama has pulled the party back to the left, Hillary knows this and is working very hard to sure up her support on the left eary. O’Malley could hurt her with the left, he’s more of a liberal than she is.
BTW if any of you are wondering what to get me for a house warming (I know it’s keeping d up at night), a Kandinsky would be nice, just putting it out there, his bauhaus period to be exact. I’m just saying….
If you want to continue the work of President Obama the only answer is Joe Biden.
I was think of getting you a velvet Dogs Playing Poker.
Just like the one you got hanging over your mantel?
Just realized it’s 420. And thought immediately of Brian, somehow …
Did you now? Did you really? 🙂
It’s funny. Now that pot is legal in CO, nobody cares about 4/20. There’s still a few that will use any excuse to celebrate.
As Colorado goes, let us hope so goes the nation.
Except with less Cory Gardner. Gag.
I used to love checking out Craigslist shared housing ads, with “420 friendly” listed. Lot of those in Long Beach.
PS: I really did, Brian, and was not about to joke about that on your FB page. So glad you checked in here!
We have some lovely thunder rolling through in the background.
New thread – “All Campaigns are Contrived”