I’m confused….
While the conservative right is loudly celebrating the recent conversion of now-former Planned Parenthood director, Abby Johnson, to the pro-life camp after formerly working with the group for eight years in Texas, I wonder what she thought an abortion actually entailed?
Because judging from Ms. Johnson’s comments here, I have to speculate if she believed she wasn't actually working at a dental office.
The following (via Media Matters) from right-wing pundit Debbie Schulssel on the subject of the Ft. Hood shootings.
The kneejerk bigotry is astounding….
Nidal Malik Hasan is Palestinian. Figures...Yeah, I wonder if that "Palestinian" town is actually Palestinian or part of the Islamic encroachment on Israel. Either way, he had every opportunity given to him by American taxpayers. And he murdered them anyway. This isn't just the Palestinian way. It's the Islamic way. And we expect Israel to make peace with guys like this? Even in the midst of the land of plenty, look at how they behave.
[...]
And, oh, yeah, think of Major Malik Nadal Hasan (and all of the other Muslim American traitorous soldiers in the U.S. military who've shot their fellow soldiers up and killed them or otherwise helped the enemy), whenever you hear about how Muslims serve their country in the U.S. military.
Well, actually, they do serve "their country" in the U.S. military. And their country is Dar Al-Islam and greater Koranistan.
"It's Islamic terrorism, stupid. Wait, that's repetitive. It's Islam, stupid."
For one thing, Schlossel’s rabid support of all things Israel is fairly typical of the Christian conservative right who see it as the state that can do no wrong, and Palestine as its moral opposite when in fact neither people are lily white in their history toward the other. But that’s an argument for another day.
Far more disturbing than Schulssel’s racist shrieking (including calling Islam a “cancer”) over the horrific actions of Malik Hasan (who is American by birth, not Palestinian, a fact Schulssel later clarified) are her apparent solutions to the issue of Muslim service in the US military including (one can only assume): throwing all Muslims out, and denying those who wish to serve in the future; making them convert to Christianity under threat of waterboarding, and/or; swearing allegiance to a golden statue of Ronald Reagan while singing Lee Greenwood’s “Proud To be An American” at the top of one’s lungs.
(Sure, it’s idolatry, but Reagan trumps the Bible any day).
Other than this, Miss Schulssel’s fierce, patriotic heart seems to be in the right place.
As such, I wish Ms. Schulssel all godspeed (meaning Jehovah, not the false Allah) in her pursuits. She is a great American.
“It is so bogus that society is sending a message right now and has been for probably the last 40 years that a woman isn’t strong enough or smart enough to be able to pursue an education, a career, and her rights and still let her baby live.” – Sarah Palin before Wisconsin Right To Life (11-7-09)
What the fuck are you babbling about now, Sarah? Do women face discrimination in American society today? No doubt. Yet the liberties (e.g. education, legal, work, reproductive rights, et al) available to women over the past 40 years to today have expanded by an order of magnitude.
Yet ex-Governor Palin is apparently under the impression that it’s still 1957 on the calendar as she is that some unknown entity is out to grease her youngest child.
Thus, in response to her statement above I can best reply with another quote which I feel perfectly sums up an audience—that is, one that didn’t pay to see her—response to each time Palin tries to talk like a grown-up:
And I quote…
“What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.” – Billy Madison
After last night’s narrow passage of health reform legislation in the House (200-215), the bill is now proceeding to the Senate where it faces a very uncertain future. Odds are, one of three things will occur: a) the bill will die in committee; b) it will be filibustered to death on the Senate floor, or; c) the bill will be watered down to a point where any actual reform measures are useless.
Either way, I do not expect current Senate Democratic holdouts (Landrieu, Lincoln, Bayh, Nelson, plus Lieberman) to budge on their positions against health reform, even if it includes a state-by-state opt-out option. Further, don’t bank on GOP moderates like Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins to support the measure either.
As such, my hopes for the future of essential health reform are not upbeat. And for that, you can thank both our friends in the Republican Party, and the five Democrats (and one Independent) listed above.
(Note: Click here for a list of Dems who voted against the House measure last night. Interestingly—and perhaps unsurprisingly—the majority of “no” votes came from congresspersons residing in states which backed John McCain in 2008.)
