a simple prop

(source)

From here via here.

And before some idiot makes some comment about me not knowing anything about the situation in Arizona … I’ve lived in Arizona for the past 16 years and plan to do so for quite some time longer.

Some on the Right are getting a little frothy about the fact that Obama will not be at Arlington National Cemetery this coming Memorial Day but will be instead at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery outside Chicago (yes, there is more than one of them; Lincoln established 14 of the 16 that exist). They may want to remember that Reagan missed two of his eight opportunities to be be in Arlington on Memorial Day, Bush the Elder did not go at all, while Bush the Younger only attended from 2003 onwards (thus missing two of eight years). Oh, and Clinton went all eight years and thus becomes a paragon of patriotism. So by all means criticize Obama but at least be consistent.

Remember the shenanigans that Ralph Hall (R-Tx) pulled with the America COMPETES Act? A new version went up for a vote today (one that gave in to the Republican obsession with porn and reduced funding for basic science & science education from $85 billion to $47 billion). And guess what? Every Democrat voted for the bill but only 15 Republicans did. So the renewal failed to pass by 261 to 148 (procedurally, a two-thirds majority was required). Let’s be clear about this – a bipartisan, job-creating bill gets defeated, not by the Democrats but by the Republicans.

And at the the same time in the Senate, the Republicans are delaying the bank regulation bill – seriously, how can anyone think that the GOP is a force for anything good in this country?

[Tip o' the hat to Phil Plait]

Update (5/29): Third time’s a charm.

Update (6/2): Hall scolds the Democrats for passing the renewal and blames them for keeping $40 billion that they offered to remove (but the GOP turned them down). Brass balls, he has.

NCSE notes that the Missouri anti-evolution bill (HB 1651) has fallen by the wayside, joining similar bills in Kentucky and Mississippi. That means all three bills presented this year have failed. Two bills, in South Carolina, remain as hold outs from last year.

Last year there were ten pieces of anti-evolution legislation (South Carolina [2], Mississippi, Oklahoma, Iowa, New Mexico, Florida, Alabama, Missouri & Texas), eight of which died.

(source via Tony B.)

Source

Apparently this will get you death threats. It seems there are those on the right who share a dislike of cartoonists with Muslim fundamentalists. Whodathunkit.

Limbaugh and Robertson represent everything that is wrong with the right in this country – no point is apparently too cheap not to be scored. And for the trifecta, I’m waiting for Palin to make a statement. Then again, she’s probably not realized that something happened in Haiti. Hell, she probably doesn’t know where Haiti is.

From here:

Obama, who returned on Monday from 11 days in his home state, has been lambasted by Republicans who accuse his Democratic administration of being weak on terrorism and unable to fix intelligence gaps that have lingered since the September 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks.

You mean the “intelligence gaps” that remained in place during the seven years after 9/11 that these self-same Republicans were in charge? Those gaps?

In Ireland, blasphemy is now a crime punishable by a €25,000 fine. This is somewhat ironic considering Michael Martin (the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs) had the following to say to the UN in 2009:

We believe that the concept of defamation of religion is not consistent with the promotion and protection of human rights. It can be used to justify arbitrary limitations on, or the denial of, freedom of expression. Indeed, Ireland considers that freedom of expression is a key and inherent element in the manifestation of freedom of thought and conscience and as such is complementary to freedom of religion or belief. (source)

Yet another reason for me not to return to the land whence I came. This medieval stupidity is almost enough to make me renounce my citizenship.

(I’ve posted on this stupidity before).

Just in time for the holidays: The Ladybird Book of Chiropractic Treatment and English Libel Law. This is a hoot if you remember Ladybird books – if not, you’ll still get much wisdom about the stupidity of English libel laws and the treatment of Simon Singh whom you will remember wrote:

You might think that modern chiropractors restrict themselves to treating back problems, but in fact they still possess some quite wacky ideas. The fundamentalists argue that they can cure anything. And even the more moderate chiropractors have ideas above their station. The British Chiropractic Association claims that their members can help treat children with colic, sleeping and feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged crying, even though there is not a jot of evidence. This organisation is the respectable face of the chiropractic profession and yet it happily promotes bogus treatments

and got in trouble for speaking the truth. See Sense About Science and the Libel Reform Campaign for more. The latter has a petition that you can sign even if you are not a UK resident.

It’s Jim Lippard and the Arizona Coalition of Reason.

So they gave Obama the Nobel Prize for Peace. PZ hits the nail on the head: “I guess all you have to do is follow after Bush and not blow anything up for a year, and presto, you look like Gandhi.” Indeed. Then again, the Peace Prize lost all credibility when they awarded it to Henry Kissinger. This is bound to get the crazies on the Right foaming at the mouth.

Oh, and take a look at this … it’s like an alternate reality.

Stay classy, Republican Party, stay classy.