Weekly Roundup, March 21-27, 2011

By Blueberry Tart

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

AK State Rep. Carl Gatto Proposes Union-Busting Legislation

It was just a matter of time before the Republicans’ union-busting legislation would be on the docket in Alaska, but it is most interesting to see who has proposed it: Representative Carl Gatto of Palmer, one of Sarah Palin’s closest cronies. The bill, like others drafted by ALEC, would strip public employee unions of the right to bargain collectively (exempting certain public safety unions). This is again proposed under the guise of supposedly necessary cost-cutting, ignoring the fact of Alaska’s budget surplus and the high price of oil, which is the main source of funding for the state budget. In the update, TruGal linked to a video on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire; the lives lost in the fire and many other factory, mining and other industrial accidents, were the catalysts for labor reforms that were hard-won and are now under siege in AK and throughout the country. MrsTBB wrote more on this topic later in the week.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

AK Congressman Don Young’s Association with Militiaman Cox

Kathleen writes about Don Young’s belated attempts to distance himself from Francis Schaeffer Cox, the AK militia member who was recently charged with plotting to kill a federal judge and several state troopers, and who has a history of violent and abusive treatment. Obviously, after Tucson, such plots have to be taken even more seriously than before. The post highlights Congressman Young’s apparently treasonous act, in which he is shown in Cox’s presence signing the Second Amendment Task Force declaration drafted by Cox, calling for outright violent rebellion against any government that might enact further gun controls. Yet Young now denies any affiliation with Cox. The post also points out the Oath that Congressman Young swore as a U.S. Congressman. Some are questioning which it is – does Young swear to uphold the U.S. Constitution and our government, or does he swear to violently oppose it? Which is it, Congressman Young?

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Bachmann Sets Up Exploratory Committee for Presidential Run

I had a hard time even typing that headline! Michele Bachmann, another pageant-walking, Bible-thumping, Tea-bagging, lie-spewing Republican women whack job, is taking steps to run for the Presidency. Her idiocy and violent rhetoric mimic Palin’s, and she is another “Tea Party darling” who never let a fact get in the way of a good sound-bitten lie. Does she have a chance at the nomination? Doubtful, but she could possibly take the VP slot if the Repubs have to appease the far right-wing. Here we go again. Gag me with a spoon.

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory File Centennial

It is a real treat to have a guest post from Mrs. Tarquin Biscuitbarrel, albeit one on such a sobering topic as the centennial of a horrific fire that took the lives of 146 factory workers, most of them girls and young women. Despite the obvious safety violations (including having locked exit doors), no one was held liable for all those deaths, and the families received a paltry $75 compensation for the loss of their loved ones. But the public outrage led to regulations to improve worker safety and helped build unions like the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. The unions were instrumental in winning incremental improvements in wages, hours, working conditions and safety regulations that, eventually, allowed workers to earn a living wage and helped build the middle class. These gains were, until recently, largely taken for granted in this country; now they are under siege by the Republicans in many state houses. PoliticalGates salutes the legacy of those who perished that day and thanks MrsTBB for beautifully retelling this story.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

How does Sarah Palin express her condolences? Facebook and Twitter, of course!

Sarah Palin once again turned to Facebook and Twitter to express her condolences at the passing of Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman VP candidate on a major party ticket. I know this is the way Palin rolls, but it certainly gives the impression that this is more about calling attention to herself than about expressing condolences to Ferraro’s friends and family. Ferraro was a unique blend of smarts and candor who earned her distinctive place in American history. One of the things that is MOST different about Palin and Ferraro is that Ferraro could really think on her feet and was unafraid of, and in fact relished interviews, where her keen intellect and sharp wit were both on display. Palin, not so much.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Meet the Bachmanns

Nomadic Joe introduces us to the Bachmanns and explores their educational background. Michele and Marcus Bachmann share extreme religious views that know no boundaries between religion, education and government. Michele Bachmann’s law degree is from an affiliate of Oral Roberts University; enough said. Her husband’s masters degree in education/counseling is from Regent University (that of the law school which took over a key role in the Justice Dept. back in the dark days of the Bush Administration). Five of its psych department staff resigned in 2007 due to the “culture of intimidation” at the school. His “doctorate” in clinical psychology is from a school that is not accredited to grant doctoral degrees in the sciences. His clinic practices “de-gaying” and other proselytizing in the guise of therapy. Even more appalling is the fact that his clinic is supported by taxpayer dollars.

I tip my hat to Kathleen for an amazingly productive week with so many excellent posts!

Some Comments and Links:

Annes_123 observed: Charm and smiles works initially - we are human.. first impression.. we give people the benefit of the doubt...but we are not idiots.

Sunnyjane: Sarah Palin’s creed is greed, her faith is fraudulent, her intellect is grossly inadequate, and her life is a lie. She deserves nothing more than our disdain and our ridicule, and that’s all she’ll ever get from me. Later: The GOP is first in war, first in lying, and first in screwing their countrymen.

Cheeriogirl found this: catawu TAX CUTS: We all live in the house. The bills are run up, & the Rich no longer pay their share of rent/utilities nor do they do chores.

Lilly-lily: Saw one comment. "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with Bullshit."

TruGal: Donald Trump's ego, if it were electricity, could power the world. This braggart, on "The View" right now, is stoking the birther flames, and I wish he'd shut his big fat mouth up. Barbara Walters asked him if he runs for President, would he name Palin as his VP candidate. He dodged that question, but could you see those two egos clashing over WHO would be the top of the ticket?? Hysterical.

ProChoiceGrandma: "My feminist heart weeps." Kathleen, in four words, you have described our frustration and exasperation that these incompetent dumbass skirts are lauded as potential candidates for the Presidency! Any credibility that women have attained in the past 50 years has suffered a blow that will take another 50 years to overcome.

TurtleTears: …my feminist heart also weeps. Especially in light of so much anti-feminist legislation presently being passed or considered. I find it personally offensive that women with a national presence in politics would seek to nullify the work of the women who came before them to make their rise to power possible. They compound the insult by seeking to co-opt the feminist label as well, calling themselves feminists, all the while working at making women's lives more difficult.

Maelewis: …It is no coincidence that where there is a newly elected Republican governor and a state house full of Republicans, they are working to dismantle voting rights, the rights of workers, the educational system and whatever else they can get their hands on. Someone once suggested that Sarah Palin was the distraction that kept us busy last year, so we wouldn't notice the real campaign under way. American is under attack, but the real terrorists are the far right wing of the Republican Party. They are stealing our country, and privatizing it for their own enrichment.

Iwantthetruth: Thanks, Mrs TBB, that was a subject I wanted to know more about. And thanks for wincing on behalf of my state. "The struggle of people against power," wrote Milan Kundera, " is the struggle of memory against forgetting." Your article aids the side of Memory!

Bandit Basheert: … I am hoping and believing that when the pendulum swings back, and the Corporatist bought-and-paid-for Congressional idiots are sent packing, that the backlash that hits these individuals will last for the next 50 years! The Walker in WI story is reverberating with people, everyday people who work for a living. People are waking up and now believing and seeing that WE the PEOPLE are effectively the ENEMY… [And later] Just be yourselves / kind, thoughtful, loving, smart and caring. Do what you can to help people, even just in your own family. It will change our country. I have seen it in my lifetime....

Aview999 and others linked to this excellent piece by Sarah Jones. (Aview, come back!)

dusty17 pointed out an insightful article by Malia Litman and later found this on politicususa.

Older_Wiser2 asked: Did Twitler violate the Logan Act?

CaliGirl22 found this excellent site on corporations that don’t pay taxes.

Hope for America linked to Keith Olbermann on the hire-the-mistress scandal in Wisconsin.

ProChoiceGrandma linked to “Who Is America's Worst Governor?”

Cheeriogirl linked to a brilliant “open letter to conservatives” on TPM.

Juicyfruityy found that the Republicans’ assault on public sector workers’ pensions has a new twist, with the filing of this federal legislation.

Honestyingov linked to PolitiFact on the lies about Health Care Reform.

Zane1: Bachmann Copies Qaddfis Talking Points & Makes Serious Foreign Policy Blunder.

77TA66/Floyd Orr linked to a new progressive site.

I am also going to repost the link to this blogpost on ALEC by William Cronon (the UWisconsin professor under attack by Walker's cronies), in case you missed it -- it is excellent.

Okay, I couldn’t resist a couple of good tweets:

DC Debbie by ParadigmShiftII Imagine a Trump/Palin 2012 GOP ticket! He'd try to fire her but she would've already quit.

Azure Ghost: Seems everything @SarahPalinUSA says consists of cheesy one-liners, a bunch of sour grapes, and an abundance of whine

The Last Word (with H/T to Annes_123): "I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being — to prove that we are a human race, to prove that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame." ~ Elizabeth Taylor