CHICO BRISBANE

Father Admits Beheading Special Needs Son

2011-08-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

Thibodaux Police have charged 30-year-old Jeremiah Wright with first degree murder over the killing of Jori Lirette, his seven-year-old special needs son.

Authorities have said that Wright has confessed to killing the wheelchair-confined boy.

“According to police, Wright decapitated Lirette, and dismembered his body over the home’s kitchen sink. Police say a passerby saw Lirette’s head on the sidewalk outside the family’s home Sunday afternoon.. It was near a garbage bag with the child’s dismembered body,” WWLTV reported.

“When you have a seven-year-old child, innocent child, that’s killed, that had no way to protect himself, it’s such a shock to this community,” Thibodaux Police Captain Calvin Cooks said.

“We’re thinking there may have been some tension between them before this [murder] occurred, arguing, perhaps physical fighting, we don’t know at this time.”
Watch this video from WWLTV, broadcast Aug. 14, 2011.

Jon Stewart: GOP Special Victims Unit

2011-07-29T01:22:00.001-07:00

Bill O'Reilly has criticized the media for describing Anders Behring-Breivik, the man who has admitted to committing the mass killings in Norway, as a Christian, saying that such a thing was "impossible."

O'Reilly singled out the New York Times, which called Breivik a "Christian extremist" in an article. Breivik also referred to himself as a Christian, as did the Norwegian police, not to mention his 1,500 page manifesto which makes reference to Christian crusaders known as The Knights Templar.

O'Reilly was manic as he concluded that it was "impossible" for Breivik to be a Christian. And certainly not just because he (Brevic) said so himself.

"No one believing in Jesus commits mass murder," he said. "The man might have called himself a Christian on the net, but he is certainly not of that faith...we can find no evidence, none, that this killer practiced Christianity in any way."

However, since the Fox clip seems to be “disabled” at this time, I can only show you Jon Stewart’s take on the situation. The Daily Show segment “GOP Special Victims Unit” is a montage of hypocrisy over at Fox News which includes O’Reilly hissy fit.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Rachel Maddow Sued By Conservative Talk Radio Host

2011-07-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

The media is widely reporting that Bradlee Dean, a Minnesota "christian rocker", has filed a $50 million dollar lawsuit against MSNBC's Rachel Maddow in a Tuesday press release.

MSNBC has called the suit "baseless" in a statement. Dean's suit stems from an August 2010 segment of TRMS in which Maddow quoted a statement Bradlee Dean made on his radio show:

"Muslims are calling for the execution of homosexuals in America. They themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible, the Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than the American Christians do. Because these people are livid about enforcing their laws. They know homosexuality is an abomination. If America won't enforce the laws, God will raise up a foreign enemy to do just that."

First of all, let’s correct the misleading “Christian Rocker” aspect in the narrative of this issue. Bradlee Dean is as much of a Christian Rocker as Joe is a plumber. According to the introduction of Dean’s own web site, Bradlee Dean touts himself as “the founder and executive director of the non-profit ministry, YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE INTERNATIONAL.

The web site says that “Dean hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, THE SONS OF LIBERTY, a hard hitting radio program which attacks the hot issues of today, combats the lies in the media, and re-establishes the foundations of our country. Bradlee Dean recently debuted on FOX News as a part of a radio extraordinaire guest panel on Fox and Friends.”

At the very bottom of the web site, virtually the last line of html, there is a link where you can buy Mr. Dean's "My War DVD" which is a documentary. So Christian Rocker? – I don’t think so. Mr. Dean is a Fox Radio personality with a hankering to echo the homophobic rhetoric of his cultural icon Rep. Michelle Bachmann. (R) Minn.

The scary thing is that Dean's website describes his "My War" DVD as follows:

"A series like none other. This unique documentary encompasses the huge spectrum of issues we face in our society today and takes you back to the foundation of our country, to give understanding and clarity of who our Founders were and their true intentions when they established this Judeo-Christian nation. Watch as Bradlee Dean and his crew go into the public school system with the truth, while exposing the lies being thrown on our young, and watch the contention build!"

I would love to know exactly which public schools have allowed access to Mr. Dean and his crew with their "message of truth". Dean claims to have brought his message to over 331 public high schools in 20 states. Something worthy of looking into from a constitutional standpoint.

Mealwhile, Mr. Dean charged Maddow with deliberately ignoring a disclaimer that he issued which stressed that he was not calling for gay people to be killed. He said Maddow's airing of his statement caused "serious" harm to him and the ministry he runs.

However, a review of the August segement showed that Maddow did read the disclaimer--"we have never and will never call for the execution of homosexuals"--just after airing Dean's statement.

Dean also said he is an ally of Michele Bachmann, and accused Maddow and the "left wing media" of using him to harm her presidential prospects. Even though he is filing a multi-million dollar lawsuit, Dean said that "money is not the issue."

However it's Dean and his ministry that has hurt Bachmann's presidential prospects assuming that any ever existed. Bachmann must still account for her ongoing connection with Bradlee Dean and his notoriously anti-gay "You Can Run But You Can’t Hide" ministry. Dean has been described as “Bachmann’s Jeremiah Wright,” and has repeatedly called for gays and lesbians to be put in prison and has said executing gays is “moral.”

This is not a case of the Liberal media attacking a "Christian rocker". It’s a matter of a conservative radio talk show host being called out for his crazy rhetoric. Mr. Dean shouldn't be surprised when his crazy rhetoric gets quoted on cable news and then becomes, ironically for Mr. Dean, those types of things from which you can run, but you cannot hide. Okaaaaaay!

- Chico Brisbane

Source: http://mywarfilm.com/
Source: http://bradleedean.com/

Clobert Rips Covservative Media for Blaming Muslims For Norway Bombing

2011-07-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert ripped into the “brave men and women of America’s newsrooms who identified the culprit long before the Norwegian authorities did” and falsely blamed Muslim jihadists for Friday’s Oslo attacks.

After showing clips from Fox News and MSNBC, he honed in on both the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin. “So if you’re pulling a news report completely out of your ass, it is safer to go with Muslim,” Colbert concluded. “That’s not prejudice. That’s probability.”

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Now that Anders Breivik’s manifesto has become public, the fact that it contains numerous in-text and footnoted citations to prominent Islamophobic bloggers is not surprising. Individuals cited in Breivik’s manifesto include: Center for Security Policy‘s President Frank Gaffney; “counterjihad” bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer; Investigative Project on Terrorism’s Director Steven Emerson; Middle East Forum President Daniel Pipes; and controversial historian Bat Ye’or.

Organization’s cited by Breivik include: the Foundation For Defense Of Democracies (FDD) and the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Also receiving mention were the Clarion Fund’s Islamophobic documentary “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” and right-wing Pajamas Media.

In Memory Of Glenn Becks Failed Fox News Show.

2011-07-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

In spite of all the radical things that Beck had said during his 2 years on the Fox News Channel, I think it was his interview with Rep. Eric Massa that highlights just how despirate Glenn Beck was to bring down anything liberal or progressive.

After hyping a widespread progressive corruption conspiracy for days, Glenn Beck relied on scandal plagued democratic congressman Eric Massa to help him blow the whistle.

According to Beck, it was Massa that had the goods on all of this corruption and he would be dedicating an entire hour f his show to expose all of the evil wrong doing.

Thanks for all of the laughs Glenn.

Why Can't Bill O'Reilly Just Admit He Was Wrong About Bin Laden?

2011-07-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

Why can’t Fox News and Bill O’Reilly just admit they're wrong about the killing of Osama Bin Laden? Allen over at The Liberal Viewer You Tube Channel outlines in a video that the local Fox News affiliate got it wrong right from the start.

There was a misleading banner along the lower 1/3 of the television screen that read:

“OBAMA BIN LADEN DEAD” Fox News is famous for these banner mishaps, but in all fairness, I think this was just a case of missing punctuation. It would make more since in the following format “OBAMA: BIN LADEN DEAD” as if Obama was making the announcement that Bin Laden was dead. Besides this banner error, the local Fox affiliate also reported that Bin Laden had been killed almost a week earlier by a bomb. Of course, this was just false reporting.

But where Bill O’Reilly is clearly wrong was during a 2008 interview with then Senator Obama on the topic of a potential Bin Laden capture. In a campaign speech, candidate Obama said that if the United States had actionable intelligence that Osama Bin Ladin was hiding in Pakistan and Pakistan was unwilling or unable to assist, he wouldn’t hesitate to go in and get him. Bill O’Reilly went after Obama in the video below over that very comment from the Denver speech.

BILL O’REILLY: “You gave a speech in Denver. Good speech by the way, but you bloviated about McCain not following him (Bin Laden) to the cave. You’re not going to invade Pakistan Senator if you’re president. You’re not gonna send ground troops in there. You know it!”

Well, that is exactly what Barack Obama did when he became president. For some reason, Bill O’Reilly just can’t bring himself to admit he was wrong. Not just slightly wrong, but categorically wrong. I take particular offense to O’Reilly's comment that Obama “Bloviated” about capturing Osama Bin Ladin.

blo·vi·ate/ˈblōvēˌāt/
Verb: Talk at length, esp. in an inflated or empty way.

Come on O’Reilly! – Just admit it! - There was nothing inflated or empty about Obama’s campaign promise to capture and kill Osama Bin Ladin. If anyone “bloviated” it was George W. Bush when he shouted through a bullhorn on that rubble pile at ground zero. Remember Bill? – How George W. Bush promised that Bin Ladin “would be hearing from all of us soon.” That was bloviating.

Remember when George W. Bush spoke from the flight deck of The Abraham Lincoln and announced that combat operations in Iraq were over? Remember how he made that announcement beneith that enormous "mission accomplished" banner? -That was bloviating.

As it turns out, it was Barack Obama that took care of Osama Bin Laden and ended combat operations in Iraq. That's not bloviating, it's just a fact.

Visit Liberal Viewer Here: http://www.youtube.com/user/LiberalViewer#p/u/9/_9bS75JOP_Q

Victoria Jackson On "The 3 Scariest Things About Obama"

2011-07-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

I wonder if Fox News will call on Victoria Jackson to share more pearls of wisdom about Barack Obama during the upcoming election cycle.

On the WorldNetDaily site, Jackon outlines “The 3 scariest things about Obama” and ask “why isn’t anyone freaking out”

1. private army (like Hitler)
2. socialist (like Hitler)
3. media control (like Hitler)

“A clause hidden in the Obamacare bill, which is now law, gives Obama the right to form a private army. Why isn’t anyone freaking out?” Jackson ask.

I’m not sure what is more rediculous. Victoria Jackson or Fox News for thinking this stupid bitch has anything of substance to add to the public discourse. Here’s an example of Jacksons vast wealth of wisdom.

Read more: The 3 scariest things about Obama Here: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=322057#ixzz1SqVIo0qT

Pot Group Takes DEA To Court Over Claim ‘Marijuana has no medicinal value’

2011-07-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

The medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC) on Thursday challenged the federal government's decision to keep marijuana classified as a dangerous drug with no medicinal value.

The Drug Enforcement Administration denied a nine-year-old petition to initiate proceedings to reschedule marijuana in late June, claiming that, "marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical supervision."

The petition sought to have marijuana removed from schedule 1 of the federal Controlled Substances Act and rescheduled in schedule 3, 4, or 5. Currently, the DEA classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug: the most restrictive classification reserved for street drugs like heroin with a high potential for abuse and no real medicinal value.

"By ignoring the wealth of scientific evidence that clearly shows the therapeutic value of marijuana, the Obama Administration is playing politics at the expense of sick and dying Americans," said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, who filed the notice of appeal today. You can view that PDF here: http://americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/CRC_Appeal_Notice.pdf

"For the first time in more than 15 years we will be able to present evidence in court to challenge the government's flawed position on medical marijuana."

The use of medical marijuana has been legalized in 16 states and the District of Columbia. But, according to the DEA, marijuana cannot be considered to have medicinal value because there is a lack of scientific studies assessing its safety and efficacy as a medicine, and the scientific evidence is not widely available. The agency also noted there are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved marijuana products at present.

Although hundreds of studies have found marijuana has medical value, its status as a schedule I substance has prevented clinical studies, like those conducted on pharmaceutical drugs, from taking place in the U.S.

Just days after the DEA insisted that there is no medical value to marijuana, the White House appeared to contradict the position, saying in a report that there may actually be "some" medical value to "individual components of the cannabis plant."

The statement was just a small part of the Office on National Drug Control Policy's yearly update on the progress of the drug war and its goals moving forward. Overall, the document only serves to affirm the federal prohibition of marijuana and what it calls "'medical' marijuana," which it still views as illegitimate.

The American Medical Association, the largest physician's organization in the U.S., adopted a resolution in 2009 calling on the DEA to reclassify marijuana to faciliate research on marijuana-based medicines.

"Results of short term controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis," the AMA's resolution reads.

"The future of cannabinoid-based medicine lies in the rapidly evolving field of botanical drug substance development, as well as the design of molecules that target various aspects of the endocannabinoid system," the resolution continued. "To the extent that rescheduling marijuana out of Schedule I will benefit this effort, such a move can be supported."

Americans for Safe Access argues that by failing to reclassify marijuana, the federal government has stifled meaningful research into a wide array of therapeutic uses that could benefit patients.

"With science on our side, we will put an end to the government's political posturing," Elford said, "and force the Obama Administration to adhere to its own stated policy of emphasizing science over politics."

An ABC News poll found last year that eight in 10 Americans favor legalizing medical marijuana.

Fox News Panel Caught Avoiding News Corp Scandal

2011-07-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

CNN’s Brian Todd has uncovered video of a Fox News panel going out of their way to avoid reporting on the corruption scandal surrounding Fox News Channels parent company News Corp.

The dialog in the video clip was for the live streaming audience, but was recorded while the panel assumed they where away for a commercial break. You can clearly hear Cal Thomas get the conversation started.

CAL THOMAS: Anybody wanna bring up the subject we’re not talking about for the streamers?

JIM PINKERTON: Go ahead Cal.

CAL THOMAS: I’m not gonna touch it.

JUDITH MILLER: With a 10-foot turban.

I’m not sure if liberal commentator Alan Colmes (closest on right) was aware of the fact that the conversation was streaming live to online viewers, but you can see him shift uncomfortably in his chair and adjust his tie.

Oopsie-Daisy!

Rush Limbaugh: Gov't "Playing Games" With Heat Wave Warning

2011-07-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

With lives already claimed by the heat wave blanketing most of the central United States, right-wing radio propagandist Rush Limbaugh warned his listeners that the Government is just “playing games” by warning the public about the life threatening heat.

“They’re playing games with us on this heat wave, again. Even Drudge. Drudge getting sucked in here. Going to be 116 in Washington. No, it’s not. It’s gonna be like 100, maybe 99. A heat index, manufactured by the government to tell you what it feels like when you add the humidity in there.”

Gay Protesters Storm Michelle and Marcus Bachmann's Ex-Gay Therapy Clinic

2011-07-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

A group of gay “barbarians” stormed Marcus Bachmann’s Christian counseling center to protest the harmful ex-gay therapy offered there. During a radio interview in 2010, Bachmann compared gay people to “barbarians” who need to be “disciplined.” Organized by Nick Espinosa, who famously showered Newt Gingrich with glitter, the protest glittered Bachmann’s empty waiting room and reception area, chanting “You can’t pray away the gay — baby, I was born this way!” Here are some photos from the protest; a video is forthcoming:

Fox News Contributor Declares "I'm Not A Pedophile"

2011-07-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

FROM: Crooks & Liars
As a general media rule, if you have to assure viewers that you're not a pedophile then you've already lost the debate. But this is exactly what happened when Fox News contributor Dr. Keith Ablow appeared on Fox & Friends Tuesday to object to a baby doll that helps children learn about breastfeeding.

"It's beyond ridiculous," Ablow told Fox News' Alisyn Camerota. "It's destructive. Little girls aren't even aware how their secondary sexual characteristics will develop, let alone imitating how they'll be used after childbirth. This is another way of turning little girls into adults. It blurs the boundary between children and adults in society. It contributes to the sexualization of children and it makes them targets of assailants, frankly, because it blurs that boundary. It's a terrible, terrible idea."

"I'm going to have to respectfully disagree," parenting expert Jessica Gottlieb told Ablow. "I'm not sure that if you see a little girl as her breasts being sexual that that doesn't reflect more on you than on what breasts are."

"I assure you I'm not a pedophile at all," Ablow objected.

"Dr. Ablow, I think she raises a great point," Camerota noted. "Why is it sexual? Why isn't it just natural?"

Will Bill O'Reilly Call Out His Body Language Expert's On The Murdoch's?

2011-07-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

I wonder if Bill O’Reilly will summon his own body language expert to The Factor set to review the body language of his fearless leader and son?

From what I could see, squirming would not be too far from an accurate description. Of course, an attempted pie-in-the-face surely helped to remind everyone about the public outrage surrounding the whole sordid mess. It has made the Murdoch name the News of The World…. ironically.

Judi on the other hand is one of the UK’s leading body language and behaviour experts. She has written many books on the subject, including The Body Language Bible and The You Code – What Everything You Do Says About You, and appears regularly on Sky News and the BBC analysing politicians during the election.

JUDI SAYS:
It was a stunning double act. From the outset the mirrored body language of Rupert Murdoch and his son James showed they were presenting a united front.

The two sat side-by-side at the table, facing forwards with their hands in a uniform gesture, clasped loosely on the desk in front of them.

The handclasp is a restraining gesture – it prevents the speaker from over-gesticulating and stops them fiddling, which can be seen to be a suspicious, nervous act.
Crucially, with both hands on the table and out in the open, this is a gesture that conveys honesty and openness.

If there had been media coaching before the interview, it was here that it showed, and throughout the interview, the two returned to this ‘pole position’ many times.

Read More Here
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016527/What-Murdochs-DIDNT-say-spoke-volumes-Body-language-expert-exposes-chalk-cheese-double-act.html

CNN's Cooper Anderson Tweets Disappointing Shirtless Picture Of Himself

2011-07-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that CNN’s Anderson Cooper can rock a skin tight cotton t-shirt and I became tingly all over when news broke that Cooper had tweeted a shirtless picture of himself on Twitter. However, I was very disappointed when I saw the image in question.

Anderson Cooper tweeted a picture of himself shirtless and covered in mud from an unnamed location on Monday night, and asked his followers to guess where he was.

The world has, of course, seen Cooper shirtless before, when he swam with Michael Phelps for "60 Minutes." Judging from the latest picture—and the slight neck-shoulder ridge thing so common in fitness buffs that he seems to have developed—Cooper has bulked up a bit since then.

If we could just sprinkle some light analysis to this affair, it's worth mentioning that Cooper's daytime talk show is due to start in less than two months. Is this a preview of the lengths he's willing to go now that he's becoming a full-fledged daytime personality?

Nevertheless, the mistery is solved. Cooper Anderson is a dirty boy just as I suspected. Rumor has it that Cooper is partial to "Alfani" brand cotton t's which are available at Macy's. P.S. - he wears a medium.

Chico Brisbane

The Pablum Post: You Just Can't Keep A Warlock Down.

2011-07-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

FROM: The PablumPost:

The Pablum Post: You Just Can't Keep A Warlock Down.: "According to a report this morning in The Associated Press, Carlos Estavez is 'WINNING' again. He's been hired for a sitcom called,"Anger Management" based on a film released in 2003.

See? Carlos was right. Tiger Blood and crack is what make dreams of riches come true. Add a little bi-polar and sexual addiction and well, you've got yourself a winner. Duh! ..."

Dont forget the Adonis DNA - Chico Brisbane

Warlocks of the world, unite – your leader has a new job. Charlie Sheen is developing a pilot for the small screen: Anger Management, a sitcom based on the 2003 movie starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler.

"I chose Anger Management because, while it might be a big stretch for me to play a guy with serious anger management issues, I think it is a great concept," Sheen said in a statement.

The actor, who made headlines this spring for his drug-fueled antics, incoherent rants and subsequent firing from CBS' top comedy Two and Half Men, also "will retain a significant ownership stake in the series," according to the statement.

"It also provides me with real ownership in the series, a certain amount of creative control and the chance to be back in business with one of my favorite movie producers of all time, Joe Roth," Sheen says.

Sheen worked with Roth on the movies Major League, Young Guns and Three Musketeers.

Sheen's manager Mark Burg, whose production company is also producing Anger Management, said the deal came together like a dream. "We have been fielding numerous offers for Charlie since his departure from Two and a Half Men, but none were as creatively and financially compelling ... Anger Management."

Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury will distribute the new series.

Don't forget about Adonis DNA... - Chico Brisbane

Rep. Michelle Bachmann Leaves Her Crazy Church Like Obama Did.

2011-07-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

In an ironic twist of fate, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and her husband Marcus have resigned from their church of more than ten years.

The Bachmann's began distancing themselves a few weeks before she announced her candidacy to avoid association with its extremist views. Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Minnesota, has faced criticism this week for its anti-Catholic views, including preaching that the Pope is the Antichrist.

Bachmann has long been a favorite of religious conservatives for her outspoken views on her faith, but her decision to sever ties with her church for the sake of her presidential campaign is surprising many:

According to CNN, the church that Michele Bachmann and her husband Marcus had attended for more than a decade, Salem Lutheran in Stillwater, Minn., granted the couple’s request to be released from their membership last month, a week after Bachmann told a national audience that she would run for the Republican presidential nomination.

The Bachmanns had approached their pastor and verbally made the request “a few weeks before the church council granted the request,” said Joel Hochmuth, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the governing body for the church.

Bachmann had apparently been distancing herself from the church for some time. Hochmuth said the couple had not been worshiping with the congregation in more than two years.
“We identify the Antichrist as the Papacy,” the denomination’s website says. “This is an historical judgment based on Scripture.” Bachmann has been questioned about her church’s beliefs for years and denounced their anti-Catholicism when she was running for Congress in 2006.

“It’s abhorrent, it’s religious bigotry,” Bachmann said then. “I love Catholics, I’m a Christian, and my church does not believe that the pope is the antichrist, that’s absolutely false.” She remained a member of the church for years after, but as Bachmann’s political ambitions got bigger, she began to distance herself. When she decided to run for president, Bachmann seemed to realize she could no longer belong to an organization that formally endorses intolerance.

The highly convenient timing of the move clearly indicates this was a shrewd political calculation on Bachmann’s part. It remains to be seen how religious “values voters” will feel about the candidate choosing political opportunism over her church. On the campaign trail Bachmann frequently invokes her faith and proudly speaks about coming to Christ at the age of 16.

CNN notes that Salem Lutheran Church still maintains some ties with the Bachmann family. “It lists a Christian counseling center operated by Bachmann’s husband on its website under special member services for confidential counseling.”

Bachmann must still account for her ongoing connection with other radical preachers and churches, especially Bradlee Dean of the notoriously anti-gay You Can Run But You Can’t Hide ministry. Dean has been described as “Bachmann’s Jeremiah Wright,” and has repeatedly called for gays and lesbians to be put in prison and has said executing gays is “moral.”

Many journalists have observed the parallels between Bachmann leaving her church for political expediency and Barack Obama’s decision to do the same in 2008 after his church’s preacher, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, faced a barrage of criticism for his rhetoric. However, since Bachmann has left one church but still not denounced the teachings of Dean, the analogy has yet to come full circle.

Gay Sceintists Isolate Christian Gene

2011-07-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene

So funny!

Medical Marijuana Patient Wins Unemployment Benefits

2011-07-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

From: Raw Story - Click Post Title For Full Story

A Colorado man who was fired from his job after testing positive for medical marijuana properly obtained under state law has won an appeal that grants him full unemployment benefits, in spite of his former employer's objections.
Lauro Sosa's claim for unemployment benefits was filed against the Swift Beef Company, after they forced him to undergo a drug test.

Sosa's employer allegedly noticed him acting as if he were intoxicated and when confronted, the employee admitted that his test would be positive due to recent consumption of medical marijuana.
But when tests came back showing as much and Sosa was fired, an unemployment officer decided to honor his claim and ruled the termination was no fault of his own.

When Swift lawyers appealed, the state's Industrial Claim Appeals Office agreed with the employer and struck down Sosa's benefits, which were reinstated again this week by a Colorado court of appeals

Al Qaeda Urges Terrorists To Buy Lots Of Guns At Gun Shows

2011-06-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

FROM CROOKS & LIARS:

That popping sound you hear is the heads of NRA loyalists exploding from massive cognitive dissonance, all because of the release this week of a video showing a spokesman for Al Qaeda, Adam Gadahn, urging would-be jihadis to go out and stock up on as many guns as they can get their hands on -- through the gun-show loophole:

America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?

Click Post Title For Full Story

Az Cops Shoot And Kill Marine In Botched Marijuana Raid, No Pot Found

2011-05-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

On May 5 at around 9:30 a.m., several teams of Pima County, Ariz., police officers from at least four different police agencies armed with SWAT gear and an armored personnel carrier raided at least four homes as part of what at the time was described as an investigation into alleged marijuana trafficking.

One of those homes belonged to 26-year-old Jose Guerena and his wife, Vanessa Guerena. The couple's 4-year-old son was also in the house at the time. Their 6-year-old son was at school.

As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena. He was pronounced dead a little over an hour later.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially claimed (PDF) Guerena fired his weapon at the SWAT team. They now acknowledge that not only did he not fire, the safety on his gun was still activated when he was killed. Guerena had no prior criminal record, and the police found nothing illegal in his home. After ushering out his wife and son, the police refused to allow paramedics to access Guerena for more than hour, leaving the young father to bleed to death, alone, in his own home.

I can now report a number of new details that further call into question the police account of what happened that morning. But first some context:

The Pima County Sheriff's Office has now changed its story several times over the last few weeks. They have issued a press release (PDF) scolding the media and critics for questioning the legality of the raid, the department's account of what happened, and the department's ability to fairly investigate its own officers.

They have obtained a court order sealing the search warrants and police affidavits that led to the raids, and they're now refusing any further comment on the case at all. When I contacted Public Information Officer Jason Ogan with some questions, he replied via email that the department won't be releasing any more information. On Saturday, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told Arizona Daily Star columnist Josh Brodesky that he may never release the search warrants and police affidavits. Dupnik rose to national prominence earlier this year after claiming combative political rhetoric contributed to Jared Loughner killing six people and wounding 19 others, including Rep. Gabielle Giffords, last January.

The department's excuses for keeping all of this information under wraps make little sense. In his May 18 press release (PDF), for example, Ogan wrote, "The investigation that lead to the service of the search warrants on May 5 is a complicated one involving multiple people suspected of very serious crimes. Sometimes, law enforcement agencies must choose between the desire of the public to quickly know details, and the very real threat to innocent lives if those details are released prematurely." Dupnik used the same line of reasoning with Brodesky.

"Those are the real sensitive parts of why we are having difficulty with trying to put information out publicly--because we don't want somebody getting killed," Dupnik said.

The problem with that explanation is that the search warrants and affidavits weren't sealed until four days after the raids were executed, right at about the time the troubling questions about Jose Guerena's death began to make national headlines. If revealing the details of this investigation -- which remember, was initially described by the Sheriff's Department as a marijuana investigation -- could endanger lives, why weren't the warrants and affidavits sealed from the start?

It isn't difficult to understand why some would suspect a cover-up, or at least an attempt to suppress details until the department can come up with a narrative that mitigates the damage. In any case, it's awfully audacious for a police agency to scold the media for not trusting them and for "spreading misinformation" just days after revealing they themselves released bad information.

Full Story At HuffPo http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/jose-guerena-arizona-_n_867020.html

Is Glenn Beck Getting High On His Own Supply?

2011-05-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

When Glenn Beck had one of his crying spells during the announcement of his 9/12 ralley, he said "Man! - I'm turning into a frickin' televangalist."

It just went right passed me because it sounded so rediculous. But since then, that is exactly what has happened. Beck got a few chalkboards and turned his studio into a classroom with a focus on the founding fathers and the constitution.

The problem was that many viewers never warmed up to Professor Becks Revisionist History Class. Before long out went the founding fathers and the constitution, in came Jesus Christ and the bible. Beck has long predicted the demise of his show and has said that he'll go out with a bang. I don't think he's going anywhere.

Especially now that it appears that May 21, 2001 will not be the end of the world. How could it be? - Glenn Beck has been chosen by God to save the land of Israel. Last night at 1 AM Eastern Time, Glenn prayed hard and made the decision.

"I didn’t make the decision of where—We’ve reserved so many sites. Last night at 1 AM Eastern Time I made the Decision, because we had to be on the phone and give a decision to, to all of these places in Israel. One AM, man. I prayed on this one hard. Because, what I am going to announce tomorrow—I thought it was going to be rough going yesterday—heh. Now with what the president has done—Let me tell you something. This is going to be a life-altering event. It will take profound courage to stand in Israel. Because I believe the very Gate of Hell have been opened against them but the very Gates of Heaven are about to open up the other way."

This must be why we will all be spared today because May 21, 2001 will not be the end of the world. God has spoken and he or she has tasked Glenn with saving the promised land. It's either that or Glenn is getting high on his own supply.

Chico Brisbane.

Newt Can't Seem To Follow His Own Advice: When You're In A Hole, Stop Digging

2011-05-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Newt Gingrich continues to try and dig himself out of the hole he’s dug for himself, calling Rep. Paul Ryan to apologize for his comments on his Medicare overhaul and defiantly appearing on Fox News Channel to push back at the suggestion that his fledgling presidential campaign has suffered a mortal wound.

“I made a mistake,” Gingrich said on Greta Van Susteren’s program Tuesday evening. “And I called Paul Ryan today who is a very close, personal friend, and I said that. The fact is that I have supported what Ryan has tried to with the budget.”

After calling Ryan's plan "radical" and "social engineering" last week, Gingrich has not surprisingly done an about face last night on Fox News by saying that Ryan’s plan is “one I am happy to say I would have voted for. I will defend. And I will be glad to answer any Democrat who attempts to distort what I said.”

Perhaps Newt should call Rush Limbaugh and try to explain it to him. Or better yet, perhaps Newt Gingrich should follow the advice that he has given to so many others time-and-time again. "When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging."

Then, when pressed by Van Susteren, he said, “Look, I made two mistakes.”

Gingrich tried to explain his criticism of Ryan’s plan Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” when he called the proposal to transform Medicare into a private insurance program “right-wing social engineering.” He also suggested then that he supported some kind of individual requirement to purchase health insurance, the cornerstone of GOP opposition to the Democratic healthcare initiative.

That got Gingrich slammed by conservative pundits such as Charles Krauthammer and Rush Limbaugh, as well as politicians such as South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Ryan, too, was clearly chagrined, saying in a radio interview, “With allies like that, who needs the left?”

Gingrich, on Fox, said he erred in “some of the words I used” and praised Ryan for starting the “process” of having an “honest conversation” about entitlement reform.
As he has toured Iowa this week, Gingrich and his nascent campaign have been furiously trying to right the ship and dispel the notion that the former House speaker is an undisciplined candidate who is out of step with the modern GOP.

Gingrich had similar problems during the run-up to U.S. and allied operations in Libya, at times appearing to be on both sides of the question of whether America should intervene.
Democrats have seized on Gingrich’s words, using them as a GOP indictment of Ryan’s plan as too “radical” and are already trying to use them in competitive House districts.

“Any ad which quotes what I said on Sunday is a falsehood, ‘cause I have said publicly that those words were inaccurate and unfortunate,” Gingrich said. “When I make a mistake, and I’m going to on occasion, I am going to stand up and share with the American people ‘That was a mistake' because that way we can have an honest conversation.”

Gingrich took exception with Van Susteren’s suggestion that he had “blown up the Republican Party.”

“I think that’s pretty exaggerated, on every front,” he said. He said the campaign has been seeing “huge crowds” in Iowa.

He said he was "laughing" at the suggestion by the Wall Street Journal editorial board that he wasn't dedicated to substantive change.

"Our record of achieving real change. . . is a pretty good standard to set," he said.
Gingrich also refused to comment on a report that his wife, Callista, ran up a titanic bill at theTiffany jewelery company.

"I'm not commenting on stuff like," he said. "Frankly, I don't want to play the gotcha games in Washington."

Gay RI House Speaker Supports Civil Unions Over Same-Sex Marriage

2011-05-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

The protests started as soon as Rhode Island's openly gay House Speaker Gordon Fox voted down gay marriage legislation and said he'd back civil unions instead. A cop-out, gay marriage supporters said. A compromise for no one. One man made a sign proclaiming, "Fox Hunting Season is Open."

"These folks were looking for a champion," Fox, a Providence Democrat, told The Associated Press. "It hurts me to think that I'm not quite their champion at this point. That bothers me.

Because so many people were waiting for so long ... but you have to be able to move votes."
Gay rights advocates had hoped Fox would help them make this the year that Rhode Island legalized same-sex marriage, joining Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Iowa.

Fox became speaker last year, and newly elected Gov. Lincoln Chafee is a longtime supporter who called on lawmakers to pass gay marriage in his inaugural address. But those hopes faded with Fox's announcement late last month. Many supporters of the measure felt betrayed, saying civil unions treat gay couples as second-class citizens.

"In my opinion he's a self-loathing homophobe," said Gary D'Amario of Cranston, who attended a rally at the Statehouse called after Fox made his decision.

"What was Speaker Fox thinking?" asked the Rev. Duane Clinker of Providence's Open Table of Christ United Methodist Church, a supporter of gay marriage. "I think he forgot he had friends."
Fox said the criticism has stung. But he chalks it up to disappointment and years of frustration.

"I believe they have a higher expectation of me," Fox said, because of his sexual orientation. "I think it's also people that want this badly, that may not understand the process as much. ...

When they say `Oh we've now got a gay speaker of the House, now anything is possible.'"

Voter to Newt: You're An Embarrassment To Our Party

2011-05-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Newt Gingrich got an ear full from a Republican voter who was angry over comments that Gingrich made about the GOP budget plan.

Gingrich had described Rep. Paul Ryan's plan as “right-wing social engineering” and “radical."

Kudos to Newt thought. He handled the embarrassing sutuation like a gentleman and just walked away. A sign that "the ideas guy" was fresh out.

Voter: Speaker Gingrich, what you just did to Paul Ryan is unforgivable.

Gingrich: I didn’t do anything to Paul Ryan!

Voter: Yes, you did. You undercut him and his allies in the house.

Gingrich: No, I –

Voter: You’re an embarrassment to our party.

Gingrich: I’m sorry you feel that way.

Voter: Why don’t you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself.

CNN's Don Lemon Comes Out At Long Last

2011-05-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

In his book “Transparent,” CNN Anchor Don Lemon has a lot to say about reporting for television and about journalism in general. But he knows enough about news to recognize what will get this book noticed.

“People are going to say: ‘Oh, he was molested as a kid and now he is coming out.’ I get it,” he said.

Few national television news anchors or hosts have publicly acknowledged being gay. Rachel Maddow is perhaps the best known. Her MSNBC colleague, Thomas Roberts, has also come out as gay.

Mr. Lemon has not made a secret of his sexual orientation in his work life; many of his CNN co-workers and managers have long been aware that he is gay. But he still acknowledged that going public in his book carries certain risks.

“I’m scared,” he said in a telephone interview. “I’m talking about something that people might shun me for, ostracize me for.”