I have the somewhat unfortunate distinction of living in Kansas, the flat rectangular state right in the middle with views wayyyy to the right. This election season finds my state ready to elect a governor. As you might imagine, we are a very RED state; however, we have been governed by a Democrat since 2003. What this has done is to bring some much needed checks and balances against our Republican state congress. This time of some sort of moderation looks as if it will come to an end after the next election. Perhaps the most conservative, fundamental christian man in government today seems poised to take over the helm of Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback.

Sam Brownback has had a long career in the US Congress which can be summed up in just a few basic beliefs:

• Abortion is murder and shouldn’t be allowed in ANY circumstance
• Brown people of any shade are scary and shouldn’t be allowed in ANY circumstance
• Homosexuality is an abomination and shouldn’t be allowed in ANY circumstance
• Poor people and the disabled are an annoyance and shouldn’t be allowed in ANY circumstance
• Science disagrees that we walked with dinosaurs and shouldn’t be allowed in ANY circumstance

His race baiting, hate mongering, juvenile rants on any of the above subjects are enough to make me nauseous. While Kansas and its politicians are often the subject of mockery, with Brownback as our leader, it will get exponentially worse. There is a strong Democratic candidate running, Tom Holland, who is a state Senator; however, in a red state without a lot of name recognition he is fighting an uphill battle.

I think I may be state shopping soon.

Novak Attacks Gov. Sibelius For Supporting Womens Rights

The other day douchebag of liberty Robert Novak wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post praising Kansas Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius for her strong support for women’s rights and reproductive freedom. I wanted to thank Robert Novak as I don’t think that the nation is aware of the many progressive values and accomplishments of our wonderful Governor. Being from Kansas, Sibelius has been branded a moderate Democrat and I think this article was exactly what she needed to help bolster her progressive image. Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks so either.

The Rest of The News

• John McCain thinks that the reason American’s are dispirited is because we haven’t passed a trade agreement with Colombia. Yup, that nails it perfectly. It’s not endless pointless war, 4$ gas, an economy in the toilet, and his view of 4 more of the same … it’s that Colombia thing that has us all down. Dumbass.
• Former Republican Bob Barr secures Libertarian Party nomination. There is talk that this could cause problems with McSame but really I’m just happy that the crazy Libertarians have a party. Makes it easier to tell who they are and avoid them.
• John McCain continues to lie and distort about the Webb G.I. Bill that would greatly improve education benefits for our soldiers.
• The Republicans like to tout our all-volunteer army, especially when avoiding responsibility for their deaths and disabilities. Only we don’t actually have an all-volunteer army as thousands of troops have been forced to remain in active duty after their contracts expire. Well, now Democrats are trying to make sure these troops are fairly compensated. lets see how fast the Republicans prove that “Supporting the Troops” is just a bumper sticker.
• A Ford dealership, Keiffe & Sons Ford, in Mojave CA is running an ad that clearly discriminates against non-Christians.
  

  But did you know that 86% of Americans say they believe in God? Since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians, who believe in God, we at Keiffe & Sons Ford wonder why we don’t tell the other 14% to sit down and shut up. I guess maybe I just offended 14% of the people who are listening to this message. Well, if that is the case then I say that’s tough, this is America folks, it’s called free speech. None of us at Keiffe & Sons Ford are afraid to speak out. Keiffe & Sons Ford on Sierra Highway in Mojave and Rosamond, if we don’t see you today, by the grace of God, we’ll be here tomorrow.

  Ford has been less than concerned about this as well. Well, I this makes my next car purchase that much easier.

• Lieberman apparently compared Pastor Hagee to Moses? I don’t really understand either but I have long ago given up on understanding conservatives and soulless leaches like Lieberman and McCain. Curious though, does that mean that to guys like Lieberman when McCain denounced Hagee’s endorsement (after first seeking it) it’s akin to denouncing Moses? Interesting.

Video Photo Montage of the Day

Michelle Malkin, who is famous for having a fat ass and a … sorry, thats someone else … has surpassed her previous record for stupidity by making the insane connection between celebrities wearing scarves and supporting terrorists. So as a public service I feel the need to expose the other hidden terrorists lovers hiding in Hollywood.

Thats after just 5 minutes on Google. I shudder to think how many terrorists loving scarf wearers are lurking out there. I’m going to have to subscribe to Malkins RSS Feed so that she can keep me safe.

Photo Credits

• California Style
• The Glamourous Life
• Celebrity Beauty Buzz
• Will Askew
• Bauer Griffon Online
• Glamour.com

When I first started hearing this I was under the assumption that “progress” was just another insecure platitude to quiet the angry masses. You know, just another way to string out the Iraq war until it becomes the Democrats problem. Now I realize that the conservatives belief that we are making progress is sincere and honest and is exactly the reason why they are unfit for government.

As a liberal and as a fan of facts and reality I tend to define the word progress, in the context used by Republicans, as meaning “the act of moving forward toward a goal”. I naturally measure this progress by how far from the goal we are and by whether or not were getting closer to that goal. I think that this way of looking at the world is not only natural and logical, but its essential for any kind of real success.

As I’m sure you can relate to this definition of progress left me confused and angry whenever conservatives used it. It’s much like accepting the offer of an apple, which you assume to be a red tasty fruit, only to receive a punch in the nose. Now imagine that happening for 7 years. Eventually you figure out that what they call an “apple” isn’t an apple at all and the last thing you want is more of their “apples”.

Understanding the conservative view of progress had me baffled until I realized one thing. For liberals success is dependent on the quantifiable achievement of a set goal. Conservatives seem to accept that success is guaranteed and that all they have to do is wait for it. This assurance of success makes things like timetables, goals, strategy, planning all irrelevant. For America to be successful we simply need to wait.

So when you start with the faith that success is inevitable the definition of progress changes. As their is no goal other than to wait for success the liberal definition of progress makes no sense. The conservative definition of progress is nothing more than the “progress through time”. When conservatives say we are making progress they don’t mean that goals are being achieved or that a sound strategy is being successfully carried out. They simply mean that time is still passing and therefore we are that much closer to our inevitable glorious success.

[youtube width="250" height="197"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biX0qI1P7B4[/youtube]

With that in mind watch this short clip taken from Keith Olberman’s 5/1/2007 episode. You will see that if you think of the word progress as a rational acceptance that time has not stopped the words of George Bush make sense. See that piece in context here.

This method of government that the conservatives are offering has clearly not worked. I would be interested in hearing a single thing that the Bush Administration has actually made better. If we allow another conservative like John McCain to be elected we can expect 4 more years of Republican “progress”.

Obama Rally draws 70,000+ in Portland

[youtube width="250" height="197"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ4XsemlDP4[/youtube]

Alright, I know that there are more important things going on in the world than just another campaign rally. It feels like the primary has been going on for years and the last thing people want to read about is some random rally in Portland. Just kidding! 70,000 PEOPLE! Seriously have we ever had such an amazing and exciting time to be a Democrat. Wow. (h/t Crooks and Liars)

McCain has a Serious Lobbyist Issue

[youtube width="250" height="197"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=LPMsMaJONTo[/youtube]

After running on his “record” as being “anti-lobbyist” and promising to “clean up” Washington John McCain is developing a real lobbyist problem. A problem in that his campaign is run, staffed, and financed almost entirely by lobbyists. Worse than that several high ranking lobbyists in his campaign have been linked to horrible causes. For more read this from The Carpetbagger Report.

All the News you Need to Know

• The Legislatures in Tennessee are trying to push through a bill to teach the glories of the Bible in public schools. I think that learning about the history of all religions is a good idea, focusing entirely on “the greatest and most popular book in history” in order to teach students “our culture and our highest and best values” isn’t.
• I hadn’t heard this bit of craziness but apparently there is this thing going around about the world ending in 2012 because thats when the Mayan calender ends. Spoiler alert! The world isn’t going to end and here is a good explanation why.
• Four of the Philadelphia police officers were fired after the videotaped beating of three suspects. Several others were demoted and/or suspended. Only four?
• I don’t watch Fox News so I hadn’t heard this but apparently there is a silly smear campaign that Barack Obama is the most liberal Democratic Senator. Sadly this isn’t true.
• Emergency contraception has been approved for over the counter sale in Canada. While here in America the religious right is trying to ban all birth control. * Sigh *
• The Alliance Defense Fund is looking for pastors to knowingly break the law that prevents churches from engaging directly in partisan politics. The goal being to sue to have the rules removed so that they can make the transition into a full blown theocracy easier.

Video of the Day

[youtube width="500" height="394"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPWFupNHhs[/youtube]

h/t Eschaton

Have a wonderful day
William ~ WWJV4.com

I hope everyone had a good Mothers Day weekend. It went really well at our house except pretty much everyone was sick at some point. There seems to be some little bug going around that lasts a couple days. At least I’m hoping thats all the longer it lasts because the weather is getting nicer and I want to stop being sick til next winter.

Well it’s Monday morning so here is some light news and humor to start your week out right.

The Republican’s started off Mother’s Day weekend by voting against Mothers Day. This isn’t really funny, its just sick. And you all thought that Republicans were the family values party. lol (final vote results here)

[youtube width="500" height="394"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=NzlHP8Mmy6o[/youtube]

This is really cool and not as geeky as it sounds initially. There is a new game Fold It that makes protein folding competitive and fun. As you work through the levels you are taught the basics just like any other problem solving game. The game requires no science knowledge as it relies on intuitive thinking and problem solving skills. What makes this really cool is that as you advance you have the potential to make actual scientific discoveries as you work on unsolved proteins. (h/t Richard Dawkins)

A group known as “The Resistance“, which is an incestuous crossbreed of conspiracy theorists and Christian fundamentalism, has launched a boycott of Starbucks over its new Logo which shows a topless mermaid. The Resistance also supports Ron Paul. I know thats obvious from the description of the group but I wanted to point that out anyhow.

God Tube Video Of the Week

Every week we will be featuring our favorite crazy video from God Tube. If you haven’t checked it out that place is a virtual gold mine of crazy. I just started watching video’s from there last week and it is simply AMAZING. If you have a favorite clip from God Tube let me know and if its funny and crazy enough I’ll post it so we can all point and laugh.

Music Video of the Week

This weeks music video was first posted at Loganotron so stop by and say thanks. You probably know this one so go ahead and sing along. Get your co-workers in on the fun too. This version is Corky and the Juice pigs who do a very good rendition of “I’m The Only Gay Eskimo”.

[youtube width="500" height="394"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPcYrmMNRCg[/youtube]

There you all go, have a great Monday and as always consider this an open thread. I would like to hear if anyone did anything great this weekend for your mothers, sisters, wives … etc.

Thanks
William ~ WWJV4.com

McCain still hates farmers. Nothing to say here really. Maybe if they were rich businessmen with hot lobbyists they could get something out of the old man.

Post-War Veteran Suicides May Exceed War Casualties: Because of a lack of mental health care for returning war veterans it is very likely that psychiatric illness may claim more lives than combat. Remember last month when the VA was caught concealing suicide numbers, how likely do you think it is that this administration is going to be honest about this epidemic?

New Jersey has approved paid family leave for same sex couples as well as married couples. This is a big step forward. Now to get the rest of the states to accept that in America everyone is equal.

Eleanor Badger over at RH Reality Check has a good writeup of a practice that the anti-choicers are using to shut down abortion providers known as TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers).

230 top economists have signed a letter condemning Clinton’s idea to offset the cost by adding a windfall tax to the oil companies. Oddly little attention has been paid to McCain’s even worse gas tax plan. See Obama’s response here.

In ultra conservative Florida a substitute teacher lost his job after being accused of wizardry. yeah, wizardry. This boggles my mind and I live in Kansas so I have developed a pretty high tolerance for this fundamentalist crap.

Pat Tillmans mother was on 60 minutes reminding America of the deception that surrounded her sons death. Watch it at Think Progress.

Women in Malaysia may need a letter giving them permission to leave the country. This move to control women is being sold as a measure to protect them from being tricked into carrying drugs. You know, because women are too dumb to take care of themselves apparently.

Apparently in a move to increase the number of abortions anti-choicers are planning to protest against contraception. You know, that stuff that prevents unwanted pregnancies and therefore abortions. If you want to see the kind of woman who could promote such craziness here is Pam Stenzel. Pam wants to teach your kids that birth control can kill them and that abortions make girls anorexic, depressed and suicidal. (h/t Feministing)

[youtube width="500" height="394"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ezYNWIDB0[/youtube]

And finally I wanted to point out this post by Melissa McEwen at Shakesville. Its about a young girl who had the courage to fight back against her assaulter and the horrible consequences that followed. This story deserves a post of its own but I don’t have the time. Besides I doubt I could do it justice after Melissa’s post. This is my response to anyone who has ever wondered why women don’t fight back.

That is pretty much my roundup of the news from yesterday. If you have any comments please feel free to post them. Also if I missed anything please post that as well.

William ~ WWJV4

Today however I find on PZ Meyers’ blog Pharyngula that there is a video version that has been posted on GodTube (where else). Well since its Friday and I recently wrote a bit about homeopathy I couldn’t pass up sharing it with all of you. Enjoy.

I’m still not convinced that this isn’t a classic example of Poe’s Law. If your not familiar Poe’s Law states that there is no way to make a parody of fundamentalism that is so outrageous that someone wont mistake it for the real thing.

William ~ WWJV4.com

On the flip side they are quick to attribute any disaster to the wrath of God.  John Hagee for example has blamed the destruction of New Orleans on tolerance for homosexuality.  Pat Robertson blamed America for the terrorist attacks of 9/11, saying it was punishment for turning our back on God.

So what then do you think fundies will make of this?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out but I made my feelings clear earlier this month when I stated that these parents are as much responsible for their daughter’s death as the woman who stabbed her “possessed child”. Regardless of the intent, both little girls are dead due to the actions of their parents.

I wrote this morning about the hidden dangers of homeopathy. Faith based healing is another issue that can sound harmless on the surface yet really results in great damage. The death of Madeline Neumann is hardly unique. There are many other children who have died in the recent years due to their parents’ religion.

On March 2nd Ava Worthington, a 15 month old infant, died of an easily treated infection. Her parents have also been charged with manslaughter and criminal mistreatment. Ava and Madeline are only two of the most recent deaths caused by fundamentalist beliefs.

While I would never support any restrictions on freedom of/from religion it is important that we hold those who allow the deaths of children accountable. It is good that Madeline’s parents are facing charges. Hopefully this case will cause others to think twice before they allow their children to die.

William ~ WWJV4.com

copyright © 2007-2008, Rudis Muiznieks

Normally on Mondays I try to post a few funny things to make everyones worst day at work or school a little easier to deal with. Today I thought I would try something different and concentrate on a funny yet important subject, Homeopathy. For most rational people homeopathy is an easy subject to laugh at. Sadly though the misplaced belief in these superstitious “remedies” has many dire consequences that are often overlooked.

For those unfamiliar with homeopathy here is a short summery. Homeopathy is based upon the theories of Samuel Hahnemann who believed that disease and sickness were caused by imbalances in the body. Whats more he believed that these imbalances could be cured by taking microscopic quantities of minerals, herbs, and other bizarre substances. For a good overview I strongly suggest this article “Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake“.

It is important to remember that homeopathic remedies have never been proven more effective than placebos. However homeopaths are quick to defend their beliefs by saying that their remedies have special magical attributes that prevent them from being tested scientifically. If this defense sounds familiar its the same as the one used for intelligent design. For an excellent overview of the science behind homeopathy I strongly recommend Ben Goldacre’s “The End of Homeopathy“.

Skepchick ran a series on Homeopathy a few weeks back during Homeopathy Awareness Week. I read every one but since we don’t normally cover superstitious nonsense never brought it up here. However if you have time to read them they are very good.

• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #1
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #2
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #3
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #4
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #5
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #6
• Skepchick: Celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week #7