More nutty Republicans doing nutty Repub stuff

In order to protect the religious freedom of people in their state, Republicans in Tennessee have introduced a bill that would make following the Islamic code know as Shariah law a felony, punishable by 15 years in jail. I guess in Tennessee, the only approved religion is evangelical christian and then only some of those. Next I imagine they will want to establish one state religion to protect us all.  See: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/tennessee_state_sen_joins_effort_to_criminalize_sh.php

Not to be out done, Georgia State Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Atlanta), who is vice chairman of the Georgia House Judiciary Committee, has introduced a bill that would make it illegal for any court, arbitrator, administrative agency, or other tribunal to apply Sharia Islamic law. Jacobs admits he does not know of any court, etc. that has ever applied Islamic law but I guess he is concerned that it might happen and thinks we should just nip this thing in the bud right now.  See: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/anti-sharia_law_bill_pops_up_in_georgia.php

If you are not familiar with sharia, this about sharia from the Council on Foreign Relations

In sharia, there are categories of offenses: those that are prescribed a specific punishment in the Quran, known as hadd punishments, those that fall under a judge's discretion, and those resolved through a tit-for-tat measure (ie., blood money paid to the family of a murder victim). There are five hadd crimes: unlawful sexual intercourse (sex outside of marriage and adultery), false accusation of unlawful sexual intercourse, wine drinking (sometimes extended to include all alcohol drinking), theft, and highway robbery. Punishments for hadd offenses--flogging, stoning, amputation, exile, or execution--get a significant amount of media attention when they occur. These sentences are not often prescribed, however. "In reality, most Muslim countries do not use traditional classical Islamic punishments," says Ali Mazrui of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies in a Voice of America interview. These punishments remain on the books in some countries but lesser penalties are often considered sufficient.  See: http://www.cfr.org/religion/islam-governing-under-sharia/p8034

I am continually amazed at just how totally stupid, hateful, and prejudiced Republicans can be. 

By the way, Muslims make up just 0.6% of the U.S. population according to the Pew Research Center.  Evangelical Protestants make up more than 26%.  I’m a lot more worried about Evangelical Protestants taking over he country than I am Muslims.

http://religions.pewforum.org/reports?section=a4#

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Georgia Republican seeks death penalty for women who miscarry.

Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin. who has been called has been called "the conscience of the Georgia Republican Caucus" because he believes that civil government should return to its biblically and constitutionally defined role,” has introduced a bill in the Georgia state legislature that would criminalize some miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal and punishable by death. Under Franklin's bill, a woman would be guilty of a felony and subject to death or life in prison if she miscarries and cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was "no human involvement whatsoever in the causation " of her miscarriage.

You can read this atrocious bill here:

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display.aspx?Legislation=31965

I urge you to express your outrage at this attack on women by emailing this idiot/nut case at:

bobby.franklin@house.ga.gov

Evidence: Deficit Hawks Causing Unemployment,Increasing Deficit

Now we have proof.  The Republicans, Tea Party nut cases, Koch brothers and all the other deficit hawks are making unemployment and the deficit worse either intentionally or unintentionally.  That’s basically the conclusion to be derived from the results of a study of the true impact of the stimulus package on employment and the economy.  Professors James Feyrer and Bruce Sacerdote at Dartmouth just released a study in which they examined the impact of stimulus spending on employment across states, comparing the number of jobs created to the amount of spending.  The professors found that the stimulus had a multiplier effect ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 depending upon type of spending.  A 2.0 multiplier would mean that for every $1 billion of stimulus, GDP increased by $2 billion.  Additionally, there is reason to believe that the professors are being highly conservative in the multiplier effect they are reporting.  There is a good chance that the true multiplier effect on the country as a whole from the stimulus was much larger than the study found.  What does all of this mean?  This from the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

[I]t suggests that more stimulus would provide a further boost to the economy and reduction in unemployment. This means that the only reason that we are sitting here with 25 million people unemployed and underemployed is that the politicians in Washington are too intimidated by the Wall Street deficit hawks.

The deficit hawks have used their enormous political power and control over the media to shut down any further discussion of stimulus. They have managed to completely dominate public debate with their brand of flat-earth economics. They are using the crisis that was created through their greed and incompetence to reduce hugely valued public benefits, like Social Security and Medicare. And, now they are using the crisis that they have created for state and local governments to destroy public sector unions.

This looks really awful because it is. Our nations' leaders are deliberately inflicting enormous pain on tens of millions of people to advance their political agenda. This new study helps to prove this fact.

I’ve said this before but it is worth repeating.  Objective evidence from a wide variety of sources demonstrates nearly conclusively that the stimulus worked and would have worked a lot faster and better if it had been much larger.  Additionally, the obsessive focus on reducing the deficit through huge cuts in domestic programs and refusal to take any further steps toward more stimulus spending is slowing the return to full employment and risks sparking a new and much more severe recession than the one we just experienced.  The only conclusion one can draw is that Republicans and Tea Party nut cases financed by the Koch Brothers either don’t know or care about the evidence or are deliberately trying to destroy the U.S. economy in the hope of winning the 2012 election and advancing their conservative/libertarian political agenda.  It is more than awful.  It is sad.  It is almost criminal.  At long last, have they no shame.

To read more about the new study go here: http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/more-evidence-washington-wrecked-economy?utm_source=CEPR+feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+cepr+(CEPR)

An inconvenient truth about American voters

One of the most infuriating things for progressives is the inconsistency of the American voter.  In general, Americans want their government to take action to make their lives better, just what progressives try to do.  On the other hand, Americans do not want government involved in their lives, although government involvement in other people’s lives isn’t such a problem.  Americans want government to provide benefits and services like Social Security and Medicare, but Americans do not want to pay taxes to fund those benefits and services.  As I said, this inconvenient truth is always a problem for progressives.  However, it works both ways.  Whenever Republicans campaign on the promise of smaller government, lower taxes, reducing the deficit, “getting the government out of your life,” and so on, American voters respond.  They respond, that is until Republicans actually take them seriously and starting cutting government programs.  Then, the Republicans get their own taste of the inconvenient truth.  There is a good chance that is about to happen.  Think 2012.

Republicans support contraception--for Horses, not women

Republicans voted to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood which provides contraception services to women.  On the same day, they introduced a bill to provide federal funding for contraception services for----HORSES.  Yep, you got that right.  Contraception is okay for horses but not for women.  Is that because Republicans think horses are more important than women?  Could be.  Read the story on the Daily Kos here: http://www.dailykos.com/

Stand up for Planned Parenthood

The House just voted to bar Planned Parenthood from federal funding. They cut funding for HIV tests, cancer screenings, birth control, and more, putting millions of women and families at risk. This action by Republicans can put lives at stake if allowed to stand.  We can't let it go unanswered. Please join with me and stand with Planned Parenthood. Sign the open letter to the reps who voted for this bill -- and to the senators who still have a chance to stop it.  Please go to this site now and make your voice heard.  Do it for every woman and girl in your life that you love.

http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/

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More crazy stuff coming out of Arizona

National Public Radio reports more strange ideas coming out of Arizona.  They want to make obeying the Constitution a local option.

Article VI, clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution says:  “This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.”  Article VI goes on to say that “Members of the State Legislatures…shall be bound by Oath and Afffirmation, to support this Constitution.”  The 14^th Amendment adds:  “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”

Article VI and the 14^th Amendment don’t seem to be enough for Arizona.  Lawmakers there have introduced a bill that says “"no authority has ever been given to the legislative branch, the executive branch or the judicial branch of the federal government to preempt state legislation."  Under the new Arizona law, if passed, members of the state legislature would be given the power to override federal laws and executive orders.  A committee of 12 people — six from the Arizona House and six from the Senate — would recommend to the full Legislature which federal laws they think are unconstitutional and should be obeyed.  Both new and existing federal laws would be up for debate.

Someone needs to check out the Arizona water supply.  These people are going looney, tooney fast.

For more go here:   

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/02/03/133470963/proposed-legislation-would-allow-arizona-to-ignore-federal-laws?ft=1&f=1001