This post from The Conservative Voice’s Nathan Tabor is just so ridiculous , I’m going to take it line by line:

Be afraid folks. Be very afraid. Thursday’s travesty on the Senate floor is just one more example of Democrats kowtowing to special interest groups, in yesterday’s case, illegal immigrants.

I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that illegal immigrants had their own lobby at the DNC. So who is this ‘special interest’ group you speak of? Is it Latinos specifically? Or is it immigrants and families of immigrants – in other words, Every. Freakin. One of us! The only ones living in this country who aren’t immigrants are the aboriginal tribes (Native Americans) and they seem to have already gotten the shaft.

Senator Jame Inhofe (R-OK) proposed an amendment to the overhaul of a new immigration bill that would declare English as our national language.

For 200 years, this hasn’t been a problem. Suddenly, in an election year, it’s the emergency of the century?!

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid declared that Inhofe’s proposed amendment “…is directed at people who speak Spanish," an interesting charge in light of the fact that Inhofe himself is fluent in Spanish.

Umm… So just because he’s fluent in Spanish that means he isn’t a bigot? Or even more importantly, that his legislation isn’t bigoted? Isn’t this like saying, “Well I’m not racist, my maid is black.”

Reid’s statement, however, totally ignores the thousands of Chinese sneaking into the West Coast or the tens of thousands of Eastern Europeans who operate in the underground economy of illegal workers from New York to Chicago. When in doubt, Harry, play the race card.

Wait, umm, isn’t, that, er, what YOU…Just…Did?!

Moments later, Reid’s political wingman, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

I prefer sidekick.

challenged Inhofe, asking repeatedly whether or not his proposal would infringe on the rights of Americans. Maybe I’m wrong here, but don’t Americans speak English? Aren’t they supposed to?

Do you live in Utah? You’ve clearly never set foot in a major U.S. city, nor have you spent any time in Spanish language zones like Texas, California, Florida, etc., or Creole sections of Louisianna, the French belt in the north, the German belt in the upper Midwest, do I need to continue??

What adds to the unbelievable stance of Senate Democrats is Senator Inhofe’s statement that a recent poll of Americans shows that 84 percent of Americans support making English the national language!

Oh, well if there's a poll I guess it must be settled! I’d be curious to know what poll he is referencing, and how the question was phrased. Was it simply, “Should English be the national language” full-stop, or was it followed with the ramifications of such a move: “-even if that means that no government services will be provided in any other language” “-you must speak English to pass a driver’s exam” “-no primary school services will be aimed at first generation Americans”

Inhofe’s amendment did pass with a vote of 63-34, but was followed with a watered down version brought to the floor by Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) that called English a “unifying language,” and suggested that the states could decide the issue of making English an “official” language. This amendment also passed with a vote of 58-39. It remains to be seen how the House of Representatives handles both amendments when the proposed immigration bill comes to them.

I’d say the House will handle it the same as they handle all issues these days. They’ll figure out what the most extreme right-wing elements want, and then they’ll ram it through over the objections of the Democratic minority.

Want to see how well bilingualism “works?” Just go to Canada.

Or how about Belgium, Germany, Holland, China, etc., etc. Or how about The United Frickin’ States!

What is so hard about making English our national language?

Well, for starters, bozo’s like you who insist on seeing problems where they don’t exist.

To be entirely fair, since I am currently an Irish resident, I know something about bilingual states. Irish (or Gaelic) is the official language. It's taught in all the schools, it's on most public signs, etc. Nobody speaks it. Why? Because English has been the language of commerce here for so long. Everything is offered in English because that's what people speak. It doesn't matter what the law says because language is a living entity, not a political tool for racial exclusion.

 

I was planning to weigh in on the Senate's recent abhorrent vote to make English the official language of the U.S., but I think Bob Harris says it all much better than I ever could.

Ahh, their hypocrisy truly knows no bounds !

Living abroad, I am only too aware of how truly wonderful medical education and research is in the United States. Unfortunately, one of the offshoots of medical privatization is that there is a political-economic thread pervading the medical community that is ugly, callous, and generally counterproductive.

One of the most disgusting consequences of this profit-motive is that research and development focus overwhelmingly on treatment rather than prevention. The reason is simple: you can only sell a vaccine once, whereas you can gouge patients for years with medication that, in some cases, can cost more than most Americans earn in a year.

Given all that, I thought that Merck’s successful development of Gardasil, a vaccine intended to prevent cervical cancer, was somehow, I don’t know, a good thing ? After all, this is an ailment which kills thousands of women each year in the United States and hundreds of thousands worldwide.

But apparently, Bush-Christians would rather the women die as a punishment for having sex. I’m not joking :

Merck's vaccine had been shown to be completely effective against most strains that cause cervical cancer, with few side effects. But the Christian right seemed to view the vaccine as a license for promiscuity. The Chicago Tribune reported that "conservative groups promoting abstinence say they will fight recommendations that children get shots," while the Los Angeles Times warned of a "clash between health advocates ... and social conservatives."...

‘Culture of life’ my ass.

The United States kidnapped, beat, and sodomized this man and, after five freakin’ months, realized they had the wrong guy so threw him back out into the street.

Oops.

Well, at least he’ll get his day in court, right? Sorry .

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III in Alexandria acknowledged that Masri "has suffered injuries" if his allegations are true and that he "deserves a remedy." … But Ellis said the remedy cannot be found in the courts. Masri's "private interests must give way to the national interest in preserving state secrets,'' the judge wrote in dismissing the lawsuit filed last year against former CIA director George J. Tenet and 10 unnamed CIA officials.

The ruling was a victory for Justice Department prosecutors, who had invoked the once rarely cited state-secrets privilege to argue for dismissal. Created in the 1950s, it allows the government to urge courts to dismiss cases on the grounds of damage to foreign policy or national security. The privilege has been used far more frequently since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Wonderful.

From billmon (be sure to click through for fun graphic):

President Bush . . . has a positive job approval in just three of the 50 United States. This according to 50 separate but concurrent statewide public opinion polls conducted by SurveyUSA for its media clients across the country. Only residents of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho view the president favorably.

I still have to ask, who ARE these people?!

UPDATE: 

I found a great county by county breakdown here .

Preach it sister !

My dog Max wanted to test out the inline images on the new site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carry on puny human.

Grab your slickers cuz' God says it's gonna rain:

The Rev. Pat Robertson says God has told him that storms and possibly a tsunami will hit America's coastline this year.

The founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network has told viewers of "The 700 Club" that the revelations came to him during his annual personal prayer retreat in January."If I heard the Lord right about 2006, the coasts of America will be lashed by storms," Robertson said May 8.

Let’s all give many thanks to the sainted Reverend Obvious for the weather report . Here is a few of my own for this coming year:

Canadians can expect snow.

Californians will experience an earthquake within the next 6 months.

Autumn will arrive sometime around September.

George Bush will wonder if rain really is baby jesus' tears.