Will There Be Any Candidates?

The GOP in Laurens County South Carolina probably won't have too many.  "Last Tuesday, the LCGOP unanimously adopted a resolution that would ask all candidates who want to get on the primary ballot to sign a pledge with 28 principles" that include the usual opposition to abortion and upholding gun rights, and a "compassionate and moral approach to Teen Pregnancy", whatever that might mean.  (TPMMuckraker)


But the LCGOP may have gone a bit too far.  Also part of the 28 is "abstinence before marriage", being "faithful" to your spouse, no spouses of the same gender and a big no to civil unions for people of the same sex.  And the big one?  No more looking at pornography.

Not sure how well that bodes for Newt Gingrich.  He won the South Carolina Primary in January.  He beat good Ol' Mitt by 12 percentage points. (NYTimes.com)  But, makes one wonder how the Republicans in Laurens County think about his 3 wives - 2 of which he was unfaithful to with obvious no-abstinence before marriage to a few of them.

Good Ol' Republican Hypocrisy:  Do as I say, not as I do...  Wonder if Rick or Mitt look at Porn??

The War on Women

It started with the contraception issue and now continues, pathetically, in the state of Virginia.  "The Virginia legislature has passed a bill that will force women seeking an abortion to undergo a medically unnecessary trans vaginal ultrasound." (HuffingtonPost.com)  That is a true birds-eye view of the uterus and surrounding organs, for no real medical reason, meant probably to embarrass and change the mind of the woman.


And back to the contraception issue in the war.  "As part of the same package, the legislature also enacted a 'personhood' law that would define life to begin at the stage of a fertilized egg, even before implantation, and hence would outlaw many forms of contraception and all abortions."  Amazing what a state can do. And as the author of this Huff Post article, Tobias Barrington Wolf, so rightly says "Every person who has a body should view this law as a direct assault. So, too, should every person who believes that women are human beings."


Because women aren't supposed to be human beings (?).  Most "public policies are responsive to the priorities and sensibilities of men."  The thought of a law that required men to have "an invasive rectal probing and prostate exam, for no medical reason, before obtaining a prescription for Viagra" would never get very far.


Although... it is a good thought.

Lower Funding = Lower Standards

That is about all that can be said to explain the House GOP.  Now, this has nothing to do with the lowliness of the current House GOP... It all has to do with food.  The food that kids in school can get and the less money that the Government wants to pay for it.


Just like back in the hey-day Reagan years, when the USDA was tasked "with coming up with a solution that maintained nutritional requirements for school lunches in spite of the lower funding," the current House GOP is doing the same thing.  In 1981 the Secretary of Agriculture proposed classifying ketchup and relish as vegetables.  And today, Republicans have a bill that would allow the tomato paste on pizzas to be counted as a vegetable. (Pam's Houseblend)

So, the low standard is setting in.  Let's not give our school kids nutritional lunches and spend more money. 
Let's call pizza a vegetable.  Is that like calling a cat a dog?


Bet good ol' pizza man, Herman Cain is just thrilled to death.

What is 12%?

When you do a Google search on "12 Percent", you can get some interesting returns:  12 percent = 0.12, 12 Percent - Importer of Fine Ales, Rams TV rating down 12 percent vs. 2010 opener, Violent crime plunges 12 percent in US in 2010.  Now if you are not into calculators, beer, St. Louis Football or violent crimes, then this information isn't going to do you any good.


Another interesting return from this little search does bring up something interesting.  "Poll: Just 12% happy with Congress."  Yep, that's it.  The current congress got only a 12% thumbs up.  This is the "lowest percentage [since] ...October 2008." (CBSNews.com)  And it is pretty much everybody.  "Dissatisfaction with Congress cuts across party lines. Republicans, Democrats, and independents all overwhelmingly disapprove of the job Congress is doing."


On some better(?) news, it seems the overwhelming winners in 2010 aren't doing so well, as "most Americans disapprove of Republicans more."  Not that this is overwhelming - 72% disapprove Reps vs. 63% disapprove Dems.  (Doubt too many Dems are going to write home about that number).


So, 14 months to go and only 12% happiness.  Maybe we need some beer and football to get us through...  Google that.