Tea partier: "Had there not been slavery in the South, the economy would've fallen"

Tea Party activists in Tennessee are urging lawmakers to change that state's school curriculum to require schools to teach differently on slavery.

"My biggest concern is that important information is being omitted, which creates a negative light on our Founding Fathers," said Tea Party activist Brian Rieck.

Many members of the group are asking Tennessee lawmakers to tweak textbooks so that doesn't happen. Notably, they're hoping to make changes in how slavery and encroachment on Native Americans are portrayed to students. "Slavery is of course portrayed in the textbooks nowadays I'm sure as a totally negative thing. Had there not been slavery in the South, the economy would've fallen," Rieck said.

Emphasis mine.

These people want us to gloss over the very real human toll of slavery. They want us to believe that if the slave in the picture above hadn't suffered through that, the economy of this country would have faltered.

It's bad enough that history courses gloss over discrimination against Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and other groups. Even worse, students hear little mention of the brutality faced by Native Americans as they were forcibly removed from their lands.

Now this.

You know what is said about how those who don't learn from history. These people want to condemn our kids to repeat history.

Amash ignores Constitution, backs big-government bill to infringe on DC women's lives

Think Justin Amash is all about getting government out of our lives? Wrong.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) lauded the introduction of a fetal pain bill, H.R. 3803. The bill, introduced to coincide with the National March for Life this week, outlaws abortions in the District of Columbia when the unborn child is at least 20 weeks old, the age at which babies can feel pain. Amash is an original cosponsor of the bill.

Well, in his defense, it IS an election year, so he better start pandering to the so-called "pro-life" crowd.

“The most fundamental right is the right to life,” said Amash. “Surely, aborting a baby late in a pregnancy—when the baby would have to suffer through the pain of being killed—should not be permitted in a civilized society.”

The "pain of being killed?" I didn't know you could feel anything while you are still in the womb. I don't remember feeling anything while I was still in Mom's womb.

Under the bill, D.C. abortion providers must make a determination of the probable age of the unborn child. If the child is at least 20 weeks old, the provider is barred from performing an abortion unless necessary to prevent the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of the woman. The bill includes privacy protections for the women involved.

So this bill would infringe upon free enterprise by requiring that abortion providers make a guess as to how old an unborn baby is? That right there should sound alarm bells in the minds of conservatives, who usually think the government should not tell businesses how to behave.

The Constitution authorizes Congress to “exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever,” over the District of Columbia. Amash serves on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has jurisdiction over D.C.

Ah, the Constitution. That document Amash often likes to trot out in order to defend his out-in-right-field positions. Except that, first of all, I think we'd all agree that just because Congress can do something, doesn't mean Congress should do it. You'd think a guy like Amash would oppose wanting the federal government infringe on people's lives.

Second, while he quotes one section of the Constitution, his bill ignores another section: the Equal Protection Clause found in Section 1 of the 14th Amendment.

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

If we assume, therefore, that the unborn are people, then Amash is violating the Equal Protection Clause by introduce a bill that would restrict abortions in DC if the fetus is 20 weeks along. If the fetus is not 20 weeks along, an abortion would still be okay. Either the unborn are people, and Amash is violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, or the unborn are not people.

Look, I don't believe in abortion. I just don't. That's why I support Democrats, whose policies lead to a decrease in abortions (while so-called "pro-life" Republicans enact policies that increase abortions).

But like it or not, Roe v. Wade is the law of the land. And whatever Justin Amash really believes about abortion, the point is, he's being quite hypocritical. He claims to oppose big-government intervention, yet he co-sponsors a bill to have the government infringe on what the Court itself has ruled is a right. And while he portrays himself as a defender of the Constitution, he backs legislation that, if the unborn are people, would violate the Constitution.

Congressman, do you or do you not oppose government intrusion on people's rights?

Congressman, do you or do you not support the Constitution?

Presenting the 2012 State of the Union Word Cloud!

(Click to enlarge.)

"...so in love with you..."

First Class

This is an awesome story I saw on Facebook. I don't know if it's true or not, but it has a good lesson or two!

A 50-something year old white woman arrived at her seat and saw that the passenger next to her was a black man.

Visibly furious, she called the air hostess.

"What's the problem, ma?" the hostess asked her

"Can't you see?" the lady said - "I was given a seat next to a black man. I can't seat here next to him. You have to change my seat"

- "Please, calm down, ma" - said the hostess
"Unfortunately, all the seats are occupied, but I'm still going to check if we have any."

The hostess left and returned some minutes later.

"Madam, as I told you, there isn't any empty seat in this class- economy class.
But I spoke to the captain and he confirmed that there isn't any empty seats in the economy class. We only have seats in the first class."

And before the woman said anything, the hostess continued

"Look, it is unusual for our company to allow a passenger from the economy class change to the first class.
However, given the circumstances, the commandant thinks that it would be a scandal to make a passenger travel sat next to an unpleasant person."

And turning to the black man, the hostess said:

"Which means, Sir, if you would be so nice to pack your handbag, we have reserved you a seat in the first class..."

And all the passengers nearby, who were shocked to see the scene started applauding, some standing on their feet."

Yes! Obama announces major Pentagon cuts

Following Tuesday's near-unanimous win among Iowa Democrats and yesterday's recess appointment of Richard Cordray, our President has outdone himself today, announcing nearly half a trillion dollars in cuts to the Pentagon's bloated budget.

The new military strategy includes $487 billion in cuts over the next decade. An additional $500 billion in cuts could be coming if Congress follows through on plans for deeper reductions. The announcement comes weeks after the U.S. officially ended the Iraq War and after a decade of increased defense spending in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Obama said that the military will indeed be leaner, but the U.S. will maintain a budget that is roughly larger than the next 10 countries' military budgets combined.

"Some will no doubt say the spending reductions are too big; others will say they're too small," Obama said. "It will be easy to take issue with a particular change. But I would encourage all of us to remember what President Eisenhower once said — that 'each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs.' "

The plan also features a large-scale shift away from the failed policies that defined Bush-era foreign policy.

Iraq and Afghanistan were large nation-building efforts requiring thousands of troops. The emphasis on the future will be to partner or advise foreign militaries in order to counter threats, Krepinevich said.

For all the conservative crowing about 'fiscal responsibility,' there seems to be little talk about the Department of Defense budget, which makes up 20% of our nation's budget. For Fiscal Year 2010, a majority of discretionary spending was on the Pentagon.

This announcement is sure to irritate those who claim that the only way to protect our country is to waste money at the Pentagon. And not a moment too soon. The President is putting deficit hawks on the defensive (pun intended!), helping to change the discussion on what should and shouldn't be cut.

Dwight Eisenhower - who himself knew a thing or two about the military - one famously said:

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, represents, in the final analysis, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, who are cold and are not clothed.

I think Ike would be proud of his successor today. Thank you, Mr. President, for having the courage to make this shift in policy!

Kardashian Wins Iowa Republican Caucus

By SNARX NEWS

DES MOINES - Ms. Kim Kardashian, one of the most influential, inspirational, and important people in the world, won the Iowa Republican caucuses Tuesday, setting her up as the favorite to face President Barack Obama this fall.

With 99% of precincts reporting, Kardashian had 41% of the vote in the caucuses, with other Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney garnering 15% each and Ron Paul receiving roughly 14%.

Jon Huntsman, one of the last four somewhat-sane Republicans still alive, received negative-1 percent of the vote.

"I am so happy for my sis," said Mrs. Khloe Odom in a statement released early Wednesday.

Analysts credited a number of factors for Kardashian's win.

"She combines the marital fidelity of Newt Gingrich and the intelligence of Rick Perry with the wealth of Mitt Romney and the craziness of Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul," noted Kandy Krowley of KNN (Kardashian News Network).

Krowley noted that Kardashian also appeals to the Republican family-values crowd in a way that is reminiscent of Rick Santorum.

"While it's true I was married and divorced, at least I'm not a lesbian," noted Kardashian in a recent debate.

In an interview with KNN Wednesday morning, Perry attributed his disappointing performance to "three main factors: A weak ground game, stiff competition, and.... I can't remember the other one."

From my family to yours...