South Carolina Republican lawmaker arrested for assaulting hi wife with a firearm after being caught cheating. Gotta love those family values!

Courtesy of Aiken Standard: 

South Carolina Rep. Chris Corley has been arrested after police say he assaulted his wife and pointed a handgun at her. 

Corley, 36, who represents Graniteville in Aiken County in the South Carolina House of Representatives, was arrested Tuesday by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office. 

Arrest warrants for Corley show he has been charged with first-degree domestic violence and pointing and presenting firearms at a person. 

Warrants state Corley, in the presence of an 8-year-old child, did "cause physical harm and injury" to the victim, by "striking her about the head and face with a closed fist and further did, after threatening to kill the victim, point a Smith & Wesson ... handgun at the victim causing her to fear for her life." 

Deputies responded on Monday to a home on the 100 block of Sugar Hill Drive in Graniteville, where a woman said Corley, who she identified as her husband, hit her in the face with his fist and said he was going to kill her while children were in the home, police reported. 

The woman told deputies Corley was "caught cheating."

Corley made national news last year after sending out a Christmas card featuring a confederate flag to his colleagues suggesting that they "ask for forgiveness of all your sins such as betrayal."

And yes of course he was a Trump supporter. 

Well I'll tell you right now that once Donald Trump is sworn into office it will once again be perfectly alright for a man to pistol whip his wife for catching him cheating on her.

Just like it says in the Bible.

Probably.

Irish lawmaker comes right out and calls Donald Trump a fascist. If only our politicians had such courage.

Courtesy of The Irish Times:

In the speech delivered in the Seanad on November 10th, the former equality minister and now senator Mr Ó Riordáin described Mr Trump as a fascist and said he was “embarrassed” by the Irish Government’s reaction to the election result.

“I can’t believe the reaction from An Taoiseach and from the Government and I don’t use the word fascist lightly but what else would you call somebody who threatens to imprison his political opponents? 

“The best we come out with is a phone call to say is it still okay to bring the shamrock”, he added, referring to a phone call Taoiseach Enda Kenny had with Mr Trump in the wake of his victory in which Mr Trump confirmed the annual St Patrick’s Day ceremony in the White House would continue.

This may have first come out on November 10th, but I did not see it until today.

And once I did I knew I had to share it here with all of you.

Mr Ó Riordáin makes an important point, and that is that pretending Donald Trump is anything other than an American version of a third world fascist dictator, while attempting to interact with him as if he is the slightest bit reasonable or driven by anything other than ego and the desire to control and dominate all that he sees, is a fool's game.

And a game which will blow up in our face and cause incalculable damage to our country.

And lest we forget this white nationalist movement is not just happening here in the United States, it is spreading throughout Europe as well, and many of their members are inspired by the successful election of one of their own to such an important and powerful position.

In the 1930's and 40's Americans knew what to do with megalomaniacs like this, we crushed them and dismantled their organizations.

Have we so soon forgotten what it was that first made us great in the eyes of the world?

Wasilla lawmaker suggests that if senior citizens don't like her budget cuts because then they can't afford to live in Alaska they should get the hell out.

Courtesy of KTVA:  

Rep. Lynn Gattis says seniors who can’t afford to live in Alaska, should consider moving out of state. AARP, a senior citizens advocacy group, warns reductions in the state budget proposed last week by the House Finance Committee, which includes Gattis, may force many to leave. 

“I had that in my mind that I wanted to grow old and die here in Alaska,” said Ken Helander, associate state director for AARP. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to. It frightens me to think of that.” 

Alaska has the fastest growing senior population in the nation, and AARP said House members are targeting seniors with their scissors. According to calculations by the group, the Alaska House of Representatives is proposing more than $23 million in cuts to programs that will affect Alaska seniors. 

Gattis said she thinks seniors might be better off elsewhere anyway. 

“Alaska is a tough state for older folks to live in: slipping, falling, icy so on and so forth,” Gattis said. “So if you’re not working, on a fixed income, sometimes there are other places that are less expensive to live.”

You know what, all of us are getting older.

However many of the elderly living in Alaska are some of the toughest old coots you ever want to meet.

Some of these folks have been living here since before it was a state, when driving on a paved road was a rare occurrence, and EVERYBODY dug their own wells and cesspools, and raised much of their own food.

So if they want to live the rest of their lives in one of the most beautiful places on this planet, well by gosh they should have that right and nobody should suggest otherwise.

And perhaps somebody should tell this Lynn Gattis lady that another group who has trouble navigating on icy sidewalks are fat people, so perhaps she should hoist her lard ass onto a plane and fly the fuck out of our state before some elderly lady gives her a good old fashion Alaska beat down.

Or if that seems too extreme perhaps she could simply shift her attention to being a good parent for a change.

Virginia lawmaker introduces legislation that would force public schools to check a students genitalia before allowing them to use the bathroom.

Courtesy of Raw Story:

A bill filed by a Virginia lawmaker this week would require schools to be certain that children are using the restroom corresponding to their “correct anatomical sex.” 

The legislation, which would prohibit transgender students from using the bathroom matching their gender, is being sponsored by Republican Del. Mark Cole. 

House Bill 663 defines “anatomical sex” as “the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s anatomy.” 

“Local school boards shall develop and implement policies that require every school restroom, locker room, or shower room that is designated for use by a specific gender to solely be used by individuals whose anatomical sex matches such gender designation,” the measure states.


Civil rights advocate Tim Peacock noted that “adults would be required to inspect children’s genitals before they use the bathroom” for the legislation to be enforceable. 

“This is what the conservative movement has devolved into: forcing children to allow adults to examine their genitals out of misplaced fear that transgender kids and adults might commit a hypothetical never-before-seen act of violence or sexual aggression (that would still be against the law with or without transgender protections),” Peacock wrote.

I can tell you right now that if this bill were actually to pass, and let's just assume that even Virginia is not that homophobic, that public school parents would lose their shit at the idea of adults making their children drop trou and prove their gender before taking a piss.

Not only that but schools have a strict set of guidelines they must follow while interacting with children, and looking at their genitals is most certainly on the "do not EVER do" list.

North Dakota lawmaker who voted against legal protections for gays, gets outed as hypocrite after it's revealed he sent another man a picture of his penis.

Randy won't be Boehning anybody for awhile.

Courtesy of Inforum:  

North Dakota lawmaker who sent an explicit photo of himself to another man says the exchange being made public is retaliation for a recent vote against expanding gay rights. 

Rep. Randy Boehning, a 52-year-old Republican legislator from Fargo, says a Capitol employee told him a fellow lawmaker vowed to out him as gay if he continued to vote against bills granting gays legal protections against discrimination. 

Boehning refused to identify at this point who he believes is behind the purported political payback for his vote against Senate Bill 2279, the third such bill defeated in the past six years by North Dakota legislators. 

The exchange came to light when Dustin Smith, a 21-year-old Bismarck man with no known connections to the Capitol, contacted The Forum earlier this month, saying he recognized Boehning from a gay dating smartphone app called Grindr. Chatting under the user name Top Man!, Boehning sent Smith sexually suggestive messages and, in the early morning hours of March 12, an unsolicited photo of his penis, according to exchanges reviewed by The Forum. 

"How can you discriminate against the person you're trying to pick up?" Smith said in a recent interview.

Okay literally this kind of thing happens so often that when somebody comes out as especially anti-gay, my first response is "Yep probably gay."

It may not be fair, but there you have it.

And by the way how much better is it that this guy's name is literally "boning."

I mean that's just the cherry on top in my opinion.

Oregon lawmakers propose legislation on gun ownership to keep their citizens safe. NRA Ready to release winged monkeys any minute now.

Courtesy of Mail Tribune:  

Two days after Oregon senators passed legislation expanding background checks to cover most private gun sales, lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a proposal making it a crime for adults to endanger minors by letting them gain unsupervised access to firearms. 

Under the measure, gun owners who keep firearms on their premises could be punished with up to a year in prison or a $6,250 fine if a minor gets access to a gun that wasn't locked up. There are exceptions for firearms that are stolen and for temporary transfers done while hunting or for target practice. 

Those found guilty of allowing an unsupervised minor to access to guns would also barred from owning a firearm for five years. 

"It's not about prohibiting gun ownership or limiting gun ownership. It's simply about keeping guns out of the hands of children who are often the victim of unintentional injury or death from misuse of firearms that are left unsecured," said Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, a Beaverton physician. 

If the bill passes, it would require gun dealers to prominently post a notice of the new requirement to lock firearms up around children.

Okay now I realize that I am just a regular guy whose sense of masculinity is not defined by how many dangerous weapons I have in my possession, but this seems incredibly reasonable to me.

I mean come on how could anybody not want to support laws that protect our most vulnerable citizens like this? And yes of course I ask this knowing full well that there are many.

Courtesy of Fox News:  

An Oregon sheriff said Tuesday that he will not enforce an upcoming state law that expands gun background checks to include private sales, The Herald and News reported. 

Sheriff Dave Daniel, from Josephine County, which sits on the border with California, told the paper that it appears that the law is not in line with the county’s charter and said he does not have the personnel to pursue violators committing a misdemeanor.

Of course I am sure that the sheriff will have no problem issuing tickets for speeders, or for jaywalkers, but heaven forbid they utilize precious police resources to enforce a law that would make it much easier to determine who purchased a gun used in a violent crime.

You because that's a huge waste of time.

As for that proposal calling for gun owners to be held accountable if their weapons fall into the hands of young children, well that makes so much sense that even an NRA member could understand it.

But of course they won't even try.

They will just scream about the 2nd Amendment while stroking the barrel of their rifles lovingly and promising that nobody will ever come between them.

Oklahoma lawmakers overwhelmingly vote to do away with an Advanced Placement History course because they fear it teaches the wrong facts.

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

An Oklahoma legislative committee overwhelmingly voted to ban Advanced Placement U.S. History class, persuaded by the argument that it only teaches students “what is bad about America.” Other lawmakers are seeking a court ruling that would effectively prohibit the teaching of all AP courses in public schools. 

Oklahoma Rep. Dan Fisher (R) has introduced “emergency” legislation “prohibiting the expenditure of funds on the Advanced Placement United States History course.” Fisher is part of a group called the “Black Robe Regiment” which argues “the church and God himself has been under assault, marginalized, and diminished by the progressives and secularists.” The group attacks the “false wall of separation of church and state.” The Black Robe Regiment claims that a “growing tide of special interest groups indoctrinating our youth at the exclusion of the Christian perspective.” 

Fisher said the Advanced Placement history class fails to teach “American exceptionalism.” The bill passed the Oklahoma House Education committee on Monday on a vote of 11-4. 

And that ladies and gentlemen is how you keep the voters ignorant and voting Republican. 

It seems that more and more Republican political tactics are beginning to mimic fundamentalist religious tactics.

Keep the sheep from learning any truths that you don't spoon feed them yourself, and they will be all that much easier to manipulate.

North Carolina State Senator shows up for work on a snow day. Decides to make it the most epic day ever.

North Carolina State Senator Jeff Jackson

Courtesy of Sen. Jeff Jackson's Twitter account:

No problem getting a great parking space this morning... #ncga
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

Things start off normally.

But then Senator Jackson recognizes an opportunity.

I think I'm the only legislator in the building. Let me take care of a few things. Medicaid = expanded. Teachers = paid. Film = jobs. #NCGA
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

We just invested heavily in wind and solar energy. I'm moving onto education reform. Any thoughts? #JustOneLegislator #ncga #snowday
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

Independent redistricting ✔ Invest heavily in wind and solar ✔ Support early childhood education ✔ NC is suddenly a national model. #ncga
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

And Jackson was just getting started.

Went ahead and got rid of puppy mills. Not sure why that took so long... #JustOneLegislator #Snowday #ncga
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

Remember that time we eliminated NC Teaching Fellows? Guess what. #JustOneLegislator #snowday #ncga
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

Pretty soon people began to take notice.

Am now receiving lots of calls from actual lobbyists. Even the false appearance of power gets their attention. #JustOneLegislator #ncga
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

Wasn't done yet though.

Just had a big debate over cutting the university system even more. Decided not to, because obviously that's a bad idea. #JustOneLegislator
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

Our jails are filled with the mentally ill and chemically addicted. Just expanded mental health care for them. #JustOneLegislator #snowday
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

I just defeated a filibuster because I needed a drink of water. That removes any opposition to new child care subsidies. #JustOneLegislator
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

In response to several inquiries, I can confirm that we are expanding broadband access throughout rural NC. #JustOneLegislator #ncga
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

BREAKING: Politicians don't get to draw their own political districts anymore. Let's see how fair elections work. #JustOneLegislator
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) February 17, 2015

Okay now that was awesome.

Too bad none of these changes are actually going to take place once all of the other lawmakers make it into work.

But for one great snowy day, government was actually working FOR the people.

Openly atheist lawmaker asked to deliver the opening prayer for the Arizona House of Representatives. Does something awesome instead.

Courtesy of the Phoenix Times:

 An atheist state lawmaker tasked with delivering the opening prayer for this afternoon's session of the House of Representatives asked that people not bow their heads. 

Democratic Representative Juan Mendez, of Tempe, instead spoke about his "secular humanist tradition" and even quoted author Carl Sagan. 

"Most prayers in this room begin with a request to bow your heads," Mendez said. "I would like to ask that you not bow your heads. I would like to ask that you take a moment to look around the room at all of the men and women here, in this moment, sharing together this extraordinary experience of being alive and of dedicating ourselves to working toward improving the lives of the people in our state." 

As you can imagine -- especially now, with Arizona's legislature being controlled by religion-heavy Republicans -- this is probably the first time that an invocation at the legislature took that direction. 

"This is a room in which there are many challenging debates, many moments of tension, of ideological division, of frustration," Mendez said. "But this is also a room where, as my secular humanist tradition stresses, by the very fact of being human, we have much more in common than we have differences. We share the same spectrum of potential for care, for compassion, for fear, for joy, for love. Mendez continued, "Carl Sagan once wrote, 'For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.'"

You know ANYONE who quotes Carl Sagan in lieu of a prayer is my kind of guy.

We started the day with that courageous young lady schooling Wolf Blitzer about assuming a person's religious faith, and now we have this guy!  I have to say I have rarely been more proud to be an Atheist. 

Clearly we are becoming far more comfortable with ourselves in this country, and with more and more young people eschewing the trappings of religion, I think our time is finally here.

Hell you know you have arrived when even the Pope is willing to accept that you are good people.

Personally I see a day when we follow the lead of the gay community and start openly identifying ourselves as nonreligious and demonstrating to the close minded that we are just as ethical, and moral as anybody who identities themselves as religious. In fact, to be honest, we are even more so since we are not bullied into morality through threats of eternal damnation but rather choose our morality through careful examination of the world around us and decide to be good people with our eyes and our minds wide open.