Missouri Senate candidate has some rather antiquated views of women's rights. And yes he's a Republican.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

In a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday, (Courtland)Sykes said that he had been asked if he “supports women’s rights.” 

“I want to come home to a home cooked dinner every night at six,” Sykes said, referring to demands he makes of his girlfriend. “One that she fixes and one that I expect one day to have daughters learn to fix after they become traditional homemakers and family wives.” 

According to Sykes, feminists push an agenda that they “made up to suit their own nasty snake-filled heads.” 

The candidate said that he hoped his daughters do not grow up to be “career obsessed banshees who forgo home life and children and the happiness of family to become nail-biting manophobic hell-bent feminist she devils who shriek from the top of a thousand tall buildings they are [SIC] think they could have leaped in a single bound — had men not been ‘suppressing them.’ It’s just nuts.” 

Sykes ended his rant by insisting that he supports women’s rights “but not the kind that has suppressed natural womanhood for five long decades.” 

“But good news,” he concluded. “They’re finished. Ask Hillary.”

And this guy is go up against Claire McCaskill?

She will clean his clock, and then teach him to make his own damn dinner.  

Missouri Governor admits to affair, but not willing to admit that he blackmailed the woman involved.

Courtesy of WaPo: 

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R), responding to media reports, acknowledged Wednesday night that he was unfaithful to his wife “a few years ago” before being elected. But his lawyer denied sensational allegations aired by a local TV station that Greitens threatened to distribute naked photos he took of the woman with whom he was having a relationship if she ever said anything about it. 

The woman, who has not been named publicly, was Greitens’s hair stylist, according to media reports confirmed by The Washington Post with a source familiar with the situation. 

A joint statement posted Wednesday night by Greitens and his wife, Sheena, said in part that “a few years ago . . . there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage. This was a deeply personal mistake. Eric took responsibility, and we dealt with this together honestly and privately.”

But wait, there's more:  

The extramarital relationship itself, however, may have been the least explosive part of the story. 

More unusual was what she purportedly said in a recording made surreptitiously by the woman’s jealous ex-husband, which the station played. 

In it, she can be heard telling how Greitens invited her to his home in 2015. Once she arrived, he told her he would show her how to do pull-ups, taped her hands to exercise rings and blindfolded her, all with her consent. 

Then, to her shock, she alleged, he snapped photographs of her naked and threatened to distribute the pictures if she revealed the relationship.

Greitens is like the perfect GOP politician.  Ex-Navy Seal, worked for the Bush White House, book author, Rhodes Scholar, has a doctorate, and now he is proven to be a sexual deviant.

It's almost like he came from Republican politician central casting.

Now let's see if the Republicans continue to embrace this guy, or if they are finally getting the message from the #MeToo movement. 

Satanist wins legal victory against Missouri's draconian anti-abortion laws.

Courtesy of World Religion News:  

An anonymous Missouri woman, identified only as Mary Doe in public court documents, has won a significant legal victory in Western District Court of Appeals in her aim to show that her religious beliefs are being violated by state abortion laws. The court said that her constitutional challenge presented a disputed right which includes reasonable space for disagreement and fair doubt as well. Mary Doe is also an adherent of Satanism. 

Doe, an adherent of The Satanic Temple, argued her religion does not harbor the belief that conception is the beginning of life. The prerequisites, due to this belief, for an abortion procedure in Missouri are directly violating her religious freedom. The latter is protected by First Amendment. Her suit names Josh Hawley, the Missouri Attorney General, and Governor Eric Greitens. Incidentally, Doe's claims were at first thrown out by Cole County Circuit Court. She then appealed the decision. 

The Satanic organization regards Satan as a personal autonomy symbol. It promotes 'rational inquiry' and compassion. The Satanists argue that the abortion restrictions imposed by Missouri, including the state's informed consent law along with the compulsory waiting period of 72 hours violate religious belief of one of the organization's members. The complaint against Missouri was filed by the Satanists in May 2015. 

Oh come on, you have to love this!

Using a religious freedom argument to defeat abortion laws informed by a primitive religious world view is almost too sweet to believe.

And before any of the slack jawed morons come over here and get their panties in a twist over the fact that this woman identifies as a Satanist, remember that the Satanic Temple is really a free thinkers group who shroud themselves in religious trappings in order to defeat these archaic laws drawn up by religious nutjobs.

2016's Miss Missouri becomes the first openly gay woman to compete for Miss America. Wait, did that say Miss Missouri?

Courtesy of ABC News:

Erin O'Flaherty has been crowned the 2016 Miss Missouri, becoming the first openly gay woman to win a state pageant leading to the coveted Miss America competition. 

“It’s certainly making history and I’m not sure I set out to do that, but I am the first openly gay Miss Missouri and contestant to head to Miss America so I am excited about that. But, mainly, I’m excited to represent the LGBT community,” O'Flaherty, 23, said on “Good Morning America” today live from St. Louis. 

“We’re underrepresented in public in positions of influence. So I’m excited to take that on and I hope that my presence will help with visibility for the community.”

Wow! I have to say that I would never have expected the first openly gay Miss America contestant to have come from Missouri.

Good for you Missouri! 

Senators in Missouri want to hold the president of Planned Parenthood in contempt of court for refusing to surrender private medical records.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

Senators in Missouri are moving to hold the president of a St Louis-area Planned Parenthood affiliate in contempt of court – under threat of jail time – for refusing to submit private medical documents. 

The move comes after the state general assembly’s committee on the sanctity of life subpoenaed documents from Mary Kogut, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, in an investigation into her organization. 

The subpoena, issued in November, called for Kogut to turn over any and all consent forms signed by the patient in the process of receiving abortion care at the St Louis affiliate. It also seeks documents that make reference to Dr Mary Gatter and Dr Deborah Nucatola, two Planned Parenthood staff members who are prominently featured in widely debunked “sting” videos by the activist group the Center for Medical Progress (CMP). The videos alleged that Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers throughout the US were engaging in the illegal sale of fetal tissue donation. 

A lawyer responded on behalf of Planned Parenthood that the committee did not have the authority to subpoena these documents, and that handing them over would violate federal privacy law. 

Despite these legal objections, the Missouri senate will begin a hearing Tuesday to introduce a bill determining whether Kogut should be found in contempt.

Amazing to see the impact those doctored videos continue to have despite the fact that they were proven to be full of lies and incredibly misleading.

The Republicans will not stop until there is not one clinic left to provide abortion services to women in this country despite the fact that they are perfectly legal.

That's right kids it's primary day again! And this one could be for all the marbles. Update!

Image courtesy of Esquire.

Today there are five states up for grabs, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Illinois, and Missouri.

As of this post polls are closed in both Ohio and North Carolina.

Ohio is a winner take all state with 143 delegates up for grabs for the Democrats, and North Carolina splitting its 107 delegates between Sanders and Clinton.

In half an hour the polls close in Florida, Illinois, and Missouri.

Florida is also a winner take all state, and the biggest prize of the night, with 214 delegates available for the winning Democrat, and 156 from  Illinois and 71 from Missouri to be split between the two.

If Hillary takes both Florida and Ohio, like she did in 2008, she will gobble up 357 delegates, and, assuming she wins or does well in the remaining states, stands to increase her lead over Bernie by quite a significant margin.

On the Republican side polls show Kasich either slightly ahead or tied with Donald Trump for that state's 66 delegates, but Trump is far ahead in every other contest.

If both Kasich and Rubio fail to win in their states it is a good bet that one, if not both, will drop out, leaving Ted Cruz to continue battling the Donald for the nomination.

So the GOP nominee is going to be wither Trump or Cruz huh?

Good job Republican party, good job.

I will keep updating this post as the results come in.

Stay tuned.

Update: Trump and Hillary are projected to win Florida tonight according to MSNBC. That is a huge win for Clinton, and essentially the end of the trial for Rubio.

Update 2: Hillary is also now projected to win North Carolina. That's two for two so far.

Update 3: As predicted Marco Rubio just suspended his campaign.

Update 4: Hillary has now won Ohio, another winner take all state. This makes Sanders path to the nomination all but an impossibility at this point.

Update 5: Okay so John Kasich just won his home state of Ohio, and he is the only one who will likely beat Donald Trump tonight. But considering how few delegates he has earned so far does that really matter at this point?

Update 6: Trump wins Illinois. Still too close to call for the Democrats, though Hillary has a comfortable lead.

 Update 7: Hillary wins Illinois.

Update 8: Now Hillary has won Missouri so that is five for five tonight.

I think it is clearly time for Bernie to pack up his campaign and make way for the our Democratic nominee to finish the primary process and prepare to do battle against Donald Trump.

Trump may be the most aggressively vicious presidential candidate that we have ever seen, and Hillary is going to need everybody's support to get through the rest of 2016.

Update 9: The story of this night.

They’ll tell the story of tonight 🎶 pic.twitter.com/HP9X0yRb1L

— Jenna Lowenstein (@just_jenna) March 16, 2016

Today's Trump dump.

This venue up above is where Trump messed his Ronald Reagan Underoos yesterday when that guy tried to rush the stage.

Speaking of that guy Trump then went on to smear him on his Twitter account by suggesting that he has "ties to ISIS."

USSS did an excellent job stopping the maniac running to the stage. He has ties to ISIS. Should be in jail! https://t.co/tkzbHg7wyD?ssr=true

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2016

Of course that is a total lie and the tweet includes a doctored video of the guy with some Arabic music thrown in which bears no actual resemblance to the original footage.

Later in the day yesterday Trump brought up the incident, after numerous interruptions from protesters, and claimed that he was about to fight the guy.

Go back and watch that video up above and tell me if it looked like Trump was ready to fight, or curl up in a ball and cry for his mommy.

Speaking of last night's rally in Kansas City, Missouri Trump responded to the numerous interruptions by threatening to have all of the protesters arrested: 

The real estate mogul vowed that he would press criminal charges on protesters and ruin their lives with an arrest record. 

“I hope these guys get thrown into a jail,” Trump said. “They’ll never do it again, it’ll destroy their record. They’ll have to explain to mom and dad why they have a police record and why they can’t get a job. And you know what, I’m gonna start pressing charges against all these people. And then we won’t have a problem.” 

He then said he didn’t want to ruin somebody’s life and “they’re probably good kids. I don’t want to ruin people’s lives. But the only way we’re gonna stop this craziness is if we press charges. Because then their lives are gonna be ruined, they’re gonna know their lives are gonna be ruined. So I’ll just tell you folks, from now on, if you do anything, we’re pressing charges, okay?”

Trump managed to get people so riled up that at one point the police sprayed protesters standing outside with pepper spray.

Trump also accused Bernie Sanders of sending the protesters and then suggested that perhaps HIS supporters should return the favor.

Actually I think that's a great idea because I have little doubt that both Bernie and Hillary will handle the disruptions with far more class than what is demonstrated by Mr. Trump.

All in all this whole thing has now devolved into sideshow which sadly for the American people has now taken up residence in the Big Top.

Finally somebody introduces a common sense gun law to protect children.

Courtesy of CBS St. Louis:  

Missouri adults who leave their guns in reach of children who end up shooting someone would face stiffer prosecution under a bill introduced by a St. Louis-area state lawmaker. 

Rep. Stacey Newman wants the law changed so that if a loaded gun is unsecured and readily available in the presence of a minor, the adult can be charged with endangering the welfare of a child. 

Last year, Missouri led the nation for child gun tragedies, with five toddlers who shot themselves or others. Nationwide, there have been 13 children “accidentally” shot so far this year.

Conventional wisdom was always that the parents of children who kill themselves with guns have been punished enough and that making laws which punish them further are punitive.

However as we have seen the numerous deaths of young children by unsecured guns in the home has done nothing to reduce the number of gun deaths in this country.

So I am 100% behind laws like this which punish the adults who place the lives of their children in danger through carelessness and negligence.

Hopefully if this law, and others like it, are passed it will finally get through to people that the guns they buy to keep their families safe, more often than not do the exact opposite.

13 year old boy fatally shoots 12 year old girl with gun he found in home.

Courtesy of Chron: 

A 13-year-old boy deliberately shot and killed a 12-year-old girl outside a foster home in rural southwest Missouri where they both lived using a gun he had taken from the house, the local sheriff said Friday. 

Officers tried to revive the girl, Teresa J. Potts, but she died Thursday evening near the town of Jasper, which is about 130 miles south of Kansas City, Jasper County Sheriff Randee Kaiser said. 

Kaiser said the boy ran into the nearby woods after shooting the girl and he was arrested there. He is being held by the Jasper County Juvenile Office, Kaiser said at a news conference in nearby Carthage, adding that the boy is expected to be charged in the shooting soon. The sheriff's comments were reported by The Joplin Globe and Springfield, Mo. TV Station KY3. 

"It was not a situation where they were playing. It does not appear to be a situation where it was an accident," Kaiser said.

The report goes on to say that the two children lived in the foster home, and that the father was home.

There was more than one weapon missing when the search of the home started but now all have been accounted for.

Currently there is no information of whether or not the boy took all of the weapons, how many times he shot the girl, or the nature of their relationship.

It is conceivable that they are both foster children unrelated to each other, biological siblings, or that one is  a foster child and the other the father's biological child.

What the police seem to be saying is that the boy shot the girl intentionally with a weapon that he found unsecured within the home.

These incidents are happening with such frequency that it is becoming difficult to keep up.

And that may be one of the saddest things I have ever typed. 

Missouri becomes latest state to admit that after spending tax payer money to investigate Planned Parenthood, they could find nothing wrong.

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

Planned Parenthood did not mishandle fetal tissue and was not engaged in wrongdoing in Missouri, the state’s Attorney General Chris Koster concluded Monday. 

An investigation into the women’s health organization was prompted after the Center for Medical Progress, a pro-life group, released videos allegedly showing top Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal body parts. Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said the videos were “heavily edited,” but apologized for the “tone” expressed by some of her employees in the videos. 

“Koster’s investigation examined in detail the tissue-handling practices of Planned Parenthood’s Missouri surgical facility and concluded there was no evidence that the facility engaged in unlawful activity,” according to a press release. 

In addition to interviewing multiple Planned Parenthood employees in the St. Louis area, investigators also combed through thousands of pages of documents related to the “process for the disposal of fetal tissue,” the attorney general’s office said. They concluded that, after an abortion procedure, fetal tissue was carefully transported to a pathology lab, and was subsequently destroyed in an incinerator by a “waste-disposal company.” 

“The evidence reviewed by my investigators supports Planned Parenthood’s representation that fetal tissue is handled in accordance with Missouri law,” Koster, a Democrat, said in a statement. “We have discovered no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Planned Parenthood’s St. Louis facility is selling fetal tissue.”

So now Missouri joins Pennsylvania, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, and South Dakota in wasting tax payer money on a witch hunt that found no witches.

Which isn't actually surprising, especially since the only two states where Planned Parenthood has fetal tissue donation programs is in California and Washington.

I swear these people are so dumb that they give dumb people a bad name.

Supreme Court decision on gay marriage is giving Southern states a chronic case of the sads. Update!

Courtesy of TPM:  

An all-Republican county commission in Missouri voted unanimously Monday to observe a full calendar year of “mourning” after the Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision, a protest that will include lowering flags to mark the somber occasion. 

Flags at the Dent County Courthouse and Judicial Building will now fly at “below half-staff” on the 26th day of every month from July 2015 until July 2016, the Salem News reported, to mark the day SCOTUS handed down the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. 

Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles filed a letter into the record ahead of the vote staking his opposition to “the U.S. high court’s [sic] stamp of approval of what God speaks of as an abomination.” 

Skiles also wrote that “all who see these flags at this lowered position be reminded of this despicable Supreme Court travesty” as reason enough to approve the plan.

Aww, don't you just hate it when the highest court in the land refuses to rule on the side of your religiously inspired intolerance?

Of course you have to know that gay couples all over the state will show up to have their pictures taken with the lowered flags in July of each year and then send copies to their friends saying, "Yep still pissing off the locals with our love."

And Missouri is not the only Southern state who is a little pissy about the ruling.

A judge in Texas has decided to go ahead and marry same sex couples, but he wants it on the record that he is doing it under duress.

Courtesy of WFAA: 

Judge James DePiazza, justice of the peace for Precinct 2, has performed more than 2,000 wedding ceremonies. Before he marries any future couples, they will be required to sign an agreement that has been revised since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in June. 

Prior to the landmark decision, the form congratulated couples on their upcoming wedding, and laid out guidelines on punctuality, fees, marriage license requirements, and had places for the bride and groom to sign. 

A new form posted to the court's website Thursday highlights the judge's position on same-sex marriage, saying he prefers to "NOT conduct same-sex ceremonies, but will not decline anyone who chooses to schedule with him." 

The form also removes references to congratulations and bans photography during the ceremony, but offers access to the courtroom after.

Oh what a guy! Kind of like saying "Welcome to the happiest day of your life and oh how I wish I didn't have to play any part in it."

If I were getting gay married in Texas I would TOTALLY choose this guy to perform the ceremony just so I could get one of those forms.

Update: Well it looks as if Missouri will NOT be using the flags to demonstrate their irritation at the SCOTUS decision. This from HuffPo:   

Leaders in Dent County, Missouri, are no longer planning to lower flags at the county courthouse to “mourn” the Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage, thanks to an overwhelming backlash from county residents.

Damn things are happening so fast these days that you can barely get a blog post out about it before it before it is already outdated.

Well good for the citizens of Missouri!

After election of first African American female mayor, 80% of police force resigns.

Courtesy of KFVS: 

Voters in Parma, Missouri voted in their first African-American female mayor. 

Tyrus Byrd will be sworn in as mayor on Tuesday evening, April 14 at the Parma Community Building. 

According to Mayor Randall Ramsey, five out of six police officers resigned this week, effectively immediately. 

Mayor Ramsey said the city's attorney, the clerk and the waste water treatment plant supervisor also turned in resignation letters citing "safety concerns."

The previous mayor, a white guy of course, had been in office for 37 years.

Parma only has 740 residents so some wondered why they needed six police officers in the first place.

By the way Missouri is also where Ferguson is located, so as you see the state continues to struggle with their racism problem.

In wake of scathing DOJ report Ferguson police chief calls it quits.

Courtesy of the BBC:  

After a federal report alleged widespread racial bias in his department, the police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, has agreed to resign. 

Ferguson came under investigation after a white police officer killed an unarmed black teenager in August, sparking weeks of unrest. 

Several other Ferguson officials have stepped down in wake of the report. 

US authorities have vowed to reform the force, possibly dismantling it. 

Thomas Jackson had resisted calls from protesters and some state leaders to step down, after the shooting of Michael Brown and the weeks of demonstrations that followed. 

The city said it would be giving Mr Jackson a severance payment and would pay for his health insurance for one year.

The resignation is effective on March 19th, you can read his resignation letter here.

Well finally some change is coming to Ferguson, Missouri. Too bad it took the death of an unarmed eighteen year old to make it happen.

DOJ finds that Ferguson police department racially biased. No, really? Update!

Body of Michael Brown.

Courtesy of USA Today:

A Justice Department review has found that Missouri's troubled Ferguson Police Department engaged in a broad pattern of racially biased enforcement that permeated the city's justice system, including the use of unreasonable force against African American suspects, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the findings. 

In 88% of cases in which Ferguson police documented the use of force, for example, that force was used against African Americans, according to the official who is not authorized to comment publicly. In addition, in all 14 canine bite incidents in which the suspect's race is known, the person bitten was African American. 

African Americans account for 67% of the population in Ferguson, but they accounted for 85% of the drivers stopped by police, 90% of the people issued tickets and 93% of the people arrested, a three-year examination of suspect stops found. When those cases reached the Municipal Court, authorities collected more fines for suspects' failure to appear than any other charge, mostly from the city's poorest and most vulnerable residents. 

African Americans were more than twice as likely than white drivers to be searched during vehicle stops, but 26% less likely to have contraband, the review found. 

The Ferguson Police Department often charged its black residents with petty crimes. African Americans accounted for 95% of the people charged with walking in the street and 92% of people charged with disturbing the peace.

Well this comes too late to bring justice to Michael Brown, but hopefully it might help to protect the next Michael Brown.

Update: Also found among municipal e-mails was this statement about President Obama: 

Among the report's findings was a racially tinged 2008 message in a municipal email account stating that President Barack Obama would not be president for very long because "what black man holds a steady job for four years."

Perhaps they were thinking of a certain half term quitter from Wasilla. Because our President is in it for the long haul. 

Missouri State Auditor and gubernatorial candidate dies of a self inflicted gunshot wound according to police source.

Courtesy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Tom Schweich, Missouri's Republican state auditor and a leading contender for the governor's office in next year's election, has died, according to his office. 

Earlier in the day, a police source said Schweich had sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

 The police source said Schweich's wife was in another room of their house when she heard her husband making phone calls, followed by a single gunshot. 

He was 54. 

His death was confirmed by his office early Thursday afternoon, just hours after Schweich had requested an interview with reporters for the Post-Dispatch and the Associated Press at his Clayton home later in the day. 

Before that interview could take place, Schweich was taken to a St. Louis-area hospital, for what his office initially described only as "a medical situation" that occurred at his home.

Okay so he called reporters for an interview, subject unknown, and then before that could take place he allegedly dies of a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Let the wild speculation begin!

Just another day in the NRA's America boys and girls.

P.S. Might be a possible motive here.

White customer asks black waitress if she would like to see where he hung her grandpa.

Tommy Dean Gaa

Courtesy of the Maryville Daily Forum:  

According to a probable cause statement filed by Maryville Public Safety Officer Adam James, Gaa was taken into custody after ordering breakfast at a local business on Sunday, Jan. 25, where he was waited on by an African-American employee. 

The employee, according to James’ statement, asked Gaa if he wanted white or wheat toast, and Gaa allegedly responded by saying, “I’m prejudiced. I’ll take white.” 

Moments later, Gaa is said to have approached the employee, allegedly grabbing her arm in a manner that caused bruising and asking her if she “liked to party.” 

According to the probable cause statement, Gaa then allegedly said, “I have a place I would like to take you where I hung your grandpa.” 

The report stated the employee then left the part of the business open to the public and returned to a kitchen area. 

James reported that Gaa initially denied making the statements, then allegedly admitted that he committed at least some of the acts described above.

According to the officer's report Gaa had categorized different ethnic groups as "good" or "bad" using highly prejudicial language. Go figure.

He was released from jail on $4,900 bond.

It kind of makes me wonder if there aren't White Supremacist tours of Missouri where groups of racists go around pointing to trees where they once strung up black folks.

Could work as a GOP fundraiser.

5 year old shoots baby brother in the head. Can you say "Free-dumb!"

Courtesy of CNN:  

The mother called 911 to say her 5-year-old boy shot his baby brother with a paintball gun. 

But it wasn't a paintball gun. It was a .22-caliber Magnum revolver. And the 9-month-old boy didn't survive. 

Authorities are trying to figure out what led to Monday's shooting in Elmo, in the northwest corner of Missouri. 

"At this point foul play is not suspected, and it appears at this time that the shooting was accidental," the Nodaway County Sheriff's Office said. 

Sheriff Darren White told CNN affiliate KCTV that the baby was in a playpen when his brother found the gun lying around a bed. 

When emergency crews arrived, they found the infant had been shot in the head. The child was flown to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was pronounced dead, the station reported.

Apparently the gun did not belong to the mother but instead to another unidentified relative.

The authorities are still deciding whether charges should be filed, which to my mind is just another reason to stay the fuck out of Missouri. Because as far as I'm concerned you leave a loaded firearm out on a bed, and a child uses it to kill a baby, your ass is going to jail.

Period!

Republican lawmaker in Missouri is pushing a bill that would require women to get the father's consent before getting an abortion.

Courtesy of Mother Jones: 

A Missouri Republican is pushing a bill that would allow a man who gets a woman pregnant to stop her from having an abortion. The measure would force a woman who wants an abortion to obtain written permission from the father first—unless she was the victim of "legitimate rape." 

Rick Brattin, a state representative from outside Kansas City, filed the bill on December 3 for next year's legislative session. The proposed measure reads, "No abortion shall be performed or induced unless and until the father of the unborn child provides written, notarized consent to the abortion."

Jesus, are they talking about "legitimate rape" again?

Rape is rape asshole!

And they say there is no conservative war on women.

Republican official in Missouri asks why the military is not taking action against a dangerous domestic enemy, of course meaning the President of the United States.

The above is what showed up on Debbie Dunnegan's Facebook page a few days ago.

Dunnegan is currently up for reelection as the Recorder of Deeds in Jefferson County, and probably does not want the kind of attention that this has attracted.

Which is why she kind of, sort of, took it back: 

Dunnegan said she merely wanted to know what oath the military took to protect the country from enemies both foreign and domestic. 

“I meant no ill intent toward the president. I meant no ill intent toward anybody,” she said. 

“Something innocent and simple got twisted into a disaster because it’s an election,” Dunnegan said.

Yes if it were not for an election, there is probably no way that anybody would mind a little innocent and simple seditious talk on Facebook now would they?

And people wonder why there are so many death threats against this President.

The city of Ferguson is requesting outlandish fees before handing records over to reporters investigating the shooting of Michael Brown. Now why does that sound familiar?

Courtesy of the AP:

Officials in Ferguson, Missouri, are charging nearly 10 times the cost of some of their own employees' salaries before they will agree to turn over files under public records laws about the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. 

Missouri's attorney general on Monday, after the AP first disclosed the practice, contacted Ferguson's city attorney to ask for more information regarding fees related to document requests, the attorney general's spokeswoman said. 

The move to charge high fees discourages journalists and civil rights groups from investigating the shooting and its aftermath. And it follows dozens of records requests to Ferguson under the state's Sunshine Law, which can offer an unvarnished look into government activity. 

The city has demanded high fees to produce copies of records that, under Missouri law, it could give away free if it determined the material was in the public's interest to see. Instead, in some cases, the city has demanded high fees with little explanation or cost breakdown.

Well that is outlandish, and I think with more public scrutiny the city will be forced to change these outrageous demands or risk attracting even more negative attention. Which at this time they can ill afford.

However as I was reading that I realized that I was suddenly having a case of deja vu.

And I am not the only one, as the AP reported a little further down the page:

Other governments also have demanded spectacular fees. During the 2008 presidential campaign, for instance, news organizations asked for emails belonging to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential nominee. 

The Anchorage Press said officials at first wanted $6,500 in search fees, leading the newspaper to withdraw its request. Thousands of pages of those emails were ultimately provided to news organizations for about $725 in copying charges.

Oh hells yeah! Who could forget all of that hullabaloo back in the days before Palin finally threw up her hands and quit?

Remember how they quoted a price to the AP of over 15 million for the emails?

Ultimately of course the state had to cave to the pressure, but it certainly gave Palin and her minions plenty to time to redact anything that might have actually proven newsworthy.

I wonder if the city of Ferguson is taking a page from that same playbook?