AddieStan

The most surprising thing about the current state of affairs in the House of Representatives — the inability of the majority party to settle on a winning House Speaker candidate — is that anyone is surprised at all.  What we’re witnessing from the far-right #NeverKevin caucus has been the plan for some time; it’s just that too many political journalists and commentators too easily dismiss or ignore the utterances of political figures deemed “fringe” by the mainstream – regardless of the power held by those supposedly fringe players.  You might think that given the prominent role played by former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon in fomenting and organizing the insurrection whose two-year anniversary we mark today, political journos might pay more attention to what he’s saying to the MAGA crowd every day, but you’d be wrong. And you might surmise that major right-wing events such as the Conservative Political Action Conference might draw the interest of people tasked wi...

My pix of Ricky Lehner, who was halled out of the "Tribute to Ronald Reagan" dinner at Americans For Prosperity Foundation's "Defending the American Dream Summit," after he began mic-checking Fox News talker Andrew Napolitano, who was at the podium. Metropolitan police removed Lehner from the ballroom at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, forced him on to the floor, and went through his pockets. He was then escorted from the premises. Read the whole story here , at AlterNet.

Ukin'it up with my pal, J. Scales.

Cross-posted from AlterNet Every disaster that befalls a nation -- hurricanes, floods, terrorism, earthquakes -- constitutes God's punishment of a people gone astray, according to Pat Robertson, who famously blamed feminists for 9/11 and gays for Hurricanes Katrina and Andrew. In the case of Haiti's devastating earthquake, he blames an ostensible deal that black Haitians made with the Devil in order to win their emancipation and independence from the French colonials who enslaved them. So, in Haiti's case it might not be God who did the nation in, but rather the Devil calling in his chit. "True story," according to Robertson: [S]omething happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, uh you know Napoleon the third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True Story. And so the Devil said "Okay,...

Cross-posted from AlterNet The week that began with a minor controversy about a dated racial term used to describe African-Americans, and ended with a major one that involved the use of the word by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The word is "Negro". First, the census. After finding that more than 50,000 census respondents wrote in "Negro" as their racial identification on the 2000 census, the U.S. Census Bureau decided to include it as a check-off option in the section of the survey where respondents are asked to identify their race. Many cried foul, seeing it as a derogatory adjective that hearkened back to the segregationist era. Others argue that elderly blacks may not view it the same way, and that the terms "African-American" and "black" may not be embraced by those descended from cultures other than the African-descended one whose people were brought to the land of the free in chains. When I was a little girl, "Negro" was the ...

Responding to President Obama's speech last night to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT rights organization, Meet the Press host David Gregory asked his guests if the president will or should keep his promise to end the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that prevents LGBT folks from serving openly in the military. (The policy has led to witch hunts of gay men and lesbians within the ranks.) Here's your blogstress's insta-transcript: DAVID GREGORY: Senator Levin, with the president live up to this pledge? Can he? SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-Mich): I think he will and he can, but it has to be done in the right way, which is to get a buy-in from the military, which I think is now possible. Other militaries in the West -- the British and other Western armies have ended this discriminatory policy. We can do it successfully, but it ought to be done with thoughtfulness, with care, and with a buy-in from the military. GREGORY: Gen. Myers, is it time? GEN. RICHARD ...

Outside the Walter Washington Convention Center in our nation's capital, revelers arriving for the annual awards dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, which bills itself as "the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization," were greeted by members of Westboro Baptist Church -- also known as the home to the " God Hates Fags " crowd. Also on hand were members of Code Pink, the radical women's anti-war organization; Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry with a small band of followers and a giant photo of a dismembered fetus; and 100 or so LGBT activists who protested against HRC and Obama for being too passive in the march toward full equality. Greetings, Earthlings (from the "God Hates Fags" crew of the Westboro Baptist Church). I must not have the latest edition of the Bible. (Somehow missed this instruction.) More prophesy from Westboro Baptist. Arguing the Bible with the Westboro Baptist android. Don't thi...

Your blogstress spent the solemn occasion of the anniversary of the September 11th attacks observing right-wingers put their artistic skills into the service of hating the president of the United States. This sign-painting party took place at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. Just like arts & crafts class -- with a bit more rage. So last month ago. So that's the agenda! But one envelope equals three liters of soda. As opposed to those Christians who are all about atheism. This image appeared on a series of signs by the same artist. Somebody thinks his banana was taken. And here I thought it was Bush who had that simian look.

Kinda says it all. Fashion statement. Looks like they finally figured out what "teabagging" means. Summertime has come and gone, my oh my. Because God loves bullets. And guts. Weary wing-nuts practice their Russian. Were it not for the sign and the shirts, I could swear I saw these guys at the high-heeled race. Stalin must be spinning in his grave. Difference of opinion: He's Hitler, not Stalin, dammit! Because, you know, they're all shady. So nice I had to blog it twice. So wholesome. View from across the pool on the Capitol grounds. All those little dots across the water? Them's people. Lots and lots of angry white people. Another view along the pool. Obediently listening to the voices of the Astroturfers coming from the podium. More around the Capitol grounds. Pressed into service by his dad. I didn't realize things had gotten this bad. Because universal health care is a lot like the murder of innocents. Nostalgic for the days when women could not vote. Le...