How's That For Radical?

During his speech at the recent Southern Republican Leadership Conference, former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) used the terms "radical" and "radicalism" on six separate occasions to describe President Obama and his administration. In fact, Gingrich referred to President Obama as "the most radical President in American history", which was then repeated by numerous conservative nitwits, including Sean Hannity. But since Gingrich opened the door, let's examine some other Presidents who are clearly more radical than President Obama:

George Bush
1. He attempted to justify the country's invasion of Iraq by lying about the existence of weapons of mass destruction and then he and his administration mismanaged and underfunded the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for the next eight years.
2. Yes, economic, environmental and other blunders permeated his presidency but did you not read example #1?

Abraham Lincoln
1. Offending his political opponents and supporters alike, Lincoln took a strong stance on many of the topics which defined his presidency, including secession, slavery, emancipation and Reconstruction.
2. During the Civil War, Lincoln utilized his war powers to (1) proclaim a Union blockade in order to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies and arms to and from the Confederacy; (2) suspend the writ of habeas corpus; (3) spend money before those funds were appropriated by the United States Congress and (4) imprison as many as eighteen thousand suspected Confederate sympathizers without trial.

Andrew Jackson
1. In his third annual message to Congress in 1831, Jackson proposed the elimination of the Electoral College and the establishment of a one-term presidential limit by "giving the election of President and Vice President to the people and limiting the service of the former to a single term".
2. The charter of the Second Bank of the United States was revoked by Jackson in 1832 because the organization was, among other things, serving "to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful".
3. With the signing of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, Jackson rescinded previously approved treaties with Native American tribes. The federal government's policy of Indian removal resulted in the Trail of Tears, during which thousands of Native Americans died from exposure, disease and starvation while en route to their destination of present day Oklahoma.

Franklin Roosevelt
1. The New Deal, the large series of economic programs from Roosevelt's first term, created the foundation for our country's modern welfare state.
2. With the Supreme Court serving as the primary obstacle to Roosevelt's programs during his second term, Roosevelt proposed the Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937, which would have allowed him to appoint five new justices as a "persistent infusion of new blood". However, Roosevelt's plan to "stack the court" experienced intense political opposition (including from his own party) and, as a result, was defeated.
3. After George Washington declined to run for a third presidential term in 1796, the two-term limit was simply an unwritten rule until the Twenty-Second Amendment was passed in 1947 by the Congress. At the same time, former Presidents Ulysses Grant and Theodore Roosevelt were criticized for their attempts to secure a third non-consecutive term. With that being said, in order to improve his chances for a third consecutive term, Franklin Roosevelt changed the location of the Democratic National Convention to Chicago, a city which strongly supported the sitting President. And as we all know, Roosevelt was eventually elected to four presidential terms (although he only served three months into his final term before suffering a massive cerebral hemorrhage).

John Adams
By signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts during the threat of war in 1798, Adams suppressed Republican opposition by essentially prohibiting anti-government dissent and restricting freedom of speech and freedom of the press. For example, the Sedition Act (officially An Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes Against the United States) specifically forbids the practice of "writing, printing, uttering or publishing any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States".

The five examples above certainly provide enough evidence that President Obama is clearly not the most radical President in history of the United States. But if that wasn't enough, here are two more:

Andrew Johnson
1. The seventeenth President was impeached on eleven articles outlining his "high crimes and misdemeanors", including (1) removing Edwin Stanton from his role as Secretary of War despite the Senate's order to reinstate Stanton and (2) delivering three speeches with the intent to bring "disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt and reproach" against Congress amongst the citizens of the United States.

Richard Nixon
1. Watergate. Enough said.

I Must Use a Different Dictionary

Leaders of the Tea Party Express observed Tax Day yesterday by revealing their lists of Tea Party Heroes and Tea Party Targets (both incumbents and candidates) for the upcoming midterm congressional elections. Included on the list of targets are obvious and well deserving choices, such as Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Arlen Specter (D-PA). With that being said, let's examine the wonderful cast of characters designated as so-called heroes:

1. Sharron Angle (R-NV): After Angle was endorsed by the Tea Party Express during an event at the National Press Club, the former member of the Nevada Assembly introduced herself by stating "You know, I feel a little lonely today. I usually bring Smith & Wesson along."

2. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN): Where do I begin with Bachmann? No seriously, WHERE DO I BEGIN? I honestly do not have enough time to detail all of the things wrong with this complete wacko so just take a look at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Bachmann.

3. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): In June 2009, Blackburn co-sponsored a bill which would, in response to the ridiculous claims that President Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen, require future presidential candidates to provide a copy of their original birth certificates.

4. Sen. James DeMint (R-SC): Aside from opposing all forms of abortion (including in cases of rape and incest), DeMint does not feel that same sex marriage should be legalized due to the prevalence of certain diseases among homosexuals. During his first senatorial campaign in 2004, DeMint uttered the following comments: "If a person is a practicing homosexual, they should not be teaching in our schools" and "I would have given the same answer when asked if a single woman who was pregnant and living with her boyfriend should be hired to teach my third grade children".

5. Charles DeVore (R-CA): A current member of the California State Assembly, DeVore has supported Floyd Brown, who is an unmistakable birther and the architect of the Willie Horton television advertisement from the 1988 presidential campaign.

6. Rep. Thomas McClintock (R-CA): In March 2008, McClintock was criticized by one of his opponents in the Republican primary for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax free per diem payments from the State of California during his tenure in the State Senate. Those payments of $170 per day were established to assist legislators who live far from the state capital of Sacramento. (McClintock lived in Elk Grove at the time, which is approximately fifteen miles from Sacramento. However, McClintock claimed that he lived at a family home in Thousand Oaks but this is actually where his mother resides.)

7. Rep. Walter Minnick (R-ID): Yes, a Democrat. But that is where the positives end. Minnick has voted against the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 and the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

8. Randal Paul (R-KY): An ophthalmologist and the son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Randal is "100% pro-life. I believe abortion is taking the life of an innocent human being. I believe life begins at conception and it is the duty of our government to protect this life."

9. Rep. Michael Pence (R-IN): In a statement opposing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act due to the legislation's expansion to include a victim's race, religion, disability, national origin, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation, Pence declared that "This legislation is unnecessary and bad public policy...The hate crimes bill is broad enough to encompass legitimate beliefs and protecting the rights of freedom of speech and religion must be paramount in our minds."

10. Rep. Thomas Price (R-GA): During the health care debate from last year, Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) of the Democratic Women's Caucus attempted to address the benefits that the health care bill would provide to mothers and children on the floor of Congress. Capps was only able to utter "Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous..." before Price (in the behavior similar to a two-year-old) shouted "I object! I object! I object!". When Capps started her statement again, Price bellowed "I object! I object! I object! I object!". Price then bellowed "Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry." before being called "out of order" by presiding chairman Rep. John Dingell (D-MI).

11. Marco Rubio (R-FL): Despite a net worth of negative $103,000, a mortgage and thousands in student loans when he was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives, approximately $600,000 in contributions were stored in two inconspicuous political committees created and controlled by Rubio. A joint investigation by the "St. Petersburg Times" and "The Miami Herald" uncovered the following improprieties (among others) from that eight-year period:

• Rubio and his wife (a former cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins and the "Treasurer" for the first committee, Floridians for Conservative Leadership) failed to disclose more than $34,000 in expenses over an eighteen-month period. Those expenses included $7,000 in travel re-imbursements to Rubio, bank fees, payments to consultants and credit card payments. In addition, re-imbursements of $5,700 to his wife were, according to Rubio, for travel expenses charged to her personal credit card.
• For that same committee, Rubio charged more than $51,000 in unidentified "travel expenses" to three different credit cards. Florida law does not require charges to be itemized but other state lawmakers detailed nearly all of their committee expenses.
• Rubio's second committee, Floridians for Conservative Leadership in Government (Notice the extremely similar name? Certainly nothing fishy there.), re-imbursed his mother-in-law's freight company for $3,500 worth of rental car services and authorized more than $10,000 in payments to teenage relatives of both Rubio and his wife. The total amount of nearly $14,000 was reported to the Internal Revenue Service as "courier fees" and was justified by Rubio regardless of the fact that none of those recipients were listed as political aides and that a non-existent was used for one of the individuals.
• If that wasn't enough, Rubio's spending habits continued when, in 2005, when the Republican Party of Florida provided an American Express credit card for him to utilize at his own discretion. While he was Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2007-2008, Rubio charged more than $3,700 in meals on that credit card even though he was receiving $126 on a daily basis from the state to assist in subsidizing legislators' food and lodging expenses. Rubio has already admitted he used the credit card to double bill the Republican Party of Florida and state taxpayers in 2007 for flights from South Florida to Tallahassee. And for his last year as Speaker, Rubio reported a net worth of less than $8,400 despite earning $45,000 from the State of Florida, $69,000 from Florida International University as a Visiting Distinguished Service Professor and $300,000 from Broad and Cassel as an Of Counsel attorney.

12. Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS): When discussing the topic of public funding for abortions last year on the House floor, Tiahrt delivered these startling comments: "If you think of it in human terms, there is a financial incentive that would be put in place, paid for by tax dollars, that would encourage women who are single parents, living below the poverty level, to have the opportunity for a free abortion...[President Obama] grew up in those similar circumstances. If that financial incentive was in place, is it possible that his mother might have taken advantage of it?" Tiahrt's stance on the environment is just as alarming:

• The Republicans for Environmental Protection provided Tiahrt with a score of -4 on a scale of 100 on all environmental issues in 2005; his score for the entire 109th Congress was a 6 on a scale of 100.
• The same organization criticized Tiahrt "for signing a 'Dear Colleague' letter to all House Republicans urging unity in an effort to pressure House conferees to include language authorizing oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge".
• The non-partisan League of Conservation Voters provided Tiahrt with the lowest possible score (0%) for 2005 and 2006; his lifetime score is 3% out of 100%. For the 109th Congress, Tiahrt cast votes designated as anti-environment on twelve out of twelve critical issues.

13. Patrick Toomey (R-PA): As a former member of the United States House of Representatives, Toomey served on the House Committee on Financial Services and co-wrote House Resolution 10. This resolution eventually resulted in the repeal of portions of the Banking Act of 1933 and, in turn, played an enormous role in the country's recent economic issues.

14. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC): "You lie!" Enough said.

Northern Exposure of the Day

California Attorney General Jerry Brown is currently investigating the finances of the California State University, Stanislaus Foundation and the possibility that the non-profit organization violated public disclosure laws by not releasing the details of a contract with a speaker for the educational institution's 50th Anniversary Gala on June 25. This story supposedly came to light after students discovered that documents were being shredded at the campus administration building on a day when staff members were scheduled to be on leave. The foundation, which expects to raise as much as $200,000 from the $500-a-plate event, refuses to provide, among other things, the amount of the speaker's fee.

Who is the speaker, you ask? You guessed it. It is none other than Sarah Palin. While I don't care if the foundation discloses the information or not, there is certainly an interesting aspect of this situation. The contract outlines the following requirements for speaking engagements by the former Governor of Alaska (and current diva) due to her "professional endeavors and high profile":

• The donated private aircraft "MUST BE a Lear 60 or larger...for West Coast events or a Hawker 800 or larger...for East Coast events and both are subject to the speaker's approval".
• Ground transportation "will be by SUV(s)" but, if that type of vehicle is unavailable, then "black town cars may be substituted".
• Palin and her party must be provided with "accommodations of a pre-registered one bedroom suite and two single rooms in a deluxe hotel". The client may also be required to supply "a laptop computer and printer (fully stocked with paper)" prior to Palin's arrival.
• For the Q&A portion of satellite events, "the questions are to be collected from the audience in advance, pre-screened and a designated representative...shall ask questions directly of the speaker".
• To ensure that all attendees of the event are able to engage in a photo opportunity with Palin, this schedule of "45 minutes/75 clicks, 60 minutes/100 clicks and 90 minutes/125 clicks" must be followed and "a receiving line style, as opposed to a snake line" must be established. According to a detailed diagram, "guests should come from the speaker's RIGHT and depart at the speaker's LEFT. The waiting line should be kept close to the speaker's RIGHT."
• The client is permitted to "take still photographs (without flash bulbs) of the speaker for the first three minutes of the speaker's presentation".
• Palin must be provided with "a tall, wooden lectern with lip and fixed microphone, in addition to a handheld microphone...Unopened bottled still water (2 bottles) and bendable straws are to be placed in or near the wooden lectern." Prior to Palin speaking, the bottles will be opened "at an appropriate time".

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Just when I thought that Governor Robert McDonnell and Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli (the Laurel and Hardy of Virginia politics) had floundered enough in the area of discrimination due to sexual orientation, they have gone and done it again (and again and again).

Most recently, a draft proposal by McDonnell and his administration would require a non-violent felon to submit a letter before the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth will consider restoring the individual's voting rights. The letter will not only contain information on the offender's personal story and criminal case (which is already a part of the current process) but also details on the individual's contributions to society since his/her release, including subsequent employment, education and participation in church and community activities. If the applicant is unable or would prefer not to write the letter, the individual can actually contact the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and relate his/her story. But despite this last option, Secretary Janet Polarek feels that this new proposal would actually "streamline the process". Or just maybe Polarek's wishful thinking will have something to do with the fact that, by including this extra step, certain non-violent and non-habitual felons will be discouraged from applying.

Only Kentucky and Virginia require the state's governor to restore voting rights to felons. The overwhelming majority of states automatically restore voting rights to an offender once a prison sentence has been completed, while the District of Columbia provides felons with the ability to vote upon their release from prison. And while I certainly do not feel that convicted felons should be immediately integrated into all aspects of American society, this new proposal from McDonnell is certainly reminiscent of the literacy tests administered during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. David Mills, the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia, stated that McDonnell "chose to institute an unprecedented roadblock in a commonwealth with a painful history of blocking voting rights. Given his experience last week, it’s shocking that the Governor would unnecessarily stumble on Virginia’s history yet again."

By last week's "experience", Mills was referring to McDonnell's recent proclamation that the month of April will now be recognized as Confederate History Month in the State of Virginia. The issue with the original proclamation is that McDonnell made absolutely no mention of the practice of slavery. In an apology a day later, McDonnell declared: "We cannot avoid our past; instead we must demand that it be discussed with civility and responsibility." However, McDonnell decided against discussing the topic of slavery in a civil and responsible manner by avoiding the topic in his proclamation. Aside from his apology, McDonnell issued a new proclamation which contained language specifically addressing slavery.

Not to be outdone, Attorney General Cuccinelli announced that his office will be filing a notice of appeal concerning new regulations on fuel efficiency from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA authorized new rules for new cars and trucks built between 2012-2016. Cuccinelli, in true alarmist fashion once again, uttered that the regulations were based on climate change research which was "unreliable, unverifiable and doctored".

Fo Shizzle!

Ten days after President Obama's historical election in November 2008, Michael Steele, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), participated in a conference call with various conservative bloggers. During that call, Steele stated that conservatives should not soften their attacks "just because the President of the United States is a black man". Steele continued to comment on this specific topic by claiming that "the Obama campaign played the race card in reverse beautifully". Steele would launch his campaign for the position of RNC Chairman just ten days later.

Despite his opinions above, Steele sang a different tune regarding race during his interview with George Stephanopoulos on Monday's edition of "Good Morning America". When asked if he felt that he, as an African American, has "a slimmer margin for error than another Chairman would", Steele replied: "The honest answer is yes...Barack Obama has a slimmer margin. We, a lot of folks do. It's a different role for, you know, for me to play and others to play. And that's just the reality of it."

And Steele thinks that President Obama has "played the race card"? Let's take a look at some other incidents involving Steele since he became Chairman of the RNC:

• In response to a question about his plan for "inclusion of diverse populations" within the Republican Party, Steele answered: "I got the fried chicken and potato salad."
• During an appearance on "The Curtis Sliwa Show" on ABC Radio, Steele offered "some slum love out to my buddy", Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (who was born to immigrants from India). Steele eloquently described President Obama's stimulus package by uttering "There's a lot of bling bling -- the bling bling's got bling bling in this package". He insisted the Republican Party "has got to take it's head out of it's you know what and recognize that America doesn't look like America in 1952. That America now is something very different, very beautiful -- that has a lot of strips and strains to it. But it's real and we've got to get in the real." Addressing the criticism from Meghan McCain, the daughter of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), that Steele's new "hip-hop" strategy for the Republican Party isn't "going to work", Steele claimed: "I'm not stupid. I was born in [Washington, D.C.] on 8th Street. I know what's up. I know what time it is." After Sliwa informed Steele that he was going to play a song from Jay-Z, Steele responded with "There you go, playa".
• While Steele was speaking in front of approximately 150 students at Howard University, one of those students mentioned her plans to study business law. Steele's reply? "Business law! Mo money!"
• To update the image of the Republican Party, Steele reported that he was creating a public relations team to develop an "off the hook" campaign for "urban-suburban hip hop settings".

As you can see, Steele has never been afraid to play the race card. However, when he does so, it is in a manner that is extremely offensive and degrading to other African Americans. Or in Steele's words, he is just plain trippin'.

Then Mr. Bush Was a Serial Offender

The individual with the pen name of "Robin of Berkeley" is a frequent contributor to the conservative web site American Thinker and, in her words, "a recovering liberal and psychotherapist" as well. With articles titled "Sarah Palin Is One Tough Mother" and "Obama the Repo Man", this writer's allegiance is certainly without question. And while she definitely has the freedom to voice her opinions, the most recent article went way too far. That article, "The Rape of America", actually compares being raped to the actions of President Obama and the Democrats:

• "Let's start by analyzing the mind of a rapist. His goal: Domination and absolute power, through any means necessary. His motivation: punishing another, degrading her, feeling superior and godlike. Making her feel like an object, nothing, a no-thing. What else propels him? Taking what he wants just because he wants it. Feeling the surge of power, the adrenaline rush, the thrill of stealing a piece of her. Anything else? Feeding primitive, twisted impulses; expressing sadistic needs; the savage excitement of subjugating and controlling another."

If you think those comments were offensive, "Robin of Berkeley" didn't stop there:

• "And the aftermath of rape? The destruction of something in the victim that will never return: a feeling of safety in the world, in her own body. The nightmare of being treated as an animal -- no, worse than this since animals are now venerated. And from this nightmare, she may never completely awaken."
• "This country is being raped."
• "And just like in a gang rape, people who could have done something about it didn't. In fact, the liberal media and many Democrats have stood around watching, egging on the players. Can someone explain to me how the Democrats' complicity is any different from what happened a few months ago at Richmond High School? There, a gang of boys raped and beat a girl as a crowd not only snickered but filmed the assault."
• "We also have the economic rapes, the constant shrieks of 'Gimme, gimme'. Give me what you have because I want it. Whether it's the iPod torn from your ear, or a big chunk of your income, or your standard of living, no matter. I want it, I demand it, give it to me. Or the intrusions into our very bodies by Obamacare's biggest of Big Brothers. Our medical records, our personal information, our physician/patient relationship, our DNA -- they want it so they will take it from us."
• "And now that the left has finally appropriated our health care and our student loans, our banks and newspapers and automobile companies, are they happy? Satisfied? Grateful, for God's sake? No, the mocking continues, the outright threats and the violence escalate."
• "Still not sure that the sexualization of children, the wilding of women, the looting of the economy and the intrusions into our bodies constitute the rape of America? I have one final piece of evidence. A majority of citizens are shouting 'No' from the rooftops. No to Obamacare. No to socialism. No to trashing the Constitution. And yet, to Obama and the left, the assertion of 'No' does not matter. Smug and entitled, drunk with power and giddy when they see our fear, they take what they want anyway."

Northern Exposure of the Day

As part of her deal with the devil (otherwise known as her employment with FOX News), Sarah Palin will serve as the host of a television program called "Real American Stories". This one-hour program is being described as "a series exploring inspirational real life tales of overcoming adversity throughout the American landscape".

The first installment of this series (which ironically aired on April Fool's Day) was originally scheduled to include LL Cool J (born James Smith) in a segment called "In Their Own Words". However, according to a spokesperson for the actor/musician, "LL Cool J was never scheduled to be a guest on 'Real American Stories' with Sarah Palin this week. The show had planned to use an interview from 2008 that was being repurposed without LL’s permission." To further emphasize his position, LL Cool J posted the following comments on Twitter: "FOX lifted an old interview I gave in 2008 to someone else and are misrepresenting to the public in order to promote Sarah Palin's show. WOW." So how did FOX News respond to the fact that the network was clearly planning on using previous footage of LL Cool J inappropriately? In a completely mature manner, of course: "'Real American Stories' features uplifting tales about overcoming adversity and we believe Mr. Smith's interview fits that criteria. However, as it appears that Mr. Smith does not want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others, we are cutting his interview from the special and wish him the best with his fledgling acting career." "Fledgling"? While I certainly don't compare LL Cool J to the great thespians of our time, I wouldn't describe his career as fledgling considering the fact that he has a starring role on CBS's "NCIS: Los Angeles" and has performed in more than twenty films, not to mention his widely successful music career.

And in case anyone thinks that this was just an isolated incident, there is also Toby Keith. Keith was surprised when a radio reporter contacted his publicist in order to obtain details on the country singer's announced appearance on Palin's program. The publicist replied: "You're wrong. There is no Sarah Palin special with Toby Keith on it on FOX." The reporter then responded by e-mailing the press release from FOX News which claimed that Keith would "explain the inspiration behind his song 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue'" during the television program. Keith's publicist believes that the interview was conducted in Las Vegas in January 2009. At the same time, neither Keith nor his publicist received an e-mail or telephone call from FOX News to inform them that the footage would air on Palin's program.

This Unfortunate Day in History

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fatally shot while standing on the balcony outside his second story room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. The highly respected civil rights leader was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers' strike and was preparing to leave for dinner when a bullet struck him in the jaw and severed his spinal cord. Dr. King was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at St. Joseph's Hospital. Dr. King was thirty-nine years old, leaving behind a wife and four small children. According to biographer Taylor Branch, the autopsy revealed that Dr. King had the heart of a sixty-year-old, quite possibly resulting from the stress of the thirteen years of the Civil Rights Movement.

In the months prior to his assassination, Dr. King became increasingly concerned with the issue of economic inequality in the United States. He organized the Poor People's Campaign to focus on this issue, including an interracial march of poor Americans on Washington, D.C. And then in March, he traveled to Memphis in support of poorly treated African-American sanitation employees. Dr. King left the city but vowed to return in early April in order to lead another demonstration. On April 3 in Memphis, Dr. King delivered his final sermon, prophetically declaring:

"Well, I don't know what will happen now.
We've got some difficult days ahead.
But it really doesn't matter with me now
Because I've been to the mountaintop
And I don't mind.

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.
Longevity has its place.
But I'm not concerned about that now.
I just want to do God's will
And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain.
And I've looked over
And I've seen the Promised Land.

I may not get there with you.
But I want you to know tonight
That we, as a people, will get to the promised land.

And so, I'm happy tonight.
I'm not worried about anything.
I'm not fearing any man.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Dr. King was killed the next day. Captured more than two months later, James Earl Ray, a habitual offender and escaped criminal, eventually pleaded guilty to murdering Dr. King and was sentenced to ninety-nine years in prison. (Although evidence exists which casts some doubt on Ray's guilt, it is certainly not along the same lines of Lee Harvey Oswald, where there is absolutely no way that he could have killed President John F. Kennedy.) However, the actual gunman is not even of importance here. It is that the irony of Dr. King's murder is almost to the point of immeasurability: A man who consistently preached and lived non-violence was felled by an assassin's bullet.

Idiotic Sign of the Week

At one point last year during the health care debate, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) offered his summary of the Republican health care plan: "Don't get sick. And if you do get sick, die quickly." He also started a web site (http://www.namesofthedead.com/) to memorialize Americans who "die simply because they have no health insurance". This time around, Grayson focused his energy regarding health care on a urologist in Mount Dora, FL.

Jack Cassell, the aforementioned urologist, posted the following sign last week on his office door: "If you voted for Obama...seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years." (He also provides Republican reading material in his waiting room under a sign which reads "This is what the morons in Washington have done to your health care. Take one, read it and vote out anyone who voted for it.") When asked about patients who may disagree with the notice on his door, Cassell declared that "If they read the sign and turn the other way, so be it".

According to a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health, there are "no grounds for a complaint" against Cassell. At the same time, it is evident from this moron's childish signs and comments that he does not believe in the Hippocratic Oath. This point is emphasized when you read the sections concerning "I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures that are required", "I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm" and "May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help".

With all of that being said, what more could you expect from an individual who obtained his medical degree from the St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, British West Indies? The Doctor of Medicine Program at this heavily regarded educational institution is only approved by three U.S. states (Florida, New Jersey and New York) and recognized by the Medical Board of California. Cassell is probably not complaining about all of the publicity, especially since his wife is currently running as a Republican candidate for Lake County Commissioner.

I'm Scared of Islands Now

At a recent hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Admiral Robert Willard, the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, provided testimony in regards to his command's FY 2011 budget. When the discussion focused on the plans to transfer thousands of U.S. troops from Okinawa, Japan to Guam, Willard was present for possibly the strangest comment he has heard during his 40+ year military career.

This unbelievable remark concerning Guam was uttered by Rep. Henry Johnson (R-GA):

Johnson: "This is an island that, at its widest level is, what, twelve miles from shore to shore? And at its smallest level or smallest location, it's seven miles between one shore and the other. Is that correct?"
Willard: "I don't have the exact dimensions but, to your point, sir, I think Guam is a small island."
Johnson: "Very small island and about twenty-four miles, if I recall, long. So twenty-four miles long, about seven miles wide at the least widest place on the island and about twelve miles wide on the widest part of the island. And I don't know how many square miles that is. Do you happen to know?"
Willard: "I don't have that figure with me, sir. I can certainly supply it to you if you'd like."
Johnson: "Yeah, my fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize."

Yes, you read that right. Now I understand that Johnson has been experiencing numerous health issues (including cognitive) due to his long battle with hepatitis C. However, the last sentence of this exchange between Johnson and Willard is a little disconcerting, illness or not. With that being said, Johnson has already proven himself to be much better than his predecessor, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), who is famous for striking a U.S. Capitol Police officer and claiming that Mr. Bush and his administration had prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks.