January 18

Apparently, the GOP would rather have a bunch of conservative anti-feminist women explain to them that they should either keep their mouths shut when asked about abortion in the instances of rape, or keep their responses vague.

SBA List is going to offer Republicans rape sensitivity training, which will consist of learning to respond with "I sympathize with rape victims" whenever they are asked any questions.

That should go over really well. People love it when their elected officials offer canned answers in response to important questions.

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Nobody's written about the latest from the CEO of Whole Foods, so, courtesy of reader J, here's his attempt to remove his foot from his mouth after he called Obamacare "fascism":

On "fascism": I made a bad choice of language. I was trying to distinguish it between socialism so I took the dictionary definition of fascism, which is when the means of production are still owned privately but the government controls it — that's a type of fascism. However, I realize that that word has so much baggage associated with it from World War II, with Germany, with Italy and Spain, that's a very provocative word, so I regret using it. What I do believe in is free enterprise capitalism, and I'd like to see our healthcare system really unleash the power of free enterprise capitalism to create innovation and healthcare progress. I don't think we have that – I think we're moving away from that. So I do regret using that word, I won't be using it in the future.

On the role of government: I'm in favor of a safety net. I do believe that the government can provide subsidies for our poorer citizens so that everyone can afford health insurance. One of the great examples that I point people to is what they're doing in Switzerland, where you have still private health insurance markets and yet the government creates subsidies for all of its citizens so that everyone can afford health insurance. There you let the private market, competitive capitalism work and yet the government makes sure that there's a safety net for people – that's where I wish we were going in the United States."

I'll leave it to you guys to point out all the ways that he's wrong about Obamacare (which anyone who isn't getting all their information from Reason knows is pretty similar, almost identical, to Switzerland's system). And I do wonder how anyone gets through about 5th grade without understanding that "fascism" is a loaded term. But my real question is why this guy is still in business? I live in one of the few areas of the country where the regular grocery store (Wegmans) is better than Whole Foods, so there aren't any of them around here, but isn't Whole Foods a place where progressive boycott-happy consumers (like me) would be shopping? So why aren't they giving Whole Foods the full Wal-Mart treatment? This guy compared unions to herpes and is a climate change denier, in addition to his Palinesque views on Obamacare, so it's not like his latest comments are out of character. Is the produce so much better at Whole Foods that it's worth ignoring the fact that it's run by this asshole?

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NRA President Blames President Obama For 'Hundreds' Of Death Threats

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God Wants Americans To Shoot Guns, California Lawmaker Claims

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Meet The NRA-Backed Senate Democrats Who Oppose Obama's Gun Violence Prevention Plan

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WE CAN BEAT THEM FOREVER AND EVER  

HERE'S A SURPRISE: SCHOOL VOUCHERS HELP SPREAD CREATIONISM

Just in case anyone was worried that American schools were sinking into a morass of Creationism and Stupid (ah, but we repeat ourselves), the bad news is, well, they kind of are. But the good news is that there are some pretty awesome young people who refuse to sit back and let it happen, like hero Rhode Island teen Jessica Ahlquist, who successfully sued her Rhode Island high school to get a an official "school prayer" banner removed from the gym last year. Or how about today's hero, 19 year old Zack Kopplin, a Louisiana student who has been fighting since 2008 to repeal the "Louisiana Science Education Act," which did for science education what Dubya's "Clear Skies Initiative" did for clear skies. The law allowed teachers to "bring in their own supplemental materials when discussing politically controversial topics like evolution or climate change." Many teachers believed the law gave them free rein to throw out actual science textbooks and replace them with overtly creationist materials, but Kopplin, then just 17, helped rally opposition, and while the dumb law remained in place, Lousisana at least adopted science textbooks that taught actual science. Now, Kopplin is a student at Rice University and is raising hell against school voucher laws, which funnel public money to private schools that teach religious doctrine, including, of course creationism. READ MORE »

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Just a reminder; Rush Limbaugh is an idiot and a prick.

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Proving that they're lunatics who'll believe pretty much anything, polling shows that Republicans are still mostly birthers -- by a wide margin.

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It looks like Marco Rubio's PAC is a typical conservative operation --a scam to separate chumps from their money.

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Yesterday we learned that Father Kevin Wallin, formerly with the Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, was arrested by federal drug agents in Connecticut for his alleged role in a national crystal meth ring. Today we learn much, much more about the story.

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From yesterday's Family Research Council "prayer targets."

First, the gays: May God's people arise to pray and effectively withstand government persecution over Biblical beliefs about homosexuality! (Mt 5:11-12; Rom 1:32; 2 Tim 3:12-14; 2 Peter 2:1-19; Jude 7)

Then the Obama cabinet: May God bring every relevant fact to light in the Senate confirmation hearings. May His will be done in the Senate votes for Hagel, John Kerry (Secretary of State), John Brennan (CIA Director) and Jack Lew (Treasury Secretary) (Gen 12:1-3; Pr 18:17; 28:4; 29:6-7; Zech 12:1-3, 9; Eph 5:11-13). 

And, of course, Obamacare: May Obamacare be overturned and may our government be required to respect religious liberty and all other God-given, constitutionally guaranteed liberties! (Lev 25:10; Dt 26:6-9; Pr 28:4; Is 10:1; Dan 3:14-18; 6:10; Acts 5:29) 

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"Instead of focusing on the environment of violence, liberals are focusing on the instrument. As the Sandy Hook community can attest, limiting or banning assault weapons--as some states like Connecticut do--will not deter criminals intent on ignoring the law. Encouraging strong families with a vibrant faith can. As I've said before, what America needs is not a cop in every school, but a dad in every home. Although mental illness can be a factor, most delinquents, FRC's Dr. Pat Fagan explains, are children who have been abandoned by their fathers. The cause of violent crime isn't gun policy--it's family policy. And until Americans step back and examine the real problem, the President will continue exploiting these tragedies to accomplish his ultimate goal: expanding government at the expense of personal freedom." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

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"Who the hell needs armor-piercing bullets except you guys in battle? For the life of me, I don't know why the hell people have to have assault weapons." Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to soldiers at the U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza in northern Italy

I can answer this one for the secretary. They need armor-piercing bullets and assault weapons because, 1) they're paranoid, and 2) they have small penises, or 3) both.