March 18

Pfizer Kingpin Gunned Down In Ongoing Prescription Drug Cartel Turf War

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GOP: We've been lying all along

Boehner's admission that we don't really have a debt crisis reveals his party's ulterior, program-cutting motives

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Sen. Rand Paul is the small-government civil libertarian who respects the Constitution, individual freedoms and choice and…what's that you say, Rand?

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Friday introduced so-called "fetal personhood" legislation that would completely outlaw abortion in the United States.

The Life at Conception Act would declare that human life began at conception, providing fertilized eggs with the same legal status as born persons.

"The Life at Conception Act legislatively declares what most Americans believe and what science has long known – that human life begins at the moment of conception, and therefore is entitled to legal protection from that point forward," Paul said in a statement. " The right to life is guaranteed to all Americans in the Declaration of Independence and ensuring this is upheld is the Constitutional duty of all Members of Congress."

Huh.  Guess those individual freedoms don't apply to Vagina-Americans.  I'm sure he's really terribly sorry about that whole Roe v. Wade thing not mattering after all.  Perhaps another 13-hour talking filibuster, this time on how women don't need control of their own reproductive systems, would suffice.

But totally worth it because of his "principled stance on civil liberties" right?

Do tell.

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New evidence: CIA and MI6 were told before invasion that Iraq had no active WMD

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The white party

One last note about the CPAC gathering this past weekend: there was a sessionthat was labeled — I'm not making this up — "Trump The Race Card: Are You Sick And Tired Of Being Called A Racist When You Know You're Not One?" (Answer: if people call you a racist, you probably are.)

It got a little out of hand when a couple of white guys got their tails all puffed up about conservative African-Americans calling themselves "Frederick Douglass Republicans," condemning slavery, and blaming it on the Democrats.

Scott Terry of North Carolina, accompanied by a Confederate-flag-clad attendee, Matthew Heimbach, rose to say he took offense to the event's take on slavery. (Heimbach founded the White Students Union at Towson University and is described as a "white nationalist" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.)

"It seems to be that you're reaching out to voters at the expense of young white Southern males," Terry said, adding he "came to love my people and culture" who were "being systematically disenfranchised."

Smith responded that Douglass forgave his slavemaster.

"For giving him shelter? And food?" Terry said.

At this point the event devolved into a mess of shouting. Organizers calmed things down by asking everyone to "take the debate outside after the presentation."

I'm shocked, shocked to see racism going on at a Tea Party panel on racism.

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(The Raw Story): "Sen. Rand (I love civil liberties and individual freedom) Paul introduces 'fetal personhood bill' to outlaw abortion"

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Oh, I just love watching Republicans take swipes at each other. First Sarah Palin criticizes Karl Rove at CPAC for his efforts to influence the choice of future Republican candidates through his Conservative Victory Project. Palin called it "the last thing we need," adding, in a direct shot at Rove, that "the architects can head on back to the great Lone Star state and put their names on some ballot." 

On Fox News today Rove shot back:

Rove said that as a "balding white guy" he wouldn't be a particularly good candidate for office. But "if I did run for office and win, I'd serve out my term," he said. "I wouldn't leave office mid-term."

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How The Media Took Sides In The Steubenville Rape Case

And this: Steubenville Rapists To Be Released For Football Games

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States' Rights! - As everyone knows, States' Rights are the best rights, because they are more local and the bad ol' Federal Government cannot come in and yadda, yadda, yadda. AmIright? Anyway, States's Rights are exactly why Weld County Sheriff John Cooke (and 20 others in Colorado) said he won't enforce gun-control measures waiting to be signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper. (Think Progress)

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Your liberal media is about to become even less liberal:

Right-wing funders and business industrialists David and Charles Koch may purchase the Tribune Company newspapers, which include the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, and the Los Angeles Times. The brothers are "interested in the clout they could gain through the Times' editorial pages," the Hollywood Reporter notes.

Knowing how the Kochs operate, they're sure to make Rupert Murdoch look even-keeled.

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Republican Lawmakers to Ban Undercover Animal-Abuse Videos

While I question whether it's a smart persuasive technique to thrust animal abuse videos on unsuspecting people who don't want to see them, it's a valuable service and it's worked to stop horrifying animal abuse on countless occasions. But Big Ag and the Republican Party are making sure they protect the abusers:

Now in a pushback led by the meat and poultry industries, state legislators across the country are introducing laws making it harder for animal welfare advocates to investigate cruelty and food safety cases.

Some bills make it illegal to take photographs at a farming operation. Others make it a crime for someone such as an animal welfare advocate to lie on anapplication to get a job at a plant.

Bills pending in California, Nebraska and Tennessee require that anyone collecting evidence of abuse turn it over to law enforcement within 24 to 48 hours – which advocates say does not allow enough time to document illegal activity under federal humane handling and food safety laws.

"We believe that folks in the agriculture community and folks from some of the humane organizations share the same concerns about animal cruelty," said Mike Zimmerman, chief of staff for Assembly Member Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, whose bill was unveiled this week.