Mock, Paper, Scissors

First he votes against extending unemployment to (formerly) working Americans. Then he pulls this:

Sen. Kyl: $678-billion tax break for rich should not be offset

Sen. Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, believes that any extension to unemployment benefits “ought to be paid for.” But when it comes to the $678-billion cost of extending the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, the senator says no offsetting is necessary.

In an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace Sunday, Kyl argued that Congress and the Obama administration should extend the tax cuts enacted by President George W. Bush during his first term.

Extending the entire package of tax cuts would cost the US $2.2 trillion over the next 10 years. The Obama administration has argued in favor of allowing to expire at least the part of the tax cuts that applies to people earning over $250,000 a year. That portion is estimated to cost $678 billion over 10 years.

via Raw Story

If not, it may be time.

h/t Laffy

OK, who is surprised by this?

The Republican National Committee’s health insurance plan covers elective abortion – a procedure the party’s own platform calls “a fundamental assault on innocent human life.”

Congressional repigs, on the other hand …..

A spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee – the campaign arm for the House Republicans – said it does not include coverage for elective abortions in its employee insurance policy.

“The policy does not cover abortions unless the life of the mother is in danger,” the NRCC spokeswoman said.

According to several Cigna employees, the insurer offers its customers the opportunity to opt out of abortion coverage – and the RNC did not choose to opt out.

via Politico

I think I’ll pass myself, but may forward this email from Gnome de Plume to all of my **conservative** friends.

The Teabagger Socialist-Free Purity Pledge

I, ________________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere to the following:

I will complain about the destruction of 1st Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 1st Amendment Rights.

I will complain about the destruction of my 2ndAmendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 2ndAmendment rights by legally but brazenly brandishing unconcealed firearms in public.

I will foreswear the time-honored principles of fairness, decency, and respect by screaming unintelligible platitudes regarding tyranny, Nazi-ism, and socialism at public town halls.

Also, I pledge to eliminate all government intervention in my life. I will abstain from the use of and participation in any socialist goods and services including but not limited to the following:

● Social Security
● Medicare/Medicaid
● State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP)
● Police, Fire, and Emergency Services
● US Postal Service
● Roads and Highways
● Air Travel (regulated by the socialist FAA)
● The US Railway System
● Public Subways and Metro Systems
● Public Bus and Lightrail Systems
● Rest Areas on Highways
● Sidewalks
● All Government-Funded Local/State Projects (e.g., see Iowa 2009federal senate appropriations)
● Public Water and Sewer Services (goodbye socialist toilet, shower, dishwasher, kitchen sink, outdoor hose!)
● Public and State Universities and Colleges
● Public Primary and Secondary Schools
● Sesame Street
● Publicly Funded Anti-Drug Use Education for Children
● Public Museums
● Libraries
● Public Parks and Beaches
● State and National Parks
● Public Zoos
● Unemployment Insurance
● Municipal Garbage and Recycling Services
● Treatment at Any Hospital or Clinic That Ever Received Funding From Local, State or Federal Government (pretty much all of them)
● Medical Services and Medications That Were Created or Derived From Any Government Grant or Research Funding (again, pretty much all of them)
● Socialist Byproducts of Government Investment Such as Duct Tape and Velcro (Nazi-NASA Inventions)
● Use of the Internets, email, and networked computers, as the DoD’s ARPANET was the basis for subsequent computer networking
● Foodstuffs, Meats, Produce and Crops That Were Grown With, Fed With, Raised With or That Contain Inputs From Crops Grown With Government Subsidies
● Clothing Made from Crops (e.g. cotton) That Were Grown With or That Contain Inputs From Government Subsidies
● If a veteran of the government-run socialist US military, I will forego my VA benefits and insist on paying for my own medical care.

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When you go to your town hall meeting or health care rally, ask the deathers wrapped in the flags and the swastikas if they ever came to Texas to protest W’s death panels here?

For those who don’t like Wikipedia as a source (bravo, actually), here is the relevant section of the Texas Health and Safety Code that essentially allows a medical facility to decide whether it wants to continue giving life-sustaining treatment, even against the wishes of the patient or family.

Focus on Section 166.046, Subsection E, which allows:

If an attending physician refuses to honor a patient’s advance directive or a health care or treatment decision made by or on behalf of a patient, the physician’s refusal shall be reviewed by an ethics or medical committee. The attending physician may not be a member of that committee. The patient shall be given life-sustaining treatment during the review.

So if a patient or his/her family don’t agree with the physician, it goes before a board to decide the patient’s fate.  But wait, there’s more:

If the attending physician, the patient, or the person responsible for the health care decisions of the individual does not agree with the decision reached during the review process under Subsection (b), the physician shall make a reasonable effort to transfer the patient to a physician who is willing to comply with the directive. If the patient is a patient in a health care facility, the facility’s personnel shall assist the physician in arranging the patient’s transfer…

So what happens if these Texas death panels end up winning – against the wishes of the family?

A person does not commit an offense under Section 22.08, Penal Code, by withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment from a qualified patient in accordance with this subchapter.

Immunity from civil or criminal prosecution.

via clammyc at Kos

Did Sarah Palin care at all for the fate of Sun Hudson, a desperately ill and poor (but non-white) baby here in Texas?  He was killed under the “Texas Futile Care Law,” which sounds a whole lot worse than a proposal for medicare recipients to be able to discuss advanced directives.

Pro-life my granny’s big toe!

Noted drag impressario and infamous secretary-banging Lothario, former NYC Mayor and failed GOP presidential candidate, Rudy “Legs” Giuliani was a no-show at his friends wedding, Howard Koeppel and his longtime lover, Mark Hsiao, who tied the knot in a double-ring ceremony before 10 guests in Westport, Conn. Giuliani’s secretary phoned-in his regrets at the last minute.

This is newsworthy because Giuliani’s friends are gay, and he lived with them during his divorce from his second marriage (to Donna Hanover) to the current succubus Mrs. Giuliani, née Judy Nathan. Mr. Giuliani, a strong family values GOP politician first marriage was to his cousin. That marriage also ended in divorce. Mr. Giuliani is estranged from his various spawn.

The repiglicans are just making this too easy.

Social Networking

from TPM Josh Marshall by Josh Marshall

Former chief of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under Gov. Ted Strickland (D-OH) arrested for running hooker rating website.

Not clear whether holding the $10 a ticket hooker raffle was also part of the charges.

and he STILL looks ugly and lumpy!

John McCain Hired “American Idol” Makeup Artist

John McCain, whose ads skewer Barack Obama for his “celebrity” status, has his own close ties to show business, the new issue of Us Weekly reports exclusively.

The 72-year-old was recently made TV-ready by makeup artist Tifanie White who’s worked on So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.

McCain paid the 2002 beauty-school grad $5,583.43 for her services, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Keep reading.

-Or-

Visit Tifanie White‘s website which mentions Cindy McCain (and others) as a client, but not John.

Ya find out that your VP choice, the Christian fundy VP choice with the good family values, has a pregnant, unmarried teen in the house! Good grief! I guess the right wingers will be glad she’s keeping the baby.

Palin Says Her Daughter, 17, Is Pregnant

New York Times

ST. PAUL, Sept 1 (Reuters) – The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin’s five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said.

“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us,” the Palins’ statement said.

“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support,” the Palins said.

The Palins asked the news media to respect the young couple’s privacy.

“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates,” the statement concluded.

Oops, no failure in vetting. From the same article:

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