There were some notable honorable mentions for this week's title. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and his remarks regarding out homosexuals and unmarried/non-chaste women and their fitness for teaching ranks right up there. In a 2004 campaign debate he said the same thing. He apologized that time, but now claims that he had many people tell him they agreed. Despite the shit storm this comment has instigated, DeMint shows no signs of apologizing this time around.
Another honorable mention goes to Joe the Plumber, who has managed to turn his 15 minutes of fame into a cottage industry. Old Joe has come out against what he and (surprise) the Tea Party thinks is radical legislation to eliminate, wait for it, puppy mills. According to the Humane Society of the United States, Missouri has 30% of the nation's puppy mills. For some unknown reason, they think the idea of puppy mills is bad. But the tea partiers think otherwise. Of course, they claim it's because they feel this legislation will harm legitimate breeders and
"The society seeks only to raise the cost of breeding dogs, making it ever-more difficult for middle-class American families to be dog-owners."Yeah, right.
Last honorable mention goes to none other than Dick Armey. He wants to eliminate all federal government funding for higher education. Go read the article at Think Progress in the link above. Jilani says it better than I could.
And now we get to this week's winner. When I first saw this story in my reader on Monday morning, I knew it would take top honors this week. In Obion, TN firefighters watched a man's house burn down because he had not paid his $75
To add insult to injury, the Obion County Budget Committee voted the next day to expand the service to "give all communities in the county the option of paying a subscription". This despite the fact that a 2008 study done by the county fire department shows that it would take only a 13 cent increase in property taxes to fund a county wide service.
And lastly, the Cranicks lost not only their home but their 4 pets - 3 dogs and a cat - in the fire. I find it hard to grasp the idea of firefighters choosing to stand idly by and watch a house burn to the ground. All for want of $75.
Glen Beck says this is what we should expect to happen. He is among the defenders of the county and believes that this is ultimately an issue of personal responsibility. Of course, before he said he thinks "this is the kind of stuff that’s going to have to happen, we are going to have to have these kinds of things" he was openly mocking Cranick.
This is indeed where things are headed if we allow the current crop of Conservatives to make headway. After all, we're not responsible for our fellow man. He has to step up and take responsibility. Maybe this lesson will not be lost on others who have forgotten or declined to pay their extortion fee. The world's a harsh place after all.
Bollocks.
5 comments:
I find I must award Jim DeMint the Wade Hampton Asshat Award for new lows in South Carolina politics. He is seriously scary--really, really seriously scary. I hang onto my humor by my fingernails these days.
Any further federal stimulus funds must be aimed directly at infrastructure, which includes services like fire and EMS response, roads, bridges, tunnels, gas, sewer, water, etc., and National Parks repair. Let the corporations and big banks sort their issues all out for themselves, since that's what they want to do. Is that all feasible? Hell, I have no idea any more, but it sure sounds fair, doesn't it?
P.S. I'm going!
I shiver at all your reminders of what craziness transpired this week. It's just mind boggling, and I fear with liberal voters being largely lackadaisical right now, they won't go to the polls, and we will have the GOP and Pea Tartiers "winning" and thinking "the American people have spoken" and that they have been handed the crown to the kingdom. All makes me very sad and depressed.
I can't breathe at the thought of this insanity. Firefighters standing by? They better watch out because I would taking one of their axes to get out my Lola. If I died in the attempt would they be charged with manslaughter? Neglect?
Can they be charged with animal abuse? I am not crazy about PETA most of the time, but where are they when we need them???
@LeftLeaningLady, you don't want PETA involved, they're just a bunch of self-absorbed, grandstanding idiots, most of whom don't care about animals at all, but merely use them to further their own political agenda (I mean the people who run it, not necessarily people who are of that persuasion and follow them). I won't get into it here, but you can look up their euthanasia rates for animals that they took into their Virginia facility. They found very few of the animals homes, something like 5% if memory serves me correctly. They killed the rest.
The ASPCA should get involved and bring charges against the firefighters for not doing their job and directly causing an animal to die a horrific death.
@A World Quite Mad, I am ok with the ASPCA. As I said, I am normally not crazy about PETA (extremism is a little extreme in my opinion) And I actually HAVE read their euthanasia rates.. I wonder why I did that?!?! Weird.
But someone should shine a spotlight on this nonsense. As a friend on FB said, "It isn't about rights, it is about human decency." What more is there to say?
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