Entries for This Week (March 7 - March 12)

Oh Good, Now We Have The Virginia Brand of Repug Hypocrisy

Posted Wednesday at 4:27 PM
Those of us in Virginia (as in our Commonwealth of VA that we love and where we live) who had sense enough not to vote Republican last November were embarrassed again last night by The Daily Show. Because I had to endure once again being associated with those who evidently want us to be known as one of the "backward" states, I now want to scream out my car window for everyone to hear, "I didn't vote for morons Bob McDonnell and Ken "The Cooch" Cuccinelli!" that are today's Virginia version of Repug hypocrisy. The so-called "moderate" McDonnell of TV ads and the campaign trail who fooled too many voters last November due to his "reasonable" rhetoric along with his far right-wing AG, Cuccinelli, have decided to be the "deciders" about who is worthy of non-discrimination policy in today's Virginia. Even though the past two governors (sensible Dems, of course) included sexual orientation as a work place protected category in executive orders they initiated, these two throwbacks seem determined to be as closed-minded as we Dems would have expected.

Since no one can skewer hypocrites like Jon Stewart (who BTW is a W&M grad), I present for your cringe-worthy viewing last night's Gaywatch--Virginia Edition segment from The Daily Show.
 
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Gaywatch - Virginia Edition
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Liz Chaney's brand of hypocrisy is dangerous

Posted Tuesday at 12:45 PM
Some politicians are hypocrites, and unfortunately, it is just not Republicans. But, Democrats cannot even begin to reach the heights of Republicans. Just in the last few days we have had Tom DeLay who has accomplished so much for workers allege with
heartless sincerity that people are unemployed because they want to be, and they only look for jobs when their benefits run out.

Another Repug who never fails to entertain even as she shocks us with yet another hypocrisy is the former Governor of Alaska who admitted over the weekend that, when she was growing up, her family used to "hustle" over to Canada to take advantage of their "socialist" health care services that she is sure will not work in America. She is much like Rush Limbaugh, who was so impressed with the care he received when he had a medical emergency in Hawaii while on vacation, that he said that there was nothing wrong with the U.S. healthcare system. What he didn't realize was that Hawaii has been using an almost universal coverage system for its citizens for over three decades. Thus, he benefitted from a system he rails against everyday on his radio show.

Finally, and probably the most calculatingly devious, is an attempt by Liz Cheney and a group she started called Keep America Safe to smear honorable Department of Justice attorneys who did their duty--the job they were hired to do by our government--by representing the Guantanamo detainees during the Bush-Cheney administration. These lawyers have been retained by Attorney General Eric Holder to continue to serve in the Obama administration, which most certainly is the reason Keep America Safe has gone after them. The group's McCarthy-like tactics include language that misrepresents their jobs as you can read from a quote that came from a story at Huffington Post and in a despicable video they have distributed that you can view below:

     Keep America Safe spokesman Michael Goldfarb told Politico's Ben Smith.
"These lawyers did far more than represent criminals. They have propagandized on behalf of our enemies, engaging in a worldwide smear campaign against the CIA, the U.S. military and the United States itself while we are at war."  
                                                                                                                                        

                  

Fortunately, a large group of prominent people including lawyers and Bush administration officials have soundly admonished the group for their behavior.

What is so maddening in its hypocrisy is that Liz Cheney would have the audacity to attack the loyalty of employees who, during the Bush-Cheney administration, did what is expected by our nation's laws and traditions--that is, representing  those who hold unpopular or even vile or offensive beliefs. And they did this while Liz's father, our most infamous Vice President was (and still is) advocating torture in violation of United States laws, the Geneva Conference and international law.