Category: Strange
Roland Burris on the Rachel Maddow Show
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Blagojevich apointee to the United States Senate Roland Burris on the Rachel Maddow Show.
Blago Goes Rogue – Appoints Roland Burris for Senate
“How- How- How much did you say? $14,000? Well, I gotta check my records because I didn’t think it was that much. I didn’t have that much money to give to the governor.” — Roland Burris when asked if his political contributions to Gov. Blagojevich played any part in his appointment to the U.S. Senate
The political landscape in Illinois dipped further into the Twilight Zone when Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. The press conference alone was odd enough, with Blago introducing Burris, Burris fumbling his way through a Q&A, and, when all else failed, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago stepped in and took over the press conference.
It was perhaps the most surreal quarter-hour of political theater in the history of the great state of Illinois.
Every news report labels Blagojevich “embattled.” That’s an understatement. The governor long ago isolated himself and has had very few political friends in Illinois for several years. Adding to today’s drama is the exodus of William J. Quinlan as Blagojevich’s general counsel. Blago stands alone, and seems to like it that way.
But he sure expects favors in return – allegedly.
The governor’s announcement came less than an hour after U.S. Senate Democratic leadership issued a statement saying the Senate will not seat anyone Blagojevich chooses to fill Illinois’ vacant Senate post. The statement also is signed by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who has repeatedly urged Blagojevich not to name a replacement for the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Secretary of State Jesse White even weighed in with a statement that he would not certify Burris.
There’s been a lot of banter in the media about the legal effect of both statements. Can the U.S. Senate Democratic leadership legally block the appointment? Does Jesse White’s refusal to certify Burris make a difference? Burris was insistent tonight on The Rachel Maddow Show that the appointment is legal. Many in the legal world seemed to support that argument.
But that doesn’t mean the U.S. Senate has to act any time soon. Harry Reid can effectively refuse to seat Burris, which can potentially delay the appointment for two years or more.
Add to the mix of voices today that of Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, who said he expects that Gov. Blagojevich will resign by February at the latest. If Burris has still not been seated by then, Quinn as acting governor can simply withdraw the appointment — perhaps.
The waters are muddier than the Fox River Valley after a flood.
Just another cold day in Blagoland.
Sock and Awe: Hit Pres Bush with a Shoe
Absolutely hilarious. Pop on over to SockAndAwe.com and play this game once, twice, or more.
Some mindless entertainment for a frigid Friday in the midwest, or whatever west you happen to be living in.
Rev. Warren: Obama’s First Big Mistake
No matter how try to I spin this in my mind, it still makes no sense.
Why did President-elect Barack Obama invite Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration? Warren is the senior pastor of Saddleback Church in southern California, a man who supported Proposition 8 in California, the California constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
Why him? What kind of pandering is this? Why honor Homophobia-incarnate front-and-center on such an historic occasion?
Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign, perhaps put it best in an open letter to the President-elect:
Let me get right to the point. Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans. Our loss in California over the passage of Proposition 8 which stripped loving, committed same-sex couples of their given legal right to marry is the greatest loss our community has faced in 40 years. And by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table.
Rick Warren has not sat on the sidelines in the fight for basic equality and fairness. In fact, Rev. Warren spoke out vocally in support of Prop 8 in California saying, “there is no need to change the universal, historical definition of marriage to appease 2 percent of our population … This is not a political issue — it is a moral issue that God has spoken clearly about.” Furthermore, he continues to misrepresent marriage equality as silencing his religious views. This was a lie during the battle over Proposition 8, and it’s a lie today.
We will forever remember Bill Clinton’s First Big Mistake, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” his infamous collapse as Commander-in-chief before the far right forces of the military?
Has Warren undergone a conversion in the last few weeks? The HRC has been calling for religious leaders to join the fight against Homophobia for years. Warren is Homophobia personified.
Sorry, I don’t get it, Barack.
Who’s next? Bob Jones University President Steven Jones for evening prayer?
Let the pandering begin.
Gov Rod Blagojevich Arrested by Feds
The Chicago Tribune has the news:
A source said today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning. The U.S. attorney’s office would not confirm the information.
A Blagojevich spokesman said he was unaware of the development. “Haven’t heard anything — you are first to call,” Lucio Guerrero said in an e-mail.
The stunning, early morning visit by authorities to the governor’s North Side home came amid revelations that federal investigators had recorded the governor with the cooperation of a longtime confidant and had begun to focus on the possibility that the process of choosing a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama could be tainted by pay-to-play politics.
When Blago was re-elected a few years back, a friend of mine in the legal profession commented, “Now we’ll know what it’s like to have a sitting governor indicted.”
And, strangely, I’m shocked when it finally happens.
Good job, Feds.
Teen on Life Support Following Scavenger Hunt
Erik Nava, a 17-year-old student at St. Charles North High School, remains in critical condition today following an underground scavenger hunt gone terribly bad Friday. According to the Sun-Times, Nava “leapt from an SUV in order to garner ‘points’ for his team.”
Police believe he jumped from a Dodge Durango moving at 25 mph as part of the game in which as many as 200 students participated.
One former St. Charles North student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the scavenger hunt has been a tradition for at least three years.
Students make a list of dares they film for points, then destroy the video after the participants prove they completed the tasks.
Some St. Charles students who participated in this year’s event said each participant contributed $5. The group that earns the most points wins the cash.
The students estimated that Nava’s group won first or second place off the four-page list of scavenger hunt activities.
Nava was supposed to fall from the vehicle onto grass, but landed on gravel instead. Police say when they arrived, they found Nava “unconscious with a puddle of blood under his head.”
Nava’s friends initially fled the scene:
As the first officer began basic first aid, four girls — some of whom were in the Dodge Durango that Nava jumped from — drove away, police said. They returned to the scene after called by police.
The people in the car thought 25 mph was too fast, and planned to take a photo of the speedometer at 25 mph, then slow down to 10 or 15 mph, according to the police report. But Nava jumped without giving notice, one of the girls told police.
According to the report, Kane County State’s Attorney John Barsanti is not sure if any crime has been committed. Still, Barsanti is calling a special grand jury to investigate.
No one interviewed the school for this story. I’d like to know whether anyone in District 303 had a clue that this had been going on for so long.
The school’s Web site appears to be overloaded right now. Let’s hope this young man recovers.
Thanksgiving with Sarah Palin
No doubt you’ve seen this elsewhere, but I have to record it here for the record.
Do Republicans have anyone on deck who is not an idiot?
Catholic Bishops to Confront Obama on Abortion
Obviously perplexed and upset at their demonstrable lack of influence during the presidential election, the one-issue United States Catholic Bishops are determined to confront President-elect Barack Obama on the issue of abortion.
Several bishops issued statements before the election expressing their belief that “Catholics could not in good conscience vote for a candidate who favored abortion rights after Obama pledged to pass legislation that would overturn state’s restrictions on abortion such as late-term abortion bans and requirements of parental consent,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
The problem, of course, is that the bishops, as a whole, view the abortion isolated from all other life issues, including, but not limited to, sex education, contraception, welfare, health care, etc.
Here’s the news from the Chicago Tribune:
In a direct challenge to President-elect Barack Obama, America’s Roman Catholic bishops vowed on Tuesday to accept no compromise for the sake of national unity until there is legal protection for the unborn.
About 300 bishops, gathered in Baltimore for their national meeting, adopted a formal blessing for a child in the womb and advised Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George, president of the conference, as he began drafting a statement from the bishops to the incoming Obama administration. That document will call on the administration and Catholics who supported Obama to work to outlaw abortion.
This is going nowhere. The bishops have a problem here. Obama won the Catholic vote.
More than half of U.S. Catholics voted Tuesday for a presidential candidate at odds with the Church’s stance on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, despite the urging of more than 50 heads of dioceses to support pro-life candidates.
Brian Burch, co-founder and president of the Catholic-based think-tank Fidelis, spoke with ZENIT about the results of the election, and why he thinks a majority of Catholics voted for Democratic candidate Barack Obama, an admitted supportor of abortion rights.
The majority of Catholics get what the bishops are missing: life is bigger than one issue.
There was a time when the Catholic Church defined the beginning of life differently. St. Augustine, for example, taught that human life began when an infant draws its first breath. Augustine did not object to terminating a pregnancy.
Listen, I don’t favor abortion at all. Frankly, I don’t know anyone who does. No one wants to see unwanted pregnancies, and I know no one who actually wants to see more abortions. But when the bishops insist that the only solution to life issues in this world is a law forbidding abortion, they are naive.
How do we build a society where there are fewer unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, and how do we support those who do become pregnant in these situations? How do we create a world where there are fewer rapes, where there is less violence against women, where there is no incest? Do we do this by passing laws that turn every pregnant woman and her doctor into criminals?
Absolutely not. While that is an easy solution, it will not stop abortion, nor will it ensure that our society has “respect” for life.
The Catholic bishops have lived long without women in their lives. This was not always the case. There was a time when bishops and popes married happily and had families.
That was a long, long time ago, and they are out of touch on this one.
Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene
Many suspected all along there was a genetic link between Christianity and genetics. Now we see proof!
Enjoy