Sapere Aude!

Karen Handel, Susan G. Komen's Anti-Abortion VP, Drove Decision To Defund Planned Parenthood

WASHINGTON -- Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the nation's leading anti-breast-cancer charity, has insisted that its since-reversed decision to pull funding from Planned Parenthood arose from a routine change in criteria for grant eligibility that had nothing to do with abortion politics.

But a Komen insider told HuffPost on Sunday that Karen Handel, Komen's staunchly anti-abortion vice president for public policy, was the main force behind the decision to defund Planned Parenthood and the attempt to make that decision look nonpolitical.

"Karen Handel was the prime instigator of this effort, and she herself personally came up with investigation criteria," the source, who requested anonymity out of concern that speaking publicly would do irreparable harm to the source's career, told HuffPost. "She said, 'If we just say it's about investigations, we can defund Planned Parenthood and no one can blame us for being political.'"

Emails between Komen leadership on the day the Planned Parenthood decision was announced, which were reviewed by HuffPost under the condition they not be published, confirm the source's description of Handel's sole "authority" in crafting and implementing the Planned Parenthood policy.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Not shocked at all.

GOP Crowd Boos The Golden Rule

Tim Scott: Christians Are 'Greatest Minority Under Assault Today'

Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) addressed a crowd gathered Monday at a South Carolina Tea Party conference and resolutely concluded that "the greatest minority under assault today are Christians. No doubt about it."

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Of course, Christians are not a minority and simply picking a different way to live that is not consistent with his preferred version of Christianity doesn't count as bigotry.

The Government Take Over of Health Care, Anti-Abortion Style?

A Texas law requiring abortion providers to show or describe an ultrasound image to a pregnant woman and to play sounds of the fetal heartbeat does not violate the U.S. Constitution, according to a federal appeals court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on Tuesday overturned a federal judge's decision to block the law, ruling that the ultrasound requirements do not infringe on abortion providers' free speech rights.

"The required disclosures of a sonogram, the fetal heartbeat, and their medical descriptions are the epitome of truthful, non-misleading information," Chief Judge Edith Jones wrote for the three-judge panel.

The Texas law, enacted in 2011, requires abortion providers to display the ultrasound images and describe them in detail. Women cannot decline to hear the physician's description of the image unless they qualify for an exception under the statute. Exceptions include if the woman suffered rape or incest or if the fetus has abnormalities.

A coalition of medical providers sued to block the law in June 2011, arguing that the law made doctors a "mouthpiece" for the state's ideological message. The First Amendment includes protections against compelled speech.

via www.chicagotribune.com

Does that count as a government take over of health care?  What if somebody doesn't want a sonogram?

Jon Stewart Mocks the "Normal Muslims Shock Our Worldview" Crowd Over TV Shows

If the representation of Muslims as normal people is a shock to your worldview, it's because you're probably prejudiced against Muslims.  If merely being exposed to ideas that are inconsistent with your worldview is troubling to you, then you are the product of a successful indoctrination program.  Beavis and Butthead made fun of this attitude about being exposed to different ideas in "Dumb Design." 

 

Jon Stewart Rips Fox News Religious Hypocrisy

Stephen Colbert on Gut Reporting and Accuracy about Norway Attacks

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Al Franken's Take Down of Focus on the Family

The facts and best arguments do not support the anti-gay marriage position. So, they just make shit up.

Jon Stewart on Jon Stewart on Fox News

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Fox News even selectively edits their interviews about media bias and selective editing as you can see from the unedited version.  However, it looks like Stewart's claim that Fox News viewers is dubious.  It's true in my personal experience with Fox viewers though.  Regardless, Stewart does a good job of dismantling the dubious pretention to journalistic objectivity of Fox's "fair and balanced" slogan.  They aren't fair or balanced.  They tend to set up and attack a straw man of liberalism.  And, their alleged balance is no more than presenting a particular slant on the news that fits the conservative worldview and that they feel is missing from mainstream media, as Wallace admits.  It's more about appealing to a particular demographic than it is about presenting information for citizens to examine and think about.

"Little Winstons" Trying to Edit Wikipedia Paul Revere Page

You've probably heard about Sarah Palin's family vacation.  She's riding around the country learning about American History.  Some of news coverage of the tour indicates she definately needs an educational vacation this summer.  She either doesn't quite understand what Paul Revere actually did or cannot communicate her understanding clearly.  In typical Palin fashion, she is refusing to admit any fault in either her understanding of US History or of her ability to communiate it clearly, she doubled-down on it.  The "great communicator" she is not.  Some of her supporters have taken things a little further.  From Little Green Footballs:

Man, you’ve gotta almost admire the sheer blind dedication of Sarah Palin’s wingnut acolytes.

Now they’re trying like crazy to edit the Wikipedia page for “Paul Revere” to make it match Palin’s botched version of history. Here’s the Revision history of Paul Revere; check out the edits that are being reversed.

Also see the discussion page for an entertaining exchange between Wikipedia editors and a would-be revisionist.

via littlegreenfootballs.com

In George Orwell's 1984  - which, I think, is a much better referrence our current economic predicament than Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged - the main character, Winston, works in The Ministry of Truth.  His job is to go back and revise the content past documents that make up "the official record" so that it suits the political leadership's current political purposes.  But, in order for the machine to work, enough people have to be willing to do this kind of work.  Totalitarian regimes require a measure of popular support in order to carry out their plans.  It looks like some Palin supporters are willing to do this kind of work.  They're Palin's "little Winstons."  Thankfully, Wikipedia is not the official record.