On Thursday’s Radio Show…

• This year’s CPAC has kicked off and members of the tea party movement are on hand. Alan reacts to the first day of the conservative convention.

• Republicans in Utah want to make 12th grade optional in order to save the state money. Alan confronts State Senator Chris Buttars on his controversial budget proposal.

• Ever wonder what to do with your pets when the rapture comes? Alan talks with atheist Bart Centre of Eternal Earthbound Pets, whose company will ensure your animal’s safety in the event of divine intervention.…

South Carolina Lawmaker Wants To Ban Currency

South Carolina State Rep. Mike Pitts introduced legislation that would ban US currency in favor of gold and silver coins.  Pitts refers to the use of money as “unconstitutional.”

Pitts, a fourth-term Republican from Laurens, introduced legislation earlier this month that would ban what he calls “the unconstitutional substitution of Federal Reserve Notes for silver and gold coin” in South Carolina.

If the bill were to become law, South Carolina would no longer accept or use anything other than silver and gold coins as a form of payment for any debt, meaning paper money would be out in the Palmetto …

Joseph Stack’s Online Anti-Government Screed

The Austin Statesman Tweeted a link to an online rant written by a “Joe Stack” who, at the end of his statement, give the years of his birth–and death:

If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, “Why did this have to happen?” The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn’t enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Needless to say, this rant could …

Did Joseph Stack Purposely Crash His Plane Into Building Because Of Hatred Of IRS?

Law enforcement officials are investigating whether Joseph Andrew Stack, the pilot who crashed his plane into an Austin office building, did so because of a beef with the IRS.

The officials said authorities are trying to determine if the pilot intentionally targeted nearby office space of the Internal Revenue Service. There are reports the pilot may have been disgruntled with the IRS.

As a precaution, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command launched two F-16 aircraft from Houston’s Ellington Field, and is conducting an air patrol over the crash area.

It is believed that shortly before Stack crashed into …

John Birch Society Is Co-Sponsor OF CPAC

John Avlon, whose new book, Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America is newly released, reveals at The Daily Beast that the co-sponsor of this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference is the John Birch Society.

The John Birch Society—a stridently anti-communist, paleo-conservative group—was exiled from the mainstream conservative movement back in the 1960s because of its penchant for conspiracy theories. The group had a starring role in Richard Hofstadter’s classic The Paranoid Style in American Politics, and founder Robert Welch infamously described President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a “dedicated, conscious agent of the communist conspiracy.”

And that’s just for …

Tea Party Leader Defends States’ Rights To Secede

Former Arizona sheriff Richard Mack strongy defended the rights of states to secede from the union at the same time he was trying to tell Chris Matthews that he’s never advocated for it.

Let’s not forget that “states’ rights” has often been used as code for segregation, as Dixiecrats didn’t want to have to conform to civil rights legislation. Combine that with the recent Tom Tancredo keynote at the Nashville tea party convention where he advocated for a “civics literacy test,” another code for racism, and Rick Scarborough’s railing against Hispanics,  and it’s understandable why there …

New GOP VA Governor Rescinds Equal Protecton Order For Gays

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell wasted little time overturning an order by his predecessor, Tim Kaine, that protected the state’s gay workers against discrimination. McConnell signed a non-discrimination executive order that left out the specific protection that was included when Kaine was governor.  It was signed on February 5, but not reported until five days later.

Kaine did not personally comment, but his spokesperson Hari Sevugan did.

It says a lot about the Republican party that they would anoint as their ‘rising star’ someone who in 2010 is actually stripping away from Americans legal protections against discrimination. Bob McDonnell is …

CPAC To Feature Pelosi Pinata And Reid Punching Bag

It’s starting to be difficult to tell the difference between CPAC and tea parties.  Weresure t0 hear much about “traditional American values” at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference. Would that include using pinatas and punching bags to whack those you don’t agree with? Conservatives will be able to do more than disagree. They’ll be able to vent their anger by smashing a pinata of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and by punching a bag with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s face on it (h/t Think Progress).

Keri Ann Meslar, director of development for the Greater Washington Sports Alliance and …

Idaho Tea Party Speaker: “I Want To [Hang] Patty Murray”

At a Saturday tea party event in Ascotin, ID, one of the speakers expressed the wish the Democratic Washington Senator Patty Murray be hanged.

“How many of you have watched the movie Lonesome Dove?,” asked one speaker from the podium. “What happened to Jake when he ran with the wrong crowd? What happened to Jake when he ran with the wrong crowd. He got hung. And that’s what I want to do with Patty Murray.”

Lewis and Clark Tea Party Patriots’ co-chair Doug Schurman said around 500 people showed up for the rally at the Asotin County Fairgrounds.

“We …

On Wednesday’s Radio Show…

• Are wingnuts ruining American politics? Alan talks with John Avlon, senior political columnist for The Daily Beast about his new book Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America.

• A new survey says Rep. Michele Bachmann is embarrassing her home state of Minnesota. Alan talks with State Senator Tarryl Clark, who will be challenging the Republican Congresswoman in November.

• Smokers need not apply: Alan responds to an Ohio hospital system’s decision to freeze hiring of smokers.…

Palin: Global Warming Is “Junk Science”; Tea Party Movement: “Grand”

Speaking in Arkansas to Republican Party activists, Sarah Palin said the tea party movement is “a grand movement.  I love it because it’s all about the people.”

“Now the smart thing will be for independents who are such a part of this Tea Party movement to, I guess, kind of start picking a party,” Palin said. “Which party reflects how that smaller, smarter government steps to be taken? Which party will best fit you? And then because the Tea Party movement is not a party, and we have a two-party system, they’re going to have to pick a party and …