Gingrich At CPAC: Unemployment Benefits Violate Declaration Of Independence

Newt Gingrich says “never again should we pay somebody 99 weeks for doing nothing,” and it’s a “fundamental violation of the Declaration of Independence that we have the right to pursue happiness.”

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Reagan Vs. The Republicans . . . Again

by Stuart Shapiro

Congress is currently considering a transportation bill, a subject that is typically an area of bipartisan agreement and compromise.  But House Republicans are nothing if not atypical.  And while they invoke President Reagan at every opportunity, they are trying to undo his program of using money from the Highway Trust Fund (funded by taxes on gasoline) for public transit and road repair.  And before anyone tells you that Reagan was forced into this:

Reagan explained why he’d made an exception for the gas tax. “It was a year ago that Secretary Drew Lewis presented the plan …

Cornucopia Of CPAC Crazies

RightWingWatch has an array of soundbites from the Conservative Political Action Conference and other sources.

Wayne LaPierre: Obama intentionally hasn’t pursued an anti-gun agenda as part of “a massive Obama conspiracy…to destroy the Second Amendment during his second term.”

Liberty Council’s Matt Barber on Faith and Freedom radio: Obama may “start throwing pastors in prison.”

The American Principles Project’s Andy Blom says conservatives are too nice and should stop compromising.

Santorum financier Foster Freiss: “I make a lot of money and don’t like the fact that I’m discriminated against…because of it.

Mitt Romney: I “prevented Massachusetts from …

Is Santorum The New And Final “Not Romney”?

Polls show a surge for Rick Santorum.

Public Policy Polling and Gallup — show Rick Santorum either taking over the lead among Republican voters nationally or at least tied with Mitt Romney.

A new Fox News poll also shows Santorum surging and in the last two days the poll was in the field he moved into a dead heat with Romney, 30% to 30%.…

Brutally Beaten Gay Man Faces Reporters

Brandon White talked with the press about his brutal beating at the hands of an Atlanta gang.

In the news conference, Brandon spoke, along with Atlanta area gay activists and leaders from the community. All of them soundly condemned the attack, along with the ongoing gang activity in that area.

Brandon said he was still shaken by the violent gang assault Saturday that caught national attention and became the center of the debate over crimes against gay men and women.

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Madonna Fans Beg Netanyahu To Hold Off Bombing Iran Until After May Concert

A group of Madonna fans started a Facebook page to beg the Israeli Prime Minister not to hit Iran until after Madge visits.

The group, simply and directly enough, is named: “Bibi don’t start a war with Iran until after Madonna’s show on May 29.”

While the, currently relatively unpopulated, Facebook page could seem like a case of dealing with trivialities in the face of all-out war with Iran,” Israeli Madonna fans’ fears are not unsubstantiated, with a distinguished list of artists bailing out on Israeli shows in the last minute over political crises and wars…

In 2006, electro band …

Santorum: Women Shouldn’t Be In Combat Because Of “Other Types Of Emotions”

With the Pentagon giving more opportunities for women to serve in enhanced roles, Rick Santorum was asked by John King his reaction.

“I think that could be a very compromising situation, where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved. It already happens, of course, with the camaraderie of men in combat, but I think it would be even more unique if women were in combat,” Santorum added. “And I think that’s not in the best interests of men, women or the mission.”…

Obama Alters Birth Control Policy

Religious employers will not have to provide birth control coverage under a revamped heath coverage policy.

The administration instead will demand that insurance companies will be the ones directly responsible for providing free contraception…

Women will still get guaranteed access to birth control without co-pays or premiums no matter where they work, a provision of Obama’s health care law that he insisted must remain. But religious universities and hospitals that see contraception as an unconscionable violation of their faith can refuse to cover it, and insurance companies will then have to step in to do so…

Under the new policy, …

Congressman Peter King To Continue Muslim Radicalization Hearings In Spite Of Little Actual Threat

Congressman Peter King vows to keep holding hearings to look into the threat of radical Muslims in America, even though statistics show there is little threat.

The House Homeland Security Committee chairman defended the hearings he’s held already, saying the probe is focusing attention on “critical counterterrorism issues.”

“The series of radicalization hearings I convened last March has been very productive,” King said in a statement. “I will definitely continue the hearings in 2012.”

Never mind that a new study shows radical U.S. Muslims are hardly a threat.

The study, to be released on Wednesday, found that 20 Muslim Americans …

Mississippi Lawmaker Now Says “Gulf Of America” Bill Was Satire

Mississippi State Senator Stephen Holland told Daniel Cherry of Mississippi Public Broadcasting he was trying to point out the absurdity of anti-Mexican sentiment by proposing a bill to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” the “Gulf of America.”

Holland told Daniel that so many of his Republican colleagues seem to want to push anything or anyone Mexican out of the state that he’s just trying to “embrace” their cause and help them out. In other words, he’s introduced a bill that he thinks will make a satirical point by being outrageous.…

Dying Illegal Immigrant To Finally Get Kidney Transplant

Jesus Navarro, who was denied a life-saving operation after waiting six years because of his immigration status, will finally get a kidney transplant.

The decision came following a petition on Change.org that accumulated 130,000 signatures in support of Navarro’s case.

The petition was started by Donald Kagan, a kidney transplant recipient whose kidney was donated by a Nicaraguan immigrant.

“Immigration status should never be a death sentence,” Kagan said in a news release.

Change.org said within days of the campaign launch Kagan had accumulated 130,000 supporters. He then went to UCSF Kidney Transplant Center with the petition, asking doctors …