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

jesusnavarro

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 …

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Alan February 9, 2012 • Comments

Are Earmarks A Bad Thing?

by Stuart Shapiro

Earmarks are back in the news again (somewhere Senator McCain is smiling).  The Washington Post has done a new expose on them and Governor Romney has decided that earmarks is going to be his mode for attacking Senator Santorum.  But are earmarks bad?  Peg McGlinch says no.

For every cringe-worthy earmark anecdote detailed in the Post series (and there were more than a few, for sure), any current or former member of Congress or staffer who has worked on appropriations can talk your ear off about terrific earmarked projects that have revitalized communities, saved lives, or improved …

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Stuart Shapiro February 9, 2012 • Comments

Herman Cain Endorses Joe The Plumber

enhanced-buzz-18160-1328825690-32

“We must outsmart liberals! We must outsmart stupid people!” decried Herman Cain at CPAC. Cain used the moment to endorse Joe the Plumber for Congress.

Cain said Joe the Plumber (née Wurzelbacher), is a leading proponent of his 9-9-9 tax plan — which largely fell flat with this crowd of conservative activists.

Cain, who was greeted to loud applause, appeared to lose the audience when he transitioned to a discussion of his signature legislative proposal — facing sporadic clapping or silence at what used to be enthusiastic applause lines from his stump speech.…

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Alan February 9, 2012 • Comments

A Question For Conservatives

Jesus_Christ

by Gabe Berman
Gabe is the author of Live Like a Fruit Fly

Have you read the Bible?

I know you speak of your Christian values, but have you really sat down and taken a glance at the Good Book?

I ask because from what I hear on the campaign trail, you may have skimmed over some of the good parts.

I know you’re too busy casting stones right now, so here’s a quick refresher course I put together just for you:

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” John …

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Gabe Berman February 9, 2012 • Comments

On Thursday’s Radio Show…

• The latest on the Catholic contraception controversy, as Republicans rally against the Obama administration.

• Alan speaks with the author of a new study showing that Muslim-American terrorism is a “miniscule threat,” UNC Professor Charles Kurzman.

• Oklahoma State Sen. Constance Johnson (D) tells Alan why she attempted to add a ban on masturbation to an anti-abortion bill.…

Read more » Posted in Radio Show by Joel February 9, 2012 • Comments

U.S. Approves First New Nuclear Plant In 30 Years

110616_gregory_jaczko_reuters_328

Submitted by Cheston Catalano

In spite of a dissent from the chairman of the panel, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the first new nuclear plant in the United States in 30 years.

…NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko cast an extraordinary dissenting vote, citing the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March 2011 that spurred the NRC to review whether existing and new U.S. reactors could withstand natural disasters like earthquakes and floods.

“I cannot support issuing this license as if Fukushima never happened.” said Jaczko, who has close ties to congressional Democrats. “I believe it requires some type of binding commitment …

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Cheston Catalano February 9, 2012 • Comments

Why The Oil Companies Deny Climate Change

blue-marble-earth-2012-nasa-goddard

by Stuart Shapiro

Fantastic essay by Bill McKibben on climate change deniers.  First he takes apart a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed that was standard fare in denialism.

The article was easily debunked. It was nothing but a mash-up of long-since-disproved arguments by people who turned out mostly not to be climate scientists at all, quoting other scientists who immediately said their actual work showed just the opposite.

It’s no secret where this denialism comes from: The fossil-fuel industry pays for it. (Of the 16 authors of the WSJ article, for instance, five had had ties to Exxon.) …

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Stuart Shapiro February 9, 2012 • Comments

Santorum: Obama “Taking Faith And Crushing It” And “We’re Headed” For “The Guillotine”

Rick Santorum suggests that following President Obama’s path we are “taking faith and crushing it,” and headed toward the guillotine (or is that headed toward being beheaded?)

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Alan February 9, 2012 • Comments

More Anti-Liberal Hate At CPAC: Left Wants To Destroy Religion And Family

Jeffrey Bell of the American Principles Project says the left isn’t about Socialism, it’s about destroying religion and the family.

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Alan February 9, 2012 • Comments

McConnell At CPAC To Go After “Liberal Thugs”

120207_mitch_m_ap_328

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell does the very thing he accuses his opponents of doing.

In a biting attack aimed at throwing red meat to a restive conservative base, McConnell will tell the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday that the “liberal playbook” boils down to this: “Pick a target, freeze it, personalize it, and then polarize it…”

He plans to add: “You know the drill. Expose these folks to public view, release the liberal thugs on them, and then hope the public pressure or the unwanted attention scares them from supporting similar causes down the road.”

 …

Read more » Posted in Liberaland by Alan February 9, 2012 • Comments