GOP effort to recruit women legislators backfires

Oh, the slings and arrows of being the majority. Yesterday, all the fine ladies the GOP recruited to demonstrate the GOP is not at war with women went to war against House Speaker John Boehner and his fellow House misogynists. House GOP gals Jackie Walorski (IN) and Kristi Noem (SD) said 'NYET' to Boehner passing the GOP's signature anti-abortion legislation prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks. The bill did provide a bit of wiggle room for women impregnated by their rapist, but only if they promptly reported their rape to police. Waloski and Noem, unlike the anti-female Boehner Boys, understand that roughly two-thirds of such rapes are not reported, meaning roughly two-thirds of such unwanted pregnancies would be required to come to term, inflicting endless trauma on already traumatized rape victims. This utter waste of lawmakers time was moot from the start. Any passage of legislation limiting women's reproductive health has virtually no chance of Senate passage or surviving a wise presidential veto.

Speaker Boehner must rue the day he signed on to bringing those pesky ladies into the legislative process. 

Boehner invite to Netanyahu reckless; traitorous

In an extraordinary snub of presidential protocol, GOP House Speaker John Boehner played Chief Executive, inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress February 11. The invite is designed to undermine President Obama's efforts to secure a nuclear agreement with Iran in which US will trade ending sanctions for a verified end to Iran's real or imagined atomic weapons aspirations. Boehner, doing the GOP neocon and warmongers' dirty work, seeks to both embarrass the President and generate a veto proof congressional majority should Obama veto their Iran deal sabotage of new sanctions even as delicate negotiations are nearing fruition. Boehner, his neocon buddies, including the munitions makers making billions peddling their wares to Israel and any nation paying the price, want no US-Iran deal. Nether does Netanyahu and his Likud Party. They want Iran crushed so Israel stands alone as the only Middle East hegemon. That is their agenda, not ours. We shouldn't enable it. The US war party, not having their bloodlust quenched after two failed Middle East wars, thinks nothing of the risk they put us sane and scared citizens through. At his State of the Union speech, Obama briefly touched on this momentous, indeed, cataclysmic issue, saying a negotiated deal would secure “America and our allies — including Israel, while avoiding yet another Middle East conflict.” Boehner should eyeball his paystub: it's signed by Uncle Sam; not 'Crush Iran Ben'.

Comprehension continues to elude Congressman Roskam

"Unfortunately, the speech we heard tonight reflects a president whose focus is squarely on a political legacy and not on the common-sense policies that will strengthen families, grow our economy, and build on the common ground we all have as Americans. Our country deserves so much better." - IL 6th District Congressman Peter Roskam, commenting on yesterday's State of the Union speech

The residents of the 6th District have the following questions for Congressman Roskam:

What part of 58 straight months of private sector job growth don't you comprehend?

What part of a two thirds cut in federal deficit don't you comprehend?
What part of a stock market doubling in value don't you comprehend?
What part of 10% unemployment falling under 6% don't you comprehend?
What part of a near halving of gasoline prices don't you comprehend?
What part of ten million folks getting their first health insurance don't you comprehend?
What part of the first major reduction in escalating health care costs don't you comprehend?
What part of 70% of America's gay families living under marriage equality don't you comprehend?

After two criminal wars and the most calamitous economic collapse since 1929, America finally got what it deserved. Sadly, the Illinois 6th is still waiting.

Roskam actually protecting Obamacare haters

My congressman Peter Roskam's constituent email titled 'Protecting our firefighters' would be better titled 'Protecting our Obamacare haters'. It is a typical Roskam non-story furthering his six year crusade to defeat, overturn, defund and now, finally, demonize the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This successful, indeed, transformational law is assisting tens of millions avoid bankruptcy, diminished health, even death. But in Roskam's warped world of governance, he feels compelled to give his anti-government Illinois 6th District base more anti-government red meat hate; and he never disappoints.

Some background. The ACA mandates organizations employing 50 or more full time people provide employer health insurance or face penalties. They must include anyone working 30 or more hours weekly as full time employees. These provisions are designed to keep employers from 'gaming the system' by dropping 40 hour per week employees to 30 hours in order to avoid ACA compliance. That is good. But since many fire department volunteer firefighters are already otherwise covered for healthcare, the IRS has wisely issued a rule exempting them from the 30 hour rule. But the GOP House Republicans, citing their endless fear of government, proposed a law in the last Congress and now this one, to codify that rule into law. It's strictly window dressing. There is no debate or issue involved. The current version, H.R. 33, passed 410 to 0. This is the basis for Roskam's inflammatory email. But since it's just window dressing, the Senate last year said "Fine, we'll pass it if you extend unemployment insurance extension to the two million long term unemployed." The House GOP said "No way", resulting in an unneeded bill having no chance of becoming law. But a typical Roskam 'low information' supporter simply reads Roskam's email as a principled attack on the ACA which he endlessly trumpets as horrible, big government overreach.

Those millions of folks being helped, even saved by the ACA, would be sacrificed in a heartbeat if Peter Roskam had the power to do so. That is not good governance. That is reprehensible.
 

Good Pope, Bad Pope Francis really bad in Philippines

Pope Francis has become a cult hero worldwide with his calls to alleviate poverty, shrink income disparity between the 'have much' and 'have little', and shame the greedy rich to grow up. That is why it is so painful to hear the Pope pandering to the world's dead end homophobes during his visit to the Philippines. His harmful comments bear repeating:

"The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the part of some ...to redefine the very institution of marriage." He warned that Philippine society was "tempted by confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage and the family. As you know, these realities are increasingly under attack from powerful forces which threaten to disfigure God's plan for creation and betray the very values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture." He called gay marriage "ideological colonization that threatens the family." A week before his visit he lamented to Vatican diplomats about "legislation which benefits various forms of cohabitation rather than adequately supporting the family for the welfare of society as a whole." He claims gay marriage has " contributed to a widespread sense of the family as disposable."

Pope Francis is the coolest dude around when it comes to greed and poverty. But when he tries to play Ann Landers or Dear Abby with the human family, he'd be better served disposing of his prejudices by getting some serious counseling about human relationships and personal freedom.