Louisiana Justice of the Peace Refuses Marriage License to Interracial Couple

Louisiana justice of the peace Keith Bardwell refused to issue a marriage license because the husband and wife are of different races. Really? In 2009? Yeah, it's true. Check it out here. Another gem of the deep south shines a light on his own stupidity. Just because he is against interracial marriage in no way entitles Mr.Bardwell to deny U.S. citizens to legally marry.

Forgive me for becoming weary of those on the right and religious fringe thinking they are doing God's work by refusing to carry out their jobs in a lawful and respectful manner. Bardwell reminds me of the pharmacists who refuse to dispense the "morning after" pill due to their personal religious beliefs. This country cannot function very effectively if every person in a position of power decides to carry out only those specific functions which do not conflict with their view of the world in any way.

I have some advice if you are a pharmacist who feels compelled to deny women a legal drug or a justice of the peace who just cannot bring himself to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. Find another line of work! Or better yet, do not enter these professions in the first place. I hope that the couple denied a license in Louisiana decide to proceed with their complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition, I hope the ACLU is successful in their pleading to the Louisiana Supreme Court which requests that Mr. Bardwell be removed from office.

GOP Fringe At The Tipping Point?

Has the tipping point been reached in this country? Has one of our major political parties crossed the line into a bizarre realm where the fringe elements have become mainstream? Is it possible that otherwise intelligent, moderate voices within the GOP lack the courage or good sense to distance themselves from the fringe which is now completely unchecked and out-of-control? Unfortunately, the answer to all of these questions appears to be YES!

Birthers. Deathers. Those who feel comfortable comparing President Obama to Hitler, Nazis, socialists, and Marxists now seem to be in control of the Republican party. People who speak about "death panels" and a "government takeover" of healthcare have free reign within the new GOP. Those Republicans who do nothing to criticize or distance themselves from these fact-free zealots are just as guilty as the zealots themselves.

The warning signs were there months ago when powerful politicians cowered at the feet of Rush Limbaugh rather than face his wrath. Then the tea parties provided a forum for those who could not accept Barack Obama as our President to pop the cork on a big old bottle of "crazy" combined with an large helping of "hate speech." It culminated more recently with Glenn Beck branding President Obama a racist, Joe Wilson calling the President of the United States a 'Liar" on the floor of the House of Representatives, and people carrying signs with the classy slogan "Bury Obamacare with Kennedy." Is there no limit to what is now acceptable behavior within the Republican party? How is this going to end? Will it end? Or will the leaders within the GOP continue to lend support with their deafening silence to the growing fringe who now feel empowered to spew their misinformation, hate, disrespect without being challenged.

Another Supreme Court Nomination for Obama?

There are indications that the 89 year old liberal justice John Paul Stevens may be preparing to retire from the Supreme Court. He would be 90 years old when the 2010 term starts in October of next year. Although he was nominated by a Republican President (Gerald Ford) he is considered to be in the liberal wing of the Supreme Court.

If Stevens does announce his intention to retire it will be interesting to see if President Obama will shed his fantasy of bipartisanship and his desire for compromise and start representing the people who elected him by nominating a LIBERAL justice. After all, President Bush did not hesitate nominating two very conservative justices in the form of Alito and Roberts.

I feel that President Obama partially failed his first litmus test by not flexing any political muscle during the healthcare debate. He essentially let the minority party frame the debate and made him come to them instead of the other way around. We destroyed the Republicans in November and have significant margins in both houses of Congress, correct? I thought so, but the way things have gone on healthcare you would never know it. If Obama does not want to completely alienate his base and appear weak, I believe he will need to show that he is willing to take on the Republicans from a position of strength and fight for what he believes and nominate a highly-qualified LIBERAL justice to the Supreme Court.

Bill Clinton Delivers! Right Wing Cranks Up The False Outrage

Bill Clinton arrived in California today with Lara Ling and Euna Lee. The two journalists had been held captive in North Korea for 5 months. In predictable fashion, while the world cheers the mission's stunning success, many in the right-wing are falling over themselves to criticize the outcome, President Obama, and former President Bill Clinton.

For many of these critics anything that is achieved without the use of military force is totally unacceptable. In addition, any accomplishment by a Democrat is to be derided at all costs. But it is obvious that the advantages of this diplomatic success far outweigh any real or imagined disadvantages being trumpeted by John Bolton and others. This is why John Bolton is wrong as usual:

1. Any propaganda value within North Korea is fleeting and minimal. A brief meeting to allow Kim Jong-il to "save a little face" comes at virtually no cost to the U.S. It is not like Clinton's brief time in North Korea propped-up a regime that was on the verge of collapse or overthrow by the opposition. The country is in dire straits, but not the leadership.

2. It appears that no deals were cut and no concessions were made to secure the release of the U.S. journalists.

3. These ex-prisoners are now safely on American soil and can no longer be used as bargaining chips in an attempt to extract concessions in future negotiations or conflicts.

4. Although it is too early to know for sure, this unexpected release by Kim Jong-il may have been a goodwill gesture towards the U.S. In that part of the world actions speak louder than words. It has been obvious for several years that Kim Jong-il has been trying to get attention in much the same way that a young, frustrated child does. There is some potential that this situation may open he door to diplomatic progress between the two countries in the future.

If the unpopular and unconfirmed former U.S. Representative to the UN, John Bolton, wants to pop-up out of his hole and take a shot at Bill Clinton, that's fine. Bolton has a long history of playing loose with the truth and being and abrasive towards colleagues and subordinates when things don't go his way. I think the overwhelming public support for Bill Clinton's successful mission will cause the snarly Bolton to crawl back into his hole while seething at another success by the Democrats and also leave him confused why these events don't fit neatly into his warped view of the world.

Glenn Beck Takes Lead In Battle For Right-Wing "Lunatic of the Year" Title

This year it looked certain that the coveted right-wing "Lunatic of the Year" title would go to one of the heavily-favored frontrunners such as Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Rush Limbaugh, or Michael Steele. But surprisingly, a dark horse has vaulted into the lead in the form of conservative TV and radio talk show host Glenn Beck.

Apparently Beck saw himself rapidly falling behind the rest of the right-wing fringe and realized that some bold action would be necessary to become a contender for "lead idiot." Reacting to this challenge like only a true champion could, Beck stepped-up his game in recent weeks. First, there was the "scream heard around the world" on his radio show two weeks ago. This is when Beck became enraged with a caller on his show and reverted back to his inner female.

Fully aware that the high-pitched scream would not be enough to put him in the lead, Beck "went for broke" on Tuesday during an interview on Fox News when he said that "Obama has a deep-seated hatred for white people." Still not sure if he was now in the lead for right-wing "Lunatic of the Year" Beck let it all hang out later in the interview and said that, "this guy (Obama) I believe is a racist." (See Video Below). And with those seven precious words Beck leapfrogged the competition and can now almost taste victory.

There are still five months left before Beck can claim final victory, but it would take an unprecedented comeback from a Coulter, Hannity, Liddy, Limbaugh, or Palin to snatch almost certain victory away from the newly energized Glenn Beck. It would be pointless to confront Beck with the mountain of evidence which clearly shows Barack Obama does not hate white people or is not a racist. A Glenn Beck with this much momentum would be able to instantly brush aside such evidence including the fact that Obama's mother was WHITE! I wouldn't do that to him anyway. Now is not the time. Now is the time to let him cherish his moment in the sun as he solidifies his position as "Right-Wing Lunatic of the Year!"

Sarah Palin Goes After Blogger and Free Speech

Sarah Palin and her lawyer, Thomas Van Flein, are livid about the fact that blogger Shannyn Moore said that here are rumors circulating about a criminal investigation into some of Sarah Palin's financial activities. I hardly think that rises to the level of defamation. I have no idea if there is any type of investigation that has Sarah Palin in its crosshairs.

But I do know that this country will not stand by and watch somebody like Sarah Palin and her lawyer attempt to chill free speech. I refuse to watch one of the most uninformed people ever on the national stage intimidate bloggers or reporters. It is now crystal clear that his woman has no concept of what this country is all about.

I guess her memory is pretty short. The woman who is now showing to the world that she is one of the most thin-skinned, hyper-sensitive politicians in the history of the U.S. seems to forget that she accused Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists" just a few months ago.

Sarah: it is one thing if you want to commit political suicide on July 4th, but it is quite another thing if you want to go on a campaign to chill free speech. Myself and millions like me will not let you do that.

Sarah Palin Resigns!

I have no idea what is behind this latest move in the never-ending saga of Sarah Palin's troubled political life. She gave no real reason for this move in her rambling press conference today. No matter the reason, I say that abandoning her duties as Governor at this moment seals the deal that there is no way this woman will ever be elected to high-office in the United States. In reality, she would never have been elected as President even without this story. She was embarrassingly uninformed and it quickly became clear to the majority of Americans that she was not "Vice-Presidential material" let alone Presidential material. Palin's popularity has plummeted in her home state in recent months and she is a scandal magnet.

It will be interesting to see the real, underlying reasons for this decision. It is way too early for her to resign if she was preparing a 2012 presidential run. It has to be something else. I am actually a little sad because the only 100% guarantee that Barack Obama serves a second term is if Sarah Palin is at the top of the GOP ticket in 2012. I really don't think we're going to see that now. But, with this Republican party, anything is possible.

The only person sadder than me to see Palin go is Tina Fey. But I have the feeling this is not the last we are going to see of Sarah Palin and this this is not my last blog post about the former Alaska Governor.