Embarassing on video

Here is Marsha Blackburn making an ass out of herself by making NPR the enemy of her extreme right-wing bloc.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn: "It is a wealthy, educated listening audience. If people want this programming, they're going to be willing to pay for it but the American taxpayer has said, 'get NPR out of our pocket.' They have some sponsors that land in the $1 million plus category."

Aaaand some of the responses from the more educated side of the aisle...

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass: "They want to move to radio silence and when the American people find out about that, they're going to be outraged."

Rep. John Dingel, D-Mich., "Public broadcast is a national treasure... It sheds a little bit of culture on our people, something my Republican colleagues find offensive."

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon: "It's not going to stop NPR, which will go on. What it will cripple is what happens in smaller stations around the country."

Rep. John Larson, D-CT: "Americans are seeing through this... it's an ideological purge under the guise of dealing with the deficit... What they are doing is silencing NPR because it's not on the same ideological frequency as the extreme right."

Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-CA. "I guess they figure if they can't catch Bin Laden, they might as well go after Prairie Home Companion. Public broadcasting is twice as popular as the Afghanistan war.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas: "These Republicans just can't tell the difference between Big Government and Big Bird. All things considered, their attack has nothing to do with balancing the budget.

Rep. Rush Holt, D-NJ: "Saying factual information is somehow a liberal bias... we talk about the need for a well-informed public. Today there was a news report on the slow progress the Army is making on seeing that the wounded soldiers get their Purple Heart. This is good reporting. The other side seems to think this is... wait, wait, don't tell me.... biased reporting. We need NPR."

Rep. Carolyn Mahoney, D-NY: "Those who primarily listen to NPR were considerably less likely to hold demonstrably false beliefs. So now our colleagues across the country want to pull the plug on NPR... our colleagues want to fire the messenger. (It) is not a move to save money; it's a move to save face."

In her own words, Marsha's idiocy

Mar 16 2011
Fighting to Defund NPR
Marsha Blackburn

Today the House Rules Committee will consider H.R. 1076, the bill introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn to defund NPR. Tomorrow I will lead the debate on the floor in support of Congressman Lamborn's legislation.

National Public Radio (NPR) has proven in the last few weeks that taxpayer money should not be given to support their extreme left wing views. Just recently an NPR official was captured on video calling Conservatives and Tea Party members "racist." The Washington Post says that NPR receives $2.4 million to spread their liberal message. That must end. Our government must not be involved in supporting an extreme left wing organization.

H.R. 1076 is a standalone bill that will still provide funds to local stations, but will prohibit those stations from spending federal funds on NPR programming or dues. This legislation will not be impacted by pending negotiations between the House and Senate on a continuing resolution. The time has come to stop spending taxpayer money on the NPR, especially during a time of rising deficits and out of control spending. An organization that is so heavily biased should not receive taxpayer monies. I hope you can watch the debate on the floor of the United States House of Representatives as it takes place tomorrow.

---

Just remember, Big Bird is a distant relative of Ho Chi Minh.

Blackburn wants future generations to be embarassed of her

From the Nashville Scene...

Rep. Blackburn and Every Other Republican On House Energy Committee Denies Climate Change
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 12:54 PM

Who would have thought that by the year 2011, we'd still have a chamber of Congress where the majority deny the universal conclusion arrived at by the worldwide scientific community pointing to anthropogenic (man-made) causes for climate change?

Even after Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) ordered a full investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General into alleged climate-change collusion and data manipulation between researchers at the University of East Anglia and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — and it turned up no conspiracy whatsoever — the furor refuses to die. Some 82 percent of Earth scientists and nearly 98 percent of climate scientists believe climate change is caused by human activity, according to a survey conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago. Yet lawmakers such as Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-7th), who is on the the committee, still cast votes denying what is apparent to so many.

Yesterday, Blackburn voted against the EPA's finding that climate change is occurring. She actually didn't vote at all on an amendment that states climate change is caused by man. Finally, she voted against an amendment that states unequivocally that climate change will endanger the health of future generations. Why? Because she probably believes climate change is a hoax perpetrated on us by the entire (credible) scientific community — or, at the very least, she knows she'd never get re-elected in the 7th if she admitted she didn't.

Gotta make that money, too. Koch Industries sends its love, Marsha, to the tune of $32,000 (and mind you, they didn't really start making it rain until 2008).

Marsha Blackburn on the wrong side of reality

Blackburn for sale, cont'd.

A nice, sweet article from the Commercial Repeal about Congressman Blackburn's representation of corporate interests over public welfare...

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn challenges pro-net neutrality group
By Bartholomew Sullivan
Memphis Commercial Appeal

WASHINGTON -- When it comes to Internet neutrality, is corporate financial influence an interest or a bias?

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said Wednesday that she understood the "interests" represented by AT&T and two Internet start-up companies but needed clarification on the "bias" of the nonprofit media reform group Free Press.

During a House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing, Blackburn pressed for information about the media reform group's sources of funding.

Free Press champions preserving an open Internet and neutrality rules preventing companies from slowing or blocking traffic for their own competitive advantage. It also opposes media consolidation.

"I think it might be instructive to us, if we read your testimony, and as we try to figure out, you know, the bias that you bring to the argument, if you could detail to us where Free Press gets its funding," Blackburn said.

S. Derek Turner, Free Press' research director, agreed to provide the information but added, "Free Press takes zero corporate money. We're completely supported by our members and by foundation support."

Blackburn has reintroduced a bill that would prevent any entity but Congress itself from regulating the Internet and has become a leading advocates of a hands-off approach to the telecommunications industry.

Free Press' website indicates it is supported by several major foundations, including such well-known philanthropies as John D. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Haas Foundation, The Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and George Soros' Open Society Institute. Soros is a Hungarian-American financier and supporter of liberal causes.

Free Press spokeswoman Jenn Ettinger said it had more than 500,000 members nationwide.

The Republican-controlled subcommittee later voted 15-8 along party lines to repeal the Federal Communications Commission's new "network neutrality" rules.
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Check out some of the comments from unhappy folks in the 7th District.

Throwback but had to post

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) speaks about Republicans' crusade against womens' rights and Planned Parenthood. She makes me smile.

This is for my people, my party people...

Pro-teacher rally yesterday at the State Capitol.

The next rally is Saturday, March 5 at Bicentennial Mall from 12-3pm.

Embarassment: Example #2,653,127

From the Tennessean...

2 Tennessee GOP lawmakers want presidential candidates to prove citizenship

MURFREESBORO — Two Rutherford County legislators are sponsoring a bill that would require U.S. presidential candidates to prove to the state of Tennessee that they were born U.S. citizens to run for the nation's highest office.

State Sen. Bill Ketron said he proposed the bill because he thinks President Barack Obama might be hiding the fact that he was born in another country.

"Why can't he (Obama) come forward and show he is a citizen?" Ketron said Friday, adding that he has read articles stating Obama has spent $2 million from his campaign fund fighting lawsuits to keep from showing his birth certificate.

Ketron and state Rep. Rick Womick, both Murfreesboro Republicans, filed the bill that would attempt to force those running for president to file a sworn affidavit with Tennessee's secretary of state proving they meet "constitutional residency requirements."

Ten other states are considering similar legislation. Ketron said when the bill was brought to him for sponsorship, he decided it would give the state of Tennessee a chance to vet the matter and determine if it needed legislation.

But he added that if Obama has spent $2 million protecting his birth certificate from lawsuits, "I would lean on the side of he's trying to hide something and he's not a citizen."

Ketron's doubts mirror those of "birther" activists who believe Obama has refused to show the long form of his birth certificate because he was born in Kenya, the homeland of his father, and isn't eligible to be presidency.

Critics of the movement say birthers are fanatics whose claims have been repeatedly disproved and who won't accept any evidence that Obama is a U.S. citizen.

Womick said he decided to sponsor the bill in response to some 250 requests. He likened the requirement for seeking the presidency to requiring children to show their birth certificates to participate in youth sports such as football or Little League.

The bill is designed to make sure candidates for the nation's highest office are following constitutional mandates of Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution, Womick said.

"We don't have the federal government enforcing it or the Supreme Court upholding it," Womick said.

Article 2, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution says: "No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."

Womick said the bill is not targeting any particular candidate.

"I believe President Obama has a birth certificate," Womick said. "He says he does."

An investigation by snopes.com determined claims were false that the Obama campaign provided a forged certification of live birth three years ago.

It notes that the certificate from the state of Hawaii made available on the Internet in 2008 shows his full name as "Barack Hussein Obama II" and lists his father's race as "African" and his mother's race as "Caucasian" while reporting his birthplace as Honolulu.

Womick noted that U.S. Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican opponent in the 2008 election, was born in Panama.

"Whether it's John McCain or Barack Obama, you have to prove you meet Article 2, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution," Womick said.

Artsy fartsy

Toe the line

Can the TN GOP toe the line? Will they really focus on jobs, or on guns and gays?

From State Senator Jim Kyle (D-Memphis):

“I think the social conservatives are going to win out. If they do prevail, it is to the long-term detriment of Tennesseans. Ultimately, Tennesseans will realize that this last election was not about jobs, but it was about directing lifestyle choices from a centralized government, and eventually Tennesseans will rebel and say that the Republicans are not on their side.”

Good article from the usually conservative-leaning Nashville City Paper.