Blue Bluegrass

No, it’s not even close to springtime for these losers. Sure, even pond scum has the right to free speech. But this will be documented.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear on Wednesday decried plans by the National Socialist Movement, a Michigan-based white pride group, to rally outside the state Capitol later this month.
“The Constitution affords the right to free speech and free assembly to all, and we will respect those rights, even for this Michigan-based hate-filled group,” Beshear said in a statement. “This group should know that their ideology is reprehensible to Kentuckians, and that Kentucky is a tolerant, progressive and welcoming state for all people.”
According to a flier, the National Socialist Movement said the April 21 event will address “illegal immigration, crime, the recession, White Civil Rights, and other critical issues facing our Nation.” It is scheduled to last from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Unfortunately, it’s not just speech that these people have developed a reputation for:

Schoep is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremist hate groups, as “a neo-Nazi true believer since age 10 who has managed, largely by luck, to end up heading one of the largest explicitly Hitlerite groups in America. Schoep’s group is known for the crudeness of its propaganda, the violence it works hard to provoke, and the faux SS outfits that have caused many other neo-Nazis to deride NSM members as ‘Hollywood Nazis.’”
Schoep’s group is best known for the rally it staged against “black crime” in an inner-city neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio in 2005. NSM members had to be rescued from an angry crowd by the police, and the day ended with some local residents attacking police and 100 being arrested. The NSM considered this outcome a great success.

These are the same geniuses who are patrolling the streets of Sanford, Florida looking for race riots, where unarmed Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman.

Freedom of speech does work. Read more about this group here. The wonderful thing is that those who learn more who may have supported some of their ideas will be so repulsed by the group that they will be turned away from the ideas as well.

Resist the urge to counter-protest. This group is just like the Fred Phelps idiots-they feed on confrontation. Wonder if Rand Paul will join this rally too?

In a fair and open marketplace of ideas, the moral, spiritual and intellectual bankruptcy of such a group will come out. Kentucky will win if they ignore the efforts to provoke violence, document the despicable speeches, and let their speech have the exact opposite effect from what they are seeking. Instead of converts, they will be met with first disgust and then with indifference. Because they’re Michigan Nazis as opposed to Illinois Nazis. And no, there is no suggestion that the approach of Jake and Elwood is anything but wrong for Kentucky:

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To all those who criticized the Kentucky state senate for convening for a whopping 8 minutes before adjourning during the bastketball tournament, and to those who suggested that the senate is where good bills go to die, now, the fearless Kentucky Senate has passed pension reform.

Kentucky lawmakers are moving toward ending pensions for Confederate veterans nearly 150 years after the Civil War ended and more than a half century since anyone was eligible to receive the pension benefits.
Lawmakers are trying to eliminate Chapter 206 of Kentucky Revised Statutes, which pertains to the state’s Confederate soldiers’ pension fund.

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Oh, look…Stephen’s found a split personality misogynist. And best of all, he is seeking to represent the Sixth Congressional District of Kentucky in the GOP primary:

Well oh well, what have we here? It appears we have a bit of crazy running in the Republican Primary in the 6th district. Knew I’d seen this guys name before… Patrick Kelly (Facebook page here) who strangely goes by the name of Rusty Shackelford on Facebook has some pretty darn interesting things to say about women.

Scoot on over and catch the crazy.

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Okay, Kentucky isn’t willing to prohibit Bubba from beating the pea-snot out of his classmates because they’re gay, or disabled, or Jewish, or African-American. The Republicans who are willing to legislate every conceivable nook and cranny of a woman’s body are suddenly deeply concerned about unnecessary legislation:

Defeated largely along party lines by a vote of 13-10, Republicans successfully killed House Bill 336, which according to The Courier-Journal, “called for a prohibition on bullying and harassment in schools, including acts motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disabilities and other distinguishing characteristics.” Republicans say that existing anti-bullying laws are sufficient to solve the problem, but Democratic Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, the sponsor of the bill, says the new language would create stronger protections because it specifically identifies students by group. This makes perfect sense. This way, teachers and school administrators could no longer get away with allowing bullies to have free reign over certain groups.
But Republicans don’t care. Democratic Rep. Marzian is outraged that the GOP could refuse to help kids who are different. “I’m astounded at the lack of compassion among Republicans who claim to care about people, but obviously they don’t,” she said. “It’s typical of their all talk and no action.”

And although Hopkinsville Representative John Tilley’s bill to extend domestic violence protection cleared house committee today. And of course, Republican state senator Tom Jensen said he wouldn’t even allow a vote on the bill. Why? Because, of course, there mustn’t be too many laws.

A measure to extend domestic violence protections to dating couples passed out of a House committee on Wednesday for the fourth time in four years. All but four states already have a similar law, but proposals in Kentucky have repeatedly died in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Tom Jensen, R-London, said Wednesday that he would not call a vote on House Bill 498 or a similar Senate bill, but he would be willing to consider the issue after the legislature adjourns in April.
Currently, civil domestic violence protections are only given if a couple has been married, has lived together or has a child together. Jensen said all domestic violence issues already are covered by the criminal code.
“If someone assaults me, then they will be arrested,” he said. “Under the criminal code, the judge can put conditions on their bond.”
Jensen also said it’s unfair to say the bill provides protections for “dating” couples because some dating couples — those who have lived together or had a child together — can already get civil domestic violence protections.
To kickstart the bill, supporters held a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda with the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Rep. John Tilley of Hopkinsville. Tilley is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which passed his bill shortly afterward.
Tilley called the measure a “vital piece of legislation” that would “cast a stronger safety net for all Kentuckians.”
Dating couples can already file criminal charges in cases of domestic violence. But allowing them to work through the civil court system could save the state as much as $85 million a year, Tilley said.
In addition, advocates say that civil protective orders can happen more quickly than orders procuded by criminal courts. For example, protective orders generally are served immediately, are often taken more seriously by police, and may last for an extended time.
House Bill 498 would define a dating relationship as one of “romantic or intimate nature” but does not include “casual acquaintanceship or business fraternization.” It was taken from the Texas statute and the federal definition, Tilley said.

Remember, these are the same Republicans who are willing to make new crimes of anything to appear tough on crime, but not when it is done to a non-white, non-straight male.

And their concern for not clogging up the books with too many of those pesky laws? Well, that’s a sometimes thang…in Arizona, the legislature is more than willing to pass a new law expressly doing away with protection that would keep a company from firing a woman for buying contraceptive health insurance coverage with her own money! And then, there’s Texas:

Finally, the entire orgy of misogynists gone wild is generating its backlash, not only with Limbaugh advertisers, but also with the Virginia senator whose fetal personhood bill was abandoned. That senator is reaping the snark whirlwind. Good luck to him on coming up with answers for all those questions.

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Could this be the once in a lifetime event where Kentucky’s primary presidential voters actually play a role and matter?

The surging, come from behind Southern strategy of Rick Santorum raises that possibility:

Rick Santorum captured twin victories in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries on Tuesday, overcoming the financial advantages of Mitt Romney and the Southern allegiances to Newt Gingrich on a night that amplified his argument that the Republican nominating fight is becoming a two-man race with Mr. Romney.
…
“The elite media’s efforts to convince the nation that Mitt Romney is inevitable just collapsed,” Mr. Gingrich said, addressing a subdued crowd here in Birmingham. “If you’re the front-runner and you keep coming in third, you’re not much of a front-runner.”

Anytime that a fantastically out-of-step candidate like Santorum can either become the opposition candidate or damage the eventual nominee, it’s a good day for Democrats.

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Republicans love to beat up on the poor. Last week in Kentucky they were shocked to not get a committee vote on their local efforts to attack the poor, and briefly boycotted a committee.

Perhaps they should invite Mary Franson to explain their position. She is just the latest to compare poor people to wild animals:

Franson’s speech began by giving good news to the people of Minnesota’s District 11B about a surplus in the state budget. Then Franson decided to read “this funny little quote we got from a friend.”
“Isn’t it ironic that the food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever,” Franson said. “Meanwhile, the Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to please not feed the animals, because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves.”
Franson’s video quickly drew outrage from the internet community. Franson apologized for the comment and removed the video from her YouTube account the same day it was posted, but copies of the clip remain available online.

This is just the most recent and most literal example of Republican approaches—here, the people in need are literally dehumanized. If they can be considered “just animals” and not people, it’s easy to ignore them. Back to the Kentucky modest proposal—if the idea is to drug test anyone receiving a public benefit, then just go ahead and test every legislator, every contractor, and every citizen in the state—after all, anyone who uses public highways is receiving a public benefit. If the idea is to just drug test the poor, then drop it as irrational.

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Republican Kentucky State Represenative Bill Farmer of Lexington has been by all accounts one of the more bipartisan voices in the legislature, liked by the middle of both parties. And when Lexington Democratic activist Reggie Thomas (shown above) filed for state representative, he filed into the newly minted proposed district that would have bent south and west from the 88th, and it would have been a race for an open seat.

When the redistricting was thrown out by the Kentucky Supreme Court, the previous districts were restored, and Thomas found himself in a tough but winnable race against the five-term incumbent Bill Farmer, who also faced a primary challenge from one of Ernie Fletcher’s staff, now Lexington-based attorney Robert Benvenuti.

That tough race for Thomas just turned 180 degrees yesterday, with this bombshell, first reported by cn2:

State Rep. Bill Farmer, a Lexington Republican who has been the House GOP’s point man on tax issues, told Pure Politics Thursday he is withdrawing from the 88th House District race.
Farmer has served in the House since 2003 but won’t seek a sixth term because he is struggling to deal with the effects of rheumatoid arthritis.

Here’s hoping Farmer’s arthritis is controlled. And here’s to Reggie Thomas, who suddenly is one of the most likely pickup opportunities for the Democratic house in the suddenly open 88th District seat. The 88th District is not one that is overwhelmingly or historically Republican, meaning Thomas is extremely well positioned. While Farmer recognized that and led from the center, the same can’t be said of the remaining Republican nominee Benvenuti, who has much more extreme positions. Look for more of those details on Benvenuti over the next several months.

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David has rightfully zeroed in on all the stupid just repeating itself, and on how important it is to protect our frail women through pedways. David’s got the snark on…

In future times, every one will walk suspended in air. And where will Tom Eblen be then? Where will these pedway critics be? On the pedways, that’s where. Because pedways are futuristic and neat. And they’re just good, solid urban design.
Anyway. The CHDRB meets on the 28th of March. The Webbs will present their final designs. Let’s hope they don’t bow to public pressure and remove that pedway. In fact, if you want to, you can contact the Webbs and tell them there’s still time to put in more pedways.
Why not go back to the Design Review Board with a pedway stretching across Main into the Taste of Thai building? And another across Limestone into the library parking garage, and another across Vine into the empty parking lot and another diagonal into the Court House and another winding down Vine Street all the way to the Central Bank.
More Pedways! Only Pedways!
Never give up, Dudley. Never give in.

And what a great opportunity it presents for a musical interlude and homage to the idea of Walking in Space:

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