Post Election Rant || UPDATE: I Smell a Newt

UPDATE: Newt Gingrich was involved, via his nonprofit organization Renewing American Leadership (ReAL), in ousting Iowa's three Supreme Court Justices last year. Perhaps as a penance for his cheating heart or perhaps to buy the support of Iowa evangelical leader, Bob Vander Plaats, either way...I'm not a fan. From National Journal:

ReAL poured $150,000 into the successful campaign by Iowa social conservatives in 2010 to oust three Iowa Supreme Court judges, who were targeted after the high court struck down a state ban on same-sex marriage.

*****

It's finally here...November 3rd. The midterm elections are over and as predicted, republicans took back the House of Representatives. The Senate majority stays with the democrats thanks, in part, to "true conservatives" and their crappy candidates. I hope Harry Reid and his pet are very happy together.

In Iowa, we vote yes or no on retaining our state's judges. The process was implemented in 1962. This year, three Supreme Court judges were on the ballot and three Supreme Court judges were booted. In case you are wondering, this has never happened before.

Why did this happen? On April 3, 2009 the Iowa Supremes unanimously (7-0) decided to uphold a District Court ruling (Varnum v. Brien); the case challenged the state's ban on same-sex marriage under the Iowa Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. Iowa's high court concluded:

"We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective. The legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification. There is no material fact, genuinely in dispute, that can affect this determination."

A penny for my thoughts? Okay. First of all, I think that the government should get the hell out of the marriage business. With 50% divorce rates, they're not very good at it. In Iowa a marriage license costs $30, it's not like they're making a killing on fees. I got married at the Justice of the Peace (on a Thursday, it was free). But since the Iowa government is all up in your marriage business, I agree with the court's decision. No, I'm not a lawyer. But, I am a pretty good judge. The same-sex marriage ban was discriminatory.

Let the voters decide!!! Normally this is a super awesome idea but it didn't happen, same-sex marriage has never been on the ballot in Iowa. The state legislature decided to ban it after Clinton signed DOMA. While we're on the subject of our fun-loving former President, he was responsible for DADT as well. Clearly, he hates the gheys. I keed, I keed.

What's Dutch for disgruntled, defeated, gubernatorial candidate? Vander Plaats. Bob Vander Plaats after being stomped by former Governor Terry Branstad in the primary toyed around with a write-in candidacy. He must have had a hard time shaking the political bug or perhaps he's just an angry man who likes being angry. Because he channeled that anger and energy towards the Iowa Supremes, in a big way. Vander Plaats' Iowa for Freedom (heh) with the help of Rep. King, Rick "I brought my dead baby home to meet his siblings" Santorum, the Family Research Council Action and the National Organization for Marriage ran a successful campaign to oust the "activist judges" complete with TV ads and a 45 county bus tour!

Wow, this is long. Hey look, a puppy.



I don't get it. Aren't conservatives supposed to be pro-marriage and pro-family? If you hate gay people then say just that. Don't hide behind marriage amendment chatter while slinging around mistruths like "activist judges".

Former Iowa Supreme Court Justice, Linda Neuman said that she saw none of the "judicial activism" in the high court's decision. Former United States Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor even weighed in on the controversy while at an event in Iowa. O'Connor, who was introduced by Chief Justice Ternus, said "the judges should not be subject to retaliation".

Former Iowa Governor Robert Ray (R) said he hoped voters could “look past the hype on individual cases”. Gov. Ray made these comments at the Iowa State Bar Association's 2010 Judicial Plebiscite release. Each year the state Bar's members are asked to rate Iowa's judges, 3,429 attorneys participated. How did these "activist judges" fare? Justice Michael Streit (rhymes with "right") 83.7%, Justice David Baker (rhymes with "maker") 82.8% and bringing up the rear (Iowa's first female) Chief Justice Marsha Ternus (rhymes with nothing) received a 72% rating for retention.

When asked about these ratings, Iowa for Freedom (heh) campaign manager, Chuck Laudner, noted that none of the judges received a 100%. Then he said "nanny-nanny-boo-boo" and pooped in his pants (well maybe...I wasn't there).

What happens next? Gov. Chet Culver (D) who was defeated by Former Governor Branstad yesterday could appoint new justices before the Former Governor/Governor-Elect is (re)sworn in. Two of the three, Ternus and Streit, were appointed by Former Governor Branstad. I'm confused are you? Anyway, Vander Plaats was pretty excited, I think he said "legislate from the bench" five thousand times in his "victory speech". Also, he's not very smart and he may or may not eat his boogers.

I'll leave you (finally) with this. Civil Rights have come a long way in this country but we have some work to do. The US Supreme Court had to rule on the legality of interracial marriage in this country in 1967. I wonder what would have happened if that had been left to the voters to decide. But, I know...that's different, or something.

*Streit was appointed by Branstad to the district court bench, Culver promoted him to Iowa's high court in 2001

Pardon the Interruption and the Cliché, But...Dude? WTF???

Please allow me to interrupt your nightly preliminary election math and midterm voting eve Twitter avatar decorating for a WTF story that's out of this world.

From FoxNews.com:

"The director of NASA's Ames Research Center in California casually let slip mention of the 100-Year Starship recently, a new program funded by the super-secret government agency, DARPA. In a talk at San Francisco's Long Conversation conference, Simon “Pete” Worden said DARPA has $1M to spend, plus another $100,000 from NASA itself, for the program, which will initially develop a new kind of propulsion engine that will take us to Mars or beyond.
There's only one problem: The astronauts won't come back."

Come again? Won't come back? What will they do there?

from Wired.com:

“The human space program is now really aimed at settling other worlds," Worden explained.

Settling other worlds? Colonizing Mars? Whoa.

Director Worden was fired by President Bush (43) for, presumably, whispering about such an unethical ambition. Worden was returned to his post under President Barack "I'm not doing long-term nation-building. I am not spending a trillion dollars." Obama.

According to Wired.com, Dir. Worden is interested in some elite private funding:

“We also hope to inveigle some billionaires to form a Hundred Year Starship fund”

Inveigle? Interesting word choice...

Wired.com added that Worden has chatted up Google's Larry Page:

“Larry asked me a couple weeks ago how much it would cost to send people one way to Mars and I told him $10 billion, and his response was, ‘Can you get it down to 1 or 2 billion?,’” Worden told the Long Now audience. “So now we’re starting to get a little argument over the price.”

Private funding for the space program to colonize Mars? My mind is officially blown.

RINO Slumber Party!!!

If you missed Lori Ziganto, Jenn Q. Public and me on The Jenny Erikson Show yesterday or just want to listen to it over and over again (who doesn't???), take a trip over to Jenny's site and feast your ears on the best thing to happen to the internet since "Charlie bit my finger".

Thanks again Jenny, Lori and Jenn.

Conservative Chick Chat TONIGHT!!!

Do you like smart, hot chicks? O'course you do! Tonight at 10 pm ET listen to The Jenny Erikson Show at From the Right Radio. Tune in as Jenny, Jenn Q. Public, Lori Ziganto and I have a candid discussion covering next week's election, pot, fear of flying, sexy photos and more!

We're also available for parties.

Yankees Sweep ALDS...Grrrrrrr.

I bleed for baseball. As an Orioles fan, translation: I bleed. This video makes me hate the Yankees less (I need all the help I can get):



Click to watch on youtube.

GO RANGERS!!!

Unity!!!

Full disclosure: I am not registered to vote in Delaware or Alaska; but I have opinions and everyone else is putting their two cents in (or more ... whoa). And, I have a big mouth.

US Senate hopeful, Christine O'Donnell is a kook. If you want the full list of crazie, take a trip over to your favorite search engine. In the name of unity (and laziness), I'm not listing it here.

Let's take a trip back in time. Picture it 2006; a time before the Tea Partyers were tea partying, President (Junior) Senator Obama was still a newbie strolling, happily around DC, the unemployment rate was around 4.5% and Twitter was born. 2006 was pretty awesome.

In Delaware's 2006 US Senate republican primary election, Christine O'Donnell was defeated by Jan Ting. O'Donnell must have gazed into her magic crystal ball and saw that in the future Ting would endorse Barack Obama for President and leave the Republican party in 2008; because instead of bowing out gracefully and throwing her support behind Ting in his bid to defeat democratic incumbent Sen. Carper she ran as a write-in candidate. Voters and pundits were outraged. Crickets.

Welcome back to 2010! Tea Party on! Vacation President Obama has played more golf than GWB and Clinton combined, the unemployment rate is twice as high as it was four years ago and everybody and their grandma is on Twitter. Damn, 2010 kinda blows.

On Tuesday, the third time was a charm for Christine O'Donnell. She, now a Tea Party candidate, successfully defeated Congressman Mike Castle in the primary election, essentially igniting a, albeit small...it is Delaware we're talking about after all, civil war. Rush and Levin vs Rove and Krauthammer, The American Spectator vs The Weekly Standard; basically, true conservatives vs ruling class, sexist, cocktail partying, elitist, RINOs. The former screaming "unity, for the greater good", the latter noting that Rep. Castle had a better chance of winning the general election because he's a seasoned politician without a crazy list.

But, again in the name of unity and because an O'Donnell win in the general election is for the greater good or something I won't opine on her kookiness. Dammit, I think I just did. Oh well. Anyway. . .Vote O'Donnell!

Now, let's take another trip. This time let's go to Alaska, where incumbent, republican Senator, Lisa Murkowski was defeated in the primary election by Tea Partyer Joe Miller. Instead of bowing out gracefully, Murkowski has launched a write-in campaign. Voters and pundits are outraged. How dare she?!?

In the name of unity I'm not going to point out that O'Donnell did the same thing in 06 and nobody cared. Dammit, I did it again. Oops. I know, I know...I'm a stupid RINO that doesn't understand that Murkowski's write-in bid is wayyy different than O'Donnell's in 2006. Hmmm, if you don't support Murkowski are you a sexist?

If you live in Alaska: Vote Miller!

Ahhhhhhh...Unity! I feel better.

Really, CBS???

At last count there were no fewer than 178 (give or take) crime-solving dramas on Network TV. Not enough, you say? Well have no fear because CBS is adding another to their fall lineup; CSI Honolulu? No. On September 20, 2010 the Hawaii Five-0 redux will debut on CBS, exactly 42 years from its original air date.

In blasphemous form, the new series will feature the same characters as the original. The role of McGarrett is being played by some skinny Aussie that I’ve never heard of. Zulu’s role of Kono will be portrayed by a chick and worse yet, James Caan’s spawn will be raping the role of Danno. Somewhere, Jack Lord is pissed.

The redux will likely be nothing like the original series, save for the character names. McGarrett will undoubtedly never don a suit. Danno will be portrayed as a snarky, defiant, wiseass. The intro will probably feature an awful remake of the original theme song which will replay over in your head as you think of ways to kill yourself. But don’t worry; you’ll be rewarded with Kono’s sexy silhouette (there’s a phrase you thought you’d never see).

Watch it if you must. I mean if someone is holding a gun to your head, you do what you’re told. Personally, I’d rather watch this fat guy dance to “My Humps” on youtube. But thanks to Monday Night Football on ESPN I don’t have to watch either, unless o’course someone shows up with a gun.

As for CBS, I say: book’em Danno, Murder One.