24 February 2011 tales from the battle lines

How Quickly They Forget

“Following the recall of millions of toys from China because of lead paint and other hazards, Congress got its act together in 2008 and passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Bipartisan majorities rallied around the idea that the government should ensure that products — whether they’re made abroad or here — won’t sicken or maim American consumers or their children.

The new Republican-led House seems determined to roll back those protections. As part of their slash-and-burn continuing resolution, they cut all the financing — some $3 million this year — for a core provision of the safety bill: a database where consumers could report product hazards and the public could check products before buying them…”

“The recall in 2007 of millions of hazardous children’s products imported from China proved that a gutted safety commission couldn’t do its job. Why would anyone want to make that same mistake again? “



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/opinion/24thu2.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha211

Thank you, Rep Issa. I’ve been worried that we might be omitting those heavy metals from our diets and those of our offspring. It’s good to see the GOP come out in support of chronic lead poisoning.



Not to be outdone by the idiots and party hacks in D.C., the good legislators of TN wish to make known their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and its First Amendment.

Tennessee Bill Dubs Sharia Law ‘Treasonous,’ Would Punish Muslims with 15 Years In Jail



GOP-led states are tripping over each other to compete for the most absurd response to the perceived threat of Shariah law. Thirteen intrepid states are chasing Oklahoma’s unconstitutional coat tails to bar any consideration of international or Islamic law, even if it means accidentally banning the Ten Commandments or Native American rights.

But with state Sen. Bill Ketron’s (R) new Senate Bill 1028, Tennessee wins the honor of most radical response to a non-existent threat. Introduced last Thursday, the bill claims that Shariah law “continues to plague the United States generally and Tennessee in particular” and requires Muslims “to actively and passively support the replacement of America’s constitutional republic” with an Islamic state. Thus, adherence to the “legal-political-military doctrine” of Shariah law “is treasonous” and “a felony, punishable by 15 years in jail”:

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/23/tennessee-bill-dubs-sharia-law-treasonous-would-punish-muslims-with-15-years-in-jail/

Please follow the link to the entire article. The people backing this bill didn’t even pen it. They received it from a TN “pro-family” group, which received it from an anti-Islam group in Arizona that wants to declare war on Islamic nations.

Cassi Creek:

Local Congressman Phillip Roe of the TN 1st Congressional District. Seems to follow the teahadists party line at every opportunity. While voting against environmental regulations, while attempting to demolish Planned Parenthood, and silence NPR, he manages to delve into the practice of earmarking that the GOP officially claims to oppose.

As a retired OB/Gyn physician, Roe should understand the very real benefit to the nation that is Planned Parenthood. Instead, he attacks it at every opportunity. He claims to be supportive of political discussion but has taken every opportunity to remove any intelligent and accurate source of political information from the airwaves.

Today’s Johnson City Press noted the discrepancy in Roe’s official stance on earmarks and his pronouncements that he wants a local fish hatchery protected. While I oppose cutting funds for the hatchery, I can’t help noticing the hypocrisy in Roe’s public pronouncement. The Newspaper points out his need for informed input from the voters of his district. However, its editorial writer stops short of pointing out that Roe is trying to remove the only local radio source of intelligent political discourse.

Roe emails “bulletins” to his constituents, which always contain a question concerning some political issue (check your response). It would be more beneficial to the district if the question’s answer boxes allowed the voter to choose opposition to Roe’s stated position. It’s easy to claim you have popular support when you don’t allow dissent in the pool of answers.

I’m tired of hearing Roe talk about “job killing regulations.” I can’t even be pleased that he might try to save the trout hatchery. Since he voted to allow continued mountain top removal there won’t be any streams fir for trout to live in. Thank you, GOP/teavangelists for showing us how little conservation means to conservatives.