The second time as farce

I thought the Repos couldn't recruit anyone less likeable than Bob Dole, but they did.

And I thought their nominee couldn't pick anyone less qualified — and more oblivious to their unqualifiedness — than Dan Quayle, but they did.

Thank you, right wingers. My bet: Obama with 356 electoral votes.

"Gay" is not a basis for discrimination in CT

The Connecticut Supreme Court today ruled that the state must provide same-sex couples the opportunity to marry, not just enter into civil unions. The court's ruling about why separate is not equal was very clear and compelling, but even happier for me was the ruling's language about homosexuality in general (emphasis mine):

The characteristic that defines the members of this group -- attraction to persons of the same sex -- bears no logical relationship to their ability to perform in society, either in familial relations or otherwise as productive citizens. Because sexual orientation is such an essential component of personhood, even if there is some possibility that a person’s sexual preference can be altered, it would be wholly unacceptable for the state to require anyone to do so.

I don't usually do bumper stickers...

...but I might make an exception for this:

The new Big Racist Lie

The reactionaries who control this country have developed a new Big Lie, and it's subtle so you might have missed it. They're claiming that the current crisis in banking and credit is the result of lending to minorities, and specifically the result of Demon-crats forcing banks to lend to minorities. This is bullshit. But it's bullshit being given legitimate play in mainstream media: check out the liars on cable news, liars on public radio, liars in syndicated editorials and liars in national op-eds, and a liar in John McCain campaign commercials (not that that last is very surprising).

The details on the new Big Lie are here, but the top line for ethical Americans is simply to be aware of the lie and be on the lookout for it. The counterpunches are:

• The Community Reinvestment Act did not require anyone to lend to anyone.
• Yet CRA loans are on average more secure and provide a higher return than mortgages in general.
• The suggestion that the banking business's current problems are the fault of minorities and those who support equality for them is vile and evil and should be denounced.