Sam Johnson is the Small Mind of the Day ("fear-mongering" division)

"Boy, I'll tell you. I hate to see a dictatorship come into this country, but it sure looks like that's what's happening with health care."

—Rep. Sam Johnson (Republican, Texas)

Who's the ONE person in Washington, DC who's above reproach?

Democrats. Republicans. Lobbyists. Journalists. They all get slagged (and rightly so) in Mark Leibovich’s new book, This Town. It’s about the Washington, DC scene, and apparently could be subtitled "A well-written guide to the worst people in America." 

So, does ANYONE avoid coming out looking like a venal hypocrite? According to Alex Pareene of Slate, yes:

Strangely, one person who comes out fairly well in the book is Barack Obama, who is both barely present and also inescapable. Obama genuinely hates [Washington, DC]. It is a sincere and unflagging hatred. Many of his staff happily sold out, obviously, taking lobbying jobs and media gigs and massive speaking fees, but the president clearly has nothing but contempt for the entire city and its self-important longtime fixtures. He hates Politico, hates old Clinton hangers-on, hates the parties, hates it all. And he should!

Orson Scott Card is the Small Mind of the Day

Orson Scott Card is the author of Ender’s Game, a good novel that’s being adapted to film. He’s also a Mormon and an anti-gay activist, who wrote that “marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage.”

Wow. Seditious much?

But the Supreme Court has ruled that gay marriage is constitutional…and Card has caught wind of a planned boycott against his upcoming film. What’s an anti-gay activist to do? Here’s Card:

“With the recent Supreme Court ruling, the gay marriage issue becomes moot. ... Now it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute.”

Oh, it’s TOLERANCE you want, is it? Seriously? Hypocrisy, thy name is Orson Scott Card!

Dr. Jane Goodall is the Big Mind of the Day

“What the chimpanzee has done is to prove there is no hard and fast line dividing us from the rest of the animal kingdom. Once you admit that we’re not the only beings with personalities, minds, capable of thought and emotions, it raises ethical issues about the ways we use and abuse so many other sentient, sapient beings—animal beings—every day.”

—Dr. Jane Goodall, speaking about the move to free chimpanzees from lab experiments.

Andy Sanborn and the Art of the Non-Apology

In New Hampshire, State Sen. Andy Sanborn is thinking about running for governor. And while making the media rounds, Sanborn went on a radio show and weighed in about Obamacare. (Surprise: He doesn’t like it.)

Sandborn said the new law “is barreling down on us like a jet landing into San Francisco. It [laughter] should make people really concerned.”

Classy! When asked about this after the program, Sanborn claimed he didn’t remember the remark. After it was played back for him, Sanford ‘fessed up and apologized. And here’s where he uttered that now-classic line:

“If I offended anyone I am sorry.”

Not “I’m sorry.” Not “I apologize.” But the non-apology apology of “If I hurt your feelings, then I’m sorry.” This implies that the statement itself is not regrettable, only the unfortunate response of the listener.

Like “Dude, I'm sorry you're such a wuss.” 

Quote Board!

1. “Discovering a cure for cancer will only change which way you’re going to go.” 

—Representative Earl Landgrebe (Republican, Indiana) who voted against giving money to cancer research. (His most famous line is, “Don’t confuse me with the facts.”)

2. “I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money.”

—Rick Santorum, on Jan. 1, 2012, taking a dig at those who he says abuse the welfare and Medicaid systems.

3. “You can't just let nature run wild.” 

—Alaska governor Walter Hickel (Republican), endorsing a state-wide slaughter of wolves.

4. “Capital punishment is our society's recognition of the sanctity of human life.” 

—Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican, Utah)

5. “Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmer, liquidate real estate ... people will work harder, live a more moral life. Values will be adjusted and enterprising people will pick up the wrecks from less competent people.” 

—Andrew Mellon (Republican), U.S. treasury Secretary of the Treasury in 1931, giving Herbert Hoover advice about what to do about the Great Depression—namely, nothing. (Hoover fired him.)

Get out of your cars, you frigging lunatics.

This graph is from a new World Meteorological Association report. Each one of these bars aggregates 10 years of data. See the trend? The world is getting warmer. To quote the authors: “The period 2000-2010 was the warmest decade on record since modern meteorological records began around 1850.”

Think about what it’s going to look like in ten years. And then walk, ride a bike, use public transportation, or ride-share. But for the love of God, be thoughtful.

Want to know what happens when the Tea Party runs things?

Oregon has two counties—Josephine and Curry—that have steadfastly refused to meet their budgets by taxing themselves. Things are so bad, that Josephine has one law enforcement officer for the entire county! The New York Times reported this week on how crime has escalated quickly and gun sales are through the roof.

And so the inevitable has occurred. To stop the counties from going bankrupt and sliding back into the Middle Ages, the Oregon legislature is going to bail them out. Which means tax payers in the state are actually riding to the rescue. Yep, liberals from places like Portland, Ashland, and Eugene are saving Tea Partiers ... from themselves.

Yay.

A look inside the home of a gun enthusiast.

Look at that expression. It says, "I'm going to bust a cap in that lazy sumbitch on the recliner." Via.

Quote of the Day

"Everyone who's for abortion was at one time themselves a feces." 

—J. Peter Grace, appearing at an anti-abortion rally.