Biffster’s World

Okay, so I’m out for a couple of days and a couple of major news stories break. Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop drinking!

Anyway, as everyone knows by now, the Senate reached a compromise to avoid the nuclear option. The AP’s short version of the deal: “Under the agreement, Democrats would pledge not to filibuster any of Bush’s future appeals court or Supreme Court nominees except in ‘extraordinary circumstances.’ For their part, Republicans agreed not to support an attempt to strip Democrats of their right to block votes.”

Add it all up, and what does it lead to? One big, stinkin’ pile of dung for the Democrats. What, exactly, did the Dems get out of this? The three most controversial judges will be confirmed. The Dems can only filibuster in ‘extraordinary circumstances,’ and there is no guarantee that the nuclear option won’t be re-introduced if the Dems do decide to stage a filibuster. After all, who gets to decide what qualifies as an ‘extraordinary circumstance?’ Don’t buy the Republican’s grumbling about this: this was all a win for the Repubs.

I understand why this was done: the Dems weren’t sure that they had enough votes to withstand a vote on the nuclear option. But if there were ever a time to take a risk, this was it! As it stands, all this did was delayed a vote. And if the Dems didn’t have the votes now, they won’t have them in a couple of months, either. Why not make the stand right here? If you get the votes, then you don’t have to worry about the nuclear option again. If you don’t get the votes, then there’s an excellent chance that the nuclear option could be used to guarantee Democratic gains in the ‘06 elections.

Instead, we get nothing. Theoretically, we still have the ability to filibuster. But watch how quickly that ability is taken away the first time that the Dems try to use it. Bill Frist basically said as much. He is chomping at the bit to break this compromise and re-introduce the nuclear option.

This was a bad call. Bad, bad, bad.

Well, okay, so the actual quote is: “‘We oppose condom ads because they promote promiscuity.’” But it isn’t that far of a stretch to assume that the AFA opposes condoms in general. After all, this is the group that furiously fights sexual education in schools and is dead-set against public funds being given to AIDS prevention programs if those programs distribute or endorse condoms.

Contrast this against Planned Parenthood and other family planning groups, who “argue such ads could help reduce teen pregnancies and check the spread of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.

“Michael McGee, vice president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America said : ‘the more we can normalize conversations about healthy sexuality and safer sex, the better off we are as a society.’”

The AFA and other conservative organizations continue to wallow in denial when it comes to sexuality. While their small membership might view sex as an evil that must be repressed and used only for procreation, the rest of us know that sex is normal, natural and healthy. And people are going to continue to have sex. We can either admit this and educate people on how to have sex safely, or we can continue to deal with an epidemic of unwanted pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases.

This story is so bizarre, it’s almost incredible. On a recent episode of “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Bill Maher told the following joke: “‘More people joined the Michael Jackson fan club,’ Maher said. ‘We’ve done picked all the low-lying Lynndie England fruit, and now we need warm bodies.’” Which is kinda funny, and solidly based on facts.

However,
Republican Congressman Spencer Bachus doesn’t find it funny. Instead, he has said that the remarks border on treason! “‘I think it borders on treason,’ Bachus said. ‘In treason, one definition is to undermine the effort or national security of our country.’”

I don’t know if the brutal cold of Alaska just rips senses of humor out of people or what, but c’mon. Treason? It was a joke! Grow a sense of humor, or at least a sense of perspective, Congressman Bachus!

Taken by itself, this is laughable. But add this to the Newsweek attacks that the White House levelled last week, and you have a very disturbing trend: the Republicans are apparently going on the offensive against any part of the media that dares suggest that things aren’t good. Where’s it going to end?

Well, James Dobson once had the Republican party under his control. But we are starting to see the relationship deteriorate. Dobson cannot handle anyone daring to defy his will. Case in point: Dobson’s attack on Trent Lott, and Lott’s response: “‘James Dobson: Who does he think he is, questioning my conservative credentials? [...] Some of his language and conduct is quite un-Christian, and I don’t appreciate it,’ the senator said.”

Fortunately, between Lott siding with the compromise which avoided the filibuster, John Bolton’s confirmation hearings being delayed until at least June, and the House passing the embryonic stem cell bill, there’s a lot going on to keep Dobson furious. Eventually, he’s gonna self-destruct and lose the last bits of control that he has. Either that, or he’s going to take the Republican party down the tubes. That’s a win-win scenario in my book!