Congressman Tells Black Constituent He's Not Sure the Civil Rights Act Is Constitutional

Congressman Tells Black Constituent He’s Not Sure the Civil Rights Act Is Constitutional

Florida. Yoho. Says it all.

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WingnutsApril 2014 • Views: 21,907

GAINESVILLE, Florida — Last week, former presidents and dignitaries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which bans many forms of employment discrimination and whites-only lunch counters, among other things. This week, a Republican congressman declared that he’s not sure if the Civil Rights Act is even constitutional.

Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), a freshman congressman aligned with the Tea Party, held a town hall Monday evening in Gainesville where he fielded a wide range of questions from constituents. One such voter was Melvin Flournoy, a 57-year-old African American from Gainesville, who asked Yoho whether he believes the Civil Rights Act is constitutional.

The easy answer in this case — “yes” — has the benefit of also being correct. But Yoho found the question surprisingly difficult.

“Is it constitutional, the Civil Rights Act?” Yoho repeated before giving his reply: “I wish I could answer that 100 percent.” The Florida Republican then went on to strongly imply it may be unconstitutional: “I know a lot of things that were passed are not constitutional, but I know it’s the law of the land.”

More: WATCH: Congressman Tells Black Constituent He’s Not Sure the Civil Rights Act Is Constitutional

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120 comments

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 10:15:16am

I wish we would stop electing people like this. Hey asshole, it is constitutional. It was surviving challenges on its constitutionality while shitheads like you were fighting it.

Backwoods_Sleuth Apr 15, 2014 10:23:59am

Posted this downstairs, but works here as well:

April 15th, 1947. Jackie Robinson leaves Ebbets Field after his @MLB debut with the Brooklyn #Dodgers @duaneharris19 pic.twitter.com/xMPaKUm1zh

— Dugout Legends (@DugoutLegends) April 15, 2014

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 10:26:17am

re: #2 Backwoods_Sleuth

Posted this downstairs, but works here as well:

[Embedded content]

I have a feeling that Yoho would have agreed with a lot of the nasty things Ben Chapman said to Jackie. Really though, you’ve got to love this. Here we got a sitting Republican congressman questioning the constituionality of the CRA of ‘64 and yet right wing idiots on Twitter will point to the fact that a large number of Southern Democrats opposed it as “proof” that liberals are the real racist ones. Nevermind the fact that support for segregation is and was a right wing stance.

nines09 Apr 15, 2014 10:27:14am

Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) later said he was astounded that an African American was not only in the room but allowed to speak. He wondered if it was Constitutional or even legal.

Feline Fearless Leader Apr 15, 2014 10:28:21am

But if Yoho had said “Yes” he would have been guilty of pandering to his constituent.
///

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 10:29:37am

I am I have to say convinced more than ever that had the Civil Rights Movement happened today that the Republican Party would oppose it especially if people they hated like Obama supported it.

aagcobb Apr 15, 2014 10:31:18am

Of course its unconstitutional because liberty!

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 10:32:00am

re: #7 aagcobb

Of course its unconstitutional because liberty!

The Rand Paul answer but you stupid black college students had no idea that the founder members of the NAACP were Republicans did ya.

Skip Intro Apr 15, 2014 10:33:13am

re: #6 HappyWarrior

I am I have to say convinced more than ever that had the Civil Rights Movement happened today that the Republican Party would oppose it especially if people they hated like Obama supported it.

I think they would have started a serious secession movement over it. Just like last time.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 10:36:59am

re: #9 Skip Intro

I think they would have started a serious secession movement over it. Just like last time.

I think so too. It really does pain me to say it honestly but knowing how much they hate anything to do with Obama, I can totally see them embracing guys like George Wallace and Ross Barnett and Orval Falbus. Of course, Trent Lott famously said that “We wouldn’t have had all these problems” if we had just elected Strom Thurmond back in ‘48 so part of me suggests that a lot of them have a problem with it as is.

Lidane Apr 15, 2014 10:38:37am

I see that the GOP’s minority outreach is going according to plan.

WTF.

Skip Intro Apr 15, 2014 10:40:38am

Interesting read on the whole Bundy situation, from the beginning.

washingtonpost.com

There is a sign at the entrance that reads, “MILITA SIGHN IN.”

The comments are almost as good, and for the most part are exactly what you’d expect.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 10:43:07am

The way I look at it. We have one party that has its fair share of flaws but tries to do right and then you’ve got another party that has members that openly question the constitutionality of arguably the most important legislation of the past century and actually has a lot of people who want a constitutional amendment to deny people equal rights under the law. I’ll say it here. I want the Republican Party to fail and I want it to fail big time because I’m sick of their reactionary bullshit dragging down our country. Let them fail miserably as a party and let an actual sane conservative party rise from the ashes.

Lidane Apr 15, 2014 10:44:36am

The GOP’s outreach to the poor and sick is also going well:

Just spiteful http://t.co/PpuSYaniwK pic.twitter.com/YvDGCuWB8a
— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) April 15, 2014

ObserverArt Apr 15, 2014 10:46:48am

Yoho is a yahoo.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 10:46:59am

re: #14 Lidane

The GOP’s outreach to the poor and sick is also going well:

[Embedded content]

And this also shows why they’re hypocrites too. Republicans and conservatives like to claim they support local governments making decisions over the feds and central governments but here’s the governor of Oklahoma telling Oklahoma’s cities “No, you’re prohibited from raising the minimum wage.” It’s actually a lot how the CSA had a problem with secessionist movements within the CSA.

Skip Intro Apr 15, 2014 10:47:15am

re: #14 Lidane

The GOP’s outreach to the poor and sick is also going well:

Comment:

Only the GOTP can be against the minimum wage at the same time they complain about welfare. Their hypocrisy knows no boundries.

Jayleia Apr 15, 2014 10:48:13am

re: #9 Skip Intro

And then we could all say “Hurrah! Hurrah! we bring the jubilee!” in the same location we did the last time…

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 10:50:22am

re: #17 Skip Intro

Comment:

I’ve been arguing this myself. The GOP likes to rail against welfare but yet they don’t want to increase the minimum wage at all. It’s not just hypocrisy but it’s bad policy too.

GunstarGreen Apr 15, 2014 10:57:56am

It is important to keep in mind that these people exist, and we continue to allow them to have powerful voices and hold powerful positions. It is the year 2014, and a Republican congressman cannot give a straight answer as to the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act.

This is not a parody. This is not a spoof mockumentary. This is actual, real life.

Idiocracy was not a comedy movie. It was a documentary from the future.

Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light) Apr 15, 2014 10:58:12am

This view of the Civil Rights Act burbled up with Rand Paul; he was taken to task heavily by Rachel Maddow over it, but he stuck to its guns, and now it is established TPGOP policy that it is fascism to force cafe owners to serve black people if they don’t want to, besides the unregulated Free Market will take care of it anyway, etc…

Ian G. Apr 15, 2014 10:58:30am

Has The Onion had an article that says something like “Republican Congressman doubts that Constitution is Constitutional?” Because if not, they really need to get on that.

Also, we have courts to decide these things, Yoho. And I’ll thank Zeus each and every day that someone like you will never sniff the federal judiciary.

FemNaziBitch Apr 15, 2014 10:58:39am

2nd Vocabulary Word of the Day:

carceral
of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:03:06am

re: #20 GunstarGreen

It is important to keep in mind that these people exist, and we continue to allow them to have powerful voices and hold powerful positions. It is the year 2014, and a Republican congressman cannot give a straight answer as to the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act.

This is not a parody. This is not a spoof mockumentary. This is actual, real life.

Idiocracy was not a comedy movie. It was a documentary from the future.

QFT. This isn’t some fringe kook. This is a GOP Congressman wondering aloud whether the Civil Rights Act is constitutional.

Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light) Apr 15, 2014 11:03:53am

re: #23 FemNaziBitch

2nd Vocabulary Word of the Day:

carcereal: related to eating Cheerios in your Chrysler.

Ian G. Apr 15, 2014 11:05:02am

re: #2 Backwoods_Sleuth

Posted this downstairs, but works here as well:

[Embedded content]

Jackie Robinson was such a powerful symbol in the civil rights movement (even if he pre-dated what we generally consider the start of said movement). His value in inspiring African-Americans to demand their equality as human beings might not be measurable, but it was undoubtedly there.

I’m hoping there’s a similar symbolic effect from the Obama presidency. In 1950, a minority child may have looked to Robinson as a symbol of all he/she could do. I hope in 20-30 years, we’ll be feeling the positive force of a generation of minority adults who were children when they could look to Obama’s presidency of a symbol of all that they could become.

makeitstop Apr 15, 2014 11:06:08am

Slightly OT: Judge Roy Moore is back, and he brought the nirth certifikit with him.

Chief Justice Roy Moore said Alabama’s secretary of state should have been required to determine whether President Obama was born in the United States and qualified to be on state ballot in 2012.

Sore Loserman.

FemNaziBitch Apr 15, 2014 11:06:38am

The Other 98% on fb and @Other98 #UniteBlue #RememberInNovember pic.twitter.com/87r8OFhOIC
— Republicans R Evil (@CanProveIt) April 15, 2014

or me in the morning.

Skip Intro Apr 15, 2014 11:07:22am

re: #24 HappyWarrior

QFT. This isn’t some fringe kook. This is a GOP Congressman wondering aloud whether the Civil Rights Act is constitutional.

And that’s not surprising at all in today’s GOP.

wrenchwench Apr 15, 2014 11:08:24am

I Was Racially Profiled in My Own Driveway

It was an otherwise ordinary snow day in Hartford, Connecticut, and I was laughing as I headed outside to shovel my driveway. I’d spent the morning scrambling around, trying to stay ahead of my three children’s rising housebound energy, and once my shovel hit the snow, I thought about how my wife had been urging me to buy a snowblower. I hadn’t felt an urgent need. Whenever it got ridiculously blizzard-like, I hired a snow removal service. And on many occasions, I came outside to find that our next door neighbor had already cleared my driveway for me.

Never mind that our neighbor was an empty-nester in his late 60s with a replaced hip, and I was a former professional ballplayer in his early 40s. I kept telling myself I had to permanently flip the script and clear his driveway. But not today. I had to focus on making sure we could get our car out for school the next morning. My wife was at a Black History Month event with our older two kids. The snow had finally stopped coming down and this was my mid-afternoon window of opportunity.

Just as I was good-naturedly turning all this over in my mind, my smile disappeared.

A police officer from West Hartford had pulled up across the street, exited his vehicle, and begun walking in my direction. I noted the strangeness of his being in Hartford—an entirely separate town with its own police force—so I thought he needed help. He approached me with purpose, and then, without any introduction or explanation he asked, “So, you trying to make a few extra bucks, shoveling people’s driveways around here?”

All of my homeowner confidence suddenly seemed like an illusion.

It would have been all too easy to play the “Do you know who I am?” game. My late father was an immigrant from Trinidad who enrolled at Howard University at age 31 and went on to become a psychiatrist. My mother was an important education reformer from the South. I graduated from an Ivy League school with an engineering degree, only to get selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. I went on to play professionally for nearly 15 years, retiring into business then going on to write a book and a column for The New York Times. Today, I work at ESPN in another American dream job that lets me file my taxes under the description “baseball analyst.”

But I didn’t mention any of this to the officer. I tried to take his question at face value, explaining that the Old Tudor house behind me was my own. The more I talked, the more senseless it seemed that I was even answering the question. But I knew I wouldn’t be smiling anymore that day.

[…]

RTWT.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:09:08am

re: #29 Skip Intro

And that’s not surprising at all in today’s GOP.

No it’s not unfortunately. I actually find it sad given that the original legislation wouldn’t have passed without the GOP but they lived in reality during those days.

Lidane Apr 15, 2014 11:09:54am

re: #24 HappyWarrior

QFT. This isn’t some fringe kook. This is a GOP Congressman wondering aloud whether the Civil Rights Act is constitutional.

EXACTLY. It’s frightening. These people aren’t just off their meds. They live in a completely different reality than the rest of us.

If it’s 2014 and you can’t decide if the Civil Rights Act is constitutional or not, you shouldn’t be anywhere near a position of power. Period. Same goes for the Voting Rights Act. If you think they’re negotiable, fuck off.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:12:00am

Really sad to read this especially on the 67th anniversary of what Jackie did.
cbssports.com
Yeah, how dare a black man who actually lived through Jim Crow comment on the shit America’s first black president is going through. And Aaron is 100% right.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:15:11am

re: #32 Lidane

EXACTLY. It’s frightening. These people aren’t just off their meds. They live in a completely different reality than the rest of us.

If it’s 2014 and you can’t decide if the Civil Rights Act is constitutional or not, you shouldn’t be anywhere near a position of power. Period. Same goes for the Voting Rights Act. If you think they’re negotiable, fuck off.

It really is scary. I think Obama’s election awoke the long existing racism in the right. It was always there of course since Reagan, Nixon, and Bush I exploited it for votes but it really came out when Obama became president.

Charles Johnson Apr 15, 2014 11:15:14am

50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, GOP politicians still doubt it's constitutional http://t.co/eZTpPIP5s0
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) April 15, 2014

wrenchwench Apr 15, 2014 11:15:46am

re: #33 HappyWarrior

Really sad to read this especially on the 67th anniversary of what Jackie did.
cbssports.com
Yeah, how dare a black man who actually lived through Jim Crow comment on the shit America’s first black president is going through. And Aaron is 100% right.

I wonder why they use the word ‘racial’ in that headline when ‘racist’ would fit the situation better.

FemNaziBitch Apr 15, 2014 11:16:16am

bbl

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:16:18am

re: #35 Charles Johnson

[Embedded content]

And yet they want to take credit for it while they question its constitutionality.

Skip Intro Apr 15, 2014 11:16:43am

Black and Hispanic athletes are expected to perform, know their place, and get the hell out of the way when the game’s over.

I don’t think this country is any different, at its core, than it was at the beginning of the 20th century.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:17:50am

re: #36 wrenchwench

I wonder why they use the word ‘racial’ in that headline when ‘racist’ would fit the situation better.

No idea. The comments are pretty much affirming. Aaron doesn’t know what he’s talking about blah blah, he’s the racist, etc. Yeah a guy who got racial death threats because he was going to break a record held by a white man doesn’t know what racism is and then the idiots bring up the Southern Democrats who opposed Civil Rights who pretty much all became Republicans.

Flying Squirrel Girl Apr 15, 2014 11:18:21am

re: #21 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)

Someone here pointed out a few weeks (months?) ago that in the “free market” scenario, a black family travelling would see a sign that read, “Gas: 22 miles” and arrive only to find that “their kind” isn’t served.

We are not going back, and they just can’t get used to that.

aagcobb Apr 15, 2014 11:19:16am

re: #27 makeitstop

Slightly OT: Judge Roy Moore is back, and he brought the nirth certifikit with him.

Sore Loserman.

Too late, nirthers, Obama ain’t running again! Wonder how many will object to Canadian Ted Cruz being on the ballot?

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:19:24am

re: #39 Skip Intro

Black and Hispanic athletes are expected to perform, know their place, and get the hell out of the way when the game’s over.

I don’t think this country is any different, at its core, than it was at the beginning of the 20th century.

I think we live in two different countries. One that keeps on evolving with the times. It’s the one that has seen support for things like SSM skyrocket but then there’s this other country that people like Ted Yoho live in. It’s a country where people don’t know if the CRA of ‘64 is constitutional and that any black man pointing out racism towards President Obama is himself a racist.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:19:52am

re: #42 aagcobb

Too late, nirthers, Obama ain’t running again! Wonder how many will object to Canadian Ted Cruz being on the ballot?

Oh that’s different. Cruz is a good conservative Christian Republican not a Kenyan Socialist Muslim.

Varek Raith Apr 15, 2014 11:20:26am

9/11 truther Mike Ruppert kills himself after finishing his radio show

Yeesh.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:21:17am

re: #45 Varek Raith

9/11 truther Mike Ruppert kills himself after finishing his radio show

Yeesh.

Guys like that need psychiatric help not their own radio show.

Ian G. Apr 15, 2014 11:22:45am

re: #33 HappyWarrior

Really sad to read this especially on the 67th anniversary of what Jackie did.
cbssports.com
Yeah, how dare a black man who actually lived through Jim Crow comment on the shit America’s first black president is going through. And Aaron is 100% right.

And the comments the Braves are getting just prove Aaron’s point.

Ian G. Apr 15, 2014 11:23:22am

re: #46 HappyWarrior

Guys like that need psychiatric help not their own radio show.

Being a 9/11 truther is prima facie evidence of needing psychiatric help.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:24:40am

Really if you think the Southern Democrats who supported segregation are an indictment on liberalism. Then please explain why the South went from solidly Democratic in presidential elections to solidly Republican. Those people didn’t move. They became supporters of the Republican party because the Republican Party was willing to pander to their racism and they hated that the Democratic Party was becoming more inclusive. Too many Southern politicians to count switched parties in the 60’s and 70’s. Gee, I wonder why. As I said, it’s actually sad since the Republicans do have a noble history on Civil Rights. Unfortunately though they’ve gone from being the party of Lincoln to the party of Strom Thurmond.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:25:32am

re: #47 Ian G.

And the comments the Braves are getting just prove Aaron’s point.

Yep, absolutely.

wrenchwench Apr 15, 2014 11:25:41am

re: #47 Ian G.

And the comments the Braves are getting just prove Aaron’s point.

Irony has been nailed to a burning cross.

Romantic Heretic Apr 15, 2014 11:26:01am

re: #7 aagcobb

Of course its unconstitutional because ~~liberty~~power!

FTFY.

Skip Intro Apr 15, 2014 11:27:54am

re: #42 aagcobb

Too late, nirthers, Obama ain’t running again! Wonder how many will object to Canadian Ted Cruz being on the ballot?

Jim Robinson at Free Republic pretty much banned all birther talk after he decided to support Tailgunner Cruz, probably because if Obama was ineligible being born in the US, TeaTurd Ted is double ineligible being born in Canada.

Skip Intro Apr 15, 2014 11:30:05am

re: #47 Ian G.

And the comments the Braves are getting just prove Aaron’s point.

Ya think? They do the Tomahawk Chop at every Braves game, for God’s sake.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:30:24am

re: #53 Skip Intro

Jim Robinson at Free Republic pretty much banned all birther talk after he decided to support Tailgunner Cruz, probably because if Obama was ineligible being born in the US, TeaTurd Ted is double ineligible being born in Canada.

I thought it was a pretty funny irony that both Obama’s opponents had funny questions about theirs or someone in their family’s eligibility. McCain being born in the Panama Canal Zone and Romney’s father being born in Mexico(who ran in ‘68 without controversy and that was with it known that he was definitely born in Mexico). The birther issue is and has always been abut the right’s xenophobia due to Obama having a Kenyan born father.

Justanotherhuman Apr 15, 2014 11:31:30am

re: #46 HappyWarrior

Guys like that need psychiatric help not their own radio show.

Yes, and too many get radio shows instead.

Or elected to Congress, like Yoho.

Sometimes I feel I live in a huge insane asylum.

Charles Johnson Apr 15, 2014 11:32:33am

I understand that some people see conservatism as a philosophy of resisting change. Standing athwart history, yadda yadda.

But folks, it’s been 50 years since the Civil Rights Act passed. Shouldn’t there be a point at which they say “fuck it” and acknowledge they’re not going to win?

Rhetorical question.

HappyWarrior Apr 15, 2014 11:32:48am

re: #56 Justanotherhuman

Yes, and too many get radio shows instead.

Or elected to Congress, like Yoho.

Sometimes I feel I live in a huge insane asylum.

So many loonies out there and unfortunately I may get one of them as my Congressman.

Justanotherhuman Apr 15, 2014 11:33:08am

re: #55 HappyWarrior

I thought it was a pretty funny irony that both Obama’s opponents had funny questions about theirs or someone in their family’s eligibility. McCain being born in the Panama Canal Zone and Romney’s father being born in Mexico(who ran in ‘68 without controversy and that was with it known that he was definitely born in Mexico). The birther issue is and has always been abut the right’s xenophobia due to Obama having a Kenyan born father.

Actually, it’s all about them being racist. If Obama’s father had been a white Kenyan, it wouldn’t have mattered, don’t you see?

jaunte Apr 15, 2014 11:33:29am

re: #57 Charles Johnson

Yadda is one word for it.

klys Apr 15, 2014 11:34:56am

I debated paging this, but I haven’t been able to find the actual report yet. I know we had some discussion here after the Moore tornado regarding the decision to keep kids at the school and reasons behind that decision making process, so to read this …hurt.

Moore tornado debris reveals construction flaws, code violations

“(At Briarwood) we found one horizontal steel beam that was designed as a support beam for masonry over the entrance to two classrooms,” Ramseyer said. “But there was no connection from the beam to the masonry, anywhere. No connection. The beam was just sitting there on the walls. Only gravity held it in place. Obviously, that’s not being built to code.”

Ramseyer, who also serves as director of the university’s Donald G. Fears Structural Engineering Lab, is one of the authors of the ASCE-SEI report. He was part of the eight-person ASCE team sent to Moore just days after the May 20 storm and charged with examining debris to see what construction techniques did and did not work.

With support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Ramseyer and the ASCE group were allowed to examine and photograph rubble from the school.

He said debris from the Briarwood site showed many of school’s walls were built using only short, 4- to 8-inch vertical overlaps of steel reinforcement - rebar - inside the cinder-block cells.

The International Building Code for reinforced masonry requires cinder blocks used in walls to be backfilled with concrete and to be reinforced with rebar overlaps between 20 and 30 inches long.

Skip Intro Apr 15, 2014 11:35:17am

re: #57 Charles Johnson

I understand that some people see conservatism as a philosophy of resisting change. Standing athwart history, yadda yadda.

But folks, it’s been 50 years since the Civil Rights Act passed. Shouldn’t there be a point at which they say “fuck it” and acknowledge they’re not going to win?

Rhetorical question.

You may be underestimating just how stupid Yoho is.

wrenchwench Apr 15, 2014 11:36:07am

I see Yoho is a large animal veterinarian.

That may not be his own ass in which his head got stuck.

First As Tragedy, Then As Farce Apr 15, 2014 11:43:46am

re: #32 Lidane

EXACTLY. It’s frightening. These people aren’t just off their meds. They live in a completely different reality than the rest of us.

And they show every likelihood of taking over.

We’re done.

Backwoods_Sleuth Apr 15, 2014 11:49:35am

re: #61 klys

I debated paging this, but I haven’t been able to find the actual report yet. I know we had some discussion here after the Moore tornado regarding the decision to keep kids at the school and reasons behind that decision making process, so to read this …hurt.

Moore tornado debris reveals construction flaws, code violations

Link is here

Ming Apr 15, 2014 11:50:22am

re: #12 Skip Intro

Interesting read on the whole Bundy situation, from the beginning.

washingtonpost.com

The comments are almost as good, and for the most part are exactly what you’d expect.

Thanks; the Washington Post article was really good.

klys Apr 15, 2014 11:52:46am

re: #65 Backwoods_Sleuth

Link is here

I think that just has the previous report they did after Joplin; near as I can tell the report on the schools in particular has not been released yet, unless it’s in a journal.

Justanotherhuman Apr 15, 2014 11:54:49am

So much like Bundy over grazing rights and paying for them, Yoho and his ilk are really nothing but scofflaws. They want to deny civil rights to various people and pretend no progress has been made through legislation, the executive or the SC. There is not one demographic—women, minorities, LBGT—these idiots don’t insult or try to harm in some fashion.

They want the laws to be all to their favor and fuck the rest of us. They want a time that never was, a time of the “perfect Aryan family”, to be realized—an impossibility that becomes more remote with every passing year, and it makes them not only idiots, but pathetic idiots who retard their own selves. They become more anti-social every day as they realize nothing will change, they learn nothing, they don’t acknowledge that most people in the world are not them, and they never progress in their thinking.

Greedy, self-centered, racist, sexist, reactionary assholes want to run the country?

Over my dead body.

Backwoods_Sleuth Apr 15, 2014 12:02:20pm

re: #67 klys

I think that just has the previous report they did after Joplin; near as I can tell the report on the schools in particular has not been released yet, unless it’s in a journal.

Look at the links at the bottom of the article. I haven’t had a chance to do that yet.

klys Apr 15, 2014 12:07:54pm

re: #69 Backwoods_Sleuth

Look at the links at the bottom of the article. I haven’t had a chance to do that yet.

Yeah, I’ve checked.

Running a search on conference proceedings shows that some of the folks quoted in my original article have presented results from the residential damage surveys in Moore, but the team lead isn’t listed as having any publications yet in 2014.

Ming Apr 15, 2014 12:07:56pm

re: #57 Charles Johnson

I understand that some people see conservatism as a philosophy of resisting change. Standing athwart history, yadda yadda.

But folks, it’s been 50 years since the Civil Rights Act passed. Shouldn’t there be a point at which they say “fuck it” and acknowledge they’re not going to win?

Rhetorical question.

I’m often astonished by reminders that far from throwing in the towel, these reactionaries are playing to win. From a recent article by the well-respected Nate Silver: “We think the Republicans are now slight favorites to win at least six seats and capture the chamber.” This is the United States Senate, November 2014.

I really love this country, and was reminded of that by that wonderful picture posted here, of Jackie Robinson with Ebbets Field in the background. But this country has many areas and people that I don’t understand.

Flying Squirrel Girl Apr 15, 2014 12:07:58pm

re: #61 klys

My cousin is a teacher at the Plaza Towers Elementary School (2nd grade). She and her students were evacuated to a nearby church with a storm shelter before the brunt of the storm hit. The evacuations had to be stopped when things got too bad, and the unlucky kids still at the school had to shelter in place.

Justanotherhuman Apr 15, 2014 12:09:32pm

Yoho won’t actually say it, but he probably admires this killer, this racist, neo-Nazi POS. Is the reason he’s not wearing pants because he’s threatened to harm himself? This is bizarre. Let’s see him come up with $10M cash bond; he has requested a public defender. Where are his friends now?

Suspect Frazier Glenn Cross entering court pic.twitter.com/PIA3reOCk9
— KMBC (@kmbc) April 15, 2014

Backwoods_Sleuth Apr 15, 2014 12:10:42pm

re: #70 klys

Yeah, I’ve checked.

Running a search on conference proceedings shows that some of the folks quoted in my original article have presented results from the residential damage surveys in Moore, but the team lead isn’t listed as having any publications yet in 2014.

Found this:

digitalprairie.ok.gov

NJDhockeyfan Apr 15, 2014 12:12:57pm

This is what happens when the system fails horribly…

Two paroles with GPS bracelets suspected of raping and killing multiple women. Details on NBC4 News now http://t.co/qOH6SwbKGZ
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) April 15, 2014

aagcobb Apr 15, 2014 12:14:25pm

On Obamacare, not only did the CBO project that the ACA will cover more people for less money than they originally thought, many insurance companies are looking to jump into or expand their offerings on the exchanges. Don’t expect the GOP to change its rhetoric that Obamacare is destroying jobs, causing premiums to skyrocket and triggering a zombie apocalypse.

Dr. Matt Apr 15, 2014 12:19:47pm

re: #76 aagcobb

But……Benghazi

danarchy Apr 15, 2014 12:20:06pm

re: #73 Justanotherhuman

Yoho won’t actually say it, but he probably admires this killer, this racist, neo-Nazi POS. Is the reason he’s not wearing pants because he’s threatened to harm himself? This is bizarre. Let’s see him come up with $10M cash bond; he has requested a public defender. Where are his friends now?

[Embedded content]

Looks like he doesn’t have many, apparently even the KKK and Aryan Brotherhood are distancing themselves.

fox4kc.com

AntonSirius Apr 15, 2014 12:22:50pm

re: #26 Ian G.

Jackie Robinson was such a powerful symbol in the civil rights movement (even if he pre-dated what we generally consider the start of said movement). His value in inspiring African-Americans to demand their equality as human beings might not be measurable, but it was undoubtedly there.

I’m hoping there’s a similar symbolic effect from the Obama presidency. In 1950, a minority child may have looked to Robinson as a symbol of all he/she could do. I hope in 20-30 years, we’ll be feeling the positive force of a generation of minority adults who were children when they could look to Obama’s presidency of a symbol of all that they could become.

Kid President sez, “Hi!”

GeneJockey Apr 15, 2014 12:23:05pm

In the Yoho/Bundy vision, they get to determine what is and isn’t Constitutional and act accordingly.

In reality, as citizens, we have all agreed that the Courts determine what is and isn’t Constitutional, and we agree to abide by that, to try and change it if we disagree, or accept the consequences for choosing not to abide by it. And as I’ve said before, we demonstrate our agreement by waking up every day in the USA and not leaving.

That’s the nature of a Republic - you don’t get to pick which rules you accept.

Justanotherhuman Apr 15, 2014 12:25:15pm

re: #78 danarchy

Looks like he doesn’t have many, apparently even the KKK and Aryan Brotherhood are distancing themselves.

fox4kc.com

That’s just Faux News, putting a spin on it. You know damn well they’re celebrating in some quarters, just like the anti-abortionists did in the Tiller death.

I remember how some people helped Eric Rudolph in the mountains here, but in the end, decided it wasn’t worth their own freedom.

BTW, did you notice Miller’s pseudonym, “Cross” was used at the beginning of the story?

klys Apr 15, 2014 12:27:44pm

re: #61 klys

Found another article here that included the response from ASCE after the news broke:

“The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has not completed its final report regarding the Moore, Okla. EF-5 tornado of May 2013.

ASCE requires a peer review of all reports before they are released. The final report is currently scheduled for release later this spring. ASCE is currently unable to confirm any findings or recommendations regarding the Moore, Okla. investigation at this time.

The statements in the media expressed by members of the damage assessment team that responded to the Moore, Okla. tornado are their own opinions and are not official statements of ASCE.”

Four to six weeks from the end of February means …maybe in the next week or two. Assuming the reviewers actually got back in time, and the appropriate edits were made and signed off on.

Jayleia Apr 15, 2014 12:27:52pm

re: #80 GeneJockey

And having a country where we can each determine the constitutionality of a law essentially voids all the laws.

GeneJockey Apr 15, 2014 12:29:06pm

re: #83 Jayleia

And having a country where we can each determine the constitutionality of a law essentially voids all the laws.

Hell, having a country in which each STATE can determine the constitutionality of a law essentially voids all laws.

NJDhockeyfan Apr 15, 2014 12:32:39pm

Today 102 years ago the Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm on its maiden voyage and sank 2 h 40 min later. pic.twitter.com/PFaIz5i3FJ
— ClassicPics (@History_Pics) April 14, 2014

Ian G. Apr 15, 2014 12:33:58pm

re: #80 GeneJockey

That’s the nature of a Republic - you don’t get to pick which rules you accept.

These people are all suffering from Pauline Kael syndrome. They don’t know anyone who doesn’t agree with them that the Federal Government is illegitimate, so they don’t understand why they can’t just rebel against it. It’s just more evidence of how increasingly detached from mainstream America the right is becoming.

Mattand Apr 15, 2014 12:34:35pm

re: #45 Varek Raith

9/11 truther Mike Ruppert kills himself after finishing his radio show

Yeesh.

Every so often, I need to read a Raw Story comment section to remind myself why I stopped visiting that site.

I’m sorry, but on the bug-shit crazy scale, those people are up with the Freepers.

Stanley Sea Apr 15, 2014 12:37:16pm

re: #63 wrenchwench

I see Yoho is a large animal veterinarian.

That may not be his own ass in which his head got stuck.

He went to a very good school.

Should’ve stuck with the animals.

Charles Johnson Apr 15, 2014 12:38:21pm

re: #45 Varek Raith

9/11 truther Mike Ruppert kills himself after finishing his radio show

Yeesh.

Wow, there’s a name from the past. Back in the day, Ruppert’s weird fans used to try to spread their conspiracy theories at LGF (the “fans” could have been him, for all I know).

wrenchwench Apr 15, 2014 12:38:44pm

re: #78 danarchy

Looks like he doesn’t have many, apparently even the KKK and Aryan Brotherhood are distancing themselves.

fox4kc.com

From that:

“We’re not out to do anything violent, we’re out here to protect ourselves,” explained metro resident Buddy Rumble.

Rumble is pro-white. He was affiliated with the National Socialist Movement when FOX 4 talked to him before a neo-Nazi rally in Kansas City last fall. On Monday Rumble explained he has since changed affiliations and is now part of the Aryan Nation.

He said both groups have similar non-violent missions.

“People in our movement are upset and pissed off at this man for doing what he did, we don’t condone that,” said Rumble.

Rumble said Cross’ time with the KKK was long ago and he feels there’s a reason he is no longer affiliated with them.

“Something’s funny, why isn’t he still there? They must have gotten rid of him, he was a nutcase,” said Rumble.

Frank Ancona, the imperial wizard of the KKK in Missouri, echoed Rumble’s sentiment, saying his group rejects hate filled doctrines.

In my opinion, responsible journalism would offer a bit of pushback, or further questioning after a statement like that. White supremacy is not a hate filled doctrine? They could redefine the word ‘hate’ to make themselves believe it, but it’s still a lie.

Targetpractice Apr 15, 2014 12:38:55pm

re: #85 NJDhockeyfan

[Embedded content]

Which would lead, 85 years later, to a bunch of white guys standing atop various tall objects and screaming “I’M KING OF THE WORLD!”

Mattand Apr 15, 2014 12:39:16pm

re: #71 Ming

I’m often astonished by reminders that far from throwing in the towel, these reactionaries are playing to win. From a recent article by the well-respected Nate Silver: “We think the Republicans are now slight favorites to win at least six seats and capture the chamber.” This is the United States Senate, November 2014.

I really love this country, and was reminded of that by that wonderful picture posted here, of Jackie Robinson with Ebbets Field in the background. But this country has many areas and people that I don’t understand.

I’m hoping this is one of the rare cases where Silver is wrong. Mostly because it would prove most Americans are smart enough to look at Republicans and remember how destructive they’ve been since OMG BLACK MAN IN WHITE HOUSE!!.

Unfortunately, there are single cell creatures who have better long-term memories than most American voters.

Killgore Trout Apr 15, 2014 12:39:48pm

Islamic extremists ‘kidnap 100 schoolgirls’

Suspected Islamic extremists have abducted about 100 female students from a school in north-east Nigeria, officials said.

danarchy Apr 15, 2014 12:41:15pm

re: #81 Justanotherhuman

That’s just Faux News, putting a spin on it. You know damn well they’re celebrating in some quarters, just like the anti-abortionists did in the Tiller death.

I remember how some people helped Eric Rudolph in the mountains here, but in the end, decided it wasn’t worth their own freedom.

BTW, did you notice Miller’s pseudonym, “Cross” was used at the beginning of the story?

Two points:
There is a big difference between Faux News and a fox affiliate.

Cross is not a pseudonym. Frazier Glenn Cross Jr. Is his birth name, Glenn Miller is a pseudonym. Most of the articles I have seen from HuffPo, cbs, cnn etc are using the Cross name.

I have no doubt there are folks who would support him privately, and likely even the people they were interviewing. The point is he isn’t going to get much actual support.

wrenchwench Apr 15, 2014 12:41:24pm

re: #92 Mattand

I’m hoping this is one of the rare cases where Silver is wrong. Mostly because it would prove most Americans are smart enough to look at Republicans and remember how destructive they’ve been since OMG BLACK MAN IN WHITE HOUSE!!.

Unfortunately, there are single cell creatures who have better long-term memories than most American voters.

It all comes down to turnout. In the midterms, turnout traditionally sucks, especially among the more liberal demographics. We have to get non-traditional about turnout to make Silver wrong.

Targetpractice Apr 15, 2014 12:41:52pm

re: #92 Mattand

I’m hoping this is one of the rare cases where Silver is wrong. Mostly because it would prove most Americans are smart enough to look at Republicans and remember how destructive they’ve been since OMG BLACK MAN IN WHITE HOUSE!!.

Unfortunately, there are single cell creatures who have better long-term memories than most American voters.

At this point I’m beginning to resign myself to Democrats losing the Senate and thinking of the next two years in terms of what that would mean for the presidency. One thing that TPM already pointed out is it means any vacancies on SCOTUS may go unfilled until 2017.

Justanotherhuman Apr 15, 2014 12:44:04pm

I don’t think this guy will like his Moroccan prison, not that I care. He’ll probably not leave it alive.

Morocco jails British Paedophile for 20 years: NGO

english.alarabiya.net

Sorry bastard.

aagcobb Apr 15, 2014 12:44:18pm

re: #96 Targetpractice

At this point I’m beginning to resign myself to Democrats losing the Senate and thinking of the next two years in terms of what that would mean for the presidency. One thing that TPM already pointed out is it means any vacancies on SCOTUS may go unfilled until 2017.

Won’t the GOP be pissed when they have to let Hillary fill those vacancies!

NJDhockeyfan Apr 15, 2014 12:45:05pm

I view of NYC like you’ve never seen…taken by a video camera strapped to a drone.

Enjoy…

Vimeo

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GeneJockey Apr 15, 2014 12:45:12pm

re: #86 Ian G.

These people are all suffering from Pauline Kael syndrome. They don’t know anyone who doesn’t agree with them that the Federal Government is illegitimate, so they don’t understand why they can’t just rebel against it. It’s just more evidence of how increasingly detached from mainstream America the right is becoming.

They have all these legal theories that boil down to “I get to do what I want, while denying others the right to do what THEY want, if it makes me uncomfortable”.

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Backwoods_Sleuth Apr 15, 2014 12:45:46pm

re: #90 wrenchwench

From that:

In my opinion, responsible journalism would offer a bit of pushback, or further questioning after a statement like that. White supremacy is not a hate filled doctrine? They could redefine the word ‘hate’ to make themselves believe it, but it’s still a lie.

Remember, these are the same people who claim that armed intimidation a la Bundy Ranch is “peaceful civil disobedience”.

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Targetpractice Apr 15, 2014 12:46:07pm

re: #98 aagcobb

Won’t the GOP be pissed when they have to let Hillary fill those vacancies!

One thing to remember is that this is a wave election, with Dems defending the most seats due to the wave of ‘08. The exact opposite situation presents itself in 2016, at it will be Republicans defending more seats due to the wave of 2010. So it could very well back in 2017 that we see Democrats retake the Senate and possibly the House.

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klys Apr 15, 2014 12:46:54pm

re: #102 Targetpractice

One thing to remember is that this is a wave election, with Dems defending the most seats due to the wave of ‘08. The exact opposite situation presents itself in 2016, at it will be Republicans defending more seats due to the wave of 2010. So it could very well back in 2017 that we see Democrats retake the Senate and possibly the House.

I wouldn’t hold your breath on the House, after the gerrymandering we saw following 2010.

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Killgore Trout Apr 15, 2014 12:47:34pm

The Disturbing Social Media of British Jihadists

The last time VICE News checked in on British jihadists in Syria, their war seemed, in many ways, more like a holiday camp than a brutal civil conflict. British fighters posted snaps of themselves messing about in swimming pools, hoarding Cadbury’s chocolates from home, and generally having a good time.
…
But battlefield setbacks haven’t hampered its efforts to reach out by social media. If anything, British ISIS fighters have been busier uploading videos and photos of their exploits than ever — only now the tone is different. Driven away from the creature comforts and internet cafes of Atmeh, on the Turkish border, British fighters are now uploading darker, more disturbing images from their desert strongholds.

You may find what follows deeply distressing.

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dog philosopher Apr 15, 2014 12:47:37pm

“I know a lot of things that were passed are not constitutional, but I know it’s the law of the land.”

‘constitutional’ is used here in the sense of ‘according to my personal preferences’

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wrenchwench Apr 15, 2014 12:48:57pm

re: #101 Backwoods_Sleuth

Remember, these are the same people who claim that armed intimidation a la Bundy Ranch is “peaceful civil disobedience”.

And Obama is a ‘socialist’.

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Backwoods_Sleuth Apr 15, 2014 12:49:58pm

I soooo wish I knew someone who was born today so I could do this in a few years:

If your child was born today tell them they were born on the day it snowed in Spring after the Blood Moon rose, as the prophecy foretold.
— Joseph Uranowski (@Uranowski) April 15, 2014

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GeneJockey Apr 15, 2014 12:50:01pm

re: #106 wrenchwench

And Obama is a ‘socialist’.

“You keep using that word…..”

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Targetpractice Apr 15, 2014 12:50:20pm

re: #103 klys

I wouldn’t hold your breath on the House, after the gerrymandering we saw following 2010.

True, between incumbency and gerrymandering it’s unlikely we’ll see much change in the House until at least 2020. But at the state level, it’s looking like there’s a growing backlash against the Tea Wave.

110

dog philosopher Apr 15, 2014 12:50:27pm

re: #80 GeneJockey

That’s the nature of a Republic - you don’t get to pick which rules you accept.

wingnuts have already declared their contempt for ‘democracy’

as for a republic, they don’t get the part where everybody agrees to abide by majority rule

after all, that might mean having to be subject to the will of people they despise and think of as ‘inferior’

is it clear where we are headed here yet?

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NJDhockeyfan Apr 15, 2014 12:52:43pm

Maybe Putin shouldn’t have put vodka bottles in their backpacks.

Russia sent its best men for the job. Separatists outside Kramatorsk airbase are drunk: http://t.co/0GZpzAl6oS
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) April 15, 2014

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dog philosopher Apr 15, 2014 12:54:14pm

re: #108 GeneJockey

“You keep using that word…..”

the slow and painful death of the dictionary…

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Feline Fearless Leader Apr 15, 2014 12:55:15pm

re: #106 wrenchwench

And Obama is a ‘socialist’.

And Jack London was only a century off.

en.wikipedia.org

A novel that would obviously be viewed now as an early “Alternate History” work. But sort of interesting of the methods that lead to an capitalist oligarchy regime coming into power.

114

Feline Fearless Leader Apr 15, 2014 12:56:39pm

Deluge in Philadelphia!

Watching the wind gusts pushing sheets of water up and down the windward side of the Comcast Building.

115

Backwoods_Sleuth Apr 15, 2014 12:58:47pm

re: #113 Feline Fearless Leader

And Jack London was only a century off.

en.wikipedia.org

A novel that would obviously be viewed now as an early “Alternate History” work. But sort of interesting of the methods that lead to an capitalist oligarchy regime coming into power.

I’ve got that on my ereader. It’s available as a free download from Gutenberg Project:

gutenberg.org

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wrenchwench Apr 15, 2014 1:00:23pm

re: #115 Backwoods_Sleuth

I’ve got that on my ereader. It’s available as a free download from Gutenberg Project:

gutenberg.org

Oooh, thanks!

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dog philosopher Apr 15, 2014 1:04:55pm

Lying Liars And The Way They Lie

the lying wingnut blogger posts:

Obamacare is increasing health-insurance premiums at the fastest rate in decades. And, as the LA Times notes, this especially burdens the working poor.

but what does the l.a. times article actually say?

Garnaus acknowledges that insurance will be good for her health and finances in the long run but says she’s barely able to cover the increased monthly costs. With government subsidies, her monthly insurance premiums are $13.50, and co-pays to see her oncologist are $20. When lab work or a CT scan is required, it can cost up to $100 more.

you see, under obamacare she can get health insurance, which she didn’t have at all before, despite her pre-existing condition - cancer. and she can get it at the subsidized price of $13.50/mo. what the article describes is how even a $100 charge is a difficult burden for somebody surviving as marginally as she is

marginally - um, she makes $22,908 a year but has her own apartment at $1,180/mo rent, so basically her apartment eats up almost all of her income

that’s her real problem

anyway, THE WINGNUT BLOGGER DOESN’T CARE WHAT THE ARTICLE ACTUALLY SAYS, SHE JUST GOES AHEAD AND LIES

gah

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GeneJockey Apr 15, 2014 1:12:53pm

re: #110 dog philosopher

wingnuts have already declared their contempt for ‘democracy’

Unless it’s a referendum banning gay marriage or limiting tax increases, then it’s the Will-O-The-Peepul!

as for a republic, they don’t get the part where everybody agrees to abide by majority rule

Unless they’re the majority, then if you express disagreement, it’s treason.

after all, that might mean having to be subject to the will of people they despise and think of as ‘inferior’

is it clear where we are headed here yet?

I’m already seeing a lot of ‘Cloud William’ in these guys. One told me that the Supreme Court makes mistakes, and had declared slavery constitutional.

I said, “It WAS Constitutional. That’s why there’s a 13th Amendment.”

He told me that if I thought it was Constitutional, I didn’t understand the Constitution.

This is even beyond ‘Original Intent’.

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Justanotherhuman Apr 15, 2014 1:38:42pm

re: #117 dog philosopher

Lying Liars And The Way They Lie

the lying wingnut blogger posts:

Obamacare is increasing health-insurance premiums at the fastest rate in decades. And, as the LA Times notes, this especially burdens the working poor.

but what does the l.a. times article actually say?

Garnaus acknowledges that insurance will be good for her health and finances in the long run but says she’s barely able to cover the increased monthly costs. With government subsidies, her monthly insurance premiums are $13.50, and co-pays to see her oncologist are $20. When lab work or a CT scan is required, it can cost up to $100 more.

you see, under obamacare she can get health insurance, which she didn’t have at all before, despite her pre-existing condition - cancer. and she can get it at the subsidized price of $13.50/mo. what the article describes is how even a $100 charge is a difficult burden for somebody surviving as marginally as she is

marginally - um, she makes $22,908 a year but has her own apartment at $1,180/mo rent, so basically her apartment eats up almost all of her income

that’s her real problem

anyway, THE WINGNUT BLOGGER DOESN’T CARE WHAT THE ARTICLE ACTUALLY SAYS, SHE JUST GOES AHEAD AND LIES

gah

Laguna Woods isn’t the slums, either. She may have rent subsidy, also—it’s Orange County and rents aren’t cheap.

This was in 2000, the last year Wiki has. so I expect those figures have increased substantially. Laguna Woods is also 96% white.

“The median income for a household in the city was $30,493, and the median income for a family was $46,889. Males had a median income of $56,563 versus $35,188 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,071. About 2.6% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.”

en.wikipedia.org

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