Conservative talk host Dennis Prager has his underwear in a bunch over Congressman-elect Keith Ellison of Minnesota.  Ellison is the first Muslim elected to federal office and Prager is making a major issue out of the fact that Ellison will swear an OATH to the Constitution on the Koran and not the Bible.

Here’s the link.

Never mind that Jewish electeds swear their oath on a copy of the Torah. 

Will Prager give Joe Lieberman a hard time? 

 

An Update: Crooks and Liars has video of Prager on Hannity & Colmes.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/12/01/dennis-prager-please-go-away/

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I have never been against anyone trying to earn a living. I do wish something could be done about the paid signature gatherers who also register voters on a paid per card basis.

This seems like I can’t let go of what happened earlier this year, but apparantly the methods linger on. First were the reports I got over the summer (after the primary and after it was apparant the paid bounty hunters were cheating) that the bounty hunters were still at it with petitions and worse, were still out to reregister the unsuspecting signer of a petition.

They are out again this December - this time with “Lower College Tuition” signs. This is another no brainer for many of us. It seems like a good idea. I got this information from my husband when he went to the local supermarket to pick up some necessities. My husband does not like petitions, but asked the woman who was sponsoring the petitions. When she could not answer the question, my husband apparantly told her that she had no business having people sign something she did not know anything about. I have not gone to that market to check it out yet so I do not know if she is registering voters for a particular party.

It is my hope that incoming Secretary of State Debra Bowen and the legislature put an end to this type of practice. In the meantime, I can only encourage people to not sign ANY petition unless you personaly know the individual circulating.

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from the “too good not to post file” this story from the New Haven, CT, Advocate Newspaper.  I am NOT making this up. Hugh Hewitt, take note.  It’s not too late to get help.  I’m sure Chris Prevatt can set you up with some healthcare resources from the county, if he ever gets his computer back.

Bush Nuts

Are George W. Bush lovers certifiable?

 
By Andy Bromage

November 23 2006

A collective “I told you so” will ripple through the world of Bush-bashers once news of Christopher Lohse’s study gets out.

Lohse, a social work master’s student at Southern Connecticut State University, says he has proven what many progressives have probably suspected for years: a direct link between mental illness and support for President Bush.

Lohse says his study is no joke. The thesis draws on a survey of 69 psychiatric outpatients in three Connecticut locations during the 2004 presidential election. Lohse’s study, backed by SCSU Psychology professor Jaak Rakfeldt and statistician Misty Ginacola, found a correlation between the severity of a person’s psychosis and their preferences for president: The more psychotic the voter, the more likely they were to vote for Bush.

But before you go thinking all your conservative friends are psychotic, listen to Lohse’s explanation.

“Our study shows that psychotic patients prefer an authoritative leader,” Lohse says. “If your world is very mixed up, there’s something very comforting about someone telling you, ‘This is how it’s going to be.’”

The study was an advocacy project of sorts, designed to register mentally ill voters and encourage them to go to the polls, Lohse explains. The Bush trend was revealed later on.

The study used Modified General Assessment Functioning, or MGAF, a 100-point scale that measures the functioning of disabled patients. A second scale, developed by Rakfeldt, was also used. Knowledge of current issues, government and politics were assessed on a 12-item scale devised by the study authors.

“Bush supporters had significantly less knowledge about current issues, government and politics than those who supported Kerry,” the study says.

Lohse says the trend isn’t unique to Bush: A 1977 study by Frumkin & Ibrahim found psychiatric patients preferred Nixon over McGovern in the 1972 election.

Rakfeldt says the study was legitimate, though not intended to show what it did.

“Yes it was a legitimate study but these data were mined after the fact,” Rakfeldt says. “You can ask new questions of the data. I haven’t looked at” Lohse’s conclusions regarding Bush, Rakfeldt says.

“That doesn’t make it illegitimate, it just wasn’t part of the original project.”

For his part, Lohse is a self-described “Reagan revolution fanatic” but said that W. is just “beyond the pale.” ●

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Members of Saddleback church are upset with Pastor Rick Warren for inviting Senator Barrack Obama (D-IL) to speak at the church’s 2nd annual AIDS Awareness Conference.  The criticism is largely due to Senator Obama’s Pro-Choice position.

But I wonder what Jesus would do here, as Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) is also speaking and he’s a staunch supporter of the War in Iraq which just about everyone knows had nothig to do with 9/11. 

Both men are talking about a very Christian value of attending to the sick - those who have AIDS or are HIV+ and both men should be commended for making awareness of this disease and education about it a human issue and not a partisan one.

So, Saddleback church goers, go with an open mind and an open heart.  This event is not a debate on abortion but on AIDS. 

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Happy Trails to Register editorial writer John Seiler who announced he’s taken the buyout and will leave the paper soon.

 

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The Irvine City Council took steps to protect private property owners from having their property seized.

The ordinance, which was proposed before the election in a special council meeting NOT attended by Christina Shea or Steve Choi when the council voted to oppose Prop. 90, was approved by the council Tuesday night.  It prohibits the city and the city’s redevelopment agency from taking private property to give to a private party without the landowner’s consent.

Sonya Smith didn’t provide the vote count in her story in today’s Register; but she responded to my email and told me the vote was 5-0. Given the nature of City Council votes, it would not have surprised me if the vote was 3-2 with Shea and Choi voting no. 

Now I’m curious; given the strong Pro-Prop 90 crowd consisting of Steve Greenhut of the Register, State Ass. Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine), and both Shea and Choi, who sent out campaign literature saying that voters would lose their homes to developers, will any of them step up and praise the City Council for voting to protect private property rights? 

I won’t hold my breath.

 

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“Seasoned Reporters take notice because this type of opportunity rarely comes along,” says the job posting that I accidentally stumbled upon this afternoon.

The Reg. is looking for a “libertarian thinker who can consistently write distinctive, persuasive editorials for our daily newspaper and online opinion website in tune with our philosophy of (a) respect for the individual, (b) limited government, (c) free markets, and (d) free trade.”

The job posting makes this position sound great, but it has long been rumored that Steve Greenhut takes Casual Fridays to a whole new level…so applicants beware!

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Got this in the email today; I will likely attend with my kids if I can free myself and there’s not too much homework that night.

 

Come to the Official Swearing In Ceremony
For

Mayor Beth Krom
and
Councimember Sukhee Kang

Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Irvine Civic Center
Forand(corner of Harvard and Alton)
Reception at 5:00
Swearing In at 6:00

Everyone is welcome — please plan to attend!

Of course, Christina Shea will be sworn in as well.  No word on Kevin Moynihan of the Irvine City Employee’s Association will be there to be sworn at.  I’m hoping we can all sing a few rounds of Kumbaya and move on.

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Chris Prevatt is still waiting for the return of his work computer, and to hear the outcome of the investigation that has already taken a month. The Orange County Register wrote this story about what Prevatt is calling retaliation to his political free speech.

The Orange County Weekly’s blog The Blotter picked up on Prevatt’s story:

The investigation is ridiculous—Prevatt has already explained how he wrote the post in his personal time and had a fellow blogger post it later in the day. This is S.O.P. in the blogosphere. I’ve done it myself. I’m sure that Jon Fleischman has done it in his capacity as founder of Flashreport.org, a right-wing political blog.

…

It’s scary, in a mafia or Communist kind of way, to think an employee ought to know better than to criticize the boss. It reminds one that Bill Hunt is still on administrative leave following his campaign for Sheriff. Hunt attacked his superior officer; Prevatt, a county employee, attacked the Supervisors. He attacked them for not taking more action against Tan Nguyen and suggested several alarming trends including a history of racism on behalf of Supervisor Norby

And Matt Cunningham at the Red County / OC Blog has also written a couple of posts regarding Prevatt. The first was this one “Chris Prevatt’s In Dutch With The County Over Blog Post.” And the more recent post is “Give Chris Prevatt His Computer Back” where Cunningham says:

Even Tan Nguyen has had his computers returned by the Attorney General’s office.

Enough already. Give the man his bloody computer back!

[The OC Register Article]
[The OC Weekly’s Blotter Blog]
[Red County / OC Blog]

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Tomorrow (Tuesday) from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. there will be a reception honoring the service of Mark Leyes on the Garden Grove City Council.

Leyes has sat in that seat for 16 years, and I’m pretty sure he’s the longest serving member on this council. When you’re done eating cake, stick around for the Garden Grove City Council meeting.

What: Reception Honoring Council Member Leyes
Where: Community Meeting Center; “B” Room (11300 Stanford Avenue, GG)
When: Tuesday, November 28, 2006, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

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Subscribers of the Orange County Business Journal might have missed a small tidbit in Rick Reiff’s column, but Reiff is reporting on a rumor that Register editorial cartoonist Mike Shelton is taking the buyout and will freelance for the paper.  Which means, Democrats will still bear the brint of Shelton’s conservative values once in awhile but he won’t be getting a regular paycheck.

Mike, don’t let that donkey kick you out the door as you leave.  But do enjoy your retirement.

;)

 

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What a shocker!  Santa Ana City Councilman Carlos Bustamante is running for the 1st District Sups seat that Correa will vacate in January December.

I posted about fundraisers that Santa Ana’s “rising star” was holding back in July: “Money for nothing.”

And now, Bustamante has officially announced his candidacy.  From the press release:

In announcing his candidacy Councilman Bustamante also announced his campaign team. The campaign Co-Chairmen are Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Campbell and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. Former State Senator John Lewis and Matt Holder will be the campaign’s strategists and senior consultants, Phyllis Schneider will serve as fundraiser and Betty Presley will be the campaign’s Treasurer.

Campaign Co-Chairman Bill Campbell said the following regarding Bustamante’s candidacy, “I look forward to campaigning with Carlos during the next several months. I was elected in a similar special election four years ago and know Carlos has the energy to win this campaign and will be an outstanding guardian of taxpayer dollars on the Board of Supervisors.”

Councilman Bustamante noted his local support in announcing his candidacy, “In the past several days I have been gratified that so many community leaders have encouraged me to run for Supervisor. I have a great deal of respect for the position of County Supervisor and I would be honored to serve the people of the 1st District. I look forward to bringing my philosophy of limited government and fiscal accountability to County government.”

Carlos, 41, and his wife Adrianna have been married for nine years and they have two children.

The 1st Supervisor District includes the communities of Santa Ana, Westminster, Garden Grove and Midway City.

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