Kevin is not in Kansas anymore, and Mitt and Paul run away from an old friend.

This is why I could never be a [right] wingnut. To me a religious experience would have been sitting front row at a Dennis Brown concert, (may he rest in peace) while sipping on some Stone's Ginger Wine, or making love to Tika Sumpter. Not the [right] wingnut; their idea of a religious experience is something totally different.

 "..Shortly after the contentious debt ceiling debate last year, nearly one in five congressmen took off for week-long informational trips during their summer recess, most of which were paid for by a pro-Israel lobbying group. The relief from escaping the toxic air of Washington, D.C., last summer may have been overwhelming for some of the lawmakers.

Politico reported that a late-night dip in the Sea of Galilee near the Israeli city of Tiberias by several GOP freshmen lawmakers and top leadership staff during that trip led to an FBI probe after reports of drinking and even a bit of nudity surfaced. Federal officials told CBS News that there is an FBI investigation into public corruption, but the skinny-dipping incident cited in the report is ancillary to the larger probe. Those officials also said that Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., - who was named in the Politico report - is not the subject of the federal investigation.
Yoder took off his clothes for the swim, Politico reports, and some of the other lawmakers partially disrobed, even though families - including one congressman's daughter - were also apparently swimming at the same time. Sources told Politico more than 20 people in total took part in the late-night swim."

Oh my! Why did it take a year for this story to come out? Man the main stream media sure is sleeping on the job. I guess Kevin knew that he wasn't in Kansas anymore, so I guess he figured it was time to let his "freak flag flow".

Anyway, some of my republican friends have an explanation for all of this:

"The reasons lawmakers gave Politico for the swim varied: Some said it was a religious experience (the Bible says the Sea of Galilee is where Jesus walked on water); others said they wanted to cool off; and still others admitted alcohol may have guided their decision.
Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., who did not swim that night, allegedly scolded the group after learning about the evening, Politico reports, because it was distracting from the mission of their trip. The FBI probe allegedly ended after a few questions about what happened that night were answered by a Cantor staffer. " [Source] 

Fellows, Jesus walked on that water, I know that you republicans in Washington believe that you have divine powers, but I don't think you have mastered the walking on water part just yet.

I am going to surprise many of you and not pile on Todd Akin tonight after his Macaca moment. We all know by now the statements made by Mr. Akin regarding the rape of a woman. The thing is, what he is saying is nothing new for certain folks in the GOP, this is the mindset of the cavemen in suits crowd. Akin just got caught thinking out loud.

Now, of course, everyone from Mitt Romney to all the usual wingnut suspects are jumping ship on Akin. Even though Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, co-sponsored and voted for a bill with the aforementioned Mr. Akin which required women to be "forcibly raped" before they can terminate the pregnancy brought on by their attacker. Yes, Paul Ryan was against abortion in any circumstance. Any. These two men were on the same page, so by condemning Mr. Akin is Mr. Romney also condemning his running mate? Mr. Romney would say no. That's the beauty of Etch A Sketch; it can go either way, and it's always moving.

Finally, if you happen to live in the Northwest United States and you are a member of the Negro race, --or any one of those groups that Aryan supremacist view as a less than human-- you might want to be careful.

"A young couple accused of killing four people in a multistate crime spree last fall have been indicted on federal racketeering charges alleging the rampage was part of a campaign to "purify" and "preserve" the white race, the U.S. Attorney for Oregon, said Friday.

A grand jury handed up the indictment Thursday against David "Joey" Pedersen, 32, and Holly Ann Grigsby, 25, prosecutor Amanda Marshall said in a news release.

"The indictment in this case alleges horrendous crimes were committed as part of defendants' white-supremacist campaign to kidnap and murder targets on the basis of race, color, religion and perceived 'degenerate' conduct," Marshall said.
They are charged in the killing, kidnapping and robbery of four people last fall: Pedersen's father, David "Red" Pedersen, and stepmother, Leslie "DeeDee" Pedersen, on Sept. 26 in Everett, Wash.; Cody Myers, a 19-year-old from Oregon on Oct. 1; and Reginald Clark, 53, of Eureka, Calif., on Oct. 3.
Clark was black and Grigsby allegedly told investigators that Myers, a Christian, was killed because his name sounded Jewish." (h/t to Greg for this story) [Source]

I swear it's tough being a young black man in America these days; if the racist don't get you, the po po or another black man will.

*Pic from Rangeley Moose Droppings 

"Legitimate rape", and more right wing terror.

Will one of my republican friends reading this post please explain "legitimate rape" to me?

"Rep. Todd Akin, the newly-christened GOP Senate nominee in Missouri, said this weekend that “legitimate rape” rarely causes pregnancy.

Explaining his no-exceptions policy on abortions, Akin was asked why he opposes abortion even when the pregnancy is the result of rape." [Source]

I don't think that Todd Akin has explained to us what he meant by that statement as yet, but he might as well save his breath. If I were the head of the Missouri republican party I would be begging Mr. Akin to drop out of the race as soon as possible. But who knows? Maybe his strange take on the subject of rape will not affect his standing with the voters in the Show- Me state. It probably won't among republicans, but what of the other independent minded people who actually think for themselves? We will see.

In case you haven't been paying attention, there was yet another horrific act committed by an extremist group here in America over the past week. This one took place down in Bayou country.

"NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At least some of the seven people arrested in a fatal shootout with Louisiana deputies have been linked to violent anarchists on the FBI's domestic terrorism watch lists, a sheriff said Saturday.

Detectives had been monitoring the group before Thursday's shootout in Laplace in which two deputies were killed and two more wounded, said DeSoto Parish Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle. His detectives and other law enforcement discovered the suspects were heavily armed adherents to an ideology known as the "sovereign citizens" movement.

The FBI has classified "sovereign citizens" as people who believe they are free from all duties of a U.S. citizen, like paying taxes. The FBI considers the group's members a danger for making threats to judges and law enforcement, using fake currency and impersonating police officers." [Source]

When the Department of Homeland Security issued a report in 2009 detailing concerns about growing right wing extremist movements in America, folks on the right --and their media arms like FOX NEWS-- were quick to jump to the defense of these nut cases, and they played down the report as just more partisanship from the Obama administration. Their outcry was loud and effective. So much so that Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, was moved to apologize.

I really wish that she hadn't done that, because her department was right. These groups are on the rise, and they are becoming more violent and extreme with every passing day. Emboldened by like minded individuals on the Internet, conservative talk radio, and irresponsible and unhinged public figures; these types of groups have become uncomfortably close to the American main stream. They hate the government. (Sounds familiar?)They hate the fact that America is getting browner, and they hate that a man with a Muslin sounding name can lead the country that they grew up in.

"Sovereign citizens are a loosely organized movement founded in the 1970s and more fully developed in the 1980s, according to the Anti-Defamation League website. Sovereign citizens believe that all levels of government have no jurisdiction over them and resist — sometimes with violence — authority including police, the website said.

They also like to use what is dubbed "paper terrorism." It involves using frivolous lawsuits and fake documents and of using genuine documents such as IRS forms to intimidate, harass and coerce public officials, law enforcement officers and private citizens."

Hmmm, "frivolous" lawsuits. Again, does this sound familiar?