It's On Like Donkey Kong

After spending most of today listening to CSPAN while they covered the debate in the House of Representatives over the Republicans Cut, Cap and Balance bill I must say I couldn't agree with Rep West more.

From: Z112 West, Allen
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 04:48 PM
To: Wasserman Schultz, Debbie
Cc: McCarthy, Kevin; Blyth, Jonathan; Pelosi, Nancy; Cantor, Eric
Subject: Unprofessional and Inappropriate Sophomoric Behavior from Wasserman-Schultz

Look, Debbie, I understand that after I departed the House floor you directed your floor speech comments directly towards me. Let me make myself perfectly clear, you want a personal fight, I am happy to oblige. You are the most vile, unprofessional ,and despicable member of the US House of Representatives. If you have something to say to me, stop being a coward and say it to my face, otherwise, shut the heck up. Focus on your own congressional district!

I am bringing your actions today to our Majority Leader and Majority Whip and from this time forward, understand that I shall defend myself forthright against your heinous characterless behavior……which dates back to the disgusting protest you ordered at my campaign hqs, October 2010 in Deerfield Beach.

You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!

Steadfast and Loyal

Congressman Allen B West (R-FL)

I am doing some mindnumbing work this week so I am allowed to work from home, which is giving me the opportunity to catch some of the goings-on from our distinguished congress critters. Today the Congressional Black Caucus spent the morning taking to the floor of the house and bemoaning the various photo ID requirement laws that the states are passing in regards to preventing voter fraud, which of course to them is equivalent of Jim Crow laws. After the first half dozen of them got up all saying the same thing it simply became a carnival sideshow act. I wonder how many of those folks in that stampede for Section 8 housing applications in Dallas last week had photo ID? Didn't seem to disenfranchise any of them.

Anyway, the day in a nutshell was the Republicans pointing out the various things the proposed legislation actually contained while the Democrats were sounding warning bells about granny getting thrown out of burning buildings along with her cat food supper by representatives of big oil who were trying to catch their flight out of town on their corporate jet. Or something like that.

It really gets old when the Dems get on their talking points and just won't budge, even when they can't manage to read them off of the note cards prepared for them. There was even one congress critter from California that I had trouble understanding since her command of the English language was almost nonexistent. I am going to assume she gives all her campaign speeches in Spanish.

Anyway, kudos to Rep. West for laying a smack down on ol' DWS; the only question left is which victim card shield is she going to hide behind.

A Sneak Peek Into Those Closed Door Budget Negotiations

Any questions?

54 Democrat Congress Critters Who Stand in Support of the Muslim Brotherhood

The reaction in the Islamic world to the death of Usama bin Laden for the most part is exactly what one should expect from folks who get their panties in a wad over cartoons and book burnings. What should be eye opening is that we have members of our congress who stand in support of them along with members of our Homeland Security.

The Muslim Brotherhood has come out to express outrage at the killing of a mass murderer.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, a conservative organization with links around the Islamic world, has condemned the killing of Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden by U.S. forces as an "assassination."

Or at least they have in the past.

Last month, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and her senior staff privately met in Washington, D.C., with a select group of Muslim, Arab, and Sikh organizations. Among the mix were three organizations directly associated with an outlawed terrorist entity — the Muslim Brotherhood.

Secretary Napolitano spent an hour and a half briefing them on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counter-radicalization and anti-terrorist programs. The intensive briefings spanned two days (January 27 and 28) and were called by the DHS.

The Muslim Brotherhood has even been so bold as to demand that congress schedule a session to allow them to make their case that they are just warm fuzzy teddy bears.

Tuesday, April 19,2011 16:06 IkhwanWeb Dr. Mohamed Morsy, media spokesman and member of the Executive Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood(MB) demanded that US Congress hold a special session to hear directly from the MB about their programs as Congress held a session recently with the MB.

Oh the 54 congress critters in the title? They are the ones who signed a letter in support of the Free Gaza organization which is a Hamas operated propaganda effort which is in turn supported by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Special Election for NY 26 District and A Call To Arms

A while back I posted about the upcoming special election in the New York 26th congressional district to replace the disgraced sexting lawmaker and now the date has been announced. The election will be on May 24th. Here are your choices.

Assemblywoman Jane Corwin has been selected by the county chairs from the 26th District to be the Republican Party candidate. The district voted overwhelmingly for Rep. Chris Lee in November 2010 and Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district 2 to 1.

* One of the Republican candidates who was not selected is decorated combat vet, author and activist David Bellavia. He is waiting for the conservative party-line announcement before deciding whether or not he will pursue an independent candidacy. That announcement is slated to be made March 12.

* Jack Davis is another independent contender. Davis has unsuccessfully run for office in the past as both a Democrat and as a Republican. Davis is wealthy and has poured millions of his own funds into prior campaigns.

The Democrats are as usual unable to make a decision on who they want to endorse. They can't appear to make a decision on anything.

The problem is this. Since David is going to have to run as an Independent he needs to get 3,500 signatures on a petition within the next 12 days to have his name on the ballot. I am asking all you upstate New Yorkers in this district to find the petition and sign it and then send Bellavia to DC so that he can link up with and join forces with former Army alumni like Col (RET) Alan West and we can bring some leadership to congress instead of continuing to do business as usual.

BTW I don't know why the writer of the article decided to use the word activist to describe Mr Bellavia unless by activist you mean he was a tireless advocate for veterans and devoted so much time and energy to highlight the accomplishments of our men and women serving in the armed forces.

Yeah, But What Happens When The Prom Is Over?

In the pantheon of silly stunts this has to rank up near the top. I am talking about the plan to have our congress critters mingle the seating during the State of the Union address. To me it is yet another example of how Democrats can propose some sort of feel good story and then get their way all based on appearance instead of substance.

“It’s a little like prom,” joked one Democrat, who asked not to be identified. “You just hope they don’t turn you down.”

As of this weekend, nearly 60 lawmakers had pledged to sit with a member of the opposite party, according to Udall’s office. In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the lawmakers said that the bipartisan seating arrangement would remind members of their common commitment to serve the American people.

Why do I think this is silly? A couple of reasons come to mind. The first is this is an attempt to protray graphically that the drubbing the Democrats got in the last election wasn't nearly as bad as it was. By having members mixed together the scope of the victory is diffused. Americans won't be able to see a large majority on one side of the aisle. I would think that after years of being told that they had tried to stop every Democrat effort while being the minority party the Republicans would be eager to show that they were indeed now the majority, at least in one house of congress.

Second, what does being chummy with a Democrat get you? They won't respect you in the morning, and in fact will probably use you as an example of being a jackbooted thug on a morning talk show the very next day.

There may be a good purpose for this however for Republicans. Simply note the pairings, and make a mental note of who may not be worthy of support in the next election. Sort of a case of the RINO's self identifying themselves. There are of course the usual suspects such Collins and Snowe of Maine, who probably didn't asked to the prom in high school, who will jump at the chance, but what other lonely wall flowers are going to want to be with the kewl kids?

The only ones I can give a pass on this stunt are the leaders of House and Senate who might sit with their counterparts. It should make for some good theater, if like in the past they engage in their stand up, sit down, rah, rah, rah antics like they have done in the past.

Lastly, it will allow Prezbo to scold them, like he did the Supreme Court justices, while diluting the image of contempt.

The Democrats are desperate to put as good a face on the results of the last election as possible and a big part of that is all about appearance, and God knows they are good about staging events to draw attention. Have you ever stopped to wonder why so many liberals tend to be in the entertainment business?

Like Rats Deserting A Sinking Ship

Poor, poor Democrats. They just can't catch a break. The latest victim is Rep David Wu (D-Romulus). Mr Wu apparently a big Star Trek fan based on his use of Vulcan and Klingon analogies in his anti war speeches, but now he has staffers leaving him in droves, perhaps because they finally realized he is too bat shit crazy even for them.

Since the November election, U.S. Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., has lost at least six staffers plus the leadership of a veteran campaign team that guided him to a seventh term amid complaints about his public behavior.

The exodus includes Wu's longtime chief of staff, Julie Tippens, and communications director, Julia Krahe, both in Washington, D.C. Krahe left without securing a job while Tippens took a similar position with a lawmaker with far less seniority.

In addition, Wu has lost virtually his entire political team -- people who have been with the Democrat for more than a decade -- including his chief fundraiser, Lisa Kurdziel, and chief pollster, Lisa Grove, who told The Oregonian she wouldn't work for him again.

The voters in his district obviously are not as sane or rooted in reality as these staffers since they reelected him. Remember he is a member of the party which is also telling you that Obamacare is good for you. Would you seriously take his opinion on anything given all the other displays of what used to be called eccentricity, but I just call crazy.

Beam me up Scotty, there is no signs of intelligent life here.

Baker's Dozen of Democrats Vote No To Reduce House Budget

Things continue to move along in DC. While everybody is distracted by reporting of the outburst during the reading of the Constitution the Republicans brought forth a bill to reduce the size of the House budget by 5%, which is about $35 million. While the final vote count came the closet to being bipartisan in nature that we have seen in awhile there were still a stalwart group of Democrats who voted no.

It should come as no surprise really. Four of the representatives were from CA, Lee, Filner, Woolsey, and Honda who quite frankly really have no concept of what it means to cut a budget. Conyers from MI who once again can attest to how well living above your means has worked out for the people in his district.

H/T to Jamie Dupree's tweets for the information on the vote. Jamie is a straight up reporter whom I became aware through the Neal Boortz radio show. He is the old school of reporting with a just the facts style. No editorializing, so for those of you who use Twitter look him up and follow him for updates from capitol hill.

more D's voting No on 5% cut: Jackson IL, Moran VA, Payne NJ, Schakowsky IL, Towns NY and CA, Ackerman NY, Clarke NY, Conyers MI, Ellison MN, .

Jamie also clarified the claim made by the CBO and the Dems that the repeal of the healthcare bill will result in an increase of $230 billion to the deficit. This is the result of lost revenue from the increased fees and taxes built into the bill. So in other words doing away with these yet to be enacted taxes will increase the deficit because the government was already counting on the money. The Republicans need to get the message out about how this talking point is derived at and do it in a easy to understand way. The easiest rebuttal to this claim is to ask the Democrats would the deficit increase by this amount IF this healthcare takeover had never been passed or are projected deficits from the Democrats free spending ways even higher then the American people have been led to believe?

The folks at the Heritage Foundation offer the full length version of how this claim by the Democrats is false.

The answer of course is probably not, but with they fancy accounting methods and double counting savings in certain areas and other shady language they have managed to promote a story that would make Bernie Madoff look like an unimpeachable witness for the prosecution.

More Dissension Among Georgia Democrats

During yesterday's voting for the Speaker of the House, it was once again the Democrats from Georgia that delivered a message to the national Democrats that everything isn't so rosy in the Peach State for their brand. Following on the defection earlier this year of several prominent Democrats to the Republican party in Georgia, a couple of the representatives refused to go along with the party line and vote for Pelosi to be their leader.

Two representatives John Barrow from Savannah and Sanford Bishop from Albany gave a very public message that the more progressive wing of their party is not welcome. Barrow voted for fellow Georgian John Lewis. This is really a coward's vote. By voting for an African American, who if you took the phrase "civil rights activist" out of any article pertaining to him, has no other item of note in his biography, he is able to avoid the racist label. Mr Bishop merely voted 'Present'.

In all 19 Democrats refused to vote Queen Nancy with the majority of them voting for Heath Schuler and then the little sophomoric display of two Dems voting for each other. Reminds me of something you expect out of a couple giggling high school girls voting for the king and queen of the prom, but then this is Dems we are talking about.

One last note on this, in the article I got this information from I found this curious caption on a picture.

Georgia Democratic Reps. John Barrow (left) of Savannah and Sanford Bishop of Albany both bucked the trend Wednesday during overwhelming votes for Nancy Pelosi as House minority leader.

There was only one name on the ballot you numbnuts. All of the other votes amount to write in votes and if the self proclaimed greatest leader of the house couldn't even get all of the votes of her now decimated party, then it certainly bodes well for the Republicans.

I expect the House to pass quite a bit of legislation just to see it die in the Harry Reid led Senate. I wonder if we will then see daily headlines about obstruction of the majority party? Remember Dems still hold the majority in the Senate. Without the narrative of Republican filibusters, and there were zero filibusters by the way, merely a Senator voicing displeasure at a piece of legislation was enough to turn the spineless Dem senators and the bed wetting liberal media into a quivering mass of jello. Democrats are like the little kid who picks a fight and then when the other kid comes looking for him goes hides behind mommies skirt. Mommies skirt in this case being the media.

Anyway the Dems have big problems internally but of course we won't hear about most of it, and the first freshman Republican congressman who sneezes in the hallway will be accused of starting the next Bird Flu epidemic.

Hey, Maybe Republicans Are Serious About This Constitution Thing

While all of the attention today has been on the passing of gavel from disgraced and ostracized former speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi to John Boehner, the Republicans held their first vote with a big tip of the hat towards the constitution. They voted to strip full floor voting rights from the delegates which represent our territories and the District of Columbia.

Republicans have long argued that the Constitution, which says the House should be made up of representatives chosen by the "several states," rules out voting by non-state delegates. The office of new House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday said Boehner "continues to believe . that delegates should not vote in the Committee of the Whole because they constitutionally cannot vote on the House floor."

"It's very apparent to me that we need to focus on the Constitution and (under the Constitution) states are to be represented in the House of Representatives," said House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif.

There is a lot rules surrounding just what powers these delegates have and what this measure basically boils down to is they can no longer vote on amendments to bills on the floor of the house. They could never vote on the final bills and this simply limits their participation to committees.

Predictably the delegate from DC is taking this extremely hard especially since the Democrats tried in vain to make them a full representative when they controlled congress, which if history is any sort of a teacher will be about 40 years from now before they get their next chance.

MSM: Hot Damn, That Lame-Duck Session Was Productive!

Open wide, everybody - the lame-stream media has a preposterously euphemistic but totally objective narrative to spoon-feed to us.

You see, the Democrats of the 111th Congress - fresh off an unmitigated rejection at the hands of fed-up voters last month - nevertheless attempted to pass a plethora of pent-up left-wing legislation in the traditionally uneventful lame-duck session.

And with large majorities lingering in both Houses and a President who would eagerly sign a literal pile of garbage if Harry Reid dropped one on his desk, amazingly enough they managed to pass a lot of it.

Will wonders never cease?



Via Breitbart. Cross-posted.

Here Are Your Senate Porkers

Jaime Dupree, who is well respected around these parts for his reporting on the goings on in DC, has combed through that omnibus Christmas list that the Congress is trying to pass. You know, that last minute document drop consisting of almost 2000 pages of taxpayer waste. Neither party is without blame; in fact the top porker is Thad Cochran (R-MS), with 230 earmarks in the bill.

It's no longer a point of those folks in Washington not getting it, it has reached the point that they are just giving us the big middle finger and telling us they don't care. There are a lot of ways this thing can work out--the most obvious, of course, is to scrap the whole thing, but the reality is nobody in Washington is willing to stop the federal government, which would mean no money for our soldiers, among everything else. This isn't just a bill filled with earmarks, like the last dozen, this one actually is the budget for next year, so not approving it would affect everything the federal government has a hand in, from Amtrak to Medicare to national parks.

The biggest thing these congress critters fear, however, is that if they don't approve this monstrosity, and the beast doesn't get its money and then nobody notices. There is no way they can let the Americans see for even a short time that they can live without all of that federal largess that they insist is so necessary.

Anyway, here is your list and visit the link for a more in depth breakdown from Jamie, who also makes cameos on the Neal Boortz radio show daily, normally around 11:30 EST.

Cochran (R-MS) 230
Wicker (R-MS) 199
Murray (D-WA) 172
Harkin (D-IA) 152
Reid (D-NV) 129
Menendez (D-NJ) 123
Feinstein (D-CA) 121
Lautenberg (D-NJ) 120
Lincoln (D-AR) 114
Inouye (D-HI) 113
Schumer (D-NY) 106
Johnson (D-SD) 105
Landrieu (D-LA) 104
Specter (D-PA) 103
Pryor (D-AR) 96
Levin (D-MI) 93
Stabenow (D-MI) 91
Boxer (D-CA) 90
Brown (D-OH) 87
Grassley (R-IA) 86
Bingaman (D-NM) 86
Durbin (D-IL) 86
Akaka (D-HI) 83
Wyden (D-OR) 83
Cardin (D-MD) 79
Merkley (D-OR) 79
Gillibrand (D-NY) 79
Bond (R-MO) 78
Bennett (R-UT) 76
Casey (D-PA) 76
Udall (D-NM) 73
Reed (D-RI) 70
Kerry (D-MA) 69
Cantwell (D-WA) 69
Hagan (D-NC) 69
Voinovich (R-OH) 68
Klobuchar (D-MN) 68
Rockefeller (D-WV) 67
Dodd (D-CT) 66
Mikulski (D-MD) 65
Tester (D-MT) 65
Lieberman (ID-CT) 64
Hutchison (R-TX) 63
Burr (R-NC) 63
Baucus (D-MT) 62
Dorgan (D-ND) 60
Warner (D-VA) 60
Webb (D-VA) 58
Franken (D-MN) 58
Collins (R-ME) 57
Leahy (D-VT) 56
Murkowski (R-AK) 55
Whitehouse (D-RI) 55
Kohl (D-WI) 54
Conrad (D-ND) 52
Vitter (R-LA) 48
Cornyn (R-TX) 45
Snowe (R-ME) 44
Nelson (D-FL) 43
Chambliss (R-GA) 42
Crapo (R-ID) 41
Risch (R-ID) 41
Bennet (D-CO) 40
Brownback (R-KS) 39
Carper (D-DE) 39
Begich (D-AK) 37
McConnell (R-KY) 35
Roberts (R-KS) 35
Sanders (I-VT) 33
Shelby (R-AL) 32
Inhofe (R-OK) 32
Shaheen (D-NH) 32
Alexander (R-TN) 30
Udall (D-CO) 30
Lugar (R-IN) 29
Graham (R-SC) 27
Thune (R-SD) 26
Isakson (R-GA) 24
Nelson (D-NE) 23
Sessions (R-AL) 21
Bunning (R-KY) 21
Ensign (R-NV) 20
Gregg (R-NH) 13
Barrasso (R-WY) 4
Enzi (R-WY) 3
Hatch (R-UT) 1
Bayh (D-IN) 1
Corker (R-TN) 1
Brown (R-MA) 1
McCain (R-AZ) 0
Feingold (D-WI) 0
Kyl (R-AZ) 0
DeMint (R-SC) 0
Coburn (R-OK) 0
McCaskill (D-MO) 0
Johanns (R-NE) 0
LeMieux (R-FL) 0
Manchin (D-WV) 0
Coons (D-DE) 0
Kirk (R-IL) 0

Jindal: Let's Make Congress a Part-Time Gig

I like the sound of that.

Any idea that limits Democrats' opportunities to continue spending our nation into oblivion is at least worth exploring.

However, I'm not so sure about Jindal's proposal for a balanced budget amendment. It's a nice theory and all, but in reality politicians would just continue to spend, create new entitlements, etc. and then cite the amendment as justification for tax increases. That's probably not Jindal's intent, but that is how it would play out.

A better idea would be to limit spending to a fixed percentage of the GDP.



Via Human Events. Cross posted.

Remember Jack Murtha and His Earmark Scams?

According to Politico, the lobbying group PMA, which really was believed to be merely a front group to help Murtha funnel millions of your taxpayer dollars to his favorite groups, was indicted today in federal court for doing just that.

PMA had ties to some of the most senior members of the House Appropriations Committee, including the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.). The firm, its employees — particularly Magliocchetti — and clients steered millions of dollars in campaign contributions to these lawmakers. PMA’s lobbying clients then received hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks.

Most ethical congress evah!

Dems Applaud Leader of Failed Nacro State

The leader of a failed narco state took full advantage of his time in front of congress today to blast Arizona for their passage of legislation that would deny sanctuary to his drug lords, all to thunderous applause from the Democrats.



I will admit to in the past voting for a Democrat or two, afterall I live in the state that has sent people such as Sam Nunn and Zell Miller, both Democrats, to congress. There used to be decent Democrats at one time in this country, if you can believe it. Those days are gone. The current crop of Democrats are the most anti-American collection of goof balls and social rejects that I have seen in my life.

This display today sent my blood pressure off the charts and I had to calm down considerably before posting this, to allow my anger to subside. I will never, ever, entertain the notion of voting for a Democrat again. No Blue Dog, no pony tailed, no nothing that embraces the Democrat label.

There has been along list of foreign leaders recently who have come to our shores and used the opportunity to blast this country. Most of these events took place at some liberal college or on the floor of the UN, but to go in front of our congress and blast our country and to do so to approving applause is the final straw. I want these people out of office and sent back to whatever communal utopia they think exists so they can spend their time chasing butterflies, unicorns, rainbows or whatever it is they see in their obviously drug damaged brains.

Anybody else who still believes there is such a thing as a good Democrat is deluding themselves, and proclaiming loyalty to the Democrats is certainly an indication of a deeper unsettling mental condition. Perhaps your daddy didn't love you enough or your mommy didn't hug you, but whatever it is, it is an indication of some serious self loathing condition that manifests itself into an outward exhibition of hatred for America.

So this is how liberty dies....

Another New York Politician With Too Much Time On His Hands

What is it with the New York politicians that they want to go off chasing unicorns in what amounts to little more then a masked attempt to strike at conservatives?

Now Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), having solved all of the big issues of the day like the national debt, out-of-control spending, security of the borders, eradication of Islamic terrorism and the burgeoning unemployment has now set his sights on one of the sponsors of the Glenn Beck radio show, Goldline. This is nothing more then an attempt to scare away sponsorship from one of the most successful personalities on radio and television.

Talk show host Glenn Beck and Goldline International, a California-based gold retailer, have colluded to use fear mongering tactics to bilk investors, according to a stinging report issued Tuesday by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.).

The report alleges that Goldline grossly overcharges for the gold coins that constitute the bulk of its business, uses misleading sales techniques and takes advantage of fears about President Barack Obama’s stewardship of the economy – which are stoked by its paid stable of paid conservative endorsers including Beck, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham and Fred Thompson – “to cheat consumers.”

This is nothing but something for the progressives to salivate over as it is another attempt to silence conservative voices. They can't compete in the market so the only option is for them to try and eliminate the competition altogether. Really pretty pathetic, just like the boycott that I guess is still going on from the former Obama appointee Van Jones's front group against advertisers on the Glenn Beck TV show.

A member of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, Weiner said he plans to introduce legislation to require Goldline and other precious metal retailers to fully disclose all their fees, how much the price of gold would need to rise in order for their customers’ investments to yield a profit, and the purchase price, melt value and resale value of the metal that constitutes their products. And he called on the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as the Federal Trade Commission to investigate “the shady business practices conducted by Goldline International.”

Anthony, I can answer one part of that sermon. How much the price of gold would need to rise in order for their customers investments to yield a profit? 1¢. If you knew anything about how investments actually works you might understand that and not be so gullible to all the crap Fannie and Freddie feed you.

Weiner, you are a wiener.

You Can't Make This Up: Congress Ponders 'Potty Parity' Act

Here's something else to ponder: How about we flush these tools in November? As if we don't have enough problems to deal with, this is the kind of important legislation being taken up in Washington.

A House committee heard testimony Wednesday morning on legislation designed to develop a more equitable sexual balance in the number of toilets in federal buildings.

Nicknamed the Potty Parity Act, the bill would require the number of toilets available for women to equal or exceed the number of toilets and urinals in men's restrooms.

Under the bill sponsored by Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the requirement would apply to federal buildings constructed in the future and current properties that would undergo major renovations.

"I am certain that every woman in this room has frequently experienced the inconvenience, as well as the discomfort, caused by an insufficient number of women's restroom facilities," Towns said to a hearing room almost filled with supporters, mostly women, from his Brooklyn district.

Testimony by the General Services Administration said that since the 1980s, its standards have called for the number of toilets in women's restrooms to equal the number of toilets and urinals in men's rooms.

How about just evening things out in the old buildings? Would anyone care? Would anyone notice?

We have to actually have legislation for this?

Though it's the kind of issue that elicits snickers, potty parity really is a serious matter.

Former District mayor Sharon Pratt told the committee that "the disparity in restrooms is glaring, inconvenient, enormously inefficient and downright unfair."

Special Election in Florida's 19th District

It's flown well under the national radar, but today there's a special election in the heavily-Democratic 19th Congressional District in Florida to fill out the term of the departed Robert Wexler. Expect the Democrats to spin this as a win for ObamaCare if they hold the seat while the GOP will gain huge momentum if their candidate somehow pulls this off.

Polls are open in Florida's 19th Congressional district, where a special election is being held Tuesday to fill former Rep. Robert Wexler's seat. The contest is also the first federal election to be held since the congressional passage of the Democrat's health care plans, and the controversial reforms could play a large role in the election results.

Republican candidate Ed Lynch says he wants to repeal the new law. The 44 year-old contractor is making opposition to President Obama's health care legislation a major part of his campaign. Lynch is also critical of the federal stimulus program, and of the president's handling the war in Iraq. The Democratic candidate, 44 year-old State Sen. Ted Deutch, supports the new health care law.

About four in ten voters in the district are senior citizens, and many national polls indicate that older voters were opposed to the health care reform legislation. Republicans hope to pull off an upset similar to Scott Brown's victory in January in a special election in Massachusetts to fill the seat of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.

The heavily Democratic district stretches from northern Broward County into Palm Beach county, just miles inland from Florida's Atlantic coastline. The nine-term Wexler, who was very popular in the district, stepped down at the beginning of the year to lead a Middle East think tank.

The district voted 65% for Obama in 2008.

The Democrat outraised opponents by 20 to 1. If she doesn't win it'll be a massive humiliation for Democrats. Believe it or not, weather could play a factor. What, is it going to be under 75 degrees?

Typically, Bucher said, a special election gets 15 percent to 20 percent turnout, Bucher said. "We're hopeful that we get better than the standard, but it's hard to tell," she said.

Snipes said bad weather depresses turnout. If Tuesday is anything like Monday, she said, "that'll be a disaster."

Meanwhile, more grim news for Democrats on the national level.

Meet Lt. Cmdr. Dan Fanelli

Dan Fanelli is the Republican challenger to that loud mouthed, uncivilized, thuggish, and obnoxious representative from Florida, Alan Grayson.

Mr. Fanelli brings something to the campaign that is a breath of fresh air: humor.



I sincerely hope the folks in this district do not send Grayson back to Congress since he has proven himself to be nothing but an embarrassment, not only for the people he is supposed to represent, but to America in general.

I especially like the comparison of Grayson to Fred Flinstone.

Grim News: Majority Says Tea Party More in Touch With Reality Than Congress

No wonder there's a full-court press on by the Democrats and their lapdog media to silence and smear the Tea Partiers.

In official Washington, some consider the Tea Party movement a fringe element in society, but voters across the nation feel closer to the Tea Party movement than they do to Congress.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of U.S. voters believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress. Only 30% believe that those in Congress have a better understanding of the key issues facing the nation.

When it comes to those issues, 47% think that their own political views are closer to those of the average Tea Party member than to the views of the average member of Congress. On this point, 26% feel closer to Congress.

Finally, 46% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is more ethical than the average member of Congress. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say that the average member of Congress is more ethical.

Frank Rich will be most upset to hear this news.

Meanwhile, despite the media's best effort at calling the implementation of socialized medicine a "victory" for Obama, he's right back where he was a week ago, meaning he's hugely unpopular.

This time last week were were treated to a media orgy of fabricated stories of "out-of-control" tea partiers in Washington, allegedly using the n-word and calling Barney Frank names, despite the slightest bit of evidence, tales that have become accepted fact.

Then why is it the media has ignored the ugly, vicious behavior of Harry Reid supporters in Neveda yesterday? Such behavior is documented with actual evidence while to this day none of the alleged incidents in DC have been shown to be anything but fabricated.

Update: I wonder now if Nancy Pelosi will recall how much she and tea partiers have in common?

Instapundit links. Thanks!

Single Payer Supporters Threatening Members of Congress?

Might as well make an attempt at a pre-emptive strike here since we all know the spin and accepted conventional wisdom will say about these alleged threats that members of congress. Those allegations were made by Democrat house member Steny Hoyer today and of course the implication is that all of those right wing, Tea Party, talk radio listening, DHS watch list folks are behind it.

This sort of behavior is mostly reserved for the far left. They, after all, are the ones who vandalize military recruiting stations, try to smear fake blood on government officials, and leave a path of destruction in the wake of all of their "peaceful" protests. They viciously attacked people in California who supported a ban on gay marriage, causing some to lose jobs, and even their elected officials tried, convicted and sentenced members of our military before the facts were known.

No, I don't think these threats are coming from the right. Sounds more like the folks issuing these threats are those progressives who didn't get their single payer system. It would explain why so many Democrats, since passage of the bill, have made statements meant to reassure the far left folks that they will get to a single payer system, just give them some time.

Well, it looks like time for the Dems will run out in November and then we will see if this monstrosity of a government takeover can be reversed.