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Opinions/Editorials Title: Huffington Post TITLE:The Tea-Party Taliban Ever wonder what a world run by tea-partiers might look like? To get an idea, consider Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's new attorney general, a self professed lover of the tea party movement and perfect example of why prosecutors with a political agenda are so scary. Since assuming office in January Cuccinelli has been on a freakish non-stop crusade to enforce a moral order common to both the Tea Party and the Taliban. In his few short months in office Cuccinelli has used the power of the state to try to rescind anti-discrimination policies for gays and lesbians, approved a new policy allowing sectarian prayer by police chaplains at public events, and even tried to cover up the bare-breast of the Roman Goddess who has graced the state seal since 1776. His explanation: "Just because we've always done something a certain way doesn't mean we always have to continue doing it that way." Of course, Cuccinelli has also faced criticism--in particular for carrying on a private practice even after being sworn in as Attorney General. But as the tea partiers and Taliban both seem to know, theocrats are supposed to enjoy special privileges (the recent case of George Rekers, the anti-gay crusader whose European frolic with a well endowed gay hooker from Rentboy.com comes to mind). Now thus far Virginia seems to be fine with a chief law enforcement officer who introduced a bill to make the inability to speak English in the workplace a legitimate reason to disqualify a laid-off worker from receiving unemployment benefits, sought to shield concealed handgun permit application data from FOIA requests, supported legislation to give cops overtime pay while on vacation, and challenged the Clean Air Act's EPA fuel standards. But with his latest target, the Tea Party's Talib may have gone one step too far. As Dahlia LIthwick ably reports in Slate, the Cuccinelli has filed " A civil investigative demand (or CID, which is basically a subpoena) with the University of Virginia, giving the school 30 days to produce more than 10 years' worth of documents related to the state-funded research of a former faculty member, Michael Mann. Operating under the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act, the CID seeks from the university, among other things, "any correspondence, messages or emails" to or from Mann and 40 named climate scientists; any documents sent to or from Mann that reference any of those 40 scientists; and any "documents, things or data" submitted in support of any of five different grant applications that amounted, in total, to almost $500,000. The university is also expected to turn over "any and all emails or pieces of correspondence from or to Dr. Michael Mann since he left the University of Virginia." There is, of course, a legal term for a demand this broad justified by grounds this flimsy--it's called a "fishing expedition." And why is Cuccinelli so excited about this particular fishing trip? Because while he'd like to further the science deniers who persist in thinking that global warming is a hoax, he knows full well that issuing CID's and targeting academics will have a chilling effect--making scientists and academics fear that research with politically sensitive implications will bring down the heavy hand of the state upon them, and with the Tea Party Talib in charge, that fear seems well founded. The simple truth is that Cuccinelli has made it clear he intends to use his office to bully and dominate, practicing a kind of law grounded not in neutral principles, or objective facts, but in a theocratic political conservatism that is more activist and off the reservation than any other AG in recent memory. That may be something the Tea Party Taliban can get behind, but it's something real Americans should fear and revile. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Comments (1-27) not displayed.
I see no such thing in post 22. I guess it's just boils down to how motivated you are to back your own statements up. Making the world safe for United Fruit. #29. To: mininggold (#26) Where's the link to what you said occured? I can see NOVEMBER from my House.... #30. To: mininggold (#28) Do you think 'death to anyone who doesn't get out of my way' as a tag line is a death threat? I spend more time on FB than anywhere else on the web these days .... badeye #31. To: mininggold (#28) rotflmao! I should have known. I can see NOVEMBER from my House.... #32. To: mininggold (#28) I see no such thing in post 22. You are the one who made a claim not me.
#33. To: A K A Stone (#32) You are the one who made a claim not me. Forget it, I can't get tag lines to copy but all the info you need is in post 22. It's your site and your reputation, not mine. Making the world safe for United Fruit. #34. To: mininggold (#33) Stoner doesn't know what reply #22 means.
#35. To: all (#0) Tagline CONSPIRACY! Tagline CONSPIRACY! Alert! Alert! Alert! (roaring with laughter) I can see NOVEMBER from my House.... #36. To: Badeye (#35) Tagline CONSPIRACY! Tagline CONSPIRACY! Evidently your tag line means nothing too. BWAHAHAHAHA Making the world safe for United Fruit. #37. To: war (#8) Your best post ever... LOL..I agree, sometimes the best posts are where you don't say anything at all..but actually, I had a pretty bad asthma attack, and just called it a day. &;-)
#38. To: Murron (#37) Record pollen count NYC...can't even run on a treadmill I'm so bad... #67. To: war (#48) Keep hiding behind the bozo, bozo. (laughing) You've always been a world class pussy. Badeye posted on 2010-01-14 16:12:48 ET Reply Trace #39. To: Fred Mertz (#34) (Edited) Stoner doesn't know what reply #22 means. He's probably been taking lots of heat from JT on 4um about letting the enemy post here. The enemy: anyone not a rabid tea partier. Making the world safe for United Fruit. #40. To: mininggold (#39) He just called buckeroo a bad name on 4um.
#41. To: Fred Mertz (#40) Bummer...that site is blocked here as a hate site... #67. To: war (#48) Keep hiding behind the bozo, bozo. (laughing) You've always been a world class pussy. Badeye posted on 2010-01-14 16:12:48 ET Reply Trace #42. To: war (#41) Bummer...that site is blocked here as a hate site... Yet the cuckoo's nest isn't?
#43. To: mininggold (#36) In the scheme of things, DUH kookie. Sheesh. I can see NOVEMBER from my House.... #44. To: Fred Mertz (#40) He just called buckeroo a bad name on 4um. I saw that. I guess he never got around to personalizing the Christian values he reads about in the Bible. Making the world safe for United Fruit. #45. To: mininggold (#44) JT is s cunt but the one whose wires I really liked to cross was Cynicom... #67. To: war (#48) Keep hiding behind the bozo, bozo. (laughing) You've always been a world class pussy. Badeye posted on 2010-01-14 16:12:48 ET Reply Trace #46. To: Fred Mertz (#40) Buckeroo is a pussy who hits and runs.
#47. To: A K A Stone (#46) I usually stay away from birfer threads, but sometimes I sift through them for amusement. The one at 4um was quite entertaining...at least the first 40 replies that I skimmed through were.
#48. To: Fred Mertz (#47) What problem do you have with the constitutional provision requiring the president to be natural born citizen?
#49. To: A K A Stone (#48) Why don't you post that Dr. Manning thing over here? I got tired and didn't read the entire transcript, but I got the gist of it. A trial at Columbia University to prove Obama is ineligible to be president.
#50. To: A K A Stone (#48) What problem do you have with the constitutional provision requiring the president to be natural born citizen? Pray, tell us the procedure by which it is to be determined and all those past precedents. Making the world safe for United Fruit. #51. To: Fred Mertz (#47) Same here. I can see NOVEMBER from my House.... #52. To: Badeye (#51) No one gives a shit. #67. To: war (#48) Keep hiding behind the bozo, bozo. (laughing) You've always been a world class pussy. Badeye posted on 2010-01-14 16:12:48 ET Reply Trace #53. To: Fred Mertz (#49) Actually the trial will be at Dr. Manning's church. It is the protest march that goes along with it that will be at Columbia University.
#54. To: Coral Snake (#53) Thanks for the correction. Do you know anyone who plans to attend it?
#55. To: mininggold (#50) Produce a birth certificate. It should be on public display if requested by any citizen.
#56. To: A K A Stone (#55) Produce a birth certificate. It should be on public display if requested by any citizen. Who decides if it's legitimate or not... the state registrar? Making the world safe for United Fruit. #57. To: mininggold (#56) I decide.
#58. To: A K A Stone (#57) (Edited) I decide. All interested voters get to scrutinize and handle the original? That should prove interesting. Making the world safe for United Fruit. #59. To: mininggold (#50) How bout that? A post of yours I agree with. I can see NOVEMBER from my House.... #60. To: A K A Stone (#46) Buckeroo is a pussy who hits and runs. Only after he makes his point which is the displaying of your behaviors. They are righteously pissed over there about you indirectly dissing the hostess and then using her site for the advertising your site. There is not much they can do about it except provoke you into posting nastiness, and right down at the bottom of your post will be your website on your tagline. Of which any moron can make the correlation. Making the world safe for United Fruit. #61. To: mininggold (#60) I call it poaching.
#62. To: Fred Mertz (#61) Everyone ends up on the board they are happiest with. If AKA advertises and someone posts here then what's the harm. Besides, they're assholes over there. I spend more time on FB than anywhere else on the web these days .... badeye #63. To: mininggold (#60) Where was the death threat that AKA ignored? I spend more time on FB than anywhere else on the web these days .... badeye #64. To: Fred Mertz, mininggold, buckeroo, AKStone (#40) He just called buckeroo a bad name on 4um. WGAS? Bucky is just a washed-up, drunken old fart! Sneakypete, have you ever been married? Said things you later regretted? #65. To: Abu el Banat (#63) Where was the death threat that AKA ignored? It's the stupid tag line of e_type_jag ("Death to everyone who doesn't get out of my way") or something like that.
#66. To: Skip Intro (#65) Ya, I just want to hear mininggold tell me that's a death threat. I spend more time on FB than anywhere else on the web these days .... badeye #67. To: Abu el Banat (#66) Ya, I just want to hear mininggold tell me that's a death threat. Not from you as you don't cultivate an internet personna of being a cop. Making the world safe for United Fruit. Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest |
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