Politics, Religion, Gossip - SMC 09/15/13

It's Sunday and Sunday Morning Coffee my personal input on politics and religion with a little gossip thrown in for flavor.  My name is Michael Libbie and if you want to leave a comment here, feel free.  We can also connect on my personal Twitter Stream @MichaelLibbie and my personal Facebook Page is right here.  Just back from Yom Kippur...feeling...cleansed.  That being said, let's see what my friends have been up to:

The Rich People's Movement

It has always baffled me as to why a family who makes, say, $60,000 a year would join the Tea Party and work, diligently, for the interests of the Rich People's Movement. I've always thought it was because they hope for "crumbs from their masters table" or they have bought into the fear being spread by the right.  Imagine my shock when I learned the history of the Rich People's Movement which goes back...decades.  In short, each time the wealthy feel threatened (think taxes) they will, according to this very interesting article by Isaac Martin of the Oxford University Press, "use the traditional tactics of the poor on behalf of tax cuts for the rich. They will behave like outsiders, but demand policies designed to benefit people who are consummate insiders in American politics." Stunning reading...here is the link.  Oh, and yes, there is mention of our own Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Jessie Helms & Ted Cruz

Many of you may be too young to remember Sen. Jessie Helms (R-NC) an unabashed racist who, among other things:

• Sang the confederate anthem “Dixie” in an elevator with Carol Moseley-Braun, the African-American senator from Illinois, and told Sen. Orrin Hatch in front of her that he was trying to make her cry.
• Opposed integration, or “mixing of the races,” and called the University of North Carolina the “University of Negroes and Communists” because it was integrated.

The list goes on and on...and Sen. Helms, unlike other like minded Southern politicians such as Sen. Strom Thurmond and Gov. George Wallace, never disavowed his racist, segregationist beliefs...ever.  So what has this got to do with the new darling of the Right Sen. Ted Cruz? Last week he stood before a crowd and proclaimed, "The willingness to say all those crazy things is a rare, rare characteristic in this town, and you know what? It’s every bit as true now as it was then. I wish we had 100 more just like him." Ahhh, yes.  Take us back to 1950.

Bat-Crap-Crazy Not Limited to the South

Let's say you want to keep young boys "pure of any thoughts of homosexuality".  What might be the best way for a pastor to work this magic?  If you are former youth pastor Brent Girouex of Victory Fellowship Church of Council Bluffs, Iowa you simply have sex with them.  Oh and never mind that after you admit that fact to the police you won't do any jail time.  Maybe it was the "Jesus Connection" that reduced his sentence from 17 years to probation?  Yep...makes Dixie look normal huh?  I know you won't believe me so here is the news story from our friends at KRMG.  And, let us say...Amen.

Let's Stay in Iowa?

The Republican Party of Iowa was busy last week.  Seems state party chairman A.J. Spiker decided that moving the 2014 GOP State Convention from June to July would be a great idea. Why?  Well, there are lots and lots of people wishing to run for the US Senate Seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and because there are so many it's unlikely any one candidate will get 35% of the vote for the nomination.  That being the case, the nominee would come out of a party convention.  And, because the state central committee is made up of lots of Ron Paul types pushing the convention back gives them time to lobby for their choice.  Besides, when the process goes to a convention the usual result is "bat-crap-crazy" wins because they can gin up their base.  In the end it all fell apart and should you wish to read the entire story...here's the post from our friends at Bleeding Heartland.

The Film Flap

There is a tea party guy by the name of Dave Davidson here in Iowa who spent several years trailing presidential candidates around the state and taking candid photos.  Those photos turned into a movie titled, "Shooting the President".  Mr. Davidson and some fellow Republicans were about to kick off a 32 day national bus tour promoting the project but the bus company, Champion Coach said...."Nyet!" and added it did not want to be associated with any suggestion of violence against President Obama.  My conservative friends don't see it that way...of course not.

The Governor Does Not Get to Decide

Sometime ago I wrote about a piece of legislation that passed during the wacky 2013 Iowa Legislative Session which gave the governor of Iowa the power to decide if the state would reimburse abortion providers in Medicaid cases.  Looks like the University of Iowa Hospitals, where most of the 22 abortions last year took place, will not bill the state thereby leaving Gov. Terry Branstad (R-IA) off the hook.  That's nice...but I bet he is disappointed.  I suspect he really wanted to be "decider-in-chief". There is a bunch of background to this story again...from our friends at Bleeding Heartland. 

Vice President Joe Biden

Is in town today for two events. The first is a deal in downtown Des Moines for about 300 folks.  It is not being billed as a campaign stop because the Vice President is not a candidate...yet.  Then, later today, he will make his way to the fairgrounds in Indianola for the 36th Annual Tom Harkin Steak Fry.  Vice President Biden, whom I like and admire a bunch, will share the stage with the Mayor of San Antonio Julián Castro who did much to improve his recognition during the Democratic National Convention last year.

Partly Personal

Friday night and Saturday we had two new folks in the Adas Israel Synagogue of Mason City for Yom Kippur.  The two nuns, members of the Sisters of Presentation, came and stayed for the four services that mark the holiest day of the Jewish Calendar.  Last night at the Break-Fast I sat with them, talked politics and religion and we had a wonderful time. The Jewish guy and a couple of Irish Catholic Nuns...there has got to be a joke there someplace.

Did you notice the "new coffee cup"?  It's kind of the way things go around here Sunday Morning.

Thanks for coming by...and have a fantastic Sunday!

 

Comments

[Peter Sherinian]

Two Nuns and a Jewish man walked into a bar. Just kidding Michael. It might be interesting to know what the Nuns thought

[Bill Sheridan]

Michael: I had the great good fortune to be taught by Presentation nuns (from Dubuque)@ Mr. Carmel Catholic Grade School in Lawler (1950s) and teach with them at St. Edmond in Fort Dodge (among other orders) in the late 60s and early 70s. Can tell you first hand that they 'is good and caring people' and I'm hopeful that your were on good behavior (for a change) and minded your manners!!!!