Merit-bound Alley

You’ve already heard the news, Johnny “The Sniper” Daniello wants to take out anyone that challenges the power-hungry incumbent regime in Delaware. Here’s the plan:

1. Eliminate the fusion candidacy. This way, a potential candidate can no longer run if they believe they will be better able to serve than those that win the primary. Not only that, a person like me who is unable to vote in a primary will never get a chance to vote for someone who I think is worthy, like a Tyler Nixon, or a Karen Hartley-Nagel.
2. Eliminate write-in votes. With this in place, I couldn’t even have my vote counted if I think the registered candidates are not worth my support. Listen folks, considering the fact that the General Assembly in the vast majority of cases are not voting with their constituency in mind, our vote is the only way to get our voices heard. We lose even a piece of that, we lose everything. Is this the way to heal Delawares abysmal voter percentage? No, it is the way to cement your pathetic sense of power, a way to become untouchable.
3. Silence the bloggers. I don’t know if the remark that Daniello made was serious, but it fits so well. I have no illusions as to how many people read M-BA, but blogs like Dana’s Jason’s and Mike’s reach a lot of folks. The people that read and write these really care about how this state is run, and aren’t afraid to voice it. Examining that, when you have a guy like Mike going to Legislative Hall to have his voice heard in person, or a guy like Dana going to bat for workers rights, it goes beyond pontificating and petty squabbling. You’re starting to change something.

All of these moves seem to be against the intelligent, courageous people who want to change the disgusting state of affairs in the local government. Take our ability to vote for who we like away, force us to choose whatever party hack they anoint, and control our ability to even protest. And you know what really pisses me off? The 90% of Delaware that doesn’t even know this is happening and, in 2008, will vote yet another straight ticket, and keep in power whatever Stalinist incumbents whose black gore still creeps through their antediluvian veins. They have no clue that their rights are being stolen, and probably wouldn’t give a shit if they knew.

Every one of us has a right to some amount of pride; from the person who comments anonymously, to our best writers that go out and do something about it. Be proud that you care, be proud that you voice it, be proud that you vote on it. It’s all we have.

UPDATE: Please see Tyler Nixon’s words offering comfort to our manic little community.

For anyone not aware of this piece over-the-top Orewellian legislation, please read Dana’s post about it. He breaks it down rather nicely. Senator Blevins and Rep. Cathcart have proposed this bill for no other reason than to solidify the control of the two main parties in Delaware. It took me until this morning to wrap my head around this, and I’m still not sure that I can understand why this legislature is trying to get away with revoking voter rights for their own lust for power.

Why do they think it is acceptible that my vote will not count if I decide to write someone in? Here’s a goddamn newsflash, MY VOTE SHOULD ALWAYS COUNT! Jason has it right, these idiots are totally out of control.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say on this, but right now my brain is choked with anger and confusion.

Hillary Clinton goes to a primary school in New York to talk about
world affairs. After her talk she offers a question time.

One little boy puts up his hand. The Senator asks him what his name is.

“Kenneth.”

“And what is your question, Kenneth?”

“I have three questions:
First - whatever happened to the medical health care plan you were paid
to develop during your husband’s eight years in the office as President?

Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the
office?

Third - whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the
White House?”

Just then the bell rings for recess. Hillary Clinton informs the kids
that they will continue after recess.

When they resume, Hillary says, “Okay, where were we? Oh, that’s right,
question time. Who has a question?”

A different little boy puts his hand up. Hillary point him out and asks
him what his name is.

“Larry.”

“And what is your question, Larry?”

“I have five questions:

First - whatever happened to the medical health care plan you were paid
to develop during your husband’s eight years in the office as President?

Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the
office?

Third - whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the
White House?

Fourth - why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early?

Fifth - what the fuck happened to Kenneth?”

He’s a bigot!

Not that this is a huge shock. Since it’s complete bullshit that these people are voting against worthy legislation with the welfare of small business in mind, there really is no other reason for anyone to hide this bill away. Why is it bullshit? Read my comment here.

Not only does it disgust me that this guy wants to legislate based on his religion, but also that he is incorrectly and arrogantly assuming  a higher moral stance built on the shaky foundation of his hate.

A few bloggers have touched on a report released by the Center for American Progress and the Free Press that details the wide gap in programming in American Radio. At first, I wasn’t too concerned. I mean, who doesn’t know that media is always slanted (if not outright crooked)?

However, after reading the first page of the introduction, I saw how insidious and horrid this slant has become:

Among radio formats, the combined news/talk format (which includes news/talk/information and talk/personality) leads all others in terms of the total number of stations per format and trails only country music in terms of national audience share. *

*Emphasis mine

Then the report goes on to say a bunch of other stuff, but I couldn’t see past the blinding fear of realizing that country music holds the highest audience share. This kind of slant in our airwaves must be curbed if the decent American Way of life can be obtained and protected.

How are our children going to know that there is a way of life outside of pickup trucks, rifles, and coon dogs? Will our sons be resigned to allowing their wives to run off with said pickup truck because they know of no other way to live? Will our daughters grow up with horrible heel blisters because they just don’t know that there are other shoes than boots that are made for walkin’. Softer shoes, better shoes, sneakers for instance.

Radio stations of America, it is your solemn duty to present other viewpoints in you programming. I’m talking rock and roll, baby, and not that pussy Garth Brooks pseudo-rock-but-really-redneck-whining shit. Stop trying to turn our children into hayseed sucking, John Deer hat wearing, country drawling zombies.

If you don’t, we’ll legislate it.

In a huge win for equal rights protection in the state of Delaware, SB 141 was voted to stay in committee on Wednesday, 6/20. I would like to give out special thanks to the following people:

Thurman Adams for having the strong moral fortitude for bravely assigning this bill to a committee that, not only had nothing to do with employment legislation, but also had enough opposition to the bill to ensure it never reached the floor. Good job, you disgusting bureaucrat!

John Still for his faith in the political process. “”This bill has now shown up in three different committees, some of which I haven’t served on, and it’s never gotten out. I’d say that shows the pro tem knows how to pick committees.” Let it be heard throughout the world that the skills of protecting a bill from the process of a democratic vote on the Senate floor is far more important to Mr. Still than equal rights in the workplace. This is a man of distinct and well-considered priorities.

Nancy Cook for keeping in touch with her constituents. “‘I am here to represent my constituents,’ Cook said. ‘I believe the majority of my constituents are opposed to the bill.’” It’s so heartening to hear that we have at least one Senator that believes she is in touch. A real woman of the people.

All of you, thanks so much for giving this piece of worthy legislation the hiding it deserves. All of you made yourselves part of what it means to be an American: making second-class citizens out of gays and lesbians. A worthier cause could not be imagined.

Oh and a special note of appreciation goes to Greenwood resident and former Delaware blogger Jordan Warfel.

“Gays are not made to sit at the back of the bus,” Greenwood resident Jordan Warfel said, calling the bill “socialism.”

Yes, gays and lesbians should not be unhappy about being refused the same workplace protections as other minorities, in fact, they should be thankful that we don’t treat them worse. Thanks, Jordan, for keeping your archaic and ignorant opinion out there!

It was a shock to me that I learned today that Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard, passed away earlier this month. I grew up watching Mr. Wizard’s World on Nickelodeon, and acquired my love and curiosity for science from watching his show.

Rest in peace, Mr. Wizard, and thanks.

I’ve had a very stimulating discussion with Dave Burris over at DelawareLiberal on the necessity of this bill. I want to take a moment that I enjoy discussing our different viewpoints with Dave. He always seems to have good points in favor of his views, which helps me think more deeply about the issue and we rarely resort to childish namecalling unless it’s really  funny.

At any rate, it seems that this bill, which adds sexual orientation to the current protections against discrimination in the workplace,  may finally see floor time. This is an interesting story. It seems in order to make sure this bill never saw the light of day, out favorite enemy of democracy Thurman Adams assigned this bill to the Senate Insurance and Elections Committee.

I’m sorry, where? Holy shit, we know this man resorts to slimy tactics to make sure any worthy legislation dies with hardly a whimper, but couldn’t he at least do us the courtesy of trying to hide it? Can the Delaware public really be expected to look the other way while Adams thumbs his cauliflower nose at us? Well, yes, that’s been proven time and again…. where was I?

Ah, equal workplace protection. You can read many of my quite brilliant points over at DL, but the conversation was ended abruptly by the juicier Oberle almost-scandal (which I would have linked if it hadn’t disappeared from the NJ… interesting). The main point, I feel is that if there is a workplace protection bill, it needs to cover all minorities. Everyone in the country deserves equal protection in the eyes of the law. It’s one of the strongest ideals upon which this country was founded.

Dave may not see the necessity of that, but I do. And it looks like a lot of legislators do as well.

Liberalgeek caught it first, but what an awesome win!

The Massachusetts legislature has defeated a bill to make same-sex marriage unconstitutional by a vote of 151 to 45!

Folks, when a governmental body makes such a stand for the rights of a minority group, this is nothing short of an opportunity to rejoice, sing, and dance!

Mass. Legislature, you are nothing short of heroes! Thank you for taking a stand for a community that want nothing more than to be seen as equal in the eyes of the law!

Folks, it’s nothing short of miraculous that there is something that the government does that is so good, so fair, for its people that is deserves celebration. Take a moment tonight to reflect on the pure justness, the equality that the Massachusetts Legislature has stood up for and soak it in, and feel the satisfaction of one government body out there that is doing its work for all of its people!

PS: I want to hear if you’re as jazzed about this as I am. Post, fuckers!

It seems that the lawsuit against lethal injection’s constitutionality in DE has been pushed back to October to give the plaintiffs more time to prepare. I wonder if this is due to the creator of the three-drug cocktail saying that it is time that the formula be changed.

When the creator of the process is saying:

“Now there are other agents that work much faster and much easier,” Chapman said, specifically pointing out an anesthetic called Diprivan. “Absolutely [Diprivan] would be better [for an execution]. If you’re wanting to give someone something so there’s no sensation, no awareness of what’s going on, that’s the drug.”

and:

When asked why he included the asphyxiation drug in his formula, Chapman answered, “It’s a good question. If I were doing it now, I would probably eliminate it.”

and:

Chapman still stands by his formula as a sound — if not perfect — method of execution. “It works if it’s administered competently,” he said. “But you have to have some skills to do it. You have to have the ability to find a vein and mix the drugs, because [some of them] come as a powder.”

keeping in mind that doctors and anesthesiologists are barred from the process due to the Hippocratic oath, it seems  that there’s some new opinion out there. Also, it may be possible that just maybe the field of medicine has advanced enough in the last 25 years to at least have a process that doesn’t leave prisoners convulsing in agony as they are killed.

Enjoy your extra month, Delaware Death Row inmates. Even though reason shows that this is an incredibly cruel punishment, I fear that your suit, against all evidence, will not be successful.