Evangelicals don’t go bad if you keep them in the freezer.

tw Political
I’m sure by now all of you have seen the CNN headline story about Rev. Ted Haggard.

 

You haven’t? How do you get Internet access in a cave?

 

Well, short of it is, Ted is the leader of the National Association of Evangelicals. Or he was, until a male prostitute claimed that he has been having an affair with Ted for the past three years.

 

Now, I enjoy bashing hypocrites as much as the next guy, but I’ve been holding back on this one until the facts flesh out (no pun intended). There have been far too many people who have lost their careers over false and vindictive claims.

 

Then this little tidbit hit me:     

    The church official who temporarily has assumed Haggard’s post said late Thursday that there has been “some admission of guilt,” but not to all of the allegations.

Some admission of guilt? What, is he saying that he payed the prostitute, but not for sex? Is he admitting to the sex, but claiming it was some penance?

 

In spite of this odd statement, I am still going to withhold my judgement until the rest of the story come out.

 

Then the gloves come off.

 

[edit] CNN now reports that Haggard has admitted to 9News that he did, in fact, purchase meth from a male prostitute recommended by a hotel worker in Denver. He claims to have met the man for a massage, then disposed of the meth without taking any. Sounds a bit far-fetched, but this is a fast moving story. and more details are sure to come out soon.

Deb Pryce, not reflecting directly on herself.

tw Political
Deb Pryce, fourth ranking Republican in the House, said in a CNN interview “What is happening in Iraq is, um, not a direct reflection on me.” then left the interview.
This is a funny statement, considering her strong pro-Bush stance, and these statements:
  • “Iraq continues to pose a serious and imminent threat from its development of weapons of mass destruction and the obvious potential for Iraq to transfer these weapons to terrorist groups . . [like] the Afghani people liberated from al Qaeda, the Iraqi people will rejoice if liberated from Saddam Hussein and his regime of terror.” 10/8/02
  • “The time for diplomacy has ended. The last sands have flowed through the hourglass of patience.” 3/17/03
  • “[R]espect the dignity and humanity of those soldiers who have been captured . . . Any individual who mistreats a prisoner of war will not be overlooked. They will be found. They will be prosecuted. Justice will be served.” 3/26/2003
  • “Failure is not an option.” 9/18/03
  • “One day in the near future, students will read this story in their history books – the story of liberation from an evil oppressor and the rise of a free and democratic nation.” 10/31/03
  • “Neither Iraq nor Afghanistan serves any longer as a home base for international terrorism, and this has made America safer.” 10/9/04
  • “What began with the will of a people and the fall of a statue has become a wave of change and the birth of democracy.” 1/30/05
  • “The terrorists are losing the war.” 5/5/05
  • “[A]rmchair quarterbacks in Washington are calling for us to cut-and-run from Iraq, just two years into the transformation of that country.” 6/24/05
  • “The War on Terror has led to additional, collateral developments in the region, adding to the safety and security of both the area and the United States.” 8/11/05
  • “[E]ach day, steady and tangible progress is being made on the political, security, and economic fronts, and each day the citizens of Iraq are one day closer to enjoying the protections inherent in a pluralistic, representative government . . . To all our collective relief, as Iraqi soldiers continue to assume more and more responsibility for the security efforts, American soldiers are kept out of harm’s way. . . As Iraqi citizens begin to experience the benefits and securities of a growing, stable economy, insurgents will find it continuingly more difficult to recruit additional rejectionists in their efforts to create fear and chaos in Iraq. . . We will accomplish our mission there, and history will look kindly on the liberties and freedoms we secured for our fellow man.”12/12/05
  • “[C]onsider the remarkable progress we have made in bringing democracy and hope to a nation that for its entire existence, has known nothing but oppression and aggression.” 10/7/06

 

So she shows great pride in this administration’s failures in Iraq when it suits here, then claims to have no affiliations when the tide turns.

 

On election day, show her how much of a reflection she has. Send her home.

Ohio Issue Endorsements

tw Political

Welcome to the first annual/biennial Election Issue Endorsements episode of Wall of Cats. Thank you, you are too kind.

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Let start at the top:

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Issue #1: defeated before it ever had a chance.

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Issue #2: Ohio is in a bad place right now. The cycle of poverty in poor inner-city and suburban neighborhoods is sharpening the line between the social classes. If we expect our low-income workers to have a chance to succeed, we need to offer them a living wage. Issue #2 will attempt to do that.

In addition to tying the minimum wage to inflation, this legislation will provide a means for enforcement. By requiring employers to provide accurate employment and wage histories to their employees or their designates (not just anybody, but lawyers or union reps who have specific releases from each individual), companies will be less likely to try to cheat the system.
Rumors of ‘Identity Theft’ are a smokescreen. In fact, the only one we have to worry about thieves getting out confidential information from are Ken Blackwell and Greg Hartmann, two Republican candidates who have already made this information freely available on their respective websites. ÂOhio needs to raise the quality of life for those who are most in need. I vote YES Issue #2.

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Issue #3: There are several strong reasons to vote NO on Issue #3.
First, if gambling is such a panacea for the state, why limit it to only 9 locations, and nine specific business owners? Why not just legalize gambling altogether and let each county or municipality decide if they want the allow it?
Second, why should the state constitution give a substantial financial and tactical benefit to certain business owners at the exclusion of all others?
Third, How can you justify voters in Dayton and Ashland and Ironton deciding if Cleveland should have dedicated gambling facilities in it’s downtown?
Fourth, if this issue is truly about funding higher education, why does it give 6% of the proceeds to Ohio racetracks (presumably to make up for the decrease in track betting)? If you don’t want competition with the horse races, don’t put slot machines there. Why not put 95% into school funding? ÂThese reasons are enough to clearly put this in the NO category.

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Issue #4: This issue is a joke. It is sponsored by a group calling themselves “Smoke Less Ohio”, but the fact is, if this passes Ohioans will have to contend with more smoke . As a constitutional amendment, it overrides the limits on smoking imposed by and local, county, or state statute. It is a blank check for the tobacco industry disguised as a ‘reasonable’ anti-smoking effort. It’s ads are misleading and, in some cases, flat out lies. Under no circumstances should any reasonable Ohioan for for Issue #4.
That’s a NO.

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Issue #5: This law will ban smoking in most restaurants, bars, and most places of employment. Smoking is still allowed in your private residence, designated smoking areas in hotels, nursing facilities, private clubs, outdoor patios and private businesses. The fact is, smoking is bad for you, even second hand smoke. There is no such thing as a ‘no-smoke’ section, just a ‘no-smoking‘ section.
Smoke fills the air, and many restaurants, bars, and clubs have inadequate (or no) ventilation or filtering. Waiters, busboys/girls and bartenders are subjected to this every day with no recourse. If they were exposed to the same risks working at a chemical plant they would be required to wear gas masks and hazard suits.
This law does NOT outlaw smoking. It simply reasserts the rights of non-smokers not to be exposed to secondhand poison. ÂI will be voting YES on Issue #5.

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That’s all for now.

Some perspective, courtesy of Virginia.

tw Political
This has been the most contentious election season here in Ohio in recent memory. Both sides (albeit mostly the ‘pubs) have run ads of dubious truthiness. A candidate has been attacked as being gay-like, and has been forced into court to defend his choice of residences. Another has been ridiculed for a fictitious 12-year-old tax bill. Yet another was cast in a remake of the infamous ‘Willie Horton’ ads from Bush Sr.
And yet, just when I think that our candidates have hit the bottom of the barrel, someone puts another barrel underneath it.

 

Senator George Allen (R-Va), a notable racist, sexist, anti-semite (disparaging even his own Jewish ancestors) and bigot, was giving a speech at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville, Va. As he was leaving, a blogger asked him a question along the lines “Why did you spit on your wife?”, referencing speculations about what is contained in his sealed divorce records. The question was, perhaps, a little direct.
He was dragged to the ground by three of Allen’s staff.
Dragged to the ground. I can understand a ‘No Comment’, or pretending he didn’t hear the question (that is a popular one for W), or even letting loose like a drunken sailor. But having your staff drag a man, a constituent even, to the ground for asking a question, is barbaric.

 

This story in no way mitigates the behavior of our own animals.
I just wanted to put it all in another perspective.

 

Carry on.