All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, as well as 2022, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” published profiles of Kentucky State Senator C.B. Embry, who we recognized in our first profile as the sponsor of legislation that would offer a $2500 bounty on transgendered public school students using the "incorrect bathroom". This was in January 2015 (right after he won a new term in the state senate), and not long thereafter, he killed a bill about trying to decide how school superintendents are picked by trying to sneak an amendment on it for a ban on transgendered citizens using public bathrooms (sadly, Embry's brand of transphobic madness has now become the status quo of Republican domestic policy). Embry has also palled around with Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, supporting her homophobic quest against same sex marriage so much that he sponsored SB 5, a "religious freedom" law to allow for discrimination against LGBTQ citizens. Rounding out Embry's profile, he repeatedly has supported legislation to require mandatory (but medically unnecessary) ultrasounds on all abortions without exception, even, for victims of rape and incest, supported a TRAP law to attempt to shut down all abortion clinics in his state, wants concealed carry of firearms without a permit for all citizens, voted for a bill which would define first responders as a protected class in hate crimes legislation (which he really don't think it's bad, but the fact that he thinks it shouldn't apply to LGBTQ citizens, who are BORN gay, but it should apply to people based on their employment choices is troubling), and under his "legislative priorities" on Project Vote Smart, lists "the coal industry" as his top concern, which is as honest of him as it is downright sad for his constituents. In 2018, Embry supported legislation to ban abortion at 11 weeks, and his last term in office has been marked with fanatical support for even more extreme anti-choice legislation than he’s ever supported, including sponsoring of a fetal heartbeat bill, to effectively outlaw the procedure at 6 weeks (before most women even know they’re pregnant), and a “Born-Alive Infant Protection Act”, which Luis of course, not based in reality of how abortions even work, whatsoever. In 2022, an 81-year old C.B. Embry retired at the end of his 23rd term in office in 2022. As such, we will set aside his profile at this time, to cover another wacky Republican today instead. (Current crazy/stupid scoreboard, is now 1196-60, since this was established in July 2014.


Savannah Maddox
Welcome to what is the 1196th original profile here at “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day”, where we’ll be discussing Savannah Maddox, a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives who was first elected to serve District 61 of that body back in 2018, and in 2020, found herself making headlines based on her freak-out over Covid-19 restrictions set in place by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

Maddox, who already was infamous for making anti-Semitic and Islamophobic statements on social media, including expressing her doubts that President Barack Obama was actually black, spent a lot of 2020 palling around with local militia groups like the Kentucky branch of the ThreePercenters and the League of the South while posing for photos with some of the local domestic terrorists wearing camouflage while they flashed white supremacy hand gestures. After an event where she spoke out against Gov. Beshear’s Covid-19 restriction policies at a rally and calling them “Tyranny”, it led to her militia pals hanging an effigy of Gov. Beshear. Y’know, reasonable discourse. Because the legislature is filled with Republican cowards incapable of holding their own accountable, calls for just her censure by Kentucky Democrats were ignored.

Maddox’s revenge plan included a failed run for Governor of Kentucky in 2023 where she campaigned on policy ideas as subtle as abolishing the state’s income tax (that would run the state immediately deeply into the red from a budget standpoint), but left the race six months after announcing in December of 2022 because mysteriously, no financial donors were willing to prop up her nihilistic campaign.

Savannah Maddox, however, remains in the state legislator, supporting any and all policies that help keep up the mortality rate of her state (including her sponsorship for a failed bill to allow students to carry guns on college campuses or supporting a bill to make it easier to evade federal gun laws in Kentucky only days before a mass shooting in Lexington). She’ll be up for re-election in 2024, and because the Republican brand is currently blind defensive support for those in their party who are allied with white nationalists, she’ll likely be re-elected.

[Tami]

More and more of them are endorsing Trump... who's going to be in court so much, he won't be able to host the hate rallies that he keeps skipping out on the bills for in places he holds them.

I don't know how your standard bearer can win a general election not just when they're radioactive for being a terrible president, not just for being a terrible person, not just staging a failed coup, not just being up on dozens of felony charges (so far)... how do you expect that guy to even function enough to campaign?

Odds are more likely there's going to be some last minute chaos/hinky insanity that comes out of the 2024 RNC where they scramble to pick someone... anyone as their last minute candidate because they're gonna realize Trump is a guaranteed loser. This ain't a 2016 upset coming with help from Russia. The intelligence community see that coming a MILE away, and aren't going to let them do it again.

Speaking of which

Twitter Users Giggle Over GOP Lawmaker's 'Freudian Slip' During Trump Endorsement

Former President Donald Trump got a hell of an endorsement Monday from Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.).

“I’m happy and honored to endorse Donald J. Chump for president in 2024,” Steube said on Newsmax.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Speaking of which

Twitter Users Giggle Over GOP Lawmaker's 'Freudian Slip' During Trump Endorsement

Sounds about right to me!

[Jack Dracula]

Nebraska lawmakers pass a new permitless concealed-carry gun bill.

The bill does not usurp the federal requirement for a background check to buy a gun, and those with a history of crime or mental health issues that bar them from possessing a gun would still be barred under the Nebraska bill. But it allows eligible people to carry guns hidden in their clothing or vehicle without having to pay for a government permit or take a gun safety course, which is currently required. It also overrides stricter gun laws in the state’s cities, including in the state’s largest city of Omaha, which requires a conceal carry license for anyone carrying a gun in a car — even if the gun is in open view.
The bill was opposed by the cities of Omaha and Lincoln, where the majority of gun violence occurs, and their police chiefs, who have said the measure will make their cities less safe

Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon — the bill’s conservative sponsor who has tried since 2017 to pass it — expressed frustration with the yearslong opposition to it and said his sole purpose was to ensure Nebraskans are afforded their constitutional right to carry guns.
But Brewer, an Army combat veteran who was shot several times during a firefight with the Taliban in 2003, also said he understood that the subject of gun regulation “is not an easy thing.”

“If you’re on the receiving end of a bullet, ... you understand how that can change and impact lives,” he said.

Despite opponents filibustering the bill for 14 hours over three rounds of debate this session, lawmakers voted 33-14 to pass the so-called constitutional carry bill.
The bill does not usurp the federal requirement for a background check to buy a gun, and those with a history of crime or mental health issues that bar them from possessing a gun would still be barred under the Nebraska bill. But it allows eligible people to carry guns hidden in their clothing or vehicle without having to pay for a government permit or take a gun safety course, which is currently required. It also overrides stricter gun laws in the state’s cities, including in the state’s largest city of Omaha, which requires a conceal carry license for anyone carrying a gun in a car — even if the gun is in open view.

The bill was opposed by the cities of Omaha and Lincoln, where the majority of gun violence occurs, and their police chiefs, who have said the measure will make their cities less safe.

The lawmaker most vocal in her opposition to the bill has been Lincoln Sen. Jane Raybould, who pleaded with lawmakers to block the measure. She noted Wednesday that Thursday will be the 24th anniversary of the Columbine High School mass shooting in Colorado that killed 13.

“We talk about gun rights,” Raybould said. “What about the rights of all those adults and children gunned down?”

The bill’s passage drew an emotional response from gun control advocates who filled the north balcony of the legislative chamber for Wednesday’s final debate. One woman stood and yelled “Shame!” several times at lawmakers until she was escorted out by security.

Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, has said he will sign the Nebraska bill into law, and it will go into effect about 90 days after he does. Nebraska then will be the 26th state to allow people to carry concealed guns without a permit.

I can only conclude the agenda of the NRA and gun manufacturers is to make buying a gun as easy as buying a bag of potato chips, and weakening concealed-carry restrictions is intended to help create an atmosphere of fear. Because a fearful populace will continue to buy even more guns and ammunition for personal defense.
It’s a f**king death spiral.

[InformationGeek]

Oh WBE! Get a load of this *******. Glad he's gone.

A member of GOP leadership in the Tennessee House of Representatives was recently found guilty of sexually harassing at least one legislative intern, likely two, by an ethics subcommittee acting in secret, NewsChannel 5 Investigates has learned.

About six hours after being confronted by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, Rep. Scotty Campbell gave up his seat in the Tennessee General Assembly.

Until now, Campbell, who served as vice chair of the House Republican Caucus and who recently voted to expel three Democrats who engaged in a gun violence protest on the House floor, had suffered no previous consequences as a result of his actions.

[kidfresh512]

Oh WBE! Get a load of this *******. Glad he's gone.

Completely reinforces what a sham trying to boot the TN 3 was. Meanwhile they KNEW this guy was doing this and investigating and had taxpayers paying to hide/protect interns from him. He had to resign because the news was getting out, they sure didn't boot him did they.

[Godzilla2099]

Some good news:

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell ordered to pay $5 million for losing false election challenge

[Mister Mets]

Looking at overall American Justice system from outside there are things I admire…the ability to be more effective when dealing with “white collar crime” (such as fraud) than the UK system for example.

But there are certainly facets that baffle me . The ones that would worry me the most (if I was American) are:-

1/ The sheer number of people that end up in jail.
2/ The extensive use of pardons for what I regard as the wrong reason. (In British system pardons tend to be used very rarely, and are reserved to correct miscarriages of justice. It seems to me pardons are used far more frequently in America and often to free people that actually did the crime, but have friends in high places.)
3/ The naked political bias of most (all?) the Supreme Court Judges…I suspect you could go through the entire card and accurately say “Democrat” or “Republican” against each and every one. Naively, I’d hope for less political bias, and more concentration on extreme legal ability.

The courts are biased.

The big thing is that there are judicial philosophies associated with Republicans (originalism, textualism) and judicial philosophies associated with Democrats (the living constitution, legal liberalism.) So part of the bias would be conservative justices thinking that their side is obviously right, and progressive justices feeling the same with their side. I don't know if England has similar conflicts between legal approaches.

Some of the concerns you have (lengthy sentences) are for legislators to decide. Pardons aren't really for the court, although it's not done that often. Obama pardoned under 2,000 people, and that's more than any president in my mother's lifetime, although Biden did issue a blanket pardon for 6,500 people convicted of possession of marijuana. This is relatively small in a country of 300,000,000+.

[worstblogever]

Oh WBE! Get a load of this *******. Glad he's gone.

[numberthirty]

Well...

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/polit...ign/index.html

Larry Elder announces 2024 White House bid

[Tami]

Well...

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/polit...ign/index.html

Interesting how many Loons are making their announcements early.

[ed2962]

Well...

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/polit...ign/index.html

Meh, it's a publicity stunt. He once supposedly ran for governor of CA...

[numberthirty]

Meh, it's a publicity stunt. He once supposedly ran for governor of CA...

I guess...

It's just an odd lane to decide to run in.

[ed2962]

I guess...

It's just an odd lane to decide to run in.

A few years back I would have agreed that it's odd, but these days...? What was it like six months ago Kanye West was allegedly running and his aides were a closeted neo-nazi and a self hating gay alt-righter?

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Well...

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/polit...ign/index.html

Yet another black man deluding himself into thinking racist white Republicans will vote for him. Between him and Tim Scott, if they combine to pull in even two percent of the vote, I’ll be shocked as hell.