Clipmarks | AtlLiberal's 'conservative' clips

McCain's Desperate Move

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:12:11 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: While it may be that all VP picks are politically motivated, the good choices usually are those that besides being politically advantageous are also beneficial to the nation. After the nation discovers who Sarah Palin is and what she believes I think that McCain will realize what a colossal blunder he has made. Or maybe not??

Clip Source: www.salon.com

McCain's Palin pick is the epitome of tokenism

Suddenly all anyone needs to qualify as a potential commander in chief is to be a religious ideologue with female gender characteristics?

Aug. 30, 2008 | It is hard to think of a more cynical and contemptuous political act this year than John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Having served as governor of Alaska for less than two years -- and as mayor of a small town before that -- her qualifications for national office are minimal.

Palin is the epitome of tokenism, exactly what conservative Republicans have always claimed to scorn, until today, as the politics of quotas and political correctness.

But if Palin's résumé is limited, to put it politely, she possesses the only two qualities that McCain now seems to consider essential: She is a right-wing religious ideologue with female gender characteristics.

Tags: politics, palin, vp, republican

Fear and Loathing in the Republican Party

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:54:45 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: A new low, even for Republicans. Not content with associating Obama with Hitler, now he's being portrayed as the Antichrist! And sadly, enough brain dead fundamentalists are around to make this an issue.

Clip Source: www.time.com

An Antichrist Obama in McCain Ad?

It's not easy to make the infamous Willie Horton ad from the 1988 presidential campaign seem benign. But suggesting that Barack Obama is the Antichrist might just do it.

The ad was the creation of Fred Davis, one of McCain's top media gurus as well as a close friend of former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed and the nephew of conservative Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe.

As the ad begins, the words "It should be known that in 2008 the world shall be blessed. They will call him The One"

Tags: politics, obama, mccain, fundamentalists, religion, antichrist

Those Damn Liberals

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:08:43 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Intolerance, hate, prejudice. Still alive and very active in large portions of the US. Incidents like this remind us to never become complacent and assume that actions like this are rare or isolated. Almost 8,000 hate crimes in 2006. And according to the Southern Poverty Law Center they are on the rise.

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

Tennessee Man Cites Church’s Liberal Values As Reason For Shooting

According to a four-page manifesto police found in his SUV in the church parking lot, Adkisson believed the church to be a bastion of liberalism in an otherwise socially conservative area of eastern Tennessee.

“That church had received some publicity in the recent past regarding its liberal stance on things,” Owen said, “and that is at least one of the issues we believe caused that church to be targeted”.

The church’s website speaks of its “long and rich history of taking stands for social justice,” and said it has fought since the 1950s for racial desegregation, fair wages and equal treatment for women and homosexuals. It provides sanctuary for political refugees and founded a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The church hosts social events for gay and lesbian teens.

The FBI logged 7,722 hate crimes in 2006, the most recent year for which complete statistics are available.

Tags: crime, hate, prejudice

Tennessee Shooting

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:14:33 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal

Clip Source: www.ajc.com

Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An unemployed man accused of opening fire with a shotgun and killing two people at a Unitarian church apparently targeted the congregation out of hatred for its support of liberal social policies, police said Monday.

"It appears that what brought him to this horrible event was his lack of being able to obtain a job, his frustration over that and his stated hatred of the liberal movement," Owen said at a news conference.

Adkisson, who is charged with one count of first-degree murder, remained jailed Monday under "close observation" on $1 million bail, authorities said. More charges were expected.

"He certainly intended to take a lot of casualties," Owen said. "He had 76 rounds with him."

Owen said authorities believe the suspect had gone to the Unitarian church because of "some publicity in the recent past regarding its liberal stance on things."

Tags: liberal, conservative, crime, church

Creationist Shows His Stuff

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:59:20 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Here's a pretty typical tirade by a fundamentalist Creationist that pretty much touches on all the points that Creationists get wrong all the time. About the only point he makes is that he's pretty ignorant about science and adheres to the talking points of the conservative right. My question is how many of these proselytizers will have to be proven wrong before they're eventually shamed into admitting that they've been lied to. The sad part is that many certainly have children who are also subjected to these ignorant views thus the ignorance is allowed to be passed along generational lines.

Clip Source: zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

Disgusted by media's comments of teacher

I am disgusted at the media's derogatory comments against Mount Vernon public school science teacher John Freshwater, who has dared to criticize evolution in class. Do his critics dare to deal with the point of contention in this debate of origins? Of course not. The impolite don't rebut your argument when you show their error, they call you "Fatso."

Why can't the evolutionists handle criticism of their precious little theory? It's as if their taxpayer-subsidized atheism is to be accepted on blind faith, with a mandatory inquisition for all opponents. The recent movie "Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed" reveals how common it is that creationists are persecuted at institutions of higher learning.

They prove well the Scripture in Romans 1: they know the truth, but reject the Creator for the worship of self and nature.

Tags: evolution, creationism

Grandpa McCain Don't Like Them Atheists!

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:21:47 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Promulgating the idea of bigoted, separatist thought seems to take up a lot of the energies of the Republicans these days. Of course this has been their bread and butter issue for years. Give us someone to hate and forget about the real issues that plague the common man. They're the first to cry foul over class issues but they certainly have no qualms about using them to instill fear and prejudice if it suits their corporate aims.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

John McCain on Secular Atheists: Is John McCain Bigoted Against Atheists?

Atheists are the most despised minority in America; this is demonstrated most clearly by the fact that more people would be willing to vote for any other minority - Muslim, gay, female - than vote for an atheist for president. This discrimination is fueled by bigoted prejudices about atheists' values and morality, and you can tell a lot about a person's character based on whether they promote or oppose this bigotry. Sadly, John McCain is on record as supporting anti-atheist bigotry.

I think the number one issue people should make [in the] selection of the President of the United States is, 'Will this person carry on in the Judeo Christian principled tradition that has made this nation the greatest experiment in the history of mankind?'"

John McCain's opposition to nonbelievers as president is no less bigoted than being opposed to Jews, Catholics, blacks, or Latinos as president.

Tags: conservative, politics, mccain, republican, fear

Predictable Huckabee Win

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:14:00 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Frankly, I'm not surprised in the least. The state that tried to set back the teaching of biology 150 years has given a rousing endorsement to the most biblical candidate in quite a while. How does commander and preacher sound? The inauguration should be fun. I'm all set to watch Dino, the Jesus Horse, leading the parade down Pennsylvania Ave.

Clip Source: www.newsday.com

Huckabee wins Kansas

Mike Huckabee will win the Kansas Republican presidential caucuses with more than 60 percent support, CNN projected Saturday.

The former Arkansas governor's victory comes as he continued to vow to remain in the GOP race for the White House despite the large delegate lead held bv Arizona Sen. John McCain, who scored 22 percent of the Kansas vote.

"I didn't major in math," Huckabee told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. "I majored in miracles, and I still believe in them, too."

Tags: religion, politics, christian

Those Wacky Afghans

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:46:04 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: The plaintiff's brother characterized this as "very unfair"? How about 12th Century barbaric? And make no mistake about it, there is a segment of the fundamentalists movement here in the states that would like nothing better than to institute Biblical law in the US. Get your stones ready. Read up on the latest statutes. Let the rocks fly.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Afghan 'blasphemy' death sentence

An Afghan journalist has been sentenced to death by a provincial court for distributing "blasphemous" material.

Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh, 23, was arrested in 2007 after downloading material from the internet relating to the role of women in Islamic societies.

A primary court in Balkh province said that Kambakhsh had confessed to blasphemy and had to be punished.

The court also threatened to arrest any reporters who protested against Kambakhsh's sentence.

Shamsur Rahman, the head of the court, told Reuters news agency: "According to... the Islamic law, Sayed Perwiz is sentenced to death at the first court.

"However, he will go through three more courts to declare his last punishment," he said.

The sentence has been welcomed by conservative Islamic clerics in Afghanistan but criticised by international human rights groups.

Kambakhsh's brother, Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi, said the verdict was "very unfair"

Tags: islam, religion, theocracy, fundamentalism, christianity

America is Hungry for Change

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:24:24 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: The number of Democrats turning out is certainly impressive. And while the Dems opted for change it seems the Republicans are satisfied with the status quo. Keep appealing to that neo-con base during elections and generally ignore them the rest of the year. It seems everyone except the neo-cons are laughing at the naked emperor.

Clip Source: www.dailykos.com

The Big Winner: Democrats

In 2000, the last time there was a caucus in both parties, Republicans turned out 87,000 voters, while Democrats produced 59,000. There are around 600,000 registered Democrats in Iowa, and about 550,000 Republicans, but when you consider that on caucus nights, Republicans just need to show up and point to a name, while Democrats are committing to two hours of public wrangling, it's not a surprise that more Republicans show up to be "first in the nation."

Except for yesterday.

When the Des Moines Register poll was predicated on a turnout of 200,000, I was scornful. And they were wrong -- but only because they were too conservative.

Last night, the Republicans produced around 115,000 voters -- an impressive 30% increase.

But the Democrats turned out 236,000. That's an increase of roughly one whole helluva lot.

And it's a huge indicator of both how energized Democrats are this year, and how ready independents are to put their chips on the D line.

Tags: politics, neocon, election

Hmm, Astrology or Astronomy?

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:08:24 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I seem to recall a certain president mouthing these same sentiments. I suspect history may show him to be at least one of the most ignorant people to hold such important office.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Conservative Christians haven't had any luck getting public schools to teach creationism under any of its many guises, including the most recent incarnation known as "Intelligent Design." Perhaps realizing that teaching creationism directly is a lost cause, at least for the time being, many have turned to a different tactic: "Teach the Controversy." According to this principle, students in public schools should not be taught evolution as "dogma." Instead, they should learn all of the scientific controversies and problems surrounding evolutionary theory.

Perhaps the most basic problem with the whole "Teach the Controversy" movement is how dishonestly hypocritical it is. Even if we ignore all the rest, we can't ignore the fact that these same people don't advocate teaching similar trumped-up controversies in other subjects.

Tags: politics, bush, creationism

Bonito Giuliani

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:56:32 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Fear, fear, fear.

Whatever...

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

The latest issue of American Conservative issue features a cover story titled "Declaring Forever War: Giuliani has surrounded himself with advisors who think the Bush Doctrine didn't go nearly far enough."

The cover image depicts Rudy Giuliani in fascist garb:

Tags: politics, fascism, republican, war, terrorism

Christian Privilege

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:53:12 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Weekly Poll: How Have Courts Treated Christians and Christianity?

A common complaint from the Christian Right is that American courts threaten the liberties of American Christians. Why? Because those courts refuse to support government actions that favor conservative or fundamentalist Christianity.

So why do many conservative Christians argue that they are being discriminated against and persecuted in America? Basically, because they have lost their once-dominant position in American politics, culture, and law. They can't stand being treated like adherents of every other religion and this, in turn, amounts to persecution in their minds. If we were dealing with actual rights, like the right to speech, then claims about discrimination and persecution would be justified.

As it is, though, the truth is that Christians are losing privileges — they are losing the ways in which they have been treated better than everyone else.

Tags: theism, atheism, religion, politics

Wall Street Journal Ignorant of Torture

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:09:39 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I found one comment hard to swallow here. The assertion that "Congress could have outlawed the practice at any time". I was under the impression that we already have laws outlawing torture.

Again, the real issue is not addressed. The real issue being the possible prosecution of people who take part in or order torture. Bush and cronies are aware of the perils of braking existing laws and want nothing more than to cover their asses after they leave office.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Schumer's Epiphany
November 5, 2007; Page A18

Michael Mukasey's prospects for confirmation as Attorney General seem to be resuscitated, thanks to the endorsements of two Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. We suppose this counts as progress -- of a sort.

Judge Mukasey set off a cascade of Democratic opposition because he declined to make a pre-emptive legal ruling on "waterboarding" before he had the security clearances to review the classified evidence. Our sources confirm press reports that the CIA has only used this interrogation method against three terrorist detainees and not since 2003. Congress could have outlawed the practice at any time, but Democrats conspicuously did not take it up before it became a pretext for capsizing the Mukasey nomination.

Tags: torture, mukasey, conservative

The Insane Emperor Spews Forth Again

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:00:14 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: How can the leader of the most powerful country in the world be such an idiot? He disgusts me every day. The last line of the above clip is odd. I would think that most rational people, not only human rights groups, would think waterboarding is torture. We prosecuted the Japanese after WWII for it.

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Bush: Mukasey's approval crucial to U.S. security

(CNN) -- President Bush on Thursday urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to move quickly to approve his nominee for attorney general, saying it's crucial to national security to fill the position.

"In a time of war, it's vital for the president to have a full national security team in place," the president said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank. "A vital part of that is the attorney general."

Bush has nominated retired federal Judge Michael Mukasey for the job. The Senate Judiciary Committee has held up approval, in part over Mukasey's reluctance to state his categorical opposition to the use of waterboarding as a coercion tactic in questioning terror suspects.

Human rights groups consider waterboarding -- a technique in which prisoners are made to feel as if they were drowning -- a form of torture.

Tags: bush, politics, insane

Christian Double Standard

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:14:28 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: True to form, Christians seem to be all in favor of religious non-discrimination as long as it's non-discrimination towards Christians only.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Christians Protest Government Endorsement of Religion... Buddhism!

When there are protests of government favoritism towards religion, like in the context of special displays on government property, they usually involve Christians being favored. Now, though, the shoe is on the other foot: conservative evangelicals who usually defend such displays are protesting one — because it is about Buddhism. Especially ironic is that they are effectively protesting something which they helped make possible.

Both literally and symbolically, the goal appears to me to be all about placing Christianity ahead of Buddhism because these Christians believe America is defined — culturally, socially, historically, politically — by Christianity. In such a context, no other religion can be given any sort of official recognition. It's certainly wrong for any other religion to be accorded any sort of respect normally reserved for Christianity.

Tags: christianity, hypocrite, politics, buddhism

Clipmarks | AtlLiberal's 'conservative' clips

McCain's Desperate Move

McCain's Palin pick is the epitome of tokenism

Fear and Loathing in the Republican Party

An Antichrist Obama in McCain Ad?

Those Damn Liberals

Tennessee Man Cites Church’s Liberal Values As Reason For Shooting

Tennessee Shooting

Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views

Creationist Shows His Stuff

Disgusted by media's comments of teacher

Grandpa McCain Don't Like Them Atheists!

John McCain on Secular Atheists: Is John McCain Bigoted Against Atheists?

Predictable Huckabee Win

Those Wacky Afghans

America is Hungry for Change

Hmm, Astrology or Astronomy?

Bonito Giuliani

Christian Privilege

Weekly Poll: How Have Courts Treated Christians and Christianity?

Wall Street Journal Ignorant of Torture

Schumer's EpiphanyNovember 5, 2007; Page A18

The Insane Emperor Spews Forth Again

Bush: Mukasey's approval crucial to U.S. security

Christian Double Standard

Christians Protest Government Endorsement of Religion... Buddhism!

Schumer's Epiphany
November 5, 2007; Page A18