So Much Douchebaggery, So Little Time

KENTUCKY - The sun may shine bright on your old Kentucky home, but maybe you should stay inside it to avoid being recognized. This is embarrassing. GOP Senate Candidate Rand Paul (son of Ron Paul) says he thinks private businesses should get to decide whether or not to serve black customers, or gay customers, or old customers, or handicapped customers, or any other protected group. So, in his world, it'll be live and let discriminate. Screw you, Jose' if the dentists in your small town won't clean your teeth. And tough luck, Mr. Chin, if the doctors in your county won't treat you. And all you African Americans, you can just drive into the big city to buy your groceries, 'cause they won't serve you in Mayberry.

By this logic, we should just let people decide whether or not they want to steal, let the victims solve their own crime and punish offenders, and let anarchy rule the day.

I'd say I have no words for this stupidity, but clearly, I do: moronic, ignorant, arrogant, racist, redneck, and "spoken like a rich, white, male doctor who has no idea what it is like to be really discriminated against."

IMO, the most basic role of government includes: (1) protecting us from our enemies (as much as possible); (2) provide a framework of laws to permit open and (relatively) fair commerce; and (3) to protect individuals from the mob. Prohibiting discrimination fulfills all three of these in my view.

And just to keep things fair...

OHIO -

The Ohio GOP (I can't help it if the douchebags flock to the GOP!) trying to unseat a democrat in Congress mailed a campaign flier that said, "Let's take Betty Sutton out of the House and send her back to the kitchen." No, this is not a joke or a nostalgic look at an OLD campaign ad so we can discuss how much politics has changed since 1958. This flier was sent last week.

One young woman constituent of Congresswoman Sutton called very upset about this and wondered why she was bothering to go to college if this is how women are still regarded. It's a fair question. I suppose the answer is that with every generation, fewer people regard women as brood mares and cooks, and more regard our gender as equals. We've come a long way, baby, but not everyone has.

BTW, Kentucky and Ohio are neighbors. Just a little factoid.

The redneck-to-normal-person ratio can be upsetting anywhere. Giving the rednecks access to media and politics shines a light on them. A least that way, we know who to protect ourselves from. The down-side: sometimes, they get elected. (Gov. McDonnell of Virginia)