Basketball hall-of-famer Charles Barkley says: “I was a Republican until they lost their minds.” Welcome to North Carolina, where the governor’s office, the state senate, and the state house have been turned into loony bins of Republican screwballism.
We know from the not-too-distant past that it actually is possible to be both sane and a Republican, but don’t go looking for that combo in the Capitol complex of the Tar Heel State. Far-right-wing zealots have seized complete control of the government, and –Yahooooo! – what a clown show they’re putting on. Any program that helps the middle class or the poor – whack it! Any scheme that further-enriches-and-empowers corporate plutocrats – enact it! Any rule or normal procedure that’s in the way of their zaniness – run over it!
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In July, for example, the rampaging ideologues decided it would be a hoot to punch women in the face with a new law taking away their reproductive rights and nearly all of their health clinics. But running such a divisive and unpopular policy shift through the legislative process can get very messy, for women (and many men) would rebel, protest, and make a fuss. But hey, shouted the clowns, people can’t fuss if they don’t know we’re doing it to them.
So – BAM! – without any notice, much less public hearings – senators grabbed a silly bill dealing with the right-wing bugaboo of Sharia law, tacked their repressive abortion agenda to it, and rammed it through in 18 hours. Then, the wacky boys in the House grabbed, of all things, a motorcycle safety bill and piled the abortion stuff onto it – again without any public notice or participation. They even called it a “safety” bill. What fun!
Less fun for those buffoons, though, is that they’re now being confronted around the state by protesters wearing motorcycle helmets.
“The Rachel Maddow Show,” www.nbcnews.com, 2013, July 11, 2013″
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