Midweek Mayhem

It’s been a busy news week already, and we didn’t want to let some of these gems pass us by.

Yes Virginia, there are wingnut rednecks in power

Let’s start with a midweek Wicked Award for Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. It wasn’t bad enough that he began his term with his administration telling public colleges and universities in Virginia to remove sexual orientation from campus nondiscrimination policies. McDonnell was later forced to issue a prohibition against such discrimination in order to quell the uproar that his office created.

You would think that in most cases, the offending politician might be more cautious in the future about anything that smelled of discrimination or bias. But not McDonnell.

McDonnell declared April as Confederate History Month (a real way to prove you’re not a racist wingnut). In doing so, McDonnell and his staff failed to even acknowledge the role or impact of slavery. “The Confederate History Month proclamation issued was solely intended to promote the study of our history, encourage tourism in our state in advance of the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, and recognize Virginia’s unique role in the story of America.”

In other words, slavery wasn’t important enough to merit a mention.

Here is a great take on it by Chris Matthews:

Now McDonnell has been forced to backtrack again. Today the Governor apologized for the omission, stating, “The proclamation issued by this Office designating April as Confederate History Month contained a major omission. The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed.”

Bob, Bob, Bob. Would you please just come out and admit that you are a freaking moron? Just admit that you are the accidental elected representative of the wingnut teabag fringe. McDonnell was in fact the champion of Virginia teabaggers and certainly has been doing his part to act like them. The comparison isn’t lost on me that in his brief tenure in office, McDonnell has targeted gays and offended blacks, while during that same time, protesting teabaggers spit on black congressmen and called them “niggers” and shouted “faggot” at Rep. Barney Frank.

Oh and by the way, does anyone in Virginia remember that the Confederacy was an act of treason against the United States Government? That the South started, and lost, the Civil War? As Julian Bond notes below, the classy thing for McDonnell to have done was to simply honor those who fought on both sides of that divisive war.

Stay classy, Bob.

Obama wandering down dangerous and unethical road

President Barack Obama has apparently gone where George W. Bush never even dared to tread. According to the Guardian, the Obama Administration has approved the assassination of an extremist Islamic cleric and alleged terrorist who is an American citizen, who has been found guilty of no crimes, and who was recently released from a Yemeni prison for lack of evidence.

While there is little question that Anwar al-Awlaki is involved in terrorist activities, it is both puzzling and disturbing that the Administration would choose to openly approve the assassination of an American citizen, rather than trying to bring this individual to justice in American courts.

According to the Guardian:

The policy of targeted killings is controversial. President Gerald Ford issued an executive order banning political assassinations in 1976. However, Congress approved the use of military force against al-Qaida after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. People on the target list are considered to be military enemies of the US and therefore not subject to the ban on political assassination.

In February, the director of national intelligence, Dennis Blairan, alarmed civil liberties groups when he told Congress that the US may, with executive approval, deliberately target and kill US citizens suspected of being involved in terrorism.

Here is tonight’s Countdown piece on the subject. Keith’s guests raise excellent questions about the ethics of this decision, and the implications it has for all American citizens.

Midweek Funnies

Here are a couple of great images sent to us today that we wanted to pass along. Enjoy!