Remember the Republicans hollering about “activist” judges?

Well, you can bet there’s a new tune on that tomorrow …

A federal appeals court Thursday granted Attorney General Greg Abbott’s request for an emergency stay on a lower court decision that blocked a key provision of Texas’ new abortion law from going into effect earlier this week.

 

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 20-page opinion, said the state’s provision requiring abortion doctors to gain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals does not “impose a substantial obstacle to abortions.”

So they lift the stay and screwed Texas women.

Republicans are on a roll today.

Let’s start with Mel Watt.  From Politico —

Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked the nomination of Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) to be director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The vote was 56 to 42 and 60 votes were needed to limit debate and clear the way for a final vote on the nomination.

The White House this week pushed to get Watt confirmed but Republicans said they oppose his nomination arguing that someone with more experience in mortgage finance, not a politician, should run the agency. Democrats said Watt’s 20 plus years on the House Financial Services Committee make him more than qualified.

He spent 20 damn years on the Houston Financial Services Committee and he’s not qualified?  Who is?  Joe the Plumber?

And then just to piss off women, the Senate voted 55-38 to block the nomination of Patricia Millett to be a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Republicans were largely united in opposing the nomination.

Millett is a Harvard law grad and has argued more cases before the Supreme Court than any other woman in private practice – 32 of them.  Republicans said they were afraid it would “tip the balance” on the DC court.  So elections only have consequences if Republicans win?

Today was not a good outreach day for Republicans.  I imagine there will be some hardy laughter at Republican lunches today celebrating shooting down a perfectly qualified African American and a woman without even breaking a sweat.

Chickens have a harder time laying eggs than Republicans do insulting women and minorities.

Thanks to Carl for the heads up.

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God always liked him better.

I do not understand why I am a Christian and God never tells me what to title my book or puts me on a conference call.

Just when you think that Tom DeLay has sunken into the pits of hell from blasphemy, he shines on —

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Okay, first off, Hagee lies.  Tom DeLay was NOT found not-guilty. Twelve good and true citizens and a Republican judge all found him guilty as hell.  If Hagee was the least bit concerned about the truth he would say, “Tom DeLay’s guilty verdict was overturned by an activist judge.  Praise God for activist judges!”

But, of course, truth never has never mattered to teevee evangelists  or dirty politicians.

So, if Tom’s new book doesn’t sell any better than his last book, it’s God’s fault.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,189 in Books

You can buy it for a penny.

And yes, he did in fact say he was on a 4 hour conference call with God.  Makes you wonder who else was on that conference call.

Thanks to Victoria Linn for the head up.

Do you wanna know what I just found out?

17,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from an eight-inch pipeline owned by Koch Pipeline Company on Tuesday, the Railroad Commission of Texas reported Wednesday.

The spill impacted a rural area and two livestock ponds near Smithville and was discovered on a routine aerial inspection, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Let me tell you where Smithville Texas is.  Smithville is half way between me and Austin.  I drive through Smithville every time I go to Austin, which is pretty damn often.  It is also dangerously close to Buescher State Park, one of my personal favorites.

UPI is reporting that Koch “had no estimated time for repairs. Neither Koch nor the Texas Railroad Commission had a public statement about the incident.”

Yeah, if you don’t say anything about it, it never happened.

Do you wanna know what smells worst than a wet dog?  Crude oil.  That’s what.  You wanna know what smells worse than that?  Koch Industries, that’s what.

Thanks to Brian C for the heads up.

Remember when Dick Cheney shot his friend in the face?

Well, he just fish-hooked another friend in the face.

Liz Cheney decided she really, really wants to be a United States senator and since she’s just a more calmly dressed but far more evil Kardashian, she picked a long time family friend, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, to run against.  Her daddy’s money always buys Liz what she wants.

Enzi was stunned.  He thought the Cheneys were his friends.  Enzi said that Dick Cheney has been a fishing buddy.

Cheney pops back that he’s never been fishing with Enzi.  Personally, I suspect that makes Enzi a very lucky man, and Dick a giant liar again.

The bottom line is that Dick and Liz have no particular dislike or political disagreement with Enzi.  They just want his seat to prove they can buy whatever they want – including Dick’s new heart that most certainly would never have been given to any other man his age or in his health.

I’m not saying that Liz Cheney has the power to call out the flying monkeys, but I’d be on the alert anyway.

Maureen Dowd lays this out nicely today.

Enzi will be the only Republican I am rooting for on election night.

Thanks to Kary for the heads up and John for the graphic.