Judy Martz: War On Women “Made Up”

Sep12 by D Gregory Smith

Just when you thought it was safe to, well, do anything- Judy Martz starts doing what she does best: muddying the waters of Montana politics. And guess who’s helping her?

From Montana Cowgirl Blog:

The GOP’s War on Women is “something fictitious and made up,” former Governor Judy Martz told a group of Havre Republicans yesterday. The Havre Daily News has the story on the latest ludicrous statement from the former Republican governor.

Martz is infamous for diminishing the dangers of domestic violence and belittling the women who are its victims. In a January, 2001 speech to an audience of 650 people in Butte, Martz said:

“My husband has never battered me, but then again, I’ve never given him a reason to.”

Besides Martz, the dream team that Republicans assembed to convince us that there is no War on Women included: TEA Party legislators Rep. Wendy Warburton and Kris Hansen of Havre, candidate for state school superintendent Sandy Welch, and Ronalee Skees. Ronalee is the wife of TEA Party poster boy Rep. Derek Skees, who is running for state auditor.

I can’t think of a worse group of women to make the claim that women’s rights aren’t under attack. These GOPers exemplify the efforts to restrict women’s rights. Each has either introduced anti-women legislation or championed the War on Women through work with right-wing causes.

Definitely do not miss reading this entire article. The Martz quotes alone are mind-bogglingly stupid. There’s even a reference to something Martz calls “meanness ears.”

But Martz’s loony, oddly-worded statements are only the beginning. Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Sandy Welch, who is a transplant from California, told the Havre Republicans of her belief that there is no glass ceiling. Rather, says Welch, women just “weren’t going into positions that would advance them to leadership” by choice. Even Welch’s idol Sarah Palin talked about the importance of breaking the glass ceiling. Perhaps Welch doesn’t read the paper.

And let’s not forget Wendy Warburton’s explanation for the lack of GOP women candidates. Warburton said a couple of years back, “the biggest reason that more women who are Republicans don’t get into politics is because we are the pro-family party” and are home raising kids like the women of the pro-family party should be.

Read the whole article here.

Fox out-raises Bucy in latest period in AG race (billingsgazette.com)
Reality Check: RNC Pulling Out All Stops To Keep Ron Paul’s Name Out Of Nomination (dailypaul.com)
Governors groups to step up activities (billingsgazette.com)

The Palinization Of The GOP

Nov19 by D Gregory Smith

Buckley (right) and L. Brent Bozell Jr. promot...

Image via Wikipedia

From Kathleen Parker in The Washington Post comes this compelling assessment of the GOP:

“The headline on Democratic strategist Paul Begala’s recent Newsweek essay dodged subtlety: “The Stupid Party.”

“Republicans used to admire intelligence. But now they’re dumbing themselves down,” was the subhead.

Democrats couldn’t agree more. And quietly, many Republicans share the sentiment. They just can’t seem to stop themselves.

Republicans aren’t really stupid, of course, and Begala acknowledges this. But, as he also pointed out, the conservative brain trust once led by William F. Buckley has been supplanted by talk radio hosts who love to quote Buckley (and boast of his friendship) but who do not share the man’s pedigree or his nimble mind. Moreover, where Buckley tried to rid the GOP of fringe elements, notably the John Birch Society, today’s conservatives have let them back in. The 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference was co-sponsored by the Birchers.

Meanwhile, the big tent fashioned by Ronald Reagan has become bilious with the hot air of religious fervor. No one was more devout than the very-Catholic Buckley, but you didn’t see him convening revivals in the public square. Nor is it likely he would have embraced fundamentalist views that increasingly have forced the party into a corner where science and religion can’t coexist.”

The GOP will continue to be ridiculous as long as it courts the ridiculous…. Make sure and read the whole thing- it’s good.

Ravndal’s Very Very Very Latest- A FREEDOM Rally. With Guns.

Feb21 by D Gregory Smith

Yep- the man who advocated violence against gay people (fruits) is now promoting a Freedom Action Rally with a call to arms on the steps of the Montana State Capitol Building:

Are you ready to rock the steps of the capitol? grab your favorite weapon and join us on the steps of the capitol March 4th at 11:00AM. We will be focused on the Constitution and our rights. We will highlight the 2nd and 10th Amendments to our Constitution and will send a very very very loud message to our legislators who will be in the building when we are gathered outside on the steps. “A coward will die a thousand deaths, while a brave warrior will die only one!” -The Alamo (sic)

Three points.

This sounds like a threat. Even less veiled than Denny Rehberg’s about a federal judge, or Sarah Palin’s webpage gunsights- are they getting bolder? Um, Yes.
Ravndal knows not his Shakespeare (or proper comma usage). The quote is “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. ” This is from Act 1 Scene 2 Line 32 of “Julius Cesear”, written by William Shakespeare- but I never figured him for a classical education anyway.
This makes my blood run cold. There have been threats of violence and war from these people. It is frickin’ scary, creepy and possibly illegal (any legal scholars want to weigh in?) and I am getting very worried.

Where will this end?