Monty Python's Flying Circus

To keep relatively sane after reading the madness on the internet, I sometimes chill out watching Monthy Python. Did you know John Cleese's father's name really was Cheese? Anyway Monty Python might be the model for a film on the teabaggers combining the visual mayhem with the verbal pyrotechnics.

Yesterday Scott Walker thought he was talking to David Koch about his plan to bust unions. For twenty minutes, Walker talked about how he chat with John Kasich everyday about the larger Republican plan to bust all public workers' unions. He also threw in Rick Scott of Florida in the plan. The idea was to lure the Democrats back to the state because they are afraid of losing their paychecks and once there ,declare a quorum even though they leave again. The details of the phone call promoted by the website Buffalo Beast has triggered an investigation in Wisconsin because Walker may have violated two state laws with his comments.

The real kicker for the Madison Chief of Police was Walker saying he thought about inserting troublemakers into the crowds to incite violence. The Chief, who had thanked protestors, was livid and said he stayed up all night fuming about this.

The National Guard's inspection of the penal institutions in the state is actually an assessment about what to do if the corrections officers go on strike.

Walker brags this is his Reagan moment. He believes that the fall of communism happened because Reagan, the only AFL member ever President,busted PATGO, the air traffic controller's union. One historical note--PATGO had rejected an offer from the Reagan administration and went out on a wildcat strike. There are no striking union members in Wisconsin. Another footnote--the busting of PATGO actually cost the airline industry billions of dollars.

Walker's moves will cost Wisconsin another $40 million in federal grants because the US government prohibits funds to specific programs where collective bargaining isn't recognized. Remember this guy refused the high-speed train funds already and cost the state over 7,000 new jobs. If he doesn't get his way, he says he will lay off another 5,000 state workers.

Mark Williams of the Tea Party Express, urged teabaggers to sign up as SEIU organizers and to mingle in the crowds shouting "You Owe Me" and other phrases.

Today, there will be the largest rallies held throughout Wisconsin. Another issue is that some 200 mayors are opposed to the bill, which would wipe out collective bargaining at every level of the state government.

So with union membership at the lowest level in the United States, how does the nation at large think? The Gallup poll showed that 61% favor retaining collective bargaining rights for workers. Another Gallup poll yesterday showed that the same percentage favored compromise between the Senate and the House to keep the federal government opening. Is this a brief moment of sanity breaking through?

Beltway Pundits were puzzled yeaterday about John Boehner's response to President Obama's statement that his administration refuses to defend DOMA (The Defense of Marraige Act) because it's unconstitutional. Boehner said "This will look like I'm biased against gays." Strange but it really makes sense. What Obama did was a deft political move that put the onus of defending the act onto the Republicans.The United States has not removed itself from the case. Instead,Congress can defend it if they want.

Mike Huckabee says that Obama's stance will endanger his credibility and re-election. He claims that if Obama had run against DOMA in 2008 he would not have won. Sorry, Charlie, he did run opposed to DOMA. You can look it up.

Republicans and newspapers are demanding David Wu, democratic congressman from Oregon resign because of his erratic behavior. I want to defend Wu. He is the first openly Furry congressperson. Check out Dan Savage on this phenomenon about dressing up in animal costumes and having sex. I salute Wu's courage.

Sometimes it's the little side comments on Rachel Maddow that deserve mention. Last night in a show from Lawrence, Kansas, the last home of Bill Burroughs, she interviewed the lawyer for murdered abortion provider Dr. Tiller. A conservative Republican, the lawyer commented how it used to be that the boards for Planned Parenthood were mostly Republican women and that the House behavior showed how far out the Republicans have become. Absolutely true. Planned Parenthood was like the League of Women Voters with alot of Republican women participating.

It should come as no surprise that Scott Walker went to Boys' State and got his inspiration for government there. I did too and surprised my local American Legion when I spoke on my return saying it was like a fascist state with its indoctrination.

Finally, the One Nation crowd is planning to beseige Republican townhall meetings with voters complaining about the budget cuts. Good luck. I would like to see a counter teabag movement.

If Obama doesn't excite his base anymore, he doesn't have to worry. The Republicans have hit every hot button to energize everyone from unions, enviromentalists,feminists and minorities. If you're not energeized now, you'll never be.

Andrew Sullivan posted a quote from Dwight David Eisenhower the other day speaking about the need for moderation in politics and how anyone who wanted to dismantle social security, health care and regulations was on the fringe of our society or else a Texas oilman. Little would he recognize the New GOP.

Progressives should have a field day now since they can cherry-pick any good Republican ideas and quote any good Republicans as well as combine them with the heritage of Democrats. Even Obama points out that the tax levels in the US and the size of government proportional to the society is the same as under Eisenhower. And Eisenhower is despised by the new teaparty people.

Yes, indeed, Indiana Republicans are going to primary Dick Lugar, Richard Nixon's favorite Mayor. He used to get annoyed whenever I mentioned that. Maine Republicans are going to primary Olympia Snowe. Don't you want to live in a state with a Senator named--Olympia Snowe? No sense of poetry. And Utah is going to primary Orrin Hatch, Patricia Cornwell's favorite politician. ( I don't know why she idolized him)

Sister Sarah Palin is off to India to burnish her presidential credentials. By the way, she had lasik surgery years ago and only wears glasses to look smart. It turns out that Joe McGinnis leaked the Frank Baily manuscript on Palin to sabotage the author. Interesting. Pretty clever.

The best robocall for the demonstrations came from the Teamsters--"This is Jimmy Hoffa calling..."

Oh, and if you need a job Koch industries are hiring in Wisconsin in anticipation of them being rewarded with the state heating plants.

Glenn Beck had been criticized by over 400 rabbis of every Jewish tendency. He upped the ante with his attack on Reformed Jews, saying they were the same as radical Muslims. I've been thinking of all the Reformed Jews I have ever known and well,I always considered them one of the strongest defenders of civil liberties and social justice in the United States. Well, apparently, so does Abe Foxman, whose Anti-Defamation League blasted Beck. Today, beck apologized sort of---not really.

Hate groups have now ballooned to 1,000 in the United States, according to the SPL.

The verdict is in on the House budget. The GOP's budget cuts will mean about 1 million jobs lost, an unemployment rate of 9.7-10%. Goldman Sachs weighed in and said that current GOP cuts would mean a 2% drop in our GDP and almost certainly a return of the recession.

There is brilliance to this madness. Almost all pollsters show that Obama wins with 8% unemployment--has a close race with 9%--and loses with over 9% unemployment.

Muammar Qaddafhi is still hanging on. Drudge puts center page a quote by Qaddafhi that "Obama is a friend." Qaddafhi blames Al Qaeda for the unrest and that the protestors are drinking NESCAFE with hallucingens. The real problem for American foreign policy types is that beneath the authoritarian surface of the Qaddafhi family the entire society as well as the security forces are totally decentralized. It's not like Egypt where structures exist after Mubarak quits. The civil war has led to thousands of deaths and an increasing number of refugees. Human rights groups are mobilizing for a humanitarian intervention by an international force.

The Washington Examiner published today an article about how the Obama administration is being salted with followers of the Muslim Brotherhood. What's so interesting about the piece is that everyone mentioned is either a known white protestant male or a Shiite Muslim. Shia Muslim Brotherhood--what a cool concept.

One problem is that the source for these accusations used to be a former analyst for the CIA. Now you have some idea about the problems we face.

Facebook cancelled Sarah Palin's false flag account "Lou Sarah" because it violated their rules.

Karl Rove weighed in on Wisconsin in the Wall Street Journal, claiming that Wisconsin is Obama's problem. Au contraire, it's a big-time Republican problem.

Did you know that the Koch Brothers paid for the Brooks Brothers riot in Florida during the 2000 presidential recount? The payoff was that the massive investigation of their pollution would be called off. It was.

The oil companies announced today through the Petroleum Institute, their lobby arm here in Washington, that they would now give campaign donations directly to candidates. Over 90% in the past were Republicans.

As Tom Friedman writes today in the New York Times, the upheaval in the Middle East is a wake-up call to Americans to end their dependence on oil. I agree.