Your morning jolt: Women, farm animals, a state lawmaker – and a video
Earlier this year, the state Legislature passed – and the governor signed – HB 954, which reduced the period during which a woman could seek an abortion to 20 weeks.
It was one of the most restrictive anti-abortion measures passed in years, and – while it was later softened somewhat – originally made no exception for women who were carrying stillborns and other fetuses that could not survive outside the womb.
Last March, during debate over this provision, House Appropriations Chairman Terry England, R-Auburn, cited his farming expertise. “Life gives us many experiences. I’ve had the experience of delivering calves, dead and alive — delivering pigs, dead and alive. And I want to tell you… it breaks our hearts to see those animals not make it,” he said.
This was nature’s way, was the lawmaker’s apparent point. England voted for the bill.
Many people objected to England’s turn of phrase, especially on the Internet. And if you put the terms “farm animals” and “women” through the Google machine, England’s name pops up – ahead of many topics unfit for public discussion.
Bryan Long, whose group Better Georgia first highlighted England’s remarks, said the video posted on the abortion debate has been viewed 1.2 million times.
The result, for England, has been worldwide harassment and ridicule.
That is unfortunate, but unlikely to change. Hollywood’s finest – led by Kevin Bacon — are now weighing in on England’s comments, with a public service announcement devoted to women’s reproductive rights. England has gone where few Georgians have gone before. He’s made Meryl Streep angry:
The word from England, via email:
“Kevin Bacon is a great actor, despite his role in ‘Hollow Man,’ which just doesn’t compare to his performance in ‘A Few Good Men’ (in my humble opinion of course).
“It is unfortunate he has been misled by some on the far left trying to push an agenda of their own. Had he watched the full three + hour debate on the fetal pain bill, he would see my comments a bit differently. As a movie star and a director, I am sure he knows a thing or two about editing and manipulating video to present it in a certain context.
“It’s simply false to insinuate that I said anything like that.”
***
On a similar topic, remember last week’s video of U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens, declaring – in front of a spooky wall of deer heads – that evolution, embryology and the Big Bang theory are all “lies straight from the pit of hell”? It made Jon Stewart’s playlist on Thursday night.
How do Broun and other members of Congress get away with such comments? “Easy,” Stewart said. “They do it by being less crazy than guys on the state level.”
Now, honestly – most people in the state Capitol would tell you that this just isn’t so. Congress is awarded the politicians who are most able to survive a July primary. Which is not exactly a sanity test.
In fact, Georgia’s primary process can be — forgive us, Mr. Broun — more than slightly Darwinian. The birds with the brightest plumage are the ones most likely to thrive.
***
The Gallup organization this morning tells us that bipartisanship remains a foreign concept in the United States:
Thus far in October, an average of 90% of Democrats, and 8% of Republicans, approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president. That 82-percentage-point gap in approval ratings by party is on pace to be the largest Gallup has measured for a recent incumbent president in the final month before Americans vote on his re-election.
George W. Bush had an 80-point party gap in approval, while the October gaps for other presidents were less than 70 points.
***
Perhaps you remember that Lee Anderson, the GOP challenger to U.S. Rep. John Barrow, D-Augusta, recently declared that a debate with his opponent on statewide TV wasn’t worth a trip to the Big City.
But campaign contributions are always worth the risks of an urban dystopia, according to Walter Jones of Morris News Service:
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — House Republican Leader Eric Cantor campaigned Thursday with 12th District challenger Lee Anderson at a private fundraiser in an Atlanta suburb, saying incumbent John Barrow is out of touch with the district.
Meanwhile, Barrow blamed Cantor for holding up passage of legislation critical to the district’s farmers….
“This is an extremely important race for the House of Representatives and the Republicans there, and we’ve got a candidate who is in touch with the people of that district and reflects the common-sense, conservative vein that runs throughout this state,” Cantor said of Anderson. “Lee is a farmer. He’s someone who’s been in that community throughout his career, and he represents a stark contrast, really, to Mr. Barrow.”
***
If you are a supporter of the charter school measure on the November ballot, this is exactly, precisely, the news story you didn’t want to see in the four weeks before the vote. At least, not in Georgia:
Oct 12 (Reuters) – It’s been a turbulent period for charter schools in the United States, with financial analysts raising concerns about their stability and regulators in several states shutting down schools for poor performance.
…But an unlikely source of new capital has emerged to fill the gap: foreign investors.
Wealthy individuals from as far away as China, Nigeria, Russia and Australia are spending tens of millions of dollars to build classrooms, libraries, basketball courts and science labs for American charter schools….
The reason? Under a federal program known as EB-5, wealthy foreigners can in effect buy U.S. immigration visas for themselves and their families by investing at least $500,000 in certain development projects. In the past two decades, much of the investment has gone into commercial real-estate projects, like luxury hotels, ski resorts and even gas stations.
Lately, however, enterprising brokers have seen a golden opportunity to match cash-starved charter schools with cash-flush foreigners in investment deals that benefit both.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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89 comments Add your comment
shirley
October 12th, 2012
1:07 pm
Jim,
I love this “Morning Jolt”. Way to go! Georgians in the national spotlight again. We get what we deserve when we leave voting to other folks. Remember your rights are always in jeopardy when you leave it to someone else to protect them. Vote like you life depends on it because it does.
Faith
October 12th, 2012
1:13 pm
It is heart-breaking to see a young animal die. How much more heartwrenching is it to know of the death and pain of human baby. An innocent child killed. Over 54 million abortions since 1973. Each abortion represents an innocent life. How long will such tragedy be allowed in America?
Thank you, Terry England, and others in the GA Legislature who passed the Fetal Pain Bill!
Kris
October 12th, 2012
1:13 pm
A simple letter to the slime (repuks) bags that started the war on women’s health.
(Senator/Representative) ________,
As one of the many women and men you represent, I want to personally tell you how outraged I am by your attack on women’s rights — and your attempts to bully, subjugate and silence women.
This year, I will raise my voice and my vote against your war on women. I will work to ensure you and your fellow Republicans reap unprecedented losses in November.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Supporter of RockTheSlutVote.co
https:waronwomen.com
Kris
October 12th, 2012
1:15 pm
Opps should be https://waronwomen.com
annoyed
October 12th, 2012
1:16 pm
God i live in Georgia and I can’t wait to leave. 90% of the people are products of inbreeding in nuclear waste facilities. I bet most of you probably can’t even spell republican let alone be intelligent enough to sift through political bs and know the main platform. Who do you think you are to think that you can try to force your biblical based opinions on other people. Last I checked there was supposed to be a separation of church and state. Some of the most die hard republicans down here live in a trailer park and have given birth to 13 grimlins. How do you justify voting for a republican when you don’t have a pot to piss in? I really want to advocate quarantining off the south east from the rest of civilization. Watching Fox news or Cnn doesn’t make you informed. It just means that you’re lazy and like to here one side talk crap about the other. Abortion has to deal with women…men, your opinion on this subject is irrelevant. If a woman doesn’t want a child, it’s none of your business. Your antigay marriage? Gays marrying doesn’t limit your rights in any way. Your just pushing your religious agenda because your so miserable with yourselves that you have to make others just as miserable. God every time I hear a country accent I want to punch a baby in the face. You all disgust me.
The Mirror
October 12th, 2012
1:24 pm
If goo is a baby then that means it is slime when it grows up.
That explains a lot about Republicans really.
No Longer Republican
October 12th, 2012
1:24 pm
I don’t know Rep England but I know his kind. They are all over Georgia. So sick of people and their religious crap telling people what they can and cannot do in their own lives. Many times I agree with Repubs on financial issues but the religious takeover of the Republican Party was waaaaaaaaaaay too much for me. Religious Right it is none of your business what decision are made by women and their families regarding their bodies and as long as STUPID nuts continue to fight to impose their beliefs on everyone else, I will totally support Kevin Bacon and others who expose the morons.
Ooh La Lah
October 12th, 2012
1:29 pm
Annoyed- I like your anger.
Real insights as to the destruction of America by Dikkksie:
http://www.alternet.org/story/156071/conservative_southern_values_revived%3A_how_a_brutal_strain_of_american_aristocrats_have_come_to_rule_america
Baron DeKalb
October 12th, 2012
1:30 pm
Annoyed: Ignorance, intolerance, or religious hypocrisy is not limited to any social class or racial group. There are plenty of anti-abortion voters with college educations and northeastern accents, some of them women. Many of the most violent anti-abortion activists are from the Midwest, not the South. Most of the working class white folks in the South are better examples of Christianity than the sanctimonious politicians who claim to represent their interests, I’m not particularly happy with the political climate in Georgia either, but it’s not just the “country” people who bear responsibility for the current state of affairs.
MANGLER
October 12th, 2012
1:31 pm
Ash, really? The best way to prevent pregnancy is not to have sex? OK. Well, that is true @ I don’t think anybody would argue that.
However, in reality, people have sex. Telling them not to does not change that. The more you try to “educate” people about not having sex while at the same time not “educating” them about having safer sex and providing access to contraception leads you to States like Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, & Texas (all solidly Red States, BTW) where the rates of teenage pregnancies is the highest despite abstinence only teaching.
South GA Food Taxer
October 12th, 2012
1:33 pm
I told ‘em all it was political suicide to hold an abortion vote before the primary. That’s why I was absent that day.
WayneD
October 12th, 2012
1:46 pm
Rep. England demonstrated true courage in standing up for the sanctity of all innocent life. Sadly, there are those who will totally distort the facts to serve their agenda.
GaBlue
October 12th, 2012
1:57 pm
“….true courage in standing up for the sanctity of all innocent life.”
Actually, these people are only standing up for the sanctity of birth. Life is what happens afterward, that requires adequate food and medical care, a clean, healthy environment, educational opportunities, safe places to stay while young or economically-disadvantaged parents go to school and work, head start, safe, effective schools, and a chance to thrive and grow beyond the cycle of poverty, crime, abuse, and despair. Quality matters.
Yeah, y’all give a holler when you’re actually “pro-life” and not just “pro-birth” for people you don’t give a damn about once they’re breathing.
Baron DeKalb
October 12th, 2012
1:59 pm
WayneD: Neither Rep. England or those who share his extreme beliefs are willing to “stand up for the sanctity of all innocent life.” In an ultimate expression of narcissism, he and people like him put human life above all others. They sanctimoniously wring their hands about the “unborn” but have no qualms eating, running over, or ignoring the abuse of innocent animals. To me, this is a more serious problem with the “pro-life” movement than the related hypocrisy of being opposed to abortion but opposing any government program designed to help children who are born into difficult circumstances,
So…You’re Calling Me A Cow? — Peach Pundit
October 12th, 2012
2:34 pm
[...] Political Insider has the details here. Kevin Bacon and other Hollywood well-knowns want you to Draw the Line. [...]
yuzeyurbrane
October 12th, 2012
3:45 pm
Those that follow the stock market know that Wall Street is very bullish on investing in the extremely profitable for-profit education contractors who actually run the charter schools. No wonder they are pouring tons of cash into the pro-Amendment side of the vote.
Kris
October 12th, 2012
3:52 pm
To quote the Vice Presideny Jor Biden
This is ” A load of malarkey!”
God Bless us.
Re-elect President OBAMA.
Rush
October 12th, 2012
4:07 pm
Don’t let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you, annoyed. Good luck in Kalifornia.
Rush
October 12th, 2012
4:11 pm
What a wonderful world it would be if annoyed had been aborted……
Rush
October 12th, 2012
4:13 pm
Please will someone provide annoyed with birth control so this misery does not continue for another generation?
cc
October 12th, 2012
4:13 pm
annoyed@1:16 pm:
“God i live in Georgia and I can’t wait to leave”
I can’t wait for you to leave, either! Get on with it and good riddance.
No Longer Republican@1:24 pm:
In the interest of truth in advertising, would you please select another screen name? You never were a Republican and I doubt very seriously that you ever voted for a Republican in your life.
Fry Big Bird!
cc
October 12th, 2012
4:17 pm
“Please will someone provide annoyed with birth control so this misery does not continue for another generation?”
Most people have the good sense to take care of that for themselves.
td
October 12th, 2012
4:52 pm
Man I missed almost three days on this blog and I see nothing has really changed. The leftest are still whining about everything and the few conservative posters are right on every issue.
wolflady
October 12th, 2012
5:00 pm
td:
Shut up!
cc
October 12th, 2012
5:05 pm
“The leftest are still whining about everything and the few conservative posters are right on every issue.”
That is absolutely, 100% correct, td. Whining and griping is all you’ll ever hear from the leftists!
Big Bird stew, the food of champions!
So…You’re Calling Me A Cow?
October 12th, 2012
5:07 pm
[...] Political Insider has the details here. Kevin Bacon and other Hollywood well-knowns want you to Draw the [...]
Baron DeKalb
October 12th, 2012
5:11 pm
TD: “The leftest are still whining about everything and the few conservative posters are right on every issue.”
Wow, three days… we were about to send a St. Bernard out to look for you…
If there’s nothing new on this blog and you think you are always right and everyone on the other side is always wrong, why do you bother reading it?
Kris
October 12th, 2012
5:14 pm
I have a question for the soon to be former Chairman Terry England.
I hope that you had your farm hand (probably Latino) dispose of the dead fetus with dignity. Or at your direction just toss it in the pile with the rest of the rubbish. If the farm hand was Latino he/she probably did say a prayer for the dead fetus.
Or as you claim your a Christian did you say a prayer for the dead fetus?
Come now be a big GOP little boy..Tell the truth….yeah…
Next thing the re-pukes will outlaw backseat’s.
Kids in the back seat may cause accidents.
Accidents in the back seat may cause Kids.
So,……..NO BACK SEAT = NO ACCIDENTS
RE-Elect President OBAMA>
cc
October 12th, 2012
5:34 pm
Obama is going DOWN . . . as in DONE . . . FINISHED!
honested
October 12th, 2012
5:46 pm
cc,
I look forward to President Obama’s second term.
I’m sure he will get to appoint two more Supreme Court Justices and will ensure that the sort of nonsense legislation Representative england testified on will certainly die in committee.
cc
October 12th, 2012
6:11 pm
“I look forward to President Obama’s second term.”
You’re probably old enough so that your “wants” won’t hurt you. Consider that a very good thing. Now go away and practice saying, “President Romney”. You are probably correct that President Romney will have to appoint two new Supreme Court Justices. I only pray he can find two with the qualifications and character of Justice Clarence Thomas.
td
October 12th, 2012
6:28 pm
Baron DeKalb
October 12th, 2012
5:11 pm
It is pretty simple:
1: Most importantly, there could be a reader come along that is searching for a philosophy and looking for a core set of values to live their live by and I want to make sure they have a choice not to accept the dark side and can see the light of truth, justice and the American way.
2: It sure is fun to know you are making libs heads explode when they are truly challenged,. Example: Just think back to the first Romney/Obama debate.
honested
October 12th, 2012
6:32 pm
cc,
I can’t say that phrase without throwing up.
But I do hope uncle tom and crazy tony are the first to retire.
Chuck Jones
October 12th, 2012
6:40 pm
How did he not lie? He said that the bill did not originally make exceptions for a woman carrying a stillborn baby. This is not true. And when you say something that is not true, that is called a lie.
So the question is again: Jim, why did you lie?
Chuck Jones
October 12th, 2012
6:41 pm
I just emailed him that question and I will be glad to share his response if I receive it.
cc
October 12th, 2012
6:42 pm
“can’t say that phrase without throwing up.”
Check with your doctor and he will prescribe something for that. You’ll need it because President Romney will be there for eight years.
“But I do hope uncle tom and crazy tony are the first to retire.”
That pretty much tells us your race, as if we didn’t already know.
mark
October 12th, 2012
9:37 pm
I love to see our congressmen, continue to provide evidence to the theory of “dumb southern” As a science teacher, I am shocked and awed that this man was a doctor and sits on the science committee. Why don’t the republicants reassign him to the mythology committee. He can questions Zeus on how the gods bowlling make thunder.
hat
October 12th, 2012
9:45 pm
I believe that England’s quotes were taken a bit out of context, but at the same time he could have come up with a better analogy. It’s really funny to watch the blues act like chickenns with their heads cut off; they know that Obama’s numbers are on the slippery slope, just like I predicted a month or two ago.
Charter truth outed FINALLY
October 13th, 2012
2:24 am
It’s about TIME someone told the truth about the EB-5 charter school scam. If you vote for amending the state constitution to allow the state to interfere with local control and local authority to spend local funds, you support illegal immigration using a legal gimmick.
Vote NO on the Charter Amendment.