How is this not a PR disaster for the Farm Bureau? “We can’t bother to have some basic protections for livestock we know are being harmed because it might inconvenience a few people.” That’s their stance? People who abuse animals also abuse their families. There is a direct correlation. Stepping in and identifying them and punishing them in a way that has some weight behind it just makes sense. Almost all of the farmers in Tennessee are not abusive assholes. They have nothing to fear from this legislation. But it makes you wonder about the people who make up the lobby, doesn’t it? If regular farmers have nothing to fear and tons of people in the state are clamoring for this, a gal starts to wonder about what’s going on with the people working against this.

From Liz’s report on the last hearing:

That’s when a Sumner County Animal Control officer, in attendance to testify in favor of the legislation, offered the money retort: “A lot of the people who are abusing their animals are also the ones who are abusing their children.”

The House Ag Committee will be voting on this bill. Like Liz says, call’em up:

Stratton Bone, 741-7086
Dale Ford, 741-1717
Willie Butch Borchert, 741-6804
Eddie Bass, 741-1864
Chad Faulkner, 741-3335
Curtis Halford, 741-7478
John Litz, 741-6877
Steve McDaniel, 741-1980
Frank Niceley, 741-4419
Johnny Shaw, 741-4538
Terri Lynn Weaver, 741-2192
John Mark Windle, 741-1260

She who defines it, owns it.

In light of today’s announcement from Bart Gordon, yet another Congressional Democrat to announce he will not seek re-election, here’s the QOTD from Aunt B:

“As for us, we could try to be Democrats, actual Democrats, who stand for something other than being like the Republicans, but not.”

Why is this important? Aunt B’s answer is almost right:

“Because here’s the question Democrats have to answer: You’ve been running ever-increasingly conservative candidates. You’ve been supporting ever-increasingly conservative legislation. If the Republicans do gain control of the legislature and redistrict you out of Tennessee politics for the next generation, will we be able to tell the difference?”

Well, yeah, we will. There is a big difference between someone who votes with the Democratic Caucus 90% and someone who votes with the Democratic Caucus 0% of the time. But I digress.

Why is it really important for us to try and be “Democrats, actual Democrats, who stand for something other than being like the Republicans, but not?”

Because Democrats have been running ever-increasingly conservative candidates strictly on the social issues that divide Democrats. Because they’ve been supporting ever-increasingly conservative legislation on social issues that divide Democrats. And they’ve been losing.

The rational is that Tennessee is a “conservative” state. But whose definition of conservative are they using here? They’re using the extreme right-wing talk radio Conservative definition of conservative. And not only that, but they’re using the the extreme right-wing talk radio definition of the word and applying to every Tennessean instead of the 25-30% to whom it actually applies.

And, dude, let me tell ya, those twenty-five percenters ain’t never gonna vote for a candidate with a “D” beside their name anyhow. So what are you doing?

Tennessee is a populist state. Tennessee is a rational state. Tennessee has a centuries-old tradition of championing the rights of boot-strap pulling working people who want to earn an honest day’s pay and provide for their families. And if that isn’t enough, these hard-working people also want to lend a helping hand to their neighbor along the way. Tennesseans are a pro-family, responsible, freedom-loving people. They want things to be fair, equal, just and safe.

What part of that screams “conservative” to you?! Zero.

Progressives aren’t in the minority in Tennessee. Progressive values are the values that matter most to Tennesseans. Progressive priorities are the priorities of Tennesseans.

It’s funny to read the thread underneath the “Bart Gordon Resigns” post at Post Politics. Not funny “ha-ha” funny but funny as in the transparency of what certain “anonymous” commenters are trying to accomplish. “Blame the liberals! They wanted the blue dogs out!,” they’re yelling, as if, as Eleanor A. astutely observes, “EVERY candidate who hadn’t come out increasingly rightward on social issues – and who had nothing to offer on jobs, finances, education – hadn’t had his hat handed to him.”

Tennessee Republicans want nothing better than for Tennessee Democrats to continue to run to the right using the extremist positions on social issues. And they think they can bully us into doing so. Let’s hope not.

Summary: Featuring guests Betsy Phillips, producer of Tiny Cat Pants blog and contributor to the Nashville Scene’s Pith in the Wind blog and Karl Frisch of Media Matters for America.

This is Tennessee Jumping Up and Down and Yelling “Yoohoo!”, Part 1. News, to do, and why all the good people down in Tennessee need to start paying attention to state politics. [24.56MB download mp3]
Download audio file (liberadio20091207part1.mp3)

This is Tennessee Jumping Up and Down and Yelling “Yoohoo!”, Part 2 Why health care reform matters (we’re talking to you Limbaugh), we get on a motherf**king boat with Betsy Phillips, also known as Aunt B. of Tiny Cat Pants and Pith in the Wind (two blogs that most definitely DO pay attention to state politics), and the Media Matters for America Smackdown with Karl Frisch. [23.89MB download mp3]
Download audio file (liberadio20091207part2.mp3)

Photo(shop) Credit: Christian Grantham

From the Department of Wish I Had Written This, Aunt B alerts us to a Christmas miracle in Texas:

Let us recall the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:35-40:

“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

And just to recap, for those of you less familiar with Jesus than, say, the people running charities that hand out presents at Christmas to underprivileged kids: Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus’ birthday, often by giving presents to people. Jesus was born in a barn and then his family had to sneak him out of the country and hide with him in Egypt because of the political situation in his own country.

That’s right. As a child, Jesus was taken by his parents into another country where he then resided under the radar of the authorities. If not technically an illegal immigrant, he was as close as you could come in that region 2,000 years ago.

So, it is that I must report that there were “charities” in Houston, including the Salvation Army and the Houston Fire Department, that weren’t give toys collected in their toy drives to children who aren’t legal residents of the United States.

But, in what I count as a Christmas Miracle, both the Salvation Army and the Houston Fire Department seem to have recently “clarified” their policy and children in the same circumstances as Jesus was will no longer be turned away.

Which is a nice thing, because Jesus is pretty clear at the end of Matthew 25 what happens to people who dick over people in precarious situations, and also pretty clear elsewhere about how he feels about people who dick over children.

Clear, yes, but not clear enough for some people.

I especially like the part that says, “I was sick and you looked after me…” Ahem.

By the way, have you ever wanted to send Aunt B somewhere on a slow boat? Well now here’s your chance (deadline 12/3).

So how about instead of this:

“My preliminary conclusion is, you’ve got a guy with too much time on his hands and is nosy and was showing people that he had access to all this kind of information and doing favors for friends and looking things up over a period of time,” the governor said Tuesday. “If it goes beyond that, it’ll be a very serious matter and we’ll handle it appropriately.”

You try this:

“It makes no difference what the motivation. It’s a very serious matter and we’ll handle it appropriately.”

Quick and to the point. Seriously.