Is this for real? (Congressional Witch Hunts)

[LunarSage]

http://www.admala.org/?p=412

"WASHINGTON—“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!” proclaimed Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert (R) at a rally sponsored by the Republican Study Committee (RSC), Thursday. Unusually forceful in his language, Rep. Gohmert was wrapping up a speech advocating a bill that called for stricter regulation of witches’ covens and other occult related organizations in several states along the Mississippi River Basin. Supported by 17 members of the House Tea Party Caucus (as well as 3 House Democrats), the bill is set to go to committee next week but is already receiving harsh criticism over First Amendment and other concerns. One of its authors, Rep. Gohmert maintains that, building on provisions of the NDAA, the bill enhances the ability of the NSA and the FBI to monitor witches and would put into place “reasonable and common sense” provisions for cracking down on some of the Mississippi Delta’s more notorious covens. (Gohmert likens these provisions to anti-gang legislation. He also claims they have precedence in the anti-sorcery statutes of Arkansas and Alabama.)"

I'm serious.  Is... is this guy for real?  This story could be a hoax, but criminy... what if it isn't?

[LunarSage]

Ok, the comments all say it's a hoax.  Still, do you all see the GOP as being so hardcore that this may actually happen in the forseeable future?

[Callie Del Noire]

Ok, the comments all say it's a hoax.  Still, do you all see the GOP as being so hardcore that this may actually happen in the forseeable future?

considering I met religious nutjobs back in High School that called for it..and I suspect these chuckleheads are the type the Tea Party follows around rounding up.. I can see something like it being put for.. maybe on the state level rather than federal.. but yeah.. I can see someone pushing this through.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Bias, prejudice and superstition don't get eliminated when a person is elected to work in our government.  In fact, they become the driving force behind some of the legislation that is introduced.  The lawmaker may actually believe in witches and sees them as harmful or merely seeks to exploit the beliefs and fears of others for some other self-serving reason so there is every likelihood it could happen.

Personally, I'd send the representative a fried chicken dinner with all the trimmings including a big slice of pecan pie with a black crow feather in the bottom of the container, under the waxed paper liner and properly wrapped of course for sanitation purposes.

[Oniya]

I'd be breaking out my student copy of the Torah and pointing out that the Hebrew word in question means 'brewer of potions' (i.e., poisoner).  I'd also be pointing out all the other 'laws' in Leviticus that none of them follow.  (Bacon is evil!  No more shrimp or crab boils!  Jambalaya is now illegal!)  Watch them lose the Gulf states in a heartbeat.

[LtRipley]

It's not real, in the comments the author provided a link to the supposed bill... it's about putting a plaque on a building. And I can't find anything credible to back this up.

I don't doubt that there are people out there who'd love to fall back to the days of persecuting people for witchcraft (not that most of the people who were burned as witches back in the day were actually witches/pagans, most were victims of mob mentalities and personal vendettas), but this looks to be probably fake.

Also, there is no anti sorcery law or legislation in AL, I live there and I made sure after reading that because I follow Druidism and am a member of a local Druid Grove. No clue about AR

I don't see this becoming an issue at all. Freedom of religion is a big part of our government, one of the few things they seem to be sticking to. If anything, things are better now for nonChristians than they ever have been.

[TheGlyphstone]

Poe's Law in action, people.

[Oniya]

Yup.  Any sufficiently well-done parody of fundamentalism is indistinguishable from the real thing.

(I'd still counter them with the 'No bacon' law.  Approval ratings would plummet.)  ;D

[Shjade]

Ok, the comments all say it's a hoax.  Still, do you all see the GOP as being so hardcore that this may actually happen in the forseeable future?

The GOP? No.

The Tea Party? Sure.

[LunarSage]

I don't really follow politics.  I thought the Tea Party was made up of the GOP.

[Oniya]

All Tea Partiers are GOPs, but not all GOPs are Tea Partiers.

[Shjade]

I don't really follow politics.  I thought the Tea Party was made up of the GOP.

Tea Party Explained

Maybe an exaggeration, but...

[Callie Del Noire]

I don't really follow politics.  I thought the Tea Party was made up of the GOP.

No.  The Tea Party is in the process of HIJACKING the GOP leadership. They have numbers of dedicated frothing followers and corporate sponsorship to pressure the leadership to do it their way.

Very scary people in the Tea Party.

Tea Party Explained

Maybe an exaggeration, but...

You'd think so...but no. It's not. The ORIGINAL tea party stand was for better wages, no corporate handouts and the rest. Now it's anti-intellectual/government/education/immigration and more. The Tea Party candidates have pushed a roll back in regulations, worker security and civil rights the pretty much would undo 130 years of legal protections to everything.

In another short in that show they compare the Tea Party to the Taliban. And it's a damn close comparison.

[Shjade]

In another short in that show they compare the Tea Party to the Taliban. And it's a damn close comparison.

Yeah, I thought about linking that one, but it's more inflammatory and less explanatory. Not as useful for a quick and dirty 'why aren't the GOP and the Tea Party the same thing?'

[vtboy]

All Tea Partiers are GOPs, but not all GOPs are Tea Partiers.

It seems to me the GOP comprises two groups: those who are in the Tea Party and those who are afraid to say they are not.

[Callie Del Noire]

It seems to me the GOP comprises two groups: those who are in the Tea Party and those who are afraid to say they are not.

I have stated repeatedly that in a republican, a moderate Goldwater Republican. I'm for right sized government, like Goldwater and Reagan, and I feel that the insistence to legislate ones social conscience is wrong. Taxes should be fair, and currently they aren't, and programs that don't work should be shut down. I disagree that 'small government means we get rid of all regulatory authority though. Too many sins and greedy acts have been done in the name of 'republican reform'.  I want a party that can hold a conversation with the gentleman across the ailse.  A party that as far as I an see died sometime around 1994.

[Retribution]

*Points at Callie* what he said.

LoL on a lighter note what amuses me is how both parties play both ends against the middle for political capital. Take the NSA hubub. The short version is it all started under Republican leadership with Democrats going boo hiss evil infringe freedom. Now.....Democrats in power got caught carrying it on so Republicans are going boo hiss evil infringe freedom.

So what I take from all this is there are things we are not privy to, but more importantly both sides have extremists and polarizing and are more than willing to hop back and forth on an issue for political gain. The net result is we got a country split about 50/50 and we are at each other's throats.

[Oniya]

It seems to me the GOP comprises two groups: those who are in the Tea Party and those who are afraid to say they are not.

For the record, I'm not a Republican, but I've developed this from what I've seen people who are part of the GOP say.

It's more that there is a set of people shouting (the Tea Party) and a much larger set of folks rumbling (the moderates).  The moderates haven't quite reached the point of splitting the party, although I personally think that a split is likely.  They also aren't comfortable with swinging over to the opposing party - they still believe in the ideals of their party (before the Tea Party grabbed it by the throat).  As a result, come election time, they end up in a bit of a quandary, since they have to essentially choose which of the candidates is going to mess things up the least.

[Callie Del Noire]

*Points at Callie* what he said.

LoL on a lighter note what amuses me is how both parties play both ends against the middle for political capital. Take the NSA hubub. The short version is it all started under Republican leadership with Democrats going boo hiss evil infringe freedom. Now.....Democrats in power got caught carrying it on so Republicans are going boo hiss evil infringe freedom.

So what I take from all this is there are things we are not privy to, but more importantly both sides have extremists and polarizing and are more than willing to hop back and forth on an issue for political gain. The net result is we got a country split about 50/50 and we are at each other's throats.

Me Personally? I think the NSA needs to be split up. You need to leave the National SECURITY issues (ie.. surveillance ect) on one side, then put the rest in the Cyberdefense Agency. We are WOEFULLY underpowered in net security issues. If congress hasn't noticed, and from their lack of action I'd say that is quite true, we are currently in a Cyberwar with at least a faction of the Chinese Government. Espionage, spying and more.

We really need to get a consolidated Data/Network protection group. Piecemeal efforts like the DoD and FBI and other alphabet soup groups won't fix things as they are needed.

For the record, I'm not a Republican, but I've developed this from what I've seen people who are part of the GOP say.

It's more that there is a set of people shouting (the Tea Party) and a much larger set of folks rumbling (the moderates).  The moderates haven't quite reached the point of splitting the party, although I personally think that a split is likely.  They also aren't comfortable with swinging over to the opposing party - they still believe in the ideals of their party (before the Tea Party grabbed it by the throat).  As a result, come election time, they end up in a bit of a quandary, since they have to essentially choose which of the candidates is going to mess things up the least.

Here is what happened. The leadership (not the elected officials.. but the party leadership) wants to stay in control of the party.. so they have mortgaged the soul of the party to the Tea Party.

[Retribution]

To get this a bit back on track. Please note you all acknowledged this was a hoax. Yes, the lunatic fringe of conservatives can be over the top just like the lunatic fringe of liberals. Do not let this fake piece tilt views and turn you into a "witch hunt" using a fake story for the fuel. Then the hoax has done exactly what it set out to do and that is create more strife and sew discontent. Sadly I see a bit of that developing here, call a spade a spade and a radical a radical no matter the leaning, but do not forget this is a hoax.

[WildCat]

No.  The Tea Party is in the process of HIJACKING the GOP leadership. They have numbers of dedicated frothing followers and corporate sponsorship to pressure the leadership to do it their way.

My instinct is that the hijacking focus is less leadership than primaries and in so doing scaring republicans out of rational common sense for fear of being primaried out of office in the *ridiculous* number of gerrymandered "safe" house districts.

[Callie Del Noire]

My instinct is that the hijacking focus is less leadership than primaries and in so doing scaring republicans out of rational common sense for fear of being primaried out of office in the *ridiculous* number of gerrymandered "safe" house districts.

Look at some of the elections in 2010/2012. You had hard core conservative leaders who were 'out conservatived' out of their seats. Sen Robert Bennet in Utah was one of the most conservative repulican in Washington. He got trounced by not one.. but TWO tea-party candidates.. who were to the right of a man who was anti-abortion, supportive of Bush's wiretapping, no taxes for the rich, disolution of inheritance taxes and such.

One of his opponents, Mike Lee, wanted to repeal the 13th amendment. He actually called for it during his run.. and he beat out Robert Bennet.

[WildCat]

Look at some of the elections in 2010/2012. You had hard core conservative leaders who were 'out conservatived' out of their seats. Sen Robert Bennet in Utah was one of the most conservative repulican in Washington. He got trounced by not one.. but TWO tea-party candidates.. who were to the right of a man who was anti-abortion, supportive of Bush's wiretapping, no taxes for the rich, disolution of inheritance taxes and such.

One of his opponents, Mike Lee, wanted to repeal the 13th amendment. He actually called for it during his run.. and he beat out Robert Bennet.

To say nothing of more high profile examples like Castle/O'Donnell.