Asshat of the Week: Pennsyvania Governor Tom Corbett

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett doesn't think The Gays should be allowed to marry and, yes, he's entitled to his opinion, no matter how much of a neanderthal that makes him. But, you know, when you wanna argue your anti-equality stance maybe you ought to use a valid argument and not the kind of mindless, brain-numbing stuff that spewed from Corbett's mouth recently.

Up there in Pennsylvania, Montgomery County is letting The Gays get married so this past week Governor Corbett's administration filed a brief in defense of the state's ban on same-sex marriage and is seeking to halt the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

But, in the brief that Corbett's Hellhounds filed, they compared The Gays getting married to--no, not people marrying dogs or their children--but to allowing twelve-year-olds, who are also barred from marrying, the right to wed:

"Had the clerk issued marriage licenses to 12-year-olds in violation of state law, would anyone seriously contend that each 12-year-old . . . is entitled to a hearing on the validity of his 'license'?"

Of course, this bit of lunacy masked as idiocy masked as policy got folks all riled up and now Corbett is backtracking on his comparison of adult gays and lesbians being allowed to marry and twelve-year-olds marrying one another.

Speaking for Corbett, who is conveniently on vacation down here in South Carolina of all places, spokesman Nils Hagen-Frederiksen said the analogy was being taken out of context through a campaign of misinformation by the governors detractors. The reference to 12-year-olds was only meant to illustrate one group that is prohibited from marrying under state law, and Nils said that while the governor acknowledges the analogy, he does feel it was inappropriate; oh, and yeah, the governor didn't write it, he just signed his name to it, or had his Hellhounds ink their names in blood.

Now Corbett wants to clear his name and wants the public to know that he doesn't agree with it and he thinks it was an inappropriate analogy and he didn't write it or say it or mean it or think it.

The Democrats in Pennsylvania have a simple way to make all of this go away, short of just saying The Gays have every right to marry in Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Jim Burn says, "Tom Corbett needs to remove every single person who signed off on this bigoted, disgusting brief from his office today."

Of course he won't, because he's on vacation, and he didn't say it or write it or think it.

He just asshatted it.

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Tim Huelskamp: ISBL Asshat of the Week

Kansas Republican Congressman Tim Huelskamp does not like The Gays, and does not like the ruling of the Supreme Court that rang the death knell for DOMA, and Prop H8 packing. 

So, even though the GOP’s Job#1 is jobs—except when they were trying to keep Obama out of the White House for a second term and except when they were voting for the, what is it now, the 37th time, to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act—Huelskamp's Job #1 right now is trying to get a Constitutional Amendment passed to ban same-sex marriage everywhere.

:::foot stomp:::

Sadly though, even in his home state of Kansas, he’s not getting the support for his Hate Ban that he’d hoped. The democrats are basically calling his attempt a joke, and his own party is telling him to settle.

“It is a complete and utter waste of time. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars. It clearly demonstrates that he has nothing better to do. He is holding on to this divisive and hateful legislation when he should be focused on bringing jobs back to the First District. This will not help the farmers.”— Kansas Democratic Party spokesman Dakota Loomis

Then toss in his own party and, well, me thinks Tim Huelskamp needs a nap.

Kansas state Congressman, J.R. Claeys calls the same-sex marriage ban “not a legislative priority of mine" and then added that he doesn't see a chance for Huelskamp's amendment ever passing. When asked if he thinks Huelskamp should have even made the proposal, he says, “I am not sure how to diplomatically sidestep this question."

Translation: Tim Huelskamp needs to settle down.

But Tim Huelskamp probably won’t take that sit down. While he admits that all recent polls show a majority of Americans leaning in favor of same-sex marriage, he is going to press on because his homophobia 1s Job#1; not what the people want, mind you.

And here’s his reasoning: "A majority of Americans don't like President Obama as president, but he's still the president."

Um, Obama is still the president because he was elected to the job, asshat. He isn’t a social issue, he’s the president. And when members of your own party are asking that you set aside your homophobia—which, many times in the GOP, is a cover-up for being a deeply closeted, bathroom stall foot-tapping, homosexual—you should listen.

The people of Kansas who voted for you want you to work for them, not for your own personal bigotry.

And that’s why you, Tim Huelskamp, are the ISBL Asshat of the Week.

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Asshats of the Week: Oklahoma Senators Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe

While the town of Moore, Oklahoma is still digging itself out of the devastation wrought by the massive tornado that touched down there this past Monday, let’s take a quick minute to look in on their state Senators, Tom Coburn and  Jim Inhofe.

Coburn, apparently, was unaffected by the tornado, so his decision to require offsets to government spending in the area, before he votes in favor of disaster relief is just good sense, no? I mean, people have lost everything, homes, cars, jobs, family members, and Coburn needs time to think before he acts to send money to help his home state rebuild.

Fifty-one people dead—20 of them children-and Coburn and Inhofe need a minute. When did this country become one that only helps its citizens when the “proper budget cuts” have been made?

In fact, Coburn and Inhofe—both Republicans, of course—pride themselves on being ‘fiscal conservatives’ and have repeatedly voted against funding disaster aid for other parts of the country, most recently the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. Coburn and Inhofe also oppose increased funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], the agency that administers federal disaster relief. Coburn complained that the Sandy Relief bill contained "wasteful spending," and identified a series of items he objected to, including "$12.9 billion for future disaster mitigation activities and studies."

You know, to plan in case this happens again and maybe to prevent the disaster from being so devastating and widespread; you know, to help.

This past Monday evening, with bodies still being pulled from destroyed homes and schools in Moore, Coburn spokesman John Hart confirmed that the senator will seek to ensure that any additional funding for tornado disaster relief in Oklahoma be offset by cuts to federal spending elsewhere in the budget: "That's always been his position [to offset disaster aid]."

Coburn Tweeted, on Monday: "My thoughts and prayers are with those in Oklahoma affected by the tragic tornado outbreak."

Thoughts and prayers, but no disaster relief.

Quite a different tune, though, from past years. In January of 2007, Senator Coburn urged federal officials to speed relief to parts of Oklahoma after a severe ice storm, and in 2008, Senator Inhofe applauded the emergency relief efforts from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that was given to 24 Oklahoma counties in light of the severe weather. He said, at that time, "I am pleased that the people whose lives have been affected by disastrous weather are getting much-needed federal assistance."

Now he sings another tune while his constituents suffer.

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ISBL Asshat of the Week [Again]: Stacey Campfield

Stacey Campfield, a Republican state Senator from Tennessee and frequent Asshat of the Week here on ISBL, is at it again. See, in order to, as he now says, highlight the hypocrisy of lawmakers working for gun control, he posted an illustration of a pressure cooker—like the ones used in the Boston bombings—to mock gun control advocates.

“Here comes Feinstein again” Campfield titled the post, in a reference to Senator Dianne Feinstein, who authored an assault weapons ban after the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Campfield labeled the pressure cooker illustration with features similar to those of a gun – like a “tactical pistol grip” and “folding stock.”

“Large-capacity, can cook for hours without reloading,” it also says.

And, as gun control advocates and victims of gun violence asked him to remove the image and the commentary for its tastelessness, Campfield refused, telling ABC News:

“I think it’s tasteless when Obama will drag everybody he can up to Capitol Hill and try to pass gun control. I think that was classless and tasteless.”

Um, actually, Obama was putting a face, and faces, to the need to stricter gun control and backgrounds checks, Mr. Campfield. And maybe, had we had stricter background checks, Adam Lanza’s mother might not have had an arsenal in her home within easy reach of her son’s hands; and maybe, you delusional asshat, just maybe Newtown wouldn’t have had to bury twenty-six young souls.

Tasteless and classless? No, that’s on you. Campfield then said:

“I was showing the hypocrisy of Dianne Feinstein, the gun grabbers—of their inability to realize that it is a person that does activity, not an inanimate object, be it a gun or a pressure cooker.”

Yes, Senator Asshat, it is the person that does the activity, and had we had in place stricter background checks, maybe that person wouldn’t have had access to guns. And, to be clear, you lying pandering ass-kissing lapdog to the NRA, no one, not even Senator Feinstein, is trying to “grab” your guns. They’re trying to grab your attention and realize we have a problem with gun violence in this country and need to do something about it.

Then, to show just how out of touch he is, Campfield had no idea he might offend anyone in Boston who was hurt or maimed by the bombs, or the families of anyone in Boston killed by the bombs:

“Really? If my post was inappropriate talking about ‘crock pot control’ then where is the outrage from the left when they push for gun control after the Sandy Hook shooting? I’m sorry if I exposed your double standard....Well, not really.”

Congratulation Tennessee, Stacey Campfield represents you, and you let him say the things he says, and spit in the faces of victims of gun violence, and victims of terrorism, because he wants to keep his hand out for an NRAS payoff. But, what can we expect from a man who tried to stop teachers and school administrators from saying the word ‘gay’ and the man who tried to force teachers and school administrators to ‘out’ any student they suspected might be gay.

He’ s so out of touch with what people want—90% of Americans want stricter background checks—and yet you keep sending him back into politics, Tennessee. Thanks so much for that.

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more ISBL on Campfield: HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE

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ISBL Asshat of the Week: New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez

Our ISBL Asshat of the Week is another Republican, go figure, anti-LGBT, go figure some more, bigot. She hails from New Mexico, and, is, in fact, the governor of the state, Susana Martinez, and here’s why she’s an asshat.

The New Mexico legislature sent Governor Martinez two versions of the same bill—House Bill 180 and Senate Bill 258—both of which would make it easier for New Mexico to help both their active duty and retired service members and their spouses obtain professional licenses like those issued from the state for contractors, etc. 

It seems all so simple, eh? Not so much, because the Senate Bill 258 contained an amendment written by Senator Jacob Candelaria that made sure domestic partners of gay service members would be covered too.

  

At the end of last week Governor Martinez made her choice, and the version to extend help to partners of gay service members, you know, cuz they’re gay and stuff.

Yes, gay soldiers fighting and dying for this country don’t deserve the same treatment in the eyes of Governor Susana Martinez. They are less than, and they don’t matter. And their partners, and spouses, back home face the same struggles as the partners and spouses of heterosexual soldiers but, again, gay, and ick, and No.

But what Governor Martinez doesn’t understand is that support for marriage equality is up, and going higher every day. Around the world more and more countries—thanks Uruguay—are making sure all their citizens are treated equally.

And what Governor Martinez, Republican, doesn’t understand is that the more she and her party continue to downplay the fight for equality, the quicker they just might be drummed out of office.

It’s not pro-gay, Governor, it’s equality, and you are working overtime to deny some of your constituents that equality.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

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