Obama calls out racist at DoJ

Is it just me, or do Republicans have absolutely no filter? That is, they say whatever comes to mind without thinking of the consequences.

The latest example is from the head of the the Justice Department’s voting rights division, John Tanner:

John Tanner’s remarks came during an Oct. 5 panel discussion on minority voters before the National Latino Congreso in Los Angeles. Tanner addressed state laws that require photo identification for voting, saying that elderly voters disproportionately don’t have the proper IDs.

“That’s a shame, you know, creating problems for elderly persons just is not good under any circumstance,” Tanner said, according to video posted on YouTube. “Of course, that also ties into the racial aspect because our society is such that minorities don’t become elderly the way white people do. They die first.

“There are inequities in health care. There are a variety of inequities in this country, and so anything that disproportionately impacts the elderly has the opposite impact on minorities. Just the math is such as that,” Tanner said.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has called for Tanner’s firing, and rightly so. How anyone can say something like that, I’ll never know … but how a high-ranking official in the federal government can say it in the context of his own duties, well, that’s simply unconscionable and unforgivable.

Tanner must go.

(ed. note: The DoJ’s Tanner is not the same person as Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.).)

Mel Martinez won’t go down with the ship

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) resigned today as chairman of the Republican National Committee. Something about not wanting to be in charge of a bunch of fucking nutjob losers anymore …

No, actually, here’s what he said:

“I believe that our future as a party and nation is bright and I have every intention of continuing to fight for our president, our party, and our candidates,” the Florida senator said in a statement.

He said he was relinquishing the post to spend more time focusing on his constituents, and because the RNC reached the objective it set out to when he assumed the role last fall.

“It was my goal as general chairman to lead the party as it established the structure and raised the resources necessary to support our presidential candidate and ensure Republican victories next November. I believe we have accomplished those goals,” Martinez said.

Interesting that he didn’t use the old “spend more time with the family” excuse, but then again, he is (unfortunately) staying in the Senate. I’m not sure what “resources” Martinez claims to have “raised,” but with fundraising for Republicans lagging far behind Democrats nearly everywhere in the country, his perception of “accomplish[ing] goals” is a little different than, say, reality.

He also knows well enough to leave before the Republican Electoral Disaster of 2008 strikes. I don’t know who would replace Martinez, but it’s not a job that would be very desirable, I would think …

BC Bowl replacement post: The Mystery of the Stolen Meat

Well, live and learn. I had a tough blog day yesterday.

My post about the Colorado Rockies was met with quite the attack over at Daily Kos, where I cross-posted it. I hardly ever go there anymore, and every time I do, I’m reminded why I bailed out of there in the first place. Plus, in my Batshit Crazy Bowl entry yesterday about the trailer park for sex offenders, I failed to take into account the strength of pro-sex-offender* sentiment among my readers. I just thought it was a funny story. So, consider me chastened.

Therefore, I’ve withdrawn the trailer park post and in its place, I would like to offer up this bit of Florida weirdness:

Monday, [a tractor-trailer] was stolen from a parking lot used by truckers in Crystal Springs, just north of the Hillsborough County line. The thieves took [a nearby Peterbilt truck] and attached it to a refrigerated trailer full of 40,000 pounds of frozen rib eye and brisket, valued at more than $200,000.

Then they drove away.

[...]

The meat belonged to Cargill, an international food provider, and was being transported by Fairly Green Transport from a plant in Kansas to warehouses in Florida, said Don Armstrong, the transport company owner.

The meat wasn’t due until Monday, Armstrong said, and during the weekend the driver he hired parked the trailer at the Crystal Springs lot and left it unattended overnight.

According to deputies, the driver and others at the lot tried to hide the trailer from anyone traveling on the road before they left. But Sunday night or Monday morning, someone came onto the lot, broke into Tyler’s truck, attached the meat-filled trailer and took off.

How can you have any pudding when you don’t eat your meat?!

Anyway, the truck also happened to have sentimental value, so I’ll probably hear from truckers and vegetarians about how inappropriate this post is … but there’s your substitute entry for the Batshit Crazy Bowl.

If anyone sees my missing blogger mojo anywhere, please contact me immediately …

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* Just being snarky …