"I am not ashamed that we use a lot of energy in this country. It has made us the most prosperous Nation on the face of the planet. ... Using energy makes us prosperous." — Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) during debate on an energy bill that, among other things, invested in alternative and renewable energy sources and repealed tax subsidies for large oil companies. (H.R.6899)
"If [Oversight Committee Chairman] Henry Waxman was interested in doing more than just showboat, we'd be there in a heartbeat. It's political grandstanding." — spokesman Wayne Hoffman explaining why Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) was absent from congressional oversight hearings into the financial crisis where, among other things, it was learned that AIG executives indulged in a lavish retreat a week after the bailout.
"You know what, campaigns are fast and furious, I accept responsibility that we don't have the right citation there, but the facts I stand by - we are correct about that." — Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) reacting to a campaign commercial fact-checking report.
"There are people out there without health care, and we need to address that, but it's not as big of a problem as some people would make it out to be" — Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) in a Lewiston, ID debate
"People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power." — President Bill Clinton in a speech at the 2008 DNC
"To my supporters, to my champions, to my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits, from the bottom of my heart, thank you." — Senator Hillary Clinton in a speech at the 2008 DNC
"The America that we know, that the founding fathers envisioned, will cease to exist." — Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) speaking at the state GOP convention about the possibility of a Democratically controlled White House and Congress.
"Sometimes the problems have to get larger before you can solve them. We can still drive around the potholes, so they must not be big enough." — House Speaker Lawerence Denney (R-Midvale), explaining that lawmakers still need to be convinced about the extent of road maintenance problems before they'll agree to tax or fee increases.
"Those people that believe in shooting animals through the fences . . . ought to turn the rifle the other way." — Former Governor Cecil Andrus, at sportsmen's rally, decked out in full camouflage, urging opposition to "shooter bull" operations on domestic elk farms.
"GARVEE is like swallowing a raw egg - it seems to be one of those things that's really hard to stop in the middle of." — Rep. Marv Hagedorn (R-Meridian), in comments on a package of transportation bills introduced by House GOP leaders at an emergency committee meeting.
"I'm a professional dairyman. I have milked and milked everything I can possibly milk." — State Police Maj. Ralph Powell, arguing that the state crime lab's bare-bones operation has reached its limit and now costs the state money as testing is sent to private labs.
"Idaho is ranked last in the nation in protecting the safety of children in day care centers." — Sen. Kate Kelly (D-Boise), in support of an unsuccessful move by Senate Democrats to force a daycare standards bill out of committee.
"This [anti-discrimination bill] is something we will propose every year until it passes." — Rep. Nicole LeFavour (D-Boise), responding to the latest BSU Public Policy survey in which 63 percent of Idahoans think it ought to be illegal to fire someone for being gay or seeming to be gay.
"I assumed it would be a bunch of radical college students, so to fit the part, I grew a goatee, got a revolutionary T-shirt and put on some ratty jeans." — Rep. Curtis Bowers (R-Caldwell) in an Idaho Press-Tribune opinion explaining how he disguised himself to uncover alleged communist plots.
Touching on your theme of the tragedy of this situation MG, it struck me last night how karma is in play here. For decades Craig voted consistently to deprive gay people the rights that heterosexuals enjoy, and denying them even the basic public recognition that a gay couple should seek to be married in the eyes of the law. The message these laws send to the gay community is that you're not one of us and your sexual choice is deviant and unacceptable. I was always confused as to why society would want to send that message and would actively discourage committed monogamous relationships in the gay community.
A result is that gay people are forced underground to meet and socialize. If they forge a bond with someone they are obligated to hide it and if it gets to the level of commitment, gays face the struggle of how and whether to bring their freinds, family, coworkers, and acquaintences into the knowledge that this bond exists. It seems wrong that a bond that brings such joy to the heterosexual community is a source of angst for the gay community.
Now there's this promiscuous subculture that exists where gay men use public restrooms, using secret hand gestures and other signals in order to engage in anonymous sex. The subculture is so endemic that we have police patrols trying to prevent the activity. Not saying this subculture wouldn't exist otherwise to some extent but it seems to me this subculture is furthered by Craig's voting record and the family values crowd. It reinforces the the idea of karma that the Senator is now hoisted by his own petard being caught up in the underground culture he helped create.
Posted by: Sisyphus | August 30, 2007 at 10:55 AM
You're absolutely right, Sisyphus. Repression and denial go hand in hand. This type of behavior has plagued communities like ours for decades, and I think it is the product of intolerance -- largely based on religious beliefs (sorry folks, but the bible is pretty damn clear on male homosexuality). Case in point, the ludicrous response from the IVA in today's Statesman: http://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/story/145500.html
Yes, by all means, let's repress and oppress even more than we already have. Let's make natural human behavior even more taboo. Let's enforce laws that pry into the most intimate levels of the citizen's life. Let's pretend that marriage fixes everything.
Actually, at this point, I'm just trying to figure out how Fischer manages to be such a successful media-whore.
Posted by: Akitagod | August 30, 2007 at 11:46 AM
Sisyphus, just a point of clarification that may seem like minor semantics to some but really is at the crux of much of the debate surrounding LGBT rights. It's this part from your otherwise spot-on analysis:
"...you're not one of us and your sexual choice is deviant and unacceptable."
The word "choice" is the offensive part and what those who would deny rights to LGBT community focus on. If it's a choice, after all, you could just choose differently. But, for most who identify as LGBT there is no choice involved; it just is. For an example of what I'm trying to say, think back to when any one of you made the choice to be straight. Ya probably can't remember because it just was. That's it exactly.
Posted by: MountainGoat | August 30, 2007 at 05:02 PM
My most humble apologies. I didn't sleep much last night and feared I'd make a boneheaded mistake. Thanks for correcting me and your kind words.
Posted by: Sisyphus | August 30, 2007 at 05:12 PM
No worries. I can totally relate to the lack of sleep.
Posted by: MountainGoat | August 30, 2007 at 10:17 PM
On a completely style related note:
-While I've noticed the similarity between an episode of Dragnet and the Police Report, Olbermann's no Jack Webb. His rapid fire reading style ruined the effect for anyone who actually knows the old show and defames the show to those who haven't heard it. Sorry, Keith, you're no Jack Webb.
Posted by: Adam Graham | August 30, 2007 at 11:15 PM