The Mordant Traditionalist

Chavez: It's only OK if I do it

Let us flashback to 2006 when Venezuelan Dictator Hugo Chavez, pusher of Citgo gasoline, came barnstorming through the United States and landed in the United Nations Building, which is located in New York in these United States of America.  Dictator Chavez proceeded to hurl insult after insult at our President George W. Bush, calling him the devil.  Also, remember that at the time, there were some influential Americans who came to the defense of Chavez and hate speech he was directing towards our President and indirectly towards us as Americans.

Well, it now appears that Dictator Chavez does not want to allow anyone to come into his playground and start calling him names, or to speak unkindly about his form of government.  Dictator Chavez has ordered that any foreigner caught speaking negatively about him or his government will be asked to remove themselves from Venezuela post haste.

MA. Lesgislature refuses to allow the People to vote

The Massachusetts Legislators have denied the people of that state the right to vote on same sex marriage by not approving a ballot question to amend the state's Constitution for the November 2008 election.  The ballot measure needed to receive at least 50 of the 200 votes in two consecutive legislative sessions.  In the first session the ballot question received 62 votes.  Those groups and organizations in favor the ballot question felt that they had the votes to get the 50 needed to allow the people to vote to amend their Constitution to gay marriage up or down on the 2008 ballot. 

In the second session nine legislators changed their votes from yea to nay, an in the process defeated the ballot question.  Kris Mineau put it best in this quote: "The Marriage Amendment won its first legislative vote and was on track to win its second with a healthy margin. The unprecedented pressure by leaders on Beacon Hill – the rumors of patronage jobs by Governor Patrick and arm-twisting by House Speaker DiMasi – derailed the largest initiative petition drive by citizens in the Commonwealth’s history and this is a brutal loss for citizen-centered democracy."   These are the turncoats the people of Massachusetts should keep an eye on to see if there was any nefarious behavior or back room dealings behind the change in their votes.

Here is a list of legislators who changed their position in the five months between the two Constitutional Conventions:

Representatives

Christine Canavan, D-Brockton
Paul Kujawski, D-Webster
Paul Loscocco, R-Holliston
Robert Nyman, D-Hanover
Richard Ross, R-Wrentham
James Valee, D-Franklin
Brian Wallace, D-South Boston

Senators

Gale Candaras, D-Wilbraham (Candaras was a representative in January when she voted in favor of the amendment.)
Michael Morrissey, D-Quincy

Immigration Reform Compromise Reached

The Washington Post is reporting that a compromise has been reached on the immigration reform bill that is being hashed out by the US House and the Senate.  Unless this bill deals the constant flow of illegals into this country on a daily basis, all you are going to end up with is a glorified amnesty package that rewards illegal behavior and does nothing to curb that behavior.