More suppression of dissent in Amerikkka, and this time it's not John Ashcroft's fault.
The Democrat majority in the state House of Representatives is censoring Republican commentary on Mrs. Gregoire's1 budget. The Olympian reports "House orders news releases edited for forbidden phrases"
House Republicans say there are “seven dirty words” you can never say when talking about the Democrats’ budget this year in Olympia ... Republican news releases using the forbidden phrases were removed from Web sites and edited this week by order of the House Chief Clerk’s Office and its legal counsel.(Try telling that to Rep. Geoff Simpson) Rep. Joel Kretz went ahead and issued a press release listing the 7 forbidden phrases:The reason: The words impugned the motives of the other party’s members at taxpayer expense, House Chief Clerk Rich Nafziger said Thursday. “You can’t use taxpayers’ dollars to sling mud.”
“Shell game”Speaking of which, this is a good time to learn more about Mrs. Gregoire's tax-and-spend liberal budget, which proposes $503 million in new spending and disingenuously claims that money is being put into reserve.
“. . . lack of honesty with taxpayers . . .”
“It’s not truthful to say this money is being put into reserve.”
“Tax-and-spend liberals”
“. . . lack of truth in the majority’s message. . .”
“. . . the majority party does not believe . . .”
“Disingenuous”
1 Keeps promising to "change the culture of state government"
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 24, 2006 11:15 AM | Email ThisAnd everyone thought Jimmy Carter was delusional!
Posted by: Cartman on February 24, 2006 11:37 AM"We must reduce bloated management, cut reckless spending and eliminate programs that don't work. The culture change starts today."
Yeah, well Governor Gregoire I was a Democrat when Gary Locke set up the Priorities of Government budgeting model and became a hero. I'm now a Republican because you, Deanron and certain (now) ex-trustees at Skagit Valley College (thank you, Governor Locke) made me one. All the Gregoire Democrats are about is spend, spend and spend - when and what have Gregoire Democrats cut?!?!?
Also helps when on the Republican side you have SoundPolitics.com, Mary Lane, John "King" Carlson, EFF, Janelle Guthrie, Rob "RMK" McKenna, Matt Hasselbeck, Jane Hague, Toby Nixon, Reagan Dunn, Timothy Goddard and Mack Strong (to name a few) all sitting at the cool kids table!
Posted by: A Watchdog on February 24, 2006 11:43 AMThis state keeps handing the car keys to the drunk teenagers, chances are they are going to crash.
I love how when the state's economy is in the tank, the libs blame Bush, but now that they have a billion plus surplus, it must be the state Democrats who did that.
Posted by: Palouse on February 24, 2006 11:44 AMI agree. Let's just say that if you want to raise taxes - and I consider tuition a tax - and any fees beyond 5% (e.g. ferry fares, licensing, etc.), you have to get voter approval.
That'll stop the spendthrift$ cold. You just watch when there's [tenous] Republican control of the House, Senate and Executive that'll put such a constitutional amendment to a vote of the people.
Posted by: A Watchdog on February 24, 2006 11:47 AMI would propose eliminating all 7 of these expressions and simply substituting 1 word in their place and that word is KLOWNISH!!!!
Posted by: Mr. Cynical on February 24, 2006 11:49 AMA group of people who adhere to a liberal philosophy, vote for higher taxes and higher spending cannot be called tax-and-spend liberals in news releases? Okaaaay. How's about: Whining babies who don't like it when the opposition points out the truth? Would that be better?
Here's a hint: If you don't want to be referred to as a tax-and-spend liberal, how's about, oh, I don't know, stop taxing and spending, and amending your philosophy?
And this has little to do with Gregoire. Place this one at the feet of that fine gentleman, without-a-partisan-bone-in-his-body Chief Clerk, Rich Nafziger. And the D legislators who whined about it.
Posted by: jimg on February 24, 2006 12:09 PMInteresting how it is the RIGHT that gets accused of Orwellianism but the LEFT actually puts out the memo.
Posted by: JCM on February 24, 2006 12:14 PMDoes this mean they won't be publishing the Danish cartoons? What about Abu Ghraib photos?
Posted by: Republican (by default) on February 24, 2006 12:33 PMThis is just all-around silly. Bottom line: The comments were still published, and so was the fact of the editing. So the Republicans get a twofer.
Conclusion: You're b*tching because its your nature...
Posted by: Playin' Possum on February 24, 2006 12:54 PMI am sure leftists reading this site are going to guffaw at the so-called hypocrisy. Just remember there is only one party of knee-jerk reactions to partial information. The other party always waits a while before forming their opinion so they can gather the facts and base their opinions on sound evidence.
Posted by: Jonathan Gardner on February 24, 2006 12:54 PMI would not confuse neoconservatism with Big Government Conservatism. Neoconservatism arose in the 70's in opposition to the radical left agenda of the 60's. They were against the massive social programs of the New Deal. Bush does have strong elements of neoconservatism such as interventionist foreign policy, but his spending habits are not one of them.
Posted by: Palouse on February 24, 2006 12:59 PMWatch what she does not what she says!
Posted by: GS on February 24, 2006 01:07 PMHypocrites much?
Hypocrites much?
What people fail to understand is that the culture that she wanted to change was from a Democracy to a Humanist Theocracy.
My wife and I have had enough of this state's dictatorships - 25 days left until we leave.
Posted by: Chill on February 24, 2006 02:10 PMYou've got to hand it to Gregoire, every chance she has had to put her foot in her mouth, she has done so enthusiastically. You can't make this stuff up.
True
lack of honesty with taxpayers
Also True
It’s not truthful to say this money is being put into reserve
Also True
Tax-and-spend liberals
True True True
lack of truth in the majority’s message
True
the majority party does not believe
Disingenuous
True
Don't let the True get printed for heavens sake!
Make that "left foot" in her mouth, please.
Certainly the unedited version is on some word processor ready to be leaked on the Internet.
Posted by: Fed Up on February 24, 2006 02:58 PMMajority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, replied that the GOP has been "extremely political this year."
"It was from the first day, and it hasn't stopped. They are extremely edgy. I've never seen it like this in 14 years," she said.
Gee Lynn, do you suppose that has anything to do with the fact that the GOP is a bit irritated that the person who received the majority of legally cast ballots is not sitting in the Govenor's chair? And every time the GOP tries to point out what Queen Christine is actually doing, as opposed to what she says at her tear-jerker press conferences, they get censored by the oh-so tolerant Democrats!
Posted by: Suzihomemaker on February 24, 2006 04:25 PMWhen are voters going to wise up and pay attention, instead of continually electing these schmucks ? Not saying that republicans are true to their word either, but they are certainly less corrupt than the Dems. They have controlled this state too long and are succeeding to redistribute income as much as they possibly can and run this state into the ground, and there is no end in sight, at least until they get booted out of office ! A balance of power after this November would be in a sense, refreshing.
Posted by: KS on February 24, 2006 05:10 PMShould five per cent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah I'm the taxman
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet
Taxman!
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah I'm the taxman
Don't ask me what I want it for (Aahh Mr. Wilson)
If you don't want to pay some more (Aahh Mr. Heath)
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
Now my advice for those who die
Declare the pennies on your eyes
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
And you're working for no one but me
Taxman!
Of course, it did not much matter that plenty of research already shows that there are ample differences between the brains of men and women.
But, the gender feminists have a solution. From now on, the "answer" to all math problems will simply whatever feels right.
So begins the long decline of Harvard as a respected institution of higher learning.
Posted by: BananaLand on February 25, 2006 09:58 PMSoon they will begin to question their own arguments and then the horror will set in......
See?...They believed in the bullsh*t that was force fed to them in their youth...their impressionable years... They actually thought the Democrats were for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness....until they began killing babies and the elderly, censoring free thought and speech, taxing everything, producing generations of slaves via the "welfare rolls" and turned their back on the common people in favor of some fantasy of global utopia........Hows that working for you guys?
I honestly thought this thread was a joke until I read about the Democrat call for censorship in the Seattle Times!
Everyone should be extremely concerned and outraged over this! Everyone.
Posted by: Deborah on February 25, 2006 10:17 PMBy limiting political speech the D's are practicing something they all to willing to accuse the R' of - fascism.
Posted by: Deadwood on February 25, 2006 11:50 PMSee:
http://www.komw.net/artman/publish/article_2567.shtml
Headline is:
Kretz says Republican “Truth Train” forced to become “Underground Opinion Railroad”
By NCBI
Feb 24, 2006, 12:35
The "Amerikkka" stuff makes you sound like David Horowitz before he drank y'all's KoolAid.
You apparently maintain that any content the legislature declines to promote WITH TAXPAYER DOLLARS constitutes "censorship."
State legislature press releases are funded on the public dime. SS apparently asserts that any speech, no matter how partisan, inflammatory, or unsubstantiated, should be subsidized by our tax dollars.
What if, (to take a page from Bill O'Reily's playbook) a state legislator was a NAMBLA supporter? Should our tax dollars subsidize his press release trumpeting that cause?
Posted by: bartelby on February 26, 2006 07:21 PMand
It smells like a duck
and
If it talks like a duck
and
If it walks like a duck
It probably is a duck
and a representative has the absolute right
to call it a duck
Posted by: GS on February 26, 2006 07:30 PMYou have every right to say whatever you want. You however don't have the right to use the tax payer's money to campaign.
Let's face it, the only reason the GOP is even trying this stuff is because they are deep in debt because of their foolish and wasteful challenge to the election last year.
And, for once, let's be honest, you know if the Dems had tried this crap, Mr. Sharansky and you all would be crying out in horror about how they are stealing from the tax payers. But this board is about scoring political points (or, more and more, keeping the base happy, since almost no one else is reading it), not the truth. Which is nice, since it means that none of you have to be consistent.
The Dem's that constantly send out press releases about how they fighting corporate interests "defaming private sector employers" they should be sanctioned right? I believe TWO Democratic Representatives also went astray of the guidelines. While I agree they are both wasteful and foolish, I think they have the right to put it out there in public and remove all doubt about their status
Posted by: Roscoe on February 27, 2006 10:30 AMThe GOP is deep in debt? Not hardly.
When Democrats like you lie cheat and steal their brothers and sisters in the media are there to cover it up. The truth doesn't matter because no one holds your feet to the fire.
This board is about scoring points? Right JDB you bet. As you say, "since almost no one else is reading," this board, why do you exert yourself so energetically here? "Obviously there is something that compels you to come here and spend an inordinate amount of your clients time attempting to refute every post with your self conscious arrogance and silly circular pseudo-reasoning.
If almost no one else is reading this, what points do you believe that you win? If we are such bumbling fools, why bother?
Wow, what a champion for your dubious cause. Go Gregoire, get those talk show radios! The funniest part is that you believe that you are accomplishing something useful for your profound religious faith in liberalism.
Posted by: Amused by liberals on February 28, 2006 01:36 PM