Nov 3, 2010

Goodthinkful Iowa

Real life is making some immediate demands on me this morning, so I'll let part of a letter to a buddy stand for my first reaction to yesterday's events.

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...All three Iowa Supreme Court justices subject to retention votes this year were tossed out. (Due the court's unanimous decision that gay marriage is a constitutionally protected right.)  I feel personally bad about it because I routinely vote "no"on all retentions -- magistrates through the high court.  Since, up until the homo crisis,  they were routinely approved by lopsided margins, I felt it was important to let them know someone was watching, to keep them humble as befits anyone slurping at the public trough. If I had thought it through I would have voted to retain the Supreme Court justices, not because I particularly like the idea of state regulation of marriage, straight or gay, but  because (a) their decision was in accord with the Iowa Constitution and (b) it's quite dangerous  to over-politicize the courts. That's just what we have done.

One result will be a tendentious and ultimately trivial (in purpose) waste of legislative time in  examining the moral bent of every justice nominated.  It will draw attention from our fiscal problems and refocus it on the vast potential for sin in Iowa's one million bedrooms.

The guy mostly responsible is a creep named Bob Vander Platts  who has lost two or three bids for the governor's office on a platform of  holiness. He's crowing about his victory this morning, and he's young enough to be a pain in the ass around here for a very long time. For that matter, he may give you some trouble, too.  He had a lot of non-Iowa religious money to spend, and the  nutty wing ... intends to take his business plan national.

It's relevant that the GOP recaptured the Iowa House and closed the Senate gap to a few votes.  This is likely to lead to another emotion-fest about amending the state Constitution to forbid gay marriage. While they're at it the may also draft an official bedtime prayer and require its utterance once in each 24 hours.

The nation? Well, at least we've slowed the Obama statists of the left a little. I am not one of the Tea Party worshippers, suspecting that they harbor a full share of statists of the right.   Most of what I have to say about it on the blog:


Oh Hell yes, I overstate the case. The devil makes me do it. ...

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