The Unhinged (Updated)

That seems to sum up this group.

First, of course, is Todd Akin, who is still, by all reports, the Republican candidate for the Senate from Missouri. It's not that Akin said something totally off the scale -- it's that he said publicly what is -- and has been -- the Republican position on rape/abortion/reproductive rights, based, as is so often the case, on nonsense from a "doctor." And while major GOP figures have been calling on Akin to drop out, the platform committee has written even more extreme language into the proposed platform.

Here's Rachel Maddow on the history of this strand of Republican thought:

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(Footnote: Here's one of the right's intellectual giants on the whole flap -- I'm not sure if she's channeling Mama Grizzly or Annie Oakley:

And on to another choice example to today's conservatives. This is a judge who is also head of the Lubbock County, Texas (of course) Office of Emergency Management. This is what he's planning for:

Earlier today, ThinkProgress reported that Texas Judge Tom Head told a local television station that President Obama would turn over American “sovereignty” to the United Nations if reelected, that Obama’s actions would potentially trigger “civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war,” and that such a conflict would culminate with “UN troops” led by President Obama invading Lubbock, Texas. We swear we are not making this up. There is video. Today, Judge Head clarified his remarks, explaining that it is his obligation to prepare for an Obama-led United Nations invasion as Lubbock County, Texas’ Director of Emergency Management:

I’m not saying we’re going to take [newly hired law enforcement officers] and stand in front of the UN. I have to think of, as emergency management director I have to think of worst case scenario, and I used that as an example yesterday. Okay, in my opinion, the worst case scenario politically and financially right now is if Obama and the Senate Democrats stay in power. Okay, because I have some opinions what they’re doing and what they’re trying to do if they stay in power. And I have to prepare for that, okay.

What possible reason could anyone have for invading Lubbock?

U.S. Congressman Steve King (R-Some Cornfield Someplace) is always good for a laugh -- or would be, if it weren't for the fact that people actually voted him into office. You could guess that his thoughts on multiculturalism would be choice:

I went to the Iowa State website and [...] I typed in “multicultural” and it came back to me, at the time, 59 different multicultural groups listed to operate on campus at Iowa State. It started with Asians and it ended with Zeitgeist, so from A to Z, and most of them were victims’ groups, victimology, people that feel sorry for themselves and they’re out there recruiting our young people to be part of the group that feels sorry for themselves. [...] And then, you’re brought into a group of people that are–have a grievance against society rather than understand there’s a tremendous blessing in this society.

I really don't understand how treasuring your own heritage translates into "feeling sorry" for yourself. But then, I'm not Steve King. And finally, from more intellectual giants of the right, GOProud has endorsed Tommy Thompson against Tammy Baldwin for the Senate from Wisconsin. GOProud claims to be a conservative gay group -- here's what they're endorsing:

OK -- that's all I can take of these loons this morning. Update: This one is so over the top that I had to include it. It sort of reflects the whole right-wing belief system: simplistic, when that's not too difficult for them. Oh, and money rules.