Today in Disgusting People

There seem to be a lot of these popping up lately. And here's another twofer.

First, this person, Rebecca Carlson, who was, she claims, a teacher for 28 years. Appearing on Fox News' Tucker Carlson (natch):

Let’s just take the free lunch program that we have in our schools. It started out being pushed by the unions and their friends for poor children. Well, 28 years ago, I had two students in my class on free lunch. Today almost every single child is on free breakfast and free lunch.

So what the unions are trying to do, they’ve been pushing something called community schools. And in these community schools, we’re giving children free healthcare, we’re are giving them free food, free emotional support, and by the way free political indoctrination for their parents.

If these unions and their friends, their politicians, get their way, they would like our schools to be open 24/7. They want to replace the family and families raising their children with our own virtues, they want to replace that with the state. With union-controlled government-run schools.

That’s dangerous. That’s communism when you think about it.

First off, I think she's a little confused -- she should be blaming Obama, or George Soros, or at least "the Left". I mean, blaming the unions? That's so 1980s.

As for all this free stuff -- you think it might have something to do with stagnant wages against rising cost of living? So that both parents have to work, and if they're lucky they can put food on the table?

And any bets on whether she claims to be a Christian? I mean, what are the odds? What was it Jesus said about feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, all that sort of "liberal" stuff? I think it boils down to "Do it"

I pity any kid who had her as a teacher.

And next, Ken Cuccinelli, well-known racist and white supremacist, also acting director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (and by extension, the entire Trump regime), who now wants to charge people for seeking asylum:

The Trump administration on Friday proposed hiking a range of fees assessed on those pursuing legal immigration and citizenship, as well as for the first time charging those fleeing persecution for seeking protection in the United States.

The rule, which will be published on Thursday and will have a monthlong comment period, would increase citizenship fees more than 60 percent, to $1,170 from $725, for most applicants. For some, the increase would reach 83 percent. The government would also begin charging asylum seekers $50 for applications and $490 for work permits, a move that would make the United States one of four countries to charge people for asylum.

It would also increase renewal fees for hundreds of thousands of participants of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. That group, known as “Dreamers,” would need to pay $765, rather than $495, for a renewal request. The fee hike comes days before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the validity of President Trump’s justification to terminate DACA.

A lot of people have commented on the cruelty of this idea, and that's certainly there, but it's really more bully tactics from the bully in chief. By all means, charge people seeking asylum -- who are the people least likely to be able to pay a fee. This whole thing stinks, but it's all of a piece with Trump's agenda:

Former agency officials and immigration lawyers, however, said the decision to charge asylum seekers erased a long-held principle of not placing a financial burden on some of the world’s most vulnerable people seeking protection.

“There was a recognition that the likelihood of their ability to pay is really in question,” said Barbara Strack, a former chief of the agency’s refugee affairs division under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. “The only way to understand this is as a part of the administration’s campaign of hostility against the asylum program.”

You can bet that Trump & Co. would be more than willing to grant asylum to persecuted billionaires.

And if you're waiting for the outcry from "Christian" leaders, don't hold your breath.

It's worth reading the whole article to get a good picture of just how disgusting and petty these proposed fee hikes are.

Via Joe.My.God.

And a special bonus, courtesy of commenter SoCalGal20 at Joe.My.God.

Could Texas be any more intentional?

Houston voters elect 19 Black women to judgeships.

GOP then introduces bill to replace judicial elections w/governor-appointed judges.

Kicker: Bill would end elections only in counties w/500,000+ people, targeting urban areas like Houston. https://t.co/d3xTwkwQ6A

— Leslie Proll (@LeslieProll) November 8, 2019

They really can't stand to lose.

I Just Can't

I've had Trump up to the gills and beyond over the past two years, and this morning it's just worse. He's ignorant, he's a bully, he's toxically self-centered, and he's lacking any sort of common decency.

If you think I'm exaggerating, check out Digby's Hullabaloo this morning. Pick any post. It's all there -- Ukraine, closing the border, threats of civil war (and he's not talking figuratively), the whole sorry mess.

The weather's lousy, so I think I'll go visit one of the museums.

Add Pompeo to the list of villains:

Secretary Pompeo appears to be scheduled to have a very, very bad Wednesday, Earlier today he released a letter he sent to Congressman Engel, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he made it very clear that the State Department was not going to comply with his and Congressman Schiff’s requests for information regarding the mess that President, his senior staff and appointees, and his private attorneys have made around Ukraine and the mishandling of US government information by misclassification.

I’m concerned with aspects of the Committee’s request that can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully, & treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State, including several career FSOs.

Coming from one of Trump's minions, accusations of bullying are somewhat more than ironic.

But it seems that it's not going to go Pompeo's way:

Just as Pompeo warns Dems he won't comply with their requests, the quasi-independent State Department inspector general tells Capitol Hill he'd like to meet tomorrow to "provide staff with copies of documents related to the State Department and Ukraine."

I'm sure there's more melodrama to come.

In Honor of the Senate Judiciary Committee

Fox News, and other right-wing hacks:

Thanks to commenter Jean-Marc in Canada at Joe.My.God.

Remember "Big Brother"? Guess What

If you're flying anywhere for any reason, he's watching you:

A reporter from the Boston Globe has helped lay bare an otherwise hidden program of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA): one that targets all US citizens.

The program, called "Quiet Skies," goes beyond previous TSA efforts, including specific watch lists, air marshals, and other actions designed to secure US airways in a post-9/11 world. In the previously undisclosed program, US citizens are tracked and treated as potential terrorists even though they are not otherwise under investigation.

"Quiet Skies represents a major departure for TSA. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the agency has traditionally placed armed air marshals on routes it considered potentially higher risk, or on flights with a passenger on a terrorist watch list," says the Boston Globe.

They continue, "Deploying air marshals to gather intelligence on civilians not on a terrorist watch list is a new assignment, one that some air marshals say goes beyond the mandate of the US Federal Air Marshal Service. Some also worry that such domestic surveillance might be illegal. Between 2,000 and 3,000 men and women, so-called flying FAMs, work the skies."

I have nothing but contempt for TSA -- as far as I can see, it's done nothing to increase security on flights, and it seems to recruit small people and give them some power, always a bad combination.

Somebody sue them, before Trump stacks the courts even worse.

Because Diplomacy's for Sissies

Well, he did it:

The United States and European allies launched airstrikes on Friday night against Syrian research, storage and military targets as President Trump sought to punish President Bashar al-Assad for a suspected chemical attack near Damascus last weekend that killed more than 40 people.

Britain and France joined the United States in the strikes in a coordinated operation that was intended to show Western resolve in the face of what the leaders of the three nations called persistent violations of international law. Mr. Trump characterized it as the beginning of a sustained effort to force Mr. Assad to stop using banned weapons, but only ordered a limited, one-night operation that hit three targets.

These "limited operations" have a way of morphing into full-scale war.

I suppose this was inevitable, considering that neither Trump nor his National Security Advisor, John Bolton, believe in diplomacy, both being bullies. Of course, we lost the chance for a diplomatic solution a while ago -- not that it's entirely our fault: Assad's a real piece of work, and with Russia and Iran behind him, the stage is set for a real mess. And a condemnation in the UN has about as much force as -- well, come up with your own example of completely ineffectual.

As far as I'm concerned, the question of whether Putin has any control over Trump is open -- and I think that's a real issue here -- but then, Trump is enough of a wild card that "control" becomes meaningless.

We'll see if this remains "limited":

Headline of the Week

From Joe.My.God.:

Christian Group That Covered Up Sexual Assault Prays For God To “Anoint The Briefs” Of Anti-Gay Baker

That is actually a direct quote:

Today’s prayer from the Family Research Council:

May God preserve and protect the freedom of Christians and other Americans whose consciences say, “God made marriage between a man and a woman.” May He powerfully anoint the briefs and arguments presented to the Court on behalf of Jack Phillips.

(Emphasis added.)

And, as Joe points out:

It’s now been two weeks and Tony Perkins has remained silent on widespread reports that he covered up the sexual assault of a teenager by the Ohio Republican for whom Perkins had been raising money that very night in the hotel where the assault allegedly took place.

And then they (evangelical "Christians" of the Tony Perkins stripe) wander around all pouty because no one likes them.

Footnote: This sort of thing seems to be endemic among "Christians."

One of the ministers who serves a Theodore church where Roy Moore spoke Wednesday night was federally convicted of trying to block an investigation involving claims his son molested children in Honduras.

Rev. Bill Atkinson led the music portion of the Moore event at the Magnolia Springs Baptist Church, where the U.S. Senate candidate spoke for over 20 minutes and was interrupted twice by people in the audience.

In 2012, Atkinson was found guilty of obstruction and conspiracy for ordering two of his children to destroy a hard drive of a digital video recorder, which held evidence that incriminated his son for child molestation. At the time, William James "Will" Atkinson IV was in a Honduras jail awaiting trial on charges that he molested children at an orphanage the Atkinson family owned. Those allegations came to light when his younger brother, Jonathan Atkinson, set up a secret surveillance system in Will's office after some of the children said they had been touched inappropriately.

And then they circle the wagons.

Via Joe.My.God.

Welcome to the Bully State

The Trump White House has a way to deal with dissent:

Public comments on the voter fraud commission released by the White House late Thursday were overwhelmingly, and in many cases profanely, critical of the project.

The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity posted on its page on the White House website, without comment or explanation, 112 pages of emails received through July 11, commenting on the organization’s request for states to send them voter information. The posted material did not redact the email addresses, phone numbers and home addresses of the authors.

“Please note that the Commission may post such written comments publicly on our website, including names and contact information that are submitted,” read a blog post published Thursday on the White House’s site.

Of course, the White House will claim no responsibility for any threats or retaliation on the commenters by the nutjobs who still support the president. Trump only claims responsibility for other people's accomplishments.

Today in Disgusting People: Making a President-for-Life (Update)

Kellyanne Conway has a permanent place in the "disgusting people" category, partly because she's such an unregenerate liar, and partly because she's working overtime to browbeat the press. Now she wants every reporter and commentator who criticizes Trump fired.

Conway went on to complain that last week, she went on three Sunday news shows to discuss Trump's policy proposals, but the only thing that got reported was her now-infamous statement about "alternative facts," and "not the fact that I ripped a new one to some of those hosts for not covering the facts that matter."

"Who’s cleaning house?" Conway said. "Which one is going to be the first one to get rid of these people that said things that just aren’t true?

By that criterion, she should be the first to go. And "the facts that matter" -- that would be your "alternative facts," right?

It's an interesting strategy -- pretend that you actually have the standing to demand that the press cater to your bullshit, demand firings of journalists who show signs of independence, discredit the press at every opportunity.

Hey, it worked for Franco, Peron, Mussolini, Hitler, and every tin-pot strong man on the African continent.

Her boss, of course, is weighing in on this as well, specifically targeting the New York Times:

Somebody with aptitude and conviction should buy the FAKE NEWS and failing @nytimes and either run it correctly or let it fold with dignity!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017

Click through to see the responses on Twitter. They're not positive. (And do note that since The Hairpiece started his anti-NYT campaign, subscriptions are up.)

This says what needs to be said:

Attacks on legitimate media that holds power to account is a routine precursor to the rise of authoritarianism. https://t.co/vGDqlNfjuy

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) January 29, 2017

The sad part is that the American press has set itself up for this. "As ye sow. . . ."

Update: On to Phase Two: siccing the Secret Service on the journalists.

Today's Must-Read: The Slide Toward Autocracy: A Checklist

Via Digby, this list from Amy Siskind of "Trump atrocities" of the week.

Experts in authoritarianism advise to keep a list of things subtly changing around you, so you'll remember. Here's my list for week 9[.]

Digby just shows this week's list, but has links to the previous eight.

I found this one possibly the most worrisome:

35. Human Rights Watch issued it's annual report of threats to human rights around the world. For the first time in 27 years, the US is listed as a top threat because of the rise of Trump.

Here's Human Rights Watch's article on the 2017 World Report. Just one salient section:

Executive Director Kenneth Roth writes that a new generation of authoritarian populists seeks to overturn the concept of human rights protections, treating rights not as an essential check on official power but as an impediment to the majority will.

“The rise of populism poses a profound threat to human rights,” Roth said. “Trump and various politicians in Europe seek power through appeals to racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and nativism. They all claim that the public accepts violations of human rights as supposedly necessary to secure jobs, avoid cultural change, or prevent terrorist attacks. In fact, disregard for human rights offers the likeliest route to tyranny.”

Roth cited Trump’s presidential campaign in the US as a vivid illustration of the politics of intolerance. He said that Trump responded to those discontented with their economic situation and an increasingly multicultural society with rhetoric that rejected basic principles of dignity and equality. His campaign floated proposals that would harm millions of people, including plans to engage in massive deportations of immigrants, to curtail women’s rights and media freedoms, and to use torture. Unless Trump repudiates these proposals, his administration risks committing massive rights violations in the US and shirking a longstanding, bipartisan belief, however imperfectly applied, in a rights-based foreign policy agenda.

I'm wondering again whether New Zealand is far enough away.

No, No, Look Over There!

You've undoubtedly heard about Meryl Streep's speech at the Golden Globes, if you haven't seen it:

Which, of course, got the expected reaction from The Hairpiece (even though his name was not mentioned, and how's that for being self-centered?):

And he's lying about mocking the reporter -- click through for a really disgusting gif.

Booman has an interesting take on this:

I think this is how Trump managed to pull off his miracle election. People can’t focus on the important things. There’s always something new to obsess over instead of staying on message. Do you care more about angry Trump voters who call the National Football League (NFL) the Black Lives Matter Football League (BLMFL), or are you more concerned with the idea of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III running the Department of Justice?

Donald Trump didn’t nominate Meryl Streep as his Director of Central Intelligence or his Secretary of Treasury. He nominated a full-on wingnut and a Goldman Sachs veteran foreclosure specialist for those jobs. So, every second wasted on Meryl Streep is a benefit to Trump and the prospects for his nominees to sail through the confirmation process with little fuss.

Of course Trump wants to talk about the Golden Globes. He wants you to talk about him talking about the Golden Globes.

(Thanks to Mustang Bobby)

Want to guess why he's scheduling his first press conference in six months for the same day as Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearing?

The VP's Night Out

No doubt you've heard this story, about Mike Pence being booed when he attended a performance of Hamilton. He also got a lecture from the cast:

At the conclusion of the show, cast members addressed Pence’s appearance — as a group locked in hand-to-hand — behind Brandon Victor Dixon who delivered the following message:

“Vice-president elect Mike Pence, we welcome you and truly thank you for joining us at Hamilton American Musical,” Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr, the nation’s third vice president, said. “We sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our alienable rights, sir. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us,” Dixon added. “We truly thank you for sharing this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men, women of different colors, creeds and orientation,” Dixon concluded to a roaring applause by those in attendance.

(Video at the link.)

Needless to say, Il Duce Junior was not pleased:

Donald J. Trump✔
@realDonaldTrump

The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!

7:56 AM - 19 Nov 2016

Donald J. Trump✔
@realDonaldTrump

Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing.This should not happen!

7:48 AM - 19 Nov 2016

Apparently, some of the reporters at NYT thought this was beyond the pale:

Digby has the best response to that:

I'm afraid I have to agree. Booing is very rude. What you're supposed to do is chant "lock him up!" and scream "Trump that bitch!" It's also fine to call him "nasty" to his face. This booing, however, is disrespectful.

Of course, all the usual suspects are jumping on the bandwagon. But if you read through the tweets at the link, you'll notice how none of them address the substance of the situation: The man is a well-known bigot, viciously anti-gay, attending a performance that is all about the diversity that is America.

Oh, wait -- this is the segment of American politics that thinks Nazis are OK.

Today's Must-Read

In a lot of ways, I'm going to miss Harry Reid.

"I have personally been on the ballot in Nevada for 26 elections and I have never seen anything like the reaction to the election completed last Tuesday. The election of Donald Trump has emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry in America.

“White nationalists, Vladimir Putin and ISIS are celebrating Donald Trump’s victory, while innocent, law-abiding Americans are wracked with fear – especially African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Muslim Americans, LGBT Americans and Asian Americans. Watching white nationalists celebrate while innocent Americans cry tears of fear does not feel like America.

“I have heard more stories in the past 48 hours of Americans living in fear of their own government and their fellow Americans than I can remember hearing in five decades in politics. Hispanic Americans who fear their families will be torn apart, African Americans being heckled on the street, Muslim Americans afraid to wear a headscarf, gay and lesbian couples having slurs hurled at them and feeling afraid to walk down the street holding hands. American children waking up in the middle of the night crying, terrified that Trump will take their parents away. Young girls unable to understand why a man who brags about sexually assaulting women has been elected president.

“I have a large family. I have one daughter and twelve granddaughters. The texts, emails and phone calls I have received from them have been filled with fear – fear for themselves, fear for their Hispanic and African American friends, for their Muslim and Jewish friends, for their LBGT friends, for their Asian friends. I’ve felt their tears and I’ve felt their fear.

“We as a nation must find a way to move forward without consigning those who Trump has threatened to the shadows. Their fear is entirely rational, because Donald Trump has talked openly about doing terrible things to them. Every news piece that breathlessly obsesses over inauguration preparations compounds their fear by normalizing a man who has threatened to tear families apart, who has bragged about sexually assaulting women and who has directed crowds of thousands to intimidate reporters and assault African Americans. Their fear is legitimate and we must refuse to let it fall through the cracks between the fluff pieces.

“If this is going to be a time of healing, we must first put the responsibility for healing where it belongs: at the feet of Donald Trump, a sexual predator who lost the popular vote and fueled his campaign with bigotry and hate. Winning the electoral college does not absolve Trump of the grave sins he committed against millions of Americans. Donald Trump may not possess the capacity to assuage those fears, but he owes it to this nation to try.

“If Trump wants to roll back the tide of hate he unleashed, he has a tremendous amount of work to do and he must begin immediately."

I don't really need to add anything.

Via Digby.

Nice Non-Discrimination Ordinance You've Got There. . . .

It's been a while since I've written about Pat McCrory's Hate Bill 2; if you need some background, earlier posts are here and here. It's now cost the state in the neighborhood of $100 million in lost business and jobs, and the potential for economic disaster is growing day by day.

So, McCrory has a "compromise":

McCrory spokesman Josh Ellis said in a statement that the governor would call a special session if two requisites are met: Charlotte must move first to repeal its expanded protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; and secondly, a majority of lawmakers must be in favor of repeal.

"If the Charlotte City Council totally repeals the ordinance and then we can confirm there is support to repeal among the majority of state lawmakers in the House and Senate, the governor will call a special session," Ellis said.

Isn't that nice? If Charlotte repeals its ordinance, the governor will try to repeal HB2. No guarantees, but he'll try.

Any normal person would call this "blackmail."

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out. McCrory is facing the loss of his office, and as the economic damage mounts up, his chances look grimmer. All he needs is for NASCAR to pull out of the state.

One can only hope that the Charlotte city council gives McCrory a big fat FU.

Today in Disgusting People

In this case, a "charity" that has never really been one of my favorite organizations, especially after reports started surfacing of them trying to wangle a free pass on anti-discrimination laws from the Dubyah administration. (At the time, I also happened to have an online friend who was involved in an employment discrimination lawsuit against them.) This organization being the Salvation Army, which embodies all the worst aspects of evangelical Protestantism and seem to have no limit on how low it can sink:

Normally when we hear about people who use drugs being sent to forced labor camps as so-called “addiction treatment,” we think of places like Vietnam, China or the former Soviet Union. Surely nothing like this could happen in America?

But the civil rights of people who use drugs are not protected in this country. They are often unconstitutionally sentenced to religious programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. Many others, as Influence columnist Maia Szalavitz has documented, may be incarcerated indefinitely in so-called “tough love” programs.

Another sinister example is the unpaid “work therapy” which constitutes addiction treatment at the Salvation Army’s drug rehabilitation centers, known as the Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARC) programs.

The programs are pretty much fit the typical "Christian" therapy programs we've run across in, say, the "ex-gay" movement, but even more exploitive:

What does therapy in ARC consist of? The primary form is “work therapy.” In exchange for three hots and a cot, the Salvation Army’s rehab clients are expected to labor for 40 hours a week, without pay, for the profit of the Salvation Army stores.

“Work is used as a therapy to assist persons in learning how to be of service to GOD and others…” Coombs wrote. “[clients] receive no financial wage or other compensation.”

Sorry, but people who have addictions don't need to learn to be of service to "GOD and others." They need professional counseling to help them overcome their addiction.

The article goes into some detail on what the clients receive for their unpaid labor, which is pretty much nothing of any value. It's indicative that 1) the Salvation Army does not keep records of success rates, and 2) has a completion rate of 17%, which by any standard is pathetic.

And of course, since legally the Salvation Army is a church, we're already subsidizing them, and they're not required to report on much of anything.

What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is forced labor for the greater glory of the Salvation Army.

Jumping On the Bandwagon

I suppose I should have seen this coming:

Activists hoping to keep transgender people out of bathrooms just got a new ally: the Ku Klux Klan.

An Alabama neighborhood received fliers speaking out in support of laws like the one passed in North Carolina, that confine bathrooms to gender assignment at birth. They also begged for new recruits and solicit donations.

“It appears to be against transgender and transgender bathrooms and it was basically a recruitment flier,” Capt. Will Benny explained to the Dothan Eagle.

It seems that trans folk using the bathroom is the best fundraising gimmick since gay Boy Scouts.

All I can say is, you're known by the company you keep. (There's a Tony Perkins joke in here somewhere, but the connection is just too easy.)

Weasel du Jour (Update)

That would be Pat McCrory, staunch guardian of North Carolina's bathrooms. The man's really a piece of work. I'm sure you've heard this one:

Speaking to CNN host Jake Tapper on Wednesday, McCrory accused Democrats of starting a fight over transgender bathroom rights by passing an ordinance in the City of Charlotte that allowed transgender people to visit public restrooms that correspond to their gender identity.

"I think that this was an argument that we didn't need to have," McCrory opined. "But this is an agenda by the far left. And for some reason, the national media is saying the far right brought this up. I had no interest in this subject."

"Shame on you, for making me hit you!"

North Carolina, for the first time in something like 150 years, has a legislature full of bullies, headed by their bully-in-chief, McCrory. (Seriously -- this is the first time Republicans have been in control of the state government since, I believe, 1870.)

Tapper pointed out that transgender children "have a very difficult time fitting in, they have very high suicide rates."

"What are you telling the teachers at schools in North Carolina where, say, a 12-year-old who identifies as a girl, though her birth certificate says boy, what do you tell teachers about her if she's using the girl's bathroom?" the CNN host wondered.

McCrory argued that the solution was to "make special circumstances" by allowing the transgender girl to use a segregated bathroom.

"But now the Civil Right Division of the U.S. Justice Department has deemed those types of arrangements to be discriminatory," McCrory remarked.

Does the phrase "separate but equal" ring a bell, Governor?

Here's video, if you can stand it. The man turns my stomach.

Credit to Tapper for not giving him a pass.

Update:

And the First Runner Up is: Governor Phil Bryant (R-Mississippi [no, not Alabama, but close]):

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant complained Christians are still being bullied in his state because not everyone agrees with their interpretation of a law that permits discrimination against LGBT people.

Bryant insisted the law was intended to prevent discrimination against Christians by allowing them to deny service, housing, medical treatment and some government documents to LGBT people or even unmarried couples — so long as they claim a religious objection.

The ACLU is challenging portions of the law that permit discrimination against same-sex couples by arguing the law violates the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality, and Bryant complained the civil rights group was “bullying” Christians in his state, reported Right Wing Watch.

Seriously -- allows them to deny medical treatment?!?!?

There's this psychological mechanism known as "projection". . . .