Romney Roots

Tom Hayden notes Republican obsessions with dredging up Barack Obama's roots, and says it's time to take a look at Mitt Romney's Roots:

In conclusion: A Romney relative, the head of the Mormon temple in Chihuahua, was kidnapped along with another Mormon in probable retaliation for 1970s murders carried out by a son of the founder of Colonia LeBaron, the polygamous enclave that gave rise to George, and now Mitt, Romney.
Speaking of roots, Jason Drexler takes a look at the roots of Romney's spiritual leader, con-man Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion.

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Santa’s Other Job

Back in 1990 a friend of mine (Mike Harty) and I co-authored a Christmas card that we sent to friends an acquaintances. Another friend recently asked whether I still have a copy, and I do. The idea is that Santa Clause actually works all year round, not just on Christmas eve. Here's the front cover of the card:  

Here's the center spread of the card:

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Bill Maher on fundamentalist cognition

From Huffpo, Bill Maher discusses Todd Akin's religious fundamentalist thought process:

Here's the only thing you need to know about Todd Akin and human anatomy: he's an asshole. What I want to talk about is how it's not a coincidence that the party of fundamentalism is also the party of fantasy. When I say religion is a mental illness, this is what I mean: it corrodes your mental faculties to the point where you can believe in tiny ninja warriors who hide in vaginas and lie in wait for bad people's sperm. Evangelicals might like to pretend that the magical thinking that they indulge in at home doesn't affect what they do at the office, but it absolutely does. The brain that believes in angels and miracles and Jesus riding a dinosaur is trained to see the world not as it is, but as you want it to be.

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Modern day conservatives even too much for Judge Richard Posner

From the Atlantic, word that a noted conservative, Judge Richard Posner, is wary of the antics of the modern day Republican Party:

A conservative federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan said in an interview published Thursday that the Republican Party has gone “goofy” and that “these right-wingers who are blasting [Chief Justice John] Roberts are making a very serious mistake.”

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