Jinx attempt — let’s see if putting this thread up prompts a resolution in Watertown.
As a liberal, fairness requires me to point out that New Hampshire has “the third-largest legislature in the English speaking world”, which means one representative for every 3,300 residents, 2,937 of whom could not pick them out of a police lineup. As a Masshole, I am required to point and laff whenever some Granite(headed) Staters go full-metal FREEEEEDUMB! Snooty elitist NYMag reports:
New Hampshire Republicans are less than thrilled about the state legislature’s recent vote to repeal stand-your-ground laws, which protect your right to shoot other people in self-defense without trying to retreat or flee first. For example, State Representative Peter Hansen wants to know: Who will think of the vaginas and children?
In response to an opponent’s anti-stand-your-ground speech, Hansen e-mailed the all-legislature listserv the following, obtained by a local blogger Susan the Bruce (h/t Salon):
“What could possibly be missing from those factual tales of successful retreat in VT, Germany, and the bowels of Amsterdam? Why children and vagina’s of course. While the tales relate the actions of a solitary male the outcome cannot relate to similar situations where children and women and mothers are the potential victims.”
…After a fellow lawmaker chastised Hansen for being crude on a legislative listserv, he replied-all:
“Having a fairly well educated mind I do not need self appointed wardens to A: try to put words in my mouth for political gain and B: Turn a well founded strategy in communication into an insulting accusation, and finally if you find the noun vagina insulting or in some way offensive then perhaps a better exercise might be for you to re-examine your psyche.”
To which we will only add that Hansen sounds like a total penis. A penis who can’t punctuate.
Of course (h/t Wonkette) Rep. Hansen has fellow believers standing athwart the tide of history, and those fellows are embarrassing even the other NooHampsters, as reported in a Nashua Telegraph editorial:
NH GOP back in news – for the wrong reason
…[W]e learned last week that three disgruntled Republican lawmakers – including two from Greater Nashua – actually thought it was a good idea to file a formal petition of removal and criminal complaints against 189 of their fellow representatives.Specifically, Londonderry Rep. Al Baldasaro, Goffstown Rep. John Hikel and Merrimack Rep. Lenette Peterson filed an “emergency petition for redress,” calling for removing the 189 from office for “breaching their oath” and for their criminal prosecution for “violating federal law.”
The offense?
Voting for legislation that would reset the standard for self-defense to what had existed with little fanfare for more than three decades. They claim any change would violate their right to bear arms to protect themselves and their property…
And if that weren’t kooky enough, former Republican Party Chairman Jack Kimball and several similarly offended lawmakers filed criminal complaints last week in the Hillsborough and Strafford county sheriffs’ offices against Shurtleff, the sponsor of the bill, and the 188 lawmakers who supported it.
Fortunately, it is clear House Republican leaders want nothing to do with this embarrassment. When asked about it Friday, House Minority Leader Gene Chandler, of Bartlett, said not only hadn’t he read the petition, but that it had “nothing to do with the caucus leadership in any form.” …
Guess it’s up to the bold defenders of the Free State Project to mass in their millions handfuls and speak up for the freedom of vaginas to shoot first and ask questions afterwards…
aimai
The city of cambridge just called and lifted the ban on leaving our houses. I guess its over or they know its coming to an end.
PeakVT
“What could possibly be missing from those factual tales of successful retreat in VT, Germany, and the bowels of Amsterdam?
What the hell is that moron talking about?
Xecky Gilchrist
The use of the noun “vagina” would be inoffensive if:
a) he wasn’t using it as a pejorative term for women
b) he didn’t use an apostrophe to make it plural.
Scotius
@PeakVT: I was wondering the same thing. It’s like he ran that sentence through a word randomizer.
Violet
Boston GLobe twitter:
Lee Rudolph
@PeakVT: Well, I assume that VT = Vermont, with which its neighbor New Hampshire has issues. Otherwise, dunno.
Sad_Dem
Has a researcher discovered why so many people of a certain political persuasion have such trouble with argument, grammar, and spelling?
PeakVT
@Lee Rudolph: I know the wingnuts over there hate us hippie commies over here, but I was wonder if there was some particular incident (real or imaginary) that he might be referring to.
jl
The beginning of the email from one of the links:
” There were two critical ingredients missing in the illustrious stories purporting to demonstrate the practical side of retreat. Not that retreat may not be possible mind you. What could possibly be missing from those factual tales of successful retreat in VT, Germany, and the bowels of Amsterdam? ”
What does ‘bowels of Amsterdam’ mean? I guess that the suburbs of Amsterdam, or the countryside are unforgiving wilderness?’
What is he talking about? Has he gone all NRA and no limits at all on firearms and their use, including strong ‘stand your ground’ laws, so the good citizens can protect themselves from the Zombie Apocalypse which is due any day now?
Anne Laurie
@Sad_Dem:
In that sense, ours is a truly representative government. You ever have to copyedit a report by your average MBA? Or even some liberal art grad students?
jl
@jl:
Sorry, WP isn’t letting me edit my own comment. Damn you Tunch! Anyway, meant to type:
” gone all NRA and wants no limits at all on firearms and their use, “
Dee Loralei
Alive and in custody
Michele C
@Xecky Gilchrist: Exactly. Correct apostrophe usage: “Hansen’s penis is a substitute for his brain.”
Bruce S
Seems to have worked.
Violet
It worked! Suspect in custody and alive.
f space that
Is Aunt Pitty Pat on the way to Watertown to oversee the booking ?
max
Jinx attempt — let’s see if putting this thread up prompts a resolution in Watertown.
WELL-PLAYED!
max
[‘They got him alive. Good.’]
kdaug
Your jinx powers are most impressive, Anne Laurie.
hildebrand
Let’s do this the right way – be a nice change of pace from the previous administration.
poco
It worked–the kid is alive and in custody.
Kudos AL!!
Michele C
@Anne Laurie: I had one argue with me that the passive voice “sounds smarter.”
scav
@jl: Normally I’d think basements or sewers — The Bowels de Paris would be a grand setting for Victor Hugo. Bowels of Amsterdam would be downright soggy. No wonder the guns were useless. “keep your powder dry.” and “swim your canal!”
TaMara (BHF)
You did it.
PsiFighter37
I’m toast.
PF37 +5
Mary G
You have a mighty power, Anne Laurie. Use it wisely.
Poopyman
@hildebrand: Yes, and I so want law enforcement to rub McConnell’s face in it. We’re going to follow the law.
aimai
Wow. Hats off toyou, Annie Laurie. Pretty amazing work. And hats off to the BPD and FBI for getting him out alive. May he live a long time with his regrets, knowing he is a shame to his family and his friends.
Elizabelle
The force is with you, Miss Anne Laurie.
Who thinks Boston pubs are going to do a good business tonight?
Bruce S
18 minutes & 12 posts – Bingo! The motherfucker didn’t have a chance.
(Corrected.)
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@PeakVT:
He might be talking about the rise of Hitler in Germany in the 1930’s and the German invasion of Holland in 1940, maybe. They do go Hitler on everything.
kdaug
@Sad_Dem:
Yep. 1931. Aldous Huxley, wrote a book about some brave new something or another.
He called ’em Epsilon Semi-Morons.
Spaghetti Lee
@Elizabelle:
And with 4/20 tomorrow, no less. I think the whole country needs some catharsis after this fuckshow of a week, Boston especially.
HinTN
aitch + 3 = I hate this carpet bombing!
Jay C
Good on you, AL!
Can you start working on a post re Afghanistan next?
scav
Huzzah for the Law and follow it. following @Poopyman:
Felonius Monk
Sounds like 3 jack-offs having a less than successful circle-jerk.
max
@aimai: And hats off to the BPD and FBI for getting him out alive. May he live a long time with his regrets, knowing he is a shame to his family and his friends.
Amen.
max
[‘BG says binky was alive and conscious when captured.’]
Jay C
And not to rub it in re John’s last post too much, but it looks (as of now) like Dzhokhar HAS been taken alive. Though what condition he’s in is unknown. My guess is that it’s something like “not good”….
hildebrand
@Poopyman: We need to show the rest of the world (and ourselves) that we can do this without resorting to barbarism. Read him his rights, follow the rules, put him on trial, get the conviction with solid, verifiable evidence. If we say we follow the rule of law, let us follow the rule of law. That is how we get people to think differently about the US.
Elizabelle
@Spaghetti Lee:
Somehow you can always count on a memorable April 19th, but this was astounding.
And we’re not even talking about Texas or the Elvis impersonator.
max
@Elizabelle: Somehow you can always count on a memorable April 19th, but this was astounding.
There’s something about the third week in April and the second week of September that is all fucked up. No idea why.
max
[‘An end to this year’s Black Week of April is a very good thing.’]
Lee Rudolph
@PeakVT: A spectre is haunting Vermont, the spectre of Single Payer. Or so I’ve heard tell.
GregB
@hildebrand:
Amen to that.
Yutsano
Open thread? Open thread.
So I got the official word about the furlough notice. So far looking like five unpaid Fridays so far, two around holidays, possibly more if they think they’ll be necessary. August is gonna suck donkey balls. Good thing I might be moving and only have to put up the difference in my last month’s rent.
Xecky Gilchrist
@Sad_Dem: Has a researcher discovered why so many people of a certain political persuasion have such trouble with argument, grammar, and spelling?
I’ve noticed one common wingnut troll “tell” is that they can’t ever use a comma between a comment addressed to someone and that person’s name, e.g. where it should be “Why don’t you go soak your head, Xecky” they’ll write “Why don’t you go soak your head Xecky.” It’s not universal, and it’s not only wingnuts that do that, but it strikes me as highly correlated.
Another Halocene Human
Good police work. Exactly what we should have had more of after 9/11, instead of a mendacious CinC, disorganized intelligence agencies, misdirected military response, and everyone from congresspeople to local police agencies setting their hair on fire.
Another Halocene Human
@Yutsano: That sucks. God, I wish this austerity shit would end.
Another Halocene Human
“I saw cars coming down, the logos, towns I never heard of…”
Teenage Watertown resident on WBZ talking about how grateful he is for the out-of-town cops who came to assist.
Just imagining him scratching his head, “Me-THUNE??”
Another Halocene Human
@Poopyman: Not to mention Graham’s.
JGabriel
max:
And August, as Molly Ivins noted.
ajhil
@Scotius: Sad, but true, Scotius. However, your critique might pack a little more punch, if you’d avoided misusing the preposition “like” to introduce a subordinate clause!
The Ancient Randonneur
I know this thread is more than 15 hours old but I want to go back to your original point about the NH legislature. The fact that House members represent about 3300 residents each is also one of the reasons the NH legislature also has a much higher percentage of female membership than either VT or MA or any other state for that matter! In 2008 NH became the FIRST state to have elected a majority of women to the State Senate. So poke fun at us if you must but please recall that NH is also the first state to have an all female DC Congressional delgation not to mention our great new Governor Maggie Hassan! Sure Ayotte is a Republican but the fact still remains that she is a woman. Seems pretty “progressive” to me. Wasn’t it the much more liberal Massahusetts that turned down a qualified Democratic woman for a pretty boy Republican to take the seat of the Liberal Lion?
Anne Laurie
@The Ancient Randonneur: You are correct, sir or madam. However, while some of my best friends are proud to live in New Hampshire, I retain my loyalty to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts!
Sondra
@Sad_Dem:
Because they don’t cherish the benefits of a good liberal arts education?