Is it any surprise that the Party of Denial a/k/a the Republican Party, is having such a hard time acknowledging the reality of the recent Charleston, South Carolina massacre? Not one Republican presidential candidate stepped up to forcefully decry the church shooting as a racial attack on a black congregation. To do that, after all, might somehow offend their base of bigots.

Fox News, the unofficial propaganda machine of the Republican Party, did, to their credit, condemn the attack as a hate crime. But this was not a hate crime directed against blacks, but one directed against Christians! This fit in perfectly with their “war against Christians” narrative. The fact that witnesses at the shooting heard Dylann Roof, the white supremist coward, clearly state that his act was against blacks didn’t matter… it was never reported.

Beyond the reluctance to label the shooting as racially motivated, the Republican field of candidates refused to criticize the state for flying the Confederate flag at the state capital. As the no-chance candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham observed, the flag is “part of who we are.”

The only prominent Republican who spoke unambiguously about the Confederate flag was a man not running in 2016. Mitt Romney said in a Twitter message this past Saturday, “Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims.”

But did you expect anything less from the party that denies global warming is real; that trickle-down economics doesn’t work; that racism exists; that abortions are legal; that the ACA is a success; that America has a gun problem?

As I write this, the political winds are already starting to shift. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is scheduled to call for the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capital. Whether the state’s legislature goes along with the proposal is an entirely different story. As is usually the case with radical, conservative Republicans, it won’t be common sense or even common decency that will get that flag down. It will be when their business overlords demand it.

In two related breaking-news stories, Donald Trump has announced he is running for president in 2016, and comedian, John Stewart, has reconsidered his leaving “The Daily Show” this coming August.

Trump: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Stewart: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Trump: “Being president of the United States would be a dream.”

Stewart: “Trump being the Republican nominee would be every comedian’s wet dream!”

Trump: ”At least I am not a Bush.”

Stewart: “Just think. A Bush and a prick on the same debate stage!”

Trump: “I will bring this country back!”

Stewart: “This may even bring Letterman back!”

Stewart said Trump’s candidacy would make joke writing that much easier. “You just have to quote what actually comes out of his mouth,” said Stewart. “About the only thing that could make this more fun,” added Stewart, “would be a Trump/Palin ticket!”

No word from Letterman … yet.

In a show that imbecility has no bounds or borders, a Christian Australian couple has threatened to divorce if marriage equality becomes legal.

“Don’t make us do it!” pleaded Nick Jensen in an op-ed for the Canberra City News. “If our federal parliament votes to change the timeless and organic definition of marriage later on this year, it will have moved against the fundamental and foundational building block of Australian society and, indeed, human culture everywhere,” Jensen wrote.

Jensen and his wife, Sarah, have been married for 10 glorious years and have children together. But they are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice if their government, in effect, nullifies their marriage contract by legalizing same-sex marriage.

“We are prepared to get divorced if that’s what it takes to save the sanctity of our marriage,” wrote Sarah.

When asked how same-sex marriage would in any way affect their own marriage, Mr.Jensen said,” Gay marriage would cheapen our marriage. It’s like being in an exclusive club and then the board of directors just let’s anybody in. Plus it’s a sin. Marriage is a sacred institution between one man and one woman. If the definition of marriage is changed, we don’t want any part of it. Holy matrimony is all about procreation. Children come from gendered dissimilarity,” observed Jensen.

When asked if their getting divorced is not also a sin, Jensen noted,” No, because we would still be married. You see, after our divorce, we’ll continue to live together, hopefully for another 50 years. And, God willing, we’ll have more children. We’ll also continue to refer to each other as “husband” and “wife” and consider ourselves married by the Church and before God. It may affect our tax-filing status, though.”

Some have criticized the couple as being bigoted, or as just being plain old publicity hounds. “Not in the least,” said Sarah. “But I must admit we have met with Mr. Murdoch (CEO Fox News) and there is some talk of our own reality series.” The working title for the show is currently “What We Did for Love.”

Just when you’re about to award Texas the gold medal for craziest state in the Union, there comes little old Kansas. A few months ago it was the unprecedented new restrictions on welfare beneficiaries. Governor Brownshirt signed into law a bill that bans welfare recipients from using their benefits at movie theaters, nail salons, pools and spas, liquor stores, jewelry stores, casinos or racing facilities, tattoo and piercing parlors, cruise ships, and other locations. An amendment to the bill that would have prohibited the use of welfare money at sushi restaurants surprisingly was voted down.

Now Gov. Brownshirt has signed a bill that threatens to defund the entire state’s judiciary if it has the nerve to rule against him on a case near and dear to his heart. Well, so much for the Constitution and the separation of powers.

When asked how such a law could pass judicial muster, Brownshirt stated, “ There is nothing unconstitutional about the law. It still honors the separation of powers. I, and the legislature, two of the three branches of government, have simply decided to separate governmental funding from the judiciary if they don’t do their job properly. In this country we believe in majority rule. In my book, two out of three not only “ain’t bad,” to quote Meatloaf, but it equals 66%.”

When Gov. Brownshirt was asked if the new law didn’t amount to tyranny, Brownshirt snapped, “Look the legislature did not vote to defund the judiciary. That would have been illegal. They only voted to threaten to do it. See the difference?”

With the news of Kansas’ lasted attempt to out-crazy Texas, Gov. Greg Abbot vowed to never be beaten at his own game. “Heck, I don’t see anything wrong with the Kansas law anyway. It’s certainly not crazier than my belief  the Federal government is about to takeover our great state and impose martial law.” I must admit Abbot makes a good point.

In a lively interview on “Fox News Sunday,” former Sen. Rick Santorum attempted to defend his remarks that Pope Francis should not be weighing in on the issue of climate change but should stick to saving souls. “The Church has gotten it wrong a few times on science,” said Santorum “ and should instead focus on “theology and morality.

The Pope is expected to release a groundbreaking encyclical – a papal letter sent to all the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church – connecting climate chance to human activity. The Pope will be making the case that climate change and its effects on the poor is a serious moral and religious concern.

Host Chris Wallace pointed out to Santorum that he often talks about climate change, even though he is not a scientist. Wallace went on to note that Pope Francis is not only a religious leader but also a chemist.

After admitting that the Holy Father can talk about whatever he wants to, Santorum went on to say that the topic of climate chance might not be the best issue for the Pontiff to “use his moral authority for.”

“He would say he’s protecting the earth,” replied Wallace.

“I would say that that’s an important thing to do, but I think there are more pressing problems confronting the earth than climate change,” Santorum said. And if you look at Santorum’s rhetoric, those issues can best be summarized as… abortion, birth control, abstinence, premarital sex and gay marriage. One could say that Santorum has made a political career infringing on the Pontiff’s turf.

Earlier this year, House Speaker John Boehner invited the Pope to address a joint session of Congress in September. I am guessing the Republican leader and fellow denier of climate change wishes he could revisit that decision!

“Oops! There it is” Rick Perry says he’s learned his lesson this time around. He is taking running for President more seriously and is better prepared.

A major part of the Perry makeover has been the $500 Jean Lafont glasses he has been wearing for the past year. Picked out by his wife, the dark professorial specs give Perry the visual gravitas that should counter the dumb cowboy image from the last go-round.

Perry’s chances for the 2012 presidential contest took a major hit when he couldn’t count up to three during one of the presidential debates. It was the infamous “oops” moment.

There is no doubt wearing glasses tends to make the wearer look smarter. Just look at sister Sarah. Many people believe that Sarah Pallin wearing Tina Fey glasses was a major reason for her political rise.

Besides the new nerdy look, Perry has also spent time on book learning. He has had tutors brushing him up on topics that are sure to be important in the next round of debates, such as the economy, foreign affairs and that whole Caitlyn Jenner thing.

When asked what made him think he had a shot at the Presidency this time around, Perry replied. “Have you seen the competition? Ted “Herman Munster” Cruz, Marco “Babaloo” Rubio, Lindsey “Miss Daisy” Graham; Dr. Ben “Casey” Carson; Rick “The Pope” Santorum… are you kidding me? Shoot, I got as good a shot as any of ‘em!”

With that brilliant piece of observation, perhaps the new and improved Perry can shed his dumb cowboy image after all!

Nebraska’s official state executioner does not know if he will have a job tomorrow. After the Nebraska State Legislature overrode Governor Pete Ricketts’ veto of a bill ending capital punishment within the state, the executioner doesn’t know if he will have a job or be applying for unemployment benefits.

The situation got complicated when Gov. Ricketts said the lawmakers’ repeal of the death penalty wouldn’t stop his administration from proceeding with the executions of 10 people currently on death row.

“The state just paid over $50,000 dollars for lethal drugs from India and we intend to use them, “ said Ricketts. “As a fiscally conservative Republican, it is my duty to see to it that the taxpayers’ money isn’t wasted. And the contact reads no refunds!” the governor went on to say.

But the Omaha World Herald newspaper cited FDA spokesman Jeff Ventura as saying it was illegal to import the lethal drugs from India. “The FDA will refuse their admission into the United States,” he was quoted as saying.

When questioned about the FDA’s position, Gov. Ricketts said, “The shipment may not be able to be imported through any U.S. port, but we have arranged for drone delivery. Of course this added to the cost.”

In a recent study, authored by Bruce Bartlett, a domestic policy advisor to Ronald Reagan and Treasury Department employee under George H. W. Bush, viewers of Fox News tended to be less informed about current events than people who watch mainstream news – – and even people who watch no news at all.

In other news, Captain Obvious, spokesman for Hotels.com, reported that when it rains, you tend to get wet.

“Republican voters get so much of their news from Fox, which cheerleads whatever their candidates are doing or saying, that they suffer from wishful thinking and fail to see that they may not be doing as well as they imagine, or that their ideas are not connecting outside the narrow party base,” Bartlett said.

“It appears that right-wing bias, including inaccurate reporting, became commonplace at Fox.” Bartlett observed.

The situation has gotten so bad, said Bartlett, “many conservatives now refuse to even listen to any news or opinion not vetted through Fox, and to believe whatever appears on it as the gospel truth.”

The really bad news (or good, depending you your perspective) for Fox News is that the average age of their viewers is 68. In Frank Rich’s New York Magazine article, ‘Stop Beating a Dead Fox’ he calls Fox News a politically conservative ‘retirement community’ that’s losing young viewers at a faster rate than it’s competitors.

What is particularly hard to understand about Fox News is how it can continue to call itself “news.” Owner Rupert Murdoch has acknowledged that his Fox News Channel is part of his company’s entertainment division. I imagine that is how the network is able to get away with being the propaganda wing of the Republican Party.

At the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in 2013, a very rational-sounding Bobby Jindal scolded his Party’s faithful by stating they needed to stop being the party of “stupid.” He went on to demand that the GOP “stop insulting the intelligence of voters” — and display more intelligence itself. Unfortunately, that was said over one and one half years ago. Republicans have been known to have short memories.

In an ABC News interview last week in Des Moines, Iowa, the potential 2016 presidential candidate was asked whether the United States should have invaded Iraq, knowing now that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. “President Bush made absolutely the right decision. Let’s remember, the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein,” stated a confident Jindal.

I doubt anyone would disagree that Saddam Hussein was a murderous dictator who brutalized his own people and was guilty of war crimes. But is the world really a better place with what the overthrow of Saddam Hussein has brought us … an unstable Middle East; the Sunni-Shiite bloodletting that followed the invasion; the divisive politics of the Maliki government; the attacks on a Christian population that had once been a protected minority; the emergence of ISIS?

Many of the factions that are now fighting in the Middle East didn’t exist before the overthrow of Hussein. This is not to say the Saddam Hussein should have remained in power. But the security vacuum created by his removal lead to the presence of foreign fighters that led to Iraq becoming a breeding ground for jihadists and religious extremists.

Only someone stupid would say that the invasion of Iraq, with the benefit of hindsight, was a smart idea. The man is either pandering to the ignorant base of the GOP or he is not much of a brainiac Rhodes Scholar! I tend to go with the later.

In a recent interview with Fox’s Megyn Kelly, Jeb Bush was asked if he would have authorized the invasion of Iraq knowing what we know now, with the benefit of non-faulty intelligence. Bush’s answer was a surprising “yes.” How could the “smart” Bush say such a thing, people wondered?

Sensing the political damage, the Bush surrogates quickly hit the airwaves. GOP strategist Ana Navarro offered the often-used excuse when a politician says exactly what he thinks. Bush had simply “misheard” Kelly’s question, claimed Navarro. This excuse, of course, is but a variation of the more common, “I misspoke” pretense.

There is a simple test to determine if the potential 2016 presidential hopeful misheard the question. One just has to look at what actions preceded Bush’s giving such an confounding answer… after all 75% of the American public believes the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. When Jeb Bush rolled out his list of foreign policy advisors, 17 out of the 21 worked for his brother’s administration. The list included Paul Wolfowitz,, one of the top architects and cheerleader for the Iraq war!

So much for the “I am my own man” charade! About the only thing worse would have been for the younger Bush to have offered up Dick Cheney as his vice presidential pick! No, Jeb did not “mishear” or “misspeak.” He simply showed his cards. And from the negative responses he received, not only from Democrats but Republicans alike, it’s apparent he has not shown a winning hand.

In her NY Times op-ed piece today, Gail Collins called the junior Bush “awful.” And that was one of the nicer things said about Jeb since the Fox News debacle! The presumptive frontrunner is looking more and more like a gimpy old nag. With Bush 3’s stock taking such a big hit, the Republican Party needs to start beating the bushes to find another so-called “electable candidate,” other than Bush. Mama Bush had it right…“There are other people out there that are very qualified and we’ve had enough Bushes.” Amen.