I have seen some crappy newscasts before, but this just absolutely takes the cake. This poor guy gets the business end of a cow and just goes on like nothing happened. I am still laughing just thinking about it. The visual is bad enough, but I don’t want to imagine the smell (I grew up on a farm, cow pies stink in a whole class by themselves).

Conservatives call it slanderous and outrageous, moderates consider it distasteful, liberals ask ‘well what is he hiding’ . In truth, I heard the AFSCME radio ad the last time I was down in Kentucky. It never once crossed my mind that they were trying to imply that McConnell was gay. I took the ad as being targetted to softening his support among veterans. When I first heard the comments about the ad, it reminded me of the old Shakespeare line ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’ – in other words conservatives seem so obsessed with sexual orientation it makes me wonder what they have to hide. (Total side topic, stay straight – we don’t want you on our team).

When I saw the village people ad, I finally got what they were trying to say. First off, it was stupid. It didn’t work when Republicans tried it in the last governor’s election, so why would you think it would work for you against them. Come on now people, I won’t pretend that Kentucky is the most cultured state in the union, but nobody is that blind.

As much as I hate to admit it, I have met/talked with McConnell many times in my life (daddy is a diehard Republican). Not once did I ever think McConnell was a closet case. My gaydar can be faulty, but it isn’t that bad. If it is, I need to turn in my gay card and become an ‘ex-gay’ – the very thought of which makes me cringe.

Ultimately, who cares why McConnell left the military it was a LONG time ago. So what if he blew a few guys – hasn’t everyone.

I care more about his record in the Senate. It says a lot that McConnell used to tout how close he was to Bush and how he was proud to support him; then now he goes around touting how his position lets him bring lots of pork ($$$) back to the state. First, I never saw the fruits of his labor (nor did most Kentuckians). Second, if either are things you are proud of you should be absolutely ashamed. Pork and Bush as your proudest points – you don’t deserve to return to Washington. It is time for change, the sad part is it won’t happen. The recent polls have said it will be close, but the people in the street could have told you that a couple months ago. In the end, he will probably still go back – it will be yet another sad point in Kentucky history.

Think back to your American History class, do you remember McCarthyism. Most probably have some passing familiarity with that period, but as is often the case we have forgotten the lessons of the past.
If the College Republicans at the University of Colorado have their way, we will enter a new era of McCarthyism. But this time, the Republicans have picked a new enemy – liberals. I don’t even know what to say other than how absurd it is. If College Democrats did the same, they would be vilified by EVERY major media outlet.
This started me thinking back about my own college experience. I attended a pretty standard university, and in all honesty I could count the number of liberal professors that I had on one hand – conversely I would need a calculator to count the number of conservative professors. Equally, those liberal professors never used the classroom as a platform for their beliefs – they always presented both sides. The conservative professors on the other hand were always clear on their beliefs. I can remember a chemistry professor that disparaged women, gays, and minorities – what that had to do with Organic Chemistry is still beyond me. I had a professor in Sociology that disparaged poor people, feminists, and non-Christians all under the guise of teaching Demographic theory. Another that referred to a noted author as a stupid fa**ot. Yet another who made disparaging comments towards me due to my advisor (she [the advisor] had lodged a sexual harassment grievance against him). Yet another that decided I wasn’t worthy of the ‘A’ I had earned because I tutored a minority student who otherwise would have failed (I got a ‘B’ and before I could even get the paperwork submitted to appeal he had “lost” all of my graded work).
Are their liberal professors out there that use their class as a platform for their ideas – I’m sure that there are several, but let me teach a quick little lesson in registration. If you disagree with their curriculum take the class under another professor – I learned that lesson in dealing with professors that would rather spit on me than teach me as have most college students.
But, alas, let me give one last little nugget from my experience. I have been a part of several higher education institutions now, as both student and staff. The one thing that has been true at all – conservatives were more likely to be promoted, tenured, and receive “merit” pay raises – many were the same people that take 3 hour lunches and do little of nothing as I referred to in another post, but that’s my take on it.