Monday Mashup (1/23/12)

I’ll give you what I have time for, and it will have to be quick…

Good luck to Gabby Giffords – it’s more important that she does all she needs to do to heal as much as possible; politics are secondary to living your life (here).

In light of the passing of Joe Paterno, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit this New York Times column from last November by Penn State’s Michael Berube.

And sticking with sports, I give you the following (here, following the lead of "Orange Man" and NASCAR drivers before him)…

Washington (CNN) -- Opposed to what he called the "out of control" growth of the federal government, Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas declined an invitation to join his teammates at the White House on Monday.

The award-winning Thomas, who last year led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship emblematic of National Hockey League supremacy, was one of three players missing when President Barack Obama met with the team to offer congratulations.

According to a story on the team's website, www.bostonbruins.com, Thomas "opted out" of the White House visit. One of the other missing players was injured, and the third now plays for another team, according to the website story.

A statement by the 37-year-old Thomas posted Monday on the team website said he opposed the "out of control" growth of the federal government that threatened "the rights, liberties, and property of the people."

"This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the federal government," the statement said. "Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL."

The statement ended by saying: "This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic." It concluded with the initials "TT."

Yeah, well, that sounds oh so honorable, until you find out the following (here)…

While his politics aren't common knowledge among many hockey fans, Thomas hasn't hidden his political leanings. He's a fan of former Fox News channel host Glenn Beck, once saying he aspired to appear on Beck's talk show as a guest.

Big Government, a website founded by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, celebrated Thomas as a "true Tea Party patriot" for having "In God We Trust" and the Gadsden flag on his mask.

Gee, ya’ think Thomas is actually ashamed of being a teabagger and doesn’t want to admit it?

He may be an elite NHL goaltender, but I think he needs to realize that the White House is the people’s house, and when you refuse an invitation, you’re also insulting the people of this country. And while I know I once said that medal winners should return the hardware they received from Former President Numbskull, I never said that they should be personally disrespectful to him (deserved though that would have been).

And Thomas is being personally disrespectful to President Obama. And by extension, he’s being personally disrespectful to all of us, under the guise of this “both sides are at fault” crap.

And as an American citizen playing in the NHL (where he has a lot of company in that regard), he definitely should know better.

Finally (and timed a bit for the anniversary of Roe v. Wade yesterday), this Daily Tucker post from Repug U.S. House Rep Dave Schweikert tells us the story of how his mother, who was unwed while pregnant, was tempted to undergo an abortion but chose to carry him to term instead, turning him over to adoptive parents before Schweikert reunited with his birth mother later. It is truly touching stuff, and commendable on the part of all concerned.

And I’d love to “leave it there,” but I can’t.

This tells us how Schweikert claimed that jobs were the priority for him and his pals in the House upon the beginning of their term, though they flipped and then ended up passing the most draconian anti-abortion bill this country has ever seen.

And as for being “pro-life,” he accepted $10,000 from the Koch Brothers here (of course, the garbage the Kochs want to spew into the air unabated will end up increasing cases of asthma and premature births, as noted here).

And on top of that, Schweikert believes that the Department of Education is “unconstitutional” (here – so how exactly are our kids supposed to become educated?).

So, typical for a “pro lifer” in my experience, Schweikert and his pals claim to support life in the womb, but once that kid pops out, he or she is on their own.

Wonder what Schweikert’s birth mother thinks about that?