New Audio of Joni Ernst Speech in 2013 Outlines Radical Ideology Built on Punishing the Poor

During last night’s debate in Iowa, everyone’s favorite pig-castrating mom, Senate hopeful Joni Ernst, regurgitated two of the right’s key talking-points: a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget, and a promise not to raise taxes under any circumstances.

We see this psychotic idée fixe in proponents of Neo-Liberalism all the time. We practically expect it; followed through, the implications of Ernst’s constitutional mandates would lead to the dismantling of most of the federal government. Which, as we all know, is the ultimate goal.

I say that with near certainty, by the way. Greg Sargent reported yesterday on a 2013 Ernst speech in which she outlines her “rather stark views about the relationship of Americans with their government.”In it, Ernst claims that we have created “a generation of people that rely on the government to provide absolutely everything for them,” and that wrenching them away from their dependence “is going to be very painful.” […]

In the audio, Ernst came out for a balanced budget amendment, said that would require “severe cuts,” reiterated her desire to eliminate the Department of Education, vowed a “good, hard look at entitlement programs,” and said electing a GOP Senate majority would be a key step towards all of this. She also said we are “encouraging people” to get on food stamps

Ninety-Year Old Gay Couple Wed After 70-Year Relationship

Here's a story from Iowa that'll bring the misty to your Monday. They've been together for 72 years, but Vivian Boyack (91) and Alice “Nonie” Dubes (90) have only just tied the knot.

On Saturday, the two women were married in a small, intimate ceremony of close friends in Davenport, Iowa's First Christian Church.

Guests included Jerry Yeast, 73, a longtime friend who first met the two women as a teenager doing their yardwork. Yeast assured Quad City Times: “I’ve known these two women all my life, and I can tell you, they are special."

Boyack and Dubes first met in Yale, Iowa — their hometown. In 1947, they moved to Davenport where they live now. Boyack worked as a schoolteacher, and Dubes worked in payroll.

But their small town life hasn't limited the two women from adventure —Boyack and Dubes have traveled extensively, visiting all 50 U.S. states, all the provinces of Canada, and England.

During their wedding ceremony, Rev. Linda Hunsaker acknowledged the couple's long-term commitment, saying: “This is a celebration of something that should have happened a very long time ago.”

Iowa’s Ernst sees federal minimum-wage law as ‘ridiculous’

Just last week, National Journal ran a piece noting that some Republican officials have started to “worry” about Joni Ernst, their party’s U.S. Senate candidate in Iowa. Her record of extremist positions and far-right comments “could sink Ernst’s campaign,” the piece noted.

Take the minimum wage, for example.

Ernst raised eyebrows last week when the very conservative state senator said a $7.25 minimum wage is “a great starter wage for many high school students.” Ernst was apparently unaware of the fact that most Americans who work for the minimum wage are adults.

Yesterday, Ernst went further, arguing the federal minimum should be $0 and states should set their own.

”The minimum wage is a safety net. For the federal government to set the minimum wage for all 50 states is ridiculous,” Ernst said Monday.

“The standard of living in Iowa is different than it is in New York or California or Texas. One size does not fit all,” she said.

Ernst may not realize this, but the minimum wage varies by state. The federal government establishes a floor which states may not drop below, but Congress does not “set the minimum wage for all 50 states.”

Iowa may not have raised its minimum above $7.25, but plenty of other states have. Washington established one minimum standard, but states with higher living costs are welcome to raise their minimum wage to whatever they want.

It’s not clear what part of this Ernst considers “ridiculous.”

And speaking of Ernst, the Washington Post recently ran a piece noting that some Ernst critics are comparing the far-right Iowan to Sarah Palin. Jay Newton-Small isn’t buying the comparison.

All primary candidates say things they inevitably regret in the General Election and Ernst is no exception. Since the General Election has begun, videos of Ernst talking about Agenda 21, a Glenn Beck conspiracy theory about the United Nations’ superseding U.S. laws, statesnullifying federal laws and impeaching Obama have surfaced. Ernst has sincebackpedaled from all of these statements, saying the impeachment talk, in particular, was taken out of context, arguing that she was answering a hypothetical question.

This strikes me as a very generous interpretation of recent developments. Ernst positioned herself as one of the most far-right statewide candidates in the country this year, but now that she’s positioning herself for the general election in a swing state, Ernst has “backpedaled” for some (but not all) of her extremist positions.

Newton-Small suggests the public should accept this backpedaling at face value – if Ernst claims she no longer stands by some of her radical comments, perhaps she’s being sincere about her positions and merely said extremist things before in order to appeal to the Iowa GOP’s right-wing base for the primary.

Or, alternatively, Ernst was being sincere before about her extremist positions and is simply backpedaling now to appeal to the Iowa mainstream for the general election.

That’s the tricky thing about watching candidates who shift their posture – it’s hard to say for sure which is the real deal.

The fact remains that Ernst has said she would ban abortions and many forms of birth control; she would privatize Social Security; she would back an anti-gay amendment to the Constitution; she’s open to impeaching President Obama for unknown reasons; and she believes there’s secret information that Saddam Hussein really did have weapons of mass destruction.

Ernst has also suggest states can nullify federal laws they don’t like; the war in Iraq shouldn’t have ended; people on Medicaid “have no personal responsibility for their health”; and now the federal minimum wage is “ridiculous.”

Under the circumstances, it seem Republican leaders have reason to “worry.”

Iowa Funds Christian-Themed Park with Taxpayers’ Money

There isn’t a better way to sum up the Right’s view of Christianity than the phrase “theme park.” So it’s only fitting that the Vision Iowa board of directors would want to build a theme park, called “The Shepard’s Garden” — another extremely fitting name, given all the sheep that will be getting fleeced. There’s just one catch: Vision Iowa is getting a grant from the state of Iowa, to the tune of $140,000, to build the park.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter asking that the grant be rescinded, and Tina Hoffman, the spokeswoman for the Iowa Economic Development Authority, which oversees Vision Iowa, said that they’re “conferring with legal counsel.”

According to the Sioux City Journal:

Hoffman and Garry Smith, chief fundraiser for The Shepherd’s Garden, have said the grant would pay only for green space at the park and not for any of the Christian features.

A fundraising brochure describes the park, under construction at the corner of Sixth and Jackson streets, as a “location for outdoor events and Christian displays” and says the project was inspired by “concern over the retreat of Christianity from the public square.” 

Smith, of Sioux City, has said The Shepherd’s Garden board did not try to hide the religious aspect of the $810,000 park but separated out those elements on its grant application.

Smith added “We are moving forward. I am hoping this is a nonissue.”

“Retreat of Christianity from the public square?” What planet are these people living on?

Iowa Legislature Approves Update to 'Badly Outdated and Draconian' HIV Criminalization Law

Iowa's legislature has rewritten the law which criminalized transmission of HIV, the Des Moines Register reports:

Senate File 2297 unanimously passed the Iowa House after going virtually unmentioned in the Legislature for more than a month.

The bill expands state laws against transmitting HIV to include other contagious and infectious diseases including hepatitis, tuberculosis and menningicocal disease and requires the transmission to be known for criminal charges to be filed. It's intended to revise a "badly outdated and draconian" law regarding the transmission of HIV, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Hogg (pictured), D-Cedar Rapids, and others have said.
Transmitting one of the diseases could be one of three classes of crimes depending on whether the diseased person passed the infection to another person intentionally or with reckless disregard or without informing the person of their status.

KWWL adds: "Iowa's current 709c law states a person has committed criminal transmission of HIV if that person knowingly engages in intimate contact without disclosing his or her positive status, whether infection occurs or not."

One Iowa applauds:

After a series of negotiations, a historic bill passed through the Iowa House early this morning that will modernize Iowa’s discriminatory HIV law. Iowa’s current law, 709c, is based on outdated science and beliefs that actually discourages testing and disclosure because of severe penalties associated with simply knowing one’s status. The new bill, Senate File 2297 (SF2297), will change the law so that it is no longer HIV specific, and converts sentencing into a tiered system instead of the “one size fits all” approach used in 709c. The bill unanimously passed the Iowa Senate in February, and moved to the House for debate this morning. The bill, which also passed unanimously in House chambers, will now head to Governor Terry Branstad’s desk for his signature.
The proposed changes to the law are supported by One Iowa, the state’s leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organization, and by Community HIV/Hepatitis Advocates of Iowa Network (CHAIN), an organization that has spent the last 5 years trying to reform Iowa’s HIV law. Iowa currently has one of the harshest laws in the nation that targets people living with HIV and AIDS.
“After 5 long years of fighting to change Iowa’s law, those of us living in Iowa with HIV and AIDS can finally breathe a sigh of relief,” said Tami Haught, Community Organizer with CHAIN. “We commend the leadership in the Senate and the House for understanding the importance of this bill and the need to modernize Iowa’s draconian 709c law. None of this would be possible without the bipartisan support of Senators Matt McCoy, Steve Sodders, Charles Schneider and Rob Hogg; in addition to Representatives Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, Chris Hagenow and Chip Baltimore. The changes in this new bill are a step in the right direction.

Iowa Governor’s Proclamation Destroys Separation Of Church And State

The astroturfed pandemic of Christian self-righteousness continues to plumb new depths, proving that like their Bible, there isn’t a part of the Constitution they won’t ignore, twist, or warp, in an effort to shore up their abjectly amoral personal outlooks.

Iowa Governor, Terry E. Brandstad, recently proved that by signing a proclamation that spits in the face of the Bill of Rights. With a stroke of his pen, Terry E. Brandstad signed away the separation of church and state, undermining a vital piece of our Constitution already barely supported by crumbling, termite-eaten, water-rotted wood.

The Proclamation says that “in the name and by the authority of the State of Iowa … all Iowans who choose to join in thoughtful prayer and humble repentance according to II Chronicles 7:14 in favor of our state and nation to come together on July 14, 2014.” You cannot do this. Separation of church and state prohibits states from supporting any religion, but they don’t care about the Constitution anymore than they care about the Bible. They want a document that proves them right all the time; they love the idea of these documents, but not the documents themselves.

This proclamation derives from a group calling itself Prayer 7-14-14, who have issued a response to the proclamation, detailing what they feel is needed on July 14, 2014. This breathless response shows about as much knowledge of American history as Brandstad’s Proclamation does the Bill of Rights, referring to the second presidency of John Hancock (Hancock was president of the Continental Congress twice, but I highly doubt they know that), and generally looking like it was delivered as a caps-locked screed on an internet forum.

Here it is:

Mad at his repeated failure to stop equality in his state, IA's head anti-gay continues 'unnatural' ranting

In a new interview, Iowa's most prominent anti-LGBT activist (and good buddy of Mike Huckabee's) Bob Vander Plaats claimed that civil marriage "goes against the law of nature, and the law of nature’s God, which means, again, it’s against the Constitution":

Vander Plaats: Marriage Equality Unconstitutional Because It's 'Against The Law of Nature' [RWW]

Forget outrage. I mean, this is a man who has proudly claimed homosexuality as a public health risk. There isn't much he could say that would make him more anti-gay than we already know he is. His silly opinion about the supposed "unnatural" status of something that is all throughout nature is exactly that.

Instead, I want to know when Mr. V P will work to repeal the 2nd Amendment. Last time I checked, that bullet-projecting, life-robbing, all-I-need-is-my-little-finger-to-prove-I'm-a-toughie, mass manufactured boom-boom-pole that we colloquially call a "gun" is an unnatural tool of man, not God. Therefore against the U.S. Constitution, eh Vander Plaats?

Iowa’s Republican Governor Agrees To Obamacare’s Expansion Of Medicaid

Iowa is the latest Republican-led state to embrace the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Thursday, Governor Terry Branstad announced he had reached an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services that will allow Iowa to expand its Medicaid program under Obamacare. According to the Washington Post, Iowa will be allowed to charge a nominal premium to people making between 100% and 133% of the federal poverty level. The premium would be equal to 2% of income, or about $19 per month for someone at the current poverty line. That premium could be reduced if the insured participates in a wellness program.

Lauding the compromise as “an Iowa plan that fits the health needs of our state,” Gov. Branstad said as many as 150,000 Iowans could ultimately be covered under the expansion.

White House spokesman Jay Carney welcomed Gov. Branstad’s announcement, saying it is “great news for the thousands of Iowans who will now have access to quality, affordable health insurance coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act.”

Gov. Branstad is the tenth Republican governor to decide to participate in the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare.

Iowa Youth Pastor Rapes Boys To ‘Cure’ Them Of Homosexuality, Won’t Spend One Day In Prison

By now, we’ve all undoubtedly heard of and been outraged by a Montana judge sentencing a former teacher to a mere 30 days in prison for raping one of his female students. But have you heard of the Iowa youth pastor who is walking free after confessing to raping boys to “cure” them of homosexuality?

Well, that’s precisely what happened in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Brent Girouex, 31, was arrested on 60 counts of suspicion of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist.

According to KRMG in Oklahoma, Girouex confessed to police that he had sex with at least four youths, but eight more have since come forward claiming that they were also violated by the now former pastor of Victory Fellowship Church.

Girouex told detectives that his actions were meant to “help with homosexual urges by praying while he had sexual contact with [them]” in order to keep them “sexually pure” for God. He then allegedly told police that “when they would ejaculate, they would be getting rid of the evil thoughts in their mind.”

Victims say Girouex took them to his own home to violate them. It’s the same home Girouex’s wife and four children resided in.

You would think Girouex’s crimes would send him to prison for the rest of his life. Outrageously, that’s not the case. The judge in the case sentenced Girouex to 17 years in prison last week, and then immediately suspended the sentence in favor of sex offender treatment and five years probation. All Girouex has to do is avoid violating his probation and he’ll NEVER spend a single minute in a prison cell.

The victims and their families are understandably outraged. After all, Girouex raped boys repeatedly. One would think a court would throw the book at him instead of setting him free upon the community. Even his wife, Erin Girouex, thinks he should be sent to prison and doesn’t want her children anywhere near him.

This “rape away the gay” idea is nothing new. Last year, a radio personality told a father that he should have one of his male friends rape his daughter until she turns straight. This pastor was at the very least using it as an excuse to justify his pedophilia. If the pastor really does believe that’s what he was doing, then it’s a prime example of how hatred leads to insanity. Either way, it’s disgusting, and the judicial system has once again failed to do its job to protect the community and give justice to the victims. This kind of “punishment” only encourages rapists and pedophiles. Because courts are not taking rape and pedophilia seriously, more women and children are likely to be violated because the consequences of committing such crimes are slim to none. It’s just another sign of the worsening rape culture that has been running rampant in America.

A big victory for openly gay former Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger, who has been pushing for this for several months: the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board voted unanimously this week to investigate the National Organization for Marriage, or NOM, whom Karger accuses of flaunting state law by refusing to disclose its donors during the fight to unseat several Iowa Supreme Court justices who voted in favor of marriage equality.

From the Des Moines Register:

Karger said the D.C.-based group spent $635,000 in 2010 and about $100,000 in 2012 to try to oust four of the justices who were part of a unanimous 2009 decision that allowed same-sex marriage in Iowa.

“We caught them,” Karger told reporters after today’s meeting. “I’m so grateful to the ethics commission.”

Karger, who is openly gay, said it’s important to send a message to the National Organization for Marriage to follow the law because it will likely be a player in Iowa again, seeking to oust Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, a champion of same-sex marriage rights, and the other three justices who authored the marriage ruling four years ago.

According to the Register, Karger supplied an email from September 2012 in which NOM solicited cash donations to oust the high court justices.  NOM has said that donors’ names do not have to be disclosed if donations were solicited via phone or email.  Megan Tooker, the executive director of the state ethics board, said that NOM’s claim was “absolutely wrong.”

“To be clear, we haven’t found that NOM did anything wrong,” Tooker told the Register. “All we did today is find that it warranted further investigation, so the board will be able to use its subpoena power and get enough information to decide whether or not donors should have been disclosed.”

In 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court voted unanimously to establish marriage equality in the state through a case known as Varnum v. Brien, making Iowa the first non-coastal state to allow same-sex couples to wed.  In 2010, anti-marriage equality advocates, supported by NOM, successfully recalled three of the judges from the Varnum majority during their retention elections.  In 2012, another of the judges, David Wiggins, won his retention vote.

Despite continuous pressure from anti-LGBT forces, Democrats in the state, led in large part by Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, have held fast in support of marriage equality in Iowa.

Iowa High School Principal Bans 'The Laramie Project', Says It's 'Too Adult'

A high school principal and superintendent in Ottumwa, Iowa are denying the students the right to perform The Laramie Project, Moisés Kaufman's play about the hate crime murder of gay Wyoming teen Matthew Shepard.

The Ottumwa Courier reports:

"None of us can understand why they are shying away from it," said Jordan Young, 16, a student who is secretary of the OHS drama club. "The principal [of OHS] wants to get away from bullying, and he has initiatives he really [pushes]. So to hit so hard on a show that addresses bullying, it makes no sense."

She said other students she's met with feel similarly. "We were all confused more than anything," she said. "We didn't understand what was wrong with it. The planning started in October of last year. We have auditions in a month and a half!" She said students believe the problem lies in the subject of the play.

The Heartland Connection adds:

OHS Principal Mark Hanson denied the play from being performed through the school’s drama department. We reached out to Principal Hanson but he did not want to go on camera but he said “the play is too adult for a high school production but it does preach a great message.”

Ottumwa Community School’s Superintendent Davis Eidahl (pictured, top) says he fully supports Principal Hanson’s decision. “We really want the focus of our Ottumwa High School productions to be for the entire family,” said Eidahl.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation released a statement, which reads, in part:

This is not a play about being gay, or promoting anyone being gay; it’s about being targeted, hurt, murdered for being different, or perceived to be different, whatever that difference may be – and how this affects the community.

It is regrettable that the administration decided not to take the lead to provide their students and their community such an important learning opportunity, and instead is focused on a desire to show off their auditorium in what they feel is a “family-friendly” manner. We respectfully suggest that the main mission of a school district is to educate, not to entertain.