Take the money

Remember South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford? You know, the guy that wanted to grandstand for the 2012 primaries instead of helping his state. The guy who decided $700 million budgets holes for the school system were preferable to the icy grip of socialism. Remember how we all figured it would end: with his removal from office or his subsequent near death beating by White House officials armed with sacks full of stimulus money? Well, it turns out Rahm might be making a trip down to Charleston and it ain't for a low country boil. He's got a burlap sack full of nickels and bad intentions.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford requested stimulus cash for the state's schools Monday, telling the U.S. education secretary he's doing so under duress and the $700 million in bailout money will create more problems.

The request to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, sent by e-mail, caps months of Sanford's criticism of the $787 billion federal economic recovery law that raised the national political profile of the Republican Governors Association chairman and speculation of a 2012 White House bid. The state Supreme Court ordered him Thursday to follow a state budget law and request the money for the state's schools and colleges.

"First, it's important to state one last time for the record what a monumentally terrible idea I believe the entire so-called stimulus act is, and why in particular utilizing this money as our General Assembly has done is ultimately going to cause more harm than good," Sanford wrote in the letter to Duncan.

And what led to this change of heart followed by uncontrollable bitching and whining? Was it common sense? The threat of nude photo release? The desire to do what's right but still appear to dance for the base? No, the Supreme Court of South Carolina got out their legal shillelagh, rapped him across the knuckles, and ordered him to act like an adult. They issued a Writ of Mandamus, which is some sort of powerful wizard enchantment using newt eyes and dark/terrible secrets divined from the Necronomicon and latter Harry Potter books.

So that knocks Sanford out of the GOP 2012 horror show. Doing something rational and sane, even only because a court forced you to, is a GOP base no-no. It's a shame, bankrupting the state's educational system in an insane bid to do battle with the invisible hand of socialism you saw looming over SC seemed like such a rational plan. Oh well Mark, there's always 2016.

Sex pledges defiled by teenage dangly parts

Virginity Pledges Fail to Trump Teen Lust in Look at Older Data

Teenagers who pledged to avoid sex until marriage were as likely to have intercourse as other U.S. adolescents, according to a survey of conduct mostly in 1990s.

Teens who took the pledge also were less likely to use birth control pills or condoms than those making no promise, according to the research in the January issue of Pediatrics. The results show that teens need information on safe sex and pregnancy prevention even if they vow to refrain, a study author said.

The pledges, made orally or in writing, are viewed by advocates as buttressing federally funded education programs that say avoiding pre-marital sex rather than using protection will curb pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. President George W. Bush’s administration more than doubled the budget for abstinence-only education programs since 1999 to $204 million this fiscal year. More than a dozen states have rejected federal money rather than limit what is taught.

Not only do kids who take those abstinence pledges fornicate at the same rate as those who don't, they do so in a much more dangerous way. Essentially funding for abstinence only programs and abstinence pledges is an almost direct funding of a shadow pro-teen pregnancy, pro-STD, pro-unprotected sex program. Oh those precious unintended consequences.

Furthermore the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that abstinence programs don't affect teen behavior and a Congressionally mandated study found the same. Clearly I think we know what to do here: put our heads down, ignore every study that keeps telling us the same thing, and keep pretending this is a worthwhile use of money. You know, the same type of behavior that helps us win the War on Drugs.

Palin want a cracker?

Squad of G.O.P. Aides Prepares Palin for Interviews

Two weeks ago, People magazine was granted an exclusive interview with Senator John McCain’s new running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who spoke about motherhood and career, life in Alaska and the historic nature of her candidacy.

She has not given an interview since, eschewing the traditional television news circuit traveled by a vice-presidential nominee.

Ms. Palin will break that news media blackout on Thursday, when she will begin two days of interviews by the ABC News anchor Charles Gibson.
...
Aides traveling with Ms. Palin have reported back to associates that she is a fast study — asking few questions of her policy briefers but quickly repeating back their main points — who already has considerable ease and experience before cameras.

Maybe you've been asking yourself this over the past few days John, but wouldn't a parrot have been cheaper? I mean it's colorful, non-polarizing, unable to harass ex-brother's in law or ask for earmarks, everyone likes birds, and there's no way it'll say anything other than what it's told. Plus you can put the parrot on your shoulder and add to the grizzled image you are sorely lacking in at the moment. Pirates are mavericky!

Maybe a robot. Pal-1N. Answer F0LK5Y-1138-ZMD2 "Tee hee. Mooseburgers! I bet a *beep* community organizer wouldn't know anything about that *bzorp*" Powerful metal claws, the ability to run through brick walls, metal exoskelton, spring loaded high jumping legs for escaping pesky veterans groups. Think about it, we can lease out the technology for a nominal fee. I'm just sayin'.