Spin Dry

Eschaton points to this Raw Story article that reveals the somewhat beyond appalling tactics of the Republicans to, once again, fiddle with the rules when they're losing the game. You have to read pretty carefully to figure out the real crime going on, but here's the short version. In summarizing Democratic amendments to a bill designed to shield certain family members from criminal liability under a proposed abortion parental-notification law, the Republicans have erroneously and deceptively described those exempted (siblings, grandparents, clergy, e.g.) as "sexual predators". Here's just one example of the before and after:

DEMS: a Nadler amendment to exempt a grandparent or adult sibling from the criminal and civil provisions in the bill (no 12-19)
GOP REWRITE: Mr. Nadler offered an amendment that would have exempted sexual predators from prosecution under the bill if they were grandparents or adult siblings of a minor. By a roll call vote of 12 yeas to 19 nays, the amendment was defeated.

Um-hum. We're getting into Humpty-Dumpty land here...

`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'

Or, apparently, one man's right to abortion is another man's sexual predation.

Never mind that the people (wingnuts) using "sexual predator" to try to tar the Democrats' amendments are frequently guilty of sexual hypocrisy themselves; this rewriting approaches libel, and is nothing but an outright lie.

How about the Republican version of the First Amendment, then?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion by sexual predators, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech by sexual predators, or of the press; or the right of the people sexual predators peaceably to assemble and molest children, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Yeah. It's about that heinous...