“Candy-flavored meth”? Pot brownies? And not one damned senator voted against it.

You know, I was just thinking we weren’t putting enough people in jail for marijuana…

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My, this did my heart good. I wish we had more Weiners, Graysons and Frankens:

House Republicans late Thursday were able to corral enough votes to defeat a bill that would have provided up to $7.4 billion in aid to those sickened by toxins resulting from the 9/11 attacks.

In the process, they set off a host of fiery speeches and denunciations from their Democratic colleagues and produced a veritable YouTube moment from Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y), whose district includes many of the affected.

At the heart of the debate was a procedural maneuver made by Democrats to suspend the rules before consideration of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The move allowed leadership to block potential GOP amendments to the measure (there was worry that Republicans would attach something overtly partisan in hopes that it could pass on the otherwise widely-popular measure). It also meant that the party needed a two-thirds majority vote.

When the final tally was announced, there were 255 representatives for the measure, 159 against. The defeat of the bill, which would have provided free health care to those affected during the 9/11 rescue and recovery, likely means that the court system will have to settle compensation issues.

Weiner spoke right before the vote when it was clear that Republican lawmakers would stake their opposition on grounds of procedural concerns. But for the grace of the C-SPAN cameras, he managed to stay physically behind his lectern.

“The gentleman will sit!” he declared at one point, addressing, it is believed, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.). “The gentleman is correct in sitting!”

By the way, for Montgomery County residents: Your nice “moderate” Republican Jim Gerlach voted against this bill. You might want to let him know how you feel about that.

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The Republicans have been bashing the Dems for not pushing this bill, and now that it’s on the floor, they’re blocking it:

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans have blocked a bill to increase small business lending, dealing a setback to President Barack Obama’s jobs agenda.

The bill would have created a $30 billion government fund to help community banks increase lending to small businesses, combining it with about $12 billion in tax breaks aimed at small businesses. Some Republicans, however, likened it to the unpopular bailout of the financial industry.

Democrats and Republicans will continue to negotiate amendments to the bill. But Thursday’s vote will make it difficult for Congress to pass the bill before lawmakers go on their summer vacation.

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Nanci Griffith wrote this song about her grandparents’ hard times during the Dust Bowl days. It strikes me that it’s all too timely now:

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Why does the U.S. continue to fund this outright theft?

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I love this Nanci Griffith version of Pat Alger’s song, but Chris Smithers’ is good, too:

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I never knew that Judas Priest covered this Joan Baez song about Bob Dylan:

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Thanks, J.C., I needed that!

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But allowing language from the previous century to keep government from regulating guns, well, that’s different! Link:

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which calls for cracking down on all immigration to the U.S., said that citizenship as a birthright isn’t automatic in many countries in the West.

“We should not allow language from 1868 to enslave our thinking…in the 21st century,” Mr. Stein said. “It is defeating the purpose of immigration control.“

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And the corporate media never even seems to notice…

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