"Inouye was promoted to the rank of sergeant within his first year, and he was given the role of platoon leader. He served in Italy in 1944 during the Rome-Arno Campaign before his regiment was transferred to the Vosges Mountains region of France, where he spent two weeks in the battle to relieve the Lost Battalion, a battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment that was surrounded by German forces. He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant for his actions there. At one point while he was leading an attack, a shot struck him in the chest directly above his heart, but the bullet was stopped by the two silver dollars he happened to have stacked in his shirt pocket.[8] He continued to carry the coins throughout the war in his shirt pocket as good luck charms until he lost them shortly before the battle in which he lost his arm.[9]


Inouye as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army
On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy called Colle Musatello. The ridge served as a strongpoint along the strip of German fortifications known as the Gothic Line, which represented the last and most dogged line of German defensive works in Italy. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three German machine guns opened fire from covered positions just 40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up to attack and was shot in the stomach; ignoring his wound, he proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest with hand grenades and fire from his M1 Thompson submachine gun. After being informed of the severity of his wound by his platoon sergeant, he refused treatment and rallied his men for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he also successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood loss.

As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, eventually drawing within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm to throw his last grenade into the fighting position, a German inside fired a rifle grenade that struck him on the right elbow, severing most of his arm and leaving his own primed grenade reflexively "clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong to me anymore".[10] Inouye's horrified soldiers moved to his aid, but he shouted for them to keep back out of fear his severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop the grenade. As the German inside the bunker reloaded his rifle, Inouye managed to pry the live grenade from his useless right hand and transfer it to his left. As the German aimed his rifle to finish him off, Inouye managed at last to toss the grenade off-hand into the bunker and destroy it. He stumbled to his feet and continued forward, silencing the last German resistance with a one-handed burst from his Thompson before being wounded in the leg and tumbling unconscious to the bottom of the ridge. When he awoke to see the concerned men of his platoon hovering over him, his only comment before being carried away was to gruffly order them to return to their positions, since, as he pointed out, "nobody called off the war!"[11]

The remainder of Inouye's mutilated right arm was later amputated at a field hospital without proper anesthesia, as he had been given too much morphine at an aid station and it was feared any more would lower his blood pressure enough to kill him.[12]"

Wow...

staplermofo: Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.



It's impossible to be sympathetic to the many plights of the willfully-ignorant.

dittybopper: BronyMedic: Daniel Inouye is a magnificent bastard.

This. Is. Amazing.

Most Medal of Honor winners recipients are.
It's not like he won a prize. He lost his arm and probably has terrible thoughts of that day every time he closes his eyes.

CLASS ACT



Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) mourned the death on Tuesday of his close friend, former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), whom Inouye called a "brother."

"Irene and I are deeply saddened by the tragic death of our dear friend, and my brother, Ted Stevens," Inouye said in a statement. "His wife, Catherine, and his entire family are in our thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time."

The 85-year-old Hawaii senator and Stevens, who died in a plane crash at the age of 86, had long enjoyed a close relationship. The two often paired up to ensure fair treatment of their two states, the two noncontiguous U.S. states.

Inouye said:
Our friendship was a very special one. When it came to policy, we disagreed more often than we agreed, but we were never disagreeable with one another. We were always positive and forthright. Senator Stevens and I worked together to ensure that the small non-contiguous states of Hawaii and Alaska were not forgotten by the lower 48 and to ensure that the nation awoke to the importance of the Pacific for our economy and international relations.
I will never forget him.

Ted Stevens was an extraordinary American. He risked his life while serving in China with the Flying Tigers in World War II. He was a leader in the Senate, having served as Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Chairman of the Commerce Committee, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate.

I have lost my brother.

staplermofo: Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

I should be sympathetic to someone just because they believe what they are doing is right? The guy in Norway (Anders Behring Breivik) killed 69 people doing what he thought was right. Should I be sympathetic to him?

People need to understand that "religious freedoms" isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card. Religion, for example, was often used as a defense in slavery. Removing people's "right" to own slaves was trampling on people's religious freedoms. But that's perfectly acceptable, because your religion doesn't allow you to impede other people's rights. Same case here. Doesn't matter if he thinks what he is doing is right, he has the ability to not partake of birth control or abortions, but not the right to deny them to others, regards of his religion.

staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

Arguing about how much it matters to them is beside the point. He's not belittling anyone if he really feels this is morally equivalent to mass murder. Nobody ought to feel insulted. It's perfectly reasonable for Kelly to feel angry, frustrated, disgusted, etc. From his point of view, we support killing babies, and we're using his tax money to kill babies, which means in his mind he's indirectly killing babies. Have a little sympathy for the guy, like you would for a vegan who was trying to outlaw killing animals, or a guy who wants to spend 20% of the national budget wrapping the country in foil to prevent aliens from controlling our thoughts.

Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

Yeah I'd rather not allow religious drivel to have any influence of public policy, even if the person truly believes that they are right.

Daniel Inouye is a magnificent bastard.

This. Is. Amazing.

staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

It really doesn't "match that". No one voted for Pearl Harbor or 9/11. Nobody made a legal determination as to the legality or illegality of them. The law of this land is women control their bodies, if he wants to change that, then using hyperbole and politicizing the situation is not going to achieve this end, if one needs proof of this, one may merely examine the 40 years since the Roe v. Wade ruling. If you really want to reduce abortions, one should work toward providing contraceptives and comprehensive sex education to young adults beginning when children may become sexually active.

If you're against contraceptive use and sex ed (other than "abstinence works!"), then you are not really fighting against abortion. You are pushing your religious agenda. Your statement is yet another in a long series (15 years +) of giving each side automatic credit for coming to the table with a rational argument. Don't give Kelly's beliefs any gravitas at all, because they're hypocritical.

staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

Arguing about how much it matters to them is beside the point. He's not belittling anyone if he really feels this is morally equivalent to mass murder. Nobody ought to feel insulted. It's perfectly reasonable for Kelly to feel angry, frustrated, disgusted, etc. From his point of view, we support killing babies, and we're using his tax money to kill babies, which means in his mind he's indirectly killing babies. Have a little sympathy for the guy, like you would for a vegan who was trying to outlaw killing animals, or a guy who wants to spend 20% of the national budget wrapping the country in foil to prevent aliens from controlling our thoughts.

Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

I agree with your sentiment, but I think there is something else going on here -- that Republicans believe that a woman's place is in the home, and that they're trying to take away anything that might make it easier for women to achieve their ambitions.

Samus_Araan: "Inouye was promoted to the rank of sergeant within his first year, and he was given the role of platoon leader. He served in Italy in 1944 during the Rome-Arno Campaign before his regiment was transferred to the Vosges Mountains region of France, where he spent two weeks in the battle to relieve the Lost Battalion, a battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment that was surrounded by German forces. He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant for his actions there. At one point while he was leading an attack, a shot struck him in the chest directly above his heart, but the bullet was stopped by the two silver dollars he happened to have stacked in his shirt pocket.[8] He continued to carry the coins throughout the war in his shirt pocket as good luck charms until he lost them shortly before the battle in which he lost his arm.[9]


Inouye as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army
On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy called Colle Musatello. The ridge served as a strongpoint along the strip of German fortifications known as the Gothic Line, which represented the last and most dogged line of German defensive works in Italy. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three German machine guns opened fire from covered positions just 40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up to attack and was shot in the stomach; ignoring his wound, he proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest with hand grenades and fire from his M1 Thompson submachine gun. After being informed of the severity of his wound by his platoon sergeant, he refused treatment and rallied his men for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he also successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood loss.

As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, eventually drawing within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm t ...


Well let's look at Rep. Mike Kelly war record: "He received a scholarship to play football at University of Notre Dame, but his career quickly ended because of an injury. After college, he worked for his father's car Chevrolet/Cadillac car dealership. In 1995, he purchased his father's business, and then added Hyundai and KIA to his dealership lineup."

You see a failed football star turn used-car salesman knows all about the horrors of 9/11 and Pear Harbor.

staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

Arguing about how much it matters to them is beside the point. He's not belittling anyone if he really feels this is morally equivalent to mass murder. Nobody ought to feel insulted. It's perfectly reasonable for Kelly to feel angry, frustrated, disgusted, etc. From his point of view, we support killing babies, and we're using his tax money to kill babies, which means in his mind he's indirectly killing babies. Have a little sympathy for the guy, like you would for a vegan who was trying to outlaw killing animals, or a guy who wants to spend 20% of the national budget wrapping the country in foil to prevent aliens from controlling our thoughts.

Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

Sorry, but there is no need to be sympathetic to a brazen willfully ignorant jackass who compares a woman on the pill to an airplane hijacker on a suicide mission to kill thousands, even if he does really, really mean it.

Not every opinion is entitled to respect. It's like when someone posts online that the Illuminati is using Justin Bieber to brainwash eskimos into breaking into his house to fill his oven mitts with Poutine. Would you show sympathy to that, or just rightfully call him a dumbass?

staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

Arguing about how much it matters to them is beside the point. He's not belittling anyone if he really feels this is morally equivalent to mass murder. Nobody ought to feel insulted. It's perfectly reasonable for Kelly to feel angry, frustrated, disgusted, etc. From his point of view, we support killing babies, and we're using his tax money to kill babies, which means in his mind he's indirectly killing babies. Have a little sympathy for the guy, like you would for a vegan who was trying to outlaw killing animals, or a guy who wants to spend 20% of the national budget wrapping the country in foil to prevent aliens from controlling our thoughts.

Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

Contraceptives prevent babies from being aborted. They actually prevent way more abortions than sad retards picketing Planned Parenthood.

staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

But that argument is horseshiat. He doesn't really think that abortion is murder.

He voted for a ban on federal health coverage that includes abortion...unless rape or incest is involved. Whyr? Wouldn't it still be murder?

Abortion: It's not really about murder.

They make policies allowing abortion in cases of rape and incest. This is inconsistent with believing abortion is murder. If Casey Anthony had proven that Caylee's conception was the result of rape, would we have dismissed the murder charges out of hand?

They dismiss the "murders" committed by their own. Rick Santorum's wife Karen had a second trimester abortion. Curiously, nobody's picketing her house calling her a murderer. Nobody's suggesting that Rick was an accessory to murder and therefore unfit for political leadership. In fact, lots of people - anti-abortionists included - are defending Karen's decision as "difficult, but acceptable." Perhaps Karen's case could be called "self defense," but the point is still valid: When anti-abortionists have abortions, they are usually just reprimanded and forgiven.

Which brings up a very important point. What are anti-abortionists proposing as a penalty for women who have abortions? If abortion equals murder, then the punishment ought to be the same. For premeditated murder (abortion is premeditated by definition), it's often death. If not death, it's life in prison. Why aren't anti-abortionists proposing death for abortion?

According to anti-abortionists, the new life begins when the egg and sperm unite. If this is true, why are anti-abortionists so opposed to birth control? Granted, there are a couple (only a couple) of abortifacient birth control methods, but most prevent the union of the egg and sperm. No creation of life, and therefore, no possibility of murder. Why wouldn't anti-abortionists be strong supporters of birth control use, distribution, and education?

According to their own beliefs, they routinely commit murder. Protestant women account for almost 40% of abortions in the U.S. Add in Catholics and you've accounted for nearly 70% of all abortions in the U.S. If they really, genuinely believe it's murder, then they're committing murder at a rate that would make Pol Pot swell with pride.

Oral contraceptives work by 1) preventing ovulation (the release of eggs from the ovaries) 2) by changing the lining of the uterus to prevent pregnancy from developing 3) changing the mucus at the cervix to prevent sperm from reaching the egg.

Exactly which of these are equivalent to murder?

I'm pretty sure if he wanted to, Mr. Inouye could beat Mr. Kelly to death with his enormous balls of steel. In fact, he should have just titled this response, "Be glad I'm not beating you to death with my diecast testicles."

stoli n coke: Is there a high-profile republican who DIDN'T start their career by running to Daddy?

As a Liberal from Hawaii, I do love me some Inouye, so I know the Senator would like me to point out Bob Dole, who Inouye met in a hospital while both were recovering from their WWII arm injuries and who convinced the Senator to get into politics.

Of course if you were asking were there any presently high profile republicans . . . i got nuthin'

basemetal: I don't know, he went kind of light on the idiot.

When a guy who witnessed Pearl Harbor and lost his arm in World War II stands up and tells you to shut the fark up for making a hyperbole about Pearl Harbor, nothing more needs to be saids.

GameSprocket: Brettster808: Daniel Inouye is a Hawaii Senator, not a Hawaiian Senator.

He's not Hawaiian?

He was born in Hawaii, from Japanese parents. He may not be a indigenous Hawaiian, but he's as Hawaiian as I am a Georgian.

ace in your face: staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

Arguing about how much it matters to them is beside the point. He's not belittling anyone if he really feels this is morally equivalent to mass murder. Nobody ought to feel insulted. It's perfectly reasonable for Kelly to feel angry, frustrated, disgusted, etc. From his point of view, we support killing babies, and we're using his tax money to kill babies, which means in his mind he's indirectly killing babies. Have a little sympathy for the guy, like you would for a vegan who was trying to outlaw killing animals, or a guy who wants to spend 20% of the national budget wrapping the country in foil to prevent aliens from controlling our thoughts.

Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

Contraceptives prevent babies from being aborted. They actually prevent way more abortions than sad retards picketing Planned Parenthood.

There's a Planned Parenthood near my house, I would regularly see this elderly woman, dressed like an old fashioned widow, picketing the place. One day we stopped to talk to her and asked if she wanted to join a picket group to bring awareness to a popular Catholic hospital that helped a lot of poor people that was about to be closed (said woman was Catholic too). She later said her priest told her not to join us.

I don't understand these people.

DNRTFA, all I've got to say is this:

Daniel Inouye killed a roomful of Nazis using a live grenade pried from his own severed hand.

Your argument is invalid.

rufus-t-firefly: He doesn't really think that abortion is murder.

He voted for a ban on federal health coverage that includes abortion...unless rape or incest is involved. Whyr? Wouldn't it still be murder?

That's always a giveaway that the motivation is more about punishing women for being sexually active. (Though our shared assumption that pro-lifers are thinking this through may be unwarranted - religious people in general are good at compartmentalizing).

My proposal addresses their concerns: free-to-use, no-questions-asked, government-funded birth control for any woman. Up to and including abortion. As long as she wears a scarlet "A" for a year thereafter.

staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

Arguing about how much it matters to them is beside the point. He's not belittling anyone if he really feels this is morally equivalent to mass murder. Nobody ought to feel insulted. It's perfectly reasonable for Kelly to feel angry, frustrated, disgusted, etc. From his point of view, we support killing babies, and we're using his tax money to kill babies, which means in his mind he's indirectly killing babies. Have a little sympathy for the guy, like you would for a vegan who was trying to outlaw killing animals, or a guy who wants to spend 20% of the national budget wrapping the country in foil to prevent aliens from controlling our thoughts.

Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

Using the Pill is like deciding not to have sex. It interferes with the zygote in the same not having sex interferes with the zygote - it prevents the zygote from happening. Unless Congressman Kelly also believes that abstinence is akin to mass murder, I have no sympathy for him. If he does believe that abstinence is mass murder, I do feel sorry for him because he is either mentally ill or mentally challenged. Either way, he should not be in a position of authority.

staplermofo: The guy is really emotional about this, and I don't think matching his emotional involvement, or trying to reason him down to caring less is appropriate.
I think we should validate his feelings, not his ideas.
Like, if a little kid is crying because there's a monster under his bed, you wouldn't say "no there's not, go to sleep", however tempting it might be. You'd say "Aww, I know it's scary in here alone. Let's check for monsters. Nope, no monsters, and clusters of 128 cells aren't people. Let's put your spongebob doll by the foot of the bed to keep look out, and spiderman by the door when I leave. Then tomorrow we can go read up on monsters together, and then we'll discuss the difference between implantation, fertilization and being a farking person."

Actually, no. He deserves no sympathy for his idiotic feelings. He is an elected representative. He is also an adult. He should act like one. You coddle children for having childish beliefs. He is not a child.

You know, it is possible for people to just be WRONG.

Bloody William: We have to draw lines where we stop tolerating the insane bullshiat of people who, if their logic is consistent, believe almost every woman has multiple miscarriages in their lifetimes.

This is true. About 80% of conceptions spontaneously abort. Most of these are very early on and are only thought of as late periods, as the woman doesn't even realize she was pregnant. However, if abortion is murder, a miscarriage is involuntary manslaughter and just about every woman is guilty.

Sadly, the Bible basis for this idiot's position doesn't exist, as is the case for 95% of the hate he spews.

keylock71: Well said.

The GOP has lost what little sanity they had over the last few years and it's only going to get worse if Obama wins reelection.



Because it only got better when they made a few inroads during the midterm elections? I'm not sure if there's anything that could resume sanity to the GOP at this point. There used to be an idea that the "village idiot" would be ignored by the sane people. Unfortunately, those lone village idiots through the power of technology have formed their own village OF idiots and have banded together to keep the GOP alive.And once you have a village of idiots who exist in their own self-assuring ways, it's very hard for them to disperse.

staplermofo: Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

I have no sympathy for the willfully ignorant.

I saw him speak to a small group recently about our Pacific Rim policy; he still sharp as a tack and from an era where the Senate was populated by collegial, hardworking, dedicated, adult public servants with a great respect for the significance of their office, the trust they hold with the public and a deep love of their country. He has been deeply involved in our foreign policy for decades and has never been bellicose, thoughtless or cheap in his words or actions.

Partisan hacks that feel comfortable lying and making absurd, unsupported and dangerous statements from the floor of our legislatures degrade the legacy that men like Inouye created. It seems as though being thoughtful and careful is a liability now. It makes me sick and sad.

Samus_Araan: On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy called Colle Musatello. The ridge served as a strongpoint along the strip of German fortifications known as the Gothic Line, which represented the last and most dogged line of German defensive works in Italy. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three German machine guns opened fire from covered positions just 40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up to attack and was shot in the stomach; ignoring his wound, he proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest with hand grenades and fire from his M1 Thompson submachine gun. After being informed of the severity of his wound by his platoon sergeant, he refused treatment and rallied his men for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he also successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood loss.

As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, eventually drawing within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm to throw his last grenade into the fighting position, a German inside fired a rifle grenade that struck him on the right elbow, severing most of his arm and leaving his own primed grenade reflexively "clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong to me anymore".[10] Inouye's horrified soldiers moved to his aid, but he shouted for them to keep back out of fear his severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop the grenade. As the German inside the bunker reloaded his rifle, Inouye managed to pry the live grenade from his useless right hand and transfer it to his left. As the German aimed his rifle to finish him off, Inouye managed at last to toss the grenade off-hand into the bunker and destroy it. He stumbled to his feet and continued forward, silencing the last German resistance with a one-handed burst from his Thompson before being wounded in the leg and tumbling unconscious to the bottom of the ridge. When he awoke to see the concerned men of his platoon hovering over him, his only comment before being carried away was to gruffly order them to return to their positions, since, as he pointed out, "nobody called off the war!"

You should read about the things he did FOR AMERICA while listening to his theme song.

Philip Francis Queeg: Dwight_Yeast: Teiritzamna: stoli n coke: Is there a high-profile republican who DIDN'T start their career by running to Daddy?

As a Liberal from Hawaii, I do love me some Inouye, so I know the Senator would like me to point out Bob Dole, who Inouye met in a hospital while both were recovering from their WWII arm injuries and who convinced the Senator to get into politics.

Of course if you were asking were there any presently high profile republicans . . . i got nuthin'

Much as I like the man, it should be pointed out that being a member of the Dole family (who owned large chunks of Hawaii) gave him a leg up in politics.

I don't think Bob Dole is closely related to the Hawaii Doles. He came from a pretty humble background in Kansas.

You know who else has origins in Hawaii but comes from a pretty humble background in Kansas?

Dwight_Yeast: Teiritzamna: stoli n coke: Is there a high-profile republican who DIDN'T start their career by running to Daddy?

As a Liberal from Hawaii, I do love me some Inouye, so I know the Senator would like me to point out Bob Dole, who Inouye met in a hospital while both were recovering from their WWII arm injuries and who convinced the Senator to get into politics.

Of course if you were asking were there any presently high profile republicans . . . i got nuthin'

Much as I like the man, it should be pointed out that being a member of the Dole family (who owned large chunks of Hawaii) gave him a leg up in politics.

I don't think Bob Dole is closely related to the Hawaii Doles. He came from a pretty humble background in Kansas.

One of the few greenlights I'm proud to claim. It's even better to see the right wing bed wetters peeing on themselves like a bunch of crybaby biatches and whining how he's not "Hawaiian" or whatever..

And if he's not "Hawaiian" then fark that, he's an American and I'm proud to be from the same country as this man.

It's not just the heroism in wartime that amazes me about men and women like Inouye; it's what they do after the war.

I suspect that he has to fight back fear, anger, flashbacks and all the other detritus of being a combat veteran all the while serving his constituents in a thoughtful and dignified manner.

staplermofo: Like, if a little kid is crying because there's a monster under his bed, you wouldn't say "no there's not, go to sleep", however tempting it might be. You'd say "Aww, I know it's scary in here alone. Let's check for monsters. Nope, no monsters, and clusters of 128 cells aren't people. Let's put your spongebob doll by the foot of the bed to keep look out, and spiderman by the door when I leave. Then tomorrow we can go read up on monsters together, and then we'll discuss the difference between implantation, fertilization and being a farking person."

Yeah, but after a few weeks of that and the kid still not going to bed, eventually you're just going to say "GODDAMMIT, GO TO THE fark TO SLEEP!"

Bloody William: staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

Arguing about how much it matters to them is beside the point. He's not belittling anyone if he really feels this is morally equivalent to mass murder. Nobody ought to feel insulted. It's perfectly reasonable for Kelly to feel angry, frustrated, disgusted, etc. From his point of view, we support killing babies, and we're using his tax money to kill babies, which means in his mind he's indirectly killing babies. Have a little sympathy for the guy, like you would for a vegan who was trying to outlaw killing animals, or a guy who wants to spend 20% of the national budget wrapping the country in foil to prevent aliens from controlling our thoughts.

Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

The people with the greatest convictions of that losing side, following their logic more faithfully than anti-abortion politicians, commit acts of murder and terrorism in the name of saving lives.

If you truly believe abortions represent millions of murders every year, it's morally defensible to shoot doctors who perform abortions and bomb abortion clinics.

We have to draw lines where we stop tolerating the insane bullshiat of people who, if their logic is consistent, believe almost every woman has multiple miscarriages in their lifetimes.

That part is true. The majority of potential pregnancies are terminated naturally by the female body. Usually its very early and is not what people define as a miscarriage but that doesn't change the fact that it occurs. Miscarriage is essentially a fail-safe mechanism that attempts to ensure only zygotes with the best potential for success are developed. If you follow their logic that conception = baby then every women has killed numerous babies in their lifetimes. The biology of it alone makes this thinking ridiculous.

Samus_Araan: "Inouye was promoted to the rank of sergeant within his first year, and he was given the role of platoon leader. He served in Italy in 1944 during the Rome-Arno Campaign before his regiment was transferred to the Vosges Mountains region of France, where he spent two weeks in the battle to relieve the Lost Battalion, a battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment that was surrounded by German forces. He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant for his actions there. At one point while he was leading an attack, a shot struck him in the chest directly above his heart, but the bullet was stopped by the two silver dollars he happened to have stacked in his shirt pocket.[8] He continued to carry the coins throughout the war in his shirt pocket as good luck charms until he lost them shortly before the battle in which he lost his arm.[9]


Inouye as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army
On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy called Colle Musatello. The ridge served as a strongpoint along the strip of German fortifications known as the Gothic Line, which represented the last and most dogged line of German defensive works in Italy. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three German machine guns opened fire from covered positions just 40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up to attack and was shot in the stomach; ignoring his wound, he proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest with hand grenades and fire from his M1 Thompson submachine gun. After being informed of the severity of his wound by his platoon sergeant, he refused treatment and rallied his men for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he also successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood loss.

As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, eventually drawing within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm t ...

A man who volunteered to serve, gets shot in the stomach, and then proceeds to carry out his mission can say anything he pleases.

Carth: We need to start allowing duels again. This petty bickering might slow down if politicians knew they could be called to a duel like the founding fathers intended.

No, it'd just mean that a bunch of guys with a quick draw and a good aim would be in politics. If there's one thing the last twenty years have taught is, it's that the politicians will stretch the letter of the law to the limit. It would be legitimized assassination.

staplermofo: If Kelly thinks that a zygote is fully human, and that intervening to decrease the possibility of that zygote growing further is tantamount to murder, then he's condemning what he believes is the mass murder of babies.
I don't agree that zygotes are fully human, so it's not as morally serious to me. But I would say legalizing mass murder is worse than the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The seriousness of this, to him, matches that.

Arguing about how much it matters to them is beside the point. He's not belittling anyone if he really feels this is morally equivalent to mass murder. Nobody ought to feel insulted. It's perfectly reasonable for Kelly to feel angry, frustrated, disgusted, etc. From his point of view, we support killing babies, and we're using his tax money to kill babies, which means in his mind he's indirectly killing babies. Have a little sympathy for the guy, like you would for a vegan who was trying to outlaw killing animals, or a guy who wants to spend 20% of the national budget wrapping the country in foil to prevent aliens from controlling our thoughts.

Obviously, keep doing what you think is right, but try to be sympathetic to the folks fighting on the losing side of this.

Except that he doesn't. Like the majority of conservatives, he creates a tenuous, disengenuous link and then uses that to justify wild hyperbole in support of his cause.

stoli n coke: I was asking about present high profile republicans. Dole was at least respectable, even if you didn't agree with him.



/childish tittering

SilentStrider: Not that the representative will ever feel any shame bout his words.

In fact, he will probably cry victim and claim that he was verbally assaulted.

dennysgod: Samus_Araan: "Inouye was promoted to the rank of sergeant within his first year, and he was given the role of platoon leader. He served in Italy in 1944 during the Rome-Arno Campaign before his regiment was transferred to the Vosges Mountains region of France, where he spent two weeks in the battle to relieve the Lost Battalion, a battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment that was surrounded by German forces. He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant for his actions there. At one point while he was leading an attack, a shot struck him in the chest directly above his heart, but the bullet was stopped by the two silver dollars he happened to have stacked in his shirt pocket.[8] He continued to carry the coins throughout the war in his shirt pocket as good luck charms until he lost them shortly before the battle in which he lost his arm.[9]


Inouye as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army
On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy called Colle Musatello. The ridge served as a strongpoint along the strip of German fortifications known as the Gothic Line, which represented the last and most dogged line of German defensive works in Italy. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three German machine guns opened fire from covered positions just 40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up to attack and was shot in the stomach; ignoring his wound, he proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest with hand grenades and fire from his M1 Thompson submachine gun. After being informed of the severity of his wound by his platoon sergeant, he refused treatment and rallied his men for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he also successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood loss.

As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, eventually drawing within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and coc ...

Is there a high-profile republican who DIDN'T start their career by running to Daddy?

Not very bootstrappy.

Check out Ken Burn's The War for a comprehensive look at the life of Daniel Inouye. Mike Kelly and the voters who elected him can suck cawks in hell for all I care.

GameSprocket: Screechy: GameSprocket: Brettster808: Daniel Inouye is a Hawaii Senator, not a Hawaiian Senator.

He's not Hawaiian?

He was born in Hawaii, from Japanese parents. He may not be a indigenous Hawaiian, but he's as Hawaiian as I am a Georgian.

Lol. You are just a handle on the Internet. That comment could go either way.


He's as Hawaiian as Obama is.

Yeah, but let me just ask you this: do you think there is ANY chance, any at all, that Kelly would realize that what he said was offensive and retract it and apologize?