Right Wing Nation

I haven’t given out the rubber nose in some time, and there are some serious contenders here — and they’re both Republicans. They both got way too much of the st00pid, so without further introduction, here are our winners.

First up is an Indiana Republican (well, he’s from Crown Point, and the close proximity to Chicago explains part of the st00pid, but by no means all), Tony Zirkle (and make sure you go look at the photo, because this is so st00pid, you might think it’s a spoof). I’ve bolded the st00pidest of the st00pid.

U.S. Congressional candidate Tony Zirkle is facing criticism from one of his primary opponents, and a host of people on the Internet, for speaking at an event over the weekend that celebrated Adolf Hitler’s birthday.

Zirkle confirmed to The News-Dispatch on Monday he spoke Sunday in Chicago at a meeting of the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party, whose symbol is a swastika.

When asked if he was a Nazi or sympathized with Nazis or white supremacists, Zirkle replied he didn’t know enough about the group to either favor it or oppose it.

“This is just a great opportunity for me to witness,” he said, referring to his message and his Christian belief.

He also told WIMS radio in Michigan City that he didn’t believe the event he attended included people necessarily of the Nazi mindset, pointing out the name isn’t Nazi, but Nationalist Socialist Workers Party.

The Crown Point Republican spoke in front of about 56 “white activists” at an event honoring the birth of Hitler. The German leader was responsible for the genocide of millions of Jews and others during World War II.

Zirkle said the group asked him to speak to discuss the effect of pornography and prostitution on young, white women and girls.

Zirkle is running against Republican Luke Puckett of Goshen and Joseph Roush of Plymouth in the May primary. He lost twice before in primaries to former U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola and has made doing away with pornography and prostitution his top campaign plank.

What is there to say? Is he really so ignorant that he doesn’t know who Hitler was, or can’t connect the swastika armbands with Nazis? Is that even possible?

And I bolded his platform issues because it brings us to our other Clown Award winner (take a bow!), Rep. Paul Broun, who has introduced a bill:

“Allowing sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes, feeding a base addiction, eroding the family as the primary building block of society, and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad,” Broun said.

And what is this “pornography” this bozo’s bill addresses? Playboy and Penthouse.

Andrew Stuttaford and K-Lo are arguing back and forth about this on the Corner. Here’s what I sent them:

First, being “degrading” or “dehumanizing,” both wholly subjective, and not capable of being objectively classified, is a great criterion for banning something in a tyranny, but not in the United States. Sorry, but as horrified by the nanny state as I am, I’m getting really sick of daddy state supporters. These are not children. They’re adults. It makes no difference how “degrading” or “dehumanizing” one may believe the sales of Playboys is; in a free country, adults are free to purchase. That’s what makes it a free country. But the really fundamental problem with bot the nanny and daddy state is that there are no adults, only children who are told what they can and cannot do, because they are not allowed to make up their own minds. Sorry, K-Lo, but no, I have zero interest in living in that country, no matter how well the intentions of the daddy state may be.

But more to the point, nobody has brought up one important issue here.

Priorities.

Like 90% of the people in the US, this politician has absolutely no sense of proportion or priorities. These men and women are deployed, and are regularly under fire. That — their lives, that is — is top priority. Whether they are, in some ethereal way being subjected to second-hand degredation or dehumanization from Playboy is, well, utterly trivial by comparison.

It’s a big wordy, considering that “Wotta maroon!” would have sufficed.

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