Job Killing N. Carolina Bathroom Law staying, Gov. McCrory trashes business.

We know how fast Republicans can react to business demands:

Fast Reaction #1: Gov. Scott Walker and the GOP-controlled Legislature approved a measure aimed at retroactively shielding paint makers from liability after a billionaire owner of a lead producer contributed $750,000 to a political group that provided crucial support to Walker and Republicans in recall elections,

Fast Reaction #2: A $700,000 donation from mining firm Gogebic Taconite to Wisconsin Club for Growth ... After that contribution, the GOP-controlled Legislature and Walker approved legislation aimed at streamlining regulations for an iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin.

Of course it was just a wild coincidence. Scott Walker had nothing to do kissing corporate ass.

The same can't be said of  N. Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who thinks it's not his fault for the NCAA dropping 7 games for their dumb ass bathroom law. Hell, they were warned over and over...:

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory fired back at the NCAA on Tuesday, calling the organization's decision to relocate seven championship events scheduled in North Carolina "political retaliation" 

"The issue of redefining gender and basic norms of privacy will be resolved in the near future in the United States for not only North Carolina, but the entire nation. I strongly encourage all public and private institutions to both respect and allow our nation's judicial system to proceed without economic threats or political retaliation toward the 22 states that are currently challenging government overreach.

Sadly, the NCAA, a multibillion-dollar, tax-exempt monopoly, failed to show this respect at the expense of our student athletes and hard-working men and women."

NCAA President Mark Emmert said earlier on Tuesday that it was a "no-brainer" to move the sporting events, a decision the group's board of governors attributed to "the cumulative actions taken by the state concerning civil rights protections." The NCAA is the second major sports association to pull events from the Tar Heel State this year.

In July, the NBA announced it would move the 2017 NBA All-Star Game because of the law, backed by Republicans, saying it conflicted with the league's values of "diversity, inclusion, fairness, and respect."iness clashes with hardcore GOP ideology

Transgender Bathroom policy violates religious freedom? "I think (God) wrote in my heart that I shouldn't go into a woman's restroom..." - Republican Rep. Tom Larson.

Not another one. This time the Walker administration's "follow-the-leader" time consuming right wing socialist agenda includes another taxpayer supported frivolous lawsuit against Obama; transgender bathroom policy. 

Scott Walker is now making the crazy claim that the Department of Education’s Title IX law is some kind of "executive order," in conflict with our 1st Amendment religious freedoms. Hey, it's all there in the Bible. As for AG Brad Schimel...has there ever been more clueless political ass kissing operative? JS

"President Obama's attempts to rewrite the laws of our country without congressional consent and approval are not going to be tolerated by the State of Wisconsin."  

Kind of makes you wonder why Walker and so many other Republicans ran for president if they were just waiting to take orders from Congress. I can't remember Walker ever asking "hey congress, tell me what to do." Just the opposite. Walker hysterically bragged he wanted to personally "wreak havoc" as president. I still can't get over how cluelessly dumb it was to use that term.

Getting back to Schimel...  

State Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) blasted the action, "The Department of Justice has really become this right-wing law firm that brings these lawsuits. I'm alarmed by it. ... This is political litigation. This is not about lowering crime or making the public safer." 

It's obvious Walker and Schimel are shamelessly exploiting two of the most obvious ploys used to successfully manipulate the base; executive order overreach and our religious freedoms. Yet neither seems to apply here. WPR came up with this Schimel audio clip highlighting his "legal opinion" about our nations biblical, constitutionally protected bathroom laws:

Schimel: "Some in our nations leadership, place a higher priority on so-called rights to use whatever bathroom one feels most comfortable with, than they do on basic religious freedoms."

Walker and Schimel's shameless pandering to religious right populism, got this response by scary Republican State Rep. Tom Larson:

"Mr. Obama has done more to destroy the Christian foundation of this country than anyone I know," Larson wrote in a letter to the editor Wednesday. "Although (the president) claims to be a Christian, such assertions are implausible since his actions consistently oppose Biblical beliefs and principles" 

It's true, God and Jesus both felt strongly about principled and traditional bathroom use, as written somewhere in the Bible...or is it written in our hearts...

... Larson feels strongly that the traditional approach to bathrooms guards against immorality. "I think (God) wrote in my heart that I shouldn't go into a women's restroom because I'd be tempted to be a pervert," Larson said.

As for our incidental governor, who is again being forced to to decide because it's just not on his radar (except for that law lawsuit thing):

The governor has expressed openness to Wisconsin limiting the bathroom options for transgender students but has stopped short of saying he would sign such a bill. 

Who knows where Walker will come down on this issue? 

Big Government Walker to Protect Wisconsin with Nanny State Transgender Bathroom Law.

Funny thing, at the same time Scott Walker accused Obama and the Justice Department of transgender bathroom overreach by the federal government...he and Rep. Jesse Kremer want a statewide law usurping local control to create their own policy?

Republican state lawmaker Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) plans on renewing his push this year for a "bathroom bill" in Wisconsin similar to the one in North Carolina, which would limit people to entering bathrooms that match their birth sex. "Progressive activists have finally blatantly, and unintentionally, unveiled their real war on women." Kremer and Sen. Steve Nass said the measure was needed to protect all students' privacy and safety and reinforce “the societal norms in our schools.”

Nationally, the Republican talking points network spread the precisely worded response. It included "local" and "that's what school boards are for." Scott Walker memorized every word, despite saying something completely different last year. Today...:

"The bottom line is issues like that need to be addressed at the local level. That's what we elect school boards for. It's not an issue the federal government should be involved in, nor should the state. It should really be left up to the local districts."

Or does Walker mean this, from last October:

“I think it’s important to have some clarity about that and I know school districts around the state have just begun to deal with that,” Walker said of the issue. “I understand at least one school district has looked at a separate bathroom and I think that makes some sense but I think with respect to all the other students there’s got to be some clarity.”

Will the "incidental" governor sign Kremer's bill into law because, well it's there in front of him? Anything is better than Obama's overreach, right?

Turning the majority political party into a rightwing socialist sledgehammer is just one goal. Kremer's bill would not just target transgender Wisconsinites, it would also turn liberal supporters into intolerant bigots: 

"In an attempt to appease a few individuals, these (liberal) extremists have overplayed their hand and we, as citizens, must stand up to their intolerance and bigotry," wrote Kremer.

Right wing lawsuit mills, with bizarre spin filled names that typically mean just the opposite of their chosen special interest, like the “Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty,” pick and choose who’s “liberty” to defend. Suddenly, enlightened social changes threaten the “long-standing practice” of discrimination:

The conservative public interest law firm, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, criticized the mandate as an "abrupt change in long-standing practice" and an unconstitutional overreach by the Obama administration.

Who could have foreseen the “party of small government” requiring a birth certificate to go to the restroom, the ultimate in nanny state social engineering.

Adding insult to injury, Republicans continue to use the most conservative courts to peel back progress. The Justice Department’s lawsuits over N. Carolina’s law requiring people to use public restrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificate is now a battle they really want to fight?

"This is a question for the legislature or for the courts interpreting existing law and constitutional provisions," said Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel. "It is not a question to be resolved by a bureaucratic command backed up by the blackmail of withholding federal funding."

Is he describing withholding food stamps and unemployment unless a drug test is given? Just wondering.

Here's what the administration wants from our public schools:

The Obama administration directed schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity ... states that Title IX protects students from discrimination based on their gender identity. The Justice Department on Monday sued North Carolina over a bathroom access law that it said violates the rights of transgender people, a measure that Lynch likened to policies of racial segregation and efforts to deny gay couples the right to marry.

Threatened by Lawsuit, Florida Christian group takes control of Mt. Horeb school.

You’ve heard it before; Republican Governors say they want to replace Common Core with a unique statewide educational policy. Local, local, local!!!

Except when they don’t. Are ready for another right wing lie?

What does a supposed Wisconsin "centered" curriculum really looks like under conservative authority rule:

WSJ: A 6-year-old student went to school at Mount Horeb Primary Center with a new public identity. It was her first day introducing herself to classmates as the girl her mother says “she really is.” In an effort to support the student’s transition from male to female, and to help her young classmates understand, the school had planned to read and discuss the book “I Am Jazz,” the true story of Jazz Jennings, a transgender girl who stars in a TLC reality show named after the book.

But the reading didn’t happen after the Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based religious conservative organization, threatened to sue the school district for teaching the book and overstepping parental rights.

Florida!!!? This is an early warning shot that can't be ignored. The threat of a simple lawsuit is powerful, and could bankrupt or severely limit local school districts. Think about it, outside groups from anywhere in the country can call the shots. And they can do this over any issue they don't support.

Same goes for Local Transgender Restroom policies: While districts were developing their own plans, with local input, the national right wing opposition to transgender restrooms prompted state Republicans to create a “separate but equal” policy, bestowing second class status to kids seeking support. Do we really want another battle against the supposed "gay agenda?"   

That’s why this is so dangerous. It nurtures fear and distrust in future adults, a core right wing value:

Parent Amy Lyle said that the Primary Center’s initial decision to read the book excited her and her husband because it showed that the schools were looking to shed some light on a subject that is becoming more open in our society. 

“We firmly believe that education and information creates informed and compassionate children who turn into compassionate and respectful adults. It’s our obligation to provide the information. Families can have their own discussions outside the school, but the information should be provided. I don’t know if there is a more important lesson to be taught in our schools (than inclusion).”