Remember the wack job in Nebraska?

[Archae]

This woman?

According to The Huffington Post, her family has stated the woman is schizophrenic, and in an assisted-living center.

[Scuba]

1. I hope she gets the help she so obviously needs.

[Archae]

5. She is.

Unfortunately, not all the symptoms of schizophrenia can be negated.

Here in Sheboygan we have a schizo nicknamed "Crazy Jack" who's homeless, he's been in the local mental illness ward more times than I can count, but he refuses to get the help he needs.
You see, those trying to help him are part of the "conspiracy to send him to a concentration camp."

It's sad when someone gets that ill, and there just isn't any way to really help them.

There was an episode of "Law And Order" that dealt with this issue too, a guy who was schizo would smoke crack and go off his nut, attacking people.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

2. Whats the matter with you?

Now that you know she has a mental illness you still refer to her as a "wack job"? When did this progressive website become so hateful towards the mentally handicapped?

[gateley]

4. It was a good reference tag -- we all knew who the OP was referring to.

I think the rest of the post indicates the OP does NOT consider her a whack job, and is actually showing some compassion.

What's the matter with YOU? Do you always assume the worst about people?

[ForgoTheConsequence]

7. I'm not assuming anything.

Its in the title for everyone to see. If it was put in quotes or explained in the post it would have been perceived differently. The way it was posted it was name calling, nothing less. Don't defend bullying, its indefensible.

[gateley]

23. I don't see the bullying -- why do you? Maybe you're too judgmental?

Now you accuse the OP of bullying -- when again, I see the post as an explanation and the subject line merely a reference point. I generally give people the benefit of the doubt. Try it sometime.

[Archae]

8. Exactly.

She comes across at first like a typical Teabagger wack job, but in her case it's just symptoms of her schizophrenia.

[mazzarro]

14. WTF - she is metally ill but lucid enough to regurgitate most of the TeaBagger talking points

She may be ill but she has enough awareness to only direct her venom at democrats only. Give me a break! That liberal softheartedness towards the sick is, IMO, not to be lavished on her in this case.

[LeftyMom]

3. Somebody has a blog with scans of articles she writes and tacks up.

http://crazyblueprotestinglady.blogspot.com/

[CanonRay]

6. She had me fooled...she sounded like a normal Republican.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. And there's the problem.

So much of what passes for "normal" GOP positions these days is barely distinguishable from the effects of schizophrenia. Consider some of the stuff coming out of the mouths of Michele Bachmann and some of the other duly-elected members of Congress - it's hardly less mad than the ravings of this unfortunate soul. At what point do extreme political positions cross over the line into lunacy?

[onethatcares]

9. that guy in the background

needs a bottle of lemon juice or he's going to explode.

[Brother Buzz]

11. Every community has at least one

Some communities have actually voted them into office.

[Warpy]

12. I'm not surprised, there was a lot of word salad in there

plus some pretty serious flight of ideas.

If she weren't politically wacky, she'd be talking only about gods and angels and demons.

Clearly, that assisted living center needs to think a little more carefully about the trash on their TV that their residents are exposed to.

I do love that someone who has a clear mental health problem sounds just like the people who wander around us thinking they're sane and we're the crazy ones.

[Tx4obama]

13. Here's a link to an article with quotes from her family, below

Here: http://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/video-of-testifier-s-anti-gay-words-goes-viral-but/article_82ec7104-4062-5988-8e56-8effde1ff202.html

[backscatter712]

15. I feel bad for this woman.

Though it's telling that the GOP's stances on LGBT issues sound like the ramblings of a mentally ill person...

[SpartanDem]

16. I just hope the nut isn't registred to vote.

[Ian David]

17. Why is it so hard to tell the difference between religious people and crazy people? n/t

[struggle4progress]

18. Video of testifier's anti-gay words goes viral, but there's more to the story

By JORDAN PASCALE / Lincoln Journal Star
Posted: Saturday, May 12, 2012 9:00 am

... Svoboda lives at an assisted-living facility in Lincoln and is listed as a protected person, according to court documents. Her brother, Patrick Svoboda of Ogallala, is her conservator because she is incompetent, the documents say.

He was unaware of the video's popularity, but wasn't surprised -- he knew it would be a matter of time before she got in trouble somewhere.

He said he's disappointed the video garnered such attention and jokes without the whole story.

"To me, it shows how little society really cares about people with mental health issues," Patrick Svoboda said. "She does have a very tender heart ... but anything she says is certifiably schizophrenic ... she's not some crazy conservative" ...

http://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/video-of-testifier-s-anti-gay-words-goes-viral-but/article_82ec7104-4062-5988-8e56-8effde1ff202.html#ixzz1uiNoFunP

[Archae]

19. "She also is a registered lobbyist."

From the article you posted.

Lobbyist for what?

[struggle4progress]

20. Here's the applicable law:

Nebraska Revised Statute 49-1433
Lobbying shall mean the practice of promoting or opposing for another person, as defined in section 49-1438, the introduction or enactment of legislation or resolutions before the Legislature or the committees or the members thereof, and shall also include the practice of promoting or opposing executive approval of legislation or resolutions.
http://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=49-1433

Nebraska Revised Statute 49-1434
(1) Principal means a person who authorizes a lobbyist to lobby in behalf of that principal.
(2) Lobbyist means a person who is authorized to lobby on behalf of a principal and includes an officer, agent, attorney, or employee of the principal whose regular duties include lobbying.
(3) Principal or lobbyist does not include:
(a) A public official or employee of a branch of state government, except the University of Nebraska, or an elected official of a political subdivision who is acting in the course or scope of his or her office or employment;
(b) Any publisher, owner, or working member of the press, radio, or television while disseminating news or editorial comment to the general public in the ordinary course of business;
(c) An employee of a principal or lobbyist whose duties are confined to typing, filing, and other types of clerical office work;
(d) Any person who limits his or her activities (i) to appearances before legislative committees and who so advises the committee at the time of his or her appearance whom he or she represents or that he or she appears at the invitation of a named member of the Legislature or at the direction of the Governor or (ii) to writing letters or furnishing written material to individual members of the Legislature or to the committees thereof;
(e) Any individual who does not engage in lobbying for another person as defined in section 49-1438; or
(f) An employee of a political subdivision whose regular employment duties do not ordinarily include lobbying activities as long as such employee is not additionally compensated for such lobbying activities, other than his or her regular salary, and is not reimbursed for any lobbying expenditures except his or her travel, lodging, and meal expenses and the meal expenses for members of the Legislature.
http://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=49-1434

I doubt if she's lobbying "on behalf of" anyone in the legal sense, and I would be doubly surprised if she was actually compensated to lobby "on behalf of" someone. I'd guess she has interpreted the notion, of lobbying "on behalf of" someone, in her own idiosyncratic way and therefore concluded she needed to file as an uncompensated lobbyist (at a cost of $15/year or so)

[TexasProgresive]

21. Any reason you didn't post this in the video forum? n/t

[Electric Monk]

22. Perhaps because it's already there?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101727850

[TexasProgresive]

24. I like the video forum

because I'm on dial up and can just not bother with videos, but lately more and more videos are showing up in GD which waste my time.