Sam Brownback, a desperate and failing governor, turns to homophobia

[Seedersandleechers]

By now, just about every living creature in America has heard about the latest political firestorm out of Kansas.

Gov. Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican, issued an executive order rescinding protections for state workers who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Brownback is all but proclaiming that LGBT people should have fewer rights. The order lifts protections against firing, discriminating against or harassing a state worker for being anything but straight. Under Brownback's administration, that person now has no right to file a complaint as a member of a legally protected class of people.

Comedian Jon Stewart seized on the governor’s order and, making the obligatory connection between Kansas and "The Wizard of Oz," quipped that there’s "no place like homophobia." Meanwhile, on Twitter the hashtag #Brownbackwards quickly began trending. The governor should not have been surprised about the response.

One would think that Brownback had enough on his plate without inviting more controversy. Kansas is in fiscal turmoil, reeling in the face of a projected $600 million budget deficit next year. A major reason for this pickle is the massive tax cuts Brownback and his party enacted. Kansans have not warmly appreciated the $28 million in cuts to elementary and secondary schools the governor’s office announced earlier in the month. Rural and suburban school districts are testily fighting for their piece of the shrinking pie as Kansas’ public school funding formula must be rewritten following a state supreme court ruling.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/mary-sanchez/article10038470.html#storylink=cpy

[Behind the Aegis]

1. This will likely trend in some places.

The conservatives see the writing on the wall in regards to marriage equality, so they will attack us any which way they can.

[merrily]

3. They raise money for themselves that way, so they'll likely continue even after

marriage equality wins everywhere. People are still raising money (and votes) off overturning Roe v Wade.

[merrily]

2. With Colbert off the air, it fell to Jon Stewart to ask us to google Brownbacking, much

as Colbert once told us to google frothy substance Santorum.

[COLGATE4]

4. Rude Pundit has some fairly 'interesting'

definitions of "Brownbacking" in one of his latest columns.

[Rozlee]

6. Yep, you know your campaign is starting to get results when you google 'brownback' and

the third entry is from the Urban Dictionary describing a gross sex act. I'm going to keep google-bombing 'brownback' and 'feces' to see if we can all help push it to first place.

[malthaussen]

5. If memory serves, Brownback won re-election last year

So that "desperate and failing" does not compute.

-- Mal

[blkmusclmachine]

7. Governor Brownback is a Christian Reconstructionist/Christian dominionist.

Just like Governors Perry, Jindal, Palin, Bush, Bush, Bush, Walker, Scott, ...

[undeterred]

8. there’s "no place like homophobia"

[oldandhappy]

9. Brownbackistan

Nothing like more rules to save your crashing state.