War On Women? Really?

May 16, 2012 - Here is a powerful new video by none other than the Small Business Association (SBA), posted to YouTube on May 16, 2012.

The description posted on YouTube:

If it feels like 1984 in real life, it should. The threats to our religious liberty and conscience rights are very real.  The question that needs to be asked of this president is "who decides"? Time and time again, President Obama has affirmed that it is the government who decides -- government who decides what women want and think. 

John Edwards, Democrat

Monika Lewinsky, Woman

President Obama and his allies in Congress and the abortion lobby must stop the "War on Women" who don't agree with them!

It's President Obama's job to protect the freedom of all women and men to practice their beliefs. Yet, an all-out assault has been launched by this administration on people of faith and conscience. Our rights are at stake and we must do something to stop it now. We must expose him! Learn more at www.respectmyvoice.com

Of course, the Republican Party is not waging "war" on women. The notion itself is ludicrous, and a group of Republican members of Congress said so publicy this week.

"Democrats’ attempt to paint themselves as defenders of women," reported NewsMax today, "and Republicans as insensitive to female concerns has no basis in reality, 14 GOP congresswomen write on Politico."

The charge that the GOP is waging a "war on women," opined a reader in in a letter to The Washington Times today, "highlights just how contemptuous the political left is of voter intellect. Only someone with an IQ three points above a rock or a Democratic Party ideologue would believe Republicans are actually conducting any sort of war on women’s rights."

Poll: Who Won the Dec. 15 Republican Debate in Iowa?

Vote now (poll is below) to let us know who you think won the Republican debate in Sioux City, Iowa. It was the last major debate to happen before the Iowa caucus, less than three weeks away.

What's a caucus?"The caucus process has been used since Iowa became a state in the 1840s, but Iowa's First in the Nation status did not gain its current political and media prominence until the 1970s. Caucus meetings for both political parties are held every other year. Prior to 1972, Iowa's caucuses were held during the middle of the primary calendar." More about the Iowa caucus at IowaGOP.org...

I Poo'd In Space: BLR's New Parody of Rick Perry's "Strong" Video - Plus More!

The comedic geniuses at Bad Lip Reading (BLR) have done it again. Known for their hilarious, nonsensical vocal dubs over candidates' real videos, they've taken Texas Governor Rick Perry's "Strong" campaign video and made it even funnier than the original.

The original (left) is also known as his "war on religion" video. Many see the video as an attack on gays in the military. Others like it for advocating that children be allowed to pray in public schools. Watch the parody and the original below. BLR's parody is below. It is not the only parody of the "Strong" video, however....

Bad Lip Reading: Rick Perry's "Strong" ad - watch more funny videos

The Perry "Strong" video caused such a controversy that it naturally also inspired many parodies. I'd say that BLR's is the best, but there are some other goods ones too.

My only criteria for "good," in this case, is that makes me laugh and it doesn't attack Perry viciously. BLR is good at poking fun at politicians without turning it into a personal attack. In fact, they keep their parodies non-political, which makes them appealing to everyone.

Some say that Perry's campaign ad went too far in the way he dissed gays in the military. Other people say he seems overly concerned about prayer in school. Time will tell whether the ad is a political smart one. How voters react to it is yet to be fully understood. Whether or not this video works for Perry's campaign, one thing is for certain: Rick Perry has made a valuable contribution to the realm of Internet humor videos.

Here's one, above, that meets my criteria: Perry's words are repeated in a stereotypical gay man's voice. For more parodies of Rick Perry's video, just go to YouTube and search for "rick perry strong." While you're there, check out BLR's own YouTube channel.

Related articles

• The Best Rick Perry 'Strong' Parodies (huffingtonpost.com)
• Perry's new ad goes viral, sparks parodies (news.com.au)
• Rick Perry's Anti-Gay Iowa Ad Divides His Top Staff (Sam Stein/The Huffington Post) (memeorandum.com)

Peraica Takes off the Gloves (Video, Part 2)

Part 2 of my six-part series, "A Conversation With Tony Peraica." On May 29, I interviewed Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica in his law office on Chicago's south side. The result was 63 minutes' worth of incredible video. In Part 1, he shared family stories, memories of his youth, and more. This installment, Part 2, is very different from the first. Here, Peraica takes the gloves off when speaking about fellow Cook County commissioners and other politicians and calls the Democrat nomination of Todd Stroger "fixed." He describes fellow commissioners Forrest Claypool and Larry Suffredin as hypocrites. Oh, there's more, and you can see the full video below. (See all six videos in the series.) Comments and Guestbook Visit Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Hey! ChiNewsBench is on Twitter