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I guess that I don't see how a beautiful Asian woman is a threatening visual image that will stir up racism and xenophobia." I would think that a gruff looking man fits that image much better. My own guess is that this just shows that how effective Hoekstra's campaign has been. From the Washington Post:

The portrayal of a young Asian woman speaking broken English in a Super Bowl ad being run by U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra against Michigan incumbent Debbie Stabenow is bringing charges of racial insensitivity.

GOP consultant Nick De Leeuw flat-out scolded the Holland Republican for the ad.

“Stabenow has got to go. But shame on Pete Hoekstra for that appalling new advertisement,” De Leeuw wrote on his Facebook page Sunday morning. “Racism and xenophobia aren’t any way to get things done.”

The nonpartisan Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote group’s Michigan chapter said it was “deeply disappointed” by the ad, noting that the Asian-American community is a major contributor to Michigan’s economy. In 2010, Michigan’s 236,490 Asian-Americans made up 2.4 percent of the state’s population, up 35 percent from 2000. . . . .

Today, the state House Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 1523 with a NRA-backed amendment by a 19 to 4 vote.  HB 1523 will now go to the full House for second consideration as early as this Wednesday.   Anti-gun amendments could still be filed to this bill while it is on second consideration, so it is imperative to call your state Representative TODAY and urge him or her to support HB 1523 and OPPOSE any House floor amendments to it.  This much-needed pro-gun bill would make critical changes to enhance Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption law.  

Today, the state House Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 1523 with a NRA-backed amendment by a 19 to 4 vote.  HB 1523 will now go to the full House for second consideration as early as this Wednesday.   Anti-gun amendments could still be filed to this bill while it is on second consideration, so it is imperative to call your state Representative TODAY and urge him or her to support HB 1523 and OPPOSE any House floor amendments to it.  This much-needed pro-gun bill would make critical changes to enhance Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption law.  

Tomorrow, the state Joint Committee on the Judiciary is scheduled to hear important self-defense legislation at 1:00 p.m. in room B-1 of the State House.  Senate Bill 661, Castle Doctrine legislation introduced by state Senator Stephen Brewer, would provide essential protections for law-abiding citizens who defend themselves and their families from a criminal looking to do them harm. 

Tomorrow, the state Joint Committee on the Judiciary is scheduled to hear important self-defense legislation at 1:00 p.m. in room B-1 of the State House.  Senate Bill 661, Castle Doctrine legislation introduced by state Senator Stephen Brewer, would provide essential protections for law-abiding citizens who defend themselves and their families from a criminal looking to do them harm. 

Here is how the NEA grades congressmen.

The partisan divide plaguing Washington is evident in the National Education Association’s recently released Legislative Report Card for the first session of the 112th Congress (2011). The annual report card measures members’ of Congress overall support for public education and educators, with each member receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F.

In 2011, only 57 Congressional Republicans earned passing NEA grades, while 143 did so in 2005. “Unfortunately, these ratings confirm that Congress is increasingly divided. We all have a responsibility to help our students succeed—especially our elected leaders,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.

The grades of more moderate Democrats and Republicans rebounded from 2009-2010 lows as a result of bipartisan opposition to attacks on worker’s rights and support for education programs such as Title 1 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee also worked in bipartisan fashion to adopt some needed improvements to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

“We have to work together to ensure adequate and equal funding for all public schools so that all students have the opportunity to succeed in school and in life,” said Van Roekel. “These men and women hold much of the future of our students in their hands and we need to know if our member of Congress supports public education and workers’ rights.”

NEA graded members of Congress based on selected votes in 2011. . . .

Today, the Virginia Senate passed Senate Bill 323 by a 21 to 19 vote.  SB 323 would repeal the archaic prohibition of purchasing more than one handgun per month.  The House of Delegates passed House Bill 940, its companion to SB 323, by a 66 to 32 vote last week.  Since Governor Bob McDonnell has publicly committed to sign this legislation into law if passed by the Virginia General Assembly, the state Senate was the major hurdle in this fight for the restoration of your rights in the Commonwealth. 

Today, the Virginia Senate passed Senate Bill 323 by a 21 to 19 vote.  SB 323 would repeal the archaic prohibition of purchasing more than one handgun per month.  The House of Delegates passed House Bill 940, its companion to SB 323, by a 66 to 32 vote last week.  Since Governor Bob McDonnell has publicly committed to sign this legislation into law if passed by the Virginia General Assembly, the state Senate was the major hurdle in this fight for the restoration of your rights in the Commonwealth. 

Senate Bill 26, sponsored by state Senator Bill Payne (R-Albuquerque), received a “do pass” recommendation in the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Saturday afternoon with only one dissenting vote.  This measure now moves to the Senate floor for consideration.  Please call your state Senator and urge him or her to support SB 26!  Contact information for your state Senator can be found here.

Senate Bill 26, sponsored by state Senator Bill Payne (R-Albuquerque), received a “do pass” recommendation in the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Saturday afternoon with only one dissenting vote.  This measure now moves to the Senate floor for consideration.  Please call your state Senator and urge him or her to support SB 26!  Contact information for your state Senator can be found here.

I don't really understand the constitutional objections over privacy to drug testing. Someone doesn't have to take government money, but if they do there can easily be certain requirements, including a drug test. From Fox News:

After a federal judge blocked a much broader drug-test rule in Florida, Pennsylvania is taking a more careful approach. Instead of mandating drug tests for all welfare recipients, Pennsylvania plans to randomly test only those with a felony drug conviction within the past five years and those on probation for such offenses.
Officials are taking it slow. A pilot program has started in Pennsylvania's Schuylkill County, which could pave the way for a statewide program this summer if it proves cost effective.
State Sen. David Argall said in a statement last month that the program is "overdue," as officials try to cut costs in the state's most expensive division -- the Department of Public Welfare.
"This initiative seeks to stop the abuse within our welfare system," he said, adding that government benefits should only go to those "who genuinely deserve state assistance." . . . .

I can understand laws against texting while driving, but state governments can pass these as well as the federal government. It was amusing to see all Democrats attacking a national reciprocity law for concealed carry as impinging on state rights have no problem with regulating driving laws across states. The new Senate legislation is discussed here.

It is nice to see that the wealthy inside the Democratic party can't be trusted either. From Fox Nation:

Class warfare erupted in a House Democratic Caucus meeting Tuesday, as Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s personal fortune was thrown in her face by a junior colleague angry about a proposal to freeze the pay of members of Congress.

Rep. Laura Richardson attacked Pelosi for endorsing the GOP-written pay freeze during a Tuesday caucus discussion of a possible Democratic amendment to the payroll tax cut, according to several sources who were in the room at the time. Both women are California Democrats.

The sources disagreed on the exact wording of the unusually direct shot at the party leader, but Richardson’s sentiment was clear: Pelosi, who is worth at least $40 million, doesn’t need the money as much as some of her colleagues, and she should have consulted with them before deciding to protect the GOP-written pay freeze. . . .

87-year-old Jack Goodwin was listening to a Lakers game on the radio in his home in Los Angeles, Calif. when he heard a suspicious noise. Goodwin retrieved a 9mm handgun he keeps by the bed, went to investigate and found a pair burglars attempting to break in. After the criminals smashed a window, Goodwin fired, striking one and causing both to flee. The wounded burglar did not get far; police found him in Goodwin’s backyard. The intruders picked the wrong house, as Goodwin is a World War II veteran who served on Okinawa.  When interviewed by local media, Goodwin’s daughter Vernita described him as a “true soldier,” but hoped he would move out of the city. Goodwin has other ideas, stating, “I’m going to stay as long as I want to… When I leave it won’t be because they ran me away.”

Gun rights advocates are poised to win a marquee victory in the Virginia General Assembly, perhaps as early as today, with the potential repeal of the state's one handgun a month limit. Overturning Virginia's two decade old restriction on pistol purchases has long been a high priority of gun enthusiasts, and the repeal effort has grabbed the spotlight in an Assembly session widely seen as the most gun friendly in years.

The committee meets at 2 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix. The hearing is open to the public and anyone may register to speak for or against the bills. The four bills do a variety of things.

Hearings are coming up in the legislature this week on three gun related bills including one to bar holders of concealed handgun licenses from being armed on college campuses. Sen. Ginny Burdick, D Portland, offered two bills to nullify last year's appeals court ruling -- won on behalf of a young Lebanon man who was expelled from Western Oregon University -- that struck down the Oregon University System rule against anyone, including CHL holders, carrying guns on campus.

The Republican lawmaker who presides over the state Assembly said Friday he's been carrying a concealed weapon during floor sessions. Speaker Pro Tem Bill Kramer of Waukesha controls the chamber during debate. He presides over the chamber's procedures, is responsible for upholding decorum and can order spectators out of the chamber if he so chooses.

A group of Central Illinois lawmakers is calling for a bipartisan coalition of downstate legislators to unite in support of job creation and in opposition to gun control laws, state Rep. Chapin Rose said at a Thursday news conference in Decatur. State Reps. Adam Brown of Decatur and Bill Mitchell of Forsyth joined the Mahomet Republican near the Law Enforcement Center on Franklin Street to discuss the coalition and recent legislation they said "bans hunting" in Illinois. Rose cited House Bills 1294, 1599 and 1855. According to versions of the bills posted on the General Assembly's website, they ban the manufacture, sale or transportation of weapons that include semiautomatic firearms that accept a detachable magazine. It also bans possessing attachments such as pistol grips, thumb hole stocks or muzzle shrouds.