Our guest columnist is Karen Handel, who until this morning was the senior vice president for public policy for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

February 7, 2012

The Honorable Nancy Brinker
CEO, Susan G. Komen for the Cure
5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250
Dallas, Texas 75244

Dear Ambassador Brinker:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been the recognized leader for more 30 years in the fight against breast cancer here in the US – and increasingly around the world.

As you know, I have always kept Komen’s mission and the women we serve as my highest priority – as they have been for the entire organization, the Komen Affiliates, our many supporters and donors, and the entire community of breast cancer survivors. I have carried out my responsibilities faithfully and in line with the Board’s objectives and the direction provided by you and Liz.

We can all agree that this is a challenging and deeply unsettling situation for all involved in the fight against breast cancer. However, Komen’s decision to change its granting strategy and exit the controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood and its grants was fully vetted by every appropriate level within the organization. At the November Board meeting, the Board received a detailed review of the new model and related criteria. As you will recall, the Board specifically discussed various issues, including the need to protect our mission by ensuring we were not distracted or negatively affected by any other organization’s real or perceived challenges. No objections were made to moving forward.

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A countdown of sorts… cue up the rending of garments and freak outs.  (Linques will be added as they arise)

The 9th Circuit is ruling in Perry v. Brown on three things:

(1) Was it proper for District Judge Vaughn Walker to not recuse himself from the case because he is gay?

(2) If the answer to #1 is yes, do the proponents of the ballot measure have standing in federal court to appeal the decision since the Governator and Moonbeam won’t defend it?

(3) If the answer to #2 is yes, does Prop. 8 violate the 14th Amendment due process and equal protection rights of gays?

My prediction after the jump.

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Our guest columnist is His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, who issued the following “pastoral letter” on January 26, to be read at military Sunday Masses. After the Army chief of chaplains refused to allow the letter to be read from the pulpit, the Archbishop complained to Army Secretary John McHugh, who consented to the letter but suggested that the “unjust law” line be removed.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

It is imperative that I call to your attention an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people — the Catholic population — and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful. It is a blow to a freedom that you have fought to defend and for which you have seen your buddies fall in battle.

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[Twitter]

We may not have the Stanford band to entertain us, but the Series of Tubes are busy today, first off with this Romney Family photo making the rounds.

Okay, okay, it’s a fake:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxw4uZAezaI

Pete Hoekstra, last seen generating His Own Private Meme a few years back, is now running for Senate in Michigan, and spent $75,000 yesterday on a Very Special Local Super Bowl Ad:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PE5V4Uzobc

Being an Alien Spy, we skipped the Super Bowl as usual, in favor of administering anal probes to Republican presidential candidates. (Our report to our superiors indicates that this method is losing its effectiveness, seeing as they all seem to enjoy it, especially Newt.) But judging from our Twitter feed, the highlight of the presentation was this automobile commercial shilled by America’s Second-Greatest Chimpanzee Co-Star.

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