One Congressional Hero Votes Against Plaque Honoring Slaves
Ron Paul gets shit for being the sole "no" vote on most popular, entirely symbolic bills, so when we read that there was one vote against a plaque honoring slaves at the Capitol, we thought we knew who was responsible.
Yesterday, the House voted on a bill that would put "a plaque acknowledging the role of slave labor in the construction of the Capitol" in the new Capitol Visitors Center. The vote was 399-1 for. Oh, silly Ron Paul, we thought, you don't even think the Federal Government has the jurisdiction to erect plaques on its own buildings, or something, based on your generally logically consistent (with certain glaring exceptions) but entirely nutty philosophy of government.
But hey, look at this. Ron Paul voted for the plaque, honoring the slaves! Which means some other asshole didn't!
And that asshole is Rep. Steve King, Republican of Iowa. He is a fairly standard-issue House conservative, which means is a fucking loon. He called Joe McCarthy "a hero for America," said terrorists would "dance in the streets" when Obama was elected, claimed DC was more dangerous than Iraq, and called the abuses at Abu Ghraib "hazing." But, still, being the sole vote against a kind gesture to long-dead slaves is a little much, even for this prick!