Sen. Buzz Thomas Steps Up and Defends Triangle

Is there something in the water in the Senate chamber this week? First, Anti-Gay Superfriend Sen. Alan Cropsey moved to approve Garnet Lewis’s appointment to the Board of Trustees at Northern Michigan University. Then Gretchen Whitmer donned a leather jacket and unloaded on the Senate Republican leadership for their unwillingness to tighten their belt in these tough times, chastising them for taking a vacation without first doing something to help balance the state budget. Now Alan Cropsey opened his mouth and promptly got told by Sen. Buzz Thomas.

Earlier this week the Senate was debating various amendments defining and restricting ways Michigan’s share of the stimulus funds could be spent, and an amendment was offered forbidding the funds from being used for political organizing. Sen. Cropsey took it upon himself to rail against the dangers of ACORN and the Triangle Foundation, “extreme liberal organizations” that “subvert our election process and subvert our way of life here.”

Cropsey’s remarks:

I agree wholeheartedly with the previous Senator from the 20th District. One of the things for which I have had a major concern is if this stimulus package goes through, was to make sure that it really goes to people who are really in need or that it stimulates the economy. There was an amendment that was put on that said that this was not supposed to be used for political organizing. There is also a good amendment on transparency on this. Now, if for some reason the administration seems to funnel money to ACORN or to the Triangle Foundation or any one of the other extreme liberal organizations that I believe are trying to, in many cases, subvert our election process and subvert our way of life here, it should come to this body’s attention. It should come to the attention to the people of the state of Michigan.

Sen. Buzz Thomas wasn’t about to let that one go. In what’s become a fine tradition of Democratic Senators rockin’ the lectern, Buzz Thomas stood up and told Cropsey to kindly STFU.

A short summary of Thomas’s remarks: Earlier this week Sen. Cropsey (shocker!) referred to the Triangle Foundation as a radical, extreme organization. Darn right they’re extremist…if your definition of extremism includes such radical things as equal justice and equal treatment under the law. Triangle works for such extreme, radical things as…keeping kids safe with anti-bullying legislation. The Triangle Foundation is an awesome organization and an asset to Michigan, and the remarks made about them are an insult and a disgrace, so kindly STFU.

OK, Sen. Thomas is a gentleman and a scholar, so he didn’t really tell anyone to STFU, but he might as well have. Let’s go to the videotape: