Politics Plus

Well today turned out to be one of those days!  Everything was going well . . . physio was good and teaching went well.  Then all hell broke loose.  Loliyo, Lucia's 9 year old daughter had a bedroom door slammed on her thumb.  There was great howling understandably and a fair amount of blood.  We took her to the hospital where they gave her tylenol and x-rayed the thumb.  Fortunately, her thumb was not broken and the doctor didn't think stitches were required.  She has a big blood blister but she is not likely to lose her thumb nail.  After a couple of hours in emergency and making sure Loliyo was OK, I was beat.  A cat nap cut short my online time so there was no Open Thread yesterday.  I am still working on the Monthly Report.

Short Takes

Huffington Post — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was honoured by a southern Alberta First Nation in a ceremony full of colour and history Friday, but aboriginal leaders also challenged him to deliver on his promises to Indigenous Peoples.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau poses after receiving a ceremonial headdress while visiting the Tsuut'ina First Nation near Calgary, Alta., Friday, March 4, 2016. (Photo: Jeff McIntosh/CP)

Trudeau shared the stage on the Tsuu T'ina reserve with chiefs in full feather headdresses, elders in vests or beaded jackets and the First Nation's rodeo stars.

High-pitched chanting and the rhythmic pounding of drums were all part of an elaborate ceremony in which the prime minister was presented with his own headdress and blessed with the aboriginal name "Gumistiyi," which means "The One Who Keeps Trying."

The headdress presented to Trudeau symbolizes accomplishment, respect, bravery and peace-building. The Tsuu T'ina Nation on the outskirts of Calgary said it has not seen fit to bestow one on a prime minister since John Diefenbaker [13th Prime Minister 1957 – 1963].

Here is a 2 minute video of the ceremony and Trudeau's remarks.  The enquiry into the fates of murdered and missing Aboriginal women and girls is in its infancy and encountering some differences of opinion on how it should proceed.  It will get done.  Harper refused to deal with the issue.  It should also be noted that the Tsuu T'ina Nation is close to Harper's riding.

Alternet — In the oral arguments for Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt — the case before the Supreme Court concerning Texas' anti-choice law, HB 2 — Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller relied on a common right-wing media myth to justify medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion. In his argument, Keller made the long-debunked claim — pushed for years by right-wing media — that HB 2 was passed to prevent another "Kermit Gosnell scandal," in which illegal operations led to multiple deaths at a Philadelphia clinic.

Supreme Court Heard Challenge To Texas Law Restricting Abortion Access

"Landmark" Abortion Case "Could Shape Abortion Rules For Years To Come." The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt on March 2. The case involves a Texas abortion law that "requires abortion doctors to be affiliated with nearby hospitals and also limits abortion to ambulatory surgical centers," according to The New York Times. Pro-choice advocates and "major medical groups say [the law] will not enhance patient safety and will only reduce women's access to abortion."

Click through to see how the arguments went.  It is always a good day when the "notorious" RBG, Sotomayor, Kagan and Breyer pin back the ears of someone like Keller.

Raw Story — Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson officially ended his bid for the White House on Friday after failing to win any of the early states in the race for the November election.

And then there were four!  It is now official . . . Carson is out!

Truthout — TransCanada's claim that the southern route of the Keystone XL Pipeline is the safest pipeline ever built in the United States is challenged by the release of new documentation confirming multiple code violations.  …

After mandatory safety tests revealed potential problems with the integrity of the southern pipeline, TransCanada dug up 130 sites and made repairs before the pipeline was permitted to start up.  …

A repaired pipeline segment on the Keystone Gulf Coast pipeline. (Source: PHMSA FOIA 2016-0041_000077)

They requested PHMSA require TransCanada do a new pressure test on the pipeline to test the integrity of the repairs. But PHMSA turned them down at a private meeting held shortly before TransCanada started up the pipeline. 
 
PHSMA explained that it had faith the repairs were done correctly …

So, when there is a catastrophic incident, who pays for cleanup, lost wages, medical bills etc?  Will the BP Gulf spill be a measuring stick for reparations?

My Universe — 

The reason I don't have flowers or plants in my house!

I was out to a meeting at my church for a few hours late this afternoon.  I noticed just how fast the flowers and trees are coming alive, the fruit trees in particular.  At this rate, we'll have cherry and plum trees in blossom by the end of next week.  They are all gorgeous, but I am particularly fond of the deep pink blooms.  Tomorrow is an extra physio session for my foot and then off to teaching.  Lucia starts her new ESL class on Monday so I am going to accompany her so I can tailor our sessions to her class work.  There is always something to do!

Short Takes 

Raw Story — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) broke ranks with his state’s conservative lawmakers on Thursday in speaking out against a proposed “religious freedom” bill,Towleroad reported.

“I think what the New Testament teaches us is that Jesus reached out to those who were considered the outcasts, the ones that did not conform to the religious societies’ view of the world and said to those of belief, ‘This is what I want you to do,'” Deal said after a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Atlanta. “We do not have a belief — in my way of looking at religion — that says we have to discriminate against anybody. If you were to apply those standards to the teaching of Jesus, I don’t think they fit.”

Click through for a video of Deal's remarks.  When I saw yesterday that Deal expected the bill on his desk today, he gave no indication if he was for or against it.  I am pleasantly surprised to hear his decision and his rationale.  Finally, a Republican with his head screwed on straight, well at least on this issue.  Let's hope that the State General Assembly does not have a veto proof bill.

CNN — Mitt Romney has instructed his closest advisers to explore the possibility of stopping Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention, a source close to Romney's inner circle says.

The 2012 GOP nominee's advisers are examining what a fight at the convention might look like and what rules might need revising.

"It sounds like the plan is to lock the convention," said the source.

Romney is focused on suppressing Trump's delegate count to prevent him from accumulating the 1,237 delegates he needs to secure the nomination.

If Rmoney jumps in to the Republican fray, I can see Trump jumping to a third party.  Trump has said he would take all "his people" and leave the Republicans with far fewer voters.  A split vote on the right could make a significant contribution to a Democratic win.  Why buy a ticket to a WWF match when you can sit at home and watch the Republicans on TV eviserating themselves!

Huffington Post — The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Obama administration on Thursday in rebuffing a bid by 20 states to halt an Environmental Protection Agency rule to curb emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from power plants.

The action came about a month after the high court put on hold federal regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions mainly from coal-fired power plants, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's strategy to combat climate change.

Chief Justice John Roberts denied a petition made last week by the states, led by Michigan, to put the rule on hold after a federal appeals court decided in December to leave it intact while the EPA reassessed costs of implementing the regulation.

Could there be hope for a Scalia-less SCOTUS . . . hope that there will be some reasonable decisions without all the Republican drama?  Good move but the issue isn't over as the compliance costs have to be worked out by 15/04/2016.

Foreign Policy — On Thursday, March 3, a statement is being released by a number of Republican foreign-policy hands declaring why we can’t support Donald Trump as our party’s nominee for president. …

Now that Trump holds a strong lead in delegates, an internal debate is roiling the ranks of Republicans who have not supported him, but who recognize the growing likelihood (though not a certainty) that he will become our party’s nominee. …

But whether or not he believes his own words, merely uttering them renders him unfit to be commander in chief. Consider: If Trump does not believe what he says, he is a demagogue and a charlatan, who neither knows nor cares that his reckless rhetoric has already done serious damage to our nation’s international credibility and given succor to our authoritarian adversaries. Whereas if Trump does believe what he says — praising Chinese and Russian and North Korean tyranny, disparaging religious and racial groups, indulging the fever swamps of left-wing conspiracies — then he is not only unqualified to lead the world’s greatest democracy, he would place it in considerable peril.

"roiling the ranks of Republicans" is a rather tepid description of Trump's affect on the Republican Party right now. From Republican politicians like Lindsey Graham refusing to support Trump if he should be the party's nominee, to foreign policy advisers refusing to support him, Trump has put the Republican Party into convulsions from which it may not recover soon enough.

My Universe — 

I am the master of all I survey!

Today was a "me" day.  After physio, I went out for lunch and read my book as I noshed on a turkey sandwich and a green salad.  Then home to do the PP monthly report.  Unfortunately, I am having some technical difficulties which I will try to rectify tomorrow.  I ended up using a Lona cat nap which was refreshing.

Short Takes

Huffington Post — Retired neurosurgeon and bestselling author Ben Carson said in a statement Wednesday he does "not see a political path forward" for his campaign after his poor showing on Super Tuesday.

Carson announced he won't attend the Fox News GOP debate on Thursday in Detroit, and said he would further discuss his political plans at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Friday.

"not see a political path forward" sounds suspiciously like Carson is suspending his campaign, but when asked to clarify, he simply said "We'll see."  I guess we will, just like we will see tomorrow at 11:30 am EST when Mitt Romney is scheduled to give a major speech on the 2016 presidential race.  Will he enter the Republican fray?

Just in, the Associated Press obtained excerpts of Romney's speech.  Read the CBC report.

Alternet — Valentino’s Ghost lays bare the truths behind taboo subjects that are conspicuously avoided, or merely treated as sound bites by the mainstream American media: “Why do they hate us?” “Why do we hate them?” What were the events that led to the 9/11 attacks? What are the politics behind the U.S.-Israeli relationship?  Why is there a robust debate about these subjects in Europe, the Arab World and in Israel itself, but not in the United States? 

At the end of the article is the full 100 minute documentary "Valentino’s Ghost" which I encourage everyone to watch. The articles title tells us much "Valentino's Ghost: Powerful Documentary Explores How US Foreign Policy in the Middle East Drives Islamophobia at Home" as experts "explain how the U.S. media and govt are the source of fear and loathing of Arabs, Muslims and Islam."

Raw Story — Former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel said on Wednesday that his Fox News counterpart Bill O’Reilly has undermined journalists’ ability to interview Donald Trump.  …

You have changed the television landscape over the past 20 years — you took it from being objective and dull to subjective and entertaining. And in this current climate, it doesn’t matter what the interviewer asks him; Mr. Trump is gonna say whatever he wants to say, as outrageous as it may be.”

The real estate mogul’s audience, Koppel added, was not even a television audience, but one better suited for Twitter.

“They deal in messages of 140 characters or less, which keeps it nice and simple,” he explained.

Good on Ted Koppel for nailing O'Lielly!

Daily Beast — The intellectual leader of the tea party movement in the Senate is secretly holding up a bill to help the residents of Flint, Michigan, who have been poisoned by their own water supply.  … 

Lee [Republican, Utah] doesn’t like that the proposal is not being put through the ordinary and time-consuming gamut of Senate procedures known as ‘regular order’; has objections on how money from the stimulus is being repurposed for water infrastructure; and is concerned about the federal government getting involved in what he views as a local issue.

Lee, an intellectual?  So this is how Republicans look after American citizens in crisis through no fault of their own. What a putz!

My Universe — 

I'm in training!  I must improve my time before the Olympic trials!

Whoa! Aliens! I'm outa here!