Glenn Kirschner – The Supreme Court makes America a less decent place
The Lincoln Project – Trump Knew
MSNBC – Lawrence reads the filing of the evidence DOJ has against Trump
Armageddon Update – I’m The King Of The World!
Little Pittie Gets Adopted By A Girl Who Has The Same “Paw”
Beau – Let’s talk about Trump’s queen Rudy….
Yesterday, the radio opera was “Nixon in China” by John Adams.I’ve heard and/or seen it several times, although always in the same production (original cast). This production was from the Bastille Opera in Paris, and a totally different cast, including Renee Fleming and a baritone, Thomas Hampson, equally well known among opera lovers, but I think not so much outside opera. During the week, the opera came into my mind from time to time, and it occurred to me that we tend to put plays and operas into the pigeonholes of comedy, drama (tragedy), and history, as Shakespeare’s plays are categorized. One would naturally call this one a history, but, although it’s all three to some extent, I suspect eventually it will come to be seen as a comedy. The only character who is not mocked (and mocked in the most effective way – through his or her own words and actions) is Zhou Enlai. Kissinger in particular is pilloried in the second half through the mechanism of Madame Mao putting on a ballet and casting the villain as a dancer who looks like him (played by the same singer who sings the “real” Kissinger.) But there’s comedy all through, some gentle, some less so. In the meeting with Mao, Zhou, Nixon and Kissinger, three of them are attempting actual diplomacy, but Mao is telling philosophical jokes, causing Nixon and Kissinger in particular to become very confused (this, by the way, is how the real life meeting actually went, as a former aide of Nixon’s has confirmed. But it’s a hoot.) Pat is shown getting so:into: the ballet I mentioned that she leaves her seat to offer aid to the suffering heroine, which is sweet, but also humorous. And the foxtrot called “The Chairman Dances,” which was cut from the opera but has become an often-played concert piece, would have been a monumental joke in that context. Of course, it’s only been 51 years since the actual events happened, and many of us remember them as serious historical events. But within another fifty years, I suspect it will be perceived as a comedy – or at the very least as historical comedy.
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Crooks and Liars – TX Gov. Greg Abbott Signs ‘Death Star’ Bill Overriding Local Laws
Quote – These are among dozens of local policies that could be targeted by a sweeping new Texas law that limits the power of cities to make their own rules. The unprecedented legislation, which was signed by Governor Greg Abbott, prohibits cities from enforcing or creating regulations that are stronger than the state’s in broad policy areas including labor, finance, agriculture, occupations, property and natural resources.
Click through. I am not trying to beat up on Texas here. There doesn’t need to be any more od that. I just want to note howlike the SCOTUS this is – bigots at the top requiring people under them to perform acts of cruelty. This whole mindset just has to go.
I don’t have a link for these few paragraphs from The New Yorker. They appeared in an email which did link to four articles on the subject. But I wanted to share this general overview instead, so, figuring emails are fair game, here it is:
Wielding a version of the controversial “major questions doctrine,” which it has used to neuter the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal bodies, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court tossed out the Biden Administration’s student-loan forgiveness plan today. In a decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court ruled that the Administration exceeded its authority in introducing the $430 billion program under a post-9/11 law that granted the Secretary of Education the power to modify student-loan programs during a national emergency.
The ruling raises many legal, financial, and political questions. Most immediately, it means that millions of Americans, many of them on low or modest incomes, who were expecting to get their student loans partially or wholly wiped out may now have to repay them in full. And the ruling comes just weeks before the pandemic-related pause in student-loan payments is due to come to an end, on September 1st.
While some conservatives may celebrate the sight of the Supreme Court swinging its wrecking ball at another Democratic program, today’s ruling does nothing to resolve the underlying affordability problem that gave rise to the Biden initiative—indeed, it only makes it starker. With tuition costs rising inexorably, the loan-based American system of financing higher education is broken. By pushing the burden of rising costs onto private borrowers, the system “regularly offers loans to students knowing full well that they will never be able to repay those loans, at institutions and programs where students rarely complete a degree; at low-quality institutions, online programs, or certain degrees that provide little value in the job market and no boost to earnings,” Adam Looney, a professor of finance at the University of Utah, noted in congressional testimony earlier this year. A similarly perverse logic also applies, Looney noted, “at élite master’s and professional-degree programs, where the quality of education is strong but where the tuition charged is simply too high.”
Fixing these problems would require concerted action over a long period from the executive branch, Congress, states, and educational institutions. Of course, this isn’t likely to happen. After today’s decision, the problem will just get worse.
Food For Thought
Yesterday, three more terrible decisons from the Supreme Court. I hope to heaven this is it for the current year. Yesterday was also the last day of the month, so my inbox was crammed with fundraising emails. Living on Social Security, I’m limited – but it’s clear we need bigger Congressional majorities in both Houses, and also that we need to be able to keep them there. Money alone will not accomplish that – but it also cannot be accomplished without money. ALso yesterday I received an email from Carrie B., whom I expect Care2 people will remember. I won’t go into detail, byt she ans Barry are both experiencing uncomfortable and somewhat disabling health issues. Thoughts and prayers may not stop gun violence, but I’m sure Carrie and Barry would appreciate them anyway.
Cartoon – 01 gettys (&/or Canada Day)
Happy Canada Day
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Colorado Public Radio – [Jefferson County] DA says Edgewater Police Department had culture of retaliation and “bending the rules”
Quote – Jefferson County’s lead prosecutor has asked for state help investigating the Edgewater Police Department after discovering five years of misconduct and incidents where officers violated the constitutional rights of citizens. In a letter sent to Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office this week, Jefferson County District Attorney Alexis King said that in an investigation into a former Edgewater police officer, who faces several felony charges, [she] unearthed a larger picture of problems at the agency between 2016 and 2021. That includes an internal culture “fraught with bullying, retaliation and bending the rules,” King said, in a statement.
Click through for story. I am so grateful to our state’s voters that we currently have an AG who can be trusted with this investigation. We haven’t always.
Civil Discourse – History Rhymes Again.
Quote – In a 1978 case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the Supreme Court held that college admissions policies that considered race as one of several factors in determining admissions—what we know as affirmative action—were permissible. The justices rejected the argument that these policies violated the constitutional rights of white people and denied them equal educational opportunity. The Supreme Court reaffirmed this precedent in 2003 in Grutter v. Bollinger. Affirmative action is not about unfair advantage. It is about leveling the playing field in the face of historical discrimination.
Click through for article. I would disagree slightly – affirmative action IS about unfair advantage, just not about giving it to minorities. It’a about compensating for the unfair advantage whites have had since white skin existed.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Trump NOW claims he LIED about having classified document. Here’s why the “bravado” dog won’t hunt
Thom Hartmann – Right Wing Billionaires Are Slapping SCOTUS in Golden Handcuffs – No Shades of Grey Here..
MSNBC – Neal Katyal’s ‘unforgettable’ argument prevails in SCOTUS case crucial to democracy
Parody Project – Sixteen Tums
Twitter – Flying Squirrel fakes own death, creates crime scene
This flying squirrel faked his own death, and created a whole crime scene…for attention. I think I’m in love. pic.twitter.com/SZfrtNlDI0
— Sarah Bee🐝 (@BirrelleBee) June 3, 2023
Beau – Let’s talk about Putin, Pulp Fiction, and pieces of information….
Yesterday, the Supreme Court handed down a decision in Counterman v. Colorado – known as “the stalking case” here – which I find upsetting, to say the least. It was not decided along party lines – far from it – so one would presume actual thought went into the decision. But I can’t help but wonder how it would have been decided had the victim been male. On the other hand, SCOTUS also decided Moore v. Harper by rejecting the “Independent State Legislature Theory,” which would have been far more damaging – could have spelled the end of democracy. In personal news, I got an email from my utility company that my rates are going down. Not a whole lot – but any at all is jaw-dropping.
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The New Yorker – After Affirmative Action Ends
Quote – We have some legal clues from which to piece together what may happen next…. A preview of what such lawsuits will look like came in a recent case about Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (T.J.), a selective magnet school in Fairfax County, Virginia, that is often described as one of the top high schools in the U.S. In 2020, during the national racial reckoning that followed the murder of George Floyd, the Fairfax County school board, frustrated with T.J.’s lack of diversity, considered a number of proposals to change its admissions, in order to increase the enrollment of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups. The board thus resolved to alter T.J.’s racial composition…. The board ultimately decided to eliminate standardized tests and mandated that each public middle school in four Virginia counties and the city of Falls Church would be entitled to send a set percentage of its students to T.J…. The new admissions process was race-neutral in that an applicant’s race was not considered, and, in fact, evaluators were not provided any applicant’s name, race, ethnicity, or sex.
Click through for more. The problem is, whether we are talking about education or government contracts or corporate hiring or almost anything else, any program that works is going to be sued by some B-list or C-list white person with an inflated ego and a victim complex, and we will be at the mercy of the courts.
Robert Reich – Putin, Trump, and the privatization of tyranny
Quote – Why did Putin authorize Prigozhin to lead a private army to attack Ukraine outside the Russian military chain of command in the first place? Presumably because Putin didn’t trust Russian generals to do the job. And he didn’t want to risk that the generals might turn on him…. Throughout history, tyrannical rulers have created their own private operations outside normal chains of command, run by people like Prigozhin, who are personally loyal. This give tyrants flexibility to do what they want without bureaucratic opposition. It protects them against revolt by their subordinates in the chain of command. And it gives them deniability when operations go badly.
Click through for full case. (As always, click “continue reading” on the pop-up.) Heaven only knows what’s going on in Russia – but it’s interesting to realize that it isn’t just good government which is destroyed by privatization. Bad government can also be – ultimately – destroyed by it.
Food For Thought
Yesterday, being Friday, was the day the Conversation published its weekly quiz (I got 6/8). One wrong answer had me literally laughing out loud, though. The question was “What do we call city regions, with few trees and lots of blacktop, that are prone to extreme heat disasters?” (The correct answer was “Urban heat islands.”) The wrong answer which cracked me up was “Fresno.”
Cartoon – 24 Roe 6-24 RTL
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Child Watch Column – Listening Again to Loving
Quote – Mr. Loving may not have known how the state would treat legal interracial marriages that had been performed elsewhere, but five weeks after their wedding they received a very literal rude awakening: acting on a “tip,” sheriff’s deputies surrounded their bed with flashlights at two in the morning demanding to know why they were there together. Their reply that they were husband and wife made no difference. The Lovings were arrested, and Mr. Loving was held in jail overnight while the pregnant Mrs. Loving was forced to stay for several days. Both were charged with violating Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act. Under a plea bargain, in order to avoid a year-long jail sentence they were forced to leave the state and were prohibited from returning together for 25 years. They settled in Washington, D.C., but missed the small town where they had spent their entire lives. These were the conditions that led the Lovings, inspired by the growing Civil Rights Movement, to reach out to Attorney General Robert Kennedy asking for change.
Click through for history. The Supreme Court could take us back to those days, with no recourse but a Constitutional Amendment or reframing the Court itself.
Colorado Public Radio – Jeffco joins Pride month with special marriage certificates
Quote – Every June, many of Colorado’s biggest cities host huge Pride parades, parties and drag shows to celebrate the LGBTQ community. Now some county clerks are joining the party. The new Jefferson county clerk, Democrat Amanda Gonzalez, has created a distinctive rainbow seal for people who want the specialty marriage certificate. “Equality and inclusion is really important in my office,” she said. “And being potentially the first queer clerk here, it’s especially important to me to protect the right for everybody to marry who you love no matter who you are.”
Click through for details. What a difference between this take and the previous one. (JeffCo is in the SW quadrant of the Denver Metro area.)
The Daily Beast – ‘Good for Nobody’: The Biden Cabinet Pick Who Can’t Even Get a Vote
Quote – “I can’t predict what other people will do,” [Sen. Tim] Kaine [(D-VA)] continued. “But I do know this: Keeping it just hanging out there is good for nobody—not for the country, not for her.” At least three senators have refused to publicly say how they’ll vote: Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV). With Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and dozens of GOP senators vocally opposing Su, GOP moderates like Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have stayed mum on their positions, making clear that Democratic votes will make or break the nomination.
Click through for article. I note that the three holdouts are the usual suspects. Manchin is not going to survive reelection with Jim Justice voting against him. Sinema is being opposed by Ruben Gallego. If Tester loses, it will be to a Republican. Not that they are all up at once – I don’t thnk they are – but it does point up how badly we need real Democratic Senators in other states if we want to be able to keep our democracy.
Food For Thought
Yesterday, I learned about the House voting to censure Adam Schiff for telling the truth. It probably came in the previous night, butit would have been after 10 pm my time, in one of the Substack newsletters. Ten pm is when I check for spam and close my email, even if i’m up later than that. I am actually less angry at the Republicans in the House than I am at the morons who sent them there. Adam’s full speech (a tad over 6 minutes is at his own website and also on YouTube, and one of my Substack sources provided a partial (but substantial) transcript:
“To my Republican colleagues who introduced this resolution, I thank you. You honor me with your enmity. You flatter me with this falsehood. You who are the authors of the big lie about the last election condemn the truth tellers and I stand proudly before you. Your words tell me that I have been affective in the defense of our democracy, and I am grateful.
“Speaker McCarthy would spend the nation’s time on petty political payback, thinking the censure or fine will force Trump’s opposition into submission. But I will not yield. Not one inch. The cost of the Speaker’s delinquency is high, but the cost to Congress of this frivolous and yet dangerous resolution may be even higher as it represents another serious abuse of power.
“I say this to Speaker McCarthy and others who wish to gratify Donald Trump with this act of subservience, try as you might to expel me from Congress or silence me with a $16 million fine, you will not succeed you might as well make it $160 million. The Speaker will never deter me from doing my duty no matter how many false justifications or slanders you level against me. You indict yourselves.
“Why were you silent, afraid, and unwilling to do your ethical, constitutional duty? Why did you cower? And why do you still? Will it be said of you that you lacked the courage to stand up to the most immoral, unlawful, and unethical president in history but consoled yourselves by attacking those who did?
“Today I wear this partisan vote as a badge of honor knowing that I have lived my oath, knowing that I have done my duty to hold a dangerous and out-of-control president accountable and knowing that I would do so again in a heartbeat if the circumstances should ever require it. I thank you, and I yield back.”
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Politico – The sleeper legal strategy that could topple abortion bans
Quote – Revs. Jan Barnes and Krista Taves have logged hundreds of hours standing outside abortion clinics across Missouri and Illinois, going back to the mid-1980s. But unlike other clergy members around the country, they never pleaded with patients to turn back. The sight of the two women in clerical collars holding up messages of love and support for people terminating a pregnancy “so infuriated the anti-abortion protesters that they would heap abuse on us and it drew the abuse away from the women,” recalled Taves, a minister at Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood, Missouri, as she sat on a couch at Barnes’ stately church in this quiet suburb of St. Louis.
Click through for details. It seems to me fairly self-evident. MAGA “Christians” could use a mandatory “refresher” course in what religious freedom actually is.
Wonkette – Sam Alito Is Just Humble Fisherman Drinking $1,000 Bottles Of Wine Served By Billionaires
Quote – [Alito:] I stayed for three nights in a modest one-room unit at the King Salmon Lodge, which was a comfortable but rustic facility. As I recall, the meals were homestyle fare. I cannot recall whether the group at the lodge, about 20 people, was served wine, but if there was wine it was certainly not wine that costs $1,000. [Wonkette:] Okay, a) how would Alito know what the wine cost if he wasn’t, as reported by ProPublica, paying for his stay, and b) Sam Alito knows what a $1,000 bottle of wine tastes like, and it does not taste like whatever swill he does not recall drinking in Alaska.
Click through. I figured if anyone could manage to put a more colorful spin on this story, it would be Womkette. They did not let me down.
Food For Thought
Yesterday, I got to see Virgil, and passed on to him all greetings, all of which he returns. He did say that being with me was the best Fathers Day gift he could have received. We got in four games of Scrabble (using all letters, not scoring) although the fourth one by the end of it we were ignoring a bunch of rules. We finished it 3 minutes before visitation ended. The weather was about perfect both ways – warm (but the air conditioner was working) and just enough cloud cover to minimize glare.
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Today’s Edition Newsletter (Robert Hubbell) – A tactical retreat by the Supreme Court?
Quote – A string of surprising Supreme Court decisions has caused some people (i.e., me) to wonder if the Court’s conservative majority is engaged in a tactical retreat to prevent further damage to the Court’s legitimacy…. If that interpretation is correct—even in part—it should spur us to greater efforts to reform and enlarge the Court. Why? Because the reactionary majority may have changed course because it believed that the calls for reform are likely to succeed. If so, the worst thing we could do is to relent merely because the Court followed precedent in a handful of cases—something it should do in all cases.
Click trough for article. Emphasis is the author’s, but if he hadn’t, I would have.
The Daily Beast – Jack Smith Should Have Waited a Week to Indict Donald Trump
Quote – [O]n Thursday—one week after Trump was charged in Florida—the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the decision in Smith v. United States, a case that decided whether the wrong choice of venue in a criminal case would not only be reversible error but also irreparable error—meaning that the case could not be re-tried in the correct venue. In many ways, this decision is no surprise because, as the unanimous Supreme Court opinion stated, there is no reason to treat a mistake in venue any differently than any other violation of Constitutional rights—meaning it can be remedied. Per the Smith decision, a case that resulted in conviction but was brought in the wrong venue would have to be re-tried in the right place.
Click through for opinion. All that waiting would have accomplished (assuming the charges had then been filed in DC) the only result would have been delay. The document charges would still have had to be filed in South Florida eventually. But this decision does open up some possibiities. (Emphasis mine.)
Food For Thought
