{"id":23719,"date":"2016-09-01T13:27:50","date_gmt":"2016-09-01T20:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=23719"},"modified":"2016-09-01T13:27:50","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T20:27:50","slug":"open-thread-912016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/09\/01\/open-thread-912016\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread – 9\/1\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spent the morning collecting the data and preparing the graphics for tomorrow’s Monthly Report.  That part actually takes considerably more time than writing the article.  I’m feeling quite tired, as I’ve been unable to nap.  When the weather started to cool, the city began a street repair project right below me.  For the last four days the noise has been deafening almost continuously from sunup to sundown.  Often there have been multiple jackhammers going at once.  ARGH!<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today’s took me 3:10 (average 4:55).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>Donald Trump\u2019s immigration speech on Wednesday night was described here as<\/a> \u201cfascism in it\u2019s [sic<\/em>] purest, most vile form, slathered in an unbroken stream of lies,\u201d while most in the media tip-toed around, trying to explain it all away. So, who was praising the speech?  <\/p>\n

There was the former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan:<\/p>\n

A noted white supremacist and the founder of American Renaissance: <\/p>\n

The editors of the white supremacist website VDARE:<\/p>\n

In addition, Trump lied about his conversation with Pe\u00f1a Nieto. The Mexican President told him that he would not pay for Trump’s wall!<\/font><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>A deadlocked Supreme Court<\/a> on Wednesday refused to revive parts of a restrictive North Carolina voting law that a federal appeals court had struck down<\/a> as an unconstitutional effort to \u201ctarget African Americans with almost surgical precision.\u201d<\/p>\n

The court was divided 4 to 4, with the court\u2019s more conservative members voting to revive parts of the law. The court\u2019s brief order included no reasoning.<\/p>\n

North Carolina\u2019s law, which imposed an array of voting restrictions, including new voter identification requirements, was enacted by the state\u2019s Republican-controlled legislature in 2013. It was part of a wave of voting restrictions enacted after a 5-to-4 Supreme Court decision that effectively struck down<\/a> a central part of the federal Voting Rights Act, weakening federal oversight of voting rights.<\/p>\n

Challenges to the laws have met with considerable success in recent months, and Wednesday\u2019s development suggested that the current eight-member Supreme Court is not likely to undo those victories.<\/p>\n

We so need to dump Reichsfuhrer Roberts, Scalito, TEAbag Thomas, and Ku Klux Kennedy, all of whom voted against the Constructional right to vote.<\/font><\/p>\n

From The Rachel Maddow Show<\/a>: <\/font>Trump anti-immigrant speech follows dark pattern of US history<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rachel Maddow shows how throughout American history, when normal politics breaks down, fringe voices gain prominence scapegoating immigrant groups. Duration: 16:12 <\/p>\n