I’m writing early for day 19, and last night the temperature in my apartment dropped only to 86° and remains at 90°. ARGH!! Therefore, this is my only article again.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:45 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: THE Supreme Court’s momentous decisions last week on affirmative action, voting rights and same-sex marriage overshadowed a disturbing trend: in the final two weeks of its term, the court ruled in favor of big business and closed the courthouse doors to employees, consumers and small businesses seeking remedy for serious injuries.
A majority of the justices seem to believe that it is too easy to sue corporations, so they narrowly construed federal laws to limit such suits. These decisions lack the emotional resonance of the cases involving race and sexuality, but they could have a devastating effect on people who have been wronged by companies.
The three cases involved many different areas of law but shared much in common. The five most conservatives justices — Samuel A. Alito Jr., Anthony M. Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. — were in the majority in all cases. All strongly favored big business.
No surprises here. SCROTUS Represents the Republic an Party. The Republican Party represents the 1%. Click through for the details.
From Think Progress: Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi rejected the military’s ultimatum on Monday that he acquiesce to some of the protesters’ demands within 48 hours or “have the army impose its own road map for the country.”
Egypt’s foreign minister also reportedly quit Morsi’s government on Tuesday and Reuters reports that Morsi looks “increasingly isolated, with ministers resigning, the liberal opposition refusing to talk to him and the armed forces, backed by millions of protesters in the street, giving him until Wednesday to agree to share power.”
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Rachel summed it up perfectly. Stay tuned.
From Robert Reich: …The modern GOP is based on an unlikely coalition of wealthy business executives, small business owners, and struggling whites. Its durability depends on the latter two categories believing that the economic stresses they’ve experienced for decades have a lot to do with the government taking their money and giving it to the poor, who are disproportionately black and Latino.
The real reason small business owners and struggling whites haven’t done better is the same most of the rest of America hasn’t done better: Although the output of Americans has continued to rise, almost all the gains have gone to the very top.
Government is implicated, but not in the way wealthy Republicans want the other members of their coalition to believe. Laws that the GOP itself championed (too often with the complicity of some Democrats) have trammeled unions, invited outsourcing abroad, slashed taxes on the rich, encouraged takeovers, allowed monopolization, reduced the real median wage, and deregulated Wall Street.
Robert Reich is spot on. I think some small business owners are starting to catch on, but not the KKK and InsaniTEA sets.
Cartoon:
Well we know for damn sure he was not a Republican!
21 Responses to “Open Thread–7/3/2013”
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I have just about given up trying to talk sense to Republicans/Tea Partiers….. we might as well sing songs to a dead pig.
Hope some cooler weather comes your way, Tom!
Thanks Arielle.
Dead pigs would be far more attentive and appreciative.
Not to mention singing is more fun than talking.
Indeed. In the 1960s, music was an integral part of demonstrating. It unifies.
3:21 giddyup horseys.
4:18 It's too hot for my horsie today.
3:57 Too hot and humid for this old horse!
2nd, but Critter Crunched!
If I recall correctly, you live out west, don't you Tom? I have never understood why people out west don't have AC. I know the temps drop a lot at night, but the daytime heat is unbelievable and this year is the worst. We had to postpone our trip to the 4 corners area this summer because of temps in the 130's. That's outrageous heat.
Oregon is naturally air conditioned, but we do have the occasional brief heatwave. Unfortunately, Tom's abode can't be AC'd because of crappy wiring. I really do think there ought to be a law requiring the minimum necessary wiring standards to support renter-owned AC.
The upside is that the temps will drop tomorrow to give Tom some relief.
Marva, if they did not give this building a pass on code, the cost of renovation be too great and it would be torn down, making dozens more poor people homeless.
Marva gave you the right info, Angie, except for one thing. The brickwork of my building absorbs the heat and continues to radiate tghe heat inword for two extra days..
Poor Tom! I can't stand the heat, although a certain amount of sweating is really good for us.
Well, for now, being around me requires a nose clip. 😉
Puzzle — 3:57 Too hot and humid for this old horse!
NY Times — SCROTUS (Suprme Court Republicanus of the US) really needs a judicial makeover! It is one thing to be conservative. It is quite another to be partisan to the point of making laws ineffective, null and void.
Think Progress — Other than saying wait and see, I am glad that the Egyptian people are engaged in determining their own future.
Robert Reich — This one paragraph spoke so clearly to me about the Republican/Teabagger modus operandi and their lies.
It truely amazes me that people can't or won't see what is going on around them.
Cartoon — So Republican/Teabaggers are trying to go back to the mid 1700's not just 150 years!
Even in this poor rural area where I live, people believe what the GOP is touting. McConnell is all ready running visious ads against the woman who has decided to try for the Dem. nomination to run against him.
I hear you!
That's why no Republican can be allowed to infest the White House.
Thank God for Egypt's military!
Your amazement stems from the meeting of apathy and ignorance.
Further if they can.
Sorry about all the mispelling in the above.
I am the King of Typo!!
TC. I hope you get some relief soon!
Thanks Edie!