I’m writing for tomorrow, day 58. I spent most of the day collecting the data for our Monthly Report, which I planned to write. Then I remembered that today The Oregon Ducks were playing the Florida State Seminoles in the BCS semifinals, and I decided to take the rest of the day off. Therefore, this is tomorrow’s only article, but I’m pleased to announce that the Ducks, who so many experts said are not strong enough to compete with a physical team like the Seminoles, clobbered them 59 – 20. 🙂
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:49 (average 5:09). To do it, click here. Hoe did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: Nearly 20 months after Maryland abolished capital punishment, Gov. Martin O’Malley said Wednesday that he would empty the state’s death row by commuting the sentences of four inmates who were awaiting execution.
What I thought was the sound of the wind, here in Oregon, was the howling of Maryland Republicans mourning their inability to murder the last four.
From Huffington Post: At least six people have been jailed in Texas over the past two years for owing money on payday loans, according to a damning new analysis of public court records.
The economic advocacy group Texas Appleseed found that more than 1,500 debtors have been hit with criminal charges in the state — even though Texas enacted a law in 2012 explicitly prohibiting lenders from using criminal charges to collect debts.
According to Appleseed’s review, 1,576 criminal complaints were issued against debtors in eight Texas counties between 2012 and 2014. These complaints were often filed by courts with minimal review and based solely on the payday lender’s word and frequently flimsy evidence.
Leave it to Texas Republicans to assist 1% predators to illegally deprive victims of freedom.
From Slate: The Supreme Court adds more sectarian religion to our lives.
In Town of Greece v. Galloway, the Supreme Court’s five conservatives ruled that legislative sessions in town council meetings can open with explicitly sectarian prayers. Almost immediately, town boards began inviting Christians to speak at their meetings while excluding speakers of minority faiths (and, naturally, atheists). In short order the Galloway majority’s gauzy vision of pluralistic civic tolerance began to look a lot more like a governmental endorsement of Christianity at the expense of minority religions. Increasingly, to the conservatives of the Roberts court, “religious liberty” means the freedom of religious majorities to push their religious beliefs on the rest of us.
This is just what Slate considers the least horrid of the ten worst Republican civil liberties violations of 2014. Click through for the other nine.
Cartoon:
18 Responses to “Open Thread–1/2/2015”
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NY Times – thank goodness.
Huff Post – how on earth can they get away with this – is Texas really going it alone and seceding from the Union? How can they break their own laws so flagrantly – and so often?!! These prosecutors should be prosecuted themselves – and be up before their Bar Association.
Pat, I apologize in advance. Congrats!
While reading the SLATE article on the ten worst Republican civil liberties violations of 2014, I ran across this article.
First, remember Bob "Ultrasound" McDonnell, former Governor of North Carolina now being sentenced to prison on public corruption charges. McDonnell had previously signed a controversial mandatory ultrasound bill into law.
DEC. 22 2014 3:11 PM
Recent News of the "Ultrasound Bill" in North Carolina: A Conservative Judge Annihilates North Carolina's Ultrasound Requirement
North Carolina’s Outrageous Abortion Requirement Is Struck Down
A conservative judge sticks up for medical ethics and the First Amendment.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2014/12/north_carolina_abortion_ultrasound_decision_quotes_from_judge_wilkinson.html
One tiny nit to pick: Bob McDonnell is the former governor of Virginia.
You are right to "tiny nit to pick"… lol. I stand corrected. Do wonder if the ruling would apply to Virgina's Ultrasound Bill.
Thank goodness for that. NC women need all the help they can get.
The Ducks made Florida State look like a bunch of high school players. Florida State made themselves look like a bunch of crybabies.
Yep, the Ducks pulled the curtains back on the FSU team of smoke and mirrors.
The unsportsmanship on both sides was inapprtopriate. From Oregon, it was around three guys. From FSU it was 70% of the team.
6:27 average 5:09. It was nice of JigZone to celebrate Oregon's victory with their choice of picture, even if it was very difficult.
NY Times – And he's not all that bloody Liberal, especially on climate. I suppose that's why it took 20 months.
HuffPo – Now this is a good example of how Republicans, so many of them, can be just vindictive. No matter how much you believe debts should be repaid (I have heard the "you signed an agreement" trope a lot), it has to be obvious that being locked up will not help you pay if you can't, nor will it deter anyone else who does not have a pot to – well, you know. I am in fact surprised Texas managed to pass such a law, but not a bit surprised it is being ignored. Do you suppose the law had to keep such a low profile to get passed that most Republicans do not know it exisis?
Slate – They missed Congress' sneaking into the appropriations bill the giveaway of a big chunk of Arizona (which belongs to Native Americans) to a foreign government. Welcome back to the 19th century. Their number 4 refers back to the Texas story above – regardless what the law says, law enforcement will do what it wants, amd later findings that beatings, tear gas, and the like were not constitutional will not remove the detrimental physical and mental effects of having been subjected to them. No apology will do that.
Cartoon – I did read about the victory; I get breaking news updates from a couple of papers whether I care or not. Speaking of which, do you suppose disappointment in Andrew hastened Mario's death? That was my first thought.
3:34 An appropriate puzzle for the Oregon Ducks' victory yesterday.
4:00 I decided to duck and cover.
Will Critter cruinch my precious lunch, or will the Sasquatch foot-flatten it?
NY Times: I wish all states would abolish capital punishment.
Huffington Post: Those prosecutors in Texas can just say they didn't know about the new law and get away with it. The Supreme Court just recently ruled that police officers can use that defense. Why would lawyers be any different?
Slate: I clicked through and all of these are horrible, but the one that abothers me the most is "the great torture shrug". Someone should be prosecuted for these heinous acts.
Cartoon: Congratulations!
Amen to that!
Puzzle — 4:00 I decided to duck and cover.
NY Times — If capital punishment is such a deterrent to violent crime, then why is there still so much of it? The answer: capital punishment is not a deterrent . . . except in the minds of Republicanus/Teabaggers who like to assuage their blood lust with visions of felons dancing on the table. Congratulations to Gov O'Malley for common sense and decency, and really pissing off the Republicanus/Teabaggers!
Huffington Post — "Using criminal courts as debt collection agencies is against federal law, the Texas constitution and the state’s penal code." — It must be very convenient to be able to break the law when you want to and to benefit your friends. I'd say "only in Texas" but I think it is more appropriate to say "wherever there is a Republicanus/Teabagger".
Slate — Interesting that two of the most egregious civil liberties violations belong to the highest court in the land, the court that is supposed to know the Constitution etc. And the others, just 2 words 'Republicanus/Teabaggers'.
SLATE:
This isn't why I put my life on the line…?¿