Nov 302020
 

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox.  I should be laying down to rest my back, but Deborah, my Providence Home Health Doctor is due in an hour for a routine checkup.  My back is already hurting severely.  WWWendy and I had a fine dinner yesterday (see below). Oh God it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:26 (average 5:31).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Thanksgiving Dinner:

1129Tgiving

Religious Agony:

1129Broncos3-Saints31

They might have done better. if criminal Fuhrer Satan* had not attacked their QBs with his plague.

Short Takes:

From NY Times: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. twisted his ankle playing with one of his dogs over the holiday weekend, an injury that his doctor said on Sunday resulted in hairline fractures in his foot that would most likely require him to wear a walking boot for several weeks.

Although initial X-rays showed no obvious fracture, a “follow-up CT scan confirmed hairline (small) fractures of President-elect Biden’s lateral and intermediate cuneiform bones, which are in the midfoot,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the director of executive medicine at GW Medical Faculty Associates, said in a statement distributed by Mr. Biden’s office.

This is, in my opinion, President-elect Biden’s first major political blunder. He should NOT have been playing with a dawg. A DemoCAT is where his play should be AT!!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Biden announces all-female communications team, diverse economic team

 

I like these choices. More women and more women of color add diversity where it is badly needed. The only diversity in the Fifth Reich was spreading influence between Banksters, Nazis, KKK, Homophobes, Misogynists, Koch Suckers, and White Supremacists!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Julian Lennon – Saltwater (1991)

 

Never since has this song been more appropriate. RESIST!!

50 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Nov 282020
 

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox, but I have enough gas in the tank for a full post today.  Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update, as it’s a WWWendy day, and we are having our Thanksgiving dinner.  It’s also a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.  My Broncos are praying the Saints, but it won’t be televised here.  I hope you are having a fine holiday weekend, even if it isn’t a holiday for you.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:01 (average 4:26).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Now, as states across the country contemplate new lockdowns to slow down the rampant spread and record hospitalizations, the unprecedented demand for food aid is on the rise, according to the Guardian’s latest snapshot survey:

  • In Cleveland, 5,000 families showed up last Thursday for the pre-Thanksgiving drive-in distribution compared with 3,300 a week earlier and an average of 1,600 over the summer. Some 54% of the food distributed was for children and seniors. “We’re now seeing families who had an emergency fund but it’s gone and they’re at the end of their rope. We’re going to be doing this for a really long time, and that’s frankly terrifying given the impact hunger has on physical health, learning and development for children and parents’ stress,” said Kristin Warzocha, president of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
  • One woman in Cleveland, who didn’t want to be identified, discharged herself from the hospital against medical advice so that she didn’t miss the Thanksgiving food box delivery. “That’s the depth of need and desperation some families are feeling,” added Warzocha.

Not surprisingly, the Trump administration is making a bad situation worse, The Guardian reports. Instead of boosting Snap benefits (food stamps), it cut eligibility. The USDA’s Farmers to Families program expires at the end of the year, as does a $450 million boost to the Emergency Food Assistance Program. “Without government assistance, ‘we’re headed toward a massive cliff come January,’ said Erin Pulling, CEO of the Food Bank for the Rockies which serves Colorado and Wyoming.”

Barf Bag Alert!!

 

This will not change when Trump* is gone. How many years have you seen me say, “Every penny Democrats spend to feed hungry families is a penny Republicans can’t give to a billionaire.”?  RESIST!!

From NY Times: Iran’s top nuclear scientist, long identified by American and Israeli intelligence as the guiding figure behind a covert effort to design an atomic warhead, was shot and killed Friday in what the Iranian media called a roadside ambush as he and his bodyguards traveled outside Tehran.

For two decades, the scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was the driving force behind what American and Israeli officials describe as Iran’s secretive nuclear weapons program. His work continued after Iran’s push to develop a bomb was formally disbanded in 2003, according to American intelligence assessments and Iranian nuclear documents stolen by Israel nearly three years ago.

One American official — along with two other intelligence officials — said that Israel was behind the attack on the scientist. It was unclear how much the United States may have known about the operation in advance, but the two nations are the closest of allies and have long shared intelligence regarding Iran, which Israel considers its most potent threat.

There are three possibilities. Butcher Bibi, criminal Fuhrer Trump* or both in unison. I pick door number three. RESIST!!

From Alternet: A new viral video released by “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Friday offers an in-depth look into President Donald Trump’s ongoing refusal to condemn white supremacy.

According to the three-minute YouTube video’s description, it aims to highlight Trump’s “cozy relationship with supremacists.” The video, which garnered more than 700,000 views in less than 24 hours, notes Trump’s repeated attacks on nearly everyone under the sun.

Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for the Noah’s show, provided the commentary for the video. During the video, he noted that Trump has often been “famous for being quick with an insult,” reports the Huffington Post. From lawmakers , state, and local officials, to Democratic voters, Trump has so easily insulted tons of people—except white supremacists.

When Trump was elected, racists rejoiced. White supremacists rallied around him holding rallies and blatantly making their racial bias known. On multiple occasions, Trump has retweeted white genocide posts on social media and subtly defended the actions of white supremacists.

 

This will not change when Trump* is gone. Trump* did not choose the Republican Reich. The Republican Reich chose Trump*, because he represents them.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Paradise

 

John Prine was a man who loved this planet. Sadly his fight is over. Seven months ago, Trump* and the Republican Reich murdered him with Trump* virus.  RESIST!!

52 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Nov 182020
 

It’s a busy day here in the Cat Box, as I expect Molly to arrive before I finish this.  That means I miss my morning nap and get a pain increase.  When Molly is here, I’ll have to ask her what Lona is like in person.  [later:  Molly says Lona is at least 80% nice and 10% feisty.] Happy Hump Day to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:46 (average 6:42).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Breakfast in the CatBox:

I’ll post an occasional pic so you can see how I’m eating with the stent.

1118Breakfast

Short Takes:

From Common Dreams (Hat-Tip Mitch [ours: not BBMMM]): Taking cues from former Presidents Gerald Ford and Barack Obama—who pardoned or ignored their predecessors’ crimes in the name of national unity and healing—President-elect Joe Biden has privately signaled to advisers that he is unlikely to pursue federal investigations of the Trump administration’s policies and actions, NBC News reported Tuesday.

According to the report, the president-elect has expressed concerns that investigating President Donald Trump or holding members of his administration accountable for wrongdoing would further divide a nation already deeply riven by political tensions, and that focusing on Trump would distract Biden from his forward-looking agenda.

Biden is said to be especially wary of probing Trump’s taxes or trying to undo any immunity the president may grant to his associates during his final weeks in office.

Put simply, one adviser said Biden “just wants to move on.”

“He’s going to be more oriented toward fixing the problems and moving forward than prosecuting them,” another Biden confidant told NBC News.

I do agree that Biden should be more oriented toward “fixing the problems and moving forward”. However, part of fixing the problem is appointing an AG who will do his/her job and prosecute the people responsible for worst crime wave by public officials in our nation’s history. Failure to do so guarantees that we will be moving backward, not forward!  RESIST!!

From Alternet: Jesse Barrett, husband of newly confirmed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, recently said he will continue private practice despite the ethical concerns that may arise due to his wife’s new position.

On the SouthBake Legal website, there is a congratulatory statement to the new Supreme Court justice. It also details what Jesse Barrett’s near future holds.

“SouthBank Legal enthusiastically congratulates Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett on her confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States,” the statement began.

The statement, which commended Jesse Barrett for his work, also suggested that he will continue private practice.

It later added, “SouthBank Legal also congratulates Justice Barrett’s family, in particular her husband, Jesse. Since joining SouthBank Legal two years ago, Jesse has broadened the firm’s commercial litigation expertise, while building an impressive white-collar defense practice. Like Justice Barrett, Jesse has top-shelf legal ability, a relentless work ethic, and a resolute commitment to his professional obligations. About his practice, Jesse commented, ‘I look forward to continuing to help grow and lead SouthBank Legal’s litigation-related practice groups and serve our clients.'”

Injustice Amy Coney Bullshit ought to  recuse in any case the firm of her husband, lord, and master participates, as her pseudo-Catholic cult believes she must decide as he orders.  I don’t think she will. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Georgia Runoffs: How You Can Help Flip the Senate

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. Both Loffler and Perdue typify the Reich on the right, the Republican Reich. Both govern for personal gain. Both are racist to a Republican extent. I fully agree with Robert’s suggestions!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): We Stand With You

This is a perfect example of how we must all stand together for social justice.  RESIST!!

62 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Nov 122020
 

It’s another Crazy day here in the CatBox.  Store to Door is coming to deliver groceries, and I need to put them away.  I last texted Nameless yesterday mid day.  He was back on BIPAP.  I don’t want to disturb his rest, but if I have not heard from him by suppertime, I’ll text him.  I hope you all have a great day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:59 (average 4:25).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

That could be either the ear or the brain.

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: By Monday, Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election had been confirmed by every major media outlet, including Fox News, been welcomed by every leader of the G7 along with dozens of other foreign officials, and been celebrated in the streets of every major American city. As it turns out, all those plywood panels nailed up over windows were only there to shield sensitive eyes from just too much dancing.

When it comes to Republicans, the chorus of accolades falls away to more of a barbershop quartet … minus one. Former president George W. Bush spoke up to express his acceptance of Biden’s victory and offer the traditional best wishes for the coming term. Sen. Mitt Romney has sent along his best wishes, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski—keen to make everyone forget how she flip-flop-flipped on Amy Coney Barrett—decided to acknowledge reality. And that is about it.

But if the reaction of the Republicans over the weekend might be best described as crickets, it now seems that many of them have rediscovered their voices. And they’re using them to take up the cause of destroying democracy.

Were we expecting anything else? The only reason Crawford Caligula has taken exception is that Trump’s* political demise ensures Bush’s ability to relinquish the title “worst in US History”.  RESIST!!

From Crooks and Liars: The world is better off without people like Irvin Baxter Jr in it. A hate-mongering homophobe that, like the rest of these televangelists, had become enormously wealthy peddling poison.

Source: Pinknews

Reverend Baxter, founder of Endtime Ministries and host of End of the Age on Christian TV network Trinity Broadcasting Network, died aged 75 on Tuesday (3 November), the network said.

 

Now we know that for Republican pseudo-Christian (the opposite of REAL Christian) perverts, Trump* Virus is an STD!  RESIST!!

From NY Times: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s transition team is preparing multiple sets of policy proposals for the economy, health care, climate change and other domestic issues, including the ambitious agenda Mr. Biden laid out in his winning campaign, while acknowledging it may have to be pared back in recognition of divided government.

Where the incoming administration lands depends heavily on two Senate runoffs in Georgia in early January.

If Democrats win both races, close aides to Mr. Biden and economists who helped advise his campaign say the president-elect will try to push through a large stimulus plan for the flagging economic recovery — most likely along the lines of the $2.2 trillion that House Democrats approved this fall. His stimulus plan under such a scenario would include hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments that have lost tax revenue amid the pandemic recession, extended unemployment benefits for people who lost jobs during the crisis and a new round of aid for small businesses.

His team is also developing a government employment program — called the Public Health Jobs Corps — that would put 100,000 Americans to work on virus testing and contact tracing.

A narrow majority in the Senate would also give Mr. Biden the chance to push through his proposed tax increases on corporations and the rich — tax hikes that would be used to fund the president-elect’s more ambitious plans like rebuilding roads and bridges, speeding the transition to a carbon-free energy sector and helping Americans afford health care.

But if Republicans win even one of the Georgia seats, Mr. Biden will most likely need to settle for a wave of executive actions that would bring more incremental progress toward his policy goals, while trying to cut compromise deals with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader.

This is why Democratic wins in BOTH races is critically important for America’s future!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Beatles – Revolution

 

While the overwhelming majority of violence and destruction is perpetrated by Republicans, I reject the tiny bit that comes from the left say they are not welcome in my revolution! This tune could not be more appropriate.  RESIST!!

68 Days Until the FLUSH!!

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Nov 102020
 

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox.  Instead of taking a nap to rest my back, I’m waiting for Molly, my physical therapist, to arrive and make recommendations.  Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, and she’s coming early in the morning to destink the raunchy TomCat, do chores, and prepare edible food.  Therefore, please expect no more than a brief Personal Update.  Tuesday is Flush your Republicans Day.  Be careful.  They’re getting desperate these days.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:15 (average 6:11).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoons:

Trump* Virus Update (an occasional feature from now on):

1110TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 10,428,603
US Deaths: 244,521
Plus the Trump*/GOP plague murders Republicans are hiding

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign was never quiet about what the first goal of a Biden administration would be: to undo Trumpism. Undo as many of Donald Trump’s racist, white nationalist, fact-averse, science-hostile orders and policies as possible, as soon as possible, and return the United States to something approaching competent normalcy.

Fortunately for the next Democratic administration, the Trump Team made heavy use of executive orders and regulatory “reinterpretations” in their efforts to sabotage prior government policies. That means those moves can be undone by the very same mechanisms.

It might be easier for Joe to reverse that approach. Here is the complete list of everything Trump* and the Republican Reich have not broken:
[begin here]…

…[end of list].
RESIST!!

From YouTube (Raw Story Channel): Lindsey Graham: Overturn this election or ‘there will never be another Republican president’

 

First, may this election stand. Second, may Lindsey Poo be absolutely correct that there will never be another Republican Resident.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Trump’s Attempt to Steal the Election Won’t Work

 

Thank God the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. To complete the process, the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich, needs to follow their Fuhrer around the bowl and down the drain.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Beatles – Come Together

 

People of America, reject the Republican Reich and come together!  RESIST!!

70 Days Until the FLUSH!!

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Nov 082020
 

Although I slept well last night, it’s still an exhausted day here in the CatBox.  I suspect it will take a few to recover from the vote count.  WWWendy is coming mid afternoon, and we’re having BBQ ribs for supper.  Oh and Shit (her dawgs) are jumping for joy.  They get the bones.  Tomorrow is a normal day.  Go Broncos!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:30 (average 5:53).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Philadelphia Mayor Has Advice For Trump: ‘Put Your Big Boy Pants On’

 

Does Trump* actually have any big boy pants? Ask Stormy. She knows!  RESIST!!

From NY Times: For a world that held its breath as Americans went to the polls last Tuesday, the triumph of Joseph R. Biden Jr. over President Trump provoked many emotions, but above all, a profound sigh of relief.

As news of Mr. Biden’s victory reverberated from Europe and the Middle East to Asia and Latin America on Saturday, foreign leaders showered him with congratulations. Diplomats and commentators expressed gratitude, satisfaction and even jubilation that a new president would bring a much-needed return to normalcy — something that vanished alarmingly the day Mr. Trump took office.

“Welcome back America!” the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said in a Twitter message to Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, hailing Canada’s historic friendship with the United States, said, “I’m really looking forward to working together.” President Emmanuel Macron of France said, “We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!” Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany declared, “Our trans-Atlantic friendship is irreplaceable, if we want to overcome the great challenges of our time.”

For many world leaders, the importance of this election was as much about removing Mr. Trump as ushering in Mr. Biden.

In 2004 thousands of Americans, including me, sent pictures of ourselves holding “I’m Sorry!” signs to a website that used them to create a collage of Americans apologizing to the world for the reelection of the Fuhrer of the Fourth Reich, GW ChickenHawk, aka Crawford Caligula. Thank God I don’t have to do that again this year, because the Fuhrer of the Fifth Reich, Trump*, makes GW look like a saint!  RESIST!!

From Alternet: One day after Donald Trump learned he won’t be serving a second term, CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said the president needs to prepare himself for the possibility of criminal indictments the moment President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Speaking with host Christi Paul, the former federal prosecutor said the country should expect a flurry of pardons from Trump including the possibility he may try to pardon himself.

“The president by law retains all of his power until January 20th with the inauguration. With that said, what do you expect is going to happen between now and Inauguration Day?” host Paul asked.

“Hold on tight to your seats,” Honig began. “I think President Trump is going to use every last ounce of power right up until 11:59:59 on January 20th. Watch for pardons; he has the pardon power. Many presidents have used the pardon power in their final dates in office. I’d watch for him to pardon his political allies, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos. I would look at the possibility that he might pardon his family members who are under state investigations for fraud. Now presidential pardon doesn’t cover people in a state prosecution, but might well cover them for federal purposes. Then the big question is: will the president try to pardon himself? It’s never happened in our history and we don’t actually know if that’s lawful or not. But if he tries it, we could find out.”

Continuing in that vein, the former prosecutor pointed out what the future holds for the president.

“He loses his protections,” he began. “He’s avoided trouble by being in the White House — there are laws and policies, especially in the Justice Department, that protect a sitting president. He will not be the sitting president at 12:01 on January 20th.”

I’m not sure about that. In fact, It would not surprise me, if Trump resigns before his term expires, so Pence can pardon him. If that does not happen, it’s only because Pence can’t pardon him for State charges.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (SNL Channel): Biden Victory Cold Open

 

As much as I like SNL and Jim Carrey, nothing can hold a candle to the real speech.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the present): BIDEN HARRIS VICTORY music video: ALL ON THE LINE (Unity version Demo)- ANDRES USECHE

 

How many times can we say AMEN?!!?  RESIST!!

72 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Everyday Erinyes #236

 Posted by at 9:00 am  Politics
Oct 172020
 

Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”

It’s no secret and should be no surprise to anyone here that I don’y think we should be talking about “packing the court” but rather about “UNpacking the court,” and I’m glad and grateful that Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi are heading toward phrasing it this way (“packing the courts is something Republicans do” – Speaker Pelosi.) So I’m not crazy about this title. But the content here is highly educational, and definitely thought provoking.
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Packing the Court: Amid national crises, Lincoln and his Republicans remade the Supreme Court to fit their agenda

The 9-member Chase Court in 1867, dominated by Northern Republicans.
Alexander Gardner/The U.S. Supreme Court

Calvin Schermerhorn, Arizona State University

As a political battle over the Supreme Court’s direction rages in Washington with President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, history shows that political contests over the ideological slant of the Court are nothing new.

In the 1860s, President Abraham Lincoln worked with fellow Republicans to shape the Court to carry out his party’s anti-slavery and pro-Union agenda. It was an age in which the court was unabashedly a “partisan creature,” in historian Rachel Shelden’s words.

Justice John Catron had advised Democrat James K. Polk’s 1844 presidential campaign, and Justice John McLean was a serial presidential contender in a black robe. And in the 1860s, Republican leaders would change the number of justices and the political balance of the Court to ensure their party’s dominance of its direction.

Overhauling the Court

When Lincoln became president in 1861, seven Southern states had already seceded from the Union, yet half of the Supreme Court justices were Southerners, including Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of Maryland. One other Southern member had died in 1860, without replacement. All were Democratic appointees.

The Court was “the last stronghold of Southern power,” according to one Northern editor. Five sitting justices were among the court’s 7-2 majority in the racist 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling, in which Taney wrote that Black people were “so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect, and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit.”

Some Republicans declared it “the duty of the Republican Party to reorganize the Federal Court and reverse that decision, which … disgraces the judicial department of the Federal Government.”

After Lincoln called in April, 1861 for 75,000 volunteers to put down the Southern rebellion, four more states seceded. So did Justice John Archibald Campbell of Georgia, who resigned on April 30.

Chief Justice Taney helped the Confederacy when he tried to restrain the president’s power. In May 1861, he issued a writ of habeas corpus in Ex Parte Merryman declaring that the president couldn’t arbitrarily detain citizens suspected of aiding the Confederacy. Lincoln ignored the ruling.

Chief Justice Roger Taney.
Chief Justice Roger Taney tried to limit Lincoln’s powers in the Civil War.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Remaking the Court

To counter the court’s southern bloc, Republican leaders used judicial appointments to protect the president’s power to fight the Civil War. The Lincoln administration was also looking ahead to Reconstruction and a governing Republican majority.

Nine months into his term, Lincoln declared that “the country generally has outgrown our present judicial system,” which since 1837 had comprised nine federal court jurisdictions, or “circuits.” Supreme Court justices rode the circuit, presiding over those federal courts.

Republicans passed the Judiciary Act of 1862, overhauling the federal court system by collapsing federal circuits in the South from five to three while expanding circuits in the North from four to six. The old ninth circuit, for example, included just Arkansas and Mississippi. The new ninth included Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota instead. Arkansas became part of the sixth, and Mississippi, the fifth.

In 1862, after Campbell’s resignation and McLean’s death, Lincoln filled three open Supreme Court seats with loyal Republicans Noah H. Swayne of Ohio, Samuel Freeman Miller of Iowa and David Davis of Illinois. The high court now had three Republicans and three Southerners.

The 1863 Prize cases tested whether Republicans had managed to secure a friendly court. At issue was whether the Union could seize American ships sailing into blockaded Confederate ports. In a 5-4 ruling, the high court – including all three Lincoln appointees – said yes.

Congressional Republicans spied a way to expand the court while solving what amounted to a geopolitical judicial problem. In 1863, Congress created a new tenth circuit by adding Oregon, which had become a state in 1859, to California’s circuit. The Tenth Circuit Act also added a tenth Supreme Court justice. Lincoln elevated pro-Union Democrat Stephen Field to that seat.

And after Chief Justice Taney died in 1864, Lincoln selected his political rival, Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, an architect of national monetary policy, to replace him. With Chase, Lincoln succeeded in creating a pro-administration high court.

Unpacking the Court

After Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865, President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, who succeeded him, soon began undoing Lincoln’s achievements. He was a Unionist Democrat given the vice presidency as an olive branch to the South. He rewarded that gesture in part by pardoning rank and file Confederates. Johnson also opposed civil rights for newly-freed African Americans.

He also threatened to appoint like-minded judges. But the Republican-dominated Congress blocked Johnson from elevating unreconstructed Rebels to the high court. The Judicial Circuits Act of 1866 shrank the number of federal circuits to seven and held that no Supreme Court vacancies would be filled until just seven justices remained.

The Philadelphia Evening Telegraph’s Democratic editor sighed that at least Republicans “cannot pack the Supreme Court at this moment.”

Noah H. Swayne.
Lincoln appointed three Republicans to the Court in 1862, including then-Judge Noah H. Swayne.
Library of Congress Brady-Handy Collection

Courting paper money

Republicans refused to consider nominating Johnson in 1868, picking General Ulysses S. Grant instead. He won, and after President Grant’s inauguration, Congress passed the Circuit Judges Act of 1869, raising back to nine the number of Supreme Court justices.

Shortly after, Republicans faced a financial problem of their own making.

Beginning in 1862, Congress had passed three Legal Tender Acts – initially to help finance the war, authorizing debt payments using paper money not backed by gold or silver. Then-Treasury Secretary and current Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase had crafted the legislation.

But in an 1870 case, Hepburn v. Griswold, Chase reversed himself in a 4-3 decision, ruling the Legal Tender Acts unconstitutional. That threatened national monetary policy and Republicans’ cozy relationship with industries reliant on government sponsorship.

President Grant, preparing for Chase’s ruling, was already working on a political solution. On the day of the Hepburn decision, he appointed two pro-paper-money Supreme Court nominees, William Strong of Pennsylvania and Joseph P. Bradley of New York. Comparing the Republican administration to “a brokerage office,” a Democratic newspaper howled that “the attempt to pack the supreme court to secure a desired judicial decision … (has) brought shame and humiliation to an entire people.”

It also brought a Republican majority to the high court for the first time.

Chief Justice Chase opposed revisiting the paper money issue. But the Supreme Court about-faced, ruling 5-4 in the 1871 cases Knox v. Lee and Parker v. Davis that the government could indeed print paper money to pay debts. Chase died in 1873, and his successor Morrison Waite championed the Republican pro-business agenda.

Careful what you wish for

Republican transformation of the federal judiciary in the 1860s and 1870s served the party well in the Civil War and constructed a legal framework for a modernizing industrial economy.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]

But in the end Lincoln and Grant’s high court appointments ended up being disastrous for civil rights. Justices Bradley, Miller, Strong and Waite tended to constrain civil rights protections like the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection of laws. Their rulings in United States v. Cruikshank in 1876 and Civil Rights Cases in 1883 both sounded the retreat on Black civil rights.

In remaking the court in Republicans’ image, the party got what it wanted – but not what was needed to fulfill the promise of “a new birth of freedom.”The Conversation

Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, of course our issue at this point is not merely the Supreme Court, but all the lower federal coourts as well. There have been some mighty unqualified people pushed into positions where they have no business. At any level, I definitely would not, myself, put impeachment off the table. At SCOTUS, I believe we have two justices now (and will have three soon barring a miracle) who have pretty demonstrably lied at their confirmation hearings (and as much as I dislike him, Gorsuch is not one of them.) For obvious reasons, I’m not that conversant of the other benches, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t unqualified and vulnerable people there. In fact, there certainly are. I hope you ladies are willing to help find them and get them out to the maximum extent possible.

The Furies and I will be back.

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Sep 222020
 

It’s become a hectic week here in the CatBox.  Diana was late yesterday, but when she got here, she built a fire under my Oncologist’s office and the Stent surgeon’s office.  Becky met WWWendy when she arrived at the hospital to pick up my patches, and changed me from 25 mg Fentanyl patches to 50 mg.  My pain level is much lower.  The stent surgeon’s office called and scheduled me for a video conference with the doctor at 7:30 AM tomorrow.  They will determine whether they want to to do a dilation or a stent and schedule the procedure ASAP.  If that isn’t crazy enough, WWWendy and I forgot that she scheduled an appointment to go to DMV to renew my Oregon ID at 4:30 on Thursday.  We won’t even start the shower and gooping until we get back.  On top of everything else, my AC is acting up again.  This is my only article today, and I’ll have to play the rest of the week by ear.  Tuesday is flush your Republicans day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:04  (average 4:38).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0922TrumpVirusMap

Click for interactive maps and charts

US Cases: 7,047,643
US Deaths: 204,577
Plus thousands of Trump’s* GOP plague murders Republicans are hiding from us

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Parody Project Channel): LAZIN’ ON A COVID AFTERNOON

 

Wonderful piece, Don! The one thing even more deadly than Trump* virus is Trump’s* Republican Reich!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Democrats Make SCOTUS A National Issue Beyond Republicans Gaming Senate Rule

 

Listen to Liz! She is spot on! If the Reich confirm another to SCROTUS (Republican anti-Constitutional Venereal Disease), America will become a permanent National Socialist, theocratic, plutocratic dictatorship.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of past protest): The Animals – We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

 

Ah… the memories! Protest like the 60s! To update, make it “We Gotta Get Out Of This Reich”!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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