SCOTUS – Page 19 – Politics Plus

Open Thread June 26, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:27 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 262022

Yesterday, the radio opera was “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart. It’s been up before, so I won’t go into details. The performance was at the Paris Opera, and the cast included three pretty well-known bass baritones (one American, one Englishman, and one Italian [married to the daughter of another American one]) and pretty much no one else I had ever heard of. But no major company is ever going to put on a bad performance of this opera. It’s kind of ironic that it’s on today – something which was planned long ago – because it high;ights the position of women in a male-dominated society (that was probably unconscious) and also how class status affects everyone, but women especially (and that was definitely conscious and led to censorship.)

Of course I could not ignore SCOTUS. Both here and with the Furies I have chosen to explore “Now What?” One of today’s short takes is hopeful, but hope needs effort to come to fruition. And in one piece of good news, NATO has granted candidate status to Ukraine. President Zelenskyy thanked each nation’s leader by name and the name of the country, and also the President of the EU, on the Zoom call which notified him. Mitch (I had missed it.)

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

We’re Not Going Back to the Time Before Roe. We’re Going Somewhere Worse
Quote – If a fetus is a person, then a legal framework can be invented to require someone who has one living inside her to do everything in her power to protect it, including—as happened to Savita Halappanavar, in Ireland, which operated under a fetal-personhood doctrine until 2018, and to Izabela Sajbor, in Poland, where all abortion is effectively illegal—to die. No other such obligation exists anywhere in our society, which grants cops the freedom to stand by as children are murdered behind an unlocked door.
Click through for full article, including optional audio. The New Yorker is right. There has never been a time in history when women have been quite as discounted as this decision ad its eventuality imposes. And the article does not even go into other rights wich are likely to disappear – and h=not just women’s rights – as subsequent decisions come to reflect the logical consequences of this one.

POGO – Accountability: The Path to Improve Government Effectiveness and the Antidote to Authoritarianism
Quote – There are six primary mechanisms that, if working properly, serve as pillars of accountability in federal government. They are: whistleblowers, who expose wrongdoing; inspectors general, who serve as independent watchdogs at each government agency; congressional oversight, which provides a check on executive power; transparency and civil society participation, which ensure that the government answers to the people; independent journalism, which investigates and exposes wrongdoing; and the equal application of the rule of law to the highest levels of government.
Click through for full analysis. Progressives’ work is never done. Of course, that is true of all whose work is or includes cleaning up the messes made by others.

Food For Thought

Open Thread June 25, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:38 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 252022

Yesterday, I woke up to over 100 emails – mostly about Roe. And they kept coming in all day (and will probably continue indefinitely.) I have been fighting tears. I never personally needed an abortion, and I certainly won’t now, but I find myself grieving over the women who will die (and who already have died) as a result of this abomination. And then the other decision this week – if life-threatening pregnancies and coat hanger abortions don’t kill us, they will do it with guns. My next thought may sound unrelated, but it isn’t really – I’m beginning to think every man, woman, and child in the US needs to be required to go through a course in anger management (and after that’s done, every child as part of middle or high school – or before earning a GED.) And then again as part of every sentence for a crime involving violence, as a prerequisite for release. Because all this hate comes from anger, and anger is a natural and normal part of the human condition, and we need it – but we don’t like it because it gets ugly, and we think the answer is to eliminate ie. It isn’t. the answer is to learn how to (a) express it in a disciplined and non-hurtful way, and (b) to use the adrenalin to fight politically for policies which are worth fighting for. In other words, anger needs to be well regulated. And people don’t learn how to do that throug osmosis. We need to be taught. And we need role models as part of the learning process. And I wish I had the faintest idea how that could happen. End of rant. I’m sticking woith unrelated short takes – I know you won’t have any difficulty reading about this decision.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Intel Reveals Putin Plan to Weasel His Way Into American Hearts
Quote – [R]ather than counting on exiting the political scene in dramatic fashion, Putin might be betting that he can somehow outlast his detractors as well as the Biden Administration, whose security assistance for Ukraine has been pivotal in keeping a Russian win at bay. And part of Putin’s plot to outlive the Biden administration is likely to include influence operations aimed at securing an American political environment that’s more favorable to his goals, former CIA and Department of Homeland Security officials told The Daily Beast.
Click through for details. I gather the Transylvanians just loved Vlad Dracula too – considered him a Defender of the Faith. (At least if you have friends like that, you have no need of enemies.)

NM Political Report – NM Game and Fish urges people to be ‘bear aware’ during drought
Quote – [Nick] Forman [the carnivore and small mammal program manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish] compared [bears] to giant racoons because they are inquisitive and know how to manipulate their environment. [He also] acknowledged that it can be exciting to see a bear, especially for young children. He said parents can encourage their children to “leave wildlife wild” and “give them their space.” He said parents can take the opportunity to observe the bears with their children from afar, especially if there is a safe viewing area.
Click through for more. Neither the drought nor the bears are confined to New Mexico. We have friends on the west side of town who have had bears amble down their street, and I know California has bears. They used to be all over what is now the United States, so there’s no telling where one might pop up. It’s great to have them, but not so great to be mauled by one. I thought it was worth a little cautionary note.

Food For Thought

Open Thread June 18, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:26 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 182022

Yesterday, I got to thinking about a red flag that hit me in the gut back in the seventis. When I retuend from overseas duty, the Catholic Charismaic Movement was in full swing, as was the evangelical trend in Christianity. Both trends appeared to be good. The Jesus evangelicals then worshipped was then the real one, and many Catholics, wittingly or not, were looking for the same kind of emotional commitment to spirituality that evangelicals appeared to have found a way to achieve (the Cursillo movement was also prominent and was a more intellectual approach but looking for the same kind of commitment.) But the charismatic movement also had its intellectual side, and there was authorized iterature under a heading of “Life in the Spirit.” However, by the end of the decade, “Life in the Spirit” had been officially changed to “You Will Receive Power.” Even though the material was then the same, the change in emphasis struck me as a huge red flag. The way I put it to myself was that the movement was going to attract all the “wrong kind of people” – which sounds bigited, but I didn;t mean any ethnic or gender or any other kind of superficial group, I just meant “people who want power.” And forty years later, here we are.

Of course like everyone else, I grew up with Lord Acton’s “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It’s a good thing to keep in mind, but I think it’s flawed. I think there are two kinds of people – those who want power, and those who don’t (and the latter probably want autonomy – power over one’s own life but not those of others – but I haven’t thought that through so I’ll say no more at this point.) It’s easy to see how the first group would be attracted to public office and public influence, and harder to see how the second group would, but it does happen, thank God. And of course, it’s the second kind we need to be in office if we want to maintain a democracy. Because, not wanting power, they can resist the corruption that comes with power. [After reading and thinking a little more, I came back here to add that, though we need this second type in [ower, we also need them to learn when it is and is not legitimate to use the power they are entrusted with, and must not be afraid to use it appropriately. Refraining from using it inappropriately is good, but failing to use it when it is needed is not.] If you have the time and energy, think about that for a little while, and then go back to the hearing and this conversation: Pence: “I wouldn’t even want that kind of power.” Trump**: “Oh, come on, Mike, wouldn’t it be cool to have that kind of power?”

One last observation – people who are driven by wanting powe also respond to others who ae the same. Bullies follow bullies; even if they are not the top bully, they can respond to, and feel that they vicariously share, the bullying power of their leaders. Also, many – maybe most – of us will never learn which kind of person we are (or even what the two types are.) We all tend to think other people think and feel like us until proven otherwise. I apologize for the rant, but I needed to say it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

HuffPost – The Anti-Abortion Movement Killed People. Now Victims’ Families Face A Post-Roe World.
Quote – From 1977 to 2020 in America, anti-abortion activists committed at least 11 murders, 26 attempted murders, 956 threats of harm or death, 624 stalking incidents and four kidnappings, according to data collected by the National Abortion Federation. They have bombed 42 abortion clinics, set 194 on fire, attempted to bomb or burn an additional 104 and made 667 bomb threats.
Click through for story (which is part of a series). It’s not as if we didn’t know that conservatives and terrorists have a major overlap. Liberals are more likely to attempt to use rational thinking to persuade.

The 19th – Medication abortion and clinics on federal land: Here are Democrats’ ideas to protect abortion access
Quote – To that end, the senators suggested a host of potential actions the administration could take via federal agencies. Among those: educating the public about and expanding access to medication abortion, the two-pill reigmen that can be administered from home to terminate pregnancies within the first trimester; providing vouchers for people who will have to travel out of state for abortions once Roe is overturned; assessing whether abortions can be provided on federal lands, even in states that have restricted access; and using existing laws and regulations to limit cell phone applications’ ability to sell data that might reveal whether someone got an abortion.
Click through for details. Meds are a great option if they’re an option – they aren’t always (and they’re not pain free). I love the thought of clinics on federal land in reactionary states. There aren’t many ways for us to give them the finger that they understand

Food For Thought

Open Thread June 16, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 162022

Yesterday, I spent as much as I could of the day preparing for today. Making sure I had a bottle of ice frozen (in order to have cold water on the way back, and yes, I keep it in an insulated bag, but it still melts some), printing out the compulsory form (pre-filled, because it is way too small to struggle with every time), lining up clothes including shoes (my feet are not just flat as they were when I was on active duty – they now qualify as “deformed” and there are a lot of shoes I can’t walk in, and I do have to walk to the car and then stand loneg enough to get the wheelchair in and out), and just generally being prepared. If any regular reader notics we are a bit low on comments, yes, we are, but it’s temporary. I’m on the road, Pat’s with a family member, and Nameless has out-of-state visitors. I will get to everything eventually to respond (or at least uprate), but I don’t think everyone does. Which is fine.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – What you really need to know about the likelihood of a recession
Quote – Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its May Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, which showed inflation worsening. Yet the bigger story — and bigger worry — is not inflation. It’s the distinct possibility of recession. Or perhaps both (what’s termed “stagflation.”) Here are the questions I’m getting asked most often, and my answers.
Click through for questions and answers. Given that the “inflation” is mostly artificially induced by price gouging, those same parties will likely also be responsible for a recession or stagflation. But they’ll get away with it – again.

CPR – Supreme Court: Native Americans prosecuted in tribal courts can be tried by federal government for same offense
Quote – The case before the justices involves a tribal court system that has become increasingly rare over the last century. Courts of Indian Offenses were created in the late 1800s during a period when the federal government’s policy toward Native Americans was to encourage assimilation. Prosecutors are federal officers answerable to federal authorities, not tribal authorities. Federal policy toward Native Americans shifted in the mid-1930s, however, to emphasize a greater respect for tribes’ native ways. As part of that, the government has encouraged tribes to create their own tribal courts, and the number of Courts of Indian Offenses has steadily decreased.
Click through for story. There is a lot going on here – history, culture, definitions of sovereign nations, and more. I can certainly see why the case made it all the way to SCOTUS. Whether the decision is right, I’m not so sure.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 5/30/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:32 am Open Thread, Politics

May 302022

Glenn Kirschner – Kevin McCarthy decides to commit crime of contempt of Congress rather than “snitch” on Donald Trump

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to Lauren Boebert’s Dumbest Statement Yet

Robert Reich – How SCOTUS shapes economic rights for the little guy (a very old video but just posted. He posted 9 Thursday – old, new, long, short – I’ve picked just a couple at this point.)

Mallory McMorrow – The speech Michigan Republicans adjourned the State Senate to avoid hearing (hanky alert)

Mrs. Betty Bowers – CHURCH S_X SCANDALS!

Parody Project – RUSSIAN ARMY NOTABLE

Beau – Let’s talk about cops waiting outside, Rule 303, and the way…. (Wow.)

Video Thread 5/25/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:14 pm Open Thread, Politics

May 252022

Glenn Kirschner – Attorney John Eastman tries to hide 2 Trump handwritten insurrection notes from the J6 committee.

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to New Bombshell Ginni Thomas Scandal

The Lincoln Project – Mean Girl

The Ring of Fire – Kellyanne Conway Admits She’s To Blame For Donald Trump

Armageddon Update – Why GOP On Yourself?

Family Rescues Baby Fox In Their Backyard And Reunites Him With Mom

Beau – Let’s talk about Madison Cawthron’s Dark comment….

Video Thread 5/23/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:27 pm Open Thread, Politics

May 232022

Glenn Kirschner – Bill Barr to testify to J6 committee about Trump’s crimes. Will he be a credible witness?

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to George W. Bush Megaviral Iraq Gaffe

The Damage Report – Leaked Memo Warns Of SURGE In Right-Wing Violence Following SCOTUS Decision

Twitter – Ana Kasparian (I was going to look for this this week, but fortunately tripped over it at DU. Everyone posting about it is right. This is transformative.