So, there were a flood of posts this afternoon, many of them rapidly descending down the page without being given the spot of honor at the top that they deserved. There was some great writing that went on and it would be a shame if anyone missed it. It only seems proper and fitting that they be collected here briefly, so you might see what you missed and peruse it at your leisure this weekend. Lady Blaga brought the insight on President Obama’s likely nominee to fill John Paul Stevens’ Associate Justice spot on the Supreme Court,...
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Diane Wood
As the de facto left-wing short-list candidate for Justice Stevens’ seat on the Supreme Court, Diane Wood has already drawn lots of ire on the right for her supposedly radical views, especially on abortion. Several articles this week make a strong case for Judge Wood– nothing that would persuade right-wingers, of course, but it’s good to see these articulate defenses. On Monday, Glenn Greenwald wrote a lengthy piece on Judge Wood’s record, calling her “a superior alternative” for the seat. He starts with the following analogy, calling attention to the fact that Judge Wood is not actually...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – 23 April 2010
Good morning, everybody. Not sure how this happened, but Helen Mirren and Russell Brand will be in the same movie. Now, here’s your morning constitutional: After an oil rig exploded and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, authorities have started worrying about the environmental impact of the incident. Unsurprisingly, newly-minted Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown has ruled out running for president in 2012. Only slightly more surprisingly, he endorses Mitt Romney. NATO has endorsed a plan that will set in motion the phased withdrawal of NATO troops from combat roles in the war in Afghanistan and hand over...
Continue reading...It's all about the Benjamins, baby
So, the new $100 bill unveiled by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, is pretty baller. Heck, it’s basically the Avatar of money, what with the spankin’-new 3-D features. Other thing that is awesome: The website for the Bureau is moneyfactory.gov. In other dollar news, according to a recent Marist poll, a substantial majority—79%—think it’s a bad idea to change the face on the $50 bill from Presidents Grant to Reagan. I’ll just point out: This means more people think Obama is a secret Muslim Socialist Nazi Pig-dog than think Pres. Reagan should be on money.
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today’s from NYTCLOTD factory Gail “The Colander” Collins. In “Dance of...
Continue reading...Meet the next Senator from Nevada and learn about her Chickens for Health Care initiative
Sue Lowden, one of the Republican candidates for the Nevada Senate seat currently held by Sen. Reid, currently holds a substantial advantage in polling, and will likely become the next senator from the Silver State. And, she has quite a novel approach to health care reform. Namely, she wants to take health care back to the “good old days,” when our forebears bartered or haggled for care. Here’s what she said: Let’s change the system and talk about what the possibilities are. I’m telling you that this works. You know, before we all started having health care,...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – 22 April 2010
Happy Earth Day, folks. Enjoy your morning constitutional: Belgium’s government collapsed Thursday, as Prime Minister Yves Leterme resigns. Nearly all flights in Europe are going ahead, but new ash is limiting Norway and Sweden’s airports. While no one could have predicted how important the issue would become, before the financial system nearly collapsed, Obama the presidential candidate was warning about problems with financial regulation and the potential for an economic crisis. Tonight’s U.K. debate is “make or break,” says Tory leader David Cameron, while Nick Clegg has been voted best looking of the would-be prime ministers by...
Continue reading...The Court may be just a little technologically-challenged
When President Obama decides on a new Supreme Court associate justice, it may be worthwhile for the “technology president” to consider the future justice’s basic understanding of technology, a skill set that seems be notably absent on the Court. Seems during oral arguments Monday in the case City of Ontario v. Quon, a case that considers city workers’ expectation of privacy in personal text messages sent on devices provided by the city, the Court had some—ahem—issues grasping the practical aspects of the case: The first sign was about midway through the argument, when Chief Justice John G....
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Well, no Maureen today, so Tawmy Fried it is. In today’s...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – 21 April 2010
Good morning, folks. Tara’s not getting married after all, and Leonard’s not going to act anymore. But we’re still bringing you your morning constitutional: European airports have reopened, and about 75% of scheduled flights are expected to fly today. In U.S. auto industry news, Chrysler announced that it lost $4B since coming out of bankruptcy almost a year ago, but sees signs of improvement in a profit for the first quarter of 2010 and a positive cash flow. On the other hand, General Motors has repaid $8.1B in loans it received from the U.S. and Canadian governments—five...
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