Louisiana seems to have the most entertaining politicians.
She certainly wouldn't be the first whore in the Senate.
~~
Posts
1 day ago
May 6, 2009
May 5, 2009
Why I wasn’t Worried about Obama and the Gun Control Argument
It’s a short story, and a *really* primitive web page, but it is just another brick in the wall. Democrats really like being in charge, and they’ve learned that gun control is the poison pill. Everything else in their platform is palatable, but gun control kills. Argue as you may, but Obama was a better choice than McCain, and the gun control hysteria raised in an effort to whip him are weak. Conservatives should focus more on the preservation of the First Amendment than they do currently on Second Amendment fear tactics. Dominionist religious zealots present a greater threat to our constitution than liberals ever have.
From Idaho with love...
Idaho's Lone Congressional Democrat Talks Gun Control
Ammunition is selling so fast, local gun shops are having a hard time keeping it stocked for gun owners. Much of it is being attributed to fears that the Obama Administration and democrat-led Congress will enact strict new gun laws. Democratic First District Congressman Walt Minnick says there's no possibility any gun control measures will be passed in the current U.S. Congress. Minnick says he's one of 52 conservative ``blue dog'' Democrats in the House who oppose further gun control and that nothing can pass the House without their support.
~~
May 4, 2009
Breath Within - a Legend turns 90
I missed Pete Seeger’s birthday yesterday. Shame on me. Pete turned 90, and is still playing strong.
Pete with Linda Ronstadt, circa 1980 (unattributed)
Happy birthday Pete.... and many more.
~~
FALSE FROM TRUE
When my songs turn to ashes on my tongue,
When I look in the mirror and see I'm no longer young,
Then I got to start the job of separating false from true,
And then I know, I know I need the love of you.
When I found tarnish on some of my brightest dreams,
When some folks I trusted turned out not quite what they seemed;
Then I got to start the job of separating false from true,
Then once more I know, I know I need the love of you.
No song I can sing will make Governor Wallace change his mind,
No song I can sing will take the gun from a hate-filled man;
But I promise you, and you, brothers and sisters of evry skin,
I'll sing your story while I've breath within.
We got to keep on keeping on, even when the sun goes down,
We got to live, live, live until another day comes 'round;
Meanwhile, better start over, separating false from true,
And more and more, I know I need the love of you.
When my songs turn to ashes on my tongue,
When I look in the mirror and see I'm no longer young,
Then I got to start the job of separating false from true,
And then I know, I know I need the love of you.
When I found tarnish on some of my brightest dreams,
When some folks I trusted turned out not quite what they seemed;
Then I got to start the job of separating false from true,
Then once more I know, I know I need the love of you.
No song I can sing will make Governor Wallace change his mind,
No song I can sing will take the gun from a hate-filled man;
But I promise you, and you, brothers and sisters of evry skin,
I'll sing your story while I've breath within.
We got to keep on keeping on, even when the sun goes down,
We got to live, live, live until another day comes 'round;
Meanwhile, better start over, separating false from true,
And more and more, I know I need the love of you.
Pete with Linda Ronstadt, circa 1980 (unattributed)Happy birthday Pete.... and many more.
~~
May 3, 2009
Replacing David the Dissenter
Naming a new Supreme Court Justice is a solemn event. Nothing else has the potential to define a presidency any more than the task now facing President Obama. As usual when there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court, the newswires are buzzing with speculation. The right wing blogs and talk shows are trumpeting with great certainty that the nominee will be a leftist of Karl Marx porportion, while the lefties are hoping for a tree-hugging, union loving, Prius driving, cat stroking, vegan. Neither will likely realize their predictions.
Justice Souter’s decision to retire may have been a bit of a surprise, but this administration did not make it to the White House without understanding that Obama would be nominating two, likely three, and possibly four Supreme Court justices. And in spite of an overwhelming foreign and domestic agenda, President Obama could not have hoped for better timing. Regardless of selection, acrimony and a lengthy confirmation battle should be expected, but the President has the political capital to gain confirmation of whomever he names.
Richard Samp, chief counsel of the conservative Washington Legal Foundation, seems to realize this, but optimistically predicts that the right will roll over. In an interview with CQ Magazine, Samp stated that the "Republicans will do their best to talk up the issues and at the end of the day get 30 or 35 votes against, but nobody's actually going to try to block the nominee."
That, I feel, is wishful thinking. The usual suspects from the Party of “NO” are already lining up to scuttle any possibility of a reasonable confirmation process. As I noted in a previous blog, Karl Rove has already started encouraging Republicans to block any nomination, based upon ideology and regardless of qualification. Rush, Sean and the boys won’t be far behind.
My guess is that Obama will select a nominee who is moderate, but with a history of slightly left-of-center opinions. There is too much going on in the world and in this country to allow for a prolonged confirmation fight, and this administration understands that it does not need the distraction. Neither do they want to alienate potential supporters who may be needed for upcoming battles.
The only potential hang-up to an uneventful confirmation might be in the administration’s vetting process; something they’ve had a little problem with in the recent past. This is something that cannot be afforded in this nomination. Team Obama must get it right the first time.
Justice Souter’s decision to retire may have been a bit of a surprise, but this administration did not make it to the White House without understanding that Obama would be nominating two, likely three, and possibly four Supreme Court justices. And in spite of an overwhelming foreign and domestic agenda, President Obama could not have hoped for better timing. Regardless of selection, acrimony and a lengthy confirmation battle should be expected, but the President has the political capital to gain confirmation of whomever he names.
Richard Samp, chief counsel of the conservative Washington Legal Foundation, seems to realize this, but optimistically predicts that the right will roll over. In an interview with CQ Magazine, Samp stated that the "Republicans will do their best to talk up the issues and at the end of the day get 30 or 35 votes against, but nobody's actually going to try to block the nominee."
That, I feel, is wishful thinking. The usual suspects from the Party of “NO” are already lining up to scuttle any possibility of a reasonable confirmation process. As I noted in a previous blog, Karl Rove has already started encouraging Republicans to block any nomination, based upon ideology and regardless of qualification. Rush, Sean and the boys won’t be far behind.
My guess is that Obama will select a nominee who is moderate, but with a history of slightly left-of-center opinions. There is too much going on in the world and in this country to allow for a prolonged confirmation fight, and this administration understands that it does not need the distraction. Neither do they want to alienate potential supporters who may be needed for upcoming battles.
The only potential hang-up to an uneventful confirmation might be in the administration’s vetting process; something they’ve had a little problem with in the recent past. This is something that cannot be afforded in this nomination. Team Obama must get it right the first time.
Obama will likely pick a tried and true sitting jurist with an established track record. The pick will certainly be female, likely Hispanic or black, and probably quite young. I will be very surprised if the nominee is over 50. In the next couple of days I will look at some of the potential nominees and discuss a little of their credentials.
~~
~~
... Was it Worth the Price of Admission?
The award for oddest story goes to...
Couple caught having sex on Queen's lawn
And the funniest line in the story...
Couple caught having sex on Queen's lawn
And the funniest line in the story...
"The Japanese tourists were comparing their videos."~~
May 2, 2009
The Changing Face of the Supreme Court
Sort of appropriate for this blog to discuss the retirement of Justice David Souter. Souter’s decision comes as little surprise. He has long made it known that, although he loved the position, he disliked the City of Washington D.C. This move will allow him to retire comfortably back to his native New Hampshire.
Souter was appointed in 1990 by George H.W. Bush. He was termed a “slam dunk” by John Sununu, then White House Chief of Staff and former New Hampshire Governor. Although a lifelong Republican highly touted by conservatives, Souter soon displayed an unexpected stripe, regularly bucking Chief Justice Rehnquist by joining Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the court’s more moderate wing. It was said that Souter was disillusioned by the bitter partisanship of Washington, and found himself repelled by the hardcore right wing dogma. As the years passed Souter became more liberal, regularly joining with another Republican turncoat, 1975 Ford appointee John Paul Stevens.
With the election of Barak Obama, Souter likely saw an opportunity to remove himself from the D.C. partisanship without taking the risk of unbalancing the court. Souter was likely heartened by then candidate Obama, who stated in an interview reported October 2, 2008 in the Detroit Free Press:
It is likely that Souter wanted out much earlier, but witnessing George W. Bush’s appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito, he understood that his departure during a Republican administration would bring more of the same divisive partisanship and hardcore dogma.
Souter had witnessed the outcome of such partisanship in the past. Ronald Reagan’s appointments of Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O’Connor, and the elevation of William Rehnquist to Chief Justice guided SCOTUS into a generation-long right-of-center era. No previous president had enjoyed such opportunity to reshape judicial politics and the court membership remained unchanged from 1994 until 2005. Souter likely did not want to see such an occurrence due to his retirement.
Now Obama is poised to equal or surpass the Reagan appointments, and perhaps leave his stamp on the court for an equal length of time. Additional to Souter’s retirement, 75 year old Ruth Bader Ginsburg has recently been treated for pancreatic cancer. The likelihood that she will soon retire is quite high. 88 year old John Paul Stevens is certainly of retirement age. Anthony Kennedy is only 72 years old, but has twice suffered from cardiac problems. Antonin Scalia is a young 72, and will likely survive the Obama years… but perhaps not. The average tenure for a Supreme Courte Justice is 15 years. Seven of the nine current justices have equaled or exceeded that. If Obama is reelected in 2012, and Scalia does not retire before 2018, he will have served 33 years.
Now we are faced with the question of Obama’s direction. Will he follow the path of George W. Bush, who by appointing Roberts and Alito seemed determined to make a hard rightward push, o r will Obama follow the Clinton lead and appoint more moderate judges? Ginsberg and Breyer were known as left-leaning moderates and have maintained that moderation as justices.
If early indications are correct, moderate judge Sonia Sotomayor is running high in the rankings for President Obama’s first Supreme Court nomination. Sotomayor was first appointed to the federal bench in New York’s Sothern District by George H.W. Bush in 1992. In 1997, then President Bill Clinton nominated Sotomayor to replace J. Daniel Mahoney on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.
Oddly enough, and even though her track record while serving on the federal bench showed her solidly moderate conservative, Senate Republicans held up the nomination for over a year by claiming that she was a “judicial activist.” Republicans openly fretted that confirmation to the 2nd Circuit would bring her a step closer to the Supreme Court. An anonymous Republican Senator even placed a block on the nomination. Finally, with court dockets swelling and pressure mounting from all sides, the opposition relented and Sotomayor was finally confirmed in October of 1998.
Although Sotomayor’s credentials are impeccable and she enjoys the broad base support of both political parties, it appears that her nomination will again be met with irrational resistance. This morning on FOX News, former Bush Chief of Staff Karl Rove called on conservatives to oppose the Sotomayor appointment regardless of her qualifications, calling her “more liberal than Souter.” Rove went on to grossly misrepresent her record on the 2nd Circuit. [Watch the video HERE]. I suppose when one is as far to the right as Rove, moderation must appear liberal.
Let us hope, if Sotomayor is indeed nominated, that the Senate displays more wisdom than Rove.
~~
Souter was appointed in 1990 by George H.W. Bush. He was termed a “slam dunk” by John Sununu, then White House Chief of Staff and former New Hampshire Governor. Although a lifelong Republican highly touted by conservatives, Souter soon displayed an unexpected stripe, regularly bucking Chief Justice Rehnquist by joining Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the court’s more moderate wing. It was said that Souter was disillusioned by the bitter partisanship of Washington, and found himself repelled by the hardcore right wing dogma. As the years passed Souter became more liberal, regularly joining with another Republican turncoat, 1975 Ford appointee John Paul Stevens.
With the election of Barak Obama, Souter likely saw an opportunity to remove himself from the D.C. partisanship without taking the risk of unbalancing the court. Souter was likely heartened by then candidate Obama, who stated in an interview reported October 2, 2008 in the Detroit Free Press:
“I think that Justice Souter, who was a Republican appointee, Justice Breyer, a Democratic appointee, are very sensible judges. They take a look at the facts and they try to figure out: How does the Constitution apply to these facts? They believe in fidelity to the text of the Constitution, but they also think you have to look at what is going on around you and not just ignore real life… That, I think is the kind of justice that I’m looking for — somebody who respects the law, doesn’t think that they should be making law ... but also has a sense of what’s happening in the real world and recognizes that one of the roles of the courts is to protect people who don’t have a voice”
It is likely that Souter wanted out much earlier, but witnessing George W. Bush’s appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito, he understood that his departure during a Republican administration would bring more of the same divisive partisanship and hardcore dogma.
Souter had witnessed the outcome of such partisanship in the past. Ronald Reagan’s appointments of Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O’Connor, and the elevation of William Rehnquist to Chief Justice guided SCOTUS into a generation-long right-of-center era. No previous president had enjoyed such opportunity to reshape judicial politics and the court membership remained unchanged from 1994 until 2005. Souter likely did not want to see such an occurrence due to his retirement.
Now Obama is poised to equal or surpass the Reagan appointments, and perhaps leave his stamp on the court for an equal length of time. Additional to Souter’s retirement, 75 year old Ruth Bader Ginsburg has recently been treated for pancreatic cancer. The likelihood that she will soon retire is quite high. 88 year old John Paul Stevens is certainly of retirement age. Anthony Kennedy is only 72 years old, but has twice suffered from cardiac problems. Antonin Scalia is a young 72, and will likely survive the Obama years… but perhaps not. The average tenure for a Supreme Courte Justice is 15 years. Seven of the nine current justices have equaled or exceeded that. If Obama is reelected in 2012, and Scalia does not retire before 2018, he will have served 33 years.
Now we are faced with the question of Obama’s direction. Will he follow the path of George W. Bush, who by appointing Roberts and Alito seemed determined to make a hard rightward push, o r will Obama follow the Clinton lead and appoint more moderate judges? Ginsberg and Breyer were known as left-leaning moderates and have maintained that moderation as justices.
If early indications are correct, moderate judge Sonia Sotomayor is running high in the rankings for President Obama’s first Supreme Court nomination. Sotomayor was first appointed to the federal bench in New York’s Sothern District by George H.W. Bush in 1992. In 1997, then President Bill Clinton nominated Sotomayor to replace J. Daniel Mahoney on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.
Oddly enough, and even though her track record while serving on the federal bench showed her solidly moderate conservative, Senate Republicans held up the nomination for over a year by claiming that she was a “judicial activist.” Republicans openly fretted that confirmation to the 2nd Circuit would bring her a step closer to the Supreme Court. An anonymous Republican Senator even placed a block on the nomination. Finally, with court dockets swelling and pressure mounting from all sides, the opposition relented and Sotomayor was finally confirmed in October of 1998.
Although Sotomayor’s credentials are impeccable and she enjoys the broad base support of both political parties, it appears that her nomination will again be met with irrational resistance. This morning on FOX News, former Bush Chief of Staff Karl Rove called on conservatives to oppose the Sotomayor appointment regardless of her qualifications, calling her “more liberal than Souter.” Rove went on to grossly misrepresent her record on the 2nd Circuit. [Watch the video HERE]. I suppose when one is as far to the right as Rove, moderation must appear liberal.
Let us hope, if Sotomayor is indeed nominated, that the Senate displays more wisdom than Rove.
~~
May 1, 2009
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