This Friday night’s news dump is a biggie: Texas judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an antiabortion Trump appointee, has ruled that the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug mifepristone in 2000 was flawed and must be suspended.
Wow, just wow....why does it seem that only the policies, actions that are for all Americans and their good interests are knocked down by a bunch of angry old men for whom the rules never seem to apply...?
Somebody needs to prosecute those angry old men. They will try anything more now than since the days of the old civil rights activism. The federal government has an obligation here.
Don’t forget to prosecute the “young angry men [and women]” who are pushing hard to overthrow democracy. Thank you Heather, as always. I feel sick at this news.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
The Federalist Society is not just identifying and promoting conservative Republican judges. It promotes conservative CHRISTIAN Republican judges. For decades the Federalists were run by Leonard Leo, a fervent right-wing Catholic. His goal - to push the nominations of reliably right-wing “Christian” judges (I put “Christian” in quotes because their repressive beliefs are far from Christ-like). The 6 members of the right-wing cabal on SCOTUS? All vetted by the Federalists, all arch conservative “Christians” whose religious beliefs, not the rule of law, guide their decisions. The same goes for Kacsmaryk, and hundreds of other judges blessed by the Federalists and installed by Republican presidents. This is part of the plan by “Christian” dominionists to establish their theocracy.
Absolutely. The Kochs were/are Catholic and daddy Koch was a supporter of Hitler. How about that? I consider Leonard Leo and the Opus Dei movement to be the new face of fascism. It seeks the imposition of the Middle Ages on America. Indeed, in it's origins in Spain it was pro Hitler, pro-fascism.
John - thanks for ruining my day! This is some scary sh_t here. We are dealing with cunning, smart people who have solved the democracy puzzle so to speak. To infiltrate it and impose their theocratic will on all of us. Pretty Handmaid-esque. I do hope they run into some kind of wall - just what I don't know.
Thank you, Pensa_VT. Perhaps your reference mentions this, but I wonder if those students were financed in their law studies by the Koch Brothers, et al who set about to "right" the leanings of the "liberal" universities, especially in the fields of law and politics? Since all but one, Gorsuch, (Episcopalian) are conservative Catholics, I also wonder about the influence of the church.
Hope, see my post above on the connections between religion (right-wing Christians and Catholics, primarily) and the Federalists. I’ll add that the Koch brothers have made significant donations to the Federalist Society. (from the NYT “Between 1997 and 2017, the Koch brothers gave more than $6 million to the Federalist Society…”)
There is no question Anne-Louise, that this Supreme Court is headed for disaster. They have posited themselves diametrically opposed to the American consciousness. Ask our WWII opponents how that ultimately works out. They have resurrected the sleeping dragon insuring both their own demise and that of their handlers. Condemned to history by the journalists, writers, historians, film makers, and educators of these times if not also incarcerated losing the very foundation of their own precious freedom they were appointed to safeguard. In folksy language, what goes around comes around. Bam.
Right, Gail. These laws have never been about 'the children'; they are about controlling women's lives. They know if they can kill reproductive rights, they can control whether or not women can work outside the home, etc. It's just one domino.
Keep 'em barefoot and pregnant, as the old saying goes.
Boy, you really pushed a button--this was the underlying reason I had decided that I never wanted to get married. Thankfully, the Universe had other plans...and am now married to my ideal companion. If I said that I wanted to swing naked from the chandelier of the lobby at the Ritz, Frank would say, what time would you like me to take you....
Sophia Demas, I just downloaded a sample of your book "The Divine Language of Coincidence: How Miracles Transformed My Life After I Began Paying Attention" because I'm intrigued. And I have a theory on serendipitous bread crumbs... Am looking forward to a taste of your thoughts.
You can tell that these laws have never been about "the children," since these authoritarian #(*@$ refuse to take action by restricting access to guns. In fact, it's completely the opposite. (Grrrr)
2,000 years of misogyny, and for them, not a moment wasted. Here we are, approaching the middle of the 21st century, and their collective foot is still on our necks.
We need to elect equal #s of women at Federal state and local levels who believe government is for the people by the people to help all of us thrive, leaving no one behind, much like Sweden. Far better than angry old men who can tell women what they can do w their own bodies and mix religion in or and government. Women need another March and need to find and support to the hilt courageous women willing to run for office along with "everything everywhere" else they do! I understand it's not so simple to interrupt the long standing patriarchy that exists but we have to continue to try every which way from Sunday to fight for our rights more aggressively now that we are threatened by a possible misogynist racist lying autocratic Trump presidency again. I don't mean to bring in religion, but my thought at this moment is: God, of our understanding, help us!
I agree with you completely, but we now have a number of 'angry young MAGA women' in our government and they're not doing much good for anyone but themselves. I don't believe that women will save us but rather good people, both men & women, will save us and democracy.
I'm strongly in agreement with you. There are plenty of Elise Stefaniks and Marjorie Taylor Greenes and Lauren Boeberts out there, alas.
And as far as helping everyone thrive, I think Finland's doing about the best job.
"Finland, the nation ranked the happiest in the world for six years in a row (the latest rankings by the UN came out last week), gives its citizens the space necessary to explore the values Emerson and his Transcendentalists spoke of back in the day.
"Both healthcare and education are essentially free there (students are actually paid to go to college). Housing and public transportation are subsidized. Three-quarters of all Finnish workers are represented by a union and thus earn a solid wage.
"And they don’t have the problem of morbidly rich billionaires buying politicians and rigging the economy because 5 Republicans on their Supreme Court never legalized political bribery. As a result, the rich actually pay their taxes and that money is used to support the Finnish middle class.
Gail Adams & Sandra P. Campbell, yes control. I’m not discounting that but want to add to it: Their value system goes back to a Puritan view that we must all be punished for our pleasures. If people are going to enjoy intimacy, they need to pay the price without technology’s assistance to allow pleasure without risk. I believe this explanation goes back to a George Lackoff book, Don’t Think of an Elephant. Great book.
Only women must be punished for their pleasure , a societal norm excusing all kinds of male behavior. Let's look @ the FDA approval of viagra. This ruling has the potential to weaponize drugs that dont fit their agenda, like drugs used by people with AIDS
Keep in mind that all women, forever, must also be punished because Eve tempted Adam (poor, pitiful, weak Adam) into sin. Of course there is so much more to the story - beginning with men's fear of women's ability to produce children from their bodies, to fear that "their" woman's child might not be theirs (the man's, I mean - sorry for the gobbledygook). This is why women's sexuality must be controlled - they might produce a "cuckoo", having "cuckolded" their possessor male. Religion has so much to answer for.
I agree with your outlook. However, Viagra was discovered as something for ED totally by accident. It was originally supposed to be used for lowering blood pressure. I recall a friend, early 40s at the time who had blood pressure and ED. That blue pill didn't do much for his b.p., but it did help him and his wife regain their Intimacy at a too-young age. I learned about they happy development through my wife, who heard it from his wife. Seems like viagra doesn't just keep men.
Unfortunately, women's anatomy is much more complex, and no viagra-like accident has happened for women.
I grew up in Newton, MA. When I was first able to vote, our congressional representative was Father Robert Drinan. A pro-choice Catholic priest. After complaints by the conservative Catholics, the Vatican issued an order (or a bull or whatever they called it) telling all priests that they have to remove themselves from politics, but we all knew who it was directed at. The conservatives thought that with Drinan out of the way, their candidate would be a shoe-in. However, Fr. Drinan's hand-picked successor won handily: Barney Frank. Not all Catholics are raving, child-molesting, maniacs (although too many are, as we learned about the Catholic church in nearby Boston).
When natural sexual inclinations are shamed and punished for even existing (fantasies, etc) they tend to go underground and then are expressed in distorted and less acceptable ways. The institution that insists on sexual expression being only one way, is a main contributor to many of the sex crimes that occur.
Exactly. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church insisted on no way of sexual expression (celibacy).
BUT, that was impossible to adhere to so priests began preying on ready victims. Eventually, it became known, worldwide, that the Catholic Priesthood was a sanctuary for Pedophiles and those so inclined flocked to the church to get their jollies and be protected from consequences.
Not all Catholics agree with them. There's even a "Catholics for Choice" group. My grandmother, a devout Irish Catholic born in 1917 was pro-choice and went to Washington to march for women's rights as well as for Labor unions
I get it. But for this and many other Catholics, Protestants - believers well acquainted with the character of Christ - this forceful funneling to the right is motivating our pursuits for social justice all the more.
I follow the God-guy who called out the religious leaders of his day as hypocrites, drove out vendors in the Temple, forgave sinners, healed the sick, raised the dead - and was killed for his efforts - which is what this weekend commemorates.
May our democracy experience its own Easter Sunday. 🙏🏻
My impression is that it's also about sex. The puritanical distaste for sex and for people who enjoy respectful, mutually pleasurable sexual relationships seems to permeate a lot of Christian belief.
"The puritanical distaste for sex and for people who enjoy"
This is an interesting sentence. It has been a long, long time ago now, but, when I was living in rural East Texas I did attend a local Baptist Church there and, no joke, dancing was considered a low level sin.
Sex? Especially among young, non-married people? Straight to hell for those folks. At the time I had my first sense of sort a "bad smell", which as I grew older became a stench.
But, your point is spot on: The entirely normal process of attraction during mammal mating and reproduction is demonized by the entirely abnormal ravings a madmen (almost exclusively men) claiming to have a direct communication with "God".
Like the Taliban saying a woman must be covered from head to foot, otherwise she provokes lust in men! That may have been diluted here into asking a rape victim what she was wearing that provoked her rapist, but it all stems from the same thing - men absolved of responsibility for their actions, and women taking the blame. Ever since Adam and Eve.
I have been in FL at the beach. I saw a woman in bathing clothes with only face, hands and feet (I guess) uncovered. Her husband had on just bathing trunks. I said to my daughter “Wonder why men can’t just control THEMSELVES rather than make women bundle up.”
Interesting personal sidebar here: I went through breast cancer in 2006 and considered a prophylactic double mastectomy. My wife was opposed to that, so I didn't. I wonder what they'd say to a DM who went shirtless...
Pilgrim Holiness (gone now I think) would agree with the no dancing, added no lipstick. The “perfect family” that was the role model for us all blew up in a spectacular fashion. Ran for my life.
My husband did too. In his family's religion there was no dancing, drinking, card playing, caffeine, and no leaving the house on Sundays except to go to church. He was one of the fastest runners in our state and he used those skills well to run away from it!
Mike, not just East Texas (my husband of 60+ years is from Lufkin)but here in Southern California too. In the early 50’s my mother was horrified at local public school because my younger sister wasn’t being taught to read with phonics but by sight, and my 6th grade teacher had misspelled words on the board. We were enrolled in a tiny Christian school taught by a few women who dressed like it was 1900. It was an unforgettable year and a half. The day that they had us draw steps and then label them with the sins leading to hell that they lost me and best friend. Playing cards, dancing, smoking,drinking were starters. I’m pretty sure sex wasn’t mentioned as that was too disgusting to mention to young ears. All I noted is that my family engaged in all, and I was insulted and had my first realization that I needed to think for myself. Hat was a well-learned lesson.
Congrats on 60-plus years. (Some friends of my parents, the couple who hosted their wedding, made it to 69.)
I was taught sight reading in first grade, was a terrible reader. Different school for second grade, with phonics. I can remember reading a whole chapter book, Dr. Doolittle, in less than a day, greatly surprising myself, about halfway through that year.
I recall an author on NPR saying that growing up in Texas he learned the sex was the nastiest, most disgusting thing imaginable, and to save it for the one you love.
I would bet it's fear. Fear of their own sexuality, fear of what a deep dive into their own nature might reveal to them. So they just react and don't think very deeply.
Fear of women for the same sorts of reasons. If they weren't so horribly destructive, I'd feel sorry for them.
No distaste for a twice-impeached President having affairs with and groping a significant number of women and bragging about it on TV? So what does Individual #1 give them that would have them look the other way when all kinds of sleaze, corruption, and lying takes place on an hourly basis?
Power over the "libtards" and the "woke". There have already been allusions to the "American Taliban" in this thread. The truth is they have been at the core of our society since the Pilgrims and before.
It's "my way or the highway" arrogance. Control and power. Fear and loathing. Jesus speaks of love and his followers rant with hate. Early followers speak of "vows of poverty" and the clergy prance around in fancy silks and stupid hats.
Viewing the world from multiple lens' is an anathema to people who march to the drum of autocrats - who see "others" as a threat. And most religions use these natural fear factors - of someone coming for your stuff - as weapons to control.
The religions that claim they are the best or the "one true faith" are the worst and the enemies of humankind and the Earth itself.
That being said, I know some very fine people who have a strong "faith". But their god embraces, shelters, includes and truly tries to help. All are welcome at their table. Sadly, I think they are a minority. The more we hear from folks like Pavlovitz the better. He counters the evil blather.
Then the misnamed Christians ought to go back and read the epistles of Paul, on which their religious practices are supposed to be based. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. And there's more, which sort of disqualifies tfg. (Hebrews 13:14).
This has always bemused me. Control, as Gail said? When I put myself in their shoes - the control shoes, I still don’t get it. Stopping or forcing others to do things doesn’t ring my bells. I’m not the slightest bit interested.
Those who control social media maybe? So ironic given how SM could be a force for good. But at the top the wealthy misogynists control it and at bottom the bottom feeder misogynists pollute it.
Have you ever noticed someone’s personality change when they get behind the wheel of the car? The same change occurs when they get behind the keyboard on social media. We are coming to a new understanding of relative anonymity and the effect that engenders.
Who indeed is in control, or at least, who dominates? Evaluated law by law, policy by policy, who is the government of, by and for? I'd expect some very mixed results.
The wealthy. A strategy of fear mongering based on God, guns, and gays works very well. Behind all of this are families like the Kochs and the Mercers. And Justice Thomas' buddies. Social media is just a tool used by these people and their institutions, like Heritage, and the Federalist Society.
Heritage foundation hosted DeSatan in my (and its) hometown of Midland (Dow Chemical), Michigan yesterday. So the corporations are cleaving off tRump, and substituting with worse.
When I first moved to Texas in 1983, colleagues were anti abortion but only got animated about it when their taxes, or donations to United Way, would be used to support abortions. It was the beginning of a long slog that had led to where we are today. Will or take 40 years to get back to where we were before Dobbs?
Those "genuine religious beliefs" include a belief that women are only "safe" if they are controlled by their men, who in return for letting their women live subjugated to them in every way, not just sexually, will "protect" them from other men. Yes, appalling, but many, many women, and not just Xtianfascists, have internalized these beliefs, and sacralized them.
True. But if you reason with them directly on reproductive choice, you'll just build more obstacles. The problem is that once we got Roe v Wade, pro- choice folk just stopped fighting for more hearts and minds. Liberal victory then looked as horrifying to them as theocratic victories look to us now. Will we take as long as 40-50 years to get back to where we were in 2015? Once we get those rights back, how will we protect them from the next assault?
Well, you can't really "reason" with someone about their religious beliefs, because faith is the polar opposite and outright enemy of rational thought. And I truly hope that with the millions of young voters galvanized by their moms and grandmothers and aunties and those of their friends, who fought for and won (limited) abortion rights, including the right to newer, medication abortion, we will be able to go forward right away. This is an emergency, make no mistake, but there is reason, good reason, to hope.
Maybe we are the ones not making enough noise. Let's look at Iran. We should be on the streets demanding Code of Ethics at SCJ, Thomas resignation from SCJ and an end to control of womens lives and bodies by men. What is the difference between these radicals and aTaliban ruling? MTG being on CBS 60min is incomprehensible, a step into normalizing what should never be normal.
However, it has been my observation that some of the Christian sects are founded upon and thrive on Judgement of others. And, judgement of others is about power for some, and disenfranchisement for others.
Remarkably, in my experience, the Greek Orthodox Church members and leadership are the least likely to hand out cards to hell. Now, this might be because, at least in my own observations, that (some) of the men in that culture spend a fair bit of time running around on their wives but also give a lot of money to the church. So, that might explain the church's non-judgmental stance.
Ha! I love the rules of the Orthodox Church. They publically frown on abortion and contraception, but back away from "what goes on behind closed doors." Re: divorce, you get three chances. You can be granted a divorced the first time, since it could've been a forced marriage. You can get divorced a second time, because this time it was you, yourself that made a bad decision. But if you haven't learned your lesson by then, no to divorcing a third time--you have to suffer for your stupidity.
All in all, the church dogma is pretty spectacular...akin to quantum mechanics....
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Yes, why exactly do they care? This war on women is escalating and I hope women respond in kind at the ballot box.How would these mainly old, mainly white, mainly men feel if an almost all female legislature banned Viagra?Every day a new cruelness is imposed upon women. I hope we mobilize now and work to rid ourselves of these hateful old men in 2024.
Guess you haven't met many catholics - it's an article of their faith! And they don't care one bit about fair, honest, transparent, populist government, or the intent of the founding fathers, or any of the freedoms supposedly enshrined in our laws and founding documents. They do care about worldly riches, power, control, authoritarianism, unquestioning loyalty, and ends justifying means - all on the backs of children, women, gullible flocks of 'believers' and anyone vulnerable to manipulation. Their reach, and foul methods, span two millenia, and have been responsible for the majority of wars in the past 2,000 years.
But the crazies are painting themselves into a corner it seems. Judges ruling against each other and the Supreme Court will settle it!?! That should go well - I wonder how Clarence Thomas will think through that one.
The Judges are not ruling against each other, the Washington state Judge's order impacts 18 states; the Amarillo, Texas judge-shopping order purports to enjoin All States. That Panhandle order is stayed by its own terms for 7 days & is on thin ice that is melting fast.
The Texas case can be petitioned directly to SCOTUs via a "writ of Certiorari before Judgment" as Leon Kaworksi did in US vs Nixon. See, US vs Nixon 418 US 683-684 .(1974).
Of course we know that the Supreme Court will not settle anything for the long term that is against the will of a large majority of the US. It will continue to be a painful number of years but you just can't take rights away from over half the population. Also missing from this current discussion is that than at least half of the talented in this world are women. Think you can control women, you better duck and cover.
As to how Thomas will "think through that one," it seems he has already shown his prodigious capacity for hypocrisy with his autobiography describing his (and his wife's) preference for vacations at RV parks and Walmart parking lots. : >/
Wow was exactly my reaction. Four seismic issues in one night’s letter that are all current events.
An extremist judge, appointed by an extremist president, handing down an extremist and unprecedented decision attacking women’s reproductive rights.
An extremist Supreme Court justice , married to an extremist who worked to overthrow a democratic election, literally taking in-kind contributions in the millions from a billionaire with ties to groups with numerous cases before the Court that the justice voted in their favor.
Job growth and executive branch action to raise tax revenues that would help lower the deficit and national debt that one party has vilified while threatening to oppose increasing the debt ceiling in a blatantly hypocritical and contradictory position.
A gerrymandered state legislature responding to a groundswell of popular protest that said legislators refuse to even debate gun legislation after six local residents were brutally killed in a local Christian school by expelling two Democratic representatives that joined the protesters in a clearly racially motivated action.
Yes Kathy.. and a tiny minority at that; remember that. They in no way represent the thoughts and consciousness of the majority. That's the most important part; They are total 'Posers', trying to 'portray' as some great numbers. *edit in - Their deceptive 'illusions' portrayal is all part of their modus operandi Kathy and consistent with the theories that if 'you say and portray lies and illusions often enough, you can fool some portion of a population, a small portion of which is too busy to really objectively pay enough attention; likely somewhat populated by those who like FB and 30 second soundbites and count just that, as some knowledge. Way, way too sad. Another reason I truly treasure this sane, sober education and factual ideas; a learning and sharing place on our Doctors space. Thank providence and HCR ~
It makes sense as the bought and paid for agenda of insatiable of powerful plutocrats, who would, if the could, be king. Galactic Emperor, for that matter, if they could pull it off.
It seems that way because it IS that way. It's long past time for a change. And some change is happening. And the good ol' boys are fighting against it with everything they've got!
So. WE have to fight back with our determination NOT to let them keep their crusty old greedy mitts all over us and our rights to be free from their domination.
Please do keep in mind that it is not all older White men who wish to see a dictatorship of the wealthy whose only apparent goal in this life is to amass power and wealth in order to dictate morals for everyone. Plenty of older White men hope for and strive for a more just democratic nation. Plenty of older White men have been struggling against plutocratic, misogynistic, racist, militaristic, homophobic, class conscious bullies, too.
I grew up and then old believing that judges were neutral, logical arbiters. The last decade has been like I’m six years old and people are continually popping up on a ever circling conveyor belt to tell me that there’s no Santa Claus.
They’re not all old, and not all men. Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch are in their 50s,a don while Justice Barrett has shown a few signs of being a bit less reactionary than some of her colleagues, she has hardly been a beacon of light.
That a judge in one state can make a ruling denying medical care to the entire nation should not be permissible. Is there any hope the Extreme Court can override that ruling and thereby defend women's rights?
Thanks, Heather, for touching all the bases in today's news.
The Texas judge said the FDA didn’t look at the psychological impact and long term effects of the drug. Does he think there are no psychological impacts and long term effects from being pregnant and delivering and raising a child?
Not to mention forum shopping, which shows this more about politics than justice. The problem is that the conservatives know that their ace in the hole is the Supreme Court, against which there is no recourse, so they are happy to bring these ridiculous cases to a federal judge they know will rule their way and take it all the way up and the puppets like Kavanagh and Barrett are happy to assert the tyranny of the minority. Everyone who couldn't hold their nose and vote for HRC has this blood on their hands and there will be blood. Thousands of women will be injured or die because of this.
Good point. Not to mention the ill effects of prohibiting treatment of conditions other than pregnancy with the drug. See extensive comments about this including a few personal stories in today’s article about the ruling in today’s WAPO
Many if us would dearly like to see a return to health decisions being left to those with medical training and their patients, matters of faith left to religious organizations and their adherents, athletic competitions left to athletes, coaches and their sanctioning organizations, etc.
Just want to jump in here to ask has "judge shopping" always been possible? I remember hearing years ago lawyers who had filed claims would wonder who would be the judge in their case. I assumed that meant they were not in control of who they could pick.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
They had a long view that has lasted for three decades and culminated in this travesty of injustice. Now it's time to expand the Court to negate their efforts and overturn the ability of far-right conservatives/religious zealots to control the lives of all Americans.
You are welcome, Lynell. I am so glad people are willing to take this in, as disheartening as it is. The projection of the real conspiracy theorists onto the left are part of America's unfortunate roots that we must dig out. It is early spring here in VT, I have my leather gardening gloves on! Let's dig them all out!
This Judge Kacsmaryk is beyond dangerous. He has disdain for the LGBTQ community. He claimed in 2015 that a person is seen through the LGBTQ lens as “an autonomous blog of Silly Putty unconstrained by nature or biology, and that marriage, sexuality, gender identity, and even the unborn child must yield to the erotic desires of liberated adults”. He will go to any lengths to have an "unborn human" be born, but when this child is blasted by an assault weapon...well, too bad--not a finger will be lifted for gun reform. Thank God for karma....
That's the idiocy: force women to give birth to children so some AR-15 wielding criminal can blow them apart later. And no, no limit on selling this wonder weapon to anybody without even a need to register... What country are we living in?
Conservatives file in his district because they know they will get the outcome they want. This makes a mockery of the judicial system because it ceases to be about justice and all about politics. Forum shopping should be illegal and his district needs another judge.
"For the 26th time in two years, Ken Paxton, Texas’ attorney general, recently filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a Biden administration policy. The suit, which seeks to wipe out a new Labor Department rule about the investment of pension trust assets, wasn’t filed in Austin, the state capital, or in Dallas, where the Labor Department’s regional offices are, or anywhere else with a logical connection to the dispute.
It was filed in Amarillo. Why Amarillo? By filing there, Mr. Paxton had a 100 percent chance of having the case assigned to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk — appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump in 2019 and a former deputy general counsel to the First Liberty Institute, which frequently litigates religious liberty cases before the Supreme Court.
Forum shopping has long been a problem in civil litigation. Clever lawyers use procedural rules to file in courts deemed most likely to be sympathetic to their claims. But what Mr. Paxton and other plaintiffs are doing is something far more nefarious — they’re engaging in a novel and specific form of judge shopping, seeking out the specific judge whom they wish to hear their case, presumably because of how they expect that judge to rule.
By taking advantage of a loophole in federal procedure, these plaintiffs are able to rely on a handful of district judges appointed by Mr. Trump to thwart major features of President Biden’s agenda. The tactic upends the tradition of random assignment of judges and raises serious questions about the fairness and impartiality of the judicial system. And it can — and should — be easily fixed, whether by the courts themselves or, failing that, by Congress."
Remember way back when the same political crowd decried so-called "judicial activism" as an evil? I guess it is only evil when practiced from a progressive perspective.
When a federal court district has only one judge, you are all set. File in a New York or California district where there are lots of judges per district and you may strike out.
I had not thought it possible to have the item about the removal of legislators in Tennessee be the last in Heather's list today, but this judge, and the other abortion-related news has certainly reordered priorities. Idaho is losing doctors who fear the medical care they want to be able to provide will land them in jail. Kansas legislators have passed a bill to force doctors to misinform patients to say mefiprestone can be reversed. The only solution is to codify Roe v. Wade, at the state level if the Congress won't (or can't) do it. The government has absolutely no right to involve itself in a decision that is the woman's alone (with her doctor's involvement if she wishes). And the government also has no business in anyone's bedroom.
How can we convince our neighbors to never vote Republican again. This Republican Party Politicians beholden to a base of haters stop all progress and worse, with their stranglehold on gerrymandered seats? I know we fixed the problem in Michigan with ballet proposals to the State Constitution, but I understand that option isn't available in many States. The fed up from the people approach!
Yes, I call it mental gymnastics! Such hypocrisy, you have to wonder how they do it mentally. Sometimes I think it is a special form of mental illness that the rest of us are incapable of.
I listen to Morning Joe with his wife Mika Brizinski. He used to be a Republican, and he keeps harping on the political malpractice of his former Party. He gets joined by Michael Steele, the former Chairman of the RNC and Charley Sykes who is a Conservative Commentator out of Wisconsin, who is a never Trumper, and publishes The Bulwark. I myself am much more progressive, but it is fun to watch them commiserate over the demise of the Conservative Movement and it's anti-American, Fascist turn.
Never say never. I have one republican friend with whom I've been close with for 40 years, simply because we love each other. No matter what I said she went ahead and voted for rump twice--not because she likes him or isn't for liberal causes, but because she is filthy rich and wants the tax cuts. I never stopped dropping my crumbs. For the love of tax savings, they were planning to buy a house in Florida and spend half the year there. At our last lunch I told her that I had to take her political temperature and asked if she would vote for rump again. She said no, paused, then told me that she decided that she didn't like Florida and that they're going to stay put and pay their taxes. I asked her what happened. She said, "I woke up." You don't have to win the argument but you can keep sowing seeds.
You make a very good point touching on one's sense of identity. Like materialistic scientists, once these people buy into a political dogma, they cling to it. Any other perspective threatens their worldview and the ears cease to work. My favorite such story is about Galileo and his philosopher friend in Padua. The friend thought that all this talk about the planets circling the sun was BS and would have none of it. Galileo begged him to look through his telescope and he refused! Why? Because he would have to change his perception of the world and what could be scarier....
This type of personality disorder is still effected by public opinion. As his peer faction changes their opinion so will many Trump adherents. Public opinion is one of our most powerful motivators. If you have children you may have noted a predilection for popular clothing and current attitudes. As adults we do respond to public opinion. Witness the overriding opinions on this amazing substack. There really is a longer healing process that will outlive the Trump era. Have you finally expunged your former spouse you were once so smitten with?
Rather than that approach, I think getting Democrats and Independents to the polls is the answer. There are more of us than the lost souls of Rethuglicans, so they can be overcome. Look at Wisconsin a few days ago.
Now, hopefully, the horribly gerrymandered districts will be remedied and voter suppression will be undone.
My aporoach to my Republican friend is going to be astonishment: "How could we have known how bad Trump is! It is so sad that to save democracy we now have to vote for democrats, but our kids just aren't safe in school anymore..."
Oh, that's good! I tried to talk to a Republican nurse that I thought might be reached by compassion, reason, and actually pointing out how our new Congressperson Debbie Dingell in getting or power restored by direct intervention with Consumers Energy. She turned the me with a bitter look and said you know it is the fault of the Government and their regulations are nothing works anymore! Her gentle eyes turned as hard as granite when she spoke. She and her husband moved into our building from Upstate New York.
You might not have to feign astonishment in your voice and facial expressions!
Luckily, we don't have the problem in Massachusetts - the GOP here is in deep debt, has few seats in the legislature, and no state-wide office holders now that the slippery Charlie Baker is gone. But with that legislature - that openly has ignored ballot measures in the past - we might be just as bad off.
Yes, I know what you mean. Here in Michigan, we had passed a raise in the minimum wage by ballet proposal too in 2018. At that time, we still had a highly gerrymandered legislature. The Republicans passed a law before the ballot proposal could take effect, with a lower wage level. Of course, our new Democratic Legislators are addressing this issue too. So much to fix!
And as much as I dislike Betsy DeVos, Michigan's Republican Party is totally bankrupt too, because the DeVos family has pulled their funding after the Republican grass roots had voted against the DeVos candidates at their convention earlier this year, for party Chairman. Instead they voted for a chairwoman, who is even more extreme and a Trump endorsed candidate. She is a QAnon Conspiracy Nut and even Betsy DeVos and her husband can't stomach her. The Michigan Republican Party is now so extreme and also penniless that it has been rendered toothless!
Yep, been following the news... if Betsy can't stand you, you've gone 'round the bend. That's one way to stop them: take away their funding. Great to hear.
Mim, I'd like to think that the uproar that resulted from their overturning of Roe, the losses that Republicans have experienced ever since, and now Clarence being jerked up short because of his unreported extravagant gifts from Harlan Crow and scrutiny of Gini Thomas's "activism" would cause them to reconsider their enthusiasm for their dismantling our democracy, but it appears that the radical right in our country and the Extreme Court (good one, Mim) currently have no appetite for changing course. Their fanaticism for achieving their dominance in the culture wars and creating their very own Christian Democracy appears to be insatiable, somewhat like the fervor during the crusades.
The Supreme Court is stacked-- thanks to trumplicans:
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Not even close, Derek. Nice try, though. Pensa is being more repetitive this morning as they list the same post several times, but at least there's no bleating about and links to their individual Substack writings. Pensa is quoting other people and the same information is pertinent.
Pensa, thanks so much for the link. I'm anxious to learn more about how their influence could be waning, since I see no way forward in hoping for legislation to "curb their enthusiasm" in this political climate.
They will kill us all. While we are squabbling about their destruction of democracy, every day we get news about how climate change is progressing much faster than we thought and it looks like it will be too late to do anything about it as long as they are delaying and distracting. GOP= death cult.
YES Edwin! It seems increasingly clear that the Republicans have resorted to these "culture wars" to avoid developing or presenting a budget for how we should deal with the very real crises facing the USA, preeminent among them climate change happening right in front of us. One could then add numerous other issues the Republicans have no viable answers for like the Debt Limit, the approaching insolvency of Social Security, Medicare, and numerous other budgetary issues. The Republicans have multiple complaints and criticisms yet provide no detail about how they would manage it, knowing their ideas are wildly unpopular.
Their ideas appear to revolve around the central importance of business and capitalism (the rich getting richer) with little regard to the workers who make capitalism possible. Right now unbridled capitalism is on a collision course with the survivability of humans, let alone the myriad other species on our planet.
"Extreme Court" is much more polite than my current favorite "SCROTUS" (supreme court republican of the US) with its intentional pronunciation to refer to a part of male anatomy that holds the "precious jewels'. I might have to use ECROTUS instead (except over on TC's Substack where I can use more "colorful metaphors."
I just returned from Israel we here 200,000 people demonstrated Saturday evening 3/25. It’s time fellow Americans to get out in the streets and March for civil and voting rights. We the people need to organize and educate voters. It works.
Seth, I've been thinking the same thing for weeks now. The demonstrators have managed to intimidate Netanyahu, at least for now. He's hoping that fighting with the Palestinians will distract them, but they're smarter than that.
I'm hoping that by being emboldened they'll enrage even those who've given up, and that will be their undoing - like the proverbial waking a sleeping tiger.
There is a coup, and and the overturning of Roe is part of the deeper issues we face:
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
He's a federal judge, not a state judge, which is why he could do as he did. Yes, the Supreme Court can overrule him and rule in favor of the other decision.
Do you really think they will do that? Alito, ACB, Kavanagh, etc., have been salivating at the chance to do this. Roberts has already shown that he does not care about the legacy of the court. I will be shocked if they overturn this.
With a contradictory ruling out of Washingon state as HCR noted, the 2 contradicting case are set up for expedited writ consideration skipping the 5th and/or 9th Circuits by a Fast Track procedure known as "Writ before Judgment" which I recall bring used in the United States vs Nixon in 1974.
As we go into the Weekend MIFEPRISTONE is NOT barred in any state in the Union. Stay Vigilant.
Thank you Officer; the wild card is the impact of actual conflicts with Thomas' Donor & assoiated corporate benefactors. Scotusblog monitors all pending case filings & SCOTUS' Orders after Conferences to say nothing about the Shadow Docket.
Having a hard time dealing with the news this week. Evidenced by my blackened thoughts, such as: Will there be a run on existing supplies of Miferpristone? Will the price of such be driven up? Will there be hoarding of such among the Southern Christian Women's Right to Something Knitting and Tatting Society? Are there any useful side effects for male judges who drink whiskey laced with such and would this be an act of mercy if such were successful? I am hopelessly lost in the "suches".
A real lawyer will tell us how it has been applied. Sometimes, it seems that laws do not apply so much to those with privilege, connections, and lots of money.
No, but the president can. It's yet another decision based on a violation of the principle of separation of powers; in the very first major supreme court case, Marberry v. Madison, the court held that it had no power to direct the executive but this goes out the window when ideology intervenes. Biden (and the FDA as well as almost all "independent" agencies are in the executive branch, under the power and protection of the presidency) should just say, "Judge Kacsmaryk has made his decision, now let him enforce it."
Wellll, I'm not sure we want to go down that road just yet. There are many, many legal issues I can see, from here in Maine, with the Texas decision, beginning with the judge/forum shopping and standing issues. I can see this case being sent back to the District Court almost immediately to deal with those issues first, then the judge's clear Xtianfascist bias as demonstrated in his chosen language - "unborn human", my hind foot - then his errors in failing to consider the facts of the FDA's approval after more than 20 years of safe usage in Europe preceding FDA approval in the US AND 23 years of safe use in both Europe and the US since FDA approval. I think this case is a lot more complex than it appears on the surface, and it will take time, with the judgment stayed and mifepristone available throughout the US, until all these issues can be fully litigated in the District Court. Then the appellate court. Then before the Big Nine, or Big Eight, if we eliminate "justice" Thomas from the total for tax fraud.
If we didn't understand how important it is that Leonard Leo and The Federalist Society, and Mich McConnell have stacked our federal courts with right wing judges, now we do.
The misogyny is quite clear, as is the racism and fascism.
Hi Mim; I've no idea what Heather may or will, or even 'if' she'll respond individually; I mean, really how even does she manage to do what she does ? (I've humorously speculated that she's a superhuman alien, on top of the owning the whole 'female advantage' thing). I said years ago on another post site that as I understand the limited options, the fix available, while time consuming individually and perhaps fear inducing , is mass demonstrations - some finely targeted location wise, but also massive and convincing around the country by committed, like minded folks of good will and intent - and unwavering in the face of whatever might come. I've thought about it an awful lot and over a considerable span of time, as in, I did not just come up with it as I write. I espoused this at the beginning of _rumps era; actually before, as I correctly and sadly anticipated much of what's happened - believe it or not, your choice. I claim no *crystal ball nor super brainiac intelligence. What I do know is that my brain works a bit differently, for better and worst.
Likely headed for a "Writ Before Judgment" an expedited SCOTUS review used in US vs Nixon in 1974 and several other cases over the last decades. Looking at you Chief Justice.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Well, if the court is consistent, it will overturn this ruling and say that decisions on this medicine is up to the states. Consistency is not this court's strong suit.
Therein lies the problem. What should be happening is a federal law nullifying the Dobbs decision and returning to women the right to make decisions about their own bodies and to all people the right to freedom from governmental interference in personal matters, as per the 14th Amendment: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Could a judge be any more corrupt than Thomas? That he has not been removed, or at least recused from participating in any further judgments is a monstrous problem with the system.
Thomas is doing the Devil’s Bidding, Diana. No judge could be moe corrupt. The more I learn about the power of the SCOTUS, the more I shudder at what lies ahead.....
It’s probably a good and fair system when it is in the care of good and fair people. There’s just too many people of bad faith in power these days. Democracy requires trust, honesty and a moral contract between everyone. The greedy and hungry are the weeds that kill the garden.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
And if only pensions could be lost for criminal behaviour by elected persons. It really rusts my joints when the most incompetent of representatives get life long pensions after rorting their constituents for decades
Judges have been retained by influence peddlers for as long as judgement has been passed both here and abroad. History records their misdeeds and those who purchase their services. Judges are no less criminal than the men who hire them. Not only have they been processed by law but many judges have met their destiny at the hands of those they wronged. It is a slippery slope men like Thomas tread. I imagine he has been posted in enough stamp books that he will surely be collected.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Quite the Friday with two conflicting orders from judges. Why do I think the Stench Court will back the Texas judge. He has no case for his decision, just his religion and extreme beliefs. It boggles my mind that a judge can rule on something that was approved by the correct agency 23 years ago. As for "Justice" Thomas....when the news story appeared tonight, we were shouting at the TV. He should spend the rest of his days in a Walmart parking lot. I hope the two legislators in Tennessee are reinstated or reelected. And then there is all the horrible things going on in Israel. Great timing there....holy days for the three major religions sitting on top of each other in Jerusalem.
That's exactly what Judge Thomas stated - "Thomas said in an interview for a 2020 documentary about his life titled, "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words."
Marli, He is such a CREEP! Can’t even speak the language properly, just a disgusting shill for the fascist oligarchs! And the Thomas’s benefactor for their $500,000 vacays is named CROW. The garbage cleaner of nature, crows are extremely intelligent, tough and devious to get what they want: offal. It’s AWFUL! May they all eat crow…..
According to a BBC report, the CREEP (thanks!) now says that '...he believed luxury trips he took with his billionaire Republican donor followed guidelines!" Apparently, there is an official requirement that SC justices need to file annual disclosures of gifts. And we have had this ignorant slimy weasel on the SUPREME Court for how long? Over 30 years?
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
David, I am an avid bird watcher. The corvids are among my favorites. Thomas Crow just brought to mind the purpose of crows in nature. How do people even get such names?????
Elisabeth, I am partial to Corvids as well and usually feed them daily. I notice they post scouts on neighborhood trees & generally come to hang around on the electrical/telephone wires near my home at the time I’m usually up and about. When I scatter the food at the edge of the street (despite my repeated attempts to feed them in my large yard, they are too skittish)…the call goes out and I can see birds flying in from around town. I step away and sometimes watch them at a distance as they disburse if anyone is too close (small town bird nervousness I guess). Then, if necessary, I get a bucket of water and window washer/squeegee and check my neighbors cars…..to clean off any poop that has fallen on them from the birds on the wires above. I had one neighbor tell me “you don’t have to do that”, I replied, “yeah, I do”.
Marli, one of the reporters who broke the story of Clarence Thomas accepting--let's call it what it was--bribes in the form of lavish trips from Mr. Crow, mentioned a detail that makes it even more cynical.
He said when Thomas was speaking in the documentary about the Walmart parking lots (who in their right mind would believe that drivel in the first place), he was wearing a shirt with the very small crest/logo of his benefactor's property (I can't remember if it was a logo of the big yacht or the super exclusive vacation home in an elite area.) That to me is like discreetly giving the audience the finger while trying to sell them a big lie. Does that description remind you of anyone?
Clarence and Ginny are just another couple of twisted grifters with no shame.
Somewhere I have an old copy of Yachting magazine, listing the ten largest privately held yachts in the world - I don't believe this would have made the list (at the time, Paul Allen, of Microsoft fame, had the largest - Octopus. At 414 feet, it had a swimming pool on the aft upper deck - an Olympic-sized pool no less). And the four-place Bell helicopter parked on the deck looked like a toy.
I'd purely LOVE to see (in some improbable future) a two week stay in an old RV in a Malwart parking lot be the only vacay that the corrupt Thomas's could afford to take.
I believe that a prior poster's comment that Harlan Crow's "old-family-friend" style of generosity and lavish vacation gifting would immediately dry up should Clarence Thomas get impeached or retire is quite correct.
Your take on that is the same as mine: long-time family friends, my arse! The "long-time friendship" dates from 5 years AFTER sleepy Clarence became an Associate Justice. That is just a little too convenient, to my mind.
As I read the news, tonight's Letter and the comments, being a citizen in the USA seems like being trapped inside one of Elon Musk's self-driving cars at night going 100 mph. There's no one at the wheel. In the 60s, they would call the reality of 2023 "a very bad trip."
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Thanks Dr. Richardson. I wonder if the Tennessee legislators violated civil rights statutes. The action had obvious racially motivated energy behind it. Title 18, US Code, Section 241,“Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law” It is on the DOJ website. Mr. Garland , are you there?
Just because you are a state legislator, you cannot take an action that violates Federal Laws.
Everyone that reads HCR should also Joyce Vance. It just gets more mind boggling every day. It’s obsurd. Who in the world signaled these ridiculous “leaders” to act like @&$”!?! I wonder......
Billionaires most likely signaled these leaders, and this should be investigated , but since the Uber rich contribute heavily to both parties, it probably won’t happen , unless the public puts a lot of heat on the officials. The billionaires want it all.
HCR and JF had a Now and Then podcast in the past month or so on this very topic. I can't do a link, but its with Carol Anderson and it is pretty amazing.
Those Tennessee legislators violated the First Amendment of those gentlemen and that they cannot do. They were well within their rights to peacefully protest the bloody gun violence that had just killed 6 more people in the latest mass shooting that just happened to be in a school. Somehow mass killing is worse when it happens in a school than in a street, a shopping mall or anywhere else. The gun sell-outs are sick, sick people.
Without medical intervention the "unborn human" lodged in my ectopic pregnancy would have killed me. These ignorant absolutists are completely disrupting healthcare, especially care for miscarriage, which normally occurs in somewhere between 15% and 35% of all pregnancies.
-- Fighting mad in Portland, Oregon (I'm 81 years old, BTW)
Someone I know also needed an abortion to save her life. A woman is alive, her life is valuable and must be preserved. This shouldn't even be a point of discussion. The fact that these legislators and judges are not only trying to force the unready to have children, but are playing at how close they can bring a woman to death to birth a baby, is unconscionable. These blinkered people don't care to grasp this. It particularly doesn't help that they seem ignorant about reproductive health, especially for women.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Pensa_VT, thanks for this mention. I'll add it to my mountain of other waiting podcasts and information media. I'm so behind, I still have a J6 hearing to go. For shame.
Although it could be self loathing, I suspect hardcore chauvinism.
Whether rooted in gender, wealth, class, religion, the obsolete 17th century concept of race we seem unable to shake, or some combination of those, someone with a strictly defined view of what roles people belong in, sees any deviation from that as an affront. This revulsion to change is stronger when established systems have traditionally placed these same hardcore chauvinists at the top by default. The chauvinist does have supporters who agree with them from stations below. Although they benefit less, those supporters on lower system rungs prefer it for their own reasons, whether comfort in their current role, fear of change or some amount of preference that is unusual for their particular situation. Those who have different views, only want to be able to pursue their lives the way they want to, not force the chauvinists to practice what they do. However, anyone using any practice other than something the chauvinist believes is right, is viewed as an assault and attack on the chauvinist's very existence. This threat spurs chauvinists to make it so no one has any option but what they prefer. The thinking and fear are irrational but that's my opinion of what I've seen of this mindset.
All that we see is the result of decades of methodical effort to calcify this nation in the image they prefer.
Hiliarous 'The government will know too much about people'. The IRS already receives information from employers, banks, pension plans etc. You can order an IRS document transcript by tax year. All tax returns do is add other information about spouses and children.
2017 was Paul Ryan's supposed to be the Era of Tax Simplification.
I had to laugh at that as well….duh, the IRS already gets the info when folks file!!! The private sector that assists tax filers is complaining about a Federal free file system—that ALREADY exists in partnership w/ many of those same private companies, HOWEVER, those companies often make it SO confusing to “free file” (exclusions apply) and in the process “upsell” to paid by having misleading instructions. Having worked in college student financial aid for 40+ years, I remember when filing for student aid was filling out something called a Student Aid Application (SAA—in California it was known as a SAAC) and the applicant had to pay a fee for each college they wanted the results send to—if memory serves I think it was the College Board who did the analysis). Then came along the Fed attempt to make it affordable and developed the FAFSA….FREE Application for Student Aid. It is still going strong thru many iterations/changes in regs, etc., but the bottom line is that students applying for aid do not have to pay a fee to file. It has long seemed to me that the IRS should do something similar and make filing free. There will always be those with complicated returns that will seek out tax assistance, but many filers don’t need that.
You are so right! I happen to work for IRS and I can tell you that is exactly what the “free file” companies do. Upset, obfuscate, etc. And it is all to low income filers who can least afford the “refund loans” that charge upwards of 400% interest. And anyone who thinks the Service is going to get MORE information from free file than it already has, is flat out lying. And you’re right, the wealthy will always have their own preparers. Don’t get me started on that topic!
My daughter-in-law works for a small firm that does tax filing for businesses... I don't think her job would be threatened by the IRS supplying a free filing system. Most of their clients just don't want to have to be tax experts along with running their business. For individuals, the tax system is what I call 'cruel and unusual punishment' - it's ridiculous to expect an ordinary citizen to be able to understand it and spend so much time on it. Government of the people, for the people, it's not.
Thank you for this update on the Friday news dump. So much to take in. We need to get to work restoring women’s rights, as well as the rights of all Americans to live their best lives.
Guess it’s getting close to the time where every woman of childbearing age that is pro choice to be fitted for shackles.
As long as people are able to cherry pick the judges to hear their cases this is going to happen . It was a given from day one that this was going to be the outcome. And just look at the Friday he choose to announce his decision. No surprise there either.
Didn’t think I would ever say this but glad I am 75 rather than 25.
Just this eve I was speaking with a friend recently returned from a many months-long trip to So America and we were catching up on all that was happening in the states…..he is very interested in “choice” (many years ago having made the choice not to reproduce he chose to make sure, surgically, that he would not) and I exclaimed that I was SO glad that I am old and my reproductive organs are ‘dried up’….cuz I cannot imagine being a woman in reproductive prime not having a choice…even living in a state that has an affirmed pro-choice stance. Scary times indeed.
Being 'old' means that we may have dodged the bullet (so to speak) that is now honing in on young, fertile women of the 2020's. I'm glad I'm not now in my prime.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Perhaps Pope Francis, who understands climate change and overpopulation, might excommunicate Kaczmaryk? This ruling has nothing to do with law, science, or humanity.
Thank you, as always, Heather. Golgotha indeed! A headline in North Carolina caught my attention, and I can’t even remember to what it referred (it doesn’t matter): NC Legislature Continues to Put Culture Wars Above Common Good.
NC Republicans always put maintaining their power above the common good using the divisive culture elements to scare ill informed citizens mostly without higher education. NC Republicans don't give a rat's behind about improving the lives of ordinary people. They believe in lining their pockets at the expense of the rest of us. Oh yeah, they believe in helping their fat corporate donors to cheat the rest of us too.
Yes Gail! From what I heard about this a few days ago, the former Democrat, Tricia Cotham, had been a Democrat for 10 years and had just been re-elected fairly recently. My first thought is that she's just like George Santos in that she lied to her voters.
You can bet those who voted for her were expecting her to support the policies and positions of most Democrats. And it's not believable that she suddenly changed her ideology a few months after being elected. Her behavior was so deceitful.
I think there should be a law that anyone who runs for public office under the banner of a political party has to stay in that party until their term is done or leave their office. She could stay with the Democrats and still betray her voters by voting with the Republicans, but she might not have given the Republicans a veto-proof majority until she voted for specific bills.
Bait and switch is not legal in the area of retail sales and it should not be legal in politics. She ran a con game on her voters. Tricia Cotham is a disgrace.
I would have said her reasons for switching were a pile of fresh bullshyt...but I'm an old-time "Mainah" who has been known to refer to birds of the nuthatch persuasion as "ass-up-a-tree" birds (Thanks to a very salty acquaintance of my grandmother who used to visit her when I was an impressionable kid).
Why, instead of stabbing her constituents in the back, didn't she complain to them of bullying and so forth or hold a Town Hall gathering to tell her constituents about the supposed bullying and gotten their feedback?
I say: follow the money...someone, somehow offered this female Judas thirty pieces of silver...or enough of a temptation to abandon a lifetime of Dem principles.
Yes, it is a singularly discouraging piece of news. Governor Coopercan’t run again, and if we can’t elect another Dem Gov, we will be stuck with the Good Ole Boys and Gurs. we have to get out the vote.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) does more than just Federal Income Tax processing.
The IRS supports taxpayers and tax preparers as they prepare their tax returns.
The IRS supports departments of revenue in all the states as they share and validate information. Without full funding state departments of revenue would need more staffing for certain compliance activities.
The IRS helps lenders collect on past due student loans.
Tax return information is used to apply for Student Financial Aid
Tax return information is used to apply for a mortgage and other loans
Wage information is shared with the Social Security Administrations.
I'll even argue the IRS to enforce tax compliance supports and funds the civil service which supports our democratic government.
The enforcement activity is valuable too. These functions are lumped into negative political rhetoric of the GOP. I wrote my post to specifically highlight the rest.
While I cheer Washington state jurisprudence I almost vomit at our neighbor Idaho's new law that makes it a felony to assist a young teen woman to come across the border for a termination of pregnancy. We all know that the pregnancy has occurred either because of date rape or poor pre-sexual activity school or parental counseling, AND (news flash) it has come to my attention that pregnancy requires some guy to supply the sperm. But is it illegal to take a young man across state lines for a vasectomy? No. Is it required that the man or boy who impregnates a young girl or woman must spend the rest of his life working to produce child support? No. "Aroint thee", thou bastards of the Idaho Legislature. Just because YOU are illegitimate does not mean you need to create more like yourselves.
Let Clarence and Ginni eat Crow! There must be new law enacted that one judge cannot make decisions that affect our entire nation. It must be introduced ASAP!
The 'oversight' committees are just not doing their job! One would think the judges on the Supreme Court would be above reproach, but obviously not. Thomas was already reprimanded about accepting expensive gifts about 20 years ago, and he took it to 'heart' by just not reporting those gifts anymore... And no, he and his wife NEVER asked for any. Somewhere someone will compile a list of rulings in the past 20 years that possibly would have other results without those gifts ... shameless! And no penalties?
Those justices (Repubs) live in a bubble. The Chief is just flabbergasted at the public’s unrest of the privileges these people think they are entitled to! The fact that SCOTUS police themselves without oversight is ludicrous!
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
Wow, just wow....why does it seem that only the policies, actions that are for all Americans and their good interests are knocked down by a bunch of angry old men for whom the rules never seem to apply...?
Somebody needs to prosecute those angry old men. They will try anything more now than since the days of the old civil rights activism. The federal government has an obligation here.
Don’t forget to prosecute the “young angry men [and women]” who are pushing hard to overthrow democracy. Thank you Heather, as always. I feel sick at this news.
It is sickening (like so much nowadays). Hold your breath about the Supreme Court.
Heartening to see the VP's prompt action in Tennessee.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
The Federalist Society is not just identifying and promoting conservative Republican judges. It promotes conservative CHRISTIAN Republican judges. For decades the Federalists were run by Leonard Leo, a fervent right-wing Catholic. His goal - to push the nominations of reliably right-wing “Christian” judges (I put “Christian” in quotes because their repressive beliefs are far from Christ-like). The 6 members of the right-wing cabal on SCOTUS? All vetted by the Federalists, all arch conservative “Christians” whose religious beliefs, not the rule of law, guide their decisions. The same goes for Kacsmaryk, and hundreds of other judges blessed by the Federalists and installed by Republican presidents. This is part of the plan by “Christian” dominionists to establish their theocracy.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/leonard-leo-has-reshaped-supreme-court-he-reshaping-catholic-university-too
https://churchandstate.org.uk/2022/05/leonard-leo-opus-dei-and-the-radical-catholic-takeover-of-the-supreme-court/
https://newrepublic.com/article/166993/leonard-leo-christian-right-future
Absolutely. The Kochs were/are Catholic and daddy Koch was a supporter of Hitler. How about that? I consider Leonard Leo and the Opus Dei movement to be the new face of fascism. It seeks the imposition of the Middle Ages on America. Indeed, in it's origins in Spain it was pro Hitler, pro-fascism.
John - thanks for ruining my day! This is some scary sh_t here. We are dealing with cunning, smart people who have solved the democracy puzzle so to speak. To infiltrate it and impose their theocratic will on all of us. Pretty Handmaid-esque. I do hope they run into some kind of wall - just what I don't know.
Thank you, Pensa_VT. Perhaps your reference mentions this, but I wonder if those students were financed in their law studies by the Koch Brothers, et al who set about to "right" the leanings of the "liberal" universities, especially in the fields of law and politics? Since all but one, Gorsuch, (Episcopalian) are conservative Catholics, I also wonder about the influence of the church.
that was my first thought! One of my fave books ever is Dark Money by Jane Mayer
Hope, see my post above on the connections between religion (right-wing Christians and Catholics, primarily) and the Federalists. I’ll add that the Koch brothers have made significant donations to the Federalist Society. (from the NYT “Between 1997 and 2017, the Koch brothers gave more than $6 million to the Federalist Society…”)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/opinion/charles-koch-amy-coney-barrett.html
There is no question Anne-Louise, that this Supreme Court is headed for disaster. They have posited themselves diametrically opposed to the American consciousness. Ask our WWII opponents how that ultimately works out. They have resurrected the sleeping dragon insuring both their own demise and that of their handlers. Condemned to history by the journalists, writers, historians, film makers, and educators of these times if not also incarcerated losing the very foundation of their own precious freedom they were appointed to safeguard. In folksy language, what goes around comes around. Bam.
Get off your ass Merrik Garland!
He's made an immediate appeal.
And why do they care what somebody else does in their bedroom, let alone with their own body?
Control.
Right, Gail. These laws have never been about 'the children'; they are about controlling women's lives. They know if they can kill reproductive rights, they can control whether or not women can work outside the home, etc. It's just one domino.
Keep 'em barefoot and pregnant, as the old saying goes.
Boy, you really pushed a button--this was the underlying reason I had decided that I never wanted to get married. Thankfully, the Universe had other plans...and am now married to my ideal companion. If I said that I wanted to swing naked from the chandelier of the lobby at the Ritz, Frank would say, what time would you like me to take you....
Sophia Demas, I just downloaded a sample of your book "The Divine Language of Coincidence: How Miracles Transformed My Life After I Began Paying Attention" because I'm intrigued. And I have a theory on serendipitous bread crumbs... Am looking forward to a taste of your thoughts.
Sophia, me too! I have a former colleague (Bernie Beitman) who writes extensively about "synchronicity" which may touch on your experiences as well. https://bit.ly/3k8Ir3E https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/meaningful-coincidences-bernard-beitman/1140894939
Thank you...keep me posted!
oooh...thx for mentioning. The book sounds delicious!
Please keep in touch!
But would he dust the crystals for you?
Yeah, but he would probably want something for it.
Very funny....
You need a man to "take you"?
No...but he would offer....
You can tell that these laws have never been about "the children," since these authoritarian #(*@$ refuse to take action by restricting access to guns. In fact, it's completely the opposite. (Grrrr)
All because they're afraid of women.
2,000 years of misogyny, and for them, not a moment wasted. Here we are, approaching the middle of the 21st century, and their collective foot is still on our necks.
And be too busy to vote
:0) That, too.
AKA "Absolute Power".
We need to elect equal #s of women at Federal state and local levels who believe government is for the people by the people to help all of us thrive, leaving no one behind, much like Sweden. Far better than angry old men who can tell women what they can do w their own bodies and mix religion in or and government. Women need another March and need to find and support to the hilt courageous women willing to run for office along with "everything everywhere" else they do! I understand it's not so simple to interrupt the long standing patriarchy that exists but we have to continue to try every which way from Sunday to fight for our rights more aggressively now that we are threatened by a possible misogynist racist lying autocratic Trump presidency again. I don't mean to bring in religion, but my thought at this moment is: God, of our understanding, help us!
I agree with you completely, but we now have a number of 'angry young MAGA women' in our government and they're not doing much good for anyone but themselves. I don't believe that women will save us but rather good people, both men & women, will save us and democracy.
I'm strongly in agreement with you. There are plenty of Elise Stefaniks and Marjorie Taylor Greenes and Lauren Boeberts out there, alas.
And as far as helping everyone thrive, I think Finland's doing about the best job.
"Finland, the nation ranked the happiest in the world for six years in a row (the latest rankings by the UN came out last week), gives its citizens the space necessary to explore the values Emerson and his Transcendentalists spoke of back in the day.
"Both healthcare and education are essentially free there (students are actually paid to go to college). Housing and public transportation are subsidized. Three-quarters of all Finnish workers are represented by a union and thus earn a solid wage.
"And they don’t have the problem of morbidly rich billionaires buying politicians and rigging the economy because 5 Republicans on their Supreme Court never legalized political bribery. As a result, the rich actually pay their taxes and that money is used to support the Finnish middle class.
https://hartmannreport.com/p/how-love-of-money-replaced-love-of
Gail Adams & Sandra P. Campbell, yes control. I’m not discounting that but want to add to it: Their value system goes back to a Puritan view that we must all be punished for our pleasures. If people are going to enjoy intimacy, they need to pay the price without technology’s assistance to allow pleasure without risk. I believe this explanation goes back to a George Lackoff book, Don’t Think of an Elephant. Great book.
Only women must be punished for their pleasure , a societal norm excusing all kinds of male behavior. Let's look @ the FDA approval of viagra. This ruling has the potential to weaponize drugs that dont fit their agenda, like drugs used by people with AIDS
Keep in mind that all women, forever, must also be punished because Eve tempted Adam (poor, pitiful, weak Adam) into sin. Of course there is so much more to the story - beginning with men's fear of women's ability to produce children from their bodies, to fear that "their" woman's child might not be theirs (the man's, I mean - sorry for the gobbledygook). This is why women's sexuality must be controlled - they might produce a "cuckoo", having "cuckolded" their possessor male. Religion has so much to answer for.
Too bad we haven't heard Eve's side of the story--maybe Adam was the one who picked the apple . . .
I agree with your outlook. However, Viagra was discovered as something for ED totally by accident. It was originally supposed to be used for lowering blood pressure. I recall a friend, early 40s at the time who had blood pressure and ED. That blue pill didn't do much for his b.p., but it did help him and his wife regain their Intimacy at a too-young age. I learned about they happy development through my wife, who heard it from his wife. Seems like viagra doesn't just keep men.
Unfortunately, women's anatomy is much more complex, and no viagra-like accident has happened for women.
The idea is that anything that limits abortion will get Catholics and evangelicals to vote Republican.
As if Catholics and evangelicals never choose abortion. Just like Catholics never use contraception, as directed by the Catholic Church. /S
I grew up in Newton, MA. When I was first able to vote, our congressional representative was Father Robert Drinan. A pro-choice Catholic priest. After complaints by the conservative Catholics, the Vatican issued an order (or a bull or whatever they called it) telling all priests that they have to remove themselves from politics, but we all knew who it was directed at. The conservatives thought that with Drinan out of the way, their candidate would be a shoe-in. However, Fr. Drinan's hand-picked successor won handily: Barney Frank. Not all Catholics are raving, child-molesting, maniacs (although too many are, as we learned about the Catholic church in nearby Boston).
Bull is a very appropriate term
Ha! Just like catholic priests abstain from sex!
When natural sexual inclinations are shamed and punished for even existing (fantasies, etc) they tend to go underground and then are expressed in distorted and less acceptable ways. The institution that insists on sexual expression being only one way, is a main contributor to many of the sex crimes that occur.
Exactly. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church insisted on no way of sexual expression (celibacy).
BUT, that was impossible to adhere to so priests began preying on ready victims. Eventually, it became known, worldwide, that the Catholic Priesthood was a sanctuary for Pedophiles and those so inclined flocked to the church to get their jollies and be protected from consequences.
The very definition of "perverse" at all levels.
Especially those priests in Baltimore!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maryland-ag-releases-report-on-catholic-church-sex-abuse-baltimore-archdiocese/
The Keepers on Netflix is accurate as verified by this report. Unbelievable how the archdiocese and police looked away from these predators.
Interesting book:
Celibacy, A Love Story: Memoir of a Catholic Priest's Daughter, by Mimi Bull
And her last name is Bull!
...or never abuse children. So many sexual predators in this group.😡
Sharon Dequaine: In what group?
Joanne, I was replying to Judith Swinks comment from above regarding Catholics and Evangelicals.
It's a health issue, not a moral issue. This is why we have "separation of church and state."
Because you SURE cannot argue with the "church".
Not all Catholics agree with them. There's even a "Catholics for Choice" group. My grandmother, a devout Irish Catholic born in 1917 was pro-choice and went to Washington to march for women's rights as well as for Labor unions
I get it. But for this and many other Catholics, Protestants - believers well acquainted with the character of Christ - this forceful funneling to the right is motivating our pursuits for social justice all the more.
I follow the God-guy who called out the religious leaders of his day as hypocrites, drove out vendors in the Temple, forgave sinners, healed the sick, raised the dead - and was killed for his efforts - which is what this weekend commemorates.
May our democracy experience its own Easter Sunday. 🙏🏻
My impression is that it's also about sex. The puritanical distaste for sex and for people who enjoy respectful, mutually pleasurable sexual relationships seems to permeate a lot of Christian belief.
Laurie,
"The puritanical distaste for sex and for people who enjoy"
This is an interesting sentence. It has been a long, long time ago now, but, when I was living in rural East Texas I did attend a local Baptist Church there and, no joke, dancing was considered a low level sin.
Sex? Especially among young, non-married people? Straight to hell for those folks. At the time I had my first sense of sort a "bad smell", which as I grew older became a stench.
But, your point is spot on: The entirely normal process of attraction during mammal mating and reproduction is demonized by the entirely abnormal ravings a madmen (almost exclusively men) claiming to have a direct communication with "God".
Like the Taliban saying a woman must be covered from head to foot, otherwise she provokes lust in men! That may have been diluted here into asking a rape victim what she was wearing that provoked her rapist, but it all stems from the same thing - men absolved of responsibility for their actions, and women taking the blame. Ever since Adam and Eve.
I have been in FL at the beach. I saw a woman in bathing clothes with only face, hands and feet (I guess) uncovered. Her husband had on just bathing trunks. I said to my daughter “Wonder why men can’t just control THEMSELVES rather than make women bundle up.”
It could be that the woman you saw was covering herself from the known ravages of the sun on her skin?
"ever since Adam and Eve".
Yep. it's all the woman's fault!
:-)
Taliban vs Puritan
Very few places allow a woman to uncover her breasts.
I go shirtless in public year round in South Florida.
Women are prevented from that by Puritan Law
(Except on our Clothing Optional Beach we have here since 1991)
Interesting personal sidebar here: I went through breast cancer in 2006 and considered a prophylactic double mastectomy. My wife was opposed to that, so I didn't. I wonder what they'd say to a DM who went shirtless...
Beginning my 17th year clean...
The snake was the first global capitalist.
That’s an insult to snakes
Pilgrim Holiness (gone now I think) would agree with the no dancing, added no lipstick. The “perfect family” that was the role model for us all blew up in a spectacular fashion. Ran for my life.
My husband did too. In his family's religion there was no dancing, drinking, card playing, caffeine, and no leaving the house on Sundays except to go to church. He was one of the fastest runners in our state and he used those skills well to run away from it!
"ran for my life"
yes, me too Jeri.
Mike, not just East Texas (my husband of 60+ years is from Lufkin)but here in Southern California too. In the early 50’s my mother was horrified at local public school because my younger sister wasn’t being taught to read with phonics but by sight, and my 6th grade teacher had misspelled words on the board. We were enrolled in a tiny Christian school taught by a few women who dressed like it was 1900. It was an unforgettable year and a half. The day that they had us draw steps and then label them with the sins leading to hell that they lost me and best friend. Playing cards, dancing, smoking,drinking were starters. I’m pretty sure sex wasn’t mentioned as that was too disgusting to mention to young ears. All I noted is that my family engaged in all, and I was insulted and had my first realization that I needed to think for myself. Hat was a well-learned lesson.
Congrats on 60-plus years. (Some friends of my parents, the couple who hosted their wedding, made it to 69.)
I was taught sight reading in first grade, was a terrible reader. Different school for second grade, with phonics. I can remember reading a whole chapter book, Dr. Doolittle, in less than a day, greatly surprising myself, about halfway through that year.
Dr Doolittle was the first book where I recognized words!
Thanks for sharing.
I wonder if they're jealous, or curious - or hiding something. Wouldn't be the first time.
I recall an author on NPR saying that growing up in Texas he learned the sex was the nastiest, most disgusting thing imaginable, and to save it for the one you love.
So "nasty and disgusting" that you save it for your true love?
Religious minded thinking. Reminds me of what my Catholic mother preached to my sisters except that she would add stuff about how painful it was.
One sister married a guy 20 years older and tried to tell the brothers about “the joys of a platonic relationship”. They walked away from her.
The other sister eventually neglected tending the home fire so the ex-brother-in-law looked elsewhere.
Hysterical....
Lordy, mind warp
Q: "Is Sex Nasty?"
A: "Only if you do it right"
BTW, in my sexual writings I did an essay titled "Disgusting."
Not suitable for Vanilla Ppl. :)
I would bet it's fear. Fear of their own sexuality, fear of what a deep dive into their own nature might reveal to them. So they just react and don't think very deeply.
Fear of women for the same sorts of reasons. If they weren't so horribly destructive, I'd feel sorry for them.
No distaste for a twice-impeached President having affairs with and groping a significant number of women and bragging about it on TV? So what does Individual #1 give them that would have them look the other way when all kinds of sleaze, corruption, and lying takes place on an hourly basis?
Again, as Gail said: "control".
Power over the "libtards" and the "woke". There have already been allusions to the "American Taliban" in this thread. The truth is they have been at the core of our society since the Pilgrims and before.
It's "my way or the highway" arrogance. Control and power. Fear and loathing. Jesus speaks of love and his followers rant with hate. Early followers speak of "vows of poverty" and the clergy prance around in fancy silks and stupid hats.
Viewing the world from multiple lens' is an anathema to people who march to the drum of autocrats - who see "others" as a threat. And most religions use these natural fear factors - of someone coming for your stuff - as weapons to control.
The religions that claim they are the best or the "one true faith" are the worst and the enemies of humankind and the Earth itself.
That being said, I know some very fine people who have a strong "faith". But their god embraces, shelters, includes and truly tries to help. All are welcome at their table. Sadly, I think they are a minority. The more we hear from folks like Pavlovitz the better. He counters the evil blather.
Bill, just writing to let you know that whatever I think is right. My way or the hiWay.....
:-)
Do as I say not as I do. Control plain and simple. Can’t argue with control.
We've all been asking that....
Laurie Caplan "The puritanical distaste for sex and for people who enjoy respectful, mutually pleasurable sexual relationships..."
Puritanism: "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺." --“Clinical Notes” by H. L. Mencken and George Jean Nathan.
"𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 — 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 — 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵." --Nellie L. McClung, “In Times Like These”
"𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮." --H. L. Mencken
Then the misnamed Christians ought to go back and read the epistles of Paul, on which their religious practices are supposed to be based. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. And there's more, which sort of disqualifies tfg. (Hebrews 13:14).
Other religions too. Why do you think women are forced to wear burka and stay in their homes?
Puritanism.
This has always bemused me. Control, as Gail said? When I put myself in their shoes - the control shoes, I still don’t get it. Stopping or forcing others to do things doesn’t ring my bells. I’m not the slightest bit interested.
The question remains: Who’s in control? Seems to me to be social media.
Those who control social media maybe? So ironic given how SM could be a force for good. But at the top the wealthy misogynists control it and at bottom the bottom feeder misogynists pollute it.
Have you ever noticed someone’s personality change when they get behind the wheel of the car? The same change occurs when they get behind the keyboard on social media. We are coming to a new understanding of relative anonymity and the effect that engenders.
Who indeed is in control, or at least, who dominates? Evaluated law by law, policy by policy, who is the government of, by and for? I'd expect some very mixed results.
The wealthy. A strategy of fear mongering based on God, guns, and gays works very well. Behind all of this are families like the Kochs and the Mercers. And Justice Thomas' buddies. Social media is just a tool used by these people and their institutions, like Heritage, and the Federalist Society.
Heritage foundation hosted DeSatan in my (and its) hometown of Midland (Dow Chemical), Michigan yesterday. So the corporations are cleaving off tRump, and substituting with worse.
When I first moved to Texas in 1983, colleagues were anti abortion but only got animated about it when their taxes, or donations to United Way, would be used to support abortions. It was the beginning of a long slog that had led to where we are today. Will or take 40 years to get back to where we were before Dobbs?
The dye was cast…
This is about control of women (by angry old white men) disguised as concern for unborn (but not born) children.
It's not just control of women. I've met many women who believe abortion should be restricted due to
A) their genuine religious beliefs
B) their personal experiences with pregnancy & giving birth, or desire to do so
C) their own logic.
To paint the anti-abortion side with a single brush is to be blind to the complex array of risks looming against abortion rights. And so, here we are.
Those "genuine religious beliefs" include a belief that women are only "safe" if they are controlled by their men, who in return for letting their women live subjugated to them in every way, not just sexually, will "protect" them from other men. Yes, appalling, but many, many women, and not just Xtianfascists, have internalized these beliefs, and sacralized them.
True. But if you reason with them directly on reproductive choice, you'll just build more obstacles. The problem is that once we got Roe v Wade, pro- choice folk just stopped fighting for more hearts and minds. Liberal victory then looked as horrifying to them as theocratic victories look to us now. Will we take as long as 40-50 years to get back to where we were in 2015? Once we get those rights back, how will we protect them from the next assault?
Well, you can't really "reason" with someone about their religious beliefs, because faith is the polar opposite and outright enemy of rational thought. And I truly hope that with the millions of young voters galvanized by their moms and grandmothers and aunties and those of their friends, who fought for and won (limited) abortion rights, including the right to newer, medication abortion, we will be able to go forward right away. This is an emergency, make no mistake, but there is reason, good reason, to hope.
They don't care about what MAN does in his bedroom or his own body; just WOMEN. The control is intentionally focused.
The worst part is that there are these women out there that buy into being subjugated by the man-is-the-head-of-the-home notion. Disgusting....
Maybe we are the ones not making enough noise. Let's look at Iran. We should be on the streets demanding Code of Ethics at SCJ, Thomas resignation from SCJ and an end to control of womens lives and bodies by men. What is the difference between these radicals and aTaliban ruling? MTG being on CBS 60min is incomprehensible, a step into normalizing what should never be normal.
Sophia,
It is fascinating is it not? The New Testament is pretty clear any behavior that smacks of judging others: We should avoid judging others completely.
https://www.openbible.info/topics/judging_others
However, it has been my observation that some of the Christian sects are founded upon and thrive on Judgement of others. And, judgement of others is about power for some, and disenfranchisement for others.
Remarkably, in my experience, the Greek Orthodox Church members and leadership are the least likely to hand out cards to hell. Now, this might be because, at least in my own observations, that (some) of the men in that culture spend a fair bit of time running around on their wives but also give a lot of money to the church. So, that might explain the church's non-judgmental stance.
Ha! I love the rules of the Orthodox Church. They publically frown on abortion and contraception, but back away from "what goes on behind closed doors." Re: divorce, you get three chances. You can be granted a divorced the first time, since it could've been a forced marriage. You can get divorced a second time, because this time it was you, yourself that made a bad decision. But if you haven't learned your lesson by then, no to divorcing a third time--you have to suffer for your stupidity.
All in all, the church dogma is pretty spectacular...akin to quantum mechanics....
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
Pensa,
Great post! Thanks for the link.
And: Once again, we see Harvard producing far right zealots.
Yes, watch some of Harvard's wealthy grads...
This is very informative...but it's the third time you've posted it on today's LFAA.
I know, I think it is very important for people to know. You should see how many times I posted all over fox news.
😄
Yes, why exactly do they care? This war on women is escalating and I hope women respond in kind at the ballot box.How would these mainly old, mainly white, mainly men feel if an almost all female legislature banned Viagra?Every day a new cruelness is imposed upon women. I hope we mobilize now and work to rid ourselves of these hateful old men in 2024.
We need to replace them with women candidates as I said earlier to JLGraham in a much longer post.
It's not just control of women by old white men. That's as insulting as calling someone "Boomer".
I've met many women who believe abortion should be restricted due to
A) their genuine religious beliefs
B) their personal experiences with pregnancy & giving birth, or desire to do so
C) their own logic.
I've met young men who hold the same views, and not all were Christians.
To paint the anti-abortion side with a single brush is to be blind to the complex array of risks looming against abortion rights. And so, here we are.
Guess you haven't met many catholics - it's an article of their faith! And they don't care one bit about fair, honest, transparent, populist government, or the intent of the founding fathers, or any of the freedoms supposedly enshrined in our laws and founding documents. They do care about worldly riches, power, control, authoritarianism, unquestioning loyalty, and ends justifying means - all on the backs of children, women, gullible flocks of 'believers' and anyone vulnerable to manipulation. Their reach, and foul methods, span two millenia, and have been responsible for the majority of wars in the past 2,000 years.
I've always said it's none of their business!
But the crazies are painting themselves into a corner it seems. Judges ruling against each other and the Supreme Court will settle it!?! That should go well - I wonder how Clarence Thomas will think through that one.
I'm sure his spouse will offer her advice and support.
The bitch rules the fool
He’ll ask his colleagues.
The Judges are not ruling against each other, the Washington state Judge's order impacts 18 states; the Amarillo, Texas judge-shopping order purports to enjoin All States. That Panhandle order is stayed by its own terms for 7 days & is on thin ice that is melting fast.
The Texas case can be petitioned directly to SCOTUs via a "writ of Certiorari before Judgment" as Leon Kaworksi did in US vs Nixon. See, US vs Nixon 418 US 683-684 .(1974).
Of course we know that the Supreme Court will not settle anything for the long term that is against the will of a large majority of the US. It will continue to be a painful number of years but you just can't take rights away from over half the population. Also missing from this current discussion is that than at least half of the talented in this world are women. Think you can control women, you better duck and cover.
Why, however his beloved friend Harlan Crow tells him to.
As to how Thomas will "think through that one," it seems he has already shown his prodigious capacity for hypocrisy with his autobiography describing his (and his wife's) preference for vacations at RV parks and Walmart parking lots. : >/
Yes, I'm sure he'll give it a lot of thought.
Wow was exactly my reaction. Four seismic issues in one night’s letter that are all current events.
An extremist judge, appointed by an extremist president, handing down an extremist and unprecedented decision attacking women’s reproductive rights.
An extremist Supreme Court justice , married to an extremist who worked to overthrow a democratic election, literally taking in-kind contributions in the millions from a billionaire with ties to groups with numerous cases before the Court that the justice voted in their favor.
Job growth and executive branch action to raise tax revenues that would help lower the deficit and national debt that one party has vilified while threatening to oppose increasing the debt ceiling in a blatantly hypocritical and contradictory position.
A gerrymandered state legislature responding to a groundswell of popular protest that said legislators refuse to even debate gun legislation after six local residents were brutally killed in a local Christian school by expelling two Democratic representatives that joined the protesters in a clearly racially motivated action.
Wow indeed.
Yes Kathy.. and a tiny minority at that; remember that. They in no way represent the thoughts and consciousness of the majority. That's the most important part; They are total 'Posers', trying to 'portray' as some great numbers. *edit in - Their deceptive 'illusions' portrayal is all part of their modus operandi Kathy and consistent with the theories that if 'you say and portray lies and illusions often enough, you can fool some portion of a population, a small portion of which is too busy to really objectively pay enough attention; likely somewhat populated by those who like FB and 30 second soundbites and count just that, as some knowledge. Way, way too sad. Another reason I truly treasure this sane, sober education and factual ideas; a learning and sharing place on our Doctors space. Thank providence and HCR ~
THANK GOD ! (Which IS, Providence !) AND ! ... HCR !!
It makes sense as the bought and paid for agenda of insatiable of powerful plutocrats, who would, if the could, be king. Galactic Emperor, for that matter, if they could pull it off.
It seems that way because it IS that way. It's long past time for a change. And some change is happening. And the good ol' boys are fighting against it with everything they've got!
So. WE have to fight back with our determination NOT to let them keep their crusty old greedy mitts all over us and our rights to be free from their domination.
Angry old WHITE men.
Please do keep in mind that it is not all older White men who wish to see a dictatorship of the wealthy whose only apparent goal in this life is to amass power and wealth in order to dictate morals for everyone. Plenty of older White men hope for and strive for a more just democratic nation. Plenty of older White men have been struggling against plutocratic, misogynistic, racist, militaristic, homophobic, class conscious bullies, too.
I grew up and then old believing that judges were neutral, logical arbiters. The last decade has been like I’m six years old and people are continually popping up on a ever circling conveyor belt to tell me that there’s no Santa Claus.
Terrible dream.
They’re not all old, and not all men. Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch are in their 50s,a don while Justice Barrett has shown a few signs of being a bit less reactionary than some of her colleagues, she has hardly been a beacon of light.
Angry old WHITE men....
Behind every great man is a devoted woman. And the same can often be said about those “angry old men for whom the rules never seem to apply “.
...nor affect.
Please read Greg Sargent’s commentary in the Washington Post about right-wing states building “Fortress MAGA” with ever-higher walls. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/07/tennessee-three-democrats-expelled-gop-maga/
That a judge in one state can make a ruling denying medical care to the entire nation should not be permissible. Is there any hope the Extreme Court can override that ruling and thereby defend women's rights?
Thanks, Heather, for touching all the bases in today's news.
The Texas judge said the FDA didn’t look at the psychological impact and long term effects of the drug. Does he think there are no psychological impacts and long term effects from being pregnant and delivering and raising a child?
He’s a flickin’ misogynistic idiot.
Diana -- Tell us what you really think. ;-)
Wrong venue 🙂
Absurd 'standing' determination which alone could end this ruling quickly.
Not to mention forum shopping, which shows this more about politics than justice. The problem is that the conservatives know that their ace in the hole is the Supreme Court, against which there is no recourse, so they are happy to bring these ridiculous cases to a federal judge they know will rule their way and take it all the way up and the puppets like Kavanagh and Barrett are happy to assert the tyranny of the minority. Everyone who couldn't hold their nose and vote for HRC has this blood on their hands and there will be blood. Thousands of women will be injured or die because of this.
Or the woman in Texas that at 20 weeks told her baby wouldn’t live but was forced to carry the child anyway . Lived 4 hours.
and then has to pay for a burial
and the right to life representative says there are already too many "exceptions"
Cruelty on Purpose…. Inhumane
That is beyond cruel. How awful!
He exemplifies the callous, cruel mindset of the current GOP.
Sheri, that judge “just doesn’t care, do you?”, just like Melania and her vile ilk….
Or the impact and effects of being an unwanted child?
This reverberates for more years than the child will live…
Good point. Not to mention the ill effects of prohibiting treatment of conditions other than pregnancy with the drug. See extensive comments about this including a few personal stories in today’s article about the ruling in today’s WAPO
report. https://wapo.st/43egSrF
Many if us would dearly like to see a return to health decisions being left to those with medical training and their patients, matters of faith left to religious organizations and their adherents, athletic competitions left to athletes, coaches and their sanctioning organizations, etc.
Common sense that you expressed so well, John M!
Just want to jump in here to ask has "judge shopping" always been possible? I remember hearing years ago lawyers who had filed claims would wonder who would be the judge in their case. I assumed that meant they were not in control of who they could pick.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
They had a long view that has lasted for three decades and culminated in this travesty of injustice. Now it's time to expand the Court to negate their efforts and overturn the ability of far-right conservatives/religious zealots to control the lives of all Americans.
This was a great podcast. It really does go deep. Thanks for sharing it, Pensa. I may listen to the entire series.
You are welcome, Lynell. I am so glad people are willing to take this in, as disheartening as it is. The projection of the real conspiracy theorists onto the left are part of America's unfortunate roots that we must dig out. It is early spring here in VT, I have my leather gardening gloves on! Let's dig them all out!
Progress, or NOT
Well you could say that about any drug, couldn’t you?
He needs to read the Turnaway study: a woman who carried an unwanted pregnancy to term suffer worse outcomes than women who have an abortion.
https://www.ansirh.org/research/ongoing/turnaway-study
Yet their side produced no evidence
This Judge Kacsmaryk is beyond dangerous. He has disdain for the LGBTQ community. He claimed in 2015 that a person is seen through the LGBTQ lens as “an autonomous blog of Silly Putty unconstrained by nature or biology, and that marriage, sexuality, gender identity, and even the unborn child must yield to the erotic desires of liberated adults”. He will go to any lengths to have an "unborn human" be born, but when this child is blasted by an assault weapon...well, too bad--not a finger will be lifted for gun reform. Thank God for karma....
That's the idiocy: force women to give birth to children so some AR-15 wielding criminal can blow them apart later. And no, no limit on selling this wonder weapon to anybody without even a need to register... What country are we living in?
The United States of Fascism….omg.
WELL SAID, Marli!
DOWN the TOILET ! FORTH WORLD ! ( PEOPLE !, Get READY ! { like the SONG goes !} it IS a lot Sooner ! Than YOU THINK ! )
Conservatives file in his district because they know they will get the outcome they want. This makes a mockery of the judicial system because it ceases to be about justice and all about politics. Forum shopping should be illegal and his district needs another judge.
So how does venue and/or jurisdiction enter into filing a claim in cases like this?
This article explains what's going on: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/05/opinion/republicans-judges-biden.html
Here's the intro:
"For the 26th time in two years, Ken Paxton, Texas’ attorney general, recently filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a Biden administration policy. The suit, which seeks to wipe out a new Labor Department rule about the investment of pension trust assets, wasn’t filed in Austin, the state capital, or in Dallas, where the Labor Department’s regional offices are, or anywhere else with a logical connection to the dispute.
It was filed in Amarillo. Why Amarillo? By filing there, Mr. Paxton had a 100 percent chance of having the case assigned to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk — appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump in 2019 and a former deputy general counsel to the First Liberty Institute, which frequently litigates religious liberty cases before the Supreme Court.
Forum shopping has long been a problem in civil litigation. Clever lawyers use procedural rules to file in courts deemed most likely to be sympathetic to their claims. But what Mr. Paxton and other plaintiffs are doing is something far more nefarious — they’re engaging in a novel and specific form of judge shopping, seeking out the specific judge whom they wish to hear their case, presumably because of how they expect that judge to rule.
By taking advantage of a loophole in federal procedure, these plaintiffs are able to rely on a handful of district judges appointed by Mr. Trump to thwart major features of President Biden’s agenda. The tactic upends the tradition of random assignment of judges and raises serious questions about the fairness and impartiality of the judicial system. And it can — and should — be easily fixed, whether by the courts themselves or, failing that, by Congress."
It goes on.
Thanks so much for this explanation, Edwin. We must see to it that this gets fixed!
Remember way back when the same political crowd decried so-called "judicial activism" as an evil? I guess it is only evil when practiced from a progressive perspective.
When a federal court district has only one judge, you are all set. File in a New York or California district where there are lots of judges per district and you may strike out.
Exactly.
Imagine the power that this unleashes in him...despicable....
I had not thought it possible to have the item about the removal of legislators in Tennessee be the last in Heather's list today, but this judge, and the other abortion-related news has certainly reordered priorities. Idaho is losing doctors who fear the medical care they want to be able to provide will land them in jail. Kansas legislators have passed a bill to force doctors to misinform patients to say mefiprestone can be reversed. The only solution is to codify Roe v. Wade, at the state level if the Congress won't (or can't) do it. The government has absolutely no right to involve itself in a decision that is the woman's alone (with her doctor's involvement if she wishes). And the government also has no business in anyone's bedroom.
Yes, losing doctors AND teachers. The question is how many losses will it take to make a tipping point....
On the other "side" of the see-saw you've got people leaving law enforcement in droves because of "liberal policies and laws". Curious dichotomy.
How can we convince our neighbors to never vote Republican again. This Republican Party Politicians beholden to a base of haters stop all progress and worse, with their stranglehold on gerrymandered seats? I know we fixed the problem in Michigan with ballet proposals to the State Constitution, but I understand that option isn't available in many States. The fed up from the people approach!
The only possible way is to get down to their level ala Jordan Klepper and keep asking them questions until they tie themselves up in a knot....
Yes, I call it mental gymnastics! Such hypocrisy, you have to wonder how they do it mentally. Sometimes I think it is a special form of mental illness that the rest of us are incapable of.
I listen to Morning Joe with his wife Mika Brizinski. He used to be a Republican, and he keeps harping on the political malpractice of his former Party. He gets joined by Michael Steele, the former Chairman of the RNC and Charley Sykes who is a Conservative Commentator out of Wisconsin, who is a never Trumper, and publishes The Bulwark. I myself am much more progressive, but it is fun to watch them commiserate over the demise of the Conservative Movement and it's anti-American, Fascist turn.
Never say never. I have one republican friend with whom I've been close with for 40 years, simply because we love each other. No matter what I said she went ahead and voted for rump twice--not because she likes him or isn't for liberal causes, but because she is filthy rich and wants the tax cuts. I never stopped dropping my crumbs. For the love of tax savings, they were planning to buy a house in Florida and spend half the year there. At our last lunch I told her that I had to take her political temperature and asked if she would vote for rump again. She said no, paused, then told me that she decided that she didn't like Florida and that they're going to stay put and pay their taxes. I asked her what happened. She said, "I woke up." You don't have to win the argument but you can keep sowing seeds.
You make a very good point touching on one's sense of identity. Like materialistic scientists, once these people buy into a political dogma, they cling to it. Any other perspective threatens their worldview and the ears cease to work. My favorite such story is about Galileo and his philosopher friend in Padua. The friend thought that all this talk about the planets circling the sun was BS and would have none of it. Galileo begged him to look through his telescope and he refused! Why? Because he would have to change his perception of the world and what could be scarier....
4 million teens turn 18 every year...
This type of personality disorder is still effected by public opinion. As his peer faction changes their opinion so will many Trump adherents. Public opinion is one of our most powerful motivators. If you have children you may have noted a predilection for popular clothing and current attitudes. As adults we do respond to public opinion. Witness the overriding opinions on this amazing substack. There really is a longer healing process that will outlive the Trump era. Have you finally expunged your former spouse you were once so smitten with?
Rather than that approach, I think getting Democrats and Independents to the polls is the answer. There are more of us than the lost souls of Rethuglicans, so they can be overcome. Look at Wisconsin a few days ago.
Now, hopefully, the horribly gerrymandered districts will be remedied and voter suppression will be undone.
I am going to attempt to convince a dear one on Monday evening. Wish me luck.
My aporoach to my Republican friend is going to be astonishment: "How could we have known how bad Trump is! It is so sad that to save democracy we now have to vote for democrats, but our kids just aren't safe in school anymore..."
Oh, that's good! I tried to talk to a Republican nurse that I thought might be reached by compassion, reason, and actually pointing out how our new Congressperson Debbie Dingell in getting or power restored by direct intervention with Consumers Energy. She turned the me with a bitter look and said you know it is the fault of the Government and their regulations are nothing works anymore! Her gentle eyes turned as hard as granite when she spoke. She and her husband moved into our building from Upstate New York.
You might not have to feign astonishment in your voice and facial expressions!
Luckily, we don't have the problem in Massachusetts - the GOP here is in deep debt, has few seats in the legislature, and no state-wide office holders now that the slippery Charlie Baker is gone. But with that legislature - that openly has ignored ballot measures in the past - we might be just as bad off.
Yes, I know what you mean. Here in Michigan, we had passed a raise in the minimum wage by ballet proposal too in 2018. At that time, we still had a highly gerrymandered legislature. The Republicans passed a law before the ballot proposal could take effect, with a lower wage level. Of course, our new Democratic Legislators are addressing this issue too. So much to fix!
And as much as I dislike Betsy DeVos, Michigan's Republican Party is totally bankrupt too, because the DeVos family has pulled their funding after the Republican grass roots had voted against the DeVos candidates at their convention earlier this year, for party Chairman. Instead they voted for a chairwoman, who is even more extreme and a Trump endorsed candidate. She is a QAnon Conspiracy Nut and even Betsy DeVos and her husband can't stomach her. The Michigan Republican Party is now so extreme and also penniless that it has been rendered toothless!
Yep, been following the news... if Betsy can't stand you, you've gone 'round the bend. That's one way to stop them: take away their funding. Great to hear.
The State government should not have harmed gut other
I too rely on karma to do its thing. It’s the final arbiter of justice although it sometimes grinds too slowly for my patience l
The worst of humanity is taking over our citizenry. Like another country I read about…
Yes, indeed Jeri.
Mim, I'd like to think that the uproar that resulted from their overturning of Roe, the losses that Republicans have experienced ever since, and now Clarence being jerked up short because of his unreported extravagant gifts from Harlan Crow and scrutiny of Gini Thomas's "activism" would cause them to reconsider their enthusiasm for their dismantling our democracy, but it appears that the radical right in our country and the Extreme Court (good one, Mim) currently have no appetite for changing course. Their fanaticism for achieving their dominance in the culture wars and creating their very own Christian Democracy appears to be insatiable, somewhat like the fervor during the crusades.
A cornered dog is a dangerous dog, and the GOP is one cornered cur, in its death throes. We need Atticus to put it out of its misery.
Indeed we do.
The Supreme Court is stacked-- thanks to trumplicans:
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
Your repeated posting in this forum reminds me of Libor Soural, the mad poster from Nicaragua.
Not even close, Derek. Nice try, though. Pensa is being more repetitive this morning as they list the same post several times, but at least there's no bleating about and links to their individual Substack writings. Pensa is quoting other people and the same information is pertinent.
Pensa, thanks so much for the link. I'm anxious to learn more about how their influence could be waning, since I see no way forward in hoping for legislation to "curb their enthusiasm" in this political climate.
AJT, there's no question that they're giving up, regardless of who's holding the best cards. They're all fanatics.
I don't believe a "Christian Democracy" is a democracy at all.
It’s not. The Christian part kills it.
Of course it isn't, despite what Hungary's Viktor Orban claims.
They will kill us all. While we are squabbling about their destruction of democracy, every day we get news about how climate change is progressing much faster than we thought and it looks like it will be too late to do anything about it as long as they are delaying and distracting. GOP= death cult.
YES Edwin! It seems increasingly clear that the Republicans have resorted to these "culture wars" to avoid developing or presenting a budget for how we should deal with the very real crises facing the USA, preeminent among them climate change happening right in front of us. One could then add numerous other issues the Republicans have no viable answers for like the Debt Limit, the approaching insolvency of Social Security, Medicare, and numerous other budgetary issues. The Republicans have multiple complaints and criticisms yet provide no detail about how they would manage it, knowing their ideas are wildly unpopular.
Their ideas appear to revolve around the central importance of business and capitalism (the rich getting richer) with little regard to the workers who make capitalism possible. Right now unbridled capitalism is on a collision course with the survivability of humans, let alone the myriad other species on our planet.
I hope we can escape from the nightmare, Nancy.
Mim, so do I, but my belief in logical consequences is eroding - at lightning speed.
"Extreme Court" is much more polite than my current favorite "SCROTUS" (supreme court republican of the US) with its intentional pronunciation to refer to a part of male anatomy that holds the "precious jewels'. I might have to use ECROTUS instead (except over on TC's Substack where I can use more "colorful metaphors."
Except you just used it here, Ally! >wink<
😇
I just returned from Israel we here 200,000 people demonstrated Saturday evening 3/25. It’s time fellow Americans to get out in the streets and March for civil and voting rights. We the people need to organize and educate voters. It works.
Seth, I've been thinking the same thing for weeks now. The demonstrators have managed to intimidate Netanyahu, at least for now. He's hoping that fighting with the Palestinians will distract them, but they're smarter than that.
They smell blood, have for years, and it’s getting stronger. Beware…
I'm hoping that by being emboldened they'll enrage even those who've given up, and that will be their undoing - like the proverbial waking a sleeping tiger.
There is a coup, and and the overturning of Roe is part of the deeper issues we face:
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
He's a federal judge, not a state judge, which is why he could do as he did. Yes, the Supreme Court can overrule him and rule in favor of the other decision.
Do you really think they will do that? Alito, ACB, Kavanagh, etc., have been salivating at the chance to do this. Roberts has already shown that he does not care about the legacy of the court. I will be shocked if they overturn this.
I believe Federal Statutes forbid it, but I am no lawyer. Title 18, USC,SECTION 241. Deprivation of rights under color of law.
With a contradictory ruling out of Washingon state as HCR noted, the 2 contradicting case are set up for expedited writ consideration skipping the 5th and/or 9th Circuits by a Fast Track procedure known as "Writ before Judgment" which I recall bring used in the United States vs Nixon in 1974.
As we go into the Weekend MIFEPRISTONE is NOT barred in any state in the Union. Stay Vigilant.
Thank you, Counselor. I was wondering how that would be dealt with given that Texas and Washington are in to different Circuit Courts.
Thank you Officer; the wild card is the impact of actual conflicts with Thomas' Donor & assoiated corporate benefactors. Scotusblog monitors all pending case filings & SCOTUS' Orders after Conferences to say nothing about the Shadow Docket.
Having a hard time dealing with the news this week. Evidenced by my blackened thoughts, such as: Will there be a run on existing supplies of Miferpristone? Will the price of such be driven up? Will there be hoarding of such among the Southern Christian Women's Right to Something Knitting and Tatting Society? Are there any useful side effects for male judges who drink whiskey laced with such and would this be an act of mercy if such were successful? I am hopelessly lost in the "suches".
WA is stockpiling mifepristone:
https://www.npr.org/2023/04/04/1167867948/washington-state-stockpiles-thousands-of-abortion-pills
A necessity I suspect.
Thru another week, how wonderful…ridiculous
I had to find a link to read it. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/242
A real lawyer will tell us how it has been applied. Sometimes, it seems that laws do not apply so much to those with privilege, connections, and lots of money.
That is the truth.
It’s the American Way.
No Schitt Sherlock…
Thank you Watson.
No kidding!
No, but the president can. It's yet another decision based on a violation of the principle of separation of powers; in the very first major supreme court case, Marberry v. Madison, the court held that it had no power to direct the executive but this goes out the window when ideology intervenes. Biden (and the FDA as well as almost all "independent" agencies are in the executive branch, under the power and protection of the presidency) should just say, "Judge Kacsmaryk has made his decision, now let him enforce it."
Wellll, I'm not sure we want to go down that road just yet. There are many, many legal issues I can see, from here in Maine, with the Texas decision, beginning with the judge/forum shopping and standing issues. I can see this case being sent back to the District Court almost immediately to deal with those issues first, then the judge's clear Xtianfascist bias as demonstrated in his chosen language - "unborn human", my hind foot - then his errors in failing to consider the facts of the FDA's approval after more than 20 years of safe usage in Europe preceding FDA approval in the US AND 23 years of safe use in both Europe and the US since FDA approval. I think this case is a lot more complex than it appears on the surface, and it will take time, with the judgment stayed and mifepristone available throughout the US, until all these issues can be fully litigated in the District Court. Then the appellate court. Then before the Big Nine, or Big Eight, if we eliminate "justice" Thomas from the total for tax fraud.
If we didn't understand how important it is that Leonard Leo and The Federalist Society, and Mich McConnell have stacked our federal courts with right wing judges, now we do.
The misogyny is quite clear, as is the racism and fascism.
Hi Mim; I've no idea what Heather may or will, or even 'if' she'll respond individually; I mean, really how even does she manage to do what she does ? (I've humorously speculated that she's a superhuman alien, on top of the owning the whole 'female advantage' thing). I said years ago on another post site that as I understand the limited options, the fix available, while time consuming individually and perhaps fear inducing , is mass demonstrations - some finely targeted location wise, but also massive and convincing around the country by committed, like minded folks of good will and intent - and unwavering in the face of whatever might come. I've thought about it an awful lot and over a considerable span of time, as in, I did not just come up with it as I write. I espoused this at the beginning of _rumps era; actually before, as I correctly and sadly anticipated much of what's happened - believe it or not, your choice. I claim no *crystal ball nor super brainiac intelligence. What I do know is that my brain works a bit differently, for better and worst.
It should be going to the COA first.
Likely headed for a "Writ Before Judgment" an expedited SCOTUS review used in US vs Nixon in 1974 and several other cases over the last decades. Looking at you Chief Justice.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
On 1850 l defer to HCR as to 2023 a local US District Judge could enjoin & use other tools with teeth.
Well, if the court is consistent, it will overturn this ruling and say that decisions on this medicine is up to the states. Consistency is not this court's strong suit.
Therein lies the problem. What should be happening is a federal law nullifying the Dobbs decision and returning to women the right to make decisions about their own bodies and to all people the right to freedom from governmental interference in personal matters, as per the 14th Amendment: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Exactly.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
Could a judge be any more corrupt than Thomas? That he has not been removed, or at least recused from participating in any further judgments is a monstrous problem with the system.
Thomas is doing the Devil’s Bidding, Diana. No judge could be moe corrupt. The more I learn about the power of the SCOTUS, the more I shudder at what lies ahead.....
It’s probably a good and fair system when it is in the care of good and fair people. There’s just too many people of bad faith in power these days. Democracy requires trust, honesty and a moral contract between everyone. The greedy and hungry are the weeds that kill the garden.
And that is our Achilles heel these days.
Not the way the radical right sees it:
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
And they speak ill of RBG for hanging on to life until the very last minute.
Yabutt, he said three Hail Mary's, so he's okay now.
If we were to retire him on a pension, I guarantee you the "friendship" with the billionaire would cool overnight to below freezing.
And if only pensions could be lost for criminal behaviour by elected persons. It really rusts my joints when the most incompetent of representatives get life long pensions after rorting their constituents for decades
Judges have been retained by influence peddlers for as long as judgement has been passed both here and abroad. History records their misdeeds and those who purchase their services. Judges are no less criminal than the men who hire them. Not only have they been processed by law but many judges have met their destiny at the hands of those they wronged. It is a slippery slope men like Thomas tread. I imagine he has been posted in enough stamp books that he will surely be collected.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
Yes... plenty of them appointed by trumplicans:
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
I'm wondering given that he didn't ask a question in 10 years of Oral Arguments, did he do his share of the work of the Court during that time?
More and more I believe we are living *A Handmaid’s Tale.* 🤦♀️🤬
...or worse.
Read up on Germany
I commented elsewhere in this thread much the same.
Quite the Friday with two conflicting orders from judges. Why do I think the Stench Court will back the Texas judge. He has no case for his decision, just his religion and extreme beliefs. It boggles my mind that a judge can rule on something that was approved by the correct agency 23 years ago. As for "Justice" Thomas....when the news story appeared tonight, we were shouting at the TV. He should spend the rest of his days in a Walmart parking lot. I hope the two legislators in Tennessee are reinstated or reelected. And then there is all the horrible things going on in Israel. Great timing there....holy days for the three major religions sitting on top of each other in Jerusalem.
Michele, “…spend the rest of his days in a Walmart parking lot” gave me a much needed, out-loud chuckle. Thank you.
Me too, Sara and Michele! However, I would prefer his spending the rest of his days in a federal prison. Next to Ginny’s cell.....
Agreed, but in a scummy prison with lousy food and bad odors wafting everywhere. Actually I would like him to burn in hell along with the wife.
Now there's a cheery thought for the close of Good Friday :)
Makes me want to be a believer.
God will make sure they burn in hell….aren’t all prisons “scummy….with lousy food and bad odors wafting everywhere”? LOL.
I was thinking of the some of the "nicer" federal prisons.
And next to you know who...
They can swap stories of their “Glory Days”. Omg.
That's exactly what Judge Thomas stated - "Thomas said in an interview for a 2020 documentary about his life titled, "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words."
"I prefer the RV parks. I prefer the Walmart parking lots to the beaches and things like that. There's something normal to me about it," Thomas continued, adding, "I come from regular stock, and I prefer that — I prefer being around that." Yeah, right. Read where he really went on vacation: https://www.businessinsider.com/clarence-thomas-luxury-vacations-gop-megadonor-harlan-crow-report-says-2023-4
Marli, He is such a CREEP! Can’t even speak the language properly, just a disgusting shill for the fascist oligarchs! And the Thomas’s benefactor for their $500,000 vacays is named CROW. The garbage cleaner of nature, crows are extremely intelligent, tough and devious to get what they want: offal. It’s AWFUL! May they all eat crow…..
According to a BBC report, the CREEP (thanks!) now says that '...he believed luxury trips he took with his billionaire Republican donor followed guidelines!" Apparently, there is an official requirement that SC justices need to file annual disclosures of gifts. And we have had this ignorant slimy weasel on the SUPREME Court for how long? Over 30 years?
I hate to insult weasels, but he is a slimy one! Oh, Marli!!!!!
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
I think you’re preaching to the choir, Pensa.
Oh, c'mon Elisabeth, be nice to crows. They're wonderful creatures!
David, I am an avid bird watcher. The corvids are among my favorites. Thomas Crow just brought to mind the purpose of crows in nature. How do people even get such names?????
Elisabeth, I am partial to Corvids as well and usually feed them daily. I notice they post scouts on neighborhood trees & generally come to hang around on the electrical/telephone wires near my home at the time I’m usually up and about. When I scatter the food at the edge of the street (despite my repeated attempts to feed them in my large yard, they are too skittish)…the call goes out and I can see birds flying in from around town. I step away and sometimes watch them at a distance as they disburse if anyone is too close (small town bird nervousness I guess). Then, if necessary, I get a bucket of water and window washer/squeegee and check my neighbors cars…..to clean off any poop that has fallen on them from the birds on the wires above. I had one neighbor tell me “you don’t have to do that”, I replied, “yeah, I do”.
Rooting for the scrub jay over the NRA in Fl !
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/576443-hope-flutters-again-that-a-florida-native-will-be-designated-state-bird/
And what do we call a group of these extremely intelligent, wonderful avians? A murder of crows. How appropriate a name for Thomas Crow and his ilk.
May they all eat something that has a stench.
Marli, one of the reporters who broke the story of Clarence Thomas accepting--let's call it what it was--bribes in the form of lavish trips from Mr. Crow, mentioned a detail that makes it even more cynical.
He said when Thomas was speaking in the documentary about the Walmart parking lots (who in their right mind would believe that drivel in the first place), he was wearing a shirt with the very small crest/logo of his benefactor's property (I can't remember if it was a logo of the big yacht or the super exclusive vacation home in an elite area.) That to me is like discreetly giving the audience the finger while trying to sell them a big lie. Does that description remind you of anyone?
Clarence and Ginny are just another couple of twisted grifters with no shame.
Sometimes I wonder if we would have been better off with Bork.
Anita Hill was right.
Nah .... Bork would have brought his own demons!
Yes about Anita Hill!!
From the photos I've seen, it was the yacht, the "Michaela Rose". 161-feet, $50M super yacht, according to https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht/michaela-rose/
Somewhere I have an old copy of Yachting magazine, listing the ten largest privately held yachts in the world - I don't believe this would have made the list (at the time, Paul Allen, of Microsoft fame, had the largest - Octopus. At 414 feet, it had a swimming pool on the aft upper deck - an Olympic-sized pool no less). And the four-place Bell helicopter parked on the deck looked like a toy.
It’s obscene, really. Thanks for the “reality check”, James.
Does anyone believe it?
You are welcome. I smile as I think of that creep and his wife in an old used RV in a Walmart parking lot.
Cousin Eddie's RV from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation would be perfect.
I'd purely LOVE to see (in some improbable future) a two week stay in an old RV in a Malwart parking lot be the only vacay that the corrupt Thomas's could afford to take.
I believe that a prior poster's comment that Harlan Crow's "old-family-friend" style of generosity and lavish vacation gifting would immediately dry up should Clarence Thomas get impeached or retire is quite correct.
Aw, but they are just long time personal friends...Oh yeah.
Your take on that is the same as mine: long-time family friends, my arse! The "long-time friendship" dates from 5 years AFTER sleepy Clarence became an Associate Justice. That is just a little too convenient, to my mind.
Just as I wanted to say it. What is it about people like him and Stubby DeSatan that they want to do just as ordinary people do. Hypocrites and liars.
Feeding and then eating feral cats . . .
More like a shock to the system, neither he nor his creepy wife would be caught dead in a Walmart parking lot…
As I read the news, tonight's Letter and the comments, being a citizen in the USA seems like being trapped inside one of Elon Musk's self-driving cars at night going 100 mph. There's no one at the wheel. In the 60s, they would call the reality of 2023 "a very bad trip."
Yep
I found Thomas’s statement on Walmart interesting. Curious if he’s ever been to a Walmart? Probably not, but a good journalist would ask the question.
I have been to one twice under duress. I doubt that he has gone to one. I mean, does he shop???
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
Thanks Dr. Richardson. I wonder if the Tennessee legislators violated civil rights statutes. The action had obvious racially motivated energy behind it. Title 18, US Code, Section 241,“Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law” It is on the DOJ website. Mr. Garland , are you there?
Just because you are a state legislator, you cannot take an action that violates Federal Laws.
Check out Joyce Vance's post today about the Georgia Legislature's attempt to refuse to seat a duly elected legislator, Julian Bond, a black man, because he had protested publicly against the Vietnam War. https://joycevance.substack.com/p/tennessee?publication_id=607357&post_id=113177295&isFreemail=false
Everyone that reads HCR should also Joyce Vance. It just gets more mind boggling every day. It’s obsurd. Who in the world signaled these ridiculous “leaders” to act like @&$”!?! I wonder......
Billionaires most likely signaled these leaders, and this should be investigated , but since the Uber rich contribute heavily to both parties, it probably won’t happen , unless the public puts a lot of heat on the officials. The billionaires want it all.
Is being a millionaire not enough??? Not enough power??
HCR and JF had a Now and Then podcast in the past month or so on this very topic. I can't do a link, but its with Carol Anderson and it is pretty amazing.
https://cafe.com/now-and-then/georgia-voting-rights-on-my-mind-with-carol-anderson/
Thank you. One more horror story never heard of before.
Thank you, and Morning, Lynell. I had posted a link once, but apparently followed a different path trying to link that one!
Morning, Ally! I used to be able to keep up with "it all." But it's getting harder and harder these days!
It really is. More folks reading/commenting here does add lots of content and harder to keep up with it all!
I remember it well, Judith! I will definitely read about it again. Thanks for the link!
Those Tennessee legislators violated the First Amendment of those gentlemen and that they cannot do. They were well within their rights to peacefully protest the bloody gun violence that had just killed 6 more people in the latest mass shooting that just happened to be in a school. Somehow mass killing is worse when it happens in a school than in a street, a shopping mall or anywhere else. The gun sell-outs are sick, sick people.
Nor action that violates the 1st Amendment per Professor Vance.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/242
Without medical intervention the "unborn human" lodged in my ectopic pregnancy would have killed me. These ignorant absolutists are completely disrupting healthcare, especially care for miscarriage, which normally occurs in somewhere between 15% and 35% of all pregnancies.
-- Fighting mad in Portland, Oregon (I'm 81 years old, BTW)
Someone I know also needed an abortion to save her life. A woman is alive, her life is valuable and must be preserved. This shouldn't even be a point of discussion. The fact that these legislators and judges are not only trying to force the unready to have children, but are playing at how close they can bring a woman to death to birth a baby, is unconscionable. These blinkered people don't care to grasp this. It particularly doesn't help that they seem ignorant about reproductive health, especially for women.
It is always the bigots and misogynists who want to control what other people do and think. Is it a part of self loathing?
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
Pensa_VT, thanks for this mention. I'll add it to my mountain of other waiting podcasts and information media. I'm so behind, I still have a J6 hearing to go. For shame.
I hear you!!
Although it could be self loathing, I suspect hardcore chauvinism.
Whether rooted in gender, wealth, class, religion, the obsolete 17th century concept of race we seem unable to shake, or some combination of those, someone with a strictly defined view of what roles people belong in, sees any deviation from that as an affront. This revulsion to change is stronger when established systems have traditionally placed these same hardcore chauvinists at the top by default. The chauvinist does have supporters who agree with them from stations below. Although they benefit less, those supporters on lower system rungs prefer it for their own reasons, whether comfort in their current role, fear of change or some amount of preference that is unusual for their particular situation. Those who have different views, only want to be able to pursue their lives the way they want to, not force the chauvinists to practice what they do. However, anyone using any practice other than something the chauvinist believes is right, is viewed as an assault and attack on the chauvinist's very existence. This threat spurs chauvinists to make it so no one has any option but what they prefer. The thinking and fear are irrational but that's my opinion of what I've seen of this mindset.
All that we see is the result of decades of methodical effort to calcify this nation in the image they prefer.
Hiliarous 'The government will know too much about people'. The IRS already receives information from employers, banks, pension plans etc. You can order an IRS document transcript by tax year. All tax returns do is add other information about spouses and children.
2017 was Paul Ryan's supposed to be the Era of Tax Simplification.
I had to laugh at that as well….duh, the IRS already gets the info when folks file!!! The private sector that assists tax filers is complaining about a Federal free file system—that ALREADY exists in partnership w/ many of those same private companies, HOWEVER, those companies often make it SO confusing to “free file” (exclusions apply) and in the process “upsell” to paid by having misleading instructions. Having worked in college student financial aid for 40+ years, I remember when filing for student aid was filling out something called a Student Aid Application (SAA—in California it was known as a SAAC) and the applicant had to pay a fee for each college they wanted the results send to—if memory serves I think it was the College Board who did the analysis). Then came along the Fed attempt to make it affordable and developed the FAFSA….FREE Application for Student Aid. It is still going strong thru many iterations/changes in regs, etc., but the bottom line is that students applying for aid do not have to pay a fee to file. It has long seemed to me that the IRS should do something similar and make filing free. There will always be those with complicated returns that will seek out tax assistance, but many filers don’t need that.
You are so right! I happen to work for IRS and I can tell you that is exactly what the “free file” companies do. Upset, obfuscate, etc. And it is all to low income filers who can least afford the “refund loans” that charge upwards of 400% interest. And anyone who thinks the Service is going to get MORE information from free file than it already has, is flat out lying. And you’re right, the wealthy will always have their own preparers. Don’t get me started on that topic!
My daughter-in-law works for a small firm that does tax filing for businesses... I don't think her job would be threatened by the IRS supplying a free filing system. Most of their clients just don't want to have to be tax experts along with running their business. For individuals, the tax system is what I call 'cruel and unusual punishment' - it's ridiculous to expect an ordinary citizen to be able to understand it and spend so much time on it. Government of the people, for the people, it's not.
I play tuba with a friend who retired after 30 years with the IRS; she says "utter garbage" to what is being bloviated by the "free file" companies.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/03/ftc-sues-intuit-its-deceptive-turbotax-free-filing-campaign
Thank you for this update on the Friday news dump. So much to take in. We need to get to work restoring women’s rights, as well as the rights of all Americans to live their best lives.
That was a frightening list of medications potentially affected.
Guess it’s getting close to the time where every woman of childbearing age that is pro choice to be fitted for shackles.
As long as people are able to cherry pick the judges to hear their cases this is going to happen . It was a given from day one that this was going to be the outcome. And just look at the Friday he choose to announce his decision. No surprise there either.
Didn’t think I would ever say this but glad I am 75 rather than 25.
Just this eve I was speaking with a friend recently returned from a many months-long trip to So America and we were catching up on all that was happening in the states…..he is very interested in “choice” (many years ago having made the choice not to reproduce he chose to make sure, surgically, that he would not) and I exclaimed that I was SO glad that I am old and my reproductive organs are ‘dried up’….cuz I cannot imagine being a woman in reproductive prime not having a choice…even living in a state that has an affirmed pro-choice stance. Scary times indeed.
Being 'old' means that we may have dodged the bullet (so to speak) that is now honing in on young, fertile women of the 2020's. I'm glad I'm not now in my prime.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
Yup. Good Friday. That's when the Cossacks come.
How about a chastity belt? it would be easy for her to get rid of the key.
Me too
Perhaps Pope Francis, who understands climate change and overpopulation, might excommunicate Kaczmaryk? This ruling has nothing to do with law, science, or humanity.
Ooh, good one!
Thank you, as always, Heather. Golgotha indeed! A headline in North Carolina caught my attention, and I can’t even remember to what it referred (it doesn’t matter): NC Legislature Continues to Put Culture Wars Above Common Good.
NC Republicans always put maintaining their power above the common good using the divisive culture elements to scare ill informed citizens mostly without higher education. NC Republicans don't give a rat's behind about improving the lives of ordinary people. They believe in lining their pockets at the expense of the rest of us. Oh yeah, they believe in helping their fat corporate donors to cheat the rest of us too.
Did you see the article about the North Carolina State Rep who switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party? She gave the Republicans a veto proof super-majority. And her reasoning behind her decision was very weird and completely unacceptable: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/north-carolina-state-lawmaker-switches-parties-handing-gop-veto-proof-rcna78336
Yes Gail! From what I heard about this a few days ago, the former Democrat, Tricia Cotham, had been a Democrat for 10 years and had just been re-elected fairly recently. My first thought is that she's just like George Santos in that she lied to her voters.
You can bet those who voted for her were expecting her to support the policies and positions of most Democrats. And it's not believable that she suddenly changed her ideology a few months after being elected. Her behavior was so deceitful.
I think there should be a law that anyone who runs for public office under the banner of a political party has to stay in that party until their term is done or leave their office. She could stay with the Democrats and still betray her voters by voting with the Republicans, but she might not have given the Republicans a veto-proof majority until she voted for specific bills.
Bait and switch is not legal in the area of retail sales and it should not be legal in politics. She ran a con game on her voters. Tricia Cotham is a disgrace.
As I said earlier, all women are not good -- see Kyrsten Sinema from AZ. We need men and women who believe in democracy and will fight for it.
"...I am called.." LOL!!
I tend to suspect the bribes are better.
I would have said her reasons for switching were a pile of fresh bullshyt...but I'm an old-time "Mainah" who has been known to refer to birds of the nuthatch persuasion as "ass-up-a-tree" birds (Thanks to a very salty acquaintance of my grandmother who used to visit her when I was an impressionable kid).
Why, instead of stabbing her constituents in the back, didn't she complain to them of bullying and so forth or hold a Town Hall gathering to tell her constituents about the supposed bullying and gotten their feedback?
I say: follow the money...someone, somehow offered this female Judas thirty pieces of silver...or enough of a temptation to abandon a lifetime of Dem principles.
Somebody must have gotten to her. Wonder what they had on her.
Wow!
Yes, very bad for North Carolina. Especially the Women of North Carolina.
Yes, it is a singularly discouraging piece of news. Governor Coopercan’t run again, and if we can’t elect another Dem Gov, we will be stuck with the Good Ole Boys and Gurs. we have to get out the vote.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) does more than just Federal Income Tax processing.
The IRS supports taxpayers and tax preparers as they prepare their tax returns.
The IRS supports departments of revenue in all the states as they share and validate information. Without full funding state departments of revenue would need more staffing for certain compliance activities.
The IRS helps lenders collect on past due student loans.
Tax return information is used to apply for Student Financial Aid
Tax return information is used to apply for a mortgage and other loans
Wage information is shared with the Social Security Administrations.
I'll even argue the IRS to enforce tax compliance supports and funds the civil service which supports our democratic government.
They also have a Criminal division that investigates financial crimes including identity theft and money laundering.
The enforcement activity is valuable too. These functions are lumped into negative political rhetoric of the GOP. I wrote my post to specifically highlight the rest.
While I cheer Washington state jurisprudence I almost vomit at our neighbor Idaho's new law that makes it a felony to assist a young teen woman to come across the border for a termination of pregnancy. We all know that the pregnancy has occurred either because of date rape or poor pre-sexual activity school or parental counseling, AND (news flash) it has come to my attention that pregnancy requires some guy to supply the sperm. But is it illegal to take a young man across state lines for a vasectomy? No. Is it required that the man or boy who impregnates a young girl or woman must spend the rest of his life working to produce child support? No. "Aroint thee", thou bastards of the Idaho Legislature. Just because YOU are illegitimate does not mean you need to create more like yourselves.
Let Clarence and Ginni eat Crow! There must be new law enacted that one judge cannot make decisions that affect our entire nation. It must be introduced ASAP!
The 'oversight' committees are just not doing their job! One would think the judges on the Supreme Court would be above reproach, but obviously not. Thomas was already reprimanded about accepting expensive gifts about 20 years ago, and he took it to 'heart' by just not reporting those gifts anymore... And no, he and his wife NEVER asked for any. Somewhere someone will compile a list of rulings in the past 20 years that possibly would have other results without those gifts ... shameless! And no penalties?
Those justices (Repubs) live in a bubble. The Chief is just flabbergasted at the public’s unrest of the privileges these people think they are entitled to! The fact that SCOTUS police themselves without oversight is ludicrous!
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
That was a great article!
They have a blinkered view of what their job is.
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
The Harvard Gazette: March 2021 "The Supreme Court Justices with Federalist Society ties: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Beginning in the early 1980s, when it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student, a small group of students started a club, named in honor of The Federalist Papers, where they could safely discuss their right-of-center views. Fast-forward 40 years and six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are current or former members of that club.
In “Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court” (Pushkin Industries), Harvard Law School professor and “Deep Background” podcast host Noah Feldman explores the rise of the most influential legal organization in U.S. history and how it has managed to shape judicial policy over the last three decades.
Feldman, one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the first impeachment hearings on former President Trump, with “Deep Background” co-host Lidia Jean Kott, takes listeners into the offices and chambers of the people who know the organization best."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/in-audiobook-takeover-noah-feldman-lidia-jean-kott-explore-how-federalist-society-captured-supreme-court/
bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep - bleep!
BLEEP, Lisa!🥵