Unfortunately the days of Supreme Court justices (and many other federal judges as well) being like Caesar's wife and above reproach has been dead for a long time, if it ever existed. It's just more blatant now with reactionaries like Alito and Thomas wailing to sympathetic audiences that they are bing hounded.
Will we always be stuck in this ridiculous doom loop, where 2A people insist we need as many guns as possible for our own safety, but also that they need to preemptively shoot other people who have guns for their own safety? It is just baffling that we live like this.
The story of Perry's pardon reads like some diabolical fiction. It was a brilliantly written piece. And this is not Texas, but Colorado. It's another reminder of the Republicans distain for the law. Governor certainly had the right under the state Constitution to make the pardon but one would have hoped that sanity would have prevail.ed over naked malice.
Anyone who dreams (me included) that the fascist behaviour will end if the Dems win a trifecta, think again. The fascists are already at work undermining federal and state institutions. Undermining/undoing these efforts will be a loooong hard slog. Buckle up folks. First step, VOTE locally, statewide and federally.
It's true that we have to keep resisting the people who want to destroy the Republic whoever wins, and it will be a long, twilight struggle, a little like the Cold War. Still voting and winning ARE essential -- and not showing ideological purity by voting for third-party candidates.
If the Dems win, we all win the chance to keep fighting; if the Dems lose, it's very likely Game Over.
BREAKING NEWS OF THE WORSE KIND :- This is really really bad, with current tensions, with a threat to a israel PM who might be booted from office, there will be views from many , that Bibi ordered this, to push for wider war with iran [shudders] - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/19/helicopter-carrying-iran-president-ebrahim-raisi-hard-land/ This is really bad, particularly in Azerbaijan where they are allied to israel and receive weapons with a Israel PM in trouble, who would profit with a war with iran , which would push the west to defend israel :( equally it could be said, some hardliners in iran could have set this up but to do the same, from the otherside....equally it could just be accident in heavy fog....but will Iran accept the crash investigators findings from Azerbaijan/ i think so....another headache for the world, even if this is just a innocent accident, the connotations are extra frightening :(
The singling out of firearms as what our founders were writing with the second amendment is and has been ahistorical. Re the weapons that our founders recognized, in fact bladed weapons were at least as important as muskets and the rare rifles. If we look to colonial history we have one account of the NY and Mass militias fighting each other in the 1750s - armed with cutlasses.
And up through the civil war, a man on horseback would have had to dismount to reload, so had only one shot from a firearm before he would then unsheath his sword.
Of course the so called "stand your ground" laws are an abomination is civil society. They favor the angry man ready to kill anyone who steps on their lawn.
A 🚗 is AT LEAST the equivalent of a gun in terms of a weapon. If I was armed and this piece of 💩 drove his car into me and a group I'm with including a woman in a wheelchair! WTF! I'd have shot him with clear conscience that I was in fear of my life and had to defend it from a racist scumbag wielding a automobile 🚗 as a DEADLY WEAPON!
This story--and the so many others like it--is why I don't believe in the 2nd Amendment and think it needs to go. Only white men enjoy the privilege of the Second Amendment. I don't even believe in banning all guns, I come from a hunting family, but it is clear so many times in so many stories, especially those involving the police, that Black people, especially Black men, are not covered under the Second Amendment. When the first question you ask yourself after a police shooting is "did the victim have a gun"--a right that is enshrined in our Bill of Rights (not that I actually believe it is enshrined the way current conservatives believe it is, but accepting their nonsense arguments) you have a problem and the amendment needs to go.
In my view, the Second Amendment is the worst mistake that the Founders made, the one case in which their foresight completely failed them and they responded only to the needs of their own times and their own experience. I'm not faulting them too much for this, it's normal human behavior; it stands out exactly because they overcame that tendency so many times, but had a spectacular fail this one time. I agree, the Second Amendment has to go, as difficult as that will be.
An excellent first step would be to prevail on the Supreme Court to reverse McDonald v. City of Chicago, the case that "incorporated" the Second Amendment against the states. I don't think that the Court had a choice in District of Columbia v. Heller because of the unique federal jurisdiction in the District, but it did in McDonald and let the country down. If the incorporation of McDonald is reversed, states will only be subject to their own constitutions and laws on weapons, and any state that wants to will be able to enact sensible gun regulations.
The thing that gets me is that all those conservatives who worship Jefferson (our founders)? He would be appalled by the current Originalism movement and what it has brought us. You are correct, it was seriously a big mistake. It does not explain anything about the purpose of creating a militia without a standing army, which would make clear it is obsolete. And to make matters worse? When I hear conservatives talk about how it is so important to prevent tyranny with stars in their eyes about fighting back against the British? All I can think is explain to me how Black people did not live under tyranny in this country until the Civil Rights Movement (which is not to say everything is post racial, my point is just that it was literally enshrined in laws that Black people were less than--what else is tyranny if not that?). This whole topic makes my blood boil.
Anyone been following Glenn Youngkin, the ‘ I want to compromise “ governor that has vetoed more bills in less than 2 years than previous governor in 4. If you come to my side of the road then we can find some common ground to discuss any compromise.
With all the money spending going on all over the country, it seems like there are not very many people really complaining about the economy, inflation and interest rates?
Abbott is totally out of sync with most of America. But Texas politicians never care what the people really think or want, do they? Former resident.
This is actually on the podcast with Anne Applebaum , the small part about the Alito flag thing. She makes a comment about "isn't it his job to defend and uphold the constitution". It struck me that Alito believes it is his job to twist the Constitution so that it supports his agenda and he does not particularly care what he has to do to impose his agenda on America. Read Heather Cox Richardson today, specifically the link to Newsweek about Sidney Powell.
I believe that the Justice Department can still charge him with the federal crime of depriving Garrett Foster of his Civil Rights, i.e., the Right to Life, and not run afoul double jeopardy. I hope that this time, Merrick Garland needs considerably less than two years to act.
He was tried and he was convicted in TX. Not much else you can do to him. I suppose the family of the guy he murdered could file a wrongful death suit, but since TX severely caps these kinds of awards what would be the point.
OMG I really wish I did not know just how depraved Greg Abbott is. To paraphrase an old book title: What s the matter with Texas? (sorry apostrophe key is broken). How can they elect such people? You cant gerrymander a state....
The cruelty of the Maga crowd's political leadership has inexorably brought me to believe (or perhaps hope) in the existence of Hell. Gov. Abbott's action have convinced me that if it does exist it's handicapper accessible.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-05-21/alito-and-abbott-show-that-the-rules-are-different-for-maga?srnd=homepage-americas
Unfortunately the days of Supreme Court justices (and many other federal judges as well) being like Caesar's wife and above reproach has been dead for a long time, if it ever existed. It's just more blatant now with reactionaries like Alito and Thomas wailing to sympathetic audiences that they are bing hounded.
Will we always be stuck in this ridiculous doom loop, where 2A people insist we need as many guns as possible for our own safety, but also that they need to preemptively shoot other people who have guns for their own safety? It is just baffling that we live like this.
And Greg Abbott is absolute scum
The story of Perry's pardon reads like some diabolical fiction. It was a brilliantly written piece. And this is not Texas, but Colorado. It's another reminder of the Republicans distain for the law. Governor certainly had the right under the state Constitution to make the pardon but one would have hoped that sanity would have prevail.ed over naked malice.
Anyone who dreams (me included) that the fascist behaviour will end if the Dems win a trifecta, think again. The fascists are already at work undermining federal and state institutions. Undermining/undoing these efforts will be a loooong hard slog. Buckle up folks. First step, VOTE locally, statewide and federally.
It's true that we have to keep resisting the people who want to destroy the Republic whoever wins, and it will be a long, twilight struggle, a little like the Cold War. Still voting and winning ARE essential -- and not showing ideological purity by voting for third-party candidates.
If the Dems win, we all win the chance to keep fighting; if the Dems lose, it's very likely Game Over.
BREAKING NEWS OF THE WORSE KIND :- This is really really bad, with current tensions, with a threat to a israel PM who might be booted from office, there will be views from many , that Bibi ordered this, to push for wider war with iran [shudders] - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/19/helicopter-carrying-iran-president-ebrahim-raisi-hard-land/ This is really bad, particularly in Azerbaijan where they are allied to israel and receive weapons with a Israel PM in trouble, who would profit with a war with iran , which would push the west to defend israel :( equally it could be said, some hardliners in iran could have set this up but to do the same, from the otherside....equally it could just be accident in heavy fog....but will Iran accept the crash investigators findings from Azerbaijan/ i think so....another headache for the world, even if this is just a innocent accident, the connotations are extra frightening :(
The singling out of firearms as what our founders were writing with the second amendment is and has been ahistorical. Re the weapons that our founders recognized, in fact bladed weapons were at least as important as muskets and the rare rifles. If we look to colonial history we have one account of the NY and Mass militias fighting each other in the 1750s - armed with cutlasses.
And up through the civil war, a man on horseback would have had to dismount to reload, so had only one shot from a firearm before he would then unsheath his sword.
Of course the so called "stand your ground" laws are an abomination is civil society. They favor the angry man ready to kill anyone who steps on their lawn.
A 🚗 is AT LEAST the equivalent of a gun in terms of a weapon. If I was armed and this piece of 💩 drove his car into me and a group I'm with including a woman in a wheelchair! WTF! I'd have shot him with clear conscience that I was in fear of my life and had to defend it from a racist scumbag wielding a automobile 🚗 as a DEADLY WEAPON!
This story--and the so many others like it--is why I don't believe in the 2nd Amendment and think it needs to go. Only white men enjoy the privilege of the Second Amendment. I don't even believe in banning all guns, I come from a hunting family, but it is clear so many times in so many stories, especially those involving the police, that Black people, especially Black men, are not covered under the Second Amendment. When the first question you ask yourself after a police shooting is "did the victim have a gun"--a right that is enshrined in our Bill of Rights (not that I actually believe it is enshrined the way current conservatives believe it is, but accepting their nonsense arguments) you have a problem and the amendment needs to go.
In my view, the Second Amendment is the worst mistake that the Founders made, the one case in which their foresight completely failed them and they responded only to the needs of their own times and their own experience. I'm not faulting them too much for this, it's normal human behavior; it stands out exactly because they overcame that tendency so many times, but had a spectacular fail this one time. I agree, the Second Amendment has to go, as difficult as that will be.
An excellent first step would be to prevail on the Supreme Court to reverse McDonald v. City of Chicago, the case that "incorporated" the Second Amendment against the states. I don't think that the Court had a choice in District of Columbia v. Heller because of the unique federal jurisdiction in the District, but it did in McDonald and let the country down. If the incorporation of McDonald is reversed, states will only be subject to their own constitutions and laws on weapons, and any state that wants to will be able to enact sensible gun regulations.
The thing that gets me is that all those conservatives who worship Jefferson (our founders)? He would be appalled by the current Originalism movement and what it has brought us. You are correct, it was seriously a big mistake. It does not explain anything about the purpose of creating a militia without a standing army, which would make clear it is obsolete. And to make matters worse? When I hear conservatives talk about how it is so important to prevent tyranny with stars in their eyes about fighting back against the British? All I can think is explain to me how Black people did not live under tyranny in this country until the Civil Rights Movement (which is not to say everything is post racial, my point is just that it was literally enshrined in laws that Black people were less than--what else is tyranny if not that?). This whole topic makes my blood boil.
Airport lounges: mobile country clubs for the bourgeoise who wish they could afford private airstrips.
Anyone been following Glenn Youngkin, the ‘ I want to compromise “ governor that has vetoed more bills in less than 2 years than previous governor in 4. If you come to my side of the road then we can find some common ground to discuss any compromise.
With all the money spending going on all over the country, it seems like there are not very many people really complaining about the economy, inflation and interest rates?
Abbott is totally out of sync with most of America. But Texas politicians never care what the people really think or want, do they? Former resident.
This is actually on the podcast with Anne Applebaum , the small part about the Alito flag thing. She makes a comment about "isn't it his job to defend and uphold the constitution". It struck me that Alito believes it is his job to twist the Constitution so that it supports his agenda and he does not particularly care what he has to do to impose his agenda on America. Read Heather Cox Richardson today, specifically the link to Newsweek about Sidney Powell.
Can the Justice Department go after this guy? I mean, until Trump pardons him in late Jan ‘25. Still worth a gesture, though.
I believe that the Justice Department can still charge him with the federal crime of depriving Garrett Foster of his Civil Rights, i.e., the Right to Life, and not run afoul double jeopardy. I hope that this time, Merrick Garland needs considerably less than two years to act.
He was tried and he was convicted in TX. Not much else you can do to him. I suppose the family of the guy he murdered could file a wrongful death suit, but since TX severely caps these kinds of awards what would be the point.
OMG I really wish I did not know just how depraved Greg Abbott is. To paraphrase an old book title: What s the matter with Texas? (sorry apostrophe key is broken). How can they elect such people? You cant gerrymander a state....
The cruelty of the Maga crowd's political leadership has inexorably brought me to believe (or perhaps hope) in the existence of Hell. Gov. Abbott's action have convinced me that if it does exist it's handicapper accessible.
Daniel Scott Perry. I wonder what Scott Perry, Rick Scott, Rick Perry, Tim Scott, etc. think of him. Yeah, it's a coincidence, but an eerie one.