From the article: "Alito explained that he took a call from Trump at the request of a former law clerk, William Levi, “regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position,” as Alito put it."
I'm glad you went on to explain how ridiculous this was, because my first thought was "how stupid do they think we are to believe that Trump himself is vetting potential staff?"
This phone call stinks, and Alito should have recused immediately.
Regarding the Federal Courts, they are kind of saving us in the most backasswards way possible. For now, by the narrowest of margins, Roberts, along with Ms. Unitary Theory of the Executive of all people, Barrett, the Supreme Court is upholding state rights. So, if you live in a state that values individual freedom (basically a Blue or Purple-Bluish state), then you are ok, again, for now. Trump's first term and this coming second term have really forced me to appreciate federalism. However, if/when Roberts retires/becomes infirm/dies, the floodgates will open and the country will be ripe for tyranny. The bottom line, as liberals, we have, at most 4 years to figure this out and fix the Democratic Party. Otherwise, as long as neoliberals run the show, we'll keep doing the same thing and getting the same results. Jonathan W. Fink, JD, Biden-Harris and Harris -Walz Utah Digital Media Co-Coordinator and Western States Volunteer Coordinator.
Interesting that some folks still want to play “identity politics”. It seems “Insecure people” will always feel “threatened”, imvho.
This monk grew up in the hood, knew hunger, and is now a MAAG human (My America is Already Great). Once upon a time, “insecure people” were considered a bunch of “wussies”. Now, the monk tries to help folks see the Middle Way.
The Middle Way is the path that we can all share. The tribalism of the extreme left or the extreme right only generates hatred, imvho.
Democrats need to grow balls and vajayjays like AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost, and Greg Casar in the House, and refuse to allow any Republican bill harming or targeting any group, or the whole lot of us - with tax cuts for the wealthiest, and cuts to social safety nets - to come out of committees, or get passed. No across the aisle, civility BS that Republicans never give to Democrats. Scorched earth, obstructionist, progressive only or no deal, balls to the walls, solidarity. Democrats are going to be pilloried, vilified, and excoriated no matter what we do. Don't give in, and don't give up.
Constantly bombard media and the internet with truths about Republicans gutting your healthcare coverage, and by taking away your doctors from your care, and handing it over to insurance companies. About how they will get your wages lowered by anti-union edicts; ignore your affordable housing needs by letting landlords and developers in private equity firms buy up all the properties and make you pay for their obscene salaries and yachts; increase your grocery and gasoline costs by price gouging and tariffs; gut your job safety rules, poison your food contents, profit from excessive costs of your prescriptions; ignore your children's protections against shooters and "religious" predators; arrest and deport your barber and salon workers, hotel and restaurant workers, your mechanics and construction and maintenance workers, your house cleaners and child care workers and convenience store owners, who are waiting legally for asylum and citizenship. All of this to benefit robber baron billionaires and cheat you out of every extra penny you earn, because you are the ones paying a higher percentage of your income in taxes.
Re: the Laken Riley Act, my general belief is that criminal justice related-bills that are named after someone are fundamentally flawed. They may be well-intentioned, but they are knee-jerk reactions to horrific crimes that typically a) don't address the underlying problem, and/or b) are so overbroad that they harm innocent people, civil rights, etc. However, they usually get passed based primarily on the emotion surrounding them. Let's pass smart bills, not ones based in emotion, and certainly don't vote for it because you're afraid that someone will attack you for being against the Laken Riley bill. Grow a pair Dems.
The Democrats are paying the price for four years of pretending that there wasn't an immigration crisis. The can't answer something with nothing, and shouldn't try. Fortunately, they have a shield ready-made and serviceable at hand: the Lankford bill that Trump shot down.
If they can't support the Republicans' bill, this should be their mantra: "We can't support THIS bill because of (fill in the blank), but we DID and WILL support the Lankford bill! Let's pass THAT!"
That should be the answer to every criticism that they're soft of immigration. It won't stop the attacks, but it will provide them with more cover than anything they've come up with yet on their own, and maybe even put the Republicans on the defensive sometimes.
Given the detachment and short attention spans of the American people, I think there's little risk of big repercussions against Democrats for trying to make an immigration bill better, especially with the long-term negative consequences the current bill opens up. This is more conceding in advance, which is a deadly approach for a party that has already allowed itself to be lied about, blamed and smeared on everything that could be a trigger issue for indecisive voters. This is no way to turn the corner or start down a new path of strength and political success. Very unwise and disappointing, but I guess par for the course. Why even bother to present themselves as an alternative to the toxic Trump machine? Then again, I suppose they aren't.
I must point out that for all Trump’s bluster about how California’s governor isn’t signing imaginary documents that would magically create more water in the state, and that Newsom isn’t “raking” the forests like they do in Austria, he seems to keep forgetting that 95% of the forests in CA are OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. The guy really ought to get a clue before he opens his mouth for once.
The most disappointing legal news this week was that the Supreme Court declined to intervene in Trump's New York sentencing -- which they never should have considered in the first place -- by a bare 5 to 4 vote. So no, nothing good is to be expected from the courts for the foreseeable future.
One thing about prescribed burns in this situation is that they don't apply. What is burning now is mostly chaparral which evolved under periodic fires. It is essentially brush that grows for four or five years before a fire comes through and then the process starts all over again assuming that the fires don't become too frequent. When that happens, then some of the species of plants become extinct or at least very rare.
Prescribed burning in CA would be to reduce the underbrush in tree forests where the ground fire isn't tall enough to reach the tree crown. In tall or short grass prairie like in TX, prescribed burning is supposed to eliminate the mesquite and allow the grass to regrow.
Dems will fold and make GOP look good even after GOP shafted dems with immigration bill that was authored by GOP and then rejected by GOP. Charlie Brown dems v. Lucy fascists continues unabated...
Andrew, after the baby arrives you will have a lot of time for post stuff in the middle of the night when your sleep has been interrupted.
From the article: "Alito explained that he took a call from Trump at the request of a former law clerk, William Levi, “regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position,” as Alito put it."
I'm glad you went on to explain how ridiculous this was, because my first thought was "how stupid do they think we are to believe that Trump himself is vetting potential staff?"
This phone call stinks, and Alito should have recused immediately.
"adverse" might be a better word than "adversarial" in this context.
Regarding the Federal Courts, they are kind of saving us in the most backasswards way possible. For now, by the narrowest of margins, Roberts, along with Ms. Unitary Theory of the Executive of all people, Barrett, the Supreme Court is upholding state rights. So, if you live in a state that values individual freedom (basically a Blue or Purple-Bluish state), then you are ok, again, for now. Trump's first term and this coming second term have really forced me to appreciate federalism. However, if/when Roberts retires/becomes infirm/dies, the floodgates will open and the country will be ripe for tyranny. The bottom line, as liberals, we have, at most 4 years to figure this out and fix the Democratic Party. Otherwise, as long as neoliberals run the show, we'll keep doing the same thing and getting the same results. Jonathan W. Fink, JD, Biden-Harris and Harris -Walz Utah Digital Media Co-Coordinator and Western States Volunteer Coordinator.
Addendum. Nostalgia: Boyz n the Hood.
This monk is thankful to be in America. 🙏
Interesting that some folks still want to play “identity politics”. It seems “Insecure people” will always feel “threatened”, imvho.
This monk grew up in the hood, knew hunger, and is now a MAAG human (My America is Already Great). Once upon a time, “insecure people” were considered a bunch of “wussies”. Now, the monk tries to help folks see the Middle Way.
The Middle Way is the path that we can all share. The tribalism of the extreme left or the extreme right only generates hatred, imvho.
Peace.🙏
Democrats need to grow balls and vajayjays like AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost, and Greg Casar in the House, and refuse to allow any Republican bill harming or targeting any group, or the whole lot of us - with tax cuts for the wealthiest, and cuts to social safety nets - to come out of committees, or get passed. No across the aisle, civility BS that Republicans never give to Democrats. Scorched earth, obstructionist, progressive only or no deal, balls to the walls, solidarity. Democrats are going to be pilloried, vilified, and excoriated no matter what we do. Don't give in, and don't give up.
Constantly bombard media and the internet with truths about Republicans gutting your healthcare coverage, and by taking away your doctors from your care, and handing it over to insurance companies. About how they will get your wages lowered by anti-union edicts; ignore your affordable housing needs by letting landlords and developers in private equity firms buy up all the properties and make you pay for their obscene salaries and yachts; increase your grocery and gasoline costs by price gouging and tariffs; gut your job safety rules, poison your food contents, profit from excessive costs of your prescriptions; ignore your children's protections against shooters and "religious" predators; arrest and deport your barber and salon workers, hotel and restaurant workers, your mechanics and construction and maintenance workers, your house cleaners and child care workers and convenience store owners, who are waiting legally for asylum and citizenship. All of this to benefit robber baron billionaires and cheat you out of every extra penny you earn, because you are the ones paying a higher percentage of your income in taxes.
Re: the Laken Riley Act, my general belief is that criminal justice related-bills that are named after someone are fundamentally flawed. They may be well-intentioned, but they are knee-jerk reactions to horrific crimes that typically a) don't address the underlying problem, and/or b) are so overbroad that they harm innocent people, civil rights, etc. However, they usually get passed based primarily on the emotion surrounding them. Let's pass smart bills, not ones based in emotion, and certainly don't vote for it because you're afraid that someone will attack you for being against the Laken Riley bill. Grow a pair Dems.
The Democrats are paying the price for four years of pretending that there wasn't an immigration crisis. The can't answer something with nothing, and shouldn't try. Fortunately, they have a shield ready-made and serviceable at hand: the Lankford bill that Trump shot down.
If they can't support the Republicans' bill, this should be their mantra: "We can't support THIS bill because of (fill in the blank), but we DID and WILL support the Lankford bill! Let's pass THAT!"
That should be the answer to every criticism that they're soft of immigration. It won't stop the attacks, but it will provide them with more cover than anything they've come up with yet on their own, and maybe even put the Republicans on the defensive sometimes.
Given the detachment and short attention spans of the American people, I think there's little risk of big repercussions against Democrats for trying to make an immigration bill better, especially with the long-term negative consequences the current bill opens up. This is more conceding in advance, which is a deadly approach for a party that has already allowed itself to be lied about, blamed and smeared on everything that could be a trigger issue for indecisive voters. This is no way to turn the corner or start down a new path of strength and political success. Very unwise and disappointing, but I guess par for the course. Why even bother to present themselves as an alternative to the toxic Trump machine? Then again, I suppose they aren't.
I must point out that for all Trump’s bluster about how California’s governor isn’t signing imaginary documents that would magically create more water in the state, and that Newsom isn’t “raking” the forests like they do in Austria, he seems to keep forgetting that 95% of the forests in CA are OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. The guy really ought to get a clue before he opens his mouth for once.
That would be a first!
The most disappointing legal news this week was that the Supreme Court declined to intervene in Trump's New York sentencing -- which they never should have considered in the first place -- by a bare 5 to 4 vote. So no, nothing good is to be expected from the courts for the foreseeable future.
One thing about prescribed burns in this situation is that they don't apply. What is burning now is mostly chaparral which evolved under periodic fires. It is essentially brush that grows for four or five years before a fire comes through and then the process starts all over again assuming that the fires don't become too frequent. When that happens, then some of the species of plants become extinct or at least very rare.
Prescribed burning in CA would be to reduce the underbrush in tree forests where the ground fire isn't tall enough to reach the tree crown. In tall or short grass prairie like in TX, prescribed burning is supposed to eliminate the mesquite and allow the grass to regrow.
Dems will fold and make GOP look good even after GOP shafted dems with immigration bill that was authored by GOP and then rejected by GOP. Charlie Brown dems v. Lucy fascists continues unabated...
"...minor victories for the rule of law."
Talk about carrying a heavy load!
As for prescribed burns, a lot more than NIMBY goes in to whether to have one or not. Also, they take more than haphazard planning: https://sourcenm.com/2024/02/23/they-lost-everything-in-new-mexicos-biggest-wildfire-now-theyre-sounding-the-alarm-for-others/
Paywalled: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/climate/wildfires-prescribed-burn.html
Hooray for Baby Egger! All good wishes to Mom and Dad, too.