From TPM: In expressing his deep skepticism Wednesday for the constitutionality of a centerpiece of the Voting Rights Act, Justice Antonin Scalia questioned the motivations of Congress for repeatedly reauthorizing it since it was initially passed in 1965. “I don’t think there is anything to be gained by any Senator to vote against continuation of this act,” Scalia said during oral arguments in Shelby … Read More
Palin Still Self-Unaware
From her recent Facebook post: Put a fork in us. We’re finished. We’re going to default eventually and that’s why the feds are stockpiling bullets in case of civil unrest. Same post – the very next sentence: If we ARE serious about putting our fiscal house in order, then let’s stop the hysterics… *Facepalm*
Quote Of The Day
During U.S. Supreme Court oral argument on the constitutionality of a key section of the Voting Rights Act this morning, several justices expressed extreme hostility to the civil rights statute, according to early reports from the courthouse. Justice Antonin Scalia called it “perpetuation of racial entitlement.” That's right. Why should black people be entitled to vote, and why perpatuate it? … Read More
UNC Handling Rape Issues Badly
The University of North Carolina is allowing revenge against one of their students, a rape survivor, who reported on their failed administrative policies on sexual assault. After the initial report, she discussed her experience with The Daily Tarheel: “It’s incredibly clear that those people had no idea what sexual assault is, what consent is,” said Landen Gambill, a sophomore whose assault … Read More
Never Thought I’d Read Something Like This
Here it is: A new effort by a large group of influential Republican luminaries to champion same sex marriage represents a breakthrough for the party and the cause. At least 75 current and former Republican officials and intellectuals have signed on to a draft legal brief calling on the Supreme Court to overturn California’s Proposition 8 and similar laws prohibiting … Read More
Bad Lip Reading Does Movies
FWIW, 17 out of 24 for my Oscar picks. Pretty decent.
Twenty Years Ago Today: The Warning Bell Nobody Heard
February 26, 1993 I was a third-year law student at NYU in 1993. As any third-year law student will tell you, a 3L's focus in the second semester is not so much on completing law school and passing law school exams, but preparing for the impending bar exam. Throughout law school, I clerked part-time at the law firm of Slotnick & … Read More
Raping Women Twice
It was just over one year ago when I wrote about how the Virginia legislature were attempting to pass a bill requiring women who want to have an abortion to submit to a mandatory transvaginal ultrasound — an unnecessary medical procedure involving the insertion of a medical probe into a woman's vagina. The hope was that having such an intrusive procedure (which, … Read More
Guns Needed To Protect Us From Sharia Law
Tea Party Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) told a conservative radio show on Thursday that the GOP must oppose gun regulations to protect the country from the threat of “Sharia Law.” Appearing on The Voice of Freedom, Gohmert said he “hoped and prayed” that Congress rejects gun safety legislation, arguing that Americans may need to use the rights guaranteed by the Second … Read More
Less Than One-in-Four Americans Is A Republican
The GOP is broken: President Obama starts his second term with a clear upper hand over GOP leaders on issues from guns to immigration that are likely to dominate the year, a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll finds. On the legislation rated most urgent — cutting the budget deficit — even a majority of Republican voters endorse Obama's approach of … Read More
Lab In New Mexico Creates “Zombie” Cells That Function Better After They Die
What could possibly go wrong? “Zombie” mammalian cells that may function better after they die have been created by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico (UNM). The simple technique coats a cell with a silica solution to form a near-perfect replica of its structure. The process may simplify a wide variety of commercial fabrication processes from the … Read More
2013 Oscar Predictions
Actor in a Leading Role Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook" Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln" Hugh Jackman in "Les Misérables" Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master" Denzel Washington in "Flight" WILL WIN: Daniel Day-Lewis – This is easily predictable. Actor in a Supporting Role Alan Arkin in "Argo" Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook" Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master" Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln" Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained" … Read More
“ObamaQuester”?
There's the sequester coming up, and here's what should be of concern to everyone: the severe nature of the cuts, and what can be done to avoid it. But it looks like the Republicans have opted to play politics instead, and their concern is assigning blame. They've decided to call it the "Obamaquester". Finger-pointing is easier than governing, I guess, … Read More
A Peak Inside The Right Wing Press
Hagel's nomination for Secretary of Defense have been held up because of, among other things, rumors that he once gave a speech to a controversial group called "Friends of Hamas". It seems that there is no such group called "Friends of Hamas", but that didn't stop Breitbart.com from pimping the story as if it was true. Here is a fascinating … Read More
It’s Official: Mississippi Finally Ratifies The Ban On Slavery
Yes, it took that long. Full story here.