Obama Derangement Syndrome: Atlanta resident Ted Souris, 62, describes himself as an “arch-conservative” who initially opposed the health law. He said he had mixed feelings about the ruling. He receives what he calls “a pretty hefty subsidy” to buy insurance — he gets $460 and pays $115 a month for insurance. “I’m so against Obama, and I hate that he … Read More
Supreme Court Rules 5-4 To End The Sanctity Of Marriage
46 years ago this weekend, police in New York City raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Obviously, this is the end (we hope) of a remarkable civil rights story (despite my snarky headline). Here’s the opinion. Reactions are about what you expect. I will update as the day goes on. But the important thing is that about 3 … Read More
Cause And Effect
Trump announcing his presidential bid, last week: “When Mexico sends its people, they are not sending their best. […] They are sending people that have lots of problems. They are bringing those problems to us. They are bringing drugs and they are bringing crime and their rapists, and some, I assume, are good people, and I speak to border guards … Read More
The Other Case: Victory For Fair Housing
It won’t get as much press, but the Supreme Court decision in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Community Project, Inc., is arguably as important as the Obamacare case. The 5-4 ruling (PDF) found that the housing policies could be deemed discriminatory based on “disparate impact.” This means that plaintiffs could prove discrimination by showing that the impact … Read More
Obamacare Subsidies Upheld By SCOTUS
I’m actually not that surprised at the outcome. The surprising thing was that the Supreme Court ever took this case in the first place. But the US Supreme Court upheld the challenge to Obamacare. The opinion is here. In layman’s terms, the issue surrounded some (arguably) vague language in the Affordable Care Act relating to the federal government providing financial … Read More
North Carolina GOP-Controlled Legislature Punishes NC Law School For Not Firing Professor
WRAL: A last-minute amendment by Senate leaders Wednesday docked the University of North Carolina School of Law budget by $3 million. Democrats say it’s political payback for the school’s employment of legislative critic Gene Nichol. Despite the fact that Republican Senate leaders have been working on the budget behind closed doors for nearly three weeks, Senate Rules Committee Chairmam Tom … Read More
Fox Drops Palin
Fox News has decided not to renew the contract of former vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), according to Politico The reason? Because Fox “executives consider her less relevant now, and her appearances were sometimes hampered by the vast time difference with Alaska” But mostly the first reason, I imagine.
The Watershed
Josh Marshall channels what I have been thinking these past few days: I still cannot believe the Charleston Massacre has triggered quite this total a collapse of support, not just for flying the Confederate battle flag in places of honor at Southern state capitols, but for public display and honor for the Confederacy and the War of the Rebellion in … Read More
Luke Leaves Port Charles
Again. Thirty-seven years after first playing Luke Spencer on “General Hospital,” actor Anthony Geary recorded his final episode of the long-running ABC soap yesterday. That probably means nothing to most people under the age of 35. But trust me, Geary was BIG once. By the early ’80s, you knew what “Luke and Laura” was, even if you never watched soap operas. Those-of-us-of-a-certain-age … Read More
Despite Charleston Mass Murders, GOP Doesn’t Want To Address Guns… Or Even Gun Murder Research
A GOP-led panel just blocked a proposal that would have reversed a nearly 20-year-old ban on funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to research on gun violence. The House Appropriations Committee voted 32-19 against ranking member Rep. Nita Lowey’s (D-N.Y.) amendment to a bill that would fund health, education and labor programs in the next fiscal … Read More
A Remembrance Of My Brother
Preface: This blog has been around for over 10 years. It never was intended to be a blog about me, although there were phases where I indulged in, say, a blog post highlighting a show or project I was working on. Frankly, I believe that if you are so self-indulgent to write about about your daily life constantly, you better … Read More
More Confederate Flag Fallout
I want to preface this flag round-up by saying this: although I welcome the removal of the confederate flag from the public (and commercial) square, and while doing so may garner some sniping from the likes of Bill Kristol and Haley Barbour, we must remember that taking down the flag is easy. No matter how good it will be to see … Read More
Removal Of Confederate Flag From South Carolina Capital (UPDATE: And Elsewhere)
It didn’t seem that long ago that this issue was debated. But it was 2000, so… yeah, 15 years. Back then, like today, presidential candidates were asked their views on whether South Carolina should fly the Confederate Flag on government property, and many of them punted (“it is a state issue”), just like many of the GOP candidates did this … Read More