This is an interesting piece done by Dahlia Lithwick. Basically taking up the history of why judges do not take gifts from commoners. Unless of course, the commoner has money and is influential. Ok, so Justice Clarence Thomas is getting a few greater than normal bucks and gifts on the side. Problem two arises in his failure to report the thousands of dollars and the generous gifts. I told the story of being invited to the EOY Jim McMahon Chicago...
Read More »So one of trump’s Trials ends
“An Ominous Warning to the E. Jean Carroll Jury,” The Atlantic, Juliette Kayyem Interesting but foreboding piece in The Atlantic. In the dismissal of the jury, the judge took a moment to suggest the jury not engage in conversation or be publicly identified. Typically and after trials, the judge will dismiss the jurors by thanking them for their time and public service. These words of gratitude are usually a formality, a polite nod to a key feature...
Read More »The Constitution, Obama and raising the debt ceiling
In an effort to slow down the severe recession as well as the persistently high unemployment rate following the 2007-08 Financial Crisis, the government increased federal spending. As a result, the federal debt reached its limit on multiple occasions from 2008 to 2011 which led to a series of increases of the debt limit. In 2011, the Treasury asked for its borrowing capacity to be extended. The 2011 U.S. Debt Ceiling Crisis led to a contentious...
Read More »“Successful people have successful friends.”
The Atlantic’s Brooke Harrington has an article about Justice Thomas’s friendship with people outside the court which includes gift-giving. There is no reciprocation of “its my turn now to buy the dinner.” The gifts are far more than just a lunch or dinner at a much-desired restaurant. That there are no rules defining ethical behavior at the Supreme Court, there is still an aura of professional and legal behavior binding them. Are the scales tipped...
Read More »Another Bad Day in Tombstone USA
The title is mine. We do not appear to have any good guys as portrayed in all the western movies we would see on the big screen. No Wyatt Earp or Matt Dillion to take care of the bad guys. Maybe Justice Clarence will get out there and pull a bit of guard duty to protect the majority against a minority of abusers. I think there is enough historical data to support such an action by him. McCarthy maybe? Big on talk and little do . . . May 6th,...
Read More »What is Section 4 of the 14th, “The validity of the public debt of the United States?”
14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights (1868) | National Archives, Section 4. “The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against...
Read More »Selection of In-Box Articles I Found Interesting
Another collection of articles on various topics from my In-Box. Puling quite a bit from Healthcare. Some interesting articles in this batch. I hope you take a few moments and read some of them. Most are not terribly long winded. I wander in the comments section to see what is being said on various topics. I am not impressed with many of the responses. The ones on carrying bullet-spewing-weapons are just plain ignorant. Healthcare Doctor on...
Read More »Facebook users can now claim Cambridge Analytica settlement
I never gave this a thought. Never thought I was being tracked and my personal data spread. I do get a lot of trash mail which I block or send to phishing or junk. Maybe some of you have issues with Facebook? Double checking the information for clarity and accuracy. ~~~~~~~~ Facebook users can apply for their portion of a $725 million lawsuit settlement, NPR, Eyana Archie Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is doling out the payments to...
Read More »Normalism ruled the Dems
Dan had this one in drafts. Read it, liked it, relevant today, relevant to the SCOTUS BS, relevant to how Congress lets them get away with stuff, and where the hell is Joe Biden on this stuff? Sirota sums up the issues with the let-alone-Democrats rather well. Did some editing. The Democrats Are Enabling the Right’s Supreme Court Takeover, rsn.org, David Sirota/Jacobin 02 july 22 Chief Justice John Roberts is spearheading the right’s judicial...
Read More »Weakening federal child labor laws
April 28, 2023, Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson According to the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute (EPI), legislatures in at least ten states have set out to weaken federal child labor laws. In the first three months of 2023, legislators in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota introduced bills to weaken the regulations that protect children in the workplace, and in March, Arkansas governor Sarah...
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