Cheers to a relatively stress - free work place for the next month or so! It feels good to be doing this again. :D AND, having spent a good chunk of today reading the SB 1070 ruling, this SCOTUS wonk declares yet again that "justices" Scalia, Alito, & Thomas are self - hating, ignorant, crazy SOBs. How 'bout we send them out with Governor Brewer to look for headless torsos?!
Let's look back on other June 25ths. On June 25, 1876, Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana. Talk about your desolate places!! Y'all can see why little Georgie Boy graduated at the bottom of his West Point class - what an ultra maroon. On this date in 1868, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union. Can we give some of them back PLEASE?! On this date in 1967...
How much have y'all missed SPARK?! :D Have any of you read this book yet? I hear it's smut galore! ;D These bears are smarter than the average...well...you know. :) Finally, Teh cute...it burnz!!
On with The Rachel Maddow Show...
"In Our Lifetime" AKA "Fate Accompli" - I wrote a big 'ol paper about the death penalty in a Constitutional Law class I took as an undergrad; I remember writing about a lot of what Rachel said at the beginning of the show. In another SCOTUS decision made today that didn't get quite as much press, American kids can no longer be given life sentences automatically; a mandatory juvenile life sentence is now cruel & usual punishment. I should try to look up the decision stats for that case. Look at the death penalty company we share with some winners of countries. *&^%$#@! Huh...no need to look up the "rap sheet." The "usual suspects" wanted mandatory life sentences for juveniles to remain. "Justice" Sam "Have a Hissy Fit During SOTU" Alito read his dissent out loud from the damn bench! In another decision, Montana lost its case in fighting Citizens United by the same damn 5 - 4 decision that inflicted this post Citizens United political world upon us in the first sparkin' place. SCOTUS apparently last week dictated how unions can participate in elections. The super rich & corporations can spend all they want; unions cannot. YA' GOTTA LOVE THIS ROBERTS COURT! *&^%$#@!
Rachel posed the dumping Citizens United scenario in 2 ways - either amend the Constitution (not bloody likely) or changing the make up of SCOTUS (a little more likely). ELECTIONS MATTER, BOYS & GIRLS! So, even if you're like me & are not crazy about some of what this administration's done (or not done), I've got 6 letters to demonstrate why y'all should pick the Dem side of the ticket as opposed to the MENSA side of the ticket - S..C..O..T..U..S. Dahlia Lithwick picked the SCOTUS brains tonight. Ms. Dahlia made a good point about SCOTUS not taking that Montana case; this SCOTUS could've made Citizens United even more odious than what it already is!
"Furiouser & Furiouser" - We've got more SCOTUS fun to look forward to on Thursday - some news about some ACA law that have some folks' panties in a bunch. Congress critters will vote Thursday whether or not to hold AG Holder in contempt for Congress over his refusal to disclose documents in the "Fast & Furious" program...the program began by the previous occupants of the Oval Office. So, gun violence in Mexico was on purpose to sour people on guns here?! HA! Is the NRA pushing this "theory"? Gadzooks, Dan Burton used to be my rep. *&^%$#@!
"Do As I Say, Not As I Said" - I remember reading that ending of the SB 1070 ruling today...right before "Justice" Scalia's ilk. As simply as I can try to put it, the "show me your papers" part of the "Show Me Your Papers" law was never implemented, so any fears of racial profiling at this point is too early to call. Again, I'm speaking from the SCOTUS point of view. The rest of the decision basically said the federal government already has laws in existence to look out for "illegals." What was in the "Show Me Your Papers" law either duplicated or outright contradicted current federal immigration law. AUGH!! It's GWB!!! Hell, he was actually sort of kind of damn enlightened in the immigration area. Senators McCentury & Kennedy tried to hammer out immigration reform, but MENSA Senators tarrantinoed the thing. Senator Hatch was 1 of the original sponsors of the Dream Act. Now? Well...not so much... Mittens said SB 1070 was a model for the nation; his immigration advisor wrote the damn thing! Rachel's much more optimistic about today's SB 1070 decision than I am. But, I kind of sort of understand the reasoning behind it. The most odious part of the thing didn't get tossed into the ash can of history. There's Sheriff Clarence Dupnik! Good to see him again!! :D He was so eloquent about the Gifford's shooting, remember? Today's decision won't change current law enforcement immigration policy at all. He's been a cop for 54 years?! Hell, he's more qualified to be on SCOTUS than Clarence Thomas is! Well, I'm more qualified to be on SCOTUS than Clarence Thomas is. The darling 7 month old "honorary nephew" in my life is more qualified to be on SCOTUS than Clarence Thomas is! :D Sheriff Dupnik's absolutely expecting lawsuits over the "show me your papers" part of the law that SCOTUS didn't quash today - on both sides of the issue. People who feel they're being racially profiled will sue cops; citizens who feel cops aren't racially profiling enough will sue cops, now, too.
"Cheap Shot" - Ah...a SC story...They're one of the states above that was readmitted to the union that I'd like to give back! Yea, the one policy area where Governor Secession wasn't a neanderthal wasn't neanderthal enough for the other MENSA candidates at the time! The SC Governor had a chance to make the cervical cancer vaccination more available last week; she vetoed the mother. She has sponsored a less watered down version of the same law when she was in the state legislature, AND SC is near the bottom as far as cervical cancer rates in the nation.