Today's edition of quick hits:
* Details out of Ft. Bragg are still coming in: "A U.S. Army official confirms to NBC News that there was a shooting at about 3:30 p.m. ET at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. At least one person has been shot near the 18th Airborne Headquarters in a 'distinctly military headquarters area,' the official said."
* It's apparently common for establishment pundits to say today's health care ruling is bad news for President Obama, but I tend to think the opposite -- it's a historic victory.
* Incidentally, Obama was initially led to believe the mandate had been struck down, based on erroneous news reports, before getting the good news from his counsel's office.
* Syria: "Syrian insurgents struck at high-profile targets in the capital region on Thursday for the third time this week, demonstrating their increasing effectiveness and reach in the conflict."
* Let's just say it wasn't a good day for CNN.
* Maybe Senate Republicans should suck up to Jamie Dimon a little more: "Losses on JPMorgan Chase's bungled trade could total as much as $9 billion, far exceeding earlier public estimates, according to people who have been briefed on the situation."
* To advance the highway bill, Republicans had to give up on Keystone XL, while Democrats had to give up on bike paths.
* The other high court ruling: "The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a federal law that made it a crime to falsely claim being awarded a top military honor, saying the law infringed on the Constitution's First Amendment protection of free speech."
* Florida's voter purge continues, at least in theory: "U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle won't grant the U.S. Department of Justice's request to stop Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott's purge of registered voters."
* And I hope I'm not the only one who finds this exciting: "The life of Carl Sagan now fills the tabletops of two vast rooms in the Madison Building of the Library of Congress. The life arrived in recent weeks at the building's loading dock on 41 pallets containing 798 boxes."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
There is no doubt, and I mean none, that had the healthcare bill been struck down in part or in whole, the republican mouths and the Romney campaign would be trumpeting how Obama's first 2 years were devoted to attempting to pervert the constitution.
It goes both ways doesn't it?
Therefore whoever brought this case into the court system against the Afordable Care Act, and all those who supported them, are anti-U.S.-Constitution scumbags.
We have to keep a wary eye on them from now on.
Remember those people out in Colorado Springs who voted to drown their local government in the bathtub? The Denver Post carried the best story on it. Just google the article title, Colorado Springs cuts into services considered basic by many
Read more:Colorado Springs cuts into services considered basic by many - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14303473#ixzz1z7zHQs2A
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
Then when you're done go check out the fact that their town burned down this week. What to do? Throw that bath tub water at it?
Romney can now complain about Obama's tax increase, rather than a mandate. Memory Isn't There Today (MITT) can now campaign strictly on the basis of offering a tax cut for irresponsible slackers.
Well, at least you noticed the Stolen Valor Act ruling, so thanks for that.
Here's a link to the PDF of the ruling
http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-210d4e9.pdf
Steve,
I think you should start an "On Day One" blog about all the things Romney plans to do on his first day in office.
Ought to be a hoot!!!
Re the story about Jamie Demon (note, NOT a "typo", thank you):
Whew. Well that's a relief. /sarc
Re the story about the highway bill:
Sounds like generally good news, on an already generally good-news day, although the "deal" as reported sounds more like "face saving" than anything else. I would expect nothing less than for the Rape-Public-CONs to try again for the pipeline at the first opportunity, and, well... what can I say? I like bike paths, darn it - and they're still a good idea (much better than that infernal pipeline, for sure)!
Re SCROTUS ruling that it's a constitutional right to lie, particularly when campaigning for office:
Willard Reversible-Mittens Rawmoney rejoices!
Re Fla's latest efforts to monkey-wrench democracy:
I was a bit surprised (but not too much so) to observe that U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle was a Clinton appointee to the bench. Even while observing that judicial appointments throughout the Federal system (not just on the Supreme Court) are a big reason to consider Presidential elections vitally important, it's sobering to occasionally be reminded that even appointments made with the best of intent (generously assuming that in this case) can have unexpected consequences. Of course, that can cut both ways: Nixon, e.g., appointed Powell, Burger and Blackmun - none of which appointments turned out quite as he intended, I suspect.
Still, Hinkle's reasoning does leave one shaking one's head in frustration and wonderment. Despite the statute making no reference to "non-citizens", he ruled that the explicit prohibition on voter purges 90 days before an election didn't apply to "non-citizens" and evidently was willing to assume that all those on the state's list were "non-citizens" even after Hinkle himself noted that "Determining citizenship is not as easy as the state would have it". What the frak? I certainly hope this gets appealed and Justice can find some more reasonable and... sane... jurist to evaluate the case.
Re: Sagan and the LoC:
No Steve, you're not the only one who finds this exciting! "...41 pallets containing 798 boxes..." and billions and billions of pieces of paper. So cool!
Note how the court took Medicaid away from the US Congress. It is no longer a Federal program, but rather now an individual right that the Congress can not strip from a citizen as a result of a conflict with a state. (This should occur to the dread justice Roberts any day now...)
As long as this is an "open thread", I have a comment or two about last night's show.
Early in that program, Rachel said
And my first reaction was:
Breaking news! SCROTUS responds to TRMS: "We're just following the classic precedent: If it AIN'T baroque, don't 'fix' it!"
Also, too...
While wrapping up the important and fascinating video segment ("titled" on-line "New reporting upends Fast and Furious story" - and this is reporting that needs much wider circulation!) Rachel said:
Was this, um, fumblebragging? Meant to be ironic, given that the very next segment was titled on-line "Fumblebragging exposed, Scott Brown royally flushed"? Good news in any event; thanks!
;-)
It's apparently common that the President said of the health care act that it was NOT a tax, but the Supreme Court said President Obama was lying. I tend to agree. It's historic.
Actually, that was how ACA was allowed to stand based upon Robert's ruling. It does not mean Obama lied. It is amazing how those on the right tend to put words in Obama's mouth.
It is also amazing how those on the right want to create their own lies trying to catch Obama in a lie. It really is not working out very well for you guys. :(
Was the last person waiting to board my flight this morning, waiting in the gate and watching the only news source available: Headline News. Watched for twenty seconds after the reporter announced the bill was unconstitutional and the bottom of the screen flashed the headline "Supreme Court Kills Individual Mandate" before stomping off angrily onto the plane. Luckily there was a problem with the hull so they made us leave again after I spent half an hour of pouting onboard... Couldn't believe how the coverage had changed. CNN is an amateur news organization for sure--this is going up there with Dewey Defeats Truman.
On-line betting anyone? Let's see who can guess the date of the first "Mitt's Mendacity" post that includes a false claim that Romney won a top military honor. Ties will be broken by guessing what medal or honor he claims to have won.
Rachael - check out this "Bon Voyage" to Rush image after today's health care ruling.
Hilarious: http://www.facebook.com/jayne.rose
Rachel - check out this poster of "Bon Voyage" to Rush after today's Health Care ruling: http://www.facebook.com/jayne.rose
I cannot for the life of me imagine this is not a major, major win for Obama. So a lot of people say they don't like the law, but the vast majority likes all its particular policies (except the mandate, of course).
With the imprimatur of the highest court in the land and of one of its conservative Republican appointees, this can only be a major positive for Obama and his run for the presidency.
Let the defense industry decide which programs to cut.
http://www.stripes.com/news/defense-contracting-companies-threatening-mass-layoffs-1.181575
If a defense company feels that their program would be rationally cut, then let them hand out those pink slips and put a giant pink blinking light on a defense program we do not need to fund anymore.
It's outsourcing the writing of the defense budget, but surely they can't do a worse job than Congress does.
I would like to thank Supreme Court Justice Roberts . The chief justice today with this 5-4 decision has restored a sense of impartiality trust and respect to the institution that is the Supreme Court of the United States. Had Barack Obama's affordable health care act been labeled unconstitutional by this supreme court the repudiation of this supreme court by the American people and the anger towards this supreme court would have been unparalleled in its history . I believe Chief justice Roberts did take into consideration how the American people would view this decision. At least us progressives now know that there seems to be an actual impartial justice within the so called "Conservative Ideological block" of this Supreme Court of these United States that will actually put politics and Ideology aside when making a ruling that affects the lives of millions of Americans.
It was actually a pretty good day for Democracy , and the United States of America.
Im just saying...