On the way out the door of this momentous term, SCOTUS touched off more alarms. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
2/. Heather Cox Richardson with one of her darkest columns yet - how the Supreme Court is poised to completely corrupt this country and allow
Republicans to rule us forever.....better have a stiff drink in your hand when you read this.....
Excellently written, relentlessly logical....and scary.
Today at noon, Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the first Black female justice on the Supreme Court.
Before Justice Brown took her oath, the court also signaled the end of the federal government as we know it.
In the past, the Supreme Court has operated on the basis of “stare decisis,” which literally means “to stand by things decided.” The purpose of that principle is to make changes incrementally so the law stays consistent and evenly applied, which promotes social stability.
3/. Matt Taibbi on how he is disgusted with both parties.....he makes some good, painful points.....
Last Thursday, I sat in a studio in Newark for the above interview with Ben Shapiro. It was a wide-ranging and oddly friendly discussion between a former Breitbart staffer and the author of Andrew Breitbart’s mostly infamously obscene obituary, in which the fact that the interview could even happen at all was among the most interesting things about it (more on this on a Callin discussion tomorrow).
Ben and I talked about how it was the political left that years ago was famous for being willing to engage anyone, while the business model of right-wing media was a heated conversation with itself about an always-expanding regimen of enemies, a catastrophic strategy that allowed the Jon Stewarts and not-yet-unfunny Stephen Colberts of the world to win huge audiences by default. Add the lack of a sense of humor, which made Frank Zappa, Larry Flynt, and Dee Snider automatic winners over crusading curmudgeons like Jerry Falwell and John Tower, and the culture war for decades was never a real battle. “There’s no question that the left had been in the ascendancy my entire lifetime,” is how Shapiro put it.
Now the script is flipped.
4/. Cassidy Hutchinson was a compelling witness at the Jan 6 committee, and what a brave young
woman....good summary of her testimony from Rolling Stone....
Cassidy Hutchinson, former top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, is sworn-in during the a Jan. 6 committee hearing on June 28, 2022.
Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA/AP Images
If you haven't seen the full video it's one to watch.
I have soured on the MSNBC recaps of the hearings because of the talking heads and their BS, and will be watching them in their entirety.
Here's the full hearing....just under two hours...
5/. Every now and then you need to watch a music video with an unlimited budget, which is what Katy Perry's
"Chained to the Rhythm" is - in spades.
It's also subversive.....a subtle dig at right wing America.....
Set in a futuristic theme park, it finds the star seduced by the delights and distractions of modern life. Then slowly, like Katharine Ross in The Stepford Wives, she begins to realise something is terribly wrong with the (American) dream.
Adhering to Katy's new mantra of "purposeful pop", it's political without being polemic.
6/. Bob Lefsetz with more thoughts on how our system is hopelessly corrupt, and it's going to take something no one has ever thought of to change it....
Interesting in this piece he gives a link to Heather Cox Richardson's article above [#2]...
Needless to say I’m upset about today’s Supreme Court climate change ruling. I can’t see it other than a corporate thing. The corporations want to be able to rape and pillage unfettered, and they pay lobbyists and elected officials to ensure this. As for the environment itself…
But let’s get back to Roe v. Wade. I got an e-mail from someone spouting the right wing talking points, that abortion has not been made illegal, it’s just been thrown back to the states.
I want you to read this Heather Cox Richardson piece: https://bit.ly/3ugq4Mb
The hoi polloi believes these cases are decided in a vacuum. Or maybe there’s an originalist position, let’s try and honor the intent of the framers of the Constitution. But a whole hell of a lot more is going on beneath the surface. And if you read the above article you’ll get a sense of this. The goal is not to throw it back to the states so much as to get rid of abortion. The states’ rights viewpoint is essentially a cover-up.
7/. Paul Krugman asks why the Republican Party has lost its mind!
Many political analysts have spent years warning that the G.O.P. was becoming an extremist, anti-democratic party.
Long before Republicans nominated Donald Trump for president, let alone before Trump refused to acknowledge electoral defeat, the congressional scholars
Thomas Mann and Norman Ornsteindeclared that the party had become “an insurgent outlier” that rejected “facts, evidence and science” and didn’t accept the legitimacy of political opposition.
8/. Ron DeSantis has thrown the entire school system in Florida into chaos with the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
One redneck county [Leon] promises to tell parents if their child is in a class with a gay kid....amazing....
The trouble in Orange County Public Schools began, perhaps unsurprisingly, at a seminar called “Camp Legal.”
The meeting’s stated purpose was for the district’s attorneys to walk school administrators through changes to law, a part of their annual training. But Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, was due to take effect the following week, and neither the state nor the district had offered formal guidance on what that new law would actually mean for their classrooms — a problem, since summer school is already in session. So the administrators derailed the lesson plan and unloaded a spade of hypotheticals: Could staff wear the rainbow articles of clothing — like the “Ally” lanyards the district had handed out? What about the “Safe Space” stickers teachers put on their classroom doors? Can teachers display photos of a same-sex partner and, if so, can they tell students who that person is?
9/. Tom Tomorrow on Republicans and Roe.....
10/. If you get Covid and your case puts you down for the count, ask for Paxlovid.
They don't tell you about it, you have to ask!
Even Dr Fauci used it, as he says it kept him out of the hospital....
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, President Biden’s top medical adviser for the coronavirus pandemic, sought on Wednesday to discourage doubts about the antiviral drug Paxlovid after disclosing that he had suffered what appeared to be a “rebound” of Covid-19 after taking a five-day course of the pills.
“Paxlovid did what it was supposed to do,” Dr. Fauci, 81, said in an interview, saying that he believed that the treatment, made by Pfizer, kept him out of the hospital He added that he thought the drug also reduced the severity of his initial symptoms.
11/. There's a movie out making the rounds of right wing media called "What is A Woman", that is changing the minds
of some liberals too.....an interesting discussion of how the trans movement has shot itself in the foot....
I wasn’t planning to watch Matt Walsh’s documentary, What is A Woman. Mainly because, and I can’t stress this enough, Matt Walsh is a creep.
12/. Bob Lefsetz likes a TV show......then he veers off into philosophy......stream of consciousness indeed.....
We are watching this absolutely fabulous show on HBO Max.
Considered to be the best series to ever come out of Hungary, you’ll find it on the service under its Anglicized name, “Golden Life,” as opposed to its Hungarian one, “Aranyélet.”
We are only six episodes into a three season run. But whew, I’m flabbergasted. It’s so INTENSE!
You absolutely have to watch it.
I found it on IMDB. I was looking for the best foreign TV series. I must have Googled this a thousand times, but I came upon this new list and “Golden Life” had a great rating and we dove in.
13/. Are you watching Stranger Things? This might be of interest....
Episodes are now movie-length and the amount of major characters is out of control. Is it time to start thinking of the sci-fi epic as the new MCU?
the plot of the upcoming two-part Stranger Things finale remains a great mystery. Netflix isn’t giving away a single detail; nor, for that matter, are the cast, production team or publicity department. But nature abhors a vacuum so, in lieu of any official details, I will tell you what I want from the season finale. And what I want is a bloodbath.
Today's Italian joke
A man was getting a haircut prior to a trip to Rome. He mentioned the trip to the barber, who responded, “Why would anyone want to go there. It’s crowded and dirty and full of Italians. You’re crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?”
“We’re taking United,” was the reply. “We got a great rate!” “United!” exclaimed the barber. “That’s a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly and they’re always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?”
“We’ll be at the downtown International Marriott.” “That dump! That’s the worst hotel in Rome. The rooms are small, the service is surly and they’re overpriced. So, whatcha doing when you get there?”
We’re going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope. “That’s rich,” laughed the barber. “You and a million other people trying to see him. He’ll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You’re going to need it!”
A month later, the man again came in for his regular haircut. The barber asked him about his trip to Rome. “It was wonderful,” explained the man. “Not only were we on time in one of United’s brand new planes, but it was overbooked and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a beautiful young stewardess who waited on me hand and foot. And the hotel! Well, it was great! They’d just finished a $25 million remodeling job and now it’s the finest hotel in the city. They were overbooked too, so they apologized and gave us the presidential suite at no extra charge!”
“Well,” muttered the barber. “I know you didn’t get to see the Pope.” “Actually, we were quite lucky, for as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I’d be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked in. As I knelt down he spoke to me.”
“He said, ‘Where’d you get the shitty haircut ?
Today's Beer jokes
BEER: HELPING UGLY PEOPLE HAVE SEX SINCE 3000 BC!
--- W. C. Fields
Sometimes when I reflect on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. I think, "It is better to drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
--- Babe Ruth
I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.
--- Lyndon B. Johnson
When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.
--- Paul Hornung
24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not!
---James Meinken
When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!
--- George Bernard Shaw
Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
--- Benjamin Franklin
Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.
--- Dave Barry
Remember, "I" before "E", except in Budweiser.
--- Professor Irwin Corey
To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a "support group". Salvation in a can!
--- Leo Durocher
One night at Cheers, Cliff Clavin explained the "Buffalo Theory" to his Buddy Norm: "Well ya see, Norm, it's like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine! That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
Today's blonde joke
A blonde, out of money, and down on her luck after buying air at a real bargain, needed money desperately. To raise cash, she decided to kidnap a child and hold him for ransom.
She went to the local playground, grabbed a kid randomly, took her behind a building, and told her, "I've kidnapped you."
She then wrote a big note saying, "I've kidnapped your kid. Tomorrow morning, put $10,000 in a paper bag and leave it under the apple tree next to the slides, on the south side of the playground. Signed, A blonde."
The blonde then pinned the note to the kid's shirt and sent him home to show it to his parents.
The next morning, the blonde checked, and sure enough, a paper bag was sitting beneath the apple tree.
The blonde looked in the bag and found the $10,000 with a note that said, "How could you do this to a fellow blonde?"
