Haven't found a suitable article about Scalia yet, but here's an example of his thinking......
Mere factual innocence is no reason not to carry out a death sentence properly reached.
1/ A Frank Rich column, written before the Republican debate last night but although Trump didn't do well in the debate it won't make any difference to the "Trumpeters".......his usual excellent analysis.....
A winner wins.
Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. This week: dissecting the results of the GOP and Democratic primaries in New Hampshire.
Donald Trump's win in New Hampshire — and the primary's reshuffling of the party's Establishment candidates — signals what one political reporter has described as "the growing chasmbetween the Republican Party’s leaders and its voters." Is it just a matter of time, as some commentators think, until GOP leaders come around?
Even before Trump’s first win, some Republican Establishment figures were starting to come around to him, telling themselves, as Bob Dole put it, that he’d “probably work with Congress” because “he’s got the right personality and he’s kind of a deal-maker.” Plus, he had the advantage of not being the universally loathed Ted Cruz. Then came Trump’s second-place finish in Iowa. Suddenly he could be branded a loser — a paper tiger who would only attract fans, not actual voters. Rubio, who came in third in Iowa, was widely seen to be on the verge of surging (again), and GOP leaders (encouraged by the usual assortment of pundits and number-crunching analysts) began telling themselves (again) that Trump was in his death throes, thereby freeing the party at last to unify around the marvelous Marco. And so William Kristol, one of the contributors to the special and spectacularly ineffectual stop-Trump issue of National Review, offered this prediction of the Republican primary results five days before New Hampshire voters went to the polls: Rubio 25 percent, Cruz 22, Trump 19, Kasich 17. If there could be a more graphic illustration of the chasm between these supposed conservative leaders and their own voters, I can’t think of it.
Even before Trump’s first win, some Republican Establishment figures were starting to come around to him, telling themselves, as Bob Dole put it, that he’d “probably work with Congress” because “he’s got the right personality and he’s kind of a deal-maker.” Plus, he had the advantage of not being the universally loathed Ted Cruz. Then came Trump’s second-place finish in Iowa. Suddenly he could be branded a loser — a paper tiger who would only attract fans, not actual voters. Rubio, who came in third in Iowa, was widely seen to be on the verge of surging (again), and GOP leaders (encouraged by the usual assortment of pundits and number-crunching analysts) began telling themselves (again) that Trump was in his death throes, thereby freeing the party at last to unify around the marvelous Marco. And so William Kristol, one of the contributors to the special and spectacularly ineffectual stop-Trump issue of National Review, offered this prediction of the Republican primary results five days before New Hampshire voters went to the polls: Rubio 25 percent, Cruz 22, Trump 19, Kasich 17. If there could be a more graphic illustration of the chasm between these supposed conservative leaders and their own voters, I can’t think of it.
2/ Last night's Republican debate was awful, more so than usual and neither Mary or I could stand the outright stupidity and childishness any more, so we only watched about 45 minutes....
But we must have caught the highlights[!], because we saw some of the memorable moments that are in this summary, with winners and losers, from Vox....
A moment of silence for Antonin Scalia.Spencer Platt/Getty Images
One might have expected the ninth Republican presidential debate to be a cut above the earlier edition. With Chris Christie out of the race and Ben Carson present but basically out of the running, it was a chance for the race to get serious, for the five candidates who could potentially win this thing to make their cases without much distraction from the B players.
Instead, Donald Trump accused Jeb Bush of threatening to moon the kind people of New Hampshire.
It was an anarchic evening where even disciplined moderators had trouble keeping things on track. That's par for the course for these things at this point, but the particular kind of chaos this time around was different, and didn't always play to the favor of Donald Trump, lord of chaos
3/ This segment was on the Stephen Colbert show right after the Super Bowl, and it's one of the funniest in a long time. Stephen interviews Will Farrell, who is ostensibly on to promote his new movie Zoolander 2 but has other things in mind.
It's one of the best eight minutes you will ever spend......very very funny indeed.....
4/ If you are looking at the Republican field you may be tempted to think Kasich is a moderate.....don't be fooled! He's almost as bad as all of the rest......
Donald Trump, John Kasich (Credit: Reuters/Carlo Allegri/Rick Wilking)
Donald Trump is a hemorrhoid of a human being, at times seeming more like an experiment in how much you can bamboozle conservative voters before they get a clue. The man wants to ban Muslims from coming to our country and says that the Obama-enthralled media is hiding a 42 percent unemployment rate.
Under the circumstances, it’s tempting to contrast Trump with some of his Republican opponents, seeing in them the compassion and common sense that Trump lacks. It is also a mistake to do this, because they are different flavors of the same poisonous gruel.
The Huffington Post’s front page, alas, fell into the “Trump is evil, so his opponent must be nice!” trap on Wednesday morning.
5/ The SNL cold open last night was wonderful.......Hillary Clinton singing "I Can't Make You Love Me"......four very amusing minutes......
This week’s Saturday Night Live kicked off on a weird, surreal note with a cold open that alternated between a quartet of diners discussing their Bernie Sanders love, despite “cold and safe” Hillary’s qualifications, and a crooning apparition of Hillary Clinton that descended on a swing to sing “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
6/ Trump is not a joke.....it's serious folks. Ezra Klein with an excellent summary of why his rise is a very unsettling moment for this country.....
Trump is the most dangerous major candidate for president in memory. He pairs terrible ideas with an alarming temperament; he's a racist, a sexist, and a demagogue, but he's also a narcissist, a bully, and a dilettante. He lies so constantly and so fluently that it's hard to know if he even realizes he's lying. He delights in schoolyard taunts and luxuriates in backlash.
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Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Trump is in serious contention to win the Republican presidential nomination. His triumph in a general election is unlikely, but it is far from impossible. He's not a joke and he's not a clown. He's a man who could soon be making decisions of war and peace, who would decide which regulations are enforced and which are lifted, who would be responsible for nominating Supreme Court justices and representing America in the community of nations. This is not political entertainment. This is politics.
7/ SNL is getting better - here is a satirical mini-doc with the premise white people who watched the Super Bowl are now realizing Beyonce is black......a funny three minutes, like a movie trailer.....
Last week, the day before Super Bowl Sunday, Beyoncé released "Formation,"perhaps the most overtly political song of her career. She performed it at the Super Bowl, and crushed her performance.
But the song upset some people, especially white conservatives who were mad that the singers showed pride in her race and skin color, and used Black Lives Matter and Black Panthers imagery in her video and performance.
"You're talking to middle America when you have the Super Bowl," Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, told Fox News. "Let's have, you know, decent, wholesome entertainment, and not use it as a platform to attack the people who, you know, put their lives at risk to save us."
Lampooning this backlash, Saturday Night Live created a mock trailer, "The Day Beyonce Turned Black." It's a heightened spoof of egregiously ignorant white people coming to the realization that their beloved Beyoncé is a black woman. But it also folds in a sharp, appropriate message.
8/ Above and Beyond have very good music videos, and this one is a tearjerker....it called "Fly To New York" and tells a heartwarming tale, while also being a travelogue for NYC.... the song is lovely too.....
Nice one......
Above & Beyond (Photo : Courtesy Of Above & Beyond)
Above & Beyond have released the music video for their upcoming We Are All We Need single "Fly To New York." The video is the latest in a series of clips dedicated to the UK producer, DJ trio's favorite movies. This time they pay homage to the classic romantic comedy Sleepless In Seattle. The single is being released on Friday aptly as the anthem for Electric Zoo this year.
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For those well-acquainted with movie, the video will echo familiar themes. A father's son calls into a radio station designed to find people love after his mom died. They receive a bunch of letters, but the son acts on one that tells them to "Fly To New York." The father follows his son to the Big Apple to meet the woman, who leaves her own man at a coffee joint to go find the father at the top of the Empire State building. Proverbial sparks fly and it is love at first sight.
9/ Bill Maher gives a pretty good interview - here he is on Jimmy Kimmel discussing politics.....five good minutes.....
“Real Time” host Bill Maher guested on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night.
Though wholly endorsing Bernie Sanders in the 2016 election, Maher said of Trump, “We’re not so different you and I.”
“I certainly don’t agree with hardly anything he says, politically,” Maher told Kimmel. “But I love the fact that he’s politically incorrect.”
“I have yet to find something he can say that will throw his fans off,” Maher continued. “What does this man have to do? Fart in Jesus’s face?”
Asked to choose the lesser of evils among the GOP field, Maher said “I’d kill myself.” Asked instead to choose the greater of evils, Maher didn’t hesitate before saying, “Ted Cruz is always the worst.”
10/ The title of this story is "The Koch Brothers Dirty War on Solar", and the front line of this war is Florida.....yes, hopelessly corrupt Floriduh.....
No place is the problem clearer than in Florida, where the Sunshine State's vast solar potential has gone to waste. Illustration by Victor Juhasz
After decades of false starts, solar power in America is finally poised for its breakthrough moment. The price of solar panels has dropped by more than 80 percent since President Obama took office, and the industry is beginning to compete with coal and natural gas on economics alone.But the birth of Big Solar poses a grave threat to those who profit from burning fossil fuels. And investor-owned utilities, together with Koch-brothers-funded front groups like American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), are mounting a fierce, rear-guard resistance at the state level – pushing rate hikes and punishing fees for homeowners who turn to solar power. Their efforts have darkened green-energy prospects in could-be solar superpowers like Arizona and Nevada. But nowhere has the solar industry been more eclipsed than in Florida, where the utilities' powers of obstruction are unrivaled.
11/ There hasn't been a mention in all nine Republican debates about climate change, because the Republican platform is climate denial but they know how stupid it sounds, so just don't mention it.....but this won't last forever....
Climate science denial could hurt Republicans in unexpected ways
Politico surveyed anonymous political insiders — “a panel of activists, strategists and operatives in the four early-nominating states” — about whether the candidates’ views on climate science could affect the presidential election. All the major Republican candidates deny the scientific consensus on human-induced climate change. The two Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, accept the science, call for reducing carbon pollution, and are fighting over who has the stronger climate action plan. Most Americans, including pluralities of independents and moderates, also accept climate science and support regulating carbon pollution.
The Democratic operatives surveyed were split on whether the issue of climate change could benefit their candidate in the general election. The Republicans overwhelmingly said climate science denial is not a liability for them in the general election. From the article:
12/ Michael Moore's new movie "Where To Invade Next" has generally favorable reviews, including the NYT, but I like this summary.....trailer is in the article....
I CAN’T CLAIM this is a neutral review of Where to Invade Next, Michael Moore’s latest movie. Beyond the fact that I worked for Moore for six years, including on his previous documentary Capitalis
What I’ve lost in objectivity, I’ve gained in knowledge of Moore’s career. I even know his darkest, most closely guarded secret: the original name of the 1970s alternative newspaper he started in Flint, Michigan.
On its surface, Where to Invade Next seems to be a cheerful travelogue as Moore enjoys an extended vacation, “invading” a passel of European countries plus Tunisia to steal their best ideas and bring them back home to America. For instance, French public schools have chefs who serve students hour-long, multi-course lunches on china, featuring dishes like scallops in curry sauce. I haven’t laughed harder at any movie this year than when the French 8-year-olds stare in perplexed horror at photos of American school lunches.
It’s all so upbeat in such an un-Michael Moore way that he considered calling it Mike’s Happy Movie. Certainly it’s the only time I’ve walked out of one of his documentaries and said, “Wow, everything is fantastic!” But what made me feel this way is the secret message hidden in Where to Invade Next — and if you see it, you’ll feel that way too.
Todays video - "How To Change A Lightbulb".....on a TV tower, filmed by a drone.....two minutes.....
Todays marital joke
How men and women record things in their diaries.
Wife's Diary:
Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner.
I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it.
Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much.
I asked him what was wrong; He said, 'Nothing.
I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset.
He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it.
Wife's Diary:
I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it.
Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much.
I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset.
He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it.
On the way home, I told him that I loved him.
He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior. I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.'
When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent.
Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep; I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.
Husband's Diary:
He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior. I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.'
Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep; I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.
Husband's Diary:
A two-foot putt .. who the fuck misses a two-foot putt?
Todays Bubba joke
A gas station owner in Alabama was trying to increase his sales.
So he put up a sign that read, "Free Sex with Fill-Up."
Soon a local redneck pulled in, filled his tank and asked for his free sex.
The owner told him to pick a number from 1 to 10.
If he guessed correctly he would get his free sex.
The redneck guessed 8, and the proprietor said, "You were close. The number was 7. Sorry, no sex this time."
A week later, the same redneck, along with a buddy, Bubba, pulled in for another fill-up. Again he asked for his free sex.
The proprietor again asked him to guess the correct number.
The redneck guessed 2 this time. The proprietor said, "Sorry, it was 3.
You were close, but no free sex this time."
As they were driving away, the redneck said to his buddy, "I think that game is rigged and he doesn't really give away free sex."
Bubba replied, "It ain't rigged. My wife won twice last week."
Todays older joke
A 65 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.
While on the operating table she had a near death experience.. Seeing God She asked "Is my time up?"
God said, "No, you have another 33 years, 2 months and 8 days to live."
Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a Face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck.
She even had someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her Teeth! Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as Well make the most of it.
After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing The street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.
Arriving in front of God, she demanded, "I thought you said I had Another 33 years? Why didn't you pull me from out of the path of the Ambulance?"
God replied:
"Damn! I didn't recognize you!!!!!"
