Chief Justice John Roberts, a vocal skeptic of the use of race in all areas of public life, cited a variety of statistics that showed starker racial disparities in some aspects of voting in Massachusetts than in Mississippi. Then he asked the government’s top Supreme Court lawyer whether the Obama administration thinks “the citizens in the South are more racist than citizens in the North.
Then, it is reenacted 5 years later, again for a 5-year term. Double-digits against it in the Senate. Then it was reenacted for 7 years. Single digits against it. Then enacted for 25 years, 8 Senate votes against it. And this last enactment, not a single vote in the Senate against it. And the House is pretty much the same. Now, I don’t think that’s attributable to the fact that it is so much clearer now that we need this. I think it is attributable, very likely attributable, to a phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement. It’s been written about. Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes.
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Quote by Mondobubba:
I'm wondering if the Bobber and Raine have fled due to jackhammer?
Quote by Raine:
Norman Swartzkopf is being buried today after a memorial service at west point.
He died the end of December.
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
Norman Swartzkopf is being buried today after a memorial service at west point.
He died the end of December.
from some experience I can tell you it takes a little longer to get a family member buried in certain areas when it comes to military
Quote by Mondobubba:
I mondo am signing off, I have the dreaded appointment with the gastro-interologist this am. I am still not sure if the is going to the colonoscopy or just a follow up from the hospital stay. Anyway. TTTFN.
Quote by Raine:I'm sure you are correct -- But he's a general -- It's strange.Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
Norman Swartzkopf is being buried today after a memorial service at west point.
He died the end of December.
from some experience I can tell you it takes a little longer to get a family member buried in certain areas when it comes to military
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:I'm sure you are correct -- But he's a general -- It's strange.Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
Norman Swartzkopf is being buried today after a memorial service at west point.
He died the end of December.
from some experience I can tell you it takes a little longer to get a family member buried in certain areas when it comes to military
Well, its winter, don't know how many funerals before his, have to wait for the caisson and the honor guards schedule - plus being that he was a general there might be even more there has to be done to be buried with full military honors
Quote by Raine:Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:I'm sure you are correct -- But he's a general -- It's strange.Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
Norman Swartzkopf is being buried today after a memorial service at west point.
He died the end of December.
from some experience I can tell you it takes a little longer to get a family member buried in certain areas when it comes to military
Well, its winter, don't know how many funerals before his, have to wait for the caisson and the honor guards schedule - plus being that he was a general there might be even more there has to be done to be buried with full military honors
That's true, I especially forgot about the winter thing.
Quote by trojanrabbit:
What the fuck's wrong with Waltham, Tri?
Quote by Will in Chicago:
I worry that this Supreme Court is going to follow in the steps of Supreme Courts in the late 1800s that overturned much of the limited progress made during Reconstruction after the Civil War. The question I ask is what can be done if the court chooses YET AGAIN to be politicians in robes and strikes down the Voting Rights Act.
I think that it is perhaps time to look at reforming our Supreme Court.
Quote by trojanrabbit:
What the fuck's wrong with Waltham, Tri?
Quote by Will in Chicago:Quote by trojanrabbit:
What the fuck's wrong with Waltham, Tri?
I will apply to Waltham, but I am surprised at this story. Also, isn't Leominster a bit far from Waltham -- it was one of the towns I was in during my trip out East a year ago. (I stopped there en route from picking someone up to a trip to the Worcester Museum and ate at the Daily Bagel -- a very good deli in Leominster.)
Quote by Raine:
Let me make my point a little clearer:
I don't mind conservatives on the SCOTUS. I think balance is a good thing. What I do mind are people like Antonin Scalia saying "Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes." I have a serious problem with that -- He's using his seat on the court to influence congressional actions. He's trying to legislate from the bench. That is something I know a lot of my conservative minded friends hate.
What he said was worthy of an entire post on its own -- but the rest of the blogosphere already did that. I am trying to point out what I see as a serious constitutional double standard -- If people are considering the VRA act as outdated -- some suggesting that we are in a 'post racial' society -- to hear a Supreme court justice say something that racist kinda proves the point that we still need the VRA.
It's been my experience reading that many of the people who say we are in a post racial society are often the same circles don't want any gun laws changed. Or to be more specific, they would rather go after people with mental illness instead of address the root cause of gun violence and the need to address it with legislation.
The VRA addressed the root cause of voter disenfranchisement, it was done within the confines of the constitution. We expanded rights while protecting those that needed help. The gun loving NRA-ILA won't allow that to happen if they get their way.
I would go so far as to say that universal background checks would allow more legal gun owners to come out of the shadows. That might be a way to say we are expanding rights. As I see it right now, Gun owners against any -- or most -- solutions are actually protecting criminals as well as would be criminals -- the same way that those against the Voting Rights act are protecting racists.
Radical? Yes. But That is how I see it.
The Republican-led House on Thursday passed the Democrats’ version of the Violence Against Women on Thursday, relenting after a painful battle over expanded protections for gay, Native American and illegal immigrant women.
The final vote was 286-138, winning over 199 Democrats and 87 Republicans. It’s the third time Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has brought legislation to a floor vote without the support of at least half his conference. The GOP’s substitute failed 166-257.
Quote by Raine:
VAWA act passed -- on its way to President's deskThe Republican-led House on Thursday passed the Democrats’ version of the Violence Against Women on Thursday, relenting after a painful battle over expanded protections for gay, Native American and illegal immigrant women.
The final vote was 286-138, winning over 199 Democrats and 87 Republicans. It’s the third time Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has brought legislation to a floor vote without the support of at least half his conference. The GOP’s substitute failed 166-257.
We’ve oohed and aahed at the vroom of military jets flying over sporting events. That will be silenced if the federal budget cuts of sequestration are fully implemented.
A B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber flew over the Rose Bowl last month and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in July. Flyovers are part of the pre-race ritual at many NASCAR races. Precision squadrons such as the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels have been fixtures at air shows. They fly in their six-jet delta formation over sporting events, too.
But with $85 billion in federal budget cuts set to take effect Friday if no solution is found in Congress (the cuts would total $1.2 trillion over 10 years), such flyovers will be grounded, and there could be cuts to service academy athletics departments.
A low cloud ceiling prevented the Thunderbirds from making their scheduled flyover Sunday at the Daytona 500. Next on their schedule is a flyover March 10 for a NASCAR event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“The Thunderbirds are expected to stand down effective April 1. (Las Vegas) is pretty much going to be, I think, the last flyover you’ll see for a while from us,†Wendy Varhegyi, chief of the engagement division for Air Force public affairs, told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday.
She said the curtailment would be at least through the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30), “And then at that point, we’ll reevaluate. … Sequestration is a 10-year problem, so we just don’t know.â€
Quote by Raine:
Am I the only one that found it strange that the Pope Emeritus will be living in Castle Gandolfo?
Quote by Raine:See what can happen without the Hastert Rule?Quote by Raine:
VAWA act passed -- on its way to President's deskThe Republican-led House on Thursday passed the Democrats’ version of the Violence Against Women on Thursday, relenting after a painful battle over expanded protections for gay, Native American and illegal immigrant women.
The final vote was 286-138, winning over 199 Democrats and 87 Republicans. It’s the third time Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has brought legislation to a floor vote without the support of at least half his conference. The GOP’s substitute failed 166-257.
A majority of Republicans, 138, voted against the Senate bill. This technically violates the GOP’s “Hastert Rule,†which requires a majority of the House majority to support any legislation brought to the floor.
According to The National Review Online, House Minority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) held a closed-door meeting with his caucus to warn them that there would be a “civil war†in the party if the House did not allow a vote on the Senate’s bill. After said meeting, only nine Republicans voted against taking up the bill — included in those were nine were Tea Partiers Steve King (R-IA) and Paul Broun (R-GA), both likely candidates for the U.S. Senate in 2014.
Quote by TriSec:Quote by Raine:
Am I the only one that found it strange that the Pope Emeritus will be living in Castle Gandolfo?
He's just biding his time until he can get his hands on those cloistered nuns. They won't be cloistered for long, I'd wager.
(Wait, that's something else, isn't it? )
Quote by Raine:
Am I the only one that found it strange that the Pope Emeritus will be living in Castle Gandolfo?
Quote by Raine:Quote by TriSec:Quote by Raine:
Am I the only one that found it strange that the Pope Emeritus will be living in Castle Gandolfo?
He's just biding his time until he can get his hands on those cloistered nuns. They won't be cloistered for long, I'd wager.
(Wait, that's something else, isn't it? )
Quote by BobR:Quote by Mondobubba:
I mondo am signing off, I have the dreaded appointment with the gastro-interologist this am. I am still not sure if the is going to the colonoscopy or just a follow up from the hospital stay. Anyway. TTTFN.
Unless you've been drinking strange chemicals that make you shit out your entire insides, he's not doing a colonoscopy today.
Quote by TriSec:
Actually, I prefer Herr Reichspontiff.
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
Am I the only one that found it strange that the Pope Emeritus will be living in Castle Gandolfo?
The Vatican owns a castle named for this guy???
Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
Am I the only one that found it strange that the Pope Emeritus will be living in Castle Gandolfo?
The Vatican owns a castle named for this guy???
Thank you for hitting the softball...
Quote by Raine:
Sadly the only way to govern these days is to disregard the Hastart Rule. -- Actually, maybe its not that sad at all. What we saw today is a simple truth, there is a minority of people in Congress holding up the peoples work.
Quote by Raine:Here you go!Quote by wickedpam:
anyone know where the list of Nay votes for the VAWA?
Quote by Mondobubba:
You know considering I also had an eye exam in the last hour, my posts seem for the most part to be free of blurry eyed weirdness.
Speaking of the eye exam, my health plan's vision benefits suck donkey nuts, Most of the benefit if for frames, not lenses! WTF? Oh and UHC will magnanimously cover the entire cost of the colonoscopy, but not the sedation. When I had my cardiac cath done in 2007, my out of pocket was zero. Tri, is UHC know for the stinginess of its coverage? If so this must be a recent development, when I had coverage from them at AOL is was awesome!
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:Here you go!Quote by wickedpam:
anyone know where the list of Nay votes for the VAWA?
thanks
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:Here you go!Quote by wickedpam:
anyone know where the list of Nay votes for the VAWA?
thanks
and I see that Wolf voted against it - dammit, and he just won re-election too