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Having lost the Congress in 2006 and the White House in 2008, Republicans are looking to redefine themselves for a nation that still leans conservative but is less Republican that it has been in decades.
"Leans conservative" based on....?
The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court presents just such an opportunity. For, even if the party loses the battle and Sotomayor sits on the court, it can win the war, as Ronald Reagan won the Panama Canal debate, even as Senate Republicans committed collective suicide by voting to give away the canal.
We all remember that, right?
What are the grounds for rejecting Sonia Sotomayor?
Pat would like to reject her on the grounds of being Latina, but he can't just come out and say that. So....
No one has brought forth the slightest evidence she has the intellectual candlepower to sit on the Roberts court. By her own admission, Sotomayor is an "affirmative action baby."
Though the Obama media have been ballyhooing her brilliance -- No. 1 in high school, No. 1 at Princeton, editor of Yale Law Review -- her academic career appears to have been a fraud from beginning to end, a testament to Ivy League corruption.
Let's see -- #1 in high school, #1 at Princeton, editor of Yale Law Review -- I think those say something about her "intellectual candlepower", yes?
Two weeks ago, The New York Times reported that, to get up to speed on her English skills at Princeton, Sotomayor was advised to read children's classics and study basic grammar books during her summers. How do you graduate first in your class at Princeton if your summer reading consists of "Chicken Little" and "The Troll Under the Bridge"?
Um, by doing those things to improve your English and then excelling academically?
In video clips dating back 25 years, and now provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sotomayor, according to the Times, even calls herself an "affirmative action product."
"The clips include lengthy remarks about her experiences as an 'affirmative action baby,' whose lower test scores were overlooked by admissions committees at Princeton University and Yale Law School because, she said, she is Hispanic and had grown up in poor circumstance."
"If we had gone through the traditional numbers route of those institutions," says Sotomayor, "it would have been highly questionable if I would have been accepted. ... My test scores were not comparable to that of my classmates."
Thus, Sotomayor got into Princeton, got her No. 1 ranking, was whisked into Yale Law School and made editor of the Yale Law Review -- all because she was a Hispanic woman. And those two Ivy League institutions cheated more deserving students of what they had worked a lifetime to achieve, for reasons of race, gender or ethnicity.
Astute readers here will wonder as I did. Perhaps her LSAT test scores were not the asbolute best, but being #1 at Princeton probably ushered into Yale Law School. And you don't get top class ranking by virtue of your ethnicity, even in an "affirmative action" world. That comes solely from academic excellance. Same with Yale Law Review membership.
This is bigotry pure and simple.
You got that right, Pat.
To salve their consciences for past societal sins, the Ivy League is deep into discrimination again, this time with white males as victims rather than as beneficiaries.
One prefers the old bigotry. At least it was honest, and not, as Abraham Lincoln observed, adulterated "with the base alloy of hypocrisy."
Lincoln was, of course, talking about the bigotry against white men, as we all recall from history.
As the Times reports, on the tapes, Sotomayor rejects "the proposition that minorities must become advocates of 'selection by merit alone.' She said diversity improved the legal system."
"'Since I have difficultly defining merit and what merit alone means, and ... whether it's judicial or otherwise, I accept that different experiences, in and of itself, bring merit to the system,' she said, adding, 'I think it brings to the system more of a sense of fairness when these litigants see people like myself on the bench."
What does the latest Times revelation tell us?
That were it not for Ivy League dishonesty, Sotomayor would not have gotten into Princeton, would never have been ranked first in her class, would not have gotten into Yale Law, nor been named editor of Yale Law Review, and thus would not be a U.S. appellate court judge today or a nominee to the Supreme Court.
No. Again, affirmative action does not give anyone heightened class ranking. It may have given her access to Princeton, but once she was there, her first-in-class ranking was all her own. If anything, this shows the rightness of affirmative action, and how it allows qualified people in.
Indeed, the White House itself leaked that the final four court candidates were all women and Sotomayor was picked because she was a Latina. One wonders how many superior students and judges have been passed over to advance Sonia Sotomayor's career?
To Pat, "superior" = "white male"
From college days to court days, that career reflects, in word and deed, a determination to use any power she achieves to create a society where the demands of diversity triumph over the ideal of equal justice under law. For Sotomayor, the advancement of people of color over white males is justice.
Like she did in all those discrimination cases she rejected?
Republican senators should use this Sotomayor nomination to put affirmative action in the dock for what it is -- race-based bigotry against white males so that persons of color can receive the rewards of society that they could not win in free and fair competition.
Lay out the Sotomayor record -- SAT scores, LSAT scores, bar exam score, law review articles and her opinions -- so that we can see up close what those who eviscerated Robert Bork regard as academic and judicial excellence.
Interesting how he doesn't mention her grades.
No need for name-calling.
No, that would be too obvious.
Just lay out the lady's opinions and record, so that, if she is elevated, Americans can say: Barack Obama voted against Chief Justice Roberts because Roberts could not measure up to Sonia Sotomayor, his ideal of what a justice ought to be.
Roberts went to Harvard, which has 40% legacy admissions. "Free and fair competition"?
On his show Wednesday, Beck tried to puzzle out the political meaning of the attack on the U.S. Holocaust Museum. Alleged shooter James Von Brunn, Beck said, is "a lone gunman nutjob." Fair enough. "You're going to see a lot of nutjobs coming out of the woodwork now." Uh-oh. Scarier still, all of our enemies may be working together. "They'd like to destroy us and they will work with anyone," Beck says ominously.
You see, crazed militants, whether Islamists or white supremacists like Von Brunn, are responding to increasing "pressure." Beck doesn't excuse political violence, but he does see a cause. Several, actually. "It's the economy, it is political correctness, it's corruption in Washington, it's the militant Islam. It's all of these things."
This seems like a rather typical laundry list of conservative complaints with current affairs, and not too far off from the factors listed in the Department of Homeland Security report that Beck scoffs at. (Of the report, Beck protests that violence "is not the work of right-wing conservatives.") Then, to top it off, Beck throws in the General Motors bailout as another "pressure," drawing an amen from guest Harry Binswanger. Binswanger adds that this sort of violence is "a leftist phenomenon." "Right," says Beck.
Shorter Glenn Beck: "This country's move to the political left is the root cause of violent rightwing terrorism, and we should surrender to the terrorists before it gets worse."
RELATED: A must-read cataloging the incidents of right-wing violence since Obama was elected -- there's more than you probably think.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Ten-year-old Kennedy Corpus has a rock-solid excuse for missing the last day of school: a personal note to her teacher from President Barack Obama.
Her father, John Corpus of Green Bay, stood to ask Obama about health care during the president's town hall-style meeting at Southwest High School on Thursday. He told Obama that his daughter was missing school to attend the event and that he hoped she didn't get in trouble.
"Do you need me to write a note?" Obama asked. The crowd laughed, but the president was serious.
On a piece of paper, he wrote: "To Kennedy's teacher: Please excuse Kennedy's absence. She's with me. Barack Obama." He stepped off the stage to hand-deliver the note — to Kennedy's surprise.
"I thought he was joking until he started walking down," Kennedy said after the event, showing off the note in front of a bank of television cameras. "It was like the best thing ever."
The fourth-grader at Aldo Leopold elementary in Green Bay already knew what she was going to do with the note: frame it along with her ticket to the event. She said she'd make a copy for her teacher.
Kennedy said she had never seen Obama before. "He's really nice," she said.
From Debbie Schlussel, in a post entitled "So What If The Holocaust Museum Shooter Is A White Christian.....?":
Make no mistake. Muslims created this atmosphere where hatred of the Jews is okay and must be "tolerated" as a legitimate point of view. The shooting today is just yet another manifestation emanating from that viewpoint--another manifestation of the welcome mat that Muslims rolled out for fellow anti-Semites of all stripes to no longer be afraid to come out of the closet.
Right. So it's still the fault of Muslims and 9/11. Because anti-Semites would just be sitting there quietly had those brown-skinned people not "opened the door".
I guess that whole Nazi thing back in the 30's and 40's was also Muslim-inspired.
Carrie Prejean will lose her Miss California USA crown today because she doesn't play well with others.
Sources connected with the pageant tell us even Donald Trump has now had it with Carrie, because she's violating her contract by not getting clearance to do her extracurricular stuff.
Two people (perhaps 3) shot by a gunman in the Holocaust Musuem in D.C.. The gunman was also apparently shot and is in custody.
Too early, of course, to determine the motive, but since it was at the Holocaust Museum, one can surmise that the shooter was anti-Jew. From there, it's not a far leap to suppose that the shooter was an islamic terrorist of some sort.
Then again, news reports say that the shooter was a white male "born in 1920" which doesn't exactly fit the "islamic terrorist" profile. Could be just a demented old guy.
UPDATE: Some sketchy reports that the shooter may not survive.
UPDATE: MSNBC saying the shooter "had possible connections to hate groups or anti-government groups". If this turns out to be true, and at this point -- who knows, this is another of those right wing extremist (like the Dr. Tiller murderer) that the DHS warned us about.
Ironically, this is what the Holocaust Museum looks like -- can you read the red banner?
UPDATE: I got this from Twitter (really, the best place to get breaking news). The gunman's name is James Von Brunn (confirmed by MSNBC just seconds ago)
My Google searches find this comment by James Von Brunn at a site called "The Black Jesus":
Jesus Christs tells us to love our enemies, forgive them, turn the other cheek, give them our cloak and coat; give away our personal belongings and follow Him. Have you done this?
Do you know any alleged Christians that have ?
Nietzsche said, “The last Christian died on the cross.”
One cannot love your neighbors and segregate them. Therefore. Multi-cukturalism is a prerequisite to being Christian. It is for that reason the POPE advocates open borders with Mexico. The word CATHOLIC means “UNIVERSAL” The Churdh ALWAYS has sought a united World under CHRIST. The ILLUMINATI too seeks One World Government – which may be why Henry Kissinger, ZIONIST, visits the Vatican so frequently.
James W. von Brunn holds a BachSci Journalism degree from a mid-Western university where he was president of SAE and played varsity football. During WWII he served as PT-Boat captain, Lt. USNR, receiving a Commendation and four battle stars. For twenty years he was an advertising executive and film-producer in New York City. He is a member of Mensa, the high-IQ society. In 1981 Von Brunn attempted to place the treasonous Federal Reserve Board of Governors under legal, non-violent, citizens arrest. He was tried in a Washington, D.C. Superior Court; convicted by a Negro jury, Jew/Negro attorneys, and sentenced to prison for eleven years by a Jew judge. A Jew/Negro/White Court of Appeals denied his appeal. He served 6.5 years in federal prison. (Read about von Brunn's "Federal Reserve Caper" HERE.) He is now an artist and author and lives on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
User: James W. von Brunn, b.1920, attempted to place the Federal Resrve Board of Governors under legal, non-violent citizens arrest, 12-7-81. Von Brunn charged the FED with treason and other high crimes. The FED, a private stock-company, owned by International bankers, financed the construction of manufacturing plants in the Soviet Union during the "Cold War." War materials, produced by FED financed plants, were used by the Enemy against American military forces in Viet Nam, and elsewhere.
Von Brunn was tried and convicted by a Washington, D.C. kangaroo court; then sentenced to eleven years in federal prison by Judge Harriet Rosen Taylor; the sentence was confirmed by a racially motivated Appeals Court. Von Brunn was imprisoned for 6.5-years.
Von Brunn champions Western Culture,and the practice of Eugenics. He states that Marxism-Multiculturalism-Judaism is the Enemy of Mankind.citing Talmudic quotes to "Kill the Best Gentiles !"
Von Brunn was president of his college fraternity, SAE. He served as PT-Boat captain, USNR, during WW2, earning 4-battle stars and a Commendation Ribbon. His early business career was in NYC as copywriter, art-director and film producer; later as a real-estate broker; and lastly as a writer-artist.
He also wrote a treatise entitled "Kill The Best Gentiles!". Here's the Table of Contents:
1. The Conspiracy 2. Khazars Invent Judaism 3. The Illuminati 4. Money 5. Spirochetes of Jew Syphilis 6. The “Holocaust” Hoax 7. Mendelism 8. The Negro 9. The Aryan Force 10. Parasitism USA 11. Pathology and Synthesis 12. Summing Up APPENDIX Glossary Bibliography Distinguished Personages EXHIBITS: Arson Letter to US SecNav Webb Letter from Admiral Crommelin Gen. Anderson news item Letter to Talbot County Council Star-Democrat: Two (2) editorials in re Genetics Poem by Josephine Beaty Cicero ii
In a recent blog post, Von Brunn wrote that Hitler's "worst mistake" was that "he didn't gas the Jews."
I think we've got a good understanding of this guy....
UPDATE: Brian Williams of NBC reports that he lives in New Hampshire...
How many acts of right-wing terrorism have to occur before DHS is allowed to start keeping track of it?
I really don’t get the conservative reaction to the original DHS pronouncement. No one is trying to lump angry Red State commenters in with honest-to-God terrorists…except, weirdly enough, the Red State commenters themselves.
There are crazy people out there shooting up abortion clinics and Holocaust museums. These people identify with causes normally described as right-wing. Deal with it. Tea bag away to your heart’s content. It’s not til you start plotting to kill people that DHS should take an interest. If anyone starts spying on you prior to that, then I, the ACLU, and dirty hippies everywhere will support your grievances.
To answer this question, David Leonhardt of the New York Timescrunches the numbers (from the CBO). The self-explanatory results are in this graph (click to embiggen all the way):
The GOP is gearing up to paint the deficits as "Obama's fault". And clearly, Obama has, by his own admission, run up deficits in order to get the economy back on track. But the bleak future in terms of government debt is primarily the result of the Bush economic policies. Be on the lookout for false GOP "blame Obama" rhetoric as the months and years continue.
Leonhardt also points out that inherited or not, Obama hasn't yet provided any credible plan for reducing federal deficits in the long term. This is true, and eventually he's going to have to. The inescapable answer will includes higher taxes. Hopefully, the higher taxes will be placed on those who benefitted most under Bush's deficit-creating policies.
One of the findings? "One-third of Republicans now say they have an unfavorable opinion of their party." That doesn't bode well (by contrast, only 4% of Democrats have an unfavorable opinio of the Democratic Party".
But more importantly, Republicans acknowledge their huge power vacuum. A 52% majority of those surveyed couldn't come up with a name when asked to specify "the main person" who speaks for Republicans today.
And who was the top response? Rush Limbaugh. But he had only 13%.
Those figures bear little comment. The GOP is divided and rudderless. Which probably accounts for why som many Republicans have a negative opinion about the party itself.
Hannity: …The price of oil is going up again. It’s not quite at $140 a barrel, but it’s on its way up to $70 and $80…
Palin: Yeah, well and I thank God it’s not at $140. You know people say, “Hey, Alaska! 85% of your state budget is based on the price of a barrel of oil. Aren’t you glad the price is going up?” I say, “No!” The fewer dollars that the state of Alaska government has, the fewer dollars we spend. And that’s good for our families and for the private sector.
Sarah, let me explain your party's position. Republicans don't like government spending because it means either (a) the country runs a deficit and/or (b) the government will have to raise taxes on the people in order to pay for that spending. Running a deficit and raising taxes, according to conservative philosophy, is bad for families and the private sector.
In other words, even Republicans don't believe that government revenue itself is bad; their issue is with the source of revenue, which is almost always taxation.
But when oil prices go up, that money goes to the Alaskan people, who spend that money, which is good for the private sector. See how that works? So as governor of Alaska, you should be loving high oil prices.
I'm sure Sarah's position that high oil prices are bad for Alaskans comes to news as Alaskans. Hard to believe they elected her as governor.
Besides, if Sarah thinks that Alaskans getting a lot of money from high oil prices is a bad thing, she should simply cut back on Alaska's oil production so they won't be cursed with high oil revenues, or withhold a portion of the revenues that each Alaska citizen receives, or (best of all) share those terrible revenues with the rest of the country.
I don't know how they keep track, but apparently somebody keeps track:
English contains more words than any other language on the planet and added its millionth word early Wednesday, according to the Global Language Monitor, a Web site that uses a math formula to estimate how often words are created.
The site estimates the millionth English word, "Web 2.0" was added to the language Wednesday at 5:22 a.m. ET. The term refers to the second, more social generation of the Internet.
The site says more than 14 words are added to English every day, at the current rate.
"Web 2.0" isn't really a word, though. It's a phrase.
The right blogosphere is all up in arms because David Letterman, a comedian, made a joke at Sarah Palin's expense. Seriously, they're freaking out.
It was when David did his Top Ten Highlights of Sarah Palin’s Tripto New York... and here they are. For your edification, I've provided an explanation of the underlying implication that each "Top Ten" joke embodies.
10. Visited New York landmarks she normally only sees from Alaska [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: Sarah can see far far away -- like to Russia -- from her vantage point in Alaska]
9. Laughed at all the crazy-looking foreigners entering the U.N. [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: Sarah is xenophobic]
8. Made moose jerky on Rachael Ray [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: Sarah shoots moose and eats it]
7. Keyed Tina Fey’s car [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: Sarah can't take it when she get made fun of]
6. After a wink and a nod, ended up with a kilo of crack [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: [Sarah does drugs]
5. Made coat out of New York City rat pelts [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: Sarah hates animals]
4. Sat in for Kelly Ripa. Regis couldn’t tell the difference. [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: Sarah is a good-looking personality]
3. Finally met one of those Jewish people Mel Gibson’s always talking about [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: Sarah lives in a state which isn't very diverse]
2. Bought makeup from Bloomingdale’s to update her “slutty flight attendant” look [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: She looks and acts kinda slutty]
1. Especially enjoyed not appearing on Letterman [UNDERLYING IMPLICATION: She's no fan of Letterman]
Now, of all these, guess which one Sarah's supporters are all up in arms about?
Number two. Yes. How DARE Letterman imply that she's slutty looking.
Now, personally, I don't find any of these jokes particularly funny, but I don't find them out of the realm of decency, especially for a late-night comedian. Being the butt of jokes comes with being a politician. And many of the same people who are on the fainting couch about Sarah's "sluttiness" have had, in the past, making no problem of Obama's ears or Hillary Clinton's looks.
So I would suggest to these people that they read #7 on David's list. I.e., it's a joke!
Is Sarah Palin really slutty? Of course not. But with her pre-marriage pregnancies, her open blouses and, well, you know....
...she's not exactly Lady Diana either.
UPDATE: Leslie in the comments writes:
Calling a black man a nigger is not a joke. Nor should calling a woman a "slut" be. Both suffered through paternalism. Neither should suffer mainstream media's continued marginalization.
Leslie's point would have more force if Letterman actually called Sarah Palin a "slut". He didn't. Never used the word. He used the word "slutty", which means "as if she was a slut" (implicitly suggesting she is not one, in reality). Furthermore, it was a joke/observation about her fashion sense, not suggesting anything about her promiscuity.
There's a difference between a "joke" which calls Obama a fag, and a "joke" about Obama wearing "faggy" clothes.
When a movie is shot in North Carolina, it brings in a lot of money, which we need.
The new Miley Cyrus movie (she's a big thing, I'm told) was set to shoot in Wilmington, and it would have brought in an estimated $17.5 million in movie-related revenue, and provided 500 jobs. In fact...
Wilmington was the preferred location for the shoot, and state leaders, after almost three months of negotiations, came within five minutes of making it official.
But the deal fell apart over a $125,000 disagreement with the state's tax collectors. Full story here.
A disinterested observer would conclude that Justice Sotomayor is race-obsessed. In her now much quoted 2001 UC Berkeley speech she invoked “Latina/Latino” no less than 38 times, in addition to a variety of other racial-identifying synonyms. When one reads the speech over, the obsession with race become almost overwhelming, and I think the public has legitimate worries (more than the Obama threshold of 5% of cases) over whether a judge so cognizant of race could be race-blind in her decision making.
Shockers! One wonder what Justice Alito spoke about here.
Seriously, Hanson's observations are kind of like pointing out that Obama must be a Muslim because he made all kinds of Muslim references in a speech to the Muslim world. But nobody is stupid enough to make that argument.... oh, wait.
The debate, however, doesn't. While most in the blogosphere, including many of Whelan's colleagues, understand why a person might have personal or career-related reasons for blogging under a pseudonym, there are still a few who don't:
My view is that "publius." having elected to debate Ed, has no complaint. For in a debate between a blogger who identifies himself and one who doesn't, the anonymous blogger has an unfair advantage -- he is not constrained by the full range of consequences normally associated with being exposed as dishonest, sloppy, or unintelligent.
This is a bullshit argument. First of all, Publius wasn't "anonymous"; he was pseudonymous -- and that's an important difference. As Publius, he has a web presence. This means that his arguments could be exposed as dishonest, sloppy or unintelligent (if they indeed were), since his arguments are for all to see.
But some conservatives can't seem to separate the argument from the person. For them, they rail against pseudonymous bloggers because their existence removes one of their favorite debating tools: the ad hominem attack. The main benefit of pseudonymity is that it forces the reader (or dissenting party) to engage with the IDEA being presented, rather than the personalities involved.
Ironically, the original pseudonym "Publius" was used by Madison, Jay, and Hamilton when writing The Federalist Papers. They used that name precisely because they wanted to sway people on the strength of their arguments, and not get bogged down in personality cults. But some in the conservative blogosphere simply cannot poke holes in arguments as arguments; when backed against the wall, they need to attack the arguer, and pseudonymity stands in their way. Until he came to his senses and apologized, Ed Whelan was such a man.
John Hindrocket adds:
In my opinion, the idea that a goofball like Blevins [Publius] has some sort of "right" to smear Whelan anonymously, without taking responsibility for his assaults, is ridiculous. Be a man, for God's sake. Or, for that matter, a woman...
Anyone who has followed this dust-up knows that Publius' attacks were comparatively mild, as Internet-speak goes. (Frankly, "goofball" is harsher than anything Publius wrote about Whelan).
And really, isn't "being a man" (or for that matter, a woman) being able to take tiny "epithets" in the course of debating discourse?
Moreover, it doesn't really reflect the facts of this matter. What happened was that Whelan wrote an admittedly sloppy post, was smacked down (gently) by Eugene Volokh, and Publius merely commented on it, echoing another blogger’s comment that Whelan was a judicial "hitman". Somehow this means that Publius, by noting other blogger's comments, engaged in an "assault". [Read the full background here]
There is, to my mind, only one reason where the "outting" of a pseudonymous blogger would be relevant, and that is where he takes a position that is contradictory or hypocritical. For example, if a pseudonymous blogger takes a position against, say, gay marriage, and it turns out that the pseudonymous blogger is himself gay married, then revelation of that aspect of the blogger's identity may have some bearing on the debate. But such outtings are lilkely to be few and far between.
This is an entirely different issue than "anonymous blogging" (or, even worse, blogging under someone else's name or under several different names). But of course, nobody blogs anonymously -- they do, however, comment anonymously. Comment threads, however, typically are where Internet etiquette virtually disappears, and that is generally understood. Anyone who can't handle that heat should simply avoid commenting or reading comments. As Publius himself said:
“It’s one thing for an anonymous commenter to come in and just be a flame thrower, but what I do is I write pseudonymously, and I have a reputation of my own. It’s an online reputation. It’s a reputation that I care about, that I’ve invested a lot in, and I don’t want to be embarrassed in the blogosphere. I try to think through my arguments. To say there’s no real world effect, I don’t agree with that, because if I write something stupid, I’m going to get called out for that. In fact, I have written stupid things and I got called out and it affected my reputation. So I do have some reputational incentives to be honest, to be respectful in all these things.”
In any event, I think The Moderate Voice sums it Pseudonym-gate nicely:
His apology shows that “the marketplace” displayed a clear sentiment — and that a consensus did emerge. Whelan took in and considered that consensus and reconsidered.
The result? This unfortunate incident has now established a “norm.” In the future, someone will have to have a pretty good, darn reason to reveal the identity of someone who writes under a pen name and who asks that his or her identity be kept anonymous.
"It is offensive to the sensibilities of millions of people to hear a member of the state-run media refer to a half-black, half-white human being with no experience running anything of substance referred to as a god. He may be president of the United States, but he's not a god."
For someone who claims the GOP is great because it doesn't notice race, Rush sure seems to notice race a lot.
The opinion (PDF) handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court today in the case of Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co. et al sounds like a no-brainer, yet the court split 5-4 on ideological lines (Roberts, Thomas, Alito and Scalia dissented).
The question was simple: Is it unconstitutional for a state supreme court justice to sit on a case which involves the financial interests of a major donor to the judge’s election campaign?
Well, let's ask that in layman's terms. Suppose you were in a court case with someone (either as plaintiff or defendent), and the person you are opposing was a HUGE campaign contributor to the judge hearing your case. Should the judge disqualify himself?
The majority said disqualification was required taking into account “all of the circumstances of this case.”
Seems straightforward to me. Our legal system doesn't work if judges have -- or even appear to have -- partiality and bias. They really shouldn't sit on the bench for cases where one of the parties was a major contributor to their judicial campaign.
Of course, I don't think judges should have to campaign for the position anyway.
The West Virginia case involved more than $3 million spent by the chief executive of Massey Energy Co. to help elect state Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin. At the same time, Massey was appealing a verdict, which now totals $82.7 million with interest, in a dispute with a local coal company. Benjamin refused to step aside from the case, despite repeated requests, and was part of a 3-2 decision to overturn the verdict.
Yikes. Oddly enough, both Scalia and Roberts said that the ruling would end up undermining confidence in the judicial system, not enhancing it as the majority contended.
I'm half-following a live blog of the new iPhone 3.0 announcement.
A lot of cool features -- the ability to find your "lost" iPhone by texting to it and getting a sound (even if sound is turned off, better GPS (turn-by-turn instructions), a Kindle-like reader, better integations with iTunes, cut/paste/undo (finally) and so on.
The 3.0 operating system upgrade will be free to current iPhone users. $9.99 for iTouch. Available June 17.
Of course, those are just apps/software. The big question remains to be answered. Wither AT&T?
Ah, here we go:
12:01 pm
The iPhone 3GS will be available on June 19th.
12:01 pm
The iPhone 3G 8GB will be available for $99 today.
12:00 pm
Apple wants the iPhone to be more affordable. The existing 8GB iPhone 3G will remain -- for $99.
12:00 pm
Those are AT&T prices for new and qualifying customers; may vary elsewhere. Comes in black and white, as before.
11:59 am
$199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB.
11:59 am
Ships with iPhone OS 3.0 for $199.
11:58 am
Most eco-friendly iPhone yet -- arsenic-free glass, BRF-free, mercury-free LCD, etc.
11:58 am
Improved battery life. Now up to 9 hours of internet surfing, 10 hours of video, 30 hours of audio, 12 hours of 2g talk-time, 5 hours of 3g talk-time.
For some reason, Republicans still think that they can crawl their way back up to the political mountaintop... by (among other things) using Twitter. Slate covers the annual conference of the College Republican National Committee (where future Republicans are born -- see Karl Rove and Lee Atwater):
According to those headlining the conference, who ranged from the baby-faced Rep. Aaron Schock, 28, to the rapidly fossilizing Phyllis Schlafly, 75, the party needs to diversify. Get back to principles. And, oh, use Twitter.
***
The group is also working on its technological chops, which outgoing president Charlie Smith told me should be the CNRC's No.1 priority going forward. David All, of the eponymous conservative media consulting group, tried to persuade a less-than-capacity crowd that Twitter was the future. "That's the thing that we need to embrace and evangelize every single day," he said. "We have a massive opportunity to grow the pie of conservatism because of the quickness of Twitter and because everyone is jumping on board."
When he asked who was on Twitter, about half those assembled raised their hands. Only a couple—including Charlie Smith—used the #crnc tag. One member piped up skeptically: "What is Twitter? I don't get it, I use it kind of begrudgingly."
It's all very silly. For one thing, party leaders continue to confuse the technology with the substance behind it. College Republicans can have a Twitter account with plenty of followers, but if the group doesn't have a compelling message to share, it won't make any difference. It's not the tool, it's what you do with it.
The graphic kind of goes by fast, but here are some of the other "High School Tony Awards" listed in the video above:
Best Old Man Backache
Best Daughter of Director in a Leading Role
Best Sexing Up of a Gypsy Costume by a Popular Girl
Best Faux-Brick Set Design
Best Choreography Involving Obese Performer
Best Jock in a Supporting Role
Achievement in Make-up Dirt Smudge Replacement
RELATED: The real Tonys under NPH's helm fared better than with Jackman:
Neil Patrick Harris may not be a movie star, but the stage and TV actor helped deliver the highest-rated Tony Awards in three years, according to Nielsen preliminary ratings.
The 63rd Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Harris June 7 at Radio City Music Hall, were viewed by 7.45 million people, a 19 percent increase from the previous season.
The ceremony posted "double digit percentage gains in viewers and key demographics over last year," according to a press statement.
Compared to last year's ceremony, which was held June 15, 2008, The Tony Awards were up 11 percent in households, 20 percent in adults 25-54, 18 percent in adults 18-49 and added 1.18 million viewers (from last year's 6.27 million).
He could be crazy, but it's hard not to think that the murderer of Dr. George Tiller was not acting as a lone wolf, especially when he says things like this:
"I know there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal," Roeder said. When asked by the AP what he meant and if he was referring to another shooting, he refused to elaborate further.
Sounds like he has some inside info, and that this is a conspiracy.
Look, if a group of people have planned to commit violence throughout the country to further their political objectives, that definitionally constitutes a :terrorist cell". Just because it is comprised of rightwing christian extremists instead of islamic extremists doesn't alter anything.
Anyway, if he has some info, shouldn't the rightwingers and Bush apologists be clamoring to torture this guy? I wonder why they're not... oh, riiight. Because he's the "good" kind of terrorist.
Data from the census bureau shows that we have been gradually moving west, as a nation.
The mean centre of US population is “the point at which an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the US would balance perfectly if weights of identical value were placed on it so that each weight represented the location of one person on the date of the census”, in the definition of the US Census Bureauitself.
That bureau has been holding censuses every decade since 1790; these censuses form the backdrop for this string of mean centres of population in the US. The map shows an ever westward shift of that centre, obviously in parallel with the westward expansion of the US and its citizenry.
Interestingly, the addition of Hawaii and Alaska to the Union (in 1959) didn’t cause as much of a shift as one might expect; it moved the mean centre only two miles south and ten miles west (1960).
The mean centre of population of the US has shifted thusly:
A night at the theater on TV. (My choices below are in yellow)...
8:10 -- Things I would have changed about the opening number:
(1) I would have made sure Elton's mike was on.
(2) I would have given mikes to the cast of West Side Story
(3) I would have taken Stockard Channing's mike away
(4) I would have taken Liza's mike away, or at least turned it down a lot
(5) I would have made sure the Billy Eliott kid didn't kill himself flying into the rafters
(6) I would have taught Liza the lyrics to "Let The Sun Shine In", although -- really -- they're kind of quick to pick up.
Obviously, the opening number was a reflection of Old Broadway (e.g., Pal Joey) vs New Broadway (e.g., Rock of Ages). New Broadway won. Clearly.
8:20 -- Neil is very at ease and charming. But that's Neil. I guess someone clocked themselves during the opening number.
Tony Injury Update at 10:27 p.m. An update on Bret Michaels (from Poison): A spokeswoman for the Tonys tells The Associated Press that the singer “missed his mark” during the opening number. (No kidding.) She says he did not break his nose, but the extent of his injuries are not yet known. Here's the video:
First award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
John Glover, Waiting for Godot Zach Grenier, 33 Variations Stephen Mangan, The Norman Conquests Paul Ritter, The Norman Conquests Roger Robinson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
And I'm wrong. It's Robinson. Would have liked to see Glover, but his part wasn't "featured" enough.
8:25 -- Shrek number. I guess it's good to get in early and out of the way. Cuz it's a kid's musical and they have bedtime at 9. Plus the performers just got in costume for the opening number, and they want to get out of them and enjoy the rest of the evening.
8:34 -- And now Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Hallie Foote, Dividing the Estate Jessica Hynes, The Norman Conquests Marin Ireland, Reasons to Be Pretty Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit Amanda Root, The Norman Conquests
Yup, of course it's her. Classy broad.
8:36 -- Why are we watching a Mamma Mia number? Isn't that , like, a decade ago? Ooohhh, the moooovie.
8:45 -- Didn't even televise Best Book of a Musical
Billy Elliot, The Musical Lee Hall Next to Normal Brian Yorkey Shrek The Musical David Lindsay-Abaire [Title of Show] Hunter Bell
...but I got it right; it's Lee Hall. Will Farrell (why?) announces Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Billy Elliot, The Musical Music: Elton John Lyrics: Lee Hall Next to Normal Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics: Brian Yorkey 9 to 5: The Musical Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton Shrek The Musical Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire
Next to Normal. Bit of surprise there.... but I am very happy that the one show that wasn't adapted for the stage from a movie won.
8:50 -- West Side Story number. Good dancing. Especially Prince.
9:00 -- Ah, the directors. Best Direction of a Play
Phyllida Lloyd, Mary Stuart Bartlett Sher, Joe Turner's Come and Gone Matthew Warchus, God of Carnage Matthew Warchus, The Norman Conquests
I had the right guy, but the wrong play. Glad God of Carnage picked up (at least) one.
Best Direction of a Musical
Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical Michael Greif, Next to Normal Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages Diane Paulus, Hair
Nope, it was Stephen Daldry. I should have guessed. He thanked the stage manager. Nice touch.
And now the Rock of Ages number. Wow, I'm kind of impressed. Now "Don't Stop Believin'" is going to be in my head....
9:13 -- And now....Best Special Theatrical Event
Liza's at The Palace Producers: John Scher and Metropolitan Talent Presents, LLC; Jubilee Time Productions, LLC Slava's Snowshow Producers: David J. Foster, Jared Geller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Marinoff Cohn, John Pinckard Soul of Shaolin Producers: Nederlander Worldwide Productions, LLC; Eastern Shanghai International Culture Film & Television Group; China on Broadway You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush Producer: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Steve Traxler, Home Box Office Inc., Gary Sanchez Productions, Bat-Barry Productions, Ken Davenport, Ergo Entertainment, Ronald Frankel, Jon B. Platt, James D. Stern, The Weinstein Company, Tara Smith/b. Swibel, Dede Harris/Sharon Karmazin, Arny Granat
And Liza won of course. Let's see how badly she embarasses herself.
Yup, pretty badly. She does a really good Liza impersonation though. Notice how she thanks "my" orchestra rather than "the" orchestra. Thanks mommy and daddy too. Whoever they were.
9:28 -- They pushed these guys off to not-ready-for-prime-time:
Best Choreography
Karole Armitage, Hair Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Best Orchestrations
Larry Blank, Irving Berlin's White Christmas Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal Danny Troob and John Clancy, Shrek The Musical
I got them right, except Martin Koch tied Best Orchestrations with the Next To Normal folks.
9:30 -- Why is that the old Broadway revival shows have sucky mike problems? I love "Sit Down You're Rockin The Boat".
Ah, a good category. Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
David Bologna, Billy Elliot, The Musical Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5: The Musical Christopher Sieber, Shrek The Musical Will Swenson, Hair
Gregory Jbara. Looks like a Billy Elliot blowout, as expected. And now...Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical Karen Olivo, West Side Story Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Karen Olivo won. Yeah, I heard she was good. She was awesome in Into The Heights. Nice dress, too.
Next to Normal show number. Wow. Wow. Good number.
9:45 And the big ones now...Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Jeff Daniels, God of Carnage Raúl Esparza, Speed-the-Plow James Gandolfini, God of Carnage Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King Thomas Sadoski, Reasons to Be Pretty
Geoffrey got it. Funny speech.
In Memorium. Always makes me want to shoot myself. I guess that's why they shot this segment so that you couldn't actually tell who died. Big ones though, including Natasha Richardson, Gerald Schoenfeld, Harold Pinter, Horton Foote, Eartha Kitt, Bea Arthur and Paul Newman. I've always liked Robert Protsky, too.
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Hope Davis, God of Carnage Jane Fonda, 33 Variations Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart Harriet Walter, Mary Stuart
Got it right. She deserved it, too.
10:00 I really wish they would show longer scenes from the plays.
Anyway, they told us who won these awards. They are calling them the "Creative Awards" because apparently, writing, acting and directing aren't creative. Seriously, what a crock. Give these guys their due by announcing their awards live, and letting them speak.
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Dale Ferguson, Exit the King Rob Howell, The Norman Conquests Derek McLane, 33 Variations Michael Yeargan, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Derek won.
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill, Guys and Dolls Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical Scott Pask, Pal Joey Mark Wendland, Next to Normal
Ian won.
Best Costume Design of a Play
Dale Ferguson, Exit the King Jane Greenwood, Waiting for Godot Martin Pakledinaz, Blithe Spirit Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart
Anthony won.
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregory Gale, Rock of Ages Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, The Musical Tim Hatley, ShrekThe Musical Michael McDonald, Hair
Got it right. Tim won. (Sorry, Michael).
Best Lighting Design of a Play
David Hersey, Equus David Lander, 33 Variations Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner's Come and Gone Hugh Vanstone, Mary Stuart
Got it right.
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, Hair Kevin Adams, Next to Normal Howell Binkley, West Side Story Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Rick won.
Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti, Mary Stuart Gregory Clarke, Equus Russell Goldsmith, Exit the King Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Got it right.
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Acme Sound Partners, Hair Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical Peter Hylenski, Rock of Ages Brian Ronan, Next to Normal
Got it right.
10:12 Not sure how I feel about the Billy Eliott number. I'm sure in the context of the show, it is a showstopper. But taken out of context, it looks like a kid good running around, smashing into moving flats and going "Augh!" a lot. Would be funnier if he went "D'oh!" each time instead.
Glad he didn't flip the bird, though.
10:14 "Highest grossest season on Broadway"? Maybe due to ticket prices rather than audience attendance?
Yes, I know we have to show Legally Blonde in order to get non-theatre people to go to the theatre, but do we have to? With respect to this showcasing of already popular musicals, I think the NY Times liveblog said it best:
C.I. Really seems inappropriate and unnecessary to me. “Mamma Mia” does not need the exposure. But obviously the Tonys telecast is now becoming more a big advertisement than a chance to honor artists’ work.
D.I. It does seem a somewhat circular argument. “We need the show to focus on productions that home viewers wouldn’t otherwise see. So let’s emphasize the shows that everyone has already heard of.”
Harvey announces Best Revival of a Play
Joe Turner's Come and Gone Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, Andre Bishop, Bernard Gersten Mary Stuart New Version: Peter Oswald Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Debra Black, Neal Street Productions/Matthew Byam Shaw, Scott Delman, Barbara Whitman, Jean Doumanian/Ruth Hendel, David Binder/CarlWend Productions/Spring Sirkin, Daryl Roth/James L. Nederlander/Chase Mishkin, The Donmar Warehouse The NormanConquests Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Dede Harris, Tulchin/Bartner/Lauren Doll, Jamie deRoy, Eric Falkenstein, Harriet Newman Leve, Probo Productions, Douglas G. Smith, Michael Filerman/Jennifer Manocherian, Richard Winkler, Dan Frishwasser, Pam Laudenslager/Remmel T. Dickinson, Jane Dubin/True Love Productions, Barbara Manocherian/Jennifer Isaacson, The Old Vic Theatre Company Waiting for Godot Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Elizabeth Ireland McCann
Not a surprise there. Got it right.
Hmmmm. They usually do this later, don't they? Best Play
Dividing the Estate Author: Horton Foote Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, Bernard Gersten, Andre Bishop, Primary Stages God of Carnage Author: Yasmina Reza Producers: Robert Fox, David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Jon B. Platt, The Weinstein Company, The Shubert Organization Reasons toBe Pretty Author: Neil LaBute Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, MCC Theater, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Ted Snowdon, Doug Nevin/Erica Lynn Schwartz, Ronald Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Kathleen Seidel, Kelpie Arts, LLC, Jam Theatricals, Rachel Helson/Heather Provost 33 Variations Author: Moises Kaufman Producers: David Binder, Ruth Hendel, Goldberg/Mills, Latitude Link, Arielle Tepper Madover, Bill Resnick, Eric Schnall, Jayne Baron Sherman, Wills/True Love Productions, Tectonic Theater Project, Greg Reiner, Dominick Balletta, Jeffrey
Yup. Got it right. Wow, I'm doing good tonight.
10:25 Tribute to Jerry Herman. Zzzzzz.
10:35 The Hair showcase. Nice. A little tired of this show, but it looks like a good production. And they're keeping their clothes on.
10:40 Kristen Chenowith steals my "keeping clothes on" joke. And announced the winner for Best Revival of a Musical
Guys and Dolls Producers: Howard Panter and Ambassador Theatre Group, Tulchin/Bartner, Bill Kenwright, Northwater Entertainment, Darren Bagert, Tom Gregory, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., David Mirvish, Michael Jenkins/Dallas Summer Musicals, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Sonia Friedman Productions Hair Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Kathleen K. Johnson, Nederlander Productions, Inc., Fran Kirmser Productions/Jed Bernstein, Marc Frankel, Broadway Across America, Barbara Manocherian/Wencarlar Productions, JK Productions/Terry Schnuck, Andy Sandberg, Jam Theatricals, The Weinstein Company/Norton Herrick, Jujamcyn Theaters, Joey Parnes, Elizabeth Ireland McCann Pal Joey Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Marc Platt West Side Story Producers: Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller, Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman/Jill Furman Willis, Freddy DeMann, Robyn Goodman/Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller, The Weinstein Company, Broadway Across America
As I predicted, Hair wins.... and the Hippies go wild. Excuse me, the "Tribe".
Nice not-so-subtle shout-out to gay marriage.
10:46 Cute intro of David Hyde Pierce by NPH ("coming out for the second time this month")... and David does Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Stockard Channing, Pal Joey Sutton Foster, Shrek The Musical Allison Janney, 9 to 5: The Musical Alice Ripley, Next to Normal Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story
Alice Ripley gives a passionate but waaaay-too-dramatic speech. I get her point, but DOES SHE HAVE TO YELL? Who the fuck is she MAD at?
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish ‚ Billy Elliot, The Musical Gavin Creel, Hair Brian d'Arcy James, Shrek The Musical Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal
Oh, man, it's the Billy Elliot kids. So here's the question.... which one of the three was the best? Or were they all three better than each of the other nominees? What a cheap gimmick.
And you would think they would have prepared a speech.
Okay, that was funny and cute, even if it was a gimmick.
Jersey Boys. Again, why? I'm enjoying it though.
10:59 And with one minute left, Liza hurriedly gives the award for Best Musical
Billy Elliot,The Musical Producers: Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions, Weinstein Live Entertainment Next to Normal Producers: David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Second Stage Theatre, Carole Rothman, Ellen Richard Rock of Ages Producers: Matthew Weaver, Carl Levin, Jeff Davis, Barry Habib, Scott Prisand, Relativity Media, Corner Store Fund, Janet Billig Rich, Hillary Weaver, Toni Habib, Paula Davis, Simon and Stefany Bergson/Jennifer Maloney, Charles Rolecek, Susanne Brook, Israel Wolfson, Sara Katz/Jayson Raitt, Max Gottlieb/John Butler, David Kaufman/Jay Franks, Mike Wittlin, Prospect Pictures, Laura Smith/Bill Bodnar, Happy Walters, Michele Caro, The Araca Group Shrek The Musical Producers: Dreamworks Theatricals, Neal Street Productions
And it's Billy Elliot of course.
That's 15 right by my count.
NPH is doing a cute closing number. Very funny. In fact, the best part of the entire ceremony.
Tonight, tonight The Tonys were tonight And Elton's Billy was all the rage What class, what drive Now Angela won five And she hooked up with Poison backstage
With heels as sore as poor Achilles Three tutu-wearing Billys Were such a winning sight
Tonight, all three Won Tony plus they hit puberty
[to "Luck be a Lady Tonight"]
And Geoffrey won a Tony tonight Karen won a Tony tonight Liza at the Palace Mr. Ripley's daughter Alice They all won a Tony tonight
Credits! That's not going to stop me!
[to "Tonight"]
Chris Sieber - please! Performing on your knees? Dude, that only works To win Golden Globes
I hope, tonight, When they're high as a kite To be there when the Hair cast disrobes
This show Could not be any gayer If Liza was named mayor And Elton John took flight
The curtain falls I'm off to hit some big Tony balls Goodnight
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