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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Excellent Links / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Communication Is A Net Positive

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Communication Is A Net Positive

by Anne Laurie|  June 27, 20237:33 am| 159 Comments

This post is in: Excellent Links, Foreign Affairs, LGBTQ Rights Are Human Rights, Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat, Tech News & Issues

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PSA:

The paywall is down this week across @washingtonpost. Enter your email address when prompted and you can read as many articles as you want for free.

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) June 26, 2023

“We lock our closets from the inside, to shield ourselves from the possibility of trauma that our fears inflate, robbing ourselves of the life-affirming opportunity to be brave,” writes @CharlesMBlow. https://t.co/NOTMLMHZ0w

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) June 24, 2023

Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride announced she’s running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Already the first openly transgender state senator elected in the country, she’d be the first transgender member of Congress if she wins in November. https://t.co/9j8XBAwCTV

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 26, 2023

Not our circus, not our monkeys…

President Biden on the Russian rebellion: "Let me emphasize: We gave Putin no excuse to blame this on the West or to blame this on NATO. We made clear that we were not involved. We had nothing to do with it. This was part of a struggle within Russia's system."

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 26, 2023


Biden said the United States and NATO had no involvement in the short-lived insurrection in Russia by the Wagner Group mercenary force. He said it’s “too early” to assess the impact on the war in Ukraine. https://t.co/O9rFtG4aKr pic.twitter.com/0ChP0EhVdP

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 26, 2023

Also!:

Big news: We’re investing $42 billion to bring affordable, high-speed internet to every American.

It’s the largest-ever investment to close the digital divide — and it’s all thanks to @POTUS’ Investing in America Agenda. pic.twitter.com/8TXdvpEtIm

— Secretary Gina Raimondo (@SecRaimondo) June 26, 2023

also it's consistently fun to watch Republicans take credit for a massive broadband investment boom they voted against and spent the last three years demonizing

and a press that can't be bothered to point that hypocrisy out

— Karl Bode (@KarlBode) June 26, 2023

By 2028 or so there should be some very interesting data to dissect based on whether a state dumped money into competition boosting broadband alternatives (cooperatives, utilities, municipalities) or just threw most of it in Comcast's lap

— Karl Bode (@KarlBode) June 26, 2023

President Joe Biden says high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but rather an "absolute necessity." https://t.co/IoXUvPcAcN

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 26, 2023

but states are dictating money flow, so states that are historically captured or corrupt will, of course, dole out a disproportionate share of the funding to the same telecom monopolies that spent the last 30 years crushing all competition via lobbying

— Karl Bode (@KarlBode) June 26, 2023

It's so interesting to see Democrats enact all these policies that disproportionately benefit deep-red rural communities. A striking contrast to Republicans' unceasing attacks on cities and urban residents. https://t.co/E1vZjpX92H

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) June 26, 2023

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Reader Interactions

159Comments

  1. 1.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    June 27, 2023 at 7:40 am

    Good morning.

  2. 2.

    twbrandt

    June 27, 2023 at 7:45 am

    @Mr. Bemused Senior: Good morning!

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    June 27, 2023 at 7:55 am

    Just dropping in to say thanx for all the kind comments yesterday (I read them last night). Started the day with a funeral for my BIL’s older brother and ended it at my SIL’s house (feels strange saying it that way). She is pretty fucked up, no sleeping, a lot of quivering, tears at the drop of a hat, about what one would expect. For now, somebody is always there with her. I tried to talk her into going to a doctor, for sleep remedies if nothing else, but she’s a nurse so I doubt my words took hold. Going back there today, hopefully I can be useful. Also hoping they will release my brother’s body today so that things can move forward on that front. I suspect my bother would say “Cremate me and to hell with the rest.” but R may well feel otherwise.

  4. 4.

    Suzanne

    June 27, 2023 at 7:59 am

    It’s so interesting to see Democrats enact all these policies that disproportionately benefit deep-red rural communities. A striking contrast to Republicans’ unceasing attacks on cities and urban residents.

    But, you see, urban areas have racial minorities, queers, and women who don’t know their proper place.

  5. 5.

    Ken

    June 27, 2023 at 8:00 am

    The White House denial of any involvement in Prigozhin’s mutiny will undoubtedly be all the evidence that some people need that the US was behind it.

    I can also see some Republicans attacking Biden on his “inactivity”. This may actually be a useful indication of which Republicans are not on Putin’s payroll.

  6. 6.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    June 27, 2023 at 8:01 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: just you being there is more than useful.

  7. 7.

    MomSense

    June 27, 2023 at 8:06 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    You are a really good person.  I admire the way you care for and about your family.

  8. 8.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 8:11 am

    @Mr. Bemused Senior:

    Good morning.

    The paywall is down this week across @washingtonpost. Enter your email address when prompted and you can read as many articles as you want for free

     

    So cynical me says this week will feature less bias against Dems in order to reel in liberal subscribers.

  9. 9.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 8:13 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It’s good that people are staying with her.

  10. 10.

    zhena gogolia

    June 27, 2023 at 8:16 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: This is so sad. I can’t imagine.

  11. 11.

    BenCisco 🇺🇸🎖️🖥️♦️

    June 27, 2023 at 8:17 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I missed the thread yesterday. I’m very sorry for your loss.

  12. 12.

    randy khan

    June 27, 2023 at 8:20 am

    I want to push back a bit against the idea that money going to rural coops, etc., is going to boost competition in broadband.  It’s often not what happens.  The rural coops and other small telephone companies have had decades of access to special funding that nobody else can get.  Some of them have used that money to build fiber; some have decided not to do anything at all.  (Also, when the FCC last held an auction for funding for unserved areas, a lot of rural phone companies decided not to participate.)  In other words, if the local cable company – probably *not* Comcast, by the way – gets funding for broadband, it will either be the first real broadband provider or the first real competitor in a lot of those rural markets.

    I’ve spent a lot of time dealing with rural phone companies over the years, and if you want to find the companies that hate competition the most in the U.S., rural telephone companies would be a great place to start.

  13. 13.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:23 am

    @Ken:

    My thoughts exactly, as in.

      “We had nothing to do with it. This was part of a struggle within Russia’s system.”

    Pull the other one, Mister President, Sir. Prigozhin/Wagner have been on the FullSpec/DFA payroll since 1988. You know it, we know it, they know it. RealPeacePeople don’t need FiveEyes to see how the dominoes fall. #UseMoreMind #RFK2WH #Starsnstripesbebetter

    and

      “We had nothing to do with it. This was part of a struggle within Russia’s system.”

    Funny that JBWH thinks it’s okay to boast about the worst failure of American Intelligence since Benghazi. What is happening over there? Too Woke to be Awake? This is on your watch, Dems. For God’s sake, go14A now or get ready for hell. #betterredthanzed #israelstrong #MAF

    Almost like it’s orchestrated, or something.

  14. 14.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:23 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    You’re a good guy. That is all.

  15. 15.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 8:23 am

    @randy khan:

    I have some experience with them and can confirm what you said.  Rural telcos see themselves as indispensable heros in their communities, and they and their local allies have convinced residents of that too.

  16. 16.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 8:25 am

    @Tony Jay:

    14C?

  17. 17.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:28 am

    It’s funny. A massive expansion of free Broadband across the whole UK was a part of the last Labour Party manifesto over here and ALL of the ‘smart, sensible adults’ said it was a crazy Far Left joke of a policy that would cost hundreds of billions and put thousands out of work. Granted, they said that about everything in the last Labour manifesto, especially the stuff that the Tories would later steal chunks of when Covid hit and actual solutions had to be actually found.

    Oh, hang on, funny isn’t the right word. Deplorable, That’s the word.

  18. 18.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:30 am

    @Baud:

    I changed it. Should have been 14A.

    That’s the one about putting President Granddad in a nice care home, isn’t it?

  19. 19.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 8:31 am

    @Tony Jay:

    No. That’s the 25th.

  20. 20.

    rikyrah

    June 27, 2023 at 8:31 am

    Good Morning Everyone😊😊😊

  21. 21.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 8:32 am

    @rikyrah:

    Good morning.

  22. 22.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    June 27, 2023 at 8:34 am

    @Baud: there’s some code here with which I’m unfamiliar.

  23. 23.

    Ken

    June 27, 2023 at 8:34 am

    @Tony Jay: Back when we had proper phones, comedies sometimes had a gag where a person had to answer two phone calls at once, and both of the other parties were chattering and not listening to his requests that they hold. So he would hold the handsets together speaker-to-mouthpiece and let them chatter at one another.

    Pity there’s no easy way to similarly cross-wire those two twitterers.

  24. 24.

    prostratedragon

    June 27, 2023 at 8:35 am

    NWS forecast for Chicago today: “Areas of smoke …” I can taste it.

    Schubert’s version of “Longing” by Goethe.

  25. 25.

    Brachiator

    June 27, 2023 at 8:35 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I am sorry for your loss. My best to you and your family.

  26. 26.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:37 am

    @Baud:

    Bugger!

    Oh well, put it down to verisimilitude.

  27. 27.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 8:38 am

    @Tony Jay:

    It’s ok. It’s hard for people whose country doesn’t have a written constitution.

  28. 28.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:40 am

    @Ken:

    Consider it done. They probably have desks next to each other in Disinformation Towers anyway.

  29. 29.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    June 27, 2023 at 8:43 am

    @Baud: amendment, d’Oh. [quoting the Golux] if there’s one thing I hate, it’s amendments.

  30. 30.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:44 am

    @Baud:

    Oh, we do. It’s just that it’s written in a mix of Church Latin and gutter Norman French on the buttocks of each succeeding monarch and basically translates to “See this sword? Any questions? Back to the fields, villein!”

    It’s served us well, Gawd Bless the Derrieres of Divine Right.

  31. 31.

    OverTwistWillie

    June 27, 2023 at 8:47 am

    Bode’s reflexive but vague anti-trust messaging is not illuminating.

    The issue is some states refuse to enact municipal level franchise models (rather than historic state level tariffed telecom models) for broadband offerings.

    There is a history, and some good, and not so good reasons for both.

  32. 32.

    Ken

    June 27, 2023 at 8:47 am

    @Tony Jay: Disinformation Towers must be in the “throw everything against the wall and see what sticks” phase of operations.

    For what it’s worth, I don’t think the second (“failure of US intelligence”) one will stick. It’s too easy for someone to smirk and say “I said we weren’t involved. No one said anything about not knowing about it.”

  33. 33.

    Rusty

    June 27, 2023 at 8:48 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: A very good pastor once told me that funerals are for the living.  Yes, the deceased may have their wishes but you should do what is best for the living.  So if your family wants some form of memorial service, do it to help all of you grieve, remember, console, etc., do as all of you need.

  34. 34.

    Spanky

    June 27, 2023 at 8:48 am

    Jennifer Rubin lays out the case against No Labels in today’s WaPo, ending with…

    No wonder some prominent allies of No Labels in the past, including New York Times columnist David Brooks and Brookings Institution policy scholar William Galston, have called foul and withdrawn their support. We are left to ponder: Would No Labels be doing anything differently if it were a front group for Republicans out to sink Biden?

    Nothing we haven’t said here, but happy to see it mainstreamed.

  35. 35.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 27, 2023 at 8:49 am

    @Baud:

    14C?

    There’s a bra for every size these days.

  36. 36.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:49 am

    @Ken:

      “I said we weren’t involved. No one said anything about not knowing about it.”

    They admit they LIED to the AMERICAN PEOPLE!

    To the Impeachment mobile!

  37. 37.

    Ken

    June 27, 2023 at 8:50 am

    @Tony Jay: Church Latin and gutter Norman French

    Even on the Scottish, Dutch, and German buttocks that have occupied the chair for the last few centuries?

  38. 38.

    BenCisco 🇺🇸🎖️🖥️♦️

    June 27, 2023 at 8:54 am

    @randy khan: Agreed. Mama Cisco lives in an area that she helped bring FIBER connectivity to (as part of the school system) almost 30 years ago. Not only did the local telcos NOT utilize it for the customer base (the one servicing the south end of the county eventually sold out to another company that quickly made use of it), the one in the north end still has areas that don’t have LANDLINES.

    In 2023.

  39. 39.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 8:54 am

    @Ken:

    It’s tradition, innit? It’s not like they need to read it.

  40. 40.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    June 27, 2023 at 8:58 am

    @Tony Jay: I suppose they don’t broadcast the part of the ceremony where that tattoo is done as it might get a little tedious.

  41. 41.

    sdhays

    June 27, 2023 at 8:59 am

    @Ken: As I’m sure you know, there’s nothing stronger than the bond between a man and his caterer, so if the US/NATO could pull Prigozhin away, what does that say about old Putin?

  42. 42.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 9:00 am

    @Tony Jay:

    Gluteal monarchy > constitutional monarchy.

  43. 43.

    Burnspbesq

    June 27, 2023 at 9:00 am

    “Go 14A” = sue to knock Trump off the ballot because he engaged in insurrection.

  44. 44.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 27, 2023 at 9:04 am

    @prostratedragon: Wunderground is reporting “Haze” on the north side, and an air quality of 166 “Unhealthy.”

    Guess I’ll postpone a bike ride.

  45. 45.

    tobie

    June 27, 2023 at 9:04 am

    I’m in Florida to scatter my father’s ashes. He died Jan 31 and the cremation happened some time in February. In the interim we’ve moved my mother from her house to a senior living center, which she likes a lot, but it’s been eating at her that she hasn’t laid my father to rest. So heat notwithstanding we’re going to the Sarasota Bay today to release his remains. My mother’s not at all sentimental so I’ve been surprised at how much this is upsetting her.

  46. 46.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 9:08 am

    @tobie:

    My condolences.

  47. 47.

    dm

    June 27, 2023 at 9:08 am

    Here’s one for Anne Laurie’s Covid-casts:

    https://mastodon.social/@augieray/110610783192600537

    Anti-vax pro-Covid loonie Laura Loomer complains that the world has lost its savor the past few years since Covid, rattling off a long list of symptoms of Long Covid among her complaints.

    New MAGA syndrome: MAGAts, suffering Long Covid unaware, blame their feelings of malaise on the way liberals have made everything worse.

  48. 48.

    zhena gogolia

    June 27, 2023 at 9:08 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: You missed that part of the KCIII ceremony? It was between the Britten and the Purcell.

  49. 49.

    japa21

    June 27, 2023 at 9:09 am

    Took my mother over 15 years to decide to spread my father’s ashes. They had been sitting behind the liquor bottles in her closet (which considering his propensity for drinking was rather fitting). She finally asked my to take her out on the lake and dump them in one of his favorite fishing spots.
    30 years later we kids, spouses and children spread hers in the same spot.

  50. 50.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 9:10 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    That’s a mistake on their behalf. Watching a Windsor suffer and wail for once would likely pull in viewing figures in the hundreds of millions. Even I’d watch it, and not just for sexy reasons.

    @Baud:

    I think King Ralph proved that.

  51. 51.

    Ken

    June 27, 2023 at 9:11 am

    @zhena gogolia: I thought Penny Mordaunt used that sword quite skillfully to apply the tattoo. As they say, practice makes perfect.

  52. 52.

    zhena gogolia

    June 27, 2023 at 9:12 am

    @Tony Jay: I read this comment to my husband, and now he bursts out laughing every few minutes as he remembers it.

  53. 53.

    tobie

    June 27, 2023 at 9:14 am

    @japa21: That’s a sweet story even if the circumstances you were dealing with were painful. You closed the circle in bringing your mother’s ashes to the same place as your father’s.

    I’m not sure how my mother will handle things today. Maybe she’ll be relieved. Maybe this will tear open the wound of my father’s passing. I guess I’ll just have to be prepared for whatever happens.

  54. 54.

    jonas

    June 27, 2023 at 9:14 am

    @Ken: ​
     

    No one said anything about not knowing

    Exactly. What does an “intelligence failure” even mean in this context? *If* the US/Five Eyes had any inkling that Prigozhin was up to something, what, exactly, were we supposed to do? Preempt him with a big announcement? “Hey Putin, your man here is coming for you! Not us! Bye!”

    The stupid. It burns.

  55. 55.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 9:15 am

    @tobie:

    I hope you all have a peaceful day.

  56. 56.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 9:16 am

    @jonas:

    It’s not a real quote. I was taking the piss.

  57. 57.

    tobie

    June 27, 2023 at 9:18 am

    @eclare: Thank you.

  58. 58.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 9:19 am

    @zhena gogolia:

    My work here is done 8-)

  59. 59.

    dm

    June 27, 2023 at 9:24 am

    @Ken: There were reports over the weekend that US intelligence has known something was going to happen for about ten days, but wasn’t sure exactly what.

  60. 60.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 9:26 am

    @Tony Jay: Honestly, the Windsors deserve everything they get just for that stupid, pretentious tie knot.

  61. 61.

    Betty Cracker

    June 27, 2023 at 9:27 am

    @tobie: I hope scattering the ashes brings peace to all. It’s great that you’re there for your mom.

  62. 62.

    TS

    June 27, 2023 at 9:32 am

    @Baud:

    So cynical me says this week will feature less bias against Dems in order to reel in liberal subscribers.

    Interesting you say that. I have my $19/year subscription (offered as a one-off & renewed for the past 7 years at the same rate)  and from what I have read today you seem to be correct.

  63. 63.

    dm

    June 27, 2023 at 9:33 am

    Jonathan Ganz explains the “14A” in that tweet:

    https://open.substack.com/pub/johnganz/p/the-republican-war-on-american-citizenship?r=7t9hu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

    The 14th Amendment is the one that grants birthright citizenship. Ganz’s (brief) essay talks about the Republican war on citizenship , up to aDesantis speech in Texas yesterday.

  64. 64.

    tobie

    June 27, 2023 at 9:33 am

    @Betty Cracker: Thanks.

    By the way: your summers are beastly hot. I don’t think I’ve ever been in Florida in June. It’s intense.

  65. 65.

    Betty Cracker

    June 27, 2023 at 9:36 am

    @tobie: July is worse! ;-)

  66. 66.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 9:38 am

    @Betty Cracker: “Come to Florida in June!  July is worse!”  I can see the tourism campaign now.

  67. 67.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 9:40 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    For some people it’s the hidden reptillian nature. For others it’s the hoarding of vast wealth. For others its the racist snobbishness. For others it’s the scaffolding they provide for a system of gross inequality.

    But the knot. Everyone can agree on that.

  68. 68.

    Low Key Swagger

    June 27, 2023 at 9:44 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Missed the thread.  My thoughts are with you and your family.  Sorry man.

  69. 69.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    June 27, 2023 at 9:46 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:Honestly, the Windsors deserve everything they get just for that stupid, pretentious tie knot.

    Without that knot, I wouldn’t be able to manage a tie.  Knot that I respect ties…

  70. 70.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 9:49 am

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Jesus, man.  A four in hand knot is much easier.

  71. 71.

    Jerzy Russian

    June 27, 2023 at 9:51 am

    @Betty Cracker:   I guess August is worse still?

  72. 72.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    June 27, 2023 at 9:52 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Huh, looked it up. [ETA] That’s the knot I use.

    I’ve always heard that referred to as a single Windsor, as opposed to the double Windsor which you may be referring to.

  73. 73.

    Lyrebird

    June 27, 2023 at 9:57 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Hey Ozark H!  I came to that other thread too late, or I thought so, but I have been sending wishes of comfort as well.

  74. 74.

    Betty Cracker

    June 27, 2023 at 10:00 am

    @Jerzy Russian: It can be just as hot or even hotter in August, but I find it more bearable because I know that, like a fever, summer will break soon, and the weather will reset to “awesome” again. (Assuming one is not killed in a hurricane, of course…)

  75. 75.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:04 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Are you getting the massive heat wave that’s hitting Texas and Louisiana today?

  76. 76.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:13 am

    Moore v. Harper came down. The court did not dismiss it. But the decision is good!

  77. 77.

    Betty Cracker

    June 27, 2023 at 10:15 am

    @Baud: I don’t think so. Last I heard, the worst of it is expected to stay west of the Mississippi.

  78. 78.

    lowtechcyclist

    June 27, 2023 at 10:15 am

    @Baud:

    Moore v. Harper came down. The court did not dismiss it. But the decision is good!

    That’s a blessed relief. Thanks for passing the word along!

  79. 79.

    Betty Cracker

    June 27, 2023 at 10:19 am

    @Baud: Just saw that on MJ Stern’s Twitter feed. Whew!

  80. 80.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 10:20 am

    @Baud: ​
      The Court rejected the independent state legislature theory. That’s the big takeaway on this one.

  81. 81.

    SteveinPHX

    June 27, 2023 at 10:21 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Missed this yesterday. Work.

    My sympathies and you are doing good with your family.

  82. 82.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:21 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Makes me wonder whether Kavanaugh, Roberts, and Barrett got scared about what they were hearing at GOP cocktail parties.

    Regardless, one bullet dodged. On to the next one.

  83. 83.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 10:22 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    We are getting it in Memphis starting on Thursday.  High of 101 or 102 expected, not as bad as TX, but unusual for us in June.

  84. 84.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 10:22 am

    @Baud:

    Yay!

  85. 85.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 10:23 am

    @Baud: ​
      It might just be that they are assholes, but not crazy assholes.

  86. 86.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 27, 2023 at 10:24 am

    Speaking of monkeys have you guys seen the venomous response garnered by President Obama for mildly critical comments and honest comments about India? And Sabrina Siddiqui for just doing her fucking job

    The hate Sabrina garnered was so severe that the White House had to put out a statement defending her and the freedom of press.

  87. 87.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 10:25 am

    @Baud:

    Yep.  I tried Google and can’t find how the court ruled, 5-4, 6-3, etc.

  88. 88.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:25 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I suppose the most likely thing is that ISLT would have brought every question of state elections law into the federal courts, and they didn’t want to deal with that.

  89. 89.

    Ken

    June 27, 2023 at 10:26 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: @Baud: I wonder if there’s a bit of self-preservation there. Once you’ve said “State supreme courts can’t strike down legislation on constitutional grounds”, people might start asking why federal courts can.

  90. 90.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:28 am

    @eclare:

    6-3

  91. 91.

    Scout211

    June 27, 2023 at 10:28 am

    @eclare:

    link

    The Supreme Court said that the North Carolina Supreme Court did not violate the elections clause of the US Constitution when it invalidated the state’s 2022 congressional map, rejecting a broad version of a controversial legal theory pushed by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

    Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the 6-3 opinion.

  92. 92.

    JPL

    June 27, 2023 at 10:30 am

    @Baud: I was curious what you thought.   Maybe they were being shunned at cocktail parties.

  93. 93.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 10:30 am

    @Baud: ​
      There is also the fact that ISLT is bonkers.

  94. 94.

    OzarkHillbilly

    June 27, 2023 at 10:31 am

    @eclare: NBC has this.

  95. 95.

    BenCisco 🇺🇸🎖️🖥️♦️

    June 27, 2023 at 10:31 am

    @tobie: Sorry for your loss.

  96. 96.

    Ascap_scab

    June 27, 2023 at 10:32 am

    Well of course I’ll accept a free week of the company paper from the company town after the way they broke the Thomas/Alito corruption scandal wide open.

    You mean that wasn’t the Washington Post?

  97. 97.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:32 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Like that has ever been a hurdle.

  98. 98.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 10:32 am

    @Baud:

    Thanks!

  99. 99.

    JPL

    June 27, 2023 at 10:32 am

    The court first holds that it has the power to review the case despite the subsequent NC Supreme Court decision.

    Truthfully this will shut up the states for awhile.   Does this reverse TX’s whacky law that allows states to change elections?
    BTW Scotusblog is excellent.   Thursday is the next nail biting day, but it appears that it won’t be the last.

  100. 100.

    twbrandt

    June 27, 2023 at 10:33 am

    @eclare: 6-3, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch dissenting

    ETA: oooh, #100!

  101. 101.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 10:33 am

    @Ken: I am sure that is a big part of it.

  102. 102.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 10:33 am

    @Scout211:

    Thanks!

  103. 103.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 10:33 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Thanks!

  104. 104.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:34 am

    @Ken:

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Marbury v. Madison is featured very early in the majority’s opinion.

  105. 105.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:35 am

    @JPL:

    No. This doesn’t affect the TX law one way or the other.

  106. 106.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 10:35 am

    @twbrandt:

    Thanks!

  107. 107.

    Geminid

    June 27, 2023 at 10:40 am

    In Montana Senate news, Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines has landed his big fish: Politico and other sites report that Tim Sheehy has announced a Senate bid. A former Navy SEAL, Sheehy owns a couple of aerial firefighting and fire spotting companies as well as a cattle ranch.

    Daines was reported to be recruiting Sheehy for some time. Being the Senatorial Committee Chair, Daines cannot endorse Sheehy but said that he “could not be happier” about Sheehy’s candidacy.

    Knuckle dragging Rep. Matt Rosendale is also expected to join the Republican field.

  108. 108.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:43 am

    Ooh. Kagan’s First Amendment decision today has “Fuck off permanently” right there in the opinion.

  109. 109.

    JoyceH

    June 27, 2023 at 10:44 am

    Came here to celebrate the defeat of ISLT. But on the subject of funeral arrangements, I was executor for both my mother and my sister, one traditional and one cremation. And have to say the cremation option eliminates the interminable discussion of what the Dear Departed would want to wear!

  110. 110.

    Soprano2

    June 27, 2023 at 10:47 am

    @Baud: Evidently we’re getting it. On the local weather last night they were forecasting a high of 102º here on Thursday. I don’t know if it’s ever gotten above 100º here in June before, it’s that rare.

  111. 111.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:50 am

    @Baud:

    The opinion has a short summary of incitement law that will likely set social media abuzz regarding its application to Trump.

  112. 112.

    JPL

    June 27, 2023 at 10:51 am

    @Baud: oooh

    Did you read the Alito’s and Gorsuch’s dissent in the ISLtheory case?   I saw Thomas’ opinion on scotusblog, but that was it.

  113. 113.

    Ken

    June 27, 2023 at 10:53 am

    @Baud: I remember when then-Governor Schwarzenegger did that, acrostic-style, in a message announcing a veto.

  114. 114.

    Baud

    June 27, 2023 at 10:53 am

    @JPL:

    No, I haven’t read it.

  115. 115.

    catclub

    June 27, 2023 at 10:58 am

    @jonas: ​
     

    What does an “intelligence failure” even mean in this context?

    I think it means “Don’t bring up the OTHER intelligence failure on CNN today – ‘FBI and Homeland security intelligence failures missed J6 insurrection in plain sight on social media’ “

  116. 116.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 11:00 am

    @JPL: There were no other dissents.  Gorsuch joined in Thomas’s full dissent and Alito joined in the first part that said the court should have just punted the case.  They all are a bit butthurt that the Roberts took the opportunity to, as ABL put it, yeet the ISLT into the sun when the case could have been decided without doing it.

  117. 117.

    Elizabelle

    June 27, 2023 at 11:00 am

    @tobie:  My thoughts are with you and your family.  Hope we can get a meetup together a bit later this year.

  118. 118.

    catclub

    June 27, 2023 at 11:01 am

    @Baud: ​
     ISLT a bridge too far for only 3 of six reactionary judges.

  119. 119.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    June 27, 2023 at 11:02 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Sounds like I’m not up on details, but best of luck and good on you, being there.

  120. 120.

    Brachiator

    June 27, 2023 at 11:03 am

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Speaking of monkeys have you guys seen the venomous response garnered by President Obama for mildly critical comments and honest comments about India?

    I saw one BBC News story noting how some Indian officials were “shocked” at Obama’s criticisms, which were very mild. Obama also emphasized that he and Modi had a good relationship.

    The BBC News story did quote some harsh comments about Obama. I got the impression that there was worse stuff elsewhere.

  121. 121.

    kalakal

    June 27, 2023 at 11:04 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I can see the tourism campaign now.

    It has the merit of accuracy. Like “Come to Wales! Not always raining!”

  122. 122.

    Soprano2

    June 27, 2023 at 11:04 am

    OT moment of happiness – finding out you went on vacation and didn’t gain any weight! I felt like I ate so much and only walked for exercise, so I’m really happy about it! We picked up the dogs yesterday because hubby really missed them. Can’t wait to get the cat today. I’m sure he’s extremely unhappy about being inside since Wednesday.

  123. 123.

    Mike in NC

    June 27, 2023 at 11:04 am

    @twbrandt:  We’ve all seen too much about corrupt to their toenails Thomas and Alito and their billionaire sugar daddies. Who has the goods on Gorsuch?

  124. 124.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    June 27, 2023 at 11:04 am

    @catclub: I think it means “Don’t bring up the OTHER intelligence failure on CNN today – ‘FBI and Homeland security intelligence failures missed J6 insurrection in plain sight on social media’ “

    Missed? Or disregarded?

  125. 125.

    Tony Jay

    June 27, 2023 at 11:05 am

    @tobie:

    My condolences. Closure in situations like this is hard to get, but important. People need to feel they’ve done right by their loved ones. Your mother sounds like this is something she just needs to do in the way that she needs to do it.

  126. 126.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 27, 2023 at 11:07 am

    Check out the comments under Sabrina’s tweet.

    Reaction to Obama’s remarks

    The Sangh ecosystem has weaponized traditional media and social media to an extent that Trump and the Republicans can only dream of. With it they have managed to silence most of the critical voices

    They have also convinced many upper caste Indians that this makes India look “strong”.

  127. 127.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 27, 2023 at 11:09 am

    @Brachiator:  This is something that BJP has done over the last 9 years. Weaponized the media and social media.

    I have also seen a lot of anti-Semitic dog whistles against Soros not from nameless trolls but BJP luminaries.

    Modi presents himself differently in India he is not the smiling affable uncle that he was in DC or in NY doing yoga. But he is a dragon breathing fires of hate and bigotry. His entire body language is different.

    Their entire IT cell  was anti-Biden and pro-T in 2020. Didn’t seem to have much of an effect on how Indian-Americans voted overall but they are going to try again in 2024.

  128. 128.

    rikyrah

    June 27, 2023 at 11:09 am

    @Scout211:

     

    with my whole chest…

     

    IF THE 2022 ELECTIONS HAD GONE DIFFERENTLY….

     

    We would have had an entirely different decision.

  129. 129.

    kalakal

    June 27, 2023 at 11:14 am

    On a note of whiny self pity.

    Had a run in with some bug(s) yesterday – didn’t actually see anything. Right ankle is now half as big as left one and a blister the size of the top half of my thumb. Bit sore and itches like a very itchy thing. When I came to Fl I was worried about gators, pythons, brain eating amoeba etc. So far I’ve been screwed over by the boring stuff like wasps and ants.

    Florida, out to kill you 😀

  130. 130.

    Scout211

    June 27, 2023 at 11:14 am

    @Mike in NC:Who has the goods on Gorsuch?

    There was a real estate deal that was reported a few months ago.

    Justice Neil Gorsuch’s property sale to prominent lawyer raises more ethical questions

    A nearly $2 million sale of property co-owned by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch to a prominent law firm executive in 2017 is raising new questions about the lax ethics reporting requirements for Supreme Court justices.

    Property records from Grand County, Colorado, show that the Walden Group LLC – a limited-liability company in which Gorsuch was a partner – sold a 40-acre property on the Colorado River to Brian Duffy, chief executive officer of the prominent law firm Greenberg Traurig.

    Duffy and his wife, Kari Duffy, paid $1.8 million for the property on May 12, 2017 – just one month after Gorsuch was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

  131. 131.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 11:14 am

    @Mike in NC:

    Reports say he sold some ranch in CO to a partner in a firm that has been before SCOTUS.  So yes, there is dirt on him, too.  Funny how it’s those three who dissented.

  132. 132.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 27, 2023 at 11:15 am

    @kalakal: Have you considered emigrating to Australia?

  133. 133.

    rikyrah

    June 27, 2023 at 11:15 am

    @tobie:

    My condolences.

  134. 134.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 11:16 am

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Interesting about Modi at home vs here.

    Also love the drawing you just posted on the bird.

  135. 135.

    kalakal

    June 27, 2023 at 11:17 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Yes, often. I hear the swimmings good

  136. 136.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 27, 2023 at 11:17 am

    @eclare: A good thespian understands his audience.

    It was my first attempt using watercolors in a coloring book without preparing the page with gesso or a glaze.

  137. 137.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 11:18 am

    @kalakal:

    Didn’t you just stop a multi-year shot regimen for wasp stings?

  138. 138.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 27, 2023 at 11:19 am

    @tobie: I am sorry for your loss.

  139. 139.

    Cameron

    June 27, 2023 at 11:19 am

    @Jerzy Russian: They call it stormy May day/But June is just as bad/July’s worse/and August, oh so sad.

  140. 140.

    rikyrah

    June 27, 2023 at 11:19 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

     

    Sorry for your loss :(

  141. 141.

    Brachiator

    June 27, 2023 at 11:20 am

    @tobie:

    My condolences to you and your family.

  142. 142.

    satby

    June 27, 2023 at 11:21 am

    @mrmoshpotato: in S. Bend the air quality is 230! It looks like a light fog on a completely overcast day outside.

  143. 143.

    satby

    June 27, 2023 at 11:23 am

    @tobie: Condolences. It’s the last step to saying goodbye, so maybe that’s why she’s felt unsettled until she could do it.

  144. 144.

    trucmat

    June 27, 2023 at 11:24 am

    @Scout211:

    Unless Gorsuch received at least double the real 2017 value for the property he probably would have made more by waiting to cash out. Colorado real estate has skyrocketed but Grand County was pretty cheap even in 2017. Prices exploded upwards there when the pandemic started. So the sale might have been corrupt but the timing turned out to be terrible.

  145. 145.

    kalakal

    June 27, 2023 at 11:25 am

    For anyone who watches Jason Klepper’s encounters with MAGAs here’s  UK Brexiteers saying “Hold my beer”.

    Brexiteer nutjobs

    It’s such a great thing that thanks to modern communication systems these well considered arguments are given widespread coverage /S

  146. 146.

    kalakal

    June 27, 2023 at 11:26 am

    @eclare: Yep ☹️. This isn’t anything as bad, just a local reaction, not hospital time. The funny part is I grew up in and lived all over the place, jungles, deserts etc. Nary a problem until Florida

  147. 147.

    planetjanet

    June 27, 2023 at 11:29 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: ​
     I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. May the good memories surround you and your family to help you in this moment.

  148. 148.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 27, 2023 at 11:31 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: You are in my thoughts. Sorry about your brother that must be hard.

  149. 149.

    eclare

    June 27, 2023 at 11:34 am

    @kalakal:

    I don’t know if I’d call that funny…

    The bane of my existence is mosquitos.  I sat outside yesterday for about twenty minutes in jeans and a t-shirt, got six bites.  They love me, I’ve tried stuff like 98% DEET, no effect.  Now I just get bitten and then take some Benadryl.

    But that is nothing compared to the time I got chiggers…

  150. 150.

    Burnspbesq

    June 27, 2023 at 11:51 am

    @catclub:

    only needed two.

  151. 151.

    Another Scott

    June 27, 2023 at 11:55 am

    @Mike in NC:

    nycsouthpaw had a Gorsuch corruption story tweet from Politico pinned to the top of his feed for weeks. It’s gone now.

    His PawPrints article has much more.

    Politico’s Supreme Court about Justice Gorsuch reporting might be a good example. Politico’s report, on its face, shows that Gorsuch benefited from a lucrative land deal shortly after he took his seat on the Supreme Court—and shortly before he bought his house—and disclosed very little about it, including that the head of a major DC law firm supplied the money. Even in bare bones form, it’s a really great story.

    HTH!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  152. 152.

    Ruckus

    June 27, 2023 at 11:58 am

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation:

    What’s a tie?

  153. 153.

    Layer8Problem

    June 27, 2023 at 11:59 am

    @kalakal: ​ Hinterland sure didn’t make it look terribly dry.

  154. 154.

    kalakal

    June 27, 2023 at 12:02 pm

    @eclare: Chiggers I’ve so far avoided, they sound terrible, you have my sympathy.

    Bad phrasing on my part, I should have said odd rather than funny

  155. 155.

    kalakal

    June 27, 2023 at 12:06 pm

    @Layer8Problem: On a sunny day it’s gorgeous, like the Lake District*, but sadly they’re both like Seattle for weather.

    *There’s a reason those lakes are there

  156. 156.

    Mart

    June 27, 2023 at 12:28 pm

    Our fairly well-off Republican suburb is expanding broadband throughout contracted to Spectrum. The City magazine says the money came magically from the federal government, somehow.

  157. 157.

    Kayla Rudbek

    June 27, 2023 at 12:33 pm

    @eclare: there’s been research on changing your soap – apparently coconut scented soap works better in attracting fewer bugs.

  158. 158.

    NotMax

    June 27, 2023 at 12:39 pm

    AKalakal

    Not always raining!

    There’s good reason part of it is called Snowdonia.
    ;)

  159. 159.

    Emma from Miami

    June 27, 2023 at 12:59 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly: Missed this due to just wanting to be off the damn internet so I  didn’t have to hear about DeSantis.

    I am so sorry. I remember the aftermath of my mom’s death, when my sister, my cousin and I took the reins just to keep my dad from breaking down. He wasn’t ready to face it. In some ways he still isn’t.

    Don’t forget to take some time for yourself too.

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