David Frum and Chris Matthews discussing what is going on in Washington right now (in a conversation loosely about Social Security Reform):
FRUM: It
by John Cole| 18 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
David Frum and Chris Matthews discussing what is going on in Washington right now (in a conversation loosely about Social Security Reform):
FRUM: It
by John Cole| 14 Comments
This post is in: Domestic Politics
Scotus heard Kelo vs. New London yesterday:
If New London can seize people’s homes so private developers can build a hotel and convention center, what will cities do next? several Supreme Court justices asked during arguments Tuesday.
Can a city decide to get rid of the Motel 6 and put up a Ritz-Carlton, asked Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, because the luxury hotel would produce more taxes?
“That would be OK?” she asked.
“Are we saying you can take from A and give to B if B pays more taxes?” asked Justice Antonin Scalia.
Susette Kelo, sitting in the back of the cavernous court chamber, was encouraged by such questions. Kelo is the lead homeowner in a landmark case that pits a group of New London homeowners against a city that sees their property as crucial to its development plans.
Arguing on behalf of New London, attorney Wesley Horton told O’Connor, “Yes, your honor, it would be” appropriate to replace a lower-cost motel with a plush hotel.
A city, in this example, would be exercising its time-honored right of eminent domain, Horton said. The homeowners countered that what was really at stake for New London was whether developers and the city would make more money.
This is the most important case the Supreme Court has heard in ages, and it gets to the very foundation of our republic. Private property rights and protection from a capricious and overbearing government is why we started this little experiment. That is what our Constitution and Bill of Rights are all about. Check out our list of grievances with good ole King George III. In the recent past, governments, under the guise of environmental protection or iminent domain or whatever excuse they can muster have been attacking us on this front. The SCOTUS needs to take a stand.
An interesting debate can be found here.
by John Cole| 4 Comments
This post is in: Democratic Stupidity
The Opinion Journal nails this one:
“After an egregiously long delay, Attorney General John Ashcroft finally did the right thing yesterday when he recused himself from the investigation into who gave the name of a CIA operative to the columnist Robert Novak. Mr. Ashcroft turned the inquiry over to his deputy, who quickly appointed a special counsel.”
In the recent annals of press freedom, there are few more regrettable sentences than those two from a December 31, 2003, editorial in the New York Times. The special counsel that the Times was cheering on, Patrick Fitzgerald, is now threatening a Times reporter with jail, and in a way that jeopardizes the entire press corps. This is what happens when liberals let their partisan disdain for a President obscure their interest in larger principles.
The Times was hardly alone, let us hasten to add. Well-nigh every liberal newspaper in the country was calling for Mr. Ashcroft to recuse himself and name a “special counsel,” in the hope of nailing the Bush Administration official who had “leaked” the name of CIA analyst Valerie Plame. The idea that there might be some First Amendment equities at stake was overlooked amid the partisan frenzy, and in any case Mr. Novak was expendable because he was a conservative.
If you want a crystal clear example of liberal hyperventilation regarding the Plame affair, I would recommend perusing Kevin Drum’s Calpundit archives. Kevin still, to my knowledge, will not cede that Wilson is a liar and a fraud.
by John Cole| 7 Comments
This post is in: Domestic Politics
From the “You Can’t Make This Shit Up” files:
Two fired caretakers for Koko, the world-famous sign-language-speaking gorilla, have sued their former bosses, claiming they were pressured to expose their breasts as a way of bonding with the 300-pound simian.
Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller, both of San Francisco, claim they were subjected to sexual discrimination and then wrongfully terminated after reporting health and safety violations at Koko’s home in Woodside, an upscale town in the south San Francisco Bay area.
Cuddly Ape or Hairy Pervert?
by John Cole| 3 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
It is raining and crappy out, I am sick as a dog, and Hunter S. Thompson is dead.
Shit.
by John Cole| 66 Comments
This post is in: Republican Stupidity
Not enough is being made of this story:
Thousands of couples joined Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and first lady Janet Huckabee in renewing their wedding vows at a Valentine’s Day ceremony supporting the state’s voluntary covenant-marriage law that makes divorce harder to obtain.
“There is a crisis in America,” the Republican governor told a crowd of 6,400 at an arena Monday night. “That crisis is divorce. It is easier to get out of a marriage than (to get out of a) contract to buy a used car.”
Before the Huckabees renewed their wedding vows, they signed legal papers converting their 30-year marriage to a covenant marriage. Organizers of the event did not ask other couples to convert their marriages.
Under the 2001 Arkansas law, couples getting a covenant marriage agree to seek counseling before they wed and before they seek a divorce. A covenant marriage also requires a two-year wait before a divorce becomes final, except in cases of adultery, abuse or imprisonment for a felony.
From the Instapundit I see that Ann Althouse and John Scalzi have some choice comments on the issue. Ann states:
I must say I find it utterly repugnant for a political figure to make a big public show of upgrading his marriage to a “covenant marriage.” I don’t particularly approve of the trend of private celebrations that involve some married couple renewing their wedding vows. (What are you saying about vows if you have to renew a vow?) But for a state governor to participate in a spectacle like this, thrusting his private life into a gigantic rally, is just appalling.
I agree, but before I discuss this absurd covenant marriage bit, let’s review another related issue:
Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele and former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts have issued a statement calling for Howard Dean to apologize over remarks he made while addressing the Democratic Black Caucus last Friday.
First, the offending statement:
by John Cole| 13 Comments
This post is in: Popular Culture
OK, Alias fans- I have a question for you. I am only a few shows into the second season, but something is killing me.
What is the significance with the number 47?
– There are 47 parts to Rambaldi opus.
– When Marshall (who is emerging as my favorite character) makes the lipstick camera, it has 42 exposures, but he wants ‘get it to 47, because it is a prime number.’
– The secret computer server is #47.
– When Dixon plays a priest in the airport, he has made 47 Euros.
– A vault was vault #4747.
– the blank page inthe Rambaldi text was 47.
I could go on and on, and I have not even paid attention to license plates. I think that Kane chick, the one trying to frame jack BRistow, had an account with 47.
At any rate, this is killing me, but I am afraid to google it because if I do, I might learn something that will ruin future episodes. So, bearing in mind where i am in the show, can someone tell me if ’47’ means something?