Archive for July, 2014

Sy/Raq: Creepy Mission Or Mission Creep?

Filed in International by admin on July 1, 2014 • 6 Comments

300 more to Iraq, for a total of 800. But we’re told, no boots on the ground. Just security forces for the 500 already there, mostly in the Taj Majal U.S. Embassy, just a few in foward positions as “advisors”. Sound familiar? It does for those of us who survived the 60’s and 70’s.

The Hobby Lobby Ruling Is A Slippery Slope That Will Affect More Than Contraceptives

Filed in National by pandora on July 1, 2014 • 63 Comments

If you haven’t read Justice Ginsburg’s dissent in the Hobby Lobby case you really should. She makes excellent points – points that demonstrate how this ruling will extend beyond contraceptives.

In a decision of startling breadth, the Court holds that commercial enterprises, including corporations, along with partnerships and sole proprietorships, can opt out of any law (saving only tax laws) they judge incompatible with their sincerely held religious beliefs.

She’s correct, of course. No matter how the majority opinion tried to limit this ruling to controlling women (and Alito didn’t even bother to explain why this ruling was limited) it opens the door to every company’s “sincerely held religious beliefs”. How could it not?

How The GA Passed Energy Efficiency w/o Passing HB 179

Filed in Delaware by El Somnambulo on July 1, 2014 • 17 Comments

This is awesome, just the kind of stuff I love. You will no doubt recall, through the writings of Cassandra and others, that Delaware utilities currently cannot offer their customers consumer conservation programs that would save the consumer money and reduce energy usage.

You also know that a bill designed to permit utilities to offer these programs was buried in the Senate Energy Committee, where it had languished for over a year under the watchful eye of SEU founder and Senator Harris McDowell. Which brings us to last night, and, for that matter, this morning. At 3:21:05 am, to be precise.

No, Sen. McDowell did not relent, nor did he release HB 179 from committee. So, how did this get done?