Thursday Open Thread
Welcome to your Thursday open thread. It’s the first official day of autumn as well, so Happy Equinox! Will Christine O’Donnell celebrate by doing a ceremony while sky clad? Inquiring minds want to know.
Today is also the day where some of the provisions of the health care law kick in. The provisions like the end of recission, allowing young adults to stay on their parents health care plan and no more pre-existing condition restrictions for children. Nevada’s crazy Senate candidate Sharron Angle hates the new health care law. She also thinks autism is a joke, apparently.
In a video of Angle at a 2009 tea party rally released by the party’s tracker, Angle appears to mock a recently passed Nevada mandate for insurance carriers to cover treatment for autism.
“Take off the mandates for coverage in the state of Nevada and all over the United States,” she shouts. “But here you know what I’m talking about. You’re paying for things you don’t even need.
“They just passed the latest one, is everything that they want to throw at us now is covered under ‘autism’,” she said, using exaggerated air quotes to deliver the word ‘autism.’
Harry Reid has a lot going against him in this election. Nevada’s unemployment is the worst in the country. Sharron Angle is a terrible candidate who has made a lot of gaffes but she was still running neck-and-neck with Reid. I think this video will change things. This is the kind of thing that will offend a lot of people on a personal level.
Antonin Scalia doesn’t think the Constitution forbids discrimination against women.
Leave it to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to argue that the Constitution does not, in fact, bar sex discrimination.
Even though the court has said for decades that the equal-protection clause protects women (and, for that matter, men) from sex discrimination, the outspoken, controversial Scalia claimed late last week that women’s equality is entirely up to the political branches. “If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex,” he told an audience at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law, “you have legislatures.”
…
Indeed, Justice Scalia likes to present his views as highly principled – he’s not against equal rights for women or anyone else; he’s just giving the Constitution the strict interpretation it must be given. He focuses on the fact that the 14th Amendment was drafted after the Civil War to help lift up freed slaves to equality. “Nobody thought it was directed against sex discrimination,” he told his audience. (See “The State of the American Woman.”)
I wonder if Scalia holds seances to determine what the writers of the Constitution meant. It sounds like a scary place – the Constitution as written says slavery is o.k.
Tags: Open Thread
Maybe our local witch can cast a spell and find out what the Founders really meant when they wrote the Constitution.
” I think this video will change things. This is the kind of thing that will offend a lot of people on a personal level.”
I wonder if Sarah Palin will defend Angle’s first amendment rights on this one, will write it off as “satire” because teaservatives can do no wrong, or will be a good special needs mother. (i know which one she WONT do)
All over the country, Republicans are taking off the mask.
I’m seeing now that there will be no vote on middle class tax cuts before the election because Blue Dogs are scared. They’re worried about Republicans running ads calling them “tax raisers.” Profiles in courage, they ain’t.
All over the country Democrats are destroying the economy, profiles in despair they are.
There are no middle class tax cuts or did you mean to keep existing tax rates? There is no cut.
Man, libs are fools.
A Federal government agency steps to the front of the line:
OPM (US Office of Personnel Management) is excited to announce a brand new opportunity for employees! We are the first Federal agency to become a corporate member of the new Capital BikeShare program, sponsored by the DC Department of Transportation and Arlington County.
You may have noticed the bike station on the 19th Street side of TRB. Starting September 22nd, 110 bike stations with 1100 bikes are available 24/7 to paying members. The first 30 minutes of use is free! Take out a bike at one station, park it at another, and then go! No need to return the bike to where you got it; the ‘smart’ system will record your use electronically at the bike station and on your key FOB.
Bike to a meeting, to lunch, or just around downtown for fitness! Not only will you have a fun new way to travel, you’ll get exercise and reduce traffic and pollution at the same time. Visit http://www.capitalbikeshare.com for more information on bike station locations and other program features.
OPM has purchased 300 individual memberships, which are available on a first come first serve basis. Employees will still be required to pay for overage charges, and will be liable for any lost/stolen bikes. All bikes are the property of Alta, Inc., and will be maintained by the company.
If you remember from a post last month, this is the very same program Teabag candidate for Governor Dan Maes (Batshit Crazy Party) said was going to lead to “UN domination of Colorado” and was “a slippery slope towards abortion on demand.”
Peeps need to get over to delawareonline to pester Ginger Gibson with political questions in a live chat. She’s dying over there – no one’s asking questions.
No one over here at DL wants to comment on DADT?
It’d be nice to hear what you guys/gals have to say on this one
Over here, DADT was repealed several months ago. Where were you, DV?
DV – we actually gave Susan Collins et al the Asshat of the Day award the other day for voting down DADT and the DREAM Act.
There was a pretty active discussion here and here.
I think the general agreement is that mean old man McCain sucks but A1 thinks everything is Obama’s fault.
I’m seeing now that there will be no vote on middle class tax cuts before the election because Blue Dogs are scared.
Good Lord. We have 59 Jimmy Carters in the Senate. Not to mention the House.
(I like Carter; I’m just borrowing the GOP frame to make a point).
Looks like Sheriff Joe is in trouble – http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/officials_sheriff_joes_office_charged_luxury_trips_misused_up_to_possible_80_million.php?ref=fpi
So the DADT fiasco was 1 senator from Maine’s fault?
I forgot. It is President McCain’s fault.
Can’t wait to see how the Tax thing get’s covered over here too then 🙂
You know, if Dems punt the tax bill and Repubs take the House, all this tax jujitsu starts working against Dems. If they can’t get it done in the lame duck session, the GOP House will send a full expiration bill to the Dem Senate, which will cravenly pass it, and then it’s up to Obama to veto it, then the shit hits the fan. I’m thinking he’d sign it.
What the hell is making them think they’ll get a better deal on the tax bill AFTER the election? They are putting their jobs ahead of the country, so they deserve to lose.
Who’s ready for a laugh? http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/pubic-schools-billboard-is-a-major-misspelling/19645560?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl1%7Csec4_lnk1%7C172565
We are a political party set adrift to be sure. In a way it makes you envy the Republicans for thier childish simple minded plodding. They are filled with purpose. They reward themselves for thier zeal while we shrink from zeal as though it is radioactive.
Our party leadership honestly sucks ass.
dv – Collins showed a total lack of integrity and was a coward.
Jason – where is Bob Strauss when we need him?
I know, I know. I suck ass too. I’m a democrat aren’t I?
On taxes, “do nothing” is not a bad fallback plan, if the alternative is to extend the tax cuts for the rich.
But none of these two year extensions please. That will just put the Blue Dogs back in charge and make the Presidential election about taxes all over again.
If we let all tax cuts expire then Obama can talk about how much the deficit has gone down, right?
After he ran it up, UI?
Which you can write from the safety of the aftermath of a recession that was the longest since the ’30s despite the deficit spending, Brian. The deficits aren’t hurting the economy now. That would be the fault of the tax cuts. You could look it up.
You mean the deficit was zero when Obama came into office? Wow, so those unfunded wars, tax cuts and Medicare Part D was all free? You watch too much Fox News, Brian.
I don’t watch that drivel. The 2 seconds spent flipping past it is too much.
Just saying what you’ll hear as a retort. President Obama is not innocent in the unfunded policy game… but you’re right, he just picked up the ball where President Bush dropped it.
Great video on O’Donnell- sign the petition calling for a criminal investigation by the US attorney’s office!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmOyaWaEwNk&feature=player_embedded
I must say MJ in all fairness, the “Asshat” of the day award completely faulted DADT not passing on the correct target. uh-huh…Susan Collins….the reason DADT hasn’t been repealed yet.
DL once again steps up and doesn’t pull punches.
Can’t wait to see how this tax things plays out. Wonder who we could nominate to tackle these tough issues and represent the middle class? Any elected official out there want to step up and lead? Yoooohoooooooo?
N-E-1?
For those who care…
Obomba’s $30 billion Afghan surge kills 9 U.S. servicemen.
Repealing DADT won’t prevent this from happening again.
Funny, nobody mentioned that UN Human Rights Council report found that the Israel flotilla raid violated international law.
“After conducting numerous interviews with eye-witnesses and viewing other evidence, the fact-finding mission determined that Israeli forces committed several international law violations, including violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Fourth Geneva Convention. The mission also determined that Israel’s interception of the flotilla was prima facie unlawful.
The report recommends judicial remedies and reparations, including medical and psychological care to those who were tortured. The report states that the incident must be viewed in the context of the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and warns that similar disasters have the potential to occur.”
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/un-report-finds-israel-flotilla-raid-violated-international-law.php
A1 – tried to correct the double posting and accidentally deleted it. It’s been restored.
Thanks MJ! Since I reposted, you can delete one or the other and this one, too! 🙂
Obama seeks to curb ruling on gays in military that found DADT is unconstitutional.
“The executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Kate Kendall, called the U.S. Justice Department’s court position a betrayal.
“It is offensive and contrary to the spirit of Obama’s promise to end (‘don’t ask, don’t tell’),” Kendell said in a statement.”
But I am sure that this is all President McCain’s fault.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68M5X220100924