Wednesday Open Thread [7.2.14]

Wednesday Open Thread [7.2.14]

4 Comments
Sorry for being absent the last two days. Came down with what I think is walking pneumonia. Boy does that knock you on your ass. So today here is some poll numbers: LOUISIANA--SENATOR--Public Policy Polling: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) 47, Bill Cassidy (R) 47. That is the polling on a stand alone runoff race between Landrieu and Cassidy. Remember, Louisiana law is, shall we say, strange. They hold an open all party primary on the general election date in November, and if no candidate gets over 50%, then the top two finishers compete in a December runoff. The polling on the November open primary is as follows: Landrieu leads with 44%, followed by Cassidy at 27%, Rob Maness (R) at 8%, and Paul Hollis (R) at 5%. MICHIGAN--GOVERNOR--Public Policy Polling: Gov. Rick Snyder (R) 40, Mark Schauer (D) 40. This is a big improvement for Schauer, since he was down 10 points in April and by four points in December.
Sy/Raq: Creepy Mission Or Mission Creep?

Sy/Raq: Creepy Mission Or Mission Creep?

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

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

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

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

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?

Why Isn’t John Carney Supporting H.R.1852, the Email Privacy Act?

3 Comments
Since the Supremes pretty clearly told law enforcement that they needed to get a warrant to search your cell phone, there has been renewed attention on H.R.1852, the Email Privacy Act. Introduced by Representative Kevin Yoder [R-KS-3] in May 2013, this law would revise the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, requiring subpoenas to search emails, no matter how long they had been stored (they can now look at email stored for more then 180 days without a warrant) and allowing ISPs to communicate to the targets that their emails were requested by law enforcement. As of this writing (6.29.2014), John Carney has not joined the 220 Representatives (138 R, 82 D -- BIPARTISANSHIP!) who are looking to refine the due process around law enforcement looking at your emails.