;)
Monday
Jun242013
The Commentariat -- June 25, 2013
John Broder of the New York Times: " President Obama will propose a sweeping plan to address climate change on Tuesday, setting ambitious goals and timetables for a series of executive actions to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and prepare the nation for the ravages of a warming planet. The plan, to be announced in a policy address at Georgetown University, is the most far-reaching effort by an American president to address what many experts consider the defining environmental and economic challenge of the 21st century. But it also could provoke a backlash from some in Congress and in states dependant on coal and other industries, who will say that it imposes costly, job-killing burdens on a still-fragile economy." ...
... CW: More accurate analysis: "... it will provoke a backlash from some in Congress who are climate-change-denying cranks and from some who object to every fucking word the President utters."
Ashley Parker of the New York Times: "The bipartisan push to overhaul the nation's immigration laws took a major step forward Monday evening when the Senate endorsed a proposal to substantially bolster security along the nation's southern borders as part of measure that would provide a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country." ...
... CW: when it becomes available, I'll put up a Chris Hayes segment on the Social Security provision of the bill. It's a shocker. Update: here it is:
** Eric Holder will make a statement at noon about the Shelby County decision. ...
... SCOTUSblog is liveblogging today's decisions. ...
"Holding. Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional. Its formula can no longer be used as a basis for subjecting jurisdictions to preclearance." Roberts wrote the opinion. In a concurring opinion, Thomas would strike down Section 5 as well. "Thomas concurs. Ginsburg dissents, joined by Breyer Sotomayor, and Kagan." ...
... "The Court makes clear that: 'Our decision in no way affects the permanent, nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting found in [Section] 2. We issue no holding on [Section] 5 itself, only on the coverage formula. Congress may draft another formula based on current conditions.'" ...
... Justice Ginsberg read her dissent from the bench. ...
... Pete Williams of NBC News says the Court struck down the map. The Court is leaving it up to Congress. NBC News expert: this is a huge moment in civil rights history. Section 5 upheld. Chris Hayes calls the conservatives' decision "a remarkable act of hubris." ...
... Update: here's a print report from Williams & Erin McClam. ...
... The decision & other opinions in Shelby County v. Holder are here (pdf). ...
... Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday effectively struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a 5-to-4 vote, ruling that Congress had not provided adequate justification for subjecting nine states, mostly in the South, to federal oversight."
... Justice Clarence Thomas compares affirmative action to segregation & slavery. Al Sharpton speaks with Jeffrey Rosen:
... The decision, concurring opinions & Ginberg's dissent, are here (pdf). Thomas's opinion begins on page 18.
Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: "Monday was a great day for sexual harassers and for bosses who retaliate against workers claiming discrimination. The rest of us did not fare so well in the Supreme Court.... The most lasting impact of today's decisions likely will be the twin blows struck against women and minorities in the workplace. Taking advantage of employees just became a whole lot easier."...
... Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "A familiar scenario at the Supreme Court on Monday resulted in a familiar result: liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg calling for Congress to reverse two employment rulings just issued by the court's conservative majority. In both cases, the court voted 5 to 4 to make it harder for employees to challenge what they considered workplace harassment and retaliation for complaints of discrimination, violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act." ...
... Jeff Toobin has a good piece in the New Yorker on Ginsberg's opinion. ...
... "Justice Alito's Middle-School Antics." Dana Milbank: "Samuel Alito..., a George W. Bush appointee, read two opinions, both 5-4 decisions that split the court along its usual right-left divide. But Alito didn't stop there. When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg read her dissent from the bench, Alito visibly mocked his colleague.... Alito, seated immediately to Ginsburg's left, shook his head from side to side in disagreement, rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling. His treatment of the 80-year-old Ginsburg, 17 years his elder and with 13 years more seniority, was a curious display of judicial temperament or, more accurately, judicial intemperance.... Days earlier, I watched as he demonstrated his disdain for Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, the two other women on the court.... At the various oral arguments I've watched over the past few years, Alito's eye-rolling, head-shaking and other expressions of exasperation are a fairly common occurrence, most often when Sotomayor has the floor."
The Travels of Snowden, Ctd.
Alexei Anishchuk & Timothy Heritage of Reuters: "Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden was still in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, was free to leave and should do so as soon as possible. Putin told a news conference during a visit to Finland that he hoped the affair would not affect relations with Washington, which wants Russia to send him to the United States, but indicated Moscow would not hand him over. He dismissed U.S. accusations against Russia over the case as 'rubbish.'" ...
... ** Guardian liveblog: "Vladimir Putin says Snowden is in a transit zone at Sheremetyevo International Airport.... Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Snowden will not be extradited to the United States." ...
** Miriam Elder of the Guardian: "Russia's foreign minister has said the surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden never crossed the border into Russia, deepening the mystery over his suspected flight from Hong Kong. 'I would like to say right away that we have no relation to either Mr Snowden or to his relationship with American justice or to his movements around the world,' Sergei Lavrov said. 'He chose his route on his own, and we found out about it, as most here did, from mass media,' he said during a joint press conference with Algeria's foreign minister. 'He did not cross the Russian border.'" ...
... Oh. Snowden was in Russia actually but not technically. Maybe. Kathy Lally & Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post: "But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Snowden had not actually crossed into Russian territory, apparently remaining in a secure transit zone inside the airport or in an area controlled by foreign diplomats. Moscow therefore has had no jurisdiction over his movements, Lavrov said." ...
... Jay Newton-Small of Time: "WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told reporters in a 75-minute telephone conference call on Monday that Edward Snowden is 'healthy and safe.' Assange also made clear he is relishing Snowden's defiance of the U.S. 'I have personal sympathy with Snowden, having gone through similar personal experiences,' he said. But Assange had few new details to offer about Snowden's dramatic voyage. He couldn't say where Snowden is now, where he's going or even whether Assange had spoken directly to the former NSA contractor." ...
... Ellen Barry & Mark Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "... a stream of reports from unnamed Russian officials, disseminated over Russian news agencies, had been an exuberant deception, throwing up a cloud of dust while Mr. Snowden quietly evaded the United States government. At nightfall, it was impossible to say with certainty where Mr. Snowden was. By contrast, everyone knew where half of the Moscow press corps was: halfway to Havana, on one of the few regular Russian flights that does not serve alcohol. It was the kind of plan that the F.S.B., and the K.G.B. before it, would describe as a 'special operation.' And somewhere in Moscow, it was clear, someone was laughing." ...
... ** Lana Lam of the South China Morning News: "Edward Snowden secured a job with a US government contractor for one reason alone -- to obtain evidence of Washington's cyberspying networks, the South China Morning Post can reveal. For the first time, Snowden has admitted he sought a position at Booz Allen Hamilton so he could collect proof about the US National Security Agency's secret surveillance programmes ahead of planned leaks to the media. 'My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked,' he told the Post on June 12. 'That is why I accepted that position about three months ago.'" ...
... Greg Sargent: "... in an interview [with me] this afternoon, [Glenn] Greenwald dismissed the significance of the new revelations [in the South China Morning Post report], saying they fit in logically with the chronology that's already publicly known about Snowden -- and he challenged critics to show proof of any wrongdoing on his part. 'Anybody who wants to accuse me or anyone at the Guardian of aiding and abetting Snowden has the obligation to point to any specific evidence to support that accusation,' Greenwald told me. 'Otherwise they're just spouting reckless innuendo.'" ...
... Mark Hosenball of Reuters: "U.S. intelligence agencies are worried they do not yet know how much highly sensitive material is in the possession of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, whose whereabouts are unclear, several U.S. officials said. The agencies fear that Snowden may have taken many more documents than officials initially estimated and that his alliance with founder Julian Assange increases the likelihood that they will be made public without considering the security implications, they said." ...
... Peter Baker & Ellen Barry of the New York Times: "The Obama administration escalated its criticism of Russia, China and Ecuador, all of which appeared to be protecting the fugitive leaker Edward J. Snowden." ...
... CW: notice how Guardian reporters continue to describe Snowden as a "whistleblower," while the Times labels him a "fugitive leaker" in its front-page blurb. In the body of the Times story, the reporters call Snowden "a self-described whistle-blower" Words matter. ...
... Update: Jonathan Kaiman of the Guardian does describe Snowden as a "fugitive": "China's top state newspaper has praised the fugitive US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden for 'tearing off Washington's sanctimonious mask' and rejected accusations Beijing had facilitated his departure from Hong Kong." ...
... Julie Pace of the AP: "For President Barack Obama, National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden's globe-trotting evasion of U.S. authorities has dealt a startling setback to efforts to strengthen ties with China and raised the prospect of worsening tensions with Russia." ...
... ** John Cassidy of the New Yorker has a good piece on why he's on Ed Snowden's side. "The puzzle is why so many media commentators continue to toe the official line." ...
... Steve M. of No More Mister Nice Blog observed a Sunday ago that "... Obama's failure to get [Ed Snowden] back will be deemed by the right as effectively canceling out the killing of bin Laden." ...
... Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "Obama's critics argue that Obama has lost influence internationally. [Eliot] Cohen -- a top foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney, Obama's 2012 Republican opponent -- said Snowden's escape was 'a humiliation' for the president." ...
... CW: All that means Snowden is coming back to face the music. Maybe not tomorrow, but certainly before the end of Obama's presidency. The biggest leak-squelcher evah will get the biggest leaker evah, if only to once again prove his political opponents wrong. The Ed Snowden story will not end well for Ed Snowden. ...
... Michael Kelley & Gus Lubin of Business Insider: "At a House Judiciary Committee hearing on June 13, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) asked FBI Director Robert Mueller if the National Security Agency (NSA) needs specific court approval before listening to a domestic phone call. Mueller said yes. Analysis of leaked NSA documents by Glenn Greenwald and James Ball of the Guardian suggests that this is not true." Nadler disputed Mueller's testimony but later retracted his claim. Looks like Nadler was right. ...
... When Satire Is True. Andy Borowitz: "A U.S. intelligence agency was so busy spying on three hundred million Americans that it failed to notice one dude who was working for it, a spokesman for the agency acknowledged today."
The Incredible Shrinking IRS Scandal. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "The instructions that Internal Revenue Service officials used to look for applicants seeking tax-exempt status with 'Tea Party' and 'Patriots' in their titles also included groups whose names included the words 'Progressive' and 'Occupy,' according to I.R.S. documents released Monday. The documents appeared to back up contentions by I.R.S. officials and some Democrats that the agency did not intend to single out conservative groups for special scrutiny. Instead, the documents say, officials were trying to use 'key word' shortcuts to find overtly political organizations -- both liberal and conservative -- that were after tax favors by saying they were social welfare organizations.... House Democrats seized on the documents to question why the Treasury inspector general, in the audit that began the scandal, omitted any mention of scrutiny that did not focus on conservatives. Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee demanded a second hearing with the inspector general, J. Russell George, to allow him to 'explain the glaring omission in his audit report.'" CW: Weisman doesn't say so, but Dubya appointed George, who has compared the IRS "scandal" to Richard Nixon's misuse of the IRS. ...
... Sam Stein of the Huffington Post has more detail.
Ben Protess of the New York Times: "Federal regulators are poised to sue Jon S. Corzine over the collapse of MF Global and the brokerage firm's misuse of customer money during its final days, a blowup that rattled Wall Street and cast a spotlight on Mr. Corzine, the former New Jersey governor who ran the firm until its bankruptcy in 2011."
Frank Bruni on Paula Deen, (Former) Teevee Racist.
Congressional Race
Eric Moskowitz & Martin Finucane of the Boston Globe: "Voters are headed to the polls today to cast their ballots in the US Senate special election pitting veteran Democratic US Representative Edward J. Markey and Republican businessman Gabriel E. Gomez. The compressed election, held because of the departure of John Kerry to become US secretary of state, has struggled to capture the public's attention because of other news events in recent months.... Turnout is expected to be low on a sizzlingly hot day." ...
... Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post on "why Ed Markey will (almost certainly) win." (CW: which doesn't mean Massachusetts Reality Chex readers should stay home from the polls to prepare for victory parties.)
Local News
Will Weissert & Jim Vertuno of the AP: "A sweeping bill that would effectively shut down most abortion clinics across the nation's second most-populous state has stalled in the Texas Senate, and a Democratic filibuster that will only need to last a seemingly manageable 13 hours Tuesday looks like it will be enough to talk the hotly contested measure to death. After thwarting two attempts Monday by majority Republicans to bring the abortion bill to a floor vote ahead of its scheduled time Tuesday morning, Democrats are turning to Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, to stage the marathon speech.... She will have to speak nonstop, remain standing, refrain from bathroom breaks or even leaning on anything. Other Democrats can give her voice a break by offering questions to keep conversation moving." ...
... Mike Ward of the Austin Statesman profiles Davis.
News Ledes
New York Times: "Singing crowds gathered outside the hospital where Nelson Mandela, South Africa's former president, lay in a critical state for a third consecutive day on Tuesday, as family members held an emergency meeting at his ancestral village."
Orlando Sentinel: "Prosecutors in the George Zimmerman trial will continue calling witnesses today, hoping to convince jurors Zimmerman is guilty of second-degree murder in 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's shooting. Attorneys in the case returned to court about 8:30 a.m. today. Before testimony resumes, Circuit Judge Debra Nelson will hear argument on whether prosecutors can play for the jury Zimmerman's calls to police to report suspicious people in the months before the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting." ...
... Update: the Sentinel reports on today's developments in the trial. With videos.
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Reader Comments (15)
Sam Alito's predilection for juvenile antics once again demonstrates his level of maturity to be somewhere between a 10 year old pouting brat who has been told to finish his vegetables and a 13 year old wise-ass who gets off on lighting his own farts.
He, along with fellow right-wingers Thomas and Scalia have refused to attend State of the Union addresses for the last three years because, as both the dark lord and the whining brat have said, separately, it's not fair that they have to just sit there and behave while listening to a president they did not personally install by fiat. Imagine that. Supreme Court justices who can't keep it together long enough to listen to a State of the Union speech without rolling their eyes or shaking their heads or mouthing silly things, acting out like children. And even worse, admitting it! (Justice Thomas had no comment but was heard to mutter something about "lynching" and "slavery" and "coke cans" under his breath.)
And as with most juvenile brats, Alito would go into low earth orbit if any of the other justices treated him with the same level of immaturity and disrespect while he was droning on about his latest plan to ensure corporations' rights to fire workers whenever and for whatever reason, to pay them a buck and a quarter a day, and restrict bathroom breaks to Tuesday and Thursday between 3:15 and 3:18 PM but only in months ending in Y.
So my question is this: Sam Alito, complete asshole or garden variety jerk?
You decide.
Yes, it is expected to be sizzling hot here today in Massachusetts! It was as well a scorcher yesterday. Nevertheless, a handful of volunteers were out canvassing yesterday in our town, and today we are phone banking and holding signs. Makes the iced coffee taste ever so much better.
Hoping the heat doesn't dissuade to many people!
@Akhilleus. Put me down as a vote for "complete asshole." If Alito were just some guy with no power I'd go for the "garden variety jerk," but his position of power demands (a) adult behavior & (b) a "strict standard," as the Court required yesterday of the UT affirmative action policy.
Marie
Whether, like me, you are bemused by underdog Waldo eluding the long arm of the law, or not, the report that half the Moscow press corps jumped aboard a no-booze flight to Cuba has got to make you smile.
@Akhilleus: Answer:
Sammy A. showed his true colors today–-
A little shade of crimson mixed with a whiter shade of gray––
Oh, how high he held his head
rolled his eyes, pursed his lips and said:
"I am a Supreme being and what I deem is pure simplicity;
I always aim for that all over synchronicity."
But from the back bench comes a refute:
"You're an asshole, a jerk plus you're not even cute."
Silence in the court––gavel brought down hard
Then Sammy left the group and proceeded to the yard
Where he could play with teeter totters and bully all the boys
Where he could be what he could be among his royal toys.
And everyone cheered and waved their tattered flags. Amen~~~~~
Julie,
Thanks for your efforts. Elections do matter. Ed Markey will make a good senator. Gabriel Gomez might not be James Inhofe but Scott Brown promised to be a "different sort of Republican" too and once in office he was just the same 'ol, same 'ol. Different bottle, same poison.
Kick his ass, Massachusetts.
Many thanks, PD.
A veritable Ogden Nash ye be.
This whole catch me if you can business is gettin' outta control. One of the commentators a few days ago mentioned the importance of "disinformation" as an invaluable tool in the spying underground, and it appears it's been employed to perfection in the current debacle. A few whispers to the media and Snowden is eating arroz y frijoles in Havana while simultaneously drinking Pepsi in Moscow (WTF was that news lead about what he's eating by the NY Times? I had to laugh to myself about that one. No one fucking cares and it's an obvious diversion from the real story).
It can't be denied that this whole travel odyssey is EXTREMELY distracting from the original impetus of the NSA leaks. It's too easy to get the B-grade journalism bloodhound gang on the scent and have them sniffing each other's butts for the next few weeks while Snowden hides in different cubbyholes throughout the world fearing the inevitable arrival of the Triads.
While it's a huge pain in the ass for Obama to wrangle up this slippery sleuth, I'm sure the White House is hoping that a few news cycles of Where's Waldo will divert the public's attention, clear their short term memories, and better control the media messaging about where this conversation goes.
Stay tuned to find out, my popcorn's a poppin'!
Headline just popped up on my screen:
Supreme Court Guts Key Part of Landmark Voting Rights Act.
Which means the right to vote will be decided by the Bull Connors. Poll taxes here we come.
I bet Alito was grinning ear to ear over this one.
Of course it doesn't matter that plenty of districts have shown no inclination to make voting easier in their communities. Just the opposite. Only now it will be legal. Little Johnny and the Dwarfs have struck another blow for voting obstruction saying that it no longer occurs. Pardon me while I pay homage to the porcelain god. No longer occurs?
That's like saying that Paula Deen isn't a racist. Sure she uses the N word and dreams of a return to slavery but she doesn't mean anything by it. Shelby County, Alabama doesn't mind black folks as long as they don't vote. Can't wait to see the polling results over the next few years throughout the South.
The Republican War on Democracy continues. The bad guys have won another one.
Safari,
This is the point I was trying to make yesterday, that Snowden and his travels and travails and interminable interviews have become the story. The NSA activities have taken a back seat to Where's Eddie because it's not nearly as fun and would require legwork and reading and thinking. Playing Where in the World is Eddie Snowden is much more diverting.
Too many idiots, not nearly enough time.
Did George Zimmerman's lawyer really tell a knock-knock joke as part of his opening statement? One that basically referred to the jurors as morons?
If I were Zimmerman, I'd be calling my tailor looking for the latest in orange jumpsuits. Oh wait, isn't Florida a death penalty state? Better make that an electric orange jumpsuit.
Following the SCOTUS voting rights decision: “I am calling on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls,” Obama said...”
...followed further by an unexpectedly astute comment from none other than: NBC News Chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd said on MSNBC that Congress is not “mature enough” to reach a speedy political solution.
Got that right!
Justice Thomas again proves again that he doesn't only want to be in the white boys club, but he wants to be the Sargent-at- arms.
"Things have changed in the South" Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in that decision, "Blatantly discriminatory evasion of federal decrees are rare"
Dear John, Meet Paula Deen, Rick Scot or that other Rich (oh, what's his name again) from Texas.
Palast calls it the Ku Klux Kourt.
http://truth-out.org/news/item/17204-ku-klux-kourt-kills-kings-dream-law-replaces-voting-rights-act-with-katherine-harris-acts
I was in a hotel room this am when the voter rights massacre came down. CNN or Fox were the choices. The spokesmodel on CNN asked Jeffrey Toobin a couple questions and "deferred" to his expertise, which I thought was really magnanimous since she's obviously a former Harvard Law Review editor. Moving right on after 2 minutes, Harvard Law Review spent 8-10 minutes on whether Paula Deen was racist or not, complete with interviews with her offspring and some "expert". Priorities on CNN are clearly spot-on. Lets crack on then CNN.
The appointments of every open Court seat in this country must be filled before Obama leaves the presidency. The point was made emphatically, painfully and boldly today that the legacy of dickheads lives through the Courts way beyond any elected office holder. This is important shit. I have been very concerned about Justice Ginsberg. What a conundrum. Clearly she is a rock on the Court. If she leaves, will Obama be able to get his nominee seated before the end of his term? the closer it gets to the end of his term the more problematic it becomes.
It would fitting when those 5 putrid, partisan hacks show up at the Gates of Hell in their specially fitted clown car, that John Wayne Gacy, the head clown in Hell greets them. As Scalia sprouts breasts, false eyelashes and 5 inch stilettos, he's inducted into the Army of Hell by an especially strapping young gent who is giving him the eye, Alito suddenly has overwhelming lustful feelings for Thomas, Thomas finds himself speaking only Spanish and searching for a non existent green card, Roberts protests that the treatment in Hell isn't fair, and Kennedy is forever bewildered because his opinion doesn't matter anymore. Gacy; " You are surprised? You reaped what you have sown."