[News] Post a Political News Story

Ongoing discussion of the political news of the day. This thread is for 'smaller' stories that don't call for their own thread. If a story blows up, please start a new thread for it.

What's the pope's stance on TV?

Damn page break ruining my reference.

iaintgotnopants wrote:

What's the pope's stance on TV?

Usually standing, sometimes sitting if he's in the Popemobile.

Between the Republican justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Green Party, Wisconsin may have to throw out all the ballots already printed and mailed and start over, which will wreck any changes of getting them out by 17 September as required by state law.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court Has Already Begun to Sabotage Absentee Voting

In short, the Green candidates screwed up their ballot petition paperwork and ignored an opportunity to fix it, so the WI election commission rejected a bunch of signatures and they didn't get on the ballot. They waited two weeks - during which the ballots began to be printed and mailed - before filing suit to get on the ballot anyway.

Then the Wisconsin Supreme Court stepped in. On Thursday afternoon, by a 4–3 vote divided along partisan lines, the court issued a strange, cryptic order that could throw the election into chaos. The conservative majority directed the Wisconsin Elections Commission to turn over a massive amount of information it did not actually have. These justices then halted the mailing of more absentee ballots while they consider nullifying every ballot that has been printed or mailed and forcing the state to start over. Their stunning eleventh-hour intervention could force election officials into an impossible position: either comply with the court’s order or violate both state and federal law.

The Greens are accusing the Democrats of blocking their ballot access, and the court may find in their favor; they have a history of naked partisanship.

I wonder if the law firm representing the Green Party is also a law firm that regularly represents the Wisconsin GOP?

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

For this reason, because of these racists, I can’t let my black son play with guns, squirt guns, nerf guns, or about half the toys I had as a white kid.

f*cking white people.

Way to stereo type and generalize, exactly the type of bullsh*t I’m assuming you don’t want people doing to your son. Since you are white yourself then you know that not all of us are racist jerks, just anyone who voted for Trump.

#notallwhitepeople

Glycerine wrote:
UpToIsomorphism wrote:

For this reason, because of these racists, I can’t let my black son play with guns, squirt guns, nerf guns, or about half the toys I had as a white kid.

f*cking white people.

Way to stereo type and generalize, exactly the type of bullsh*t I’m assuming you don’t want people doing to your son. Since you are white yourself then you know that not all of us are racist jerks, just anyone who voted for Trump. ;)

Your winky face lets me know you’re joking, but white people as a whole are not exactly the reason that PoC’s kids can’t play with super soakers in the street. It’s because of racist police tactics and policies, and the dehumanization of black and brown kids and adults.

White people as a whole are responsible for allowing these injustices to continue.

Only very recently have some white folks been calling for police to stop killing unarmed black and brown people. If we can get Rump out of the White House it will be interesting to see if white activists maintain their ferver for BLM. I hope they will.

I think it will. I know I am not alone in my desire for criminal justice reform. I am not 100% sure but I believe it started before BLM. When I became aware of for profit prisons was when I became engaged. Well, really, I moved to the "island burbs" of Oakland in 2005. So I am sure I became aware of many things regarding the plight of PoC back then. (including how awesome Oakland is!)
Add BLM on top of that along with John Oliver's episode on the bail system and you really have to have your head in the sand to support the way things are.

OG_slinger wrote:

I wonder if the law firm representing the Green Party is also a law firm that regularly represents the Wisconsin GOP?

If I'm an eee-ville GOP operative, I'm going to establish the God & Guns Totally Not A Spoiler Party party and oopsie some shenanigans every 2-4 years.

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

I wonder if the law firm representing the Green Party is also a law firm that regularly represents the Wisconsin GOP?

If I'm an eee-ville GOP operative, I'm going to establish the God & Guns Totally Not A Spoiler Party party and oopsie some shenanigans every 2-4 years.

It is, yes.

fangblackbone wrote:

I think it will. I know I am not alone in my desire for criminal justice reform. I am not 100% sure but I believe it started before BLM. When I became aware of for profit prisons was when I became engaged. Well, really, I moved to the "island burbs" of Oakland in 2005. So I am sure I became aware of many things regarding the plight of PoC back then. (including how awesome Oakland is!)
Add BLM on top of that along with John Oliver's episode on the bail system and you really have to have your head in the sand to support the way things are.

YES! For profit prisons are owned by corporations who are allowed to lobby for new laws that establish policies that will guarantee that their prisons are overflowing with black and brown bodies. It’s like a mafia scheme. It’s pure evil.

And the f*cking bail bonds system. And the cops.

It all needs to be razed to the ground and rebuilt in an honest and responsible manner.

When I hear "not all X" I just substitute "too many X" and it hasn't let me down yet.

Reaper81 wrote:
H.P. Lovesauce wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

I wonder if the law firm representing the Green Party is also a law firm that regularly represents the Wisconsin GOP?

If I'm an eee-ville GOP operative, I'm going to establish the God & Guns Totally Not A Spoiler Party party and oopsie some shenanigans every 2-4 years.

It is, yes.

Washington Post:

Hawkins suggested in an interview that Trump supporters had helped the Green Party ticket with its legal claim before the state Supreme Court. The party’s petition was filed by attorneys from the Milwaukee-based von Briesen & Roper law firm, which has a history of representing Wisconsin Republicans.

“You get help where you can find it,” Hawkins told The Washington Post when asked whether Republicans had financed the legal action. “They have their reasons and we have ours.”

Conveniently, those reasons are the same.

US President Donald Trump made the announcement about what he has dubbed “The 1776 Commission,” at the first White House Conference on American History. He said the commission will be aimed at establishing “patriotic” and “pro-America” education that will celebrate American history. In his remarks, Trump criticized the 1619 Project, a New York Times project that explores slavery’s legacy.

Gotta fight that culture war on every front.

Also, for dudes who yell at NBA players so much about China, weird how they apparently want to govern and educate the exact same way as the CPC.

Also, something-something "thought police."

RIP Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. We're even more f*cked over than we were yesterday.

Absolute motherf*cking f*ck sh*t f*ck.

NPR wrote:

Just days before her death, as her strength waned, Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: "My most fervent wish is that i I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."

So they'll be swearing in Justice Lindsey Graham next Tuesday?

Why did I have to read this now.

My mood has gone from dark to darker.

f*ck

The political ramifications aside, I am extremely down personally right now.
This is a huge loss and the service she did to her country which had ramifications around the world, earned her the right to live forever
Anyone but her...

This sucks. And, I don’t see how they can possibly get another SCJ in place in what, 45 days? I know the republicans are going to try, but it just doesn’t seem feasible.

f*cking Mitch McConnell

Goddamn. She was quite amazing.
2020, %$@#!.

Even if GOP cant pick a new justice in time, it also seems like this could encourage more of their base to go vote.

JC wrote:

This sucks. And, I don’t see how they can possibly get another SCJ in place in what, 45 days? I know the republicans are going to try, but it just doesn’t seem feasible.

Cant they refill seats until January 1?

Recess appointment is only good until next Senate in January

Just wanted to paste a bit from her Wikipedia page to remind us that she's more important than just 'when she died' (I know we all know this, just, she was an important person. Lets be reminded of why at the moment of her passing.)

Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her older sister died when she was a baby, and her mother, one of her biggest sources of encouragement, died shortly before Ginsburg graduated from high school. She then earned her bachelor's degree at Cornell University, and became a wife and mother before starting law school at Harvard, where she was one of the few women in her class. Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School, where she graduated tied for first in her class. Following law school, Ginsburg entered into academia. She was a professor at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law School, teaching civil procedure as one of the few women in her field.

Ginsburg spent a considerable part of her legal career as an advocate for the advancement of gender equality and women's rights, winning multiple arguments before the Supreme Court. She advocated as a volunteer attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union and was a member of its board of directors and one of its general counsels in the 1970s. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where she served until her appointment to the Supreme Court. Ginsburg has received attention in American popular culture for her fiery liberal dissents and refusal to step down; she has been dubbed "The Notorious R.B.G.", a play on the name of the rapper known as "The Notorious B.I.G.", in reference to her notable dissents

Stele wrote:

Recess appointment is only good until next Senate in January

That is something at least.

I nominate Merrick Garland.

Murkowski has said she won't confirm and that "fair is fair".

I'm sure Romney is in too. Maybe Collins. But need one more.

Maybe someone who is getting their ass kicked in polling or retiring and would like to go out with a clean conscience. If there is such a thing for the GOP

Edit- Chuck Grassley said again this summer that you can't have different rules for election year based on president. So in theory there's 4. But sh*t is real now and it's hard to trust any Republican.

This hits me harder than everything else going on right now. RBG was a powerhouse judge and a genuine person. Regardless of when and who fills the vacancy, the country is measurably worse off without her.