February 10, 2016

What was the name of that guy

He had a comedy television program back in the 90's for a brief period.

He was kind of funny sometimes, and kind of uncomfortably disturbing and strange a lot of the time.

I can't remember his name.

February 10, 2016

On facts, law, and Citizens United

Why was the Constitution was amended to limit presidents to two terms?

It was amended as a reaction to Republican butthurt over FDR.

To spare you the Wikipedia history of the 22nd Amendment, the money line is "The Republican-controlled 80th Congress approved a twenty-second Amendment in March 1947."

It was done as soon as the Republicans had the opportunity to get it passed after FDR's death.

There is no question that, on the facts, the 22nd Amendment was "aimed at" the most consequential Democratic president, and the most consequential president of the 20th Century.

The facts which are behind the development of a legal principle are not the legal principle itself. Everyone knows their "Miranda rights" based on the case involving a man who, no doubt, was a brutal rapist and was convicted of it anyway.

When you are read your "Miranda rights" upon arrest, it is not an homage to a rapist, it is a consequence of the legal principle arising from one of the appeals in his case. He is our nation's most celebrated rapists.

Citizens United was indeed - on a factual level - about a right wing financed outfit that wanted to make a political film. It was not about giving money to candidates - it was about the right to make a political film. Absolutely, a film designed to dissuade people from voting for that candidate, and thus considered "electioneering".

And, absolutely, the target of that film was Hillary Clinton.

But Clinton has nothing to do with the legal principle in that case any more so than Ernesto Miranda is some kind of civil rights hero. In this primary election cycle, it is also a simple incontrovertible fact that Clinton is by far a greater beneficiary of the RULE OF LAW that was established in Citizen's United.

When people object to Citizen's United, it is not over the facts of the case, it is over the principle established by the decision. To respond with "but it was about Clinton" is beside the point.

Now who was the FIRST president impacted by the 22nd Amendment? It was Ronald Reagan - and there was no shortage of regret among Republicans over that. To claim "but it was targeted against a Democrat" is similarly beside the point - the first impact was against a Republican. That's the difference between factual context and rule of law.

February 7, 2016

Now the mosques are spreading Zika virus?

I heard on the radio that Zika virus is spread some kind of Egyptian mosque.

That sort of thing should be stopped.

February 2, 2016

Punxsatawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, which means...

Hillary gets another state delegate in Iowa!

January 28, 2016

Palin Endorses Trump - the Hee Haw Remix

This one is pretty catchy.

January 19, 2016

World's Oldest Man Dies Again

This is one of my favorite news tropes, right up there with the venerable "bus plunge".

The "World's Oldest Man/Woman" dies every couple of months, but unless you actually think about it, then you like apparently many news editors might think it is an unusual event.

You never see "World's Youngest Person Born", because it happens more frequently (many times a day) and is one of the few superlatives that pretty much everyone held at one point in time, however fleetingly.

The real trick in being the "World's Oldest Man/Woman" is not so much in attaining the title, but in how long one holds on to it. Alas, few do for more than a few months.

Farewell, Yasutaro Koide.

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/01/yasutaro_koide_worlds_oldest_m.html

"The world's oldest man, a Japanese, died Tuesday at the age of 112 after suffering chronic heart problems, officials said.

Yasutaro Koide had said his secret to a long life was not to smoke, drink or overdo it."

As always, the story includes the "secret" of the individual involved, which tend to be all over the map. The actual "secret" is more along the lines of "not dying for a long time", given the range of those sorts of things. Here the admonition not to "overdo it" is sort of self-defeating, as it is clear that by reaching extreme age, one has overdone it at least in some sense.

January 13, 2016

Wife of wealthy hedge fund manager lies about Sanders

...and this surprises anyone?

January 6, 2016

#BlueTarpGuy Lavoy Finicum - also a deadbeat

U.S. Bankruptcy Court
District of Arizona (Yuma)
Bankruptcy Petition #: 0:02-bk-00722-RJH

Assigned to: Judge Randolph J. Haines
Chapter 7
Previous chapter 7
Voluntary
No asset
Date filed: 06/06/2002
Date terminated: 10/23/2002
Date discharged: 10/09/2002
Deadline for objecting to discharge: 09/30/2002

Debtor
ROBERT LAVOY FINICUM
...
MOHAVE-AZ
SSN / ITIN: xxx-xx-0467
fdba SOUTHWEST HORSE AND TRAILS

January 5, 2016

Trump: Return the Oregon land to the Indians

...and then the Indians can build a casino, hotel and a golf course!