Hobby Lobby,SCOTUS,Same Sex Marriage

++Today the Stock Market edged nearer to the mythical 17,000 mark. Later this week we will have the jobs report and other economic indicators.

++The Blogosphere teemed today with thoughts, ruminations and widespread disgust at the Hobby Lobby decision and the Harris vs. Quinn decision.

++The Supreme Court issued a clarification on the Hobby Lobby decision by saying they really meant all 20 types of birth control for women were eliminated. Hobby Lobby issued their own statement that women would continue to receive contraceptive coverage, except for IUDs and Plan B. Having five Roman Catholic male judges decided on the sincerity of the religious beliefs of any plaintiff is appalling but also on the subject of women's health is mind-boggling.

++Americans by a two to one margin support the contraceptive mandate. 60% of independents and 78% of Democrats. Among those 18-34 years old it is 81%. 

++It should be pointed out that the Supreme Court did not rule on vasectomies ,which are covered by health insurance and by Hobby Lobby. It should be remembered that in the 1870s, the first woman to pass the bar in Illinois was deprived of a job because the court ruled her place was in the home. 

++The decisive vote appeared to be Judge Kennedy, who was led by the Hobby Lobby lawyers to believe that IUDs and Plan B caused abortions. The fact that phony science should sway a decision is amazing.

++Tom Hartman has several segments on the Supreme Court today. He pointed out that with Harris versus Quinn, the Roberts Court had a 100% record for voting against workers and trade unions. It has a 73% record of voting against minorities.

++Hillary Clinton expressed dismay at the decision and rightfully linked it to the desire of males to control women's bodies and health. She was pressed by the moderator that the bill used to justify the decision was the Religious Freedom Act signed by her husband. The act actually meant that someone could not force their religious opinions on another. That is that the individual would be more powerful than the more powerful entity. Judge Alito in his majority opinion opined that the government was coercing the company as opposed to the company coercing the employee.

++The amazing decision that a corporation has "sincere religious belief" called up again the Roberts Court attributing to corporations rights and privileges previously reserved for flesh and blood people. A guest on the Thom Hartman show suggested there really was a solution to this. Change the Dictionary Law. The Law defines all words that legal cases use. Under person, it lists among other things corporations.

++Judge Ginzberg in her dissent used Judge Marshall original definition of corporation, which had served American law until the Roberts Court. It should go back to that.

++Since the case was on a federal law, there are constitutional grounds for challenging the decision. If a group if women organized against it, they could challenge it on sex discrimination. 

++A Male commentator said that Hillary Clinton was going after the Beyonce girl vote. Rush Limbaugh actually was taken back by the voracious attack on the decision at Scotusblog and Democraticunderground, expressing genuine fear of the intensity of the reaction.

++One of the saddest elements of the case is that the religious value that receives the highest value and worth in court concerns contraception and abortion. That is what religion has boiled down to on the Right.

++Meanwhile the momentum in same sex marriage continues. A federal judge ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in Kentucky, although stayed the decision until an appeal. That would make 20 states and D.C. to recognize same sex marriage. The state of Indiana was ordered today to legalized a marriage between two lesbians. 

Late Afternoon

++Ayatollah Khamenei blasted ISIS as "a bunch of morons "and former Saddam Hussein soldiers. He said the struggle was between humanity and barbarity and not between Sunni and Shiite. Meanwhile the real Al Qaeda affiliate is battling ISIS within Syria.

++Ukraine's President Poroshenko has extended the truce in the East. Russian separatists have released the OSCE observers held since December.

++Abu Khattala was arraigned in DC Federal Court and charged with one count of terrorism and entered a plea of not guilty. 

++Civitas polls, which tend to lean toward conservatives, has Democrat Kay Hagan at 42 over Tom Tillis 36 and libertarian Haugh at 9%. If pushed to choose between two, Hagan is at 47 to Tillis'43.

++Brainwrap aka Charles Gaba cleaned up his final ACA numbers and has ACA affecting 15.3-24.7 million depending on which categories of newly insured you want.

++Paul Krugman wrote yesterday in the New York Times how Obamacare works and how the Republicans are batting 0 for 6 in their assertions of what was going to happen.

++Monday is the Hobby Lobby/Conestoga case which will decide whether corporations have religious rights and employers can determine the healthcare options for employees. If the case goes to Hobby Lobby,it will also mean the end of corporate indemnity as individuals and corporations are not separated.

++The most dangerous case for our Democracy is Harris v.Quinn, which could erode unions' ability to collect dues or agency fees. Labor lawyers see this case as feeding "the possible destruction of the American labor movement". Court observers believe Judge Alito will be writing the majority opinion and he is notoriously anti-union. This is meant to be "the killshot against public employee unions".

++Thad Cochran winning the Mississippi primary with the African American vote says he doesn't think we need to reform the Voting Act. Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions told the Senate it just won't be fair to single out certain states.

++Senator Mendendez said that the Obama Administration has given the House GOP a deadline to move on immigration reform or the President will do so himself.

++New Majority Leader McCarthy blamed Harry Reid for obstructionism. Critics urge Reid to offer a gentleman's deal he would offer a House bill in the Senate for a vote without amendments if the House voted on one of the Senate's.