SCOTUS VERSUS UTERUS

++Igor Volsky at Think Progress envisions a case where women employees of Hobby Lobby sue the company for discrimination over contraceptive coverage.

++Rude Pundit offers his own Rude opinions on Hobby Lobby. It's worth a read. Rude Pundit notices the language I did about what the ruling doesn't include and how that was the "tell" that the majority don't believe a word there are saying. They just want to get even with the Uteri.

++Mother Jones writes that Hobby Lobby through their pension funds invest in companies developing emergency contraceptives--in short those they claim they have religious objections to.

++Hobby Lobby covered all forms of contraception in their insurance plans already before they had filed their lawsuit. It was only when the Affordable Care Act came along that they decided to object.

++Ruth Bader Ginsberg in her blistering dissent focused on the issue of women's health. The majority opinion never mentioned women, only religious freedom.

++Closely held companies are actually a larger number than you think, employing 52% of Americans.  However,it is unlikely that all of them would invoke religious beliefs to deprive their employees of contraceptive coverage. Also many are fewer than 50 employees and therefore do not face a mandatory health insurance obligation.

++One of the reasons for mandatory contraception coverage is to make women and men equal in the ACA. Previously women paid higher premiums for health insurance. Another fact is that over 50% of women use contraceptives for reasons other than reproductive issues.

++The Philadelphia papers covered the Mennonites, which were the only ones who have any real religious beliefs in this case.

Happy Juneteenth

++ Scott Walker is in the middle of a vast criminal network that involves leading right-wing donors and Karl Rove. 

++Chris Christie is moments away from being handed his hat by prosecutors in New Jersey.

++Mitt "Willard" Romney at 29% is now the overwhelming favorite for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.

++Rick Perry has been invited to Gay Pride Day in San Francisco after saying he might move to California. 

++Kay Hagen has a five point lead in the polls in the North Carolina Senate race.

++Kevin McCarthy is the new GOP Majority Leader in the House. Steven Scalise, the head of the ultra conservative Republican Study Group and a favorite of the oil industry, was made Whip.

++The Presbyterians voted to move closer to accepting same-sex marriage.

++Rude Pundit has been on a tear the last few days on Cheney and McCain and Graham. Read him.

++The return of the Iraq war hawks has inspired great work by Jason Linkins, Rachel Maddow,Dan Waldman,E.J. Dionne, Charles Pierce , Rude Pundit,Ed Shultz and Pap, America's lawyer.

++Sandy Koufax's protege Clayton Kershaw pitched a 14-strikeout no-hitter that missed a perfect game by one fielding error. Baseball experts--aren't we all--are trying to rate whether the Dodger Pitcher threw the best no-hitter in history. They check out pitch count, walks (0), strikeouts. They think he did it.

++I watched President Obama's speech on Iraq today with a heavy heart. I'll comment on American moves later.