++After Judge Alito invented a law out of whole cloth,14 religious leaders,including Rich Warren, petitioned the Obama Administration for a "religious"waiver on his executive order to end LBGT discrimination by federal contractors.
++Now, let's follow this logic--you are a religious organization receiving federal government funds through contracts. Now you petition the government for the right to discriminate because this is a religious belief. Why not a Southern Baptist petitioning to discriminate against blacks? And, by the way, how are you going to determine whether a woman is a lesbian or a man gay?
++TPM and Andrew Sullivan go into this issue today. Unfortunately,the Obama people involved in faith-based initiatives have publicly said that the religious exemption demand is an issue that needs to be addressed.
++In the stone age, Pat Robertson warned Christian churches about taking federal funds because of the demands which would be placed on them to bring them up to the legal code. Now the churches want both federal funds and the ability to discriminate. What happened to "Hate the sin, love the sinner". I guess you just "hate the sinner" and take the cash.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
FED JOBS REPORT
++The government jobs report shows an increase of 288,000 jobs. The unemployment rate is now down to 6.1%, the lowest it has been since 2008. There are still 3.4 million long-term unemployment.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Polls
++Quinnipiac has President Obama edging out George W. Bush as the worst President in the post WWII period. Ronald Reagan is the best.
++A Franklin Marshall poll has Wolf (D) still ahead of Corbett 47 to 25 with 27 undecided in Pennsylvania's governor's race.
++Rasmussen has Cochran at 46 and Childers at 34 in Mississippi.
++Rassmussen also has Obama's approval rating at 47 and Gallup has it at 41.
++PPP has The Michigan Senate race Peters 41 and Land 36. It has the Michigan governor's race a tie at Snyder 40 Schuer 40%. Snyder's approval has dipped to 37%.
++Several new polls have Governor Scott with a 43-41 over Charlie Crist.
++The Huffington Post generic congressional poll has Democrats at 41 to GOP at 39.6%.
++The Democrats reported that oiler 1 million small donors had contributed to their House fund for the first time in history.
++A Franklin Marshall poll has Wolf (D) still ahead of Corbett 47 to 25 with 27 undecided in Pennsylvania's governor's race.
++Rasmussen has Cochran at 46 and Childers at 34 in Mississippi.
++Rassmussen also has Obama's approval rating at 47 and Gallup has it at 41.
++PPP has The Michigan Senate race Peters 41 and Land 36. It has the Michigan governor's race a tie at Snyder 40 Schuer 40%. Snyder's approval has dipped to 37%.
++Several new polls have Governor Scott with a 43-41 over Charlie Crist.
++The Huffington Post generic congressional poll has Democrats at 41 to GOP at 39.6%.
++The Democrats reported that oiler 1 million small donors had contributed to their House fund for the first time in history.
ADP Jobs Report
++ADP reports a gain of 281,000 jobs in June, the highest monthly gain in over a year and at least 40,000 more than the previous high of the year. The report notes a big boost to construction of 36,000 and another 117,000 in small businesses. Thursday will be the Federal Report.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Wild Times in the Middle East
++The Iraqi parliament couldn't reach a decision on the new government today as it had to adjourn because fights broke out among the factions. It was postponed because it lost its quorum. So far there is no candidate for Prime Minister Maliki, who wants an unconstitutional third term.
++Israel buried the three teenagers who has been kidnapped and slain. Israel bombed the Gaza Strip while reports exist that the mastermind of the kidnapping is hiding in Turkey.
++For those who are appalled that President Obama has sent 800+ troops back into Iraq, remember there are also 20,000 security contractors already there and we are already paying billions for their services.
++The United States and the EU has issued a high threat warning about Al Qaeda possibly attacking Europe or the United States in reaction to their being pushed off stage by ISIS or the Islamic Caliphate.
++The Caliphate announced, according to the Daily Telegraph, that their next target is…drumroll…ROME!
++One wonders why it isn't Saudi Arabia or Jerusalem. Rome?
++The Supreme Court actually did something nice yesterday. It refused to dismiss the case against the Saudis by the families of the 9-11 victims.
++In Florida, a muckracking journalist discovered through the Freedom of Information Act that the FBI had discovered trash in someone's garbage that outlined the training schools and plans for terrorism of the Saudis in Florida prior to 9-11.
++Israel buried the three teenagers who has been kidnapped and slain. Israel bombed the Gaza Strip while reports exist that the mastermind of the kidnapping is hiding in Turkey.
++For those who are appalled that President Obama has sent 800+ troops back into Iraq, remember there are also 20,000 security contractors already there and we are already paying billions for their services.
++The United States and the EU has issued a high threat warning about Al Qaeda possibly attacking Europe or the United States in reaction to their being pushed off stage by ISIS or the Islamic Caliphate.
++The Caliphate announced, according to the Daily Telegraph, that their next target is…drumroll…ROME!
++One wonders why it isn't Saudi Arabia or Jerusalem. Rome?
++The Supreme Court actually did something nice yesterday. It refused to dismiss the case against the Saudis by the families of the 9-11 victims.
++In Florida, a muckracking journalist discovered through the Freedom of Information Act that the FBI had discovered trash in someone's garbage that outlined the training schools and plans for terrorism of the Saudis in Florida prior to 9-11.
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.
++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.
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