Monday, June 30, 2014
President Obama Issues New Executive Orders on LGBT Rights
++This month is Gay Pride month. President Obama issued executive orders today to protect the rights of LGBT citizens in the federal government workforce. More importantly, he issued an executive order that protected LGBT rights among contractors, prohibiting them from refusing to hire, promote or otherwise discriminate against LGBTs. It seems minor except a great percentage of American corporations are government contractors.
You Have A Caliphate if you can keep it
++Isis, the Al Qaeda off shoot, has declared themselves an Islamic Caliphate, demanding complete obedience from all Muslims the world over.Al-Baghdadi, the leader, now has ginned up a genealogy tracing his roots back to Mohammed.
++This forming a Caliphate raises some basic questions. Will the Sunnis, the Iraqi tribes and the former soldiers of Saddam Hussein,accept total obedience to their allies? What about Al Qaeda? What will be its response be to an offshoot claiming to be a Caliphate?
++ISIS attacked the historic Shiite mosque near Samarra because it considers such mosques as heretical and idolatry. But the Islamic Caliphate doesn't control the two great Sunni mosques in Saudi Arabia, which historically were under control of the Caliphate. What will Saudi Arabia's response going to be to a group that challenges their theocratic authority? We already know that Iran is pouring funds and weapons into Iraq to counter attack ISIS. Tehran said they would use the same tactics as they did in Syria. And to top it off, ISIS brands Tehran's Islam heretical and picks a theological fight with them.
++Now we have a strange alliance against ISIS. Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia,Jordan and Kuwait. Russian troops arrived yesterday as did the old Soviet jet fighters. President Obama sent more troops today to Iraq, bringing the total up to nearly 1,000. Both Iran and the United States are conducting drone strikes against ISIS separately. And, I forgot the Assad regime in Syria joined the alliance by bombing Iraq at Maliki's say-so. And yet,while we are sort of allies with Assad's Syria, we have resolved to spend $300 million to train "moderate" Syrians to topple Assad.
++If this is confusing, it is. With everyone joining in an unofficial alliance,everyone has heavily suggested that al-Miliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, should step down. Even Ayatollah al-Sistani has called for a government of inclusion with heavy hints, as heavy as he talks,for Maliki to be replaced. This was supposed to happen today and it didn't. Nor does anyone believe that anything would change if he went.
++For his part, Maliki insists he will not step down and that he will fight to protect Baghdad.
++Meanwhile the Caliphate seems to adroitly use the social media recruiting new members from Europe and the United States. But only a handful of people attended the great announcement of the new Caliphate in Syria.
++The situation is so puzzling, it is impossible to predict its future. Stay tuned.
++This forming a Caliphate raises some basic questions. Will the Sunnis, the Iraqi tribes and the former soldiers of Saddam Hussein,accept total obedience to their allies? What about Al Qaeda? What will be its response be to an offshoot claiming to be a Caliphate?
++ISIS attacked the historic Shiite mosque near Samarra because it considers such mosques as heretical and idolatry. But the Islamic Caliphate doesn't control the two great Sunni mosques in Saudi Arabia, which historically were under control of the Caliphate. What will Saudi Arabia's response going to be to a group that challenges their theocratic authority? We already know that Iran is pouring funds and weapons into Iraq to counter attack ISIS. Tehran said they would use the same tactics as they did in Syria. And to top it off, ISIS brands Tehran's Islam heretical and picks a theological fight with them.
++Now we have a strange alliance against ISIS. Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia,Jordan and Kuwait. Russian troops arrived yesterday as did the old Soviet jet fighters. President Obama sent more troops today to Iraq, bringing the total up to nearly 1,000. Both Iran and the United States are conducting drone strikes against ISIS separately. And, I forgot the Assad regime in Syria joined the alliance by bombing Iraq at Maliki's say-so. And yet,while we are sort of allies with Assad's Syria, we have resolved to spend $300 million to train "moderate" Syrians to topple Assad.
++If this is confusing, it is. With everyone joining in an unofficial alliance,everyone has heavily suggested that al-Miliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, should step down. Even Ayatollah al-Sistani has called for a government of inclusion with heavy hints, as heavy as he talks,for Maliki to be replaced. This was supposed to happen today and it didn't. Nor does anyone believe that anything would change if he went.
++For his part, Maliki insists he will not step down and that he will fight to protect Baghdad.
++Meanwhile the Caliphate seems to adroitly use the social media recruiting new members from Europe and the United States. But only a handful of people attended the great announcement of the new Caliphate in Syria.
++The situation is so puzzling, it is impossible to predict its future. Stay tuned.
Correction
++I wrote that the majority opinion in Hobby Lobby never mentioned women. I was wrong. The word woman appeared 13 times.
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.
++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.
President Obama will Take Executive Orders on Immigration Reform
++President Obama was informed last week by Speaker John Boehner that there would be no immigration reform vote this year in the House. As a consequence, President Obama will take executive measures this month.
++While limited in scope, he can focus immigration efforts at the border and minimize deportation from the interior of the country.
++His recent request for $2 billion for the border crisis has nothing to do with these executive orders.Instead, the idea is to focus on deporting people who pose a threat to national security or who have a criminal record. Also,those at the border will be candidates for deportation.
++President Obama has asked Jeh Johnson, the Secretary for Homeland Security, and Eric Holder for recommendations on immigration priorities.
++While limited in scope, he can focus immigration efforts at the border and minimize deportation from the interior of the country.
++His recent request for $2 billion for the border crisis has nothing to do with these executive orders.Instead, the idea is to focus on deporting people who pose a threat to national security or who have a criminal record. Also,those at the border will be candidates for deportation.
++President Obama has asked Jeh Johnson, the Secretary for Homeland Security, and Eric Holder for recommendations on immigration priorities.
Reactions to Hobby Lobby
++The reactions to the Hobby Lobby case were predictable. Rinse Penis hailed it as a blow against Obama's attempt to suppress religious freedom. Bobby Jindal said the same. But Jack Jenkins article at ThinkProgress captures the hostility of religious organizations to the case with numerous amicus curiae cases by religious organizations against Hobby Lobby. First is the theological objections by evangelical Christians about a corporations claiming any religious beliefs and secondly a corporation's owners having preferred religious beliefs over their employees. As Ruth Bader Ginsberg wrote in her blistering dissent the majority opinion opens a whole pandora's box of cases. The tenuous reasoning behind the majority position is the exceptions it clarified such as this doesn't not apply to vaccinations and blood transfusions as if they already knew they were out of bounds.
++The second aspect is that five male judges decided on contraceptions from a patriarchal, Catholic perspective. Harry Reid responded that if the Court won't protect women's health than Democrats will.
++The second aspect is that five male judges decided on contraceptions from a patriarchal, Catholic perspective. Harry Reid responded that if the Court won't protect women's health than Democrats will.
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