[Malankazooie]

Saw Elizabeth Warren's reaction (it's sorta becoming legend on the internet). Man, her needle was pegged on red with steam rolling out. I'm thankful she's a docile progressive liberal and does not own an AR-15.

On an interesting tangent, I decided to listen to AM conservative talk radio on the drive this morning just to hear what the reaction is there. Some female host made a shitty comment about Warren being on the "warpath", playing on Trump's Pocahontas theme about Warren. The divide and polarization concerns me a lot.

[QuickTidal]

Obdigore, on 05 May 2022 - 02:13 PM, said:

Technically, according to this ruling, any 'freedom' you have that wasn't granted specifically by the founding fathers, or later added to the constitution, shouldn't exist. This is a wild about-face, shaking the very foundations of what the centuries of legal documentation/tradition is built on.

This cannot be understated.

What's happening right now should scare the shit out of every single American citizen, if they aren't shaken already.

FIVE people just decided the oft-screeched concept of "American freedom" doesn't matter or even exist.

[Cause]

Obdigore, on 05 May 2022 - 02:13 PM, said:

Abyss, on 05 May 2022 - 01:37 PM, said:

The (other) part that scares me... the abundance of 'we bothered to show up and and voted for Biden and look what happened anyways the dems are awful too i'm never voting again aaaaaah' sentiment.

As far as I'm concerned, if the rule of law was equal, each and every one of these abortion bans would be challenge and struck down due to freedom of religion for Islam, Jewish, and Satanic religions. Instead they are going to be upheld by SCOTUS because (insert whatever lies and bullshit you can stretch to try to make it justified here).

Someone else already said it but I think they were spot on. They are setting up a tiered system of rights where religious freedom is at the top (Of course they mean Christianity) and everything else will come second. Also, I believe that while Islam and Judaism do indeed have a different nuanced take on abortion compared to Christianity both dont allow it except to save the mother. Actually for islam im not clear. I know they dont believe a soul enters the fetus for 4 months but in practice many Islamic countried ban it, but that may not be based on islamic law specifically.

I see that SCOTUS ruled that bsoton city hall must fly a Christian flag (to be honest the specifics of the case I dont think they are wrong) but I see that the church of satanism has already submitted an application to book time on the flagpole too.

This post has been edited by Cause: 05 May 2022 - 05:08 PM

[Gorefest]

What on Earth is a 'Christian' flag? A crusader cross?

[Gwynn ap Nudd]

Cause, on 05 May 2022 - 05:05 PM, said:

Obdigore, on 05 May 2022 - 02:13 PM, said:

Abyss, on 05 May 2022 - 01:37 PM, said:

The (other) part that scares me... the abundance of 'we bothered to show up and and voted for Biden and look what happened anyways the dems are awful too i'm never voting again aaaaaah' sentiment.

As far as I'm concerned, if the rule of law was equal, each and every one of these abortion bans would be challenge and struck down due to freedom of religion for Islam, Jewish, and Satanic religions. Instead they are going to be upheld by SCOTUS because (insert whatever lies and bullshit you can stretch to try to make it justified here).

Someone else already said it but I think they were spot on. They are setting up a tiered system of rights where religious freedom is at the top (Of course they mean Christianity) and everything else will come second. Also, I believe that while Islam and Judaism do indeed have a different nuanced take on abortion compared to Christianity both dont allow it except to save the mother. Actually for islam im not clear. I know they dont believe a soul enters the fetus for 4 months but in practice many Islamic countried ban it, but that may not be based on islamic law specifically.

I see that SCOTUS ruled that bsoton city hall must fly a Christian flag (to be honest the specifics of the case I dont think they are wrong) but I see that the church of satanism has already submitted an application to book time on the flagpole too.

Agreed on both the Courts setting religious freedom (and probably the right to bear arms) above other freedoms and the Boston case. I thought the city decided to stop allowing flags period though, so the Satanic Temple petition might be moot.

The next cases that will drive home that religious freedom supersedes other rights are the one in Maine where parents are suing to have the state government pay their kids' tuition to a Christian school and the one about the high school football coach leading prayers at the games. Background on the first is that the state routinely provides private school tuition for kids in areas where there are no public schools, but specifically states the schools need to be neutral, with part of the state's argument being around separation of church and state. The parents of course say it is religious discrimination, which I expect the republican judges to agree with.

[Malankazooie]

So, if the decision does happen before the end of this term (so June/July), who do you think writes the dissenting opinion? I mean obvi it will probably go to Kagen or Sotomayor, but I'm also thinking it might be given to retiring Breyer. It will be fascinating to see how this closes out.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Malankazooie, on 06 May 2022 - 08:41 PM, said:

So, if the decision does happen before the end of this term (so June/July), who do you think writes the dissenting opinion? I mean obvi it will probably go to Kagen or Sotomayor, but I'm also thinking it might be given to retiring Breyer. It will be fascinating to see how this closes out.

Me, sorry.

[Cause]

I’m curious to see Robert’s dissent, I’m also curious to see just how strongly the language in the dissent from the liberal justices will be. Will they call out the blatant hypocrisy directly. How direct, strongly worded will it be.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'conservative commentators [...] claim that the court wouldn't overrule those other precedents because[...] those other precedents are "politically popular."

This[...] is not a legal distinction. It's merely a statement that public opinion and politics will dictate what the court's conservative supermajority thinks it can get away with—respect for the law and neutral principles be damned.

[...] attack against "unenumerated rights" that aren't "deeply rooted" in American history [...]

There's no reason for concern, the Wall Street Journal and some conservative legal commentators have insisted. According to the Journal, "unlike Roe," the decisions protecting contraception and marriage equality, "have … broad public acceptance" as evidenced by Gallup polls. [...] 69 percent of Americans want to keep Roe, and the Journal noted that 70 percent of Americans support marriage equality.

According to conservatives, the reason the conservative justices won't follow up [...] is not because the law or legal reasoning distinguishes those cases from one another. It's because public opinion does—and the court will apparently overrule prior decisions only when it thinks it can get away with overruling them. Put another way: In an attempt to quash the criticism of Alito's radical opinion, conservatives have instead shown just how political and lawless it is.

[...]Several conservative justices have already laid bare their views on birth control and same-sex marriage. Thomas and Alito have already called for the court to revisit Obergefell. [...]

[...] in his confirmation hearings, [...] Kavanaugh referred to birth control as "abortion-inducing drugs." In a previous majority opinion, Alito concluded that the federal contraception mandate was illegal because employers could reasonably view contraception as an abortifacient.

Republican legislatures, for their part, haven't even waited until the ink is dry on a final opinion [...] before beginning their push to overrule other rights as well'

Conservatives are lying about the impact of Alito's leaked draft opinion on Roe. (slate.com)

'CNN poll: The Supreme Court's draft opinion on Roe v. Wade hasn't shaken the midterm landscape

[...] Among Democrats, 43% now say they are extremely or very enthusiastic, up 7 points. Among Republicans, it's 56%, up 9 points. And voters who say overturning Roe would make them "happy" are nearly twice as enthusiastic about voting this fall as those who say such a ruling would leave them "angry" (38% extremely enthusiastic among those happy, 20% among those angry).

[...] nearly two-thirds (63%) say the Supreme Court ought to consider public opinion in making its decisions.

[...] 52%[...] say they see the views and policies of the Democratic Party as generally mainstream rather than too extreme, with 54% saying the same of the Republican Party.'

CNN poll: The Supreme Court's draft opinion on Roe v. Wade hasn't shaken the midterm landscape - CNNPolitics

[Primateus]

Claiming that the court will only overturn what they think they can get away with overturning is a direct admission that they absolutely will overturn anything they can get away with the very moment they think they actually can get away with it.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Primateus, on 07 May 2022 - 07:14 AM, said:

Claiming that the court will only overturn what they think they can get away with overturning is a direct admission that they absolutely will overturn anything they can get away with the very moment they think they actually can get away with it.

Yeah... and I'm even having a hard time imagining what they think they can't 'get away with'---since a 2/3rds majority of the Senate would be necessary to remove them. In some cases the Biden administration or state executives (without Biden's interference) could refuse to comply. (For example, if the SC went full 'theocratic overlords declaring fetal personhood or banning contraception and sodoomy'.) Or the justices might be concerned about hurting Republicans politically... so long as elections aren't compromised enough to nullify that.

They'll probably keep blocking climate change legislation. And maximalizing 'gun rights' to potentially fuel a new (guerrila) civil war....

Meanwhile in my state the Democrats are only offering one option for governor---Josh Shapiro, the state attorney general best known for his antagonism towards Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner's progressive reforms. Krasner is popular in Philadelphia and among progressives, so many people (myself included) probably won't be enthusiastic about voting for Shapiro. (Wonder how many people ended up writing in 'Larry Krasner' instead....) But with the gerrymandered perpetual Republican legislature trying to ban abortion, the Democratic governor is the only one stopping them.

Shapiro's most likely opponent:

'Doug Mastriano embodies a Christian nationalist movement as he runs for governor: "We have the power of God"

The Shofar Army took the stage, nine white men and one woman draped in fringed Jewish prayer shawls, each clutching a ram's horn — the instrument traditionally sounded on the Jewish high holidays.

"Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sound the alarm on the holy mountain!" bellowed the leader. "The day of the Lord is here!"

He blew his shofar three times, and the crowd responded as instructed with "Arise, oh Lord, let your enemies be scattered." The rest of the Shofar Army blew theirs in unison.

So began a two-day, far-right Christian gathering [...] "Patriots Arise for God and Country." [...] organized by [...] self-described prophets who have promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory that falsely accuses Democrats of being pedophiles who control the country.'

[... Mastriano] described the "persecution and oppression" endured by him and others who have challenged the legitimacy of the 2020 election. He said he couldn't believe his country "had become such a dark evil place."

[...] "We have the power of God with us," he said. "We have Jesus Christ that we're serving here. He's guiding and directing our steps."

[...] It was classic Mastriano — how God told him to run for governor and how he was the candidate who could save the state from its descent into evil.'

'[... ] said he will "do whatever it takes to end the barbaric holocaust of abortion happening in our state."'

'[...] has consistently led or been near the top of polls in the nine-person race. A career Army officer who has enjoyed a rapid political ascent [...] known by many as a leader of the push to invalidate Joe Biden's 81,000 vote victory in Pennsylvania

[...] He brought buses of supporters to the Capitol on Jan. 6. [...] Mastriano says he would "immediately end all contracts with compromised voting machine companies" and push to enact various voting restrictions.'

'''[...] want to see Christianity "fused with American civic life" — from education to business to government — and are "very comfortable with violence and militarism in order to essentially defend this idea of a Christian nation," [...]

[...] Mastriano has been featured at events with leaders of a charismatic strand of Christianity known as the New Apostolic Reformation, which places an emphasis on "spiritual warfare" and portrays its opponents as literal demons. They see the shofar as a spiritual weapon.'

'He spent more than 30 years in the Army[...] as an intelligence officer[...] "trying to predict what the enemy was going to do." He served in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and in Afghanistan, and retired in 2017 [...] earned a Ph.D. in history [...] and taught at the U.S. Army War College. He wrote two books, including a [...] biography of [...] a World War I hero and devout Christian, which was criticized last year for its factual inaccuracies. [...] the book's publisher, has said it will issue a corrected version this year.'

'[...] "[...] increasingly [...] using metaphors of warfare and violence [...] in some cases are readying themselves to engage in actual violence for the sake of their political and religious visions."

Mastriano Attracted As Many Donors as the Rest of the Field Combined

[...] presented him with a gift she called the Sword of David, inscribed with the words "for God and country."

[...] "Oh yeah," Mastriano said, holding the sword. "Where's Goliath?"'

Doug Mastriano is a Christian nationalist who could also be Pennsylvania's next governor (inquirer.com)



... if Mastriano wins, he'll be a leading contender for America's Next Top Fascist Dictator... unfortunately he has actual military experience. Trump's physical cowardice may have saved the nation.

[Gwynn ap Nudd]

Azath Vitr (D, on 07 May 2022 - 05:11 PM, said:

Primateus, on 07 May 2022 - 07:14 AM, said:

Claiming that the court will only overturn what they think they can get away with overturning is a direct admission that they absolutely will overturn anything they can get away with the very moment they think they actually can get away with it.

They'll probably keep blocking climate change legislation. And maximalizing 'gun rights' to potentially fuel a new (guerrila) civil war....

With six republican justices and four justices needed to accept a case, they wouldn't have taken on the current gun rights case if they hadn't already decided to expand gun rights. Concealed carry is likely to become a new right when they issue the ruling in a month or two.

[Maark Abbott]

Primateus, on 07 May 2022 - 07:14 AM, said:

Claiming that the court will only overturn what they think they can get away with overturning is a direct admission that they absolutely will overturn anything they can get away with the very moment they think they actually can get away with it.

Isn't this just conservatism in general?

[Gorefest]

I think it might be politics in general.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

[QuickTidal]

I found this very poignant, and bleak.

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[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

From the Louisiana abortion = murder bill:

'8 [...] Any federal statute, regulation, treaty, executive order, or court ruling that purports to supersede, stay, or overrule this [...] is therefore void.

13 (2) This state and its political subdivisions, and agents thereof, may disregard
14 any part or whole of any federal court decision which purports to enjoin or void any
15 provision of this Section.

[...] any judge of this state who purports to enjoin, stay,
18 overrule, or void any provision of this Section shall be subject to impeachment or
19 removal'

ViewDocument.aspx (la.gov)

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 10 May 2022 - 02:05 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 10 May 2022 - 01:09 PM, said:

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If Trump becomes president in 2024, and Republicans have the House and Senate, he could use abortion extradition as an excuse to extort or seize Canada's natural resources... IDK if the mere threat of invasion would be enough, or if he'd go ahead with a rapid invasion to secure oil, mining, etc. (lumber would be harder...). Meanwhile Europe might be busy with Putin and/or China.

Senate outlook for 2024 does look bleak.

So long as the president remains a Democrat they'll at least still have the veto... though the Supreme Court may continue dismantling the regulatory powers of the executive. A completely partisan Supreme Court could nullify the president's powers... providing the executive goes along with it. The executive could ignore not just the judiciary but a rogue legislative branch---to an extent executive ordeers 'deprioritizing' enforcement of certain laws already did this---though then there's the question of how federal agencies, and particularly law enforcement and the department of 'defense', would react....

If there's a civil war, hopefully drones, robots, and AI will be the main combatants on the side of the blue states... with the red state Christian nationalists being like those Confederate soldiers charging up the hill into the machine gun fire, headlong into the sausage grinder... a benevolent automated surveillance state for disarmament and the analogue of denazification (perhaps with forced VR mental retraining) wouldn't seem all so dystopian by comparison.