Laptop is deader than dead, thanks to some particularly nasty scareware malware. I'm trying to get my files off the hard drive and then reinstall Windows, but, you know, who knows how that's all going play out (or how long it will take).
Blergh.
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Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Step Backward in NH
As Maryland edges closer to legalizing gay marriage, New Hampshire, which already has such a law, is teetering precariously close to repealing it after Republicans took supermajorities in both legislative houses (they'll need the extra margin, as Democratic Governor John Lynch has pledged to veto any repeal vote).
There is a weird asymmetry between how I perceive failures to legalize gay marriage, and repeals of prior legalization. Obviously, in one sense the difference is obvious -- the loss of something we once had. But I think there's more than that.
I noted in the wake of President Obama's election that there was extra pain in the simultaneous repeal of California's gay marriage legalization, as it represented an affirmative decision to consciously exclude a group of citizens from one of the most important symbols of American inclusion in our nation's history.
From the perspective of New Hampshire law as it currently stands, gays and straights are treated entirely equally. What is being proposed is electing to strip only one of those two classes of the rights and privileges of marriage. At least in situations where the law does not allow gay marriage, one could say with a straight face that the law was written without thinking about gay people, and then rely on inertia for why it wasn't being changed to include them. Here, there is no denying the conscious anti-gay character of the enactment. It is evil by commission, not omission.
There is a weird asymmetry between how I perceive failures to legalize gay marriage, and repeals of prior legalization. Obviously, in one sense the difference is obvious -- the loss of something we once had. But I think there's more than that.
I noted in the wake of President Obama's election that there was extra pain in the simultaneous repeal of California's gay marriage legalization, as it represented an affirmative decision to consciously exclude a group of citizens from one of the most important symbols of American inclusion in our nation's history.
From the perspective of New Hampshire law as it currently stands, gays and straights are treated entirely equally. What is being proposed is electing to strip only one of those two classes of the rights and privileges of marriage. At least in situations where the law does not allow gay marriage, one could say with a straight face that the law was written without thinking about gay people, and then rely on inertia for why it wasn't being changed to include them. Here, there is no denying the conscious anti-gay character of the enactment. It is evil by commission, not omission.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Votes
We last left off the Maryland gay marriage bill at 21 of the 24 votes needed for passage on the floor, following the stunning and stirring reversal by Sen. Jim Brochin (D). Brochin had been a primary advocate for "civil unions", saying he "stumbled" over the word marriage. But after hearing what he called the "venom" flowing from gay marriage opponents, he decided that his problem with the word marriage was his problem, not the law's.
The bill just passed a key committee vote today, and now heads to the Senate floor. The Washington Post reports that the bill appears to have exactly 24 votes at the moment, with two members undecided. But there are some awfully waver-y folks among that number, and everyone expects the vote to be agonizingly close (the House of Delegates, by contrast, is expected to pass the bill much more easily).
The bill just passed a key committee vote today, and now heads to the Senate floor. The Washington Post reports that the bill appears to have exactly 24 votes at the moment, with two members undecided. But there are some awfully waver-y folks among that number, and everyone expects the vote to be agonizingly close (the House of Delegates, by contrast, is expected to pass the bill much more easily).
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Silly Studies
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has a list of federal studies he wants to strip funding from. The Wall Street Journal labels the studies in question "silly-sounding research", and it's obvious that Issa -- who, though evil, is no idiot -- selected them as examples of ridiculous, wasteful government programs. Here's a taste:
Is it just me, or are all of these interesting studies? I think it's pretty relevant if video games improve mental health amongst old people. I think we probably want to know the effects of drug and alcohol use amongst our citizen. It's probably pretty valuable to know the rates and effectiveness of condom usage, insofar as we don't like the spread of STDs and unwanted pregnancies. If yoga helps reduce the negative impacts of hot flashes, or a soda tax would improve population health, that's valuable information!
Obviously, one can say simply that we need to cut back on scientific research during a budget crunch. I'm not sure I agree -- I think scientific research and study is the backbone of our economy, and essential to maintaining American dominance in the global marketplace. But as examples, not of discretionary programs we can cut if we have to, but of foolish bureaucrats wasting government resources on frivolity -- I'm unconvinced.
AMENDMENT NO. 417: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the National Institutes of Health to study the impact of integral yoga on hot flashes in menopausal women.
AMENDMENT NO. 418: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the National Institutes of Health to examine the potential impact of a soda tax on population health.
AMENDMENT NO. 419: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the National Institutes of Health to research the use of marijuana in conjunction with opioid medications, such as morphine.
AMENDMENT NO. 420: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Department of Health and Human Services to study condom use skills in adult males.
AMENDMENT NO. 421: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Department of Health and Human Services to study the concurrent and separate use of malt liquor and marijuana among young adults.
AMENDMENT NO. 422: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the National Science Foundation to study whether video games improve mental health for the elderly.
Is it just me, or are all of these interesting studies? I think it's pretty relevant if video games improve mental health amongst old people. I think we probably want to know the effects of drug and alcohol use amongst our citizen. It's probably pretty valuable to know the rates and effectiveness of condom usage, insofar as we don't like the spread of STDs and unwanted pregnancies. If yoga helps reduce the negative impacts of hot flashes, or a soda tax would improve population health, that's valuable information!
Obviously, one can say simply that we need to cut back on scientific research during a budget crunch. I'm not sure I agree -- I think scientific research and study is the backbone of our economy, and essential to maintaining American dominance in the global marketplace. But as examples, not of discretionary programs we can cut if we have to, but of foolish bureaucrats wasting government resources on frivolity -- I'm unconvinced.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The George Tiller Had It Coming Homicide Endorsement Act
A law currently working its way through the South Dakota legislature (it just passed a committee vote, so at the very least it isn't only a few cranks) would establish an affirmative defense in homicide cases where the killer was attempting to protect the life of a fetus. On face, this would seem to sanction the murder of abortion providers -- and there is little evidence that this isn't exactly the outcome the legislators proposing the bill had in mind.
Scary.
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Phil Jensen, a committed foe of abortion rights, alters the state's legal definition of justifiable homicide by adding language stating that a homicide is permissible if committed by a person "while resisting an attempt to harm" that person's unborn child or the unborn child of that person's spouse, partner, parent, or child. If the bill passes, it could in theory allow a woman's father, mother, son, daughter, or husband to kill anyone who tried to provide that woman an abortion—even if she wanted one.
Scary.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Grouchy V-Day Roundup
Jill and I typically don't really celebrate Valentine's Day (coming so soon after my birthday, we're all celebrated out). But I'm feeling a little bit grumpy this week, so I think snuggling up with some candy and a movie might be just what the doctor ordered.
* * *
Bill Russell gets the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Justice Thomas' silence on the bench reaches 5 years. While my feeling going into the article was that I didn't really care whether Justice Thomas felt compelled to speak or not (viewing much of oral argument as a bit of a charade), I did think one attorney had a point when he noted the unfairness of Thomas deciding cases on grounds not briefed or argued, yet not giving lawyers the opportunity to at least respond to his concerns.
Two posts at TNC's place on Black people getting away with things.
Maryland Democrat joins the state legislative Tea Party caucus, chaos ensues.
Scott Lemieux on the individual mandate and federal power.
Dutch parliament voices opposition to unilateral Palestinian statehood, urges Palestine to recognize Israel as a Jewish state as part of a final peace agreement.
Jordan's Justice Minister calls for a pardon of a Jordanian soldier who murdered 7 visiting Israeli schoolchildren. The Minister previously served as the convicted criminal's defense attorney.
The Iranian government is vigorously suppressing Egypt-inspired protests cropping up in Tehran, Hillary Clinton remarks that Iranians and Egyptians deserve the same rights.
CPAC in a nutshell: "I witnessed someone calling Ron Paul people a 'cult' while eating a cake shaped like Reagan's face."
* * *
Bill Russell gets the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Justice Thomas' silence on the bench reaches 5 years. While my feeling going into the article was that I didn't really care whether Justice Thomas felt compelled to speak or not (viewing much of oral argument as a bit of a charade), I did think one attorney had a point when he noted the unfairness of Thomas deciding cases on grounds not briefed or argued, yet not giving lawyers the opportunity to at least respond to his concerns.
Two posts at TNC's place on Black people getting away with things.
Maryland Democrat joins the state legislative Tea Party caucus, chaos ensues.
Scott Lemieux on the individual mandate and federal power.
Dutch parliament voices opposition to unilateral Palestinian statehood, urges Palestine to recognize Israel as a Jewish state as part of a final peace agreement.
Jordan's Justice Minister calls for a pardon of a Jordanian soldier who murdered 7 visiting Israeli schoolchildren. The Minister previously served as the convicted criminal's defense attorney.
The Iranian government is vigorously suppressing Egypt-inspired protests cropping up in Tehran, Hillary Clinton remarks that Iranians and Egyptians deserve the same rights.
CPAC in a nutshell: "I witnessed someone calling Ron Paul people a 'cult' while eating a cake shaped like Reagan's face."