Thursday 27 June 2013
Daily Show on Gay Rights judgement and Texas abortion filibuster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWgRtCU7few
Explaining jokes is never a good idea, but anyway - a couple of things to note about this:
Explaining jokes is never a good idea, but anyway - a couple of things to note about this:
- When the Supreme Court hands down a judgement, judges within the Supreme Court who disagree with the majority ruling are permitted to express this disagreement through a "dissenting opinion" or "minority report" document (in this clip the Daily Show criticises Justice Scalia's dissenting opinion on the Gay rights judgement).
- The Texas abortion filibuster discussed later in the clip is not talking about the federal (national) Senate in Washington DC, but rather the Texas state Senate. Remember each state has its own mini version of Congress with a state House of Representatives and a state Senate.
Wednesday 26 June 2013
Judiciary chairman vows to quickly restore Voting Rights Act - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Judiciary chairman vows to quickly restore Voting Rights Act - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) pledged to quickly restore the section of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court struck down Tuesday.
"
In one of the comments underneath a typical anti-federalist, pro-states rights comment that were as common in the nineteenth century as they are today:
'via Blog this'
"
In one of the comments underneath a typical anti-federalist, pro-states rights comment that were as common in the nineteenth century as they are today:
"So basically Sen Leahy you are more concerned about keeping the south under the federal boot. What is there to keep partisan politicians from acting in an arbitrary and capricious fashion toward sections of the nation's geography? Oh right, it is called the Supreme Court."
'via Blog this'
Friday 21 June 2013
Thursday 20 June 2013
Tuesday 18 June 2013
John Brennan CIA Director Drone Interview: Big Issues: GQ
John Brennan CIA Director Drone Interview: Big Issues: GQ: "John Brennan, the CIA director and the man largely responsible for the U.S.'s drone strategy, is so influential that some Pentagon officials have taken to calling him the "Deputy President." In an exclusive interview, GQ's Reid Cherlin talks to Brennan about the ethics of targeted killing, the next global arms race (get ready for everybody to have their own drones), and what it feels like to be the guy the president turns to when he wants a bad guy blown away"
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Senator Tries to Run Out the Clock on Immigration - NYTimes.com
Senator Tries to Run Out the Clock on Immigration - NYTimes.com: "But in Mr. Sessions, they face an opponent with experience, one who reminds his staff every day that passage of immigration legislation was supposed to be inevitable in 2006 as well, and even more so in 2007. His tactics are the same as they were back then: organize the opposition, break down the bill section by section, raise questions over every aspect of it, slow progress on the floor to a crawl through procedural objections and a flurry of amendments, and hope that in the light of day a conservative backlash will crush final passage.
During the first official week of debate on the Senate floor last week, Senate leaders were able to hold all of one amendment vote — in large measure because of Mr. Sessions’s delaying tactics. “Sessions is taking a full-spectrum view of this bill, and his opposition is not just one section: it’s from Page 1 to Page 1,041,” said Tripp Baird, director of Senate relations at Heritage Action, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s political arm and a vociferous opponent of the immigration bill."
'via Blog this'
During the first official week of debate on the Senate floor last week, Senate leaders were able to hold all of one amendment vote — in large measure because of Mr. Sessions’s delaying tactics. “Sessions is taking a full-spectrum view of this bill, and his opposition is not just one section: it’s from Page 1 to Page 1,041,” said Tripp Baird, director of Senate relations at Heritage Action, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s political arm and a vociferous opponent of the immigration bill."
'via Blog this'
Obama limits use of drone strikes, discusses closing Guantanamo | Video | Reuters.com
Obama limits use of drone strikes, discusses closing Guantanamo | Video | Reuters.com: "Obama limits use of drone strikes, discusses closing Guantanamo (1:23) "
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Obama wants to end 'war on terror' but Congress balks | Reuters
Obama wants to end 'war on terror' but Congress balks | Reuters: "While Obama largely has a free hand as commander in chief to set U.S. drone policy, Congress has used its power of the purse to block him from closing Guantanamo.
PURSE STRINGS
Congress stopped earlier efforts to close Guantanamo by banning the use of federal funds to transfer inmates to U.S. territory."
'via Blog this'
PURSE STRINGS
Congress stopped earlier efforts to close Guantanamo by banning the use of federal funds to transfer inmates to U.S. territory."
'via Blog this'
Senate rejects DREAM Act, closing door on immigration reform - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com
Sunday 16 June 2013
How effectively does the Constitution protect freedoms?
President Obama’s Abuse of Power | RedState: "Barack Obama campaigned in 2008 on the promise that his administration would be transparent and that he would respect the Constitutional constraints on the executive branch. In an effort to drive that message home, his surrogates often reminded us that then-Senator Obama had been a Constitutional law instructor. Now in his fourth year in office, it is apparent that President Obama actually finds the Constitution an obstacle to his agenda. He has circumvented it in order to implement his agenda, irrespective of Congress. And in doing so, has shown his disdain rather than respect for the Constitution and for the principle of separation of powers."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Friday 14 June 2013
Wednesday 12 June 2013
Tuesday 11 June 2013
Tuesday 4 June 2013
Lib Dems and some Cons try to force coalition into energy sector targets
From bbc
The government has seen off a rebellion by Lib Dem and Conservative MPs over calls for a carbon emissions target for the energy industry.
Senior Tory backbencher Tim Yeo sought to amend the coalition's Energy Bill to set a "decarbonisation" target for the power sector by 2030.
But MPs rejected the move by 290 votes to 267 after a Commons debate.
Ministers say the target would place too many restrictions on business at a time of economic difficulty.
The issue has divided the coalition partners, with environmental campaigners arguing it shows David Cameron's pledge to lead "the greenest government ever" has not been fulfilled.
'Greater clarity'
Mr Yeo's amendment, calling for a decarbonisation "target range" to be set by April 2014, attracted support from a handful of Lib Dem and Conservative MPs as the government's majority was cut to 23.
Mr Yeo told the Commons that a target would not add a "single penny" to energy bills for the next seven years and delaying the decision would create uncertainty about the government's intentions.
In a statement after the vote, he said future governments could face "more costly action to curb emissions when the impacts of a changing climate become more acute".
In a message on Twitter after the vote, Labour leader Ed Miliband said it was a "huge missed opportunity" and suggested many Lib Dem MPs had failed to back their own party policy.
Party activists at last September's Lib Dem conference overwhelmingly backed the 2030 target but it was not binding on the government.
If it had been passed, the amendment would have ensured that almost all electricity was generated from carbon-free sources like wind and nuclear by 2030.
The government says it has the power to include a target in future secondary legislation but will only consider whether to do this after deciding its next carbon budget, covering the 2028-2032 period.
This will not happen until after the scheduled date of the election in 2015.
Speaking in Tuesday's debate, Energy Minister Michael Fallon urged MPs not to rely on "blind faith" and vote for "decarbonisation by dogma or default".
He suggested a legally binding target could potentially force some generating plants out of business and drive up costs for those industries struggling to compete against lower energy costs abroad.
Legally binding
The UK has legally binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for 2020 and 2050 but no specific target relating to emissions or the energy mix for 2030.
The Committee on Climate Change, which advises the government on its carbon budgets, has also backed such a move but Conservative MPs question the extra costs it would place on business and consumers.
Writing on the Conservative Home website, former energy minister Charles Hendry described the target as "a lofty ambition" but questioned whether it could be delivered.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas argued that a target was crucial if the UK was "serious about securing a global deal on climate change".
Few leading industrialised economies have similar carbon targets and the CBI employers' group said they were not central to pressing investment decisions needed to keep the UK's energy supply on track.
But Friends of the Earth said a "clean power" target would help tackle climate change, create thousands of jobs and save householders billions of pounds.
The Energy Bill aims to move the UK's energy production from a dependence on fossil fuels to a more diverse mix of energy sources, such as wind, nuclear and biomass.
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