Supreme Court Poised to Deny Minority Voting Rights

The Supreme Court has agreed to “review” the Voting Rights act that Lyndon Johnson signed in 1965 to see if it’s “constitutional”.  That’s kind of like re-inventing the wheel but given the retrogression of many High Court rulings you just don’t know how or when they’ll roll the clock back forty-eight years.    Justice Scelia has now biased himself by saying that the Voting Rights Law of 1965 is somehow ‘not legitimate”, and promotes “racial quotas” or some sort of racial “stirring of the pot”, which Scelia regards as not necessary.  It would seem that in Justice Scelia’s world, the 14^th amendment has an expiration date.  Alabama is the one bringing the challenge to the Voting Rights law.  The thing is that if this were an ordinary court trial case- - any juror who made a biased statement ahead of time like Scelia has done- - would be kicked off the case and a mistrial would be declaired.  But this Supreme Court works under different rules than any other example of Jurisprudence.  Mike Papentonio is “not optimistic” as to the outcome of this case.  Unfortunately the President himself isn’t that concerned and says “Well if the case fails, then congress will fix it”.  THIS congress???  Is he kidding?   Mike points out that Lyndon Johnson has more balls in his little finger than President Obama has in his whole body as far as going to the mat to press an issue of principle is concerned.  Some would say that Obama can’t twist arms “because he’s Black”.  That’s right up there with Maurie Head’s remark in J C Superstar who sang, “Listen Jesus do you care for your Race?  Don’t you see that we must keep in our place?  We are occupied - - have you forgotten how put down we are” Papentonio says that is this provision – section five or whatever – is striken from the Voting Rights act- - the act will be toothless and unenforceable- - which was of course the point in bringing the case to begin with.  Scelia own father was a Fasciest - - and I mean a real Fasciest- - as in Musselini.  “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. 

As you know Mississippi just ratified the thirteenth amendment of the Constitution.  The one abolishing Slavery.  So I guess they have “progressed” enough in that state where they can accept that proposition now.  That one even has school kids coming home and asking their parents “What’s up with that?”  But apparently the first significant for the mayor of a Mississippi city- - who was both gay and African-America, was found dead the other day.  So we really have to ask how far they have progressed.

People love to quote the phrase "Give me liberty or give me death" but clearly today's right wingers want "liberty" for themselves a whole lot more than they want it for others among us, such as the many minorities.  Liberal is not a bad word.  Liberal after all comes from "liberty" and also "Freedom" or "Freely".  If you give "liberally" you give Freely- - meaning without restraint or sense of some impending shortage.  George Washington said that he always wanted America to be in the forefront of Liberality.  And indeed the original founding fathers if you were to ask them about people being equal would that mean they get to Vote, they would say, "of course".  After all the whole idea about "no taxation without representation" means that you are entitled to The Vote.  And yet - - due to jerrymandering of districts people are denied the Vote.  Because there comes a time when if consistently the vote of the people is NOT represented in Congressional representation- - then I think the whole "one man one vote" case needs to be expanded upon - and made applicable for our times.  Liberal in no sense of the world means "socialist' or "communist" or that other gem 'Islamo-fasciest" or whatever else the tea party claims for it to mean.  Liberal means Free.  Roosevelt said a "necessitus man" or a man without the essentials of life- - is not Free.  I'm not saying I'll go that far personally, but I will say it's at least a concept worth thinking about.  If the Free Markets were really ther- - ie. Free- - you would not see all the economic crap that has gone on in this country the past thirty years like subsedizing the oil companies and rigging the patent laws to screw over the poor, both on energy and in the drug markets.  You would not have this corporate Walfare state.  Also in a "Free" market- - big banks would be Free - - to fail, and suffer the consequences just like any other venture capitalist.

David Cruise didn’t like the way that Plice Chief Charlie Beck answered the question about hiking the Los Angeles sales tax to nine & a quarter percent, making it just higher than New York.  Cruise maintains the City Council is corrupt and gives extra money to the Harbor and Airport Districts, who in turn stash it in slush funds.  Beck struck me as a guy genuinely open about improving the Police Department in any way he can.   LA County sheriff Lee Baca won the “best sheriff in the country” aware by the ‘National Sheriff’s association” which Cruise vaguely implied was a politically right leaning organization made up of “good old boys”.  Apparently there is a scandal going on right now about mistreatment of convicts in the Prison system, which now is being investigated.   The election will be here before you know it being just six days away.   Apparently six other officers want Police Chief Charlie Beck to reinvestigate their wrongful termination claims, too.  Six immediate ones.  Also Pope Benedict XVI gave his final address to the people at Vatican square.  Thursday night was the last night he spent in his Papal apartment with that light shining from the upstairs window.  He said that he prayed about his decision to step down.  I just hope he got an answer from God – and I mean a specific divine directive.

I think we're going talk about -   that relation I referred to in a recent posting I was afraid of "becoming jinxed".  Well it got jinxed.  The "door of opportunity slammed shut".  Christians are people that blow hot one minute and cold the next.  And the more ardently they insist they are a good guy- - and that what they say is true- - the more assured you can be that they are lying.   I would hope and pray that the Catholic Church has better morals and a "sense of human respectability" than your average Calvary Christian.  Like I say the fruit of Calvary Christianity - - is the sort of stuff the tea party has done.  Because there for all to see is an example of the shallowness - or non existance- of their human character.   I don't believe in "blowing smoke out my ass" saying something to look good in that instant.  I hate hypocrites.  I hate people who inwardly are the worse of cowards, morally and other wise.  I can't respect an individual who doesn't follow the rules or normal human civility.  There are so much in the words of Jesus alone- - to rebuke the attitudes and actions of these people- - but if course if you quote the Bible it doesn't count because "The devil quotes scripture".  What they mean is the Devil did it ONCE in recorded history.  It's not exactly his modas opperandi.   It's just anothe cheap tea party trait of character assasenation - - and muddying the waters.