From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Previously on As the Supreme Court Turns
When last we entered the chambers of the nation's highest court to debate the constitutionality of same-sex marriage two years ago, a bare-knuckle brawl had broken out over the arguments for and against DOMA and Prop. 8. Like marriage being all about procreation…
Justice Kagan: I can assure you, if both the woman and the man are over the age of 55, there are not a lot of children coming out of that marriage.
And whether civil rights are even necessary for a class of people endowed with certain organizational skills…
Chief Justice Roberts: As far as I can tell, political figures are falling over themselves to endorse your side of the case.
Lawyer: The fact of the matter is, Mr. Chief Justice, is that no other group in recent history has been subjected to popular referenda to take away rights that have already been given or exclude those rights, the way gay people have.
And from this guy:
"Legalistic argle bargle."
And where the limits of treating a minority as second-class citizens should begin and end…
Justice Sotomayor: Outside of the marriage context, can you think of any other rational basis for a state using sexual orientation as a factor in denying homosexuals benefits or imposing burdens on them? Is there any other rational decision-making that the government could make? Denying them a job, not granting them benefits of some sort, any other decision?
Lawyer: Your Honor, I cannot.
And whether or not equality is lactose-intolerant…
Justice Ginsburg: You're saying [there are] two kinds of marriage: the full marriage, and then this sort of skim-milk marriage.
And who would tickle the fancy of the swinger…
Justice Kennedy: Oops! I dropped my hanky.
Lawyers: I'll get it! No, I'll get it! I got it first! No you didn't! Gimme that! [Pow! Sock! Biff! Whomp Whomp Whomp!]
Today, the original cast reunites to hear oral arguments for and against marriage equality in
the thrilling conclusion of
As the Supreme Court Turns. Showtime: 10am ET. Bring popcorn. And a legal dictionary.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Note: Here's the official Nepal earthquake-related site from USAID with news and links to rescue and relief organizations now accepting donations. And with everyone living outdoors there at the moment, Shelterbox is a vital component to the relief efforts. Death toll is now over 4,000 and rising. If you can help out, please consider donating a few bucks.
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11 days!!!
By the Numbers:
Days 'til Princess Kate has her baby:
Any Day Now!!!
Days 'til the
Reno River Festival:
11
Year during which sales of new cars to baby boomers peaked:
2010
Current percent of new car purchases that are by Millennials:
27%
(Source: J.D. Power & Associates)
Estimated number of Americans killed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria last year:
23,000
(Source: CDC)
Number of students the Carroll County, Georgia school system will start
randomly drug testing per month:
80
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Tuesday Words of Wisdom from the Right-wing Blogosphere:
A hotbed of deep thinkers.
REMEMBER ONE THING.THEY are ALL from the Samuel Hinckley of Cape Cod 1662, OWO DREAM.
I voted for Bush JR 2 times, but I also NOW KNOW he is working for the very same Spirit which BO is and cousins Clintons for the same end results. If his lips are moving he is no different than the others before or after him.
Way to many things when looked into don't add up, 911, Iraq war Religion of Peace, and so on.
If anything it's a look over here and not pay attention to what's really going on for the destruction of the Constitution and America for their OWO of Rev. 13;.Do not be deceived by those who served or serve now in the US Government in High Places, all their efforts are for this life and false hopes for the future life by the god of this evil worlds systems. Ephesians 6:12 shows who controls who right now.
---Commenter wowjborq at World Net Daily
All together now: 1…2…3…
No sudden moves. Back away slowly.
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Puppy Pic of the Day: If you missed it Friday, via jwinIL14: "Chewie, we're home!"
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CHEERS to Justice's new legal eagle. Loretta Lynch was sworn in yesterday as America's 83rd Attorney General. I'm not thrilled by her aggressive anti-marijuana stance, but if you twisted my arm and forced me to make a prediction, I'd say she'll conveniently focus on other issues that are more pressing. (Disclaimer: I have a two percent accuracy rate on my predictions. Jus' sayin'.) Oh, here's her swearing in---nobody does it better than Uncle Joe:
Following the ceremony, but before tackling the Baltimore riots, she fulfilled her first ceremonial duty: throwing a tarp over the statue of John Ashcroft.
JEERS to letters from the C&J quill. Sent via three-wheeled meter maid scooter:
Dear Police,
How are you? I am feeling a little blue, but probably not as blue as you because you're actually wearing it. Ha ha.
Hey, I'm writing to ask that you please stop killing unarmed black people, or people of any color for that matter. You're supposed to catch murderers, not be them.
Hey, thanks!
Billy
That should help.
JEERS to words that bite back. Forty-eight years ago today, on April 28, 1967, General William Westmoreland said that the U.S. "would prevail in Vietnam." The producer of Laugh-In replied: "Hey, quit stealin' our jokes!"
And Snyder makes 14.
CHEERS to an extra passenger for the clown car. Ever wonder what Al Franken's vanquished Senate foe Norm Coleman is up to these days? Me neither, but I ran into his name over the weekend, and he's apparently become
a professional gossip peddler. Check out this BIG COLESCOOP:
Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) told reporters on Saturday that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) will run for president in 2016.
"I met with Rick Snyder yesterday. He’s running. He’s running," Coleman said at a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Las Vegas, according to The Guardian.
There was some indication that Jewish Coalition honcho and billionaire Sheldon Adelson is really excited about a Snyder candidacy: they detected a slight hint of fog when they held a mirror under his nose.
CHEERS to #5. Happy 257th birthday to President James Monroe. He creeped people out by wearing his revolution-era clothing and a powdered wig at a time when doing so was long out of style. He also told Europe and Russia to keep their paws off the west and then sucked up to the AARP by snagging Florida. And then this (From Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents by Cormac O'Brien):
The last Founding Father to
take the helm of Team U.S.A.
Secretary of the Treasury William Crawford once came calling on the president with a stack of patronage recommendations, all of which Monroe rejected. Enraged, Crawford threw a temper tantrum and demanded to know whom Monroe intended to appoint; the president replied it was none of Crawford's damn business. Crawford snapped and actually advanced on the chief executive with his cane raised, calling Monroe a "damned infernal old scoundrel." Monroe then stepped to the fireplace, seized a pair of fire tongs, and chased his secretary of the treasury from the Executive Mansion.
Historians call it "The night Monroe went mad." Fox News calls it "The inspiration for
The O'Reilly Factor."
CHEERS to today's edition of Holy Crap! That's San Francisco from the International Space Station! Courtesy of astronaut Scott Kelly:
I hope nobody was in the International Space Terlet flushing at the time.
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Ten years ago in C&J: April 28, 2005
JEERS to un-truth in advertising. Maine's brigade of conservative religious blockheads is running full-page ads for a rally tomorrow that will belch sputum against the gay rights law that recently passed in our state. Lie #1: "[The] Governor's special rights legislation for homosexuals, transgenders and cross-dressers will put our children at risk." Lie #2: "Our entire way of life as Mainers is at risk if we allow the Governor and legislature to get away with this. The independence and freedom that has historically defined Maine will be gone forever." We have two words for these jokers: Prove it. [4/28/15 Update: ten years later, LGBT Mainers have full human rights protections and marriage equality, and our children and way of life are definitely at risk---from our slash-and-burn heterosexual Republican governor and his vulgar potty mouth. And of course the fundies adore him.]
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And just one more…
CHEERS to a hot cuppa STFU. Every morning my partner Michael drinks his Folgers from one of the greatest pieces of political memorabilia ever: his Obama birth certificate coffee mug. Yes, it was four years ago this week when President Obama
released his long-form birth certificate to shut up the conspiracy crowd, saying: "we don’t have time for this silliness." Moments later, in the least-surprisy surprise of the day, the birthers cleared their calendars for
more silliness:
"It would be a big mistake for everyone to jump to a conclusion now based on the release of this document, which raises as many questions than it answers.”
Today we'll mark the anniversary the way we usually do: by beating our head against the wall.
Have a nice Tuesday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
Who is Bill in Portland Maine? What is he? I went into “Cheers and Jeers” not knowing whether the name referred to a man, a concept, or a laundry powder, and I came out none the wiser. All I can tell you is that he speaks in the voice of James Spader, and that he can’t make up his humongous mind whether to save the world or to trash it.
---Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
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