Month: January 2010

NYTimes: The Supreme Court’s Blow to Democracy

Posted on by TL

From the New York Times:

With a single, disastrous 5-to-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has thrust politics back to the robber-baron era of the 19th century. Disingenuously waving the flag of the First Amendment, the court’s conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding.

Congress must act immediately to limit the damage of this radical decision, which strikes at the heart of democracy.

As a result of Thursday’s ruling, corporations have been unleashed from the longstanding ban against their spending directly on political campaigns and will be free to spend as much money as they want to elect and defeat candidates. If a member of Congress tries to stand up to a wealthy special interest, its lobbyists can credibly threaten: We’ll spend whatever it takes to defeat you.

The ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission radically reverses well-established law and erodes a wall that has stood for a century between corporations and electoral politics. (The ruling also frees up labor unions to spend, though they have far less money at their disposal.)

The founders of this nation warned about the dangers of corporate influence. The Constitution they wrote mentions many things and assigns them rights and protections — the people, militias, the press, religions. But it does not mention corporations.

The Times is right. If Congress does not act, your vote will be meaningless. You are a person. A corporation is not. Corporations will now be able to give as much money as they want to any and all politicians.

This is incredibly insane.

Olbermann: U.S. Government Completely For Sale

Posted on by TL

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

With no limits on campaign financing, corporations will take over the government.

I was flabbergasted by the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which overruled two precedents: Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, a 1990 decision that upheld restrictions on corporate spending to support or oppose political candidates, and McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, a 2003 decision that upheld the part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 that restricted campaign spending by corporations and unions, the New York Times said today.

The ramifications of this are incredible. Everything Keith Olbermann says in the video above is true. Sometimes Keith overreacts. Not this time.

I didn’t get a chance to listen to Thom Hartmann today, but I’m sure he was beside himself. Hartmann has been arguing for a long, long time that corporations are not people. He’s right. A corporation is a legal entity which exists on paper only. The First Amendment should not apply at all, but it was the First Amendment which persuaded five of nine justices otherwise.

This is incredibly unnerving. The New York Times editorial board is correct: "Congress must act immediately to limit the damage of this radical decision, which strikes at the heart of democracy."

Would You Kill For Drew Peterson?

Posted on by TL

Drew Peterson’s stepbrother, Thomas Morphey (left), took the stand Thursday in a hearing to decide whether prosecutors can use ‘hearsay’ evidence.

I shudder just to write that headline. Hearing a question like that from someone I’m close to would really give me pause.

Drew Peterson allegedly said something like that to his stepbrother.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

A day before Stacy Peterson vanished, Drew Peterson confided that his fourth wife was seeking a divorce — then asked a startling question, Thomas Morphey testified Thursday.

“How much do you love me?” Peterson asked, according to Morphey, his stepbrother. “Enough to kill for me?”

Their Oct. 27, 2007, conversation left Morphey shaken — and convinced that Peterson was planning to kill his 23-year-old wife, Morphey said.

Those fears grew a day later when Drew Peterson asked for help in moving a 3 1/2-foot-tall blue barrel out of his Bolingbrook home, particularly when Morphey picked up one end of the 140-pound container.

“It felt warm,” said Morphey, whose courtroom statements closely followed information he provided in an exclusive 2008 interview that ran in the Chicago Sun-Times. He said in that interview he believes Stacy Peterson’s body was in the plastic container he helped Peterson carry out of the house on Oct. 28, 2007.

The Sun-Times reports that Morphey acknowledged he was so upset by his actions that he took an overdose of prescription drugs the next day in a suicide attempt. He said he was contacted by police investigators after being released from the hospital and provided them information about Peterson’s alleged actions.

Innocent until proven guilty, and I hope the court does everything possible to ensure this is a fair trial.

Because it’s going to be incredibly ugly.

More here at the Sun-Times.

Nepal Charter To Grant Gay Rights

Posted on by TL

From HindustanTimes.com:

Like most people in love Tripti Shah and Darshana Thapa (names changed) want to get married and start a family. But unlike most they will have to wait some more time to get legal recognition for their union.

In less than five months Nepal will have a new constitution that will be the first in Asia to guarantee equal rights to sexual minorities. And once that happens, Tripti and Darshana, a lesbian couple, can formally wed.

The couple in their 20s was thrown out of Nepal Army nearly three years ago due to their sexual orientation—albeit ‘disciplinary ground’ was cited as the reason for their removal.

The majority of Nepal’s population is Hindu.  The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama was born there.

In Response To The Anti-Gay Cartoon In Notre Dame’s Observer

Posted on by TL

First, a word from the president … of the University of Notre Dame:

The Jan. 13 issue of the University of Notre Dame’s student newspaper The Observer included a cartoon that was inappropriate and offensive.

“The University denounces the implication that violence or expressions of hate toward any person or group of people is acceptable or a matter that should be taken lightly,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president.

In accordance with Notre Dame’s Spirit of Inclusion, a formal statement adopted by the officers of the University in 1997, at Notre Dame “we prize the uniqueness of all persons as God’s creatures” and welcome " all people, regardless of color, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social or economic class, and nationality."

Further, “we value gay and lesbian members of this community as we value all members of this community. We condemn harassment of any kind” and “we consciously create an environment of mutual respect, hospitality and warmth in which none are strangers and all may flourish.”

The University respects The Observer’s status as an independent, student-run newspaper and appreciates that the editorial staff has issued an apology in its January 15th issue and that the cartoon’s authors also have expressed their regret. Notre Dame administrators will work with the Observer staff, as they say in their editorial, to “move forward, and….to promote…a culture of acceptance and support for all.”

In the wake of the publication of this cartoon, which has been widely covered in the media, all I could think was "here we go again." Certainly Fr. Jenkins’ words are welcome, especially when he says, “we value gay and lesbian members of this community as we value all members of this community. We condemn harassment of any kind” and “we consciously create an environment of mutual respect, hospitality and warmth in which none are strangers and all may flourish.” But as a Catholic institution, Notre Dame can only go so far.

Face it.

Please understand, this is not a slam at Catholicism. I do not believe Catholicism is limited to the Vatican, which many in the media seem to believe. All religions is local, to paraphrase former Speaker of the House Thomas "Tip" O’Neil. Church is what happens when I go to my parish and worship with my community. Our Catholic parish is open to all.

But Notre Dame is a bit more "on the map" than my parish is in the south suburbs of Chicago. As a Domer, I appreciate Fr. Jenkins words, but he needs to go much further. What does that mean? For that, I defer to Tom O’Brien ‘86, Michael August ‘96, Steven Saftig ’03, and Liam Dacey ‘04, officers of the Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College (GALA-ND/SMC):

As officers of the Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College (GALA-ND/SMC) for the past two years, we have encountered people on campus who disagree with us on many issues. What we have not encountered from the student body, faculty, or administration is the lack of respect evidenced by the publication of this hateful cartoon from other members of the Notre Dame community.

This is not a question of free speech. If the editors weren’t concerned with community standards, they wouldn’t have rejected the first version of the cartoon. No, the decision to publish it demonstrates a serious lack of judgment and lack of commitment to the Catholic belief in human dignity and stance against violence.
We know that the cartoon does not reflect the feelings of a majority of the people on the ND campus; and we have been heartened by many of the responses appearing in the Observer. But this will hurt the university unless it is clear that Notre Dame does not tolerate violence against any members of its community.

The author and editors seem to have missed the point of a Catholic education if they cannot see that LGBT students, faculty, staff and alumni are indeed members of the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s family and should be treated as such.

We make every attempt to share with people outside of campus the positive steps being made to improve the lives of the LGBT community at ND and SMC. Sometimes this takes convincing, even with our own membership. The publication of the cartoon is a prime example of why Notre Dame ranks first in The Princeton Review’s list of the most unwelcoming campuses for gay and lesbian students. The noise being generated by this will drown out any good news about the work being done by the students, faculty and Core Council. That’s not good news if you care about our university’s reputation.

The administration needs to take the lead in responding by holding panel discussions with the Observer, the faculty and the student body. GALA’s more-than-900 members are ready to join with the rest of the Notre Dame community in stating that the free flow of ideas can only occur if we respect each other.

Tom O’Brien ‘86, Michael August ‘96, Steven Saftig ’03, and Liam Dacey ‘04
GALA ND/SMC Officers

It’s time for Notre Dame to bring that respect to life. Fr. Jenkins and the University of Notre Dame Trustees need to step up.

Will County Businesses Love Todd Stroger

Posted on by TL

The Sun-Times puts an interesting twist on the Todd Stroger saga: Will County businesses love Todd because Cook County taxes drive shoppers over the border.

From the Sun-Times:

The real reason why Todd Stroger will fail to win another term as Cook County Board president won’t be because of a dynamic new candidate who emerges to capture the electorate.

Stroger will be shown the door in the Feb. 2 primary not because he was unsuccessful getting a key endorsement again from the Fifth Floor at Chicago City Hall or from a certain fellow from Hyde Park who now resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

No, the single biggest reason why Todd Stroger is about to be bounced from office after one term can be found at Kenwood Liquors in Homer Glen.

Whoever replaces Stroger should stock the victory party with champagne from the store to show the proper appreciation.

Stroger might not be smart enough to realize it, but he’s done wonders for the Will County economy by ramming through a 1 percent sales tax increase on behalf of his constituency a year ago. The Cook County Board banded together to roll back half of the tax starting July 1, but the effect already has been felt across county lines.

Who cares if every man, woman and child across all income brackets in Cook County hates paying an extra penny for every dollar they spend?

As if you needed another reason to vote for someone besides Todd Stroger on February 2.

I’m still considering Toni Preckwinkle. She makes a good first impression. I hope its lasting.

Conservatives Longing For More Of Ross Perot’s ‘You People’

Posted on by TL

I chanced on a blog today written by a self-proclaimed "Concerned Christian Conservative." The Left – Watch What They Do, Not What They Say! appears to be a decenly-traficked site for a relative newcomer to the blogosphere. The author laments in a January 11 post the use of the term "African American," seeming nostalgic for the days when other terms were used instead. And, just in case you want to accuse the writer of being racist, he had black friends in the 60s, so let’s have none of that.

Mostly, the author is still hurting for Ross Perot, who took heat during the 1992 presidential campaign when he referred to African Americans as "you people." Yes, you see, Perot is the victim here.

From the post:

It seems that the American People have just about had it with the contrived leftist power technique of “Political Correctness.” Yes, power technique, the technique of changing a simple word and meaning to another and over and over again. Example, the word used to describe people from the African Continent. We first used the name “colored people” than to “negro” and on to “black” and now “African-American.” It’s funny, I specifically remember in the 60’s when my black friends in college insisted that I call them black instead of colored. That was fine with me, it made sense and it seemed they were happy about the new name. Then came the very political name in the 1980’s “African-American.” Now, that name was purposely issued direct from the Democrat National Committee to manipulate the majority of whites in America. It irritated many in America that the black population needed to change their name again. Many just came to the conclusion that the black population in America had an identity crisis. But the real reason was to have more ammunition and issues to attack the majority white population, who usually voted Republican. It’s simply manipulation and power control over a majority for which they cannot gain control in other ways. Anyone who didn’t conform was labeled racist, thus the political overtones and manipulation.

Ross Perot found that out in his attempt at the Presidency when he made an off handed comment referring to a group of black voters as “You People.” Boy, you would have thought he used the “N” word.

As a Christian, I really don’t get some of these so-called "Christians." What is anyone losing by calling our black brothers and sisters "African American?"

How dare any group decide for themselves what they should be called without asking white Americans first? Racism is about power, and the writer misses the power of those words.

Blessings to all on this day celebrating the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blessings and peace to all.

Uganda’s Catholic Bishops Come Out Against Proposed “Kill-The-Gays” Bill

Posted on by TL

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Uganda’s Catholic Bishops have come out against the anti-gay bill that could impose the death penalty for homosexuals in Uganda. Citing the Bible, Dr. Cyrian Kizito Lwanga, the Archbishop of Kampala said that the bill “Does not pass a test of a Christian caring approach to this issue.”

Thank God for good bishops.

The video above is the entire Equally Speaking for Friday, January 15, 2010. Enjoy.

Antigay Group Focus On The Family Buys Super Bowl Ad

Posted on by TL

From The Advocate:

The antigay group Focus on the Family will air a TV ad during the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, the Denver Post reports. The 30-second spot, which features University of Florida quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy-winner Tim Tebow and his mother, is supposed to be “life- and family-affirming,” a group spokesman said. In addition to his success on the football field, Tebow is known for his strong Christian beliefs and for wearing Bible verse citations inscribed on his game-day eye black.

From the Denver Post:

[Tim] Tebow and his mother will share one of their many positive personal stories, Schneeberger said, but he wouldn’t reveal which one. One contender is Pam Tebow’s decision to carry her son to term despite a life-threatening pregnancy in the Philippines, where she and her husband, Bob, were serving as Christian missionaries.

The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, also known for being home-schooled, winning an NCAA championship and wearing Bible-verse citations inscribed on his game-day eye black, agreed to appear in the ad because the issue of life is one he and his family feel strongly about, Schneeberger said.

Schneeberger wouldn’t say how much it cost to make the ad or the price of air time. However, TNS Media Intelligence reported Monday that 30-second Super Bowl commercial slots, which will reach an estimated 100 million viewers, are selling for $2.5 million to $2.8 million, down from last year’s record price on NBC of $3 million.