Summer Session grading is complete, so its time to play catch up. A short and incomplete list of some things I missed these past few days....
+ The fight over retroactive immunity for the telecomms who participated (we were just following orders!) in the government's unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping program? It's still on. The anti-immunity forces stepped up and delayed the vote until after the 4th of July. And no, I still cannot explain why Obama caved on this. Very sad.
+ While I was away, SCOTUS handed down a huge case - its first, if you can believe it! - on the meaning of the Second Amendment. My basic reaction to their interpretation of the constitution can be seen here. Judicial activism? What? Who? Where?
That said, if the gun control forces are smart, they will realize that SCOTUS just handed them a huge political gift. Thanks to Justice Scalia, there can be no more debate about an outright ban on guns. The opinion makes an outright ban impossible. And although it might seem counterintuitive at first, I think that's a huge gift to groups aiming to control guns, because the next time some pro-gun people say that "liberals want to take your guns," liberals can say "of course we don't. SCOTUS says that's unconstitutional! What we want to do is control the time, manner, and place when they can be used - and that's something even Justice Scalia says is constitutional. Just as the First Amendment's "no law" isn't meant to be interpreted literally, neither is the Second Amendment's "shall not be infringed. Don't ask us. Ask Justice Scalia." Simple. Easy. And Effective.
If you're looking for more serious/scholarly analysis, SCOTUSblog and Balkanization are your go-to's. Sandy Levinson's take is particularly useful here. For something less academic and more practical, read Ezra.
+ The first round of Colbert's Green Screen Challenge are in, and this is the hands down winner:
+ Did you know that VP Cheney is a "barnacle on the executive branch?" So says his deranged lawyer, David Addington. It will never cease to amaze me that people who oppose "activist judges" and "originalist" constitutional interpretations supported these buffoons.
+ Obama is "on the cover of the Rolling Stone." Must read here. And pay particular attention to this:
If I haven't gotten combat troops out of Iraq, passed universal health care and created a new energy policy that speaks to our dependence on foreign oil and deals seriously with global warming, then we've missed the boat. Those are three big jobs, so it's going to require a lot of attention and imagination, and it's going to require the American people feeling inspired enough that they're prepared to take on these big challenges.
+ North Korea is no longer part of the Axis of Evil. Despite Cheney's best efforts, we negotiated with them and they backed down. There's even video to prove it:
Imagine if we hadn't wasted 7 years following Cheney's insane "you don't talk to evil; you just stare at them with hostility from across the table and hope they will back down" policy?
+ The Japanese are doing it. The Germans are doing it. Why aren't we? Or are we?
