White people on the Texas State Board of Education are concerned that non-white people are mentioned in social studies textbooks. The smaller the Republican Party gets, the meaner and stupider it gets.
Meet the New Boss?
Defense Department Counsel Jeh Johnson suggests that the president can continue to “detain” (i.e., imprison) detainees EVEN AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN ACQUITTED by a court of law. Being cautious is one thing, but why in the hell is Obama allowing these John Yoo clones to spew this kind of garbage? And before a Congressional committee no less! Who is he trying to appeal to?
Today In History…
…sliced bread, the greatest achievement in 10,000 years of human civilization, is first produced.
(1928)
Conservative Communists
From the people who brought you Liberal Fascists. A couple of views about the absurdity of the Right Wing Howler Monkey Media Chorus parroting Red China’s state media propaganda campaign against the Uighurs.
RUN, SARAH, RUN!!!
To the delight of stand-up comedians, Saturday Night Live writers and Democrats everywhere, Sarah Palin promises to “stay visible” and “give serious consideration” to running for President in 2012. The base of the Republican Party (which, really, is all that’s left) seems bound and determined to mount a Goldwater-esque kamikazee run in 2012. President Obama couldn’t ask for better news if he paid for it.
Stupid White Man of the Week: Antonin Scalia
This comes as a surprise to no one, I’m sure, but it is fascinating to see a sitting Supreme Court Justice mock Indians to their faces (and cases important to Indians) and invoke the long-discredited “Doctrine of Discovery” to justify the continued legal oppression of tribes. The “Doctrine of Discovery” you may recall is the superpower possessed by Europeans (and only Europeans) to gain title in fee simple to land inhabited by non-Europeans for 10,000 years or more just by looking at it. Or, if the European happens to be a king, just by looking at a map of it.
(Possibly) Good News
Marginal joke candidate Al Franken (who should never have been placed within 300 miles of an actual ballot) has apparently been confirmed by the Minnesota Supreme Court as winner of the 2008 Senatorial election. I’m sorry, I like Al Franken. He’s a funny guy. But it was ludicrous for the DFL to nominate someone with absolutely no qualifications whatsoever for such an important contest. Virtually any other candidate would have whipped Norm Coleman like a runty dog and spared the state this kind of humiliation.
Column for 28 June, 2009
The Revolution Will Be Twittered
“For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.”
–Isaiah 51:13-14
I’m not much of a fan of the internet (spoken like a true old geezer). I use it, of course; you can’t help but use it these days. Clients expect the convenience of e-mail; many courts prefer it—the federal system is all digital now. And yes, there is a certain convenience in being able to look something up instantaneously (even though most of the time it’s on Wikipedia and therefore about as reliable as graffiti). But, really, if the internet disappeared tomorrow, I could live on. There are few things I e-mail or instant message that I couldn’t convey just as quickly and usually more accurately on the phone. True, I wouldn’t get all those forwarded gems about the Secret Obama Muslim Conspiracy To Steal Our Guns, but if I want to hear paranoid ravings I can always go to a Republican Party meeting and get it live. Plus, they usually serve snacks. And millions of years ago (more…)
Cherokee Nation No Longer Exists?
Freshly sworn-in Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk (Pawnee) wrote in a June 24 letter opinion that the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band have equal jurisdiction and, more amazingly, that the historical Cherokee Nation “no longer exists.” John & David Cornsilk discuss this in depth over at their site.
The Local Crank