Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, September 28, 2020

It took one week, but we finally have a SCOTUS nominee—the long time nominee apparent, Amy Coney Barrett. The Senate will begin confirmation hearings after waiting another two weeks. Then, hope to vote another two weeks after that on October 26. That will leave the perfect amount of time for Republican voters to get nervous, Democratic voters to worry themselves out, and a few days for all voters to learn that Senate Republicans did what Republican voters wanted. Yes, the Senate dragged its feet and showed its power by delaying power. SCOTUS will be full with 5-3 Conservative justices just before the election, rather than just after. If the Senate was in a hurry, McConnell would crawl over broken glass to begin hearings immediately.

This opens up a myriad of suspicions. If the election is challenged, the court will have six Republican-appointed “original intent” -minded justices, including the notorious swing vote, Chief Justice John Roberts. All six justices vote according to process and intent, usually with Republicans, but not always.

The three remaining Liberal judges, all of them appointed by Democratic presidents, always vote against Republicans and in favor of Democratic-Liberal ideals, regardless of “original intent”. They believe this is honest and ethical. But, they won’t be deciding any election disputes, the six rule-stickler justices will.

A Left-leaning professor this week observed that Trump acts much tougher than he actually is—and that Democratic voters should stop going for his bait. They might not be able to not go for the bait. But, knowing that the election won’t change the Supreme Court balance this time around, plus considering how boring Biden is, Democratic voters might not have the energy to show up to vote, not even with the October surprise about Trump’s taxes, which won’t change anyone’s mind anyway.

Russianewsgategate

Feds air FBI agent’s gripes about Flynn probe // Politico

Trump

October surprises already here
Six key findings from the New York Times’ Trump taxes bombshell | US news | The Guardian // Guardian

Harvard professor: Trump is not a dictator … he only plays one on TV // CNN

Talk about milking…
The FBI director just totally shut down Donald Trump’s vote-fraud conspiracy // CNN

America’s Top Science Journal Has Had It With Trump // Wired

Latest rouse…
Pro-Trump group pays teens to post online // Houston Chronicle

Election

Joe Biden is repeating the same mistakes that cost Hillary Clinton the election // Guardian

Kamala Harris names Tupac ‘best rapper alive’ // NY Post

And this proves he will win?
Biden shows the qualities Trump lacks at CNN town hall // CNN

Law

Donald Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett to US Supreme Court // Financial Times

Will four Republican senators break with their party on RBG’s Supreme Court seat? // Politico

Senate GOP set to vote on Trump’s Supreme Court pick before election // The Hill

Amy Coney Barrett: Trump selects the conservative justice to the Supreme Court // CNN

Supreme Court favorite Amy Barrett thinks politics have no business in the courtroom. Critics aren’t convinced. // Yahoo News

Flashback to 1992…
How Biden killed John Roberts’s nomination in 1992 // WA Post

1992: Sen. Biden says President Bush should not name nominee until after election (C-SPAN) // YouTube @ C-SPAN

Trump pledges woman for court, pushes Senate to move on pick // Detroit News

Alaska Senator Murkowski said Friday she would not vote for a justice ahead of Inauguration Day // Alaska Public Media

A court fight for the ages // Axios

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Republicans vow to vote on Trump pick // BBC News

Ginsburg dead at 87!
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Obituary of the Supreme Court justice // BBC News

Rank & Defense

Space Force says it will fly on a used Falcon 9 rocket for the first time // Ars Technica

Federal System

William Perry Pendley: Federal judge removes acting Bureau of Land Management director after finding he has served unlawfully for 424 days // CNN

Republicans

Romney says Biden probe ‘not legitimate role of government’ // Yahoo News

Peace & War

End the Nobel Peace Prize — if Trump doesn’t win it // The Hill

Activism, Unrest & Protests


Atlanta activist spent $200G in Black Lives Matter donations on house, personal expenses: FBI // Fox News

SCOTUS battle prompts threats, calls for arson: ‘Burn Congress down’ // Fox News

News Media, Journalism & Free speech

Andrew Neil to leave the BBC ‘with heavy heart’ // BBC News

Judge rules Fox News’ Tucker Carlson is not a credible source of news. // Slate

This is what headlines have come to?
Opinion | Tucker Carlson gives up // WA Post

Natural Disaster

Magnitude 4.5 earthquake rattles Southern California, but no major damage reported // Yahoo News

Major fire threatens historic observatory near LA // Yahoo News

Mid East

Iran chides US as world refuses to reimpose sanctions // Aljazeera

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Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, September 21, 2020

Justice Ginsburg is dead at 87, God rest her soul. Her life’s work is well documented in the litany of eulogies from this past weekend. This article will not attempt to add to them.

Whenever a seat opens on the Supreme Court, the nation enters the same debate with the same platitudes. Depending on who is and is not in control of the White House and the Senate, different people argue different platitudes. In 1992, then Senator Joe Biden argued what is today called the “Biden Rule”, that supreme justices should not be appointed during an election season. Republicans didn’t agree. Then President George HW Bush appointed a justice anyway, along with many other federal judges. The Democrat-controlled Senate, and the Judiciary Committee chaired by Biden, refused to even hold hearings on HW Bush appointees. But, their refusal was not limited to the 1992 election year; Biden applied his “Biden Rule” in 1991.

Then, in 2016, Biden opposed Republicans following the “Biden Rule”. He wanted Obama to appoint a justice for the Republican Senate to approve. Suddenly, Republicans agreed with the “Biden Rule” and Biden did not.

Now, a Republican president can appoint a justice for a Republican Senate to approve; but some Republican Senators think they should follow Biden’s rule. Democrats would never follow Biden’s rule if they had the White House and the Senate; we only expect this from Republicans.

Let’s cut with the platitudes and pretentious precedents already. Politicians choose judges because they can. Just how the court always rules in favor of the court—on every case, making whichever ruling reasserts the power of the court—the Senate always votes in favor of the Senate and the White House always acts in favor of the White House.

As with HW Bush and Obama, President Trump will appoint a new justice. The Senate will drag its feet, pretend to serve the will of the people, and play other games to remind Washington that the Senate has power to approve court nominees.

While branches of government put their power on exhibition, the Far Left is resorting to chaos and lawlessness as its display of power. That will only embolden the Right to vote in more Republicans, who will be all too glad to give Trump and his successors the very power he hasn’t used, which the Left nonetheless fears he will. Having been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as the first president in 39 years not to involve America in the very new wars the Left criticizes the Right for, their case against Trump no longer holds water.

If, by some miracle, Republicans lose the election, they will approve Trump’s nominee anyway. They’ll have to. Notwithstanding that nominee vetting often takes 70 days, the Senate will likely find an excuse to wait until after the election. It’s not so much about politics and election strategy as it is about asserting power by delaying power to expand power. Expect a Republican-appointed justice by December, no matter what political smoke blows in the meanwhile. God rest her soul, Ginsburg is dead; so is Roe v Wade.

Trump


America’s Top Science Journal Has Had It With Trump // Wired

Latest rouse…
Pro-Trump group pays teens to post online // Houston Chronicle

Election

And this proves he will win?
Biden shows the qualities Trump lacks at CNN town hall // CNN

Law

Flashback to 1992…
How Biden killed John Roberts’s nomination in 1992 – The Washington Post // WA Post


1992: Sen. Biden says President Bush should not name nominee until after election (C-SPAN) // YouTube @ C-SPAN


Trump pledges woman for court, pushes Senate to move on pick // Detroit News


Alaska Senator Murkowski said Friday she would not vote for a justice ahead of Inauguration Day // Alaska Public Media


A court fight for the ages // Axios


Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Republicans vow to vote on Trump pick // BBC News

Ginsburg dead at 87!
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Obituary of the Supreme Court justice // BBC News

Republicans


Romney says Biden probe ‘not legitimate role of government’ // Yahoo News

Peace & War


End the Nobel Peace Prize — if Trump doesn’t win it // The Hill

Activism, Unrest & Protests


SCOTUS battle prompts threats, calls for arson: ‘Burn Congress down’ // Fox News

News Media, Journalism & Free speech

This is what headlines have come to?
Opinion | Tucker Carlson gives up // WA Post

Soc Media, Cybersecurity & Tech


‘I Have Blood On My Hands’: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation // BuzzFeed News

Natural Disaster


Magnitude 4.5 earthquake rattles Southern California, but no major damage reported // Yahoo News


Major fire threatens historic observatory near LA // Yahoo News

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Faux Report

Man Sues For Right To Be Sexually Harassed At Work

sexuallyharassed

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – 

Carl Smith, an office worker in Louisville, says that he is suing his employer, Carlton Business Solutions, over his right to be sexually harassed in the workplace.

“When I began working for Carlton, I did not sign an anti-sexual harassment policy disclosure, because I have no problems being sexually harassed,” said Smith. “Three years has gone by, and now HR is saying that I have to sign the paper if I want to continue working for the company. That isn’t fair in the slightest.”

Smith says that he wants to be able to be sexually harassed at work if another co-worker feels right in sexually harassing him.

“I’m not a pervert. I am not going to be hounding the ladies or making crude comments,” said Smith. “But that doesn’t mean that they might not to want to say something to me. Maybe they want to make a lewd joke that references the size of my penis. Or maybe they want to give me a playful ass-slap while I’m making coffee in the break room. Those are things I’m okay with, and as such, I refuse to sign any policies on the matter.”

Smith says that he has retained a lawyer, and plans on taking his case “all the way to the supreme court,” if necessary.

“I don’t have anyone to go home to a night, and this job is all I have,” said Smith. “I want to make it the kind of environment that I feel comfortable working in, that’s all.”

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