Archive for September, 2018

Partisan Gerrymandering:  From Ballots To Bullets?  Oh, And Happy National Voter Registration Day! (September 24, 2018) 

Posted in Partisan Gerrymandering, Politics, Supreme Court, Voting on September 24, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “‘Don’t bother me,’ opined the Chief (Justice) to the Indians.  ‘I closed the doors to the Supreme Court.  If you want to change polity, you must resort to bullets not ballots.  My Supreme Court is in business to help big business, it is not in business to help little people,’ proclaimed the Chief.  ‘The game is gamed.  The franchise is foreclosed.  The ballot box is buttoned up.  Go away.  Go home.’”

J          “He does not get it.  ‘In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience,’ observed Stokely Carmichael.  We have a problem.  And he gets it.”

K          “A (Supreme) Court without a conscience.”

J          “In a Country without a conscience.”

. . .

K          “If Roberts and gang do not want to protect the public against partisan gerrymandering, they should resign and let someone else do the job.”

J          “They like the money.  They like the power.  They like to impose their will.”

. . .

K          “I vote for the ballot.”

J          “I second the vote.”

K          “Now we need to get the Chief to focus on protecting the ballot rather than promoting the bullet as the means to bring about peaceful change.”

J          “He just does not get it.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at “Sweet Senate Alabama (December 18, 2017)”.]

Bumper stickers of the week: 

Vote

“Those who make peaceful revolution [resolution] impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”  John F. Kennedy (Ted could have polished/improved/cadenced the statement by saying “peaceful resolution” rather than “peaceful revolution”.)

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Coups d’état, Bail Outs And Bail Ins:  Clio’s Diary/Chronology.  Oh, And Happy Constitution Day! (September 17, 2018)

Posted in Bailout/Bribe, Banks and Banking System on September 17, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “September 15 is the ten year anniversary of the Great Financial Coup d’état of 2018.”

J          “We. Just. Will. Not. Learn.”

. . .

Recent Coups d’état:

2000:  Political coup d’état – by the Republican judicial branch / Supreme Court, Inc. when it rejected the franchise / election and counting of votes by citizens, appointed Bush, Jr. as President, set in place subsequent coups d’état and cemented the dominion of the Kleptocracy to supplant a democracy.

1999 – 2008:  “Pogo” participation by the populace in the Economic coup d’état – by the ordinary people who lost their senses, judgment and perspective with considerable encouragement by the powers that be that be very powerful.  The populace invested money in companies that could not even promise blue sky, pursued returns that were inconceivable and “rented” homes they could never afford.  The people unwittingly participated in and ratified the insanity and criminality.  Blame is everywhere.

2008:  Economic coup d’état – by the Democrats and Republicans in the executive and legislative branches who cooperated in looting the public fisc for the benefit of the few / 1 % / Kleptocrats at a devastating cost to the public and in particular innocent and uninvolved future generations who must finance the at least 4.2 Trillion dollar ($4,200,000,000,000.00) giveaway.  Give or take.  Probably give another 1 Trillion dollars to the number that was given away.

2016:  Populist coup d’état – by a demagogue Republican President / executive branch buffoon and charlatan who fooled a genuinely angry, frightened and desperate public to vote for him and installed an oligarch and his oligarchy to run the Kleptocracy.

2017:  Judicial coup d’état – the Supreme Court, Inc. is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party, Inc. occupied by Five Red Rich Republican “Catholic” Corporatist “White” Boys . . . And All By-Products Of The S.I.C.

2018:  Judicial coup d’état – the coup de grace in the making.

Recent And Projected Bail Outs And “Bail Ins”:

1998:  Banks/Wall Street bail out Long Term Capital Management. 

2008, September and October:  Federal Reserve bails out Banks/Wall Street.  See above.                                        

20__:  International Monetary Fund (IMF) bails out Federal Reserve; Taxpayers bail out or “bail in” the Banks/Wall Street.

20__:  God bails out the International Monetary Fund (IMF); No one bails out Taxpayers.

20__:  God files Chapter 11 Reorganization; Taxpayers file Chapter 7 Liquidation.

. . .

[See “In 2008, America Stopped Believing in the American Dream” in “New York” Magazine by Frank Rich dated August 6, 2018.]

[See the e-commentary at “Futile Efforts (September 29, 2008)”, “A Bleak Day:  The Trillion Dollar Tragedy (October 6, 2008)”, “Bailouts: Out; Bail Ins: In; Slowly Boilin’ The Frog (April 15, 2013)”, “Globalizing The Bail In (July 8, 2013)”, “September 15, 2008 – The Date That Should Live In Infamy (September 16, 2013)”,“‘Bail Ins’ Are Globalized; ‘Bail Outs’ Are Bailed Back In; No Bail For Bankers (December 29, 2014)”, “Punt, Pass And Kick:  The End Is Far (February 24, 2014)” and “They Can Print Money (November 2, 2015)”.]

Bumper sticker of the week:

So, help us God, so help us God.

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Judges:  Conflicts Of Interest And The “Self—Interested Empathy Theory” Of Judicial Decision Making (September 10, 2018) 

Posted in Abortion, Fourth Amendment, Law, Rule of Law, Supreme Court on September 10, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “A judge shows all-consuming ‘empathy’ for pensions and will use all of the powers at his or her disposal at any and all costs at any and all times and in all and any ways to protect his or her pension.”

J          “So they are too ‘empathetic’ about pensions?”

K          “Exactly.  They are way, way too ‘empathetic’ and have a conflict of interest that precludes them from addressing such matters neutrally, but they address such matters first and foremost.”

. . .

K          “By contrast, judges are given nearly free health care and can flash their ‘judge badge’ if any dispute arises over coverage.  However, when a private citizen encounters a judge who has no experience with criminally intransigent health insurance companies, the judge rules for the insurance company.”

J          “And thus judges make asinine comments in court such as ‘How could the health insurance company make a mistake in coverage because it is their job to know what is covered and not covered’ and then dismiss the case and sanction the injured and uninsured party.”

K          “Indubitably.”

. . .

K          “When it comes to Fourth Amendment protection for cell phones . . . .”

J          “Justices have cell phones.”

K          “Justices have cell phones, but some of them are so cocky that they are above the law that they don’t have to stoop to relying on the mere Fourth Amendment.”

. . .

K          “How many of the Justices flirt with personal pregnancy?”

. . .

K          “The only way to engender empathy is to put the judges in the shoes of the populace or to put the populace in the robes of the judge.”

J          “The latter is more promising.”

K          “Law is too complex and too important to be left to the lawyers and the judges.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at “Pensions, Conflicts Of Interest And The Illinois Supreme Court (June 1, 2015)”.]

Bumper sticker of the week:

There is no law, there is only ideology

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Labor Day.  Oh, And Happy Labor Day! (September 3, 2018) 

Posted in Consumerism, Unions on September 3, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “When the day comes that laborers are eliminated, will they still celebrate Labor Day?”

J          “They cannot not celebrate it.  Without Labor Day, there are no Labor Day Sales to sell stuff to those who labor.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at “What Use [Are] People?  Oh, And Happy Father’s Day! (June 18, 2018)”.]

Bumper sticker of the week: 

Unions – The folks who brought you the weekend

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