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News & ArtsSaturday, January 23, 2010
News The Morning News: Dr. Tiller, Port of Seattle, Bernanke, and Dead Fish
Posted by Unpaid Intern on Sat, Jan 23, 2010 at 9:00 AM
Posted by news intern Jon Brock
Port of Seattle: A two year fraud and corruption investigation produces zero indictments.
Dr. George Tiller's suspected murderer: The trial began yesterday, and even though "Roeder has admitted in court documents that he killed Tiller," the judge "has not ruled out the possibility that he will allow Roeder's attorneys to make a case for voluntary manslaughter." You know, because he was doing it for the children.
It's their time to shine: 200-plus surviving members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during WWII, including 11 from Washington state, will receive Congressional Gold Medals.
Not quite an eye for an eye: The CIA ramped up its drone attacks in Pakistan immediately after the suicide bombing carried out by Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi.
The Supreme Court fallout: 24 states have to re-evaluate their laws that have been called into question by the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to allow corporate money flow freely in candidate elections.
The Head of the Fed: Bernanke's nomination for a second term on the rocks.
Leno Sucks: Conan O'Brien hosted his last Tonight Show episode last night.
More from the federal Prop. 8 trial: "The final witness for gays and lesbians seeking to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage testified Friday that most people don't choose their sexual orientation, few people change it and "conversion therapy" is useless and potentially harmful.
More bad news from Haiti: The government declares the search and rescue phase officially over.
This is a day old, but still worth noting: Burger King is planning on opening a "Whopper Bar"—a place to get burgers and beers—in Miami Beach's South Beach area.
Not so fast there, Blackwater: Vice President Joe Biden says the U.S. government will appeal a court's decision to throw out the case against "Blackwater security guards accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians."
I never thought it possible:
- explodingdog.com
1
OK, I have a question for you guys. The Stranger, The New York Times, The Seattle Times - they all publish political commentary that can affect an election, including endorsing candidates, and can do it right up to election day. Because they have "first amendment rights," right? But they're corporations too. How is it constitutional to say "these corporations have first amendment rights, but those corporations don't?"
2
I guess it's because "freedom of the press" is explicitly called out in the Constitution. An individual can print a paper, or individuals can band together into corporations to print a paper, and that's the way it's always been.
I have a question for you: why don't corporations have direct voting rights? Oh right, because they're not "citizens of the United States". It's the people of the United States whose rights are safeguarded by the Constitution. A corporation is not a person.
No right, in America, is absolute.
I have a question for you: why don't corporations have direct voting rights? Oh right, because they're not "citizens of the United States". It's the people of the United States whose rights are safeguarded by the Constitution. A corporation is not a person.
No right, in America, is absolute.
3
It absolutely creeps me out that the unsettled question of personhood under law led not only to the Supreme Court's decision to rule broadly yesterday, but to Roeder's ability to go to Dr. Tiller's fucking church and fucking murder him.
4
1. corporations have some but not all legal rights of human persons, they have due process rights, their property can't be taken without just compensation, etc. but they shouldn't be allowed to vote, marry, adopt kids, or give money like people do in political campaigns.
because it's not an all or nothing deal an each right should be handled on its own merits.
2. assuming they have a right to speech in general, and btw it was soooo stupid for that dumbass liberal lawyer to try to argue they dont and that congress could pass a law saying no corporation can publish a book...what a dumbass....then it doesn't mean they can give money politically like humans because
a. money isn't speech another wrong ruling by the court
b. in fact we can regulate speech...we CAN have a law saying you can't drown out others with your speech, you can't pay thugs to take over the public square in a park, so it's okay to regulate money used to buy public airwaves....shit it's okay to regulate human's using money to buy time to speak, it's okay to regulate corporations and to distinguish because see item 1 supra.
4. btw @4 US citizens do not have voting rights. DC, remember? YOU have the right to elect senators making laws for THEM, they don't, you are the colonizer, when being a colonizer it's polite to remember who you have colonized, ok?
Same with puerto rico, there you are in puerto rico, you want statehood, others deny this to you and the result is .... you don't got equal voting rights. What the fuck is up with that?
I can only assume you in the colonizer class enjoy ruling over others and your ignorance is willful....
because it's not an all or nothing deal an each right should be handled on its own merits.
2. assuming they have a right to speech in general, and btw it was soooo stupid for that dumbass liberal lawyer to try to argue they dont and that congress could pass a law saying no corporation can publish a book...what a dumbass....then it doesn't mean they can give money politically like humans because
a. money isn't speech another wrong ruling by the court
b. in fact we can regulate speech...we CAN have a law saying you can't drown out others with your speech, you can't pay thugs to take over the public square in a park, so it's okay to regulate money used to buy public airwaves....shit it's okay to regulate human's using money to buy time to speak, it's okay to regulate corporations and to distinguish because see item 1 supra.
4. btw @4 US citizens do not have voting rights. DC, remember? YOU have the right to elect senators making laws for THEM, they don't, you are the colonizer, when being a colonizer it's polite to remember who you have colonized, ok?
Same with puerto rico, there you are in puerto rico, you want statehood, others deny this to you and the result is .... you don't got equal voting rights. What the fuck is up with that?
I can only assume you in the colonizer class enjoy ruling over others and your ignorance is willful....
5
What disturbs me most about this decision is that it doesn't (so far as I'm aware at least) seem to even make any distinction between domestic and foreign corporations.
Unless I'm grossly mistaken, this ruling now means a Chinese or Swiss or Russian corporate entity apparently has the same right to "free speech" in the form unlimited political donations to candidates as does an individual American citizen; more in point of fact, since corporations are in a position to throw thousands, tens of thousands, if not millions of dollars into the political arena, whereas most of us can only muster a mere fraction of a percentage of that amount.
The effect of this ruling seems to be to essentially say, "we are no longer a representative democracy based on the principle of 'one citizen, one vote', but rather 'one citizen/corporation, unlimited financial influence'."
The only bright spot I see in this is that the ruling would appear to apply to unions and grass-roots organizations as well as to for-profit corporations. Although, I can't help but wonder, following the rule of "unintended consequences", whether this ruling could for example also apply to non-profits. Could ANY corporate entity, even a tax-exempt one, now claim that denying them access to the political arena constitutes an "infringement" of their right to free speech?
Unless I'm grossly mistaken, this ruling now means a Chinese or Swiss or Russian corporate entity apparently has the same right to "free speech" in the form unlimited political donations to candidates as does an individual American citizen; more in point of fact, since corporations are in a position to throw thousands, tens of thousands, if not millions of dollars into the political arena, whereas most of us can only muster a mere fraction of a percentage of that amount.
The effect of this ruling seems to be to essentially say, "we are no longer a representative democracy based on the principle of 'one citizen, one vote', but rather 'one citizen/corporation, unlimited financial influence'."
The only bright spot I see in this is that the ruling would appear to apply to unions and grass-roots organizations as well as to for-profit corporations. Although, I can't help but wonder, following the rule of "unintended consequences", whether this ruling could for example also apply to non-profits. Could ANY corporate entity, even a tax-exempt one, now claim that denying them access to the political arena constitutes an "infringement" of their right to free speech?
6
Andy Dick Lands in Jail for Alleged Sex Abuse
http://www.people.com
/people
/article
/0,,20338983,00.html
<
he allegedly "walked up to the 17-year-old female victim, grabbed her tank top and bra and pulled them down and exposed her breasts," according to a police statement at the time of the arrest
>
http://www.people.com
/people
/article
/0,,20338983,00.html
<
he allegedly "walked up to the 17-year-old female victim, grabbed her tank top and bra and pulled them down and exposed her breasts," according to a police statement at the time of the arrest
>
7
Indeed, @3. I had not linked the two sets of events in my mind. Thank you for an interesting insight.
8
Jon,
I found it odd that this story isn't mentioned on your Morning News list:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lo…
This is awful. This creep, Clark has the dubious distinction of being the first person convicted of Human Trafficking under the recent (2008) Washington state law. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison and only showed remorse at sentencing. Bloody sad.
I found it odd that this story isn't mentioned on your Morning News list:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lo…
This is awful. This creep, Clark has the dubious distinction of being the first person convicted of Human Trafficking under the recent (2008) Washington state law. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison and only showed remorse at sentencing. Bloody sad.
9
Can you publish a flowchart for Index Newspapers, LLC? I'm curious what other companies your parent corporation owns, and it's rather secretive except for the Portland Mercury. Boise Weekly? Missoula Independent? Foundation? The Onion? Ballard Oil? The Mercury Group?
10
"The trial began yesterday, and DESPITE the fact that "Roeder has admitted in court documents that he killed Tiller," the judge "has not ruled out the possibility that he will allow Roeder's attorneys to make a case for voluntary manslaughter." "
The 'despite' should not be there-
we have either an misunderstanding of law or the English language here...
The 'despite' should not be there-
we have either an misunderstanding of law or the English language here...
11
re: Illegal drone attacks in Pakistan-
Perhaps if we stop Obama's illegal secret war (or declare war and make it legal...) they will stop killing our CIA agents.
Perhaps if we stop Obama's illegal secret war (or declare war and make it legal...) they will stop killing our CIA agents.
13
UC Davis psychology professor Gregory Herek, the final witness for gays and lesbians seeking to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage testified Friday that most people don't choose their sexual orientation and few people change it
DESPITE
admitting that most Gays and lesbians commonly have heterosexual partners at some point in life.
see how that works?
DESPITE
admitting that most Gays and lesbians commonly have heterosexual partners at some point in life.
see how that works?
14
The plaintiffs offered Herek's testimony to counter arguments by Prop. 8's defenders that sexual orientation is changeable and impossible to define. As a consequence, Prop. 8's supporters contend, prohibiting same-sex marriage can't be discriminatory because any Californian can still wed someone of the opposite sex.
Howard Nielson, a lawyer for the Prop. 8 campaign, asking Herek about INNUMERABLE studies that described sexual orientation as complex and found that people's sexual identities are often flexible.
Herek claimed the INNUMERABLE studies that found that people's sexual identities are often flexible did not contradict his conclusions.
Really?
Howard Nielson, a lawyer for the Prop. 8 campaign, asking Herek about INNUMERABLE studies that described sexual orientation as complex and found that people's sexual identities are often flexible.
Herek claimed the INNUMERABLE studies that found that people's sexual identities are often flexible did not contradict his conclusions.
Really?
15
recap:
The plaintiff's highly paid whore hack witness claimed few people change their sexual 'orientation'
DESPITE
the fact that most Gays and lesbians have heterosexual partners at some point in life and
DESPITE
INNUMERABLE studies that found that people's sexual identities are flexible.
The plaintiff's highly paid whore hack witness claimed few people change their sexual 'orientation'
DESPITE
the fact that most Gays and lesbians have heterosexual partners at some point in life and
DESPITE
INNUMERABLE studies that found that people's sexual identities are flexible.
16
"Roeder has admitted in court documents that he killed Tiller, but he has claimed he did so to save the unborn. Tiller, 67, was one of a handful of American physicians who performed late- term abortions."
Roeder seems to have an air-tight case....
Roeder seems to have an air-tight case....
17
Freedom of the press only applies to he who OWNS the press. Corporations control the information flow, the voting(see Diebold 2004), the food, the money. Anyone happen to notice the stock market creeping toward pre-bailout levels? Are YOUR wages rising? No! Unemployment is, though!
I'm losing my (rental) house next week! That's right, another homeless guy in Seattle! Don't you think there's too many already? This will keep happening to more and more people; they don't care about me, you, or anybody who's not listed in the Fortune 500. Old story; the haves declare war on the have-nots, the have-nots vote on rigged machines, thinking it's gonna help. Meanwhile, the greedy House and Senate continue to pass legislation making it even easier to line their pockets and their friends' pockets with my livelihood. Then NPR asks unimportant questions and Fox breaks the story of a cat who rescued a baby. and the have-nots log on to Facebook.
This society is making me nauseous.
Can we have a fucking revolution, already? Well? Can we?
I'm losing my (rental) house next week! That's right, another homeless guy in Seattle! Don't you think there's too many already? This will keep happening to more and more people; they don't care about me, you, or anybody who's not listed in the Fortune 500. Old story; the haves declare war on the have-nots, the have-nots vote on rigged machines, thinking it's gonna help. Meanwhile, the greedy House and Senate continue to pass legislation making it even easier to line their pockets and their friends' pockets with my livelihood. Then NPR asks unimportant questions and Fox breaks the story of a cat who rescued a baby. and the have-nots log on to Facebook.
This society is making me nauseous.
Can we have a fucking revolution, already? Well? Can we?
19
@ Everyone who called me out on my evident misunderstanding (and subsequent misuse) of the word 'despite': it is now fixed to say what I intended.
@8 I was in a rush, and it was early. Apologies.
@8 I was in a rush, and it was early. Apologies.
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