Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments (AP) — A new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom by Jan. 1 was temporarily blocked Tuesday by a federal judge who said the law is “unconstitutional on its face.”
U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles in Baton Rouge said the law had an “overtly religious” purpose, and rejected state officials’ claims that the government can mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments because they hold historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law. His opinion noted that no other foundational documents — including the Constitution or the Bill of Rights — must be posted. -- nordy
Guardian: Major oil companies, including Shell and precursors to energy giants Chevron, ExxonMobil and BP, were alerted about the planet-warming effects of fossil fuels as early as 1954, newly unearthed documents show.
The warning, from the head of an industry-created group known as the Air Pollution Foundation, was revealed by Climate Investigations Center and published Tuesday by the climate website DeSmog. It represents what may be the earliest instance of big oil being informed of the potentially dire consequences of its products. -- nordy
Would that it were untrue. I recall the (now outdated) political joke that the US wanted to divide Iraq into three provinces: Regular, Unleaded and Supreme.
Oakland mayor and county’s district attorney ousted in historic recall [Click] “While the campaigns tapped into deep frustrations among residents, they were funded in large part by a handful of the region’s wealth[iest] residents.” Small wonder there, it seems to me. As an aside, Oakland has been overwhelmed by the exodus of high-paid workers from San Francisco. First they pushed middle-class and working-class residents out of San Francisco, and then they flooded into Oakland. ——Alan
I remember, maybe ten years [or more] ago, there was an opening for a PhD forensic toxicologist [with experience, of course] at the San Francisco county medical examiner's office. The pay was clearly inadequate to rent an apartment in San Francisco. Not long after that I was chatting with a senior deputy district attorney in Oakland; he said that entry level pay there was no longer enough to rent an apartment. ----Alan
“Donald Trump cannot unilaterally get rid of the Department of Education under our constitutional system, agencies are created as a function of legislation. They’re created as law, and they are appropriated funds by Congress. And Donald Trump has no control over either of those functions,” said Dr. William Resh, University of Southern California professor and author of Rethinking the Administrative Presidency.
“Even if the Republican Party was so well aligned that they all agreed that the Department of Education should be eliminated, there is still the filibuster tool in the Senate for Democrats to be able to filibuster any proposal to eliminate the Department of Education,” he said.
. . .
The U.S. Department of Education is responsible for federal funding which helps fill the gap for local school systems, provides funds to educate those with disabilities, manages Pell grants and student loans and provides research and data to Congress which helps the House and Senate write their budget. While state and local boards of education have great autonomy, including curriculum, the Department of Education can change the standards to qualify for federal funding which could include everything from critical race theory to transgender student athletes.
When the noise of campaigns is stilled, when the signs have all been taken down, when the politicians and the poll workers have gone home, when the voters are back at their jobs, the work of democracy begins: To find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.
~ Diana Butler Bass
“The Work of Democracy Begins” based on Howard Thurman’s “The Work of Christmas.”
Recently I was lamenting that we no longer have puddle, jc, Jo*in*VT and tc among us. Now I'm grateful for their sake that they didn't have to witness DT 2.0.
My mother died a month before 9/11/2001; I was glad she didn't see it happen. This feels a lot like that.
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Snowy mountains are first!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Renee. Great to see you here and getting Firsties!
DeleteRemember how hard it was to get Firsties on the original blog?!
Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
ReplyDelete(AP) — A new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom by Jan. 1 was temporarily blocked Tuesday by a federal judge who said the law is “unconstitutional on its face.”
U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles in Baton Rouge said the law had an “overtly religious” purpose, and rejected state officials’ claims that the government can mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments because they hold historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law. His opinion noted that no other foundational documents — including the Constitution or the Bill of Rights — must be posted. -- nordy
👍 👍
DeleteBiden just finalized a major climate rule. This one could be tricky for Trump to dismantle
ReplyDeleteGuardian: Major oil companies, including Shell and precursors to energy giants Chevron, ExxonMobil and BP, were alerted about the planet-warming effects of fossil fuels as early as 1954, newly unearthed documents show.
ReplyDeleteThe warning, from the head of an industry-created group known as the Air Pollution Foundation, was revealed by Climate Investigations Center and published Tuesday by the climate website DeSmog. It represents what may be the earliest instance of big oil being informed of the potentially dire consequences of its products. -- nordy
Wow!
DeleteHere’s a joke circulating in Germany:
ReplyDeleteQ: What borders on stupidity?
A: Mexico and Canada
^ {listener}
DeleteWould that it were untrue. I recall the (now outdated) political joke that the US wanted to divide Iraq into three provinces: Regular, Unleaded and Supreme.
Delete[chuckle]
DeleteGuardian: Spanish police arrest ex-fraud chief after €20m found in walls of his house [Click] “Investigation into country’s largest cocaine bust reveals cash in home of former head of anti-money laundering.” And other places too.
ReplyDelete—-Alan
Police say missing Wisconsin kayaker faked death and possibly fled overseas [Click] Investigators say Ryan Borgwardt took out $375,000 life insurance and was in contact with woman in Uzbekistan. Also had obtained a second passport. Among other unusual things.
ReplyDelete——Alan
Oakland mayor and county’s district attorney ousted in historic recall [Click] “While the campaigns tapped into deep frustrations among residents, they were funded in large part by a handful of the region’s wealth[iest] residents.” Small wonder there, it seems to me. As an aside, Oakland has been overwhelmed by the exodus of high-paid workers from San Francisco. First they pushed middle-class and working-class residents out of San Francisco, and then they flooded into Oakland.
ReplyDelete——Alan
I remember, maybe ten years [or more] ago, there was an opening for a PhD forensic toxicologist [with experience, of course] at the San Francisco county medical examiner's office. The pay was clearly inadequate to rent an apartment in San Francisco. Not long after that I was chatting with a senior deputy district attorney in Oakland; he said that entry level pay there was no longer enough to rent an apartment.
Delete----Alan
Promise to eliminate US Dept. of Education not so easy to accomplish
ReplyDelete. . .
“Donald Trump cannot unilaterally get rid of the Department of Education under our constitutional system, agencies are created as a function of legislation. They’re created as law, and they are appropriated funds by Congress. And Donald Trump has no control over either of those functions,” said Dr. William Resh, University of Southern California professor and author of Rethinking the Administrative Presidency.
“Even if the Republican Party was so well aligned that they all agreed that the Department of Education should be eliminated, there is still the filibuster tool in the Senate for Democrats to be able to filibuster any proposal to eliminate the Department of Education,” he said.
. . .
The U.S. Department of Education is responsible for federal funding which helps fill the gap for local school systems, provides funds to educate those with disabilities, manages Pell grants and student loans and provides research and data to Congress which helps the House and Senate write their budget.
While state and local boards of education have great autonomy, including curriculum, the Department of Education can change the standards to qualify for federal funding which could include everything from critical race theory to transgender student athletes.
. . .
When the noise of campaigns is stilled,
ReplyDeletewhen the signs have all been taken down,
when the politicians and the poll workers have gone home,
when the voters are back at their jobs,
the work of democracy begins:
To find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.
~ Diana Butler Bass
“The Work of Democracy Begins”
based on Howard Thurman’s “The Work of Christmas.”
Recently I was lamenting that we no longer have puddle, jc, Jo*in*VT and tc among us.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm grateful for their sake that they didn't have to witness DT 2.0.
My mother died a month before 9/11/2001; I was glad she didn't see it happen.
This feels a lot like that.
Inside Russia video: Russian Real Estate Crisis 2024 [Click] In no way surprising, but having some data is helpful.
ReplyDelete——Alan
The Misinformation Take Over | Lichtman Live #88 [Click]
ReplyDelete—-Alan
Jon Stewart interviewed Heather Cox Richardson right after the election. See if this link will get you there. It's a PODCAST.
ReplyDeleteThe Interview
Or Google this:
DeletePODCASTS.APPLE.COM
Trump Won. What Now? with Heather Cox Richardson
Podcast Episode · The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart · 11/08/2024 · 1h 11m
Legal Breakdown video: Supreme Court delivers unexpected loss to Trump allies [Click] State Court election cases can’t go to the Supreme Court
ReplyDelete—Alan