The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by POLITICO.
The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision – Planned Parenthood v. Casey – that largely maintained the right. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito writes.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” he writes in the document, labeled as the “Opinion of the Court.” “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
@ersi: You wanted to know how Dred and Plessey could have stood (as law) for so long? And that's a fair question, to which most answers would be disingenuous. Roe and Casey are similarly suspect. @Frenzie: For similar reasons, Gorsuch's reasoned addition to Title VII's definition of "sex" should be reconsidered... (Consider the perception of the Supreme Court as a constitutional arbiter, if not blush at the neologistic ruse! )
Who brought the popcorn? (Hey, Joe: Popcorn, not Cornpop! )
Quote from: OakdaleFTL on 2022-05-02, 16:19:08You choose to pay attention only to the most extreme factional examples, and then exaggerate them to the point of caricature. This is a weird complaint because on this forum my main example is yourself. Are you calling yourself an extreme factional example now? In any other country you would be, yes, but interactions with Americans elsewhere show me that your type is not that special over there.
(But he won't starve to death! I'll keep him, as a pet... )
Telling a Trumpite apart from other people is not too hard. The test questions
Much the same as the American Left (and, of course,Putin!) would use to tell who's a Nazi! And as silly... An unappealing mix of projection, prejudice and perverse palinody. (When they're feeling accommodating, the term fascist serves the same purpose. )[1]
1 As if there aren't extant examples for comparison...↵
Your pejorative is both silly and wrong! Why do you persist in using it? (To use a phrase not in my everyday vocabulary): Stop "beclowning yourself"...
Your "explanation" (or do you call it "analysis"?) relies on -as usual, when you'd talk about U.S. anything- your necessary categories informed only by your prejudices. You choose to pay attention only to the most extreme factional examples, and then exaggerate them to the point of caricature. You end up with -for you- a very comfortable Reverse No-True-Scotsman fallacy.[1]
1 If you're going to use medieval logic, at least read enough of Scholastic scholarship to refrain from such immature (...I might say ignorant) applications↵
Anyway, back on topic, yesterday I discovered a YT channel called Redacted that declares
...And jumped right on it! Aha! says ersie: I found someone stupid on YouTube who says lots of stupid and uninformed things... Who once worked at Fox! Therefore, Fox promotes stupid and uninformed opinions! OakdaleFTL won't denounce Fox; hence OakdleFTL believes and supports stupid and uninformed opinions and those who hold them, and hence OakdaleRTL is an ignoramus.. QED!
I'd never heard of the Morrises... Now that I have (...I listened for a minute or so) I know enough not to waste my time on their "work". But you should know, ersi, I'm not going to pay much attention to your suggestions for podcasts if you persist in merely mendaciously trolling! This is your source? A real-estate con artist?
Quote
He graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1999.[self-published source?] He was a frequent guest-panelist on the Fox News late-night satire show, Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.
Get a hobby! Maybe learn some logic, beyond simple Venn Diagrams and a few syllogisms... (Or at least use WVO Quine's axiomatization! Let the symbolism do the heavy lifting you're incapable of doing.)
For posting: Keep to discussing things you know something about! (I ask as a favor: It's become painful, seeing you embarrass yourself. (If I find a cure or palliative for your TDS, I'll inform you post haste!)
you have the same unquestioning attitude to the alternate reality that your favourite party has built.
Is your presumptuousness innate or learned? If the latter, did you absorb it in schools swamped by Communist bilge? At any rate, it is truly a marvel to behold! Your perceptions regarding my "orthodoxy" as a member of the Republican Party[1] are woefully inadequate, mainly due -I'm sure- to an understandable ignorance and an obvious superiority complex that borders on the pathological...
1 ...Which is far less even an influence than a rule book: My allegiances are to the Constitution that secures bedrock freedoms — here, and to the land (and its peoples) where it holds sway Will you ever outgrow your predilection to try to put everything you don't understand "in a nutshell"?↵
A re-introduction seems in order (somehow, and it provides me a place to sonnet on it! ):
Quote
I miss my British subjects, as it were... My contact -friend and foe, alike- would keep me honest! Apprised of days' moods, of deep convictions (and perverse prejudice), fer
and agin — on matters of local ken or global import... Some impotence and risible spleen! Betimes a steady hand to till the oft rudderless dinghy, when
it threatened to swamp! And I feared treading unfamiliar water... O! our lifeboat of discourses held divers views afloat! Sometimes, long enough to sight land! Heading
back to such fabled times and storied miens -though not possible- is a day-dreams' scenes...
Well, the deal is done! Elon Musk "owns" Twitter, and he seems quite comfortable with the old advice: "You break it, you've bought it!" Of course, he's an odd duck... He bought it, first. Now everyone else fears that he's going to break it! To quote an old acquaintance: Oh noes! The various reactions to the news don't surprise me, at least, those coming from the usual suspects. Commentators Right and Left are aghast and bemused. (By "commentators" I mean "Thought Leaders" and "Influencers" and other inconsequential people of note...[1] As well they should be! I don't know what -if any- brand of politics Elon adheres to; and I don't particularly care. He has stated openly that he'd like the Twitter site to be a public forum, an open space for the expression and examination of opinions... From my perspective, that would be a great improvement — if he can implement the changes needed to re-form its culture.
I know few of us here are part of the Twitterverse, but -and actually because of that fact- I'd like to ask:
Please vote!
Up to 5 categories at a time
As often as you'd like
(Change your vote anytime)
1 Yes, I've reverted to my idiosyncratic style of punctuation! ↵
Russia has already lost this war. The logic of the events per se dictates that Russia must be now over and out, which is good for every neighbouring country, and there would be some potential to create a new country with a different character that perhaps could partner with the West.
Is that in any way a realistic expectation? Your analysis is convincing and compelling. And -I hope- correct, especially regarding the outcome of this "current conflict"...
If you really want a partner for the Western Europe, you should be ready to erase this Russia and let something else take its place. Otherwise you are only going to get what you already have - a partner in the crime of laundering Russia's natural resources. And this brings me to the character of the Western European countries
TDS is -I fear- an incurable malady, a disorder that affects all the higher functions... (Closest diagnosis listed in DSMs is hebephrenia.)
My apologies to you and your children... (You must have visited during some Democrat administration[1]. What did you expect?)
1 At least -if you can set your own partisanship aside for the nonce- you know a crucial attribute of Republican opposition to recent Democrat power: Their motives notwithstanding, they seem always to turn gold into dross! The Rs think that's a crying shame...↵
This is what I mean by irrational faith in America's uniqueness: Utter ignorance that it is far from unique.
Other republics -ancient and modern (and contemporary)- are basically city-states... By that rubric the Vatican is the longest-lived monarchy! Rome soon ceased to be a republic as it transitioned to empire.... That remains the greatest fear among conservatives in America: That the exigencies of empire will destroy our Republic. (Well, among the paleos, anyway.)
Europe is in many ways dysfunctional, no? The EU has some life left in it and some hope, thanks to the infusion of optimism from the Baltic states (yours included, ersi!). There's nothing like a newfound freedom from foreign domination to bring out the best in a people!
Let me tell you what is really peculiar to USA: Slavery. In Europe there was no slavery for over a thousand years. Slavery was strictly a colonial feature, limited to overseas colonies. In European mainland it was phased out after the demise of the Roman empire.
Sure, you ignore the Ottoman Empire. And some current Middle Eastern nations... Your contention that slavery existed de facto in the U.S. after 1865 is puerile, and you know it.[1] And -you don't seem to know- that slavery existed on the North American continent before the Spaniard, Portuguese, Dutch, English and French arrived; the Indian Nations weren't the Noble Savages children's stories depict. But as to the U.S. -itself a colony- and its relationship to slavery: You seem to think we invented it! (Certainly, most ideologues here believe so...) Do you really contend the phasing out of chattel slavery in Europe-proper made serfdom a nice and proper institution? (Russia too maintained medieval social institutions, until it found something worse!) The Ancient World's experiments in Republicanism and Democracy were short-lived. Some post-Renaissance European nations experimented, too. The Reformation provided new exciting opportunities for bloody war to a grateful European Nobility! Which do we note with approval, the few experiments or the many wars?
As for America, the U.S., we have longest-lived Republic in history... If your only complaint is that our laws and institutions don't function perfectly, welcome back down to Earth! If you can't get past your inferiority complex, I'm sorry for you; but it won't make me feel any the less respectful of my nation's accomplishments.
in USA, the idea [of slavery] was - and among some sizeable pockets of population still is - that the peculiar institution is a "natural and normal condition" of the land. Moreover, they manage to hold on to this peculiar idea alongside with all the freedoms and rights etc. that the constitution supposedly provides to everyone ("everyone" meaning true/real Americans only), and they do not perceive any contradiction whatsoever.
You of course mean, laws didn't magically reform racial prejudice away?! Where have they ever? Surely you're not so naive as to think such doesn't exist, outside the borders of the U.S. or the boundaries of its influence?
1 The example of Jim Crow laws is instructive: They were social class codifications -exclusions and inclusions- based on racial lines... However reprehensible, they were not slavery.↵
Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq make America look the way it has always been perceived - as the most acutely troublesome colonial power ever since Western Europe retreated into being post-colonial.
It took a while, but you got there! How's that post-colonial Europe working out for everybody?
Your use of the word "troublesome" (above) is telling: Anything that disturbs your solitude is just another matter to gripe about....
It seems you'd judge history according to the two extremes, a mythical Edenic past and an utopian future. Such obviates any reasonable analysis of current events, and precludes any realistic understanding of history per se.
guess we can't raise the level of discussion any higher.
Probably a good guess: You throw the term "colonialist" into a conversation only to justify your prejudice... Seems to me you use anti-colonialism like others use anti-racism: as a cudgel to compensate for a deficiency in natural strength... What happened fifty, a hundred, or a thousand years ago only matters if it can be used to support your preexisting animus.
You exaggerate certain traits of Americans and then berate them for being immoderate... And not understand why your belated or outré logic is not immediately accepted.
I think I've got it now! According to ersi , the ONLY nations that aren't colonialists are those that have never won a war... When you charge the U.S. with being "colonialist", exactly you charge the U.S. with? Being a nation that hasn't been conquered? Please make your point by listing some examples of non-colonialist nations...
USA has been conquering until it gobbled up a good chunk of the continent and at least half of the Pacific Ocean.
I'm confused: You do know About the Louisiana Purchase, the sale of Greater California by the Napoleonic French and the purchase of Alaska from the Czarist Russian? (Puerto Rico was likely gained -along with the Philippines- by treaty (ending the Spanish-American War...). We granted both freedom; Puerto Rico chose to remain a territory, and the Philippines chose independence; Puerto Rico retains the right still to opt for statehood — they've routinely voted to remain a territory! I'll let you check on American Samoa and Guam and Hawaii... (No: we didn't claim the Moon! )
Can you think of any others? (That might support your charge of Empire, I mean?)
An interesting case: Yes, Texas was part of Mexico. Mexico was conquered by Napoleon's forces, which was a Spanish colony; and Texas fought Mexico for independence and won. Later, Texas petitioned for admission to the Union and was accepted; it fought on the Confederate side of our Civil War.[1] It was because Texas succeeded (and accepted the defeat of the Confederacy) that it lost the proviso to become six states, at a time of its choosing! I'm not surprised you need a "And now for The Rest of the Story" update... (Wouldn't you of all people stop to consider the source of the history you learned? )
The lands got from various Indian Nations were mostly got by war and treaty. I don't claim the U.S. dealt honestly with the Nations; but neither did the Nations deal honestly with the U.S. — the peace that finally came was concluded with treaties, ending wars that the U.S. won...
You like to play with words more than you want to understand history: I'd blame your elementary schools for that, by which I mean the Soviet slant!
1 The French still ruled Mexico -including the Pacific Northwest- into the War of Northern Aggression's conclusion!↵
Don't they teach you about the Spanish-American and the Philippine-American wars, among others?
Which have we retained? (And why?) What others There are a few American territories, often called possessions, that are not (yet) states[1]... Perhaps you pine for your nation's lost colonies?
Rote is a means of learning; ritual is a species wide-preoccupation... I take it, then, the quasi-religious nature is what offends you?
The "flag worship" thing -as you call it- has much to do with military service, here. What other forms of regional (or national) symbolism or heraldic identification bother you so?
The pledge of allegiance is flat out regime propaganda, brainwashing and indoctrination
Your penchant for extreme reaction (and your projection of it to others...) is an amazing sight to behold! The Pledge of Allegiance is an innocuous display of fellow-feeling, unencumbered by political (Party) trappings.[1] You perhaps begrudge us our republic? Better to worry that we lose it, to Democracy or Autocracy! Self interest alone should convince you: Our economic and military might are (...at least, were; certainly, should be) constrained by our peculiar form of government.
You could run for the district board and rectify the matter or at least do some fiery speeches and liberty marches like many did against the masks and vaccines.
Not a fan of performance art as political action! Supporting good candidates for office, keeping the ins advised of problems they're positioned to solve and opportunities (for their polity) they're empowered to pursue; advocating for (or against) proposed propositions[2] Participating in the prescribed facilities of Recall — of failed, feckless or fatuous officials. Petitioning -especially in the form of suits to reign in excess and overreach- the government for redress of grievances is one of our enumerated rights! (That is to say, one that the government is specifically tasked to protect...) (There will always be people who prefer ineffectual public display over prudent and persistent participation... Like the folks who'd burn an official in effigy, instead of effecting a recall or mounting an electoral challenge.) And -since I'm not a joiner, by nature- my participation is situated at the most sensible level: Grass roots? Call it that if you want... I talk to people face to face; neighbors, family, friends, acquaintances — and whoever I run into.
1 Regime, you say? We make no pledge to Dear Leader or ruling party...↵
2 Laws enacted by popular vote — up to and including amendments to our State Constitution.↵
Good questions, all! Pledge of Allegiance mandates: Passes Constitutional muster. But as the national sense of community drifted from the flowing river of the "Melting Pot" to the strands of multiculturalism and an enforced pluralism its utility is moot.[1] (And probably detrimental, nowadays.) The only real difficulty with it was brought on by the phrase "under God", which for some reason offended someone's anti-religious sensibilities...[2] Even so, I find the Pledge itself inoffensive; but if that phrase it too much for "modern" folk I'd gladly remove it! (You know it was only added in -I believe- 1953? While I understand the reasons for the phrase and its inclusion, it's arguably superfluous.) I'd think most would recognize that the Pledge doesn't run afoul of the First Amendment: Neither the Free Speech nor the Establishment clause.[3] In short, I'm for it. But not fanatically so; until the normal sense of community and a sense of shared values returns, there are more pressing matters to tend to and a distinct lack of the tools needed to recreate them. (Democracy of any stripe is indeed difficult!)
To my knowledge, it's not required in any of California's public[4] schools... My children (and most of my extant family) were educated here, and the lack hasn't seemed to do them harm... They -again, most of them- have acquired the feelings prompted by the words. (Perhaps through mere good example-ing?] ) In my schools (East Boston, Cambridge) it was required in the younger grades. It never bothered me; but my habitual tardiness or truancy in High School obviated any qualms I might have had. (I enlisted in the Air Force as soon as I was able; and I've never regretted doing so....[5][6]
I trust I've answered your questions in a way that meets with your approval, for clarity and completeness anyway. I'll vouch for my honesty! (You'll just have to take my word for that!)
1 Private schools are not constrained; so, there should be actual data on the subject. (But I've not searched: The topic itself doesn't interest me.)↵
2 Yes, I know more than I care to about Madalyn Murray O'Hair and her brood! I'm thankful she's never been a close neighbor; I suspect she was a thoroughly disagreeable person.↵
3 Only the most ardent pedant would complain "But it's an oath! It's against my religion/philosophy/cussedness -multiple-choice Love of country is normal, natural, and should be cultivated in the young... Not "My country, right or wrong!" but "My country, for better or worse!" Yes, that's live the traditional wedding vow; but we've always had no-fault divorce for citizenship!↵
4 The adjective means the opposite in the U.S. as the British usage.↵
5 In 1981 an Army Reserves recruiter enthusiastically pursued the chore of making me an officer! We -he and I- had to travel by Freeway almost 90 miles to find a full-bird colonel, before it was determined that I was already too old to attend OCS,,, Thankfully! In All honesty, I don't think I'd have made a very good officer, if for no other reason than my lackadaisical attitude towards "authority"! ↵
6 And officers are appointed by Congress, subject to re-activation by the executive at any time... Unlike enlisted personnel who, once they've been discharged have no further obligation — beyond what their conscience dictates.↵
Well, that was fun! I got my morning paper, and put it aside while I caught a few hours of fitful sleep... Waking, I found the sky still overcast and -to me- the temperature chilly. Nonetheless, I took my coffee and paper out to the front porch, where I can smoke, and did the few puzzles the S.F. Chronicle provides — when they feel like it! I read the comics (and yesterday's Horoscope: A useful feature, that, and innovative!) and fired up my computer. Opera Mail fixed itself and my little i5 seems quite happy running at ~165ºF. So I left it to its own devices while I tackled some chores I'd been putting off: Topping off my car's coolant (I'm scheduled to drop it off with my mechanic Thursday next week for some serious and likely costly work...) and, while I was in the parts store, I figured Why not replace the thermostat? Well, that question had an actual answer: Because I don't have a 10mm deep socket... Leaving the job half finished, I goodnaturedly reminded myself that I was still "recovering" from a stroke, and any sort of exercise I can get -since I don't exercise for the sake of exercise- was helpful. Tomorrow my eldest great-nephew will return from Sack o' Tomato (...what my 2nd wife calls our state capitol) and bring me the very socket I need! (My, what a miraculous change modern cellular service has wrought on our telephone habits! To me, it seems like only yesterday even calls within an area code -if they were a town or two away- had a toll... ) And, if the sun stays out and the job gets finished and the v6 in my car runs again without over-heating, I'll resume my gallivanting.
So, to get on with it: I freely admit that I don't have "a high school education, got at University" that seems so popular... In fact, I hold but few credentials; certificates from technical schools -ranging from A to B (aircraft maintenance, bookkeeping). Back in '78 I think it was, I enrolled yet again in the local JC, taking a course in mechanical drawing (I still have the book, and most of the tools of the trade); a few weeks into the course the instructor told me that I really didn't need it... Such things happen to me. I've enjoyed reading since I was 8 or so. And I'll read almost anything. Popular fiction -except for detective stories and speculative/science fiction- doesn't interest me. However, I have found that serious fiction has never stopped being created. As my search for today's serious fiction continues, the wealth of previous generations, nay , epochs! sustains me. And memoir and biography are handy genres to wade into now and then. Since the advent of the internet, I don't really have to haunt university libraries' stacks. But used book stores are still my guilty pleasure (an odd but productive venue for old and unusual books is the estate sale, where treasures might be found for pennies!); if nothing else, these places give me needed practice in speaking softly!! Also important to my quiver of investigational arrows is the experience gained by talking to people. (Politicians, professors, farmers, whoever works with the public or dares pause in their path through my vicinity; anyone I might find who I suspect of having information or expertise I need or desire...) Talking to people is a wonderfully pleasant way to learn; one which perforce give you the advantage of other viewpoints. And -as the late, great Yogi said: You can see a lot just by looking! Taking in the sights is a profitable pastime, too.
One thing I don't think I can be accused of is "the love of theory". (Early begun and continuous study in the fields of Philosophy and Psychology keep me apprised of the deficiencies of much academic work.) That is, I have the tools to distinguish good from bas in most technical areas of study. And I am quite comfortable thinking for myself instead of trying to accommodate the opinions of others as a means to gain their approval.
So, as ersi often says, I'm not qualified to opine or extrapolate. Unless -he'll insist- I use only the stale second-hand categories and techniques of analysis he learned when he was young, anything I say lacks authority... Perhaps the phenomenon of our bifocalism called the "blind spot" best makes sense of his Just So attitude towards other points of view. Perspective eludes him! In short, what he faults me for is not being him...
(I'd only add that I'm beginning to see a pattern: Things that don't work well run too hot. I myself am nowadays always cold...)
First, you have not shown that you have any idea what foreign policy is.
Gotta run! My computer needs time to cool down, and attempting to use Opera Mail (M2) for an Outlook mail IMAP account (Office365...) corrupted its mail store. A restart -after a decent rest should accommodate both...
And you, my friend, might want to consider icing that ego of yours: The swelling will likely go down eventually, but why wait? What if you want or need to wear a hat?
Later, I'll deal with the fascinating list of my faults, shortcomings and disabilities — as per ersi!
)
(But he won't starve to death! I'll keep him, as a pet... 
's? 
or at least do some fiery speeches and liberty marches like many did against the masks and vaccines.
