Winning, Skinning and Chinning

I thought for sure I'd have five (or more) Asshats of the Day after the Supreme Court ruling came down, with the possibility of creating an entirely new category to fit--maybe AssClownCanoe, or some such.

Instead, to my surprise and delight (and I'm sure to the President's immense relief; I can just imagine he and his advisors grappling how to wrestle with this issue during his reelection campaign if Obamacare was struck down) the ACA was largely upheld.

Still, I can't shake the feeling we got this win by the skin of John Roberts' chinny chin chin. Apparently the four dissenters--Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Kennedy--were prepared not only to strike the individual mandate but get rid of the law lock, stock, and barrel. According to the wonderful Steve Benen on Rachel Maddow's blog:

And yet, as of this morning, four justices -- Alito, Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas -- insisted on doing exactly that. The four dissenters demanded that the Supreme Court effectively throw out the entirety of the law -- the mandate, the consumer protections, the tax cuts, the subsidies, the benefits, everything. 


To reach this conclusion, these four not only had to reject a century of Commerce Clause jurisprudence, they also had ignore the Necessary and Proper clause, and Congress' taxation power. I can't read Chief Justice John Roberts' mind, but it wouldn't surprise me if the extremism of the four dissenters effectively forced him to break ranks -- had Kennedy been willing to strike down the mandate while leaving the rest of the law intact, this may well have been a 5-4 ruling the other way.


In other words, this time around (too bad he didn't think this way when it came to Citizens United) Roberts wasn't quite willing to let the barbarians storm the gate. 


There's also a few thoughts that the dissent was originally the majority opinion, later edited to reflect Justice Roberts' last-minute change of heart.  


 Whatever. However it shakes out, I'll take it. But the whole thing serves as a dire warning to any remaining undecided voters. What would just one more justice in the mold of Scalia, Alito and Thomas (appointed by President Romney) have done  to this legislation, nevermind Roe v. Wade  or any other important constitutional question?  


 That notion should give any thinking person the shivers. 

"Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong"

"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words."  ~Phillip K. Dick

So. Herman the Barbarian has backpedaled on his idea of killing people for the crime of attempting to cross the border, claiming his plan is not serious, and blaming everyone who heard him for thinking it was.

At two campaign rallies in Tennessee on Saturday night, the Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said that part of his immigration policy would be to build an electrified fence on the country’s border with Mexico that could kill people trying to enter the country illegally. 


 But by Sunday morning, in a dramatic change of tone, Mr. Cain, a former restaurant executive, said he was only kidding. “That’s a joke,” Mr. Cain told the journalist David Gregory during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he was asked about the electrified fence. “That’s not a serious plan. I’ve also said America needs to get a sense of humor.”

Actually, Mr. Cain, you need to get a sense of decency.

You also need to brush up on the founding document of this country--I think it's called the Constitution?--and one of the first Amendments--the Eighth, I believe?--which reads in its entirety:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

If the notion that someone should be murdered just because they're trying to secure a better life for themselves and their families isn't "cruel and unusual punishment," I don't know what is.

Only a sociopath could think of such a thing.

"Barbarians always think of themselves as the bringers of civilization"

If the battle for civilization comes down to the wimps versus the barbarians, the barbarians are going to win.  ~Thomas Sowell

So. Herman the Barbarian wants to run this country? Gods help us.

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Saturday that part of his immigration policy would be to build an electrified fence on the country’s border with Mexico that could kill people trying to enter the country illegally.


The remarks, which came at two campaign rallies in Tennessee as part of a barnstorming bus tour across the state, drew loud cheers from crowds of several hundred people at each rally. At the second stop, in Harriman, Tenn., Mr. Cain added that he also would consider using military troops “with real guns and real bullets” on the border to stop illegal immigration.

Of course, his lickspittle followers ate it up.

There are no words to describe the depths of my disgust with this murderous asshole, along with a political party that lets him anywhere near their Presidential nomination.