Saturday Round-up: SCOTUS nonsense, funeral of a friend, and delving into crime-adjacent novels

The Supreme Court announced its rollback of abortion right yesterday. Now that Christian Nationalists have a majority on the court, this regressive move will be followed by others in birth control, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, voting rights, etc. This court wants to wipe away all of the progressive measures enacted since the 1960s. They can probably do it, too, as SCOTUS is the law of the land. But there are ways that states can toss a wrench into the right-wing steam roller. Not my state, solidly red, but other states in the region, Colorado and New Mexico to name two. Some major companies have announced that they will subsidize travel for employees and other wishing to escape their State of Gilead to get abortions. Other entities are doing the same thing. This is a feminist issue but also one of human rights and states' rights. SCOTUS seems perfectly willing to throw back gun rights to the states. Yesterday's action signals the same approach to states. Thing is, we will have half the states where abortion is limited or forbidden. Then we will have the more progressive states, or at least states that believe in a woman's right to choose. Where this will lead is anybody's guess. Nowhere good. 

I watched a funeral of a friend today on YouTube. The funeral was at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Ormond Beach, Fla. I watched from Cheyenne, Wyo. The funeral mass was for David Rogers, an old high school friend. I saw some gray heads in the congregation so some of my classmates might have attended. David's widow and kids attended, as did his sister Dorie whom I knew from high school. She delivered a eulogy, mostly about family and David's passion of fishing. David and I shared a house out in the woods 50 years ago. David spent his time fishing in the Tomoka and Little Tomoka rivers. I spent my time hiking around the property, some 40 acres of woods and swamps. Spiders as big as my hand. Rattlesnakes and water moccasins and coral snakes. Possum and armadillos. Lots of birds. A beautiful spot that holds many memories. Rest in peace, David.

Our daughter Annie moved to Laramie and started school at UW. She rents an apartment on the edge of campus. Chris and I have been there several times, first to help her move in and then take her to lunch. College campuses in summertime are green, beautiful places, more park than academic setting. I always liked summer sessions. The classes were of short duration and laid back, for the most part. Afterwards, a great time to settle under a tree in the quad and read. Because we have distinct seasons here, with cold-ass winters, the summer afternoons at UW are particularly sweet.

Just finished reading "Good Girl, Bad Girl" by Australian writer Michael Robotham. I saw a reference to him in an interview with another Aussie writer, Geraldine Brooks. She called his books "crime-adjacent" and I was taken by that phrase and had to look up Robotham's books. Crime-adjacent features characters that aren't necessarily cops or private investigators. "Good Girl, Bad Girl" main character is Cyrus Haven, a forensic psychologist in Nottingham, England, who is trying to help the police solve a crime while he also tries to help Evie Cormac, a teen girl adjust after years of abuse. Fascinating. Cyrus has his own twisted past which gives him insight other psychologists don't have. Chapters alternate between Cyrus and Evie with the nickname "Angel Face." I liked the back and forth between characters once I read the first few chapters. Other CA books listed on Goodreads include John D. MacDonald's "The Lonely Silver Rain" which features Travis McGee who, as he puts it, does favors for friends. It usually involves tussles with bad guys. Bail bondswoman Stephanie Plum probably fits into this category. So do many of Elmore Leonard's books. I've read many CA books but didn't know it had a label. Until now.

The biggest threat to Citizens United may come from Montana

David Sirota interviewed Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock on his radio show this past week:

Last week, while the national press corps was busy pretending the tiny Iowa caucus was the only news in America, a major ruling out of Montana paved the way for a likely U.S. Supreme Court showdown over the role of corporate money in politics. 

In the case, which was spearheaded by the state’s Democratic Attorney General Steve Bullock, Montana’s top court restored Big Sky country’s century-old law banning corporations from directly spending on political candidates or committees. Legal experts believe that upon appeal, this case will come before the nation’s highest court. While there, it could serve as the first test of the precedents in the infamous Citizens United decision that essentially allows unfettered corporate spending in campaigns.

Read the transcript of the interview here: The biggest threat to Citizens United

I'm going to root around on my favorite Montana blogs to see what else I can find on this issue. More later...

More good news from the legislative session

Another dumb bill failed to advance during the Wyoming State Legislature's 20-day budget session. This dumb bill was based on the recent anti-democratic Supreme Court ruling endowing corporations with the rights of citizens especially the right to buy any election they want.

Here's the info, via Jeremy Pelzer's story in the Casper Star-Tribune:

State representatives on Wednesday voted down a proposal that would have erased state restrictions on independent political spending by corporations, labor unions and other groups.

The rejection keeps Wyoming's election law at odds with a recent landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision and could make the state the target of lawsuits this election season.

Currently, corporations, labor unions and other groups are not allowed to make independent expenditures on behalf of political candidates in Wyoming. But last month, the Supreme Court ruled that such bans on the federal level violated corporations' First Amendment rights to free speech.

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Ben Barr, a Maryland-based constitutional attorney with the Wyoming Liberty Group who wrote a legal brief cited in the Supreme Court decision, said a corporation or other group could resort to a lawsuit to overturn the state rules.

"The Legislature does need to act on this, otherwise Wyoming is in a way being a renegade and quite frankly unlawful after the Supreme Court has spoken on the issue so definitively," Barr said.

Yes, Mr. Barr, the Supreme Court spoke definitively and its five reactionary judges are beyond the pale on this issue. They're not so much renegades as Palin-style mavericks pretending to be populist champions but really being stooges for multinational corporations. Congress is working on legislation to block the impact of the Supreme Court's ruling.

Why would Wyomingites want to turn over their elections to big corporations? Aren't Wyoming Republicans concerned about the right of individual citizens? We know that they are very concerned about second amendment rights (more legislation coming up on that topic). But what about the all-important first amendment?

And who is this Mr. Barr? Another darn outside agitator? Doesn't he know that Wyoming likes being a renegade? Much better than being mavericky.

Free speech is for people, not for corporations

I'm a big fan of street theatre -- all theatre, really. Earlier this month, activist actors who call themselves "Yes Men" pulled off an amazing bit of theatre when it held a fake press conference. The "characters" wore the guise of suits from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They were announcing the Chamber's turnabout on climate change. During the press conference at the National Press Club in D.C., the fake Chamber spokesman was interrupted by a real staffer from the Chamber who contended that something foul was afoot. For several minutes, the reporters in the room were confused. Who was the real spokesman and who was the fake? The fake one was at the podium and he seemed genuine. Other reporters began firing questions about climate change policy to the supposed real staffer and he became the guy who was confused.

The activists put up a very funny video on YouTube. View it above while you still have the chance. The U.S. Chamber of Commerice is suing Yes Men. Says one of the Chamber's many lawyers: this is "a customary response by any organization faced with this type of misconduct by the defendants."

The Chamber contends that Yes Men "are not just merry pranksters tweaking the establishment."

But they are. The group regularly poses as corporate executives to show "how corporate greed negatively influences public policy."

The past eight years have revealed enough examples of that corporate greed. Yes Men have just thrown it into sharp relief.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, one of the great newspapers from America's heartland battleground, featured an editorial recently blasting the U.S. Chamber. The ultra-conservative Chamber is an activist org in its own right, bullying its members into towing its conservative anti-climate change, anti-Obama stances. According to the Post-Dispatch, the Chamber is a proponent of tort reform and an opponent of "lawsuit absue."

Concludes the editorial: "The U.S. Chamber's complaints about our litigious society shouldn't be taken seriously."

The editorial was reprinted today in our local paper headline under the headline: "U.S. Chamber tries to stifle free speech."

That's right. Corporations have come to believe that they are the only entities worthy of free speech. The Bush adminsitration took the same line. The Supreme Court has worked overtime to give speech protections to corporation. Our senators and reps have been paid handsomely to go along with this sham.

So we have to leave it up to actors to tell us the truth. The pretend suits are being sued by the real suits and it appears to be a one-sided court battle. The people wrest control of the First Amendment back from the corporations.

Meanwhile, watch the video and have a laugh at the expense of our corporate overlords.

WyoDems' Petersen: "Ashamed and disappointed" in Wyoming senators

From today's WyoDems press release:

Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Leslie Petersen issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted to confirm President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor:

“Today’s confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor is a historic event for the U.S. Supreme Court and for the American people. Our nation’s highest court will gain a sharp mind and a highly experienced justice to its bench. Her dedication to the court and commitment to the Constitution have been proven throughout her expansive legal career as a judge, a litigator and a prosecutor. With more judicial experience than any justice on the court in the last 70 years, she couldn’t be more prepared to rise to the monumental task of serving our country as a Supreme Court Justice.

"On this day we would also like to pause and appreciate the life of Judge Sotomayor as a remarkable citizen. Her achievements and hard work are humbling proof that the American Dream is alive and achievable. Judge Sotomayor will be the first Latina and only the third female to serve on the Supreme Court, making her a strong role model and an inspiration to millions of Latino and female Americans. Today is a great day for the American people, and I congratulate Judge Sotomayor and wish her the best of luck as she embarks on this important journey."

We are ashamed and disappointed that neither of our Senators voted for this outstanding woman.

Contact: Brianna Jones, brianna@wyomingdemocrats.com, (307) 752-5288

Casper native headed to Supreme Court?

In today's Casper Star-Tribune, Jared Miller had some news about a Casper native and University of Wyoming grad whom I'd like to see in Washington, D.C.:

M. Margaret McKeown, a justice on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was listed as a potential nominee by The Associated Press on Friday.

Born in 1951, McKeown graduated from Kelly Walsh High School in 1969 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UW in 1972. She received a law degree from Georgetown University in 1975.

During her 34-year legal career, McKeown worked in private practice in Seattle and Washington, D.C., where she represented clients such as The Boeing Company, Nintendo of America and Citicorp.

She also served as a White House fellow and special assistant to the Secretary of the Interior.

She was nominated to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1997 by President Bill Clinton, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1998.

In an interview with the Star-Tribune in 2006, McKeown credited a visit to the nation’s Capitol with her Casper schoolmates as the spark of her passion for government.

Read Jared Miller's blog at http://tribtown.trib.com/JaredMiller/blog