Et tu, Jonathan Turley?

One of the most frequent charges by Democrats about Democrats regarding their performance in the 2014 election was that they didn't act like Democrats. They played the part of Republican Lite. It's more than annoying. You'll find few on the left who care whether or not Mary Landrieu retains her Senate seat, mostly because--to paraphrase a Republican term--she's a DINO: Democrat in Name Only. Though, truth be told, she's always been a blue dog (at best).

But it's depressing when a person you have semi-idolized and identified with for years shows entirely different stripes. Jonathan Turley is a law professor and legal analyst. I became familiar with him from his frequent appearances on The Randi Rhodes Show on the radio, in the dark days of the Bush Administration. His pithy, smart analysis of the misdeeds of Bush/Cheney were amazing. I'm quite sure I've referenced him on the blog in the early days. Later, Turley would often appear on MSNBC, offering the same sort of spiel. I really liked him. I used to read  his blog daily.

Now, Turley is the unlikely third-in-a-series attorney for John Boner Boehner, in his bizarre lawsuit against President Barack Obama. Over tweaks made to the Affordable Care Act. You know, the dreaded ObamaCare that Republicans want to kill fifty times (and have tried). They're allegedly suing because they're upset that he delayed parts of it!? Why on earth would they care? They don't. It was a random pull-a-reason-from-a-hat excuse to sue, because they'd already said they were going to sue. It's so unbelievably stupid. And I expect a lot better of Jonathan Turley. Then I found out he's been guesting on FOX "News" a lot lately, and all became clear. Dead to me.

[Excerpt]

House Republicans Hire Jonathan Turley to Pursue Obama Lawsuit
 
House Republicans have hired their third attorney since August to pursue their lawsuit against President Barack Obama for allegedly overstepping his authority, tapping George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, according to House Speaker John Boehner’s office. . .

Read more at: Wall Street Journal

Right Wing Hero James O'Keefe to Pay $100,000 Damages for ACORN "Sting"

Best picture this dweeb has ever taken, from Gawker.

Whenever there is a fresh right-wing world freakout going on (you know, Clang! FOX "News" Alert!), I roll my eyes. That's because so many of them are either not at all what they say they are, they're a cherry-picked nugget of outrage in an overall innocuous non-story, or they are freshly driven bullshit. And the king prince jester of the bullshit pushers is twerp-faced James O'Keefe.

O'Keefe puts together "sting" operations, and surreptitiously video tapes them. Then, he creatively edits them, and takes them to FOX "News" (particularly now that Andrew Breitbart is dead), where he then dresses them up, by wearing pimp clothes, or whatever will sell it best. This has made him a right wing hero, which is puzzling, but then, kinda not, given some of the other right wing heroes.

In any event, it's very gratifying to see this skeevy, bottom-feeding tool get what's coming to him.

[Excerpt]

James O’Keefe Will Pay $100,000, Apologize to Former ACORN Employee

Journalism school laughingstock and expert jazz hands practitioner James O'Keefe will pay $100,000 and apologize to a former ACORN employee who was fired after being featured in one of O'Keefe's 2009 "sting" videos. The heavily-edited videos were successful, in that they led to a congressional investigation that eventually shutdown ACORN, netting O'Keefe $65,000 in the process. The videos were also, apparently, illegally filmed, at least the one shot in California. Former ACORN employeed Juan Carlos Vera sued O'Keefe and his partner-in-crime Hannah Giles last year, saying the secretly recorded video violated California law that prohibits recording someone without their permission. . .

Read more at: Gawker

Apple's iPhone Victory Over Samsung Might Not Stick?

I know that some of the more ardent disciples of the Cult of Mac were doing cartwheels that Apple won a massive victory over Samsung in court, but they may be celebrating prematurely. And hey, honestly, why would anyone get so emotionally invested in a corporation anyway?

iPhone and Epic 4G. Nope, these aren't really the same, sorry.

Then again, I've always been a MacPhobe, AppleAverse, iDon't. Well, until the last few years. I've owned exactly three Apple products: an iPod Nano, a PowerBook G4 and a MacBook Pro, which I still have. But Apple has never fully hooked me. I don't see them as "better," merely as different, and more expensive. For that reason, and also because of circumstance, I ended up with an Epic 4G phone, on the Android platform, by Samsung. I chose the phone on the strength of its beautiful screen, and because it had a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, which I preferred to the on-screen keyboard.

The Epic was not an iPhone. It doesn't look like an iPhone, it doesn't feel like an iPhone. . .nobody thinks their Epic is an iPhone. So, how did Apple just win a lawsuit that claimed patent infringement, based largely on look and feel? One of the key points was about how the icons were square (wow, only Apple ever thought of that), and that they "bounce" when you reach the end of a row of icons. Holy moley, stop the presses! And there was a thing about a glass screen, on a rectangle-shaped phone with rounded corners. Really???

I allege that Apple stole the idea for the iPad from
Star Trek.

It stands to reason that if Apple had decided to shitcan the iPhone idea (which allegedly almost happened), that somebody would have come up with a touch-screen phone. It would very likely have been a rectangle with rounded corners and a glass screen. This is not an original idea, it's a distillation of a flat-panel monitor, a typical non-smart phone, an MP3 player, a camera and a touch-screen. It's a combination that would have happened.

Now, if Samsung literally copied the technology required to make the phone, I can see Apple having a point. But if they merely aped the look? Tough toenails. How different are different brands of HDTVs? Car Stereos? Refrigerators? Dishwashers? All-in-one printers? Everybody apes everybody. You don't get to declare that you get the whole marketplace to yourself, and still charge out the ass for it! And anyway, how did only Samsung get on the hook for this? What about HTC, Google, Motorola, Nokia and all the rest? Is everyone supposed to go back to making flip-phones, and give the market to Apple?

[Excerpt]

Why the Apple v. Samsung Ruling May Not Hold Up

Late in the process yesterday at the Apple v. Samsung trial, when the parties and the judge were reviewing the jury verdict form, Samsung noticed that there were, indeed, inconsistencies in the jury's verdict form, a possibility Samsung anticipated [PDF]. Here's the jury's Amended Verdict Form [PDF], amended to fix the mistakes. Here's the original [PDF]. Here's the note [PDF] the jury sent to the judge when told to fix the inconsistencies. What are they, they asked? "Please let the jury know," they wrote in the only note ever sent in their deliberations, "of the inconsistencies we are supposed to deliberate on. . ." 

Read more at: Gizmodo

Gambler Sues Casinos for $20 Million

Photo from Ocean Pacific Capital

Living in Las Vegas, I know a little bit about gambling addiction. While I don't consider myself an addict, in the 13 years I've lived here, I've surely exhibited addict-like behavior on occasion. Anyone who's gambled more than a little has too. Don't let them tell you different.

But even on my stupidest night, I never thought I deserved my money back. Yes, the casinos are deliberately enticing, with games that are set up to affect your psychology. Just enough of a taste here and there, just enough winners around you to keep you playing. The table games can't be programmed, but their rules are surely set up to mimic the same thing.

Here's the dirty little secret though. Anybody who plays, except for maybe Ma & Pa Hinterland knows all of that. They know the odds are against them. But just like the person who cashes their Social Security check, and uses it all on lottery tickets, they're hoping for the big win--or more accurately the anticipation of the big win.

I have no doubt that this lady has a problem. But she knew it too. As hard as it is to beat addiction, people do it every day. It often takes a "rock bottom" experience to set them on the right path. This lady wants a do-over, and I don't think she deserves one. Just imagine the precedent.

[Excerpt]

Woman files $20M long-shot casino suit

Arelia Margarita Taveras says she was even allowed to bring her dog, Sasha, to the blackjack tables, sitting in her purse.

But her gambling spun out of control: She said she would go days at a time at the tables, not eating or sleeping, brushing her teeth with disposable wipes so she didn't have to leave.
She says her losses totaled nearly $1 million. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Blogger Suing to Make Daily Kos a PAC

Image from source, RawStory.com

This is bad news if it gets any traction. This blogger is suing DailyKos.com, alleging that they are an undeclared political action committee (PAC). I suppose he might have a leg to stand on, but if this were to be decided in his favor, the dominoes that would fall would really rock the web.

Daily Kos, after all, is far from the only politically motivated site on the Internet. Right-wingers have as many or more sites themselves. And what of FOX "News," a cable "news" network, seemingly devoted to all things Republican? I don't fear for this site, as I have a more diffused focus, but wow. Be careful what you wish for, dude.

[Excerpt]

Blogger who filed rejected FEC complaint against Kos may appeal

The blogger who filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against Daily Kos says he may appeal Tuesday's FEC ruling on the matter, which found the popular left-leaning site did not violate the Federal Election Campaign Act as charged. A lawyer for the blog, however, dismissed the claims as a fantasy.

"I'm not entirely surprised," said John Bambenek, a research programmer at the University of Illinois who submitted the complaint, in a Wednesday interview with RAW STORY. "[The FEC] doesn't want to get into all the drama of blogs."

More at: RawStory.com