Satanists: Hobby Lobby Decision Could Exempt Women from Anti-abortion Laws

Image from source, Raw Story

This gives me a great deal of schadenfreude. File under: be careful what you wish for.

[Excerpt]

Satanists want to use Hobby Lobby decision to exempt women from anti-abortion laws

In a statement, the Satanic Temple said that it will use the Supreme Court’s recent Hobby Lobby decision to exempt its believers from state-mandated informed consent laws that require women considering abortions to read pro-life material. Informed consent or “right to know” laws state that women seeking elective abortions be provided with information about alternatives to the procedure, often couched in language that attempts to personify the fetus. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 35 states currently have informed consent laws, and of those, 33 require that the woman be told the gestational age of the fetus. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Satanists to Build Monument Next to Oklahoma Ten Commandments?

Image from source, Wonkette

Unintended consequences. That's what "good Christians" tempt, every time they try to insert their religion into matters of state. If you allow The Ten Commandments or a crèche at the state courthouse, you have to allow similar things from other religions. They're not all "nice" religions, from the Christian perspective. But they should have thought of that, shouldn't they? And what constitutes a "religion," anyway? Couldn't just about anybody invent a religion, ordain themselves a priest, and--ahem--erect any kind of monument their religion might think of?

[Excerpt]

Satanists Generously Offer To Build Monument Next To Oklahoma Statehouse’s 10 Commandments Display

In a move that pretty much says “I’ll see your rhetorical question and raise you an ugly public monument,” a group calling itself the “Satanic Temple” has offered to display a big ol’ monument in honor of the Hornéd One, to be installed on the Statehouse grounds near the state’s display of the 10 Commandments. These are the dadaist religious trolls who made “God hate Fred Phelps’s mom last night back in July. Best of all, the epic trolling appears to be sanctioned under the 2009 law that erected the 10 Commandments at the statehouse. We hope the Pastafarians will be next, because noodles are yummy. . .

Read more at Wonkette

Florida Accidentally Bans Computers and Smartphones

God damn it, this guy's creepy.
Image from source, Raw Story.

People often lament that even laws that might be good ideas, are usually taken too far. Abortion foes can't stop at banning post-20-week abortions, they have to shut down almost all of the clinics with "trap" laws, and mandate unnecessary trans-vaginal probes. Attempts to fight obesity end up being silly, by banning certain sizes of beverages. There are many examples like that, from serious to frivolous. But lawmakers--who are supposed to be experts at this--just keep going to far, or just being lazy with their language while enacting the law with zeal.

This time, it's downright embarrassing.

[Excerpt]

Florida Accidentally Banned All Computers, Smart Phones In The State Through Internet Cafe Ban: Lawsuit 

When Florida lawmakers recently voted to ban all Internet cafes, they worded the bill so poorly that they effectively outlawed every computer in the state, according to a recent lawsuit. . . 

Read more at: The Raw Story

Need a Gun? Now You Can Print One

Image from source, Raw Story

Yeah, I can't see anything bad coming from this. . .

[Excerpt]

3-D-printed gun available for download after firing first shots

The nonprofit group that created the world’s first 3-D-printed gun on Sunday proved that the weapon could be fired.In a YouTube video published by Defense Distributed, 3-D-printed gun creator Cody Wilson fires a single shot from “the Liberator,” which features interchangeable barrels to handle different caliber bullets. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Right Wing World: Gay Marriage Will Lead to Straight Guys Marrying for Benefits!

Oh, brother. If there's one thing I hate, it is really poorly thought out arguments to maintain discrimination and bigotry. See, it turns out there aren't many "court ready" arguments against marriage equality. They're mostly religious arguments, which are great when you're talking to Bill O'Reilly or Piers Morgan, but not so much in a court of law. So, mostly, anti-gay marriage folks have coalesced their non-religious reasons into one big "marriage is for procreation only, and the gays can't make a baby!" argument. It's a bad argument, but that's not the point of this post.

There are some stragglers who think they've got a winner, since that fertility thing doesn't really fly either. One of them is a GOP leader in Georgia who is all concernstipated that straight guys--provided same-sex marriage is legalized--will start pairing off and marrying for the benefits! Because, you can't be sure these couples are really gay, now can you? They might even try out the gay business while they're at it, like those psychos Jacob and Paul on The Following! But the answer to this hypothetical is: so what?

There is no "love test" for marriages, gay or straight. There is no sexual orientation test either (just ask Mrs. Rev. Haggard or Mrs. Larry Craig, am I right?). Presently, right this minute, there are heterosexual couples who don't love each other getting married for benefits. There are gay guys marrying their straight gal-pals so she can get the bennies. There are lesbians marrying gay guys if it is beneficial for them in some way. Probably not as much as in the past, but I'm sure it happens here and there. The point of this almost pointless exercise is that people will exploit loopholes in the law at any opportunity. People are like that. But we don't deny equal rights on the off-chance that somebody might try to game the system.

[Excerpt]

Georgia GOP Chair Worried ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry’ Will Be A Real Thing


Hey remember that one movie, with the dudes, but they are straight, but they gay marry each other? It looked like it was going to be 90 minutes of gay-panic jokes, but then it was surprisingly sweet, if we recall correctly since we probably watched it on cold medicine because there is no way we would have watched it sober. . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Unintended Consequences: Recess Appointment Decision Fallout

Image from source, TPM

The decision by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that called some of President Obama's recess appointments unconstitutional could yield a bevy of unintended consequences. For example, Obama is far from the only president who has used the power, which goes back almost 100 years, and notably includes George W. Bush. If the law is upheld by the Supreme Court, it might not only affect appointments made by Obama, but could wreak havoc over dozens of years. Moreover, severely curtailing Obama's power to make such appointments would also apply to the next Republican president. It would be odd indeed for Congress to seize such a massive change of rules right after the reluctance to radically alter the filibuster. This will be interesting to watch.

[Excerpt]

Will Conservative Judges Help Republicans Nullify The Recess Appointment Power?

An expansive Friday decision by a three-judge D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel threatens to cripple two government agencies and significantly limit the president’s power to bypass the Senate confirmation process by making recess appointments. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Colorado Springs Fires, Taxes and Consequences

Image from source, Bloomberg.

Well, this is interesting. Colorado Springs was one of those municipalities that severely cut back public services--while simultaneously refusing to raise taxes--and is finding itself in quite the pickle. Now, honestly, I hate to pile on here. There have been hundreds of people displaced, and a few die in these fires. It really is terrible. But will it be enough to show people that austerity measures, like cutting police and fire, instead of raising taxes, is a bad idea?


[Excerpt]
Wildfire Tests Police in Colorado Tax Movement’s Home

. . .The city where the Waldo Canyon fire destroyed 346 homes and forced more than 34,000 residents to evacuate turned off one-third of its streetlights two years ago, halted park maintenance and cut services to close a $28 million budget gap after sales-tax revenue plummeted and voters rejected a property-tax increase. . .

 Read more at: Bloomberg

And a note: Why is the land of Focus on the Family and other uber-Christian money grubbers being savaged like this? Makes you wonder. 

So, How Upset Should We Be About CISPA?

Image from source, Think Progress.

Remember a few months ago when many on the internet (Greenlee Gazette included) were trumpeting the "STOP SOPA" message? There were twin bills in the houses of Congress, SOPA and PIPA, and both were attempts to deal with 21st Century media and communications. But they went way too far, and had so many (hopefully) unintended consequences, that the internet rose up--with the help of Facebook and other heavy hitters--and slew SOPA and PIPA. Hallelujah!

So, why is Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) sneaking under the radar, seemingly with the support of companies like Facebook? It seems once again to be a bit of legislation with arguably good intentions, but with hideous, odious potential consequences. For me, the parts that seem absolutely nuts, are provisions that make it exempt from other laws. It's almost like an asterisk on the Constitution's bill of rights. Can a law like that be Constitutional? Would we trust the current Supreme Court, post-Citizens United, post-we can strip search you for a parking offense Roberts court to rule on it? Where's George Clooney? Brad Pitt? Sean Penn? This seems like it needs more focus.

[Excerpt]

What Everyone Who Uses The Internet Needs To Know About CISPA 

CISPA’s broad language will likely give the government access to anyone’s personal information with few privacy protections: CISPA allows the government access to any “information pertaining directly to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity.” There is little indication of what this information could include, and what it means to be ‘pertinent’ to cyber security. Without boundaries, any internet user’s personal, private information would likely be fair game for the government. . .

Read (much, much) more at: Think Progress

Kentucky Passes Short-sighted Religious Exemption Law

My religion. I'm coming, Kentucky!

There's a type of argument called a "slippery slope," and it's usually a logical fallacy (which FOX "News" and the religious right don't seem to recognize). That's because it's usually done like this: If X happens, Y will happen. And if Y happens then Z will happen. So, X leads to Z. But usually, the argument maker provides no proof for their work. They just make the logical jump past the link.

 But here's a case where the logic flows effortlessly. If you pass a law that allows for a religious exemption to law--except in the case of a demonstrable state's interest--you open the door to quite a slippery slope. For instance, let's assume you're a Rastafarian, and you really like smoking pot. Can the state Really prove a state's interest that says you can't? Or, how about you're a fundamentalist Mormon who wants several wives? Or maybe your religion dictates that you have special prayer rooms in your house or business that are against building or zoning laws? Or maybe your religion dictates that you walk around naked on every third Wednesday. Maybe my religion says I have to have 40 chickens, a goat and a milk cow on my 1500 sq. ft. suburban property. Maybe you're a cult leader, and you want to turn your condo complex into a gated, guard-patrolled compound.

Every religion is invented at some time by somebody. At any given moment, you could invent your own, and claim whatever rules (commandments) you wish. Nobody has the right to tell you that your religion isn't "real." I'm sure you can see that this could lead to chaos. Right? The fact is, when laws like this are passed, the passers only think of THEIR OWN, because to them, that is THE REAL TRUE religion. Because somehow the religion their parents instilled in them is coincidentally the correct one. They don't think that Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Rastafarians, PASTAfarians, and more will also be included. Good luck, Kentucky, you're going to need it!

[Excerpt]


KENTUCKY: Senate Passes Bill Allowing "Religious Refusal" On State Laws


The sponsor of Senate Bill 158, Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, said it is designed to protect the free exercise of religion from unnecessary restriction by government. He said it would give courts "more ammunition in favor of religion" when considering cases such as the jailing of Amish residents in Western Kentucky who refused to use orange safety triangles on their buggies and Christians in Bell County who want to hold public prayer at school athletic events. . . 

Read more at: Joe.My.God.

Fracking Responsible for Earthquakes in Ohio?

Image from Treehugger.

Fracking is the practice of pumping fluids deep into the earth to break loose trapped natural gas. Many of the problems resulting from the practice--such as flammable tap water--were chronicled in the documentary Gasland. But even that movie didn't tell us about the possibility of earthquakes generated by the process.

The politics of fracking are predictable: liberals are against it, and conservatives are really, really, really for it. I don't know why. When big corporations want to do something, conservatives say, "yes sir!" apparently. But will they still feel that way if fracking causes a really big quake? What if Opryland or the Indy track get sucked into the earth? What then?


[Excerpt]


Ohio Earthquake Linked To Fracking Injection Wells


On New Year’s Eve, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck northeastern Ohio, the second quake to strike the region in a week. Saturday’s earthquake, which occurred in an area not typically known for this type of natural disaster, is being traced back to fluid injection wells at a Youngstown fracking site. . .


Read more at: Think Progress

The FOX "News" Christmas Display Looks Like it's Dripping Blood

Fox News' Bloody Christmas Display from ANIMALnewyork.com on Vimeo.

Oklahoma Has a Big Earthquake; Fracking Related?

The other day, I ran a post about a connection between fracking and earthquakes in England. Just now (11:07 am, November 5, 2011), the local news announced "breaking news" of a 5+ earthquake in Oklahoma. I typed "fracking oklahoma" into the Googles to see what came up.  Look what I found from one day ago. . .

[Excerpt]



Fracking May Have Caused 50 Earthquakes in Oklahoma

In a surprising turn of events, Cuadrilla Resources, a British energy company, recently admitted that its hydraulic fracturing operations “likely” caused an earthquake in England. Predictably, this news quickly sent a shockwave through the U.K., the oil and natural gas industries, and the environmental activist community. And it certainly feeds plenty of speculation that the same phenomenon could be occurring elsewhere. . .

Read more: Care2.com

UPDATE: As Jill notes below, this quake may be unrelated to fracking. But with 50 suspect ones in the same state, I've got to wonder if it's possible. If the other, smaller quakes spurred a chain reaction? I think it would be foolish to discount the possibility of some reaction, at least in the other cases.


And, Faye, if you're reading this, I didn't get the story idea from you, but was astonished to see that you "liked" this story as a Facebook user. That's quite the coincidence!

Anti-ACORN Law Could Open Floodgates for Other Organizations

In their zeal to demonize ACORN, Republicans may have crafted a law that could defund any number of organizations. Some, like Blackwater/Xe have been somewhat off-limits for Republicans and the right-wing punditry for some reason. This could get really interesting.

[Excerpt]

They Want To Punish ACORN? Two Can Play This Game

. . ."Any organization that has filed a fraudlulent form with any Federal or State regulatory agency" can no longer receive federal funds? (And individuals who've merely been indicted for election law violations, whether or not the charges were proven?) The bill further defines "organization" as including ACORN and its affiliates, but it doesn't say it only includes ACORN-related entities. So, gosh, I imagined, there's a lot of entities that suddenly qualify. . .

Read more at: DailyKos

California Ballot Measure Could Outlaw ALL Marriage

Image from FOX

Now isn't this an interesting little twist? California's Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples cannot be treated differently than opposite-sex couples, and must be allowed to marry. Many--including The Other Half and myself intend to do so. In November, a ballot initiative to change the California Constitution will be voted on. It would effectively block any future (and possibly existing?) same-sex marriages.

But here's the wrinkle, folks. They will have nipped one "problem" in the bud, but they've created a whole new one. If same-sex couples are barred from marriage, but the law says that they cannot be treated differently. . .what then? ALL marriages would then become unconstitutional in California! Funny how that works.

[Excerpt]

Calif. Battle Over Gay Marriage Raises Novel Legal Questions

Two things are certain in California's mounting legal showdown over same-sex marriage: Gay couples will wed this month, and, come November, voters will decide whether the state's constitution should exclude them from such unions.

If the vote is yes, the only certainty will be confusion. . .

Read more at: Washington Post