AMUSING, INTERESTING, OUTRAGEOUS, or PROFOUND
- The Kansas Supreme Court has decided that women are people who have rights, and fetuses are clumps of cells that don't — so no, the state cannot ban abortion.
This is is absolutely the correct and common sense ruling, so I'm seriously surprised that it comes from such a reliably Republican state. There will doubtless be death threats and impeachment hearings...
- The year of living Constitutionallywww.thefp.com Your Constitutional Right to Be a Pirate
Congress can grant any American permission to be a pirate. A.J. Jacobs found out what happens when you apply.
- Victims of school shooter use copyright law to block publication of killer's hate manifesto
Wow, this is some clever legal shit, if I'm grokking it right. And I might be grokking it wrong, so straighten me out if I'm mistaken, please.
A wingnut kills six people at a school, and gets shot dead by cops. As is the style with these things, he leaves behind journals full of hate and wingnuttery. Now, here's where it gets weird: The killer's parents, being decent people, transfer the killer's entire estate, including the writings, to the victims' families, and they go to court asserting that any release of the wingnut writings would violate their copyright, as owners of the estate. The judge agrees, so the journals won't be published, and haters won't get the hate fuel they yearn for.
I ain't sure whether it's right in principle — gets complicated, if you think about the possible precedent. But dang me, it is clever, and if it smothers a dead madman's free speech rights, well, guess I'm OK with that.
- Dead people
Being old, death gets my attention, so I read the obituaries. This is a collection of recent obits, mostly of people whose work touched my life, because I want to say thanks (or maybe give 'em a final fuck you).
There’ll be a roundup like this occasionally, until I’m on the list myself.
Marty Atkins forgotten person
Jewel Brown sang with Louis Armstrong's band
Orlando Cepeda baseballer, San Francisco Giants
Bill Cobbs actor, *Night at the Museum *
Grace Davis forgotten person
Tom Fowler rock'n'roller, The Mothers of Invention
Kinky Friedman singer-songwriter, "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Any More"
Leah Levin good guy
Don Madden cartoonist, Playboy
Jonathan Morano writer, Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
Russell Morash DIY TV producer
Martin Mull actor, Fernwood Tonight
Marty Pavelich hockeyer, Detroit Red Wings
Mildred Thornton Stahlman saved newborn babies
Martin Stolar good guy
Robert Towne screenwriter, Chinatown
Previously dead
- For your convenience, you can now buy ammo from a vending machine at the grocery store. Simply scan your license, pose for the AI-powered facial recognition software, and insert your credit card...tuscaloosathread.com AI-Powered Ammo Vending Machine Selling Bullets at Tuscaloosa Grocery Store
City officials said Tuesday that an ammunition vending machine powered by artificial intelligence selling bullets in a Tuscaloosa grocery store is both real and legal.
- Leonard Peltier is denied parole again, will die in prison.
40+ years ago, the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier was literally all the rage. On my side of the political spectrum, people protested and wrote letters to their Congress-critters. Being young and skeptical, I did some research, which back then meant an afternoon with microfiche news archives at the library, and I walked away certain that there was AT LEAST reasonable doubt of his guilt.
Which makes his conviction false, his imprisonment unjust.
These days nobody much talks about Peltier, and he's just had parole denied again. The feds are still adamant that he's guilty, overjoyed that he remains in prison. I remain unconvinced that he's guilty, and if he is, 48 years in prison seems ample punishment, but he'll doubtless die there.
- Hurricane Beryl's Aftermath: Carriacou Residents' Survival Stories [VIDEO]
YouTube Video
Click to view this content.
- The climate changes, storms get strongerarstechnica.com Yes, you should be a little freaked out about Hurricane Beryl
"It's hard to communicate how unbelievable this is."
- "Terrifying and dystopian": the dark realities of the Supreme Court's homelessness decisionwww.theguardian.com ‘Terrifying and dystopian’: the dark realities of the supreme court’s homelessness decision
Sara Rankin, a law professor cited in Sotomayor’s dissent in the Oregon case, warns more cities will seek to banish the unhoused
> ... "The idea of rounding up unhoused folks and forcing them into camps or out of the jurisdiction entirely is obviously very concerning. And it should be of grave concern, because once something is invisible, you don’t know what’s happening to the already really vulnerable people living there." ...
- Do you think a dog, trained to detect humans, can sniff the diff between American humans and foreign humans? The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals says … YES!www.techdirt.com Appeals Court Says Border Patrol Dog Is Capable Of Detecting The Difference Between Legal And Illegal Humans
Law enforcement will always get more than a fair shake from the Fifth Circuit. No circuit is more apt to award immunity or otherwise refuse to punish officers for coloring outside of the constituti…
- Ain't it curious that it takes four years and an investigative news source to ascertain that the cop in a fatal wreck was driving way over the speed limit, in a lane going the opposite direction?crosscut.com Pierce deputy drove 83 mph in wrong lane during deadly 2020 crash
Records show the county settled for $3.5M after deeming the collision highly preventable, demonstrating the vague legal standards for officer driving.
- The American Climate Corps is finally under way — a mere whisper of what's needed, but it's serious, un-fake good news against climate change, and that's mighty rare.grist.org The American Climate Corps officially kicks off
This month, 9,000 people will be deployed to restore landscapes and erect solar panels, helping guide the country toward a greener future.
- Dead people
Being old, death gets my attention, so I read the obituaries. This is a collection of recent obits, mostly of people whose work touched my life, because I want to say thanks (or maybe give 'em a final fuck you).
There’ll be a roundup like this occasionally, until I’m on the list myself.
Bruce Bastian WordPerfect
John Everett Benson tomb carver
Rick Bevel forgotten man
Johnny Boone Cornbread Mafia
Mike Brumley baseballer, Seattle Mariners
Buzz Cason songwriter, "Everlasting Love"
James Chance saxman
Ed Denson good guy
Evans Evans actress, Bonnie and Clyde
Maya Pines Froomkin journalist & mom
Willie Mays said 'hey'
Tamayo Perry surfer
Paul Pressler Christian child rapist
Donald Sutherland actor, Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Anthea Sylbert costume designer, Carnal Knowledge
T, a/k/a Vega good guy
unnamed forgotten man
Ben Vautier artist who loved his wife
Previously dead
- 7th Circuit Appeals Court says it's OK for feds to demand your password and search your phone, so long as you're within 100 miles of the border or an airport (which is most of America)www.techdirt.com Seventh Circuit Sets Down Precedent, Says ‘Riley’ Warrant Requirement Doesn’t Apply At US Borders
We didn’t really need more precedent assuring us our rights don’t mean anything at the borders, but we got it anyway. Within 100 miles of any US border (and that includes international …
- Here's a sneak preview of the ugliness and cruelty of President Trump's second termwww.justsecurity.org American Autocracy Threat Tracker
A comprehensive catalog of the autocratic threat to democracy based on former President Donald Trump and his associates’ autocratic plans and promises.
- Washington State University has developed a new variety of wheat, which is part of what an ag college like WSU does, and named it after George Bush. Not one of the monstrous ex-presidents, though...www.nwnewsnetwork.org New Washington State University spring wheat variety named for Black family with deep roots in Washington
New spring wheat from Washington State University yields roughly 7% more than the best varieties in the state, scientists say
- I'm canceling my plans to vacation in Pakistan. Also, the Koran is horseshit.www.bbc.com Pakistan: Tourist accused of blasphemy killed by mob
The man - who was visiting the Swat Valley - was pulled from a police station and beaten to death.
- "If you want to respect the rule of law, you've got to start from the original law giver, which was Moses" —Jeff Landry, Louisiana's wingnut Governor, requiring the Ten Commandments in public schools.www.nytimes.com Louisiana Requires All Public Classrooms to Display Ten Commandments
A law signed by Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday makes the state the only one with such a mandate. Critics have vowed to mount a constitutional challenge.
- In news that should surprise no one, lots of cops are sexually abusing minorswww.techdirt.com In News That Should Surprise No One, Lots Of Cops Are Sexually Abusing Minors
In terms of percentages, does the law enforcement community employ a larger number of sexual abusers? Or is it something else? It’s difficult to prove any of this with statistics, especially …
- 11th Circuit strips immunity from cop who shot and killed dog that had already been neutralized by a taserwww.techdirt.com 11th Circuit Strips Immunity From Cop Who Shot And Killed Dog That Had Already Been Neutralized By A Taser
We know cops kill dozens of dogs every day. This much has been verified by the US Department of Justice, which called it an “epidemic.” It’s not just anecdotal evidence generated …
- Google is testing a new way to make YouTube worsegizmodo.com YouTube Tests New Kind of Unskippable Ad
YouTube is continuing its long war on ad blockers by seemingly ingraining server-side ads into its platform.
- At the height of COVID, the US military ran a disinformation campaign, trying to make Filipinos distrust the newly-introduced COVID vaccine — because it came from China.
> "We weren't looking at this from a public health perspective," said a senior military officer involved in the program. "We were looking at how we could drag China through the mud."
- Dead people
Being old, death gets my attention, so I read the obituaries. This is a collection of recent obits, mostly of people whose work touched my life, because I want to say thanks (or maybe give 'em a final fuck you).
There’ll be a roundup like this occasionally, until I’m on the list myself.
William Anders astronaut
Ezra Bozeman 49 years in prison
Brother Marquis rock'n'roller, 2 Live Crew
Clarence Cameron owlman
Jeannette Charles not the queen of England
Lynn Conway very large-scale integrated circuits
Alan Curry fellow worker
Christophe Deloire Reporters Without Borders
Ian Gelder actor, Torchwood
Mark James songwriter, "Hooked on a Feeling"
Albert Knight Jr forgotten man
James Lawson Jr activist
Tony Lo Bianco actor, The Honeymoon Killers
Elizabeth MacRae actress, The Conversation
Ed Mann rock'n'roller, The Band From Utopia
Amarr Murphy-Paine high school kid
Janis Paige actress, Silk Stockings
Barry Romo activist
William Russell actor, Doctor Who
Edward Ryan closeted gay man
Edward C. Stone Voyager missions
Chet Walker basketballer, Philadelphia 76ers
Jerry West basketballer, Los Angeles Lakers
Previously dead
- In a Florida school district, officials have banned a kids' book, Ban This Book, because it talks about banned books.
Why would people elect such imbeciles to a school board? How can these officials, and the imbeciles who voted for them, not be embarrassed and ashamed?
- A cartoonist, prosecuted for seditionindustrialworker.org Art Young’s Dangerous Cartoons
Art Young, The Masses, December 1915. After President Woodrow “He Kept Us Out of the War” Wilson, recently the subject of a fawning piece in the Atlantic by David Frum, brought the U.S. into World …
- Daycares in Finland grew forests, and it changed kids' immune systemswww.sciencealert.com Daycares in Finland Grew Forests, And It Changed Kids' Immune Systems
Playing through the greenery and litter of a mini forest's undergrowth for just one month may be enough to change a child's immune system, according to an experiment in Finland.