Category: SCOTUS
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The Second Amendment Emperor Is Naked: He Doesn’t “OWN” Anything!
It’s not a hard ask. All I want is for someone to point to the word “own” anywhere in the Second Amendment. I’ve been putting this idea out there now for a couple of weeks and the only argument that comes back – other than I’m an idiot (for pointing out a true thing) –…
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America’s Gun Crisis Is Foundational But Fixable – Just Like Chicago’s John Hancock Tower
We tell ourselves this every day now: no other country has the gun problem America has. Gun violence happens here the way peace and quiet happen everywhere else. It’s the missing guns that make the difference. Part of why our gun problem feels intractable is because we make it that way. It doesn’t have to…
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We’ve Been Framing The Gun Debate All Wrong: There IS NO RIGHT TO GUN “OWNERSHIP” In The 2nd Amendment
I’m not sure if anyone’s ever made this argument before. If they did, I’m not sure how we got past it. If James Madison – the author of the Second Amendment – saw us arguing today about the sacred right of gun ownership in America, he’d want to shoot himself in the head. Hopefully, he’d…
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America’s Gun Laws Have Been Written BY White People FOR White People And To PROTECT White People
I repeat: America’s gun laws have always been written BY white people FOR white people, the whole point being to protect WHITE people (from everyone else). In fact, the history of America’s gun laws – after the Second Amendment was written (and the gaming of the Second Amendment began) – is the history of white…
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When Politics Get Personal, People Show Up
History won’t have a hard time pointing to the moment when American conservatism blew itself up. The exact moment won’t be important. That will be the day – whenever it is in June – when the Supreme Court formally announces its decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Will it really matter if cooler…
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Now That The Republicans Have Their Crown Jewel, They Have No Idea How To Keep It
Ya can’t blame Republicans for always making rookie mistakes. When it comes to being good humans, they’re rookies. At best. They’re an object lesson in what happens when you do things for all the wrong reasons. They’ve focused on ending Roe v Wade – and “privacy” as a “thing” in American jurisprudence – for fifty…
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The Anti-Abortion Crowd Just Got Their Wish And, Boy, Are They Gonna Regret It
As my old pal the Crypt Keeper used to say – with a darkly delighted cackle – “Be careful what you wish for, kiddies, you might just get it!” The conservatives have used the “pro-life” movement as their stalking horse. Conservatives couldn’t give a fly eff about anyone else’s life. If they knock someone up…
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Is Corruption Some Sort Of “Super Power”?
Consider corruption’s remarkable power to destroy everything good in a heartbeat. Consider how hard it is for good to wipe out corruption. Now, corruption itself is just an abstract idea – it’s greed asserting itself in some form or another – wanting more for oneself than one is entitled to. More money, more power, more…
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Is Vlad Putin Auditioning To Be The Next Bond Villain?
Like it or not, world, we’re gonna have a new – and very different – James Bond. It goes without saying that our new Bond is gonna need new Bond Villains to match his/her/their/its particular newness. Gone are the Bloefelds of yesteryear! Forget about the Dr No’s and the Goldfingers. They’re cute but, in the…