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The court told California’s politicians that if they couldn’t treat their prisoners decently, they couldn’t have as many prisoners.
Archive for May, 2011
May 24th, 2011
Category: Health Care
Congratulations to Kathy Hochul for her Congressional victory in a solidly Republican district. But credit where it’s due: the real author of her victory was Paul Ryan.
May 24th, 2011
Category: Campaign 2012
Talking Points Memo headline: Pawlenty Makes Prez Bid Official: ‘This Country is in Big Trouble’
May 24th, 2011
Category: Britain, Terrorism and its control
I was in London for the two terrorist attacks on public transportation systems in July of 2007. The darting eyes of passengers on the underground in the weeks afterward, the staring at any bag or parcel on a bus that seemed to have no obvious owner, attested to the great and enduring fear the attacks [...]
May 23rd, 2011
Category: Law Notes, The Dysfunctional Senate
Senate Republicans have filibustered Goodwin Liu’s nomination, and it’s silly to think that this won’t happen with virtually every Obama nominee, especially with a McConnell-led caucus. For example, Caitlin Halligan, Obama’s first nominee to the DC Circuit, was opposed by every single Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and if you think that doesn’t mean that [...]
May 23rd, 2011
If we handle it right, we could have lower spending and more public safety by releasing some prisoners.
May 23rd, 2011
Category: Campaign 2012, Climate change, Energy and Environment, Republican Party, Watching Conservatives
(UPDATED: See below.). I’ve had a good bit of fun jumping on the Republican Party for its hypocrisy on energy subsidies. So when a Republican does the right thing, it’s important to acknowledge it: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty made a potentially risky move during his campaign launch speech in Iowa: he called for a phaseout of ethanol [...]
May 23rd, 2011
Category: National Security, Republican Party, Terrorism and its control, Torture, Watching Conservatives
By now it is pretty obvious that the House GOP leadership is essentially devoid of ideas outside of Social Darwinism and Objectivism. But I noticed the other day that its cultural pose is also one of pure puffery. Consider “Young Guns,” the “book” theoretically authored by Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy. “Young Guns” [...]
May 23rd, 2011
At an academic workshop on social conservatism most of the participants think gay rights is a losing issue, ripe for jettisoning. Sign of the times?