Category: Political / Governments / Nations / Countries /

Shapiro: SCOTUS Should Overturn Obergefell [VIDEO]

Shapiro: SCOTUS Should Overturn Obergefell [VIDEO]

The idea behind a lot of the laws of the US is the constitution gives the right to privacy, liberty, and body autonomy.   Everything from the civil rights laws, Loving vs Virginia which allowed different race people to marry, abortion, Lawerance vs Texas which gave everyone the right to have sex as they wished instead of just penis in vagina, (that law that banned oral sex and anal sex was used just against gay men but did apply to everyone) and of course the right to same sex marriage.   The average right wing only wants their hated people subjugated and the right to discriminate without repercussions.    But the real power behind this is the hard right businesses and the religious right.   Both need to take the country back before the government had the authority or ability to stand up for the people.   Why do you think there is such push back against anything resembling what the other advanced countries do for their public, because these groups lose more control every time the people get more right / benefits from their government?   It might threaten those over the top profits.   But also it threatens the religious leaders that know if people had rights and acceptance along with comfortable living they wouldn’t need religion to offer relief.  Anyway anyone who doesn’t think that the next rights to fall are anything not straight male Christian did not read the leaked report.  Alito to specifically mention that there was no right to privacy in the constitution, and that is what Lawerance vs Texas was based on that gave the right of people to enjoy whatever sex they wanted with another adult is based on.   Remember Ted Cruz when he was the AG of Texas tried to ban adults from using sex toys in the state.   Welcome to the Puritan age.    

Media Matters reports:

First of all, Obergefell is a bad Supreme Court decision and if we had a Supreme Court worth its salt, they would overturn Obergefell.

But they’re not going to. They explicitly say — Alito says, I think three separate times in that decision that I read in nearly its totality on the air yesterday, that this has no impact on other cases of different lines. Which is a clear reference to Obergefell, repeatedly.

But Democrats know deep in the cockles of their tiny little Grinch-like hearts on abortion, they know that the abortion issue is not a winner. So they’re trying to expand it out – well, you never know.

The Supreme Court, they might go after gay rights, they might go after — sure, you’re right. The same Supreme Court in which Neil Gorsuch idiotically ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers transgender people is now going to overrule Obergefell.

Ross • an hour ago

Slavery is deeply rooted in history.

So, I guess the Supreme Court is going to re-introduce it.

Sister_Bertrille Ross • an hour ago

“Original intent,” and all that.

Max_1 • an hour ago

Never expect a KAPO to ever change their stripes…

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… Gays were burned next to Jews.

David in Palm Springs • an hour ago

If interracial marriage is based on the Equal Protection clause. Then why doesn’t same-sex marriage fall under the same category? We’re taking about a civil contract between two non-related consenting adults. It’s the exact same thing.

JFC… his voice is “nails on the chalkboard” annoying. How can anyone tolerate listening to this asshole?

David in Palm Springs David in Palm Springs • 41 minutes ago

Of course he says Obergefell is a bad decision… but can’t explain why. I wouldn’t expect anything less from these hate mongers.

J.Martindale David in Palm Springs • 24 minutes ago

I was reading an article from CNN that says the Court may use the Civil Rights Act of 1984 to defend Loving while then going after Obergefel so Thomas’ marriage won’t be jeopardized.

Rex • an hour ago

Because Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is only for people just like you.

Serene Pumpkin Rex • an hour ago

I wonder what he’ll do when Christian prayer becomes mandatory.

SemiFriendly Atheist • 44 minutes ago

My argument in favor of gay marriage was that there was no compelling public interest in preventing two men or two women from marrying.

In fact, there is a public interest in favor of gay marriage because it provides both financial and psychological stability for the partners involved (which, in turn, benefits society as whole).

Teedofftaxpayer • an hour ago

Heaven forbid their right wing fake religion be offended by same sex marriages. They blame all their problems on their own hatred toward people.

Elizabeth Warren goes megaviral with STUNNING speech after Roe news

BREAKING: Elizabeth Warren just went MEGAVIRAL with her must-see speech after the Roe news.

Let’s talk about Trump vs the state GOP….

In the UK, Trans Minors are Still Under Attack By Government Officials

https://www.intomore.com/impact/uk-trans-minors-still-attack-government-officials/

The UK / England / is well known as TERF island.  There is a huge amount of political pressure directed against trans people.   We know in the US what political pressure by conservative hate groups against the LGBTQ+ can do to hurt, deny rights, and demonize the LGBTQ+.   I watch several channels from there and the TERF are like the MAGA in the US.  They are violent, vile, driven to remove transgender people and their rights.  The will stop at nothing, I recently seen a completely altered video by one of the largest TERF groups to claim that they were attacked and had their property stolen by trans people, when the full video showed just the opposite, the Terf’s attacked and were surrounding a trans person beating them trying to stop the others trans people from rescuing them.   Anything pushed or put out by these people has to be examined carefully as they are well known to lie.  

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Last month, the Cass Review released an interim report, commissioned by the NHS, to examine the state of healthcare for trans youth in the UK. There is currently only one specialty service for under 18s in the entire country: the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at Tavistock. The report essentially tells us what we already know: more NHS services for trans minors are needed.

And predictably, right-wing politicians are treating the Cass Review’s guidance as the end of civilization. In particular, Tory minister Sajid Javid, who is the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has suggested that making these services even slightly more available will have dire consequences.

During a House of Commons meeting on April 19th in which ministers were discussing the interim report, Conservative MP James Sunderland expressed “concern” that the NHS makes “a child’s expressed gender identity the start point for treatment.” He asked health minister Javid whether he agrees.

“It’s already clear to me from [Cass’s] interim findings and from the other evidence that I’ve seen that the NHS services in this area are too narrow, they are overly affirmative, and in fact they’re bordering on ideological,” Javid responded, per PinkNews.

“And that is why in this emerging area, of course, we need to be absolutely sensitive. But we need to make sure that there is holistic care that’s provided, there’s not a one-way street and that all medical interventions are based on the best clinical evidence.”

But the idea that gender-affirming care is too accessible has never been an issue for the NHS. In addition to the many mental health professionals trans youth have to speak to in order to confirm a gender dysphoria diagnosis, the waitlist for even one appointment for gender-affirming services in the NHS is more than five years.

Javid has made similar comments on trans issues not too long ago, packaging cruelty as caution. Earlier this month, SkyNews interviewed Javid about the UK government’s decision to exclude anti-trans practices from its conversion therapy ban. “When it comes to conversion therapy, it is absolutely right, as the government has said, that we ban the so-called conversion therapy for LGB people,” he said.

“When it comes to trans. I do think that we need to be more careful. Is it a genuine case of gender identity dysphoria or could it be that that individual is suffering from some child sex abuse, for example, or could it be linked to bullying?”

If only there was a whole medical profession, like the pediatric psychiatry offered through GIDS, that could sort something like that out. Maybe providing more of these services to gender-nonconforming youth would address that concern. Of course, as a health minister, Javid already knows that.

Florida Just Launched Another Unconscionable Attack Against Trans Kids

https://www.intomore.com/breaking/florida-just-launched-another-unconscionable-attack-trans-kids/

This news / article is old but it has been sitting in an open tab forever and I wanted to clear my tabs as much as possible.  I am running a computer test that will take another 9 days before I can restart the computer.  But the open tabs have become far too much to deal with.  Enjoy

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Last month, Florida politicians launched a hideous offensive against queer and trans kids and their families via the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which mandated that schools had to leave queer and trans history—as well as any discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation—out of the classroom. As if that wasn’t bad enough, yesterday saw the release of a new mandate, incredibly similar to Texas’s recent decision to criminalize trans youth and the families that love them by making it illegal to access gender-affirming care. While some judges have fought against that state’s transphobic mandates, that hasn’t stopped other states from following Texas’s lead. 

This guidance, drafted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, uses inaccurate studies to advance the claim that “80%” of trans-identified kids will magically decide they’re not trans by the time they grow up. Which is heinous, because there are literally no studies on trans kids, period. The reason all these anti-trans bills are popping up is because cis society literally just learned about the existence of trans people, and now that we’re on their radar they’re trying their best to eradicate us under the guise of “protecting the children.” For decades, the medical establishment has ignored us, forgotten us, and refused to take our health needs and existences seriously. But now, magically, there are “studies” showing that trans kids are destined to change their minds about being trans when they grow into adults. Sure, ok!

The memo explains that gender-affirming care should not be an option for trans-identified youth due to the “unacceptably high risk of doing harm” based on “current available evidence.” Which, again, is pretty much made up, because there is no study on earth that shows that 80% of trans kids detransition after reaching adulthood. The actual number is closer to 8%. It’s not surprising: they have to fabricate research because they’re not basing any of this on reality. This is a fear-based agenda that seeks to eradicate trans identity, starting with kids. And it’s despicable.

 

The newest peer reviewed study shows that 2.4% detransition due to regret of transitioning in the first place.   The percentage is higher for all detransitioning due to family peer pressure or economics but I forget how much but 6% seems correct but it could be 8%.   Still the number is fewer than the much greater majority that are happy with transitioning to the gender they know they are.   

 

New study shows that more and more rich white teenagers are carrying guns

New study shows that more and more rich white teenagers are carrying guns
THOM DUNN 

A recent study out of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College examines the changing prevalence of adolescent handgun use from 2002-2019. During that period, the researchers found that gun carriage among adolescents ages 12-17 had increased by 41% — with the sharpest rises coming from teens who were rural, and/or white, and/or from families with higher annual incomes.

To be fair, the study does define that income bracket pretty broadly, at anything above $75,000. Handgun carriage among teens from families that make between $20k and $49,999 increased very slightly during the studied period, while teens from families that make under $20K reported a drop in hand carriage rates. Meanwhile, fewer Black teens are carrying guns (from 4% in 2002 to 3.2% in 2019), while handgun carriage among AAPI and Hispanic (the study’s terminology) teens has brief dips but otherwise remained pretty consistent.

 

Another notable data point: handgun carriage among teenage girls doubled during the studied period — by which I mean, it went from 1.1% to 2.2%. Among teenage boys, the numbers from 5.5% in 2002-2006 to 6.9% by 2019.

Meanwhile, firearm-related deaths have recently replaced automobile injuries as the leading cause of death among American children and adolescents, with a 30% increase just from 2019 to 2020.

Prevalence of Adolescent Handgun Carriage: 2002–2019 [Naoka Carey, JD; Rebekah Levine Coley, PhD / Journal of Pediatrics]

More kids report carrying handguns, with largest rise among white, wealthy, and rural teens, new study finds [Kay Lazar / Boston Globe]

 

Image: Public Domain via PxHere

Taxpayers sue Florida governor over anti-Disney law

Taxpayers sue Florida governor over anti-Disney law

The Florida residents say the state’s dissolution of the corporate giant’s private government — and its special tax status — will burden them with more than $1 billion in bond debt.

 / May 3, 2022
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (John Raoux/AP)

MIAMI (CN) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis violated the rights of taxpayers when he signed a law removing Disney’s self-governing status, three residents claim in a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

In the 11-page complaint, Michael Foronda, Edward Foronda and Vivian Gorsky — all of whom live near the Walt Disney World theme park and resort — say the state’s actions will saddle them and other taxpayers with Disney’s bond debt estimated at more than $1 billion.

“Plaintiffs, who are property owners in the surrounding counties, fear that they will now have to assume the tax burden that Disney previously assumed under the special tax status,” the complaint states. “Their fear is well founded, and it is through this taxpayer lawsuit and mandamus action that they are able to protect their rights.”

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, names the Republican governor, Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee and Florida Department of Revenue Director Jim Zingale as defendants. DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The GOP-controlled Florida Legislature voted to remove Disney’s self-governing status last month, following a battle over the corporation’s opposition to the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. DeSantis signed the bill, SB 4C, a few days later.

The law will dissolve independent special districts created before 1968, including the Reedy Creek Improvement District that contained Walt Disney World, in June 2023 unless a new agreement is reached.

The company lobbied for the special district more than 50 years ago so that it could act as a county government. Disney owns the roads and utilities in the 25,000-acre district and also operates a police force and fire department there.

Unless Disney and the state government reach another agreement, the special district will dissolve and all assets and liabilities will be transferred to local governments, according to the bill’s language. Disney would also lose the ability to construct new buildings or roads without local oversight and potentially cumbersome zoning restrictions.

The law is widely considered to be retaliation for Disney’s opposition to the state’s Parental Rights in Education law, known more commonly as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity topics from kindergarten through third grade. Disney heavily criticized the bill, which was signed into law by DeSantis in March, and vowed to end any political contributions to state lawmakers.

The federal lawsuit makes note of this, claiming DeSantis “intended to punish Disney for a First Amendment protected ground of free speech,” which “directly resulted in a violation of plaintiffs’ Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process of law.”

The plaintiffs also allege stripping Disney of its special status, and burdening residents with debt and some public safety responsibilities now paid for by the theme park, violates the Florida Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

Disney has so far stayed mum on the issue, though the Reedy Creek Improvement District did send a message to bondholders last week reminding them that the law establishing the special district mandates all debts must be paid before changing its status.

“In light of the state of Florida’s pledge to the district’s bondholders, Reedy Creek expects to explore its options while continuing its present operations, including levying and collecting its ad valorem taxes and collecting its utility revenues, paying debt service on its ad valorem tax bonds and utility revenue bonds, complying with its bond covenants and operating and maintaining its properties,” the statement reads.

The plaintiffs are represented by Miami-based attorney William Sanchez.

Liberal Redneck – SCOTUS Overturning Roe v Wade

Well set your clocks back fifty years, y’all, they really doin it…they’re really finally coming for reproductive rights like that.

Trump Appointee Altered Russian Meddling Report

Trump Appointee Altered Russian Meddling Report

The media keeps dripping out how crooked and corrupt the Trump administration was and how hard they tried to deny that they received a lot of help from Russia for Trump to win.  The fact is Russia used money, computer hacks, and social media to get tRump elected and it worked great for Putin.  But tRump wants to create an image of himself as the all powerful super smart alpha male.   Getting help from Russia makes him look weak, which he is and hates with a passion.  

NBC News reports:

A top Trump political appointee delayed a report on Russian election interference in the 2020 election in a way that created the perception that intelligence was politicized, according to a new report by the Department of Homeland Security watchdog.

The DHS inspector general report also found that employees of DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis made changes to the analysis of foreign election interference “that appear to be based in part on political considerations, potentially impacting I&A’s compliance with Intelligence Community policy.”

The report also found that the appointee, acting Secretary Chad Wolf, who is not named, “participated in the review process multiple times despite lacking any formal role in reviewing the product, resulting in the delay of its dissemination on at least one occasion.”

Defense One reports:

The report was delayed for months. A Cyber Mission Center official added a “tone box”— a new section of text—that said China and Iran were trying to derail Trump’s re-election. When DHS investigators asked why the material outside of the original scope of the report was added, the official didn’t have a good answer.

The watchdog’s account fits with a pattern of Trump administration officials who attempted to de-emphasize Russia’s efforts to interfere with the 2020 election. In September 2020, then-National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien claimed that China had taken the most active role in interfering in the 2020 election, but offered no details or examples of how.

 

olandp • 2 hours ago

Wasn’t his appointment also declared illegal? Just another day in Trumpland.

Darreth • an hour ago

IQ45 is still the de facto cult leader of the GQP. To this very second he can’t and won’t be prosecuted because somehow his pure toxicity is the lifeblood of that pol party.

Let’s talk about Abbott costing Texas while helping New Mexico….