Barney Frank recently took a few minute from screwing up the country's financial system to call Justice Scalia a "homophobe". I skipped posting on it because, well, Frank says a lot of stupid shit and who can keep track of it all?

But yesterday he doubled down on it. Frank graciously acknowledged that opposition to same sex marriage is not ipso facto proof of homophobia but Scallia? Yeah, he hates teh gheys.

"What a 'homophobe' means is someone who has prejudice about gay people," Frank told WBZ radio, arguing that Scalia's judicial writing "makes it very clear that he's angry, frankly, about the existence of gay people."

In particular, Frank cited Scalia's opinion in the 2003 case Lawrence v. Texas, in which the Supreme Court struck down state laws barring consensual acts of sodomy. In his dissent, Scalia wrote that the 6-3 vote served to ratify an "agenda promoted by some homosexual activists directed at eliminating the moral opprobrium that has traditionally attached to homosexual conduct."

"If you read his opinion, he thinks it's a good idea for two consenting adults who happen to be gay to be locked up because he is so disapproving of gay people," Frank said yesterday.

Barney, you are an idiot. Based on the dissent it's quite clear that what Scalia thinks is the Constitution doesn't prohibit states from enacting such laws. His personal opinion on such laws are not anywhere in evidence in the opinion. As usual Scalia is scathing in his language but his target is the sloppy thinking and writing of his fellow justices, led by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Kennedy.

Frank claims that Clarence Thomas isn't a homophobe because Thomas said that while he would uphold the Texas statute he would have voted against the law were he a legislator.

Well, here's part of what Scalia wrote in his dissent (which Thomas joined). more...

Posted by: DrewM at 07:09 AM | Add Comment
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A note of caution to those who would try to do the right thing in this political climate. This is just a snippet of the letter.

Please go to the link and read the whole thing. Please. Liddy's betrayal of his employees before Congress is detailed in the letter, but I didn't clip that part out.

DEAR Mr. Liddy,

It is with deep regret that I submit my notice of resignation from A.I.G. Financial Products. I hope you take the time to read this entire letter. Before describing the details of my decision, I want to offer some context:

I am proud of everything I have done for the commodity and equity divisions of A.I.G.-F.P. I was in no way involved in — or responsible for — the credit default swap transactions that have hamstrung A.I.G. Nor were more than a handful of the 400 current employees of A.I.G.-F.P. Most of those responsible have left the company and have conspicuously escaped the public outrage.

After 12 months of hard work dismantling the company — during which A.I.G. reassured us many times we would be rewarded in March 2009 — we in the financial products unit have been betrayed by A.I.G. and are being unfairly persecuted by elected officials. In response to this, I will now leave the company and donate my entire post-tax retention payment to those suffering from the global economic downturn. My intent is to keep none of the money myself.

I take this action after 11 years of dedicated, honorable service to A.I.G. I can no longer effectively perform my duties in this dysfunctional environment, nor am I being paid to do so. Like you, I was asked to work for an annual salary of $1, and I agreed out of a sense of duty to the company and to the public officials who have come to its aid. Having now been let down by both, I can no longer justify spending 10, 12, 14 hours a day away from my family for the benefit of those who have let me down.

---------------------------------
The only real motivation that anyone at A.I.G.-F.P. now has is fear. Mr. Cuomo has threatened to “name and shame,” and his counterpart in Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, has made similar threats — even though attorneys general are supposed to stand for due process, to conduct trials in courts and not the press.

ACORN has also contributed to this monumental mistake. They have been busing Hartford scumbags to AIG execs' Fairfield county homes to gawk at their finery and 'protest' them. Intimidate them, in other words.

Isn't that nice? No-job-having slackers calling the producers of wealth upon which they subsist, parasites! Pot, meet kettle....

What possible incentive would one have to stick around and fix the problem?

It's a fucking travesty.

Posted by: LauraW at 05:03 AM | Comments (28)
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Maryland Democratic Senator Benjamin Cardin is proposing a law which would allow newspapers to restructure as nonprofits, so as to take advantage of more lenient tax requirements.

"This may not be the optimal choice for some major newspapers or corporate media chains but it should be an option for many newspapers that are struggling to stay afloat," said Senator Benjamin Cardin.

A Cardin spokesman said the bill had yet to attract any co-sponsors, but had sparked plenty of interest within the media, which has seen plunging revenues and many journalist layoffs.

[...]

Cardin's office said his bill was aimed at preserving local and community newspapers, not conglomerates which may also own radio and TV stations. His bill would also let a non-profit buy newspapers owned by a conglomerate.

"We are losing our newspaper industry," Cardin said. "The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy."

Here's the kicker: contributions to reorganized, nonprofit newspapers could be tax-deductible. So is it a contribution when I buy their newspaper or when George Soros buys their newspaper?

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:17 AM | Comments (4)
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Humpity Hump Day to you too!

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:04 AM | Add Comment
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He inherited these deficits like OJ inherited Niccole Brown's head.

Via Instapundit, with more round-up.

Sorry I got bogged down in that song lyrics thread. Politics sorta went out the window.

Am I the first to pronounce this? I believe I am: I officially have Obama Fatigue (TM).

I don't think that will work in his interests, though one could postulate he could somehow win simply by exhausting his opponents with one eye-popping spending initiative after another.

I was already against him. I can't get more against him and there's no way in hell I'm getting on his side.

So what of the public? Do they have Obama Fatigue as well? I imagine they must. And since the general public is willing to "give him a chance" (in other words, they're mentally retarded), he's going to suffer for it.

He's taxing everything that moves, and that includes the public's patience. And patience only tends to move in one direction. Down.

Posted by: Ace at 09:09 PM | Comments (8)
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ItÂ’s way past its freshness date, but what the hellÂ…maybe you havenÂ’t seen it. During Shuttle DiscoveryÂ’s launch last week FNC put up a link to astronaut Sandra MagnusÂ’ blog called Spacebook which sheÂ’s been writing while hanging around on the International Space Station for the past several (Weeks? Months? I dunnoÂ’). I think sheÂ’s about to come back with Discovery when it slips the surly bonds of space and touches the tarmac at Cape Canaveral. Interesting reading and some nice pics of things back here on urf.

Overnight Open Thread is sponsored by Remy Lace Wigs. Whether it wants to be or not.

Notice: Posted by permission of AceCorp LLC. Please e-mail overnight open thread tips to xgenghisx@gmail.com. Otherwise send tips to Ace.

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:53 PM | Add Comment
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It was nice to have her in the live blog, but she's firstly an essayist.

t is late March, and yet still feels like the deepest part of winter. The earth warms and the days grow longer, but the hearts and souls of Americans continue to feel the chill of our times; the feeling that Shakespeare so beautifully termed the winter of discontent.

As I travel from my townhouse in Virginia to my beach house in Nantucket, I sense an unease plaguing the American people. A malaise, if you will. The president's steely gaze and direct, simple solutions to this country's problems cut through that ill-will and helped reassure the bleating masses, showing them someone was in charge.

...

When asked about whether his budget would increase the deficit, Obama shifted blame masterfully. It was like watching Mozart not only compose a symphony, but play all of the instruments himself. While conducting. There are those who claim that the president is overexposed, but I cannot get enough of that rich velvety voice. It's like being washed with pinot grigio. French pinot, of course. Only a monstrous, embarrassing hick from a backwater state such as Alaska would go with something from Napa, or worse, Australia.

She's got a gift.

Posted by: Ace at 05:14 PM | Comments (2)
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The old one is getting unmanageable.

Please -- link the song! And repost your unanswered gems here, where they might get a second look.

Two men say they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong. There's a protest singer, he's singin' a protest song.

Posted by: Ace at 04:29 PM | Add Comment
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Special guest star: The Mighty Iowahawk, playing the role of Obama's teleprompter, giving his take on how Obama's fucking up.

At 8 eastern, 7 central, 5 pacific.

Fuck Mountain Time. It's for queers.

Live Feed: Here.

Speaking of That... The forbidden love between a man and his teleprompter.

Posted by: Ace at 01:11 PM | Comments (5)
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A timewaster, yes, and not news, but usually these are fun.

I've been dicking around putting "Mystery Clicks" in the sidebar. I like when people toss 'em back.

To make it a bit of a game, try hinting at the song, maybe with a stray piece of lyric (like "Hot, sweet cherry on my mind") to give people a chance to guess before clicking.

I just tried finding an April Wine song to go super-obscure, and then, after listening to like 20 songs, I realized I don't actually know any April Wine songs. I know I've heard them, but they are completely forgotten now.

If someone can figure out what song I actually might remember -- something getting radio play on New York's former rock station WPLJ around 81-82, let me know. Because not a one I just listened to sounded vaguely familiar.

Clarification: Put the link to the video right in the post. So people can guess and then check immediately.

Again, no car is on the line here. You can give away the answer immediately.

Posted by: Ace at 11:04 AM | Add Comment
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