SCOTUS discussion on Hobby Lobby case

During the questioning Justice Kennedy remarked that the constitutionality of the law in question should be probably be taken up by the Court. Everyone laughed (presumably with rather than at him) because the law in question is the (already considered) Affordable Care Act (aka ACA, PPACA, Obamacare). Is it possible Justice Kennedy didn't even know the law in question was the ACA which had already been taken up by the Court and declared legal?

I think more than a few people in the room were probably laughing at him.

The Right is making a farce of our Supreme Court. It's time for Kennedy to retire.

Some good, some bad

We continually hear stories about violence and war and scandal, but we don't always hear about White-collar issues like banking and taxation or about good developments. I try to sometimes write about these. The following are a sample of both.

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Why does Los Angeles spend more on Wall Street fees than on fixing its own roads?

http://pando.com/2014/05/06/los-angeles-now-spending-more-on-wall-street-fees-than-on-maintaining-roads/?utm_source=PandoDigest&utm_campaign=210e311d6d-PandoDigest_December_9_2013_copy_09_12_11_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2f01c2729e-210e311d6d-81037657

If everyone believes in a free market then why do we subsidize so many large profitable businesses?

http://www.juancole.com/2014/05/subsidies-trillion-according.html

If the individuals who lead our major corporations are patriots, then why do they hide so much company profit overseas to avoid taxes?

http://www.salon.com/2014/06/17/wal_marts_sham_transaction_how_giant_corporations_are_quietly_dodging_u_s_taxes/

http://firedoglake.com/2014/06/06/majority-of-fortune-500-using-offshore-tax-schemes-to-hide-90-billion/

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/04/01-5

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/09/us-britain-usa-tax-insight-idUSKBN0EK0BF20140609

Fortunately, there are some people working to benefit everyone:

http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-create-a-cancer-drug-that-helps-the-body-fight-the-disease-naturally-2014-6

http://www.mintpressnews.com/solar-wind-will-cheaper-nukes-end-decade-greenpeace/192426/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=solar-wind-will-cheaper-nukes-end-decade-greenpeace

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/27/3441782/carbon-reductions-from-wind-energy/

http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-create-a-cancer-drug-that-helps-the-body-fight-the-disease-naturally-2014-6

The Middle East, War, Guns and America

I just read an article at ThinkProgress.org and it's incredible. The number of militant organizations with interests at war in the Middle East is insane. The recent upsurge of jihadist militancy in Iraq and bordering Syria should be terrifying to everyone. If they can empty banks and use the money to buy more weaponry and if they can chase off the (U.S.-trained) Iraqi army and take all the weaponry we sold/gave them they will use it against somebody to advance their cause.

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/06/12/3447800/iraq-syria-chart/

We may continue for a while trying to oppose Assad in Syria, but in a lot of ways this mess looks like a plate of spaghetti topped with blood. We should be extremely cautious with our involvement and hold back as much as possible.