Halt Grab of Veterans' Land

I love Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA).

For a period during the Bush administration, it felt like the only compelling loyal Democratic opposition was from Waxman, Feingold and Kucinich.

But Waxman has earned the wrath of veterans the nation-over for his bizarre commitment to overseeing appropriating veterans' land in West Los Angeles

Writes Robert L. Rosebrock, director of The Veterans Revolution:

Veteran land is land that has been deeded to the Veterans to take care of their physical and emotional wounds. One of these lands the West Los Angeles Veterans' Home (WL VHA) the largest parcel on land for Veterans in the USA, was donated by Arcadia de Baker and John P. Jones in 1888 to the Government for the sole purpose of providing permanent care to our Veterans. Arcadia de Baker kindly donated 388 acres in West Los Angeles, to Veterans and our Veterans ONLY.

Rep. Waxman, what are you thinking?
Why are you helping to appropriate this land that veterans clearly regard as sacred?

This is a slap in the face of our 23-million veterans who have been beaten on far too often during the Bush administration as it privatized, abused and neglected the public welfare of veterans whose plight is our collective disgrace.

Waxman is better than this, much better. For more information see Veterans Land Grab.

Olson-Boies Case Gives Civil Rights for Gays Hope

Updae II: Bush v. Gore Foes Join to Fight Gay Marriage Ban (NYT) - Mr. Olson seemed confident that the makeup of the Supreme Court was right because of the presence of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, pointing to two cases in which gay rights groups prevailed — a sodomy case in Texas and a constitutional ban on local antidiscrimination laws in Colorado — in which Justice Kennedy wrote the majority opinion. 'We studied this very, very carefully.'

Update: Civil rights groups say Make Change, Not Lawsuits, explicitly discouraging a federal legal challenge. "The arguments in the briefs are not the only thing that influences the Court’s decisions. The climate of receptivity and momentum in the country on these issues matter as well. There is much we can and should do together to strengthen our hand before we put a federal marriage case before the justices," reads the question and answer online sheet.

This is a defensive, crouching strategy that argues before demanding civil rights for everyone, make sure its okay with the bigots first. Put another way, "This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism," as MLK reminded us on one very special day.
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The news that Bush v. Gore attorneys Theodore B. Olson and and David Boies are seeking an injunction against California's same-sex marriage ban could be the first step in the U.S. Supreme Court guaranteeing gay Americans equal protection, due process and privacy rights.

Their case, Perry, Stier, Katami and Zarrillo v. Schwarzenegger, could result in gays ultimately being permitted liberty to marry just like any other Americans as the U.S. Supreme Court may offer a liberty-friendly venue, contrary to a LA Times report.

Six years ago, the landmark due process decision Lawrence v. Texas (2003) [overturning the infamous Bowers v. Hardwick (1986)] was decided by a six-to-three majority.

Five pro-due process (and roughly speaking pro-liberty and pro-privacy) justices will likely sit on the Court [the pro-liberty Souter being replaced by the pro-liberty Sotomoyer] if the Olson-Boies case works its way to consideration by the Court. The wildcard Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the Lawrence v. Texas (2003) decision.

Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court in Lawrence v. Texas (2003) in which justices Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer and O’Connor concurred in the judgment.

Justice Antonin Scalia filed a dissenting opinion in which Rehnquist and Thomas joined.

A near-future U.S. Supreme Court could offer a five-four decision overturning state and federal bans on gays marrying.

As Justice Kennedy writes in the Lawrence v. Texas opinion: "Far from possessing 'ancient roots,' American laws targeting same-sex couples did not develop until the last third of the 20th century."

Reading the Perry, Stier, Katami and Zarrillo v. Schwarzenegger brief, it's not difficult to speculate on a comprehensive decision in which gay marriage bans are overturned in the near future.

Near-Future U.S. Supreme Court Justices and Lawrence v. Texas

John Paul Stevens: Pro due process in Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
Ruth Ginsburg: Pro due process in Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
Anthony Kennedy: Pro due process in Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
Stephen Breyer: Pro due process in Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
David Souter: Pro due process in Lawrence v. Texas (2003) [Souter will likely be succeeded by a pro-due process Sonia Sotomayor]

Antonin Scalia: Against due process in Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
Clarence Thomas: Against due process in Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
Samuel Alito: Against liberty claims generally [succeeded pro-due process O'Conner]
John Roberts: Against liberty claims generally [succeeded against-due process Rehnquist]

via mal contends

Legalize It

Tom Ammiano Introduces Bill to Legalize Pot in Calfornia
by Charles Lemos

Former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and current State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has introduced a bill in the California Legislature to legalize marijuana. Mr. Ammiano argues 'billions of dollars in the illicit marijuana trade goes up in smoke every year, billions that the state could get by taxing the drug.' He adds that 'treating pot just like alcohol and cigarettes could help balance California's budget.'

Equal Protection Will Come

One day, the Equal Protection Clause will be sensibly applied to LGBT persons' right to marry.

The Equal Protection clause will be read to mean that denying a citizen the right to marry, in defiance of equal protection under the law, is about as sensible as the reasoning in Plessy.

Sounds like the California Constitution is ahead of the game in judicial policymaking on the national front and proposition 8 will be overturned.

Nationally the US Supreme Court will catch up one day.

The inequality is staring us in the face.

If we had to throw Brown v. Board of Education to a series of state referenda, who knows in how many states it would have passed.

Many today would still refuse to knock down the separate-but-equal pillar of American racism.

Trying to fathom the seemingly incomprehensible, protesters Saturday asked of gay marriage opponents: "What will they take from you?"

What they will take from the bigoted in the projection of hate and dehumanization that all bigots and ignoramuses share and lean on for meaning in their lives.

Campaign Notes

In what political pundits see as the most extraordinary presidential race in modern history, recent deployments have Americans looking to the electoral arena with passion and hope not seen since RFK and 1968. Some notes:

Edwards

Populist-progressive John Edwards has dropped out the race for the Democratic nomination, and appears poised to consolidate the growing progressive direction of the national political Democratic party, as activists and white men congeal around Barack Obama. However, Hillary’s coalition includes activists as well as strong Hispanic and womens’ support.

Hillary

But Hillary's grandstanding in Florida (in what was supposed to be a state in which no campaigning was to take place among Democratic candidates) reveals a desperate campaign. From the Evans-Novak Political Report:

The combination of Sen. Barack Obama's (Ill.) unexpected landslide in South Carolina and Sen. Teddy Kennedy's (Mass.) dramatic endorsement mean real trouble for Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.). This is not what she expected on a smooth run to the nomination. Her name ID may be enough in Super Tuesday states, but she can no longer be so certain.

McCain

From the Evans-Novak Political Report:

Sen. John McCain's (Ariz.) successive wins in South Carolina and Florida mean he clearly is the front-runner in a two-man race with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Everything is in his favor in the high population states, and he could come close to wrapping up the nomination because of winner-take-all Republican rules. Time is growing short for the right wing of the GOP to stop McCain or even wrest concessions from him.

Huckabee

Mike Huckabee has enough organization and appeal to evangelicals to stay in the race after Super Tuesday. As Huckabee notes in his e-mail sent to supporters today:

Our focus turns now to Super Tuesday. Recent polling shows us in first or tied for first place in Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee and Oklahoma… If the Republican nominee appears out of touch with regular voters or has cast votes that were an anathema to his Party, that candidate will fail to unite the Republican Party against the Democrat nominee, no matter who that nominee is. I have what it takes, our campaign is still standing and drawing new support everyday and I am prepared to lead America forward. Spread the word. I am fighting for you and will continue to do so every step of the way.

Obama and Hillary

The Obama and Hillary race will be a clash of political titans that all Democratic activists hope will stay relatively good-spirited and on the high road.

The Obama-Hillary race is a 50/50 bet, and a political junkie’s dream:

Salon’s Joan Walsh writes:

Barack Obama went up with a new ad in Northern California that I just saw this morning, and I have to say it's powerful. It's about healthcare, and he tells a story that's now a staple of many of his speeches, about his mother's troubles with insurance while she was fighting and ultimately dying of cancer at age 53. One noteworthy image in the first frames: A photo of Obama as a child, with his adoring mother, Ann Dunham, who was, of course, white.

Rudy

Defeated Giuliani Endorses McCain
Rudy was his own worst enemy: Arrogant, authoritarian, Nixonian and so enamored of himself that he believed people would flock to him even though he skipped political campaigning.

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