News Burst: April 10, 2017

Hey All,

Sorry for the late post today. Been dealing with some business-related things, running some errands, and the like. No rest for the weary!

Anyway, I’m glad so many of you enjoyed today’s episode of CLS. Thursday’s and Monday’s episodes -- which are connected -- will bring back the format of the Third Amendment video. I hope y’all enjoy those episodes, too.

Alright, let’s jump in.

2017 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced: http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year

My Take: I’m not going to talk too much here. It’s just that winning a Pulitzer is fucking huge, and these people should be celebrated. Consider taking a look at the list, and congratulate some of the folks who took home this year’s prizes. Maybe even read the work(s) that got them the win!

Man Dragged Off of United Flight: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2017/04/10/video-shows-man-forcibly-removed-united-flight-chicago-louisville/100274374/

My Take: This is a truly terrible story, one that many of us have watched play-out via social media over the last 24 hours or so. For those unfamiliar, what basically happened is that a man -- an older Asian gentleman who is apparently a doctor -- was forcibly removed from a United flight from Chicago, IL to Louisville, KY, in order to make room for some United employees. The removal happened after multiple offers were made for volunteers, as United oversold the flight. Police officers forced the man from his seat and literally dragged him down the airplane’s aisle, as multiple videos from several angles show.

First of all, this is a really terrible situation, most notably because of the strongarm tactics utilized by the police, along with the fact that the man was bloodied and bruised, and possibly even concussed and otherwise disoriented by the altercation. He apparently didn't want to give his seat up because, as a doctor, he has patients in Louisville he needs to attend to. Plus, who wants to give up their seats? I fly all the god damn time, and I've taken an offer to give up my seat in exchange for vouchers exactly zero times.

This brings up a few pertinent questions, but the only three that matter to me right now are: 1.) Is there more to this story? (Unlikely.) 2.) What the fuck were the cops thinking, and why did United employees just sit by and watch that happen? 3.) How much is this man going to win in his inevitable lawsuit?

I hope he sues these mother fuckers for all they’re worth. United sucks. Don’t fly them.

School Shooting in San Bernardino, CA: http://ktla.com/2017/04/10/multiple-gunshot-victims-at-elementary-school-in-san-bernardino-amid-report-of-active-shooter-officials-say/

My Take: It’s always shocking, disgusting, and horrifying to see something like this happen, especially to innocent, helpless children at a place where they should be safe and sound. Like all of these instances, there’s more to this story -- a sordid motive and a domestic dispute -- and kids were the victims. Disgusting.

The killer, Cedric Anderson, murdered his “estranged wife” in her classroom, in front of her students. Her name was Karen Smith. Two students were also struck with bullets, and one -- Jonathan Martinez, an eight year old -- died. Not surprisingly, Anderson, a coward, killed himself thereafter.

What else can you say, really? Just a disgusting situation perpetrated by a disgusting man too scared to let society handle justice. I don’t believe in hell, but should it exist, I hope it’s there that he rots for eternity, precisely where he belongs.

Things Are About to Go Off With North Korea: http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/tensions-at-tipping-point-why-donald-trump-had-to-act-on-north-korea-now/news-story/af8e0c30f9f21f6c6e45fdde868305be

My Take: As with anything related to North Korea, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not, and what’s an actual provocation and what’s simply within the normal course of business. The United States is sending a fighter jet-filled carrier -- the USS Carl Vinson -- from Australian waters to waters outside of Korea, to meet up with a few destroyers and cruisers also en route from Singapore.

North Korea under Kim Jong Un has been unstable and wily, and it may just be that the geopolitical situation on the Korean peninsula is finally, finally coming to a head after six decades-plus of relative silence. Kim Jong Un is unpredictable. Unfortunately for him -- and maybe for all of us -- so is Donald Trump. Could this be what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force?

I want North Korea to fall, and, as I was just explaining to Erin here at home, it could happen in multiple ways. Because North Korea is so homogenous, it’s hard for any intelligence apparatuses -- even South Korea’s -- to fully infiltrate it. We simply don’t have a complete picture of what’s happening there, and we may never have all of the information we need to make a truly informed decision. Could we topple Kim? Sure, but then what? Will the military take over and surrender? Will a civilian authority discuss peace with the South? Will they simply launch missiles -- and maybe even nukes -- at Seoul and Tokyo (I have zero worry of them delivering a weapon to the States). We have no idea what we’re dealing with, or who we’re dealing with, and it makes this situation about as potentially volatile as one could imagine.

We’re in a wait-and-see pattern right now. Maybe this is finally coming to an end… but we may not want to see how everything unravels.

(Associated Reading: China seems to be preparing for a humanitarian crisis on North Korea’s northwestern border, and has sent a ton of troops there to reinforce it: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4399076/China-deploys-150-000-troops-North-Korea-border.html)

Neil Gorsuch Has Been Sworn In: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/neil-gorsuch-sworn-in_us_58eb85dde4b00de14105017b?

My Take: There’s not too much to say, here. Today’s episode of Colin’s Last Stand focuses a great deal on Gorsuch and SCOTUS, but then again, it also focuses on Syria and shitty politics, so.

Anyway, Gorsuch was sworn in, the Supreme Court has a full nine member roster for the first time since Scalia died, and his lifetime appointment to the land’s highest court is now in effect. Let’s see how it all works out. We’ll potentially need decades to truly figure out what Gorsuch is really all about.

Ginsburg’s Gamble May Have Backfired: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-judiciary/328151-ginsburg-gambled-to-stay-on-the-supreme-court-now-she-may

My Take: This is an interesting op-ed that’s associated with the Gorsuch news above. I won’t spoil it too much for you here… I think it’s a worthy read. The basic gist is that, just as McConnell politically maneuvered with the Garland vote and won, so too did Justice Ginsburg politically maneuver with her retirement, thinking Clinton would win.

At 84, Ginsburg is in good physical and mental health, but elderly people -- especially at her age -- can fall off a cliff very rapidly. There’s a very, very good chance that her seat is going to be filled by Trump, and as the op-ed suggests, with the new filibuster rules in place in the Senate, it’s safe to assume that Trump isn’t going to pick a palatable moderate like Neil Gorsuch to replace her. (Some think it’ll be Ted Cruz. We’ll see.) By retiring a couple of years ago, she could have avoided this whole fiasco. Many argue she's simply hung on for too long.

Justices Breyer and Thomas are also accelerating in age and may retire soon, as well, giving Trump two more shots to fill the bench with his picks (although replacing Thomas isn’t really a boon, as he’s conservative). Still, Ginsburg’s selfishness -- which is what a lot of people term it as, especially after the fact -- means she’ll either need to hold on until she’s 88 (assuming Trump doesn't win a second term), or, more likely, retire knowing that a judge antithetical to her standpoints will likely replace her. If Trump replaces both Breyer and Ginsburg, you’re officially looking at a stacked court.

Senator Markey Says the Democrats Will Restore the Filibuster: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/senate-markey-237078

My Take: Associated with the above story is word out of Washington D.C. that maybe magnanimity will take over, after all… though it’s unlikely. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, a Democrat, told MSNBC that, in short, the Democrats, should they take over, should endeavor to bring the SCOTUS filibuster back, which would be an unusual move for the majority party to do, since they’d basically remove their own power, and not retaliate for what the other party did to them.

On today’s episode of Colin’s Last Stand, I spoke about how we’re in desperate need of some adults in Washington D.C. Markey may be one of the adults I’m talking about, someone who puts the chamber’s ability to work properly over his political career, the agenda of his party, or even what’s logically right in front of him. I respect the shit out of that.

Is it going to happen? It’s unlikely, which is why Reid’s decision in 2013 and McConnell’s decision last week were so disconcerting to me. Still, it’s nice that people are openly talking about working together and doing the right thing as opposed to the politically expedient thing. If we can get more talk like this out of the capital, who knows… maybe we won’t be completely doomed after all?

Republicans Fear They Won’t Hold the House: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/327961-midterm-trends-threaten-gop-house-majority

My Take: While 2018’s Senate races are looking mighty fine for the Republicans, and indicate that they will strengthen their hold on the upper chamber, the House, the lower chamber, is looking a lot different in the midterms. At least, that’s what some GOP operatives think, as they talk down their chances of holding the significant majority they now have in the House. Some think it’s possible, with the unpopular Trump in the White House, that they lose their House majority completely.

Midterm elections typically benefit the party out of power, and at all levels, the Democrats are the definition of out of power. So, making gains in the House, especially with someone as disliked and polarizing as Donald Trump in the White House, wouldn’t be surprising. However, with 19 months before the midterms, anything can happen, and although I think the Democrats should make gains in the House, I think there’s a zero percent chance (or close to it) that they take the chamber outright. There are simply way too many seats to realistically flip.

The Democrats should aim at 2020, where they can take it all. Until then, I’m not sure there’s much of a hope at fracturing the Republican majority across the federal government. Then again, people smarter than I am disagree, so read the story and make your own decision!

Alabama’s Governor Resigns: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/10/us/alabama-governor-robert-bentley-meeting/

My Take: This is the final story of today, and is a bit of a regional oddity. There are no real political ramifications here -- Alabama is securely Republican, and will remain that way -- but still, the story of Governor Robert Bentley is a strange one, and one worth reading into.

The general gist is that Bentley had an affair with one of his aides and used state money and state resources to help cover it all up. On the verge of impeachment, Bentley pulled a Nixonian move and resigned instead. He’s so far been charged with some misdemeanors, but nothing more serious at the current time. He plead guilty to the charges brought up so far, but had to resign as part of the plea. Kay Ivey, his lieutenant, is now the Governor of Alabama.