Wednesday Reads: Of Birth Control and Self-Cloning Sea Grass

Good Morning

The results are in…If you didn’t follow the three primaries yesterday, or didn’t know there were three primaries yesterday, or knew there were three primaries, but did not give a rat’s ass…here are links to several articles discussing  Santorum’s victories in Colorado,  Missouri and Minnesota.

Rick Santorum wins Colorado Republican caucuses – The Denver Post

Santorum revives campaign with wins in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota – The Washington Post

The High Stakes in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri – NYTimes.com

Twin victories revive Santorum’s White House hopes | Reuters

Jubilant Santorum wins Minnesota, leads in Colo. – Boston.com

Two Santorum Victories Redirect G.O.P. Spotlight – NYTimes.com

Live: Santorum blasts Obama, Romney in victory speech

We have a lot of news to get to this morning, lets start with What’s Next for Proposition 8?

Reuters

Anyone surprised by the tenor and base of Tuesday’s same-sex marriage ruling hasn’t been paying much attention to the years-long legal battle over California’s Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot initiative which sought by popular vote to end the Golden State’s brief, court-sanctioned recognition of gay marriage. The 2010 trial resulted in a rout of Prop 8′s forces. So, naturally, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the left-coast bastion that conservatives love to hate, was going to follow suit and continue to block the enforcement of Prop 8.

The only serious question, in the 552 days between the trial court’s ruling and today, was how far the 9th Circuit would travel, doctrinally, in declaring Prop 8 to be an unconstitutional violation of the due process and equal protection rights of same-sex couples. Would it follow the logic and reasoning of U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, the Republican appointee who presided over the trial in this case and then had to defend himself against allegations that he was biased because he is gay? Or, would the 9th Circuit strike out on its own?

The Volokh Conspiracy » Why Same-Sex Marriage Bans Qualify as Sex Discrimination

Today’s Ninth Circuit decision striking down California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage is unpersuasive because it claims that the law fails to meet even minimal “rational basis” scrutiny. Eugene Volokh does a good job of explaining why. But there is an alternative constitutional rationale for striking down same-sex marriage bans that avoids this problem. Proposition 8 is an example of sex discrimination, and must be evaluated under the higher standards of scrutiny applied to gender discrimination by the Supreme Court.

Although the sex discrimination argument has been advanced by several academic advocates of gay marriage, nonacademics tend to be skeptical because the same-sex marriage bans seem to be targeted against gays, not men or women. Hostility towards gays is certainly part of the motivation for bans on same-sex marriage. But that does not prevent these laws from qualifying as sex discrimination. In terms of the way the law is actually structured, a same-sex marriage ban in fact discriminates on the basis of gender rather than orientation. And one can discriminate on the basis of sex even if the motivation for doing so is something other than sexism.

Ilya Somin had another article published yesterday which you may also find interesting, it also moves us towards the next topic I want to focus on this morning. The Volokh Conspiracy » Issues on which People are Most Resistant to Persuasion

This semester, I am once again teaching Constitutional Law II: The Fourteenth Amendment. I often tell my students in this class that there are three issues on which most people are particularly resistant to rational persuasion: abortion, the death penalty, and affirmative action. And it so happens that the course covers all three.

Lately there has been a backlash from the Catholic Church regarding the Obama Healthcare policy on contraception. It makes me mad to think of just how bad the war on women is getting in the country.

Excuse me, but all this crap about birth control has nothing to do with religious devotion or religious consciences.  It has more to do with the GOP’s grand plan to control every aspect of a woman’s life. I can guarantee that men are getting Viagra and other limp dick drugs and treatment, where is the backlash on that? So the double standard is a woman can’t get birth control coverage, because of the religious freedom and rights owed the crazy right-wing, mostly male PLUBs.  What about her right to privacy and liberty from male oppression? (And if that is too strong a phrase for some of you, how about liberty from male interference? Or, male domination? Or, male control?)

It is discrimination, plain and simple…

And make no mistake: health plans that exclude services used only by women constitute a form of discrimination. That’s why in 2000, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that employers that cover prescription drugs but do not cover contraception are in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Such employers have “circumscribed the treatment options available to women, but not to men,” it said. The EEOC’s ruling made no exemptions for religiously affiliated organizations. Indeed, in 2009, responding to a lawsuit, the EEOC ruled that the Catholic college Belmont Abbey discriminated against women when it refused to cover birth control.

Because that is what it all comes down to.

Because if it really had to do with religious righteousness and living a good Christian life, these same concerned Catholics, Mormons and Christian GOP nitwits would be putting all this energy into real good things. Like protecting children from pedophiles and going after the obvious cover ups and sick acceptance of child abuse within the Catholic Church. Retired Cardinal Edward Egan Faces Criticism For Taking Back Abuse Apology

Retired New York Cardinal Edward Egan is facing criticism from representatives of clergy sexual abuse victims for a recent interview in which he said he regretted apologizing for the priest abuse scandal in 2002 when he was bishop of Bridgeport.

In the interview with Connecticut Magazine, Egan said “I don’t think we did anything wrong” in handling abuse cases. He said he was not obligated to report abuse claims and maintained he inherited the cases from his predecessor and did not have any cases on his watch, according to the magazine.

Clergy in Connecticut have been required to report abuse claims to authorities since the early 1970s, according to attorneys who represented numerous abuse victims.

“Egan never did so and his failure to do so constitutes a violation of the law…”

This latest statement from a Representative of the Church is exactly what I am talking about. Where is the massive protest from those who claim to be “good Christians.” (And those are sarcastic quotes mind you…)

In the recent interview, Egan was asked about a letter he wrote to parishioners in 2002 saying “if in hindsight we discover that mistakes may have been made as regards prompt removal of priests and assistance to victims, I am deeply sorry.”

“First of all I should never have said that,” Egan responded, according to the magazine. “I did say if we did anything wrong, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we did anything wrong.”

Egan said in the interview that he sent accused priests to treatment.

“And as a result, not one of them did a thing out of line. Those whom I could prove, I got rid of; those whom I couldn’t prove, I didn’t. But I had them under control.”

Egan also said he was not surprised that “the scandal was going to be fun in the news, not fun but the easiest thing to write about.”

As for reporting claims to authorities, he said, “I don’t think even now you’re obligated to report them in Connecticut.”

“I sound very defensive and I don’t want to because I’m very proud of how this thing was handled,” Egan said.

At another point, Egan said, “I believe the sex abuse thing was incredibly good.” Asked if he meant because it resulted in positive changes, he responded, “Good that … the record, I think, is an excellent record.”

Egan’s statements describing the scandal as “fun” for the news or “incredibly good” shows he’s out of touch, the attorneys said.

“For the cardinal to `take back’ his apology is just another slap in the face of every victim who has endured the physical and emotional upheaval and betrayal of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a priest,” the attorneys said.

Oops, I have wandered a bit…Here is the link I was talking about. The GOP Candidates weigh in on Birth Control and Religious Freedom. Contraception issue heats up as Santorum makes headway – Political Hotsheet – CBS News

You can read it at the link, I don’t even what to bother with quoting these assholes.

One thing however, all this talk of child rapists flows into the next link I have for you today…h/t Boston Boomer: Prosecutors Press For Tougher Bail Conditions After Sandusky Is Seen Watching Children In Schoolyard | Fox News

 Prosecutors asked Tuesday to have Jerry Sandusky kept indoors as part of his bail conditions, citing complaints that the former Penn State football assistant was seen outside and watching children in a schoolyard from the back porch of his home, where he remains under house arrest while awaiting trial on child molestation charges.

The state attorney general’s office argued in a court filing that Sandusky’s bail conditions should be revised so that he is not allowed outside except to seek medical treatment. Prosecutors said they opposed Sandusky’s request to be allowed contact with his grandchildren as he awaits trial on 52 child sex-abuse charges.

“Several individuals from the adjacent elementary school have expressed concerns for the safety of children at their school and the adjacent neighborhood,” prosecutors wrote. “Such concerns will only mushroom if defendant is permitted to roam at will outside his house.”

The allegation he was watching children was outlined in an exhibit attached to the filing, a memo from a state investigator to a county probation officer that said a teacher and intern had reported concern for the children’s safety.

“They advised the neighbor that yesterday they had the children outside for recess as it was a warmer day, and that they both witnessed Mr. Sandusky on his rear house deck watching the children play,” wrote investigator Anthony Sassano on Jan. 26.

Sandusky should be behind bars…it is disgusting. The man is obviously unable to control his behavior when it comes to young boys, I wonder what kind of behavior he would encounter in the general population at the local jail.

Moving on to other US news: GOP’s War on Voting, Minnesota Edition: The Twelve Ways of ALEC’s Kiffmeyer to Disenfranchise Us | MyFDL

Phoenix Woman has some interesting points here…

As Minnesota holds its 2012 election caucuses tonight, I thought this might be apposite.

I was planning to wait until this weekend to discuss the State Rep from ALEC’s Mary Kiffmeyer and her strange war on Native Americans and their defenders, but I decided to take advantage of what Jon Walker had to say about the Virginia front in the GOP’s War on Voting, and of a document that’s circulating through the local online media, and which I received through the e-mail transom.

This document summarizes twelve specific actions taken by Mary Kiffmeyer during her time as Minnesota’s Secretary of State (1998 to 2006) that put the integrity of voting in Minnesota at risk during that time. Here they are, in order:

Go to the link to read about all the twelve ways of voter disfranchisement.

With all the Komen, Planned Parenthood, Catholic Birth Control news going on lately, you may have missed this news out of Indiana. The Maddow Blog – Actual voter fraud

Republican policymakers, at the federal and state level, are often desperate to find real-world, high-profile examples of voter fraud. The good news for the GOP is that a legitimate example has come to public light. The bad news is, the example is from their side of the aisle.

The top elections official in Indiana was convicted of multiple charges in a voter fraud case on Saturday, bringing uncertainty to one of the state’s most powerful offices.

A Hamilton County jury found Charlie White, the Indiana secretary of state, guilty of six of seven felony charges: two counts of perjury and one each of false registration, voting in another precinct, submitting a false ballot and theft. He was acquitted of one fraud charge. [...]

It was not immediately clear what would happen in the state office. Mr. White has resisted calls to resign by Democrats and fellow Republicans, including Gov. Mitch Daniels, but state law bars anyone convicted of a felony from remaining in office.

That whole Political Affective Disorder thing is really hitting me bad tonight.

So I will just speed this post up and link to some other kinds of stories.

The Very Last World War I Veteran Has Died – Global – The Atlantic Wire

Reuters

A British woman who served with the Royal Air Force for the last two months of World War I was the last known veteran of the war when she died in her sleep Saturday night. Florence Green joined the RAF at the age of 17 and died just before her 111th birthday, which would have been Feb. 19. She had been a mess steward with the air force, the BBC reported, serving in two U.K. air bases after she joined up on Sept. 13 1918. The Allies signed the armistice with Germany on Nov. 11, 1918. Green follows Claude Choules, a Royal Navy sailor who was the last WWI combatant before he died in May 2011, and Frank Buckles, the last American veteran of the war, who died in February 2011. All were 110 years old.

The Atlantic also has a series of articles which may interest you: Civil War – The Atlantic

Marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, The Atlantic’s special commemorative edition, featuring an introduction by President Barack Obama, showcases some of the most compelling stories from the magazine’s archives. Contributors include such celebrated American writers as Mark Twain, Henry James, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Louisa May Alcott.

Through reporting, essays, fiction, and poetry, The Atlantic chronicled the conflict firsthand—from the country’s deepening divisions in the years leading up to the conflict, to the horrors of the battlefield, to the reshaping of society after the war’s conclusion. Now this 148-page edition captures all of that. With contemporary essays by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Jeffrey Goldberg, along with memorable images from the National Portrait Gallery, this rich collection is perfect for anyone interested in the dramatic story of America’s most transformative moment.

For a link to the essays, look on this page here: Table of Contents – Magazine – The Atlantic

An Australian man is planning on Parachuting from space…

It is the ultimate parachute jump.

From the edge of space, Felix Baumgartner will leap from a balloon and plummet 36,500 metres.

After 35 seconds he will break the sound barrier, and finally, at 1520 metres, he will deploy a parachute and – hopefully – land safely.

The jump will take 10 minutes…I don’t know about you, but have you ever had those nightmares where you feel like you are falling? Then you wake up disoriented for a few seconds? That is what I imagine this free fall must feel like. Ten minutes of that is one hell of a nightmare to me.

Two science/environment links will end today’s post.

The Frog of War | Mother Jones

When biologist Tyrone Hayes discovered that a top-selling herbicide messes with sex hormones, its manufacturer went into battle mode. Thus began one of the weirdest feuds in the history of science.

Darnell lives deep in the basement of a life sciences building at the University of California-Berkeley, in a plastic tub on a row of stainless steel shelves. He is an African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, sometimes called the lab rat of amphibians. Like most of his species, he’s hardy and long-lived, an adept swimmer, a poor crawler, and a voracious eater. He’s a good breeder, too, having produced both children and grandchildren. There is, however, one unusual thing about Darnell.

He’s female.

Genetically, Darnell is male. But after being raised in water contaminated with the herbicide atrazine at a level of 2.5 parts per billion—slightly less than what’s allowed in our drinking water—he developed a female body, inside and out. He is also the mother of his children, having successfully mated with other males and spawned clutches of eggs.

Yes, you need to read that article in MoJo, it is a long one…but man it is disturbing.

So from confused sex hormones and herbicide atrazine, to asexual grass…ah, lets call that asexual old-ass grass…Self-Cloning Seagrass May Be World’s Oldest Living Thing | Environment | English

Australian and European scientists say they believe ancient seagrass growing on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea may be the oldest living organism on the planet.

The researchers say their findings indicate the vast beds of submerged vegetation are most likely at least 100,000 years old.  That is nearly 60,000 years older than a Tasmanian plant that currently holds the title of world’s oldest living thing.

Hmmm, I wonder if we should get a patch of this Posidonia oceania and plant it over in the Creation Museum…and make sure that there are little English saddles on each blade of grass. Should go nice with the saddles on Dinosaurs.

(These religious nuts are destroying our world! Mayan End of World Prophecy? Has to be the cause of the destructive actions of religious extremist all over the world.)

What do you think? See you in the comments later on…