zabouti's blog

I remember when so-called "conservatives" constantly complained that courts were letting people off because of "legal technicalities" - you know, little things like the fact that a person wasn't read their rights, or the police broke into a house without a warrant or the police falsified evidence - you know, little, teeny technicalities that just don't really matter, right?

I got into a short exchange on Google+ with someone who says she's from another country - I don't know which. She said she was trying to understand the terms "yellow dog" and "blue dog".

I made the mistake of trying to figure it out:

Gov Perdue has drunk Time Warner's kool-aid and says she will not veto H129, a bill forbidding government bodies in NC from creating our own Broadband networks. Now there will be even less competition to stimulate some improvements in our telecom infrastructure.

Might as well have a Republican governor. Clearly what matters is the legislature.

I went to the rally in Raleigh in support of the Wisconsin protesters. There were a bunch of counter protesters across the street with their signs swearing fealty to the rich and their corporations and opposing a good life for workers. I expected all that, but I also expected some notion of Constitutional rights - don't the Tea Baggers claim to support the 1st Amendment and all that?

But no - not only did they try to drown out our speakers with their speakers but - and I really found that offensive - they sometimes simply broadcast pure noise, no words, just noise - in an attempt to suppress our free speech.

Why am I not surprised?

There's a new Fourth Amendment case before the Supreme Court (link). In brief, the police forced their way into an apartment because "they smelled burning marijuana" [good reporting would say "they said they smelled..."].

What really angers me is that I know exactly how the so-called "conservative" justices on the court will rule. The great defenders of the Constitution, the great Tea Party favorites, Scalia and Thomas will side with the police. Yes, they will side with the government. It's always this way with these people: that's why I use the phrase "so-called", because they simply do not believe in limited government power. Thank God to Kagen and Sotomayor for standing up against this attack on our Bill of Rights.

I've just begun following a new blog seemingly obcessed with the NCDP. Recently it has begun attacking Bill Faison, who is running against David Parker to become the new party chair.

Curious to the identity of the person(s) behind this blog (I think I know who it is except that the blog is written better than his emails, so I'm not sure), I asked on Twitter. Here's the snarky, non-answer. Interestingly my profile image was hacked between the time I asked and got the answer:

Gotta love transparency.

The Obama Wallet:

Notice too that the leather is brown!! Chuckle, giggle.

At least we can thank these bleep-holes for giving us yet another reason to keep on fighting....

My Canadian cousin writes about China's problem with the world's largest debtor nation.

Congressman Peter Welch has written a letter to Speaker Pelosi opposing President Obama's deal with the Republicans to extend tax breaks for the rich. Welch is quoted as saying the tax cuts should be extended to middle-class taxpayers, and not wealthy ones.

I called David Price's DC office just now and was told that David had signed this letter.

Let us all congratulate Congressman Price for his courage and for his true Democratic principals.

By now, you've heard that BJ Lawson's claim that Morgan Freeman narrated one of his political advertisements is false. Whoever narrated the ad was not Morgan Freeman, who has denounced the Lawson ad.

The Lawson campaign says that it was tricked by a California-based media company that "approached the campaign and offered to produce an ad with Freeman".

I have no idea if Lawson's account is correct, but, it makes me kind of proud of my native state even after 30 years of living in North Carolina.

I'm also kind of tickled that Lawson was apparently tricked by just the sort of free-enterprise entrepreneur that he thinks should run free of government regulation.