Online Left

17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of each State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

A constitutional question that maybe someone can answer.

Does the phrase, "the legislature of any State may empower the executive, also mean that the legislature may refuse to empower the executive? Or, does the election of the governor automatically empower him or her to make the "temporary appointment?

Brains Are Back!

What Obama's election means, above all, is that brains are back. Sense and pragmatism and the idea of considering-all-the-options are back. Studying one's enemies and thinking through strategic problems are back. Cultural understanding is back. Yahooism and jingoism and junk science about global warming and shabby legal reasoning about torture are out. The national culture of flag-pin shallowness that guided our foreign policy is gone with the wind. And for this reason as much as any, perhaps I can renew my pride in being an American.

Michael Hirsh, in Brains Are Back!

Who Is The Racist?

Earlier this morning I was browsing a few blogs to get a feel for what people were talking about the weekend before the election. Picking a blog randomly from one of those lists of "recently updated" blogs, I ended up at Keith Burgess-Johnson.

Originally I was intrigued, as Johnson insists that he's been a progressive, and now a conservative.  You gotta admit, that's interesting, if it were true. After reading a few minutes, I'm convinced that Burgess-Johnson is full of shit.

I was a progressive for 20 years of my life. I've been a conservative for the past five. I've been "inside" both ideologies. There is no doubt in my mind that there is more racism and sexism on the political left than on the political right.

You see, Burgess-Johnson blames the left for fighting the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, and trying to keep Sarah Palin from reaching the vice-presidency.

If it takes racism to keep Clarence Thomas off the Supreme Court, so be it. If it takes sexism to keep Sarah Palin out of the vice presidency, so be it. There are some things conservatives won't do, no matter how much good it will produce.

Okay, now I'm starting to think this is a humor blog and I've just been 'punked'.If anyone thinks Republicans won't do or say anything to win, no matter how unqualified their candidates are, they haven't been paying attention.

Clearly Thomas wasn't qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. And, Palin is as qualified to be vice-president as Thomas was to serve on the Court.

I find it unlikely someone could label themselves past progressive, but now stoop to thinking that sexism prevents Palin's promotion, rather than being disqualified by her own campaign. Conservatives should be ashamed for suggesting anything other than her lack of knowledge and experience disqualifies her.

Word of the Day: Desperate

des-per-ate: an adjective
1. reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency: a desperate killer

The American people, particularly the Secret Service should be diligent. Senator McCain, his freaky looking wife, Cindy, and Governor Palin are busy stirring up hate in the least-informed members of American society. These glassy eyed, slack-jawed, ignorant jackasses are being videotaped in recent days spewing the most hateful comments to be voiced during a campaign in many years.

Supporters of McCain/Palin are truly desperate.  They will stop at nothing to win.

As they see their chances of winning on November 4 slipping away, they'll stop at nothing to win, and I mean nothing!