Lax Scrutiny

Senate passes repeal of 1913 marriage law - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:09:42 -0400

Senate passes repeal of 1913 marriage law - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

Towers of Food - vertical urban farms

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:12:53 -0400

Towers of Food - vertical urban farms: Sim City 2000 anyone?

Tuthilltown Spirits | Hudson Baby Bourbon | Whiskey

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:31:43 -0400

Tuthilltown Spirits | Hudson Baby Bourbon | Whiskey

China's new buildings

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:04:00 -0400

China's new buildings: Wow.

octo-pied building by *FilthyLuker on deviantART

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:34:29 -0400

octo-pied building by *FilthyLuker on deviantART

Top 10 TED Talks - Boing Boing

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:36:40 -0400

Top 10 TED Talks - Boing Boing

Poll: Obama beats McCain as barbecue guest - Yahoo! News

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:16:57 -0400

Poll: Obama beats McCain as barbecue guest - Yahoo! News: Even though I, too, would prefer Obama as a BBQ guest, I’m still left wondering what this poll even means? I mean, if there’s going to be a beer to be had with the candidate-guest, then this poll is huge! Because everyone knows that the candidate who everyone wants to have a beer with would make the best president. Right?

Central Park running routes

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:01:24 -0400

Central Park running routes

Convictions : What's Up Doc? Why Is Jim Dobson Pretending Not to Understand Barack Obama?

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:26:51 -0400

Convictions : What's Up Doc? Why Is Jim Dobson Pretending Not to Understand Barack Obama?

"Even the Supreme Court, in a 2003 decision upholding the McCain-Feingold measure that banned soft..."

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:40:28 -0400

“

Even the Supreme Court, in a 2003 decision upholding the McCain-Feingold measure that banned soft money from politics, recognized how difficult it is to shut off the spigot of special interest money in politics. “Money, like water, will always find an outlet,” the court wrote.

These days the outlet is the Internet, the tool that enabled Mr. Obama to break his promise that he would accept public funds.

”

- The New York Times declares online, small donor fundraising “special interest money.” I’m pretty sure it’s the source, not the payment system, that defines “special interest.”

Maryland elects first black woman to Congress - USATODAY.com

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:35:25 -0400

Maryland elects first black woman to Congress - USATODAY.com

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/18/2008 | Easing of laws that led to detainee abuse hatched in secret

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:35:25 -0400

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/18/2008 | Easing of laws that led to detainee abuse hatched in secret

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 05/29/2008 | Former prosecutors challenge White House immunity claim

Thu, 29 May 2008 22:16:30 -0400

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 05/29/2008 | Former prosecutors challenge White House immunity claim

Kent Greenfield: Mukasey's Defense of Professional Irresponsibility - Politics on The Huffington Post

Thu, 29 May 2008 19:09:00 -0400

Kent Greenfield: Mukasey's Defense of Professional Irresponsibility - Politics on The Huffington Post

Overloaded

Wed, 28 May 2008 07:04:41 -0400

How is it that I—with my Mac, iPhone, blogs, etc.—suddenly feel like I have too many gadgets now that I also have a Blackberry?

Meet & Eat: David Chang, Momofuku's 'Overrated Pseudo Chef' | Serious Eats : New York

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:37:14 -0400

Meet & Eat: David Chang, Momofuku's 'Overrated Pseudo Chef' | Serious Eats : New York

Photo of the Day: Nom Nom Nom, Mojito Cake | Serious Eats : Required Eating

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:37:14 -0400

Photo of the Day: Nom Nom Nom, Mojito Cake | Serious Eats : Required Eating

Supreme Court Memo - At Supreme Court, 5-to-4 Rulings Fade — but Why? - NYTimes.com

Thu, 22 May 2008 18:59:50 -0400

Supreme Court Memo - At Supreme Court, 5-to-4 Rulings Fade — but Why? - NYTimes.com

Liberty-Equality again

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:33:52 -0400

Yesterday I commented that one reason I gravitated to O’Connor’s concurrence over Kennedy’s opinion in Lawrence was that it felt easier to apply in subsequent cases. Chalk that up to a lack of imagination because, as Kenji Yoshino reports, the Ninth Circuit just remanded a case challenging “don’t ask don’t tell” on the grounds that the policy might infringe the plaintiff’s right to sexual intimacy.

The argument goes right at the heart of the underlying basis for “don’t ask don’t tell,” which is at root an “ickiness” rationale: Gays should not be allowed to be openly gay in the military because it could cause discomfort, confusion, etc. and thereby undermine unit cohesion.

By arguing that the policy violates the right to sexual intimacy, the plaintiff demonstrates how dehumanizing the policy is. No one is asking for shower orgies; the question is whether our soldiers are permitted to exist as they are. For example, given the recent marriage decision in California, gay Californians who now have the right to marry are denied the right to do so if they live on a military base in California. Where straight soldiers’ spouses can live on base, gay soldiers must maintain the appearance of celibacy.

This is the power of “putting liberty first,” as Kennedy did in Lawrence: it can highlight the injustice of denying a universal right.

"1.5 Stars"

Thu, 22 May 2008 08:56:13 -0400

“1.5 Stars”

- Average rating from 557 iTunes reviews of Scarlett Johansson’s new album. Pretty generous.