Mayor Bloomberg doesn’t totally suck!

When explaining why he is not jumping on the “Mayors that want to ban chick-fil-a” bandwagon, New York Mayor Bloomberg gets it exactly right

You can’t have a test for what the owners’ personal views are before you decide to give a permit to do something in the city. You really don’t want to ask political beliefs or religious beliefs before you issue a permit. That’s just not government’s job.

I’ve been completely stunned that a number of large metropolitan mayors and councilman have gone on record that they are actively trying to prevent a restaurant from opening in their jurisdiction without any evidence (or even claims) of discrimination happening in their businesses.

Given his history, I was even more stunned that Bloomberg not only wasn’t right there with them, but he actively spoke out against it.

Way to go Mikey! (on this one at least) Now can I have a large soda with that?

SCOTUS did not give free reign for obscenity on TV

A lot of posts/tweets this morning have been suggesting that the SCOTUS ruling against the FCC in FCC v. Fox means that we are going to see lots of swearing and nudity on TV. That’s not the case. All it means is that the FCC can’t change their rules willy-nilly or whop you with a massive fine without prior notice that the behavior you engage in will whop you with a massive fine (prior notice meaning “its in the rules”). They specifically called out that they were not even considering this a first amendment issue and that the FCC is free to adjust their rules to be more precise in what is or is not allowed.

From the ruling (my emphasis)

It is necessary to make three observations about this decision’s scope. First, because the Court resolves these cases on fair notice grounds under the Due Process Clause, it need not address the First Amendment implications of the Commission’s indecency policy or re- consider Pacifica at this time.  Second, because the Court rules that Fox and ABC lacked notice at the time of their broadcasts that their material could be found actionably indecent under then-existing policies, the Court need not address the constitutionality of the current indecency policy as expressed in the Golden Globes Order and subsequent adjudications.  Third, this opinion leaves the Commission free to modify its current indecency policy in light of its determination of the public interest and applicable legal requirements and leaves courts free to review the current, or any modified, policy in light of its content and application.

Thanks for clearing that up, Indiana!

My biggest concern for the Castle Doctrine laws has always been what happens if the police break into your house. What do you think would really happen if the police charge into your house by mistake or illegally and you shoot one of them. Stories of mistaken addresses, misserved warrants or unlawful entries are not uncommon.

The Indiana state Supreme Court ruled last year that “there is no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” Seriously. That was the decision.

Indiana now has a new law on the books that specifically allows

residents to use deadly force in response to the “unlawful intrusion” by a “public servant” to protect themselves and others, or their property.

Maybe this will be a trend that forces police to reevaluate the use of “show of force” SWAT operations and starting knocking on doors politely again.

Its too complicated. So just leave it as is?

Yet another argument in favor of limiting the size of Congressional bills

The Supreme Court spent 91 minutes Wednesday operating on the assumption that it would strike down the key feature of the new health care law, but may have convinced itself in the end not to do that because of just how hard it would be to decide what to do after that.  A common reaction, across the bench, was that the Justices themselves did not want the onerous task of going through the remainder of the entire 2,700 pages of the law and deciding what to keep and what to throw out, and most seemed to think that should be left to Congress.  They could not come together, however, on just what task they would send across the street for the lawmakers to perform.  The net effect may well have shored up support for the individual insurance mandate itself.

Argument recap: A lift for the mandate? : SCOTUSblog

When No One Is Watching

Character is what you do when you think no one else is looking; or in this case, when you think your microphone is off.

President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space.

President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you…

President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.

President Obama Asks Medvedev for 'Space' on Missile Defense - 'After My Election I Have More Flexibility' - Yahoo! News

Why am I loitering? Why are YOU loitering?!

 

Cops take old armored car and build dedicated surveillance vehicle that can sit in one place and record 700 hours of video then jump out of it to charge man with loitering.

Peacemaker: Lauderdale police put trouble spots under surveillance

Obama’s campaign manager says “Bring home the troops!”

I just noticed an email I got on Jan 4 from Jim Messina, the campaign manager for Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection bid. Discussing Iowa’s Republican primary he says [my emphasis]

The extremist Tea Party agenda won a clear victory. No matter who the Republicans nominate, we'll be running against someone who has embraced that agenda in order to win -- vowing to let Wall Street write its own rules, end Medicare as we know it, roll back gay rights, leave the troops in Iraq indefinitely, restrict a woman's right to choose, and gut Social Security to pay for more tax cuts for millionaires and corporations.

Now there is a lot of partisan nonsense here but the one that really stuck out was “leave the troops in Iraq indefinitely” I thought that the all the US soldiers had left which is a pretty big deal for Obama to take credit for. Why is his campaign manager so out of touch with what his boss is actually doing?