Category Archives: News

Best Quotes of the Week – March 26, 2022

“You are worthy. You are a great American. I know what it’s taken for you to sit in that seat.”

Sen. Cory Booker, during Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation hearing

Booker chose to praise Jackson instead of asking her questions.  Booker also railed against his Republican colleagues who highlighted specific cases from Jackson’s past. The senator referenced abolitionist Harriet Tubman and Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge in 1966, as role models in his life and who paved the way for Jackson’s historic path.

“That is the nature of a right.  When there is a right, it means that there are limitations on regulation.”

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, in response to Sen. John Cornyn’s question whether a 2015 Supreme Court ruling establishing a right to same-sex marriage conflicts with the beliefs of some religions

Cornyn was referring to the High Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which compels states to recognize same-gender marriage under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“At some point, you have to follow the rules!”

Sen. Dick Durbin, to Sen. Ted Cruz, as the latter went beyond his time limit during the Jackson confirmation hearing

Frustrated with Durbin’s repeated gavel-banging, Cruz shouted, “You can bang it as loud as you want!”

“It shows considerable effort when somebody goes to that much trouble to create that many organizations to hide how much money they’ve spent to control the nominations process to the court.”

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, comparing the efforts of some conservative groups to the Republican Party’s recent attacks on progressive groups, such as Demand Justice, as well as Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Demand Justice supports Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Whitehouse also specifically named The Federalist Society and Judicial Crisis Network among the conservative groups he claims encompass a vast network of secretive “dark money” groups that have played a major covert role in seating five of the Supreme Court’s current justices.

All told, he said, these groups have spent at least $400 million to help select and confirm Justices John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

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Happy Saint Patrick’s Day 2022

St. Patrick

Image: Christiann MacAuley

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Word of the Week – March 12, 2022

Corybantic

Adjective

Latin, 17th century

Wild; frenzied. Cybele, a goddess of nature from Greco-Roman mythology, had priests and attendants called “Corybants.” The term comes from the Greek “Korubantes.”

Example: Some of my stories appear corybantic upon initial reading, but there’s a reason behind the chaos.

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Video of the Week – March 12, 2022

On March 10, disgraced actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 30 months felony probation and a USD 25,000 fine for his 2019 hate crime hoax.  After Judge James Linn announced the ruling, Smollett went on a tirade proclaiming his innocence and trying – again – to play the victim.

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Tweet of the Week – March 12, 2022

Rep. Liz Cheney reacting to Rep. Madison Cawthorn

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Most Frightening Quote of the Week – March 12, 2022

“If Vladimir Putin comes to the conclusion that he has no future he may well decide nobody else should have a future either.”

BCA Research, a Montreal-based independent research provider, in a report about the potential for Russia to launch nuclear weapons during the Ukraine War

The report also states: “Although there is a huge margin of error around any estimate, subjectively, we would assign an uncomfortably high 10% chance of a civilization-ending global nuclear war over the next 12 months.”

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Worst Quotes of the Week – March 12, 2022

“Remember that Zelensky is a thug. Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies.”

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a recent gathering of Trump supporters

“The United States of America and the European States must not marginalize Russia but build an alliance with it, not only to restart trade for the prosperity of all, but in lieu of the reconstruction of a Christian Civilization, which will be the only one able to save the world from the transhuman and medical-technical globalist monster.”

Roman Catholic Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, in a March 7 letter about the Ukraine-Russia crisis

A former Vatican envoy and outspoken papal critic, Viganò blamed “deep state” forces in the United States, the European Union and NATO for triggering the current war and demonizing Russia.

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Best Quotes of the Week – March 12, 2022

“Division superintendents disagree with your assumption that discriminatory and divisive concepts have become widespread in Virginia school divisions.”

Howard Kiser, executive director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, in a letter to Jillian Balow, the state superintendent of schools, regarding Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s “tip line” set up to let parents complain about teachers and principals

All 133 Virginia public school division superintendents have urged Youngkin to scrap the “tip line” and have asked him to stop his campaign against the teaching of “divisive” content in schools.

The superintendents were reacting to a report Balow issued last month aimed at fulfilling promises Youngkin made during his campaign last year to end the teaching of critical race theory (CRT), an academic framework for studying systemic racism.  The concept had never been on the Virginia’s curriculum, but the first executive order Youngkin issued within hours of being inaugurated January 15 was aimed at banning CRT.  He later announced the establishment of the tip line for parents to tell the state about teachers or principals exposing students to materials deemed objectionable.

“Republicans are anxious — very anxious indeed — to tell us that Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn doesn’t speak for his fellow Republicans.  Sen. Lindsey Graham rushed to the microphone to assure us that Cawthorn is an outlier ‘in the largest sense possible on our side.’”

Charlie Sykes, regarding Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s denouncement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a column for The Bulwark

Sykes added, “This is also important to remember: Until about five minutes ago, Cawthorn’s remarks were more or less basic talking points among the MAGA right — and not just talking points, but holy script. His attitude is deeply embedded in the right’s DNA. So, it’s easy to imagine Cawthorn today, looking around at his GOP critics and asking: Dude, what do you mean ‘outlier?’ I’m just saying what we’ve all been saying for years now! He’d have a point.”

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Word of the Week – March 5, 2022

Aporia

Noun

Latin, 16th century

An irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory. (Rhetoric) the expression of doubt.  Stems from ​​late Latin via the Greek “aporos,” meaning “impassable”: “a-” means “without,” and “poros” means “passage.”

Example: The aporia in our office led to a complete restructuring of staff.

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Video of the Week – Match 5, 2022

Florida Gov. Rick DeSantis demanding high school students remove their face masks:

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