Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist 1924-2005

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died Saturday evening of cancer, ending a long, 33-year tenure on the Supreme Court and leaving a concurrent second vacancy on the Court.

The only chief justice older than Rehnquist was Roger Taney, who presided over the court in the mid-1800s until his death at 87. Only four other justices served on the court 34 years or longer. Rehnquist was appointed to the Court by President Richard Nixon, and elevated to Chief Justice by President Reagan.

I violently disagree(d) with his politics, and particularly the court's shameful handling of the 2000 election. But liked him. He was extremely smart, and I dug the crazy gold stripes he adopted for the Chief Justice's robe. Even justices on the left admitted they liked him.

We all knew this would happen sooner or later. Some of us hoped that "later" would, in this case, mean "during the next president's term."

Painting: Visitors 7

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Painting: President Bush & Some Budget Facts

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Hurricane Katrina Donations

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Mayor Send Out An S.O.S. To The United States; The President Asks People To Go Easy On The Gasoline

Associated Press 9-1-2005: "Storm victims were raped and beaten, fights and fires broke out, corpses lay out in the open, and rescue helicopters and law enforcement officers were shot at as flooded-out New Orleans descended into anarchy Thursday. "This is a desperate SOS," the mayor of New Orelans said. " Click here to read the AP article detailing the worsening conditions.

President Bush asked looters to quit looting and urged Americans not to buy gasoline if they do not need it because of looming shortages. "It's going to be hard to get gasoline to some markets."

Hmm.
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Painting: Shark Rampage

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Painting: The UFOs Approach Warp Speed

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President Fiddling While Rome Burns?

The President Hams It Up

Tuesday, August 30, 2005


Two excerpts from today's New York Times editorial page:

"George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end. "

". . . .nothing about the president's demeanor yesterday - which seemed casual to the point of carelessness - suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis."

Sixty-six Years Ago Today, Hitler Invaded Poland

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On September 1, 1939, at 4:45 a.m. in the morning, 1.5 million German troops invaded Poland along its1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory. The German Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields, and German warships and U-boats attacked the Polish navy in the Baltic. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action. Thus began World War II. The U.S. would keep its head buried in the sand for several years until the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. . .

Just about every country that fought in World War I also fought in World War II[1]. This was a World War, ranging from Europe/Russia to Tunisia in North Africa, China, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands. Some say the war started with Hitler's march on Prague in March, 1939, or the Japanese invasion of China in 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Maybe it was when Adolf pulled the wool over Josef 's eyes and they agreed to the secret Hitler-Stalin Pact. Wasn't that what emboldened Hitler to make a move in the first place. Eventually, of course, Hitler made war on Stalin too. . .

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[1] The cause of the war is often thought to be the Treaty of Versailles, the Great Depression, and most of all, nationalism. In the end, every cause of the war can be classed as ambition or madness.

Update On The Murder Of Emmett Till

Further to All This Is That for August 28, 2005, I found a newspaper article, and the photograph of Emmett Till in his coffin. His mother ordered an open casket so the world could see what had been done.

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Finding Vs. Looting In New Orleans

This issue came up last night on Hardball. . .what is the difference between looting and surviving? Are the rules of engagement for police different for food and water than luxury items? What if you take five gallons of fresh water from a store? A high-def TV? Ana Marie Cox in her extremely popular and often funny blog, Wonkette may have been the first person to point out these two similar (differing, really, by one critical word) wire stories.

The AP and AFP have a different take on it. It depends what color you are. See the captions below. People on boards and blogs are outraged at the AP. . .and yet, it is the AFP wire that gives the whites the free pass. I don't think most of us would disagree they were all looters?


Tue Aug 30,11:31 AM ET

A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage when it made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Tue Aug 30, 3:47 AM ET

Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.(AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen)

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Jerry Garcia, August 1942-August 1995

I can't really let the month of August go by without mentioning that it was ten years ago this month that Jerry Garcia died. Some quotes from Jed:



"Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil. "

"For me, the lame part of the Sixties was the political part, the social part. The real part was the spiritual part. "

"I'm shopping around for something to do that no one will like. "

"Nobody stopped thinking about those psychedelic experiences. Once you've been to some of those places, you think, 'How can I get back there again but make it a little easier on myself?' "

"Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us. "

"It's pretty clear now that what looked like it might have been some kind of counterculture is, in reality, just the plain old chaos of undifferentiated weirdness. "

"I read somewhere that 77 per cent of all the mentally ill live in poverty. Actually, I'm more intrigued by the 23 per cent who are apparently doing quite well for themselves."

"What we do is as American as lynch mobs. America has always been a complex place. "