The Consumerist helpfully runs down recent bad arguments against net neutrality. But you probably already know that ZOMG FEES GETZ PASSED ON TO TEH CONSUMERZ!!!! was a line of poop, since broadband prices always go up faster than inflation simply because big broadband corporations feel like raising them. That's what corporations do when they have no competition in their markets -- which makes Senators' claims that the Communications Act is "antiquated" even more ridiculous.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could gut the Fair Housing Act. Four decades of jurisprudence uniformly established that the Fair Housing Act could apply remedies wherever the result was segregation, regardless of intent, but I bet the Supremes decide you have to flaunt your racism to commit actual acts of racism, which notion would offend most intelligent folks (though perhaps not those with something to hide). And right-wingers say liberal judges are activists!
Uh oh: the Securities and Exchange Commission has suspended Standard & Poor's authority to rate a big chunk of the bonds market. Oddly, the SEC didn't evaluate data from the 2008 financial meltdown, but from S&P's rating of commercial mortgage bonds from 2011 -- the Department of Justice is investigating S&P's actions during the meltdown, with observers suggesting a settlement (sigh) is coming -- but if ratings agencies haven't learned anything about banksters, that's not good news.
Activists in Los Angeles oppose body cameras for police -- but not for the reasons you might think. I find only one of Stop LAPD Spying's four objections (suggesting that cameras are just a band-aid solution) even remotely convincing -- if police officers sabotage cameras or use them to spy on people, you find out and you punish them for it. I mean, if we refused to do anything good because we fear unintended consequences, we'd be right-wingers.
Katherine McFate explores some not very well-covered aspects of the Keystone XL battle. Like, that Keystone has little or nothing to do with "American energy independence" -- it would be an American pipeline enabling a Canadian corporation to sell oil overseas. Also, the pipeline sits over drinking water for two million Americans and several thousand acres of farmland, and TransCanada has a terrible pipe safety record -- its Keystone I line, running from Alberta to Illinois, sprung 14 leaks in its first year running, one of which spewed out 21,000 gallons of crude tar sands oil. But, on the other hand, OBAMA TEH DICTATUR!!!!!
Finally, Colorado resident files a discrimination complaint with the state after a bakery refuses to bake him a cake with an anti-gay message. Some people really need to take a deep breath and ask themselves: is "hating gay folks" really the only thing I want people to remember about my religious beliefs?
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