Fox News (sic) punditoid Tucker Carlson says Baltimore protests comprise "the end of civil order" and "a threat to civilization itself." Jesus Mary and Joseph does he think Americans are so weak that rioting in one city in one state in one country portends the end of everything? Or does he just wish we were all that weak, so that he and his kind will have an easier time fearmongering us into accepting whatever his corporate paymasters want? The answer, sadly, might be "both."
In a related note, David Simon -- who once ran a show called The Wire, perhaps you've heard of it -- describes Baltimore police corruption at length. Really, read the whole thing, it's fascinating. By the end, when Mr. Simon summarizes the problem as "too many officers who came up in a culture that taught them not the hard job of policing, but simply how to roam the city, jack everyone up, and call for the wagon," you won't be wondering why black folk in Baltimore feel like the cops are out to get them.
Jessica Schieder at the Center for Effective Government describes what's at stake in the Estate Tax repeal fight. Long story short: two out of one thousand Americans will ever pay it -- or, to put it another way, two out of every thousand people who will ever die will pay it -- and the exemptions are so high now (over $5 million for single folks, over $10 million for married folks, and no "marriage penalty" calculated in those rates) that for most wealthy folks it's more a tax break than a tax.
Ho hum, so-called "faith leaders" (way to go, "liberal" media!) want two of the four nominally liberal Supreme Court justices to sit out the gay marriage case before the court, apparently because they've officiated gay weddings themselves. Just like they complained about Chief Justice Roberts having spent so many years as a corporate lawyer that he couldn't possibly be expected to be unbiased about Citizens United v. FEC! Wait, that didn't happen?
Finally, North Dakota anti-gay legislator outed as gay after a constituent reveals that he's seen him on a gay-centered dating app. The unfortunately-named Randy Boehning has since come out, and has explained his vote against a bill that would have prohibited discrimination against gays by saying his constituents wanted him to do it, though if his constituents wanted him to, say, reinstitute black slavery, I presume he would have taken the time to lead instead of follow, since sometimes (I said "sometimes"!) elected officials have to do that.
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