Senate Approves John Kerry As Secretary of State

The Senate this afternoon overwhelmingly voted in favor of approving John Kerry’s nomination to become Secretary of State, with only three Senators — Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), and James Inhofe (R-OK) — voting against their colleague. Earlier today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee moved forward Kerry to the full Senate unanimously, reflecting the relative ease that Kerry has had in ascending to Obama’s second term cabinet.

Kerry has spent the last twenty-eight years in the Senate representing Massachusetts, all of them serving on the Foreign Relations committee, the last four as Chairman. The closeness in foreign policy vision that he shares with the Obama administration made Kerry one of the most likely choices to take the reins of State for the next four years. The ties between the two during Kerry’s chairman ship was close enough that former Sen. Gary Hart once called Kerry effectively “the congressional secretary of state.”

Kerry is the first of the President’s nominees to be confirmed following his inaugural. Kerry and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been speaking “almost daily” to prepare him to move into the 7th floor office in Foggy Bottom. Secretary Clinton will be stepping down following her last day on the job, Friday, Feb. 1.

Starting then, Kerry will have a full diplomatic plate, including pending negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, managing a rising China, limiting fallout from the Arab Spring in the Middle East, and advancing international action on climate change. In meeting these challenges, Kerry will find himself working closely with his replacement as Chairman on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

Kerry’s pending resignation of his Senate seat will prompt a decision among the people of Massachusetts regarding his successor. Retired Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) has made no secret of his desire to be named as interim Senator by Gov. Deval Patrick (D). No matter who temporarily fills the seat, a special election will be held in June, following an April primary. Former Sen. Scott Brown is thought to be the most likely Republican candidate, while Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) has received the support of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and other key Massachusetts Democrats.

View the original article here

LGBT community at mercy of discriminatory immigration system

LGBT community at mercy of discriminatory immigration system - The Hill's Congress Blog @import "/plugins/content/jw_disqus/tmpl/css/template.css"; li.item435,li.item437,li.item439,li.item441,li.item443,li.item497,li.item499,li.item501,li.item503,li.item605,li.item689,li.item691,li.item693,li.item695,li.item697,li.item683,li.item685{display: none;} var _comscore = _comscore || []; _comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "10314615" }); (function() { var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true; s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js"; el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el); })(); function getURLParameter(name) { return decodeURI( (RegExp(name + '=' + '(.+?)(&|$)').exec(location.search)||[,null])[1] );}(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=369058349794205"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); if (getURLParameter("set_fb_var") == '1') { jQuery.cookie('set_fb_var', 'true', { expires: 7, path: '/' }); return true; } if (!jQuery.cookie('set_fb_var') && d.referrer.match(/facebook.com/i)) { window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId : '340094652706297', status: true, xfbml: true, cookie: true, oauth: true }); }; }}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));if((navigator.userAgent.match(/iPhone/i)) || (navigator.userAgent.match(/iPod/i))) {document.write('');}if(navigator.userAgent.match(/iPad/i)) {document.write('');}if(navigator.userAgent.match(/Android/i)) {document.write('');} Follow @thehill!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");Advanced Search Options » Home/NewsSenateHouseAdministrationCampaignPollsBusiness & LobbyingSunday Talk ShowsCampaignBusiness & LobbyingK Street InsidersLobbying ContractsLobbying HiresLobbying RevenueOpinionColumnistsEditorialsLettersOp-EdWeyants WorldCapital LivingCover StoriesFood & DrinkNew Member of the Week20 QuestionsMy 5 Min. W/ObamaAnnouncementsMeet the LawmakerJobsVideoGossip: In The Know Briefing RoomRegWatchHillicon ValleyE2-WireFloor ActionOn The MoneyHealthwatchTransportationDEFCON HillGlobal AffairsCongressBallot BoxGOP12In The KnowPunditsTwitter Room HomeSenateHouseAdministrationCampaignPollsBusiness & LobbyingSunday Talk ShowsBlogsBriefing RoomRegWatchHillicon ValleyE2-WireFloor ActionOn The MoneyHealthwatchTransportationDEFCON HillGlobal AffairsCongressBallot BoxGOP12In The KnowPunditsTwitter RoomOpinionA.B. StoddardBrent BudowskyLanny DavisDavid HillCheri JacobusMark MellmanDick MorrisMarkos Moulitsas (Kos)Robin BronkEditorialsLettersOp-EdsJuan WilliamsJudd GreggChristian HeinzeKaren FinneyJohn FeeheryCapital LivingCover StoriesFood & DrinkAnnouncementsNew Member of the WeekMy 5 Min. W/ObamaAll Capital LivingVideoHillTubeEventsVideoClassifiedsJobsClassifiedsResourcesMobile SiteiPhoneAndroidiPadLawmaker RatingsWhite PapersOrder ReprintsLast 6 IssuesOutside LinksRSS FeedsContact UsAdvertiseReach UsSubmitting LettersSubmitting Op-edsSubscriptions   LGBT community at mercy of discriminatory immigration systemBy Rep. Michael Honda (D-Calif.)-01/29/13 04:00 PM ET Tweet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

I applaud President Obama for his extraordinary leadership in this momentous effort to forge long overdue comprehensive immigration reform. Yesterday, a Senate bipartisan working group released an unprecedented set of core legislative principles to resolve our broken immigration system. Today, President Obama advanced this promising and historic moment, outlining a vision that embraces our nation’s long-standing traditions for protecting all families, including same-sex partners, and accepting the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Under the president’s leadership, we are on the verge of reform that will bring millions of people out of the shadows and honor the dreams of brilliant and hard-working students, youth who are essentially Americans without social security numbers. Our country nears the possibility of greater technological innovation and economic prosperity, where persons with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) will be allowed to join our workforce and advance our nation’s global economic competitiveness.
 
There is no question that our broken immigration system has torn countless families apart and brought great fear and pain to our communities. There are currently over 4.55 million people, including 1.96 million Asian and Pacific Islanders, in the family immigration backlog waiting unconscionable periods of time to reunite with their loved ones. Asian American and Pacific Islanders are disproportionately impacted by bureaucratic immigration delays. Families in my district, particularly those from China, India, and the Philippines, suffer from the most extreme backlog, often waiting decades before receiving a green card.
 
There are tens of thousands of LGBT families in immigration limbo throughout the country, prohibited from sponsoring their partners for residency. Judy Rickard, a constituent from my district in California, and her same-sex, bi-national partner are being torn apart by unjust immigration laws. Judy and others face an unequal reality compared with heterosexual couples.
 
Next month, to address an outdated, inefficient, and discriminatory immigration system, I will reintroduce the Reuniting Families Act, a bill that reunites families by classifying lawful permanent resident spouses, children, and same-sex, bi-national partners as “immediate relatives,” and exempting them from numerical caps on family immigration. This legislation will reduce visa backlog and relieve families from prolonged and unnecessary separation and heartache.
 
As Immigration Taskforce chairman of the Congressional Asian and Pacific Caucus (CAPAC) and LGBT Caucus vice-chairman, I offer my utmost gratitude to President Obama for calling for the reunification of all families, regardless of sexual orientation, and the elimination of discrimination in immigration law against same-sex partners. We must never forget the teachings and words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We must never cease to protect the rights, visibility, and equal treatment of the most vulnerable among us. Our nation will be made stronger through reform that is comprehensive and inclusive, humane and just.

Honda is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Tweet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=369058349794205"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); View Comments Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/homeland-security/279901-lgbt-community-at-mercy-of-discriminatory-immigration-systemThe contents of this site are © 2013 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc. The Hill Archives: Senate | House | Administration | Campaign | Business & Lobbying | Capital Living | OpinionView News by Subject:
Defense & Homeland Security | Energy & Environment | Healthcare | Finance & Economy | Technology | Foreign Policy | Labor | Transportation & InfrastructureGO TO THE HILL HOME » More Videos »

Congress Blog
Most Popular StoriesMost ViewedAverting the real fiscal cliff: Political posturing slow's path to fiscal solvencySHIELD Act will help address patent system abusesHaggling over Hurricane Sandy relief: The unraveling of a rational disaster relief policyObama must act boldly to protect workers' rightsConservatives and Republicans should embrace the populismEmailedTo grow the economy, invest in early childhood educationWhy school choice worksHaggling over Hurricane Sandy relief: The unraveling of a rational disaster relief policy'Our journey is not complete': Equal pay requires passage of Paycheck Fairness ActObama must act boldly to protect workers' rightsDiscussedEnvironmental extremism costing GOP at ballot boxObama must follow through on climate change challengeBlog Home »Most Viewed RSS Feed »  More Homeland Security HeadlinesBipartisan immigration reform blueprint has best chances of successA welcome step in reforming our immigration systemThe time has come for immigration reformMore Homeland Security Headlines » Homeland Security News RSS feed »  Congress Blog Topics Campaign » Cardoza's Corner » Civil Rights » Economy & Budget » Education » Energy & Environment » Foreign Policy » Healthcare » Homeland Security » Judicial » Labor » Lawmaker News » Politics » Presidential Campaign » Religious Rights » Technology » The Administration »Briefing RoomObama signs $50B Sandy relief measure Report: Obama to visit Minneapolis on MondayDAY'S END ROUNDUP
More Briefing Room »Congress BlogLGBT community at mercy of discriminatory immigration systemIran reset: Challenges for next four yearsBipartisan immigration reform blueprint has best chances of success
More Congress Blog »Pundits BlogRoger Ailes says farewell to Sarah Palin, Marco Rubio says hello to immigration reform, Hillary Clinton says farewell for nowEgyptian president must make real amends to end the unrestImmigration offers Republicans an opportunity
More Pundits Blog »Twitter RoomDem senator 'encouraged' by immigration reform principlesList: Freshman House members on TwitterMitt and Ann Romney lunch with Ryan, McCain in Washington
More Twitter Room »Hillicon ValleyOVERNIGHT TECH: Tech companies line up to support high-skilled immigration billMeasures in Obama proposal mirror high-skilled immigration legislationDisney CEO rips ‘ill-informed’ Markey over ‘MagicBands’ criticism
More Hillicon Valley »E2-Wire (Energy)Book review: Al Gore faces 'The Future'OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Al Gore hits talk-show circuitEPA denies regional chief used private email for official business
More E2-Wire (Energy) »Ballot BoxRep. Stephen Lynch to announce bid for Senate on ThursdayKeystone XL decision may loom large for red state Democrats in 2014 midtermsSen. Alexander to raise $3 million by May
More Ballot Box »On The MoneyOVERNIGHT MONEY: Senate ponders debt-ceiling billSEC names new inspector generalStudy: Consumers spent more of payroll tax cut than intended
More On The Money »HealthwatchOVERNIGHT HEALTH: Obama plan nixes health benefits for immigrants in the pipelineRepublicans threaten to subpoena IRS records on health law's subsidiesRubio: Immigration deal 'un-doable' if health benefits are on the table
More Healthwatch »Floor ActionJustice Department gives monetary awards to 9/11 first respondersGOP offers resolution calling carbon tax harmful to low-income familiesGrassley: Obama's logic on guns turns Constitution on its head
More Floor Action »TransportationEqual Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate TSA NTSB performing chemical tests on defective 787 'Dreamliner' batteryNTSB chief — and DOT contender — thanks LaHood for service
More Transportation »DEFCON HillOVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Benghazi invades Hagel confirmationSen. Graham: Either Panetta testifies on Libya or I put hold on Hagel nomination 9/11 conspirator delivers tirade against US prosecutors in Gitmo tribunal
More DEFCON Hill »Global AffairsSenate confirms Kerry for State on 94-3 voteState Department defends commitment to closing down Guantánamo prisonSenate panel approves Kerry for State
More Global Affairs »In The KnowSimilar-looking congressmen creating confusion on Capitol HillRep. Blackburn challenges Obama to skeet shooting showdownGo nuts! Lawmakers form Congressional Peanut Caucus
More In The Know »RegWatchFederal regulators target doggie doo in San Francisco park Lobbyists air concerns about doctor gift-disclosure rule at White HouseOil group: High-ethanol fuel harms cars
More RegWatch » Blogs News FeedCongress Blog RollCapital GamesDaily KosDCCCDNCDrudge ReportDSCCJudicial WatchNRCCNRSCPolitical AnimalRNCThe ChamberPostThe CornerThe Huffington PostThe NoteThe Plank COLUMNISTSLanny DavisConscious capitalismBrent BudowskyHillary turns Texas blueMore Columnists »

Get latest news from The Hill direct to your inbox, RSS reader and mobile devices.

Home/NewsNews by SubjectBlogsBusiness & LobbyingOpinionCapital LivingSpecial ReportsJobsVideo Home | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Contact | Advertise | RSS | Subscriptions

The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax

The contents of this site are © 2013 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

View the original article here

Remarks by the President Before Meeting with Law Enforcement Officials

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Roosevelt Room

11:28 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, Vice President Biden and I just want to thank the police chiefs and sheriffs who are here today representing law enforcement officials all across the country who obviously share our deep concern about issues of gun safety and how we can protect our communities and keep our kids safe.

A couple of weeks ago, I appeared along with Joe to present the administration's ideas in terms of steps that we have to take.  And I issued a number of executive actions that should be taken unilaterally in order to improve our collection of data to make sure that we're coordinating more effectively with state and local governments, and to do everything that we could to improve the issue of gun safety and to make our communities safer.

But, as we've indicated before, the only way that we're going to be able to do everything that needs to be done is with the cooperation of Congress.  And that means passing serious laws that restrict the access and availability of assault weapons and magazine clips that aren't necessary for hunters and sportsmen and those responsible gun owners who are out there.  It means that we are serious about universal background checks.  It means that we take seriously issues mental health and school safety.

We recognize that this is an issue that elicits a lot of passion all across the country.  And Joe and my Cabinet members who have been involved in this have been on a listening session over the last several months.  No group is more important for us to listen to than our law enforcement officials.  They are where the rubber hits the road.

And so I welcome this opportunity to work with them; to hear their views in terms of what will make the biggest difference to prevent something like Newtown or Oak Creek from happening again.  But many of them also recognize that it's not only the high-profile mass shootings that are of concern here, it's also what happens on a day-in-day-out basis in places like Chicago or Philadelphia, where young people are victims of gun violence every single day.  That’s why part of the conversation that we're going to be having today relates not only to the issue of new laws or better enforcement of our gun laws, it also means what are we doing to make sure that we've got the strongest possible law enforcement teams on the ground?  What are we doing to hire more cops?  What are we doing to make sure that they're getting the training that they need?  What are we doing to make sure our sheriff's offices in rural counties have access to some of the resources that some of the big cities do in order to deal with some of these emergencies? 

So I'm looking forward to a robust conversation.  I know that this is not a shy group, mainly because they're dealing with life-and-death situations every single day.  But I'm very grateful to them for their participation.  This is a representative group.  It comes from a wide cross-section of communities across the country.  And hopefully, if law enforcement officials who are dealing with this stuff every single day can come to some basic consensus in terms of steps that we need to take, Congress is going to be paying attention to them and we'll be able to make progress.

All right?  Thank you very much, everybody. 

END               
11:32 A.M. EST

On Thursday, January 31 at 1:00 p.m. ET, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz will join the latest "Fireside Hangout" for a conversation about immigration reform.

President Obama speak from Las Vegas about creating a fair and effective immigration system that lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.

President Obama announced today that he has approved a new round of humanitarian assistance, an additional $155 million to provide for the urgent and pressing needs of civilians in Syria and refugees forced to flee the violence of the Assad regime. This brings America’s contribution to date to $365 million, making the United States the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

view all related blog posts

View the original article here

Clinton: Health won't 'factor in at all' in decision to run for president

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her recent health issues won't "factor in at all" in a decion on whether or not to run for higher office.

"I have no doubt that I am healthy enough and my stamina is great enough and I'll be fully recovered to do whatever I choose to do," Clinton told "Andrea Mitchell Reports" in an interview posted online Tuesday.

Despite confidence in her health, Clinton continued to insist that she hasn't made any decisions regarding the 2016 race for the White House.

"[I] don't have any decisions made. I have no real plans to make any such decisions. I'm looking forward to some very quiet time catching up on everything from sleep, to reading, to walking with my family. I think it’s hard to imagine for me what it will be like next week when I wake up and I have nowhere to go. Maybe I'll go back to sleep for a change," she said.

Clinton, who is doing a round of exit interviews before she steps down on Friday, told CNN that blood clots are "very common," affecting "millions of people."

"I am lucky because I have been very healthy. I feel great. I've got enormous amounts of energy that have to be harnessed and focused, so I'm very fortunate and I'm looking forward to this next chapter in my life, whatever it is," she said.

Clinton was hospitalized in December after doctors found a blood clot stemming from a concussion she has suffered earlier. The clot was found in her head between her brain and right ear.

She drew attention last week for a rare joint interview, which aired Sunday on CBS's "60 Minutes," with President Obama, a former political rival-turned ally and friend.

“The main thing is I just wanted to have a chance to publicly say 'thank you,' because I think Hillary will go down as one of the finest secretaries of State we've had,” Obama told CBS.

The Senate officially approved Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to succeed Clinton in a 94-3 vote Tuesday.

View Comments

View the original article here

Average Student Debt Has Ballooned 58 Percent In The Last Seven Years

A new report from the analysis firm Fair Isaac Corp. provides one more piece of evidence confirming that student debt is out of control. According to the report, average student debt grew 58 percent between 2005 and 2012, leaving students buried under more than $27,000 each. Delinquencies, of course, rose along with the debt load:

The delinquency rate today on student loans that were originated from 2005-2007 is 12.4 percent. The comparable figure for student loans that were originated from 2010-2012 is 15.1 percent, representing an increase in the delinquency rate by nearly 22 percent.

While the delinquency rate is climbing, the average amount of student loan debt is increasing even faster. In 2005, the average U.S. student loan debt was $17,233. By 2012, it had ballooned to more than $27,253 – an increase of 58 percent in seven years. By contrast, the average credit card balance and the average balance on car loans owed by U.S. consumers actually decreased during the same period.

“This situation is simply unsustainable and we’re already suffering the consequences,” said Andrew Jennings, chief analytics officer of Fair Issac. “When wage growth is slow and jobs are not as plentiful as they once were, it is impossible for individuals to continue taking out ever-larger student loans without greatly increasing the risk of default.” This chart shows how student loan debt has outpaced other forms of debt:

“Our evaluation of credit risk patterns also reveals that high levels of student loan debt are now riskier than before,” the report said. (HT: Zero Hedge)

View the original article here

DAY'S END ROUNDUP

FROM THE BLOGS:

Catering to both sides on immigration reform
The Plum Line's Greg Sargent asks why the current $18 billion border security budget is not enough.

Sandy Relief Bill still gets 'no' votes in the Senate
ThinkProgress's Josh Israel breaks down 31 senators who voted 'no' to a Hurricane Sandy relief bill after requesting disaster relief for their own states.

Gang of Eight's immigration reform remains questionable
The Daily Caller's Mickey Kaus says "Washington fakery" is at work regarding amnesty in the new Senate proposals for 11 million illegal immigrants.

A fond farewell
"I did not belong at CNN," Erick Erickson said as he bid goodbye to three years at CNN.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES

NRA chief to call for arming schools
Wayne LaPierre, the vice president of the National Rifle Association, will call for strengthening current gun laws and mental health care at a Senate hearing on Wednesday, The Hill's Mike Lillis reports.

Sen. Graham to withhold Hagel nomination
Until Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta testifies on the Benghazi attack, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is threatening to block former Sen. Chuck Hagel's (R-Neb.) nomination to succeed the outgoing Defense secretary, according to The Hill's Jeremy Herb.

View Comments

View the original article here

Obama signs $50B Sandy relief measure

President Obama on Tuesday signed legislation providing $50.7 billion to help New York, New Jersey and other states hit by Hurricane Sandy, according to the White House.

The Senate approved the measure on Monday by a 62-36 vote.

The bill reached Obama several weeks after supporters had hoped Congress would sign off on the measure. The House did not approve a similar measure in the last days of the previous Congress.

“It was three months ago that Superstorm Sandy blew up the East Coast,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor Monday evening before the vote. “Sandy’s wrath was wide and it was deep. Nearly 300,000 families had their homes damaged. ... We can’t wait any longer, because nothing about this was a game for those families.”

The House passed its bill earlier this month in a bipartisan 241-180 vote.

--Ramsey Cox contributed to this report. 

View Comments

View the original article here

Mississippi Tea Partiers Seek To Nullify Any Federal Laws They Don’t Like

Nineteenth Century nullificationist Senator John C. Calhoun

Responding to President Obama’s plan to issue 23 executive orders on gun violence prevention, radical lawmakers in a number of states have re-upped their efforts to exempt their state from federal gun laws through the insidious and unconstitutional practice of nullification. Now, Tea Partiers in Mississippi want to institutionalize the nullification process, with a proposal to create a permanent committee devoted to nullifying all kinds of federal laws. The Dispatch reports:

The committee, composed of 14 state elected officials, would determine what is and isn’t within the federal government’s power when dealing with the state’s constitutional rights. … The bill, which is listed with the state as an “active bill” and will be taken up by the Constitution Committee, provides measures to “prohibit the infringement of the Constitutionally protected rights of the State of Mississippi, or its people, by means of federal statute, mandate, executive order, judicial decision or other action deemed by the State to be unconstitutional.”

“This was a bill that was requested for me to bring up,” Chism said. “It’s to solidify the 10th Amendment to the Constitution.”

Chism said the bill was drafted in response to 23 executive orders issued by President Barack Obama on gun control and weeks before the state is scheduled to begin implementing a national health system commonly known as “Obamacare.”

Having failed in their court challenges to the Affordable Care Act, state lawmakers started introducing nullification bills to purportedly eliminate that law.

The problem with the practice of nullification, once used to defend Jim Crow segregation, is that it rejects both the constitutional tenets that validly enacted federal laws are supreme over state laws, and that it is judges, and not state legislators, who determine whether those laws are valid or not in our system of checks and balances. Right-wing lawmakers revived the discredited tactic as a last-ditch means of fighting federal legislation they could not defeat in court. But a law that authorizes state legislators to review all federal legislation as a matter of course would open the door to a much broader swath of radical and defiant action, which is why James Madison warned that nullification would “speedily put an end to the Union itself” because it would allow the states to simply ignore any law they want.

Fortunately, the Mississippi bill was immediately greeted with hostility, and even Chism himself admitted the bill likely would not make it out of committee.  But bills pending in several other states by “tenthers” go so far as to propose that enforcing federal gun law would be penalized as a felony.

View the original article here

Justice Scalia: The Constitution Is ‘Dead, Dead, Dead’

Justice Antonin Scalia

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is well known for ardently opposing the view that the Constitution is a “living document,” meaning its text should be interpreted in light of modern societal conditions. Reinforcing the extremity of his own view, Scalia accurately identified just what the opposite of a living document is during remarks at Southern Methodist University, disparaging children who come to the court and refer to the Constitution as “living”:

It’s not a living document. It’s dead, dead, dead.

Scalia has made similar comments before. In 2006, he said “you would have to be an idiot” to believe the Constitution is alive, and in 2008, he told NPR, “Let’s cut it out. Let’s go back to the good old dead Constitution.” In fact, given reports of similar comments just this past December at Princeton, his “the Constitution is dead” refrain seems to now be a standard part of his book tour. While there are reasonable interpretations of the Constitution that are defined as something other than “living,” Scalia’s extreme suggestion that the Constitution is “dead” reflects how ill-equipped his own brand of originalism is to address problems that are quite alive and well. But on this occasion, Scalia seemed to have realized the absurdity of his own claim, backtracking later in the event to say that “dead” was not a good description after all. “It’s an enduring document, not a dead one,” he said.

View the original article here

Three Charts Reminding The GOP That Domestic Spending Is Already Headed Toward Historic Lows

Republicans like to portray President Obama as a big government spender, despite the fact that government spending under Obama has grown at its slowest pace since the Eisenhower administration. The GOP is also trying to pretend the spending cuts that Obama has signed into law over the last two years simply didn’t happen.

In fact, under its current trajectory, non-defense discretionary spending — everything from education to food safety to transportation to housing to veterans’ benefits — will hit historic lows in the next decade, as Center for American Progress Director of Tax and Budget Policy Michael Linden showed in these charts:

If the so-called “sequester” comes into force in March, which House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) says it will, domestic spending will fall even more. “Instead of totaling 3.2 percent of GDP in 2017, nondefense discretionary spending would total less than 3 percent of GDP and would be on its way down to 2.6 percent by 2022. This is less than two-thirds of what was previously its lowest level,” Linden wrote.

View the original article here

Inside Ex-Gay Therapy: Homosexual Behavior Is A Fantasy Addiction To A Wounded Gender Identity

The late psychoanalyst Joyce McDougall believed homosexuality was a perversion.

Joseph Nicolosi, founder of ex-gay group NARTH and trainer of many other ex-gay therapists, is back with another brief article attempting to explain his perspective on the nature of homosexuality. Earlier this month, he explained that his patients can get over their supposed “addiction” to gay porn by simply making friends with more men. This week, he offers a convoluted description of homosexual behavior as an addiction to acting out a fantasy that compensates for a wounded gender identity:

Joyce McDougall has investigated the central role of “theatre and role-playing” in non-typical forms of sexual activity, including homosexuality. She is among the few contemporary psychoanalysts willing to study such forms of sexuality. McDougall understands “sexual theatre” as an acting-out of intrapsychic sexual forces in a symbolic attempt to resolve an identity conflict. In this regard she confirms the classic psychoanalytic understanding of “perverse” (as the term was used in previous years) sexual activity as being rooted in identity confusion. Noting the repetitive-compulsive nature of these role enactments, McDougall found that while her patients complain about the constrained structure of these “erotic theatre pieces,” they could not abstain from their enactments: “…and have to do it again and again and again” (McDougall, 2000, p.182).

What Nicolosi is trying to suggest is that gay people (and “the extreme case of transsexuals”) were somehow sent the wrong messages by their parents about how they are supposed to understand their own gender. This leads to a sense of inner conflict that they then address through compulsively trying to fulfill that “false” identity. Essentially, he thinks that gay people are just actors cast in the wrong role who don’t know how escape the performance because they believe they are trying to fix some kind of “past trauma” by acting it out.

Stepping back from that gobbledygook, it’s actually easy to make sense of how these perpetrators of fraud arrive at such nonsense. The obvious explanation for why there are gay people who don’t want to be gay is because they exist in a society that condemns homosexuality; they are taught from a young age that being gay is wrong and something to be ashamed of. Mainstream social science recognizes this reality, which is why the recommended professional practice is to affirm same-sex orientations to help resolve the inner conflict.

Ex-gay therapists take the opposite approach. They assume same-sex attractions are a defect by default. Thus, they need to invent other explanations for why people feel conflicted about having them. And like most aspects of ex-gay therapy, the easy solution is to blame the patient. Nicolosi’s gibberish is a means of doing just that. It’s a gay person’s fault he’s gay, it’s a gay person’s fault he feels bad about being gay, and only by accepting that shame and blame can that gay person attempt to find recovery. That’s the insidious message behind ex-gay therapy.

View the original article here