Wednesday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Wed May 09, 2012 at 08:58:37 PM EST
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President Obama supported gay marriage today.

Obama's fundraiser at George Clooney's home could raise $15 million -- or not.

The event at Clooney's Studio City home is being organized by DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and is expected to lure guests including Barbra Streisand, Robert Downey Jr. and producer Susan Downey, J.J. Abrams, CAA's Bryan Lourd and ICM's Chris Silbermann.

The Justice Department is going to sue Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his office office for civil rights violations due to the racial profiling of Latinos. [More...]

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will call a special session to take up the civil union bill that failed to pass last night -- and some of the other bills doomed by the discussion lasting up until the deadline. Hopefully the bill setting per se limits on marijuana while driving won't be one of them.

Tonight: The final four on American Idol.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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Wednesday Night Open Thread | 22 comments (22 topical)

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Nicholas Katzenbach (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by cal1942 on Wed May 09, 2012 at 09:39:02 PM EST

Nicholas Katzenbach passed away today.

A major aide to Kennedy and Johnson, assistant Attorney General under Robert Kennedy and Under Secretary of State in the Johnson Administration.

It was Katzenbach who confronted George Wallace at the school house door.

Great public servant.

What is it with the FBI lately (5.00 / 1) (#19)
by CST on Thu May 10, 2012 at 10:57:48 AM EST

and their following up on old cases 'round here. First Whitey, now the museum heist.

"Law enforcement officials have descended on a Manchester, Conn., house, digging in the yard of Robert Gentile, an alleged mobster who officials suspect may have information about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft."

No word on if they found anything. For once, I'm going to go directly against my previous statements and highly recommend looking at the comments on the article for anyone who needs a good laugh this morning.

: those comments were wonderful! (none / 0) (#22)
by sj on Thu May 10, 2012 at 05:45:00 PM EST

Best I've seen in a long time. Thanks for the link.

Feeling pretty good (4.00 / 1) (#2)
by AngryBlackGuy on Wed May 09, 2012 at 09:42:45 PM EST

It was a good day. Whole lot of vindication for those who took heat when defending O on LGBT issues. Some are going to find fault, but there was one fundamental LGBT complaint about the POTUS and that was addressed today.

Healthcare. LGBT rights. Two female SC justices, one Hispanic. Osama dead. Wars ending. Caution on wars with Iran. Unemployment possibly better than when his term started.

there is a difference between the dems and the GOP and I am proud of that difference today.

Obama is delivering (none / 0) (#3)
by lilburro on Wed May 09, 2012 at 10:11:58 PM EST

on LGBT issues. After an evening of disappointment and anger yesterday about Amendment One, today I feel like I have a ton of allies. My FB feed has been a non-stop outpour of outrage for the past 24 hours over the passage of Amendment One, and from people that I didn't necessarily expect to care so much. I hurt for the couples whose economic and domestic security was taken away from them last night, but I'm hopeful all the support for the GLBT community that I've seen indicates that these defeats will soon be a thing of the past. I hope this is a big wake up call for people in NC about all these GOP Christian loonies we've been putting up with; I think it is.


Obama's statements today (none / 0) (#4)
by itscookin on Wed May 09, 2012 at 10:38:52 PM EST

indicate that he supports the vote in NC yesterday. Whether a same sex couple has the right to have their union recognized by the state is up to the state. North Carolina has spoken. I disagree with them legally, but Obama didn't say whether he did or he didn't legally. Just personally.


Wrong (none / 0) (#5)
by gyrfalcon on Wed May 09, 2012 at 10:48:25 PM EST

As a matter of constitutional law, it is up to the states, which have sole power to regulate marriage. That's all he was saying, acknowledging reality.

The only non-state entity that can mandate how an individual state handles marriage is the Supreme Court, and the first case on the question is there now.

Neither Obama nor Congress can do a darn thing about state marriage laws short of passing a constitutional amendment and getting the legislatures of 38 states to agree.

I think you know that isn't happening in our lifetimes.


you sure (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by bocajeff on Thu May 10, 2012 at 01:41:24 AM EST

about the absolute nature of your statement that states have the sole power to regulate marriage? I may be wrong but I seem to recall that there is something about the 14th Amendment to the Federal Constitution the supersedes some aspects of state marital law especially in regard to race (I seem to recall some case in 60's.)

As for President Obama, good for him for taking so long to come out on the right side of an issue and for not taking a more strident and vocal role in this issue. In 16 years his views have evolved 360 degrees.


Loving v. Virginia (1967) (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by jbindc on Thu May 10, 2012 at 06:27:13 AM EST

Which ended all race-based restrictions on marriage in the United States. The Court ruled that Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute violated both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court wrote:

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.

360 degrees (none / 0) (#11)
by sj on Thu May 10, 2012 at 08:53:13 AM EST

puts you right back where you started. Is that really what you meant? :)


I actually think that is what they meant (none / 0) (#12)
by CST on Thu May 10, 2012 at 08:58:27 AM EST

Since back when he was a state senator he supported gay marriage.


: Ah, I see (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by sj on Thu May 10, 2012 at 09:03:36 AM EST

thanks. Then too bad he didn't just stand still. That would have been impressive.

Your third paragraph, of course, is false. (5.00 / 1) (#14)
by dk on Thu May 10, 2012 at 09:57:06 AM EST

Obama's justice department can argue in support of plaintiffs who are litigating the question of whether the U.S. constitution requires states to allow same-sex marriages.

Does the executive branch have the final decision on the matter? No, that U.S. Supreme Court does. But they can "do a darn thing".


Studio City? Really? (none / 0) (#6)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu May 10, 2012 at 12:39:40 AM EST

Sure, there are some killer homes there, but my guess is it's his/one of his "B" residence(s). He's gotta have a main residence in a more "happening" area than that.

Lake Como area of N. Italy. (none / 0) (#8)
by oculus on Thu May 10, 2012 at 02:42:23 AM EST

My neice-in-law... (none / 0) (#10)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu May 10, 2012 at 08:12:03 AM EST

worked out next to him in Mexico the other day. He's got a place in El Dorado down in Cabo.


Did she resist the urge to get her photo (none / 0) (#15)
by oculus on Thu May 10, 2012 at 10:28:48 AM EST

taken w/him?


She resisted the urge... (none / 0) (#16)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu May 10, 2012 at 10:30:41 AM EST

...to whip out the iphone and snap a picture of him on the treadmill.


I'm so bad.... (5.00 / 1) (#21)
by ruffian on Thu May 10, 2012 at 01:54:52 PM EST

I can only think of the infamous Seinfeld episode where Elaine saw JFK Jr. at the gym....


Quite surprising he doesn't have his (none / 0) (#17)
by oculus on Thu May 10, 2012 at 10:32:08 AM EST

own gym.


I'm sure the one they have... (none / 0) (#18)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu May 10, 2012 at 10:46:15 AM EST

...is quite nice.


: I have a meeting in Studio City tonight, (none / 0) (#20)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu May 10, 2012 at 12:43:24 PM EST

just got an email that we should plan on it taking extra time to get there because the O-man's in the 'hood...