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By Jeff, on July 9th, 2010%
Up in Massachusetts, an interesting battle is being waged over the 10th Amendment and so-called “States’ Rights”.
Per this AJC article, here’s the basic story:
As some of you know, in 2004 Massachusetts became one of the first States to full-on legalize gay marriage. Under State law there, there is no legal difference whatsoever between a heterosexual marriage and a homosexual one. Obviously, religious groups in the State are free to adhere to different standards, except where they act as an employer.
The problem comes from the fact that there, as in Georgia, many of the citizens are employees of the Federal government – which, per the Defense of Marriage Act passed in the 90s, does not offer benefits to same sex couples.
Therefore, postal workers and other Federal employees cannot place their same-sex spouses on their benefits package, such as employer-provided insurance.
One such couple sued, and a US District Court Judge whose district apparently only encompasses Massachusetts has ruled in the couples favor that the DOMA “interferes with the right of a state to define marriage”.
That quote, in particular, is what makes this interesting politically regarding the 10th Amendment.
[Continue Reading]
By Jeff, on February 28th, 2010%
Of the self organizing behaviors, two are of particular interest to the study of evolution. One is adaptation. We see it everywhere. Corporations adapt to the marketplace, brain cells adapt to signal traffic, the immune system adapts to infection, animals adapt to their food supply. We have come to think that the ability to adapt is characteristic of complex systems – and may be one reason why evolution seems to lead toward more complex organisms.
But even more important is the way complex systems seem to strike a balance between the need for order and the imperative to change. Complex systems tend to locate themselves at a place we call ‘the edge of chaos’. We imagine the edge of chaos as a place where there is enough innovation to keep a living system vibrant, and enough stability to keep it from collapsing into anarchy. It is a zone of conflict and upheaval, where the old and the new are constantly at war. Finding the balance point must be a delicate matter – if a living system drifts too close, it risks falling over into incoherence and dissolution; but if the system moves too far away from the edge, it becomes rigid, frozen, totalitarian. Both conditions lead to extinction. Too much change is as destructive as too little. Only at the edge of chaos can complex systems flourish.
And, by implication, extinction is the inevitable result of one or the other strategy – too much change, or too little.
Wait a second! Science on a political blog? Yes, once again I intend to use science to make a point about politics, much as I did a couple of months ago with a more basic concept (pendulums).
Where am I going with this? Find out below the fold.
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By Jeff, on February 10th, 2010%
Every morning, I do at least a quick scan of LEGIS for any new bills introduced, and I read the ones that happen to catch my eye for any given reason.
This morning there were a couple that caught my eye, though only one of them is the subject of this post.
The bill in question goes by a fairly innocent name – the “Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act” -and is introduced by a “Constitutionalist” – Barry Loudermilk -that clearly can’t read the Constitution.
This bill criminalizes “intent” to perform an abortion if the “intent” is in any way based on race, color, or sex of the fetus and makes performing an abortion with this “intent” a felony.
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By Jeff, on November 11th, 2009%
As I was checking Facebook before heading out to work, I came across the status in the screen grab after the jump from State Representative Bobby Franklin (R-Marietta).
In it, he states “As we remember our veterans today, let’s hope that someday soon maybe perhaps some will be willing to pay the ultimate price for freedom here at home.” (emphasis mine)
This is a CLEAR call for Civil War – soon – from a sitting member of the Georgia General Assembly!!!!
Of course, he is also a complete moonbat whackjob that no one in power listens to, and very few not in power listen to.
And he is EXTREMELY closely associated with “States’ Rights” Governor Candidate Ray McBerry – indeed, he is the sponsor for those 10 States’ Rights bills McBerry is so proud of!
I will update this story later tonight with more details and thoughts.
[See the Screen Grab]
By Jeff, on September 9th, 2009%
Last week, State Senator Judson Hill (R-Marietta) announced that he had crafted a proposal for a Constitutional Amendment that would protect Georgians from any “public option” health care proposal at the Federal level and that he had the support of the Senate Republican Caucus in this effort.
As always, I try to read the bill before I comment on it. I figure that I can’t ask my Representatives to do something I’m not willing to do myself, and I also like to be informed so that I can then pass the knowledge on to y’all and whoever else asks me any questions.
This morning, Senator Hill sent me the text of the bill, which you can see for yourself here.
There are no calls for “states rights”, “10th Amendment”, “nullification”, or any other such thing in this bill – though the first two were mentioned at a press conference last week, by both Hill and Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock).
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By Bill Waller, on May 8th, 2009%
The book club in Albany is currently reading the 5000 Year Leap. The book is a simple read about the founders of this country and the principles that they considered when writing our founding documents. Continue reading Constitutionally Speaking
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Bill Criminalizing Abortion Introduced
Every morning, I do at least a quick scan of LEGIS for any new bills introduced, and I read the ones that happen to catch my eye for any given reason.
This morning there were a couple that caught my eye, though only one of them is the subject of this post.
The bill in question goes by a fairly innocent name – the “Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act” -and is introduced by a “Constitutionalist” – Barry Loudermilk -that clearly can’t read the Constitution.
This bill criminalizes “intent” to perform an abortion if the “intent” is in any way based on race, color, or sex of the fetus and makes performing an abortion with this “intent” a felony.
[Continue Reading]