Happy Thanksgiving

Turkey Day is almost over, but a Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and I hope you have plenty to be thankful for. I know I sure do.

Mav takes a sick leave

I've been rather ill the last couple of days with a nasty little stomach bug. Hopefully I'll be back to blogging very soon.

Worst Amicus Brief Ever Written

Don't get me wrong: I don't think the case in court against Prop 8 has much of a chance. On the other hand, a 40-page amicus brief like this might just do the trick.

Greatest hits:

The Almighty Eternal Creator created all planets, including the earth and all living creatures, including human souls. Through elections and appointments, Global government leaders and officials are selected by the Almighty Eternal Creator to serve the people. The Almighty Eternal Creator is the sole owner of the earth and everything above, below, and in it. Global government leaders work under authority of the Almighty Eternal Creator. Therefore, throughout the world, government legislatures and people must make laws under the Almighty Eternal Creator's Laws. Global government leaders, judges, justices, and law enforcement officials must practice the sole owner of the earth's Laws in their daily practice.

But wait! It gets better! What legal authority do they site to support their position?

Obviously, as it is recorded in Genesis 1: 26-27 copied above, after God created human souls in God's divine image, God blessed them and ordered all human souls on earth: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." (emphasis added)

This means that besides those God chose to be single to serve Him to benefit the souls' eternal lives in the Kingdom of Heaven, God ordered human souls to be fertile and multiply, fill the earth with human natural bodies!

In order to fill the earth with human physical bodies, God ordered each and all marriages to be between one man and one woman! Indirectly, God prohibits gay and lesbian marriage.

Through Genesis 1: 26-27, God also orders all children must be born from natural conception and prohibits all abortions!

Wait, I thought this was about Prop 8, not abortion. Are they confused, or just throwing the kitchen sink? Also, the argument that homosexuality is bad because it prevents procreation is sheer nonsense. The planet is fast approaching its absolute limit of population, so what difference does a small population of the population not procreating make? Probably not much. But it warms my heart to see moron lawyers who site the Bible as legal authority.

And finally:

II ARGUMENT:
Each and every person has free will for whether or not he or she obeys the Almighty Eternal Creator's Laws.

The issue of this case is gay and lesbians demanding that the State of California courts strike down the State of California's Constitutional Amendment that passed by a majority (52%) of voters on November 4, 2008. This amendment is for wrong purposes of legalizing same-sex marriage. Courts throughout the entire State of California, the United States of America, as well as world courts DO NOT have authority to reverse the Almighty Eternal Creator's Law that bans same-sex marriage.

The Almighty Eternal Creator's Laws are similar to those established by the State of California, the United States, and countries throughout the world, but certain people are banning these laws.

Example: If an individual attempts to assassinate the State of California's Governor or the United States President, and the person got caught, surely the person would be charged with attempted murder of the State of California's Governor or the President of the United States, and jurors would sentence him to prison without parole or to capital punishment in accordance with established laws.

Gay and lesbian marriage and abortion are serious attempts to destroy the Almighty Eternal Creator's ongoing creation of human life on earth! If they do not change their sexual conduct and pay in full for damages caused while they are on earth, they surely must pay after their earthly lives!

Hilarious. So the California Supreme Court is ordered by God to uphold Prop 8 (a simple legal argument gets you there too, but why bother when you can bloviate like this?) because gays and lesbians will burn in Hell for all eternity. What law school did these jokers go to?

H/T: Andrew Sullivan.

Huckabee Hilarity

Read this. You will laugh, I promise. Specifically:

He calls out Pat Robertson, the Virginia-based televangelist, and Dr. Bob Jones III, chancellor of Bob Jones University in South Carolina, for endorsing Rudy Giuliani and Romney, respectively. He also has words for the Texas-based Rev. John Hagee, who endorsed the more moderate John McCain in the primaries, as someone who was drawn to the eventual Republican nominee because of the lure of power. Huckabee says he spoke to Hagee by phone before the McCain endorsement while preparing for a spot on Saturday Night Live. "I asked if he had prayed about this and believed this was what the Lord wanted him to do," Huckabee writes of the conversation. "I didn't get a straight answer." Months later, McCain rejected Hagee's endorsement because of controversial remarks the pastor had made about biblical interpretations.

Translation: "God wanted me to be President, but the other pastors didn't do what He wanted, so now it's payback time!" Honestly, does he really think that the endorsements of Robertson, Jones, and Hagee were the only things standing between him and the Republican nomination?

For a guy who, at times, seemed the candidate most willing to make fun of himself during the primaries, Huckabee's ego sure is becoming bloated in a real hurry. Maybe its in his contract with Fox that he has to become a self-aggrandizing jackass so that his personality will match with that of Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly.

Perhaps his most famous endorser, Chuck Norris, can roundhouse kick that ego back into shape?

Memo to Sykes: Your side has moonbats too

First off: Shorter Peter DiGuadio.

ZOMG, Obama voters are stupid pawns of the media!!!1!!eleven!

Wow, I thought despairing over the electorate's lack of intelligence was for snobby, effete, cheese-eating bleeding-hearts, not uber-macho, gun-obsessed whack-jobs who threaten the life of the President-Elect barely hours after his opponent concedes.

It seems Peter - the Texas Hold 'Em Blogger who deleted his old blog after some people (myself included) commented that posting an upside-down American flag not once, but twice, while insisting (as he still does) that November 4th is now one of the "darkest days in American history" might be in somewhat bad taste - has returned. I mean, let's be honest here: If bloggers of my persuasion had posted two upside-down American flags in response to John McCain being elected (something I would never conscience doing, and I doubt any of the others would have, but bear with me, this is a hypothetical), Peter would have been hollering for charges to be pressed. Yet he posts it, gets called on it, deletes his entire blog, and then starts a new platform from which to launch into more "I hate America for electing Obama" rants and post flagrantly anti-semitic dreck like this. Yes, according to Peter, Jews who voted for Obama are "self-hating" and morally equivalent to Jews who turned in other Jews to the Nazis to be exterminated. It would be entertaining to see the defeat of John McCain taking so heavy a toll on Peter's psyche if he weren't using so much disgusting hate-speech in the process.

I don't have anything against bloggers of a conservative persuasion. I may disagree with virtually every opinion aired by Dean, Owen, Professor Esenberg, Professor McAdams, Patrick, Charlie, James, Lance, Fred, or my favorite foil, Dad29 (to name a few), but I respect their views. However, I cannot recall any of those bloggers posting upside-down American flags, insinuating that they would be pleased by the assassination of the President-Elect, or indulging in flat-out antisemitism. Maybe it's wrong of me to even criticize Peter for doing so, because my criticism just brings more attention to it, which perversely rewards his rhetorical excesses. However, as Jay Bullock rightly points out, it's probably better at this stage to engage than to ignore.

So, in the spirit of engagement, and with a great sense of historical irony in a world where conservatives are typically the ones attacking their opponents on the grounds that they "hate America," I have this question for Peter: Why do you hate America?

If the election of Barack Obama is enough to make DiGuadio ashamed of his country, his love of said country must not have been very deeply rooted, don't you think?

Obama looking to close Gitmo

I suppose this isn't that much of a surprise, but I'm relieved to hear it anyway. Holding hundreds of men, some of whom certainly are terrorists, but some of whom most assuredly are not, indefinitely and without charge violates everything the founders of our country stood for, and is a dreadful stain on America's reputation abroad. Moreover, I have never understood the logic that, because Guantanamo is in Cuba, it is not American soil, therefore permitting this perversion of the Constitution to go forward. Is not Naval Station Guantanamo Bay a United States military installation? Are not such institutions considered US soil? Was not the Panama Canal Zone considered United States soil when John McCain was born there? If not, than any person born in such places is not a citizen of the United States, which completely defies logic. So how is it that basic principles like habeas corpus don't apply at Gitmo? Whatever happened to a government of laws and not of men?

The current plan seems to be to close the base by putting the ones we have evidence against on trial, and letting the rest go. This is basic criminal procedure stuff, and should have been done years ago. In the United States, you're supposed to be charged within 48 hours (generally speaking) of being arrested; yet in the apparently Constitution-free zone of Gitmo, we can hold men for years without charge, deny them access to counsel (because lawyers are the enemy), and prevent them from going before a judge to ask a question the Constitution guarantees us the right to ask: "Excuse me, on what grounds am I being detained?"

Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War (which a bulletin board in the Marquette Law Library inexplicably names as one of the "Most creative moments in American law," along with the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and Brown v. Board of Education), was ultimately reprimanded by the United States Supreme Court in Ex Parte Milligan. Maybe such a judicial reproach of the executive will be unnecessary this time (probably for the best, since we've seen little willingness to discuss Bush Administration policies of detention by the Supreme Court since Hamdi and Hamdan), but I'd feel a lot better if more judicial institutions would actually stand up for the rule of law. Only when we live up to our own laws will the rest of the world show any interest in listening to our advice about how they should run their countries.

Mav on Hiatus

I'm going to be taking a bit of a break from blogging, probably until Wednesday or Thursday. I think after the epic length of this election, we could all use one.

Shed a Little Light

I confess, I shed a few tears when I listened to James Taylor's "Shed a Little Light" this morning.

"Let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King,
And recognize that there are ties between us,
All men and women
Living on the earth."



I'm not one to get emotional about my politics, but I'm more than willing to make an exception this time. Maybe the disappointment of the last two elections was bitter, but had my candidate won either of those elections, it would not have felt as good as this does, and not just because John Kerry and Al Gore could never have dreamed of surpassing 300 electoral votes.

I feel like a national nightmare might just be coming to an end. This isn't to say that everything will be just fine by January 21, 2009, but simply that maybe we can start figuring out how we get our economy back on track. Maybe we can figure out how to win and end two wars that have wracked our military and ruined our budget. Maybe we can start creating jobs instead of shipping them overseas. Maybe we can convince the rest of the world that we are not the strutting, arrogant superpower we have acted like for eight years. Maybe we can start honoring fundamental, Constitutional guarantees like habeas corpus, and stop detaining people indefinitely without charge. Maybe we can stop torturing people who may or may not know anything at all. Maybe we can stop setting black against white, straight against gay, evangelical against mainstream. Maybe.

I don't think all these things will happen, but I am certain that there is a far, far better chance of any of them happening with Barack Obama as our president. I thought John McCain's concession speech last night was one of the classiest I have ever seen, and his explicit statement that Obama is his president was as much as he could do to rally support for him. I'm not nearly so naive to think all McCain supporters will support Obama. This is America, after all. But I'm hopeful there can at least be some unity, at least for a little while.

It seems like a lifetime ago that this race began, and I suspect a lot of people are relieved that it's over, regardless of the outcome. "Emotionally spent" seems like a good description of how I feel, and I'm sure I'm not alone. So I'm kind of uncertain as to what comes next. And I don't know if we can do everything, or even anything, I hope we will.

But if this campaign has taught me anything, it is this: Yes we can.

McCain's Concession

He's giving a good one. This is the McCain I admired for so many years.

It's official

And history is made. I'll be back with my thoughts later, but for now, I am soaking up the moment.

UPDATE: Also, not to toot my own horn, but the AP called the election at 10:10 PM CST. In my entry to Jay Bullock's contest with the tiebreaker being the time the AP would call the election , I guessed exactly 10:10 PM CST. Fancy that.

Mav Calls the Race

I don't see how McCain wins this election. Come 10 PM CST, California, Washington, and Hawaii alone will provide enough electoral votes to get Obama past 270, which is precisely why I predicted this race would be called early. 300+ EVs seems very possible, and my prediction of 349 doesn't seem all that unreasonable. Virginia doesn't look as good as I hoped, but Florida looks pretty safe, and Indiana is in reach.

This looks like a win of epic proportions, especially compared to the squeakers of the last two elections. So I will go ahead and say it: Barack Obama will be elected the 44th President of the United States of America.

Take a moment and reflect on the fact that the man who is about to become President-elect could not have even voted in parts of the country fifty years ago. No matter your position, you have to feel some sense of pride at that.

Also, Sullivan makes a good point about the GOP that will come out of this election:

I'm watching Fox News now. They insist that America remains a center-right country. I think they're right. But the GOP is no longer a center-right party. It's a fringe religious, Dixie-based, big government machine, that relies on fear of others to win elections. And so it lost in a center-right country. And a center-left candidate beat them.

I just wish I could be in Grant Park right now.

UPDATE: I'm drinking my celebratory scotch. I couldn't wait. Macallan 12-year-old single malt if anyone cares. Cheers.

Ohio!

NBC just projected Ohio for Obama, so he has now flipped a red state. I don't see what McCain's outs are right now.

McCain "needs a miracle"

Marc Ambinder reports one of McCain's aides saying, "At this point, we need a miracle."

Pennsylvania!

NBC projects Obama to win the Keystone State, as well as Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

Electoral count is now 103-34 Obama. Neither PA nor NH is coming through for McCain, it appears.

Come on Florida!

With 10% in, Obama leads 58-42 in the Sunshine State.

NBC Calls Vermont and Kentucky

No surprises there.

Also, apparently the North Carolina Republican Party is already saying Libby Dole is going to lose. Ouch.

UPDATE: McConnell -Lunsford is currently 50%-50%. Wow.

How could I not post this?

It's the final countdown.

Happiness is...

Watching election coverage while munching on my favorite sandwich and drinking a Coke.

What sandwich? Pastrami and provolone on Jewish rye with spicy brown mustard.

Five hours until results start coming in. I may or may not blog along with results.

Mav predicts

It's after midnight, so it is officially Election Day. I've already voted, and Mrs. Mav will be voting this evening. No matter who you're supporting, do your country a favor and vote today, if you haven't already.

Now, for my (rather amatuerish) predictions:

I predict that Barack Obama will be elected the 44th President of the United States, and I predict that his victory will be projected fairly early in the evening. Why? Because the states that are going to be decisive - Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and Ohio, are all on the East Coast, and there's no sign of these states being as close (either way) as Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. So hopefully I won't have to stay up until 3 AM to find out who the President-Elect is this year. As one of many veterans of the Gore Campaign in 2000, my instinct is that the longer the night goes on, the worse the news gets for Democrats.

State-by-state predictions:

Obama: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii. Total: 349

McCain: West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Alaska. Total: 189

And an additional prediction, I predict the Democrats will get to 59 seats in the Senate (counting Independents Sanders and Lieberman), partly because I'm not sure Al Franken can win, and also because I'm not sure I want Al Franken in the United States Senate. So, if we're going to get to 60, it'll have to come from somewhere else. I'd certainly be happy to see Saxby Chambliss get sent packing (I've actually met Max Cleland, interestingly enough, and I would love to see us get some payback on his behalf), but I doubt that'll happen. Similarly, I think it's unlikely that Mitch McConnell or Libby Dole will be defeated, but hey, anything can happen.

I'll take off my Carnac the Magnificent hat now.

Good question

Rex Wockner asks a very pointed question of the Prop. 8 supporters in California and opponents of gay marriage everywhere:

I really wonder what they think we gays are going to do to marriage. Nothing worse than usual has happened to marriage in the years Massachusetts has had same-sex marriage, and nothing worse than usual has happened to marriage in California in the 4 1/2 months we've had it here. They don't ever actually say what they think will befall marriage as a result of same-sex couples marrying.

Instead of explaining what it is that gays are going to do that will harm marriage, they talk about schools indoctrinating children and about churches losing their freedom-of-religion rights. Neither of these fears is reality-based, according to the state superintendent of public instruction, constitutional-law experts, and, well, according to just about everyone except the folks pushing Prop 8, which, if voters pass it Nov. 4, will amend California's constitution to re-ban same-sex marriage, negating the California Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage.

Can anyone say what is going to happen that will "destroy marriage" more than the 50% divorce rate in this country already has? It seems to me that you have to be mighty insecure about your own marriage to think that two men or two women who love each other partaking of the same institution is somehow a threat to you and your marriage.

And for all the people who say God created the institution of marriage to be one man and one woman, how come men in the Old Testament were allowed to have multiple wives? It seems like God has changed his position on marriage at least once, so I'm just not buying the argument that he's going to suddenly through a hissy fit now.

H/T: Sullivan.