Ride and Badness

We rode this morning.  It's been awhile since the last one, events have conspired against riding.  Anyway, it was a hot ride because we got a late start.  We are never going to be any good at the early start.  Instead of the usual route we rode a flatter road, which looks like it has been carpet bombed.  It's unfortunate, it's very pretty out there, but the bumps and pot holes hurt too much.  Then we went on the other side of the river, which has better surfaces and hills.  All in all, it's a good route.  We see these guys pretty much in the same place, doing the same thing, every time we are out there.

This is from the other night.  An illuminated cloud.

We really need to go somewhere so I can get photos of something new.  

Lisa Murkowski agreed to vote for advancement of the Big Ugly Bill if Alaska could have a carve out on cuts to Medicaid and tax relief for whaling.  There was some other stuff, but I can't remember.  Anyway, she was willing to inflict this disaster of a bill on the lower 48 and Hawaii, but not her state.  Surprise, surprise, the Parliamentarian announced that this was not allowed under Senate rules.  Too bad, so sad.  Now they can suffer with the rest of the country.

The BUB contains these points and more:

17 million would lose health care - 30% higher electricity costs due to elimination of federal subsidies on renewable energy - Millions of manufacturing and construction jobs destroyed - Biggest ever cut in food assistance for families, kids, veterans - $4 trillion in deficits - $1 trillion in tax cuts for millionaires & billionaires - The return of burning coal

- ICE is authorized to become the largest domestic federal law enforcement agency. - ICE is authorized to become the largest jailer in our nation’s history. - The pace of mass deportations would skyrocket as ICE could acquire dozens of new aircraft

 

The Supreme Court essentially ruled that they, and only they, get to rule on stuff 47 does.  Lower courts can't issue nation wide injunctions.  They could under Biden, no one had an issue with that, but now they do.  It was a convoluted and arcane ruling.  Here is a decent article on what it means.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is not mincing words about the Birthright Citizenship decision: “The Court’s decision to permit the Executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law.” She’s sounding the alarm, loud and clear.  

Bill Kristol :“Fresh insults to constitutional norms and settled practices of governance occur daily. That is why the phrase constitutional crisis no longer describes our situation. The Constitution has failed, and we no longer know which institution will rescue it.”

Laurence Tribe: "We fought the good fight from emoluments to impeachment to criminal prosecution but Congress failed us and the Supreme Court has been fully complicit. We must keep invoking the lower courts’ fidelity to law but will need massive political mobilization."  This article was reference in the tweet and it's a good one to read.

 

The high fences have been put back around the White House.  One wonders what heinous thing is being planned for us now.  

Kellyanne Conway always an insight to share with us.  I love this response.
 

Tornado alley used to be Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas.  Every year entire small towns would be wiped out.  This year it's South Dakota.  Guess they better start building tornado shelters.

 There's more, there is always more with these people.  But I think this is enough.