Eric Adams Watch

Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on corruption charges.

For fake reasons, the Trump Administration was going to hold up the prosecution until after the election. Some conservative leaning prosecutors very publicly cried foul. It was a pressure campaign to coerce Adams to support Trump’s policies as shown by the Border Czar openly saying so in a joint television appearance.

Judge Dale Ho (aka the “good Judge Ho”) could not force the Trump Administration to prosecution. He did have the power to drop the prosecution with prejudice to deter future wrongdoing. Judge Ho spelled out why he did so in a long opinion.

The best of the bad options. The Trump Administration still has the power to bring new charges. OTOH, now the Adams does not even have the support warranting involvement in the Democratic Primary, hopefully long term that won’t matter.

If they want to prosecute (there are other possible charges) that’s fine. The problem is using the threat as a sword of Damocles to coerce a public official to support federal (immigration) policies. That has ethical problems as well as raised both due process and federalism problems.

For now, we are still stuck with Andrew Cuomo as an option in the Democratic Primary. One asshole down …

Dems Have a Good Day

Senator Cory Booker's speech was not technically a filibuster, but he did outlast segregationist Strom Thurmond. He had a lot to talk about with the Trump continuing to slash through government. Lots of people noticed and cheered him on, except for the usual "what does this matter" suspects. 

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna was in the news recently concerned about the JFK assassination. She's one of usual suspects in the Republican caucus. 

Luna, however, is also a young new mother (in her 30s). She supports proxy (remote) voting for mothers twelve weeks after birth. Luna suffered a difficult pregnancy and sounds a feminist message:

“You plan for one thing and it totally changes,” Ms. Luna said of her expectations of child birth in a recent interview from her office on Capitol Hill, while her 4-month-old son, Henry, napped in a rocker on her desk. (Ms. Luna says she has no child care and brings Henry to the Capitol almost every day she is in Washington, perching him on her desk through most of her meetings.)

“You’re being forced to choose between your career and having a family,” she said. “We’re in way too much of a tech age for that even to be acceptable. What happens if I have to vote on war?”

Yes, there is some selfishness here from someone who supports a party that doesn't care about the needs of mothers. As Prof. Liz Sepper noted on Bluesky:

The right scorns mothers. They hate us. They refuse to insure mothers, cut funding for infant and maternal health, work to defund public schools. No one mocks conservative women for their motherhood. But the right mocks liberals as ugly bad moms.

Rep. Luna, with the support of Democrats (including another new mother who had to go cross country with her new baby to vote against the continuing resolution) used a "discharge petition" to force a vote on her proxy message. Mike Johnson failed to block it, resulting in other votes this week being cancelled.

House Democrats allowed proxy voting during COVID. Republicans opposed it. Many said it was unconstitutional. Some, including Mitch McConnell, said it was wrong, but Congress has the power to make rules for its proceedings. The right answer if far from obvious. It's reasonable to have exceptions. 

On top it off, the Democratic candidate won in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. This means sanity is retained there. Republicans (by smaller margins than before) did win both Florida special elections. 

It still was a good day. 

Trans Day of Visibility

 

Each year on March 31, the world observes Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) to raise awareness about transgender people. It is a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the disproportionate levels of poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces compared to cisgender (non-transgender) people.

This is an annual celebration. One year it overlapped with Easter, leading to the usual suspects making things a conspiracy. President Biden respected the rights of trans people. For him, they existed:

As kids, they deserve what every child deserves:  the chance to learn in safe and supportive schools, to develop meaningful friendships, and to live openly and honestly.  As adults, they deserve the same rights enjoyed by every American, including equal access to health care, housing, and jobs and the chance to age with grace as senior citizens.  But today, too many transgender Americans are still denied those rights and freedoms.

Trump goes another way, including alleging that trans people are not "physically or mentally prepared to serve" in the military. He wants to be Orwellian about "biological truths," including allegedly to protect women's sports (how about men's sports?). 

I will let Karen tell you about the "protection racket" here and the true goals involved.  The attack on trans are vicious and often just plain gratuitous. 

Not surprisingly, trans issues are repeatedly referenced on a blog involving religious themed legal issues. Nonetheless, religion is often used as an excuse to channel hateful and ignorant non-religious views. Remember too that "Christian" is not the same as "conservative fundamental Christian." 

Trump and other Republicans want to erase trans people. Trans people are the core legitimate target for many these days. Parents are threatened if they want to provide their children medically accepted care. 

Trans people are blocked from bathrooms reflecting their gender identity, blocking people who otherwise "look the part" from basic human needs. Nicole Maines can tell you how absurd that can be. 

A few trans athletes (sometimes not even trans) are wrongly labeled grave threats to sports. Harmful conversion therapy is accepted licensed medical care. Not unlicensed therapy at a church. Care provided by personnel licensed by the government.  

Erin Reed is a good place to go to keep up with current trans legal issues. She provides some optimism about the future. There is some reason to be optimistic. The attacks of trans people often is a result from fear. Trans people are visible. They exist.

That scares some people. Holidays often celebrate things that exist each day. Parents should be honored daily. That's hard. So, we have a special day for mothers, fathers, and grandparents. We honor certain "history months." We honor saint days.

Today is a day to celebrate trans people. Farmer v. Brennan (1994) recognized the needs of trans prisoners. Trans history goes back to ancient times. 

Some trolls continue to ridicule when Justice Jackson had trouble defining "woman" during her confirmation hearing. Biologists have problems drawing lines. Sex and gender is complex. There are not just XX/XY chromosomes. There are more than two genders. 

It is not surprising that an administration who is so scared about DEI (which is again a fine concept) is not a big fan of diversity. Our nation should celebrate it. 

Trans people exist. Even if you are not a big fan -- and you have issues -- there is no reason to be so gratuitously cruel as so many people are. 

Today's a day to celebrate and honor trans people. We should respect their particular needs as we should respect the needs of each one of us. And we should oppose all the patent bullshit done to oppress them. 

Happy Trans Day of Visibility. 

Royal-ish

The current Hallmark Channel films premiering on Saturday are a collection of films involving different members of a foster family watched over by Mindy Cohn, who some best know from The Facts of Life. 

They don't interest me so far. Before them, there were multiple royal-themed films. I enjoyed The Royal We and Royal-ish. Nicole Sakura, who comes from a Japanese/American/Irish background, has an interesting voice. She is a somewhat atypical choice for a Hallmark film. The guy is more standard. 

The young daughter is cute and has a good performance with the typical posh-sounding European-y accent found in these royal films. The royals nearly always come from some imaginary West European location. Why not have some coming from other parts of the world? There are lots of Pacific islands, for instance, they can be from. 

Anyway, Royal-ish went pleasantly along and there was even the kiss (the "rule" usually is that it is at the very end, but not always). I was waiting for the "complication." And, there it came with about twenty minutes left. It was forced but obligatory. 

The Royal We handled things better. Still, I enjoyed Royal-ish, especially because of the lead actress. 

==

I also re-watched Robin Hood: Men In Tights. I saw the film but have not seen the whole thing for quite some time. The sheriff character is the best. There are many familiar faces, and it is easy to take like Spaceballs. Good for television viewings. 

Mel Brooks had a short-lived Robin Hood television show parody in the 1970s that is on Catchy Comedy Channel. Looks good, but I can see why it didn't last.  

("Looks good" means the sets and so on are good for a television series, but the scripts from the bits of a few episodes were lame comedy-wise.) 

==

Saving Hope was a Canadian medical drama. NBC ran the first season. I checked out the first season DVD from the library. Four episodes in, I enjoyed it, though I might get bored with it after a while. 

It starts with a male chief of surgery going into a coma (he came out of it later) and being able to see dead people while walking around in the hospital. His fiancée is the chief surgical resident and is the focus of the show at the beginning.  

One member of the supporting cast was in many Hallmark Channel movies (many Canadian actors pop up there). I like Julia Chan as a young doctor, too. 

Generally well acted with good stories. 

ETA: Breast milk ice cream? Seems animal friendly.

Republican Values and Ultimate Solutions

I will have a Substack about Trump's attack on immigrants and their pressure to self-deport. I end with a discussion of what long-term strategy we as a nation need to have to address the current situation.

Heather Cox Richardson cites "the Left" trope:

Their definition of “the Left” includes all Americans, Republicans and Independents as well as Democrats, who believe the government has a role to play in regulating business, providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, and protecting civil rights, and who support the institutional structures Americans have built since World War II.

The supposed enemy, using various labels [including "Democrat Biglaw"], is some catch-all to explain people who support basic principles that have support crossing ideological lines. In these dark times, I support allies wherever they might come. They support principles and values built long before WWII.

The above is a comment to a blog post regarding Paul Clement (with support of Ed Whelan), both strong conservatives whom I generally find wrong in opposing Trump's tactics against law firms.

Yes, this mob boss thuggery violates multiple constitutional provisions and principles. Clement's brief provides the details. So many wrongs. 

Quickie Thoughts

I discuss the various aspects of the FUBAR nature of SignalGate.

==

SCOTUS handed down two rulings. Ghost gun regulations were so obviously valid that Justice Gorsuch wrote a 7-2 opinion upholding them. 

No kewpie doll for predicting the two dissenters. Gorsuch had a brief dissent to Jackson's opinion in a bankruptcy case. Meanwhile, as flagged by Paul Clement supporting the government, it looks like the big oral argument won't bring any big changes. 

==

I planned to reserve the Psycho DVD, but instead accidentally received the novel. Don't recall the film too much, but the two seem to mostly mesh. 

(Norman Bates in the book is more pudgy and somewhat older than Anthony Perkins at that time.)

The book is a straightforward account, basically of novella length, that helpfully shows things through multiple points of view. The ending matches the film. 

I was sort of bored since it was not a surprise. Nonetheless, it was a good, steady read.

==

Also went to the old Mid-Manhattan Library, which has a good selection of DVDs, both films and television series. I found After Words, a film starring Marcia Gay Harden, one of those actors who you say "she's pretty good, I wish she had bigger roles."  

To be fair, she had a sizable number of roles, including as "Susan" in the Spenser for Hire films. She plays a quiet, lonely librarian who comes out of her shell.

The role is stereotypical and lacks a certain amount of depth, but the Costa Rica locations are nice to look at, and its shortish running time helps. The actor who plays the guide is also a bit rough but interesting.

Overall, it was okay, and I watched the whole thing. That's saying something for me these days. After all, I also recently borrowed more than one series DVD, and have not yet watched a full episode yet.

Democrats Aren't Quite Learning Yet

After a major mess involving the security of a sensitive military discussion came out, twelve Democrats voted for an inexperienced Trump donor for Navy Secretary. What are you doing? 

The idea is that the person has the business acumen to reform the mess of the Navy Department, which sounds like a dig on the Biden Administration. It's on some level reasonable to argue management experience is enough here. There is precedent on both sides. Nonetheless, it's politically easy to defend grounds to vote "no," especially given the number of inexperienced incompetents in this administration.  

This was a lay-up ground for Democrats to refuse to vote to confirm anyone, at least top military people until something is done. Hegseth is responding with ranting and Trump is doing a Mr. Magoo routine. 

Schumer and others are going after the Trump Administration for the screw-up. It would be blatant incompetence not to do so. What is appropriate is a demand for people to be fired, backed up with a usage of the power Democrats have to block appointments at least temporarily. Or, at least, not to vote to confirm! 

One libertarian/conservative Trump opponent argued on Bluesky that if Trump was so gung ho about a shutdown, he wouldn't have pushed for the Republicans to pass a continuing resolution. 

I have not seen this bit discussed. I did see Trump taunt Schumer by praising his support. That sounded like a dare to vote against the CR. Either way, this adds to the ammunition against Schumer's vote and strategy. The party needs new leadership. 

There is also a chicken/egg problem here. The vote suggests a split among Democrats on how far to go in the response to Trump. Schumer would be an understandable choice for the caucus. We can blame Schumer, but as I did before the CR vote, we should also blame those who helped him.  

BTW, when I tried to discuss this online, the Disqus system on a website blocked me from posting a list of the Democrats who voted along with a link to a discussion. Someone responded and said the problem might be that Senator Coons (D-DE) has a name that looks like a racial slur. Really?