We’re mainly focused on the big Court decisions today. But don’t miss this weird and disturbing look at the series of meetings Maine’s Tea Party Governor has held with extremist “sovereign citizen” activists in his state.
Ginsburg: “The absence of such precedent is just what one would expect, for the exercise of religion is characteristic of natural persons, not artificial legal entities.”
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Former employment attorney Sheila Bapat breaks down the other major Supreme Court decision today, in Harris v. Quinn, which she says analyzes “the First Amendment in a way that further entrenches the notion that domestic work is not ‘real’ work.”
Today over at Cafe, we’re continuing the Scholars Strategy Network‘s exploration of the future of the Republican Party. Today, University of Washington poli-sci professor Christopher S. Parker wonders if the GOP is on a path to eventual suicide: “Like the GOP in the past, the current Republican Party needs to pursue a new constituency – if it wishes to survive and gain ground in national politics.”
There’s been no calm in Israel for the last 18 days as the country waited for word about the fate of three kidnapped teenagers. And there’s certainly been no calm in the West Bank which has been the scene of a massive IDF security operation which has mixed search for the three missing teens and massive strike at Hamas which Israel holds responsible for the abductions. News earlier today that the bodies of the three teens were recovered just north of Hebron sets the stage for some massive Israeli strike/operation and one the US will inevitably need to address.
After crazy primary, Chairman of Mississippi College Republicans resigns and becomes a Democrat.
The Portland Press-Herald picked up and further reported on the story we published this morning on why Maine’s Tea Party Governor had repeatedly met with members of the state’s “Sovereign Citizens” movement. The Governor’s spokesperson said basically, nothing to see here, move on. This graf jumped out at me …
Bennett did not address why LePage met with the group eight times, why a county sheriff was asked to look into their demands or why the governor’s legal staff was asked to draft an opinion of the group’s claims that Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, and House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, should be arrested and executed.
I don’t know how else to say it. But you simply must read this piece we published this morning about Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s long dalliance with the state’s local “Sovereign Citizen” movement. It will blow your mind. It’s a mix of scary, bizarre and hilarious, with LePage’s staff trying, in profound discomfort, to reel him back to reality while he keeps meeting with the group, buys into various of their conspiracy theories, has a sheriff look into some of their demands and finally has his legal staff draft an opinion on the group’s theory that the Democratic leaders of the state legislature should be arrested and executed. Truly. It will blow your mind. This guy’s a governor.