Perez: “The Electoral College Is Not A Creation Of The Constitution”

Sheehan_PerezDemocratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez made a curious point in a Tuesday night speech when he declared “the Electoral College is not a creation of the Constitution.”  Given the focus of the DNC chief on elections, the misunderstanding of the origin of the electoral college is a bit like a chief of police not knowing that warrants are required by the Fourth Amendment.  To make matters worse, Perez made his statement at the Indiana University Law School.  Just for the record,  Article II of the Constitution states “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.”

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Trump, the 25th Amendment and The Demise of “The Goldwater Rule”

Barry_Goldwater_photo1962donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedBelow is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the effort to remove President Donald Trump through Section 4 of the 25th Amendment.  I ran a column a couple days ago in the Washington on the constitutional and procedural issues of a 25th Amendment attempt.  This column looks at the medical and historical aspects of the controversy.  The effort appears to have picked up steam this week with reports of Democrats reaching out to psychologists — just as they did against Barry Goldwater.  The demise of the “Goldwater Rule” is a dangerous development.  I have no more idea of Trump’s mental state than I do other leaders.  What I do know is that claims of narcissism or other conditions are unfounded absent an evaluation and far more serious evidence of mental illness to justify a 25th Amendment effort.

Here is the column:

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“Mathematics Itself Operates As Whiteness”: University of Illinois Professor Triggers Controversy In Calling For Professors To Recognize Math As Privilege

rg1University of Illinois math professor Rochelle Gutierrez has triggered a national controversy over her recent anthology for math educators entitled, “Building Support for Scholarly Practices in Mathematics Methods.” Gutierrez suggests that mathematic tends to perpetuate white privilege that must be actively addressed in classrooms.  For many, math is one subject that was viewed inherently objective and unbiased in its emphasis. Albert Einstein and others saw beauty in math.  He stated “Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” Yet, Gutierrez appears to see the  “politics that mathematics brings” and white privilege. Continue reading ““Mathematics Itself Operates As Whiteness”: University of Illinois Professor Triggers Controversy In Calling For Professors To Recognize Math As Privilege”

Poll: 64 Percent Of Americans Now Want Marijuana Legalized

Marijuana LeafWe have been watching an extraordinary shift in public opinion over the last decade on the legalization of marijuana.  With millions of citizens now using marijuana either medically or recreationally, the public appears ready to see nationwide legalization.  The huge tax benefits from legalization and the rapidly expanding market appears to have adding to the support for legalization.  This polls is just a few percent lower in support than a recent Harvard poll showing 68 percent support for legalization.

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Clinton Lawyer Under Fire After Disclosure That The Clinton Campaign Paid For Russian Dossier On Trump

download-6Clinton campaign lawyer Marc Elias is under fire today after the Washington Post ran an extensive story on how the Clinton Campaign and Democratic National Committee hired controversial research firm Fusion GPS to dig up dirt on Donald Trump in Russia in the “Russian Dossier” matter.  Reporters at the New York Times have accused Elias of lying in past categorical denials of any connection to Clinton or the DNC.  The reports indicate that not only did the Clinton team fund the opposition research but that Elias may have been the person handling much of the arrangements. Update: Brian Fallon, former spokesperson for the Clinton campaign, has said that this was “money well spent.” On CNN, Fallon said that the “sensitive nature” of the project meant that it was kept to a small number of people that did not include him. Fallon’s expression of satisfaction with the work however conflicts with what reporters say Elias told them. He notably sounded a lot like Trump in saying “opposition research occurs all the time.” Christoper Steele is a foreign national who was seeking information from foreign sources to use against Trump.

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Saudi Crown Prince Denounces Extremist Clerics and Plots More Moderate Course For The Kingdom

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shakes hands with Deputy CI have often criticized Saudi Arabia for its application of a medieval Sharia system of law and its intolerance for both free speech and freedom of religion.  It is important however to recognize improvements in the Kingdom, such as the recent decision to allow women to drive and the expanding political rights of women.  This week brought another such positive development.  Saudi Arabia’s next king, Mohammed bin Salman, gave a surprising speech where he clearly set the Kingdom apart from the long domination of Saudi clerics. He declared  “We are returning to what we were before, a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world.”  If true, that would be a moment of true leadership by the Crown Prince and a real hope for the citizens of Saudi Arabia.

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Penn Controversy Looks At “Progressive Stacking” After Controversial Tweet By Grad Student

45879D2000000578-5002884-image-m-83_1508551815896It is called “progressive stacking,” a technique where teachers give priority to students according to race or gender.  The technique is being hotly debated at the University of Pennsylvania after Grad student Stephanie McKellop tweeted about how she only reluctantly will call on a white male after giving preference to various groups based on their gender or race.  While many find stacking to be a form of discrimination, some academics have rallied to the side of McKellop in favor of such techniques.

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Unfit or Unpopular? Trump Critics Turn To The 25th Amendment To End His Presidency

donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedBelow is my column in the Washington Post on the movement to remove President Donald Trump through Section 4 of the 25th Amendment.  Richard Painter, the chief White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush recently declared the “answer” to Trump suggestion of a Democrat and Russian collusion in the election is “Amendment 25.”  Previously, Painter wrote a piece with clinical psychologist Leanne Watt, Ph.D. where they discussed the “downward mental health spiral” of Trump. They identified the illness as “extreme narcissism or self-centeredness” as well as “an extreme anti-social tendency, an inability to understand how other people feel.” That, Painter suggests, is enough for the first removal of a president under the 25th Amendment in the history of the country. If so, half of the presidents could have been removed for their “self-centeredness” and “anti-social tendencies.”  I strongly disagree with such interpretations.

Here is the column:

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Kathy Griffin Demands Money Back From Lisa Bloom . . . Bloom Suggests Griffin Is Sexist and Unhinged

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The Return of the Ancien Régime: DNC Pushes Out Sanders Supporters In Favor of Clinton Allies Like Disgraced Former DNC Head Donna Brazile

download-3We have previously discussed how the Democratic establishment has held on to power despite the disaster in the last presidential election.  The Democratic leadership and members were virtually unanimous in guaranteeing the nomination for Hillary Clinton despite the clear anti-establishment mood of the electorate and Clinton’s record negative polling.  By the end of the campaign, the Democrats were largely arguing for an anti-Trump vote rather than a pro-Clinton vote.  Despite the loss to the least popular presidential candidate in history, Nancy Pelosi and various other Democratic leaders have tightened their grip on power.  The establishment then fought off a challenge from Bernie Sanders supporters and elected close Clinton ally Tom Perez to lead the Democratic National Committee.  Now Perez has moved to fill high-ranking positions with establishment figures and Clinton allies. Among them is Donna Brazile who lied about her violation of DNC rules in sharing debate questions with Clinton.  While the DNC staff rallied around Brazile, others saw Brazile as the very embodiment of the rigged primary and the hard-wired Clinton support in the media.  Her unethical conduct led to the termination of her CNN contract, but Perez now wants her on the DNC rules committee.

 

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“REDEMPTION”: EO3 AND THE TRAVEL BAN 3.0 SEQUEL

images-1donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedBelow is my column in the Hill Newspaper on third round of litigation over the immigration orders issued by President Donald Trump.  On Friday, in Honolulu, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson converted the earlier temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction.  With the two decisions in Hawaii and Maryland, the appeals should move on an expedited basis back to the Supreme Court (which is expected to dismiss the second immigration case from the second round of litigation this week).  Like T3, EO3 could be named “Redemption” as the Administration gears up for what is likely (and hopefully) the final round in this series.

Here is the column:

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Houston-Area Residents Told To Certify That They Do Not Support Boycotting Israel As Pre-Condition For Hurricane Relief

Texasisrael1We recently discussed the free speech and associational implications of a Kansas teacher barred from a job due to her church’s support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Now there is a story out of Dickinson, Texas where residents were told that they had to guarantee that they do not support boycotts of Israel as a pre-condition of hurricane relief.  Again, this is nothing to do with the merits of the BDS controversy or Israel.  The question is the constitutionality of the federal or state government demanding such commitments from citizens to secure employment or relief.

 

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Woman Sentenced To Five Years For False Rape Claim

_98395235_mediaitem98395234Rebecca Palmer, 26, has gone from scorn to “stir” in a false rape case.  The English woman had consensual sex with a twenty-two year old soldier based in Tidworth but he later “rejected her.”  She proceeded to develop an elaborate false record to accuse him of rape.  The police fortunately were able to find clues that the record was manufactured and arrested Palmer.  She is now looking at a five year sentence.

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A Walk Through The Windy City

IMG_7607I am in my hometown of Chicago this weekend — still recovering from the loss of our Cubs to the Dodgers (who cheated by hitting the balls outside of Wrigley where our players could not catch them and throwing the balls really, really fast so we could not hit them).  Returning home for me continues to be rejuvenating, particularly with this unseasonably warm weather.  I wanted to share a few pictures of our beautiful city to counter the dire descriptions that have been raised in the political forum.  Chicago is experiencing a terrible violent crime wave, but the city is not the hellscape that comes out of some political exchanges.  I will readily admit that I am biased.  I have always been proud to be a Chicagoan and raised in this resilient city.  I hope that people will come for themselves to experience the wonderful lakeshore, restaurants, bars, museums, architecture, boating, sports, and sights.

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Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks