Why we're celebrating the Supreme Court "Obamacare" Victory

It saves lives.

Lenk's SJC Appointment and the Governor's Council

Let's all congratulate Justice Barbara Lenk for her freshly appointed status on the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. With two decades of judicial experience, and this having been her third time through the confirmation process, it's clear she's eminently qualified for the position.

Yet, in being confirmed by a 5-3 vote on the Governor's Council, the 3 votes against her confirmation -- votes no doubt motivated by prejudice, for Lenk is now the first known lesbian to have served on the SJC -- is a frustrating reminder of just how far we have to go in this state. Let's take a look at the three Governor's Council members who voted against Lenk.

Mary-Ellen Manning, arch hack, perhaps the most nominal Democrat in the country and unfortunately my own Governor's Councilor, focused her attacks on Lenk around icky sex questions, doing all she could to link the topics of incest and homosexuality together, with cries of The Children thrown in for extra fun.

It's unfortunately the common tactic by bigots on anything to do with preventing gay candidates from winning or glbt civil rights issues from passing. No wonder why she couldn't wait to get on the Howie Carr show to complain about it. Those are her peeps.

Arch conservative Charles Cipollini (R) voted against her because she's a lesbian; well, that's the only possible deduction I can come up with. The fact that she's a lesbian colors her opinion on marriage equality, says he, and apparently anyone who supports the Goodridge decision isn't fit for the SJC. Well, at least if they're a lesbian.

Never mind the fact that issue is dead and buried, long since decided and defended. Never mind the fact that by his logic, everyone would be effected -- gay or straight -- because everyone is effected by marriage. We simply can't allow gay people to serve, according to him.

Add Jen Caissie (R) to that territory. While Caissie and others on this list of names complained Lenk wouldn't support legal precedent, Caissie was upset over Lenk's support of one firmly-established legal precedent in this state: the Goodridge decision. Straight IOKIYAR hypocrisy.

Unfortunately, because of the obscurity of the Governor's Council, it's relatively easy for just about anyone to get on the council when a seat opens up -- and to stay there as long as they want, after. Because of that, we get lots of rabid right-wingers on the council, with the non-rabids, moderates and liberals likely to soon move onto bigger and better things. It's the one body in this state where the extreme right almost controls the majority, and some of the five councilors who's votes Lenk received are little saner than Caissie, Ciponni and Manning.

David Kravitz, over at Blue Mass Group, and someone who's worked for several justices on the Supreme Court of the United States, has long called for the end to the Governor's Council -- as has the Boston Globe. They're right.

Meanwhile, Marry-Ellen Manning said that everyone who was going to vote against Lenk was being portrayed as a bigot. Well, Marry-Ellen... if the shoe fits.

My cousin, who was murdered

Normally, I'm a huge fan of the Kossack community, but they tend to diverge greatly on the issue of guns. There was a front-paged diary yesterday about how we should just leave the gun issue alone, that it wasn't worth persuing after the conservative Roberts court overturned decades of legal precedent and struck down the Chicago gun ban.

I wrote a diary challenging that notion, recalling my cousin Laura and the great struggle I went through after losing her. She was such a sweet, innocent person, and -- having died in her late teens -- she barely had the chance to live her life. I hope people will check it out; we cannot cede this issue to the Roberts court and the NRA, not when so many lives are at stake.

My only comment on Kagan:

I have very little confidence she's going to be the liberal lion of the Supreme Court I'd love to have, able to deliver the same sort of intellectual prowess from the left that Scalia and Roberts bring from the right, but damned if I don't like her.

Note to readers: Mike and I did a SCOTUS podcast last week. I don't think I liked her then as much as I do now. She's very fun(ny) to watch.

Congrats to Our Supreme Court!!

Asshole parents in Lynn rejoice!

Chester Darling , the lawyer who previously brought a suit by Lynn parents all the way to the Supreme Court, hopes that a successful challenge will prompt other Massachusetts school districts to end their desegregation programs....

Darling said yesterday. "What benefit of integration in kindergarten do you get if you force a white kid to sit next to a black kid? There isn't any."

Oh, it's not beneficial to make sure our children learn a little bit about diversity at a young age at all. Nope, we want them to grow up as uneducated bigots, right? After all, every (bigoted) parent wants their kids to be just like them.

Lynn's current plan affects its 18 public elementary schools, which draw from small pockets of the district, more than its three high schools, said Capano.

"It's a balanced system right now," Capano said. "Our neighborhoods are sometimes very cultural- and very race-oriented. So, if you keep a very low-economic neighborhood going to the same school, then you get an unbalanced school -- and that's what we fear."

Heaven forbid a little diversity. We can't have none of that. Separate, I guess, is equal after all.

On SCOTUS: What Now?

Brown v. the Board of Education isn't completely destroyed, but it's close to it. I don't see how programs that are completely race-based will survive, such as METCO. Segregation already exists throughout most of the country - heck, I don't think there was a single African American in my graduating class when I went to High School. I don't see how this country can get over things like racism if there isn't racial integration at a young age, just like it's impossible for many to get over homophobia without meeting someone who isn't heterosexual. It's in our interests for integration, but there's not much this country can do to protect it with the current President and Supreme Court. I guess we're going to have to be creative to use whatever wiggle room is left.