GQP governor of New Hampshire sends National Guard to border with Mexico. Want to know how much border NH shares with Mexico?

Hint: In miles, it's the whole number between 1 and -1 on the number line.

Hint2: It's 0.

From The Hill -

Sununu deploying New Hampshire National Guard to US-Mexico border

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) will deploy two units of his state’s National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday afternoon, his office announced.

“New Hampshire is grateful for the heroic men and women of our National Guard,” Sununu said in a statement.

 

Know how many miles of border NH share with Canada?

Hint3: It's more than 0.

From VisitNH.gov (emphasis added by me) -

We always invite others to experience the live free lifestyle for themselves. New Hampshire shares a 58-mile (93 km) border with Canada, and with the proper documentation and adherence to border-crossing policies, it’s easy for Canadian citizens to venture to New Hampshire. The New Hampshire/Canada border crossing is located on U.S. Route 3 between the towns of Pittsburg, New Hampshire, and Chartierville, Quebec. The Pittsburg border crossing station (phone: 819-656-2261) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, letting visitors enter New Hampshire at any time. The Canadian facility, however, is closed overnight from midnight until 8:00 am, so plan your departure accordingly.

The GQP has plenty of invertebrates in their ranks

Could have used "shameless hypocrites" in the title, but since "GQP" is already there, I thought doing so would be kind of redundant. :)

First up: The epitome of spinelessness and one of Cheeto's chief lickspittles, Ted Cruz.

From Reform Austin -

Ted Cruz Wants Credit For Bill He Voted Against

Senator Ted Cruz has recently been taking credit for a popular Texas highway project that he voted against.

“We did the hard work to bring together Democrats and Republicans, and we now have designated I-27, the Ports-to-Plains [highway], to run from Laredo, all the way north through Lubbock, all the way up to Canada,” said Cruz in a recent interview with KAMC-TV in Lubbock. “That is going to bring jobs, $55 billion project, you’re talking hundreds of thousands of jobs. You’re talking tens of billions of dollars of additional GDP to the state of Texas. And it’s a great bipartisan victory for the state of Texas.”

That hard work did not include voting for the omnibus spending bill this year that will actually get the highway built. Instead, Cruz is hinging his integrity on the fact that he authored an amendment that designated the Ports-to-Plains project as a part of the national highway system. That amendment did have bipartisan support.

When it came time to cast a vote, Cruz and every other Texas Republican voted no in an act of universal opposition to the Biden Administration, even as the final bill contained necessary and popular projects that Republican lawmakers want and need for their constituents. This allows them the dual benefit of telling their far-right bases that they “stood up” to big government while also spending federal money on things that only big government can get done.

It's not just Cruz.

From Politico -

House passes government funding, averting shutdown threat

[snip]

The top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Kay Granger, who helped negotiate the bill, joined the swath of GOP members who opposed it. Asked if she could explain why she voted against it, the Texas lawmaker replied Friday: “No, I can’t.”

Like Cruz, Granger is from Texas.

It isn't just federal-level GQP electeds who are a little "flexible" in the spinal area.

From MassLive -

Florida Gov. DeSantis asks for federal aid with Hurricane Ian years after criticizing aid for Hurricane Sandy

When Ron DeSantis assumed office as a newly elected Florida congressman in 2013 he criticized the Obama administration for sending federal bailout money to assist New York and other mid-Atlantic states affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 — which killed 125 people in the United States and caused $62 billion in infrastructure and building damage.

Now positioned as governor of Florida, DeSantis is asking the federal government for help as Hurricane Ian wreaks devastation on the Sunshine State causing “substantial loss of life.”

Paxton, the AG in Texas, flees from a subpoena

Pretty sure that's not setting a good example for AGs...well...*anywhere*

From The Texas Tribune -

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home to avoid being served with subpoena, court record says

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home in a truck driven by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, to avoid being served a subpoena Monday, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Ernesto Martin Herrera, a process server, was attempting to serve the state’s top attorney with a subpoena for a federal court hearing Tuesday in a lawsuit from nonprofits that want to help Texans pay for abortions out of state. Later on Monday, Paxton filed two requests: a motion to quash the subpoena and another to seal the certificates of service, which included the affidavit from process server. His lawyers argued that the server “loitered at the Attorney General’s home for over an hour, repeatedly shouted at him, and accosted” Paxton and his wife. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman granted both requests early Tuesday, hours after the affidavit had been published.

He's got lots of issues.

Also from The Texas Tribune, dated 9/15/2022 -

Texas AG Ken Paxton could be deposed about securities fraud accusations after election

Attorney General Ken Paxton will face lawyers for the men who accused him of securities fraud seven years ago in a one-hour deposition after the November elections.

The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday that Collin County District Court Judge Cynthia Wheless ordered Paxton to sit for the deposition on Nov. 28, three weeks after the culmination of Paxton’s reelection race. He is running against Democrat Rochelle Garza.

Of course, at least he hasn't fled to Cancun, like another Texas Republican.

Dear Andrew Cuomo: Go away. Just go away.

You may be nominally a Democrat, but your underlying nature is that of a perv and predator.  And your ego is almost as big as Cheeto's.

From NPR -

Andrew Cuomo files a complaint against Letitia James for her sexual harassment report

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is asking the state's Supreme Court to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James for publishing a report claiming he sexually assaulted multiple women during his tenure.

Cuomo claims James manipulated the investigation in order to pursue her own run for governor, failed to appoint independent legal travails.investigators to the case and omitted crucial evidence from her report released last August.

*You* complaining about someone else's behavior?  Really?

Maybe you hoped that it would distract from your ongoing legal travails.

From CNN -

Accuser sues former New York Gov. Cuomo for sexual harassment and discrimination

One of the first women to accuse former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment filed a federal lawsuit against him this week.

Charlotte Bennett, a one-time staffer for Cuomo, is suing him for sexual harassment and discrimination.

Bennett has previously spoken publicly about her time working for the former governor as a briefer between 2019 and 2020. In her suit filed Wednesday, Bennett claims that Cuomo made sexual comments about her appearance, gave her "humiliating and demeaning tasks" and asked her invasive and unwanted questions about her romantic and sexual relationships, as well as her history as a sexual assault survivor.

This may be the most craven example of your bad behavior, but at least you are consistent in your cravenness.

From Columbia Law School -

The Moreland Commission: What Happened?

New York, December 5, 2014—Advocates of government ethics reform cheered in 2013 when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo created the Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, popularly known as the Moreland Commission. Less than a year later, however, Cuomo abruptly shut down the commission, setting off an ongoing controversy.

Columbia Law School professors Richard Briffault and Tim Wu joined Moreland Commission special counsel Janos Marton Nov. 17 for a postmortem examining what happened and how best to clean up government in the future. Briffault served as a member of the commission, named for a 1907 law granting governors authority to investigate state bodies, while Wu made ethics reform a centerpiece of his recent campaign to become New York’s lieutenant governor.

[snip]

The commission issued around 300 subpoenas, which ran into stonewalling from legislators who many speculated were planning to wait out the commission’s projected 18 to 24 month life span. The New York Times later reported that Cuomo’s office had interfered with the commission’s work, prompting a federal investigation from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara ’93.

Mr. Cuomo, unless you are volunteering to become Cheeto's cellmate, no one wants to hear from you (and since I don't believe that a prison cell has built that can take that much ego, that's probably not going to happen),

Dear Chief Justice Roberts: If you want your Supreme Court to be seen as legitimate, maybe the court should look out for the interests of all of America

...and not just the wingnuts and moneyed interests.

Oh, and it would help your personal credibility to not make your comments in Colorado Springs, a known haven for fanatics.

From CNN -

Roberts defends Supreme Court's legitimacy and says last year has been 'difficult in many respects'

Chief Justice John Roberts -- making his first public comments since the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last term, triggering demonstrations across the country -- defended the legitimacy of the court Friday night while also acknowledging it had been "gut-wrenching" to drive into a barricaded high court every morning.

Roberts, without directly mentioning protests, said that all of the court's opinions are open to criticism, but he pointedly noted that "simply because people disagree with opinions, is not a basis for questioning the legitimacy of the court."

[snip]

Speaking to an audience of judges attending the 10th Circuit Bench and Bar Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Roberts noted that the metal barricade that had been installed around the building is now down, and he announced that when the justices return to the bench to start a new term next month, the public will finally be able to attend arguments in person once again.

Turns out that Finchem, Gosar, and Kern are finding out that bullshit has a cost

From the AZ Mirror, written by Jim Small -

Finchem, Gosar and Kern must pay ex-Dem lawmaker’s $75,000 legal fees for ‘groundless’ lawsuit

Republican secretary of state nominee Mark Finchem, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar and former GOP state legislator Anthony Kern must pay $75,000 in attorney’s fees to a former Democratic state lawmaker they sued after a judge said the lawsuit was “primarily for purposes of harassment.”

In February 2021, the three Republicans filed a lawsuit against Charlene Fernandez, then a Democratic legislator from Yuma, accusing her of defaming them by making disparaging remarks, connecting them to the violence of Jan. 6 and conspiring against them. 

The number for the case in question is S-1400-CV-202100146

The curious thing about the case was that there were more attorneys associated with the case (9) than there were parties (4).

Note: Kern's lawyer, Alexander Kolodin will be a state representative from LD3 (north Scottsdale).  They will not face any Democratic challengers.

Note2: Kern will probably be a state senator from LD27.  He faces a Democratic challenger in the general election, but it's a non-competitive district favoring Republicans.

Courtesy the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission -

Wonder if the threesome will ever pay the costs that they been ordered to pay, and if any payments will come out of campaign funds?

Well, at least Abe Hamadeh has the "shameless hypocrite" part of the GQP description down

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

I was going to go with a headline about how he wants to baselessly punish others for behavior that he engaged in himself, but "shameless hypocrite" covers that, and is shorter.

From The Phoenix New Times -

Abe Hamadeh Wants to be Arizona’s Top Cop. As a Teen, He Bragged About Voter Fraud

Abe Hamadeh has built his campaign for attorney general around cleaning up elections in Arizona. Yet as a teenager, he boasted to an online message board about voting before he was legally allowed to and altering his mom's ballot.

The posts were among thousands Hamadeh made to an online message board beginning in 2007. When he wasn't bragging about altering ballots, he was offering antisemitic and sexist rants, backing Sheriff Joe Arpaio and arguing that voting should be limited to college graduates who pass intelligence tests.

Where do legislators go when when their time in the lege is done? Many places, but they're almost always taking public money.

When Bob Burns was done in the lege, he moved to the Arizona Corporation Commission (where, to be fair, he was considered to be one of the least bad Rs on the ACC).  Now, he's on the board of a charter school.

Which came to my attention as a result of a story at Arizona's Family, written by Amy Cutler -

What is “1776 curriculum?” We stopped by a Peoria school teaching it to find out

The 1776 curriculum got renewed attention this week when Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said she supported it. So what is it exactly? What does it involve? Arizona’s Family learned a school in Peoria uses it.

It’s called Candeo Peoria. The public charter school says its “mission is to grow wisdom and virtue for a life well lived.” A part of their liberal arts education includes the 1776 curriculum.

From Candeo Schools' website -

Actually, according to the ACC, he's been part of the organization since 2012.

From the ACC -

In the 2018-19 school year, they took over $4.1 million from the state.

From the National Center for Education Statistics -

Guess that it's just RW indoctrination for profit.

Anyway, Burns like to keep his hand in R politics, donating to both Kimberly Yee (before she dropped out of the race for the R nomination for governor) AND Kari Lake (after that) -

That's a Sedona address, so how do I know that's him?

He, along with his wife, owns it.

From the Yavapai County Assessor -

The AZ Supreme Court gives its reasons for siding against the people of AZ

In my opinion, if I was a health care provider, I'd prescribe an Ex-Lax IV before they explode.

But since I'm not, I'll just say it -

I think they're full of shit.

From KPHO, from the Associated Press -

Arizona Supreme Court says voters can’t repeal tax cuts

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that tax cuts or increases enacted by the Legislature can never be blocked by opponents using the state constitution’s referendum power, with the rare exception of a tax that funds a completely new state department.

The written opinion released Friday explains the reasoning behind the court’s April 21 decision reinstating a massive income tax cut enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature last year and signed by GOP Gov. Doug Ducey. The court reversed a lower court decision that said the tax cuts could be referred to the ballot because they did not appropriate money.

The full opinion is here.

While the AZ Supreme Court may have ruled against the people of Arizona, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled differently when the Republicans in the state legislature sued the people of Arizona  Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.  

From that opinion -

Is "Defund the FBI" the R version of "Defund the Police"?

*I* think so, and they really hate the idea of doing anything to change the police or the way that policing is done.

From the Texas Tribune, dated June 1, 2021 -

Gov. Greg Abbott signs slate of legislation to increase criminal penalties for protesters, punish cities that reduce police budgets

Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a slate of legislation Tuesday that targets protesters and restricts cities’ abilities to reduce police budgets.

In a ceremony attended by state law enforcement associations and bill authors, Abbott signed four Republican-backed bills aimed at widespread protests over police killings of Black and Hispanic Americans and calls to reduce spending on law enforcement.

They feel that the law, and police enforcement of it, is sacrosanct...until that law is enforced on one their own.

From Politico, dated August 14,2022 -

FBI warns of heightened threats as Hill Republicans demand more from Garland on Mar-a-Lago search

Law enforcement agencies are warning of “an increase in threats and acts of violence” directed at FBI personnel after agents executed a search warrant of former President Donald Trump’s home.

Alongside the Department of Homeland Security, the bureau issued a joint intelligence bulletin on Friday describing an “unprecedented” number of such threats posed at government officials, POLITICO confirmed. The bulletin said the threats were “occurring primarily online and across multiple platforms,” and that some were specific in identifying proposed targets and tactics, as well as weaponry.

Ya think that Arizona's "but think of the kids!" pro-lifers are actually anti-choicers who stop thinking about those kids once they're born?

We have more evidence of that, courtesy the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

On Monday, they released their 2022 Kids Count Data Book and, shockingly, Arizona didn't rank highly.

Hey, at least AZ didn't rank dead last in education.

Maybe he thinks that being a criminal will make him a better prosecutor

[begin Jon Lovitz' voice]

Yeah, that's ticket.

[/end Lovitz' voice]

Personally, I think it just makes him a hypocrite who commits a crime that he accuses others of committing.

From Reuters -

Exclusive: Trump-backed Michigan attorney general candidate involved in voting-system breach, documents show

The Republican nominee for Michigan attorney general led a team that gained unauthorized access to voting equipment while hunting for evidence to support former President Donald Trump’s false election-fraud claims, according to a Reuters analysis of court filings and public records.

The analysis shows that people working with Matthew DePerno - the Trump-endorsed nominee for the state’s top law-enforcement post - examined a vote tabulator from to seek or provide unauthorized access to voting equipment.

DePerno did not respond to a request for comment.

The involvement of a Republican attorney general nominee in a voting-system breach comes amid a national effort by backers of Trump’s fraud falsehoods to win state offices that could prove critical in deciding any future contested elections.

Well, at least criminals weren't involved with the fraudit. 

Wait for it...

From the AZ Mirror, written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy -

Senate ‘audit’ leaders Doug Logan and Ben Cotton are facing a Michigan criminal probe

Doug Logan, the CEO of the Florida-based firm hired by the Arizona Senate to conduct the partisan “audit” of the 2020 Maricopa County election, is under investigation for allegedly illegally obtaining Michigan voting machines and breaking into them. 

The office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, has petitioned the Michigan Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council to name a special prosecutor to investigate Logan and others who falsely believed the election was stolen from Donald Trump and then set out to gather evidence by gaining access to ballot tabulators. Other targets of the probe include Arizona “audit” subcontractor Ben Cotton, the founder of the digital forensics company CyFIR, of CyFir who was supposedly in a hotel room in early 2021 when the breach of the tabulation equipment allegedly took place.

Being petty towards veterans doesn't bother Senate Rs. Being *seen* as being petty towards veterans, on the other hand...

Last week, Senate Republicans got their hate on for veterans.

Subsequently, they were almost universally vilified for voting against something that they had previously voted for.

So today, they changed their votes again.

From CNN -

Senate passes long-sought bill to help veterans affected by burn pits

The Senate voted Tuesday night to pass a long-sought bipartisan legislation to expand health care benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their military service, sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign into law. The final vote was 86-11.

Passage of the bill marks the end of a lengthy fight to get the legislation through Congress, as veterans and their advocates had been demonstrating on Capitol Hill for days. Many veterans were allowed into the Senate gallery to watch the final vote on Tuesday evening

.

The final vote is here.

Senate Republicans find "a new level of low."

Just when you think that they're reached bottom, they start digging.

This time, veterans were thrown under the bus by Senate Republicans.

From NBC (emphasis added by me) -

Blindsided veterans erupt in fury after Senate Republicans suddenly tank PACT Act

Blindsided veterans erupted in anger and indignation Thursday after Senate Republicans suddenly tanked a widely supported bipartisan measure that would have expanded medical coverage for millions of combatants exposed to toxic burn pits during their service. 

Supporters of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act — or PACT Act — overwhelmingly expected the House-passed bill to sail through to the president's desk for signature.

[snip]

"They’re manufacturing reasons to vote against legislation that they literally voted for just last month," Butler {Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America} added. "And so it’s really a new level of low."

The vote is here.

At least Sen. Kelly Townsend can dance...if the 'hypocritical two-step' counts as a dance

Pointed at this by AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona.

From Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services, published by KJZZ -

Townsend encourages 'vigilantes' to monitor ballot drop boxes, denies it's intimidation

One of the leading proponents of the claim that there is fraud in Arizona elections wants "vigilantes" to monitor ballot drop boxes in the upcoming election.

Sen. Kelly Townsend (R-Apache Junction) complained during an informal legislative hearing Tuesday about the failure of the Senate to either outlaw drop boxes entirely or require that they be monitored 24 hours a day. In fact, Townsend wants to deal with the issue of possible fraudulent ballots by eliminating early voting entirely.

[snip]

"We're going to have people out there watching you," Townsend said. "And they're going to follow you to your car and get your license plate."

That was Tuesday; on Wednesday, she voted to greatly expand the definition of "harassment".

From the minority report on the conference committee results for SB1633, signed by Rep. Melody Hernandez and Sen. Victoria Steele -

"Under this language, a single instance of surveilling or contacting a person "in a manner that harasses" (the definition of which is murky) could expose someone to a Class 6 felony. The amendment fails to address any of these concerns, and in fact broadens the application of the statute by making it aggravated harassment to commit an act of harassment, as specified above, in violation of an order of protection. For those reasons oppose SB1633 as amended by the conference committee."

SB1633 *does* have a specific carve out, one that seems so specific that Townsend's vigilantes don't seem to fall within it -

Legislative schedule - week starting 5/22/2022

Another week of "hurry up and wait" at the legislature, but there will be more excitement this week than at last week's Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament mentioned in last week's post.

At least people could attend the tourney, though.  There's a *lot* of secrecy going on this week at the legislature.

One might think that a public body like the legislature doesn't want the public to see what it's doing.

One would have to watch the legislature in action often to think that. 

First, the stuff the public CAN view/attend -

On Monday (and probably Tuesday and Wednesday, but those calendars aren't posted yet) many anti-democracy and anti-education bills will receive floor consideration.

On Wednesday, 5/25 at 9 a.m., the Joint Legislative Audit Committee will meet in HHR1.

On Thursday, 5/26 at 2 p.m., the Ombudsman-Citizen Aide Selection Committee will meet in SHR1.

Now for the stuff that will be held behind closed doors.

On Tuesday, 5/24 at 9.a.m., the Joint Legislative Budget Committee will meet in SHR109.  Two items on the agenda, one that's the approval of minutes, and one that's clouded in secrecy -"EXECUTIVE SESSION - Arizona Department of Corrections - Review of Inmate Healthcare Contract per to A.R.S. § 38-431.03A2."

On Wednesday, 5/25 at 1 p.m., the Senate Ethics Committee will meet in SHR1.  Three "interesting" items on that agenda.

The complaints about Otondo and from Shope seem to be the very epitome of petty.

Shope is complaining about Sen. Juan Mendez (D-Tempe) and his desire to protect his newborn daughter from Covid by not being around Shope and the other unmasked anti-vaxxers at the Capitol.

From Ben Giles at KJZZ -

AZ GOP senator wants to investigate lawmaker with newborn who is avoiding the Capitol

Republican Sen. T.J. Shope filed an ethics complaint against a fellow lawmaker who’s avoided the Arizona Capitol out of concern for the health of his newborn daughter.

Sen. Juan Mendez and Rep. Athena Salman, a married pair of Tempe Democrats, welcomed their daughter in January, days before the beginning of a new legislative session. They’ve since avoided the Capitol — which rid itself of most COVID-19 mitigation policies this year — out of an abundance of caution.

I will say this much - Shope is consistent in his disregard for human life.

He supported Sen. Wendy Rogers in her quest to remain in the state senate over her comments about the mass murder of people in a Buffalo supermarket.

Full disclosure time: I have given money and support to Mendez in the past, and would do so again except that I no longer live in his district.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to propagate propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority.  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language into the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

Gee, and I thought that Republicans were supportive of Big Business...profits

Apparently, that's crap.

Of course, they also claim to be supportive of free speech.

We already knew that was crap.

At least, sometimes they multitask.

Their tender sensibilities and easily ruffled feathers are more important to them.

From CBS News -

Barnes & Noble pressured to restrict sales of 2021's most banned book

A Virginia legislator is suing Barnes & Noble to block the book chain from selling two "obscene" books to minors without parental consent. The move comes as conservative lawmakers across the country seek to ban schools and libraries from offering books with content they find objectionable. 

Tim Anderson, a Republican lawyer who serves in the Virginia House of Delegates, said he filed a lawsuit on behalf of his client, Tommy Altman, who is running for Congress. Altman, who describes himself as a disabled veteran, states in a cmpaign video on his website that he is running to protect freedom, including the right to free speech. 

My only question is, when this scheme comes to Arizona (and it surely will), is will it be done by Cathi Herrod directly or will it be fronted by one of her water carriers in the legislature?

"Trust" in the Supreme Court has been weakened by the leak? Dear Justice Thomas: Trust was gone long before now.

From USA Today -

Justice Thomas laments leak of draft Supreme Court abortion opinion: 'Kind of an infidelity'

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday compared the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion in a blockbuster abortion case to "an infidelity," arguing that it weakens trust within the high court as well as public perceptions of the institution.

"When you lose that trust, especially in the institution that I'm in, it changes the institution fundamentally. You begin to look over your shoulder," Thomas said at an event in Dallas. "It's like kind of an infidelity – that you can explain it but you can't undo it."

Ummm....sometimes the decisions are pro-corporate, like in Hobby Lobby and Citizens United, or pro-party, like Bush v. Gore or Rucho v. Common Cause, most of this court's decisions are like the draft Roe decision - anti-American people.

Trust in the Court was set aside, by the Court itself, long ago.

Well, at least Ducey can dance

Hey, it's the Republican two step, but at least it's a dance.

Of course, I could describe it as "shameless hypocrisy," but I'm nicer than that.  Trust me. :)

From Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services, published by KJZZ -

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says his pro-life stance applies to abortions, not the death penalty

Gov. Doug Ducey said Wednesday his self-proclaimed "pro-life'' position covers only abortions and not executions — even those carried out in the name of the state.

Ducey said he believes in the death penalty in "certain rare situations.''

Ducey *is* consistent about one thing - he rarely grants clemency or pardons to those convicted of crimes, even wrongly.