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Friday, January 31, 2014

Insanity Rules! Maine: Court Orders That Boy Must Be Allowed To Use Girl's Bathroom - UPDATED AND BUMPED: Father, Wayne Maines, Is An Activist and Huffington Post Contributor

From Maine's Portland Press Herald:
Maine’s highest court: Transgender student’s rights were violated

Nicole Maines’ school was wrong to require the fifth-grader to use a unisex bathroom, justices rule in a historic gender-identity decision that could be a model for other states.


The rights of a transgender girl from Orono were violated when school administrators made her use a staff bathroom at her elementary school instead of the girls’ restroom, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday.

The ruling is the first in which a state supreme court has affirmed a transgender person’s right to equal access to restrooms in places of public accommodation.

Lawyers representing Nicole Maines, who is now 16, said the decision could lay a foundation for other states’ courts that are facing questions about the emerging rights of people who identify as the opposite of their birth gender....
Read the rest HERE. You have to read it to believe that this is the sorry condition into which America has descended by leaps and bounds.

BTW, the court's ruling was 5-1. The decision wasn't even close.

UPDATE, FROM PASTORIUS -

Nicole's father, Wayne Maines, is a Transgender Activist and Huffington Post contributor.

I'm guessing there will be a lot more to dig up on this guy.

UPDATE - Wayne  Maines has a Phd. from West Virginia University

I want to find out what field his Phd. is in. 

IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO GET A HOLD OF HIS THESIS, PLEASE HELP.

UPDATE - In this video, Wayne Maines claimes, with a smirk, that he is "a former Republican."




UPDATE - Here, Maines claims he was "a Ronald Reagan Conservative," and that he is still a Conservative.

If that's the case, then why does he smirk in the above video?

UPDATE - I think this is his Doctoral Thesis, published in book form.

Zac Brown Band
Sweet Annie


Colder Weather


Toes


Chicken Fried


Interesting Reactions To The 2014 SOTU

This morning, a client told me about this video, and I stumbled upon it during blog rounds just now (hat tip to Capitalist Preservation):

GAME OVER: Poll: 'Islam in Europe' sends shivers down the back.

From Will at THE OTHER NEWS:


Poll: 'Islam in Europe' sends shivers down the back.(IsraelFlash).

An investigation that sends shivers down the back - below a chart with 3 questions.


  • 60% of Muslims demand a return to the roots of Islam 
  • 75% accept only one reading of the Koran, without interpretation 
  • 65% believe that religious laws are more important than local civil laws 
  • 44% agreed with the all three rules, characterizing the fact "fundamentalist." 
  • For comparison, the percentages for Christians are 13-21%, with only 4% combining three rules defining fundamentalism.


Religious fundamentalism among Muslims is not a marginal phenomenon in Western Europe.

This is the result of migration researchers Ruud Koopmans from the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) in its evaluation of a representative survey of immigrants and natives in six European countries. 


  • Two-thirds of surveyed Muslims hold religious laws therefore more important than the laws of the country in which they live. 
  • Three-quarters of them found there is only one possible interpretation of the Koran. 
  • Almost 60 percent of Muslim respondents rejected homosexuals depart as friends, 
  • 45 percent think that you can not trust Jews, 
  • and just as many believe that the West wants to destroy Islam. (From LSGabriel and Kewil)

Scarlett, Sodastream and Superbowl the PERFECT STORM to bring BDS to a head

UPDATE AT BOTTOM:
BDS= Boycott Divest Sanction
One of Sodastream’s facilities sits in Male Aduumim in the near Jerusalem West Bank. It is in an area which in the spring of 1967 as it became OBVIOUS Nasser was going wage a ‘war of annihilation’, which Israel HOPED along with all of East Jerusalem would REMAIN with Jordan. In fact Abba Eban the Foreign Minister of Israel, repeatedly used the USA to tell Jordan’s King Hussein if HE would restrain himself from attacking Israel, then Israel would take NO ACTION against Jordan in Jordan or in the West Bank. 
Of course, he attacked Israel, and then the West Bank, rather become part of an Arab ruled (and presumably settled) Palestine sitting on an annihilated Israel, became instead conquered Israeli territory.
But this facility as Johannson states .. well …from JTA:
The Israeli company, which sells a popular kitchen gadget that turns tap water into carbonated drinks, has a large factory in a West Bank settlement. When SodaStream announced that it would run an ad during the Super Bowl, the pro-Palestinian boycott campaign against the company reached a fever pitch.
But for hundreds of Palestinians, SodaStream isn’t a target; it’s their employer.
On a recent afternoon, women wearing hijabs hurried to their shifts at the plant located in Ma’ale Adumin, a suburban settlement about 15 minutes west of Jerusalem. Some 500 West Bank Palestinians work at the site, in addition to 400 Arabs from eastern Jerusalem and a mix of 200 Israeli Jews and foreign workers, including refugees from Africa.
The Maale Adumim factory has an on-site mosque and a synagogue, and Jewish and Arab employees share the same dining hall. SodaStream has two other facilities in Israel, in Ashkelon and the Galilee town of Mount Tabor. The Galilee factory employs several hundred Israeli Arabs.
“Everyone works together: Palestinians, Russians, Jews,” a Palestinian employee named Rasim at the Maale Adumim site told JTA. Rasim has worked at the plant for four months and asked that his last name not be published. “Everything is OK. I always work with Jews. Everyone works together, so of course we’re friends.”
For SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum, treating Arabs and Jews equally is a doctrine, not a convenience.
“We practice equality and full cooperation both on the job and off it,” Birnbaum told the Arab publication Al Monitor in a recent interview.
Israel HAS MULTIPLE times in it’s history abandoned conquered lands for peace. Sinai in 1956 and upon peace with Egypt after 1973. This required REMOVING settlers.
Southern Lebanon after 2000.
Gaza in 2005. This required REMOVING settlers. By force.
Israel now administers lands which it retains, because recent (and all) history indicates Arabs are not prepared to accept Israel’s existence as a Jewish homeland AND PEACE in return for Arab rule in the West Bank. Thus Israel’s existence in any form as a Jewish homeland is maintained by FORCE OF ARMS. Because no Arab in power will make this peace, this continues. Because no Arab in power will make this peace, others with delusional ideas about Israel and the Arabs, some of whom want to liken Jews to Nazis, believe Israel occupies this land illegally.
Others such as Oxfam. Others such as the American Studies Association.
So let this Sodastream plant and the firm Ms. Johannson serve as the icon for this struggle.
Sodastream and Ms Johannson are examples of the way Israeli people want peace to be. No difference between Arabs and Jews. A dream.  Really a dream. As we can see.
Oxfam and too many others want to destroy that small achievement because no Arab in power will accept a Jewish state ON OTHER LANDS, and want to render those employees JOBLESS in the West Bank.
Those are the sides.
Sodastream can just tear down the plant and rebuild in any other part of Israel. Problem solved.
Why don’t they?
When he was invited to the Israeli president’s residence recently to receive an award, Birnbaum brought with him a few Palestinian employees and insisted on undergoing the same rigorous security checks to which they were subjected, Birnbaum told Al Monitor. When it came time for Birnbaum’s speech, he broke with protocol and publicly upbraided his host, President Shimon Peres, for the unequal treatment that his Palestinian workers had received, including strip searches down to their underwear.
“We are committed to continue serving as a bridge and to sowing hope,” Birnbaum said in his speech. “Who knows as well as you, Mr. Peres, how important it is to remain optimistic that one day there will be peace?”
SodaStream’s case, some say, is one example of how boycotting an Israeli company doing business in the West Bank can end up hurting the very goals that boycott proponents say they are trying to achieve: Palestinian rights and Israel-Palestinian peace.
Barring Arab abandonment of Right of Return (= no Israel), all this will go on FOREVER.
Because of this it’s hard to envision a future without multiple other wars. Each one is a war Israel must win or die. Each victory will bring more conquered territory.
How STUPID is BDS?
How STUPID is Oxfam?
How strong and smart is Scarlett Johannson?

Coke Backs BDS Group Trying to Cripple Israeli Soda Competitor

Coca Cola has donated millions to the anti-Israel group Oxfam International, which is currently backing a campaign to boycott an Israeli soda company that competes directly with Coke.
Oxfam has taken the lead in recent days in a campaign to boycott SodaStream, an Israeli-based beverage manufacturer that is under fire from supporters of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The battle between SodaStream and BDS supporters has heated up in recent days after actress Scarlett Johansson severed her ties with Oxfam over its anti-Israel activism.
BDS supporters have also gone after Johansson, who is currently serving as SodaStream’s spokesperson.
One of SodaStream’s most prominent competitors—the Coca Cola company—has donated more than $2.5 million to Oxfam over the past several years, leading some to wonder if Coke is supporting Oxfam as a means to defeat the competition.
“In 2011, Coca Cola contributed $400,000 to a research project ‘analyzing the poverty footprint of beverage giant Coca Cola and multinational bottling company SABMiller in Zambia and El Salvador’ and, in addition, $2.5 million in 2008-2010 for humanitarian work,” the website Israellycool.com reported on Friday.
“The question remains: Is Oxfam’s opposition to SodaStream and Scarlett Johansson’s role as brand ambassador due to their anti-Israel bias or pro-Coke bias?” the website asks.
Neither Coca-Cola nor Oxfam responded to requests for comment.
PepsiCo spokesperson Jeff Dahncke declined to comment when reached by theWashington Free Beacon.

EU Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day Without Ever Mentioning Jews


From the Jerusalem Post:
Baroness Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and vice president of the European Commission, issued a statement this week marking international Holocaust Remembrance Day. 
It was commendable that the EU at all chose to note the day, but what Ashton said on its behalf on Monday was surreal. 
She managed to use 121 words without ever mentioning Jews. Her glaring omission is quite remarkable. 
Ashton even lauded “all those who acted with courage and sacrifice to protect their fellow citizens against persecution.” But who were these nameless “fellow citizens”? 
It is highly doubtful that Ashton’s lapse is inadvertent. Not everything can be ascribed to unintentional slipups.
Lauren Alaina
Georgia Peaches


18 Inches

France: "Day of Rage" Protest On the Eve of the Holocaust Remembrance Day Features Ugly, Loud Anti-Semitism

From Ace of Spades:

In the video below, "Juif" -- their favorite word -- means Jew, of course. The first thing said is Juif, casse-toi, La France n'est pas à toi!

This means something like: "Jew, get the hell out, France is not for you."



GO READ THE WHOLE THING.

UPDATE, from Vlad Tepes ---
On January 27th in France, an amazing march took place of 17,000 people chanting and marching for secularism and a return to French values for France. It was truly something. Sadly, at the end of the march, something like 150 dough headed Nazis mixed with Dieudonne fans marched at the back of the throng chanting against Jews and in favor of gas chambers. Sadly, some media, including some Jewish media, dishonestly reported the event making it look like it was all about antisemitism and not what it really was. The video below was the tail end of the march, taking advantage of the massive crowd that was there for the right reasons.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Amnesty, Border Security and Immigration are 3 separate issues - TREAT THEM THAT WAY

Ted Cruz is going nuts over his CORRECT tactical interpretation of what House republicans might do by getting BEHIND anything perceived as amnesty. It might so demoralize and disillusion the republicans that turnout is destroyed.
And no one is left insisting on border security.

Immigration

Class

Low/No Info Voters:

This argument about attitudes which Coulter (someone I normally agree with) makes little difference. It’s been going on since Andrew Jackson was elected by the semi literate, illiterate ‘low class’, ignorant westerners whose background and attitudes were UTTERLY different from those Virginia and other gentlemen who wrote the Declaration, and consummated their ideas as the USA in 1789 (in 6 pages).
The argument was made again as the Irish and Germans swarmed across our coasts in the 1840’s and 50’s and was repeated on the other coast with millions of Japanese and Chinese.
Then came the eastern and southern Europeans from about 1885 through 1924.
More recently Vietnamese and other Asians have swarmed to us.
With each wave many despaired of the values of ‘real americans’.
'They' are not like 'us'.
'They' do not share our values.
'They' will ruin America.

NEWSFLASH: There is no way back or out

We ARE and will always be an immigrant society. Hell, even the so called natives came across the Bering Sea.
With each wave, sooner or later those values we hold as making US, US have penetrated even as every single wave was said to be DIFFERENT.
If we finally FAIL to allow what we are to penetrate into the immigrants coming here the fault is OURS. It is because the Bill Ayers’, and Bernadine Dorn’s make up the syllabus nationwide. It is not because 12 million Mexicans are here illegally. It is not because all kinds of people want to be here. It is up to us to EDUCATE about our values and insist they be tested to become one of us.

Amnesty: An anathema.


We have illegals here en masse. We are not putting them on buses and boxcars and deporting them. FORGET THAT. People who dream of mass deportations ARE fringe extremists. We need some STRICT path to legal status and deportation of those who ignore that path. To hell with the Chamber of Commerce. This is too important for that. That path should one which takes equal time to reach citizenship as someone who immigrates legally. And it should be traversed with numerous checks per year.

Border Security


COMPULSORY for either immigration reform or changes of the status of illegals. The conversation begins there, and if it does not get past that, nothing else happens.

Scarlett Johansson Quits Oxfam Over Group’s Anti-Israel Stance


From Newsmax:
US actress Scarlett Johansson has quit as global ambassador for Oxfam after the aid group deemed the role "incompatible" with her promotion of an Israeli firm that has a factory in the occupied West Bank. 
Johansson, 29, appears in an advertisement for home drinks carbonation firm SodaStream, which is due to air during the US Super Bowl on Sunday. 
It has already been seen more than 4.5 million times on the YouTube video-sharing website. The Hollywood star has worked for Oxfam since 2005 but the British-based aid agency said she had stepped down due to her role with SodaStream. 
A statement released by Johansson's spokesman Wednesday said the 29-year-old actress has "a fundamental difference of opinion" with Oxfam International because the humanitarian group opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, saying they are illegal and deny Palestinian rights. 
"Scarlett Johansson has respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years," the statement said. 
"She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. She is very proud of her accomplishments and fundraising efforts during her tenure with Oxfam." 

Iran's 'FINAL DEAL': Disabling Instead of Dismantling?


From Will at THE OTHER NEWS:

Iran's 'FINAL DEAL':  Disabling Instead of Dismantling?HT: Nukes of Hazard.

Last week, in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria in Davos, Switzerland, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that Iran will not destroy any of its approximately 19,000 centrifuges, roughly 10,000 of which are currently being used to enrich uranium.

Critics of the ongoing diplomatic process unsurprisingly jumped on Rouhani's remarks as evidence that Iran is negotiating in bad faith and will never take the steps necessary to ensure that its program cannot be used to make bombs - despite the fact that it wasn't entirely clear from the discussion whether Zakaria was referring to the first step deal agreed to last November (which clearly doesn't require the destruction of any centrifuges) or a final agreement, which has yet to be negotiated,

Even supporters of the first step agreement expressed grave concern about Rouhani's apparent ultimatum. Bloomberg’s Jeffrey Goldberg called it a “bad sign” and Zakaria himself warned of a coming diplomatic “train wreck”.

Everyone needs to calm down.

The November 2013 first step agreement between the P5+1 and Iran verifiably caps Iran's nuclear program and rolls back its most proliferation sensitive aspect: the stockpiling and production of uranium enriched to 20%. In return, Iran will receive approximately $7 billion in sanctions relief (assuming of course that it lives up to its obligations under the deal).

However, neither side intends this to be the end state of the diplomatic process. The P5+1 rightly seeks much greater constraints on Iran's program (including but not confined to limits on the number of centrifuges) and Tehran seeks much greater relief from sanctions. Constructing a deal that meets the requirements of both sides is the subject of the next round of talks, which are slated to get underway in February.

Citing a recent report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a respected authority on the technical aspects of Iran's nuclear program, Goldberg argues that Iran would have to dismantle 15,000 centrifuges as part of any acceptable final deal, since merely mothballing them and leaving them in Iran would allow the regime to quickly start spinning them again. 

But this is a gross misreading of what the ISIS report proposes regarding centrifuges. In fact, ISIS more or less recommends the mothballing approach Goldberg says is a non-starter. 

The report states that as part of a final deal that keeps Iran 6-12 months away from a breakout capacity, Iran will need to cap the number of centrifuges at roughly 4000 (down from the current 19,000) and that excess centrifuges must be turned off, disabled in a manner so as to require at least one month to restart their operation, and then stored in locations separate from the operating centrifuges under strict IAEA supervision. 

The stored centrifuges would only be unsealed to replace or provide spare parts to repair broken centrifuges from among those still spinning. 

Under this scenario, then, Iran may not be forced to technically dismantle any centrifuges, depending on how one defines “dismantle”. There are undeniably other ways to limit Iran's domestic centrifuge capacity without requiring that Iran physically put its centrifuges to the band saw.

At this point it’s not at all clear what Rouhani meant by dismantlement or what end state he and the Supreme Leader would or would not accept. Indeed, it would be surprising if Rouhani publicly revealed exactly what he would be willing to countenance as part of a final deal, given that talks have scarcely gotten off the ground. A long and difficult negotiation, which will encompass far more than the issue of centrifuges, is ahead of us and we shouldn’t rush to judgment based on limited information.

It's also important to remember that there are many critics of diplomacy back in Iran and Rouhani is certainly mindful of this fact. He is seeking to paint his efforts in the toughest light possible to his domestic audience, which is divided about the merits of limiting Iran’s nuclear program.

This also in large part explains Iran's strong reactions to U.S. characterizations of certain aspects of the first step deal as "dismantlement." But what matters at the end of the day is the text of the agreement, which identifies clear steps that each side must take. The same will be the case regarding whatever final deal is reached. The rest is just political theater. 

This is not to downplay the potential costs of domestic posturing. The more Rouhani says that Iran will not accept any dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program, the harder it could be for him to accept and sell back home the significant roll back that will undoubtedly be demanded.

Likewise, the more Obama administration officials say that Iran must dismantle large parts of its nuclear infrastructure, the more difficult it could be to find creative solutions that verifiably keep Iran from the bomb and to convince Congress to move on the significant sanctions relief that will be required to secure Iranian concessions. 

But Rouhani’s dismantlement comment shouldn’t be grounds for excessive hyperventilation. A good final deal can be achieved without physically destroying centrifuges.

President Obama has stated that he believes the odds of reaching a final deal with Iran on its nuclear program are no better than 50-50. There is no doubt that the next round of talks will be enormously challenging and that significant gaps between the two sides will need to be closed. But these talks are the best chance we have to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program can’t be used to develop bombs. We should give our negotiators the space and flexibility they need to explore what might be possible.

Knock Out Game Thug Who Attacked 7 Women: I Slugged 6 In “Self Defense”


From the New York Post:
An unhinged Brooklyn man accused of punching seven women — including a 78-year-old — in brutal “knockout” attacks last year told cops he attacked six of them in “self-defense,” and hit another woman because she almost made him spill his Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, court papers revealed Wednesday. 
Barry Baldwin, 35, hit the women in seven separate attacks in Canarsie and Midwood between Nov. 7 and Dec. 27, court papers state. 
His Jan. 3 arrest came in the midst of a slew of possible “knockout game” attacks — in which innocent people are sucker-punched by thrill-seeking punks — including multiple attacks against Orthodox Jewish and Hasidic people in Brooklyn and a rash of attacks on Long Island.
MEANWHILE:

University of Minnesota Black Students And Faculty Demand School Stop Describing Race of Suspects In Crime Alerts

This Week On The Gathering Storm

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, hosted by WC and Always On Watch.

The show broadcasts live for 30 minutes every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is 646-915-9870. Callers welcome!

Our scheduled guest this week is Mr. Ducky.

Listen to the January 31, 2014 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

Humpday Blues

Rory Block
Crossroad Blues


Terraplane Blues


If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Has China developed it’s own Zero-Sen, while we are looking at Wildcats?

In the last 50 years, and even as far back as WW2 we have seen allies and those inimical to us work out how to copy what we (or our allies) have developed, or at worse reverse engineer what we do, with ONE exception.
Before WW2 we had little money invested in R&D and new production of aircraft, especially fighters. In the late 30’s we pushed forward the F4F Wildcat for the Navy.
This stubby, well armored, moderately armed, slow except in a dive, and not so maneuverable fighter found itself against the premier fighter of the age. The Mitsubishi Zero developed by the Japanese. It was Swift, VERY long ranged, extremely maneuverable, but couldn’t take too many hits. However it totally outclassed anything we had and cost the lives of many fine men including superb American pilots weighed down with inferior equipment.
Since then we have seen the Russians copy the B-29 as the TU-4, all the way thru the copies of today.
Today, our situation in terms of the income disposable to the R&D of weapons begins to mimic that of the 30’s as the needs of our populace and the interest on the debt (20 F-35’s a week) constrain our freedom to plan and act.
In the past 3 days we see now the Chinese SURPASS our weapons development.
China’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that weapons designers recently conducted the first test of an ultra-high speed missile vehicle considered cutting edge military technology.
In a two-sentence statement faxed to news agencies and state-run media in Beijing, the ministry confirmed the flight test of a new hypersonic glide vehicle.
U.S. defense officials said the test of what the Pentagon is calling the WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle took place Jan. 9 over China.
This has been reported ALL OVER THE PLACE. The vehicle flies at 10 times the speed of sound. We have a test vehicle we have used. This appears to be a weapons test. This is a weapon designed to defeat ballistic missile defense by exposing the warhead to very little time we can do anything about it. If our carriers are 500 miles from China, the warhead would reach the fleet in 6 minutes. It would be in range of our defense, the SM-3 Standard for the entire flight IF DETECTED, but the vehicle is maneuverable. The SM-3, to my knowledge, could not have been tested except in theory against a weapon like this. If the weapon gets close we have 1.5 seconds with our weapons of today, EXCEPT ONE. That is the defensive laser we just deployed for the first time on the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf. Now combine this with another weapon, the DF-21 ballistic anti ship missile and you have picture of a very dangerous ocean for the US Navy and our allies, specifically, Japan and Australia  (an Australia already discussing publicly where their future in the Pacific lies).
How can this be turned around in our favor?
We need our economy, that is to say, MANUFACTURING (that which employs the most people with the most gross profit) to take off. That is where the Chinese disposable income for weapons R&D comes from. There are problem in doing this because when it comes to cheap labor, there will always be another China, and ironically THIS is the issue our generation really faces.
We can defend our freedoms most by insuring America is the factory of the world. We must do this DESPITE having nowhere near the cheapest labor.
If we cannot reduce labor costs we must reduce or eliminate taxes. We must make all other costs such as energy MINIMAL. We must do all we can to enhance the ABILITY of those who invent and make things to create and expand, and be far more productive than anyplace else.
Already this challenge includes a SUPERIOR Chinese technical infrastructure to set up manufactories which are flexible.
Want more income equality? Want a lower deficit? Want 4% unemployment? Want more corporate sponsorship of health care?
Make it possible for a new ‘US Steel’ to employ someone across 45 years of a career.
Why was all this MISSING from SOTU?

WTF? 19 Democrat Senators Urge SCOTUS to Force Christian Businesses to Pay for Contraceptives


From Gateway Pundit:

The following Democrats signed the statement:
United States Senators: Patty Murray, Max Baucus, Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Maria Cantwell, Benjamin J. Cardin, Richard J. Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, Tom Harkin, Tim Johnson, Patrick J. Leahy, Carl Levin, Edward J. Markey, Robert Menendez, Barbara A. Mikulski, Harry Reid, Bernard Sanders, Charles E. Schumer, and Ron Wyden
FOX News reported:
Democratic senators intervened Tuesday in the Supreme Court fight over whether ObamaCare can force the company Hobby Lobby to provide contraceptive coverage to workers, arguing that “secular” businesses should not be exempt from the mandate.
The 19 senators planned to file a brief before the court, which is still weeks away from considering the closely watched case. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who planned to make her case on the Senate floor, adamantly defended the Obama administration’s side.
“What’s at stake in this case before the Supreme Court is whether a CEO’s personal beliefs can trump a woman’s right to access free or low-cost contraception under the Affordable Care Act,” she said in prepared remarks.
But Republican senators returned fire, jumping to Hobby Lobby’s defense in a brief of their own.
“The ability to practice the faith we choose is one of our great constitutional rights. The Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate stomps on that right,” Sen. David Vitter said in a statement. He joined Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; John Cornyn, R-Texas; and Mike Lee, R-Utah in the brief.
The dueling arguments come as the Supreme Court prepares to consider the case. The justices said in November they would take up the issue, which has divided the lower courts in the face of roughly 40 lawsuits from for-profit companies asking to be spared from having to cover some or all forms of contraception.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined by Senators. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and David Vitter, R-La., released their own statement today.

Laura Bell Bundy
Giddy On Up


Two Step


I'm No Good (For Ya Baby)