Community Matters

(Community Matters) I haven’t written my posting on today’s Supreme Court cases but have launched a lot (too many) tweets and FB postings. While still conducting research coming across a few enlightening observations:

Maybe Hollingsworth was an honest commitment to the niceties of federal standing. But denying the Prop 8 advocates standing while extending it to the Congressional Republicans in Windsor is a little awkward.

Marriage benefits by state:

still real questions about which Federal benefits will be available to married same sex couples in states that don’t recognize our marriage – though I’m feeling optimistic that some will

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(Community Matters) it was amazing to watch (virtually through Texas Tribune feed and twitter feeds) while Senator Wendy Davis was shut down by bullshit objections for straying from the topic of abortion legislation (discussing the requirment for a sonogram while obtaining an abortion was ruled nongermane and someone helping adjust a back brace was ruled objectionable too).

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(Community Matters)  from Steven:

Edward Snowden may be a hero.  He may be a traitor. At this point, he may or may not be an American. In any case, he’s a prophet. 

A prophet reminds us of what we’ve conveniently forgotten, what we have to forget to live with ourselves.

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(Community Matters) dinner Friday night with Suzanne Deal Booth & Kevin Keim, after a bit of a museum crawl – loved the B Scene at Blanton. dinner Saturday night with Melba & Ted Whatley, Julie Blakslee & John Spong, Chris Saunders & Hannah Temple, DJ Stout & Lana McGilbray, and Julia & Evan Smith – delicious: the food as well as the conversations and setting.  dinner last night Kara Dockery, Garrett Webber-Gale & Hillary Webber-Gale – everything fresh, local and grilled; the best salmon in a very long time. Breaking bread with friends, family, acquaintances and neighbors while w/ my husband is as good as it gets.

(Community Matters) I’m not inclined to believe what could very probably be a well-organized misinformation campaign to turn public sentiment against Snowden – Edward Snowden Says He Sought Booz Allen Hamilton Job To Gather NSA Surveillance Evidence.

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(Community Matters) 

2020 WATCH – “Battleground Texas plans D.C. fundraiser,” by Alexander Burns: “The Democratic group aiming to transform Texas into a swing state will hold its first Washington fundraiser early next month … Battleground Texas, the organization launched by former Obama campaign officials with the goal of helping Democrats compete in the nation’s largest GOP stronghold, is inviting supporters to a reception at The Hamilton on July 11. Battleground Texas executive director Jenn Brown and senior adviser Jeremy Bird, the Obama campaign’s former national field director, are scheduled to appear at the event. The invitation asks for donations starting at $50 per person and going up to $1,000 apiece for event chairs. One person involved in planning the event said it hoped to encourage participation from younger Democrats …

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(Community Matters)  A wise friend predicted that people worldwide would erupt in their own Arab Springs. Says our Occupy Wall Street was a first and failed attempt. I watch the newly erupting protests worldwide with this prediction in mind.

BREAKING – “One million march across Brazil in biggest protests yet,” by Reuters’ Paulo Prada and Maria Carolina Marcello in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia : “An estimated 1 million people took to the streets in cities across Brazil on Thursday as the country’s biggest protests in two decades intensified despite government concessions meant to quell the demonstrations. Undeterred by the reversal of transport fare hikes that sparked the protests, and promises of better public services, demonstrators marched around two international soccer matches and in locales as diverse as the Amazon capital of Manaus and the prosperous southern city of Florianopolis. … In central Rio de Janeiro, where 300,000 people marched, police afterwards chased looters and dispersed people crowding into surrounding areas.”

(Community Matters) We’re the undisputed 600 lb gorilla in terms of economy & military yet other world leaders are increasingly pushing back. We began to seriously dilute our standing as a beacon of liberty & justice under GWB. It would appear we’re contributing to this again given the Chinese, Russian, German and other leaders’ concerns about the indefinite detention of Guantanamo prisoners, the casualty of civilians in our use of drones, and our international and domestic surveillance programs. This is troubling – much bigger than losing advantage in negotiations – our symbolism has been inspiring to millions around the world for decades, not to mention to ourselves. We must regain a place on the moral high ground. This has got to figure into the cost benefit analysis of our domestic and international programs.

(Community Matters) 

From the Department of Housing and Urban Development: 

This is the first large-scale, paired-testing study to assess housing discrimination against same-sex couples in metropolitan rental markets via advertisements on the Internet. The research is based on 6,833 e-mail correspondence tests conducted in 50 metropolitan markets across the United States from June through October 2011. For each correspondence test, two e-mails were sent to the housing provider, each inquiring about the availability of the unit advertised on the Internet.

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please forgive the formatting. Something is caddywompus with WordPress this am

(Community Matters) I’d probably come down accepting of the privacy costs in favor of protection against future terrorists attacks if I believed government reports about how we’re using the data and the inviolable safeguards. I don’t know what it says about me that at this point I believe Snowden and tech sources more than I believe government spokespersons . . . but it’s where I find myself. And, I don’t doubt Snowden exaggerates and is suffering paranoia (understandably).

(Community Matters) I’m sorta at a loss about this. I’m not sure what legislators think we hire them to do if not first and foremost protect citizens’ lives. Corporate interests are seen as the real constituents of far too many politicos.

“I want to make sure we don’t start giving everybody a lot of instructions,” said Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Canton.

[but instructions about women’s bodies, but instructions about sex in between consulting adults, but instructions about sex education in schools . . . no, you are bought and paid for by special interests Mr Flynn]

AAS: “Legislators wary of imposing regulations after West explosion.”

(Community Matters) Discovered via tweet from Elizabeth Minchill

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Photos by photographer Léo Caillard and photo retoucher Alexis Persani.