Monthly Archives: February 2015

Another blogger vomits forth on the Internet

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Blogger Ben Railton says that Gov. Charles Pinkney (1757–1824) wrote the line in the US Constitution “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office.” And that Pinkney was later asked

whether it would mean that “a Muslim could run for office in these United States?” Pinckney’s answer? “Yes, it does, and I hope to live to see it happen.”

I love it. But when asked for the cite, Railton could only reply

Thanks for the comment and good question. I found this exchange a good while back while working with Elliott’s Debates, the multi-volume account of the ratification debates, in the Library of Congress. As I noted and recorded it then, Pinckney was responding to a question from Patrick Calhoun, father of John C.; Calhoun’s question did use the word Mahometan, which I decided here to modernize.

The exchange stood out to me sufficiently when I noted it then that I believe that I read, recorded, and remember it accurately, although unfortunately while writing this piece I wasn’t able to find it documented in the available online transcripts of portions of the ratification debates. That’s a tricky question when it comes to online op eds like this, I guess–if I were including it in a book or even journal article I would probably have to make a trip to DC to confirm from prior notes before including it, but I felt it okay to rely on my notes and memory for this piece.

Hope that helps, and sorry I don’t have an online source for it. Thanks,
Ben

I couldn’t have gotten away with that kind of lame citation in college. Apparently Railton’s school was more forgiving.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/if-charles-pinckney-1780s-southern-politician-fought-islamophobia-we-can-too

PS: If you’d care to search for yourself, the Constitution Society has Elliot’s Debates on line.

PPS: Thanks to MrMild for this:

Lincoln quote

Jeb Bush Won’t Talk About His Brother’s Record — But What About Obama?

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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has no interest in “re-litigating” the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which began under his brother’s administration.”I won’t talk about the past,” Bush said at a Friday press conference when asked how he would have handled the conflicts differently, according to The Washington Post. “I’ll talk about the future. If I’m in the process of considering the possibility of running, it’s not about re-litigating anything in the past. It’s about trying to create a set of ideas and principles that will help us move forward.”

Ok, so he he won’t talk about the past. Does that include Obama, or does only his brother get a pass?

via Jeb Bush Won’t Talk About Wars His Brother Started.

Don’t ya love the Free Market? — Floridians forced to sell their homes at huge losses

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In Florida, home of the rabid we-hate-gummint crowd, developers can seize your condo and pay you cents on the dollar. Don’t like it? Move to some pinko place like New York or LA.

Watch: Floridians forced to sell their homes at huge losses http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2015/2/6/florida-condo-law.html via DuckDuckGo for Android

NBC Nightly News starring Jon Stewart

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Brian Williams has been suspended from NBC for six months and Jon Stewart has announced his retirement from The Daily Show.

What a great opportunity for the Peacock Network to boost its credibility by bringing aboard the guy who’s done more to restore real journalism to the airwaves than anyone else in the mainstream media.

If NBC can’t afford Stewart, maybe they could sign Seth Meyers. We know he can read the news, he’s entertaining and his late night show sucks anyway.

Jon Stewart’s retirement matches up well with NBC opening – NY Daily News.

Jack White’s Agency Blacklists University Of Oklahoma For Publishing His Guacamole Recipe and Contract

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One of the cool things about working here at the BiteCastle is that you get to make fun of the stupid things famous people do. Like musician Jack White.

White has been booked to play at the University of Oklahoma. The school paper, The Oklahoma Daily, cleverly used a Freedom of Information Act request to get a copy of White’s contract from which they published some of the more amusing bits like White’s preferred guacamole recipe.

Hilarity ensued, followed shortly thereafter by White’s booking agency, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, deciding to bar all of its clients from working at OU.

So, do I really think White is an asshole for wanting a particular kind of guacamole? Nah. If I were stuck making a living in Norman, Oklahoma, I’d want chunky guacamole, too.

The real assholes here are White’s agents, who think that withholding the services of top talent like Barry Manilow, Snoop Dogg, and Paris Hilton is some kind of unbearable punishment.

More like a blessing, I’d say.

Jack White’s Agency Blacklists University Of Oklahoma For Publishing His Guacamole Recipe, Contract.

NB: The Smoking Gun has been publishing artist riders for years.

Democrats might skip Benjamin Netanyahu speech

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When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled a speech before the US Congress with House Speaker John Boehner, the shit hit the fan.

It was a brazen political end-run around the US President, designed to help Netanyahu raise his profile before the upcoming Israeli elections and position Boehner as the go-to guy on foreign policy, in place of Obama.

The White House pushed back — and hard. Now the question is whether Democratic members of Congress should attend the event. If they go, they’re boosting Boehner; if they boycott, they’re disrespecting Israel.

The Bitemaster isn’t sure what he’d do were he a member of Congress. Maybe attend the speech and heckle the PM in the best Joe Wilson style.

Democrats might skip Benjamin Netanyahu speech – Edward-Isaac Dovere and Jake Sherman – POLITICO.

Sarah and Bristol Palin push fringe plan to let Muslims rewrite the Constitution

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Yup, the Palins want to call a constitutional convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. They claim that “. . . average citizens can stop the federal spending spree, power grabs, and other abuses by proposing amendments to rein in the federal government.” But I think it’s just a ruse to throw out the First Amendment and impose Sharia law on God-fearing Americans.

Sarah and Bristol Palin push fringe plan to let Christian conservatives rewrite the Constitution.

Unarmed Virginia man shot by cop had his hands in the air, fellow officers told investigators

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Oh, it’s just another unnecessary police shooting.

We do have a problem here, and it’s a systemic problem, but I don’t see it the way other commentators see it.

When the Bitemaster makes a mistake, he just says, “Sorry, let me get those fries for you.” When a cop makes a mistake, someone goes to jail, gets arrested, or maybe gets shot.

I don’t see how cops can do their jobs without getting more leeway than you and I get. Their job puts them constantly in situations where people are drunk, violent, pissed, suicidal, or mentally ill. The police will make mistakes — lots of mistakes. The problem is that we’ve never formally defined how much leeway they’re to get and how it is to be dispensed.

Instead, we have an informal system where prosecutors will intentionally undermine their case against a policeman or refuse to indict even when the grand jury finds probable cause.

For the protection our police and the protection of our rights, we need to define the real standard of behavior that we expect of our police. One that imperfect human beings can live up to.

Unarmed Virginia man shot by cop had his hands in the air, fellow officers told investigators.