Looper is sci fi in the tradition of Blade Runner, even sharing a dystopian future. [I also detect a bit of Witness and the Matrix.] Of course, time travel is almost always difficult to wrap one’s head around. This is the best such tale I’ve seen since the Butterfly Effect (which was actually more disturbing). Naturally, the pairing of Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is awesome, but the story itself is interesting and the dialog often clever. I can’t remember the last time Jeff Daniels seemed so good. Although there is plenty of gun violence (hey, this is America!) there are only a couple of scenes that were hard to take.
New Mexico is not just another domino regarding marriage equity
Former governor Lew Wallace famously said, “All calculations based on our experiences elsewhere fail in New Mexico.”
Unique legal situation led to decisions on marriage | ABQJournal Online by James Monteleone / Journal Staff Writer
New Mexico is on track to become the 14th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage – without the issue ever being approved by the state’s voters, the Legislature or the New Mexico Supreme Court.
Unique legal situation led to decisions on marriage | ABQJournal Online
Although I like the phrase “marriage equity” (or is it “marriage equality”?), I’m surprised how quickly the phrase caught on and how quickly “same-sex marriage” took a backseat. Political rephrasing is usually the work of conservatives, but not in this case.
Moonrise Kingdom (2 or 3 stars)
I remember being captivated by the previews for Moonrise Kingdom. The visual style of this film is delightful, though not enough to carry it alone. But the cast is phenomenal (too many to list). Yet, the result is hard to recommend except as an amazing anachronism, a bit of amber preserving a long-gone time where affairs consisted of holding hands, people traded letters, and everyone smoked.
[With this movie, we resume our Netflix DVD subscription after several years of streaming-only. I still like Netflix streaming — especially the Windows 8.1 app — but the offerings are weak.]
ThinkProgress is not mincing words: “The Supreme Court has, with rare exception, been a largely malign force in American history.”
Court Is ‘One of Most Activist,’ Ginsburg Says, Vowing to Stay – NYTimes.com
In general, Justice Ginsburg said, “if it’s measured in terms of readiness to overturn legislation, this is one of the most activist courts in history.” …
“I don’t see that my majority opinions are going to be undone,” she said. “I do hope that some of my dissents will one day be the law.”
Court Is ‘One of Most Activist,’ Ginsburg Says, Vowing to Stay – NYTimes.com
ThinkProgress takes the ball and runs with it. Let me stress that the following are NOT quotes from Ginsburg.
Justice Ginsburg’s Terrifying Assessment Of Her Own Court | ThinkProgress
The Supreme Court has, with rare exception, been a largely malign force in American history. …
The Supreme Court in this era did not so much tear down established rights as it stood for a status quo that favored capital over labor and the rich over the rest of the nation.
The Roberts Court, by contrast, has actively rolled back existing laws protecting workers, women and people of color. …
[T]he Roberts Court is unusually willing to take from ordinary Americans rights they have enjoyed for a very long time. The Supreme Court has a long history of standing athwart history yelling stop. This Supreme Court, however, wants to shift history into reverse.
Justice Ginsburg’s Terrifying Assessment Of Her Own Court | ThinkProgress
ABQjournal trumpets website on A1 – did hell just freeze over?
Congrats to abqjournal for entering the 21st century, but I’m not going to let them pat themselves on the back without a flog in their hand. The journal website was gawdawful for more than a decade and that was in large part due to management’s cluelessness and hostility to the Web. I used to use it as the best BAD example I could find in my web design classes. Yes, it is much better. Yes, mobile formats and RSS are a boon. But, it is still hard to find specific stories on this site (such as this one – start at abqjournal.com and tell me how long it takes you). And the epaper version (which costs money) is maddening to use. But, congratulations, none the less.
“Readers tell us they like to take advantage of some of the digital benefits”
Keep your eyes on ALEC in New Mexico
ALEC Is in New Mexico, But Only Marginally in the Albuquerque Journal
By Denise Tessier
Because the Albuquerque Journal has the resources – a team of investigative reporters and excellent politics and government reporters – I have been waiting for the state’s leading daily to produce a story explaining how many, if any, of New Mexico’s legislators are under the influence of the American Legislative Exchange Committee.
ALEC trains state legislators and gives them boilerplate legislation to introduce in their states, furthering the national agenda of ALEC’s corporate backers. Read this story in The Nation to learn about its connection to the Koch brothers. Last week, four legislators were “outed” as supporters of this “bill mill”, but not by the Albuquerque Journal.
The four published names came courtesy of local media newcomer New Mexico Mercury, in a piece written by Pat Davis, director of ProgressNow New Mexico.
But according to the Center for Media and Democracy, the list of New Mexico supporters in the Legislature goes beyond four names. According to CMD, ALEC counts as members 13 from the New Mexico House and four from the New Mexico Senate.
ALEC Is in New Mexico, But Only Marginally in the Albuquerque Journal
Lucky Dog – gone 4 years
Lucky Dog
Tue 08/11/09 at 2:10 pm
Grief is the price of love …
