Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 5h

The existence of even one Catholic convert dismantles the central lie of religion, that it is an innate characteristic from birth and therefore should have human rights awarded to it.

See I can make bullshit, nonsense arguments too, Heritage Foundation.

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 6h

“The existence of even one ex gay dismantles the central lie of homosexuality, that it is an innate characteristic from birth and therefore should have human rights awarded to it.”

Same shit different era.

Chloe Cole: The existence of even one detransitioner dismantles the central lie of transgenderism, that it is an innate characteristic from birth and therefore should have human rights awarded to it.

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athenamaggie.bsky.social @athenamaggie.bsky.social · 4h

“But at oral argument today, Justice Sam Alito brought up an important, additional way that he thought Bost could be harmed by Illinois’s law, which Bost carelessly left out of his complaint: People could vote for Democrats.”

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 7h

every so often Justice Alito says something during Supreme Court oral argument that makes me perk up and go uhh lol this man's brain is pickled in conservative crank juice fr fr

today was one such day

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/bost-...

Sam Alito Is Just Asking Questions About Mail-In Voting

In Illinois, Democrats passed a law making it easier for people to cast absentee ballots. Alito was ready to give the Republican challenging the law some free advice.

ballsandstrikes.org

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Robin Marty @robinmarty.com · 17h

Can’t wait for Alito to explain why you have a right to pray at midfield on public school property but should be shot in the head with “less” lethal ammo when you do it in front of an immigration detention facility

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s video of the incident

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athenamaggie.bsky.social @athenamaggie.bsky.social · 1d

The title says it all:

The Conservative Justices Don't Trust Any Science That Supports LGBTQ Kids

🤬

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 1d

I've written my analysis of today's grim Supreme Court oral argument in the conversion therapy case:

As far as the Court's concerned, imaginary medical uncertainty gives states the authority to hurt queer kids, and takes away states' authority to protect them

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/chile...

The Conservative Justices Don't Trust Any Science That Supports LGBTQ Kids

States that want to facilitate discrimination against LGBTQ people have the Court's blessing. States that want to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination do not.

ballsandstrikes.org

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Listen To Sassy @listentosassy.com · 2d

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 3d

Hard to see Republican governors in the South salivating at invading blue states in the North and not think that these neo-Confederates have been jonesing for re-run of the Civil War ever since

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 2d

related, when the president is invading our own country, waging war on our own people, i don't wanna see dems give the GOP shit they ask for, don't wanna hear shit bout 'we hope our friends across the aisle will work with us on bipartisan solutions to the problems they cause' i don't want none of it

Grudgie the Whale @grudgie.bsky.social · 3d

Look. Invading our own country is about as straightforward a case as you can have for impeachment. The GOP abandoning the Constitution is kind of the only story there is and it gets no coverage.

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 3d

Guys. I just had a crazy idea. What if the President DIDN’T deploy troops in American cities. Just a thought. Have we tried that before?

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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 3d

this is, of course, not new

“Jews run the world” and “trans women will attack you in the ladies room” and “that Black 10-year-old is a scary grown man” are all examples of the same deceptive reframing of where power lies so people can justify doing whatever they want

it’s evil every time

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Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 4d

"Fuck ICE" is a patriotic sentiment. Perhaps the most patriotic in this moment.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 4d

also, in keeping with Vance’s view of american identity, only white people are fully American with the right to critique or dissent. nonwhites must show proper gratitude (supporting Trump or marrying JD Vance) before they can speak critically of the country (in approved ways, of course)

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 4d

Weaponized gratitude is a key tool in the abuser's toolkit. The goal is to convince the victim that they owe the abuser so much, they should feel guilty for wanting to complain.

Tweet from the VP:
Joy Reid has had such a good life in this country. It's been
overwhelmingly kind and gracious to her. She is far wealthier than most.
Yet she oozes with contempt.
My honest, non-trolling advice to Joy Reid is that you'd be a much
happier person if you showed a little gratitude

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 5d

'this is a long answer not bc the question is hard but bc you're so wrong in so many ways and I'm gonna go through all of them' is a hilarious way to open a court opinion

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 5d

Unanimous First Circuit takes pains to emphasize that this was an incredibly easy case to decide, despite writing a very long opinion knocking down every ridiculous argument the Trump admin made.

The analysis that follows is necessarily lengthy, as we
must address the parties' numerous arguments in each of the cases
involved. But the length of our analysis should not be mistaken
for a sign that the fundamental question that these cases raise
about the scope of birthright citizenship is a difficult one. It
is not, which may explain why it has been more than a century since
a branch of our government has made as concerted an effort as the
Executive Branch now makes to deny Americans their birthright.

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 5d

and for the MAGA motherfuckers on the Supreme Court, there is no greater harm than Trump being *prevented from harming people exactly when he wants to

so we get these outrageous decisions like, Well surely the govt will suffer more if it can't arbitrarily make people vulnerable to deportation ASAP

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Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 5d

"Something’s not quite clicking... And yet, despite that, Democrats are still winning the public debate. Imagine how big these polling gaps would be if Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries had a comms strategy that had folks fired up."

Remarkably, Democrats Are Winning the Shutdown Debate

And it's not even close.

charlotteclymer.substack.com

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Emily L. Hauser (she/her) ❌👑 @emilylhauser.bsky.social · 5d

It's not unlike saying that if Black people were told to produce their papers in the pre-Civil War era and those papers demonstrated that they were free citizens, they were promptly released.

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 6d

Kavanaugh recently suggested immigration stops are no big deal if you're a legal resident bc ICE just promptly releases you

That is not, in fact, what ICE does

He invents a fiction bc the reality of the policies he supports is too disturbing for him to imagine

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/brett...

Brett Kavanaugh’s Racial Profiling Opinion Is Looking Sillier By the Day

Kavanaugh said that immigration agents “promptly” release people after determining that they are legal U.S. residents. They don’t.

ballsandstrikes.org

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 6d

Kavanaugh's explanation of why racial profiling is Actually OK was obviously a crock of shit the day it was written but also, in light of the new lawsuit by a US citizen arrested by ICE twice in 2 weeks, and the horrible Chicago raids,

the shitpot is aging poorly
ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/brett...

Brett Kavanaugh’s Racial Profiling Opinion Is Looking Sillier By the Day

Kavanaugh said that immigration agents “promptly” release people after determining that they are legal U.S. residents. They don’t.

ballsandstrikes.org

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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 7d

I hope this catches on and becomes his legacy

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 7d

An arrest of a person due entirely to the person having dark skin color is now known across the country as a "Kavanaugh stop," based on Justice Kavanaugh's justification of the practice. slate.com/news-and-pol...

There’s a New Lawsuit Against “Kavanaugh Stops.” It’s Absolutely Devastating.

These detentions, far from the “brief” inconvenience the justice described, are often lengthy, violent, and dangerous.

slate.com

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 7d

what does an "unconstitutional DEI principle" mean in the context of a tunnel project? what, a black person is going to use it?

City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · 7d

OMB Director Russell Voight says that US DOT will announce that the federal government is "pausing" funding for both Gateway and the Second Avenue Subway because of "unconstitutional DEI principles" -- x.com/russvought/s...

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athenamaggie.bsky.social @athenamaggie.bsky.social · 7d

“The long overdue changes being made to our military were still too fast and too frightening and too insulting for some straight white men in our country [who] had always taken a very curious pride in our military being (in their minds) the last bastion of white male excellence.”

Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 8d

"That was the whole point of the event. It had nothing to do with improving our national security and military readiness. It was a role-play session for undeserving straight, white guys who could never hack it and resent those who could."

For the Smallest Men in the World

And a celebration of them.

charlotteclymer.substack.com

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Oriana González @oriana.bsky.social · 8d

Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva hasn't been sworn in, so she has to roam Congress with an escort

I saw her this morning going through security along visitors — something lawmakers don't need to do when walking into the Capitol

More on her limbo status here:
www.notus.org/congress/ade...

Voters Elected Her to Congress. Mike Johnson Is Making Her Wait.

“At this point, I can’t hire staff. We don’t have an office. I can’t get around without being escorted,” Arizona’s incoming House Democrat, Adelita Grijalva, said Tuesday.

www.notus.org

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Maia @maiamindel.bsky.social · 8d

The "liberals have to learn how to live with people we diagree with" line kinda stops making sense in a world where the central disagreement is whether disagreeing with them should be allowed at all

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 8d

“We are under invasion from within, no different than a foreign enemy, but worse—they don’t wear a uniform.”

This is the President of the United States, who ordered the entire leadership of our military to sit and listen to him, speaking a few minutes ago.

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Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 8d

Is this not straight-forwardly a declaration of civil war?

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 8d

Trump: San Francisco and Chicago, New York, Los Angeles… We'll straighten them out one-by-one. It will be a major part for some of the people in this room. It’s a war too. It’s a war from within

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 8d

BREAKING: Judge William Young finds that Noem, Rubio, DHS, and State "deliberately" sought to restrict non-citizens' First Amendment rights.

"'No law' means 'no law.' The First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction ...."

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

President Irump here makes clear that, in his view, the First Amendment's
protection of freedom of speech applies to American citizens
alone, and to an unconstitutionally narrow view of citizenship at that.
This case -- perhaps the most important ever to fall within
the jurisdiction of this district court -- squarely presents the
issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United
States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally "yes, they do." "No law" means "no law." The First Amendment does not draw President Trump's invidious
distinction and it is not to be found in our history ....

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 9d

In any other country, if federal agents fired upon journalists when unprovoked — what would we call it?

If federal agents marched down streets demanding papers — what would we say?

Authoritarianism — let’s not pretend it’s something else when it happens in our American cities.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 8d

you know what probably isn't great for military readiness? turning a blind eye to violent hazing, sexual assault and bigotry, while purging leaders on the basis of race and gender.

Hegseth declares an end to 'politically correct' leadership in the US military

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of U.S. military officials to an in-person meeting to announce directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physic...

apnews.com

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Bodega Cats @bodegacats.bsky.social · 9d

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