Combat! - Page 213 of 406 - A blog by Dan Brooks

SCOTUS gives Edith Windsor a tax refund

By Dan Brooks in American History June 26, 2013 3 Comments

Edith Windsor (left) and her wife, the late Thea Spyer

Maybe you heard about this, but the Supreme Court has overturned the Defense of Marriage Act and, in the process, given Edith Windsor $350,000. Windsor filed suit against the federal government in 2010, arguing that DOMA unconstitutionally deprived her of a spousal exemption from the estate tax upon the death of her wife, Thea Spyer. This morning, the court ruled that DOMA “is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity.” It also ruled that the plaintiffs in Hollingsworth v. Perry lacked standing, effectively driving a stake through the heart of California’s Proposition 8.

Still more on the security state

By Dan Brooks in Uncategorized June 20, 2013 0 Comment

But do they like me? I have to know.

Good morning, Combatants! We had a rousing evening in the city last night, tying for fourth place at trivia, visiting Ben “The Angel” Gabriel at his place of employment, and—spoiler alert—drinking too much. Fortunately, I am on vacation, and that sort of moral turpitude is excusable, or at least freed from consequences. While I restore homeostasis, how about you read my most recent column in the Missoula Independent? Or you can look at video of tigers fighting. In the age of the internet, text will be just fine.

Combat! blog lives, but only technically

By Dan Brooks in Uncategorized June 19, 2013 1 Comment

Greetings from Aaron’s couch, where Lucretia and I are only lately arrived. It’s been a long day already, and it’s only 2:30 eastern. I have been up for eight hours and traveled approximately 2000 miles, which is way too much work for a committed layabout such as myself. But it’s worth it to watch Curt get married or, possibly, watch the impending Mrs. Curt come to her senses. Either way, it’s going to be a fun weekend, and I will write the blog very little or not at all. Tomorrow, you will see a paltry link to my work in the Missoula Independent, which recently won me first place in the Best Column category at the Montana Newspaper Awards. Friday, you probably won’t see anything at all. Monday, even Tuesday might be disappointing—but not for me, because I am on vacation. In the meantime, there is Facebook. Always there is Facebook.

Pesticides in Celestial Seasonings, says investor who shorted Celestial Seasonings

By Dan Brooks in Epistemology June 18, 2013 3 Comments

Sleep forever, bear.

As I write this I am enjoying a cup of Celestial Seasonings antioxidant green tea, possibly to the detriment of my health. Last night I ran across this article on Facebook, warning me that 90% of Celestial Seasonings teas tested showed unacceptably high levels of pesticides. You will notice that the article is on a site called Honey Colony, “where the hive decides what’s healthy.” I would rather doctors and scientists decide what’s healthy—precisely, it turns out, to avoid such problems of bias as presented by Glaucus Research, the investment group that authored the study and also happens to have shorted Celestial Seasonings stock.

Sen. Robert Menendez marries metaphor

By Dan Brooks in Public Discourse June 17, 2013 0 Comment

Pictures into which dicks must be Photoshopped immediately

On Sunday’s Meet the Press, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) warned that his party was entering a “demographic death spiral” by opposing immigration reform. He was likely referring to the conflict between the GOP’s leadership and its base, which two groups are divided between large employers and nativists, i.e. taskmasters v. crackers. Maybe that’s a little strong. You can get into trouble when you commit to a metaphor, as Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) demonstrated in his own remarks:

I would tell my Republican colleagues, both in the House and the Senate, that the road to the White House comes through a road with a pathway to legalization. Without it, there’ll never be a road to the White House for the Republican Party.

Assiduous unpacking after the jump.