"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Today's Must-Read: Civil Rights on the Block

Jeff Sessions is probably one of the last people who should be considered for Attorney General. (OK, maybe Roy Moore would be worse, or David Duke, but still. . . .)

Josh Marshall has a good take on some of the real damage this appointment could do.

But I think this misses the point or is in some ways a distraction. As Tierney Sneed explains in this article, the single most distinguishing feature of Sessions public career is his hostility to African-American voting and the laws put in place to protect African-American voting rights. That stretches from bringing predatory voter fraud indictments with the fairly obvious aim of discouraging efforts to mobilize black voters in Alabama. You can see it in his long-running hostility to the Voting Rights Act. You can see it in his opposition to laws intended to end or the reduce the practice of permanently disenfranchising felons. Again, read Tierney's article. The list goes on and on.

He should find John Roberts very easy to work with.

(OK, so it's two "must-reads." So read them both.)

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