It was 2004 when the Los Angeles Times disclosed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted expensive gifts and private plane trips paid for by Harlan Crow, a wealthy Texas real estate investor and a prominent Republican donor.
The gifts included a Bible that once belonged to abolitionist Frederick Douglass — a gift Thomas valued at $19,000 — and a bust of Abraham Lincoln valued at $15,000.
"I just knew he was a fan of Frederick Douglass, and I saw that item come available at an auction and I bought it for him," Crow explained at the time.
He also flew Thomas on his personal plane to Northern California to be his guest at the Bohemian Grove, which held all-male retreats for government and business leaders.
Thomas refused to comment on the article, but it had an impact: Thomas appears to have continued accepting free trips from his wealthy friend. But he stopped disclosing them.
Pragmatic politics focused on the public interest for those uncomfortable with America's two-party system and its way of doing politics. Considering the interface of politics with psychology, cognitive biology, social behavior, morality and history.
Etiquette
Saturday, April 8, 2023
News bit: Clarence Thomas reported his gifts until the press wrote about it
News bits: Christofascist judge bites nationwide abortion access hard: Etc.
Abortion Pill to Be Blocked Nationwide Under Judge’s OrderTrump-appointed judge upends FDA approval of mifepristoneA federal judge in Texas issued a ruling Friday on the medication abortion drug mifepristone, saying he will suspend the FDA’s two-decade-old approval – but paused his ruling for seven days so the federal government can appeal.
Less than two hours later, a federal judge in Washington state ruled the FDA must keep medication abortion drugs available in more than a dozen Democratic-led states.The two decisions mark the most significant abortion-related rulings since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.
Justice Clarence Thomas said on Friday that he had followed the advice of “colleagues and others in the judiciary” when he did not disclose lavish gifts and travel from a wealthy conservative donor.
In a statement released by the Supreme Court, the justice said he believed he was not required to report the trips.In a statement, the justice said that he had followed past guidance from others at the court, but that he would now comply with new guidelines and disclose gifts and free travel.
From the pro-life Republican Party…
North Dakota Senate Votes to Increase Its Own Meal Budget After Rejecting Free School Lunch Bill
Just over a week ago, North Dakota lawmakers voted to prevent giving free school lunches to low-income students. Then, on Thursday, they voted to increase the amount of money they get to spend on their own lunch.
Debating free school lunch for low-income kids, North Dakota State Sen. Mike Wobbema (R) says families are to blame for their hunger: "It’s really the problem of parents being negligent with their kids, if their kids are choosing to eat in the first place."
The bill died, 23-24.
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) March 29, 2023 Link here.
On Thursday, the Senate voted 26–21 to pass a bill to raise per diem meal reimbursements for state employees traveling within the state, from $35 to $45.
Now I don’t know all the ins-and-outs of these bills. And I do know politics and the media can be overly dramatic in presenting the so-called facts. But on its face, this stinks to their high heaven.
If there is a problem with parents abusing the allowances for their kids lunches, work on fixing that. Don't scrap the allowance altogether for such kids in need.
Q: Do you agree that there is something wrong with this picture? What’s the justification for decreasing meals for kids, while increasing meal allowances for your own meals? Explain that to me.
This story gave me the chills !! 😏
German Doctors Are Attempting to Reverse Death and Resurrect Humans
- A company called Tomorrow Biostasis is focusing on human cryopreservation in the hopes it can eventually reverse death.
- The new Berlin startup has already preserved the bodies of about 10 deceased humans.
- Liquid nitrogen is the main ingredient used to ensure cryopreservation.
- According to a report from Tech.Eu, the company’s “standby ambulance” has already been busy, with cofounder Emil Kendziorra working to launch Europe’s first cryogenics company (there are already a handful of them in the United States). Kendziorra’s goal: As soon as somebody dies, Tomorrow Biostasis immediately responds to preserve the person’s body and/or brain in a state of stasis. Then, once future advances materialize, the company will treat and reverse the person’s original cause of death and bring them back from the dead to enjoy a life extension.
- When the bodies get transported to Rafz, Switzerland for long-term storage at the European Biostasis Foundation—the process is technically considered a scientific body donation, to make it legal—they get cooled to -196 degrees Celsius and placed inside an insulated tank with liquid nitrogen to lock in the preservation.
- Of course, waiting for medical advancement to progress to the point it can reverse what caused your death isn’t the only hurdle in this entire cryopreservation concept. There’s still the small issue of nobody knowing how to actually revive a dead cryopreserved human. Sure, they can freeze the brain to preserve cells and tissues, but bringing a previously dead brain back to life with regular function and memories isn’t quite a thing in our world—yet.
- https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/technology/german-doctors-are-attempting-to-reverse-death-and-resurrect-humans/ar-AA17dn8P?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=8aee92684d5a4cccb44c542fe72c9e87&ei=14
