Jon Stewart for the WIN!

Rush Limbaugh Leaves New York | The Daily Show | Comedy Central

"We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective," the Supreme Court wrote in its decision. "The Legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification."

This is huge, bigger than Tinker, probably as big as Griswold v. Connecticut. It's a state ruling, but having read Bobby Hanson's original ruling, is very easy to apply at a federal level. The ruling deals with equal protection under state rules, but the decision also went into detail on applicable federal rules because of rulings that apply to states (like Griswold).

Things just got VERY interesting. Federal unconstitutionality overrules state constitutions, period. Hanson's breakdown presents a clear argument that barring gay marriage is unconstitutional under the US Constitution which means those state constitutional amendments barring gay marriage could easily be voided. Expect this one to go up the ladder quickly because of this. Someone in a state that has such an amendment will challenge the state rule in federal court, using the Iowa decision, depending on how things go with the California Supreme Court and Prop 8, I would expect it challenged there in the 9th Circuit, but there are other possibilities, Wisconsin and Florida are other likely locations for challenges.

Finally, there is no, none, zero chance of a federal ban amendment getting though anything resembling the current system. Doing so would require a 2/3 vote of both houses, followed by ratification of 2/3 of the states. Right now it can't even make cloture in the Senate, is even farther from super-majority status, and then would need approval in 2/3 of the states? There is no part of that process it would currently pass, or would have at any time in the last 20 years.

Iowa high court legalizes gay marriage in state

Mercy James thought she had lost her rental property here to foreclosure. A date for a sheriff’s sale had been set, and notices about the foreclosure process were piling up in her mailbox.

Ms. James had the tenants move out, and soon her white house at the corner of Thomas and Maple Streets fell into the hands of looters and vandals, and then, into disrepair. Dejected and broke, Ms. James said she salvaged but a lesson from her loss.

So imagine her surprise when the City of South Bend contacted her recently, demanding that she resume maintenance on the property. The sheriff’s sale had been canceled at the last minute, leaving the property title — and a world of trouble — in her name.

Welcome to absolute hell. Get out, oh wait, you got out and the place is a pile of shit that we don't want, so we're backing out, but maybe we own it, but you're responsible for it.

In the words of Jon Stewart, "FUCK YOU!"

In Homeowners’ Latest Woe, Banks Are Skipping Foreclosures - NYTimes.com

Texas Sen. John Cornyn is threatening “World War III” if Democrats try to seat Al Franken in the Senate before Norm Coleman can pursue his case through the federal courts.

Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, acknowledges that a federal challenge to November’s elections could take “years” to resolve. But he’s adamant that Coleman deserves that chance — even if it means Minnesota is short a senator for the duration.

Norm? As soon as the state court rules, it's done. Your only precedent is Bush v. Gore which the court specifically said not to use as precedent. Go take over Michael Steele's job because he's clearly too black to be a Republican, much less head of RNC.

In Minnesota, it's still November - Manu Raju - POLITICO.com

For those to whom this is merely a lot of mumbo-jumbo, let me explain in layman's terms:
AIG, knowing it would need to ask for much more capital from the Treasury imminently, decided to throw in the towel, and gifted major bank counter-parties with trades which were egregiously profitable to the banks, and even more egregiously money losing to the U.S. taxpayers, who had to dump more and more cash into AIG, without having the U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner disclose the real extent of this, for lack of a better word, fraudulent scam.

How the melt down actually works (and why Citi reported a profit last quarter), in relatively simple terms.

AIG Was Responsible For The Banks' January & February Profitability

Heh, pretty good.

"Lex Luthor Bailout" with Jon Hamm from FOD Team, Eric Appel, and Jon Hamm

And if you actually liked the book (or claim to), then the best way you can "go John Galt" is by killing yourself. Seriously. If what you really want is to remove yourself from society, it doesn't get much more definitive than that.

I could have put this under politics, but it's equally good as a literary review.

Hey Jenny Slater.: Atlas sucked.

While the American International Group comes under fire from Congress over executive bonuses, it is quietly fighting the federal government for the return of $306 million in tax payments, some related to deals that were conducted through offshore tax havens.

I believe Jon Stewart said it best, "FUCK YOU!"

A.I.G. Sues Government for Return of $306 Million in Tax Payments - NYTimes.com

Essentially, they tricked voters into leaving the 'booth' after pressing the "Vote" button on the ES&S iVotronic. That button, does not actually cast the vote, as one might think (and as these voters were told), but instead, it brings up a review screen of the voter's "ballot."

Instructing the voters that they were done, the conspirators then, after the voter had left, would change the voters' votes as they saw fit, before finally pressing the "Cast Ballot" button.

It's not "voter fraud" it's "election fraud" we need to watch for.

The BRAD BLOG : KY Election Officials Arrested, Charged With 'Changing Votes at E-Voting Machines'

According to the police report, Eni Skoien became enraged and attacked her husband early Sunday morning when she discovered him with two prostitutes.

The police report said Gary Skoien acknowledged to authorities that the women were prostitutes. But he later denied that and tried unsuccessfully to have the report changed.

Wow. Wife comes home, find husband with two hookers, goes all Pete Townshend on him and she gets arrested. At least it was the Guitar Hero guitar and not the real deal.

Daily Herald | Police seek women who were with Skoien during attack by wife