Cheap shots and asparagus shoots

Correction:

Correction: May 13, 2013

An earlier version of this column contained an erroneous byline. The column was written by Bill Keller, not the Editorial Board.

Moapa people in Las Vegas as it was. Wikipedia.

Via Juan Cole:

“Southern Nevada’s Moapa Band of Paiutes are calling for the closure of the Reid Gardner coal plant and a transition to clean renewable energy future for [jump]
Nevada. On Earth Day 2013, they organized a 16-mile “Walk from Coal to Clean Energy”. The walk celebrated the tribe’s efforts to retire the polluting Reid Gardner coal plant that adjoins their tribal lands, and also their success in developing the largest solar project on tribal lands in the nation, which will begin construction later this year. The walk began at the coal plant and ended at the solar site – a powerful symbol of change for Nevada and the nation.”

Moapa member Lane Miller suffers from autism and lung disease. Coal? Via Sierra Club.

I resemble that remark!

A visibly flustered Gohmert then tried for another point of personal privilege, but was rebuked as his time had expired. Gohmert then shouted over the Chairman one of the best lines of the year: 

LOUIE GOHMERT: "I cannot have a witness challenge my character! The attorney general will not cast aspersions on my asparagus!"

The British use this as a joking expression ("cast asparagus" on something) but somehow I don't think Gohmert was joking at all. He really is this dumb. (Scarce at Crooks&Liars)

Asparagus me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor,
Lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.

Louie Gohmert, via Samuel Warde at Liberals Unite.

Unexpected development:

Today we learned that it takes crack to make a Canadian politician interesting to anyone outside of Canada.
— TBogg (@tbogg) May 17, 2013

Actually, I knew that, but I thought I was the one who'd have to be smoking it. But not really. This one has been pretty fascinating for a long time, for example. Here's from the Vice eulogy for Toronto mayor Rob Ford after the last time he got fired, last year:

Over here at the VICE Toronto office, we fell in love with this amiable, clumsy, fat drunk guy early on. It was love at first laugh, after he chased a reporter out of City Hall forcalling him a "fat fuck." We understand that this is the same guy who was arrested for a DUI in Florida while riding dirty with a bag of weed, and yes, ol' Rob may or may not have threatened to kidnap his own children, but he was our kidnapping, reckless driving, weed-loving mayor.

Inevitably, Rob's downfall came from his one tragic flaw: a love of high school football. Yes, Rob coached a high school football team in Etobicoke called the Don Bosco Eagles, and those little fuckers took Rob down. All the trouble really started when Rob was a city councillor. Back then, he was writing letters asking for donations to the Don Bosco Eagles using "official letterhead and other city resources," which caused some people over at City Hall to find this swinging of City Council dick to be a massive conflict of interest. Later on, when he was mayor, he personally voted against the motion for Rob to repay the donors and give them their dirty football money back.

Soon to be re-ex-mayor Ford.

I hate discrimination but maybe they could start giving these jobs to women? Because this is really not working out. Via Jamil Smith at Melissa Harris-Perry:

For the third time in ten days, a U.S. military officer leading his branch’s sexual assault prevention efforts has been accused of misbehavior.

The Associated Press reported Thursday night that Lt. Col. Darin Haas, the manager of the prevention program at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, turned himself into police on charges of stalking his ex-wife and violating a restraining order she had against him. According to a military source, Haas and his ex-wife had orders of protection against each other, and a police sergeant in Clarksville, Tennessee, reports that Haas contacted her repeatedly on Wednesday night, constituting a violation. Haas, who police say is engaged in a child custody battle with his ex-wife, reportedly spent 12 hours in jail and was released. 

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, in the uniform of a sowar (cavalry trooper). Wikipedia.

Language Log's Misnegation of the Week:

From the 5/16/2013 decision of the Third Circuit, invalidating an NLRB decision based on the argument that the "recess appointment" of one of the board's members was invalid:

The "main purpose" of the Recess Appointments Clause, therefore, is not—as the Eleventh Circuit held and the Board argues—only "to enable the President to fill vacancies to assure the proper functioning of our government." Evans, 387 F.3d at 1226. This formulation leaves out a crucial aspect of the Clause‘s purpose: to preserve the Senate‘s advice-and-consent power by limiting the president‘s unilateral appointment power. Accord Noel Canning, 705 F.3d at 505 (explaining that the Eleventh Circuit‘s statement of the Clause‘s purpose "omits a crucial element of the Clause, which enables the president to fill vacancies only when the Senate is unable to provide advice and consent" (emphasis in original)).

The importance of this aspect of the Clause‘s purpose is difficult to understate. 

Misnegation or Freudian slip? I'm no lawyer, but I think the primary purpose of having a Recess Appointments Clause would really have to be to allow recess appointments. You could preserve the Senate's power a lot more thoroughly by not having the Clause at all.

Via Tumblr.