The Supreme Court heard this term’s final day of oral arguments on Wednesday, a day that included a
truly ghoulish debate
over how states can execute death row inmates. By the first days of
July, the justices will depart for their summer vacations. In the weeks
in between, they could gut much of the nation’s civil rights law. They
could cast many states’ election law into chaos. They could inflame our
relations in the Middle East. And they could
sentence thousands of Americans to die preventable deaths every year.
Here are major cases the justices are expected to decide by the end of June:
Race Discrimination And Housing
Probably the most undercovered major case this term is
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, a case that could hobble the nation’s ability to combat housing discrimination.
Such discrimination is often very difficult to root out, which is why
it persists in the housing sector. A study on behalf of the Department
of Housing and Urban Development, for example, found that black and
Asian homeseekers are
shown or told about 15 to 19 percent fewer homes
than whites who have similar credit or housing interests. Similarly,
the Federal Reserve determined in 2009 that African Americans are
twice as likely as white borrowers to be denied a home loan even when controlling for income and similar criteria. Yet discrimination persists in part because it is
difficult to prove in court
— banks typically do not produce smoking gun documents announcing that
they prefer not to lend money to black people, for example.
READ MORE
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FROM THE COMMENTS SECTION:
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Back by popular demand. Long post, but well worth it. The 14 Defining
Characteristics of Fascism...If this isn't a wakeup call, nothing is.
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make
constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other
paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on
clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the
Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need
for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human
rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people
tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary
executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifyi
ng
patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat
or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists;
socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military -
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a
disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda
is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost
exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender
roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are
suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the
family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the
media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the
media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic
media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time,
is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist
nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to
manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common
from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are
diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business
aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the
government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial
business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor
Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only
real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated
entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for
Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and
tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not
uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even
arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the
police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are
often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties
in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with
virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant
Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by
groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government
positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their
friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for
national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even
outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent
Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham.
Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even
assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control
voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the
media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to
manipulate or control elections.
___Dr. Lawrence Britt
