Dec 28, 2022·edited Dec 28, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
"The Shadow" lasted from September 1937 to December 26, 1954. We were late to getting a TV, so my years up to around age 7-8 were with radio shows, which I stuck with after the TV arrived, since I could come up with better visuals in my head from hearing the words than they could with the early Kinescopes.
Actually, just googling it, the character first appeared in "Detective Story Hour" in July 1930, and got his own show in 1937 - the voice was actor Frank Readick who said "who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men". Orson Welles played the character of Lamont Cranston from September 1937 to October 1938 (when he became to "big" for them after War of the Worlds) And the show was on the Mutual Network until 1954, so I remember it right.
The Shadow, at the end of each episode, reminded listeners, "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit! Crime does not pay...The Shadow knows!"
Some early episodes used the alternate statement, "As you sow evil, so shall you reap evil! Crime does not pay...The Shadow knows!"
Dec 28, 2022·edited Dec 28, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Please mock away! It is beyond absurd to be ruled by the non-elected reactionary majority in SCOTUS. We MUST expand SCOTUS but it will not happen in the next 2 years. That means we must work harder than ever for 2024.
Thank you, Robert. I, for one, very much enjoyed your snark. I share your assessment and feelings about the Extreme Court and the Shadow Dock It. I am glad Justice Gorsuch is at least in this case using logic as a legal argument. The Court has no business hearing this case and should not usurp the decision of President Biden. It is clear this crisis at the border is not a medical crisis. The failure is with the Congress not addressing immigration reform for decades now. It would be great if the Court could tell the Congress you can't recess until you have addressed immigration reform and turned it into law. We, the People, all us this time must over rule this Court. The People should have the last word -- not the Supreme Court which has no checks against its bad behavior!
You are not snarky about the Supreme Court. My fears are: Congress abrogated its responsibility to the people of the USA by not passing the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Voting Rights Act and soon the Supreme Court will rule in Moore v Harper (State Legislatures' supremacy under Article 1.4 and then Merrill v Mulligan (determining that Alabama is right about not using race when 26% percent of the state is black as being impermissible gerrymandering effectively making Section 2 of the 1965 VRA neutered. Senators Manchin and Sinema will have denied Native Americans, minorities, students, the aged and infirm fair access to the ballot box. This is a tragedy and marks the nail in the coffin of our democracy. Our zip code will determine IF we can vote, WHERE, HOW AND WHEN we can vote: shameful.
The Naval Observatory where the busload of immigrants were dropped off on Christmas Eve is at the north end of Embassy Row. Located on Massachusetts Avenue, Embassy Row is a collection of private residences and embassies, protected by wrought iron gates to ensure privacy. In short, there is no place in walking distance these people could have gone to in any direction and found shelter. I know this, having driven by the Naval Observatory on my daily commutes to D.C.
The 18 degree weather that night was made worse by the nonstop howling winds.
Mr. Hubbell modestly but unnecessarily apologizes for mixing such popular cultural references as the radio drama "The Shadow" and the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes. Well it is just such an admixture of the light-hearted and the deadly serious that makes Today's Edition such a constant source of both entertainment and wisdom. His explication of the pernicious effects of SCOTUS's "shadow docket" under the current tyranny of right-wing ideologues is particularly valuable. While the good sense of Justice Gorsuch is truly welcome, the fact that Chief Justice Roberts didn't find it in his heart--or in his head--to join him is to me deeply disappointing. The flagrant law-making by this Court has brought me reluctantly to support Robert Hubbell's view re the necessity of expanding the Supreme Court at the earliest practical opportunity.
Trying to figure out the logic of GOP public health: They deny a virus exists, go to court to prevent mask, vaccine and social distance mandates, then go back to court to prevent desperate asylum seekers from entering the country because they may have the non existent virus?
The Texas and Florida governors have cruelly, inhumanely treated already suffering people in political games. But why aren’t we flipping the narrative? Why aren’t we states away from southern borders not sending planes to pick up migrants and bring them to safe shelters and welcoming communities? What’s with watching and waiting for human dumping instead of helping out with crowd control at the very least? Why aren’t we giving a pre-emptive warm hand? Outraged commentary doesn’t feed a mouth or a heart.
This comment is in response to (what I see as) silence from the mainstream Christian church about this latest act of cruelty toward immigrants and reflects my personal struggle as a 70 year old United Methodist whose family has been active in "church life" and leadership our whole lives. Though raised Presbyterian, I later joined the United Methodist Church, attracted to its tradition of outreach and justice. For decades, I recall the Council of Bishops issuing statements about various events. Sometimes I agreed and sometimes not, but at least the church was a participant in the conversation. It seems to me that the "mainstream" church has gone silent, and while I respect that there can be different opinions on approaches and polices, I don't understand the silence on children separated from their parents, gun proliferation, etc. I think that in the history books, these last few years will not treat mainstream Christian denominations kindly and that this (what I perceive as) failure to lead and provide a counternarrative to white Christian nationalism will add to the church's decline. This all makes me very sad. I've visited with our senior pastor about this, and I'm sure other readers have visited with their church leaders as well. Disappointing.
Thank you, Robert for your commentary, mockery and analysis of the merits (as in meritless) of the Court's order. Having now read the order, however, it appears even more outrageous than I had thought. It appears the stay granted deprives the District Court's order of its effectiveness, which means the Title 42 policy/order/whatever stays in effect "until "the sending down of the judgment of this Court." Meantime, however, the question specified for briefing and argument is the procedural question "Whether the State applicants may intervene to challenge the District Court's summary judgment order." This issue will apparently be heard and decided in the summer of 2023. What is not clear is whether the resolution of that question will result in "the judgment of this Court." If so, presumably the stay will be lifted and the parties will be remanded to an appeal of the District Court order. If not, then the stay will presumably remain in effect pending an appeal to the Court of Appeals followed by another appeal (however denominated) to the Supreme Court. This latter alternative could easily cause the Title 42 policy/order/whatever to remain in effect until sometime in 2024 or later. In all events, it presumably will remain in effect at a minimum until sometime in the summer of 2023, with no legal basis for the Court's intervention in a matter that is constitutionally entrusted exclusively to the Congress and the Executive (President) -- NONE WHATSOEVER.
This goes beyond legislating. The Court is now acting as a Super-administrator of the immigration and naturalization function of the United States. Completely lawlessly.
Episcopal priest here, speaking up on behalf of mainline churches. There ARE mainline churches speaking up. There are pastors and priests at protests. We preach about justice issues in our congregations frequently. The issue as I see it, is that the press rarely reports on those actions. That does not mean they aren’t happening. For example: here’s a recent statement put out by a group of mainline Christian ministers about the current egregious rise of antisemitism in our country: https://ccjr.us/news/statements/ccjr-2022dec14. The person who planted the seed to get this statement written was an Episcopal priest in Texas. Anyone seen any news anywhere in main stream media about this? I doubt it. It was picked up by Religion News Service, but not in the Washington Post or NY Times. All of which is to say: many of us are speaking up. It’s just not click bait enough for the press to cover it.
"The Shadow" lasted from September 1937 to December 26, 1954. We were late to getting a TV, so my years up to around age 7-8 were with radio shows, which I stuck with after the TV arrived, since I could come up with better visuals in my head from hearing the words than they could with the early Kinescopes.
Actually, just googling it, the character first appeared in "Detective Story Hour" in July 1930, and got his own show in 1937 - the voice was actor Frank Readick who said "who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men". Orson Welles played the character of Lamont Cranston from September 1937 to October 1938 (when he became to "big" for them after War of the Worlds) And the show was on the Mutual Network until 1954, so I remember it right.
The Shadow, at the end of each episode, reminded listeners, "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit! Crime does not pay...The Shadow knows!"
Some early episodes used the alternate statement, "As you sow evil, so shall you reap evil! Crime does not pay...The Shadow knows!"
Messages still good for today.
Please mock away! It is beyond absurd to be ruled by the non-elected reactionary majority in SCOTUS. We MUST expand SCOTUS but it will not happen in the next 2 years. That means we must work harder than ever for 2024.
Thank you, Robert. I, for one, very much enjoyed your snark. I share your assessment and feelings about the Extreme Court and the Shadow Dock It. I am glad Justice Gorsuch is at least in this case using logic as a legal argument. The Court has no business hearing this case and should not usurp the decision of President Biden. It is clear this crisis at the border is not a medical crisis. The failure is with the Congress not addressing immigration reform for decades now. It would be great if the Court could tell the Congress you can't recess until you have addressed immigration reform and turned it into law. We, the People, all us this time must over rule this Court. The People should have the last word -- not the Supreme Court which has no checks against its bad behavior!
You are not snarky about the Supreme Court. My fears are: Congress abrogated its responsibility to the people of the USA by not passing the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Voting Rights Act and soon the Supreme Court will rule in Moore v Harper (State Legislatures' supremacy under Article 1.4 and then Merrill v Mulligan (determining that Alabama is right about not using race when 26% percent of the state is black as being impermissible gerrymandering effectively making Section 2 of the 1965 VRA neutered. Senators Manchin and Sinema will have denied Native Americans, minorities, students, the aged and infirm fair access to the ballot box. This is a tragedy and marks the nail in the coffin of our democracy. Our zip code will determine IF we can vote, WHERE, HOW AND WHEN we can vote: shameful.
The Naval Observatory where the busload of immigrants were dropped off on Christmas Eve is at the north end of Embassy Row. Located on Massachusetts Avenue, Embassy Row is a collection of private residences and embassies, protected by wrought iron gates to ensure privacy. In short, there is no place in walking distance these people could have gone to in any direction and found shelter. I know this, having driven by the Naval Observatory on my daily commutes to D.C.
The 18 degree weather that night was made worse by the nonstop howling winds.
Mr. Hubbell modestly but unnecessarily apologizes for mixing such popular cultural references as the radio drama "The Shadow" and the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes. Well it is just such an admixture of the light-hearted and the deadly serious that makes Today's Edition such a constant source of both entertainment and wisdom. His explication of the pernicious effects of SCOTUS's "shadow docket" under the current tyranny of right-wing ideologues is particularly valuable. While the good sense of Justice Gorsuch is truly welcome, the fact that Chief Justice Roberts didn't find it in his heart--or in his head--to join him is to me deeply disappointing. The flagrant law-making by this Court has brought me reluctantly to support Robert Hubbell's view re the necessity of expanding the Supreme Court at the earliest practical opportunity.
Trying to figure out the logic of GOP public health: They deny a virus exists, go to court to prevent mask, vaccine and social distance mandates, then go back to court to prevent desperate asylum seekers from entering the country because they may have the non existent virus?
The Texas and Florida governors have cruelly, inhumanely treated already suffering people in political games. But why aren’t we flipping the narrative? Why aren’t we states away from southern borders not sending planes to pick up migrants and bring them to safe shelters and welcoming communities? What’s with watching and waiting for human dumping instead of helping out with crowd control at the very least? Why aren’t we giving a pre-emptive warm hand? Outraged commentary doesn’t feed a mouth or a heart.
I’m a New York Times subscriber. Here’s a free link to the story referenced above. I’m not sure how many times it’s good for.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/magazine/jan-6-committee.html?unlocked_article_code=QusdAsPZ_htq1cxywvf1KXZXbkZroQydnmzDlHhIPJSWm-09aWsPO7M1a6lV1FHU5O6v0QbHxB8oqsEA2c-FMJV86XngGeAzYAdt-IZyqW8ZNFlUFuhei_Z8fN-0zzInARPULpHzDoij2Gyx3gFSwEHSrnU8ujGyDmAyWOTNzNqXGz8aDH-4xOoOkEhu2S-Au047Lmr0PLfCLMZStSTYA43XKMOZK-CgXPj1XGhgKqnCiLqteLrnHVmT0uuL_OeNlxb62BVVnyOcnKeUwm-FB82ptvfZjU7koa6w-CEMANHBa2hA3htYmO0Eu80RokyGcN-YM1eprTE&smid=share-url
This comment is in response to (what I see as) silence from the mainstream Christian church about this latest act of cruelty toward immigrants and reflects my personal struggle as a 70 year old United Methodist whose family has been active in "church life" and leadership our whole lives. Though raised Presbyterian, I later joined the United Methodist Church, attracted to its tradition of outreach and justice. For decades, I recall the Council of Bishops issuing statements about various events. Sometimes I agreed and sometimes not, but at least the church was a participant in the conversation. It seems to me that the "mainstream" church has gone silent, and while I respect that there can be different opinions on approaches and polices, I don't understand the silence on children separated from their parents, gun proliferation, etc. I think that in the history books, these last few years will not treat mainstream Christian denominations kindly and that this (what I perceive as) failure to lead and provide a counternarrative to white Christian nationalism will add to the church's decline. This all makes me very sad. I've visited with our senior pastor about this, and I'm sure other readers have visited with their church leaders as well. Disappointing.
Thank you, Robert for your commentary, mockery and analysis of the merits (as in meritless) of the Court's order. Having now read the order, however, it appears even more outrageous than I had thought. It appears the stay granted deprives the District Court's order of its effectiveness, which means the Title 42 policy/order/whatever stays in effect "until "the sending down of the judgment of this Court." Meantime, however, the question specified for briefing and argument is the procedural question "Whether the State applicants may intervene to challenge the District Court's summary judgment order." This issue will apparently be heard and decided in the summer of 2023. What is not clear is whether the resolution of that question will result in "the judgment of this Court." If so, presumably the stay will be lifted and the parties will be remanded to an appeal of the District Court order. If not, then the stay will presumably remain in effect pending an appeal to the Court of Appeals followed by another appeal (however denominated) to the Supreme Court. This latter alternative could easily cause the Title 42 policy/order/whatever to remain in effect until sometime in 2024 or later. In all events, it presumably will remain in effect at a minimum until sometime in the summer of 2023, with no legal basis for the Court's intervention in a matter that is constitutionally entrusted exclusively to the Congress and the Executive (President) -- NONE WHATSOEVER.
This goes beyond legislating. The Court is now acting as a Super-administrator of the immigration and naturalization function of the United States. Completely lawlessly.
Snark and mock are now essential elements for stable mental health—no apology necessary.
Where’s Pogo when we really need him?
That NYT Magazine article is really interesting. Everybody should read it.
Quickly, here is a gifted link to the NYT article that Robert referenced about the J6 Committee:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/magazine/jan-6-committee.html?
Episcopal priest here, speaking up on behalf of mainline churches. There ARE mainline churches speaking up. There are pastors and priests at protests. We preach about justice issues in our congregations frequently. The issue as I see it, is that the press rarely reports on those actions. That does not mean they aren’t happening. For example: here’s a recent statement put out by a group of mainline Christian ministers about the current egregious rise of antisemitism in our country: https://ccjr.us/news/statements/ccjr-2022dec14. The person who planted the seed to get this statement written was an Episcopal priest in Texas. Anyone seen any news anywhere in main stream media about this? I doubt it. It was picked up by Religion News Service, but not in the Washington Post or NY Times. All of which is to say: many of us are speaking up. It’s just not click bait enough for the press to cover it.
Sadly, the ugly outside world also lives in the Church. In fact, the ugly outside world often uses the church to do its bidding.