* If you had to come up with an idea to prevent school shootings that was even worse than arming teachers, this might be it:
In the wake of the February 14 massacre at a Parkland, Florida high school, Rhodes [founder of Oathkeepers] is calling on members of his far-right anti-government militia group to serve as unpaid and unaccountable armed school guards — whether teachers and students like the idea or not.
Here is how the Southern Poverty Law Center describes Oathkeepers:
The Oath Keepers, which claims tens of thousands of present and former law enforcement officials and military veterans as members, is one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the U.S. today. While it claims only to be defending the Constitution, the entire organization is based on a set of baseless conspiracy theories about the federal government working to destroy the liberties of Americans.
* When it comes to stupid things people are suggesting about school safety, no one is going to top Trump.
“If you don’t have retribution, if you are not going to do something very serious to these guys when they walk in they are going to keep walking in. They have to know when they walk in they are probably going to end up dead.”
How many school shooters survive? pic.twitter.com/PvTiQP2ww6
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 26, 2018
In case you need an explainer on why that one is so stupid, here’s Josh Marshall:
This is truly the stupidest thing ever said about school shootings. Almost every school shooter dies in the shooting. Usually because they kill themselves when they’re about to get caught. Some are killed in shoot outs. They almost universally expect to die. https://t.co/Ifluo72sHn
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 26, 2018
* In the category of interesting ideas, here’s one:
Let’s make a deal DO NOT come to Florida for spring break unless gun legislation is passed. These politions won’t listen to us so maybe the’ll listen to the billion dollar tourism industry in FL. #neveragain
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) February 24, 2018
Better Idea: Spend your spring break in Puerto Rico, it’s a beautiful place with amazing people. They could really use the economic support that the government has failed to provide. #SpringBreak2018 #SBinPurtoRico #itsspelled PUERTO RICO
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) February 24, 2018
* I was only six days off in my forecast, but today the Supreme Court weighed in on the Justice Department’s request to speed up their consideration of DACA.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to enter the national controversy over “dreamers,” turning down the Trump administration’s request to immediately review lower court decisions that keep in place the program that protects from deportation undocumented immigrants brought here as children.
The result is that current DACA recipients will continue to be able to renew their status while the suit against ending the program winds its way through the courts.
* This story deserves more attention that it’s getting.
Sometime this spring, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to take a step without precedent in the history of U.S. communications policy. Once upon a time a watchdog agency, the FCC is going to approve a near-$4 billion merger between two companies that will result in the parent company’s programming—and probably not coincidentally, its right-wing politics—being broadcast into 72 percent of American homes…
The company, as you might have guessed, is Sinclair Broadcasting. It seeks approval to join forces with Tribune Media. The merger would eviscerate the principles the FCC was created to uphold and defend—principles such as diversity of ownership to foster competition, diversity of viewpoints to foster public debate, and localism to foster service to the community. All three have been perched precariously on the sill since the Reagan administration. But once this is approved, out the window and down to the sidewalk they’ll tumble.
* I’m guessing that this might not be legal.
The Georgia Senate blocked a lucrative tax break bill on Monday that would benefit Delta Air Lines after the Atlanta-based company severed ties with the National Rifle Association.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said he would not support tax legislation that helped the airline “unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with the NRA.” He echoed a growing number of conservatives who opposed the measure over the weekend.
* Here’s some great news from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals:
A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that a 1964 civil rights law bans anti-gay workplace discrimination. The decision rebukes the Trump administration — which had argued against a gay worker in the case — and hands progressives a win in their strategy to protect LGBT employees with a drumbeat of lawsuits.
The dispute hinges on whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination on the basis of sex, also bans workplace discrimination due to sexual orientation.
The Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled Monday, “We now hold that sexual orientation discrimination constitutes a form of discrimination ‘because of . . . sex,’ in violation of Title VII.” In doing so, the court overruled a lower court — and a precedent from two previous court cases — and remanded the case to be litigated in light of their reading of Title VII.
* Finally, I was reminded of this great Beatles tune over the weekend.
