Last Call For Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads

This is the court's boomstick, as states in the South's 5th Circuit Court are finding out as they are now officially ordered to comply with allowing same-sex marriages.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday afternoon directed the district courts in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to issue final orders ending enforcement of the states’ respective bans on same-sex couples’ marriages.

In the Texas case, in which the trial court had struck down the ban, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, in an opinion by Judge Jerry E. Smith, wrote that “the injunction appealed from is correct in light of Obergefell, the preliminary injunction is AFFIRMED.”

In the Louisiana case, in which the trial court had upheld the ban, the appeals court, in a second opinion by Judge Smith, wrote that “the judgment appealed from is REVERSED, and this matter is REMANDED for entry of judgment in favor of the plaintiffs.” Notably, Smith added: “The district court must act expeditiously on remand, especially in view of the declining health of plaintiff Robert Welles,” a plaintiff in the case.

In the Mississippi case, in which the trial court had struck down the ban and refused to issue a stay of the ruling during the state’s appeal — leading the appeals court to issue a stay — the court stated that “the injunction appealed from is correct in light of Obergefell” and, therefore, “the preliminary injunction is AFFIRMED.” It also lifted its earlier stay of the district court’s ruling.

The Mississippi opinion came last, likely a result of the fact that Gov. Phil Bryant initially had said he opposed the plaintiffs’ motion to put a quick end to the case after the June 26 Supreme Court ruling striking down marriage bans.

In all three cases, the appeals court ordered the trial courts to act on the final resolution of the cases “by July 17, 2015, and earlier if reasonably possible.”

The last bastions of stupid, bureaucratic bigotry are falling on this, and as they say, power concedes nothing without being forced.  Meet the force, guys.  Especially you, Bobby Jindal.

And have a happy ceremony.

That Poll-Asked Look In The South

In what should surprise precisely no one, an overwhelming majority of white Southerners still see the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern pride in a new CNN poll.

American public opinion on the Confederate flag remains about where it was 15 years ago, with most describing the flag as a symbol of Southern pride more than one of racism, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. And questions about how far to go to remove references to the Confederacy from public life prompt broad racial divides.

The poll shows that 57% of Americans see the flag more as a symbol of Southern pride than as a symbol of racism, about the same as in 2000 when 59% said they viewed it as a symbol of pride. Opinions of the flag are sharply divided by race, and among whites, views are split by education.

Among African-Americans, 72% see the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism, just 25% of whites agree. In the South, the racial divide is even broader. While 75% of Southern whites describe the flag as a symbol of pride and 18% call it a symbol of racism, those figures are almost exactly reversed among Southern African-Americans, with just 11% seeing it as a sign of pride and 75% viewing it as a symbol of racism.

Among whites, there's a sharp divide by education, and those with more formal education are less apt to see the flag as a symbol of pride. Among whites with a college degree, 51% say it's a symbol of pride, 41% one of racism. Among those whites who do not have a college degree, 73% say it's a sign of Southern pride, 18% racism.

A majority of Southern whites with college degrees are okay with the Confederate flag. And among Democrats (if you dig into the crosstabs) 34% find the flag a symbol of pride (77% among Republicans) and 34% of liberals do too (71% among conservatives, 60% among moderates.)

The real killer: 58% of Millennials see the flag as a symbol of pride, which is actually slightly higher than Gen X-ers (56% or Boomers under 65 (53%).  Seniors, well, They're at 64%.  I hope we're well past the whole "Young people aren't as racist as their parents" nonsense, because Millennials are just as awful.  Indoctrination is awesome.

I grew up in North Carolina, and this doesn't surprise me one damn bit.  People ought to know better.

Jobapalooza Update

Good numbers in the June jobs report today: 223K new jobs, unemployment down to 5.3%.

Oh wait I'm sorry THAT'S HORRIBLE NEWS.

The addition of 223,000 jobs followed a 254,000 increase in the prior month that was less than previously estimated, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington. The jobless rate fell to a seven-year low of 5.3 percent as more people left the labor force. 

The figures indicate corporate managers are confident they can temper hiring and meet demand against a backdrop of stronger consumer spending and feeble overseas markets. At the same time, more moderate job gains may still be enough to reduce the unemployment rate, consistent with the Federal Reserve’s perceived timetable to raise borrowing costs by year-end.

An increase in June payrolls followed smaller gains in the prior two months and wages were little changed as U.S. job market reflected a more moderate pace of economic growth. 

“One month’s low number wouldn’t shake our optimism,” Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics Inc. in West Chester, Pennsylvania, said before the report. “The job market still has a ways to go but we’re making progress.” 

Again, when we were losing 800K jobs a month under Bush, 223K new jobs and more than five straight YEARS of job growth is "disappointing" and equals "low numbers".

Good news for President Romney though.

You assholes are going to miss Obama when he's gone.

StupidiNews!

• A train car derailment south of Knoxville, Tennessee has forced officials to evacuate nearly 5,000 in Blount County due to toxic fumes caused by the chemicals on board catching fire.
• The US Episcopal Church has overwhelmingly decided to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies during a vote at the national convention in Salt Lake City.
• Tunisian authorities have arrested 12 in connection with last month's deadly terror attack on Sousse beach hotels, targeting foreign tourists and killing 38.
• Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis says he will resign from his position if Greeks vote yes on another EU bailout at Sunday's referendum.
• Chicago's new ruling on "Amusement Tax" will subject the city's existing 9% tax to the cost of digital streaming subscriptions like Netflix, Pandora, and online games like World of Warcraft.