@HumphreyBohun Random airplane statements, sure. If one follows Vatican II, though (see Lumen gentium), formal pronouncements on theology presumably are entitled to religious submission of mind and will, even when not given “ex cathedra.”
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Philip Huff
23.7K posts
@RelicCcb I don’t see how it could be unconstitutional; more importantly, it’s far too late in the day for this to be considered an open question.
It would be like calling into question the validity of the ratification of the 14th amendment.
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@Philip_Huff If it was unconstitutional to begin with. They never should have lost the land.
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We all agree that Virginia would have to consent for this to take place, right?
I don’t see Virginia consenting, so this seems like a waste of time.
Congressman Rich McCormick, MBA MD@RepMcCormick
DC Bureaucrats hijacked Virginia… but we will restore it. Arlington and Alexandria were always meant to be a part of DC. That’s why I introduced the Make DC Square Again Act, because it’s a simple concept: DC = 🟥
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@Philip_Huff I mean, it’s not just plausible that they might make that argument, they actually have
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@Philip_Huff Taft tried to get back the part in Virginia to accommodate a growing federal gov't, so it'd be hilarious if Trump got into this and cited Taft.
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@poorlyreasoned I’ve always thought it would be funny, in the Takings Clause context, for the government to say, “it’s not being taken for public use, so we don’t even have to pay just compensation.”
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@Philip_Huff This is instructive - it’s an affirmative prohibition, albeit one that doesn’t quite apply here, and I just think it’s interesting that there isn’t one that applies here squarely
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@Philip_Huff I feel like this has to be true, although it’s interesting that nothing in the Constitution says so expressly
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@cutupcado The Constitution requires that Congress acquire the seat of government’s territory “by Cession of particular States” as well as “the Acceptance of Congress”
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If you’re going to take that part of DC away from us, you should at least give us West Virginia back
Phil Magness@PhilWMagness
"The extension of this District across the Potomac River at the time of establishing the capital here was eminently wise, and consequently that the relinquishment of that portion of it which lies within the State of Virginia was unwise and dangerous." - Abraham Lincoln, 1861
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@ms_peaceweaver In all seriousness, “most other countries” is a pretty low bar. Most countries aren’t exactly models of good government.
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Do we finally get our representation in Parliament? Because if so, we’re moving the capital, and maybe renaming the country.
Piers Morgan@piersmorgan
If President Trump wants to take the Falkland Islands away from Britain, then we must reclaim the United States. Perfect way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence. King Charles can announce it to Congress next week.
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There’s been an anti-lethal injection turn among capital punishment opponents.
I’ve been skeptical, but if critics are right that lethal injection creates a non-trivial risk of severe pain, this should be a welcome development.
Fox News@FoxNews
BREAKING: Justice Department announces it's readopting the firing squad as a means of execution
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“One biographer writes that aside from politics, Polk ‘had no aspirations, intellectual interests, recreation, or even friendships.’”
Born too soon. He could have been one of the greatest posters…
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TIL that Polk was baptized (by a Methodist minister) on his deathbed.
Jeremy R. Carl@CIKJeremyCarl
I was today years old when I found out that James K Polk is a descendant of John Knox. Presbyterian excellence carries America
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@finseraste @Vermeullarmine I wonder what the situation looks like internationally. Are there any countries in which the most prestigious universities have ideological balance?
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In general, the problem with all the recent talk of “viewpoint diversity” as the cure for the monoculture of the university is this:
(1) everyone thinks that there must be some limits of professional competence to viewpoint diversity (no flat-earth types in the geography department please);
(2) academic progressives overwhelmingly hold that views like “men cannot get pregnant” are as inadmissible as believing in a flat earth.
Hence they are ultimately unable to reform themselves, at least at the department level. There must be thorough reconstruction from above or from outside.
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This is a nice middle ground between the grandiose style of a cathedral and the stripped down “lecture hall” vibe of many modern evangelical churches
Redeemed Lutheran@antepedium
Franska Reformerta Församlingen i Stockholm
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If we were willing to get rid of VRA districts, coming up with judicially manageable standards for combatting gerrymandering would be a lot easier.
But if we have to keep VRA districts, I don’t see how you can implement anything like a mechanical rule.
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@MichaelMcGough3 At the state level, yes. But I was thinking of a federal law imposing a mechanical rule.
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@Philip_Huff IIRC California’s nonpartisan redistricting had a saving clause for districts created to comply with the VRA, which would have been necessary, right?
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In order to “ban gerrymandering,” you need to be able to define gerrymandering—which isn’t easy.
It would be better to specify a mechanical rule on the basis on which districts are to be drawn (though this means abandoning VRA districts).
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