Gaston de Foix

[deleted post]

This is a savvy take.

yes, this is true, but to my mind it is the state courts enforcing (imperfectly, and where they are not subject to republican capture) state constitution provisions that prohibit gerrymandering which Alito is targeting. In Rucho, Roberts pointed to those provisions as authority for state courts to curb gerrrymandering, and the absence of an equivalent provision in the federal constitution as the reason for the federal courts not doing so. Now, of course, they want to prohibit state courts from doing so for federal elections.

Yep. The show is extremely well written. Btw, what time are the episodes typically released? I sometimes see them available at 8 PM EST on Thursdays.

True, and I agree with that, although I wish some, like Tony Evers, had exercised their powers more effectively. But the Republican majority in the state legislatures appears structurally durable in a way that Dems consistently winning gubernatorial races doesn't, at least to my mind. I used to think federal legislation to abolish gerrymandering was the only permanent solution. But now I worry that a Republican congress and President will come in and find a way to strengthen gerrymandering or shift the goal posts even further in favor of a durable Republican majority.

How do people feel about the Scholomance series? It is incomplete, and it is not perfect, but I found it an addictive and moving read.

Yes, but even winning those races won't reverse the existing gerrymanders or lead to anything but gridlock, IMHO. Those state legislatures will continue to be dominated by Republicans. It's time to recognize that (1) the existing system is stacked in favor of Republicans; (2) Republicans are nonetheless still willing and anxious to break rules, norms, state constitutions, the Constitution, you name it, in order to win. And in response the Dems do what, exactly? At best, an ineffective attempt to fix the last attempt at cheating.

The actual decision guts the EPA's ability to fight climate change. The principle underlying the decision of the clear-statement requirements of the major-question rule stifles the ability of this (or any other) administration to govern. Of course the SC will selectively enforce this doctrine when a Republican gets in. It could have been worse (it can always get worse), but this is very bad for Biden's environmental agenda, and for the global fight against climate change. He will need additional legislative authority, and I'm not seeing Manchin relenting any time soon.

Twitter is the place for sick burns, short statements, and links to other people's more considered thoughts. Anyone who reads fantasy is by definition not seeking instant gratification from reading. Right now this place is a collection of the cognoscenti, but It's interesting to contemplate the counter-factual as to whether this forum would remain one of the hotspots to talk about fantasy if TWOW had come out in, say, 2012-3. That said, to respond to the OP, there is more fantasy in the last 5-6 years than there every has been before. IMHO, if these books are not "great", it is because the model of laboring in solitude for years over a manuscript to perfect it has been lost. The incentives are heavily aligned for authors to become more efficient, more Sandersonized. Sanderson himself is a case in point. The Way of Kings is the best book in the Stormlight Archive because it was written first. You can plot the deterioration of the quality of prose in the books on a graph as a downward sloping curve. To be clear, getting a first draft of indifferent quality done, having beta readers, getting constant feedback etc is a much more efficient way to write. But if you can successfully navigate the procrastination-perfectionism whirlpool, the fruits can be remarkable.

Yes, although we are given clues aren't we that Noir was acting as a catspaw for Edgar? Soldier Boy isn't just looking for revenge, he's also looking for answers. I feel like we will see a meeting between Soldier Boy and Mallory once more. If I had to predict the outcome of the last episode (and I haven't read the comics): (1) Homelander losing his powers after being caught in Soldier Boy's explosion; (2) Butcher and Hughie running out of the temporary compound V and being saved by Annie/Ryan; (3) Soldier Boy as the new big bad; (4) Edgar back in charge of Vought; (5) Noir still on the run; (6) Kimiko and Frenchie leaving the Boys.

What did people think about the Homelander multiple identity personality thing? It seemed like it was introduced in this episode wasn't it? And then Homelander was ominously looking in the mirror, and only hearing silence. Did he lose that personality? Or was that cocksure personality silent in the face of a real challenge? On the one hand, I think the show is setting up Homelander to fail epically in this season. On the other hand, it feels like we may be going on a "Homelander is good now" arc as his opponents become more cynical and ruthless. The other thing I'm puzzled by is why Soldier Boy, having tangled with Homelander and failed, will not now bail on Butcher's project. Why bother? Homelander may not leave him alone, but what's in it for Soldier Boy? Also, it appears that Soldier Boy's explosion temporarily removes a Supe's powers if they are in the blast radius. So that would seem to be the play if the team up continues. Obviously we know with Ryan lurking in the wings, that this season will not bring a conclusion.

While I agree that "doing something" in terms of immediate response is difficult, the Supreme Court majority has taken an enormous political gamble. They were emboldened by the (relatively) muted reaction to Texas' SB8, and the breathtakingly cynical road-test of their overruling of Roe and Casey in that State. The damage that the Court has done to itself with this overruling will be apparent in decades, and over the life-cycles of US politics, not in weeks or in this year's midterms. Not every future Dem President will be Biden, or command a zero vote majority in the US Senate with 2 Senators who are triangulating for political reasons. If there is a political silver lining in this decision, it is that the legislative filibuster will fall sooner now rather than later. If there is a jurisprudential silver lining, it is that the extraordinary run of luck (combined with cynical power-plays, and Ginsburg's arrogance) that Republicans have had in shaping the Court since Nixon will eventually come to an end. And when it does, the doctrine of stare decisis will not be around to protect Citizens United, Heller, Shelby County, Brnovich, Dobbs and Bruen from the trash-heap of history.

I picked the first novella as an ebook on Wert's recommendation and then ended up spending a pretty packet to read the next one and the next one and the next one. I don't regret breaking my current no unfinished works rule for this series, but I recommend those who are thinking about starting it to wait until there is an anthology of the short stories.

Define "finished".

I was somewhere in the middle. I read it, and enjoyed it. The plotting was a mite predictable, and it did not thrill me the way that her prior book did. But it is hardly fair to expect a favorite writer to write a novel that becomes a favorite novel every time. Space must be made for experimentation, taste, surprise, failure, and (modest) success. But I'm happy she is writing again, and hope she continues.