Author Archive for: bmaz
About bmaz
Bmaz is a rather large saguaro cactus in the Southwestern Sonoran desert. A lover of the Constitution, law, family, sports, food and spirits. As you might imagine, a bit prickly occasionally. Bmaz has attended all three state universities in Arizona, with both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Arizona State University, and with significant post-graduate work (in physics and organic chemistry, go figure) at both the University of Colorado in Boulder and the University of Arizona. Married, with both a lovely child and a giant Sasquatch dog. Bmaz has been a participant on the internet since the early 2000’s, including active participation in the precursor to Emptywheel, The Next Hurrah. Formally joined the Emptywheel blog as an original contributing member at its founding in 2007. Bmaz grew up around politics, education, sports and, most significantly, cars; notably around Formula One racing and Concours de Elegance automobile restoration and showing. Currently lives in the Cactus Patch with his lovely wife and beast of a dog, and practices both criminal and civil trial law.
At Mastodon: @bmaz@mstdn.social
Entries by bmaz
Trash: They Might Be Giants
/in emptywheel, Football, Trash Talk/by bmazWas discussing the state of the NFL last night with Marcy, and the prevailing opinion was an unusual lack of particularly exciting or compelling story lines. A strange parity and blaah seems to have set in to the league that hardly ever suffers from that. So, guess what, screw it I’m going with baseball as […]
Judge Phillips’ DADT Order Is Not The Victory Being Claimed
/in 2008 Presidential Election, Culture, Department of Justice, Law, Obama Administration, prop 8/by bmazBy wildly overreaching her injunctive authority, Judge Virginia Phillips has given the Obama White House/Executive Branch legitimate and compelling grounds to appeal that are separate from the critical merits issue of the constitutionality and propriety of DADT, which is a discriminatory and loathsome policy and should be terminated immediately.
Todd Purdum & Vanity Fair Discover McCain the Gluehorse
/in 2008 Presidential Election, Elections--Historical, Press and Media/by bmazTodd Purdum has a pretty extensive and in depth article on John McCain just up at Vanity Fair and it paints a very brutal picture of McCain the tired old gluehorse. It is a picture I know well.
Military Encroachment On Civilian Authority & Seven Days In May
/in Domestic Policy, Elections--Historical, FISA, Fusion Centers, Ideas and Ideology, Law, Obama Administration, state secrets, Terrorism, Unitary Executive/by bmazThe military is becoming ever more aggressively meddlesome in civilian control and political decision making at a time where the surveillance and communications control of the military is unparalleled. With public unrest from the dire economic conditions, there may be a further militarization of the political leadership.
Leura Canary Strikes Again: Alabama Bingo Arrests
/in Bush Administration, Department of Justice, Law, Obama Administration/by bmazThe DOJ has just announced significant arrests of eleven individuals, including four current Alabama state legislators, three lobbyists, two business owners and one of their employees, and an employee of the Alabama legislature in the long simmering Alabama Bingo case. The Karl Rove operative Leura Canary, still the US Attorney for that district in Alabama after all the Don Siegelman hell she caused is once again knee deep in the operation.
The (Liz) Warren Commission and Financial Reform
/in Congress, Democrats, Financial Fraud, Obama Administration/by bmazA lot of hope was placed on the back of Elizabeth Warren and the financial reform act passed by Congress at the behest of the Administration and formally known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Concurrent with belittling the liberal Democratic activist base as ungrateful whiners, the Administration and Democratic leadership has touted Liz Warren and Dodd-Frank as prime examples of accomplishments that should thrill and satisfy the base. But are those “accomplishments” really all that and should they mollify Democrats, at least on financial reform issues? The initial returns indicate no.