Right Side of the Rainbow

Fred Thompson declares, finally: “After months of false starts, staff shake-ups, and questions about the seriousness of his intention to run for president, Fred Thompson rolled out his presidential candidacy this evening with a two-pronged, guerrilla-style entry into the race that sought to take the spotlight from his Republican opponents as they squared off in a debate.”crimsonland 2 key

You should feel him now, cause he’s in.crimsonland 2 key

It’s a small point in the great scheme of things. But when you’re running for the Republican presidential nomination, trying to upstage a Republican presidential debate is cheesy. Smegma cheesy. Clean it up, Fred.

GOP frontrunners take fire: “Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani — the two leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination — came under pointed criticism both from their rivals and from New Hampshire residents in tonight’s debate in the Granite State.”crimsonland 2 key

I a) support Giuliani and b) can’t stand John McCain. (Though a great American, he’s a shitty Republican.) Still, it must be said: McCain won Wednesday’s debate. Hell, even the other candidates were praising him! I doubt that one good performance can salvage his now second-tier candidacy, and powerful interests remain arrayed against him. But keep the sonar active.crimsonland 2 key

If the Supreme Court takes it, it’ll be the greatest Second Amendment case evah: “The District [of Columbia] asked the Supreme Court yesterday to save the city’s ban on handgun ownership, saying an appeals court’s decision overturning the prohibition “drastically departs from the mainstream of American jurisprudence.”crimsonland 2 key

If the court agrees to take the case, as most legal experts believe is likely, it could lead to a historic decision sometime next year on whether the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects an individual’s right to own a gun or simply imparts a collective, civic right related to maintaining state militias.

Here’s the opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Parker v. District of Columbia, restyled on appeal as District of Columbia v. Heller. And here’s the District’s petition for certiorari.crimsonland 2 key

If the justices can find a right to abortion in the Constitution’s penumbra, can they find a right “to keep and bear arms” in its text? I put the odds at 50-50.crimsonland 2 key