Friday, April 15, 2016

Greetings, Dot Calm Readers and
fellow Truth Crusaders!

I'm not feeling well today, so let's just get down to bidnith!

Don't forget to read Dot Calm's shadow's favorite independent sources of news and information:

Daily Kos
AlterNet
Democracy Now!
Conservatives are Destroying our Future
Conservative Clown Car
Americans Against the Republican Party
Americans Against the Tea Party
Mrs. Betty Bowers
God, the Good Lord Above

...And, whatever you do,
VOTE BERNIE!!!!!

If at all possible, send him a buck o' five.
 
Don't forget to hug and kiss your loved ones today, and please be good to yourselves because I'd give all of you a great big hug if I could right now. I do it all for you!

- Dot Calm's shadow
 
********************************************
ATTENTION, REPUBLICANS!
Obama is coming
for your guns 'n' Bibles
November 8, 2016.
DO NOT
LEAVE YOUR HOUSE
THAT DAY
FOR ANY REASON!
The rights you save
may be your own!
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This article about Rafael "BUSTed" Cruz will make your skin crawl. I get it that he doesn't want to "blame the child" for having been conceived by rape--so then he is blaming the VICTIM, whether he realizes it or admits it or not. He's perfectly fine with, as the article says, forcing a twelve-year-old girl to give birth to her own sister. Even on the lunatic fringe, Cruz is the lunatic fringe. And people like my Tea Party Christian friend think he's the second coming of Jesus and can say and do no wrong. Creepy!!! 
- Dot Calm's shadow

Ted Cruz's Dark, Twisted World: Why His Far-Right Social Views Are Even Scarier Than You Think


It will come as no shock that the Texas senator is an extremist. But it might surprise to learn just how extreme he is.

April 14, 2016

Probably one of the most unlikely scandalettes of the 2016 primary has to be the National Enquirer “exposé ” of Senator Ted Cruz’s alleged serial infidelity. Nobody knows to this day where the story originated, although some reporters suggested after it was run that the Rubio campaign had shopped it to them earlier in the cycle. But Donald Trump is known to be quite close to the publisher of the Enquirer (a man aptly named David Pecker) so it’s always possible the story was run for his benefit. Cruz denied it and it faded in the excitement of the campaign, at least for now.

But whatever its provenance, the story was interesting not so much because it’s unbelievable that any politician might have a zipper problem (it’s almost a requirement for office) but because it was the very pious Cruz being accused. This is the man, after all, whose first victory speech began with “God bless the great state of Iowa, let me first of all say, to God be the glory.”

Cruz announced his candidacy at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University where he laid out his vision for the country. And he told a story that he tells on the trail all the time:
When my dad came to America in 1957, he could not have imagined what lay in store for him. Imagine a young married couple, living together in the 1970s, neither one of them has a personal relationship with Jesus. They have a little boy and they are both drinking far too much. They are living a fast life. 
When I was three, my father decided to leave my mother and me. We were living in Calgary at the time, he got on a plane and he flew back to Texas, and he decided he didn’t want to be married anymore and he didn’t want to be a father to his 3-year-old son. And yet when he was in Houston, a friend, a colleague from the oil and gas business invited him to a Bible study, invited him to Clay Road (ph) Baptist Church, and there my father gave his life to Jesus Christ. 
And God transformed his heart. And he drove to the airport, he bought a plane ticket, and he flew back to be with my mother and me. 
There are people who wonder if faith is real. I can tell you, in my family there’s not a second of doubt, because were it not for the transformative love of Jesus Christ, I would have been saved and I would have been raised by a single mom without my father in the household.
It may seem odd that his “testimony” is his father’s story but it makes sense. Cruz himself was a very smart kid who grew up in Texas and went to Princeton and then Harvard Law which doesn’t provide quite the same pathos as his daddy’s tale of sin and redemption. And his dad is definitely important to his career—he’s a genuine evangelical preacher and wingnut firebrand, well known on the conservative speaking circuit. He brings with him all the authentic street cred his son could possibly need in this crowd.

Cruz’s campaign strategy was built on the foundation of support from the ultra-conservative evangelical base of the Republican party; this recent Pew Poll shows that nearly half of his total voters are white observant evangelical Christians, most of whom attend Church at least weekly. By contrast Trump gets a share of evangelicals but more mainline protestants and Catholics who attend church less than once a week. (This article by Jeff Sharlet in the New York Times Magazine about Trump and prosperity gospel types is fascinating. I’m not even sure they’re really social conservatives.)

The prosperity gospel types are VERY socially conservative--they're all about legislating and regulating vaginas and gay men's anuses. All they have done is redefine social conservatism to include making yourself stinking rich at the expense of those less fortunate than you and declaring it all to be "blessings from God." 
- Dot Calm's shadow

I wrote about Cruz’s original strategy (based upon Carter’s peanut brigade) a while back, in which he had planned to sweep the southern states and build up a big lead, just as Hillary Clinton has done on the Democratic side. It didn’t work out for him because it turns out that a lot of the southern conservatives he was counting on were mesmerized by a decadent, thrice married New Yorker. Who would have ever guessed? But he has shown tremendous tenacity, hanging on long after all the Big Boys of the Deep Bench fell by the wayside and it’s now a two man race to the finish.

The adultery accusations don’t seem to have hurt Cruz with his base voters, although it’s possible we haven’t yet seen the effects in more socially conservative states. But Cruz has built up a lot of credibility in that crowd over the years. He’s won the straw poll at the Values Voter Summit three years in a row. Two years ago he made a huge splash in anticipation of announcing his run for president by giving a rousing speech in which he declared, “We stand for life. We stand for marriage. We stand for Israel!” which sums up the foundation of the evangelical right’s philosophy.

Except that they don't stand for any of it. If you mandate birth without providing the means for life, which evangelicals regularly do DESPITE Jesus pleading for care of the poor, you are NOT pro-life. If you divorce and remarry, as evangelicals regularly do DESPITE Jesus clearly saying not to, you are NOT pro-marriage. And the only reason these lunatics "support" Israel is to bring on the apocalypse so they can see Israel destroyed. Not exactly pro-Israel, if ya ask me. 
- Dot Calm's shadow

Cruz is an anti-abortion warrior of the most strident kind. He wants to ban abortion with no exception for rape or incest. He unctuously explains it this way:
“When it comes to rape, rape is a horrific crime against the humanity of a person, and needs to be punished and punished severely. But at the same time, as horrible as that crime is, I don’t believe it’s the child’s fault. And we weep at the crime, we want to do everything we can to prevent the crime on the front end, and to punish the criminal, but I don’t believe it makes sense to blame the child.”
Like I said, it makes more sense to Rafael, Jr., to blame the victim. Don't these people listen to the words coming out of their mouths? The crazy is strong with this one.  - Dot Calm's shadow

He holds the same view of a 12-year-old girl being forced to give birth to her own sister: tough luck.
He has led the charge against Planned Parenthood in the Senate, urging a government shutdown if the president didn’t agree to defund it. And he’s gone farther than that:
“If I’m elected president, let me tell you about my first day in office. The first thing I intend to do is to rescind every illegal and unconstitutional executive action taken by Barack Obama. The next thing I intend to do is instruct the Department of Justice to open an investigation into these videos and to prosecute Planned Parenthood for any criminal violations.”
Ted Cruz is a lawyer and ex-attorney general of Texas who has argued cases before the Supreme Court. Unlike Donald Trump when, he makes a statement like this, he cannot claim to be ignorant of the fact that the president instructing the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation on anyone would be the very definition of abuse of power and quite likely an impeachable offense.
His dismissive comments on contraception, meanwhile, are insulting to every woman:
“Last I checked, we don’t have a rubber shortage in America. Look, when I was in college, we had a machine in the bathroom, you put 50 cents in and voila. So, yes, anyone who wants contraceptives can access them.”
He’s equally adamant about gay marriage, and insists that he will work to overturn last year’s landmark Obergefell ruling, which legalized same-sex marriage across the country, just as he will work to overturn Roe vs Wade. He says:
“It’s not the law of the land. It’s not the Constitution. It’s not legitimate, and we will stand and fight.”
Again, this is a man who argued cases before the Supreme Court and presumably knows very well that marriage equality is the law of the land.

He has defended a ban on late term-abortions and a display of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state capitol. He argued that the pledge of allegiance should include the words “Under God.”  According to this astonishing article by David Corn in Mother Jones, he even defended a state ban on dildos, arguing the state had an interest in “discouraging…autonomous sex,” comparing masturbation to hiring a prostitute or committing bigamy and declaring that no right exists for people to “stimulate their genitals.” (His college roommate tweeted a hilarious reaction to that story yesterday.)
He’s all in on the “religious liberty” legal theory as defined by the Manhattan Declaration and enjoys keeping company with some of the most radical dominionists in the nation, including David Barton, the junk historian who also runs Cruz’s number one super PAC, Keep the Promise. That super PAC is funded by a couple of Cruz’s megabucks donors, Texas energy barons Farris and Dan Wilks, both of whom are ultra conservative Christians. He’s even tight with the bigots who spearheaded the recent sweeping anti-LGBT legislation in North Carolina, congressional candidate and evangelical pastor Mark Harris and the former HGTV twins the Benham brothers, whose show was cancelled over their anti-gay activities. And then there is his father Rafael Cruz, who is counted among the most militant extremist preachers in the country and who believes his son was sent by God to turn America into a theocracy.

The crazy is even stronger with Rafael, Sr., than with Rafael, Jr. These men are a clear and present danger to this nation and its democracy. Like Digby says, Junior KNOWS that his promises to his base would break the law of the land, but he spouts off anyway. Scary!!! 
- Dot Calm's shadow

Ted Cruz’s confrontational political philosophy is revolutionary. His policy agenda is at the farthest edge of conservative movement thinking, even including gold buggery and the abolition of the IRS and half a dozen other agencies and functions of the federal government. His foreign policy advisers include anti-Muslim cranks like Frank Gaffney. His ideology is doctrinaire right wing conservative.

And he is a fanatical conservative evangelical Christian whose beliefs place him at the fringe of an already non-mainstream worldview.

It’s not surprising that people would have a hard time believing that such a man would be a serial adulterer. But when you think about it, he would hardly be the first conservative Christian leader to be undone in such a way. (In fact, it’s so common you have to wonder if it isn’t an occupational hazard.) So far, he’s weathered the storm. But he is a fully realized right wing radical deeply embedded in the conservative Christian right.  If any of it turns out to be true, Cruz will have a very long way to fall.

---

Heather Digby Parton, also known as "Digby," is a contributing writer to Salon. She was the winner of the 2014 Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism.

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How many people die from terrorism vs gun violence? Click this link to read the whole article from "mic."

One Chart Shows How Many People Die From Terrorism and Gun Violence

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Roe v Wade didn't START women
having abortions.
It just STOPPED women from DYING
from having abortions.
Republicans would rather see women die.
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I think the signs on the doors should read "People" and "Incubators"...
http://images.dailykos.com/images/179514/story_image/Men_and_Incubators_-_Clay_Bennett.jpg?1453891644
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How to dress like a good Christian woman

Ladies, are you concerned that the contents of your closet might make Jesus cry? Do you find men lustfully staring at you as you walk down the hallways of your Christian college in the latest fashions? Does your misogynistic religion lead you to believe you are to blame for that? Are you frustrated that it seems no matter what you do, you just can’t put together outfits that are “Christian enough?”

Do not fret, pious god-fearing women of the world. Harding University, a Christian college based in Searcy, Ark., has just the thing to help you make good, Christ-like decisions when it comes to your outward appearance. Presenting, Godly Gertrude!

godly gertrude christian college harding university


Godly Gertrude is the sure-fire way to make sure your everyday dress doesn’t prompt the Lord to give your uncle Lou Gehrig’s disease. Godly Gertrude is a prime example of what the outward appearance of a good Christian woman should be. Granted, Godly Gertrude can’t do anything to improve your standing within a religion that blames you for original sin, but by following these few simple steps personified by Godly Gertrude, you can make sure the body God gave you isn’t responsible for making God angry.

Step 1: No Cleavage!

This should be a no-brainer, but plenty of Christian women seem to have forgotten that whenever they put on a shirt or a blouse that shows the top of their breasts, God gives a child leukemia. Cleavage is what sets apart godly women from those back-alley fornicators working for Satan. Breasts should always be covered, fully, because even the tops of them, much like the parts you use to feed babies — in an empty room, alone in the dark, with a blanket covering you — pervert the minds of Christian men.
Haven’t women already done enough to make men’s lives more difficult?

Step 2: Shoulder Straps Must Be At Least 2 Inches Wide

Women who wear “spaghetti-straps” are just asking for trouble. Our interpretations of scripture tell us, and our preachers testify, that men lust after women’s shoulders. Optimally, you’d be covered from neck to wrist in garment, but because we prayed and Jesus told us to be a little more liberal with this (because the last thing you need is to die of heat stroke under the Arkansas sun, since that means you can’t birth dozens of little Christian warriors), two-inch wide straps were designated the absolute minimum.
We don’t like it, but we’ll accept it.

Step 3: Leggings And Tights Are NOT Appropriate Garments

God has told Christians around the world repeatedly that leggings, tights, and the dreaded yoga pants are not clothes, but are actually skin. You draw unnecessary, lustful attention to yourself when you wear these, both from the good ‘ol boys you corrupt and the sinful fornicators who do not walk with the Lord.
Anything that hugs the contours of your body is an invitation for sin to follow you.

Step 4: All Dresses And Skirts Must Be At Least Knee Length

In the days before our faith was under threat from the liberal media and the atheist agenda, Christian women all over wore modest skirts. It’s not a coincidence that back in those days, women stayed home, took care of the kids, and did everything their husbands told them to do. Skirts and dresses that are no shorter than your knees show your community that you are chaste, which will help you in finding a good husband to whom you can devote your every waking moment.

Step 5: The Hems Of Your Shorts Must Be At The Mid-Thigh, Or Longer

Wearing shorts is leaving skin exposed and your legs are a very dangerous place to do that. Since it is your responsibility to make sure no carnal harm comes to you (and your fault if it does), leaving legs exposed presents a great risk, for your legs are the highway to a certain place that you only have so your husband can make you continue his godly genetic line. The more leg skin you leave exposed, the harder it is for men to stay on God’s path, and the harder it is for men to stay on God’s path, the harder it is for you to be chaste.
We know what you may be thinking, “But, won’t other girls make fun of me because I don’t dress like they do?” The answer is yes, they will. But do not worry. By following the Christian college-approved dress code laid out by Godly Gertrude and Harding University, you will find favor in the eyes of the Lord, while those other girls will find themselves whoring for Satan’s amusement.
You may also be thinking, “Well, why should I dress this way? It’s my body!” That’s not exactly true. Your body doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to your father, who watches over it until your husband comes along. Beyond the corporeal, your body belongs to God.
There are other reasons to follow these guidelines:
  1. Help out your brothers in Christ. Don’t be their stumbling block. It is your responsibility, as a Christian woman, to make sure you are not responsible for the lusts of men. As we said before, it is your responsibility to make sure no carnal knowledge befalls you, and if it does, only you are to blame. If good Christian men fall for your womanly wiles, it’s the Christian way to shame you like you’ve never been shamed before (or worse!).
  2. Be a good example to others. By dressing appropriately, you send a message to the rest of the world. Remember, you are a good Christian woman!
  3. Represent God and Harding University in an appropriate manner. As a Christian college student, how you look reflects not just who you are, but also reflects everyone else. When you look bad, you make us all look bad. When attending a Christian college, you must represent the Christian college appropriately, which means not dressing like you hate Jesus.
  4. Respect yourself. When you dress modestly, you show the world that you respect yourself. Don’t let these “female empowerment” types, the one’s who promote women dressing “sexy” and taking control of their own bodies, get to you. They’re not advocating “girl power,” but “sin power.”
  5. It’s the rules. At the end of the day, this is the main reason why you must follow Godly Gertrude’s standard. It is the rules and as a good Christian woman, you follow the rules, yes? After all, you follow the teachings of the Bible, right? Those are rules. How can the rules of your Christian college and Christian society be looked at any differently?

We hope this has been an enlightening experience for you and has helped you understand your role in society as a Christian woman. Even though it may seem like you’re being singled out (because we don’t hold men accountable for anything or hold them to even a remotely similar moral standard), you must remember it is your responsibility to dress modestly, lest you think it’s okay that every time you dress like a whore, a baby is aborted.
Just remember, if you ever run into any trouble or are confused about what to wear, think of Godly Gertrude.
So why are Republicans all up in arms about Muslim women wearing headscarves and burkas? This Christian dress code for girls only doesn't seem all that different to me. Nor does the blame-the-victim rape culture mentality behind it.  - Dot Calm's shadow

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by Andrew Bradford, 1 March 2016
 
It would appear that some things never change in the state of Texas. It was long suggested that the late President Lyndon B. Johnson won many of his elections in the Lone Star state by “voting the graveyard,” which even earned him the nickname“Landslide Lyndon.” But such nefarious shenanigans don’t happen in this age of electronic voting machines, do they?
 

Several voters in Austin would beg to differ, and they called into a local radio station to say that their votes for Donald Trump had been changed to Marco Rubio.

Austin radio station KLBJ (oh, the irony in those call letters!) had callers dialing into the “Todd and Don Show” with reports of voting machines incorrectly stating who they had voted for. One of the radio hosts remarked:
‘That’s not good. You are the fourth person to call us in the past half hour to say they had that same problem. They voted for Trump but it popped up Rubio or somebody else.
‘Something’s fishy. Something is going on strange. It appears it was one in Round Rock, one in Leander, one in Georgetown. So it appears to be a Williamston County problem.’
One caller from Williamson County, Texas, also confirmed that he had experienced problems with his voting machine,recalling:
‘When I reviewed my ballot at the end, the person I voted for president was marked differently than how I voted. And I know that when I touched the button that I hit the right button.’
That led one of the radio hosts to speculate:
‘If half the people don’t check their ballots, half the people could have the wrong information. That’s not good, that’s not a system that we trust.’
Ah, Texas, what in the world would we do without you? But it does seem odd that the votes were changed to Rubio instead of Ted Cruz. After all, Cruz is a native Texan who represents the state in the United States Senate. Then again, if Cruz truly is as big of a jerk as he’s alleged to be, would it be any surprise that even fellow Texans want to see his Presidential aspirations go down in a fiery heap of smoldering ruins?
Click on the link to hear some audio from the “Todd and Don Show.” 
- Dot Calm's shadow
Featured Image Via Flickr available under a Creative Commons license.

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Republicans believe that fetuses deserve dignity
but women don't.
Republicans believe that fetuses
have the right to live
but women don't.
If that's not a war on women, what is?
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Republicans want to use religion to bring back this kind of bigotry.
Maybe not as much against Jews but certainly against women, Blacks, Latinos, and LGBTQ.


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Petitions!

              

Eight years ago, reckless, runaway Wall Street greed started a housing crisis that rocked our entire economy to its core. For thousands of us, the housing crisis never ended. Today, people across the country are still doing their best to put their communities back together in the aftermath of a massive wave of foreclosures and destabilization. But who got the bailout? Big banks.

Which is why it’s doubly insulting that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is using a homeowner relief program to deliver yet another gift to big banks: selling foreclosed homes to Wall Street for pennies on the dollar.

Tell HUD Secretary Julián Castro: Wall Street already got their bailout. Stop selling our neighborhoods to big banks!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Sign the Daily Kos pledge to boycott Koch products.

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CREDO action
Stand with Sen. Warren: Tell Congress to simplify tax filing
Petition to Congress:
"Ignore tax preparation lobbyists and instead simplify and decrease the costs of the tax filing process for millions of American taxpayers by passing the Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2016."
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►

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From Watchdog.net

Trump and Cruz say they want to kill Net Neutrality. That's really scary – but if the Republicans in the House get their way, Net Neutrality rules will already be crippled well before the election.
Click here to make a call today and tell your representative to stand up for the Internet by voting NO on the Republicans’ anti-Net Neutrality “rate regulation” bill.

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From Daily Kos: religion is NO excuse for bigotry

Mississippi’s governor signed the most aggressively anti-LGBTQ law in the nation. House Bill 1523 allows businesses, individuals, and religious organizations to legally deny services, employment, and housing to LGBTQ people as long as they really, really believe their religion wants them to.

Sign the petition: Denounce Mississippi’s pro-discrimination law.
The Religious Liberty Accommodation Act specifically protects three religious beliefs: same-sex marriage is wrong, sex outside of marriage is wrong, and gender is fixed and never changes from what is assigned to a person at birth. Under this law, no one can face penalties for discrimination based on these beliefs.

The law encourages and protects hate against gays and lesbians, transgender people, and even single parents. People will be legally denied access to necessary goods from businesses, social services, jobs, and public facilities like bathrooms.

There is no religious freedom under HB1523. Even people who do not share these religious beliefs will be forced to abide by them or find it impossible to live at all. This is not only wrongheaded and mean-spirited, it’s unconstitutional. Religion does not free government of the duty to uphold the constitution and basic civil rights.

Sign the petition: Denounce Mississippi’s hateful attack on human rights. Denounce this law.

Keep fighting,
Irna Landrum, Daily Kos
-----------------------------------------------------------------

CREDO action
Tell the Treasury Department: Investigate U.S. links in the Panama Papers
Petition to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew:
"Exercise your full authority to investigate whether any U.S. or U.S.-linked company or person involved with Mossack Fonseca may have facilitated money laundering, terrorist financing, or other illegal activity, including with any U.S.-designated persons."
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►

********************************************
Ben Carson says he has no memory
of running for president.
"What the hell? Where have I been?...
I've been told that I did it,
but I find it impossible to believe...
I don't think I'd forget a thing like that."
-- Andy Borowitz
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This is one creepy-ass photo...

And here's another!

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Women's Health Policy Report


Quote round up: Advocates praise new medication abortion label, condemn increase in antiabortion-rights violence, more

Key stakeholders in women's health comment on FDA's updated label for medication abortion, a new report showing a dramatic increase in violence against abortion providers and more. More »

QRU.4-16.Northup.jpg

Read More




Supplemental briefs filed with Supreme Court in challenge to contraceptive coverage rules

The Obama administration and not-for-profits that hold themselves out as religious and oppose contraception on Tuesday responded to the Supreme Court's request for supplemental briefs in a lawsuit challenging an accommodation to the federal contraceptive coverage rules, the Washington Post reports. More »

Read More



NYT op-ed delves into the proliferation of antiabortion-rights laws, highlights Ariz. medication abortion restriction

"With the exception of the West Coast and most (but not all) of the Northeast, recently enacted abortion restrictions can be found almost everywhere" in the United States, Linda Greenhouse writes in a New York Times opinion piece. More »

Read More



Abortion care training programs see increase in demand

More physicians are opting to receive abortion care training, although they seldom move to regions of the United States most in need of additional abortion providers, Reuters reports. More »

Read More



CQ Magazine examines conservative states' attempts to defund abortion providers

Conservative states are employing several different strategies to block abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, from receiving public funding, CQ Magazine reports. More »

Read More



Blogs comment on 'all-time high' in antiabortion-rights violence, praise proposed sexuality education bill in Senate, more

Read some of the best commentary from bloggers at Bustle, Slate's "XX Factor" and more. More »

Read More



CDC: Zika causes microcephaly, other fetal anomalies

CDC scientists in a study published Wednesday confirmed that the Zika virus causes microcephaly and other severe brain defects in fetuses, the Los Angeles Times' "Science Now" reports. More »

Read More



Federal judge dismisses suit against Catholic hospital that withheld emergency abortion care

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan that challenged a Catholic health system for allegedly violating federal law by withholding emergency abortion care for women experiencing pregnancy complications, the Detroit News reports. More »

Read More



L.A. Times: Utah's fetal anesthesia law 'is a reckless intrusion' into medical practice

A "first of its kind" law (SB 234) in Utah that requires physicians to administer anesthesia to a fetus when providing abortion care at 20 or more weeks of gestation "is a reckless intrusion of a state legislature into the practice of medicine," according to a Los Angeles Times editorial. More »

Read More



Judge considers motions in resentencing case for man who killed Kan. abortion provider

A Kansas judge on last week considered motions regarding the resentencing hearing for the man who shot and killed abortion provider George Tiller, the Kansas City Star reports. More »

Read More



Blogs comment on Mo. lawmakers' efforts to collect private medical records from Planned Parenthood, providing abortion care at 20 weeks' pregnancy & more

Read some of the best commentary from bloggers at Salon, Daily Beast and more. More »

Read More


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If you supported Kim Davis but would not support this county clerk, congratulations: you're not in favor of religious freedom but bigotry

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Democracy Now!

During Thursday's debate, Bernie Sanders repeated his assertion that Israel used disproportionate force during its 2014 assault on Gaza that killed nearly 1,500 Palestinian ... Read More →

In their most contentious debate of the campaign, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders met in Brooklyn, New York, last night, days ahead of Tuesday's crucial New York primary. ... Read More →

During Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate, Hillary Clinton questioned Bernie Sanders' judgment and how prepared he is to be president, citing his recent ... Read More →

We host a debate on the 2016 election between two longtime progressives: Robert Scheer, a veteran journalist, and Torie Osborn, a progressive activist. Scheer worked for ... Read More →

Police arrested more than two dozen people at the anti-Trump rally in Manhattan Thursday night, including Democracy Now!'s own videographers, Charina Nadura ... Read More →

As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders faced off in Brooklyn, about 1,000 New Yorkers rallied across the East River in Manhattan to protest Republican front-runner Donald ... Read More →
 
  • Workers Strike in Over 300 Cities in Record Fight for $15 Action
  • Sanders, Clinton Spar over Minimum Wage at Brooklyn Democratic Debate
  • 1,000 Protest Trump in NYC; 2 Democracy Now! Videographers Arrested
  • Trump Campaign Manager to Avoid Prosecution for Battery
  • Brazil’s Supreme Court Rejects Bid by President Rousseff to Avoid Impeachment Vote
  • GOP Senator Calls for Reopening U.S. Military Base on Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island
  • Report: UC Davis Spent $175,000 Trying to Scrub Reports on 2011 Pepper-Spraying of Students
  • Dozens Arrested as UMass Amherst Students Demand Fossil Fuel Divestment
  • Microsoft Sues DOJ for Right to Inform Users of Spying
  • Canadian PM Introduces Bill to Allow Doctor-Assisted Suicide
  • Activists Occupy Canadian Gov’t Offices to Demand Action on First Nations Suicides
  • Mexican Woman Crosses Border with U.S. Citizen Children to Reunite Family
  • Mexican Soldiers Charged in Torture; Witness Says Federal Police Present as 43 Students Disappeared


  • As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders prepare for tonight's debate in Brooklyn, one issue expected to come up is the Israel-Palestine conflict. New York state, which holds its ... Read More →

    A federal judge in Oregon has rejected an attempt by the U.S. government to dismiss a landmark lawsuit over the government's failure to take necessary action to curtail ... Read More →

    Stanford University students are demanding change in faculty diversity. Stanford's faculty is 73 percent white and 73 percent male, while less than half the undergraduate ... Read More →

  • 100 Arrested at "Democracy Spring" Protests Against Money in Politics

  • 36,000 Verizon Workers Walk Off Job in One of Largest U.S. Strikes in Years

  • NYC: Verizon Workers Among 27,000 at Sanders Rally in Washington Square Park

  • Occupied Wall Street Journal Returns with Pro-Sanders Edition

  • Pittsburgh: Hundreds of Anti-Trump Protesters Clash with Supporters

  • Trump: Democratic & GOP Nomination Processes are "Rigged"

  • Regulators Warn 5 Major U.S. Banks are Too Big to Fail

  • Zika’s Link to Microcephaly Confirmed; White House Says Congress Has Failed to Act

  • Peabody Energy, World’s Largest Private-Sector Coal Firm, Files for Bankruptcy

  • Former Senator Gets Call from White House on Secret "28 Pages" About Possible Saudi Role in 9/11

  • Report Finds Rampant Racism in Chicago Police Department

  • Protesters Call for Thorough Investigation of "Panama Papers" Law Firm

  • ********************************************

    And now for a mini meme fest!





    ********************************************

    Daily Kos

    Call of the Dildos: The Ted Cruz Story
    Remember when Hastert said child molesters should get life sentences?
    Republicans devise a new way to humiliate women for getting an abortion
    Cartoon: 2016 subway performers
    Cartoon: Boycott N.C.!!
    Now they're coming after the librarians
    The Senate GOP's Supreme Court blockade is a ridiculous and insulting attack on our democracy. Chip in $1 to Daily Kos-endorsed Democrats running against at-risk GOP senators.
    Lisa Ling issues 'regret' statement about her husband's #DemocraticWhores comment  
    The epic hypocrisy of North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory—NOW he wants a 'dialogue' on HB2
    Illinois senator knows just how toxic being a Republican is, runs away from party
    No pope for you!
    Sign if you agree with the Democratic Governors Association: Voting should be easier—move Election Day to a weekend. sponsored
    Verizon CEO: Bernie is 'uninformed,' 'contemptible'—Bernie Sanders: 'I welcome their contempt'
    The Southern Democratic electorate—aka Blacks and Latinos—do not 'distort reality'
    Thank you, Hillary Clinton, for bringing up women's reproductive rights during the debate
    14-year-old activist slams Ted Cruz in open letter—and it's awesome
    Is this the Kochs' number one target this cycle?
    The real human cost of Republicans targeting transgender kids
    Cartoon: Hell's shells
    This is your brain on fungicides
    The first lady of crazy conservatives is facing a 'hostile takeover' after endorsing Trump
    Tulane frat builds Trump tribute wall, members of the football team tear it down
    Sign if you agree with Everytown: Congress should not backtrack on President Obama’s common sense gun measure which will help save lives. sponsored
    Police investigate threats as the white-hot rage of Trump supporters turns toward delegates
    Ringo Starr says he's Team Love, cancels NC concert
    Climate change deniers swarm Bill Nye's Facebook page, NASA shows up to help smack them down New poll has North Carolina governor losing re-election by 4 points as HB2 backlash continues
    Sign if you agree with the DLCC: End racist gerrymandering now. sponsored
    Budget fail demonstrates just how much Republicans can't govern
    Russian warplanes aggressively buzz U.S. Navy destroyer ship in 'simulated attacks' (video)  Cartoon: Sensible talk
    As a member of the 12 percent, I'll be back in a month or two
    80 percent of Arizonans want to ban mining near Grand Canyon; congressman calls it a job killer
    If I were dictator of the world, this is how I'd reform primary voting
    Major porn distributor delivers blow to North Carolina's viewing pleasure
    Portland's mayor refuses to go to Mississippi, U.S. Navy reroutes to Oregon for ship's commissioning
    Major porn distributor delivers blow to North Carolina's viewing pleasure
    Big blow to Republicans and Scott Walker: 'Right to Work' ruled unconstitutional
    Sign the petition with Hillary: Tell Mitch McConnell to stop playing politics with the Supreme Court. sponsored
    Obama administration to forgive 375,000 student loans
    North Carolina's business meltdown on overload with international backlash and more ...
    Congrats, Bill O’Reilly! You've once again proven yourself to be the biggest racist in the room
    Disgruntled, lifelong Republican burns party registration, says millions will do the same (VIDEO)
    Peaceful organization creates best billboard for North Carolina's bigotry
    The temperature currently in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland is 63F
    Sign if you agree with Everytown: Congress should not backtrack on President Obama’s common sense gun measure which will help save lives. sponsored
    Cartoon: North Carolina's backward bills
    The perfect meme on how to reduce abortions. GOP, can I get an AMEN?
    Will the Democratic presidential primary implode like the Republican primary?
    Some Dems just can't shake the stupid 'bipartisan' tic. Lucky for us, we have Donna Edwards
    This week shows, again, just how different the two parties are—even on economic issues
    Samantha Bee proves how much harder it is to book the NRA's mascot than it is to buy an arsenal
    Louisiana fisherman checks catfish line, ends up reeling in sheer terror (video)
    Missouri legislator demands names of women who've had an abortion


    ********************************************


    ********************************************

    AlterNet
    Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    New Yorkers get a brief glimpse of Trump’s America.  READ MORE»

    Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
    Sure, it's painful. But even if you don't get a refund this year, there are ways to get rewarded for your civic duty. READ MORE»

    Gerald Epstein, Dollars and Sense
    Calling into question the credibility of Krugman's New York Times column as a source of economic information and analysis.  READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    Bernie Sanders' favorability has also slid, though he is still 16 points higher than Clinton. READ MORE»

    By Tom Tomorrow, AlterNet
    God forbid they vote for the candidate they actually prefer. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    In a final push before the New York primary, Sanders uses his own brand of New York Values to attack Clinton and Trump. READ MORE»

    By Amy Monticello, Role Reboot
    Sensitivity has been wrongly simplified to mean easily wounded. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    Turns out Ted Cruz really does love New York. READ MORE»

    By Shima Baradaran Baughman, The Conversation
    The 1% isn't the only group that benefits from shell companies—terrorists do too. READ MORE»

    By John Bronsther, Salon
    Trump is demanding that we peel back a layer or two of American civilization, of American manners. READ MORE»

    By Nico Lang, The Frisky
    The government believes the Internet can make someone gay.  READ MORE»

    By Sarah K. Burris, Raw Story
    Michael Cohen attempted to ease concerns by explaining Trump is polling at around 50-plus percent. “This is his hometown.” READ MORE»

    Kali Holloway, AlterNet
    This time, it's personal.  READ MORE»

    Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    What is Trump's greatest qualification for president? Think hard.  READ MORE»

    Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
    Report finds students of color are enduring escalated attacks, with many living fear of deportation—and even slavery. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    Estimates are that an overflow crowd of 27,000 showed up for Sanders' speech in Washington Square Park. READ MORE»

    By Marcel Harmon, Salon
    The ultraconservatives take control, with an assist to ALEC and no concern for the people. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    The actress/activist wonders why some kids count more than others. READ MORE»

    By Michael Arria, AlterNet
    Lowell McAdam is the most recent corporate executive to criticize the presidential candidate.  READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    In an interview with The Young Turks, Bernie Sanders' wife, Jane, sounded off about Clinton's attacks on Sanders' record.  READ MORE»

    By Vijay Prashad, AlterNet
    Bloggers' deaths are buried in the language of terrorism, but it's much more complicated than that.  READ MORE»

    By Adele M. Stan, The American Prospect
    The Vatican’s invitation to Sanders isn’t the first time a papal confidante undermined a woman candidate in a U.S. presidential race. READ MORE»

    Kali Holloway, AlterNet
    HBO's "Confirmation" looks at the campaign to smear Anita Hill and put Clarence Thomas on the bench. READ MORE»

    Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
    The two candidates offer pretty distinct visions of change. READ MORE»

    Reynard Loki, AlterNet
    Thanks to climate change, we'll be seeing more asthma, allergies, Lyme disease and foodborne illnesses. READ MORE»

    By Silja J.A. Talvi, AlterNet
    What should be horrifying to Americans has become old hat—or worse, with Trump as torture’s new cheerleader. READ MORE»

    By Tim Wise, City Lights
    White Americans have not experienced double-digit unemployment for three generations, since the Great Depression. READ MORE»

    By William Astore, TomDispatch
    A dictionary of euphemisms for imperial decline. READ MORE»

    By Robin Scher, AlterNet
    The numbers are in. Clinton wins by unpopular vote. READ MORE»

    By Andrew Smolski, CounterPunch
    The famous political activist on corporate media, foreign policy and war.  READ MORE»

    By Heather Digby Parton, Salon
    It will come as no shock that the Texas senator is an extremist. But it might surprise to learn just how extreme he is. READ MORE»

    By Carrie Weisman, AlterNet
    The site is the first porn company to boycott North Carolina over the new law. READ MORE»

    By Shaun Shelly, The Influence
    The sequel to "The Shining" paints a simplistic portrait of addiction.  READ MORE»

    By Adele M. Stan, The American Prospect
    The Vatican’s invitation to Sanders isn’t the first time a papal confidante undermined a female candidate in a U.S. presidential race. READ MORE»

    By Lecia Bushak, Medical Daily
    Marijuana is on people's minds in America's largest cities—and some other places, too.  READ MORE»

    By Megan Reynolds, The Frisky
    Meet a few of the many ladies who have tons of success and no children. READ MORE»

    By Sarah K. Burris, Raw Story
    Dear Abby's hurtful response only enhances rape culture.  READ MORE»

    Reynard Loki, AlterNet
    If going green seems complicated, here are a few key choices that can have a big impact on the planet we call home. READ MORE»

    Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
    Designated an extremist by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Ryan Mauro will conduct a training for police. READ MORE»

    Conor Lynch, Salon
    As Americans become less and less scared of words like "socialism," conservatives look more and more ridiculous. READ MORE»

    By Angela Bacca, AlterNet
    Luke Scarmazzo and Ricardo Montes opened a dispensary in Modesto. Now, they're doing 20 years in federal prison. Their families want them home.  READ MORE»

    By Joni Edelman, Ravishly
    Knowledge is power. Even if the knowledge is TERRIFYING.  READ MORE»

    By Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
    An analysis of moving-to-Canada tweets reveals some surprising results. READ MORE»

    By Carrie Weisman, AlterNet
    A new study finds that marijuana users tend to have more sex, more sexual partners, and more confidence in the bedroom. READ MORE»

    By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
    Reflecting on fascism as Donald Trump has catapulted the issue into mainstream U.S. politics. READ MORE»

    By Leo Gerard, AlterNet
    The Obama administration estimated that cheating, self-dealing and conflicts-of-interest cost workers $17 billion a year. READ MORE»

    By Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
    The ongoing financial crisis in Puerto Rico is likely to provide new ammunition for pro-independence groups. READ MORE»

    By Katie Klabusich, The Establishment
    This Equal Pay Day, let’s ask for more. READ MORE»

    By Robin Scher, AlterNet
    A selection of stellar short fiction, essays and interviews show that "Playboy" has earned its literary legacy. READ MORE»

    By Bethania Palma Markus, Raw Story
    In the only funny thing about an anti-LGBT bill in Tennessee, comedy site Funny or Die highlights how great the state will be ... if you're homophobic, that is. READ MORE»

    Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet
    Unpack the numbers on America's highest earners and there's a stark division between the well-off and dangerously affluent.  READ MORE»

    Martha Rosenberg, Ronnie Cummins, AlterNet
    Chemical fertilizer pollutes the environment, disrupts the climate and damages human and animal health.  READ MORE»

    Bill Fletcher, Jr., AlterNet
    We face a potential rightwing right-wing populist threat. READ MORE»

    By Conor Lynch, Salon
    Sanders has taken GE to task for its anti-middle-class machinations. His message is too important to ignore. READ MORE»

    By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
    The U.S. government is accused of “injustice of historic proportions” against Muslim-Americans. READ MORE»

    By Brendan Zietsch, The Conversation
    People usually overestimate the amount of time it takes.  READ MORE»

    By Ellen Brown, Web of Debt blog
    The bombshell publication of the "Panama Papers" has triggered both outrage and skepticism. READ MORE»

    By Amanda Marcotte, Salon
    Many "are ill-educated and have tattoos on their foreheads," O'Reilly said about African-Americans seeking jobs. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    "We will get the skills!” Trump repeated, when confronted last night on Fox News with the complications of his economic plans.  READ MORE»

    By David Moberg, In These Times
    The unions are fighting to keep high-quality working class jobs in the United States. READ MORE»

    By Jenny Pierson, AlterNet
    "Muslims for Trump" head to a Trump rally to create a hilarious video—but what they discovered was something entirely different. READ MORE»

    By Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
    "As Donald Trump drums hate building walls, Las Cafeteras drum unity building bridges." READ MORE»

    By Matt Kennard, Zed Books
    An excerpt from the book "The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs. the Masters of the Universe." READ MORE»

    By Arturo Garcia, Raw Story
    The charm offensive failed.  READ MORE»




     ********************************************

    Trump told a Pittsburgh, PA, crowd
    he wants to bring back Joe Paterno.
    He asked how Joe Paterno is doing these days.
    Did he forget that JoPa DIED
    in 2012 after the sex scandal broke?
    ********************************************

     
    And now for a major meme fest!
     
    True except that the atheist wouldn't be such an asshole because atheism is not a religion...







     ********************************************
    Jesus and Ted Cruz
    are watching you masturbate
    ********************************************

    Movie time!