Friday, April 08, 2016

Jumping into the deep end

Greetings, Dot Calm Readers and
fellow Truth Crusaders!

You thought I was doing a blawg 'n' run Wednesday? Well, sit down, strap in, and hang on cuz here we go again!

Be sure to hug and kiss your loved ones today, and 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 be good to yourselves because I'd give all of you dark chocolate and Fireball whiskey (*hic*) if I could right now. I totes heart you!

See ya Wednesday or so!
 
- 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!
********************************************
 
Petitions

Bernie Sanders for President

The truth of what's happening in this election is that the American people understand that you cannot change a corrupt political system by taking its money.
 
Another truth is this: if America wants a president who will truly do everything in his or her power to dismantle our corrupt system of campaign finance, then we need a president who can get elected without the help of Wall Street, fossil fuel lobbyists, and the billionaire class.
 
Our campaign doesn't owe anything to big banks, to campaign bundlers, or to lobbyists. The only people to whom I am beholden is our political revolution. Let's keep it that way.
 
Contribute to our campaign to elect a president who isn't beholden to our corrupt system of campaign finance and show that we the people can elect our own president.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

When I started this campaign, I had a choice: I could have a super PAC funded by millionaires and billionaires, or I could run for president without one. The political establishment dismissed us immediately. They thought it was impossible to win without money from the billionaire class.
 
They were wrong.
 
The bottom line is this: we've gotten this far with more than 6.6 million contributions from 2 million people, and we can win the White House that way too.
 
They keep saying what we're doing is impossible. Let's keep proving them wrong.
 
In solidarity,
 
Bernie Sanders
 
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Here's what the Panama Papers did NOT say: how many rich Americans and American companies are dodging taxes using much larger companies than the one that just got leaked?
CREDO action
Tell Congress: Crack down on tax evasion and criminal activity. End anonymous shell corporations in the U.S.
Petition to the United States Congress:
"Pass the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act, which would end the use of anonymous U.S. shell corporations that fuel crime, terrorism, and tax evasion."
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
 
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Climate scientists overwhelming agree that climate change is real and caused by human activity. Any elected official who says otherwise is playing a dangerous game with our nation's health and safety.

Confronting this challenge is difficult, but our representatives in Congress have an obligation to acknowledge the threat that climate change poses -- to our health, to our economy, and to our national security.


  The stakes are too high for us to ignore this problem. We're already seeing record setting extreme weather that's damaging communities here at home, and worsening humanitarian crises and conflicts abroad. 

Tammy believes in science, and she's been endorsed by several major environmental protection groups because as Senator, she would continue to advocate strongly for policies that protect us.

Stand with Tammy and show your support for strong action on climate change -- make sure your name is on this petition to Congress:


Thanks for speaking up,

Matt McGrath
Deputy Campaign Manager, Tammy for Illinois
CONTRIBUTE

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Courage Campaign

There is a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeping the nation. SIGN to help stop the hate.

Regressive. Hostile. Oppressive. Unjust. These are just a few of the adjectives being used to describe the new surge of anti-LGBTQ legislation spreading throughout the country these last few weeks and months.

Indiana, North Carolina, and Mississippi have recently passed discriminatory laws in the name of “religious freedom.”(1) And many other states have been pushing forward similar legislation that discriminates against LGBTQ people in virtually every aspect of their lives -- from the workplace, to marriage, to which bathroom one is allowed to use or healthcare services one is allowed to receive.(2)

Whatever explanation anyone wants to use to justify these backwards pieces of legislation, one thing is abundantly clear: They DO NOT protect people’s freedom. No. They protect people’s hate. They legalize discrimination and bigotry, and erase decades of social progress that we’ve made as a nation.

JOIN US and our diverse coalition of organizations and national leaders in telling Republican governors and state legislators across the U.S. to stop this blatant affront to freedom and equality. Protect LGBTQ Americans from hate and discrimination!

Major global companies from Apple to eBay have threatened to stop doing business in states with these atrocious anti-LGBTQ laws, which would wreak economic havoc until the laws were repealed.

For example, last month, North Carolina’s Governor Pat McCrory signed a law that legalizes anti-gay discrimination and requires transgender people to use public restrooms according to the biological sex on their birth certificates, rather than the gender they identify with. Immediately after, 120 U.S. and international business leaders rose up and delivered a letter to Gov. McCrory objecting to the law and threatening to take their businesses elsewhere.(3) PayPal was the first business to make good on that promise. And Hollywood studio giant, Lionsgate, quickly followed suit, pulling production of its new show out of the Tar Heel state.(4)

Not only are businesses jumping ship, but other states are banning travel to states that have enacted these vile laws. New York, Washington, and Vermont banned travel to Mississippi, while New York also banned travel to North Carolina.(6)

Now it’s up to everyday Americans like you and me to ramp up the pressure on these backwards governors and state legislatures that are hell-bent on spreading hate and pushing their states away from social progress.

Help stop the hate. Tell Republican governors to repeal these discriminatory laws and protect LGBTQ Americans!

These blatantly discriminatory, anti-LGBTQ laws fly in the face of the basic American principles of fairness, justice, and equality. If we stand together, we can win the national fight for equality and stop these hateful attempts to halt progress.

Stand with us to speak out against this legalized discrimination of the LGBTQ community and demand equality for ALL Americans.
Yours in the fight for equality and justice,
Laura, along with Annie, Eddie, Emma, Ernesto, Kelsey, Lindsay, Moonyoung, Paul, Scottie, and Tim (the Courage team)
1. https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/2898?t=7&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc, http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2899?t=8&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc, http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2900?t=10&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc and http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2901?t=12&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc
2. https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/2902?t=13&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc, http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2903?t=15&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc and http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2904?t=17&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc
3. http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2905?t=19&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc and http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2903?t=21&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc
4. https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/2906?t=23&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc and http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2907?t=25&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc
5. http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2908?t=27&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc
6. http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2909?t=29&akid=2672.352495.rgKPQc
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Violence against abortion providers is skyrocketing as a result of the massive anti-choice smear campaign targeting Planned Parenthood. Will you chip in $15 to help stop this terrifying wave of anti-abortion violence?
Donate Now
From 2014 to 2015, incidents of vandalism at abortion clinics rose from 12 to 67. The number of death threats skyrocketed from just one to 94.1
This is terrifying, and we know why it's happening. It's the direct result of a coordinated campaign of lies and intimidation by anti-choice activists against abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.
More than 70,000 NARAL members spoke out against this violence last fall, and we're still fighting to hold anti-choice politicians accountable for stoking this violence. Will you chip in $15?
These latest numbers come to us from our friends at the National Abortion Federation, and they're a wake-up call telling us that we must fight to end violence and threats against patients, providers, and abortion clinics.
The first thing that needs to happen is that the politicians who have been stoking violence must be held accountable. That includes the anti-choice Republicans who have launched an entire special committee dedicated to smearing Planned Parenthood.
That's why we're sending a letter to the heads of the Republican party, demanding they control their party and put a stop to this dangerous rhetoric.
Thank you for helping to make reproductive freedom real for all women.
Ilyse G. Hogue
President, NARAL Pro-Choice America
-----------------------------------------------------------------

From UltraViolet

3 murders. 9 attempted murders. 6 assaults. 67 incidents of vandalism. 94 death threats.1

2015 was one of the most violent years ever for abortion providers.

And despite this wave of violence, Republicans are STILL echoing the anti-abortion movement's disgusting accusations of "selling baby parts."

These politicians are inciting violence—and it's time to hold them accountable.

Will you chip in $5 to demand that anti-abortion politicians stop inciting violence against abortion providers?

We know exactly why anti-abortion violence skyrocketed in 2015. It was the direct result of a massive, coordinated smear campaign against abortion providers including Planned Parenthood.

And despite the fact that 12 states and 3 congressional committees have found no evidence of wrongdoing2 and the extremists responsible for those smears are now literally under indictment for their fraudulent actions3—Republicans in Congress have created a semipermanent special committee just to keep pushing the same false claims.4

We're calling on Congress to shut down their anti-abortion witch hunt before anyone else gets hurt or killed.

Your donation will allow us to hold anti-choice politicians accountable for incendiary statements attacking abortion providers and put a stop to their inflammatory rhetoric. Will you chip in $5?

Yes, I'll chip in $5.

Thanks for all you do.

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Holly, Kaili, Kathy, Onyi, Susan, Clarise, Anathea, Audine, Ryan, Shannon, Megan, Kaytee, and Libby, the UltraViolet Action team
Sources:

3. 2 Abortion Foes Behind Planned Parenthood Videos Are Indicted, The New York Times, January 25, 2016


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Also from UltraViolet

The head of the Democratic Party, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is trying to hamstring Elizabeth Warren's signature initiative--and throwing women under the bus in the process. She is cosponsoring a bill that would pave the way for payday lenders to rip off women for years to come. Even worse, she's rallying other Democrats to join her in advancing the bill.1

Payday lenders exploit poor people, especially women and people of color, with enormous fees and interest rates.2 They're a huge reason that Senator Elizabeth Warren and President Obama created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

If Rep. Wasserman Schultz's bill goes into effect, it'll be at least two more years before the CFPB can start reigning in some of the worst payday lenders.3 But the backlash is growing, and if enough of us pile on, she'll have to abandon the bill. Will you add your name?

Tell Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Stop pushing the Consumer Protection and Choice Act, and remove your name as a cosponsor.
Sign the petition

Most white Americans, even many poor ones, can easily borrow up to $3,000 from someone in a real emergency. But only 1/4 of poor black people can borrow that kind of money in an emergency--and payday lenders have popped up to fill the void.4

Payday lenders charge astronomical interest rates, making the final amount due so high that people often have to take out new loans just to pay back the old ones. The cycle continues, driving people further into poverty--and it's even worse for women, who are more likely to be poor and to seek out payday loans, than men.5

Rep. Wasserman Schultz's advocacy on behalf of payday lenders is changing the game. Where before it was mostly conservatives pushing the bill, now with a prominent Democrat joining the fight against it, the CFPB could be at real risk of being undermined. We need to speak out loudly to make sure Rep. Wasserman Shultz knows her attacks on Senator Warren, and her support for an industry designed to funnel women into poverty, won't be ignored or forgotten.

Will you add your name?

Thanks for speaking out,

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Holly, Kaili, Kathy, Onyi, Susan, Clarise, Anathea, Audine, Ryan, Shannon, Megan, Kaytee, and Libby, the UltraViolet team



Sources:

1. DNC Chair Joins GOP Attack On Elizabeth Warren’s Agency, Huffington Post, March 1, 2016

2. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz Is Taking A Ton Of Heat For Helping Payday Lenders, Huffington Post, March 10, 2016

3. Warren and Wasserman Schultz clash over payday lenders, MSNBC, April 5, 2016

4. The Color of Debt: How Collection Suits Squeeze Black Neighborhoods, ProPublica, October 8, 2015

5. Data on Poverty and Income, National Women's Law Center, accessed April 6, 2016

Payday Lending in America: Who Borrows, Where They Borrow, and Why, PEW Charitable Trusts, July 2012

********************************************
Did you know that...
Many U.S. states do not allow
women, often forced to give birth
against their will
 due to draconian anti-choice laws,
 to sue their rapists for child support...
but they allow rapists to sue their victims
for visitation rights.
...now you know!
********************************************

Women's Health Policy Report

Weekly Top 10



Video round up: 'Across the Line' documentary spotlights the experience of seeking care at abortion clinics; social media campaign targets harmful Ind. law

In today's clips, Broadly highlights a virtual reality documentary that puts viewers in the shoes of a woman seeking care at an abortion clinic. Elsewhere, RTV6 reports on "Periods for Pence," a new campaign launched in reaction to a harmful antiabortion-rights law in Indiana. More »

VRU.AcrossTheLine.4-7.Weekly.jpg

Read More




Report finds increase in threats against abortion providers after release of misleading videos

Threats and violence against abortion providers increased dramatically following the release of misleading videos targeting Planned Parenthood, according to a report by the National Abortion Federation (NAF), The Guardian reports. More »

Read More




Calif. officials search CMP founder's home

The California Department of Justice on Tuesday searched the home of David Daleiden, the founder of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), an antiabortion-rights group that over the summer released a series of misleading videos targeting Planned Parenthood, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports. More »

Read More




Medical college association protests subpoenas issued by House panel investigating fetal tissue research

Citing safety concerns, medical schools and universities in a letter last week protested subpoenas issued by a House subcommittee investigating abortion providers and fetal tissue research and asked the subcommittee to enact rules protecting any identifying information, The Hill reports. More »

Read More




Obama administration to transfer $500M in Ebola response funds to Zika efforts

A senior Obama administration official on Wednesday said the administration will transfer some funds intended for efforts to combat the Ebola virus to Zika response efforts, the New York Times reports. More »

Read More



Blogs comment on Arizona's new law challenging FDA's medication abortion protocol, abortion-rights opponents' efforts to punish women & more

Read some of the best commentary from bloggers at Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress," Rewire and more. More »

Read More



Project will investigate making medication abortion available via mail

A "groundbreaking" new project will assess the implications of making medication abortion available outside of a clinical setting, The Guardian reports. More »

Read More



La. House passes 72-hour mandatory delay, provider certification bills

The Louisiana House on Wednesday passed two antiabortion-rights bills, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports. More »

Read More



Texas woman forced to miscarry under HB 2, physicians point to wider pattern of political interference in health care

A 20-week abortion ban included in Texas' omnibus antiabortion-rights law (HB 2) forced a woman to deliver a stillborn infant after repeatedly being denied abortion care, the Texas Tribune reports. More »

Read More



Ariz. gov. signs three antiabortion-rights bills

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) last week signed into law three antiabortion-rights bills, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports. More »

Read More



Blogs comment on FDA's updated label for medication abortion, the 'big business of Catholic nonprofits' behind Zubik v. Burwell, more

Read some of the best commentary from bloggers at the Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress," Huffington Post blogs and more. More »

Read More



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

Democracy Now!


Eric Fair served as an interrogator in Iraq working as a military contractor for the private security firm CACI. He was stationed at the Abu Ghraib prison and in Fallujah in ... Read More →

Last month, professor, author and political commentator Melissa Harris-Perry had a very public breakup with MSNBC after four years of hosting her eponymous ... Read More →

As a former interrogator in Iraq working as a military contractor for the private security firm CACI, Eric Fair was stationed at the Abu Ghraib prison and in Fallujah in 2004. ... Read More →

As Republican presidential candidates promise to bring back the torture techniques used under the George W. Bush administration, we speak with one of the men who actually ... Read More →

Headlines →

                                      



On Tuesday, President Obama announced he's exploring ways to scale up the battle against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He said, "This will continue ... Read More →

With the Republican primary in New York less than two weeks away, John Kasich met this week with the editorial board of the New York Daily News. Juan González talks ... Read More →

In the Democratic presidential race, Senator Bernie Sanders has often clashed with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about U.S. policy in the Middle East. At one debate, ... Read More →

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has sparked backlash and controversy with his proposals to ban Muslims from entering the United States—including ... Read More →

When will the United States realize a military victory is impossible in the Middle East? Military historian Andrew Bacevich asks this question in his latest book. He writes, ... Read More →

On Wednesday, Amy Goodman was inducted into the I.F. Stone Hall of Fame at an event organized by the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College. The ... Read More →

Headlines →

                                      

 
********************************************
Rafael "BUSTed" Cruz is aligned
with Operation Rescue
and other anti-woman organizations.
He wants abortion banned
and women punished for having sex.
How dare he pretend he's anything other
than a rabid woman-hating bigot?!??
********************************************
 
Daily Kos
 
  • Bronx high school students school Ted Cruz and send him away with his tail between his legs
  • Republican congressman goes off on Ted Cruz: 'Send him back where he belongs'
  • Some thoughts on the Bill Clinton/BLM encounter in Philadelphia
  • Take a stand with EMILY's List now to say you support pro-choice women everywhere. sponsored
  • Cartoon: The Blindside
  • Ivanka Trump's Chinese-made scarves recalled, officials call them a 'dangerous product'
  • Gov. Rick Scott's administration bills doctor for treating poor patients in state facility
  • Ex-Republican staffer in Wisconsin: Legislators cheered voter ID bill for what It 'could do for us'
  • Charles Barkley's push to get NBA All-Star Game out of North Carolina, and why it matters
  • Ellen records beautiful, poignant message regarding Mississippi's new law legalizing discrimination
  • Sign the petition: Stand with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Hillary Clinton to support women's health. sponsored
  • Texas school officer caught on video body-slamming 12-year-old girl, knocking her unconscious (video)
  • Tennessee House passes bill allowing therapists to refuse mental health services to LGBT people
  • Hillary Clinton responds to Sanders 'unqualified' comment and with class she takes the high road
  • Samantha Bee spotlights 3 Ted Cruz BFFs who make 'Westboro Baptist Church' look wholesome
  • Clinton v. Clinton: An updated comparison of the 2008 and 2016 primaries
  • Brewery owner boots sexist customer, unleashes must-read rant about women in the service industry     
  • Women storm out of a church service after the priest begins reading letter calling for abortion ban
  • Donald Trump describing his then 1-year-old daughter is the most cringe-worthy video of him yet 
  • Sign if you agree: Hillary has the strength to take on the NRA and keep our communities safe—that is one of the reasons Gabby Giffords has endorsed her. sponsored
  • Ted Cruz might be rethinking his trip to the Bronx after running into this pissed off NYC voter 
  • Progressives lost Wisconsin's most important election last night 
  • Watch Florida Governor Rick Scott get chased out of Starbucks by a heroic Florida woman (video) 
  • Twenty-nine men died and Don Blankenship sentenced to one year in prison 
  • The DEA says potential game-changing ruling on marijuana classification will be coming within weeks
  • Surprise! After Obama crushes tax-cheat incentive, Pfizer and Allergan call off their merger
  • Sign here: Stand with NARAL and tell SCOTUS you support legal, safe access to abortion as they prepare to rule on targeted regulations of abortion providers or TRAP laws. sponsored 
  • Good government strikes again, potentially saving seniors billions 
  • Cartoon: Candidates we can all get behind 
  • Prosecutor wants man to serve 20 years for stealing $31 worth of candy 
  • Every anti-vaxxer should watch this fellow anti-vaxxer plea after her baby contracts whooping cough 
  • Things I've learned from Facebook 
  • Successful movements are about more than one person 
  • North Carolina GOP now in full-on delusional damage control after losing PayPal over HB2 
  • The most hated man in the Senate comes asking for his colleagues' help






  •  
    ********************************************
    Here's what I don't get.
    Donald Trump simply stated fact...
    THE TRUTH...
    when he said that outlawing abortion
    means that WOMEN MUST BE PUNISHED.
    If you break THE LAW, there is a penalty.
    Every school-kid knows this.
    Rafael "BUSTed" Cruz himself is aligned with
    Operation Rescue, which publishes books
    saying that WOMEN WHO GET ABORTIONS
    MUST BE PUNISHED.
    So why did Rafael "BUSTed" Cruz
    get all over Trump's case
    for speaking the truth so dear to Cruz's
    black little heart?
    Hint:
    It's because
    Rafael "BUSTed" "Lyin'" Cruz
    is a PHUQUEN HYPOCRITE...
    not that you needed me to tell you that!
    ********************************************
     
    AlterNet
     
    Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    "Human nature doesn’t change, it just randomly superimposes itself on the random chaos of events." READ MORE»

    Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
    In a sweeping examination of the church’s view on family issues, the Pope urges welcoming gay people, but also rejects same-sex marriage, abortion and contraceptives. READ MORE»

    Adele M. Stan, The American Prospect
    In his new book, E.J. Dionne explains how GOP party leaders indulged the extreme right’s absurd thinking in exchange for control of Congress. Now they’re paying the price. READ MORE»

    By Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
    Dumbfounded at what is happening in the GOP primary race, world leaders are accelerating the pace of diplomatic work before Obama's exit.  READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    While they have their disagreements, Sanders said Pope Francis "has played an unbelievable role of injecting a moral consequence into the economy." READ MORE»

    By Jason Best, TakePart
    A World Health Organization report warns that a growing health menace will be the 7th leading cause of death by 2030. Why isn't this front-page news? READ MORE»

    By Conor Lynch, Salon
    For most of its history, this country has been dominated by two parties, by design. Bernie actively defies all that. READ MORE»

    By Matt Bors, AlterNet
    When enemies have more in common than they want to admit.  READ MORE»

    By Jonathan Morris, The Conversation
    “With great humility and respect,” Starbucks has announced it intends to open its first outlets in Italy in 2017. READ MORE»

    By Sophia Tesfaye, Salon
    Veganism is a movement in need of one animated second-grader to lead it to the masses. READ MORE»

    By David Edwards, Raw Story
    “I am here to bake cakes and to sell those cakes. I’m not here to decide arbitrarily who deserves my cake and who doesn’t." READ MORE»
    Les Leopold, AlterNet
    Clinton is tone deaf on education debt and young voters are wary.  READ MORE»

    Rory Fanning, TomDispatch
    An ex-Army Ranger's new mission to educate students considering joining the ROTC. READ MORE»

    Valerie Tarico, AlterNet
    What made a Christian doctor start what Esquire magazine deemed "The Abortion Ministry"? READ MORE»

    By Andrew O'Hehir, Salon
    A vast web of lies and corruption protecting the super-rich is revealed—and it's only the tip of an evil iceberg. READ MORE»

    By Juliana Roth, The Establishment
    The way we view food is dangerously gendered. READ MORE»

    By Gregg Zachary, AlterNet
    Germany may have good intentions toward Syrian refugees, but the government needs a better plan for integration. READ MORE»

    By Jen Hayden, DailyKos
    Finally, no more Schedule One category for marijuana? READ MORE»

    By Megan Sherman, The Real News Network
    Organizing the pushback against concerted efforts to undermine the agency. READ MORE»

    By Brettny Hardy, AlterNet
    The FDA has failed to fully examine the risks this new species of salmon would present to wild salmon. READ MORE»

    By Stephen Piggott, Southern Poverty Law Center
    Advisers include a man who openly said that Islam should not be protected under the first amendment. READ MORE»

    By Arturo Garcia, Raw Story
    Reich says Sanders should break up the banks; Frank thinks he'd be doing so without a plan. READ MORE»

    By Matt Joseph Diaz, Ravishly
    Sex doesn’t have an inherent “meaning.” It’s just a thing we choose to do—or not do. READ MORE»

    By Allie Yee, Institute for Southern Studies
    Undermining local democracy. READ MORE»

    By Robyn Pennacchia, The Frisky
    HB2 is basically a license to hate.  READ MORE»
    Aviva Stahl, AlterNet
    The latest victims of the “Deporter-in-Chief" are Bangladeshi refugees waging a desperate protest campaign.  READ MORE»

    Thomas Frank, TomDispatch
    Thomas Frank asks in his new book: What ever happened to the party of the people? READ MORE»

    Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet
    New Treasury Department rules helped scrap the alleged tax-dodging giant's attempt to merge with overseas firm. READ MORE»

    By Arianna Huffington, Harmony Books
    Arianna Huffington's new book is a wakeup call on how dangerous sleep deprivation is to our health—and our success. READ MORE»

    By Eleanor J. Bader, Truthout
    By getting exemptions from anti-discrimination rules, religiously affiliated schools can collect public money, yet ban unmarried individuals, pregnant women, single mothers and LGBTQ people. READ MORE»

    By Amanda Marcotte, Salon
    One of Trump's best allies and surrogates, Roger Stone, is a major racist who used riots to help Bush win in 2000. READ MORE»

    By Thom Hartmann, AlterNet
    Political democracy and an economic middle class is the natural state of humankind. READ MORE»

    By Jim Hightower, AlterNet
    They reap what they sow.  READ MORE»

    By Nicole Haase, The Establishment
    Culturally appropriated and deeply sexist, this pervasive term just needs to go. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    Clinton has agreed to debate Sanders in Brooklyn on April 14, less than a week before the New York primary.  READ MORE»

    By Richard J. Davidson, YES! Magazine
    Researchers say we’re distracted 47 percent of our lives. Increasing our focus could help us—and the people around us—feel happier. READ MORE»

    By Tessie Castillo, The Influence
    Why we need to stop our policy of criminalize first, investigate later. READ MORE»

    By Carrie Weisman, AlterNet
    Is the future of online dating... just dating virtually?  READ MORE»

    By Peter Montgomery, Other Words
    The GOP frontrunner has turned white nationalists into political players. READ MORE»

    By Travis Gettys, Raw Story
    It's hard to tell whether Trump is running for president or auditioning for "The Godfather." READ MORE»
     
    ********************************************
    Remember "the divine right of kings"?
    "You toil for the bread, and I will eat it."
    This was one of Abraham Lincoln's
    objections to slavery.
    Republicans are so eager to claim Lincoln

    as a "conservative" (yeah, right!)...

    as one of their own...
    that they seem completely unaware
    that their beloved reverse Robin Hood
    socialism for the rich
    redistribution of wealth to the top
    piss on our heads and tell us
    it's trickling down
    voo doo economics
    is nothing more or less
    than modern-day
    divine right of kings...
    in which you and I must work 2 or 3 (or 4)
    part-time, $7.25/hr max jobs
    so that U.S. millionaires and billionaires
    can keep getting fat at our expense by
    stiffing us with their bills for wages and taxes
    ...making us pay instead with our own taxes.
    We toil for the bread, and the rich eat it,
    saying of us,
    "Let them eat cake."
    ********************************************

    Movie time!

    Rafael "Ted" Cruz's  anti-woman, woman-punishing views are more extremist than Trump's. So why did Cruz jump all over Trump? Because Trump pulled back the curtain and spoke the Republican woman-hating truth right out loud! Shhh...women are dumb, but they're not so dumb that they'll keep voting for us Republicans if you TELL them we hate them!


    Dot Calm, this one's for you. Don't we both wish that Bush and Cheney--the lying, evil bastards--were both in jail?!??

    Creepy, and yet...!

    Facts of any kind are Rafael "BUSTed" Cruz's worst nightmare (an oldie but goodie--just remember that this reality-challenged smarmy git is one of the two Republican front-runners!)...!

    Uh oh--turns out that Donald "Money Boo Boo" Drumpf is reality-challenged, too! Unfortunately, so are most, if not all, Republicans!

    The Panama Papers: ...taxes? Taxes are for poor people, silly peasant!

    And now for some Bible stories they somehow forgot to read us all in Sunday School...such charming, sweet stories for the kiddies!