Friday, August 26, 2016

Grumble, grumble, grumble...!

Greetings, fellow Dot Calm Readers, Freedom Fighters, and Truth Crusaders!

Well, here I am again, grouching about something or other...grumble, grumble, grumble.

Today, Paul LePage is pissing me off. What a hateful waste of oxygen he is. Dot Calm hated the corporate take-over of our once-great nation; she would have been beside herself to see the Christo-fascists, dissatisfied with mere unbridled greed, add searing, seething hate to the political equation. How could they resist after being given permission and free rein by Donald J. Trump? Trump has single-handedly made hatred and bigotry mainstream again, not to mention dragging right-wing nut-job tin-foil-hat conspiracy from the lunatic fringe into mainstream Republican thinking. It grieves me to witness all the -isms and -phobias he foments. How many generations is it going to take to undo the damage Trump is gleefully wreaking?

Combine that with Christians' equally gleeful destruction of our nation's once-formidable technical edge. Michio Kaku has said--in his outside voice--that America has the worst education system known to science, adding that only 50% of Ph.D. students in science and engineering are American; the rest are immigrants who take their degrees back to their home nations. Dot Calm's younger daughter saw that phenomenon with her own two eyes: not only was she the only female pursuing an electrical engineering doctorate in her school's EECS department, but she was the only white! Of the rest, roughly 50% were Asian (Chinese, South Korean, etc.), 25% were Middle-Eastern, and the remainder were from India and other non-melanin-challenged areas of the world (Dot Calm's younger daughter jokes that she tans like a lobster). This is the natural outcome when people get their science from the preacher in the pulpit, screaming and shouting weekly at them that all science is evil, inaccurate, the work of the Devil, and not to be trusted. This is what happens when Christian parents fight against teaching science in the science classroom, demanding to replace with religion any possibility that children might learn critical thinking. This is what happens when "I'm not a scientist, but..." politicians teach the public to disrespect scientists and engineers and when people like my Tea Party Christian friend come away convinced by FOX News and talk radio that he with his GED knows as much about science and technology as, say, Dot Calm's younger daughter with her Ph.D. Couple all of this with declining science and engineering salaries, which have been driving anyone with any math talent into lucrative Wall Street jobs, and what do you expect? Do you really expect America as a nation to hold onto its technical edge without having enough scientists and engineers to do the actual work? Or is the only thing you care to export our crappiest forms of culture (McDonald's, Wal-Mart) and democracy (we choose and install your dictators for you at gunpoint)?

Holy yuck.
Yuck. Yuck! YUCK!!!
...only I ain't laughing.

It's a shame, really--I'm actually a rather happy person. I had the privilege of hanging out with Dot Calm for so long that I couldn't possibly be otherwise. Her optimism was contagious.

Here's hoping that I'll be back to my usual jolly self once Trump has been well and truly trounced--assuming that that is how the election goes.

As Dot Calm would say, "Oh, my bleeding gums."

VOTE BLUE all the way down those ballots, friends--please and thank you!

Here's also hoping that my work spouse is correct in assuming that, perhaps within the next 50 years, Christianity, Islam, and their ilk will have gone the way of Zeus and the rest of the deific dodos by virtue of mounting ridicule that rubs superstitious people's noses in moral and scientific obviousness. I'll drink to that.

Before I slawg on with the blawg, I do have one piece of personal news for you, my virtual Intert00b budz: I am going out of town this weekend and won't be back on the blawg til Wednesday--FSM willin' an' da crick don't rise.

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

Daily Kos
AlterNet

Peas, friends. Take care of yourselves for me. Trust me--you're worth it! As for me...well, once I click "Publish," it's Fireball Time!
  
- Dot Calm's shadow

Consider the preemptive Blogger phuqued-up phormatting disclaimer to be in effect. Grrr.
-- Dot Calm's shadow

********************************************
Many people are saying
Trump will execute
sluts wanting abortions
and make them pay for it
-- Dot Calm's shadow 
******************************************** 
    
Headlines

HuffPo: Stephen Colbert's 'Tinfoil Hat' Segment Explains GOP Conspiracy Theories
  
The Week: Donald Trump suddenly raised his own rent, and Stephen Colbert has some questions
  
Vox: Are older voters the YOLO generation of the 2016 election?
...In other words, are America's older Trumpkins the equivalent of the older Britons who voted for Brexit?
  
Vox: Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon reportedly abused his ex-wife
...Trump, Ailes, Bannon: birds of a filthy, misogynist feather
  
Fast Company: Trump Campaign Continues To Send Illegal Solicitations To Foreigners Despite Warnings
...Teh Dunceald knows it's illegal...!

WaPo: Trump, shifting back, now says no legal status for all 11 million illegal immigrants
...Oh, lookie--Donald's pulled his hamstring doing the splits! This is what he gets trying to court voters he's already alienated--only now he's also alienated his base. Like the very base MAnn Coulter.
  
Vox: Hillary Clinton's strongest argument against Donald Trump, in one sentence
      
The Hollywood Reporter: Stephen Colbert Diagnoses Hillary Clinton's Real Medical Problem: "Chronic No-Penis"
   
Vox: Maine's governor unleashed an expletive-laden, homophobic tirade on a state representative
...LePage is a piece of human filth. He has no business in public office...not in America, anyway. He'd be a lot happier in Iran, where the theocracy thinks exactly as he does.
    
BBC: Italy earthquake: Death toll passes 240 as rescue efforts continue
...I heard on NPR's three-minute sound-bite this morning that the death toll is even higher. Friends, forgive me--I just can't look right now. I am grieving for our beautiful Italian brothers and sisters. I can't go look right now for the higher numbers. Please understand.
  
Vox: Bernie Sanders's post-campaign political revolution is off to a rocky start
    
BuzzFeed: Government Delivers Killer Blow Against For-Profit College Chain ITT
...This is what happens when we allow privatization of public education. ITT is a symptom, as are the charter schools.
    
BBC: Prince's Paisley Park home to open to the public
...Hope I get to see it someday.
  
Vox: 4 experts make the case that the Clinton Foundation's fundraising was troubling
...Check out the "Democracy Now!" debate below. Two Dems: one fault-finder, one defender. Both made good points, but I still have to side with those who express concern over the fact that Obama and Clinton even permitted the appearance of a conflict of interest. As the Vox article points out, with all that money greasing palms, there's no way to know for sure whether it had any influence because, at the very least, it's possible that those who donated helped frame Hillary's point of view just by virtue of having contacted her.
  
Vox: Denouncing Trump's bigotry, Hillary Clinton flatters mainstream Republicans in order to demoralize them
...Funny AF, e-e-e-evil AF. Totally inaccurate, totally brilliant. I love it!
  
BuzzFeed: People Are Tweeting About #IfAfricaWasASchool And It's Perfect
...Friends, this is absolutely yummy. It'll make your day.
    
Vox: France's debate over the burkini ban, explained
  
Vox: artist shows how women are scorned regardless of what they wear
...As the headline says, "covered, naked, or in between: artist shows how women are scorned regardless of what they wear." Spoiler: see below for the artwork--lovingly translated into English, no less.
  
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Mailbag

From Change.Org

One of my dearest friends, who's deathly allergic to bees, would have died if Mylan had pulled this shit before 2012, before she got married...when she was out of work and had only Social Security for income. Even the $150 per EpiPen was too much for her, so I bought them for her. I could never have afforded $600. Even with me helping, she still had to hang onto expired EpiPens because she couldn't afford to buy enough to keep fresh ones everywhere around her house and car where she might need one. One day, she was sitting on her patio and was stung by a bee and only had an expired EpiPen within reach to "shoot up" with (as Dot Calm, who used daily injectable Copaxone whenever the greedy insurance companies could spare it, would call it). My friend bought herself just enough time to call EMS and unlock her door so they could come in and take her to the ER. She was only barely conscious when they arrived and was pretty sick for some time afterward. And that's with an expired EpiPen--which saved her life until EMS arrived. Without it, they said she'd have died. And Mylan presumably would have had an orgasm, just as Wayne LaPierre does every time an innocent American is shot to death.
-- Dot Calm's shadow

Petitioning Heather Bresch

Call on Mylan Pharmaceuticals to Reduce Price of Life-Saving EpiPen

Petition by Kristy L.
Boston, Massachusetts
4,933
Supporters
EpiPen prices recently skyrocketed 500%, from $100 per 2 pack to $600 per 2 pack. Even with the "coupons" from Mylan, individuals and families who need this critical, life-saving drug are still stuck footing most of the bill. An EpiPen can mean the difference between life and death for children, men, and women who are afflicted with life-threatening allergies. Some of the typical uses for EpiPen include bee stings, peanut allergies, shellfish allergies, bug bites, and other medical issues which are crisis situations and require immediate action.
Mylan holds a monopoly over the EpiPen product, and thus is able to hike up their prices to whatever standard they prefer. They think there will be no pushback, or if there is, it will be manageable. The "outrage" will die down soon enough. Until someone who can't afford to buy an EpiPen dies instead. Don't let this happen.
Research shows that 1 in 50 Americans has a life-threatening condition that requires them to carry an EpiPen to prevent them from going into Anaphylactic shock. This means that a child could accidentally ingest a food toxic to their systems, such as peanuts, and enter a state which for many, can prove fatal. Something as small as a peanut can kill a child. That is what the EpiPen injectible is supposed to help prevent: death. A woman working in her garden who is stung by a bee but is severely allergic depends on her EpiPen to keep her airway from swelling shut before the ambulance arrives. Know anyone with asthma? Chances are you do, and you know that an asthma attack can be deadly. On average, it takes about 6 minutes for emergency crews to arrive on scene after receiving a crisis call. With allergic reactions especially, seconds count, and the EpiPen has helped save thousands of lives.
As a teacher, I know many of my students have severe allergies, and they depend on the EpiPen to help keep them safe. When I heard of this 500% price hike of an essential medication, I was appalled. The Huffington Post has more statistics and problems with Mylan Pharmaceuticals and their EpiPen price-hike here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/epipens-500-percent-price-hike-leaves-patients-scrambling_us_57b60b2ae4b03d5136871ec9
Take a moment and think about your family members, loved ones, friends, coworkers, students-- if you know anyone who depends on an EpiPen to survive, send a message to Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals, that her company's price gouging of an essential, life-saving medication is unacceptable and must be reversed immediately. They know people need this medication and are exploiting that to make money-- don't let it happen. Speak up!
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From Change.org

Stop the irresponsible and costly practice of airing drug ads on TV

Aug 25, 2016 In light of the recent price hikes and significant increase in executive salaries, I think resurrecting this petition is appropriate. Please sign to stop this predatory practice. Thank you! Read more

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When the economy crashed in 2008-09, it meant disaster for working and middle-class families. The recklessness of Wall Street created the biggest economic crisis since the Depression.

We’re still fighting to make sure Wall Street can’t do that to us again—but America’s largest banks are even larger now than before the financial crisis. The nation’s six largest banks, for example, issue more than two-thirds of all credit cards and hold more than 40 percent of all U.S. bank deposits.

To rein in Wall Street and help people like you and me, we need a 21st-century Glass-Steagall Act. To back this bipartisan idea—a plank in both the Republican and Democratic platforms—we’ve joined with other progressive and labor organizations that are fighting to make banks smaller, simpler and safer.

Join me and thousands of other working people to tell Congress to do its job and pass a 21st-century Glass-Steagall Act.
   
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From UltraViolet--tell FOX to fire Bill O'Reilly for sexual harassment and Bill Shine for telling victims to shut up about it

Tell 21st Century Fox: Clean up the disgusting culture of sexual abuse at Fox News. Start by firing Bill O'Reilly and Bill Shine.
Sign the petition
   
------------------------------------------------
   
CREDO action
Tell the Department of Homeland Security: End private prison contracts
Tell Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson:
“Terminate and refuse to renew immigrant detention contracts with private prison companies.”
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
   
------------------------------------------------
    
From Cartwright for Congress--Protect and expand Social Security

This month marks the 81st anniversary of the Social Security Act becoming law, and my colleagues across the aisle have a strange way of celebrating: dreaming up new ways to gut Social Security benefits that are some people's only income.
My fellow Democrats and I are fighting back to expand benefits and protections, but it’s frankly shocking that we have to push this hard to defend seniors’ economic security.
You’d think this would be crystal clear: We cannot make changes to Social Security that harm our seniors. Seniors are the foundation of our communities, and risking their retirement income is no way to show our gratitude and respect. That’s why I’m committed to protecting Social Security, but I need you with me.
   
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Independent Lines
Across the country, politicians are trying to rob voters of their fundamental rights using tactics like racial gerrymandering and discriminatory voting laws that keep minority communities from the polls and silence vulnerable American voters.

The courts recently struck down racially biased voter ID laws in North Carolina, a huge step forward in our fight to unrig elections. But now proponents of these discriminatory laws are doubling down in Texas and JUST reinstated them in Ohio and Wisconsin – right before the November election.
With millions of voters across the country still at risk of being silenced, we can't stop here. 
We're mobilizing a grassroots movement in key battlegrounds to pass crucial ballot initiatives that will restore and protect voting power in elections. But more than 500 supporters still haven't given, and we're falling short of our $17,000 goal. Will you give $5 or more to help stop politicians from rigging our elections?
If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
   
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WOMEN'S HEALTH
Policy Report
Weekly Top 10

Datapoints: Supreme Court Case Puts Women's Coverage at Risk, State Abortion Bans Restrict Care

In today's graphics, we look at the increasing proportion of insured visits to family planning centers following the Affordable Care Act's implementation. We also examine research showing how HB 2 curbed abortion access for women in Texas, particularly for women of color. More »

DP.Guttmacher.8-25.jpg

Read More




States, providers challenge federal protections for transgender patients, abortion care

Several states and multiple providers that hold themselves out as religious filed a lawsuit challenging regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services implementing a nondiscrimination provision in the Affordable Care Act (PL 111-148), the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

Read More



LA Times op-ed: 'Minefield' Ginsburg warned about in Hobby Lobby 'has now detonated'

The "minefield" that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned about in the 2014 Hobby Lobby case "has now detonated," columnist Michael Hiltzik writes in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece. More »

Read More



CDC issues new Zika advisory following local cases in Fla.; NIH official: Zika could 'hang around' for one to two years

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday released new guidelines that advise pregnant women to avoid a part of Miami Beach where officials have confirmed local transmission of Zika virus, the New York Times reports. More »

Read More



Antiabortion-rights group intensifies efforts to collect more abortion data

The Charlotte Lozier Institute on Wednesday released a report calling on states to collect more data on abortion care and women who obtain abortion care, spurring privacy concerns among abortion-rights advocates, Politico Pro reports. More »

Read More



Blogs comment on Fla.'s blocked 'attempt to defund abortion clinics,' combatting Zika with genetically modified mosquitoes and more

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

Read More



Report: Black women in Texas experience disproportionately high rates of maternal morbidity, mortality

The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force last week released a report finding a disproportionate rate of maternal mortality and morbidity among black women in the state between 2011 and 2012, ProPublica reports. More »

Read More



Chicago woman files lawsuit after provider at Catholic hospital refuses to provide appropriate care

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois has filed a lawsuit against a provider at a Catholic health care system on behalf of a Chicago woman who says the provider denied her appropriate care for a dislodged intrauterine device (IUD), the AP/Sacramento Bee reports. More »

Read More



S.C. 20-week ban forces providers to send women out of state for care

Physicians working at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have been forced to send patients seeking abortion care to other states because of a new South Carolina law (Act 183) banning the procedure at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy, the Charleston Post and Courier reports. More »

Read More



In Washington Post op-ed, woman relates how stigma can isolate women seeking abortion care

In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Britany Robinson writes about her abortion experience, discussing how abortion stigma can exacerbate what can be a "lonely experience." More »

Read More



Blogs comment on 'desperate' antiabortion-rights strategies, Texas' 'devastating' maternal mortality rate and more

Blogs comment on 'desperate' antiabortion-rights strategies, Texas' 'devastating' maternal mortality rate and more. More »

Read More

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From Change.org--Update on pro-rape Judge Persky

Judge Persky Will no Longer hear Criminal Cases!

Aug 26, 2016 Dear Friends and Supporters- We have some amazing news. Judge Persky will no longer be presiding over criminal cases and will move to civil court at his own request. Although it is not his resignation, for now, he will no longer stand in the face of rape victims and pity their rapist. For now, He will no longer let persons pleading guilty to child pornography off without jail time! This is a... Read more
   
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From People For the American Way via Daily Kos--tell Grassley to quit obstructing O'Bama's qualified judicial nominees

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is leading unprecedented obstruction of judicial nominations -- both on the Supreme Court AND on other important federal courts. Court vacancies are piling up and this judicial crisis is denying countless Americans access to justice. Sign the petition and demand Chairman Grassley does his job.

The partisan blockade on filling these vacancies is unconscionable, and we all need to turn up the pressure on Sen. Grassley to DO HIS JOB as Judiciary Chair and move swiftly to confirm the president's qualified nominees.

We need you in this campaign -- please add your name now and demand that Sen. Grassley STOP the obstruction!

Thanks,
PFAW

Paid for by People For the American Way
   
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CREDO action
Tell the Department of Justice: Stop voter suppression in 2016
Sign the petition to the Department of Justice:
“Take all necessary measures to stop Republican voter suppression in 2016. Investigate the Trump campaign’s ‘Trump Election Observers’ program and do everything in your power to stop Republican voter intimidation and suppression efforts.”
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►

  
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Katrina Pierson insists
that Trump is not changing his position
but only "the words he is saying."
How exactly are the two NOT related?!??
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Democracy Now!
   

Stories


Just back from a trip to the Arctic aboard the Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise, celebrated British actress Emma Thompson joins us to talk about visiting the Canadian town ... Read More →

In our extended interview with scholar Vijay Prashad, he discusses the U.S. presidential election and notes that while President Obama was reticent, then-Secretary of State ... Read More →

As the United States backs a Turkish military incursion into Syria targeting ISIS-held areas along the border, Turkey says it's also concerned about Syrian Kurdish militias at the ... Read More →

As we speak with scholar Vijay Prashad about how the United States carried out regime change in Libya and left behind a failed state, he notes: "The story in Libya is not ... Read More →

The epilogue of Vijay Prashad's new book, The Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution, examines the undercovered conflicts in Yemen and Palestine, and the role ... Read More →

In Kashmir, another protester was killed and as many as 50 people wounded when Indian security forces opened fire and threw tear gas at crowds of protesters on Wednesday. ... Read More →

On Wednesday, British politician Nigel Farage joined Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Mississippi. Farage was one of the leaders of Britain's campaign to leave the European ... Read More →

Headlines →

   

Stories


New questions have arisen this week over Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation. On Tuesday, the Associated Press published a new investigation revealing that while ... Read More →

Bernie Sanders and his supporters have launched a new political organization called Our Revolution. It seeks to support the next generation of progressive leaders, ... Read More →

According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, the Clinton Foundation will stop accepting corporate and foreign donations— ... Read More →

Headlines →

   
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Holy cow!
Paul Wolfowitz says
he is so uncomfortable with Trump
that he might vote for Clinton
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Daily Kos

  • This woman's 3-second reaction to Trump after he calls Hillary a 'bigot' is perfection
  • Minnesota Republicans 'forgot' to put Trump on ballot
  • Donald Trump offers stinging rebuttal to Hillary Clinton's speech on his hate movement
  • We can stop the corporate Trans-Pacific Partnership if it doesn't pass Congress by December 31st. Sign the petition by Food & Water Watch to stop this bad trade deal in its tracks. sponsored
  • The media now going after Bannon of Breitbart/Trump
  • So let me get this straight ...
  • Video turns up of Republican AG staff member laden with white supremacy (Viewer Discretion)
  • Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson reveals the secret of understanding Trump—ignore the words
  • Trump supporter Paul LePage spews racism, calls Khan a 'con man,' curses at legislator in voicemail
  • Fox's Shep Smith: Hillary 'used Donald Trump's own words, was historically accurate on his policies'
  • Sign the petition: Stand with PFAW and tell Congress you support the reforms laid out in the "We the People Act" and want to see it passed! sponsored
  • Hillary's best speech ever
  • Sarah Jessica Parker whose son suffers with anaphylaxis slams Mylan's EpiPen price-gouge
  • St. Louis school sees 90% of their students' attendance increase because of washing machines
  • Clinton's comprehensive takedown of Trump's racism
  • Where is the space in which we can rationally discuss race?
  • Christina Hartman's opponent warns the 'ultra progressive' Daily Kos is supporting her. We are.
  • Republicans hope that triaging Trump will save them downballot. Good luck with that.
  • Republicans screw up again, nominate racist sexist radio host in suburban swing district.
  • Republicans are terrified Trump will cost them everything, including the House
  • First down ballot impact of Trump? Republican concedes control of San Diego City Council to Democrats
  •    
  • Waitress receives hateful racist slur in lieu of tip—love pours in from around the globe
  • The significant pushback on the fake Clinton Foundation scandal
  • 68% of black and white citizens are registered to vote, only 58% of Hispanic and Asian citizens are
  • Colorado wants to ditch slavery. Wait, what?
  • A federal court just allowed the case that could end partisan gerrymandering to proceed
  • Chicago police: Trump never even talked to our 'very top police'
  • I should have a right to choose ... what I wear
  • President Obama designates what may be the last large national park on the East Coast
  • AP defends their attack on Clinton Foundation by compounding the error
  • Clinton forcefully defends foundation on CNN: 'You know more about it than Trump's tax returns'
  • Trump isn't trying to win people of color, he's trying to convince white people he isn't racist
  • The media has the Clinton Foundation story upside down
  • Trump was once accused of destroying email evidence, involved in 3,500 lawsuits over last 3 decades
  • Democrats are coming together to stop Trump and his GOP lackeys up and down the ticket. Join the fight: Chip in $1 to each of these five Democrats running in must-win districts to take back the House.
  • Sign if you agree with the Democratic Governors Association (DGA): It's time to make voting easier--move election day to a weekend. sponsored
  • Waitress receives hateful racist slur in lieu of tip—love pours in from around the globe
  • EpiPen 'Pharma Sis' makes $18M and will probably never know what suffocating feels like—but I do
  • Eric Trump says you wouldn't understand his daddy's taxes
  •    
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    ...Doesn't Obummer know
    he's running out of time
    to confiscate everyone's
    guns 'n' ammo 'n' bibles
    and throw all the good, god-fearin'
    Republicans
    into his death camps?
    They're w-a-a-a-a-a-aiting!
    Garshk, I'd hates ta dissapernt them!
    ********************************************
     
    ...Not all terrorists are Muslim, either.
    There are plenty of Christian terrorists.
    ******************************************** 

    AlterNet
    By Michael Hayne, AlterNet
    “We’re trying to do good things,” Bill Clinton said in response to recent criticism. READ MORE»

    By Ilana Novick, AlterNet
    And we're not talking brutal honesty.  READ MORE»

    By Tom Tomorrow, AlterNet
    Some very spooky election phenomena. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    Kaine said Trump's accusations couldn't be further from the truth. READ MORE»

    By Ilana Novick, AlterNet
    A simple tool could have powerful implications for Denver's homeless. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    Cringetown. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    Parody video starring Hitler spoofs Trump's immigration policies. READ MORE»

    By Sophia Tesfaye, Salon
    Nine in 10 voters say they have made up their made up their minds and Clinton beats Trump by 10 points nationally. READ MORE»

    By Brian McFadden, AlterNet
    What's so bad about the heat? READ MORE»

    By Arturo Garcia, Raw Story
    She recalls being told she “would have no money [and] no way to support the children” if she testified against him. READ MORE»
       
    By Kali Holloway, AlterNet
    Irrational violence is spilling out of Trump rallies and affecting the lives of everyday people. READ MORE»

    By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
    Pakistani-American 12-year-old says he was first bullied by classmates then criminalized by administrators. READ MORE»

    By Adele M. Stan, AlterNet
    The Democratic presidential candidate lifted the veil on her opponent's ties to white supremacists. READ MORE»

    By Heather Digby Parton, Salon
    The rising right-wing ethno-nationalist movement in Europe is the progenitor of Trump and the American movement. READ MORE»

    By Johann Hari, Open Democracy
    In France, there are many ways in which the pool of violence caused by drug prohibition bleeds into homegrown jihadism. READ MORE»

    By Larry Schwartz, AlterNet
    A new study says yes.  READ MORE»

    By Justin Miller, The American Prospect
    A conversation with the architect of "Moral Mondays" on the struggle for voting rights, Fight for 15, and building toward a third Reconstruction. READ MORE»

    By Ann Jones, TomDispatch
    Making America pain-free for the greedy corporate class.  READ MORE»

    By Chauncey DeVega, Salon
    The New York Times columnist's direct and unapologetic takedown of a black Trump surrogate is a model to emulate. READ MORE»

    By Jeff Bryant, Blog for Our Future
    The charter school movement is no fan of satire. READ MORE»

    By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
    The disturbing investigation is unfolding four years laterREAD MORE»

    By Medea Benjamin, AlterNet
    Congress has 30 days to block the sale of these weapons. It is a moral imperative that they do so. READ MORE»

    By Travis Gettys, Raw Story
    Heather Bresch raised the price of a lifesaving device for children, and conveniently found a tax shelter for her crooked company.  READ MORE»
       
    By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
    The only solution for expanding access to the life-saving EpiPen is to reduce the price. READ MORE»

    By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
    Reminds supporters of all they accomplished and the work ahead. READ MORE»

    By Kali Holloway, AlterNet
    The conspiracy kooks are convinced there is a government plot to "gay-ify" rural America. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    The PR disaster created by Mylan Pharma's price hike continues.  READ MORE»

    By Mark Sumner, Daily Kos
    Donald Trump is now able to communicate with followers using pure dog whistle. READ MORE»

    By Andrew O'Hehir, Salon
    Documentary meets thriller in a fascinating inquiry into the Sarasota newswoman who shot herself on air in 1974. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    "By the way, ‘what the hell do you have to lose? Give me a chance.’ Is also how Trump proposed to all of his wives.”  READ MORE»

    By David Bacon, Capital and Main
    “For the last 78 years California has failed to bring equality in our workforce. This can no longer be justified or tolerated.” READ MORE»

    By Jen Sorensen, AlterNet
    It's their new favorite insult. READ MORE»

    By Lauren Holter, The Frisky
    Policing women's drink choices because God forbid men change their behavior.  READ MORE»

    By Arturo Garcia, Raw Story
    The city earns big bucks of off the desperate and poor. READ MORE»
    By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
    Right-wingers upset with Bono conveniently forget about The Carlyle Group and Halliburton.  READ MORE»

    By Janet Allon, AlterNet
    Like father and father-in-law, like son. READ MORE»

    By George Lakoff, AlterNet
    How Trump is swaying millions with his calculated rhetoric. READ MORE»

    By Miranda Blue, Right Wing Watch
    In an interview with a Christian magazine editor, the candidate promises to do "a great job" for evangelicals. READ MORE»

    By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
    Over 100 people staged a picket near the Beverly Hills estate of billionaire media mogul Haim Saban. READ MORE»

    By Jeff Bryant, Blog for Our Future
    The lists are longer because schools can't afford to pay for basic supplies. READ MORE»

    By Amanda Marcotte, Salon
    The attacks against Jones lay bare the resentments fueling what is euphemistically known as the "alt-right." READ MORE»

    By Patrick Cockburn, CounterPunch
    "Like three-dimensional chess played by nine players and with no rules."  READ MORE»

    By Bill Moyers, David Bly, BillMoyers.com
    Caring, innovative state legislator David Bly explains what is necessary for a better future and why. READ MORE»

    By Daniel Denvir, Salon
    Yes, the "prison-industrial complex" is bad—but the real problem is that too many people are in prison. READ MORE»

    By Gabrielle Gurley, The American Prospect
    With a number of states moving toward legalization, stubbornness at the federal level may have little impact. READ MORE»

    By Carrie Weisman, AlterNet
    So much for the old adage about them finishing last. READ MORE»

    By Naseem Amini, AlterNet
    The California Senate passed a bill that could make the state the second in the nation to ban the use of bullhooks on elephants in traveling shows and circuses. READ MORE»
       
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    Don't you think Republicans
    would shit kittens
    if a MUSLIM
    wanted to govern the country
    based on HIS OR HER religion?!??
    Or what about, say,
    a Christian Scientist
    who wanted to outlaw
    all doctors except emergency rooms?
    ******************************************** 

    Movies!

    Just a few today, loves!




    'Til next time, check out these great channels:
    ...or, if you just want something mindless and fun, try Tested
      
    ********************************************


    ...Yeah, this one is so good
    that I'm leaving it full size.
     
    See y'all Wednesday,
    FSM willin' an' da crick don't rise!