Monday, February 29, 2016

Holy crap (religion) and unholy crap (politics)

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TOMORROW
IS SUPER TUESDAY!
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE
for BERNIE!!!!!
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Greetings, All -

I'm back again! You'd think I'd get tired bitching about the same bullsh_t all the time...eventually, perhaps, but not just yet. It's all just too damn frustrating NOT to bitch about.

After the election, I may slow down a little (e.g., try to shorten these posts because I currently seem to be trying to break Blogger...not that Blogger is exactly functional). I have other writing projects I want to get into. But, for now, I feel just as compelled as Dot Calm did to get the word out and keep getting the word out. There's too much at stake for those of us who can not to do everything we can do!

By now, I'm sure you've noticed that there are no ads on this blog.

There's a reason for that.

Dot Calm was never about making money off her blog
--she just wanted to help the people of this beautiful planet. I feel exactly the same way, so I am just following in her footsteps trying to fill shoes that are way too big for me ever to fill.

Let me explain.

For a lady her age and her generation, Dot was amazingly computer savvy. When she was young (and she was young for a very long time), she could type so fast that she could outrun any keyboard buffer ever built. People would joke that Dot's lovely long fingers moved so fast that they would become a blur when she typed. She ran a typography and fine commercial art business that put her daughters through university. Dot's star proofreader used to say of the big, fancy specialized typography computer, "Dot types so fast that the poor thing can't keep up. It just keeps beeping at her as if to say, 'Uncle! Uncle!!' And Dot would have to pause until the keyboard buffer had flushed everything out to memory and the monitor. She could easily have kept typing, but she had to slow down to accommodate the machine." The amazing part? Dot's lightning-quick typing was as close to 100% accurate as a mere human can get. Dot's best proofreaders never caught more than one typo within the span of weeks...sometimes months. Yup--Dot could sit and make beautiful print-ready type all day every day for weeks on end without so much as an extra letter space left unintentionally in her work.  She had a brainful of fancy fonts and coding tricks, keeping tens of thousands of mark-up codes in her head for the big fancy typography computer. Heck, she used to call up the manufacturers of that machine to tell them what it could do as she discovered more capabilities than they ever knew it had. She was a force of nature. On top of that, she was an amazing manager. She was equally adept at managing the business end of the company and coaching her employees: mentoring, nurturing, and growing the business and her employees, who became like family to her, into the best they could be. Such was Dot Calm in her decades-long youth.

Sadly, as Dot got older, the MS took its toll on her hands, her short-term memory, her eyesight, and her energy and strength. But she still spent every waking minute she could researching the issues that matter and getting the word out. She would even get out of bed in the middle of the night to blog if something came to her. Even when she could barely see the computer screen and had to type by holding a pencil in her left hand (she was right-handed) to hunt and peck at keys with its eraser, she still worked tirelessly at this blog. To her dying breath, she worked to help those around her--to leave the world better than she found it. She worked to find and spread the truth.

You all matter just that much to her...and to me.

Dot Calm really was all that and a bag of chips.

And now you also know just a tiny part of why this will always be her blog and why I will forever remain...

-- Dot Calm's shadow

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and, no, it's not Andy Borowitz!  

I keep telling Dr. Strangesleep
that the way to wake up his campaign
is to turn gay
for a month or three
to prove that sexual orientation is a choice.
I promised him that,
 if he did,
God would forgive him and I would vote for him.

OK, so I lied.
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A Word from Democracy Now!



"I think Hillary Clinton has done everything right," says Stephanie Cutter in a recent Meet the Press panel, in which she is introduced as a Democratic campaign expert. ... Read More →


Florida Senator Marco Rubio went on the offensive against Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump during a spirited debate last night in Houston, Texas. It was the final ... Read More →

Ahead of Saturday's South Carolina Democratic primary, a Black Lives Matter activist interrupted Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Wednesday during ... Read More →

As presidential candidates head into Super Tuesday, we look at a voting bloc that's gotten little attention during this campaign season: Native Americans. We speak with ... Read More →

During Thursday's GOP presidential debate, Florida Senator Marco Rubio said Trump University is a "fake school" where students who paid up to $50,000 were promised they would ... Read More →

Democracy Now! co-host Juan González reports Congress held two hearings on the Puerto Rican debt crisis Thursday after House Speaker Paul Ryan set a March 31 deadline to ... Read More →
  • Kansas: Shooter Kills 3 at Manufacturing Plant in Shooting Spree

  • Fmr. Mexican President: "I’m Not Going to Pay for That F***ing Wall"

  • Fmr. KKK Grand Wizard David Duke Urges People to Support Trump

  • Ted Cruz Says He’d Pardon Anti-Choice Activist David Daleiden

  • Louisiana: Anti-Choice Law Threatens to Leave Only 1 Clinic in State

  • More U.S. Special Ops to Advise Nigeria in Fight Against Boko Haram

  • Syria: Heavy Airstrikes Hours Before Ceasefire Slated to Take Effect
  • France: Judge Says Evictions at Calais Refugee Camp Can Move Forward

  • Medical Care Violations Played Role in 8 Deaths in ICE Detention Centers

  • SeaWorld Admits Sending Employee to Spy on PETA

  • Cancer Patients Who Protested TPP Arraigned in D.C. Court

  • InsideClimate News, Jamie Kalven & Brandon Smith Win Izzy Award

  • Amy Goodman to Be Inducted into I.F. Stone Hall of Fame

  • ********************************************
    Isn't it deliciously ironic 
    watching Fux Noise panic
    over the Trumpenstein monster they created?
    I love it when right-wingnuts eat their own...!
    ********************************************

    Here's why you should VOTE FOR BERNIE:
    Millennials are not lazy and entitled--they are just dealing with the raw deal handed to them by the previous generation, which was entitled. Entitled to decent pay, education, opportunity, unions...!
    This articulate young woman explains it to her right-wingnut uncle:


    Brilliant.

    I have a friend who served time in the Air Force trying to earn college tuition. Uncle Sugar reneged on that deal--my friend never saw one red cent of tuition money from the government, despite the agreement they signed. Turns out that, when you sign an agreement with Uncle Sugar, it's only binding on YOU--not Uncle Sugar. Thirty years later, my friend is still trying to complete an undergraduate computer science degree while working 40-60 hours per week. That's not to say that Uncle Sugar didn't give my friend something while he was in the service. Like ruined eyesight from snow blindness (he was stationed in the Dakotas), blown-out knees and back from heavy lifting, all manner of weird allergies due to the weird unknown substances they shot him full of without ever telling him what was in those many, many injections, ...!
     
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    accidentally second amendmented to death.
    life because we all know
    guns don't kill people.
    9 were accidentally second amendmented
    or significant other well-regulated militias.
    In other words, as the linked article says,
    "A routine week.
    Happens all the time."
    ********************************************

    Daily Kos

  • How getting a PhD in Religious Studies caused one staunch Republican to leave and become a Democrat   
  • Melissa Harris-Perry walks off her show
  • Paul Ryan is about to get Trumped
  • Marco Rubio makes fun of Donald Trump for spelling 'choker' C-H-O-K-E-R. Um ...
  • Sign the petition and stand with Maggie Hassan now to help her unseat Kelly Ayotte, a Senator who has repeatedly put corporate interests and party politics ahead of her own constituents. sponsored
  • Wonder what Marco Rubio's mother thinks of him now?   
  • Remember those two tea party lovebirds embroiled in scandal? They’re getting prosecuted now
  • On CNN, Trump refuses to condemn KKK. Racist origin of Trump fortune now relevant  
  • Dean at the University of Texas leaves in protest over campus carry laws    
  • The Republican debate in Houston: A night of wackadoos summed up in just two and a half minutes   
  • The moment Donald Trump called Ted Cruz a basketcase and then Cruz acted like a basketcase    
  • Sign if you agree with Russ Feingold: The minimum wage should be $15 an hour.
  • Dow Chemical just agreed to pay $835 million to settle case it was hoping Scalia would reverse    
  • Wall Street Journal frets that Republican obstruction on Supreme Court might not be a good idea    
  • Attention shoppers: Federal lawsuit filed against Walmart for filling parmesan cheese with wood pulp    
  • Cartoon: Black Endorsements Matter    
  • Another death of a black woman in jail custody    
  • Democrat rep asks why drug test people for food stamps but not farmers getting subsidized?    
  • Ten true facts guaranteed to short-circuit Republican brains    
  • Jon Stewart to Eric Bolling: ‘F*** you, and all your false patriotism’    
  • Tomorrow is Super Tuesday, where Democrats in 11 states will vote for their candidate. Do you live in one of these states? What do you see happening there? Log into your Daily Kos account (or sign up for one), and write a blog post about it.
  • Cartoon: Campaign gaffe forecast    
  • Cartoon: Future imperfect    
  • GOP instantly rejects Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval for Supreme Court: 'It's not about the person'    
  • Justice Samuel Alito (R) files concurrence with Mitch McConnell on Supreme Court vacancy    
  • Iowa's House of Representatives just voted to allow children the right to possess a handgun    
  • Polls show that around 40% of Trump supporters not sure Emancipation Proclamation was a good thing    
  • Trump loves 'the poorly educated,' plus people show up to Nevada caucus dressed in full KKK gear    
  • Donald Trump gets Berned    
  • Stand with Everytown and President Obama: Tell the NRA and their allies in Congress NOT to roll back common-sense gun safety actions.    
  • Mitch McConnell: 'Not a snowball's chance in hell' of an Obama nominee on the Supreme Court    
  • Even Fox isn’t having it: Fox News' Martha MacCallum grills 'constitutionalist' Republican senator on blocking SCOTUS nominee    
  • Democratic Party better heed Rachel Maddow's warning    
  • DNC launches Supreme Court #FillTheSeat ad, showing how a national LGBT equality campaign might look    
  • GOP hypocrisy on election year judicial nominees in one Igor Volsky twitterstorm    
  • Virginia trial is latest attempt to push back Republican voter ID laws   
  • Two GOP senators break from McConnell on Supreme Court obstruction    
  • Man pointed gun at his 9-year-old daughter pretending to shoot, actually shot her in the chest
  • Cartoon: Colon    
  • Cartoon: How not to be a sexist jerk this election season    
  • Billionaire wants Californians to pay him $30 million in order to access public beach    
  • Stand with Everytown and President Obama: Tell the NRA and their allies in Congress NOT to roll back common-sense gun safety actions. sponsored    
  • Obama, Reid troll Republicans with SCOTUS speculation, prove there is room to nominate a progressive    
  • Illinois Republican lawmakers seek to penalize single mothers with outrageous bill    
  • Woman 'deprived of water' dies in South Carolina jail    
  • With the Supreme Court at stake, Daily Kos is going all-in to win back the Senate. Will you join us?    
  • Obama, Reid troll Republicans with SCOTUS speculation, prove there is room to nominate a progressive    
  • Washington Post editorial board pens frantic op-ed calling for fellow Republicans to stop Trump    
  • Sign if you agree with NARAL: We can't wait until one more patient, doctor or nurse is hurt before we take action. Clinic violence is domestic terrorism. sponsored    
  • David Duke to fellow racists: Voting against Donald Trump is 'treason to your heritage'    
  • The secretly-elected Heritage crew creates new headaches for House Speaker Paul Ryan    
  • Cruz would pardon anti-abortion activist for crimes committed to frame Planned Parenthood    
  • If Trump wins the Republican nomination, elite GOP donors will have no one to blame but themselves    
  • Space shuttle engineer who carried guilt of explosion 30 years finds relief via NPR public outpour
  • Justice Samuel Alito (R) files concurrence with Mitch McConnell on Supreme Court vacancy

  • ********************************************
    Am I the only one
    who sees just how much energy
    fundies put into fooling themselves?
    Am I the only one
    who thinks it's a colossal waste?
    ********************************************


    ********************************************
    If Bernie supporters "only want free stuff,"
    then why are we the ONLY ones funding
    our own campaign?
    ********************************************

    AlterNet

    By Kevin Alexander Gray, Democracy Now!
    Kevin Alexander Gray, a civil rights activist and community organizer in Columbia, South Carolina talks with Democracy Now! about the GOP Frontrunner's recent endorsement. READ MORE»

    By Eesha Pandit, Salon
    This week, the eight remaining justices will hear arguments relating to draconian Texas abortion restrictions. READ MORE»

    By Ari Berman, Democracy Now!
    As 12 states head to the polls on Super Tuesday, voting rights could become a pivotal issue in the 2016 race. READ MORE»


    AlterNet
    The Republican Party has somehow managed to get even more destructive in eight yearsREAD MORE»

    Robert Reich, RobertReich.org
    Republican politicians in particular have descended into the muck of bigotry, hatefulness and lies. READ MORE»


    Don Hazen, AlterNet
    What the establishment hand wringers just don't get. READ MORE»

    Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch
    Armed conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond hasn't brought anything close to lasting peace. Quite the opposite. READ MORE»

    By Adam Johnson, AlterNet
    The same logic could apply to K-12 education, roads, parks, or any general public good. READ MORE»

    By Michael Arria, AlterNet
    Dow Chemical Co. has decided to settle an antitrust case for big bucks now that Antonin Scalia's gone. READ MORE»

    I love Tulsi Gabbard for this!
    By Ben Norton, Salon
    Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic National Committee, which has been accused of pro-Hillary bias, to support Bernie.  READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    In this clip, the great professor explains the evolution of liberalism READ MORE»

    By Sarah Burris, Raw Story
    The protester was allegedly pushed around and a scuffle broke out. READ MORE»

    Janet Allon, AlterNet
    Some truly bizarre things fell out of Trump's mouth this week. READ MORE»

    AlterNet
    Clinton had the support of 9 in 10 black voters in a lopsided win. READ MORE»

    Larry Schwartz, AlterNet
    Apparently for some, American exceptionalism means exceptional stupidity. READ MORE»

    By David Swanson, Let's Try Democracy
    10 principles of oligarchy. READ MORE»

    By Eliza A. Webb , Salon
    Clinton refuses to release her transcripts unless Republicans release theirs first. That won't cut it this election. READ MORE»

    By Tom Boggioni, Raw Story
    Almost no one in the GOP wants to see the Donald take the nomination.  READ MORE»

    Rosenfeld thinks maybe Bernie will lose some upcoming primaries...hopefully, he'll win more than he loses! GO BERNIE!!!!!
    Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
    The strategy to blunt Clinton's growing momentum. READ MORE»

    Can we tawk?!??
    Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
    The strategy to blunt Clinton's growing momentum. READ MORE»

    Someone please tell me what would be so effin' wrong about Medicare for all...!
    By Thom Hartmann, AlterNet
    Bernie is simply calling for what the architects of Medicare had in mind all along.  READ MORE»

    By Amy Goodman, Jose Antonio Vargas, Democracy Now!
    Trump University students who paid up to $50,000 were promised they would meet Trump, but instead "got to take a picture with a cardboard cutout."  READ MORE»

    Please, America--wake up and smell the coffee before it's too late! Bernie's hands are CLEAN!
    By Richard W. Behan, CounterPunch
    The banks have earned hundreds of billions of dollars in practices that were once prohibited—until the Clinton Administration legalized them. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    "We stand for a living wage," Roosevelt said in 1912. Sound familiar? READ MORE»

    By Bethania Palma Markus, Raw Story
    If the 2016 presidential race seems surreal, there’s a good reason for it. READ MORE»

    Sadly, Money Boo Boo's supporters will lurve him even if he did rip off his students...and everyone else he's ever "done business" with. Hell, his poll numbers will probably skyrocket!
    Adam Johnson, AlterNet
    The lawsuits Trump is facing over his snake oil school expose his contempt for the aspirational working class. READ MORE»

    I still want to know who paid for Scalia's last little luxury jaunt. Isn't it a conflict of interest--isn't it illegal--to take money like that when you're on the taxpayers' payroll?
    Paula Young Lee, Salon
    The mysterious International Order of St. Hubertus is steeped in the heritage of European nobility, the "royal hunt" — and war. READ MORE»

    By Adele M. Stan, The American Prospect
    “I grab and grab and grab! You know, I get greedy; I want money, money!” The crowd roars. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    How can the Grand Old Party catch up to present day if they're not even discussing the present day? READ MORE»

    By Rachael Revesz, The Independent
    In a $125 million lawsuit she later dropped, the woman accused Trump of ‘outrageous conduct’ — but is now sticking by her allegations. READ MORE»

    Oops--yet another well-regulated militia second-amendmented his kid. What a dumb shit. Ya think mebbe CPS oughta step in and place the poor girl into a home that's actually safe?
    By Travis Gettys, Raw Story
    The 30-year-old Jones was watching his three children at their grandparents’ house, where they live.  READ MORE»

    Amanda Marcotte, Salon
    The religious right was formed to protect segregation, so it's no surprise they're drawn to Donald Trump. READ MORE»

    Frank Joyce, AlterNet
    Especially if you keep at it for a long time. READ MORE»

    Stephanie Russell-Kraft, AlterNet
    Be careful before you sign a non-compete agreement. READ MORE»

    So that's why my Tea Party Christian friend thinks all women should support the right-wingnut women who want to destroy them...! Hasn't he ever heard of wolves in sheeps' clothing?
    By Sonali Kolhatkar, Truthdig
    Ordinary American women are expected to celebrate a victory, whether it impacts their lives in a positive manner or not.  READ MORE»

    By Reynard Loki, AlterNet
    The divestment movement just got an intriguing new proponent. READ MORE»

    Adam Johnson, AlterNet
    The police are very underrated at getting what they want done. READ MORE»

    Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
    Trump is positioned to win big on Super Tuesday.  READ MORE»

    Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet
    Robert Califf's ties to Big Pharma run very deep and the Obama nominee just sailed through the U.S. Senate. READ MORE»

    By Juan Cole, Informed Comment
    Networks and newspapers are trying to explain away racism from a prominent GOP candidate.  READ MORE»

    By Sophia Tesfaye, Salon
    Since Iowa, Sanders has overtaken Clinton for the majority of the month in the Reuters daily tracking poll. READ MORE»

    By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
    Rising Islamophobia summons the ghosts of America's bloody past to justify permanent war abroad and an assault on freedom at home. READ MORE»


    THIS IS WHY WE ALL MUST VOTE FOR BERNIE!!!!! DOOOOOO ITTTTTT!
    You know you want to!
    By Michael Arria, AlterNet
    Dr. Robert Califf was confirmed by a vote of 89-4. READ MORE»

    By Travis Gettys, Raw Story
    The 38-year-old Trump said his father’s coarseness resonated with angry blue collar workers.  READ MORE»

    Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
    "Is the Republican Party truly not going to resist its own debasement?" READ MORE»

    Adam Johnson, AlterNet
    Clinton says it's the first time anyone's asked her about saying "superpredators need to be brought to heel." Why? READ MORE»

    Kali Holloway, AlterNet
    Apparently, they had some problems with spellcheck. READ MORE»


    What won't they tell us about Bernie's economic plan? That IT WILL WORK?
    By Dave Johnson, OurFuture.org
    Leading economist's study shows the plan would create a stimulus, but the mainstream media isn't covering it.  READ MORE»

    By Sophia Tesfaye, Salon
    Unlike Ted Cruz's shameless sacrifice of his spokesman, Trump finds his id echoed by his controversial campaign spokeswoman. READ MORE»

    By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
    The billionaire having his way with our election is horrifying other billionaires used to having their way with our elections. READ MORE»

    By Robin Scher, AlterNet
    Apparently, the second amendment trumps the first. READ MORE»

    By Laura Clawson, Daily Kos
    The Trump Organization fights on—to deny its workers their right to organize. READ MORE»

    By Arturo Garcia, Raw Story
    A satire becomes all too real.  READ MORE»


     
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    What...? Are you still scrolling down? Then here are some Petitions for you!
    (Keep scrolling after you've signed the petitions. There are more stories, star banners, and memes. And at the end...movies!)


    CREDO action
    Stand with Sen. Warren: Stop Pfizer from deserting America
    Petition to Congress:
    "Stop Pfizer from dodging billions in taxes owed to the American people by passing the Stop Corporate Inversions Act, which would block companies from hiding their profits by moving their tax address, but not their business, overseas."
    Add your name:
    Sign the petition ►

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    Innocent children deserve better than to be condemned to a life of slavery when they seek refuge here

    The report, released by Sens. Rob Portman and Claire McCaskill, respectively the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, makes it clear that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – the agency responsible for the children’s welfare – failed to take the necessary steps to ensure children were being placed with safe, responsible guardians.

    Sign the petition from CREDO and Daily Kos: Tell Sens. Portman and McCaskill to ensure that HHS has all the necessary resources to protect child refugees fleeing violence.

    The Senate report found that before placing children with U.S. sponsors, the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement failed to do proper background checks of the adults who claimed the children, failed to notice when sponsors took custody of multiple unrelated children, and failed to visit the homes into which they were placing children. The stories outlined in the report demonstrate not only the profound negligence of HHS, but the degree to which people take advantage of that negligence to exploit and harm children.

    In the past five years, 90,000 children have been placed with sponsors. We will never be able to know how many are now living in slavery. Violence in Central America is increasing and we are likely to see similar levels of unaccompanied minors seeking safety in the U.S. in 2016.


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    Let's swing the Senate back toward the People

    The vacancy on the Supreme Court left behind by Antonin Scalia's death has heightened the already extraordinary stakes of this year's elections to a degree that simply cannot be overstated. For the first time since the late 1960s, there's a real possibility that the court could house a clear liberal majority, and with that, profoundly alter the contours of American politics as we know them.

    The scope of possible topics the court could rule on in just the next few years is breathtaking. Almost every major issue is on the table: Reproductive rights, climate change, redistricting, affirmative action, voting rights, policing, campaign finance, capital punishment, immigration—there's no end to this list. Five liberal justices could protect the rights of the vulnerable, safeguard the environment, and even strengthen our democracy itself in ways so far-reaching that progressives have scarcely dared to imagine them. That makes this vacancy the campaign issue of 2016.

    That's why Daily Kos is going all-in on the Senate this year.

    Can you chip in $1 to each of Daily Kos's endorsed candidates for Senate?

    Right now, the Republicans who control the chamber have sworn a blood-oath to block anyone President Obama might nominate, no matter how outrageous their obstinacy makes them look. But their majority is precarious: They hold only 54 seats, which means the Democrats can take the Senate back this November if we pick up as few as four seats from the GOP.

    Fortunately, the playing field favors us, as Republicans are on defense protecting a number of vulnerable seats, including several held by blue-state freshmen who lucked into office during the 2010 wave. Earlier this cycle, Daily Kos endorsed former Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, whom polls show is in a strong position to knock off Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, the man who unseated him almost six years ago. Now, with the Supreme Court in play, we're expanding our roster of endorsees to include three more Democrats who are taking on other at-risk GOP senators:

    • New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, who is neck-and-neck with Sen. Kelly Ayotte
    • Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, who is aiming to knock off Sen. Roy Blunt; and
    • Arizona Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who definitely is not going to be good news for Sen. John McCain
    None of these contests will be easy—no race against an incumbent ever is. But with our help, all of these Republicans can go down to defeat this November.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Pass the ERA!

    Hi, I’m Patricia Arquette. In my Oscar acceptance speech last year, I took a moment to address gender inequality – the fact that American women still make as low as 44 cents for every dollar made by our male counterparts, and experience sex discrimination as a fact of daily life. I didn’t do it to cause a scandal, or detract from my honor that night. I did it because I felt I had a duty to shine a light on this problem, to use my voice to demand constitutional equality for all women.

    The gender wage gap has devastating economic consequences for women and their families, and the situation is most dire for women of color and LGBT women. It is no wonder that 1 in 5 children go hungry in America. There is a direct link between underpaying women and child hunger. Until equal rights are guaranteed in our constitution, wage inequality and other discriminatory practices affecting women in America will continue unabated.

    Many people believe equality for women is already a constitutional right. The sad reality is that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which asserts simply that equality cannot be denied on the basis of sex, has been batted around and knocked down since its introduction in 1923, and it still awaits passage today.

    Join me in calling on Congress to do what it should have done 90 years ago, and pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Alan Grayson fights for Us the People

    A little over six years ago, on the Floor of the House, President Obama invited the House Republicans to show their health care plan to him. To make it look good for themselves on C-SPAN, they waved something at him that looked like a healthcare plan.

    Blank pieces of paper. The Republicans waved blank pieces of paper at the President of the United States. That was their healthcare plan.

    I didn’t like that. So I took to the House Floor armed with nothing but poster boards, an American flag tie, and a lot of courage. This is what I said:

    “It’s my duty and pride tonight to be able to announce exactly what the Republicans plan to do for health care in America … . It’s a very simple plan. Here it is: The Republican healthcare plan for America: ‘Don’t get sick.’

    If you have insurance, don’t get sick.
    If you don’t have insurance, don’t get sick.
    If you’re sick, don’t get sick.
    Just don’t get sick!

    And the GOP’s “backup plan”:
    If you do get sick, America, the Republican healthcare plan is this: 'Die quickly.’”


    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Your body, YOUR choice

    Breaking news: A federal court has just upheld Louisiana's clinic-shutdown law—forcing all but one clinic in the entire state to shut down.1
    Already 50 percent of the clinics in neighboring Texas were forced to close under a similar shutdown law, and Mississippi, the state to Louisiana's east, has only one clinic left.
    Now it all comes down to the Supreme Court, which will hear arguments on the Texas clinic-shutdown law NEXT WEEK.

    We're pulling out all the stops to show the Court that women will NOT go back to the days of back alley abortions.
    Will you chip in $15 to stop these clinic-shutdown laws and defend access to abortion at the Supreme Court?

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Tell Senator Toomey: #DoYourJob


    Sign the petition to Do Your Job! Fulfill your responsibility to advise and consent to President Obama's upcoming nomination to the vacant Supreme Court seat.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Stand up against the NRA

    This month, gun-lobby-backed senators hauled Attorney General Loretta Lynch before a Senate committee hearing to discuss the President's actions -- but used the opportunity to politically grandstand instead of discussing any real policy questions. And a prominent House member threatened to defund the entire Department of Justice to try and block the president's stronger enforcement of our gun laws. [2]

    This is political grandstanding at its worst, and it comes at a dangerous cost. It's further proof that the NRA's favorite politicians will stop at nothing to protect the gun lobby -- while doing nothing to protect American lives.

    Join Everytown and Daily Kos in telling your senator and representative to stop this extremist bill and fight to protect the president's common-sense actions.

    The gun lobby is powerful -- but so are the American people. I know we can win this.

    Keep fighting,
    Carissa Miller, Daily Kos


    ********************************************
    I want to stop CORPORATE socialism--
    I want government that doesn't rob ME
    to give to the rich and powerful who don't
    NEED my money to LIVE.
    ********************************************


    ********************************************
    Cruz, Rubio, Carson, and Kasich are all
    soooo hateful, horrible, toxic, evil, and repulsive
    that I can't even say
    ANYONE BUT T-RUMP!
     
    VOTE FOR BERNIE!!!!!
     
    I don't need "free stuff,"
    but I sure as hell don't want
    the rich and the corporations
    getting their "free stuff" at my expense!
    ********************************************
     
    My True Conservative bud, David Franke, recommends Michael Moore's latest movie, "Where to Invade Next," as "Moore's best film"

    Tonight I saw the initial showing of Michael Moore’s new documentary, “Where to Invade Next.”  This is not a review (that may come later).  This is an alert.

    See this movie as soon as you can.  It probably won’t last long at the theaters. 

    This is Michael Moore’s best film.  He has mellowed, and that is all to the best.  Production values are A+.  This is propaganda at its best. 

    Of course, as with any Michael Moore film, there will be political disagreements.  I was surprised how few I had—just one political issue, not mentioned prominently at all, and fleeting references to one political movement that I opposed and was glad failed (Michael was in favor, of course).  There are very few political movies where I disagree that little.  I know some of you will find a lot more to oppose, but you are not doing yourself a favor by not seeing it.

    ********************************************
     
    Tell that to Dot Calm's daughter
    in law enforcement--the JD with a gun--
    who worked her way through law school
    taking four classes a week for four years
    while working 40-60 hours a week.
    ********************************************


    ********************************************
    Need more proof
    ********************************************

    Another pearl from David Franke, whose tongue is permanently ensconced in his cheek...
    Scalia: and you laughed when I said "conspiracy"

    A secret society.  Austrians.  Bohemians.  Von Hapsburg.  Dark green robes.  Titles such as Grand Master.  A mail drop in Washington, D.C.  The Bohemian Club in San Francisco.  A Washington lawyer with the suspicious name of Allen Foster (Foster Dulles, anyone?), who is unavailable for comment because “he’s traveling in Argentina” (Argentina!).  “A woman answering a phone associated with Foster hung up when asked for comment.”  DO YOU NEED ANY MORE PROOF???!!!!
     
    Justice Scalia spent his last hours with members of this secretive society of elite hunters!

    ********************************************
    Republicans so funny.
    They hate O'Bama so much
    they even block a REPUBLICAN
    SCOTUS nominee!
    ********************************************


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


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

    I don't know if this story is for real...
    I haven't Snopes'ed it...
    but I would only be half be surprised if it were!
    The link is here.
     
    ********************************************
    Thanks to Donald Trump and the rest of the
     steaming pile of Republican't candidates,
    "Idiocracy"
    has become a documentary
    ********************************************


    ********************************************
    Conservative Clown Car says,
    "The undocumented in the U.S.
    pay $11.6 billion in state and local taxes annually.
    Montana’s 4,000 undocumented immigrants
    paid 'only' $2.2 million in taxes
    while California’s three million paid $3.1 billion. 
    These ain't 'unintended consequences' either."
    ********************************************


    ********************************************
    Just like Ben Carson
    and the other Republican candidates,
    Rafael "Ted" Cruz, Jr., would rather
    be caught telling a lie than telling the truth.
    ********************************************


    ********************************************
    I guess Republicans will have to plant
    a whole lot more evidence so that they can finally
    come up with something credible.
    ********************************************


    ********************************************
    You think ISIS is a threat to Americans?
    How about the Republican war on women?
    ********************************************

    The link to the article about
    Robert "Crazy Eyes" Dear is here.
    He seems nice.
     
    ********************************************
    As Americans Against the Republican Party says,
    "If you don't think businesses should pay
    a living wage,
    that means you think taxpayers should be
    subsidizing their survival.
    Or that people who are working but are
    cheated out of a living wage should starve."
    ********************************************


    ********************************************
    Am I the only one noticing
    that a barrel of oil
    costs the same
    as filling your gas tank?
    Both are about $30 right now.
    Why are we paying for the whole
    damn barrel
    each time we just need a few gallons?
    ********************************************

    Movie Time!

    Now that you've survived the unholy crap, here's some holy crap for you...

    OMG...I knew Franklin Graham was a shit just from listening to the hate and filth that spews from his mouth, but his father, Billy? I thought Billy Graham was reasonably decent...until I saw this video by wordoffakes. Cringeworthy. Why wait for your mansion in heaven when you can preach the prosperity gospel and get your mansion, Bentley, and $20M private jet now?

    The writers of Forrest Gump plugged him into contemporary American history, splicing the character into real times, places, and events with real people. And yet no one would ever argue that Forrest Gump is a real, actual American hero. So why does my Tea Party Christian friend insist that architectural finds prove the Bible when they prove no such thing?

    Not only does God not heal amputees, but He won't even heal the eyesight of his precious preachers. But you can bet your bottom dollar that He'll heal your cancer if you beg him hard enough and believe hard enough. ... yeah, right.

    Evolution of the Bible, part 1

    Part 2
    This is for my Tea Party Christian friend, who swears that all versions of
    the Bible are God's perfect word, which means that they're all identically the same as the original
    Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts while all of them say different things. you can go to biblegateway and read the texts next to each other, side by side. I'll bet they never expected atheists to use their site more than Christians!

    Part 3
    Have you ever heard of the Geneva 1560 Bible? It is a Protestant Bible, not Catholic, so don't go blaming them. It predates the King James 1611 and has 80 books, like the King James 1611 but not like the later King James and other newer Bibles we're used to seeing with 66 books. So, who decided that 14 books of God's perfect word were in fact NOT God's perfect word?
     
    As wordoffakes suggests, check the NIV, the world's best selling Bible, for these 16 scriptures:
    Matthew 17:21
    Mark 7:16
    Luke 17:36
    John 5:4
    Acts 8:37
    Romans 16:24
    Matthew 18:11
    Mark 9:44
    Luke 23:17
    Acts 15:34
    Matthew 23:14
    Mark 9:46
    Acts 24:7
    Mark 11:26
    Acts 28:29
    Mark 15:28
    Oh wait--they're missing! the NIV people decided that these verses were no longer the perfect word of God! Whiskey tango, Christians?

    And now for a bit of fun!

    John Oliver on televangelists

    An update

    Oh noes--they closed down Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption...not before raising tens of thousands of dollars (typically one  buck at a time) for Doctors Without Borders by mail and phone to the number 1-800-THIS-IS-LEGAL.

    John Oliver on putting a woman on the $10 bill. I vote for Dr. Sally Ride.