June 6, 2015
June 5, 2015
Hillary Clinton Attacks GOP for Gutting Voting Rights and Lays Out 6 Major Reforms | Alternet
Hillary Clinton Attacks GOP for Gutting Voting Rights and Lays Out 6 Major Reforms | Alternet
"Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who launched his presidential campaign this week, had signed laws “that a federal court said were written to discriminate against minorities,” she said. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker cut early voting and made it harder for college students to vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed early voting legislation. And Jeb Bush was Florida’s governor in 2000 when a “deeply flawed purge” removed tens of thousands of legal non-white voters, contributing to George W. Bush’s appointment to the presidency by the Supreme Court."
"Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who launched his presidential campaign this week, had signed laws “that a federal court said were written to discriminate against minorities,” she said. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker cut early voting and made it harder for college students to vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed early voting legislation. And Jeb Bush was Florida’s governor in 2000 when a “deeply flawed purge” removed tens of thousands of legal non-white voters, contributing to George W. Bush’s appointment to the presidency by the Supreme Court."
What's The Matter With Kansas? The GOPers Running It Into The Ground
What's The Matter With Kansas? The GOPers Running It Into The Ground
"Wichita, Kansas is the home base for Koch Industries, in case you didn't know. That's one reason why it was so important for them to buy some favorable tax policies."
"Wichita, Kansas is the home base for Koch Industries, in case you didn't know. That's one reason why it was so important for them to buy some favorable tax policies."
Obama Pushes New Environmental Protections, So GOP Comes Out In Support Of… Pollution
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/05/obama-pushes-new-environmental-protections-so-gop-comes-out-in-support-of-pollution/
"It further proves the Republican Congress that Obama now has to deal with has jumped the shark entirely. Their hatred toward the president is so great that even things like clean water must be sacrificed if they think they it can hurt the Obama’s legacy. Their governing style isn’t to govern at all. It’s purely disruption."
"It further proves the Republican Congress that Obama now has to deal with has jumped the shark entirely. Their hatred toward the president is so great that even things like clean water must be sacrificed if they think they it can hurt the Obama’s legacy. Their governing style isn’t to govern at all. It’s purely disruption."
Meet One of the Last Best Hopes to Stop the Plutocrats' Takeover of American Democracy | Alternet
Meet One of the Last Best Hopes to Stop the Plutocrats' Takeover of American Democracy | Alternet
"Plutocrats have been on a roll for a while in the U.S., and campaign finance reform is in full retreat. Though Americans hate money’s “obscene” role in politics, according to a new New York Times/CBS poll, they feel hopeless about changing it. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Buckley and Citizens United decisions, money is speech and corporations are people, so forget about limiting what billionaires and Super PACs can contribute to campaigns."
"Plutocrats have been on a roll for a while in the U.S., and campaign finance reform is in full retreat. Though Americans hate money’s “obscene” role in politics, according to a new New York Times/CBS poll, they feel hopeless about changing it. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Buckley and Citizens United decisions, money is speech and corporations are people, so forget about limiting what billionaires and Super PACs can contribute to campaigns."
Watch: A Nobel Economist Debunks Trickle-Down Reaganomics In Four Minutes
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-a-nobel-economist-debunks-trickle-down-reaganomics-in-four-minutes/
"In this video, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz lays out a damning indictment of Ronald Reagan’s deregulation and sweeping tax cuts that have resulted in the worst income inequality in the developed world and have been holding America back for the past thirty years. He definitively debunks the delusional “trickle-down” theory of income transfer and bemoans the fact that social mobility in America has been crippled by the concentration of wealth in the top 1%, preventing hard-working Americans from moving upwards in society or improving their lots in life.”The same market forces, the same forces of technological globalization are at work in the same way in advanced countries. It’s not the economic forces. It’s our policies"."
"In this video, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz lays out a damning indictment of Ronald Reagan’s deregulation and sweeping tax cuts that have resulted in the worst income inequality in the developed world and have been holding America back for the past thirty years. He definitively debunks the delusional “trickle-down” theory of income transfer and bemoans the fact that social mobility in America has been crippled by the concentration of wealth in the top 1%, preventing hard-working Americans from moving upwards in society or improving their lots in life.”The same market forces, the same forces of technological globalization are at work in the same way in advanced countries. It’s not the economic forces. It’s our policies"."
Republicans set sights on the Endangered Species Act
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/04/1390407/-Republicans-set-sights-on-the-Endangered-Species-Act
"Republicans in Congress have a problem. They badly want to get rid of the Endangered Species Act, one of the most successful conservation laws we have for protecting endangered wildlife from going extinct. But unfortunately for them, the law works and is wildly popular with the American people.
Their solution? Keep the law, but gut it beyond recognition and make it totally ineffective by adding burdensome new restrictions and allowing local politicians to overrule science whenever they feel like it."
"Republicans in Congress have a problem. They badly want to get rid of the Endangered Species Act, one of the most successful conservation laws we have for protecting endangered wildlife from going extinct. But unfortunately for them, the law works and is wildly popular with the American people.
Their solution? Keep the law, but gut it beyond recognition and make it totally ineffective by adding burdensome new restrictions and allowing local politicians to overrule science whenever they feel like it."
Scott Walker’s Baffling War On Bikes
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/06/03/3664754/scott-walkers-war-bikes/
"In just one year, Wisconsin’s bike friendliness ranking from the non-partisan League of American Bicyclists dropped from the third best in country to ninth. If the state legislature approves Governor Scott Walker’s budget, which slashes funding for bike infrastructure, boosts spending on freeways and imposes a new tax on bicycle sales, the ranking could plummet further.
As Governor Walker prepares for a likely run for the White House, he’s been traveling the country touting his record of slashing taxes on corporations and the wealthy, saying he has “put more money back in the hands of the hardworking taxpayers.”
Yet Governor Walker and his allies in the Madison statehouse have found one corporate sector where they’re willing to raise taxes: bicycles. Though they have been hesitant to hesitant to consider boosting taxes on gasoline or vehicle registration fees, state lawmakers have been pushing a $25 tax on the sale of all new bicycles in the state, on top of the existing sales tax."
"In just one year, Wisconsin’s bike friendliness ranking from the non-partisan League of American Bicyclists dropped from the third best in country to ninth. If the state legislature approves Governor Scott Walker’s budget, which slashes funding for bike infrastructure, boosts spending on freeways and imposes a new tax on bicycle sales, the ranking could plummet further.
As Governor Walker prepares for a likely run for the White House, he’s been traveling the country touting his record of slashing taxes on corporations and the wealthy, saying he has “put more money back in the hands of the hardworking taxpayers.”
Yet Governor Walker and his allies in the Madison statehouse have found one corporate sector where they’re willing to raise taxes: bicycles. Though they have been hesitant to hesitant to consider boosting taxes on gasoline or vehicle registration fees, state lawmakers have been pushing a $25 tax on the sale of all new bicycles in the state, on top of the existing sales tax."
The Kansas Supreme Court Challenged Republicans' Agenda. Their Solution: Replace the Judges.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/final-front-sam-brownbacks-battle-control-kansas
"Since Republican Sam Brownback became governor of Kansas in 2011, he and his allies in the GOP-dominated state Legislature have implemented drastic tax cuts—part of a "real, live experiment" in conservative governance, as Brownback put it in 2012, that has resulted in precipitously falling revenues. But Brownback's tax slashing hit a snag last year when the state Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase education funding, potentially forcing the governor to roll back his signature tax cuts in order to increase school spending. So conservatives in Topeka declared war on the court."
"Since Republican Sam Brownback became governor of Kansas in 2011, he and his allies in the GOP-dominated state Legislature have implemented drastic tax cuts—part of a "real, live experiment" in conservative governance, as Brownback put it in 2012, that has resulted in precipitously falling revenues. But Brownback's tax slashing hit a snag last year when the state Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase education funding, potentially forcing the governor to roll back his signature tax cuts in order to increase school spending. So conservatives in Topeka declared war on the court."
Judges Considering Criminal Probe Into Scott Walker May Be Implicated In Same Offense
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/02/3665064/judges-considering-criminal-probe-scott-walker-may-implicated-offense/
"In a newly released court filing, the prosecutor in the case raised the question of whether one or two of the justices hearing the case are implicated in the same kind of scheme. Two groups suspected of coordinating with Walker’s campaign have also spent $10 million to elect the four-justice conservative majority. The prosecutor’s heavily redacted brief also suggests that two justices, or, at least, their campaigns, may have committed the same offense that is at the heart of the Walker investigation—coordinating with dark money groups to get reelected."
"In a newly released court filing, the prosecutor in the case raised the question of whether one or two of the justices hearing the case are implicated in the same kind of scheme. Two groups suspected of coordinating with Walker’s campaign have also spent $10 million to elect the four-justice conservative majority. The prosecutor’s heavily redacted brief also suggests that two justices, or, at least, their campaigns, may have committed the same offense that is at the heart of the Walker investigation—coordinating with dark money groups to get reelected."
Utah Lawmaker Accused Of ‘Illegal Scheme’ To Seize America’s Public Lands
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/06/02/3665047/ken-ivory-public-lands-complaint/
"A watchdog organization filed complaints against a Utah state representative on Monday for allegedly leading “an illegal scheme to defraud local government officials out of taxpayer funds” to finance a campaign to seize America’s public lands.
The complaints, filed by the Campaign for Accountability (CfA), request that the attorneys general of Utah, Arizona and Montana investigate state Rep. Ken Ivory (R) for “solicit[ing] funds from local officials, falsely claiming the federal government can be forced to transfer public lands to the states.” The complaints cite Ivory’s use of his role as president and founder of the American Lands Council (ALC), a Utah-based organization, to “enrich” his personal wealth and make “false or fraudulent representations to obtain money"."
"A watchdog organization filed complaints against a Utah state representative on Monday for allegedly leading “an illegal scheme to defraud local government officials out of taxpayer funds” to finance a campaign to seize America’s public lands.
The complaints, filed by the Campaign for Accountability (CfA), request that the attorneys general of Utah, Arizona and Montana investigate state Rep. Ken Ivory (R) for “solicit[ing] funds from local officials, falsely claiming the federal government can be forced to transfer public lands to the states.” The complaints cite Ivory’s use of his role as president and founder of the American Lands Council (ALC), a Utah-based organization, to “enrich” his personal wealth and make “false or fraudulent representations to obtain money"."
Christie Officials Hid Wall Street Fees From NJ Officials
Christie Officials Hid Wall Street Fees From NJ Officials
"Even as Chris Christie pushed to cut benefits to retired New Jersey firefighters, teachers and other state workers, saying there simply wasn’t sufficient money in the pension fund, his administration was concealing how millions of those pension fund dollars were spent.
Faced with intensifying criticism of skyrocketing fees the state pension was paying to financial firms, the Republican governor's officials have touted their own cost estimate. But they didn't offer a complete reckoning. The officials' testimony to state lawmakers and letter to one of the state’s largest newspaper chains earlier this year appeared to prove that the state’s fees were well below other states. In fact, the Christie administration’s pension analysis, obtained through an open records request by International Business Times, omitted so-called performance fees that the state is paying to Wall Street. Those levies, which give financial firms a cut of the state’s investment gains, now total hundreds of millions of dollars a year. A Christie administration presentation to state pension trustees also obtained by IBTimes similarly omitted those performance fees.
The disclosure that the Christie administration's cost estimates hid large payments to financial firms comes as New Jersey lawmakers are set to hold a hearing on Thursday to scrutinize the more than $600 million a year the state now pays in total pension fees. The hearing follows an IBTimes’ reporting series that prompted New Jersey pension trustees to launch a separate investigation into the fees -- some of which have been paid to financial firms whose executives made campaign contributions to Republican organizations backing Christie’s election campaigns."
"Even as Chris Christie pushed to cut benefits to retired New Jersey firefighters, teachers and other state workers, saying there simply wasn’t sufficient money in the pension fund, his administration was concealing how millions of those pension fund dollars were spent.
Faced with intensifying criticism of skyrocketing fees the state pension was paying to financial firms, the Republican governor's officials have touted their own cost estimate. But they didn't offer a complete reckoning. The officials' testimony to state lawmakers and letter to one of the state’s largest newspaper chains earlier this year appeared to prove that the state’s fees were well below other states. In fact, the Christie administration’s pension analysis, obtained through an open records request by International Business Times, omitted so-called performance fees that the state is paying to Wall Street. Those levies, which give financial firms a cut of the state’s investment gains, now total hundreds of millions of dollars a year. A Christie administration presentation to state pension trustees also obtained by IBTimes similarly omitted those performance fees.
The disclosure that the Christie administration's cost estimates hid large payments to financial firms comes as New Jersey lawmakers are set to hold a hearing on Thursday to scrutinize the more than $600 million a year the state now pays in total pension fees. The hearing follows an IBTimes’ reporting series that prompted New Jersey pension trustees to launch a separate investigation into the fees -- some of which have been paid to financial firms whose executives made campaign contributions to Republican organizations backing Christie’s election campaigns."
PERRspectives: Jeb Bush Wrongly Blames GOP Congress for Dubya's Spending and Debt
PERRspectives: Jeb Bush Wrongly Blames GOP Congress for Dubya's Spending and Debt
"As it turns out, it is Barack Obama who brought some budget discipline to Washington. On January 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama's inauguration day, CNN reported on the latest long-term budget forecast from the CBO. Just days before President Bush ambled out of the Oval Office for good, CNN explained "the U.S. budget deficit in 2009 is projected to spike to a record $1.2 trillion, or 8.3% of gross domestic product." With the recession in full swing and the massive TARP program passed at Bush's urging the previous fall, CBO predicted in January 2009 that federal spending would spike to $3.543 trillion dollars while tax revenue would plummet to an anemic to $2,357 trillion. Federal spending has hardly budged since. While the annual deficit has been reduced by two-thirds, Uncle Sam's outlays measured in constant FY 2009 dollars have dropped every year since George W. Bush left the Oval Office and Barack Obama moved in."
"As it turns out, it is Barack Obama who brought some budget discipline to Washington. On January 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama's inauguration day, CNN reported on the latest long-term budget forecast from the CBO. Just days before President Bush ambled out of the Oval Office for good, CNN explained "the U.S. budget deficit in 2009 is projected to spike to a record $1.2 trillion, or 8.3% of gross domestic product." With the recession in full swing and the massive TARP program passed at Bush's urging the previous fall, CBO predicted in January 2009 that federal spending would spike to $3.543 trillion dollars while tax revenue would plummet to an anemic to $2,357 trillion. Federal spending has hardly budged since. While the annual deficit has been reduced by two-thirds, Uncle Sam's outlays measured in constant FY 2009 dollars have dropped every year since George W. Bush left the Oval Office and Barack Obama moved in."
Bernie Sanders wants to debate GOP candidates now to expose their unpopular ‘reactionary agenda’
Bernie Sanders wants to debate GOP candidates now to expose their unpopular ‘reactionary agenda’
"Sanders said Republican candidates want to offset “huge tax breaks for billionaires” with “massive cuts” to programs that help millions of American, including Medicare, Medicaid, and – in the case of likely candidates Jeb Bush and Chris Christie – Social Security.
“They get away with that stuff because a lot of people don’t know what they are talking about,” he said.
Sanders said he would like a debate between Democrats and Republicans during the primary season so he could “confront them honestly and say to their face” what voters should know about their governing intentions."
"Sanders said Republican candidates want to offset “huge tax breaks for billionaires” with “massive cuts” to programs that help millions of American, including Medicare, Medicaid, and – in the case of likely candidates Jeb Bush and Chris Christie – Social Security.
“They get away with that stuff because a lot of people don’t know what they are talking about,” he said.
Sanders said he would like a debate between Democrats and Republicans during the primary season so he could “confront them honestly and say to their face” what voters should know about their governing intentions."
The 1 percent’s “centrist” propaganda war: Why Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren are so threatening to the establishment
The 1 percent’s “centrist” propaganda war: Why Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren are so threatening to the establishment
"These arguments for centrism are just red herrings cloaked as pragmatic advice, designed to distract people from real problems, like the fact the GOP is actually a dying breed, while the rise of the modern liberal movement is overwhelmingly associated with the millennial generation.
Indeed, the largest base for conservatism today will be, quite literally, dying off in the near future. The Republican party is the old white party, which is not a very good survival strategy, as white people will cease to be a majority in about three decades, and todays elderly will be dead. This seems to be a much more significant problem than the Democratic party going too far to the left, which is actually a wise strategy for the future, if we are to believe the data suggesting the millennial generation is the most liberal yet. In fact, a few years ago, a Pew poll suggested that millennials (18-29) view socialism more favorably than capitalism, which is quite astonishing for the United States.
Elizabeth Warren and the rising liberal movement have created a real fear within the Republican party and Wall Street."
"These arguments for centrism are just red herrings cloaked as pragmatic advice, designed to distract people from real problems, like the fact the GOP is actually a dying breed, while the rise of the modern liberal movement is overwhelmingly associated with the millennial generation.
Indeed, the largest base for conservatism today will be, quite literally, dying off in the near future. The Republican party is the old white party, which is not a very good survival strategy, as white people will cease to be a majority in about three decades, and todays elderly will be dead. This seems to be a much more significant problem than the Democratic party going too far to the left, which is actually a wise strategy for the future, if we are to believe the data suggesting the millennial generation is the most liberal yet. In fact, a few years ago, a Pew poll suggested that millennials (18-29) view socialism more favorably than capitalism, which is quite astonishing for the United States.
Elizabeth Warren and the rising liberal movement have created a real fear within the Republican party and Wall Street."
ALEC Responds To Atlanta's 11Alive, Still Blocks Video Footage Of What They Actually Do
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/06/03/alec-responds-to-atlantas-11alive-still-blocks/203873
"ALEC and their corporate sponsors have a vested interest in keeping their conferences confidential. In secrecy, lobbyists and lawyers construct model right-wing legislation to be introduced in state houses across the country."
"ALEC and their corporate sponsors have a vested interest in keeping their conferences confidential. In secrecy, lobbyists and lawyers construct model right-wing legislation to be introduced in state houses across the country."
ALEC Tries To Intimidate News Crew, Receives Knockout Punch Instead! – VIDEO
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/06/alec-responds-to-11alive-investigation/
"ALEC responded on its website and placed the blame for what had transpired at the Georgia resort squarely on the shoulders of the news crew because – well, because to tell the truth wouldn’t serve the purposes of ALEC and those who fund the operation."
"ALEC responded on its website and placed the blame for what had transpired at the Georgia resort squarely on the shoulders of the news crew because – well, because to tell the truth wouldn’t serve the purposes of ALEC and those who fund the operation."
Scott Walker And ALEC Allow High School Dropouts To Teach High School
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/02/scott-walker-alec-high-school-dropouts-teach-high-school.html
"According to an ALEC template, Wisconsin Republicans have proposed an ALEC rule change that allows high school dropouts to “be licensed to teach” in public high schools. It is something that critics, and likely every conscious American, have labeled as “breathtaking in its stupidity.” The ALEC measure was slipped into a 1:30 a.m. Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee along with other underfunded K-12 budget items during a late-night session by Republican state Representative Mary Czaja. Koch Governor Scott Walker has tried to ‘sneak’ the ALEC legislation into the state budget for the past three years, and it appears that this year will be the year when high school dropouts will replace University-trained educators in teaching Wisconsin public high school students."
"According to an ALEC template, Wisconsin Republicans have proposed an ALEC rule change that allows high school dropouts to “be licensed to teach” in public high schools. It is something that critics, and likely every conscious American, have labeled as “breathtaking in its stupidity.” The ALEC measure was slipped into a 1:30 a.m. Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee along with other underfunded K-12 budget items during a late-night session by Republican state Representative Mary Czaja. Koch Governor Scott Walker has tried to ‘sneak’ the ALEC legislation into the state budget for the past three years, and it appears that this year will be the year when high school dropouts will replace University-trained educators in teaching Wisconsin public high school students."
Scott Walker: The First ALEC President?
Scott Walker: The First ALEC President?
"Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will address the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in San Diego this July.
Walker’s speech at ALEC will be a reunion of sorts. Walker was an ALEC member as a state legislator in the 1990s, and the agenda that Walker has championed throughout his long political career has closely tracked the policies promoted by ALEC and its corporate funders, despite public opposition to many of those measures."
"Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will address the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in San Diego this July.
Walker’s speech at ALEC will be a reunion of sorts. Walker was an ALEC member as a state legislator in the 1990s, and the agenda that Walker has championed throughout his long political career has closely tracked the policies promoted by ALEC and its corporate funders, despite public opposition to many of those measures."
Why Rick Perry Is More Likely To End Up In Prison Than Be Elected President
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/04/rick-perry-prison-elected-president.html
"Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his 2016 presidential candidacy today as he is currently facing 109 years in prison for abusing his power as governor. Perry is more likely to end up in prison than be elected president.
Rick Perry’s campaign announcement was straight out of 2012, with the exception of Perry stealing Elizabeth Warren’s line about the game being rigged. Perry said, “Capitalism is not about the gains of Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.” Perry followed this statement up by calling for the immediate repeal of Dodd-Frank and the rollback of regulations."
"Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his 2016 presidential candidacy today as he is currently facing 109 years in prison for abusing his power as governor. Perry is more likely to end up in prison than be elected president.
Rick Perry’s campaign announcement was straight out of 2012, with the exception of Perry stealing Elizabeth Warren’s line about the game being rigged. Perry said, “Capitalism is not about the gains of Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.” Perry followed this statement up by calling for the immediate repeal of Dodd-Frank and the rollback of regulations."
Minn. man says company wrong to fire him over Obama lynching threat: ‘My only regret is being called racist’
Minn. man says company wrong to fire him over Obama lynching threat: ‘My only regret is being called racist’
"Minnesota man who tweeted lynching threats to President Barack Obama said this week that he was wrongly called a racist and then fired from his job.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that the president’s newly-launched Twitter account had received an unexpected number of hate-filled messages.
The paper singled out Jeff Gullickson for posting an image of Obama with a noose around his neck."
"Minnesota man who tweeted lynching threats to President Barack Obama said this week that he was wrongly called a racist and then fired from his job.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that the president’s newly-launched Twitter account had received an unexpected number of hate-filled messages.
The paper singled out Jeff Gullickson for posting an image of Obama with a noose around his neck."
On their wedding day, turned away by NC magistrates
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article22949817.html
"I met the love of my life more than 40 years ago in Raleigh. Thomas is a lifelong North Carolinian. I was a recent transplant from Vermont. We are both legally blind, and soon after we met, we moved to Winston-Salem to work for the Industries of the Blind. Our friendship blossomed into love, and in 1976, Thomas proposed. I very happily said yes.
Soon after, we went to our local courthouse to receive a civil marriage license from one of the magistrates there, so we could commit our lives to each through a legal union. I was so excited. People always say your wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, and I was expecting mine to be exactly that.
But when we walked into that government office together, we were told that the magistrate on duty wouldn’t give us a marriage license. I was flabbergasted. We had planned everything, we had all our paperwork and we were legally eligible to get married.
So why wouldn’t he marry us? The reason, it turned out, was because Thomas is African-American, and I am white. The magistrate told us that marrying an interracial couple went against his religious beliefs. Our happy day quickly turned into a nightmare."
"I met the love of my life more than 40 years ago in Raleigh. Thomas is a lifelong North Carolinian. I was a recent transplant from Vermont. We are both legally blind, and soon after we met, we moved to Winston-Salem to work for the Industries of the Blind. Our friendship blossomed into love, and in 1976, Thomas proposed. I very happily said yes.
Soon after, we went to our local courthouse to receive a civil marriage license from one of the magistrates there, so we could commit our lives to each through a legal union. I was so excited. People always say your wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, and I was expecting mine to be exactly that.
But when we walked into that government office together, we were told that the magistrate on duty wouldn’t give us a marriage license. I was flabbergasted. We had planned everything, we had all our paperwork and we were legally eligible to get married.
So why wouldn’t he marry us? The reason, it turned out, was because Thomas is African-American, and I am white. The magistrate told us that marrying an interracial couple went against his religious beliefs. Our happy day quickly turned into a nightmare."
The media’s most destructive meme: Why we need to admit that the GOP’s extremism is virtually unprecedented
The media’s most destructive meme: Why we need to admit that the GOP’s extremism is virtually unprecedented
"It’s a very neat trick by the Republicans. They may be extreme right wingers but they know exactly how to seduce a willing political media into focusing on anything but their growing fanaticism."
"It’s a very neat trick by the Republicans. They may be extreme right wingers but they know exactly how to seduce a willing political media into focusing on anything but their growing fanaticism."
6 Ways Ted Cruz Is A Threat To America And The American Way Of Life
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/06/6-ways-ted-cruz-is-a-threat-to-americans/
"Ted Cruz Fuels Fringe Conspiracy Theorists
It is bad enough that we have whack-a-doodle militia members armed to the hilt with their camouflage rags and assault rifles without the likes of Ted Cruz feeding their fear of conspiracies around every corner."
"Ted Cruz Fuels Fringe Conspiracy Theorists
It is bad enough that we have whack-a-doodle militia members armed to the hilt with their camouflage rags and assault rifles without the likes of Ted Cruz feeding their fear of conspiracies around every corner."
Ted Cruz Tries Quoting JFK to Defend Republican Ignorance on Tax Rates, Fails Miserably
Ted Cruz Tries Quoting JFK to Defend Republican Ignorance on Tax Rates, Fails Miserably
"Almost everything Ted Cruz regurgitates is just some talking point that’s directly meant to pander to tea party voters. And it’s not as if reality, facts or history even matter – because he seems to literally just make up whatever he wants."
"Almost everything Ted Cruz regurgitates is just some talking point that’s directly meant to pander to tea party voters. And it’s not as if reality, facts or history even matter – because he seems to literally just make up whatever he wants."
Fox News and the Duggars reach a disgusting new low: The twisted persecution complex in last night’s insane interview
Fox News and the Duggars reach a disgusting new low: The twisted persecution complex in last night’s insane interview
"Megyn Kelly, avenger, swooped in to get an interview with the victims in the Duggar family molestation case. The victims being parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, of course. In the span of an hour Wednesday night, Fox News transformed the disturbing Duggar family into culture war martyrs, targets of the most vicious liberal attacks since the War on Christmas.
The Duggars delivered a stunning display of deflection, the longest exercise in self-absolution since Gov. Chris Christie’s two-hour pity party when Bridgegate was revealed. The right wing Christian activists and LGBT antagonists found unbelievably creative ways to minimize what son Josh did when he molested four of his sisters, and a baby sitter, in seven separate incidents."
"Megyn Kelly, avenger, swooped in to get an interview with the victims in the Duggar family molestation case. The victims being parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, of course. In the span of an hour Wednesday night, Fox News transformed the disturbing Duggar family into culture war martyrs, targets of the most vicious liberal attacks since the War on Christmas.
The Duggars delivered a stunning display of deflection, the longest exercise in self-absolution since Gov. Chris Christie’s two-hour pity party when Bridgegate was revealed. The right wing Christian activists and LGBT antagonists found unbelievably creative ways to minimize what son Josh did when he molested four of his sisters, and a baby sitter, in seven separate incidents."
The Duggars: The real ‘bad guys’ are the people who blew our conspiracy of silence about our pervy son
The Duggars: The real ‘bad guys’ are the people who blew our conspiracy of silence about our pervy son
"There was so much to dislike and be horrified by in Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s interview with Megyn Kelly on Fox News Wednesday night that it is hard to even know where to start.
With an able assist from Kelly — a former lawyer who used her legal training like a defense attorney walking a client through court testimony, making a small admission of guilt here, pointing the finger at someone else in the courtroom over there — the entire interview was an exercise in damage control and blame-shifting with a healthy dollop of the persecution blues."
"There was so much to dislike and be horrified by in Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s interview with Megyn Kelly on Fox News Wednesday night that it is hard to even know where to start.
With an able assist from Kelly — a former lawyer who used her legal training like a defense attorney walking a client through court testimony, making a small admission of guilt here, pointing the finger at someone else in the courtroom over there — the entire interview was an exercise in damage control and blame-shifting with a healthy dollop of the persecution blues."
Proof Positive Of Ted Cruz' Sociopathy
Proof Positive Of Ted Cruz' Sociopathy
"Watch sleazy Ted Cruz behave like the sociopath he is in that video. Reporter asks him about his horrible Joe Biden joke, and he feigns sadness for Vice President Biden's loss of his son, Beau.
But when asked why he told a Biden joke during his speech, he walks away. No remorse, no regret, nothing. Just dead eyes."
"Watch sleazy Ted Cruz behave like the sociopath he is in that video. Reporter asks him about his horrible Joe Biden joke, and he feigns sadness for Vice President Biden's loss of his son, Beau.
But when asked why he told a Biden joke during his speech, he walks away. No remorse, no regret, nothing. Just dead eyes."
Despicable Fox News Gives The Duggars A Primetime Special To Cover Up Child Molestation
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/03/despicable-fox-news-duggars-primetime-special-cover-child-molestation.html
"Fox News has managed to go even lower than giving Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar a favorable interview. The network is giving the Duggars an hour-long primetime special to explain away why they covered up their son’s child molestation crimes."
"Fox News has managed to go even lower than giving Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar a favorable interview. The network is giving the Duggars an hour-long primetime special to explain away why they covered up their son’s child molestation crimes."
Louisiana Teachers Are LITERALLY Using The Bible As A Science Textbook
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/03/louisiana-teachers-are-literally-using-the-bible-as-a-science-textbook/
"This law is so damaging to the state’s children that 78 Nobel Laureates and several prominent scientists have endorsed its repeal, though efforts to rid the state of the Louisiana Science Education Act have been unsuccessful thus far."
"This law is so damaging to the state’s children that 78 Nobel Laureates and several prominent scientists have endorsed its repeal, though efforts to rid the state of the Louisiana Science Education Act have been unsuccessful thus far."
Fox News is still trying — and failing — to understand why the rest of the world respects America more under Obama than Bush
Fox News is still trying — and failing — to understand why the rest of the world respects America more under Obama than Bush
"On Tuesday night’s episode of “Hannity,” Fox News continued to grapple with what is, to it, the inexplicable fact that according to two recent polls the rest of the world respects America more now than it did when George W. Bush was president."
"On Tuesday night’s episode of “Hannity,” Fox News continued to grapple with what is, to it, the inexplicable fact that according to two recent polls the rest of the world respects America more now than it did when George W. Bush was president."
Most Americans support same-sex marriage. Republicans still don't.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/01/1389593/-Most-Americans-support-same-sex-marriage-Republicans-still-don-t
"Once again, note the huge difference between what the Republican base thinks and everyone else. There's a twenty point difference between Republican and independent voters; for the party, it's not a long-term sustainable position."
"Once again, note the huge difference between what the Republican base thinks and everyone else. There's a twenty point difference between Republican and independent voters; for the party, it's not a long-term sustainable position."
Bullish on Bernie: Populist Presidential Platform Draws Overflow Crowds
Bullish on Bernie: Populist Presidential Platform Draws Overflow Crowds
"Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who spoke to overflow crowds in Iowa and Minnesota over the weekend following his official campaign kick-off in Vermont last Tuesday, is gaining traction with both the press and the public."
"Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who spoke to overflow crowds in Iowa and Minnesota over the weekend following his official campaign kick-off in Vermont last Tuesday, is gaining traction with both the press and the public."
NY Times/CBS Poll Concurs: Americans Hate Citizens United
NY Times/CBS Poll Concurs: Americans Hate Citizens United
"The findings reveal deep support among Republicans and Democrats alike for new measures to restrict the influence of wealthy givers, including limiting the amount of money that can be spent by “super PACs” and forcing more public disclosure on organizations now permitted to intervene in elections without disclosing the names of their donors."
"The findings reveal deep support among Republicans and Democrats alike for new measures to restrict the influence of wealthy givers, including limiting the amount of money that can be spent by “super PACs” and forcing more public disclosure on organizations now permitted to intervene in elections without disclosing the names of their donors."
What We Now Know About The Men Who Led The Impeachment Of Clinton
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/05/30/3664334/now-know-republican-speakers-helped-impeach-bill-clinton/
"Almost 17 years later, with the federal indictment of Hastert for illegally concealing up to $3.5 million in hush-money, we finally have a more complete understanding of the men who led this effort."
"Almost 17 years later, with the federal indictment of Hastert for illegally concealing up to $3.5 million in hush-money, we finally have a more complete understanding of the men who led this effort."
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