Frontline Gets Its Man: Lanny Breuer Leaves DOJ After Exposé | Common Dreams
"In a testament to the power of independent media, the award-winning public television show Frontline this week helped push a top Department of Justice (DOJ) official out the door."
January 25, 2013
There's just one way to stop GOP rigging the vote...
All across America - Republicans are working hard to corrupt our democracy - and to rig the 2016 election. How could reforming the American voting process help to put integrity back into the our democracy?
Michigan Republican: GOP Killed Election-Rigging Plan in 2012 Because They Thought It Would Hurt Romney
Michigan Republican: GOP Killed Election-Rigging Plan in 2012 Because They Thought It Would Hurt Romney: Republicans in several blue states are currently considering a plan to rig the next presidential election by changing the way electoral votes are allocated to candidates. Under the Republican Plan, key blue states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania would assign electoral votes one-each to the winner of the state’s heavily gerrymandered congressional districts. If [...]/p
Five Reasons Bobby Jindal Is Responsible For Transforming The GOP Into ‘The Stupid Party’
Five Reasons Bobby Jindal Is Responsible For Transforming The GOP Into ‘The Stupid Party’: Days after Mitt Romney lost his bid for the presidency, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) kicked off a publicity campaign for his 2016 run, casting himself as a different kind of Republican. In a series of interviews, statements and op-eds, Jindal called for reform within the GOP, embracing a more moderate message that could appeal [...]/p
How To Fight Back Against Reince Preibus' Bloodless Coup
How To Fight Back Against Reince Preibus' Bloodless Coup
"In the meantime, he should be shamed over and over again for endorsing a plan that is nothing more than an outright plot to steal the White House by disenfranchising voters and laying waste to the idea that every vote counts."
"In the meantime, he should be shamed over and over again for endorsing a plan that is nothing more than an outright plot to steal the White House by disenfranchising voters and laying waste to the idea that every vote counts."
Military Contracting: Our New Era of Corporate Mercenaries | Common Dreams
Military Contracting: Our New Era of Corporate Mercenaries | Common Dreams
"The privatization of conflict is no longer a trend. It's the norm."
"The privatization of conflict is no longer a trend. It's the norm."
January 24, 2013
GOP Secretary Of State: Allowing Citizens To Register On Election Day Undermines Their ‘Individual Freedoms’
GOP Secretary Of State: Allowing Citizens To Register On Election Day Undermines Their ‘Individual Freedoms’: Giving citizens the flexibility to register to vote (or update their existing registration if they’ve recently moved) on Election Day actually chips away at Americans’ “individual freedoms,” according to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R). During a panel discussion on voting at the conservative Heritage Foundation on Thursday, Kemp lambasted the idea of same-day [...]/p
Astroturf Gone Wrong: Fake Protesters Offered $20 To Stand At Anti-Wind Energy Rally
Astroturf Gone Wrong: Fake Protesters Offered $20 To Stand At Anti-Wind Energy Rally: Most Americans like clean energy. So when conservatives wage campaigns against clean energy initiatives, they have typically resorted to fronting astroturf groups and paying fake protesters to generate noise.
Needing 100 anti-wind protesters by next week and apparently unable to find them, a mysterious firm advertised a “quick and easy $20″ on Craigslist.
North Carolina GOP Governor Distances Himself From His Party’s Super-Regressive Tax Plan
North Carolina GOP Governor Distances Himself From His Party’s Super-Regressive Tax Plan: North Carolina Republican lawmakers, following on the heels of Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) and Gov. Sam Brownback (R-KS), have proposed eliminating their state’s income tax and corporate tax, replacing them with an expanded sales tax. Such a move is highly regressive, pushing taxes onto those lower on the income scale who are likely to spend [...]/p
Crazy -- Republican Lawmaker Wants to Jail Rape Victims for Ending Pregnancies | Alternet
Crazy -- Republican Lawmaker Wants to Jail Rape Victims for Ending Pregnancies | Alternet
"Apparently it took a female Republican to come up with the most vicious way to punish women who had the audacity to get themselves raped."
"Apparently it took a female Republican to come up with the most vicious way to punish women who had the audacity to get themselves raped."
We Must Stop the Tyrannical Minority
We Must Stop the Tyrannical Minority
"Now that the Republican Party has been hijacked by the Billionaire Class, a very small one-percent sliver of our nation, they've taken unprecedented steps to abuse the Electoral College."
"Now that the Republican Party has been hijacked by the Billionaire Class, a very small one-percent sliver of our nation, they've taken unprecedented steps to abuse the Electoral College."
Can we stop the GOP from rigging the 2016 election?
Republicans across the nation work tirelessly to rig the 2016 Presidential election - too many Americans are turning a blind eye to this all out assault on our democracy. What can we do to protect the American democracy - and save it from one party Republican rule?
The importance of revenue revisited: Minimizing the drag of austerity | Economic Policy Institute
The importance of revenue revisited: Minimizing the drag of austerity | Economic Policy Institute
"Via Ezra Klein comes a must-read leaked memo from Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to Senate Democrats ahead of fashioning a Senate Budget Resolution. It’s an excellent chronology of the deficit reduction enacted in the 112th Congress—a hefty $2.4 trillion expected to take effect and $3.6 trillion if sequestration goes into effect—and the looming phases on the Beltway budget fights following the American Taxpayer Relief Act (i.e., the lame-duck budget fight, or ATRA for short).1"
"Via Ezra Klein comes a must-read leaked memo from Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to Senate Democrats ahead of fashioning a Senate Budget Resolution. It’s an excellent chronology of the deficit reduction enacted in the 112th Congress—a hefty $2.4 trillion expected to take effect and $3.6 trillion if sequestration goes into effect—and the looming phases on the Beltway budget fights following the American Taxpayer Relief Act (i.e., the lame-duck budget fight, or ATRA for short).1"
Medical Experts Warn The Rise Of Resistant Viruses Will Cause ‘Antibiotic Apocalypse’
Medical Experts Warn The Rise Of Resistant Viruses Will Cause ‘Antibiotic Apocalypse’: England’s chief medical officer is warning that the rising numbers of drug-resistant diseases will eventually lead to an “antibiotic apocalypse” — a not-too-distant future when there aren’t any cures for common infections — and more antibiotic research should be a top global health priority. Professor Dame Sally Davies told members of Parliament on Wednesday that [...]/p
GOP Version2013: Battling Not Just Democrats but Democracy | Common Dreams
GOP Version2013: Battling Not Just Democrats but Democracy | Common Dreams
"So President Obama would have won by 5 million votes, carried the majority of states and swept the battlegrounds. But Romney would have been inaugurated as the nation’s forty-fifth president.
"So President Obama would have won by 5 million votes, carried the majority of states and swept the battlegrounds. But Romney would have been inaugurated as the nation’s forty-fifth president.
That’s not democracy. But that is the point of the Priebus plan."
VA Legislature Moves To Rig Electoral Votes In GOP's Favor
VA Legislature Moves To Rig Electoral Votes In GOP's Favor
"The only comfort in all of this is that Virginia is subject to review under the Voting Rights Act, which means this scheme (and their stealth redistricting scheme) may not pass muster. But I wouldn't count on that, particularly with the Voting Rights Act in front of the US Supreme Court this year.
"The only comfort in all of this is that Virginia is subject to review under the Voting Rights Act, which means this scheme (and their stealth redistricting scheme) may not pass muster. But I wouldn't count on that, particularly with the Voting Rights Act in front of the US Supreme Court this year.
I think we'd better figure out how to get rid of the electoral college altogether --and fast."
How Republicans Plan To Rig The Next Presidential Election, In Six Pictures
How Republicans Plan To Rig The Next Presidential Election, In Six Pictures: Yesterday, Virginia Republicans took the first step to move a GOP plan to rig the Electoral College forward in that state. Similar plans are under consideration in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The Republican election rigging plan targets blue states that President Obama won in 2008 and 2012, and changes the way they allocate electoral votes [...]/p
GOP has to rig elections to win
Republicans in Virginia rushed through an election rigging plan in the state Senate while everyone was focused on the inauguration. I'll tell you what they did - and more importantly why they did it - and how it speaks to the fundamental difference between Conservatives and Liberals.
Astounding Reason North Dakota Is Lit Up So Brightly You Can See it From Space | Alternet
Astounding Reason North Dakota Is Lit Up So Brightly You Can See it From Space | Alternet
"I’ve been told by people living near fracking operations that the lights coming from the rigs are so bright they have trouble sleeping at night. They aren’t exaggerating. A photo from the NASA Earth Observatory shows a view of the U.S at night — the brightest spots that glow on the map come from big cities. The Plains states and the West are the darkest, with small spots of light scatter between darkness.
"I’ve been told by people living near fracking operations that the lights coming from the rigs are so bright they have trouble sleeping at night. They aren’t exaggerating. A photo from the NASA Earth Observatory shows a view of the U.S at night — the brightest spots that glow on the map come from big cities. The Plains states and the West are the darkest, with small spots of light scatter between darkness.
Except, oddly enough, there’s a big glow out in North Dakota — a state with no cities sizable enough to create that much light."
The 8 Most Extreme Moments of the New Congress | Alternet
The 8 Most Extreme Moments of the New Congress | Alternet
"The 113th Congress has barely started, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans from already dishing out plenty of extreme, offensive, and out-of-touch comments. Here’s a roundup of the eight most extreme moments so far:"
"The 113th Congress has barely started, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans from already dishing out plenty of extreme, offensive, and out-of-touch comments. Here’s a roundup of the eight most extreme moments so far:"
Hillary Faces Down The Angry Men | Alternet
Hillary Faces Down The Angry Men | Alternet
"From simpleton Ron Johnson to delusional Rand Paul, GOP senators swung at the Secretary of State and hit themselves."
"From simpleton Ron Johnson to delusional Rand Paul, GOP senators swung at the Secretary of State and hit themselves."
January 23, 2013
Paul Ryan, Pathological Liar | Alternet
Paul Ryan, Pathological Liar | Alternet
"He got famous for telling fibs during the campaign and now he's spreading lies about his attack on society’s “takers"."
"He got famous for telling fibs during the campaign and now he's spreading lies about his attack on society’s “takers"."
State Higher Education Funding Has Dropped 10 Percent Since The Great Recession
State Higher Education Funding Has Dropped 10 Percent Since The Great Recession: State budget cuts brought about by the Great Recession have hammered funding for higher education, and as a whole, state governments will spend 10.8 percent less on higher education this year than they did in the fiscal year prior to the recession, according to data from the Grapevine Project at Illinois State University. Overall, only [...]/p
Paul Ryan Throws $1.5 Trillion In Spending Cuts Down The Memory Hole: ‘We’ve Yet To Get Anything’
Paul Ryan Throws $1.5 Trillion In Spending Cuts Down The Memory Hole: ‘We’ve Yet To Get Anything’: At a Wall Street Journal breakfast, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), who is re-emerging into the public eye following his failed bid for Vice President, adopted the Republican line that December’s deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff is the final word on taxes going forward. Ryan falsely claimed that Democrats received revenue, [...]/p
GOP Rep: ‘The Only Constitution That Barack Obama Upholds Is The Soviet Constitution’
GOP Rep: ‘The Only Constitution That Barack Obama Upholds Is The Soviet Constitution’: As the AJC noted in a brief summation of the congressman’s remarks, the last Soviet constitution was ratified in 1977 and disappeared along with the Soviet Union before Obama graduated from law school.
Another Walker Aide Sentenced to Prison in Secret "John Doe" Investigation
Another Walker Aide Sentenced to Prison in Secret "John Doe" Investigation
"Another top official to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker during his tenure as Milwaukee County Executive has been sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling funds intended for families of veterans."
"Another top official to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker during his tenure as Milwaukee County Executive has been sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling funds intended for families of veterans."
Report: Frequently Banned Chemicals Permitted in US Foods | Common Dreams
Report: Frequently Banned Chemicals Permitted in US Foods | Common Dreams
"Spawned by a petition calling on Gatorade to remove a flame retardent from their sports drink, the Chicago Tribune released an investigation into the chemical ingredients that the United States and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are permitting despite frequent bans elsewhere."
"Spawned by a petition calling on Gatorade to remove a flame retardent from their sports drink, the Chicago Tribune released an investigation into the chemical ingredients that the United States and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are permitting despite frequent bans elsewhere."
Rand Paul Calls Benghazi 'Worst Tragedy Since 9/11'
Rand Paul Calls Benghazi 'Worst Tragedy Since 9/11'
"Wow, nice perspective there. Guess Rand forgot the recent mass shooting in Connecticut or those 7 US Embassies that were attacked when George W. Bush was president, or say, the nearly 2,000 people that were killed by Hurricane Katrina.
"Wow, nice perspective there. Guess Rand forgot the recent mass shooting in Connecticut or those 7 US Embassies that were attacked when George W. Bush was president, or say, the nearly 2,000 people that were killed by Hurricane Katrina.
Erick Erickson, of all people, just lamented that the GOP keeps losing elections because they're wasting lots of time and energy on faux scandals like Benghazi.
Apparently, Rand Paul didn't get the message."
Americans Take Steps To Combat Obesity Epidemic, Consume Less High Fructose Corn Syrup
Americans Take Steps To Combat Obesity Epidemic, Consume Less High Fructose Corn Syrup: High fructose corn syrup, the central ingredient in most sweetened drinks and processed foods, is on the decline. According to a new 2013 projection by the US Department of Agriculture, the amount of corn used to produce the sweetener will drop to its lowest level in 15 years. This latest data is part of a [...]/p
Support For Tea Party Budget Amendment Craters In The Senate
Support For Tea Party Budget Amendment Craters In The Senate: At the opening of the last Congress, House and Senate Republicans lined up behind a Tea Party “balanced budget amendment” that would have made it functionally impossible to raise taxes while simultaneously forcing spending cuts so severe that they would “throw about 15 million more people out of work, double the unemployment rate from 9 [...]/p
Four Ways The Virginia GOP’s Redistricting Power Grab Could Be Stopped By Legal Action
Four Ways The Virginia GOP’s Redistricting Power Grab Could Be Stopped By Legal Action: Yesterday, when Virginia state Sen. Henry Marsh (D) was away from the state capitol to attend President Obama’s inauguration, Virginia Republicans rushed through a gerrymandering bill that that could potentially transform the evenly divided Virginia senate into a 27-13 Republican majority. The Virginia senate is currently split 20-20 between Democrats and Republicans, and Lt. Gov. [...]/p
Oregon Man Begs For Kidney Donor On The Street
Oregon Man Begs For Kidney Donor On The Street: Earl Martinez is a 28-year-old Oregonian suffering from Alport Syndrome, a genetic kidney disorder that has forced him to undergo dialysis treatments for the past year and a half. In order to survive, he needs a new kidney, but the hereditary nature of his disease makes it impossible for his family to provide it. So, [...]/p
How Yahoo Used Tax Havens To Cut Its Taxes By $42.8 Million
How Yahoo Used Tax Havens To Cut Its Taxes By $42.8 Million: Tech companies are some of the most notorious tax dodgers, as their business is easily shifted from place to place and their revenues easily hidden in tax havens. Case in point, Yahoo has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into low-tax countries, saving it tens of millions of dollars in taxes, as Bloomberg News reported: [...]/p
Say It Ain't So -- A Can of Soda a Day Can Increase the Risk of Cancer for Men by 40 Percent? | Alternet
Say It Ain't So -- A Can of Soda a Day Can Increase the Risk of Cancer for Men by 40 Percent? | Alternet
"A new medical study poses huge questions for the future of soft drinks."
"A new medical study poses huge questions for the future of soft drinks."
January 22, 2013
Global Inequality Skyrockets: Report Says Top 1% Have Increased Wealth By 60% Over Last Two Decades | Alternet
Global Inequality Skyrockets: Report Says Top 1% Have Increased Wealth By 60% Over Last Two Decades | Alternet
"For instance, the US has seen “the share of national income going to the top 1%... doubled since 1980 from 10 to 20%. For the top 0.01% it has quadrupled to levels never seen before.” And globally, the situation is not any better: “Globally the incomes of the top 1% have increased 60% in twenty years. The growth in income for the 0.01% has been even greater.” And the financial crisis has only accelerated the process of the 1% gaining even greater wealth."
"For instance, the US has seen “the share of national income going to the top 1%... doubled since 1980 from 10 to 20%. For the top 0.01% it has quadrupled to levels never seen before.” And globally, the situation is not any better: “Globally the incomes of the top 1% have increased 60% in twenty years. The growth in income for the 0.01% has been even greater.” And the financial crisis has only accelerated the process of the 1% gaining even greater wealth."
“Free-Market” Outcomes Are Not Fair—and Not Free | Common Dreams
“Free-Market” Outcomes Are Not Fair—and Not Free | Common Dreams
"The realization that the economy is rigged to benefit the rich and large corporations takes away the force of the right-wing argument that progressives want to use government to “vilify” the “successful” and reward the “slothful and incompetent.” When the game has been rigged, it is wrong to say that the market simply rewards talent and hard work, and the outcomes that result can hardly be called fair. When the market outcomes that we observe are unfair, we need to both change the rules for how the economy works and use the government to restore fairness."
"The realization that the economy is rigged to benefit the rich and large corporations takes away the force of the right-wing argument that progressives want to use government to “vilify” the “successful” and reward the “slothful and incompetent.” When the game has been rigged, it is wrong to say that the market simply rewards talent and hard work, and the outcomes that result can hardly be called fair. When the market outcomes that we observe are unfair, we need to both change the rules for how the economy works and use the government to restore fairness."
President Obama Has Issued Fewer Executive Orders Than Any President in Over 100 Years
President Obama Has Issued Fewer Executive Orders Than Any President in Over 100 Years
"Obama has issued fewer executive orders per day in office than conservative heroes like George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Calvin Coolidge. In fact, you have to go all the way back to Grover Cleveland in the nineteenth century to find a president who has issued executive orders at a lower rate than Obama."
"Obama has issued fewer executive orders per day in office than conservative heroes like George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Calvin Coolidge. In fact, you have to go all the way back to Grover Cleveland in the nineteenth century to find a president who has issued executive orders at a lower rate than Obama."
Citizens United at Three: Grassroots Fight Against 'Corporate Personhood' Swells | Common Dreams
Citizens United at Three: Grassroots Fight Against 'Corporate Personhood' Swells | Common Dreams
"Grassroots groups are marking the third anniversary this week of the U.S. Supreme Court'sCitizens United ruling with the continued message: 'corporations are not people'."
"Grassroots groups are marking the third anniversary this week of the U.S. Supreme Court'sCitizens United ruling with the continued message: 'corporations are not people'."
Governor Inslee Calls Coal Exports ‘The Largest Decision We Will Be Making As A State From A Carbon Pollution Standpoint’
Governor Inslee Calls Coal Exports ‘The Largest Decision We Will Be Making As A State From A Carbon Pollution Standpoint’: By Jessica Goad Newly-minted Washington Governor Jay Inslee has been lauded for his impassioned views on environmental issues from climate change to renewable energy. Indeed, his first official act as governor was to write a letter to a clean energy company inviting it to relocate to the state. In his first press conference as governor [...]/p
New Questions for Aaron Swartz's Prosecutor, Whose Career Is Filled with Cases of Picking on the Weak | Alternet
New Questions for Aaron Swartz's Prosecutor, Whose Career Is Filled with Cases of Picking on the Weak | Alternet
"Although the conduct of Ms. Ortiz’s office may seem disproportionately harsh, this is unfortunately par for the course. Rather than a procedure dictated from Washington, U.S. attorneys and local D.A.’s enjoy broad discretion in the charges they press. Thanks to tough-on-crime laws and mandatory-minimum sentencing, prosecutors are able to extort—if they so choose—a quick end to the proceedings and a headline-worthy admission of guilt. To single out the conduct of Carmen Ortiz as an anomaly of America’s system of mass incarceration would be to misunderstand its character. She is a symptom of the entire disease."
"Although the conduct of Ms. Ortiz’s office may seem disproportionately harsh, this is unfortunately par for the course. Rather than a procedure dictated from Washington, U.S. attorneys and local D.A.’s enjoy broad discretion in the charges they press. Thanks to tough-on-crime laws and mandatory-minimum sentencing, prosecutors are able to extort—if they so choose—a quick end to the proceedings and a headline-worthy admission of guilt. To single out the conduct of Carmen Ortiz as an anomaly of America’s system of mass incarceration would be to misunderstand its character. She is a symptom of the entire disease."
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