Daily News Drop
Happy Wednesday! I’ve been MIA due to some personal issues, but I’m back with today’s blog. Let’s get to it:
Troy Davis EDIT: As I’m typing, the Supreme Court is trying to decide whether Troy Davis will die tonight.
For some reason, the state of Georgia has decided to kill Troy Davis, whether he’s guilty or not. Despite mounting evidence that, at the very least, sheds DOUBT upon the guilty verdict, the state has rejected every single appeal, request for stay of execution, and now, even rejected a polygraph test. They want to kill him reeeeeally badly, apparently. Welcome to the United States of America.
A Palestinian State? I have yet to have anybody give me a decent reason for why the Palestinians should not have their own state. Israel was created by the United Nations, and they’ve been taking land from the Palestinians for years, so I really don’t understand what the issue is. I do understand that the supposed “better” route to take would be directly through peace talks with Israel, but Bebe will NEVER let that happen.
Ron Paul’s Dead Staffer Apparently, the Ron Paul Staffer who died, leaving his family with $400k worth of medical bills because of his lack of insurance (due to a pre-existing condition), was a victim of the Government. According to Ron Paul, it’s the Government’s fault that doctors and private insurance companies charge so much money for treatment. He, however, completely ignores the fact that this man wasn’t able to have access to insurance because of his condition, and, of course, fails to acknowledge that the man was working for him when he died. Employer based health care? WHAT’S THAT?!
DADT Ending Bittersweet Past service members who were discharged under or served during “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” are feeling a little bittersweet over the end of DADT, and with good reason. It must be really difficult to watch somebody be able to be themselves when you had to live a lie simply because people finally got around to ending a policy that shouldn’t have existed in the first place. Nevertheless, we should celebrate its demise, and remember and thank all for their service, discharged or not under that horribly misguided, discriminatory program.
Santorum Rick Santorum has been complaining about the less-than-savory definition that comes up in Google when you search for his name (thanks to former roommate, Dan Savage). However, “Google’s rankings were declared ”opinions” protected by the 1st Amendment in a 2003 Federal court ruling. Google literally is of the opinion that Rick Santorum is a gross anal byproduct and there’s nothing he can do about it.” This may be an immature story, but it’s hilarious. Enjoy it!
Class Warfare Democrats are actually fighting back (a little bit) against the Republicans’ ridiculous claims that Barack Obama has been engaging in “class warfare.” If class warfare is telling the truth about what the Republicans have done to the middle class and below in this country, then yes, I suppose the President is armed and dangerous.
FBI Teaching Bigotry This is an article I meant to post days ago. New documents reveal that the FBI was training Counterterrorism Agents to actually BE Islamophobic. They were “being taught that “devout” Muslims are more likely to be “violent” and that American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers.” That’s just wonderful. How can we possibly expect our country to “recover” from 9/11 or even just not be a bunch of light skinned bigots if our Federal Bureau of Investigation officers are perpetuating that bigotry and stereotypes?! We can’t. We have, however, been assured that this type of training is no longer happening; I’m sure they’re scapegoating somebody though!
Jane Lynch Just because I love Jane Lynch. Watch it!
Everybody have a fantastic evening, and see you tomorrow for more of the Daily News Drop!
Sources: The Washington Post, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Gawker, The Huffington Post, Think Progress
Daily News Drop
Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Daily News Drop. We are proud to bring you a concise, progressive aggregation of the stories of the day. Here’s today’s batch of news!
Obama Pushes for Major Cuts from Medicare and Medicaid Imagine this next sentence sung to the tune of Cyndi Lauper’s opus, “True Colors.” We see his True Colors shining through! Was that completely unnecessary? Absolutely. But is the President’s new plan calling to find hundreds of billions of dollars in savings (cuts) in Medicare and Medicare disgusting? Undoubtedly so. Austerity is upon us, and I fear what it will do to this country.
NC Takes a Step Towards Banning Gay Marriage The North Carolina Senate passed a referendum that bans gay marriage. The matter will be referred to the voters in a primary on May 12th. I stand by what Rachel Maddow has said on the matter – the majority should never be allowed to vote to remove rights from the minority. Rights should never be up for a vote.
Record Number of Americans in Poverty 46.2 million Americans to be exact. As of 2010 (the latest available recorded year), 15.1% of the American population fell below the Poverty Line – $22,314 annually for a family of four, $11,139 for a single person. But hey, a Jobs plan will never pass in our Congress. Isn’t it borderline treason to sit idly by while playing politics and allowing this many fellow citizens to languish and die in poverty?
Chomsky: Ron Paul is Right… About Al Qaeda First, Noam Chomsky was on Democracy Now! for a whole hour today, which was fantastic. He discussed the controversy of last night’s Tea Party Debate. Ron Paul dared to tell the right wing crowd that one of the main causes or terrorism was our occupations in the Middle East. I’m shocked that Paul got out of that building alive… but the moment and Chomsky’s analysis was wonderful. Check it out.
Save Troy Davis Troy Davis is set to be executed on September 21. Davis was convicted without any physical evidence, and nearly all of the ‘eyewitnesses’ that were key in his conviction have recanted. Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter and John Lewis have all denounced this execution as a miscarriage of justice. Follow the link, inform yourself and make your voice heard. Help to prevent the murder of an innocent man.
Turkey is a Normal, Healthy Government Turkey, admittedly furious after Israel’s assault on the Gaza Flotilla last year (in which 8 Turkish citizens were killed), have been acting like a self-interested government should act – diplomatic relations are becoming strained between Turkey and Israel and further threats have been made if Israel isn’t willing to apologize for their actions. One American teenager was shot and killed in the same raid, and our government couldn’t have cared less.
And now we will conclude with a happier story to lighten the mood…
Elizabeth Warren to Run for Senate It has been rumored for months, but it appears that Elizabeth Warren will finally announce her candidacy for Senate in Massachusetts tomorrow. Warren has been a tireless advocate for the consumer rather than the fat cats on Wall Street. She currently trails Scott Brown by 9 points in the latest polls, but she is by far the closest of all the potential Democratic opponents. Who knows how much change one Senator can make, but having a fighter like Warren on our side is a promising sign nonetheless.
Daily News Drop
Happy Friday everyone! I hope all is well and everybody is safe tonight. Please stay safe this weekend, especially if you’re in an area impacted by Ms. Irene! Now, let’s get to some news!
Hurricane Irene As everybody knows by now, a huge Hurricane is bearing down on the East Coast, and apparently this is going to be a bad one! Just stay on top of the radar and be careful! Also, in a related note, this kind of weather might be the new normal. Climate change isn’t real though, right?
Gadhafi and Condi Sittin’ in a Tree In a supremely weird story, rebels found a stash of photos of Condoleeza Rice in Gadhafi’s lair in Libya (also, how exactly do you spell his name??) He’s been quoted as saying, “I support my darling black African woman. I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders. … Leezza, Leezza, Leezza. … I love her very much. I admire her, and I’m proud of her, because she’s a black woman of African origin.” Huh.
Boy Scout Homophobia After they became aware of a troop leader’s sexual orientation, the Boy Scouts of America removed her from that position. The Boy Scouts don’t just discriminate against gay people though… I personally didn’t know that the Boy Scouts also prohibit atheists and agnostics, as well as gay people, from holding leadership roles within the organization. Can you imagine the outcry if they prohibited African Americans from holding leadership positions? How about people who are in an interracial marriage? This open display of discrimination is really disheartening, but a way to fight it is to boycott the Boy Scouts. We should ban together and do just that!
Drug Testing the Unemployed The old “let’s drug test unemployed people because they’re all losers!” idea is back. GOP state representative, Tim Grendell, from Ohio is going to propose legislation that would require anybody taking any kind of government assistance (including unemployment) to get be drug tested first. It’s insulting on its face, but what people tend to forget is PEOPLE PAY INTO UNEMPLOYMENT. It’s not a handout – it’s a right and it’s INSURANCE that you pay into while you’re working. Who do these people think they are to legislate everybody else’s life choices?! This is so infuriating. Not only is it maddening and insulting, but it’s also unconstitutional.
Celebrating 91 Years of Women Voting 91 years ago today, women got the right to vote! This is a huge, amazing, wonderful thing that nobody is really talking about. In addition to not enough talk about the gains women have made in history, there’s also not enough talk about the efforts being made today (mainly by the GOP) to keep women down and reverse progress that has been made. Today, however, let’s celebrate the good things and look to the future to make sure women continue to make progress!
Oil is Resurfacing in the Gulf Not that the oil ever really went away or just dispersed, but now there seems to be “fresh” oil bubbling to the surface. The Coast Guard and BP claim they haven’t discovered a fresh leak, but they’ll keep searching for the source of the leak. So, let me get this straight – they won’t acknowledge a fresh leak, but claim they’re going to continue looking for the source. Makes sense.
Israeli Blindness As Israelis are organizing demonstrations to protest the skyrocketing cost of living and hardships they’re facing, they ignore the humanitarian crisis that is the West Bank. Israel is ignoring the crisis they are facilitating by justifying their actions with cries of “national security.” However, some Israeli citizens are acknowledging a problem and at times, putting their own lives on the line, to protest the situation. I really applaud those people and hope that we show them our support from across the world.
Thanks for checking in – please come back tomorrow, and again…. BE SAFE!
Sources: CNN, The LA Times, MSNBC, Think Progress, Daily Kos,
Daily News Drop
Well, after some internet issues last weekend, I’m back to bring you today’s Daily News Drop! I hope everyone had a great Monday, and just think – the first day of the week is out of the way!
Stop Coddling the Rich In this straight talking op-ed, Warren Buffet made the argument that he doesn’t need help, and neither does anybody else that makes as much money as he does. Of course, the GOP will write him off, but it’s important to hear from the “poor rich people” (boy, isn’t THAT an oxymoron) who are the ones being “protected” by Congress. Maybe Warren Buffet should run for office – I think I know a lot of people who would vote for him at this point!
The Texas Unmiracle Paul Krugman has an interesting take on Rick Perry’s run for President and “accomplishments” that he keeps touting. Krugman writes, “What Texas shows is that a state offering cheap labor and, less important, weak regulation can attract jobs from other states,” as an explanation for Rick Perry’s boasts of job creation and strong Texas economy. I hope the mainstream media picks up on this narrative, because it really needs to be said (and heard).
Apartheid on Steroids This is an article that needs to be read by every single American. Politicians are expected to blindly stand by Israel no matter what they do to the Palestinian people, and the American people, after being told they should support Israel, turn a blind eye to the humanitarian crisis happening in the West Bank – a crisis partially being funded by the U.S. The United States needs to start speaking up about human rights abuses, even if the abuse is happening at the hands of a “friend” to this country.
Conservative Attacks on Sexuality Amanda Marcotte once again presents us with a stellar article on how, recently, Conservatives have ratcheted up their attacks on human sexuality, specifically, by attacking and carrying out the following: access to contraception, making sexual resentment a right-wing trope, race and class baiting other peoples’ sex lives, suggesting rape is fair punishment to sexually active women, and ramping up hysteria around abortion. This is a really interesting article and, surprise! Most of these attacks paint women as promiscuous sluts who deserve what they get, completely absolving men of any sexual responsibility. Also, some of these points paint sex – even within a stable relationship (even marriage) to be a bad thing (you know, unless it produces a child). Share this article with everyone you know… seriously.
Gay Families Don’t Exist … According to Michele Bachmann, anyway. I really am sick of hearing, looking at, and talking about Michele Bachmann, and take some comfort in the fact that there’s no way she will be President, despite what her ignorant, theocratic followers think and want. However, this little gem needs to be reported and circulated. On yesterday’s “Meet The Press,” Michele Bachmann claimed a family is only a family if it contains heterosexuals. As somebody who, between myself and my husband, have two gay uncles in St. Louis and two gay aunts in Virginia who are raising my (completely heterosexual) deadbeat cousin’s child – and doing a fabulous job – I take offense to this concept. However, if you are a HUMAN BEING, you should take offense too. There’s little else to be said about this except, just… ugh! I’m sure Michele Bachmann also believes that married couples who have no children don’t have a valid marriage either.
Howard Schultz is Talking Sense Full disclosure: I spent 3 years working for Starbucks, and had my fair share of days when Howard Schultz really frustrated me. However, it’s really nice to see him standing up right now, telling his fellow CEOs to straighten up and create jobs. Corporations are talking about deficit and “fear” as they are sitting on piles of cash, claiming there’s no way they can create jobs in this economic climate (as they donate to politicians). No, he didn’t give a sermon on the mount or anything, but it’s nice to hear SOMEBODY in his position uttering the word “J-O-B.”
Wolves Removed from Endangered Species List I guess under two thousand wolves in the entire United States is an overabundance of an animal that took decades to come back after humans obliterated the species. To me, this is really upsetting, and we can thank greedy ranchers and politicians for this move to exterminate wolves once again. Shame on both Democrats and Republicans, and shame on the American people for allowing this to happen.
Sorry for the unhappy news today, but maybe if people get frustrated and angry enough by reading it, they’ll be compelled to act and change things! On that happy note, I hope everyone has a safe and happy Monday… please come back tomorrow!!!
Sources: CNN, The Nation, AlterNet, Think Progress, The Chicago Tribune,
Daily News Drop
Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Daily News Drop. We’ve got another great batch of stories for you today so let’s get started!
Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Continues Because of our media’s short attention span, the calamity that was the near meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is very nearly forgotten. The problem remains, however. A recent test has shown not only a lethal level of radiation, but the highest recorded amount to date. It appears that the leak is anything but contained.
Right Wing Extremists Inspire Norway Killer Looking back at the tragedy in Oslo, Norway, it seems next to impossible to try and understand the motivations of Anders Brevik. We do have a rare insight into his psyche, a 1,500 page manifesto that he wrote in which he explains his political reasons for his killing spree. Blaming the downfall of Norway and Europe on the Feminist Movement and Multiculturalism, Brevik depended heavily on American Islamophobic writers, Robert Spencer, Daniel Pipes and Pam Geller. As easy as it is to write Brevik off as a lone nut, it’s imperative to look at what this hateful language can inspire. Freedom of Speech is a wonderful Constitutional protection, but it does not extend to calls to violence.
Koch Brothers-Funded Group Attempt to Suppress Voters Americans for Prosperity, an organization best known for their bankrolling of the initial Tea Party protests in the Summer of 2009, is heavily funded by the incredibly wealthy and conservative Koch Brothers. They are back in the news in the highly contentious Wisconsin Recall election. There have been reports of absentee ballots sent to registered Democrats by Americans for Prosperity that have the incorrect return date on them – a date two days after the election is over. This appears to be anything but an honest mistake, and Wisconsin Democrats have filed a complaint because of this act of voter suppression.
Israel Offers Border Talks… If PA Drops UN Bid The Palestinian Authority is currently waiting for a vote by the United Nations that would recognize an independent Palestinian state. This is completely unacceptable to both Israel and the United States. To try and coax the PA out of their search for UN approval, Israel stated that they would be willing to hold negotiations if the PA drops their petition to the United Nations. This is nothing more than blackmail. The UN would assuredly vote in favor of the independent Palestinian state, and Israel appears to be willing to do anything to prevent that from happening.
Obama’s Obsession with Independents, who aren’t Actually that Independent A really interesting piece by The New Republic. Statistics tell us that Independents are large percentage of the electorate, and look to be the portion that swing elections to either Republicans or Democrats. Because of this, Barack Obama has had an almost unhealthy obsession with appealing to Independents – always rhetorically pushing for ‘compromise’ and ‘bi-partisanship.’ When you delve further into the actual beliefs of these Independents, they really are individuals who have an ideological preference but just don’t have a party label. Thus, playing to center doesn’t actually do anything to endear Obama to them. Actually choosing a side and governing with convictions would be a much more effective strategy.
Romney Announces Legal Advisor – Robert Bork Robert Bork, a conservative Folk Hero, was a nominee for the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan that was rejected by the Senate for his extreme conservative views. Mitt Romney, trying to increase his credibility to conservatives, has made Bork an Advisor to his campaign. Some of Bork’s views – he thought that the Civil Rights act a ‘principle of unsurpassed ugliness,’ favors bans on both pornography and contraception as well as acceptance of gender discrimination – are very concerning. They not only remind you why Bork wasn’t confirmed to be in the Supreme Court, but also should concern you that this man will be the individual advising Romney on judicial nominations.
Why Abstinence-Only Doesn’t Work Ohio teens are given Jolly Ranchers, and then told not to eat them – that they will taste better if they wait to eat them. So begins abstinence-only sex education. One out of four Americans are taught using this method. Rather than explain what safe sex is and why it’s important, teenagers are told to just not do it at all. Unsurprisingly, telling teenagers not to do something isn’t that effective. Rather than metaphorically sticking your fingers in you ears and pretending that teens aren’t having sex, actually educating them how to prevent pregnancy and the spread of STIs would much more likely achieve the desired result.
Why The NBA Lockout is Here to Stay With the NFL ending their 18 week lockout, it’s easy to forget that another major sport is also embroiled in a labor dispute. The NBA remains in lockout and an end does not look to be in sight. One major roadblock is the unquestionable force that is NBA Commissioner David Stern. Ruling with almost complete authority, owners and players alike seem to be afraid of him. His intransigence when it comes to what will eventually be what will save the league, revenue sharing, might be the cause of the end of his de facto dictatorship of the league. Until this power relationship is changed, no progress seems possible.
Thanks again for reading and staying informed. Keep reading and sharing all of the blogs on the site and I will be back again tomorrow with more news!
Sources: Slate, Alternet, The Raw Story, Al Jazeera English, The New Republic, Think Progress, The Nation, Edge of Sports
Daily News Drop!
Hello, Ladies and Gents! Hopefully everyone had a great hump day! Please take a minute and check out today’s stories!
News Corp Withdraws Bid for British Sky Broadcasting Rupert Murdoch, what ever are we going to do with you? News Corp has withdrawn their bid for British Sky Broadcasting due to mounting pressure from, now, both sides of the pond. There are now rumors circulating that Murdoch’s organizations, in addition to everything illegal and distasteful done in Britain, attempted to hack into some 9/11 victims’ phones… this thing just keeps getting better (or worse) depending on how you look at it. Some members of Congress are now demanding investigations into News Corp and its past activities; perhaps Mr.Murdoch will finally get everything he deserves.
U.S. Credit Rating Under Review Thanks to stalling debt ceiling talks, Moody’s Investors Service has now officially declared that they are putting the United States’ credit rating “under review” for a downgrade. It’s really wonderful that our “leaders” are playing a game of Chicken with our (and the world’s) economy. The ritual raising of the debt ceiling has always been, to a certain degree, used as an excuse to play politics, but never to the extent that we may actually default on our debt, simply because we have some absolutely insane members of Congress.
Mumbai Blasts – Today’s Reaction The latest timeline and reactions to the blasts in Mumbai, now being called terrorism.
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