DeBunking the Conservative Media Voter Abuse stories of 2014

http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/10/30/debunking-the-conservative-medias-2014-voter-fr/201382

MYTH: Voter Impersonation Fraud Is A Major Problem

Fox Correspondent Eric Shawn Disputes Argument That Voter Impersonation Fraud Is A Problem That "Doesn't Exist." On the October 29 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News senior correspondent Eric Shawn responded to a statement from Attorney General Eric Holder condemning "unnecessary restrictions that discourage or discriminate or disenfranchise in the name of a problem that doesn't exist," by saying: "of course voter fraud exists in the United States," and that Holder is "not actually factually correct." But as O'Reilly pointed out, Holder was talking about strict voter ID and voter impersonation, while Shawn nevertheless shifted the conversation to cases of vote buying, which would not be prevented by voter ID laws. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 10/29/14]

FACT: There Is No Evidence Of Massive Voter Impersonation Fraud

Experts Agree That Voter Impersonation is "Virtually Non-Existent." The New Yorker reported that experts agree that actual incidents of in-person voter fraud -- the type of voter fraud that strict voter ID laws can prevent -- are "virtually non-existent," and fears of voter fraud have been largely invented as a way to "excite the base." [The New Yorker, 10/29/12]
Brennan Center For Justice: Allegations Of Widespread Voter Fraud "Simply Do Not Pan Out." The New York University School of Law's Brennan Center has repeatedly explained that in-person voter fraud is not a justification for strict voter ID laws, because voter impersonation is "more rare than getting struck by lightning," and allegations of widespread fraud typically "amount to a great deal of smoke without much fire" and "simply do not pan out." [Brennan Center For Justice, 2007]

Conservative Christianity can Warp the Mind.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/how-conservative-christianity-can-warp-mind

“I am 30 years old and I am struggling to find sanity. Between the Christian schools, homeschooling, the Christian group home (indoctrinating work camp) and different churches in different cities, I am a psychological, emotional and spiritual mess.” --A former Evangelical If a former believer says that Christianity made her depressed, obsessive, or post-traumatic, she is likely to be dismissed as an exaggerator. She might describe panic attacks about the rapture; moods that swung from ecstasy about God’s overwhelming love to suicidal self-loathing about repeated sins; or an obsession with sexual purity.
A symptom like one of these clearly has a religious component, yet many people instinctively blame the victim. They will say that the wounded former believer was prone to anxiety or depression or obsession in the first place—that his Christianity somehow got corrupted by his predisposition to psychological problems. Or they will say that he wasn’t a real Christian. If only he had prayed in faith believing or loved God with all his heart, soul and mind, if only he had really been saved—then he would have experienced the peace that passes all understanding.

One requirement for success as a sincere Christian is to find a way to believe that which would be unbelievable under normal rules of evidence and inquiry. Christianity contains concepts that help to safeguard belief, such as limiting outside information, practicing thought control, and self-denigration; but for some people the emotional numbing and intellectual suicide just isn’t enough. In other words, for a significant number of children in Christian families, the religion just doesn’t “take.” This can trigger guilt, conflict, and ultimately rejection or abandonment.
Others experience the threats and fear too keenly. For them, childhood can be torturous, and they may carry injuries into adulthood.
Still others are able to sincerely devote themselves to the faith as children but confront problems when they mature. They wrestle with factual and moral contradictions in the Bible and the church, or discover surprising alternatives. This can feel confusing and terrifying - like the whole world is falling apart.

Koch New Strategy Shoot Money at Voters with a Money Canon. Buying Democracy should be fun.

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/kochs-approve-plan-fire-cash-cannon-voters?utm_source=tny&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=borowitz&mbid=nl_Borowitz%20%28131%29&CUST_ID=24484788&spMailingID=7249250&spUserID=MjczNzc1NzE1MjES1&spJobID=543390433&spReportId=NTQzMzkwNDMzS0

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—The billionaire Koch brothers have approved a controversial plan to shoot cash from cannons directly at voters heading into polling places on Election Day.
The plan, which Koch insiders have privately referred to as Operation Money Shot, would distribute as much as seventy million dollars in small bills in the hopes of seizing Republican control of the United States Senate next Tuesday.

Bernie Sanders: Important Issues are totally ignored by News Stations. They won't let me bring them up.

http://billmoyers.com/2014/10/30/bernie-sanders-big-money-big-media/

In this clip, Sen. Bernie Sanders says he believes “one of the Supreme Court’s worst decisions ever” — Citizens United — has allowed big money to “deflect attention from the real issues” facing voters.
He goes on to talk about the challenge of getting big media to cover these real issues, even when he is a guest on a news program. “They say, ‘Here’s the story of the day. What do you think about the Secret Service… What do you think about Ebola?’” Sanders tells Bill.
While Sanders recognizes these as “important issues,” many critical problems facing Americans are not being reported on, including income inequality, the eroding middle class and climate change. Sanders says: “One family, the Walton family of Wal-Mart, owning more wealth than the bottom 40 percent. Do you think we should be talking about that issue? You can’t get the discussion going on TV.”
The reason the media doesn’t cover these issues is because “it’s not in the interest of the corporations who own the networks to actually be educating the American people so that they are debating the real issues.”

Pres Obama urged to apologize for ANTI FEAR REMARKS regarding Ebola..

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/obama-urged-apologize-anti-fear-remark?utm_source=tny&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=borowitz&mbid=nl_Borowitz%20%28130%29&CUST_ID=24484788&spMailingID=7246206&spUserID=MjczNzc1NzE1MjES1&spJobID=543294296&spReportId=NTQzMjk0Mjk2S0

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—President Obama is coming under increasing pressure to apologize for a controversial remark that he made on Tuesday, in which he said that the nation’s Ebola policy should be based on facts rather than fear.
While the anti-fear tenor of Mr. Obama’s comment was offensive enough to some, the President made matters worse by suggesting that science would play the leading role in guiding the nation’s Ebola protocols—a role that many Americans believe should be played by fear.

32 Countries where GLOBAL WARMING could make More Terrorists.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/10/terrorism-could-be-getting-boost-hidden-helper-climate-change

Recently, the Pentagon released a disturbing report. Climate change, it warned, will exacerbate problems like terrorism and disease outbreaks, drain military resources, and create new enemies. The report said that the military's basic operations—everything from training to its supply chains and infrastructure—are now threatened by rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns. It all points to one conclusion: Global warming is a national security issue.
Now a new analysis, released Wednesday, is naming 32 countries in which conflict and civil unrest could be worsened by the changing climate. The findings are part of the seventh annual "Climate Change and Environmental Risk Atlas" from Maplecroft—a firm that studies how vulnerable countries are to various risks. It concludes that climate change is already impacting "food production, poverty, migration and social stability—factors that significantly increase the risk of conflicts and instability in fragile and emerging states."

Drone Strikes - Making enemies by killing and injuring innocent civilians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OvhAFyeGk4&index=1&list=PLQ9B-p5Q-YOPndlCXf4NIjBnnuILgNGtN

A year ago - for the first time ever – Brave New Films brought drone-survivor families from Pakistan to the United States to testify before Congress. Conversations have since changed on Capitol Hill and more members of Congress are paying attention and asking the right questions.
The number of US airstrikes in Pakistan has been declining in volume every year but there is still much more work to be done.² We need to continue to ramp up the public pressure against drone strikes.
Watch our video of this testimony and sign the petition to stop killing innocent civilians.

Jon Stewart tears into the KOCH BROTHERS who advertised on his show. That was a mistake.

http://www.alternet.org/video/watch-jon-stewart-makes-robber-barron-koch-industries-regret-advertising-his-show

Brilliant - Koch Brothers deserve it.

TERRORISM - Only applies to people who oppose America and its allies.

http://www.alternet.org/our-warped-idea-terrorism-it-only-applies-people-who-oppose-america-and-its-allies?akid=12419.294211.l2Qt-6&rd=1&src=newsletter1025176&t=8

The definition of terrorism seems simple enough. The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that it is “the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal.”

But America’s leaders and corporate media have a radically different definition of terrorism.

“In the mainstream American media, the ‘terrorist’ label is usually reserved for those opposed to the policies of the U.S. and its allies,” Tomas Kapitan, professor emeritus at Northern Illinois University, recently wrote in a column for the  New York Times. This terrorist label is usually slapped on Muslims, even when they use violence in the context of a war zone like the Gaza Strip over the summer.

Since the September 11 attacks, the U.S. has waged a war on terror. But as the writer Glenn Greenwald has repeatedly pointed out, the tactic the U.S. is waging battle against has lost its fundamental meaning. In the eyes of the U.S. elite, terrorism today means an act of political violence carried out by Muslims opposed to U.S. foreign policy.

10 Most Fear Mongering LIES by REPUBLICANS for Halloween.

http://www.alternet.org/10-most-insane-fear-mongering-gop-lies-time-halloween?akid=12419.294211.l2Qt-6&rd=1&src=newsletter1025176&t=6

1. Michelle Nunn Is Pro-Terrorist Because She Worked With A Muslim Charity

2. Obama Cut A Secret Deal To Bring Ebola To The United States

4. Sexual Assault Is A Result Of Taking The Bible Out Of Schools: 

Mississippi Obamacare - CRASHED by Republicans. They were well ahead of most states until Politics kicked in.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/mississippi-burned-obamacare-112181_full.html#.VFIUted8Fwn

The first year of the Affordable Care Act was, by almost every measure, an unmitigated disaster in Mississippi. In a state stricken by diabetes, heart disease, obesity and the highest mortality rate in the nation, President Barack Obama’s landmark health care law has barely registered, leaving the country’s poorest and most segregated state trapped in a severe and intractable health care crisis.
“There are wide swaths of Mississippi where the Affordable Care Act is not a reality,” Conner Reeves, who led Obamacare enrollment at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, told me when we met in the state capital of Jackson. Of the nearly 300,000 people who could have gained coverage in Mississippi in the first year of enrollment, just 61,494—some 20 percent—did so. When all was said and done, Mississippi would be the only state in the union where the percentage of uninsured residents has gone up, not down.
Why has the law been such a flop in a state that had so much to gain from it? When I traveled across Mississippi this summer, from Delta towns to the Tennessee border to the Piney Woods to the Gulf Coast, what I found was a series of cascading problems: bumbling errors and misinformation; ignorance and disorganization; a haunting racial divide; and, above all, the unyielding ideological imperative of conservative politics.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/mississippi-burned-obamacare-112181.html#ixzz3HdZRnTCM

FOX and Limbaugh say bad things about the POPE. Commentary - Very Good

http://bluenationreview.com/pope-francis-evolution-contradict-god/

The Pope is talking like the Jesus I was taught actually FOX and Rush.

Pope Francis (Cool Pope) is perhaps giving conservative leaders within his Church another reason to disagree with him after stating that the big bang theory and evolution are actually compatible with the concept of a divine creator.

Speaking to the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which met at the Vatican to discuss “Evolving Concepts of Nature,” Pope Francis said:

“God is not a divine being or a magician, but the Creator who brought everything to life. Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”

Halliburton Loophole DOES NOT ALLOW people to ask what carcinogens are being put into Fracking Holes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/22/fracking-chemicals-loophole_n_6030914.html?utm_hp_ref=green

Dick Cheney (former Halliburton CEO) , wrote the exception with his Halliburton buddies.

When it comes to environmental pollutants, sometimes what's legal is what's most worrying. That's the conclusion of a new report on a major loophole in the regulations governing hydraulic fracturing.
The report, released Wednesday by the Environmental Integrity Project, looks at what is known as the "Halliburton loophole" -- an exemption from existing rules that allows companies to inject some petroleum-based chemicals into the ground without obtaining a permit.

"The scandal in this case is not illegal conduct. It's what the law actually allows you to do," said Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, in a call with reporters Wednesday.
"Ideally, Congress would change the law. The law makes no sense," Schaeffer said. "Benzene-rich alternatives to diesel get a free pass, and that makes no environmental sense."
He added that while Congress "ought to fix it, I'm not holding my breath." His group has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to require drillers to at least disclose the use of the chemicals as part of its Toxic Release Inventory. Right now, only 14 states mandate that companies disclose the chemicals they use through the FracFocus site.

ISIS is not making friends in Iraq.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/28/1339833/-ISIS-being-undermined-by-simple-economics?detail=email

ISIS was able to overrun much of Sunni-majority Iraq without a fight because the Shia-dominated Baghdad government abused the Sunnis so badly that many Sunnis thought that it simply couldn't be worse.

Iraq is finding out that it is worse.

Time is running out for ISIS. ISIS may think they are all bad-a**es, but the Iraqi Sunnis know more than a thing or two about fighting occupying powers, and they outnumber ISIS many times over. If things get intolerable for the Sunnis they will kick ISIS to the curb themselves.
   There are other theories as well. Sometimes general sanctions galvanize public support behind the target regime. That's what happened with the Saddam government in the 90's, but I don't think its going to work this way this time.

Norway Prisons versus US Prisons. Amazing difference and much different results.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/10/28/norway-prisons/

To many people, the goal of prison is to make prisoners’ lives a living hell. The idea being that if someone lands in jail, they deserve anything that happens to them, be it rape, assault, and even murder. We don’t care that they get sub-optimal health care or maggot infested food. And we imprison more people than any other nation on the planet to boot. Even North Korea has had its prison populations drop over the past several years, while the United States’ rate continues to climb. And the US prison system results in two-thirds of former prisoners returning to prison once released.
The American system is, in a word, broken.
By comparison, the prison system of Norway has less than 1/10th the per-capita prison population, and has a recidivism rate of only 20%. And, the Norweigans are proud of their system.
The Norwegian TV show, “The Norden” took a look at their prison system, and invited Attica Correctional Facilities’ now retired superintendent James Conway to take a look, and compare the prisons in the United States, Norway and Sweden. And what he found was night and day from how his prison in upstate New York, is run. He visited several facilities across Scandinavia and found all of them, even the maximum security facility, run far different from what he was used to.

Pope Francis says Evolution and the Big Bang are real. I like this fellow.

http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2014/10/pope-francis-says-big-bang-and.html

Pope Francis on Monday (Oct. 27) waded into the controversial debate over the origins of human life, saying the big bang theory did not contradict the role of a divine creator, but even required it. 

The pope was addressing the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which gathered at the Vatican to discuss “Evolving Concepts of Nature.” 

“When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” Francis said. 

“He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment.”

Biblical Marriage is misleading: Polygyny, Open Marriage, Woman marrying rapist, levirate marriage are all biblical.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/why-term-biblical-marriage-misleading?akid=12414.294211.2ei7Iy&rd=1&src=newsletter1025015&t=19

First, the kinds of relationships that qualify for marriage in the Bible, and thus could count as "biblical marriage," represent quite a striking range of options. They include polygyny (more than one wife or concubine, simultaneously), open marriage for the man (since he can have access to the female slaves or servants in the house), forcing a woman to marry her rapist (Deuteronomy 22:28-29) and levirate marriage (wherein a childless widow must marry the brother of her deceased husband). Those are just a few of the examples from the Hebrew Bible.

FREE PRESS: NO This movie shows there is NO Free Press KILL THE MESSAGER

http://www.alternet.org/media/movie-completely-exposes-myth-free-press 

There is more truth about American journalism in the film “Kill the Messenger,” which chronicles the mainstream media’s discrediting of the work of the investigative journalist Gary Webb, than there is in the movie “All the President’s Men,” which celebrates the exploits of the reporters who uncovered the Watergate scandal.
The mass media blindly support the ideology of corporate capitalism. They laud and promote the myth of American democracy—even as we are stripped of civil liberties and money replaces the vote.

10 Reasons Democracy may prevail even with Strong Voter Suprression

http://billmoyers.com/2014/10/24/10-reasons-democracy-will-work-despite-gops-voting-restrictions/

Here are 10 reasons not to be too pessimistic about voting in 2014.
1. Grassroots Efforts to Get Out the Vote

3. The US Department of Justice Will Be Watching


6. States Are Identifying Eligible Voters and Urging Them to Register

3.6 Million Voters not allowed to vote: Purge in action

http://www.themudflats.net/archives/44915

Three million threatened in purge of voter rolls
The removals, which target minority voters, were begun in secret in the battleground state of Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
A six-month-long nationwide investigation by Al Jazeera America has discovered that voting officials in 27 states, almost all of them Republicans, have launched what is threatening to become a massive purge of black, Hispanic and Asian-American voters. Already, tens of thousands have been removed from voter rolls in battleground states, and the numbers are set to climb.
The full story will be released Wednesday morning on America.AlJazeera.com.
And watch the two-part exposé on “America Tonight” on Al Jazeera America, Wednesday and Thursday at 9pm EST
Find Al Jazeera’s local listings here.
Check this site, www.GregPalast.com, for direct links to this special investigative report.

Koch Group tax exempt status is being questioned. Club for Growth must justify its numbers.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/27/1339548/-This-is-Going-to-Hurt-Tax-Exempt-Status-of-Wi-Club-for-Growth-Challenged?detail=email

The pdf file (warning: large file) is available here.
The filing claims that the Wisconsin Club for Growth misled the IRS by claiming $0 on campaign activities in 2011 and 2012 while spending close to $20 million. They spent $9.1 million on the 2011 and 2012 recall elections and funneling $9.624 million to other groups (some controlled by WCfG leaders) that spent those funds on political ads. That spending, the filing concludes, made it clear that WCfG's primary activity "was to elect political candidates in Wisconsin".
The filing goes on to say that the only candidates supported by that spending were Republicans indicating the partisan nature of their spending rather than for the common good of the public.

Billionaires expected to retain control over Congress in 2014 elections

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/midterms-prediction-billionaires-retain-control-government?utm_source=tny&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=borowitz&mbid=nl_102814_Borowitz&CUST_ID=24484788&spMailingID=7237959&spUserID=MjczNzc1NzE1MjES1&spJobID=543057033&spReportId=NTQzMDU3MDMzS0

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—With just one week to go until the midterm elections, a new poll indicates that billionaires are likely to retain control of the United States government.

Kidnapped Girls talk about BOKO HARAM

http://features.hrw.org/features/HRW_2014_report/Those_Terrible_Weeks_in_Their_Camp/index.html

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown Islamist insurgency, whose name in Hausa roughly translates as “Western education is forbidden,” has abducted at least 500 women and girls from northern Nigerian since 2009 and has perpetrated numerous human rights abuses against them in captivity. The April 14, 2014 abduction of 276 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, a rural town in Borno State, focused a much-needed spotlight on this increasing scourge.

Oysters: A powerful force for our enbvironment. I never knew.

http://www.upworthy.com/when-he-tweeted-this-picture-of-oysters-he-probably-wasnt-expecting-this-sort-of-response?c=upw1

Today, I have a much deeper respect for the power of the oyster and its role in the environment.

The Koch Brothers are just evil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-x6W9miBjM&index=3&list=PLQ9B-p5Q-YOPOJ9sIfgJ5_XRHFz7IatXL

Short movie previews of various Koch disasters that are harming people.

Disqualified - Republicans do not deserve to get elected.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/26/1339415/-Disqualified?detail=email

Regardless of the individual candidates, their contributors, bone-head debate statements, ads with backlash, etc., we really need to understand that the Republican party - by virtue of their behavior over the past 6 years alone - should be disqualified from holding any office, anywhere.
Honestly, this is not a political party - not any more.  They are a zombie cult army, and they see us as an enemy, not political opposition.  Listen to the language, and look at what they are willing to do.  They have their own consultants, their own pollsters, their own schools and even their own media.  They talk to themselves in the same language over and over and never, ever leave the reservation.  That's not government.  And that's disqualifying.
Not enough for some of you?  You want more?
This political "party" thinks that it is OK to use the law to deny people the right to vote so they have a better shot at winning.  That's clearly unconstitutional (whether Scalia agrees or not).  Never mind the fact that it's immoral.  And when the courts say "no" to the new Jim Crow, they send intimidation squads into polling places to try to cut off votes that way.  People fought and died for that right, so how about we don't sit this one out because President Obama's new war on ISIS annoys you?

San Paolo Briazil is going dry - Global Warming happening NOW, this is the future.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/26/1339274/-Sao-Paulo-Brazil-See-The-Future-World-Of-Global-Warming?detail=email

Around 45 percent of São Paulo state -- home to more than 40 million people -- gets its water from a four-lake system known as the Cantareira reservoir. Back in August, a study from a federal agency predicted that São Paulo state could run completely dry in 100 days if rationing measures weren't implemented.
As Bloomberg now notes, water levels in Cantareira have dropped to just 3.3 percent of capacity -- the lowest levels ever -- after the water utility built a piping system to pump the last drops of water from the ailing reservoir. There's speculation amongst government officials that Cantareira will run completely dry in mid-November without rain, the Wall Street Journal reports. Things are not much better at the Alto Tiete reservoir, where water levels are at just 8.5 percent of capacity.

Billionaire gives 100 Million to Right Wing Politicos - Is this Democratic: NO. Billionaires are buying the election.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/03/casino-tycoon-sheldon-adelson-takes-100-million-gamble-on-gop-senate.html

Billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is poised to donate close to $100 million this election cycle, with much of that total coming in untraceable “dark money” to conservative groups—a massive amount that could help decide which party controls the Senate next year.
Several of the casino mogul’s largest checks, in the mid-seven to low-eight figure range, are being sent to a quartet of conservative nonprofits that under IRS rules can mask donors’ names, say three GOP operatives and donors familiar with his contributions.

KRUGMAN: Republican policies are sinking America's future

http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-how-gops-ideology-destroying-americas-future

In their blind zeal to curtail all government spending, the Republican politicians in control of the House of Representatives have missed one of the central lessons of the past—the need to invest in infrastucture that will make the country richer.

"America used to be a country that built for the future," Krugman opens, somewhat mournfully. "Sometimes the government built directly: Public projects, from the Erie Canal to the Interstate Highway System, provided the backbone for economic growth. Sometimes it provided incentives to the private sector, like land grants to spur railroad construction. Either way, there was broad support for spending that would make us richer."

Not any more.

Gov Chris Christie swears himself in as DOCTOR.

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/christie-sworn-doctor

TRENTON (The Borowitz Report)—Saying that he was “sick and tired of having his medical credentials questioned,” Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) had himself sworn in as a medical doctor on Sunday night.
Dr. Christie acknowledged that becoming a doctor generally requires pre-med classes, four years of medical school, plus additional years of residency, but he said that the Ebola epidemic compelled him to take “extraordinary measures, as we say in the medical profession.”

Dr. Christie said that, beginning on Monday, he would begin a series of random “house calls” to check New Jersey residents for Ebola and assign them for quarantine. “I can usually diagnose someone with Ebola in under a minute,” Dr. Christie said. “Even faster if I don’t actually see them.”

Chemical Age - The ticking time bomb. The Evolution of Chemicals and critters.

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/humanitys-ticking-time-bomb-how-chemical-age-spun-evolution-out-control

Hey, creationists, wrap your minds around this: Not only is evolution definitely a thing, it’s happening all around us — and at an incredibly rapid pace. The  growing threat of antibiotic resistance, the need for  new genetically modified crops after our old herbicides stopped being so effective, the resurgence of bedbugs: these are all examples of what biochemical toxicologist Emily Monosson calls “evolution in the fast lane.”
And despite the opinions of those who  don’t like to think that human activity can have a significant, detrimental effect on our planet, they’re proof of just the opposite. We may temporarily gain the upper hand over pests and diseases through our use of chemicals, but eventually they’re all but guaranteed to bounce back, stronger than before. Less intentional still, says Monosson, are the impacts we’re having on larger species: where industrial pollution meets wildlife, frogs, fish and salamanders evolve to survive in their newly toxic environments.

9 events that caused the ever increasing Police State

http://www.alternet.org/9-events-which-created-environment-americas-emerging-police-state?page=0%2C2

1. Ronald Reagan Escalates the War on Drugs

2. Rodney King Beating of 1991

Illegal Drug Trafficing is funding terrorist organizations.

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/how-lucrative-illegal-drug-trafficking-finances-international-terrorist-organizations?akid=12408.294211.eYjpem&rd=1&src=newsletter1024737&t=23

“Globally, drug trafficking is not just a criminal issue, not just a health and safety issue, it’s a national security issue. Addiction and abuse across the world is funding and fueling insurgents.” 

Roughly half of the Department of State’s  59 officially designated foreign terrorist organizationshave been linked to the global drug trade. Those outfits are all vying for a piece of the most lucrative illicit pie on the planet. According to the U.N. world drug report, the international drug trade generates $400 billion annually.  

THE PALIN FAMILY - A song.

https://soundcloud.com/rockymountainmike/the-palin-family

There are some good songs here.

Republicans have a women problem

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/27/republicans-women-problem-women-problem.html

A detailed report commissioned by two major Republican groups — including one backed by Karl Rove — paints a dismal picture for Republicans, concluding female voters view the party as “intolerant,” “lacking in compassion” and “stuck in the past.”

Women are “barely receptive” to Republicans’ policies, and the party does “especially poorly” with women in the Northeast and Midwest, according to an internal Crossroads GPS and American Action Network report obtained by POLITICO…The report is blunt about the party’s problems. It says 49 percent of women view Republicans unfavorably, while 39 percent view Democrats unfavorably.

Of the most prominent female leads in recent Republican history, one is now engaging in drunken brawls and the other is facing charges that could put her in prison. Not that this latter is all that different from the potential fate of some prominent Republican men, but let’s face it, there are more men to go around, so the impact is less.

A major rethink of ideas and policy needs to be considered.

http://www.alternet.org/activism/apocalypse-now-seriously-it-time-major-rethink-about-liberal-and-progressive-politics?akid=12407.294211.fLrSDv&rd=1&src=newsletter1024631&t=3

The conservative propaganda apparatus is changing minds, convincing people that climate change is not a problem, that government is the problem, and motivating them to vote for increasingly extreme candidates in very red districts that are committed to paralyzing our government. For them it is a war; and they are not interested in compromise. 
Most progressives are not prepared for a future where politics is even more dicey and dangerous than it is now. So we have to stop going through the motions of not producing change and get down to the basics  where and when we can make a difference. 
Let 's do more political action with friends and colleagues. Let's agree a higher level of popular political education and self-reflection is necessary. Let's build up ways in our neighborhoods, cities and towns, where progress can be made to protect ourselves from hostilities and repression from the hugely militarized police and the massive network of spying on us. More repression is bound to come.
So yes, is time to take a hard look at why and how we have failed. And we need to rethink pretty much everything, along the way. As Robert Jensen writes in  his mini book and on  AlterNet, "we are all apocalyptic now."

Seattle School Shooter shot because his girlfriend broke up with him. (She was shot too)

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/10/25/3584558/seattle-shooting-violence-against-women/

Marysville-Pilchuck High School freshman Jaylen Fryberg shot three girls and two of his male cousins in the school cafeteria Friday morning before killing himself. One student told the Seattle Times that Fryberg was “angry about a romantic relationship he was involved in, and that the girl was one of the people shot.” CNN reported that his girlfriend had just broken up with him.

CA Town runs out of water but Fracking and Nestle ruin or bottle what the rare commodity.

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/25/corporate-greed-caused-city-california-run-water.html

Adding to the loss of water due to oil industry greed and pollution, is the corporate greed driving Nestlé’s extraction and bottling of Californians’ water; water they sell back to parched consumers and the state to distribute to Californians in poorer rural regions. It is tantamount to water-theft because unlike farmers, individual Californians, and every municipality in the state, Nestle is exempt from complying with state water-saving efforts or regulations because they are pumping water on Native American reservations. Nestlé’s disregard for Californians’ water needs was expressed by the former CEO and current Chairman who exhibited the mindset driving corporate greed.

According to Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, water is not a basic human right, and that if human beings get thirsty they have to pay Nestlé for bottled water. It takes the term corporate greed to a new level to, on the one hand, pump California’s water supply dry, bottle it, and then sell it back to thirsty Californians. Nestlé has a history of going into rural areas and extracting groundwater to sell in bottles “completely destroying the water supply without any compensation.” In one rural area of California suffering from the drought, Corporate Watch documented that Nestle “actually makes rural areas foot the bill” for taking the water and selling it back to consumers; most likely in the California towns where the wells are drying up.

Bill Maher: New Rules - He shreds Chuck Todd and Meet the Press

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/25/bill-maher-deftly-shreds-chuck-todd-meet-press-lacking-integrity.html

Public Education needs Unions. (As a retired teacher, I totally agree.)

http://www.alternet.org/education/why-public-education-needs-teachers-unions?akid=12406.294211.vAUW06&rd=1&src=newsletter1024522&t=19

There are studies that refute the position of the conservatives and assert that teachers unions have a positive effect on student achievement. These include work done by researchers Brian Powell, Lala Carr Steelman and Robert Carini, “ Do Teacher Unions Hinder Educational Performance? Lessons learned from State SAT and ACT Scores,” published in the Harvard Educational Review (Winter 2000), as well as   “Teachers’ Unions and Collective Bargaining Agreements: Roadblocks to Student Achievement & Teacher Quality or Educational Imperatives?” The study concludes that “…excluding teachers from policy-making is dangerous because teachers have vital experience and knowledge and should play a prominent role in policy-making. Teachers are also essential advocates for their students because their needs are bound up with the needs of their students to the extent that concessions for teachers benefit students and enhance teacher quality and student achievement.” 

Finland is a small country that typically scores near the top in the vaunted international tests. Do teachers unions have any inhibiting effects on Finland, where 95 percent of teachers are unionized? According to Pasi Sahlberg, a director at the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and now a visiting professor at Harvard, “Without the union, we really cannot implement anything. Its role is securing and protecting the rights of teachers. … It’s a very important part of the system.”
Another voice on the efficacy of teachers unions is that of the AFT charter member whose quote begins this essay. You have likely heard of him. His name was Albert Einstein.

NRA Defends the Right to OWN Politicians.

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/n-r-a-defends-right-to-own-politicians

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, National Rifle Association C.E.O. Wayne LaPierre warned that the N.R.A. would vigorously oppose any legislation that “limits the sale, purchase, or ownership of politicians.”
“Politicians pose no danger to the public if used correctly,” said Mr. LaPierre, who claims to have over two hundred politicians in his personal collection. “Everyone hears about the bad guys in Congress. Well, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a vote is a good guy with a vote. I’m proud to be the owner of many of those guys.”

Socialism is working well in Bolivia

http://www.alternet.org/world/bolivia-example-how-socialism-can-work?akid=12406.294211.vAUW06&rd=1&src=newsletter1024522&t=17

His (socialist) economic policies have equally had a certain logic to them. Through nationalization and tearing up contracts, he has enabled the Bolivian state to quadruple its revenues from minerals and energy extraction at a time when prices were high and mining and energy companies would otherwise have made windfall profits from their rise. This has in turn enabled Morales to increase the Bolivian welfare state without drastically unbalancing the budget. 

Violence in the Bible, Torah and Quran - 30 examples of Religious Hatred of non believers

http://www.alternet.org/30-most-violent-exhortations-bible-torah-and-quran?akid=12406.294211.vAUW06&rd=1&src=newsletter1024522&t=5

1. Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the [holy man] who represents God must be put to death. Such evil must be purged.
2. I decided to order a man to lead the prayer and then take a flame to burn all those, who had not left their houses for the prayer, burning them alive inside their homes.
3. I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your streams will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am God.
4. Fight them until there is no more [disbelief or worshipping of other gods] and worship is for God alone.

NASA confirms 2500 Sq Mile toxic cloud over SW USA states

http://www.desmogblog.com/2014/10/17/nasa-confirms-2500-square-mile-cloud-methane-floating-over-american-southwest

When NASA researchers first saw data indicating a massive cloud of methane floating over the American Southwest, they found it so incredible that they dismissed it as an instrument error.

But as they continued analyzing data from the European Space Agency’s Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography instrument from 2002 to 2012, the “atmospheric hot spot” kept appearing.

The team at NASA was finally able to take a closer look, and have now concluded that there is in fact a 2,500-square-mile cloud of methane—roughly the size of Delaware—floating over the Four Corners region, where the borders of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah all intersect.

POT MYTH BLOWN - IQ is not affected by using POT. Alcohol does lower IQ though.

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/science-busts-one-most-common-myths-about-smoking-pot

Moderate cannabis consumption by young people is not positively associated with changes in intelligence quotient (IQ), according to  data presented this week at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology annual congress in Berlin, Germany.
Investigators at the University College of London analyzed data from 2,612 subjects who had their IQ tested at the age of eight and again at age 15. They reported  no relationship between cannabis use and lower IQ at age 15 when confounding factors such as subjects’ history of alcohol use and cigarette use were taken into account.

http://malialitman.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/nobody-should-apologize-to-bristol-palin/

NOBODY Should Apologize to Bristol Palin!

Bristol posted her reaction to the coverage of Carol Costello. Bristol said that:
“Here’s the thing. Violence against women is never okay… Even if that violence occurs against conservative women. Imagine for a second the outrage that would happen if Chelsea Clinton had gotten pushed by some guy. Had she tried to defend herself, the liberal media would’ve held her up as some feminist hero.
But it wasn’t Chelsea.
It wasn’t Hillary.
It wasn’t someone they liked or someone they agreed with.
It was a conservative.
And once again, the hypocrisy of the media is laid bare”


The truth is that it wasn’t Chelsea and it wasn’t Hillary. I have heard a lot of interviews and talks given by Chelsea and Hillary and not once have I heard them sound intoxicated or use the “fuck” word even one time, much less 15 times! I have seen people confront Chelsea to ask about embarrassing things regarding her family. On each occasion she handled the situation with poise and class, and didn’t tell the person asking the question to “fuck off.” She didn’t hit anyone. She didn’t lose her shoes. She didn’t mention how much her sunglasses cost.

The witness each confirmed that Bristol was the one punching Korey in the face. The witness specifically listed in the police reports were:
1. Eric Thompson
2. Korey Kleinenmeyer
3. Donald Jones
4. Ronald Tharaldson
5. Elena McKenna
6. Brian McGee
7. Michelle McGee
8. Matthew McKenna
9. Marc McKenna
10. Avery Horschel
11. Brian Horschel
12. Charles Fryer
13. Sarah Palin
14. Todd Palin
15. Roberta Thompson

If Bristol Palin was beaten up by a 200 lb man SHE SHOULD FILE ASSAULT CHARGES!

http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2014/10/well-there-is-mooseshit-to-shovel.html

The Palins are shoveling Moose Shit like crazy.  They started a fight, they got thrown off the property after assaulting the house owner and friends and NOW THEY ARE BLAMING THE HOUSE OWNER.  If Bristol was attacked unprovoked, she should file assault charges.  Bristol's story does not even come close to what the witnesses said happened.  (I would also like to add that the Palin's are quick to file charges against people.  Bristol even filed charges against a fellow standing in the street by her house the day after the fight.)  Bristol, if you have a case, file charges.

I hope someone files charges - the Palin's need to make their case in front of a court.

9 of the BIGGEST LIES during the 2014 election season. (So Far - we still have a couple weeks to go.)

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2014/oct/24/9-biggest-whoppers-2014-campaign/

As we get close to the elections, the lies could easily ramp up quickly.  Some (Republicans in particular) seem to take pride in negative ads at the last minute. The fact that a Koch group send an official looking mailer telling people to vote late was pretty dastardly but I am guessing it will get someone a raise.  The same with the Republican idiot who is going around talking about taking unused ballots and sending them in, HE IS ADVOCATING A CRIME TO OTHERS and basically trying to get them to do illegal acts which they had not thought of doing before.  It is getting weird out there.

DIET Can Prevent and Cure cancer says a scientist.

http://www.alternet.org/food/can-cancer-be-prevented-and-even-cured-through-diet-scientist-convinced-it-can

The food industry does not want you to listen to this man.

The professor emeritus in nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University said research has proven that consumption of animal products, including meat, fish and dairy, triggers chronic diseases and impaired health and poses a greater risk than heredity or environment. He has linked casein, a protein in milk, with breast cancer. His lifelong professional focus has been cancer and nutrition, and Campbell says that our national and global fight with cancer has targeted the wrong enemy.

“Diet can be used to prevent and reverse cancer just like it prevents and reverses heart disease,” he said. “A diet high in animal protein increases the amount of carcinogens going to the cells. It increases the enzyme MFO (mixed function oxidase) that causes increased carcinogenic activity.”
In the lab, Campbell has shown that increasing consumption of animal protein alters MFO and activates cancer while decreasing consumption detoxifies cancer. A high protein diet derived from animal products increases cell replication and increases oxygen free radicals associated with cancer and aging.
“High-protein bars are crazy,” Campbell said. “Plants alone can easily provide all the protein we need.”    

THE AMERICAN DREAM IS DEAD - 7 Facts

http://www.alternet.org/economy/7-facts-show-american-dream-dead?akid=12398.294211.nO9Ljs&rd=1&src=newsletter1024396&t=2

 A recent poll showed that more than half of all people in this country don’t believe that the American dream is real. Fifty-nine percent of those polled in June agreed that “the American dream has become impossible for most people to achieve." More and more Americans believe there is “ not much opportunity” to get ahead.

The public has reached this conclusion for a very simple reason: It’s true. The key elements of the American dream—a living wage, retirement security, the opportunity for one's children to get ahead in life—are now unreachable for all but the wealthiest among us. And it’s getting worse. As inequality increases, the fundamental elements of the American dream are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the majority.
Here are seven ways the American dream is dying.
1. Most people can’t get ahead financially.

Why Conservatives go with propaganda over reality

http://www.alternet.org/media/why-conservatives-opt-propaganda-over-reality?akid=12395.294211.BDicH9&rd=1&src=newsletter1024232&t=4

Its first report on the phenomenon, which examines where people are hearing news and opinion in both regular and social media, shows that this is happening for very different reasons among people moving to the right than for people moving to the left. 
Or that’s the charitable way to put it. The less charitable way is to say Pew discovered that conservatives are consuming a right-wing media full of lies and misinformation, whereas liberals are more interested in media that puts facts before ideology. It’s very much not a “both sides do it” situation. Conservatives are becoming more conservative because of propaganda, whereas liberals are becoming more liberal while staying very much checked into reality.

right-wing media, which has a nifty trick of convincing audiences it’s the other guys who are the liars, all while actually being much less trustworthy in reality. 

The problem with this is watching Fox News actually makes you less informed than if you don't watch any news at all. In a 2012 study, Fox News viewers rated the absolute lowest in ability to correctly answer questions on a quiz about recent news events. People who didn’t take in any news programs at all did better on the quizzes. NPR listeners rated the best. Consistent liberals in the Pew research were big fans of NPR, by the way. It was the second most common outlet cited as a favorite by consistent liberals, topped only by CNN. 

Why I fear Young Drunk White Men.

http://www.alternet.org/why-i-fear-drunk-young-white-men?akid=12395.294211.BDicH9&rd=1&src=newsletter1024232&t=20

This past weekend, students at  Keene State College in New Hampshire got, as one student put it, “way out of hand,” as they turned over a car and danced on top of it, threatened an elderly person, threw glass bottles, and popped fireworks. These violent white college kids were so unruly that the police had to come in riot gear and bring out tear gas, to quell the riots. One white female student reported feeling very unsafe. Why are these white kids so mad that they are terrorizing residents and destroying property?  Should we be concerned about the fact that they seemed to really enjoy it? Is that sociopathic?
It would be easy to talk about this Keene State College business as an isolated incident of drunken college students, getting “out of hand.” But that would be politically and culturally irresponsible, since this is after all #FergusonOctober. Several states over from New Hampshire, down in Missouri, citizens exercising First Amendment rights, citizens with righteous anger, who might get a “little out of hand” with an errant glass bottle or two, are met with a much larger show of force – tanks, tear gas, stun grenades. We’ve had no reports of Ferguson protesters threatening old people or threatening to kill the police. And thank God for that, because we would have witnessed a serious amount of bloodshed to go along with our protests if that had occurred.

It is time to elect people who will push background checks for all guns sold.

http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2014/10/time_to_elect_oregon_leaders_w.html#incart_river

This girl lost her mom due to a shooting at a mall.  She has worked to get background checks and I am pleased she is discussing this issue.  It was a guest editorial for the Oregonian.

Palin Brawl - Audio, The police release the audio.

http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2014/10/alaska-dispatch-has-all-of-audio-from.html

The Palin stories are totally different than the other folks at the party.  The Palin's are sure messed up.

Politicians who said, "I'm not a scientist" to Global Warming are QUICK to give opinions on Ebola.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/20/3581897/climate-change-ebola-not-a-scientist/

What a bunch of hypocrites.  They are quick to become Doctors with extensive knowledge of diseases and Public Health.

When Rednecks repaired their own cars - funny

http://www.odometer.com/car-care/4787/20-times-rednecks-repaired-their-own-cars?drv=4787-yde#slide/5/0

I must admit I like the air conditioner. 

Women sing to Politicians who think nothiing of taking away women's rights.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-bevy-of-famous-ladies-sing-along-to-this-50-year-old-classic-wow-this-song-is-magic?c=upw1

This is very timely and great.

Voter Suppression destroys legitimacy

http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/watch/matthews--voter-suppression-destroys-legitimacy-341802563863

Very good commentary about voting supression

Jon Oliver's ALL DOG SUPREME COURT - Very Good

http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/20/7014955/john-oliver-dog-supreme-court-last-week-tonight-free-public

This is well worth watching

FEARBOLA - Some Facts

http://www.alternet.org/facts-about-fearbola?akid=12390.294211.DyVz-h&rd=1&src=newsletter1024073&t=7

There’s plenty of Ebola ignorance going around and plenty of political and financial incentives to keep it that way.  I’d like to say that the antidote to my fevered speculations is familiarity with the facts.  But if that were fully true, I’d be more Vulcan than human.  I’d like to believe that my calculations of risk are driven by what science knows about infectious diseases, not by my identities as parent, catastrophist, bureaucrat or disaster-porn addict.  But if I were able to process information independent of my affiliations and afflictions, I’d be an algorithm, not a person.  The next time I try to persuade someone that they’re wrong and science is right, I hope I first take a moment to walk in their shoes, and to feel uncomfortable about how comfortably they fit.

Business and Wall Street agree: Republicans are killing the economy.

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/21/business-wall-street-agree-republicans-killing-economy.html

Although Republicans work tirelessly to perpetuate, and truly love, increasing the income inequality that is killing the economy, America’s retailers and bankers joined Democrats in agreeing the government must “constrict the abyss between America’s struggling 99 percent and the one percent.” According to recently released reports, both “Wall Street and Main Street (retailers) have endorsed the President’s economic principals to reduce inequality for the sake of the economy, and support Democrats as the solution to a robust economic revival.

For example, in a report last month titled Inequality and Consumption, Morgan Stanley economists said, “Despite the roughly $25 trillion increase in wealth since the recovery from the financial crisis began, consumer spending remains anemic. Top income earners have benefited from wealth increases but middle and low income consumers continue facing structural liquidity constraints and unimpressive wage growth. To lift all boats, further increases in residential wealth and accelerating wage growth are needed.” Republicans completely disagree and either resist consideration of raising the minimum wage or promote abolishing it altogether. According to the Republicans, increasing income inequality must continue and it is crucial that they convince the population that no wage is too low. It is a belief the Koch brothers espouse but it is rapidly losing favor in circles whose survival depends on a population of consumers.

Even though the main stream media is never going to report that businesses, banks, and Wall Street have endorsed President Obama and Democrats’ economic policies, even if it is for their self-preservation, there is no reason Democrats running for office should stay silent. American voters have heard President Obama say things like “a rising tide lifts all boats,” “the income gap is threatening the stability of the economy,” and the nation desperately needs a “high degree of rebalancing, increases in residential wealth, and accelerated wage growth.” However, if they heard it from Wall Street, banks, and the business sector, it may finally sink in that a vote for Republicans is a vote to destroy America’s economy and by extension, their own well-being.

A Politician goes off against seeing 42 million budget and immediately asked to vote on it.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/20/1337929/-He-Goes-Off-For-6-Minutes-On-All-The-Politicians-Sitting-Right-In-Front-Of-Him-It-s-Just-Great?detail=facebook

A few people make a budget and won't allow input or discussion about the total state budget.

Privatization has failed the USA - MONEY, MONEY, MONEY - People get left behind.

http://www.alternet.org/red-state-privatization-horror-story?akid=12386.294211.i8URus&rd=1&src=newsletter1023920&t=19

In reality, privatization of public services has been a total disaster wherever it’s been tried. And, as a new report from the Center for Media and Democracy shows, it’s also created huge opportunities for fraud and corruption.
The report, which was released today and is titled “ Pay to Prey,” focuses on how Republican governors in states all across the country used the cover of privatization to enrich campaign donors and political cronies.
The worst culprits include some the biggest names in Republican politics.
In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott has made growing for-profit education one of his top priorities. And, in doing so, he helped out his political buddies and donors while screwing over Florida’s students. One of the biggest winners in Scott’s privatization push, for example, was an ALEC-linked company called K12, Inc. that actually got an “F” from Florida’s education department.

And in Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder has handed prison food services over to corporate giant Aramark. While the move has meant big bucks for Aramark, the report suggests it’s been an absolute disaster in every other possible way. Meals are infested with maggots, employees have been caught having sex with inmates, and now there are reports that one Aramark employee actually tried to hire a prisoner to kill someone for him. All in all, not a pretty picture.

Our second president, John Adams, once said that “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”
Adams was right, of course, but today’s Republicans see it the exact opposite way. For them, government is there to be looted.

The WAR ON the Middle Class and the Poor. Robert Reich

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=743842815628317

Short but excellent.

3 Minute Discussion on Ebola which is well worth wathing. Meet The Press

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/19/1337711/-Three-minutes-on-Ebola-worth-watching-on-Chuck-Todd-s-MTP-Really?detail=email#

Ebola without the Political noise - very good.

Meet The Press finally put on a substantive program that showed a few rays of what good journalism could look like. The discussion on Ebola was mostly substantive. There were a few instances where political reporters showed their lack of objectivity and journalistic decency however. The experts effectively squashed their flawed reasoning.
Chuck Todd had two unbiased experts on the show. Laurie Garrett is a Pulitzer prize-winning science journalist/writer and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Gabe Kelen is professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins, director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR), and director of the Center for the Study of Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response (PACER).

Bye Middle Class - How hating our Government drives the destruction of the middle class.

http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/teaching-people-hate-their-own-govt-core-project-destroy-middle-class-0

  The following is an excerpt from Dennis Marker's book 15 Steps to Corporate Feudalism. In the text below, Marker shares one of the steps he sees as central to the destruction of the middle class since Ronald Reagan took over. 
Teaching the middle class to hate their government was an essential part of the plan to implement Corporate Feudalism. A middle class cannot exist without a strong government. This is because only a government has the power to stand up to the giant corporations of today’s world, or the powerful individuals and private armies of earlier times. It is the government that enforces the laws to protect the middle class from those who would like to become their economic rulers. That is why prior to the Industrial Revolution and the creation of the middle class all economies were run according to some version of the feudal system. If you want to put an end to the middle class and replace it with a feudal republic, you would need to change people’s perception of their government.

Poll Says Americans NOW Worried about Global Warming

http://www.earthyreport.com/site/poll-says-americans-now-worried-about-climate-change/

A New York Times/CBS News poll found that nearly half of Americans believe that global warming is causing a serious impact now, while about 60 percent said that protecting the environment should be a priority “even at the risk of curbing economic growth.” Fifty-four percent of those surveyed said that global warming is caused by human activity. This, the New York Times notes, is the “highest level ever recorded by the national poll.”   Those results echo those of another survey conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, which found that more than 70 percent of Americans believe climate change is either a critical or an important threat ”to the vital interests” of the country, while more than 80 percent said that combating climate change is either a “very important” or “somewhat important” goal for the U.S. 

10 Facts about a devastating disease someone you love (or you) will get

http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/10-facts-you-need-know-about-devastating-disease-you-or-someone-you-love-will-likely

Chances are you know someone who is directly affected by the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s disease. Perhaps even you are watching a loved one’s mental powers and very identity ebb away. In my case, it is a dear friend whose mother has been diagnosed with the disease, and is already driving her family crazy by asking the same questions over and over. My friend’s father is a cheerful soul, but sadness and worry has crept into his eyes. This family knows that repetitive anxious questions are just the beginning of an illness that gets unimaginably worse.

Alabama: Save Money by letting prisoners die from curable illnesses.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/alabama-jailers-let-prisoners-die-easily-treatable-illnesses-save-money?akid=12380.294211.vHUzxg&rd=1&src=newsletter1023836&t=23

Three lawsuits recently filed in federal court accuse the state of Alabama of denying prisoners with easily treatable illnesses or injuries proper medical care resulting in the prisoner’s death.
According to  AL.com, the lawsuits have been filed over the deaths of three inmates, including a 19-year-old who died naked on a cell floor from gangrene.
The three suits allege the jailers in Madison County withhold the basic medical care in order to save money, believing that the insurance carried by the out-sourced medical contractor will cover any lawsuits filed against them.

We created a generation that hates America - Thanks FOX.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/weve-created-generation-people-who-hate-america-filmmaker-laura-poitras-our-security?akid=12380.294211.vHUzxg&rd=1&src=newsletter1023836&t=7

How many Americans have security clearances? The answer: 5.1 million, a figure that reflects the explosive growth of the national security state in the post-9/11 era. Imagine the kind of system needed just to vet that many people for access to our secret world (to the tune of billions of dollars). We’re talking here about the total population of Norway and significantly more people than you can find in Costa Rica, Ireland, or New Zealand. And yet it’s only about 1.6% of the American population, while on ever more matters, the unvetted 98.4% of us are meant to be left in the dark.

For our own safety, of course. That goes without saying.

All of this offers a new definition of democracy in which we, the people, are to know only what the national security state cares to tell us. 

http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/teaching-people-hate-their-own-govt-core-project-destroy-middle-class-0

Ice Melt causes HUGE temperature increase in Barrow, Alaska. (Global Warming is real)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/17/1337244/-Ice-Loss-sends-Barrow-Alaska-s-temperatures-soaring-to-7-degrees-celcius?detail=email

In the last 34 years, the average October temperature in Barrow has risen by more than 7°C − an increase that, on its own, makes a mockery of international efforts to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 2°C above their pre-industrial level.
A study by scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks analysed several decades of weather information. These show that temperature trends are closely linked to sea ice concentrations, which have been recorded since 1979, when accurate satellite measurements began.

In that period, the average annual temperature rose by 2.7°C. But the November increase was far higher − more than six degrees. And October was the most striking of all, with the month’s average temperature 7.2°C higher in 2012 than in 1979.

Republicans sneaky new way to control Women's Lives and take away choices..

http://www.alternet.org/gender/rights-sneaky-new-strategy-take-control-womens-lives?akid=12377.294211.jn06At&rd=1&src=newsletter1023618&t=5

 Recent months have revealed a scary new trend in the anti-choice movement: claiming, falsely, that anti-choice conservatives are the ones trying to give women more control over their reproductive decision-making. Yes, the new lie coming from anti-choicers is to pretend, as hard as it may be to believe, that they are actually pro-choice.

In the Bay Area,  a crisis pregnancy center whose entire purpose is to try to guilt and bully women out of abortions is now trying to trick people into believing it’s a pro-choice counseling center. As reported by Katie Baker at Buzzfeed, the city of San Francisco passed a law requiring crisis pregnancy centers, which often pretend to be abortion clinics in order to lure women seeking abortion, to put up signage to explain that they do not actually offer abortion services. After their lawsuit to stop the law failed, the crisis pregnancy center First Resort has started a rebranding effort, calling itself Third Box and claiming it’s a counseling center for “undecided” pregnant women.
Third Box goes out of its way to give the appearance of being a pro-choice organization, even using the phrase “pro-choice” in a press release. Its website insinuates that women will be given fair and honest counseling about all their options, including abortion. Most women would, in fact, get the impression from the website that Third Box offers abortion referrals.

EBOLA - 8 Mistakes we are making.

http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/8-mistakes-were-making-about-ebola-we-also-made-when-aids-appeared?akid=12377.294211.jn06At&rd=1&src=newsletter1023618&t=3

Anyone who was alive in the 1980s will find these headlines familiar:

• “Rare cancer seen!”
• “AIDS: Fatal, Incurable, and Spreading!”
• “AIDS Alert After 3 Babies Die!”
• “Now No One is Safe From AIDS!”

The sheer panic the new and unfamiliar disease caused was mirrored and amplified in the media in a way we have not seen since. Until now. The parallels between reactions to Ebola and AIDS are evident in the media coverage of the crisis today. The same jittery headlines, same hysterical fear of a deadly disease, same paranoia, and in some cases, same prejudices.
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Thomas Frieden, who was also involved in the fight against AIDS, recently compared the two diseases. "In my 30 years in public health, the only thing that has been like this is AIDS,” he said. “We have to work now so that this is not the world's next AIDS."

Jon Stewart slams Mitch McConnel for screwing up the Government with NO, NO, NO on anything.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/16/1337025/-Watch-Jon-Stewart-slam-GOP-Mitch-McConnell-as-architect-of-government-failure?detail=facebook

Jon Stewart once again hits the nail on the head. Most importantly he got to the core of the government dysfunction and the genesis of this iteration that started just before President Obama's inauguration.
A few weeks ago President Obama gave a speech where he stated that while he was not on the ballot, his policies were. The snippet got a lot of attention and was placed in the ads of many Republicans. Because of the lack of spine and fortitude of Democrats, that statement while true turned a reality into a liability when taken out of context.
The snippet from Jon Stewart's skit above illustrates this perfectly. It is the timidity of Democrats, a failed traditional media, and a Republican Party that has no fear of being called out for lies, misinformation, and policies that materially hurt the middle class that is at fault.

Stephen Colbert on FanGate - The Scott / Criss debate over a fan.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/17/1337203/-Stephen-Colbert-on-Fangate-Rick-Scott-was-blown-away?detail=email

SMUT IN JESUSLAND: Porn is watched in Red States way more than Blue States! Why?

http://www.alternet.org/smut-jesusland-why-red-state-conservatives-are-biggest-porn-hounds?akid=12371.294211.IU6X3B&rd=1&src=newsletter1023485&t=8

Red-state conservatives may insist that the rest of us should keep aspirin between our knees and be forced to bear Divine Justice Babies if we don’t. They may refuse to provide cake or flowers for gay weddings, or even to attend. They may pretend that teens won’t  do it if we just don’t tell them how. They may adopt the Church Lady posture if anyone mentions sex that doesn’t involve one man, one woman, the missionary position and a pulsing desire for more offspring.

ALASKA GOVERNOR PARNELL IGNORED THE SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE NATIONAL GUARD.

http://www.themudflats.net/archives/44718

As a U.S. Army National Guard veteran, I’ve watched with dismay as Gov. Sean Parnell’s administration ignored reports of unpunished sexual assault in the National Guard. The stories sounded all too familiar.
When I was in the Alaska National Guard, sexual harassment was all too common. As the only female recruiter in the Alaska Army National Guard, I was subjected to harassment by my immediate supervisor and two male recruiters to the point where it was intolerable. I reported sexual harassment, and a subsequent investigation confirmed it. However, the harassment did not stop. The “good ol’ boy” system kicked in and little was done to punish the perpetrators.
Sadly, I was not alone. The problems just seems to have gotten worse.

ISIS Beheadings are horrible. How about the Saudi Arabia Killings which happen weekly or monthly. (Are they OK? We sure don't talk about them in disgust.)

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/10/16/isis-beheadings-are-repugnant-as-are-those-carried-out-in-great-numbers-by-our-pious-saudi-friends/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=friendlyatheist_101614UTC061051_daily&utm_content=&spMailingID=47207157&spUserID=OTk2MjM1ODk5MjES1&spJobID=542107790&spReportId=NTQyMTA3NzkwS0

Mohammed Saad al-Beshi’s most productive day so far was when he beheaded seven prisoners. He told Arab News, “It doesn’t matter to me: Two, four, 10 – as long as I’m doing God’s will, it doesn’t matter how many people I execute.”

Al-Beshi started his trade in Jeddah in 1988, but many of the beheaders [there is currently a shortage of them] come from a long line of executioners, an occupation passed from generation to generation, like a cherished heirloom.

They’re nothing if not versatile.

In Saudi Arabia, at least, the executioner isn’t limited to separating bodies from heads. He also cuts off other body parts — hands, legs — depending on the crime.

Newsweek notes that the most recent beheading victim was convicted of — no joke — sorcery. Some Saudi prisoners are put to death for political dissent.

Through it all, the silence from the West is deafening.

Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/10/16/isis-beheadings-are-repugnant-as-are-those-carried-out-in-great-numbers-by-our-pious-saudi-friends/#ixzz3GMKFriNC

Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/10/16/isis-beheadings-are-repugnant-as-are-those-carried-out-in-great-numbers-by-our-pious-saudi-friends/#ixzz3GMK9SING

Car Porn

http://www.web2carz.com/autos/everything-else/3628/weekly-car-porn-all-wrapped-up

Some wild cars.

Ebola Funding Cuts will not get a hearing but Ebola Panic will get Lots Of House Hearing Time.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/16/1337019/-Ebola-funding-won-t-get-a-hearing-from-House-Republicans-but-Ebola-panic-nbsp-will#

Testimony from public health officials in the Senate a few weeks ago and subsequent media follow up has pointed out a serious deficit for public health funding. In fact, NIH Director Francis Collins said, point blank "if we had not gone through our 10-year slide in research support, we probably would have had a vaccine in time for this that would've gone through clinical trials and would have been ready." These reports led House Democrats to call for a hearing on the lack of funding for the Ebola crisis.

"As we mourn the death of Thomas Eric Duncan and pray for the two health care workers infected in Dallas, we reiterate our call for Chairman [Jack] Kingston to convene our subcommittee immediately," Democrats on the House Appropriations Health subcommittee said in a joint statement. […] "The Homeland Security Committee met nearly two weeks ago, and an Energy and Commerce subcommittee will meet tomorrow. For our subcommittee, the one in charge of funding the NIH and CDC, to continue to shirk its responsibility and go without so much as a hearing is unacceptable,” they said in their statement Wednesday.

RAMPANT SEXUAL ABUSE - The Alaska National Guard Scandal gets bigger. Govs Palin and Parnell knew but ignored it.

http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-anchorage-press-which-is-way-ahead.html

Gov Palin ignored the SEX, SEX, SEX as did Gov Parnell -  this needs to come out.

Jon Stewart got Bill O'Reilly to admit there is White Privilege (sort of)

http://www.alternet.org/video/watch-jon-stewart-gets-bill-oreilly-admit-white-privilege-exists-sort

  Jon Stewart only wanted one thing from Bill O'Reilly on the Daily Show last night: An admission of the existence of white privilege. It is a fact of life that the Fox peronsality has steadfastly denied, despite overwhelming evidence
Bizarrely O'Reilly first countered that then Stewart had to acknowledge that Asian privilege exists, because Asian Americans make more money on average than other groups.

Pregnant Woman stopped and held at gun point while contractions were happening.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/cops-hold-pregnant-woman-labor-gunpoint-she-tries-rush-hospital?akid=12369.294211.jlD8JG&rd=1&src=newsletter1023438&t=19

Her husband were racing to the hospital and a cop put his lights on.  The woman told him to get to the hospital and he kept going.  The police flattened the tires and held the man and woman at gun point.

A SELF DRIVING CAR - Amazing Stuff

http://www.upworthy.com/just-watch-the-incredible-footage-of-what-these-new-machines-can-do-and-tell-me-theyre-a-bad-idea?c=upw1

Now I know many of us have already heard a lot of talk about these driverless cars. But I for one had never seen all this amazing footage or heard from one of the lead researchers. Pretty cool, right? Here's hoping this technology saves the lives it was created to save.

Lies in Political Ads are now normal thanks to Citizens United: Lies are everywhere.

http://www.alternet.org/media/imagine-if-politicians-were-forced-tell-truth-their-ad-campaigns

  A record $3.7+ billion is pouring into the 2014 midterms. The monetary floodgates are wide open, thanks to recent Supreme Court election decisions. Most of that money is spent on advertising, much of which misleads, distorts and downright lies. The donors for more than half of TV ads are not fully disclosed. Someone is profiting, but it sure isn’t you. And it’s definitely not the country.
It is legal to lie in national political advertising. Federal candidates can say just about anything they want, protected by the Court’s interpretation of free speech. The stand-by-your-ad statement: “I approve this message,” doesn’t mean it’s true, but it does get candidates the cheapest TV and radio ad rates, in compliance with the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. If a federal candidate’s ad is deceptive, broadcasters have to run it, as required by the Federal Communications Commission.

Trying to fight the laws in court, Congress or the regulatory agencies can be costly, take many years, and result in unintended consequences. Requiring truth in political advertising is up to you and me. We need to change the playing field by using our own voices and votes to demand honest political ads. This is why I’ve created HonestAds.org with just one mission – to disrupt deceptive political advertising. Together, we can put candidates on notice that they’ll lose if they lie. 

EBOLA: OMG - People might turn to Science for a cure: Christian Right are freaking out

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/fear-ebola-outbreak-make-nation-turn-science?utm_source=tny&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=borowitz&mbid=nl_141016_Borowitz&CUST_ID=24484788&spMailingID=7208458&spUserID=MjczNzc1NzE1MjES1&spJobID=541761736&spReportId=NTQxNzYxNzM2S0

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—There is a deep-seated fear among some Americans that an Ebola outbreak could make the country turn to science.
In interviews conducted across the nation, leading anti-science activists expressed their concern that the American people, wracked with anxiety over the possible spread of the virus, might desperately look to science to save the day.