An Educators wishlist for the New Year

http://www.alternet.org/education/educators-wishlist-new-year?page=0%2C2&akid=12604.294211.sftHKU&rd=1&src=newsletter1029070&t=18

Resolution #1: I Promise to Fight for Developmentally Appropriate Education for Young Learners
Resolution #2: I Will Work to Ensure More Joy and Creativity and Fewer Tests for Kids in Grade School
Resolution #3: I Will Continute to Advocate for Better Adaptations, More Appropriate Inclusion, and a Continuum of Services for Children with Special Need 

FOX NEWS HOST: Colbert OWES US MONEY because our stupidity made his career

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/12/20/fox-news-host-colbert-owes-us-money-because-our-stupidity-made-his-career-video/

A Fox News host has admitted what we have known all along, and he thinks Stephen Colbert should send them a check to thank them.
On Friday, the hosts of The Five on Fox News reacted to the final episode of the Colbert Report and hilarity ensued.
Eric Bolling was actually man enough to admit that Colbert had an “epic send-off,” calling the Comedy Central spectacle “one of the best I’ve ever seen.” He continued his praise of Colbert by saying “he did a great job.”
Kimberly Guilfoyle and Dana Perino thought it was a fun ending to the show but felt that a Bill O’Reilly appearance would have made it better.
But it was Greg Gutfield who had the line of the night.
Gutfield seemed to enjoy Colbert’s final performance, but then made a crack that makes us all wish that Colbert had one more show to respond.

“He should write an eight-figure check to Fox News, because all of our gaffes made that man’s career.”

President Obama: Final 2014 Press Conference - He comes out swinging.

http://egbertowillies.com/2014/12/19/president-obama-comes-swinging-news-conference-video/

This is my President.  Thank You President Obama, have your Veto Pen Ready for the new Congress.

FERGUSON: Prosecutor admits Witnesses lied under oath - He will not prosecute, of course.

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/12/19/prosecutor-admits-witnesses-absolutely-lied-testify-ferguson-grand-jury.html

Speaking with KTRS’s McGraw Milhaven, McCulloch broke his silence and discussed the grand jury proceedings that led to Wilson’s non-indictment. Regarding recent news that at least one witness that testified to the grand jury obviously presented false testimony, McCulloch admitted to Milhaven that he knew he presented witnesses that lacked credibility to the grand jury.

Milhaven later asked McCulloch if he was thinking about charging anyone with perjury over their false testimony. This was an obvious reference to “Witness 40,’ who The Smoking Gun has identified as Sandra McElroy, a St. Louis woman who has a history of racism and making false statements. While McCulloch said he knew that some witnesses “absolutely lied under oath” and one particular witness “clearly wasn’t present when” the shooting happened, he would forego charging any witnesses with perjury.

Below is video of the entire interview, courtesy of KTRS:

Why Colbert was super Funny but the real Conservative he portrays are NOT!!!

http://www.alternet.org/media/why-colbert-hilarious-real-conservative-comedy-never-funny

After nine years at the helm of The Colbert Report, where he turned his brilliant right-wing persona into a sprawling marketing empire (see your grocery's freezer section), explained super PACs to everyday Americans, enlightened us about divinity, and added " truthiness" to the nation's vocabulary, Stephen Colbert says his farewell to the Colbert Nation this week to become CBS's new Late Night host. (Sans persona.)
For nearly 10 years and more than 1,400 episodes, Colbert remained a constantly amusing and insightful part of our national dialogue. "Fans of the show and its indomitable host (only now defeated by the real-life lure of late-night respectability) have good reason to mourn," noted The New Yorker earlier this year, while Salon recently crowned Colbert "one of the most important figures in U.S. political comedy of all time."
By embracing the absurd and truly embodying it, Colbert has made politics and public policy uproariously funny, while providing much-needed bouts of sanity for devoted news junkies.

Crony Capitalism killed the Russian Economy - US is doing the same thing: Paul Krugman speaks

http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-shows-how-putins-burst-economic-bubble-essence-crony-capitalism

Vladimir Putin's macho act has been admired by the likes of Pat Buchanan and Rudy Giuliani. “That is what you call a leader,”  Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, said after Putin invaded the Ukraine, unilaterally and without any public debate.

Alas, "swaggering strongman" Putin is hitting a bit of a snag, writes Paul Krugman in his column today. "Mr. Putin never had the resources to back his swagger," Krugman says. "Russia has an economy roughly the same size as Brazil’s. And, as we’re now seeing, it’s highly vulnerable to financial crisis — a vulnerability that has a lot to do with the nature of the Putin regime."

The ruble started sliding in August when Putin sent troops to Ukraine and has started downright plunging in recent weeks, Krugman points out. "And all indications are that the Russian economy is heading for a nasty recession."

Except for one thing. Usually, the way a country ends up with a lot of foreign debt is by running trade deficits, using borrowed funds to pay for imports. But Russia hasn’t run trade deficits. On the contrary,  it has consistently run large trade surpluses, thanks to high oil prices. 

The question is, where did the money go?

The money left the country, and took lavish trips abroad. It went to the most expensive neighborhoods in London and New York, where Russian oligarchs purchased luxury real estate trophies that they seldom inhabit. Krugman explains how they got the money: "Putin’s Russia is an extreme version of crony capitalism, indeed, a kleptocracy in which loyalists get to skim off vast sums for their personal use. It all looked sustainable as long as oil prices stayed high. But now the bubble has burst, and the very corruption that sustained the Putin regime has left Russia in dire straits."

Republicans hypocrisy - They Condemn North Korean Human Rights Violations but IGNORE THE US TORTURE REPORT.

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/12/19/americas-blatant-hypocrisy-condemning-north-korean-human-rights-violations.html

We can Waterboard and stuff food up someones ass but North Korea can't.  Got it.

Racism exposed - Very Informative

http://www.liberalamerica.org/2014/12/18/the-racism-that-tim-wise-exposes-after-5-minutes-of-police-training-is-staggering/

Anti-racism activist Tim Wise trains police officers in diversity workshops. He asks two questions five minutes into a three-hour workshop that exposes their profiling and racism.
From his website:

A brief clip from Shakti Butler’s powerful film, “Cracking the Codes” (World Trust Films, 2012). In this clip (filmed back in 2010 but clearly as relevant as ever), I briefly recount my experiences with law enforcement officials, and an experiment I do with them at the outset of our conversation, which demonstrates how automatic racial biases can be, and why it matters.

Everyone in America needs to watch this short video by Cracking the Code.

Ice Dam breaks causing a river to go crazy - video

http://www.eyeopening.info/2014/12/17/magnificent-ice-flow-in-river/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=magnificent-ice-flow-in-river&utm_source=Eye+Opening+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c3111632da-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fecb8a55b-c3111632da-180704649#.VJOiwUD4OA

Ice Dam breaks and causes a River to go crazy - video

http://www.eyeopening.info/2014/12/17/magnificent-ice-flow-in-river/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=magnificent-ice-flow-in-river&utm_source=Eye+Opening+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c3111632da-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fecb8a55b-c3111632da-180704649#.VJOhY0D4OA

Very Interesting

A Black Man explains to a White man about the Black Experience. Very Good.

http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/10/02/watch-this-young-black-man-give-a-near-perfect-response-to-a-white-male-whos-ignorant-about-the-systematic-oppression-of-black-people/

Watch the whole things.  5 minute Video.

Watch This Young Black Man Give A Near Perfect Response To A White Male Who’s Ignorant About The Systematic Oppression of Black People

Hannity of FOX badmouths JZ. Jon Stewart tears Hannity apart.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/jon-stewart-and-daily-show-tear-into-hannity-and-fox-for-calling-ex-nba-owner-jay-z-a-former-crack-dealer/

Jon Stewart and his Daily Show colleague Jessica Williams ripped Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday by harping on rapper and entrepreneur Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s past as a drug dealer.
“Jay-Z is the guy they keep saying they want other Black guys to be,” Williams argued. “But to them, he’s still just a crack dealer.”
Stewart explained that Hannity criticized New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) for meeting with Carter last week amid widespread demonstrations in New York City over the Eric Garner grand jury decision.

Not only did Hannity promote a segment regarding the meeting by saying Cuomo met with an unnamed “former crack dealer,” Stewart said, but he focused on one sentence in Carter’s autobiography, Decoded.

School Shootings are worst in these 5 States. Kids Most likely to get shot in:

http://reverbpress.com/news/5-top-states-where-your-kids-are-most-likely-to-get-killed-in-a-school-shooting/

Sad fact of life.

Retirement Pension Cut for 10 Million in the Budget Deal.

http://www.ncpssm.org/EntitledtoKnow/entryid/2099/congress-sends-millions-of-retirees-a-holiday-present-an-historic-pension-cut

What Bullshit!  Not one hearing on this.  I think it will just get worse when the Republicans take over.  This is just the beginning.  I hope President Obama uses his Veto Pen.

Posted in Aging Issues, Max Richtman, pensions, Retirement, Social Security By NCPSSM

Tucked into the massive spending bill Congress passed this weekend was legislation that reversed 40 years of federal law protecting retirees’ pensions.  The change will allow benefit cuts for up to 10 million workers, many of them part of a shrinking middle-class workforce in businesses such as construction and trucking. There wasn’t a single Congressional hearing on the plan before it was slipped into the spending bill, outraging senior’s advocates...including NCPSSM.
“Allowing plans to break the fundamental ERISA promise - that pensions paid to retirees and their surviving spouses will not be reduced - represents an extreme response to a problem that can be addressed through other means by strengthening the funding of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. 

‘It bothers me no end that we have Congress and legislators that think that the proper way to correct problems that banks and corporations made is to take it out on the workers,’ said Dave Cook, president of Local 655 of the United Food and Commercial Workers.”  St. Louis Post Dispatch

The Pension Rights Center has a calculator on its website that lets retirees under age 75 see how much their pensions might be reduced under the bill.

Salt Lake Here I Come. Have a great Christmas.

I am flying to Salt Lake and will be there in 3 hours.  I have a daughter in Medical School and she is interviewing for Residency next year.  She was kind enough to ask me if I wanted to hang out with her as she does the interviews and dinners.  She was in Sacramento the today and yesterday for an interview there. 

After she flies back to Portland, I will take a rental car and just drive around and get lost.  No real destination.  I will be looking for some sun though.

Have a great Christmas.

Drug War failed - The times they are a changing

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/drug-war-coffin-nails-top-stories-2014-0?akid=12582.294211.dcJUQB&rd=1&src=newsletter1028809&t=21

 2014 was another nail in the coffin in the United States’ disastrous war on drugs. The majority of the country now supports marijuana legalization and Oregon, Alaska and D.C. made it a reality by legalizing it. World leaders like former UN head Kofi Annan and Presidents of Latin America called for an end to the drug war and for legally regulating drugs.

Congressman Andy Harris from Maryland is being Blacklisted in WA DC for denying rights wanted by the people of DC.

http://www.attn.com/stories/493/congressman-who-blocks-dc-pot-measure-now-faces-major-backlash?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=blistaharris

Andy Harris is a U.S. Congressman from Maryland who just led the charge to overturn the will of Washington D.C. voters by inserting language into Congress' spending bill that prevents the District from implementing the referendum they passed to legalize recreational marijuana in the 2014 midterm election. That referendum passed with 70% of the vote on Election Day. 
"This is just a little political protest that we have here, and we think in general this is a sentiment that is District-wide," said Brian Ward, the sales manager at Capital Hill Bikes, which banned the Congressman. "It's not even just about Initiative 71 but more generally speaking about how Congress likes to stick their noses in the District's affairs."

He goes into an ice cave and his dogs find a sleeping black bear

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/photos-reveal-alaska-hiker-wasnt-alone-as-he-explored-glacier-caves/30266842

Michael Glidden was wandering the ice-blue remains of a glacier in the Chugach National Forest Saturday when he spotted one particularly, deep, dark tunnel, he says.

The Anchorage retiree and his two American Eskimo Dogs, Shasta and Aspen, ventured inside. Temperatures had dipped to 29 degrees along the riverbeds outside.

Men are Idiots. Darwin Awards.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/12/15/darwin-proves-what-women-have-known-for-ages-men-are-idiots/

The BMJ did a study on Darwin Award winners dating from 1995-2014, and it seems that the Male Idiot Theory (MIT), which is what the people conducting the research call this phenomenon, has some credibility. Of the 382 Darwin Awards won during the time of the study, only 36 of those awards went to women, suggesting that men have a much higher probability of risky and idiotic behavior.

Kansas Republican Kevin Yoder - THE MAN WHO PUT THE CITIBANK LANGUAGE IN THE Must Pass Budget. (He is not talking about it>)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/15/kevin-yoder-wall-street-bailout_n_6329784.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg0000001

For all the anger among progressives about a Wall Street bailout provision that made its way into the just-passed $1.1 trillion government spending bill, there's been little attention on the person who put it in there.

Meet Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas).
 
Yoder, a second-term congressman whose largest contributors are in the finance industry, introduced the provision last summer. It was literally written by Citigroup executives, but Yoder took their language and rolled it into an amendment to a spending bill in a House subcommittee meeting. It got swept into the year-end spending package because it "was within the scope of negotiations" on it, according to an Appropriations Committee aide.

Paying people fairly increases sales and job satisfaction

http://www.alternet.org/labor/success-stories-san-francisco-prove-retailers-profit-more-when-they-treat-their-workers-fairly?page=0%2C1&akid=12578.294211.dKdcqO&rd=1&src=newsletter1028754&t=21

Ton’s book, The Good Jobs Strategy offers many examples of highly successful retail chains—such as Quik­Trip convenience stores, Trader Joe’s supermarkets, and Costco wholesale clubs—that complement higher investment in store employees with investments in operational practices. The combination makes work more efficient and more fulfilling while it lowers costs, boosts sale and profits and improves customer satisfaction.
Costco employees earn 40 percent more than those working at Sam’s Club and sales per employee are almost double those at Sam’s Club. Full-time employees at Trader Joe’s earn more than twice what competitors offer and sales per labor hour are more than 40 percent higher while sales per square foot are three times higher than those of an average U.S. supermarket. And turnover among full-time employees is less than 10 percent. QuikTrip’s wages and benefits are far higher than those of other comparable stores but its sales per labor hour are 50 percent higher. Its 13 percent turnover rate among full-time employees is remarkably lower than the 59 percent average rate in the top quartile of the convenience store industry.
Local and state government intervention is helping tens of millions of workers while forcing retail corporations to up their game. Those who continue to operate inefficiently will go out of business. Those who treat their workers (and customers) with respect will increase sales, reduce operating costs and increase profits.

Elizabeth Warren give 9 damned good reasons to break up Citibank.

http://www.alternet.org/economy/elizabeth-warren-offers-9-damned-good-reasons-split-citibank-pieces?akid=12578.294211.dKdcqO&rd=1&src=newsletter1028754&t=13

1. Forget political power, look at economic power. “Today, I’m coming to the floor not to talk about Democrats or Republicans, but about a third group that also wields tremendous power in Washington: Citigroup.
4. Citigroup spends millions to get billions from taxpayers. “Citigroup has a lot of money, it spends a lot of money, and it uses that money to grow and consolidate a lot of power. And it pays off. Consider a couple facts… During the financial crisis, when all the support through TARP [2008’s Troubled Asset Relief program] and from the FDIC [Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation] and the Fed [Federal Reserve system] is added up, Citi received nearly half a trillion dollars in bailouts. That’s half a trillion with a “t.” That’s almost $140 billion more than the next biggest bank got.” 
8. Citigroup’s activities are the very definition of corruption. “We’re watching as Congress passes yet another provision that was written by lobbyists for the biggest recipient of bailout money in the history of the country. And it’s attached to a bill that needs to pass or else the entire federal government will grind to a halt. Think about this kind of power. A financial institution has become so big and so powerful that it can hold the entire country hostage. That alone is a reason enough for us break them up. Enough is enough.

 9. Meanwhile, Washington isn’t working for the middle class. “Washington already works really well for the billionaires and big corporations and the lawyers and lobbyists. But what about the families who lost their homes or their jobs or their retirement savings the last time Citi bet big on derivatives and lost? What about the families who are living paycheck to paycheck and saw their tax dollars go to bail Citi out just six years ago? We were sent here to fight for those families, and it’s time—it’s past time—for Washington to start working for them." 

 

She and Bernie Sanders are so great!!!  Thank You!

Ferguson: Witness 40 has serious credibilty issues. (Please tell Sean Hannity.)

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/232560/ferguson-grand-jury-witness-has-shockingly-serious-credibility-issues/

Ferguson grand jury witness has shockingly serious credibility issues

Monday morning, The Smoking Gun released a damning exposé on Sandra McElroy, the woman previously known only as Witness 40 in the Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson’s grand jury hearing. Her testimony–which conflicted with other witness accounts of Michael Brown having held his hands up in the air at the time of the shooting–perfectly corroborated Wilson’s account of the incident, and had been held up by Fox News personality Sean Hannity as evidence of Wilson’s innocence. In fact, it is very likely that her testimony was a major factor in Wilson not being indicted.
There had already been some questions as to McElroy’s reliability during the trial, due to some extremely racist statements on social media, in her journal and elsewhere, the fact that she was not on medication for her bipolar disorder, and the fact that she admitted to having had a serious head injury in a car accident which made her memory a little fuzzy.

Texas Environmental Regulators FIRED for doing their job.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/13/1351143/-Texas-Regulators-Get-Fired-for-Doing-Their-Jobs?detail=facebook#

The Republicans are in charge and ruining the environment (and our health) is OK with them.

Senator talking about GOOD GUY WITH A GUN does not work. Excellent information

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/12/15/dem-senator-destroys-myth-good-guys-guns-wouldve-prevented-sydney-siege.html

Murphy pointed out that we’ve seen one school shooting a week since Sandy Hook, and that should be more than enough to keep gun control in our national conversation. He also argued that if the Sydney situation were happening in the United States, the gunman would likely have more deadly weaponry at his disposal. It should also be pointed out that since Australia banned assault weapons in 1996 after a terrible mass shooting the country has not experienced another mass shooting.

The Health Impacts of Climate Change - Most people have no clue about them

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/15/3603519/health-impacts-climate-change-poll/

The health impacts of climate change aren’t on most Americans’ radars, with few Americans able to name a climate-related health impact, according to a new poll.

The poll, released by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, found that though a “solid majority” — 63 percent — of Americans think climate change is generally bad for people’s health, most aren’t able to list any particular health impact of climate change. Only about one in four poll respondents were able to list a specific climate-related impact, such as asthma, lung diseases, or death as a result of an extreme weather event. Fewer still could name a different health-related impact: less than 5 percent listed things like allergies, vector-borne diseases, or hunger related to crop failure.

9 Things Scientists Did This Year to ensure a better climate future.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/15/3601176/9-things-scientists-did-2014/

The Living Planet Report Made An Appeal For Biodiversity

The World Energy Outlook Report Gave Some Stark Perspective

Inventors Of The LED Won The Nobel Prize For Energy-Saving Technology

Several Studies Conclude Natural Gas Is Not All Good

 

 

 

Cheney hides behind TORTURE MYTHS to justify Torture. Fact Check Time - Cheney is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/12/14/dick-cheney-hides-behind-torture-myths-to-evade/201876

Cheney: CIA Techniques Were Sanctioned By DOJ

Cheney Refused To Define Torture, Relied On Rescinded DOJ Memo To Defend CIA Techniques. When Todd asked Cheney for his own definition of torture and whether the CIA's techniques amounted to torture in Cheney's opinion, the former vice president cited the much maligned Justice Department's Office Of Legal Counsel memo to describe CIA techniques:

FACT: Torture Memo Cited By Cheney Never Identified Explicit Boundaries On Torture, And Was Rescinded Two Years Later. The 2002 memo from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel cited by Cheney defined torture as an act "equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death." The memo did not authorize any specific interrogation method, but it provided "wide latitude" to the military and allowed the CIA to use virtually any technique like waterboarding and sleep deprivation. The memo was eventually rescinded in 2004. From The New York Times:

Cheney: Raid On Bin Laden Compound Proves CIA Techniques Were Effective 

Cheney Claimed That CIA Techniques Led To The "Capture Of Bin Laden." Cheney implied that the CIA's program has kept the United States safe in the years since 9/11, citing the killing of Osama bin Laden as grounds for why he would repeat the torture techniques "again in a minute":

FACT: Vital Intelligence Leading To Bin Laden Was Obtained Without Torture. The Senate report determined that "the most valuable information on Osama bin Laden was obtained outside of enhanced interrogation techniques or prior to detainees even being held by the CIA," as ABC News explained:

Cheney: Forced Rectal Feeding On Detainees Was "Done For Medical Reasons" 

Cheney On Forced Rectal Feeding: "I Believe It Was Done For Medical Reasons."  When Todd asked whether force-feeding a detainee food through his rectum constitutes torture, Cheney denied it was torture arguing it "was not one of the techniques that was approved" and that he "believe[d] it was done for medical reasons":

FACT: Doctors Say Rectal Rehydration Is Not A Modern Medical Practice. According to PBS' Newshour, the technique known as "rectal rehydration"  or "rectal feeding" is a practice that dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries but is not a modern medical procedure. Newshour reported that doctors have called the practice "humiliating," and have said it has "no place in medical treatment." [PBS, NewsHour, 12/12/14]

Cheney: "I Have No Problem" With Wrongfully Detained Prisoners Subjected To Torture

Palin Family - Behind the Facade

http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2014/12/pulling-back-facade-on-sarah-palin-and.html

Before you start reading this post remember that this is only the information that I can share that does not out my source completely. There is much that is being left for future posts when she decides that she is in a position to reveal her identity.

When that happens all of this will have a far bigger impact. As will what is soon to follow.

As I have shared before the impetus for this source seeking me out was the drunken brawl in Anchorage. When all of that was in its early stages this person was afraid that Palin was about to skate free and decided she simply could not watch that happen yet again.

America's Torture Machine: One reason for US DECLINE in the eyes of the world.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/americas-torture-machine-no-aberration-its-part-our-imperial-decline?akid=12576.294211.OZpAIy&rd=1&src=newsletter1028681&t=8

America's Torture Machine Is No Aberration—It's Part of Our Imperial Decline

Can we quit pretending torture is some huge departure from America's behavior?

If 9/11 was a test of America’s national character, we failed it. As distant as this possibility seems now, Americans of all creeds, colors and political affiliations felt united for a few weeks after the collapse of the Twin Towers. Yes, that soon gave way to jingoism, to strip-mall attacks on presumed Muslims and to the invasion of Afghanistan, which even a cursory, Cliffs Notes history of the Near East will tell you is the place where empires go to die.

The 6 Step Process to dispose of the poor half of US Citizens

http://www.alternet.org/economy/6-step-process-dispose-poor-half-america?akid=12576.294211.OZpAIy&rd=1&src=newsletter1028681&t=10

1. Deplete Their Wealth 
Recent analysis has determined that half of America is in or near poverty.
2. Strip Away Their Income 
Earnings due to workers for their years of productivity have been withheld by people in power. Based on inflation, the minimum wage should be nearly  three times its current level. An investor report from J.P. Morgan  noted a direct correlation between record profits and cutbacks in wages. 
3. Take Away Their Homes 
A study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition concluded that an average American renter would need to earn $18.92 per hour -- well over twice the minimum wage -- to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
6. Most Insidious: Let Their Children Suffer 
The U.S. has one of the highest relative  child poverty rates in the developed world.

10 Dumbest Conservative Issues in 2014. (They also won the midterms because of them.)

http://www.ifyouonlynews.com/politics/10-dumbest-conservative-issues-of-2014/

-Bundy Ranch
-ISIS on the Southern Border
-The Tan Suit
-Muslim Prayer Curtains in the White House
-Latte
-Ebola

Why talk about real issues when we can spend our time looking at the newest shiny object the Republicans and FOX throw out for us to see.  The world is going to end!

Justice Scalia says Torture is not unconstitutional (Even to Americans)

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/12/14/justice-scalia-get-constitution-wrong-says-it-doesnt-ban-torture-even-against-americans/

Scalia needs to go back to law school and learn about the 8th Amendment.  The founding fathers also disagree with Scalia.

The part of the Constitution Scalia doesn’t seem to know about is the Eighth Amendment, which says:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Scalia also seems to be unaware of the 5th Amendment:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Furthermore, even the Founding Fathers were disgusted by torture. George Washington prohibited soldiers from using torture against prisoners of war and punished those who did.
“Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.”
~George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

Monsanto stops all negative press - This is significant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsglbfZLc_0

The reporter who investigated Monsanto got fired.

Why Germany has it so much better than the US

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/why-germany-has-it-so-much-better-than-the-us/

ermany has somehow managed to create a high-wage, unionized economy without shipping all its jobs abroad.
This story first appeared at AlterNet.
The European Union, 27 member nations with a half billion people, has become the largest, wealthiest trading bloc in the world, producing nearly a third of the world’s economy — nearly as large as the US and China combined. Europe has more Fortune 500 companies than either the US, China or Japan.

European nations spend far less than the United States for universal healthcare rated by the World Health Organization as the best in the world, even as U.S. health care is ranked 37th. Europe leads in confronting global climate change with renewable energy technologies, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the process. Europe is twice as energy efficient as the US and their ecological “footprint” (the amount of the earth’s capacity that a population consumes) is about half that of the United States for the same standard of living.

Unemployment in the US is widespread and becoming chronic, but when Americans have jobs, we work much longer hours than our peers in Europe. Before the recession, Americans were working 1,804 hours per year versus 1,436 hours for Germans — the equivalent of nine extra 40-hour weeks per year.
In his new book, Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?, Thomas Geoghegan makes a strong case that European social democracies — particularly Germany — have some lessons and models that might make life a lot more livable. Germans have six weeks of federally mandated vacation, free university tuition, and nursing care. But you’ve heard the arguments for years about how those wussy Europeans can’t compete in a global economy. You’ve heard that so many times, you might believe it. But like so many things, the media repeats endlessly, it’s just not true.

According to Geoghegan, “Since 2003, it’s not China but Germany, that colossus of European socialism, that has either led the world in export sales or at least been tied for first. Even as we in the United States fall more deeply into the clutches of our foreign creditors — China foremost among them — Germany has somehow managed to create a high-wage, unionized economy without shipping all its jobs abroad or creating a massive trade deficit, or any trade deficit at all. And even as the Germans outsell the United States, they manage to take six weeks of vacation every year. They’re beating us with one hand tied behind their back.”