I KNEW GOD HATES FAGS, BUT FIGS?

STOP THE TPP!

You simply cannot pretend that Obama is a good guy who looks out for working Americans because he's pushing this TPP trade agreement. You've heard me rant about how it will kill jobs and other reasons why it's awful news, but maybe you'll believe former Labor Secretary Robert Reich's quick explanation. And if you don't care enough about jobs to watch this, then I'm sorry that your apathy is dragging the country down and good luck to you. It will affect you. So all of the progressive "i'm on offense" of Obama's last speech was his public face--screwing you in secret is what he's all about. Unless, you own a huge corporation. PS: Hillary Clinton also supports the TPP. Her husband was responsible for NAFTA which killed hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs.

So you have a democratic president and possibly the next president out to shaft workers in a secret trade deal that was written by lobbyists for huge corporations AND REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS, NOT DEMOCRATS, SUPPORT THE TPP. The people can't support it because it's top secret--legislators can go into a room and read it but not copy it--since the average American would not support it if they knew it's contents. The only things we know about it are through wikileaks. After two terms of Obama and his final push to give corporations more power and outsource more jobs and then Clinton--this country may never recover. I don't know what more proof you need to realize that Obama is actively working to shaft workers. Just because you don't hear about it on the news doesn't mean it isn't happening. Our news is funded by advertisers who are the huge companies this trade deal would benefit so this is getting little coverage.

Both Republicans and the current democratic president and next frontrunner for his job support screwing us. Time for a new party which supports workers. Which, last time I checked, most of us are. "Democrats" like Obama and Hillary have tainted their party for good and it's time to move on. And before you cry "But then the republicans might win!" They already have. They're just calling themselves democrats.

Post by Robert Reich.

GO ED!

Ed Shultz was hopping mad last night and taps into the rage that I know I'm feeling towards democrats who act like republicans. He lashes out at the 9 democrats in the Senate who voted for the Keystone XL pipeline and at Obama for pushing the job-destroying TPP, which the GOP miraculously, suddenly sides with Obama on. So you know it must be disastrous.

"FUN" WITH THE FAR-OFF ELECTIONS

It is fun to watch the GOP take over Congress and instantly make fools of themselves while their party self-destructs. Until you realize that one reason they won the majority after the mid-terms after the "shellacking" during the previous last mid-terms is that the democrats are failing to make anyone enthusiastic during these elections. So they lost big twice to republicans.

It's also a hoot to see Sarah Palin's recent, discombobulated speech which was the nail in her political coffin, even drawing widespread criticism from within the GOP. Until you realize that the Republican party is so pathetic and it's policies so unappealing that they once chose Dunce Palin as a VP candidate to add sex appeal--as if that should ever factor into the White House--because McCain's platform was a losing ticket. Remember when asked about his solution for the ailing economy, he famously said that he'd need to read a book on economics?

So sure, it's fun to laugh at Baptist minister Mike Huckleberry, marvel at new Congressman who actually spoke at a White Supremacist group's meeting and lunatic fringe like Ted Cruz, who filibustered by reading Dr. Seuss on the floor of the Senate, etc, etc. But I was rather surprised to see Chris Hayes format an election update as a game show, complete with an audience and a Jeopardy-style game board last night. Don't get me wrong--I love to laugh. But leave the comedy news to Jon Stewart. Despite claims of a vast left-wing media bias, MSNBC is the only national TV station which leans left, or forward, as their commercials put it. So could that one liberal voice please focus more on real issues? And while we're at it, let's keep it to real issues of TODAY. Not constant reporting on an election two years off. We've got plenty of time to laugh at GOP presidential hopefuls.

But that might force MSNBC to focus on both why 9 Democrats who are obviously not concerned with climate change voted for the Keystone pipeline, though the president of their party has vowed to veto it. Or focus on income equality still being felt so strongly that to many, the recession never ended while CEOs are making record profits. Or a liberal channel might focus more on why Obama, a democrat, has more support from republicans than democrats on the disastrous, secret trade deal he's trying to ram through without discussion via fast track. Or hell, even going over the president's own State Of The Union address and determining what would need to be done to effect his sometimes progressive agenda so that the SOTU doesn't become more like his empty campaign promises? Nope? We get a game show.

Then again, it's tough to discuss the democratic presidential hopefuls sparring since there's only one: Hillary Clinton, who has yet to announce her candidacy. No challengers, she's just the heir apparent who we must accept as the inevitable democratic nominee. Yesterday, Hillary's people announced that rather than announce her run in April, as planned, they'd wait until July. Now if you embrace Hillary, this may be a smart strategy to sit and watch the GOP candidates rip themselves to shreds. But if you feel as I do--that Hillary is to the right of even Obama--we are being left with the choice of totally insane Tea Party republicans, insane old-fashioned republicans and moderate democrat/republican lite Hillary, who is seen as more of a hawk, more of a friend to corporations and less progressive than our current president. What a choice!

The move from April to July also gives her more time to craft her platform--which will be anything we want to hear to get elected. Get into office and start more wars (or just keep the current ones going) and serve the corporations who funded her campaign. I'm curious as to why gays vigorously support Hillary. Based on what? She has no platform! Do you have fuzzy feelings about the rosier economy of her husband's terms and dream that this will translate into today? Do you think she'll fight for gay rights? She's such a slippery snake that when she was interviewed on NPR months ago by a real investigative reporter who asked for her stance on gay marriage, her answer was so unclear that interviewer Terry Gross held her feet to the fire for more of an explanation. Then Hillary snapped at the reporter, showing many that she wasn't yet ready for prime time and that she was waffling on gay marriage even as two thirds of the states have now legalized it and most of her party supports it!

Hillary is the opposite of a leader with bold ideas. At least the Republicans are raring to go with an agenda--regardless of how ill-conceived. The idea that Clinton''s all set to just ease into the White House because no challenger can match her fundraising is infuriating. So go ahead and giggle at the GOP candidates. At least their party has a choice. And they aren't afraid to share their vision for the country, no matter how laughable I may think it is. What's Hillary's vision? We'll have to wait a little longer for her to cook something vague yet inspiring-sounding up. She's so full of passion to lead that she hasn't even announced her candidacy yet. So keep laughing at the republicans. The joke's on you, democrats.

LORDY!

Post by Andre Brown.

GREAT INTERVIEW!

I really enjoyed this interview with Selma director Ava DuVernay. I did not understand the hoopla about how the Oscars are so white this year. As Ava jokes here, maybe Selma wasn't any good and didn't deserve an award. Why do people get so crazy over an Oscar panel of mostly old white guys picking movies like American Sniper? Why do you need a panel to tell you what's good if you have your own brain? And if you're so upset over what you feel is an obvious Oscar snub, then maybe you should rethink the importance of the Oscars on the year they don't pick what you like. And focus, as the charming and articulate DuVernay says, on how the voting rights won as a result of Selma are now being challenged with voter ID laws which make it harder for people of color to vote? Why have we taken a step backward towards injustice from the hard-won gains in Selma decades ago?

DuVernay: "I mean, this, when we get to the statues and patting each other on the back, isn’t as important as the fact that the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act is violent and ongoing and very much an emergency. So, in working with Selma and thinking about Selma and thinking about all of the—what it represents, even now, with policing and police aggression in our communities, I just can’t get worked up about the other thing."

And why, she asks, do we not have more movies being made to reflect different types of people? As NY Times reporter Frank Bruni said on MSNBC, you can't nominate films which haven't even been made. Another MSNBC pundit claimed that Hollywood isn't as liberal as they are painted to be and that it took Bridesmaids for Hollywood to notice that women like to laugh. It seems like this arguing with the umpire over who gets nominated in which category is validating a bunch of old white men's tastes which doesn't represent a lot of us. And for those who simply can't ignore the out-of-touch Oscars, Selma did get nominations for best picture and song.

This is part 1 of a 3 part interview with Democracynow.org. I enjoyed all three.

WATCH BEFORE THEY YANK IT!

Post by Amaury Perez.

WHAT A SWITCH!

An intelligent, passionate drag dealing with real issues!

ROBERT REICH, RIGHT ON!

You can't criticize someone who you are currently begging for campaign contributions from.

ROBERT REICH: "It’s nice that presidential aspirants are talking about rebuilding America’s middle class.

But to be credible, he (or she) has to take clear aim at the Street.

That means proposing to limit the size of the biggest Wall Street banks;  resurrect the Glass-Steagall Act (which used to separate investment from commercial banking); define insider trading the way most other countries do – using information any reasonable person would know is unavailable to most investors; and close the revolving door between the Street and the U.S. Treasury.

It also means not depending on the Street to finance their campaigns."

MORE:   NATIONOFCHANGE

PLEASE SIGN IF YOU AGREE!

Every politician blabs about the crumbling infrastructure. Every politician blabs about the need for jobs. But here's a guy who puts 2 and 2 together: employ people to make the repairs that everyone agrees we need.

BERNIE SANDERS: Americans need jobs. America's roads and bridges are in crisis. And our communities need more high-speed Internet and clean energy.
All of these problems have the same solution: We need big ideas that invest in America's infrastructure and create jobs.
Today, I'm introducing the Rebuild America Act -- a bold trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that is endorsed by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the AFL-CIO, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

Some in Congress will be fearful of a proposal this big. I need your help to show my colleagues and the entire political world that the American people are not afraid of big ideas, are not afraid to create millions of jobs we desperately need, and are not afraid to rebuild America.

Can you sign the petition saying Americans want a big infrastructure jobs program? Click here to sign.
I met with the PCCC team last week to discuss infrastructure and other big ideas. And I'll need your activism to push big ideas like this to the center of the national debate.

When the Progressive Change Institute did a national poll this month, major investment in infrastructure was popular by 71% to 18%. That's a bipartisan landslide.
The public enthusiasm for big ideas is inspiring, and Congress needs to hear about it.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- Senator Bernie Sanders

MOVEON.ORG

BOTH VERY FUNNY!

MEET THE GYPSY KARDASHIANS! Just click the link.

Post by ITV2.

TOTALLY TRAGIC

Fascinating segment on Guantanamo prisoner, Mahomadou Ould Slahi, who has been held for 12 years without any charges. He's written a best-selling diary, which Colin Firth and Dominic West read from in this video. The former chief military prosecutor at Guantanamo calls him "no more a terrorist than Forrest Gump."

I am just as concerned with apprehending terrorist as any other American. Sometimes dark, creepy measures are justified against people with sinister agendas. But this guy has no charges against him! He was walking down the street one day and the US government "disappeared" him. Of course, the torture he describes is horrific, but how about the cruelty of this? His mother was told by Mauritania's's government that he was imprisoned there, not in a foreign country. So the poor mom cooked and brought food to the prison every day for years. And we wonder how terrorists are created and radicalized. Here's how: the US government is cruel and unfair. Few of us make the connection that our tax dollars pay for his inexplicable confinement and torture because we've given up on our government representing us. And how can we be concerned about cruelties that most news never focuses on?

What's most striking is that Mahomadou himself, through over a decade of torture and baseless imprisonment, struggles in his letters to understand something incomprehensible. And even expresses a wish to have mint tea with his torturers to try and mend fences and make some kind of sanity out of something totally insane.

I AGREE!

INSANITY

When the democrats got a "shellacking" in the previous mid-terms, republicans had campaigned on jobs, jobs, jobs. They won, and got into office and ignored jobs. Instead, they put forward over a dozen abortion bills which had nothing to do with jobs. Then they won bigger in the last mid-terms and now control both the House and the Senate. And what's on their agenda 15 days after taking power? An abortion bill so extreme that REPUBLICANS THEMSELVES yanked it before it would come to a vote. Their proposed legislation would have banned using tax payer dollars for rape victims unless they had first reported their assaults to the police. Female republicans told their own party that the measure was too extreme, so they passed a milder abortion ban instead. They were concerned that about the optics--that it would cause them to lose women voters again. Which are one half of the population. And millennials aren't bothered by abortions. It's only the cruddy, old, fundamentalist types who may not understand any other issue besides banning abortion and gay rights that this appeals to.

But remember--when someone shows you who they truly are, believe them. Republican lose elections because their views on abortion are so extreme that they appeal to very few. One candidate horrified everyone by asserting that women's bodies could shut down conception if they were raped. But then again, science was never important to republicans either. Though to their credit, the new GOP Congress did just vote that global warming/climate change is not a hoax. Baby steps! Glad we got that out of the way just as new reports show 2014 was the hottest year on record and that we need to leave 80% of all fossil fuels in the ground and not use them if we are to avoid the temperature rising to catastrophic levels. As Obama hints that he may veto the Keystone pipeline which would not leave these fuels in the ground and which could easily leak and poison one of the world's biggest water supplies. In closing, both parties are crap. But republicans are so moronic that they have to yank their own policies in order to still try and appeal to the average person. But when the democrats fail to lead and have solid principles, sometimes the republican party can seem like a nice change. Sorry that we only have two crap choices of two crap parties.

AWWWW..

CUCKOO!

Post by Brandon Miller.

INTERESTING....

3 GREAT THINGS OBAMA HAS DONE RECENTLY OR IS NOW ADVOCATING:

Free community college so that no one who wants to learn will be held back by no $.

Paid sick days like they have in many enlightened countries.

He already signed an executive order to protect LGBTs from discrimination at work.

Terrific! I think these changes which he's spearheaded will improve the quality of life for many people all over the country. For that, I wholeheartedly commend him. However, if he really wanted to make lives better for the average worker, why on earth is he secretly pushing a trade deal which will destroy US jobs by forcing them to compete with countries like Vietnam--where the minimum wage is 25 cents? It doesn't matter how many years of community college you can now afford, how many sick days you get, or what kind of discrimination you face at work IF YOU HAVE NO JOB BECAUSE THE TPP HAS HELPED TO OUTSOURCE IT!

So who is Obama? A man who is pro-worker or pro-corporations? Because the TPP was written by corporations and the White House. Members of Congress have limited access to it and Obama is trying ram it through in secret, without discussion. And loss of jobs, the way another democrat Bill Clinton cost the US manufacturing jobs with the trade deal NAFTA, is only one nightmare element of the TPP. It also gives corporations the right to sue a country if that country passes a law which cuts corporate profits. This is really creepy, especially since republicans are all dying to work with Obama on the TPP. Democrats in Congress are asking that it be open to discussion. Liberals claim that no one who knew what was in it would ever pass it if it were discussed. Obama spoke out against the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision which allowed corporations to give unlimited amounts to campaigns. Why is he now elevating corporations above countries if he didn't like the fact that Citizens United elevated corporation to share some of the rights of US citizens? There may be a really good reason and I hope you'll let me know what it is. But until I hear it that reason, it seems that Obama is talking out of both sides of his mouth.

OSCAR NOMINATION FOR BEST PICTURE

MOHAMMED!

I HOPE YOU ALL THIS MUCH FUN TODAY!

Post by The LAD Bible.

NUTS!

HMMMMMM.

Shoulders sideways, smack it, smack it in the air
Legs movin' side to side, smack it in the air
Legs movin' side to side, smack you in the air
Shoulders sideways, smack it, smack it in the air
Smack it, smack it in the air
Legs movin' side to side, smack it, smack it in the air
Smack it, smack it in the air

Wave your hands side to side, put it in the air
Wave your hands side to side, put it in the air
Clap, clap, clap like you don't care
Smack that, clap, clap, clap like you don't care
(I know you care)

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap it
Foot up, my foot up
Hold up now my foot up
I'm spinnin' my foot up
Foot up yeah my foot up
I'm spinnin' my foot up
Put my foot down yeah my hands up
My hands up, my hands up
(Flexin')
Flexin' while my hands up
My hands up, my hands up
I stand up with my hands up
Then I put up, my hands up
I put up, my hands up
I put up, my hands up
Then I'm spinnin' all my hands up
(Spinnin')
Spinnin' while my hands up
(Spinnin')
Spinnin' while my hands up
(Spinnin')
Spinnin' while my hands up
Then I'm tippin' all my hands up
Spinnin', I'm spinnin', I'm spinnin' while my hands up
I'm Spinnin', I'm spinnin', I'm spinnin' while my hands up
(Drank)
Hold that cup like alcohol, hold that cup like alcohol
Hold that cup like alcohol
Don't you drop that alcohol
Never drop that alcohol, never drop that alcohol
I know you thinkin' bout alcohol
I know I'm thinkin' bout that alcohol
Man it feel like rollin' dice, man it feel like rollin' dice
Seven eleven, seven eleven, seven twice, man seven twice
Man it feel like rollin' dice, man this feel like rollin' dice
Man it feel like rollin' dice
Seven twice, seven twice
Girl I'm tryna kick it with you
Girl I'm tryna kick it with you
Man I'm tryna kick it with you
My feet up, I kick it with you
Man I swear I kick it with you
Man I swear I kick it with you
Girl I wanna kick it with you
Man I know I kick it with you
Yeah I spin' around and I kick it with you

Source: http://www.directlyrics.com/beyonce-711-lyrics.html

I HOPE THIS IS MEANT TO BE FUNNY

SHE HEE!

Post by PaTaWa Ka.

THIS SUNDAY!

Rally Sunday Against City’s Decision to Replace Boardwalk with Concrete

Mark Treyger

United States

Jan 14, 2015 — Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to sign this petition to designate the Riegelmann Boardwalk as a Scenic Landmark and prevent the city from moving forward with its plan to replace portions of this iconic structure with concrete. The response has been incredible from New Yorkers and people around the country who have great memories of the boardwalk. Unfortunately, the city has ignored our pleas and is proceeding with the replacement of some sections of wood without giving proper consideration to our landmarking request.

In response, we are gathering on Sunday at 1 p.m. along the boardwalk at Coney Island Avenue to send a message to the administration that we vehemently oppose this decision and want the city to reconsider before proceeding any further. It is important that as many of us as possible attend this rally to show the community’s clear and overwhelming opposition to the city's plan. Please stop by this Sunday and pass this information along to anyone else who agrees that the boardwalk must be preserved and maintained for future generations.

Thank you again for your support of this important effort, and do not hesitate to contact my district office at (718) 373-9673 with any questions.

CUCKOO!

Post by Lanna Lima.

PROMISING NEWS ABOUT THE NYPD?

Many have been angered by NYC cops turning their backs on Mayor Diblasio twice and then engaging in a work stoppage. Some cops by their coworkers' antics as well. have been angered as well.

DEMOCRACYNOW.ORG: There’s been about a huge drop in the number of arrests and tickets issued in New York City. Now, that’s begun to change now, finally, and those summonses and arrests are going back up. But there’s clearly been an attempt by the policemen’s union very much to almost—I don’t want to call it a coup, but it is an attempt to try to tell the mayor, a progressive mayor of New York, "You can’t run this city without us."

(Bunny note: I thought unions and progressives were friends.)

But now it turns out there is a huge dissension within the ranks of the police department itself. There was a—Pat Lynch had issued a letter asking cops to disinvite the mayor and the City Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, from any funeral in case they were killed in the line of duty. Only 4 percent of the cops have signed on to the letter.

Bunny note: This is great! 96% do not want to disinvite the mayor to police funerals, as Lynch has suggested out of spite. They want Lynch to handle their union business and and shut up about politics. And....

DEMOCRACYNOW.ORG: And, of course, it’s against the backdrop that the New York City Police Department now has a majority of minority officers, African-American, Latino and Asian officers. It’s not the same police department that existed 15 years ago when Lynch was first elected. And many of those officers are equally angry over the past practices of racial profiling, of stop-and-frisk arrests, and they, too, are demanding some kind of change. So, we’re going to have to see what happens, but clearly there’s not the kind of unity among the police against the mayor that has been portrayed so far in the press."

Bunny note: This is encouraging! Maybe this can turn around and reduce racial profiling. Maybe we are ready to start talking about arrest quotas and how the system can turn into a numbers game which encourages unnecessary or barely necessary arrests Don't hold your breath, but maybe!

MEET MY DAD!

Post by ทีวีพูล TVPool Buffet.

NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL EVERY NIGHT!

Post by 107.5 AMOR.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL: A REVIEW

In the 80s, Lypsinka Von Rasputina told me that I "had" to go with her to see the original production of Dreamgirls, which was closing. Because it was just that phenomenal. Since I'm not a Broadway queen, I decided to trust her and it paid off. I can't thank her enough for that wonderful experience. Now I'd like to tell you about another incredible show which closes Sunday which I can't recommend highly enough with an unqualified rave: MOTOWN.

It's silly to say Motown's the "best show" I've seen on Broadway because musical aren't like plays or even other musicals. But I will say that Motown is the most fun I've ever had in any Broadway Theater. I was crying tears of joy with my hands in the air in absolute shock over the amount of talent bursting from that stage. To be fair, I love soul music and grew up with the Motown sound (i.e. old), so I'm biased. But if you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall when Diana Ross was just signed, first flirted with Barry Gordy or decided to ditch The Supremes and go solo--you'll have an orgasm when you see an actress who is Miss Ross's twin re-enacting these moments. With show-stopping performances of her hits in between singing notes Diana could never try to hit! That's the wonder of this show--the talent level is so incredibly high. These are actors, singers and dancers who are trained to perform anything from Lion King to Black And Blue, so they sometimes deliver numbers with more energy or direction than the soul superstars they portray: Gladys Knight, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, The Marvelletes, Rick James, Teena Marie,The Commodores and a little cutie doing young Michael Jackson who did him such justice that the crowd immediately erupted with approval. 

I haven't seen many musical reviews like Mamma Mia or Jersey Boys because those weren't my jams. These are. So I can't tell you this type of show normally illustrates the plot with songs from their genre. But Motown had so many hits, they had to cut many of them just to squeeze in the ones they kept. The music is the real star here, though the elements of segregation, the shootings of JFK and MLK and the rise of the black power movement happen along the way. I thought they illustrated everything with the hits very effectively. For example: the ensemble performs Edwin Starr's seismic 70's hit War which ends with a dramatic gun shot. Cue Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. As the label moved from polished, upscale 1960s perfection to funky 70s with a social consciousness, one scene depicts Marvin Gaye begging Barry Gordy to record Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology). Add radiation to it and this could have been written yesterday:

Woo mercy, mercy me, mercy father
Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas, fish full of mercury 

And as far as relevance, how about these lyrics from Marvin's Inner City Blues?

Crime is increasing
TRIGGER HAPPY POLICING
Panic is spreading
God know where we're heading
Oh, make me wanna holler

I don't want you to think the show is heavy or focuses on a political agenda. But Motown's success happened against a very dramatic background of upheaval. And I truly believe that one of Mr. Gordy's accomplishments was to ease racial tensions through great music. And this music is so joyous that seeing it performed with a full orchestra that is simply thrilling. If songs like Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Heard It Through The Grapevine, ABC, Do You Love Me?, Cruisin', Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand), My Girl, My Guy and Please Mr. Postman are the soundtracks of your lives as well, do yourself a favor and get tickets now. Get the cheap ones or expensive ones--someone said there were standing room tix for $35. Reconnect with this soul-shaking, ground-breaking music while you learn the story of how it came to be, with plenty of humor thrown in along the way. And a fantastic, changing set that reflects each new era. Dazzling costumes in every scene!

Of course, I need to shout out to the very talented Dwayne Milan, who appears as Norman Whitfield--who leaves Motown to produces hits like Car Wash--and a variety of other ensemble roles with his afro growing as the 70s progress. I'm a little old fashioned and usually prefer drag queens to stay in drag. I don't want to see Dolly Parton or Carol Channing out of drag and I feel the same way about most queens. But Dwayne is one of those rare, versatile performance who enthralled me last night in male roles just as he's enthralled me as Donna Summer, Kelly Rowland and a variety of other drag character and androgynous pop personas. He's a singer, dancer, comedian, songwriter, comedy writer--the list just goes on and on. So on a personal level, it was a real treat to see him do his thang on a Broadway stage. But you don't need to know "Miss" Milan to enjoy this show. And you have only until Sunday to enjoy it. And you will, so don't you dare miss it! It's touring so make sure you catch it when if it comes your way. You will thank me as I still thank Lypstinka to this day!

LEAD STORY ON MSNBC:

That Mitt Romney is running for president in 2016.

I would never vote Republican, but at least they have a cockamamie ideology that they believe in to where they've had the gumption to announce several candidates. Democrats haven't even had the conviction or sense of purpose to announce one candidate. Though of course it's assumed that Hillary will run and win, because the democrats haven't begun grooming anyone else. And she has so little to offer that her finger's in the air to determine what sounds good to the most people at the right point to get elected and then do what they all do--reverse campaign promises and repay the mega-rich whose contributions enable them to win. Meanwhile, the news should be reporting on how badly dems are doing right now. Not trying to ascertain which GOP candidate will try and screw us. How about the flops who are screwing us right now? If the democrats weren't almost as pitiful as the republicans, why did they just lose the mid-terms? That same reason might cause them to lose to two-time GOP losers like Mitt. Yet "liberal" news like The Ed Show has to focus on who might be running in the other party because the democrats aren't cooking anything up appealing that anyone's enthusiastic about.

SO SICK!

HILARIOUS!

Post by Daveo Falaveo.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PIRHANA!

Post by Share 4 You.

SPOT ON!

COLD WEATHER PROSTITUTES OF CHICAGO

THE ONIONL "Seriously, if it weren't for cold-weather prostitutes, I don't think I'd ever leave the house," he added.

More resistant to heavy wear and tear than ordinary street whores, these high-performance prostitutes provide Chicago residents with optimal handling under the roughest of conditions, a firmer grip on ultra-slick surfaces, as well as greater rear-end balance. In addition to improved start and stop capabilities, the prostitutes are also able to absorb the bumpiest of rides.

"I'm the kind of guy who likes to feel in control at all times, and cold-weather prostitutes give me just that," said resident Charles Wentel, adding that he was first turned on to the seasonal whores by his father. "With other prostitutes I would always worry about how they'd react to unpredictable situations or whether they had the flexibility necessary to take on any and all jobs."

MORE:   THEONION

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

MORE LEGAL HASSLES IN FERGUSON

You may remember that the prosecuting attorney against the police officer who shot Michael Brown did something really odd after the verdict of not guilty. He made a long public speech addressing the details of the case, which rarely happens.

Now a juror on the case wants to speak out. Having heard many cases as a grand juror, the mystery, wannabe tell-all juror wants to note how different Brown's grand jury proceedings were handled much differently from the others in his session. But grand jurors are sworn to a lifetime of secrecy. If they spill the beans, they go to jail for a year. Yet this juror, with legal counsel, is considering jail time in order to address many discrepancies in the case--like unreliable jurors, a muddled presentation from the prosecutor, a focus more on the victim of the shooting than the police who killed Michael. "It also challenges, quote, "the implication that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges" against Wilson."

Bow Michael Brown was not the "gentle giant" the media depicted him as. He'd just come from a robbery where he shoved the proprietor of the store and conflicting reports obscure whether or not Brown grabbed at the gun of the officer who shot him. I'd be very curious to hear the juror's side if they get to speak with immunity.

FASCINATING DISCUSSIONS IN LIGHT OF FRENCH CARTOONIST SHOOTING

MUSLIM SHOOTER=ENTIRE RELIGION GUILTY
BLACK SHOOTER=ENTIRE RACE GUILTY
WHITE SHOOTER=MENTALLY DISABLED LONE WOLF (@sallykohn)

"If a terrorist attack took place right here in the U.S., wouldn't it be a national story?

Terrorism may be defined as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes," but if you asked most people, the term conjures one image: brown people with beards and bombs. Nothing has made that profoundly racist misunderstanding clearer than the news coverage of two violent attacks that happened within roughly 24 hours.

On Tuesday morning, the NAACP offices in Colorado Springs, Colorado, came under attack when someone who is believed be a balding white man in his 40s dropped an explosive device that went off a few feet from the building. And on Wednesday morning, news broke of a horrifying mass shooting at satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in France that left 12 dead and several wounded.

Both acts were motivated by radical ideology, but only one of them is being covered by the 24-hour news cycle. What gives?

According to Ebony senior digital editor Jamilah Lemieux, it's because we rush to label attacks carried out by non-whites as "terrorism," but when the perpetrator is white, we view those cases as isolated acts of violence."

MORE:   MIC.COM

ALSO OF NOTE:

U.S. right wing extremists more deadly than jihadists

"On Sunday, a man shot and killed a 14-year-old boy and his grandfather at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and then drove to a nearby Jewish retirement community where he shot and killed a third person. Police arrested a suspect, Frazier Glenn Cross, who shouted "Heil Hitler" after he was taken into custody. 

Cross, who also goes by Frazier Glenn Miller, is a well-known right wing extremist who founded the Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and the White Patriot Party, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

Now let's do the thought experiment in which instead of shouting "Heil Hitler" after he was arrested, the suspect had shouted "Allahu Akbar." Only two days before the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, this simple switch of words would surely have greatly increased the extent and type of coverage the incident received."

CNN.COM

A KOOK WITH SOME TRUTH!

DON'T MESS WITH PATTI!

Post by Dex Jones.

HMMMM...

Post by Bryan Silva.

PRODUCTION, HONEY!

Post by Adrian Uribazo.

THE FINEST ART FILM EVER MADE

Post by Fortafy.

A HOT METH!

Post by Yanodo?

WOO HOO!

In keeping with it's New Year's resolution, Lardy Bunny hopped up before breakfast this morning and went to straight to the gym for a frenzied workout. The food was so delicious that I'm going back for lunch and dinner. Those desserts! But seriously--it's funny how you dread something and put it off for so long. Then you actually do it and realize that it wasn't so bad after all. I actually enjoyed my workout and look forward to my next one in my new year's, new me, regular fitness regime...one month from now on February 8th. I hope this can inspire you all!

VOODOO ECONOMICS

Democracynow.org: "In its first vote, the Republican-controlled House approved a major rule change that could make it easier for them to advance tax cuts for the wealthy." Isn't this awful? It just shows you right where those rotten Republicans are. They haven't changed a bit since Mitt Romney lost the election when it was proved that he represented the top 1% and their tax cuts, while damning "takers" like veterans and seniors.

But this also reminds me of one of Obama's first actions when he took office for the second time. He had campaigned on raising taxes for tthose earning $250,000 and up but once elected, that figure was magically changed to $400,000 and up. Both parties represent the 1%. The GOP is just more open about it.

FREE PRESS ESSENTIAL TO DEMOCRACY

I know that after yesterday's tragedy in Paris, where cartoonists were gunned down by muslim extremists, we're all more aware than ever of the importance of a free press. Right? Wrong! Right here on our shores, the government is fighting to put NY Times reporter James Risen on the stand to reveal his secret sources. James wrote a book according to a NY Times reporter interviewed here, the government is "looking at this chapter nine, where Risen writes in his book about this botched CIA operation in Iran where the CIA gave nuclear schematics to Iran that they had sort of—that they had introduced flaws, design flaws, to in hopes of setting back the nuclear program, but Jim’s book reveals that these flaws were easily spottable and that Iran probably just worked right around them, so we may have actually even helped advance the nuclear program."

So the US wants to cover up it's backfired, sneaky programs which have helped, rather than hurt, Iran's development of nukes and squash a free press.

JAMES RISEN: "Without aggressive investigative reporting, we can’t really have a democracy, because the only real oversight for the government is an independent and aggressive press. And I think that’s what the government really fears more than anything else, is an aggressive investigative reporting in which we shine a light on what’s going on inside the government. And we can’t do that without maintaining the confidentiality of sources.

By launching criminal investigations of stories that are outside the mainstream coverage, they are trying to, in effect, build a pathway on which journalism can be conducted: Stay on the interstate highway of conventional wisdom with your journalism, and you will have no problems; try to get off and challenge basic assumptions, and you will face punishment. Journalists have no choice but to fight back, because if they don’t, they will become irrelevant."

Democracy Now!'s Juan Gonzalez goes on to say:

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Matt, what about this Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality of the Obama administration, on the one hand saying that they’re not going to jail journalists, but on the other hand a constant crackdown on whistleblowers—a key ingredient for any investigative journalist—and their attempts to go after the sources of reporters?

A fascinating segment on how a president who campaigned on greater transparency than the Bush administration has been less transparent and has gone after leakers and journalists in an attempt to shroud the truth and cover up their blunders.

I know that after yesterday's tragedy in Paris, where cartoonists were gunned down by muslim extremists, we're all more aware than ever of the importance of a free press. Right? Wrong! Right here on our shores, the government is fighting to put NY Times reporter James Risen on the stand to reveal his secret sources. James wrote a book according to a NY Times reporter interviewed here, the government is "looking at this chapter nine, where Risen writes in his book about this botched CIA operation in Iran where the CIA gave nuclear schematics to Iran that they had sort of—that they had introduced flaws, design flaws, to in hopes of setting back the nuclear program, but Jim’s book reveals that these flaws were easily spottable and that Iran probably just worked right around them, so we may have actually even helped advance the nuclear program."

So the US wants to cover up it's backfired, sneaky programs which have helped, rather than hurt, Iran's development of nukes and squash a free press.

JAMES RISEN: "Without aggressive investigative reporting, we can’t really have a democracy, because the only real oversight for the government is an independent and aggressive press. And I think that’s what the government really fears more than anything else, is an aggressive investigative reporting in which we shine a light on what’s going on inside the government. And we can’t do that without maintaining the confidentiality of sources.

By launching criminal investigations of stories that are outside the mainstream coverage, they are trying to, in effect, build a pathway on which journalism can be conducted: Stay on the interstate highway of conventional wisdom with your journalism, and you will have no problems; try to get off and challenge basic assumptions, and you will face punishment. Journalists have no choice but to fight back, because if they don’t, they will become irrelevant."

Democracy Now!'s Juan Gonzalez goes on to say:

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Matt, what about this Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality of the Obama administration, on the one hand saying that they’re not going to jail journalists, but on the other hand a constant crackdown on whistleblowers—a key ingredient for any investigative journalist—and their attempts to go after the sources of reporters?

A fascinating segment on how a president who campaigned on greater transparency than the Bush administration has been less transparent and has gone after leakers and journalists in an attempt to shroud the truth and cover up their blunders.

MORE ON OBAMA'S DISASTROUS TRADE DEAL, THE TPP

Yesterday, I heard The Nation's Katrina Vanden Heuvel suggesting that Obama will veto the Keystone Pipeline, but give the Republicans something else in the form of a trade deal. Hmmmm, I wonder what trade deal she's referring to? Maybe the TPP, which Obama is trying to pass in secret? Now, Katrina could be wrong. But these pundits are often given info in advance on what the administration is planning and they "float it" on the air to determine if there's any outrage. Ie--if we're currently paying more attention to Bill Cosby and Kim Kardashian's rump than what the government is doing.

I have ranted on about the many ways that Obama's secret trade deal, written by corporations and sealed from public discussion by lawmakers, will damage American jobs, wages, the environment and intellectual property. Some of you may not believe that the president is actively seeking to join with the very Republicans who he's already been inexplicably reaching across the aisle to in order to shaft American workers as Clinton's trade deal NAFTA shattered manufacturing jobs. Well, now  Obama won't have to reach across the aisle since both houses are now GOP--thanks in part to the failure of Democrats and his own leadership--so he can work directly with the new Congress to screw us with the TPP.

I realize that this isn't covered much on the news, but if you don't want to hear what a f#ck-up Obama is from me, maybe you'll listen to Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary.

An excerpt: "Republicans who now run Congress say they want to cooperate with President Obama, and point to the administration’s Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, as the model. The only problem is the TPP would be a disaster.

If you haven’t heard much about the TPP, that’s part of the problem right there. It would be the largest trade deal in history — involving countries stretching from Chile to Japan, representing 792 million people and accounting for 40 percent of the world economy – yet it’s been devised in secret.

Lobbyists from America’s biggest corporations and Wall Street’s biggest banks have been involved but not the American public. That’s a recipe for fatter profits and bigger paychecks at the top, but not a good deal for most of us, or even for most of the rest of the world."

SO WHY IS OBAMA PUSHING SO HARD FOR THIS? Read on.

MORE:   COMMONDREAMS

LOVE THIS FOOL!

Post by Dawn Of Vines.

FYI (THOUGH OF COURSE IT'S ALL CHAINS WHICH I TRY NOT TO SHOP AT!)

CHECK THIS OUT!!!! AND PLEASE SHARE.... DISCOUNTS for over 50 folks

January 6, 2015 at 11:54am

DISCOUNTS

Deals and discounts for SENIORS, maybe you.
Disclaimer: I haven't checked the validity of this list.


As I was waiting in line behind an older gentleman at Wendy's recently,I heard him ask for his senior discount. The girl at the register apologized and
charged him less. When I asked the man what the discount was, he told me that
seniors over age 55 ...get 10% off everything on the menu, every day. (But you need to ASK for your discount.)

Being NEAR 'that' age myself, I figured I might as well ask for the discount too.
this incident prompted me to do some research, and I came across a list of restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, travel deals and other types of offers giving various discounts with different age requirements. I was actually surprised to see how many there are and howsome of them start at the young age of 50 .
This list may not only be useful for you, but for your friends and family too.

Dunkin Donuts gives free coffee to people over 55 .
If you're paying for a cup every day, you might want to start getting it for FREE.

YOU must ASK for your discount !

RESTAURANTS:
Applebee's: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+)
Arby's: 10% off ( 55 +)
Ben & Jerry's: 10% off (60+)
Bennigan's: discount varies by location (60+)
Bob's Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+)
Boston Market: 10% off (65+)
Burger King: 10% off (60+)
Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee ( 55+)
Chili's: 10% off ( 55+)
CiCi's Pizza: 10% off (60+)
Denny's: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members ( 55 +)
Dunkin' Donuts: 10% off or free coffee ( 55+)
Einstein's Bagels: 10% off baker's dozen of bagels (60+)
Fuddrucker's: 10% off any senior platter ( 55+)
Gatti's Pizza: 10% off (60+)
Golden Corral: 10% off (60+)
Hardee's: $0.33 beverages everyday (65+)
IHOP: 10% off ( 55+)
Jack in the Box: up to 20% off ( 55+)
KFC: free small drink with any meal ( 55+)
Krispy Kreme: 10% off ( 50+)
Long John Silver's: various discounts at locations ( 55+)
McDonald's: discounts on coffee everyday ( 55+)
Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (60+)
Shoney's: 10% off
Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+)
Steak 'n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday ( 50+)
Subway: 10% off (60+)
Sweet Tomatoes: 10% off (62+)
Taco Bell : 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+)
TCBY: 10% off ( 55+)
Tea Room Cafe: 10% off ( 50+)
Village Inn: 10% off (60+)
Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+)
Wendy's: 10% off ( 55 +)
Whataburger: 10% off (62+)
White Castle: 10% off (62+) This is for me ... if I ever see one again.

RETAIL & APPAREL :
Banana Republic: 30% off ( 50 +)
Bealls: 20% off first Tuesday of each month ( 50 +)
Belk's: 15% off first Tuesday of every month ( 55 +)
Big Lots: 30% off
Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days ( 55 +)
C.J. Banks: 10% off every Wednesday (50+)
Clarks : 10% off (62+)
Dress Barn: 20% off ( 55+)
Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Kmart: 40% off (Wednesdays only) ( 50+)
Kohl's: 15% off (60+)Modell's Sporting Goods: 30% off
Rite Aid: 10% off on Tuesdays & 10% off prescriptions
Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday ( 55+)
The Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off ( 55+)
Stein Mart: 20% off red dot/clearance items first Monday of every month ( 55 +)

GROCERY :
Albertson's: 10% off first Wednesday of each month ( 55 +)
American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday ( 50 +)
Compare Foods Supermarket: 10% off every Wednesday (60+)
DeCicco Family Markets: 5% off every Wednesday (60+)
Food Lion: 60% off every Monday (60+)
Fry's Supermarket: free Fry's VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday ( 55 +)
Great Valu Food Store: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
Gristedes Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+)
Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)
Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday ( 50 +)
Publix: 15% off every Wednesday ( 55 +)
Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+)
Uncle Guiseppe's Marketplace: 15% off (62+)

TRAVEL :
Airlines:
Alaska Airlines: 50% off (65+)
American Airlines: various discounts for 50% off non-peak periods (Tuesdays - Thursdays) (62+)and up (call before booking for discount)
Continental Airlines: no initiation fee for Continental Presidents Club & special fares for select destinations
Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)
United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)
U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)
Rail:
Amtrak: 15% off (62+)
Bus:
Greyhound: 15% off (62+)
Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50+

Car Rental:
Alamo Car Rental: up to 25% off for AARP members
Avis: up to 25% off for AARP members
Budget Rental Cars: 40% off; up to 50% off for AARP members ( 50+)
Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off ( 50+) Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP members Hertz: up to 25% off for AARP members
National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members

Overnight Accommodations:
Holiday Inn: 20-40% off depending on location (62+)
Best Western: 40% off (55+)
Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)
Waldorf Astoria - NYC $5,000 off nightly rate for Presidential Suite (55 +)
Clarion Motels: 20%-30% off (60+)
Comfort Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Comfort Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)
Econo Lodge: 40% off (60+)
Hampton Inns & Suites: 40% off when booked 72 hours in advance
Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off (62+)
InterContinental Hotels Group: various discounts at all hotels (65+)
Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler's Discount (50+); 20%-30% off (60+)
Marriott Hotels: 25% off (62+)
Motel 6: Stay Free Sunday nights (60+)
Myrtle Beach Resort: 30% off ( 55 +)
Quality Inn: 40%-50% off (60+)
Rodeway Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Sleep Inn: 40% off (60+)

ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT ;:
AMC Theaters: up to 30% off ( 55 +)
Bally Total Fitness: $100 off memberships (62+)
Busch Gardens Tampa, FL: $13 off one-day tickets ( 50 +)
Carmike Cinemas: 35% off (65+)
Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off
Massage Envy - NYC 20% off all "Happy Endings" (62 +)
U.S. National Parks: $10 lifetime pass; 50% off additional services including camping (62+)
Regal Cinemas: 50% off Ripley's Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket ( 55 +)
SeaWorld, Orlando , FL : $3 off one-day tickets ( 50 +)

CELL PHONE DISCOUNTS :
AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $19.99/month (65+)
Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service ( 50 +)
Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+).

MISCELLANEOUS:
Great Clips: $8 off hair cuts (60+)
Supercuts: $8 off haircuts (60+)

NOW, go out there and claim your discounts - - and remember -- YOU must ASK for discount ---- no ask, no discount.
I Know everyone knows someone over 50 please pass the one on!!!!!

SHOOTING CARTOONISTS IN PARIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS

The french president has called the bloody attack on cartoonists to be "barbaric." Religious extremists are often barbaric, violent and cruel. Like the fundamentalist extremists who recommend stoning homosexuals to death, which was actually just suggested as ok by GOP candidate Scott Esk of Oklahoma. Or christians popping by abortion clinics all over the US with guns, similarly to how these cartoonists were assassinated yesterday in France, to kill abortion providers because their interpretation of christianity was offended by birth control. (I guess these "christians" gunning down abortion docs forgot about THOU SHALT NOT KILL.)

Murdering people for religion is pretty extreme, and doesn't reflect the majority of muslims' or christians' views. I don't know that much about Islam, but I know that the "witches" of Salem have been put to death in this country by christians, a century of depraved slavery was justified here, and women and GLBT folk are still routinely denigrated by organized religion. And these aren't even considered extreme fundamentalists--these are mainstream christians. Who ran against Obama in the last election? Mormon Romney, whose religion features magic underwear, polygamy and spaceships. I have relatives who are Jehovah's witnesses who would refuse their own immediate family members blood for transfusions based on religious objections--even if it's likely the family members would die without the blood.

Religion makes no sense--particularly when used as an impetus for murder. So let's denounce all religious extremism if we're to denounce any of it. Of course, murdering satirists over cartoons makes muslims look like hotheads and clearly some are. But christians have plenty of their own atrocities in the name of religion that date back to the Spanish Inquisition and beyond. Don't just criticize Islam because you've chosen a different set of fairy tales to comfort yourself.

CHARMING FILM: BEAUTIFUL BY NIGHT

Beautiful By Night from James Hosking on Vimeo.

Maybe these things work?

You got: Lady Bunny

Most people couldn’t get away with your offensive and taboo nature, but you completely OWN IT. Nothing is off topic with you, as nothing should be. You know life is filled with jokes, so why not tell them? Grab life by the balls and squeeze them until you’ve left them blue!

Which Famous Drag Queen Are You?

Good luck, and DON’T f**k it up.

TAKE THE TEST:   BUZZFEED

TOO SOON?

PLEASE WATCH: CRISIS APPROACHING

For those of you who have been singing Obama's praises as recent figures have come in showing that stock markets have kept up and that unemployment is down to 5.8%, I'd like to give you a reality check. 95% of that new wealth created goes to the 1%, not the middle class or poor. And the drop in unemployment is due in part to the fact that the job market is still so rotten that many have stopped looking for work permanently. And many of the jobs added are part time, low wage and with no benefits.

For those of you who believe that Obama has been thwarted by Republican obstructionists, he has been. But right now, he's planning a disastrous, secret trade deal called the TPP which will undo any economic gains he's made for decades to come. In fact, Obama is looking forward to working with Republicans in Congress who are his main allies in fast-tracking the TPP through Congress with no debate. Mitch McConnell is delighted to work on the TPP with Obama. It's a secret deal written by multi-national companies who want to outsource American jobs to countries we can't compete with--like Vietnam, with is's $0.26 an hour minimum wage. Whenever Obama tries to explain the TPP trade agreement, he speaks in pure gibberish about how this will make America more competitive. It's nonsense and he's lying. The beloved Democrat Bill Clinton passed the trade deal NAFTA, which killed manufacturing jobs nationwide. The TPP has been described as "NAFTA on steroids." Once again, Democrats are out to screw average working Americans just like the Republicans are. Neither party reps workers. And PLEASE ask corporate whore Hillary what she thinks of the TPP. Something tells me she supports it.
Obama's is going against his own party to side with the GOP to screw workers for decades to come and negate the modest economic recovery which has recently been documented.

I hope you'll watch this fascinating clip from MSNBC's The Ed Show. Democrats and union leaders are basically saying that Obama is betraying his own party. For those of you who support Obama, why do you think that is? As the union rep says here, Obama is talking out of both sides of his mouth--offering higher minimum wages while sending jobs overseas. So what difference does it make if we have higher minimum wages if Obama has sent our few remaining jobs are overseas.

Obama, like Clinton, is proving that both Democrats and Republicans do the bidding of huge corporations to spite American workers. Please try to defend him. A secret trade deal from a president who campaigned on greater transparency.

I DON'T KNOW WHY I FIND THIS SO AMUSING

Post by Climatologia Geográfica.

PLEASE SIGN IF YOU AGREE!

The 2014 election – the most expensive midterm in American history – painfully showed just how much damage the flood of political spending unleashed by the Citizens United and McCutcheon Supreme Court decisions has done to our democracy.¹

Backed by a geyser of money supplied by ultra-wealthy donors and corporations, radical right-wing extremists swept Senate and House races across the country.

The domination of politics by corporations and the mega-rich is a profound threat to democracy and freedom in the United States, and we have to fight back.

January 21 is the five year anniversary of the Citizens United, and dozens of pro-democracy groups are banding together to launch a major offensive against money in politics. 

Early this year, CREDO and dozens of allied organizations plan to deliver 5 million petition signatures to Congress calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United – and we need you to help us hit this ambitious goal.

Tell Congress: Overturn Citizens United. Click here to sign the petition.

An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the toxic influence of money in politics, and we have enormous momentum in the fight to overturn Citizens United.

Last year, a majority of senators cast a historic vote in favor of on a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. And although the amendment didn't received the needed 67 votes to pass, we now know who is on record in favor of letting big money buy our elections.²

At the state and local level, we're already winning major victories. Sixteen states and roughly 600 communities have formally demanded that Congress vote to pass a constitutional amendment making it clear that corporations are not people and money is not speech.

It's incredibly difficult to pass a constitutional amendment, and it usually takes decades of grassroots organizing and pressure on elected officials to amend the constitution. This fight will be no exception. I hope you'll add your voice to the millions of other Americans who are speaking out against money in politics.

Tell Congress: Overturn Citizens United. Click here to sign the petition.

Thank you for your activism.

Zack Malitz, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

CUCKOO!

AMEN!

A FEW THOUGHTS ON POLICE TURNING THEIR BACKS ON MAYOR DIBLASIO

I'm not familiar with these chains of command and codes of conduct in the police or in the military. But isn't it the case that the chain of command and obeying your superiors is of the utmost importance? So aren't these cops turning their backs on DiBlasio (again) during his speech akin to soldiers turning their backs on the president? Should these cops, then, be disciplined for insubordination? Not only for disrespecting the mayor, but after their stunt at the first slain cop's funeral they have now gone against their orders of Police Commissioner Bill Bratton--who urged them to view the funeral for "grieving, not grievances" Police who turned their backs during DiBlasio's speech at the funeral of the first slain cop were disciplined, I believe. But what is really going on here?

A crazy guy shoots two cops and somehow this is translated to DiBlasio has "blood on his hands?" (According the Patrick Lynch of the police union.) Now police are disrespecting their bosses and flying banners over the Hudson demanding apologies to the NYPD from the mayor? Why? Because he dared to question policeman who murders a guy selling loose cigarettes and doesn't go to jail? And to question other unexplained deaths like the recently shot Akai Gurley, who was guilty of nothing but walking with his girlfriend in a dark stairwell unarmed? I understand that police have a difficult job and that most aren't bad cops. But closing ranks behind cops who kill, demanding apologies from anyone who criticizes them so that they can keep on killing unarmed people makes them seem like spoiled babies who are determined to keep killing whoever they want without any legal consequences. It's precisely that lawless "We'll do whatever the f#ck we want" attitude which has brought such heated criticism on police nationally. With these back-turning stunts, they're proving their critics right.

DISCO SUNDAYS TONIGHT AT THE MONSTER!

The Ritchie Family. Stephanie Mills. The Emotions. Kelly Marie. Sylvester. Odyssey. Patrick Hernandez. France Jolie. The Bee Gees. The Whispers. Rick James. Donna Summer. Cheryl Lynn. Melba Moore. Evelyn "Champagne" King. Sylvester. Diana Ross. Santa Esmerelda. Karen Young. John Paul Young. Lipps, Inc. Tavares.

Come here these and many more tonight at The The Manhattan Monster Bar. I spin there the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month from 6-10 and it's free. Sarah Jessica Parker, Andy Cohen and Hairspray's Scott Wittman popped in for a boogie last time I spun. Who'll be there this week? I hope it's you! This is the most casual, unpretentious night that I've seen in a while. No need to dress up to see or be seen. Wear comfy shoes and come prepared to dance and even get home early if you work in the morning.

PLEASE SIGN IF YOU AGREE

JUST A LITTLE REMINDER THAT REPUBLICANS AND MANY FORMS OF CHRISTIANITY ARE GAYS' SWORN ENEMIES.

"So just to be clear, you think we should execute homosexuals [by stoning]?"

"I think we would be totally in the right to do it."

That isn't the Taliban speaking. That's a candidate for Oklahoma's House District 91.

Scott Esk was caught on tape quoting Old Testament passages that call for punishing homosexuality and stoning sinners.

When voters confronted him, the "libertarian" insisted he had no immediate plans to institute a law killing members of the LGBT community... but ended by saying: "ignoring as a nation things that are worthy of death is very remiss"!

In a country where the LGBT community are at the greatest risk for hate crimes and among the most at risk for sexual assault and murder, Scott Esk's tacit endorsement of state stoning isn't just hateful — it's downright dangerous.

This guy has already been flagged for Facebook ramblings calling to overthrow the federal government or call 911 on "large groups of Mexicans." Promoting anti-gay hate crimes is far enough: Will you call on the Oklahoma GOP to denounce his candidacy now?


PETITION TO OK GOP: Denounce Scott Esk's candidacy for Oklahoma House District 91, and condemn his endorsement of stoning homosexuals to death.
Click here to sign -- it just takes a second.

MORE:   WATCHDOG