Breaking News Events

[socialjustice_fsu]

I live on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Remember the horrendous BP Deep Horizon oil spill? There is not much in the news these days about it and the residual is now emerging ever so quickly. We are having pods of dolphins wash ashore near my home. The water is a murky color. And yet...children play in the surf, people in denial eat tainted seafood, swimmers ingest the sea water and the marketing to visit/live here screams that all is well. It is not.
I bring this to light because people need to educate themselves about where their seafood comes from and what dangerous toxins can do to oneself even in years to come. Independent scientists are proving day after day that our waters and environment are more dangerously ill than it ever has been.
My plea is that you educate yourself, your family and your firends about what IS NOT being reported by the media. We are living in the midst of gas, oil, and all of the toxins injected below the surface to break up the oil.
I am fortunate enough to have the means to be tested by an independent health lab to measure if I have any toxins in my bloodstream. The cost for this simple test: $295.00. This does not begin to include the cost of detoxifying in the event any lab variables are critical. I thought initially BP should pay for this test for everyone along the coast, however, I do not trust them. Now or ever.

Please send out pleas to the Universe that our Gulf will return to life through the work of fair and unbribed analysts that do not bow to the BP Corportation.

[AtLast]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/...ets.YNN?hpt=T2

Lesbian couple has Quadruplets!!

[betenoire]

Originally Posted by AtLastHome

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/...ets.YNN?hpt=T2

Lesbian couple has Quadruplets!!

Oh fuck, those poor women. FOUR babies? UGH, that's going to be so much work.

Oh, I meant to say CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FOUR BABIES!

*laughing* Seriously, though. A girl in the building I work in had triplets last year...and she always looks like she's about to burst into tears because she's so exhausted.

[AtLast]

This is so interesting to me as Carter is an evangelical- and also founder of Habitat for Humaity, a former US president, a peanut farmer, and was a nuclear physicist among other things.

This goes to my feelings about just not being able to apply cultural relativity to sexism for justification.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ights-equality

The words of God do not justify cruelty to womenDiscrimination and abuse wrongly backed by doctrine are damaging society, argues the former US president



"Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status ..." (Article 2, Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

I have been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world.

So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when th e convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service. This was in conflict with my belief - confirmed in the holy scriptures - that we are all equal in the eyes of God.

This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. It is widespread. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths.

Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries. The male interpretations of religious texts and the way they interact with, and reinforce, traditional practices justify some of the most pervasive, persistent, flagrant and damaging examples of human rights abuses.

At their most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.

The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met.

In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.

The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in Britain and the United States. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day. It is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major benefits for everyone in society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family.

It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and out-dated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom.

I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive area to challenge.

But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy - and we are deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it.

The Elders have decided to draw particular attention to the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights. We have recently published a statement that declares: "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."

We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share.

Although not having training in religion or theology, I understand that the carefully selected verses found in the holy scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and place - and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence - than eternal truths. Similar Biblical excerpts could be found to support the approval of slavery and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers.

At the same time, I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same scriptures in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders. During the years of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted holy scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.

I know, too, that Billy Graham, one of the most widely respected and revered Christians during my lifetime, did not understand why women were prevented from being priests and preachers. He said: "Women preach all over the world. It doesn't bother me from my study of the scriptures."

The truth is that male religious leaders have had - and still have - an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter.

Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views.

• Jimmy Carter was US president from 1977-81. The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity.

[MsDemeanor]

Another disgusting item buried in Scott Walker's budget:

Scott Walker’s Budget Bans Birth Control Coverage And Eliminates Access To Health Care Services For Women

[MsDemeanor]

Secretary Clinton praises Al Jazeera - right wing nut job heads across America explode!!

Faux Newz will go nuts over this!!

[rlin]

Originally Posted by MsDemeanor

Another disgusting item buried in Scott Walker's budget:

Scott Walker’s Budget Bans Birth Control Coverage And Eliminates Access To Health Care Services For Women

fucking genius...
i guess this will teach everyone how important state elections are...

[MsDemeanor]

Originally Posted by rlin

fucking genius...
i guess this will teach everyone how important state elections are...

Yep. Democrats - screw yer apathy; get yer ass to the voting booth.

[rlin]

i am again temporarily living in ga... not in marietta where this dumbass serves but still...


this is indicative of what happens when we dont try hard enough in local elections... cuz... state shit dont matter... see above WI posts... see this crazy shit... this is also the man that tried to get rape victims to turn into accusers... not victims... crazy bastard...

damn i cant wait to gtfo of ga


Last week the abortion debate took a turn down crazy street when Georgia lawmaker Bobby Franklin introduced a bill in the state legislature with the potential to find a miscarriage criminal, and a state mandate to track and investigate all pregnancy.
The bill, HB 1, would make the sexual health a matter of public concern. The measure would make abortion the legal equivalent of murder, and force the criminal investigation of women who suffer miscarriages.
The bill would classify the removal of a fetus under any circumstance other than during a live birth or to remove a dead fetus as "prenatal murder." Doctors and hospitals would be forced to report miscarriages to authorities, who would then have to investigate if the miscarriage occurs without medical attention. Many find the bill to be draconian. Many believe that for the state to investigate all unsupervised miscarriages as a crime scene is to take misogyny to a new level, and breathes new life into the notion that women really are nothing but chattel, second class citizens to be monitored and disciplined by the state.


Many find the proposal a preposterous invasion into a woman's constitutionally protected right to privacy. No surprise, Bobby Franklin is a Republican. His official biography on the Georgia General Assembly's website reads:

“Representative Franklin has been called ‘the conscience of the Republican Caucus’ because he believes that civil government should return to its biblically and constitutionally defined role."

[AtLast]

Fox News' Lies Keep Them Out of Canada
readersupportednews.org
‎'Fox News will not be moving into Canada after all! The reason: Canadian regulators today announced they would reject efforts by Canada's right-wing Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to repeal a law that forbids lying on broadcast news.' Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Reader Supported News

http://readersupportednews.org/opini...-out-of-canada

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by AtLastHome

Fox News' Lies Keep Them Out of Canada
readersupportednews.org
‎'Fox News will not be moving into Canada after all! The reason: Canadian regulators today announced they would reject efforts by Canada's right-wing Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to repeal a law that forbids lying on broadcast news.' Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Reader Supported News

http://readersupportednews.org/opini...-out-of-canada

And we continue to be spared! Thank the gods of news broadcasting o/

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

And we continue to be spared! Thank the gods of news broadcasting o/

I want you to send the folks up there that made this decision down! We need them!

[betenoire]

Originally Posted by AtLastHome

I want you to send the folks up there that made this decision down! We need them!

Can't. We -need- them. Won't share. Get your own!

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by betenoire

Can't. We -need- them. Won't share. Get your own!

Damn!

[Nat]

NPR exec called tea party racist and xenophobic and also said NPR would be better off without national funding


Assuming the recording wasn't tampered with..

[Nat]

[key]

General Strike Time

[MsDemeanor]

Strikes will just get people fired (it's in the new law) and piss off folks. Legal action and recall elections are the way to go. Someone struggling with where to stash their kids because the teachers aren't in school or who can't get services because everyone is on strike isn't going to be sympathetic. Better that they go back to their jobs and let people know that they are at work because they know how much they are needed by the people of WI.

[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by MsDemeanor

Strikes will just get people fired (it's in the new law) and piss off folks. Legal action and recall elections are the way to go. Someone struggling with where to stash their kids because the teachers aren't in school or who can't get services because everyone is on strike isn't going to be sympathetic. Better that they go back to their jobs and let people know that they are at work because they know how much they are needed by the people of WI.

This is spot-on, Ms D! We--liberals, I mean--have an opportunity to make visible the case some of us have been making for a while now; namely, that radical conservative ideology is a direct assault on the middle class. But we have to be tactically smart about it (something that seems to be very difficult for liberals to do--an issue I'm exploring on my blog). The people who are ordinary workers should go back to work so people know how much they are needed. At the same time, legal action and recall elections should be engaged in. I also hope that the national Democrats are looking at what is happening and deciding that they are *finally* willing to dance with those who brought them instead of always kowtowing to conservatives (who would vote for a red devil before they would vote for a liberal) and Wall Street bankers.

Cheers
Aj

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by MsDemeanor

Strikes will just get people fired (it's in the new law) and piss off folks. Legal action and recall elections are the way to go. Someone struggling with where to stash their kids because the teachers aren't in school or who can't get services because everyone is on strike isn't going to be sympathetic. Better that they go back to their jobs and let people know that they are at work because they know how much they are needed by the people of WI.

From some of last night's coverage, it looked like the WI Dems were pursuing legal action via the Atty General- my hpe is that this does go to the courts there- appears to be a WI constitutional issue to the max.

Striking might well turn public opinion against the public employees in the end. The union folks have a very strong statement in their prior agreement on monetary concessions.

I was a bit confused - is the sitting WI and Dem or GOP? Although, constutional law is the bottom line about the procedures in the state legislative bodies.