World News Korner

Courtesy of Think Progress:

Late on Friday, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) vetoed House Bill 4588, a measure that would have outlawed abortions after 20 weeks in West Virginia. In a statement regarding his decision, the governor explained that the abortion ban would be a “detriment of the health and safety of expectant mothers,” and noted that it violates the constitution.

“I believe there is no greater gift of love than the gift of life,” Gov. Tomblin said. “However, I have vetoed HB 4588 because I am advised, by not only attorneys from the legislature, but through my own legal team that this bill is unconstitutional.”

Under Roe v. Wade, abortion is legal up until the point of viability, which typically occurs around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Twenty-week bans — also often called “fetal pain bans,” since they’re based on the scientifically disputed theory that fetuses can feel pain after that point — seek to narrow that window. It’s an effective method of gradually chipping away at women’s reproductive rights.

Abortion opponents have furthered this incremental strategy in states across the country, capitalizing on the emotional outrage about later abortion procedures to enact 20-week bans in nine states. West Virginia would have represented a particularly significant milestone in this push to limit abortion access. If Tomblin hadn’t vetoed HB 4588, it would have been the first 20-week ban to become law in a Democratic-controlled state — ultimately, allowing the anti-choice community to construe this policy as moderate by pointing to bipartisan support for fetal pain restrictions.

Whew! Really dodged a bullet with that one!

In 2013 twenty two states enacted a total of seventy abortion restrictions, and there are no indications that these attacks on Roe vs Wade are going to stop anytime soon.

This is yet ANOTHER reason why Democrats in local elections need to get out the vote and work to elect politicians who respect a woman's right to choose.

If the demographic predictions are accurate than time is on our side, however until then we have to fight to preserve the rights that so many fought so hard to attain.

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"There's not just the huntin, and fishing, and snowmachining, and dog sledding, we're going to showcase people places and things that inspire people to get off their...."

Gee I wonder what they left out?

You know I have watched entire John Wayne movies that featured fewer gun than this promo did.

Fanatic nationalism, drunken rednecks, abundant firearms, duck calls, running from cattle, apparently Sarah Palin's version of America is a potpourri of idiotic behaviors, near fatalities, and hillbilly hijinks, all set to music by second rate bands found ducking flying beer bottles on the stages of honky-tonk bars.

Yeehaw, America! It's time to lose s few more of them there brain cells.

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Courtesy of Mother Jones:

Documents filed with the Department of Labor and dated December 2012—three months after the company's owners filed their lawsuit—show that the Hobby Lobby 401(k) employee retirement plan held more than $73 million in mutual funds with investments in companies that produce emergency contraceptive pills, intrauterine devices, and drugs commonly used in abortions. Hobby Lobby makes large matching contributions to this company-sponsored 401(k).

Several of the mutual funds in Hobby Lobby's retirement plan have holdings in companies that manufacture the specific drugs and devices that the Green family, which owns Hobby Lobby, is fighting to keep out of Hobby Lobby's health care policies: the emergency contraceptive pills Plan B and Ella, and copper and hormonal intrauterine devices.

Seriously?

These assholes are making money off of the companies which manufacture these medications while also suing so that their female employees don't get access to them through the company health plan?

And just when I thought I had seen it all.

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Courtesy of the Washington Post:

A report by the Senate Intelligence Committee concludes that the CIA misled the government and the public about aspects of its brutal interrogation program for years — concealing details about the severity of its methods, overstating the significance of plots and prisoners, and taking credit for critical pieces of intelligence that detainees had in fact surrendered before they were subjected to harsh techniques.

The report, built around detailed chronologies of dozens of CIA detainees, documents a long-standing pattern of unsubstantiated claims as agency officials sought permission to use — and later tried to defend — excruciating interrogation methods that yielded little, if any, significant intelligence, according to U.S. officials who have reviewed the document.

“The CIA described [its program] repeatedly both to the Department of Justice and eventually to Congress as getting unique, otherwise unobtainable intelligence that helped disrupt terrorist plots and save thousands of lives,” said one U.S. official briefed on the report. “Was that actually true? The answer is no.”

Current and former U.S. officials who described the report spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue and because the document remains classified. The 6,300-page report includes what officials described as damning new disclosures about a sprawling network of secret detention facilities, or “black sites,” that was dismantled by President Obama in 2009.

Classified files reviewed by committee investigators reveal internal divisions over the interrogation program, officials said, including one case in which CIA employees left the agency’s secret prison in Thailand after becoming disturbed by the brutal measures being employed there. The report also cites cases in which officials at CIA headquarters demanded the continued use of harsh interrogation techniques even after analysts were convinced that prisoners had no more information to give.

Yeah someone tell me again how the Obama administration is the most criminal administration in history, or how President Obama is destroying the reputation of this country.

These techniques were implemented, supported, and defended by George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz.

And every time anybody tried to call them out on using torture they were attacked, undermined, and essentially accused of giving comfort to the terrorists.

Fuck the Bush administration.

Fuck the Republicans who provided them cover.

And fuck anybody who even suggests that we vote another Republican President into office.

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Courtesy of Human Rights Watch:

Saudi Arabia’s new terrorism law and a series of related royal decrees create a legal framework that appears to criminalize virtually all dissident thought or expression as terrorism. The sweeping provisions in the measures, all issued since January 2014, threaten to close down altogether Saudi Arabia’s already extremely restricted space for free expression.

“Saudi authorities have never tolerated criticism of their policies, but these recent laws and regulations turn almost any critical expression or independent association into crimes of terrorism,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “These regulations dash any hope that King Abdullah intends to open a space for peaceful dissent or independent groups.”

And just how sweeping are these provisions?

This sweeping:

Article 1: “Calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based.”

That's right. Simply believing that there is no God, and mentioning that, is now considered an offense and is dealt with in the same way as a guy who opens fire on a busload of school children.

And we buy our oil from these people!

Should I even mention that there are religious fundamentalists in this country who would gladly impose similar laws if they thought there was a chance they might be able to get it?

Because there are.

Sure Christians and Muslims THINK they are a persecuted group, but we Atheists know who are the real victims of discrimination.



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From the fool for every month's Facebook page:

My Own Final Four Bracket For America’s Future Holy Moly!

Are you kidding? You’d think one who is representing the mighty Badgers, who made it to the Final Four based on sacrificial work ethic and discipline that obviously pays off in the end, he who represents the great state of Wisconsin that hosts this underdog celebrated college basketball team, would understand that future success depends on hard work and sacrifices. (Oh, more basketball references. That never gets old.) The latest Ryan (R, Wisconsin) Budget is not an April Fool’s joke. But it really IS a joke because it is STILL not seeing the problem; it STILL is not proposing reining in wasteful government overspending TODAY, instead of speculating years out that some future Congress and White House may possibly, hopefully, eh-who-knows, take responsibility for today’s budgetary selfishness and shortsightedness to do so. THIS is the definition of insanity. (Well she would know.) Do we still not understand how dangerous it is to allow government to grow unchecked as we shackle ourselves with massive debt – a good portion of which is held by foreign nations who don’t necessarily like us? If we can’t balance the budget today, what on earth makes us think it will happen at some future date? The solution is staring us in the face. (That could be the wig. I think I saw a face on it.) We need to rein in spending today, and don’t tell me there is nothing to cut when we know every omnibus bill is loaded with pork and kickbacks. (Well we could further cut military spending, get rid of tax subsidies for oil companies, and stop paying farmers not to grow crops. Oh she means making budget cuts that only hurt poor people who need government assistance. How silly of me.)

Reading the article linked below gave me the same reaction that my daughter just caused when she punked me with a very unfunny April Fool’s Day announcement. (Really which one said the rabbit died this time?) As my Dad would say after these April Fool’s announcements, “This would kill a lesser man.” This out-of-control debt is killing our economic future.

- Sarah Palin

Apparently Paul Ryan has attracted Teabagger scorn by creating a pretend budget that only cuts social programs to the bone, ends government ownership of Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac, and repeals Obamacare, but does not suggest selling the first born children of Democrats currently serving in the Senate.

The budget gets 40% of its savings from the repeal of Obamacare which will never happen, and much if the rest from cuts to social programs that would never pass the Senate in its current form. So essentially it is a creative writing piece with no real connection to reality.

However the Teabaggers don't quite get that, and decide to attack it, apparently just for something to do:

Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, told Breitbart News "Ryan's budget should be found in the book store in the fiction department. If there is one thing we know about Washington, increased spending now with the promises of spending cuts on the future means we will get the spending but never the cuts."

Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, told Breitbart News it is fitting that Ryan released his budget on April Fool's Day. "On this day when we celebrate fools, we are once again presented with a budget by Republicans and asked to believe it is something more than a political document," Cunningham said.

Mark Kevin Lloyd, a Virginia Tea Party activist, was equally dubious. "I got tired of watching Popeye reruns when I was a kid in the '60s," he told Breitbart News. "Wimpy was always asking for a hamburger today, and offering to pay next Tuesday. That is exactly what this budget does for us."

And since the Teabbaggers have their panties in a bunch that means that Palin has to get her granny panties all wrapped around her bony thighs as a show of solidarity. After all what is April first without the resident fool making an appearance?

In my opinion this is yet another indication that Palin is absolutely panic stricken that the Tea Party is leaving her behind, and she is trying to kiss blubbery middle age ass in order to get back into their good graces.

Excited to announce that @SarahPalinUSA is coming to #SWFL this week to join me on the campaign trail! #FL19 pic.twitter.com/OnqbPXRNL6
— Lizbeth Benacquisto (@lizbethkb) April 1, 2014

So desperate is she in fact that she is ready to haul her skinny ass down to Florida in order to rub bony elbows with on of her endorsees.

Wow a Facebook post AND a personal appearance. Gee that will almost make up for the fact that Palin is unlikely to pony up any actual cash.

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So on Brancy's blog there was a story about a young woman who was rescued from her debilitating eating disorder by a group of concerned fellow gym members:

This group of gym goers — called the “Nashville angels” — took Lauren to the hospital in just the nick of time. The doctors said she would’ve died — perhaps that day — had the strangers not intervened.

Now see that's very sweet. I just can't help wondering by Bristol/Nancy French would post about something that has nothing to do with abortion, Down syndrome, or attacking the President.

You know it seems like I would at least have a hint.

Hang on, it's on the tip of my brain. It'll come to me.

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