this n that
Boosting the signal: Guest Post - Carl Siciliano Youth homeless shelters in NYC are taking a severe beating with the budget cuts. Carl Siciliano, the Executive Director of Ali Forney Center describes the magnitude of the problem. If you can help at all, every little bit is greatly appreciated!
This was a remarkable thing to witness on the Internet yesterday. We all followed in different places, some of us on C-SPAN2 where it was broadcast live, some of us at liveblogging sites such as dailykos.com, and yet others on twitter. Since C-SPAN doesn’t do captioning on their live streams (although they do organize and add transcripts to their video archives later), I followed on twitter, following the fabulously named #filibernie hashtag and Bernie Sander’s own twitter feed. It was amazing to follow along while I worked, and to see just how much he got across - he spoke for at least 8 hours, and stayed directly on topic. For a recap, see Sanders Rails Against Tax Bill - For Hours and Hours. Also, a collection of reactions around the blogosphere can be found here: Okay, so it’s not really a filibuster….
Analysis of the failed DADT vote on Thursday: The Senate Stands for Injustice. The first paragraph is well worth repeating
On one of the most shameful days in the modern history of the Senate, the Republican minority on Thursday prevented a vote to allow gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly in the military of the United States. They chose to filibuster a vital defense bill because it also banned discrimination in the military ranks. And in an unrelated but no less callous move, they blocked consideration of help for tens of thousands of emergency workers and volunteers who became ill from the ground zero cleanup after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Who Cares If People Don’t Marry? Yeah. If it weren’t the legal and civil issues involved, I’d say let it die. But it won’t, so there you go.
As with so many things these days, it’s necessary to rethink how we use things. Latest case in point: Are We Running Out of Antibiotics?
There’s a lot of problems with taser use by the police, which include the instrument itself, its effects on people, and most importantly, how the police interact with the public. While I fully agree that the device itself is far more dangerous than is publicly or officially admitted to, it wouldn’t be nearly this problem if the police weren’t so intent on bullying the public. (And yes, the parallel is deliberate on my part.) Digby has been paying close attention to the issue of tasers and gives us yet another story: “You’re Going To Get Tasered”
This is a bit of work to go through, but it details how Christian fundamentalists, aka religionistas are exporting their hate: Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate.
The latest on the religious hate groups: Take a Stand With FRC and Those Who Want Homosexuality Criminalized. This article includes an impressive list outlining why they have been designated hate groups (hint: “opposing gay marriage” is not on that list).
List of facts about rich vs poor in the U.S. 15 Mind-Blowing Facts About Wealth And Inequality In America. Lots and lots of visual charts that really bring out what’s gone horribly wrong in this country since Reagan.
An Interview With David Cay Johnston, who clearly articulates what is wrong with the tax code and how it benefits the rich in a “trickle UP” manner.
An interesting graph showing the distribution of Fortune 500 companies in this country (click to embiggen) from Focus:
Originally published at What's that you said?. You can comment here or there.