Proof links

This is a list of links collected over a long period that were used to debunk conservative lies and/or provide a more factual grounding for discussions of important issues. The comments below the links may come from the original article or may be some that I added to clarify what the link is about (or both).

Conservative lies & propaganda

Examples of outright conservative lying as well as articles debunking the worst of them.

Ayn Rand

A chapter-by-chapter commentary on everything wrong with this idiotic book and its author's philosophy.; Her works are treated as gospel by right-wing powerhouses like Alan Greenspan and Clarence Thomas, but Ayn Rand found early inspiration in 1920's murderer William Hickman.; Ayn Rand left behind some very interesting memoirs to be published only after she died. Those familiar with L. Ron Hubbard will also appreciate this bit of satire.; This typically idiotic remark in a recent NY Times book review caught my attention: Rand’s inclusion of businessmen in the ranks of the Übermenschen helps to explain her appeal to free-marketeers — including Alan Greenspan — but it is not...; In the grand ol' tradition of "Libertarian reluctantly calls fire department," all and sundry are having fun with the news that Ayn Rand received Social; Great little compilation of Republicans praising Ayn Rand, followed by Rand herself showing what it is they are praising.

Chris Christie

There's a pattern of Chris Christie doing questionable things -- for which he then demands the benefit of the doubt.; CPAC's exclusion of GOProud, Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell threatens the conservative movement. Without them, is the event just a "wretched hive of scum and villainy," as one GOPer opined?

Conservative truthtellers

Every once in a while, you get some truth from conservatives in the media. This has happened especially as the Republican party has come to be controlled by the most extreme elements of the right wing and moderate Republicans speak out in horror.; Two years into the Obama presidency, the issue of where he was born and what religion he follows somehow continues to be an issue for many on the far right, and now House Speaker John Boehner is coming under fire for telling NBC's David Gregory that it's not my job to dispel those rumors. Bill O'Reilly dedicated his regular panel with Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham tonight to the matter, railing passionately about why giving the matter airtime was destructive. (IOW: Even Bill O'Reilly thinks the "Obama is a Muslim" myth is BS); Bob Dole suggests the Republicans hang up a "Closed for repair" sign until 2014 so they can come up with a positive agenda.; Republicans are using the nation's economic problems as an excuse to pursue the business agenda of eliminating regulation, a [Republican] economist writes.; Dale Schultz has had enough. A lifelong republican legislator and part of a dying breed of true statesman can not handle the extreme storm that has taken over the current Wisconsin republican party!; Conservative columnist for The New York Times David Brooks takes on presumably his own party in a hyperventilating tirade blaming the Republican party for playing politics with the budget crisis. Maybe Brooks is legitimately worried that if America comes close to possibly defaulting on its debt, the consequences would be so grave that Republicans shouldn't even use it as leverage in their negotiations. Yet if that's the case, why aren't Democrats and particularly President Obama, even more deserving of his scorn for allowing such a critical issue to remain unresolved right up until the deadline?; Some of my Republican friends ask if I’ve gone crazy. I say: Look in the mirror.; A brave observation. And accurate.; It’s cited as the reason Boehner can’t end the shutdown, but the ex speaker tells Eleanor Clift ‘it’s a non-entity.’; A former senior strategist for Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) 2008 presidential campaign says that the depiction of Sarah Palin by actress Julianne Moore in HBO's film 'Game Change' was 'very accurate.'; A new Florida law that contributed to long voter lines and caused some to abandon voting altogether was intentionally designed by Florida GOP staff and consultants to inhibit Democratic voters; Kevin D. Williamson writes on NRO: There are two schools of thought about the Reagan tax cuts. The conventional conservative view: They spurred investment, entrepreneurship, and real economic growth, helping to resuscitate the post-Carter economy, and, by doing so, they paid for themselves. The conventional liberal view: They were an ill-considered product of starve-the-beast ideology and . . .; Written by Melissa @PermissionToLive; Some state party leaders are "right-wing crazies," its former chairman says. TALLAHASSEE — In a wide-ranging deposition that spanned two days in late May, former Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer denounced some party officials as liars and "whack-a-do, right-wing crazies'' as he described turmoil in the months before his resignation.; How Republicans have made Washington worse by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein; The NYT's Ross Douthat flags a very important article by Kevin Williamson in National Review debunking the myth that tax cuts increase revenue, an article of faith among George W. Bush and other prominent Republicans that even Bush's own economists...; Even the NRA isn't falling for the "Obama is buying up ammunition" crazy talk, although this admision did not come from their leadership.; How my Republican Party destroyed the American economy.; Doing everything possible to block the law's implementation is not treasonous—just sharply beneath any reasonable standards of elected officials.; Anyone who thinks that race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention.; Conservative Columnist David Brooks comes out swinging in support of President Obama. He believes President Obama made the correct statements at the 2015 Nat...; 1.; Former Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards, a founding father of modern conservative politics, explains how the conservative movement abandoned its principles.; Cruz takes pains to be whatever you want him to be. And he’s really good at it.

Donald Trump

Wedded bliss, no doubt.; Chaos With Trump’s Travel Ban Likely Caused By Inexperience, Bad Advice; Over the last 48 hours — since Buzzfeed published an intelligence dossier alleging the Russian government’s involvement with President-Elect Trump — few words have been subject to as much debate and…; President Donald Trump’s “wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border would be a series of fences and walls that would cost as much as $21.6 billion, and take more than three years to construct, based on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security internal report seen by Reuters on Thursday.; His father's. His investors'. His campaign contributors'. Will every taxpayer be next?; Snippets from candidate tax returns offer lessons in aggressive deduction strategies.; Written without coordination with agencies or lawmakers, edicts could have limited real-world impact.; President Donald Trump approved his first covert raid without sufficient intelligence, ground support, or adequate backup preparations, military officials say.; Wilbur Ross has extensive Russian financial ties that the Senate must thoroughly explore before voting on his nomination as Commerce Secretary.; Wilbur Ross is likely to be confirmed as President Donald Trump’s secretary of commerce on Monday despite unanswered questions about his ownership of a Cyprus bank that caters to wealthy Russians.

Economy & Taxes

Articles that debunk some of the worst lies told by conservatives about the economy and the tax structure.

Clueless Conservatives

Links to wealthy conservatives whining about how good they have it and wondering why they are being oppressed.; FACT CHECKER | For the first time in this campaign, we give a Geppetto Checkmark to campaign ad.; Although the Tea Party often uses Thomas Paine as some sort of symbol of their "movement," this 1797 pamphlet he wrote would get him kicked out their group faster than you can say "redistribution."; An American appetite for tax hikes gives President Barack Obama leverage in fiscal cliff negotiations. A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll finds that 60 percent of respondents support raising taxes on households that earn more than $250,000 a year and 64 percent want to raise taxes on large corporations. Even 39 percent of...; Republicans are using the nation's economic problems as an excuse to pursue the business agenda of eliminating regulation, a [Republican] economist writes.; By Arloc Sherman, Robert Greenstein, and Kathy Ruffing; This Gallup poll proves the opposite of the headline it chose to write (less than half of business owners worry about these two items; the poll lists other problems much higher).; The speaker of the House said that 219 regulations, each costing at least $100 million, ”is poised” to be imposed on the U.S. economy. All of his numbers are wrong.; Of all the falsehoods told about President Barack Obama, the biggest whopper is the one about his reckless spending spree. In fact, government spending is rising at the slowest pace in nearly 60 years, writes Rex Nutting.; A provision of health care legislation imposes a 3.8% sales tax on all real estate transactions? Not even close...; I received this email from my dad. It had been forward multiple times (and like many emails that come from senior seniors, was written three different ...; Obama's September speech viewership dwarfs Republican debate.; In the coming days and weeks we'll be hearing a lot of misinformation about the Trustees Report from the Social Security Administration. It's time to separate the myths from the realities: 1. Myth: 'Social Security and Medicare have a cost …; "This weekend," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said today, "a plumber concerned that Senator Obama was going to raise his taxes asked him directly about his plan. The response was telling. Senator Obama explained to him that he was going to raise his taxes to quote ‘spread the wealth around.’" Is that what happened? Judge for yourself — here’s the exchange. Outside Toledo, Ohio, on Sunday, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was approached by plumber Joe Wurzelbacher, a big, bald man with a goatee who asked Obama if he believes in the American dream. "I’m getting ready to buy a company that…; Greenstein flays the budget plan put forth by Paul Ryan during the 2012 election.; By Robert Tannenwald, Jon Shure and Nicholas Johnson *; A panel discussion about money in politics; (Reuters) - When staffers at the National Venture Capital Association see a report that refers to U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney's investments as venture capital, they grimace -- and then contact

Fox News / News Corp

A collection of articles debunking Fox News propaganda or otherwise poking a hole in the Fox News bubble.

Fox Lies / Military Policies re: Faith

On Tuesday, Rep. Keith Ellison accused the Fox News host of telling "mistruths." He was speaking euphemistically; A discussion of how unbalanced the match between Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes was, plus info about the early years for each.; Fox News viewers are not moderate Republicans. They're right wingers.; Are we still talking about this whole phone-hacking scandal at News Corp.? Profits are up at News Corp. And, as Rupert Murdoch assured investors yesterday, "There can be no doubt about our commitment to ethics and integrity."; Fox News compares apples to rotten oranges to make it appear as if Barack Obama has presided over a near-doubling of the ranks of the unemployed.; By now, there's no question in anyone's mind that the tragic Norway shootings are the work of a right-wing extremist who appears to at least have been influenced by web sites like StormFront.org, among others. But watch these Fox talkers avoid it …; Fox News shows an "Unemployment Rate Under President Obama" graph that is not only incomplete, but includes a laughably dishonest distortion. This is precisely what makes Fox Fox.; Even nutcase site World Net Daily knows that Rupert Murdoch was a part-owner of a radical Muslim broadcasting service long before Al Gore even thought about selling to the more respected Al-Jazeera English.; The tea party protests continued last week, as Congresswoman Michele Bachmann held an anti-health-care-reform rally on the steps of the Capitol. While she estimated that 20,000-45,000 people attended the event, the Washington Post reported it was actually more like 10,000.; MSNBC and CNN have improved ever so slightly on our TV network scorecards, while Fox News has moved a touch in the opposite direction. We last looked at our network scorecards, which examine all the claims made by pundits on air, in September. The scorecards measure statements made by a pundit or a host or paid contributor on a particular network. They do not include statements made by elected leaders, declared candidates or party officials. So what’s the latest tally? At Fox and Fox News, 10 percent of the claims we’ve rated have been True, 11 percent Mostly True, 18 ...; James Murdoch seals the deal to boost News Corp.'s stake in the largest producer of Arabic music to 14.5%; Public Documents, Mug Shots; http://www.outfoxed.org/ Shows how Fox News uses the phrase 'some people say' to insert unsourced opinion into news briefs. As seen in Outfoxed.; Republican media strategist Roger Ailes launched Fox News Channel in 1996, ostensibly as a "fair and balanced" counterpoint to what he regarded as the liberal establishment media. But according to a remarkable document buried deep within the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, the intellectual forerunner for Fox News was a nakedly partisan 1970 plot by Ailes and other Nixon aides to circumvent the "prejudices of network news" and deliver "pro-administration" stories to heartland television viewers.; Authoritarian people have a stronger emotional need for an outlet like Fox, where they can find affirmation and escape factual challenges to their beliefs.; A poor showing for mainstream media.; The rogue journalist has a history of erroneous reporting and outrageous comments, but the network doesn't seem to be moved by it.

Hillary Clinton

Polls and chart for 2016 National Democratic Primary. See the latest estimates and poll results at HuffPost Pollster.; It’s hard to remember these days, but just a few years ago, everybody loved Hillary Rodham Clinton. When she stepped down as US secretary of state in January 2013 after four years in office, her approval rating stood at what the Wall Street Journal described as an “eye-popping” 69%. That made her not only the...; Clinton's remarks were widely misinterpreted as a "slam" of Obamacare, yet the actual remarks show he was talking about the whole healthcare system, both the population being served well and the population that was still having a problem with rising costs.; When pressed by This Week's George Stephanopoulos, Clinton Cash author Peter Schweizer could not produce a single piece of hard evidence to support his allegations.; Was The New York Times too quick to suggest that Bill Clinton traded influence for donations?; Journalists apply a different set of standards in their coverage of Hillary Clinton. Some of that's a reaction to years of dealing with spin. But it has the effect of distorting public perceptions.; Call it ricochet politics. First, a questioner at a New Hampshire rally for Donald Trump repeats the lie that President Barack Obama is a Muslim. Trump fails to correct him and faces a round of questions as to why he didn’t. Then the host of NBC’s Meet the Press asks Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson if it would be okay to have a Muslim president and Carson said, "I absolutely would not agree with that." This prompts Hillary Clinton to tweet, "Can a Muslim be President of the United States of America? In a word: Yes. Now let's move on." ...; State Department asked NSA in 2009 for then-secretary of state to get secure "BlackBerry-like" device, like the one provided to President Obama; Fiorina, a surrogate for Sen. Ted Cruz, makes a sweeping but false claim about Clinton's abortion stance.; A specter is haunting Hillary Clinton’s campaign: the specter of Iraq, specifically her Senate vote in 2002 giving President George W. Bush the authori ...; A bunch of reporters have recently discovered a shocking truth: Hillary Clinton is liberal! (I heard a rumor that Columbo has been helping with the investigatio…; Rather than talking about her husband's past, we should be discussing Hillary Clinton's future.; If the buildup doesn’t disappoint, you can expect plenty of news out of the U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing on May 8, 2013. The panel will review how President Barack Obama’s administration -- including then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- handled the Sept. 11, 2012 bombing at the U.S. consulate in Benghzai, Libya. The attack killed four Americans -- and set off administration critics such as U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. A few days before the hearing, it was disclosed that a top U.S. diplomat had said "everyone" at the consulate thought "from the beginning" that the attack was an ...; Most of these hacked DNC emails amount to a whole lot of nothing when you factor in context - with one big exception regarding Bernie Sanders...; National polls for the 2016 Democratic presidential primary elections: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders; Despite what Trump says, the 2008 Clinton campaign and the candidate herself never trafficked in the rumors.; Read the transcript of Hillary Clinton's remarks, in which she said half of Donald Trump's supporters belong in a "basket of deplorables"; RealClearPolitics - Election 2016 - 2016 Democratic Presidential Nomination; Text of the Starr report (Office of the Independent Counsel) with the conclusion that Vince Foster committed suicide (pg. 111); The idea of her being led away in handcuffs is just too tantalizing to give up.; Why we keep missing Hillary Clinton’s greatest strength.; At The Harry Walker Agency, we have a list of exclusive speakers who choose to only work with us because they value our unique approach. View them here.; Brian McCauley said “all bets were off” on his offer to swap favors with a State Department counterpart once he found out a classification issue involved the Benghazi attack.

James O'Keefe

The nasty business of a nasty Republican operative.; This Wikipedia entry includes links to coverage of all the investigations that cleared ACORN of the accusations implied or made in James O'Keefe's fraudulent videos.; Former ACORN employee Juan Carlos Vera sued after being wrongly portrayed as a willing participant in an underage sex-trafficking scheme. Breitbart still hasn't corrected the item!; Brooklyn prosecutors on Monday cleared ACORN of criminal wrongdoing after a four-month probe that began when undercover conservative activists filmed workers giving what appeared to be illegal advice on how to hide money.; Conservative activist James O'Keefe will pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former employee of the group ACORN, according to court records in San Diego. As part of the settlement, O'Keefe says he "regrets any pain" suffered by...; This is the Government Accounting Office report that exonerated ACORN of any wrongdoing, undercutting the stripping of federal funds from them by Republicans (a move that was later ruled unconstitutional).; Juan Carlos Vera, who worked at the National City ACORN office, filed the suit two years ago in federal court. In 2009, Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe, who acted as Giles’ sleazy boyfriend, secretly videotaped Vera purportedly giving the pa...; The general report about ACORN activities in California, including the passage that clears them of any wrong-doing as alleged by James O'Keefe's fraudulent videos (see pages 15-16).

Jeb Bush

The former Florida governor earns Four Pinocchios for a claim that rewrites history.

Liberal Media Myth

This research project examined the supposed left orientation of media personnel by surveying Washington-based journalists who cover national politics and/or economic policy at US outlets.; A discussion of the origin and development of the conservative myth about the "liberal media."; A critique of the Media Research Center, right-wing media watchdog that attempts to prove a liberal bias in the media.

Mitt Romney

Likely Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has been out on the pre-campaign trail this month saying he is the man to get Americans back to work, despite a spotty jobs record while on Wall; Mitt Romney’s business career is a cornerstone of his campaign. But his brand of capitalism had human costs and some messy financial consequences.; **Notes on HHMT: Kevin Hassett, Glenn Hubbard, Gregory Mankiw, and John Taylor, ["The Romney Program for Economic Recovery, Growth, and Jobs"](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/mitt-romney-jobs_n_1734520.html)** ---- HHMT: We are presently in the most anemic economic recovery in the memory of most Americans, with significant joblessness and long-term unemployment, as well as lost income and savings. **WRONG: We are in the worst downturn, but we are not in the “most anemic” recovery--the recovery of 2001-2004 was more anemic. HHMT should know: three of them held high federal office in the George W. Bush administration that managed that recovery,and back then all four attempted (uncovincingly, IMHO) to rebut claims from people (like me) that the early 2000s recovery was anemic and that more stimulative policies were then needed.** **Why don’t HHMT make the true claim that we are in the worst downturn? Why do they make the wrong claim that we are in the most anemic recovery? Because they do not want to talk about how back when they were in office they played their role in failing to use their leverage to argue for more expansionary fiscal and monetary policies to speed the then-recovery.** **Why weren’t HHMT arguing, back in 2001-4, either inside or outside...; Free advice for the Romney campaign: this is why some people have a hard time trusting you.; MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT The most effective and politically potent moment of the GOP convention was not seen by most Americans (an...; Has anyone noticed that the Romney advisor behind the ‘Romney Economic Boom’ is the guy responsible for one of the most spectacularly wrong and wildly optimistic economic predictions of the 1990s? This week the Romney campaign was knocked on its…; No wonder Mitt Romney doesn’t want his finances made public. His offshore accounts may operate in a legal gray zone, as Nicholas Shaxson reports, but is that where a presidential candidate should be?; "You really want to hang your entire campaign on a willful, out-of-context misunderstanding?" Yes... yes, he does.; Mitt Romney's infamous op-ed in which he encourages a “solution” that would lead to the collapse of the auto industry. "A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the auto industry needs."; KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - It was funny at first.The young men in business suits, gingerly picking their way among the millwrights, machinists and pipefitters at Kansas City's Worldwide Grinding; It's awfully tough to be a presidential candidate worth $250 million when income inequality and poverty are at record levels. Of course, it's tougher still when you're Mitt Romney. After all, in words and in deeds, Romney for years has …; Twitter / @MattBeynon Updated at 2:55 Mitt Romney’s rivals have seized on comments made by his communications director Eric Fehrnstromon CNN this morning suggesting Romney’s rightward shift during the primary might be “reset” during the general election campaign. Here’s the exchange: JOHN FUGELSANG (CNN): “Is there a concern that [Rick] Santorum and [Newt] Gingrich might force the governor to tack so far to the right it would hurt him with moderate voters in the general election?” FEHRNSTROM: “Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch-A-Sketch. You can kind of…

Rick "Oops" Perry

Michael McCrum, the special prosecutor who secured an indictment against Gov. Rick Perry on Friday, is described by colleagues as faithful and aggressive. One thing they don't call him is partisan.

Ronald Reagan

A recorded conversation between an apologetic Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher over the invasion of Grenada is published for the first time.; New evidence continues to accumulate showing how Official Washington got key elements of two major presidential scandals of the Nixon and Reagan administrations wrong.; You'd be surprised which American politicians supported and worked against the civil liberties issues Nelson Mandela championed.
...and the correct response to the birther question is:: Obvously photo-shopped but still: When it comes to answering the idiots on the far right, a picture is worth two words.
'Lost confidence' Publisher Thomas Nelson decides to pull David Barton’s controversial book on Thomas Jefferson’s faith: The Thomas Nelson publishing company has decided to cease publication and distribution of David Barton’s controversial book, The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed about Thomas Jefferson, saying it has “lost confidence in the book’s details.”
"Motor Voter" Bill: Some conservatives claim the bill made it illegal for states to ask if registrants were U.S. citizens. Search the text for "citizenship" to find proof of the opposite.
10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked | Southern Poverty Law Center: The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 as a small civil rights law firm. Today, the Center is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups.
9 of Ben Carson’s Most Controversial Quotes
A guide to the conservative movement in one handy chart
Addicted to Bush - NYTimes.com: Republican leaders seem to want a complete return to the Bush agenda, but how can they embrace Bush’s policies given his record?
America: A Center-Left Nation: An analysis of polling data that shows that, despite a certain proportion claiming to be "conservative," most Americans agree with proposals and ideas normally associated with liberal thinking.
Amorphophallus titanum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: A useful species of flower to reference with regard to Republicans and their ideas.
An open letter to conservatives | AmericanDad's Blog: A real treasure trove of links to examples of Republican hypocrisy. You'll spent many happy hours with this one.
An-Analysis-of-the-Accuracy-of-Forecasts-in-the-Political-Media.pdf (application/pdf Object)
AOL's "youth filters" protect kids from Democrats - CNET News: America Online provides 'youth filters' that are supposed to keep kids out of dangerous Web sites--but they seem designed to eliminate creeping liberalism. A CNET article by Brian Livingston. Published on April 24, 2000 1:00 PM PDT.
Batman: Vengeance of Bane Vol 1 1 - DC Comics Database: Rush Limbaugh, among others, is claiming "conspiracy" over the fact that the primary villain in "The Dark Knight Rises" is named "Bane" as in Mitt "I ran Bain Capital until I didn't" Romney. Unfortunately for the wingers, Bane has been around a bit longer than that.
CIA: Plame Was "Covert": According to court documents (pdf) filed by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, Valerie Plame was a covert agent.
Conservative Media And Cop Killers Of A Different Color: Conservative Media And Cop Killers Of A Different Color
Covert Malaysian Campaign Touched A Wide Range Of American Media: Outlets from Huffington Post to National Review carried pieces financed by the Malaysian government. An international campa...
Cybersecurity Bill Is Blocked in Senate by GOP Filibuster: A cybersecurity bill that had been one of the Obama administration’s top national security priorities was blocked by a Republican filibuster in the Senate on Thursday, severely limiting its prospects this year.
Debunking the Debunkers: I think we should drop the Benazir Bhutto thing...: The "Benazir Bhutto claimed OBL was dead" claim is debunked, by no less than a 9/11 truther site, which essentially says there is nothing to see here, move along.
Echoing Lyndon LaRouche, Horowitz and Poe smear 14-year-old George Soros as Nazi "collaborator"; new book features doctored quotes, factual errors | Research | Media Matters for America: David Horowitz and Richard Poe charge in their new book that George Soros was a Nazi "collaborator in fascist Hungary" ... by doctoring or distorting quotes and falsely or misleadingly portraying events and statements.
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007: The text of the act that Republicans claim "bans" the incandescent light bulb, but in fact only sets energy usage standards for the most common types (see Section 321)
EU Terrorism Report 2010.pdf (application/pdf Object): This report included statistics that showed that the highest incidence of terrorism in the world came from Basque separatists, not Muslims.
FactCheck.org : Clueless “Columbo”: FactCheck.org debunks an email listing a number of "suppressed" or "unreleased" records about Obama.
FactCheck.org : Obama’s ‘National Security Force?’
How the media outrageously blew the IRS scandal: A full accounting - Salon.com: Almost everything "reported" about the big Obama scandal was wrong, and no one has been held to account (UPDATED)
John Adams' Holy Ghost letter: David Barton strikes back: John Adams' Holy Ghost letter: David Barton strikes back
Keeping GOP Honest
Keystone XL is a tar sands pipeline to export oil out of the United States | Anthony Swift's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC
Koch Brothers Flout Law Getting Richer With Secret Iran Sales - Bloomberg: In May 2008, a unit of Koch Industries Inc., one of the world’s largest privately held companies, sent Ludmila Egorova-Farines, its newly hired compliance officer and ethics manager, to investigate the management of a subsidiary in Arles in southern France. In less than a week, she discovered that the company had paid bribes to win contracts.
Mitt Romney's Pork Barrel Olympics | Mother Jones
New Black Panthers hearing 4-23-2010.pdf: Investigation into Black Panther "voter intimidation" issue highlights its trivial nature
New Black Panthers hearing 5-14-2010.pdf: Investigation into Black Panther "voter intimidation" issue highlights its trivial nature
On Fox, Gary Bauer Reverses Public's Support For Gay Marriage | Media Matters for America
Part Deux: Many think US is bailing out Greece; NPR, Jon Stewart Out-Fox Cable News
Pathways to Ideology in American Politics: the Operational-Symbolic “Paradox” Revisited: Scholars of American public opinion have noticed a long-standing paradox: the American public is operationally liberal, but ideologically and symbolically conservative. Americans in the norm prefer “conservative” to “liberal” self-identifications and symbols. But these same citizens in the norm prefer liberal to conservative policy preferences on the major dimensions of issue conflict. Resolving this long-known paradox is the motivation of this paper.
Peaceful Tomorrows : 9/11 Families Group Announces Support for Islamic Cultural Center in Lower Manhattan: September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows strongly supports efforts to bring an Islamic Cultural Center to lower Manhattan, near the Ground Zero site. We believe that welcoming the Center, which is intended to promote interfaith tolerance and respect, is consistent with fundamental American values of freedom and justice for all...
Pimps, Lies, and Videotapes | Mother Jones: Inside Andrew Breitbart's and James O'Keefe's right-wing video fantasy factory.
Political Animal - Mitt’s mendacity: One of a weekly series (and the first to have links to the others at the bottom) that documents the lies Mitt Romney has told during that week.
Politico's Allen Lets One Slip on Republican's Motives Behind Benghazi Scandal-Mongering | Video Cafe: During an interview on PBS's Charlie Rose this Wednesday, Politico's Mike Allen let one slip and told that host that behind closed doors, Republicans admitted the only reason to keep up the scandal-mongering on Benghazi was because Hillary Clinton might run for president in 2016.
PolitiFact Tennessee | Another Republican claims that Martin Luther King Jr. was part of the GOP: Anyone driving the Interstate 240 beltway around Memphis will now see the new billboard at Getwell Road that proclaims "Martin Luther King Jr. Was A Republican. So Is Charlotte Bergmann. Charlotte Bergmann for Congress." Bergmann is a Republican candidate in the Democrat-rich 9th Congressional District now represented by Steve Cohen. She got a quarter of the vote in 2010 in the general election and, by all accounts, is doing more campaigning this year than two years ago. We’re going to take her at her word that she is a Republican. But Martin Luther King Jr., who marched with Memphis sanitation ...
Postal Workers: The Last Union | Truthout
Red Light States: Who Buys Online Adult Entertainment: An analysis of adult web consumption reveals that there's not much difference between different groups — unless you live in a red state (Utah...really???)
Rep. Aaron Schock's fib - Chicago Tribune: "For two years he had complete, unadulterated control of the federal government, a 60-seat majority in the Senate, an 80-plus seat majority in the House. He got every - literally every -
Republican Dirty Tricks: Republican Dirty Tricks
REPUBLICAN OFFENDERS: A list of Republican felons and their indicted brethren. Republican offender news and the latest Republican criminals. Money Laundering, Fraud, Serial Killers, Talk Show Hosts, Coingate, corruption, bribery, a culture of corruption, DUI, DWI. NOTE: Page deleted sometime after 2/24/13. Current link is through the Wayback Machine.
Ronald Reagan: Racism and Racial Politics
Rush Limbaugh's Dominican Stag Party | The Smoking Gun: JULY 6--Rush Limbaugh was traveling with four other men--including the producers of the hit show '24'--when he was detained over a mislabeled bottle of Viagra found in his luggage during a Customs search.
Six Studies That Show Everything Republicans Say About the Economy is Wrong | Rolling Stone: It's time for the right wing to stop lying about the minimum wage, taxes, global warming and more
snopes.com: Free 'ObamaPhones' for Welfare Recipients: An Obama administration program provides free cell phones and cellular service to welfare recipients?
Some News Leaves People Knowing Less
Studies Reveal that Conservatism is Promoted When People Rely on 'Low-Effort' Thinking: Rather than necessarily being pathological, political conservatism is promoted when people rely on low-effort thinking.
Study: Media Fact-Checker Says Republicans Lie More | The Center for Media and Public Affairs
The farce that is Darrell Issa - Salon.com: He's a buffoon whom even some in his own party attack. But make no mistake: He is a symbol of today's GOP
The Hitler gun control lie - Salon.com: Gun rights activists who cite the dictator as a reason against gun control have their history dangerously wrong
The October Surprise (The Consortium)
The Right’s Library of Fake Quotes — FAIR
The Taqiyya Libel Against Muslims
THP Videos - CPAC 2012 NRA EVP CEO Wayne LaPierre - YouTube: "The fight is on and the NRA is ALL IN!" says NRA CEO and EVP Wayne LaPierre at the 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. ...
Why Planners Need to Take Agenda 21 Criticism More Seriously - Neighborhoods - The Atlantic Cities: The United Nations' sustainable growth recommendations document "Agenda 21" has caught the attention of "world government" conspiracy theorists. Three ways to engage Tea Party critics of sustainable design. Includes links to a good fact-sheet as well as the actual U.N. document (web site).
Workbook: Who Lies The Most - 2016 Presidential Election v92.0921.02

Education

Charter schools, Vouchers

Charter schools take badly-needed funds from neighborhood public schools. Are citizens getting better bang for their buck? Not in Ohio.; Article about school vouchers.; Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger In a 2010 New York Times article titled Charter Schools’ New Cheerleaders: Financiers, reporters Tripp Gabriel and Jennifer Medina wrote the following about what was going on in the state of New York: Wall Street has always put its money where its interests and beliefs lie. But it is…; As Philadelphia's Superintendent of Schools, I recommended the approval of more than 30 charter schools because I thought it would improve educational opportunity for our 215,000 students. The last 20 years make it clear I was wrong. Those advocating change in Maryland's charter law through proposed legislation are equally committed to educational improvement. They are equally wrong. New; African-American students who used private school vouchers were 24 percent more likely to go on to college than blacks in a control group, the study says. But debate over vouchers has followed.; Charter schools promised new education innovations. Instead, they produced scam after new scam; Zack Kopplin was honored earlier by this blog for his efforts to expose the teaching of creationism in voucher schools in Louisiana. He is a student at Rice University. He is not letting up on his efforts to expose the abuse of science by schools receiving vouchers. Here is a press release sent by him:…; The report draws upon news reports, criminal complaints and more to detail how, in just 15 of the 42 states that have charter schools, charter operators have used school funds illegally to buy personal luxuries for themselves, support their other businesses, and more.; Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett resigned Thursday amid claims that, in his former position as superintendent of public instruction in Indiana, he manipulated the state’s system for evaluating school performance. Bennett, a Republican who created an A-to-F grading protocol for Indiana schools as a way to promote educational accountability, is...; Share My colleague Kevin Carey earlier commented on how school voucher proponents are attempting to redefine what “success” and “failure” mean in school reform. Apparently it’s now a trend. Writing in today’s NY Times, Charles Murray acknowledges the academic failures of
“I feel like I was set up to fail”: Inside a for-profit college nightmare - Salon.com: Some schools feast on federal aid and don't care if the student can repay it. Here's one woman's tragic story
Bankruptcy and Student Loans
Common Core Standards
Exclusive: Washington Post's Kaplan and Other For-Profit Colleges Joined ALEC, Controversial Special Interest Lobby: Republic Report has learned that the Washington Post Company's Kaplan for-profit college division, was, last year, a member of the controversial busine
Federal Student Loan Programs - History: Perhaps not as shocking as his idea of an Earned Income Tax Credit, Milton Friedman also championed student loan programs.
Historians speak out against proposed Texas textbook changes: Historians on Tuesday criticized proposed revisions to the Texas social studies curriculum, saying that many of the changes are historically inaccurate and that they would affect textbooks and classrooms far beyond the state's borders.
NEA - Will Texas Decide What's In Your Textbook?
New York fails Common Core tests - POLITICO.com Print View: The political fight over the Common Core academic standards rolling out in schools nationwide this fall is sure to intensify after New York reported Wednesday that students across the state failed miserably on new reading and math tests meant to reflect the more rigorous standards. Fewer than a third of students in public schools passed the new tests,...
Student Loan Defaults Reach Highest Level In More Than A Decade: Students at for-profit colleges are more than twice as likely to default on federal loans as their peers at public institutions, according to new data released Monday by the Department of Education that also shows the highest percentage of students defaulting on loans in more than a decade. The overall student loan default rate increased from 7 percent last year to 8.8 percent -- the highest rate since the government released similar data in 1999.
Teacher Pay Around the World - NYTimes.com: In the United States, compared with other developed countries, teachers generally spend more time teaching but apparently without a corresponding advantage in pay.
The bait and switch of school “reform” - Salon.com: Behind the new corporate agenda for education lurks the old politics of profit and self-interest
The Coming Revolution in Public Education - John Tierney - The Atlantic: Why the current wave of reforms, with its heavy emphasis on standardized tests, may actually be harming students
The school to prison pipeline, explained - Vox: The huge racial disparities in the criminal justice system start in preschool
What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - The Atlantic: The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.

Elections, Voter Fraud, Voter ID

Election Fraud

Shocking videos and articles exposes how the 2004 Ohio Election was stolen.; This report continues the work of Better Ballots, detailing a few of the biggest design flaws in the elections of 2008 and 2010. Unlike Better Ballots, which only discussed Election Day ballots, this report also includes voting machine error messages, provisional and absentee ballot envelopes, and voter education materials. The quality of design of all of these materials can be the difference between counting and losing voters’ intended choices.; Donald Trump has stumbled unto an unfortunate truth about our political system by claiming the election is rigged, but this truth has nothing to do with right-wing rumors about voter fraud. Our nation's privatized, electronic vote counting system is unobservable and incapable of proving that it is not rigged.; Committee on House Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Information Technology United States House of Representatives Statement of Lawrence D. Norden Deputy Director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law September 28, 2016; This report summarizes the work of the Election Justice USA forensics and legal teams during this period. EJUSA is working not only to expose the voter suppression and election fraud taking place during the 2016 presidential primaries, but to build a mass movement calling for three simple, affordable reforms that will render direct fraud and suppression impossible, safeguarding US elections for future candidates.; We provide techniques to help vendors, independent testing agencies, and others verify critical security propertiesin direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines. We rely on specific hardware functionality, isolation, and architectural decision to allow one to easily verify these critical security properties; A Republican computer data security expert tells how cyber-partisans could have stolen the 2004 election.; Was Sought In Controversies Over E-Voting And Missing White House E-Mails; His Death Sparks More Controversy; Hillary Clinton won the Democratic presidential primary by 387 pledged delegates and 3.7 million votes. Despite this large margin, some of Bernie Sanders’s most strident supporters have attributed Clinton’s lead to foul play, alleging that the Democratic Party’s nominating rules cost Sander...; Article: The Ghost of Rigged Elections Past: New Revelations on the Death of Michael Connell - New information on the death (assassination?) of Mike Connell, architect of the stolen Presidential Election of 2004.

IRS Scandal

By releasing the full transcript of interview with the IRS Screening Group manager, Rep. Elijah Cummings has proven that Rep. Darrell Issa lied about Obama's involvement in the IRS scandal.; Cuts to IRS spending and other services are costing taxpayers big.; A series of IRS documents, provided to ThinkProgress under the Freedom of Information Act, appears to contradict the claims that only Tea Party organizations applying for tax-exempt status "received systematic scrutiny because of their political beliefs."; Almost one third of the tax-exemption applications selected for additional scrutiny by the IRS were from groups that were not conservative.; As another contentious election season heats up, there’s a battle brewing over the legitimate use of 501(c)(4) organizations. While created to provide tax-exempt status for social welfare organizations, the 501(c)(4) is now being used by campaigns to shield the identities of donors.; This doesn't look like a new Watergate.

Right-wing Infrastructure

A list of sites dealing with the rise of right-wing organizations and think tanks, and their funding.; From '97: "The Executive Council of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) announced Wednesday that a 14 month investigation found pollster Frank Luntz violated the Association's Code of Professional Ethics and Practices" regarding his claims that a majority of U.S. supported the "Contract with America."; This organization, funded by corporations and wealthy conservatives, is the source of much of the anti-voter, anti-union "boilerplate" legislation that has been introduced into state legislatures by Republicans since the 2010 election.; This is Commonweal Institute's collection of articles, reports and resources for studying the right-wing ideological movement.; Exclusive tax documents confirm the conservative billionaire provided start-up funds for Americans for Prosperity.; The rising tide of Islamophobia in the United States is not a natural or spontaneous outgrowth of popular fear of Muslim fundamentalist terrorism, nor is it the; The Public Eye web page from Political Research Associates provides in-depth information, analysis, and news about threats to democracy and diversity.; The Center for Media and Democracy publishes SourceWatch, this collaborative resource for citizens and journalists looking for documented information about the corporations, industries, and people trying to influence public policy and public opinion.; I decided to contact them, pretending to be an employee of a GOP candidate running for office. This was their response...

Voter Suppression

The primary "evidence" used to justify a photo ID requirement for voting in South Carolina completely evaporates after a law enforcement investigation.; The Brennan Center debunks evidence used in the Supreme Court in favor of photo ID laws.; A recent national survey sponsored by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law reveals that millions of American citizens do not have readily available documentary proof of citizenship. Many more – primarily women – do not have proof of citizenship with their current name.; A new Florida law that contributed to long voter lines and caused some to abandon voting altogether was intentionally designed by Florida GOP staff and consultants to inhibit Democratic voters; Declines in two states were greater among younger and African-American voters.; Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in state legislation likely to reduce access for some voters, including photo identification and proof of citizenship requirements, registration restrictions, absentee ballot voting restrictions, and reductions in early voting. Political operatives often ascribe malicious motives when their opponents either endorse or oppose such legislation. In an effort to bring empirical clarity and epistemological standards to what has been a deeply-charged, partisan, and frequently anecdotal debate, we use multiple specialized regression approaches to examine factors associated with both the proposal and adoption of restrictive voter access legislation from 2006–2011. Our results indicate that proposal and passage are highly partisan, strategic, and racialized affairs. These findings are consistent with a scenario in which the targeted demobilization of minority voters and African Americans is a central driver of recent legislative developments. We discuss the implications of these results for current partisan and legal debates regarding voter restrictions and our understanding of the conditions incentivizing modern suppression efforts. Further, we situate these policies within developments in social welfare and criminal justice policy that collectively reduce electoral access among the socially marginalized.; Some state party leaders are "right-wing crazies," its former chairman says. TALLAHASSEE — In a wide-ranging deposition that spanned two days in late May, former Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer denounced some party officials as liars and "whack-a-do, right-wing crazies'' as he described turmoil in the months before his resignation.; Judge Richard A. Posner said the repercussions were unclear in 2007 when he ruled in favor of an Indiana law that the Supreme Court would also uphold.; He explained that the new wave of voting restrictions is about disenfranchising black voters, not stopping voter fraud.; The Republican Party of Virginia has disavowed the alleged actions of Colin Small.; Over the years, I have not only participated in the electoral process by voting in almost all elections, I have also registered voters, taken voters to the polls, conducted voter education programs, and worked to ensure that all have the right to vote and have their vote counted. With my history of civic engagement, I am especially disappointed that my vote will not be counted in San Antonio’s mayoral runoff election. Had I had just one of these documents, I could obtain my “Proof of Identity” and be somebody. Since I didn’t have one of the primary identification documents, I could produce either two documents from the secondary identification documents list or one from the secondary list plus two from the supporting identification documents. Even if I had a concealed handgun permit or a pilot’s license, lacking a certified birth certificate makes it impossible to get the photo ID, thereby making it impossible for me to vote early in-person or on Election Day. With travel time included, my visits to the DPS office and the early voting site took five hours without my being successful in voting.; In a WorldNetDaily column today, Eagle Forum’s Phyllis Schlafly comes to the defense of North Carolina’s new voter suppression measure with classic Schlafly logic, accidentally admitting that it is intended as an anti-Democratic maneuver having nothing to do with "protecting the vote."; In a speech made to a gathering of Texas Republicans last month, tea party activist Ken Emanuelson claimed that the GOP does not want black people to vote unless they do so for Republican candidates. “I’m going to be real honest with you, the Republican Party doesn’t want black people to vote if they’re going to vote 9-to-1 for Democrats,” Emanuelson…; Uses scholarship, public education, and legal action to find solutions to problems in the areas of democracy, justice, liberty and national security.; The Brennan Center for Justice is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice.; Speaking at the Republican state committee meeting Saturday, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai said that Voter ID will “allow Governor Romney to win” Pennsylvania as he ticked off a list of GOP accomplishments in Harrisburg.; Pa. House Republican Leader Mike Turzai speaks on June 23, 2012; You would think that making it easier for citizens to vote would be something to celebrate. The shocking remarks by these six government officials -- some of whom will be on the November ballot -- tell a different story.; US DOT concludes investigation, ALEA folds

Voting "Fraud" Facts

The primary "evidence" used to justify a photo ID requirement for voting in South Carolina completely evaporates after a law enforcement investigation.; The scholarly consensus on voter fraud is that it largely doesn't exist.; Voter impersonation is a dumb way to steal an election, which is why it rarely happens.; The Brennan Center for Justice is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice.; A lucid explanation of why the whole "ACORN and Obama are engaging in voter fraud" meme is nonsense.; The Princeton statistical analysis of bad ballots, done in the wake of the 2000 Presidential election, that was used in the New York Times article about the election. It shows that there was a statistical probability that Gore could have won, based on the acceptance (or not) of late overseas ballots.; Clifton Mitchell helped register nearly 2,000 voters for the community group ACORN in Washington state. But not one of them actually existed."I regret it. I paid the price for it," he said. This is evidence that voter registration fraud occurs from personal financial problems, not as a precursor for actual voting fraud.; What the experts know that the scaremongers are deliberately ignoring.; Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been dead serious about cleaning up Florida's elections. First, he targeted 180,000 suspected ineligible voters to strike...; List cites instances proving voter fraud in the 2012 U.S. presidential election? (Not a chance); The Brennan Center's in-depth look into the facts about the various issues involving voter registration and voting.; Out of the 197 million votes cast for federal candidates between 2002 and 2005, only 40 voters were indicted for voter fraud.
"Motor Voter" Bill: Some conservatives claim the bill made it illegal for states to ask if registrants were U.S. citizens. Search the text for "citizenship" to find proof of the opposite.
A Clearer Picture on Voter ID - Jimmy Carter and James Baker III Op-Ed: Some conservatives claim that Jimmy Carter supports their photo ID laws. He did support photo IDs as part of a 2005 commission, but for increasing voter participation by using a uniform voter ID with a five-year phase-in period, during which mobile registration facilities would ensure that ALL citizesn had EASY access to FREE IDs — not for disenfranchising them. He points this out in this 2008 op-ed that includes clear criticism of Republican photo ID laws.
Democrats only had a veto proof majority for 24 working days | Fact Left: Republican claim Democrats had a veto-proof majority for two years. The Truth is that the Democrats only had a veto proof majority for 24 working days.
Dog-whistle politics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Everything You Need To Know About Mitt Romney In One Graphic: Free advice for the Romney campaign: this is why some people have a hard time trusting you.
Exit polls 2012: Where Americans stood this election - The Washington Post: See how much selected voter groups leaned Democratic or Republican in the 2012 election national exit polls.
FindLaw | Voting Rights - New Black Panther Party Figure Shabazz's ...: The default judgment and order in the U.S. Justice Department's Voting Rights case against the New Black Panther Party and figureheads
Four Years After Citizens United: The Fallout | OpenSecrets Blog: The 2010 decision reshaped the campaign finance landscape in obvious ways, and some less apparent ones too.
Gerrymandering Rigged the 2014 Elections for Republican Advantage |
Investigation: Mitt Romney’s Offshore Accounts, Tax Loopholes, and Mysterious I.R.A. | Politics | Vanity Fair: No wonder Mitt Romney doesn’t want his finances made public. His offshore accounts may operate in a legal gray zone, as Nicholas Shaxson reports, but is that where a presidential candidate should be?
New Black Panthers hearing 4-23-2010.pdf: Investigation into Black Panther "voter intimidation" issue highlights its trivial nature
New Black Panthers hearing 5-14-2010.pdf: Investigation into Black Panther "voter intimidation" issue highlights its trivial nature
Nixon's Southern Strategy: "It's All in the Charts": PDF of original New York Times article about the Republican strategist who predicted and advocated for the shift of U.S. southern whites to the Republican party after civil rights protections were enacted.
Personalized Ballot | Vote411.org
Republicans Foil What Majority Wants by Gerrymandering - Bloomberg: Michigan’s 14th congressional district looks like a jagged letter ’S’ lying on its side.
The Latest in Dark Money: Oligarchs Form Their Own Shadow Parties | BillMoyers.com: A roundup of this week's news from our Wild West campaign finance system.
Why Hans von Spakovsky is Wrong on Voter Registration | Brennan Center for Justice: The Brennan Center for Justice is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice.
Working class voters: why America's poor are willing to vote Republican | World news | theguardian.com: Liberals question why poor voters who use public assistance still vote for Republicans who want to cut those very services. The real story, Gary Younge finds, is much more complicated
Red States Outnumber Blue for First Time in Gallup Tracking: For the first time in the eight years of assessing partisanship at the state level, Gallup finds more Republican (20) than Democratic states (14). Most states that saw meaningful change in partisanship in 2015 moved in a Republican direction.
Polls say Bernie is more electable than Hillary. Don’t believe them.: Trailing in the Democratic presidential race, Bernie Sanders has one last gambit. He wants to persuade the party’s superdelegates—officeholders, lumina ...
Bernie Sanders’ electability argument is still a myth.: Over the past year, Bernie Sanders’ supporters have repeatedly criticized the undemocratic role of superdelegates in choosing the Democratic presidenti ...

Environment

Climategate

Articles clearing Dr. Michael Mann, et. al. of any "fraud"; Michael Mann, a Pennsylvania researcher who’s been a target of climate-change skeptics, was cleared of wrongdoing by U.S. investigators in the flap surrounding e-mails hacked from a U.K. university.; This Wikipedia article contains links to the investigations that ultimately cleared everyone involved of the fabricated "Climategate" controversy, as well as evidence of conseravtive bias in some media sources. Note that this Wiki entry was the subject of an "edit war" with skeptics posting unverified changes to the science being reported.; The University's Official News Source; RealClimate: The long-awaited NAS synthesis report on surface temperature reconstructions over the last few millennia is being released today. It's a long (155 page) report; UEA welcomes the Report by the Lord Oxburgh’s Independent Panel, both in respect of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) being cleared of any scientific impropriety and dishonesty, and the suggestions made for improvement in some other areas.; George Monbiot: The UEA's climate science chief has been cleared: he was provoked beyond endurance. It was unfair to call for his resignation; Dr Stephen Schneider, of Stanford University, is a well-respected climatologist who is also quite active in the media and politics - chances are you've seen him in something like The 11th Hour, read one of his books, or read an interview with him in the newspaper. Chances are, you've also seen the following quote attributed…; Cuccinelli, a vocal climate change skeptic, had been investigating the possibility that climatology professor Michael Mann fraudulently obtained five taxpayer-funded research grants while employed at UVa between 1999 and 2005.

Global Warming

In March 1988, thick, multi-year ice comprised 26 percent of the Arctic's ice pack. In 2005, that number dropped to 19 percent. In 2013, it dropped to 7 percent.; Four Republicans ex-heads of the EPA lay out the facts for their science-denying cohorts: The United States must move now on substantive steps to curb climate change, at home and internationally.; While climate change deniers misrepresent what Al Gore said about arctic ice, reality in the arctic outpaces the most pessimistic predictions. It's time to get angry and do something.; This interactive graph allows you to compare Arctic sea ice extent to 1981-2010 average. Very useful to demonstrate the decreasing amount of sea ice over the decades.; Climate change deniers thought they had an ally in Richard Muller, a popular physics professor at UC Berkeley and famous anthropogenic global warming skeptic. Now that he’s come around, they’re abandoning him.; Stephen Schneider addresses a common conservative distortion of his comments, in a Discover Magazine internvew, that are routinely taken out of context.; Examines the science and arguments of global warming skepticism. Common objections like 'global warming is caused by the sun', 'temperature has changed naturally in the past' or 'other planets are warming too' are examined to see what the science really says.; Dana Nuccitelli: A new paper finds common errors among the 3% of climate papers that reject the global warming consensus; Mojib Latif denies his research supports theory that current cold weather undermines scientific consensus on global warming; Damian Carrington: The Polish branch of a company chaired by the climate sceptic Lord Lawson lists the titanic Belchatow coal-fired power station as a client. But the peer gets prickly when asked to explain; A summary of evidence that the "Medieval Warming Period" or actually, the Medieval Climate Anomaly, was a reorganization of the climate that produced warm and cold spots across the planet that shifted over time, but was NOT a global warming event.; Frank Luntz strikes again: The US Republican party is changing tactics on the environment, avoiding "frightening" phrases such as global warming, after a confidential party memo warned that it is the domestic issue on which George…; With new records being set for global heat and El Niño growing stronger, 2015 may represent a new; Sourced from Wikipedia: C90 List of countries producing 90% of carbon. Sort by amount. Sort by country.; Last year was one of the 10 hottest on record, with sea levels at record highs, Arctic ice at historic lows and extreme weather in various corners of the globe signaling a "new normal," scientists said Tuesday in the 2012 State of the Climate report. Meant to be a guide for policymakers, the report did not attribute the changes in climate to any one factor, but made note of continued increases in heat-trapping greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. ...; Remembering a fallen climate combatant - includes a really enlightening video of Schneider confronting an audience of skeptics.; An in-depth discussion of how denialism works, with a major section (at about 29:00) about how the Marshall Institute has worked for corporate interests to create "reasonable doubt" in areas of science in which there is either very strong consensus or undeniable proof.; A brief history of how global warming theories evolved from general questions about the nature of climate change. Discusses pros and cons of "man-made" vs. "natural" change.; All but seven of the 90 companies found to have caused the climate crisis deal in oil, gas and coal – and half of the estimated emissions were produced just in the past 25 years
EPA Identifies Dangerous Chemicals In Wyoming Aquifer Near Fracking Site | Crooks and Liars: Imagine that. Do you suppose these tests are the reason drilling companies keep refusing to list the chemicals they use, calling it a 'proprietary secret'? It's horrifying to see where our unthinking energy consumption has taken us: As the …
FactCheck.org : Cap-and-Trade Cost Inflation: Factcheck's analysis of conservative lies about the cost of using cap and trade to reduce pollution, including Obama's remarks about energy rates "skyrocketing."
Keystone XL is a tar sands pipeline to export oil out of the United States | Anthony Swift's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC
Keystone’s Thousands of Jobs Fall to 20 When Pipeline Opens - Bloomberg: TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline, heralded by supporters as a major job creator, will add few permanent positions once the $7 billion project is built.
Obama: My Plan Makes Electricity Rates Skyrocket - YouTube: The actual words Barack Obama used to describe what it would take to get citizens to understand what pollution costs. Sometimes used by conservatives to "prove" that he planned to raise energy costs in a false comparison to low costs seen when the recession hit and demand fell.
Pipe Dreams? A report by Cornell University
Why do conservatives like to waste energy? | Grist: Want to sell a Republican a greener lightbulb? Don't tell them it's green.

Fact Sources & Watchdogs

Click-bait Sites

The following list contains web sites that claim to be "parody" sites, but actually post stories that are simply fabricated to attract the hopes and/or rage of various groups, thus generating traffic to increase their advertising revenue. If you see one of these in a link posted by someone (liberal or conservative), DON'T click on it, just let them know that it's a fake news site.; America's #1 Source For News Leaks; National Report is America's #1 independent news source. Where the "lamestream" media leaves off, we pickup. Join the community to share your views and help us win the fight.; Newslo, The First Ever Hybrid News/Satire Platform!; Our list of five of the worst offenders in the spreading of fake news via social media.; BS News, keeping it real.

Conservative Psychology

Ten years ago, it was wildly controversial to talk about psychological differences between liberals and conservatives. Today, it's becoming hard not to.

Fact Checking

At the crossroads where legend and hype meet (by sbh); PolitiFact.com is a project of the St. Petersburg Times to help you find the truth in Washington and the Obama presidency.; Explore Gallup data on presidential job approval ratings from Truman to Obama.; The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler fact-checks the truth behind the political rhetoric.; 7 Warning Signs of Bogus History Many people get suckered in by false accounts of history. It is often not their fault -- they don't have the background to pick up on the falsehoods, which are often rather obscure; and partly, it's because our school texts don't prepare children (and us as adults, later) to…; TinEye is a reverse image search engine. Search by image: Give it an image and it will tell you where the image appears on the web.; “And so it begins … ISIS flag among refugees in Germany fighting the police,” blared the headline on the Conservative Post; “with this new leaked picture, everything seems confirmed”. The image in question purported to show a group of Syrian refugees holding ISIS flags and attacking German police officers.; We are the most comprehensive media bias resource on the internet. There are currently 600+ media sources listed in our database and growing every day. Use the menu bar above to look at sources in different bias categories or use the search bar on the right to find your source's bias. Use the tabs below…; Real reporters acknowledge and correct their mistakes, but some pretenders just throw hissy fits when they're called out.; The Hot Topics for such Misinformation are generally Politics, Government Policies, Religion and various Scams and Hoaxes. Some websites have taken up the task of spreading awareness against rumors by presenting evidence and hard facts. Lets look at some of the best websites that help us distinguish between thee truth and rumors.

Funding

The Center for Media and Democracy publishes SourceWatch, this collaborative resource for citizens and journalists looking for documented information about the corporations, industries, and people trying to influence public policy and public opinion.

History

The official Monticello site has a search feature that can help verify whether a "quote" by Jefferson is in fact real.

Logic & Arguments

Descriptions of common fallacies.; Atheism: Logic & Fallacies; Another summary of common fallacies, but with a very nice poster you can download or order.; The Ultimate Collection of Over 300 Logical Fallacies, by Bo Bennett, PhD

The Law

The text of the U.S. Constitution, with sections that were superceded marked and linked to the corresponding amendments.; Judges like to say that all they do when they interpret a constitutional or statutory provision is apply, to the facts of the particular case, law that has been given to them. They do not make law: that is the job of legislators, and for the authors and ratifiers of constitutions. They are not Apollo; they are his oracle. They are passive interpreters. Their role is semantic.The passive view of th...
Basic search help - Web Search Help: Search is simple: just type whatever comes to mind in the search box, hit Enter or click the Search button, and Google will search the web for content that's relevant to your search. If you have Googl
BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 50 versions and 35 languages.
Census Bureau Homepage
Consortiumnews.com: The Consortium is a website dedicated to independent investigative journalism. It has a large amount of material about both the alleged
Department of Numbers: The Department of Numbers contextualizes public data so that individuals can form independent opinions on everyday social and economic matters.
Five Myths - The Washington Post: Challenging everything you think you know (top level index). Be sure to note that author of each piece, however, since some may be slanted.
GovTrack.us: Tracking the U.S. Congress: Tracking legislation and votes in the United States Congress.
Historical Tables | The White House
Inflation Calculator: Bureau of Labor Statistics
International statistics: Compare countries on just about anything! NationMaster.com
iSideWith.com: Political news, education, and polling on the top issues of the day.
ITEP - Informing the Debate Over Tax Policy: A non-profit, non-partisan think tank that works on state and federal tax policy issues.
Operators and more search help - Web Search Help: The Basic search help article covers all the most common issues, but sometimes you need a little bit more power. This document will highlight the more advanced features of Google Web Search. Have in m
PERRspectives: Guilty as Charged: How the GOP Killed Washington: Perrspectives provides unique commentary, analysis and satire on the state of American politics and culture.
Political Polarization & Media Habits | Pew Research Center's Journalism Project: Liberals and conservatives turn to and trust strikingly different news sources. And across-the-board liberals and conservatives are more likely than others to
ProPublica
Steve Kangas' Short FAQ on Liberalism: This is a definitive rebuttal for conservative lies and misconceptions about liberals and what they actually believe, compiled by a reporter who was eventually found shot, an apparent "suicide," in the corporate offices of Richard Mellon Scaife — whom he was investigating.
Study: Media Fact-Checker Says Republicans Lie More | The Center for Media and Public Affairs
Study: PolitiFact Says Republicans Lie Three Times More Often Than Dems | TPM LiveWire: One of the most prominent political fact-checkers has shown Republicans to be much less honest than their Democratic counterparts, according to findings from a study released Tuesday by George Mason University. The study, conducted from the beginning of President Barack Obama's second term in January through last week, found that PolitiFact.com has rated Republican claims as false three times…
The American Presidency Project: The American Presidency Project contains the most comprehensive collection of resources pertaining to the study of the President of the United States. Compiled by John Woolley and Gerhard Peters
The Daily Howler
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation - Health Policy, Media Resources, Public Health Education & South Africa - Kaiser Family Foundation: The Kaiser Family Foundation website provides in-depth information on key health policy issues including Medicaid, Medicare, prescription drugs, global HIV/AIDS, health insurance, the uninsured and much more.
The Progressive Majority | Media Matters for America
The Smoking Gun: A source of documents about various public happenings, including arrests. Bonus: Court documents from Bill O'Reilly's sexual harrassment suit (don't read while eating).
ThinkProgress: An excellent source of commentary with data to back it up.
Use of Cloture - U.S. Senate: Reference Home: Count of Cloture Motions in various Congresses
What is a Scientific Theory? | Definition of Theory | LiveScience: A scientific theory is based on careful examination of facts. It is much different from the non-scientific use of the word.

Financial, Business

Austerity

An IMF study shows that the Alesina & Ardagna study was too simplistic to support their conclusion.; A Harvard paper purporting to show that austeriry programs were more effective in stimulating economies in various countries. Countered by an 2010 IMF study covered by The Economist.; Here’s buried lede from the Congressional Budget Office, which on Tuesday released its Budget and Economic Outlook for the coming decade: D.C.’s deficit obsession has been quite effective at cutting deficits at the expense of the still-struggling economy.; This 2011 analysis of the effects of austerity programs during recessions concludes that it makes things worse, not better. That is, worrying about a deficit when unemployment is high is a bad idea, contradicting Republican claims.; By Michael Leachman and Chris Mai; The case for austerity as a "recovery" tool collapses in a tangle of bad spreadsheet formulas.; The long read: The case for cuts was a lie. Why does Britain still believe it?

Bush Recession

An overview debunking the oft-used false equivalency that unemployment has not really gone down because workers are "giving up."; President George W. Bush entered office in 2001 just as a recession was starting, and is preparing to leave in the middle of a long one. That’s almost 22 months of recession during his 96 months in office. His job-creation record won’t look much better. The Bush administration created about three million jobs (net) over [...]; Traveling to a state he narrowly lost four years ago, President Bush is reminding New Mexico voters of the strength of the housing market; Among Republicans, it's taken as a given that President Obama's Recovery Act -- a.k.a., the "stimulus" -- was a failed Keynesian experiment. Among many voters, it's also widely assumed that the effort to get the economy back on track simply did not work. Among those who know wha …; The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has updated their widely cited chart, demonstrating the origins of the country's current fiscal trajectory. And as before, the lions share of the problem comes from ongoing George W. Bush-era policies -- particularly deficit-financed tax cuts, which eliminated Clinton-era surpluses and left the Treasury poised for a huge hit when the financial crisis and economic downturn further eroded federal revenues.; Comparing recoveries in overall, private and public-sector jobs.; CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf told a congressional panel that economists are in agreement that the stimulus added jobs and prevented a slide back into recession.; In a survey conducted by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, 80 percent of economic experts agreed that, because of the stimulus, the U.S. unemployment rate was lower at the end of 2010 than it would have been otherwise.; Examining the big lie: How the facts of the economic crisis stack up Barry Ritholtz Washington Post, November 19 ~~~ It’s fair to say that our; President Obama's stimulus package saved jobs but the government still needs to do more to breathe life into the economy, according to USA TODAY's quarterly survey of 50 economists.; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Texas Governor Rick Perry, front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, on Monday said the economic stimulus program implemented by President Barack Obama; Economists in the latest Wall Street Journal survey say stimulus helped but cite U.S. central bank's key role in jump-starting growth.; The Subprime Crisis: Is Government Housing Policy to Blame?; The 2007-2009 recession, already in the record books as the worst in the 66 years since the end of World War II, was even worse than previously thought. From the start of the recession at the end of... - 7/29/2011 8:39:15 AM | Newser; Perrspectives provides unique commentary, analysis and satire on the state of American politics and culture.; Most CFOs in the latest Duke/CFO survey have plans for growth, but weak employment is dampening their spirits.; Meet Alayne Fleischmann, the woman JPMorgan Chase paid one of the largest fines in American history to keep from talking.; ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.; ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.; How big are the stakes on Capitol Hill right now? According to one of the most influential economists in federal policy making, the next four weeks will make the difference between a slow glide toward economic recovery, and a severe tumble into a new recession.; This chart compares three different measures of unemployment. U3 is the official unemployment rate. U5 includes discouraged workers and all other marginally attached workers. U6 adds on those workers who are part-time purely for economic reasons.; Rather than admit the error of their ways, those who helped cause the financial crisis are engaged in an active campaign to rewrite history.; This is not your father's recovery. It might not even be a recovery at all. Debunking the myths of the new American economy; During a press briefing yesterday, White House press secretary Dana Perino was asked to explain the "accusation that the White House is to blame in some wa

Corporations

Legal and public policy ramifications: Contracts of silence are being used effectively to keep relevant and possibly important information out of the public domain.; Click here to support news free of corporate influence by donating to Truthout. (Photo: Kevin Foley Photography; Edited: JR / TO)By its own admission,...; We spend 10 times more on corporate welfare than on programs for people who actually need the help.

Debt

The most important bond manager in the world delivers an important message.; Congress keeps hacking away at domestic spending for the poor, which is the only part of the budget that isn't increasing in cost <i>at all</i>.; As this chart demonstrates, only 1.9 percent of tax filers with small business income in 2009 fell in the top 2 income brackets, those affected by the expiration of the Bush tax cuts for the rich. Let's say that again....; By Kathy Ruffing and James R. Horney; Perrspectives provides unique commentary, analysis and satire on the state of American politics and culture.; The "Grand Bargain" is a hoax. Find out more about who's behind the push for austerity in deficit hawk America. Learn more about billionaire Pete Peterson an...; The statement seems likely to bolster one Democratic line of attack.; I still don't see many people citing the crucial flaw in the Reinhart & Rogoff paper that has now become the center of many discussions. The latest idea; Bloomberg News is out with a new poll that reveals an amazing piece of data. Here is the question that was asked in the survey- “Let's turn to the federal budget deficit. This is the amount the government spends that is more than the amount it takes in from taxes and other [...]; Oct 24, 2014. When did the National Debt go crazy? Why? Who's to blame? Where is the debt headed? Compared to the US economy, the national debt is smaller than it was after World War II.

Economic Inequality

Why are America's ultra-rich feeling persecuted? After all, as these 10 charts show, they've never had it so good.; The median amount of yearly earnings Americans say they would need to consider themselves rich is $150,000. Fifteen percent say they would need to earn $1 million or more, but 30% name an amount of $100,000 or less. Separately, 50% of Americans also; President Barack Obama's recent announcement to freeze the pay of federal civilian workers did little to ice the debate over whether federal workers are overpaid or underpaid. ... Both sides are armed with official government statistics, but neither side is right. ...; Greedy bankers, overpaid executives, anaemic growth, stubbornly high unemployment – these are just a few of the things that have lately driven protesters on to the streets and caused the wider public in the developed world to become disgruntled; The full story, in charts.; This is why we're running into peak everything.; The Economic Mobility Project conducts research and advances solutions focused on economic opportunity and upward mobility. These ideas have formed the foundation of the American Dream and remain at the core of our nation's identity.; The source of the outrage--at a glance.; Faced with the unavailability or unaffordability of health coverage on the job, growing numbers of lower-income workers are turning to taxpayer-funded healthcare programs such as Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). One of the biggest groups is Wal-Mart employees.; I hated government -- even as it was the only thing trying to save me. Here's how, one day, I finally saw the light; Economic liberalization without political reform to spread that wealth triggered the civil war, writes Majid Rafizadeh.; Poor Americans, on average, are likely to stay poor, according to the Congressional Research Service.; The famed economist reveals the real reason the rich are getting richer -- and what it means for the rest of us; While few of the active duty military are on food stamps, redemption at military grocery stores increased again, to more than $100 million in 2013.; Workers in the U.S. earning the minimum wage are worse off now than they were four decades ago.; A snapshot of wealth in America for your consideration: the 400 households in the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans circa 2012-13 control 3 percent of total wealth in the United States, a country...; California taxpayers are spending $86 million a year providing healthcare and other public assistance to the state's 44,000 Wal-Mart employees, according to a new study by UC Berkeley's Institute for Industrial Relations. The study, "Hidden Cost of Wal-Mart Jobs," found that the average Wal-Mart worker required $730 in taxpayer-funded healthcare and $1,222 in other forms of assistance, such as food stamps and subsidized housing, to get by.; MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT Despite 52% of his constituents receiving food stamps in a 98% white district, dirt poor in Appalachia, G...; Find out if you're being fairly paid for your job. WageIndicator offers free online salary checkers in the world's largest economies. Pay comparators and work and wages advice.; Memo: From Nick HanauerTo: My Fellow ZillionairesYou probably don’t know me, but like you I am one of those .01%ers, a proud and unapologetic capitalist. I have founded, co-founded and funded more than 30 companies across a range of industries—from itsy-bitsy ones like the night club I started in my 20s to giant ones like Amazon.com, for...; In a new paper the Economic Policy Institute, a think-tank, calculates that chief executives at America's 350 biggest companies were paid...; WASHINGTON (AP) - Maybe a higher minimum wage isn't so bad for job growth after all.; There's lots of good news for the rich in here. Short URL: http://read.bi/apKPjW; Infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actua...; Wealth: How Does the U.S. Slice the Pie?; State of Working America homepage; State of Working America homepage; This is an excellent interactive chart that shows the percentages of the growth in wealth for different income strata over the last century. Setting the sliders for 1980 to the present is eye-opening, especially if you then compare that to the results for 1917 to 1929 and for 1930 to 1979.; … Rich parents.; Walmart's low-wage workers cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $6.2 billion in public assistance including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing, according to a report published to coincide with Tax Day, April 15.; Like, an actual joke.; The theory sounds great. It just doesn't happen to be true.; Much has been made of the potential effects of the federal minimum wage increases (both on GDP and unemployment). What do the stats say?

Housing collapse

By volume, most mortgages in default were held by the wealthy and the middle class.; Fresh off the false and politicized attack on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, today we're hearing the know-nothings blame the subprime crisis on the Community Reinvestment Act -- a 30-year-old law that was actually weakened by the Bush administration just...; Traiger & Hinckley LLP Study Shows CRA Banks Were SubstantiallyLess Likely Than Other Lenders to Make the High Cost Loans That HelpedFuel the Foreclosure CrisisNEW YORK--(Business Wire)--A Traiger &; The public web site of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. FRBSF is one of the twelve regional Federal Reserve banks across the U.S. that, with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., serve as our nation's central bank; Dean Baker: The Blame the Community Reinvestment Act Industry, by Dean Baker (Creative Commons License): One of the major occupations for economists these days is blaming efforts to help poor people for the housing bubble and bust. The main villains...; A rebuttal by Mark Thoma showing the timeline of market share that proves that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were NOT in the specific market of worthless subprime loans that ultimately led to the financial collapse.; Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the passage of the repeal of the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act and related legislation. It is an anniversary worth noting for what it teaches us about forestalling financial crises, the consequences of maniacal deregulation, and the out-of-control political power of the megafinancial institutions.; The cause of the "housing bubble" associated with the sharp rise and then drop in home prices over the period 1998-2008 has been the focus of signific

Living in Poverty

The lives of the poor and the daily struggles are vastly different from what conservatives imagine.; The data shows there is little waste, fraud or abuse in the food stamp program.; You have to be rich to be poor. That's what some people who have never lived below the poverty line don't understand. Put it another way: The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace. This is a fact of life that reality television and magazines don't o...; For tens of millions of Americans without a bank account, paying a bill isn't just an odyssey. It's a part-time job.; Whoops.; What do Baltimoreans and ‘Okies from Muskogee’ have in common?; Structured-settlement annuitants are lured by quick cash to unload their future payouts for dimes on the dollar.

Net Neutrality

News: AT&T Bluffs, Halts Dwindling Fiber Investment on Neutrality News; PS4 owners with an HBO subscription have been able to start using the streaming service this week--unless they have Comcast.; FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler faces mounting opposition to his controversial net neutrality proposal as agency colleagues voice their doubts; Shepard Smith of Fox News on Wednesday defended Net Neutrality saying this could be "the end of the Internet as we know it" and then slammed an anti-net neutrality guest.

Social Security

Chileans are finding that their pension system, which President Bush has cited as a model for his overhaul of Social Security, is falling short of expectations.; Must Read: An Economy for AllA report in today's New York Times describes a policy analyst as believing that Social Security needs to change because people are"living longer." This is a misconception that gets repeated over and over,; The Christian Science Monitor - an independent daily newspaper providing context and clarity on national and international news, peoples and cultures, and social trends.; Chileans are finding that their pension system, which President Bush has cited as a model for his overhaul of Social Security, is falling short of expectations.; Over a lifetime, fees can cost a median-income two-earner family nearly $155,000

Taxes

So it's come down to this. On Saturday, David Stockman, the legendary Reagan budget chief who presided over the Gipper's supply-side tax cuts, announced that the "debt explosion has resulted not from big spending by the Democrats, but instead the; A Gallup poll surveying the level of income that Americans believe qualifies you as being "rich." Useful in putting calls to raise taxes on people making $400k (or more) in proper perspective.; A conservative talking point has been to announce that "the stimulus cost X thousands of dollars per job created," often ignoring other related benefits like the cascading effects of losing jobs. This article turns the tables on the jobs (not) created by the Bush tax cuts, which were supposed to both create jobs and increase government revenue.; Deficits drop to zero, quickly, if Congress does -- wait for it -- nothing!; A clear explanation of what is wrong with tax cuts as "revenue producers" and supply-side economics, plus why the Laffer curve is fundamentally flawed.; Comments Spending Conventional wisdom is that Democratic administrations tend to favor borrowing, therefore increasing the national debt, while Republican administrations don’t. There is significant disagreement about the danger of governm; The tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003, known as the Bush tax cuts, are set to expire Dec. 31, and the fight over what to do is increasingly heated. Should the tax cuts expire, as some Democrats have said? Should they be extended, as most Republicans maintain? Or does the answer lie somewhere in...; Capital gains reductions failed to improve US economic competitiveness; By design, wealthier Americans pay most of the nation’s total individual income taxes.; Did you know that a billion-dollar company is categorized as a "small business" if it's a "Subchapter S" corporation? Who would have known based on the way Republicans talk. There is a disparity between the average "small business" income and the actual percentage of them that would taxed more heavily under Democratic proposals.; By Chuck Marr and Brian Highsmith; The NYT's Ross Douthat flags a very important article by Kevin Williamson in National Review debunking the myth that tax cuts increase revenue, an article of faith among George W. Bush and other prominent Republicans that even Bush's own economists...; English: Official photo cropped of United States Senator and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) What do you do when the Congressional Research Service, the completely non-partisan arm of the Library of Congress that has been advising Congress—and only Congress—on matters of policy and law for nearly a century, [...]; The Heritage Foundation's Brian Riedl accuses me of committing economic malpractice and cherry-picking data on a column that argued against permanently extending the Bush tax cuts. Okay, I’ll engage on that. First, he says I picked “highly misleading” years...; Old myths die hard, but neither fact is backed by the evidence.; A repatriation tax holiday would not boost corporate investment or create jobs; instead it would worsen the nation’s fiscal and economic problems over time.; Mitt Romney’s claim that six independent studies support the math of his tax reform plan is starting to unravel.; As we enter tax season—hurray!—here’s something that might surprise you when you pay your local and state taxes: The less you earn, the greater the share of your income you’re paying in taxes. That’s according to a recent study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy that set out...; By Robert Tannenwald, Jon Shure and Nicholas Johnson *; The Congressional Research Service blows away the conservatives' trickle down, low tax argument. "The evidence does not suggest necessarily a relationship between tax policy with regard to the top tax rates and the size of the economic pie, but there may be a relationship to how the economic pie is sliced."; You can only stall so long on the details of tax reform. On February 26 the clock ran out. House Ways and Means Committee Chair Dave Camp, R-Mich., provided 194 pages of details, and now tax reform gold has turned to dust. The political damage will mainly be to Republicans who made tax reform part of their brand.; Mitt Romney's campaign says I'm full of it. I said Romney's tax plan is mathematically impossible: he can't simultaneously keep his pledges to cut tax rates 20 percent and repeal the estate tax and alternative minimum tax; broaden the tax base enough to avoid growing the deficit; and not raise taxes on the middle class. They say they have six independent studies -- six! -- that "have confirmed the soundness of the Governor’s tax plan," and so I should stop whining. Let's take a tour of those studies and see how they measure up.; While the Occupy Wall Street movement and a shocking report from the Congressional Budget Office have shone a bright spotlight on America's record income inequality, the GOP's 2012 presidential field is proposing massive new tax cuts certain to …; Mitt Romney has been taking some flak for saying the he's not going to try to win votes among the 47% of the populace that pays no federal income tax -- nor try to convince them to "take personal responsibility and care for their lives." But he should look more closely at who's in that group.; No self-respecting Washington policy wonk involved in the fiscal cliff negotiations can turn a blind eye to the public’s response to possible tax and spending changes. The public doesn’t always understand the terms being bandied about, though.  Previously, I noted confusion about the payroll tax.  Now I’d like to ...; GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s recent remarks caught on camera regarding the 47% of Americans who don’t pay income tax are all over the news. But who makes up this percentage of Americans?; The main sticking point in negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on deficit reduction measures to accompany a rise in the debt limit is whether higher revenues should make any contribution.; The Congressional Research Service withdrew a report that found no correlation between top tax rates and economic growth after senators raised concerns.

Unemployment

Links to statistics and analysis of unemployment issues.; A detailed explanation of the methodology behind the monthly unemployment survey.; Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes six different measures of unemployment and other labor market difficulties. These alternative measures of labor underutilization provide insights into a broad range of problems encountered by workers.

Unions

'Red State Socialism' graphic says GOP-leaning states get lion's share of federal dollars: Many GOP-leaning states get more in federal funding than they contribute in federal taxes. That's the point made by a graphic that's circulating on the Internet, titled "Red State Socialism."
A 'prescient' warning to Boeing on 787 trouble | Seattle Times Newspaper: It has become more and more evident that the practice of outsourcing has lost its lustre, as companies find that it actually front-loads savings while back-loading major management problems that eventually hit the bottom line as expenses get out of control. This article, about Boeing's disastrous decision to outsource most of the "Dreamliner" manufacturing, supplies some of the evidence.
Abraham Lincoln: First Annual Message: Lincoln discusses the state of the country during the early stages of the Civil War. Notable as the source of "Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration" in discussing the importance of labor in an economy.
Addicted to Bush - NYTimes.com: Republican leaders seem to want a complete return to the Bush agenda, but how can they embrace Bush’s policies given his record?
Articles: The Trickle-Down Hoax
Businesses’ focus on maximizing shareholder value has numerous costs - The Washington Post: COMMENTARY | Mantra of maximizing shareholder value has no foundation and dubious effects.
Declining Labor Participation Rates
Documents: The Full Results From The New York Times and CBS News Poll - Document - NYTimes.com: A New York Times and CBS News Poll shows that in wake of the debt-ceiling debate, most Americans surveyed said creating jobs should now take priority over cutting spending.
Econ 101 is killing America - Salon.com: Forget the dumbed-down garbage most economists spew. Their myths are causing tragic results for everyday Americans. GREAT ARTICLE.
Fact Check: Rep. Ryan's budget spin: Page 2 of 4 | iWatch News: Rep. Paul Ryan spreads some false and misleading information in a series of “Setting The Record Straight” web posts, in which he criticizes the president’s proposed budget and promotes his own. Among the claims:
Federal Student Loan Programs - History: Perhaps not as shocking as his idea of an Earned Income Tax Credit, Milton Friedman (the patron saint of conservative supply-side free market economics) also championed student loan programs.
Grocery Store Beverage Choices by Participants in Federal Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs - SNAP_SSB_Purchases_AJPM_10.12.pdf
Historical Tables | The White House
Illusion of Prosperity: Real Growth Since 1952
Leaked AT&T Letter Demolishes Case For T-Mobile Merger - Lawyer Accidentally Decimates AT&T's #1 Talking Point | DSLReports.com, ISP Information: News: Leaked AT&T Letter Demolishes Case For T-Mobile Merger - Lawyer Accidentally Decimates AT&T's #1 Talking Point
National (US) Poll * March 29, 2010 * Middle Class Must Suffer To Cl - Quinnipiac University – Hamden, Connecticut
Obama Outperforms Reagan on Jobs, Growth and Investing - Forbes: Conventional wisdom is that President Obama has not created jobs, or grown the economy. But data shows he has outperformed President Reagan, and every other modern president
Paul Ryan Wants to Shut Down the Government, Permanently | BillMoyers.com: Journalists are fond of saying what a "budget wonk" Ryan is, but they never talk about what he actually says about the budget.
Recent U.S. Economic Growth - May 2012: A series of well-sourced charts showing the statistics of the recovery from the Bush recession.
REPUBLICANS vs. DEMOCRATS ON THE ECONOMY - The Washington Monthly
Romney’s 500,000 Monthly Jobs in U.S. Anything But Normal - Bloomberg: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney set a tough economic benchmark when he said last week that U.S. payroll growth of 500,000 jobs a month should be “normal” in a recovery. The 50 year average is about 174,000/month — Romney is the voice of "business experience"?
Stocks Return More With Democrat in White House: BGOV Barometer - Bloomberg: While Republicans promote themselves as the friendliest party for Wall Street, stock investors do better when Democrats occupy the White House. From a dollars- and-cents standpoint, it’s not even close.
Ten reasons why the Texas economy is growing that have nothing to do with Rick Perry | Texas on the Potomac | a Chron.com blog: Ten reasons why the Texas economy is growing that have nothing to do with Rick Perry
The Real Housewives of Wall Street | Rolling Stone Politics: America has two national budgets, one official, one unofficial. The official budget is public record and hotly debated: Money comes in as taxes and
The U.S. Economic Policy Debate Is a Sham - Bloomberg: Watching Democrats and Republicans hash out their differences in the public arena, it’s easy to get the impression that there’s a deep disagreement among reasonable people about how to manage the U.S. economy.Nothing could be further from the truth.
Trickle-down Economics: Lots More Information - HowStuffWorks: For more trickle-down economics information and information on related topics, check out these links.
What Baby Boomers’ Retirement Means For the U.S. Economy | FiveThirtyEight: FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver's newly launched website at ESPN, uses statistical analysis — hard numbers — to tell compelling stories about politics, science, economics, lifestyle, and sports.
Who Was Milton Friedman? by Paul Krugman | The New York Review of Books: Paul Krugman's introduction to Milton Friedman's true importance and a fair-minded assessment of his triumphs and his mistakes.
Why Milton Friedman Opposed Right-To-Work - Forbes: Supporters of right-to-work laws cast the issue in terms of individual rights. They will have to confront the fact that Milton Friedman, an acknowledged champion of human freedom, consistently opposed outlawing contracts that compel employees to pay dues to unions.

Foreign Policy

Benghazi!!!

Answering Trey Gowdy's questions n Benghazi, all of them, yet again and one by one.; The Benghazi attacks (the consulate and the CIA compound) are absolutely not unprecedented even though they're being treated that way by Republicans. So we're left to conclude the obvious. The investigations and accusations and conspiracy theories are entirely motivated by politics.; WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA officers revealed a clash over how quickly they should go help the besieged U.S. ambassador during the 2012 attack on an outpost in Libya, and a standing order for them to avoid violent encounters, according to a congressman and others who heard their private congressional testimony or were briefed on it. The Obama administration has been dogged by complaints that the White House, Pentagon and State Department may not have done enough before and during the attack to save U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others, and by accusations that it later engaged in a cover-up. One allegation was that U.S. officials told the CIA to "stand down" and not go to the aid of the Americans. Top CIA and Defense and State Department officials have denied that. The testimony from the CIA officers and contractors who were in Libya on the night of Sept. 11, 2012, bolster those denials, but also shed light on what may have led to the delay of up to 30 minutes to respond, according to the varying accounts. None of those who testified said a quicker response would have saved the lives of Stevens and communications specialist Sean Smith at the temporary diplomatic facility. The senior CIA officers in charge in Libya that day told Congress of a chaotic scramble to aid Stevens and others who were in the outpost when it was attacked by militants on the 11th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Those CIA leaders decided they and their security contractor team should wait before rushing from their annex into the violence roughly a mile away. They said they were trying to first gather intelligence and round up Libyan militia allies armed with heavy weapons, according to the testimony by the CIA officers in charge. Some CIA security contractors disagreed with their bosses and wanted to move more quickly. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who heads a House intelligence subcommittee that interviewed the employees, said he believes this disagreement was the source of allegations that the CIA ordered security personnel to "stand down" and not help the people inside the diplomatic mission, and perhaps was the source of accusations the administration failed to answer a call from the CIA security team for combat aircraft. "The team leader knew he was on his own," said Westmoreland, R-Ga. He explained that the lack of air support was clear to all CIA employees working in Libya because of a 2011 CIA memorandum sent to employees after NATO forces ended their mission in support of the Libyan revolution. "It basically told people in Benghazi ... if you are attacked, you get your 'package' (the personnel they are charged with protecting) and you get out," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. A senior intelligence official confirmed that the CIA officers on the ground in Benghazi responded to the diplomats' call for help by trying "to rally local support for the rescue effort and secure heavier weapons." When it became "clear that this additional support could not be rapidly obtained," the team moved toward the diplomatic compound. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the attack publicly by name. One contractor testified that he shouted repeatedly over the agency's radio system to his CIA security boss that they should request combat aircraft. But the security chief explained to lawmakers that he ignored his subordinate's demands because he said he knew that no combat aircraft were available for such a mission, Westmoreland said. Westmoreland said the CIA security contractors loaded into two vehicles, with weapons ready, the moment they heard the radio call for help from the diplomatic building. Some wanted to rush to the U.S. compound roughly a mile away, and their agitation grew as they heard increasing panic when the diplomats reported the militants were setting the compound on fire. The CIA team leader and the CIA chief at the Benghazi annex told committee members that they were trying to gather Libyan allies and intelligence before racing into the fray, worried that they might be sending their security team into an ambush with little or no backup. At least one of those security contractors, a former U.S. Army Ranger, was told to "wait" at least twice, and he argued with his security team leader, according to his testimony, related by Westmoreland. Westmoreland declined to share the names of the officers who testified because they are still CIA employees. According to previous accounts by U.S. officials, the attacks began at approximately 9:40 p.m., and the CIA team arrived roughly 25 minutes into the attack. None of those who testified would say they believed the ambassador or the others could have been saved had they arrived any faster, according to two officials, who also were briefed on the testimony. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the closed testimony publicly. When the seven CIA employees reached the diplomatic compound, they fought their way in and found the five State Department security personnel who had taken shelter in various parts of the compound. They found computer specialist Smith, dead from smoke inhalation, but couldn't find Stevens and decided to fall back to the CIA annex, because the crowd was building outside again, Westmoreland and the other officials said. Stevens was found in a safe room and taken by Libyan civilians to a nearby hospital, but he died from smoke inhalation. The CIA team believes their convoy was followed back to their compound, where they were first attacked by small arms fire around midnight local time, which quickly stopped when the CIA team returned fire, Westmoreland said. Roughly five hours later, the CIA team testified that mortars hit, killing former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, who had helped rescue the diplomats, and former SEAL Glenn Doherty, who had just arrived with a team from Tripoli. The lawmakers wanted to hear directly from the contractors about their account before a book the contractors have written is published in September 2014, if it passes the CIA's security review. ___ Follow Dozier on Twitter: http://twitter.com/kimberlydozier; This report was originally published May 9, 2014, and has been updated with additional fact-checks. House Republicans want another investigation of the attacks in Benghazi, specifically whether the White House is withholding information on the attacks. By some counts, it’s the eighth investigation into the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks in Libya in which four Americans died, including the U.S. ambassador. The vote to create a new select committee succeeded largely on a party-line vote, 232-186. PolitiFact has been monitoring claims about the attacks since shortly after they occurred. The rhetoric has been highly politicized, focusing on whether the Obama administration ...; Former secretary of defense pushes back against accusations that the administration could have done more to stop the attack in Benghazi, calls for "caution" in Syria; A report unanimously adopted by the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee last w; Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) acknowledged on Wednesday that House Republicans had consciously voted to reduce the funds allocated to the State Department for embassy security since winning the majorit; Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham restated a debunked talking point Sunday, claiming that the body of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens was "dragged through the street" following the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi.  "We have to not forget, we have four dead Americans," Ingraham said during a roundtable discussion about the Benghazi attack on ABC's This Week. "The ambassador's body was dragged through the street. Okay? It was beyond heartbreaking and beyond infuriating."  Stevens' body was not dragged through the street, at least not in the way Ingraham suggests, multiple accounts and three official reviews make clear.  PolitiFact examined a similar claim in September 2013 and the facts remain the same.  The bottom ...; Judicial Watch, the conservative organization that has been FOIAing and FOIAing for an email record of the Obama administration's talking points from the week of the Benghazi attack, has obtained one that loops White House adviser Ben Rhodes into the conversation with advice about how to massage the story for the...; Rep. Trey Gowdy -- the South Carolina Republican tapped by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to head the newly established House Select Committee on Benghazi -- has begun sharing some of the questions he plans to investigate. Gowdy’s panel is charged with looking into the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on a U.S. government complex in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. During an appearance on Fox News Sunday on May 11, 2014, host Chris Wallace asked Gowdy, "So, tell me the single biggest question you want to ask" former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Gowdy responded, ...

Iran

Information leading to a better understand of Iran, its history and its historical relations with the U.S. Be sure to look at the parallel entry for "Iraq" since it also contains relevant information.; Larry Cohler-Esses, the assistant managing editor for the Jewish 'Forward', wrote that Iranians are far more moderate and eager to engage with the world than outsiders think.; Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, the first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran after the 1979 revolution, says that by falsifying, misrepresenting, and taking critical facts out of context, the Academy-Award winning film 'Argo' delivers a pro-CIA message at the cost of the Iranian people and history.; A Skeptic’s Guide to the Iran Nuclear Deal « | Foreign Policy | the Global Magazine of News and Ideas; CIA Confirms Role in 1953 Iran Coup; Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October 1987, pages 1, 16-17 Special Report Did Iran Delay Hostages Release To Ensure Reagan's Election? By Richard Curtiss 'A conspiracy between a presidenti; A grand bargain would serve everyone, which is why both countries have tried to put aside tensions and strike a deal. So why are the U.S. and Iran perpetually stuck in confrontation?; Inside the U.S. Navy’s Iran Fiasco « | Foreign Policy | the Global Magazine of News and Ideas; The Republicans who want to investigate the Bergdahl deal need to be reminded of Iran-Contra and October Surprise; As news of Iran’s release of American prisoners spread, Republicans were quick to deny President Barack Obama much credit for the deal. Presidential candidate Marco Rubio said the United States should not have made any concessions to Iran. Part of the deal included Obama granting clemency to seven Iranians charged in U.S. courts with violating economic sanctions against Iran. "Our enemies now know that if you can capture an American, you can get something meaningful in exchange for it," Rubio said on Meet the Press on Jan. 17, 2016. Host Chuck Todd pressed Rubio on that position: "So under President ...; The 5 Worst Treaties the United States Ever Signed « | Foreign Policy | the Global Magazine of News and Ideas; THEY got there in the end. More than 42 hours after the deadline had passed for reaching a framework agreement between six world powers and Iran to constrain its...; THE tentative agreement reached by America and other world powers that aims to thwart an Iranian rush to build a nuclear bomb is “not based on trust” but on...; Why is Tehran so bent on a program that has brought devastating sanctions, isolation, and threats of war?; MIT faculty and specialists Francis Gavin, James Walsh, Scott Kemp, Vipin Narang, and John Tirman size up the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal, weighing in on its potential pact and global implications.; When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes « | Foreign Policy | the Global Magazine of News and Ideas

Iraq

Iraq has admitted that ISIS jihadists captured huge caches of US-made weapons, including thousands of Humvees seized from Iraqi forces retreating from Mosul last year. The spoils of war have since then been used by ISIS to gain ground in Iraq and Syria.; The 2004 report on Iraq's WMD. Although it establishes that Saddam intended to restart his WMD capabilities if possible, it clearly shows that the context is self-defense after the experience of the Iran-Iraq war.; The lack of political leadership under Iraq's former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki allowed ISIL to make inroads into Mosul last year, said Colin Powell - the former US secretary of state during a visit to Abu Dhabi.; Iraq’s prime minister reveals extent of equipment loss when Isis overran the army last year in the country’s second-largest city; The section of the Riegle report dealing with WMD components exported to Iraq by the U.S.; It was a systematic campaign to frighten the hell out of us about the threat of Hussein, and almost none of it was true.

Israel

A Palestinian Christian family that preaches non-violence at a farm near Bethlehem is is battling to hold on to land it has owned for 98 years.; The farm is part of a intensive project to connect Israel proper to the West Bank settlement of Ariel.

Russia

Why the recent hack of the Democratic National Committee is a game-changer.

Syria

It's a history lesson worth considering now.; A French journalist who was held hostage by Isis for 10 months has spoken out against air strikes in Syria, saying they represent “a trap” for Britain and other members of the international community. Speaking in an interview with The Syria Campaign, Nicolas Henin put forward his strategy for combatting the militant group – a no-fly zone in opposition-held areas of Syria.; On Sunday, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published a story in the London Review of Books calling the Obama administration’s account of the rai ...; Chemical attack on rebel-held areas of Damascus involved rockets known to be in Syrian regime's arsenal, say experts; Eliot Higgins and Dan Kaszeta: The sources and conclusions used to support Seymour Hersh's argument just don't stack up. The perpetrators lie closer to home

Terrorism (general)

Dexter Filkins examines whether President George W. Bush did—as college student Ivy Ziedrich told Jeb Bush—create ISIS.
7 charts on how the world views President Obama | Pew Research Center: Our most recent survey of 40 countries from around the world included a number of questions about Obama and his handling of major international issues.
A National Strategic Narrative.pdf (application/pdf Object): This is the paper about a future approach for the United States in its relationship with the rest of the world (see N. Y. Times article for introduction)
A Strategy for National Security, Focused on Sustainability - NYTimes.com: A paper written by two military strategists calls on the United States to engage the world through its educational system, social policies, international development and diplomacy.
A Void in the History of September 11th
Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Manual
GOP Rep. Cole Admires Obama's Caution On Military Action In Syria | Crooks and Liars: Rep. Tom Cole praised Obama for being "commendably cautious" about getting involved in the Syrian war.
Mitt Romney said Barack Obama began his presidency with an apology tour | PolitiFact: In his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president, Mitt Romney repeated a charge he’s made before: that Obama has traveled the world apologizing for America. "I will begin my presidency with a jobs tour. President Obama began with an apology tour. America, he said, had dictated to other nations. No, Mr. President, America has freed other nations from dictators," Romney said. We first fact-checked this claim back in 2010, when Romney published a book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. Obama’s apology tour, Romney wrote, "is his way of signaling to foreign countries and foreign leaders that their ...
Obama is right to be cautious on Syria – The Moderate Voice: [caption id="attachment_209456" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Marian Kemensky, Slovakia[/caption] WASHINGTON -- Contrary to popular belief, President ...
Obama slams reporter's right-wing adopted talking point as bogus
Shocking New Evidence Reveals Depths of 'Treason' and 'Treachery' of Watergate and Iran-Contra | Alternet: New evidence continues to accumulate showing how Official Washington got key elements of two major presidential scandals of the Nixon and Reagan administrations wrong.
THE DAILY STAR :: Opinion :: Columnist :: Praise Tunisia, not the Iraqi nightmare: Lebanon News :: Middle East News :: The Daily Star The Leading English Language Newspaper in Lebanon and the Middle-East
The National Interest: Debating the issues: China, Russia, Iran, National Security, Defense, War & Peace, International Relations & U.S. Politics. Realism is our guide.
The Shatners of American foreign policy | Daniel W. Drezner
These Are The Happiest Countries in The World - Bloomberg Business: The U.S. ranks No. 15 among 158 countries in the World Happiness Report 2015
Treaty Clause - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Welcome to the Project for the New American Century: This is the source of all the foreign policy mistakes of the Bush years — the road map written by Neo-cons who never served in the military, who believed that America was destined to act like an empire. It is the satanic opposite of the "National Strategic Narrative" which was written from the actual experience of military strategists.
What Americans thought of Jewish refugees on the eve of World War II - The Washington Post: It's a history lesson worth considering now.
What Are the "Greatest Hits" in U.S. Foreign Policy? | Stephen M. Walt

Government

...and Business Development

The Energy Department's Loan Programs Office is succeeding in its mission to help finance the first commercial deployments of innovative technologies in the United States.; This is the legislation that Al Gore was referring to when he noted that he "took the initiative in the creation of the Internet." He never claimed to have created the Internet, only that he helped develop it from a military / academic experiment to an invaluable public resource.; At a time of looming budget cuts, advocates of government financing of technology research argue that it is an investment in the nation’s future.; If any city understands the power of networks to drive economic growth, it’s Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga’s proximity to the Tennessee River – a natural network – fueled its initial growth. When the railroad network arrived in the mid-19th century, Chattanooga became a boom town.; A Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report released Tuesday finds that green jobs grew four times faster in 2011 than jobs in other sectors, continuing a trend of rapid growth in the U.S. But Fox News is still pushing the narrative that investing in clean energy is a "boondoggle."; The U.S. expects to earn $5 billion to $6 billion from the federal program that funded flops including Solyndra LLC, bolstering President Barack Obama’s decision to back low-carbon technologies.; Unfortunate as the bankruptcy of California solar panel company Solyndra was, considering it defaulted on a $535 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, it isn’t reflective of the overall performance of the Energy Department’s loan guarantee program.; A 1989 document that was both practical and prescient.; Universal service is the principle that all Americans should have access to communications services. Universal service is also the name of a fund and the category of FCC programs and policies to implement this principle. Universal service is a cornerstone of the law that established the FCC, the Communications Act of 1934.; Analysis of both the predictions of economists and the empirical data regarding the economic performance of the policies of the major U.S. political parties

Anti-government Paranoia, Violence

The who, how & why of the JFK assassination. Taken from an historical perspective starting around world war 1 leading to present day. We hope after watching ...; In the same letter, however, Jefferson stated that the rebellion was “founded in ignorance ... The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive.”; Improving Policy, Advancing Liberty; The Kentucky governor suggested that if the Democrat wins this year’s presidential election, armed insurrection might be necessary to protect the United States.; Michigan Republican leader says he was trying to prevent violence, not promote it.

Obstructionism

The Vice President makes a striking charge.; Al Sharpton questions Newt Gingrich about a secret meeting the GOP had on the night of President Obama's inauguration to stop the presidents re-election. Key segment: At about the 2:20 mark, listen to what Gingrich says about three speeches Obama made, including his inaugural speech, understanding that Gingrich agreed to support Republican obstructionism on the SAME night of that speech.; Republican leaders launch pre-emptive strike on Democrats' stimulus plan before President Obama goes to Capitol Hill to meet with Republican members of Congress.; With 17 months of his presidency remaining, Ronald Reagan will bank on executive orders and judicial action to implement social policies that he cannot persuade Congress to enact, Gary L. Bauer, the; The headline emerging from last week’s SOTU address continues to be the President’s stated intent to go around Congress, where necessary, to effectuate elements of his agenda through the use of the executive order. So grave is the situation—according to conservative leaders and pundits—Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) took to the airwaves [...]; On the Republican conspiracy to do nothing with attitude for four years.; It shouldn’t be called the filibuster anymore.; TIME just published “The Party of No,” an article adapted from my new book, The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era. It reveals some of my reporting on the Republican plot to obstruct President Obama before he even took office, including secret meetings led by House GOP whi...; Blog site of Tikkun Magazine sparking cutting-edge conversations within a dynamic, interfaith community of progressive and spiritual people from all backgrounds.; Count of Cloture Motions in various Congresses; Commentary and statistics about the vast difference between the divided Congress during the Reagan years vs. what we have now.

Presidents

Former President George W. Bush is in the bottom 5.

Privatization

Former Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) Judge Mark Ciavarella has been spending his time doing odd jobs for a car towing service while awaiting sentencing since being found guilty on felony corruption charges. His car towing days are over, and the 61-year-old judge is heading to federal prison for 28 years -- [...]
Big Corporation: We the People: 75 Ways Socialism has Improved, Saved, and Shaped America
Can a businessman help the economy? For presidents, the answer has been no. - Washington Post: Mitt Romney likes to argue that his business experience has prepared him for the challenges of the presidency, particularly in stoking economic recovery. In his speech accepting the Republican
Constitution of the United States - Official Text: The text of the U.S. Constitution, with sections that were superceded marked and linked to the corresponding amendments.
Crushing The GOP Lie: Here Is a List of Republican Incumbents Who Support Impeachment: Republicans won't admit that they are gunning to impeach President Obama, but here's a roundup of quotes that says otherwise.
David Roberts explains postmodern conservatism in 36 tweets | Grist: A case headed to the Supreme Court is a crucial turning point in the American conservative movement's ability to assert that black is white and up is down.
Democracy Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DofJ Investigation into Politicized Hiring (Bush Admin)
Executive Orders: The American Presidency Project contains the most comprehensive collection of resources pertaining to the study of the President of the United States. Compiled by John Woolley and Gerhard Peters
History shows businessmen make bad presidents - The Hill's Congress Blog: Republicans make much of Mitt Romney's experience as a businessman and tell us it predicts success as president. But is there a precedent for this, a track record of business success correlating with presidential success?
Impeachment Fact-Check Time! | Crooks and Liars: Impeachment was a Republican threat from the moment Barack Obama was inaugurated.
Interactive Map: Is Your State Legislator a Member of ALEC? | BillMoyers.com: Use our interactive map to see if your local representatives are in the American Legislative Exchange Council, and help us keep it current.
Is Congress Biting the Postman? | TPMCafe
Is Liberalism Good for Your Health? | Mother Jones
Libertarians’ reality problem: How an estrangement from history yields abject failure - Salon.com: The libertarian tradition fundamentally misunderstands human life. No wonder its adherents get politics so wrong
Social Programs That Work - NYTimes.com: Rigorous evidence should inform spending. Until lately, it hasn’t.
Sorry Mitt Romney, Good Businessmen Rarely Make Good Presidents - US News and World Report: Businessmen like Harding, Hoover, and the Bushes went on to be some of the worst presidents.
Tennessee General Assembly Main Page
The Federalist Papers, by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
The Legislative History of Section Four of the Fourteenth Amendment: A discussion of the context and reasoning behind the 14th Amendment's guarantee that U.S. debt will always be paid
Total Government Employment Since 1962: U.S. Office of Personnel Management
U.S. Code: Home: The federal laws of the United States (the whole thing).
U.S., British intelligence mining data from nine U.S. Internet companies in broad secret program - The Washington Post
When It Comes To Abuse Of Presidential Power, Obama Is A Mere Piker: Loud complaints about executive power don't erase history.

Guns, Crime & Violence

Wikipedia listing of how various nations implement gun regulations.

2nd Amendment

Top officials in the NRA once supported reasonable gun control laws.; An essential link that not only proves (again) what a liar David Barton is, but why the Founders never intended that the 2nd Amendment establish an absolute right to own any weapon under any circumstances.; This is the text of Aymette v. State, in which the 1840 Tennessee Supreme Court decided a case based on the definition of "to bear arms" as meaning "to serve in a military capacity" or "to actively fight in an organized group."; An amicus brief arguing that "to bear arms" can only have a military meaning in the context of the 2nd Amendment.; Justice Stevens, with whom Justice Souter, Justice Ginsburg, and Justice Breyer join, dissenting. This is Stevens' definitive dissent, based on the actual history of the 2nd Amendment, and trashing the nonsense arguments put for by Scalia and the majority.; The Brennan Center for Justice is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice.; At the end of June, the Supreme Court, in a case called District of Columbia v. Heller, invalidated the District's ban on the private ownership of pistols. It did so in the name of the Second Amendment to the Constitution. The decision was the most noteworthy of the Court's recent term. It is questionable in both method and result, and it is evidence that the Supreme Court, in deciding constituti...; The Brennan Center for Justice is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice.; It's a popular talking point with conservatives that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to act as a check on a tyrannical government, our own government. According to liberal radio and TV host Thom Hartman, though, the original purpose of the amendment was to act as a check on rebellious slaves, which might just put a kink in Gun Appreciation Day founder Larry Ward's theory about Martin Luther King.; Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, during a press conference about the Tucson shootings, called Arizona “the Tombstone of the United States.” Some journalists gave the word a lowercase “t,” but the sheriff was clearly referring to the infamous silver-mining town 70 miles from Tucson — site of the shootout at the OK Corral....; An association of police chiefs called the U.S. Senate's rejection of gun-control legislation earlier this month "a disgrace" and blamed "the gun lobby" for blocking the measures.; Does the Second Amendment prevent Congress from passing gun-control laws? The question, which is suddenly pressing, in light of the reaction to the school massacre in Newtown, is rooted in politics as much as law. For more than a...; Professor Bogus argues that there is strong reason to believe that, in significant part, James Madison drafted the Second Amendment to assure his constituents in Virginia, and the South generally, that Congress could not use its newly-acquired powers to indirectly undermine the slave system by disarming the militia, on which the South relied for slave control.; Gun rights activists who cite the dictator as a reason against gun control have their history dangerously wrong; Jason Zielinski shows a customer a selection of AR-15 style rifles being offered for sale at Freddie Bear Sports sporting goods store on December 17, 2012 in Tinley Park, Illinois. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) Since I first wrote about gun liability insurance in the wake of the Newtown [...]; Text version of Thom Hartmann's take-down of the NRA interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.; As long as there have been guns in America, they have been regulated -- even in Dodge City

Death Penalty

Clayton Lockett was a career criminal. In 1992, he pleaded guilty to burglary, knowingly concealing stolen property and he pleaded no contest to charges of intimidating state witnesses. In 1996, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit embezzlement. In 1999, he intended to add to his list of crimes by [...]; Information on the cost of the death penalty from Amnesty International. Learn more about death penalty costs.; Capital murder trials and death row boondoggles are wreaking havoc on budgets across the country as many states are now rethinking the death penalty, which is enormously costly and rarely imposed even after successful prosecutions.

Gun & Safety

Joe Zamudio, a hero in the Tucson incident, ran to the scene and helped subdue the killer, but he nearly pulled his gun on a fellow hero in the process.; A former FBI profiler on Sunday warned that some gun advocates were making a mistake by rushing to blame the December mass shooting of 20 children in Connecticut on violent video games.; Having a gun at home not only increases the risk of harm to one's self and family, but also carries high costs to society, concludes an article in the February Southern Medical Journal, official journal of the Southern Medical Association.; Despite the fact that nearly one-third of American households have a firearm, studies show that having a gun in the home poses a household a greater health risk than a potential benefit. A new study released in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (published by SAGE) examined scientific research ...; Firearms have been touted as a great equalizer between the sexes. But in cases where self-defense matters most, women tend to find their own weapons turned against them.; Having a gun in your home significantly increases your risk of death — and that of your spouse and children.And it doesn’t matter how the guns are stored or what type or how many guns you own.If you have a gun, everybody in your home is more likely than your non-gun-owning neighbors and their families to die in a gun-related accident, suicide or ho; A new source of reporting and insight about guns in America.; A "good guy with a gun" shoots the victim in the head.; A vet who was at a massacre and armed reveals why he did not pull his gun, for completely sane and understandable reasons.; The 47-year-old woman had a concealed carry permit, and — clearly — some good sense to go with it; It looked at 130 studies from 10 different countries.

Gun Statistics

By purposely hiding actual data about gun sales in America, the gun lobby is attempting to reinforce its oversize reputation and make the industry look like a more politically potent force than it actually is.; Do statistics demonstrate that crime rates in Australia have increased substantially since the government there instituted a gun buy-back program in 1997?; By Michael Brown, Special to CNN Editor’s note: Michael Brown is an Australian astronomer and senior lecturer at Monash University who lived in the U.S. from 2000 until 2006. He regularly writes for The Conversation website, where another version of this article appeared.; Nearly a third of these shootings are accidental, study finds; For years proposals for gun control and the ownership of firearms have been among the most contentious issues in American politics. For public authorities to make reasonable decisions on these matters, they must take into account facts about the relationship between guns and violence as well as conflicting constitutional claims and divided public opinion. In performing these tasks, legislators need adequate data and research to judge both the effects of firearms on violence and the effects of different violence control policies. Readers of the research literature on firearms may sometimes find themselves unable to distinguish scholarship from advocacy. Given the importance of this issue, there is a pressing need for a clear and unbiased assessment of the existing portfolio of data and research. Firearms and Violence uses conventional standards of science to examine three major themes - firearms and violence, the quality of research, and the quality of data available. The book assesses the strengths and limitations of current databases, examining current research studies on firearm use and the efforts to reduce unjustified firearm use and suggests ways in which they can be improved.; Concealed carry laws may be associated with a 33% rise in gun crime.; For every 1 self-defense killing there are 34 homicides.; The General Social Survey shows a significant decline since the late 1970s and early 1980s in households with at least one gun

Militia craziness

J.T Ready, the alleged gunman in a Gilbert, Arizona, shooting, was described as a "control freak." Police believe Ready killed four people during a domestic dispute before he turned the gun on himself. Ready was a prominent neo-Nazi and anti-immigrant activist who was running for sheriff of Pinal County.; A Georgia murder case uncovered what prosecutors have called a plot by a group of current and former U.S. soldiers to overthrow the government and assassinate Obama.; ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The leader of a self-described militia group was sentenced Tuesday to serve nearly 26 years in prison following his conviction on nine felonies, including conspiring to murder public officials.; When members of the jury return today to decide whether Shawna Forde deserves the death penalty, they won't be alone. The story of the beautician who founded a border militia; A great resource showing all the crimes and violence that have emerged from militia organizations in recent years.; Why do gun nuts act the way they do? Here is one possibility.; Christopher Jenderseck is the latest to testify against his deranged band of brothers; Right-wing enclave being proposed in Idaho, with some unusual neighborhood association requirements.
"Stand your ground": No, President Obama didn't support it in Illinois.: The Illinois Review makes a find that's been bouncing around conservative social media all day. "Nine years ago," argue the authors, "then-State Sen. Barack Obama actually co-sponsored a bill that strengthened Illinois' 1961 'stand your ground' law." If true, this would render hypocritical or null so much of the presidential...
9 signs America’s gun obsession is getting worse - Salon.com: It goes beyond open carry activists displaying their firearms in restaurant chains. Even the NRA seems perplexed
A Dark Truck Stop. A Crowd of Sex Workers. A Government Program That Works? | Mother Jones
America's Real Criminal Element: Lead | Mother Jones
despp: ** UPDATE ** State Police Identify Weapons in Sandy Hook Investigation: ** UPDATE ** State Police Identify Weapons in Sandy Hook Investigation Abstract: STATE OF CONNECTICUT Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection Connecticut State Police Public Information Office 1111 Country Club Road Middletown, Connecticut 06457 Contact: 860-685-8230 DESPP.FeedbackReuben Bradford CommissionerColonel Danny R. Stebbins Deputy Commissioner Division of State PoliceFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 18, 2013 ** UPDATE ** STATE POLICE IDENTIFY WEAPONS USED IN SANDY HOOK INVESTIGATION; INVESTIGATION CONTINUES In previous press conferences, the Connecticut State Police clearly identified all of the weapons seized from the crime scene at Sandy Hook Elementary School. ...
How Lead Exposure Relates to Temporal Changes in IQ, Violent Crime, and Unwed Pregnancy
Microsoft Word - Lead crime paper text - 2.19.07 3.doc - LeadCrimeNBERWP13097.pdf
National Rifle Association - SourceWatch
NRA Tried To Stifle Study Showing Gun Retailers Support Background Checks | ThinkProgress: The NRA didn't appreciate research showing 55 percent of gun dealers want stronger background checks.
The Contradictions of the Kleck Study: The Virginia Center for Public Safety is a non-profit, non-partisan grass roots organization dedicated to the reduction of gun violence in Virginia. VACPS strives to accomplish this mission through awareness, education and advocacy. VACPS members represent a cross-section of racial, religious. professional and political groups.
The Contras and Crack - The Consortium: A listing of links related to the cocaine-trafficking aspect of the Iran-Contra scandal.
The Great DHS Ammunition Stockpile Myth: Even Breitbart.com debunked this one: There are dozens of articles hyping government purchases of ammunition over the last nine months. After spending weeks researching this topic, this is a collection of commonly held myths that are based more on panic than fact.
The truth about the Fast and Furious scandal - Fortune Features: A Fortune investigation reveals that the ATF never intentionally allowed guns to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. How the world came to believe just the opposite is a tale of rivalry, murder, and political bloodlust.
Twelve facts about guns and mass shootings in the United States
Two Guys With Guns Have Showdown On First Day Of Georgia's New 'Guns Everywhere' Law
• Reported violent crime rate in the U.S. 1990-2015 | Timeline: This graph shows the reported violent crime rate in the U.S. since 1990. In 1990, the nationwide rate was 729.6 cases per 100,000 of the population.
United States Crime Rates 1960 - 2014: United States crime statistics, United States , United States rape, United States murder, United States property crime, United States crime index, United States violent crime, violent crime in State, United States burglary, United States vehicle theft, United States larceny, United States robbery, rate, United States, ucr, fbi, index, United States crime rates, United States crime stats, United States crime report, FBI Uniform Crime Reports

Health Care

...and Republicans

“They’re allowing people to die to prove a point,” says a dissenting Republican mayor.; Obamacare and the Workweek -; Facts still have a liberal bias.; The Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) coordinates adolescent health programs and initiatives across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services related to adolescent health promotion and disease prevention.

Abortion & Birth Control

All of the evidence about how a sham group called Center for Medical Progress manufactured deceptive videos to smear Planeed Parenthood; A Heartbreaking Choice - for parents who have interrupted a wanted pregnancy after poor prenatal diagnosis. This site gives evidence that late-term abortions are mostly about often deadly fetal defects.; With respect to the abortion issue, would you consider yourself to be pro-choice or pro-life? Do you think abortions should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances?; A good discussion about the misuse of science to "prove" that a fertilized egg, embryo, etc. is a "person."; A list of links detailing recent conservative overreaching in proposing draconian heath care laws.; Fact sheet containing the most up-to-date research and policy information; Perspective from The New England Journal of Medicine — Family Planning as a Cost-Saving Preventive Health Service; Perspective from The New England Journal of Medicine — Fetal Tissue Fallout; Why was it illegal? What’s the risk?; Attorney General Maura Healey says her office has found no evidence that the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts is operating the sort of fetal tissue donation program highlighted in a series of undercover videos released by a national anti-abortion group in recent weeks.; This article summarizes the research that demonstrates that "morning after" or "Plan B" type emergency contraception has no effect on the implantation of fertilized eggs, but only prevents ovulation.; Charts of probabilities of unintended pregnancy while using different contraception methods, for up to 10 years.; Controversial videos released by an anti-abortion group have highlighted the murky guidelines for harvesting fetal tissue for research purposes. The group, called the Center for Medical Progress, has accused Planned Parenthood of selling aborted fetuses for a profit, a charge Planned Parenthood has denied. One of its videos, recorded in secret and released July 14, 2015, shows members of the anti-abortion group posing as tissue brokers discussing terms for procuring fetal tissue. To some, it appeared that Planned Parenthood was proposing to illegally sell tissue, prompting lawmakers in several states to launch investigations and Republicans in Congress to attempt cutting ...; The new CBS/New York Times poll shows that the White House’s fight over contraception in health insurance plans is in fact on the winning side with the public — and among Catholics, too, the group whose church leadership has mounted the mount vigorous campaign against it.; How much of a hypocrite is Rick Santorum? Read...; The Guttmacher Institute is a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health research, policy analysis and public education.; Margaret Sanger's explanation of the need for birth control.; Trent Franks' federal 20-week abortion ban is a dangerous piece of legislation, based on false and completely disproven assertions about "evidence" of fetal pain. Yet many media outlets are assisting in perpetuating these lies.; The budget debate is not about abortions, or about cutting spending.; Before the rise of the religious right, Southern Baptists believed that "religious liberty, human equality and justice are advanced" by Roe v. Wade.; 2013 Pew Poll: While the balance of opinion toward abortion nationwide has remained largely steady over the past 20 years, there are widening disparities in public attitudes on the issue across different regions of the country.; A Texas man shared an upsetting account of his family's painful experience with their state's strict fetal pain laws.; Opposition to IUD’s, like opposition to vaccines, is putting American families at risk—and a Colorado controversy shows that misguided faith and scientific ignorance are to blame. When a pilot program in Colorado offered teens state-of-the-art long acting contraceptives—IUD’s and implants—teen births plummeted by 40%, along with a drop in abortions. The program saved the state…

ACA Lies

That’s the only possible explanation for the extreme lengths they will go to lie about the new law.; Research debunks many myths about the trends in Canadian versus American health care. The findings may surprise you.; At the end of August, Charlton County closed its debt-ridden hospital.Pam Renshaw has paid a painful price for the closing.About 2 p.m. Oct. 15 Renshaw rolled her four wheeler and landed in a bonfire. Her boyfriend, Billy Chavis, found her and, in his words, “put her out.”Chavis says he cannot remember with certainty if he dialed 911.“I thought I did. Maybe I just didn’t press send. I was really scared,” he said. “She was horribly burned. This still feels like a terrible, terrible nightmare.”; A "fact" being used by conservatives against the Affordable Care Act turns out to be a dishonest interpretation of an amateurishly constructed survey question.; Jim Taranto, who writes the Wall Street Journal’s excellent “Best of the Web” column, put forth a lengthy and informative discussion yesterday on the conservative origins of the individual mandate, whose inclusion in Obamacare is today its most controversial feature on the Right.; This is the legislation introduced by Rep. Phil Roe (a doctor) who claimed it would fix a "cut" in dialysis treatments for Medicare patients, but was actually trying to destroy a component of Medicare cost control that by law could not deny treatments.; This is an ongoing series on health care system "memes" that continue to permeate our debate, even when evidence shows them to be false. The introductory post; The ObamaCare Myths about health care aren't just confusing, they are wrong. ObamaCare myths range from premium increases to ObamaCare implanting RFID chips in all Americans; The battle over the Affordable Care Act and its problem-plagued rollout is fast becoming a numbers game: How many people have gone to HealthCare.gov, established an account or actually enrolled in a health plan? How will the website’s problems affect enrollment in the first year? Will the administration need to make major changes, such as extending...; A silver lining for conservatives in the Supreme Court’s health care decision Thursday is that the court allowed the law to stand based on the idea that the individual mandate was a tax. That news has Republicans and conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh bringing out an old -- and incorrect claim -- that the health care law constitutes the largest tax increase ever. Rep. Connie Mack, a Republican from Florida running for the U.S. Senate, called it "the largest tax on the American people in history" in a press release. Florida GOP congressional candidate state Rep. Gary Aubuchon ...; PolitiFact has been fact-checking claims about the federal health care law since lawmakers started drafting the legislation in 2009. Long controversial, the law has been no stranger to attacks by detractors. Here are 16 of the biggest falsehoods PolitiFact has rated. ( Fact-checks are listed in no particular order. The links will take you to a full report and a source list for each fact-check.) 1. The health care law rations care, like systems in Canada and Great Britain. False. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, July 2, 2012,  in an interview on Fox News The health care law is not socialized ...; While the federal website to signup for Obamacare was riddled with errors and had a rocky rollout, it didn't cost $634 million to build. The eye-popping supposed pricetag gained traction Thursday after technology website Digital Trends compared it to the estimate released by the government contractor, which was $541...; Community Health Systems is closing Haywood Park Community Hospital in Brownsville in what could be the first of a series of rural hospitals to end operations in Tennessee.; The Obamacare Non-Exemption - Congressional employees aren’t receiving a “special handout.”; Unless conservatives coalesce around a free-market vision of health reform, they will always find themselves rushing headlong into tactical policy proposals—like the individual mandate—that they haven’t fully thought through. Conservatives are always playing defense, instead of offense, when it comes to improving our health-care system. For various reasons having to do with the way in which the modern conservative movement arose, health reform just hasn’t been a priority for the Right. If you want to blame conservatives for something, blame them for that.

Effects of ACA

Americans are "not interested" in buying what the president was selling, talk radio host Rush Limbaugh declared on his radio show in late October.; States that expanded Medicaid eligibility added more healthcare jobs in 2014, according to Fitch.; As hospital operators begin to report second period earnings -- the sixth consecutive quarter of new revenue from once uninsured patients -- the number and size of unpaid medical bills continues to fall thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The health law last year began to provide subsidized private health insurance [...]; Today’s report containing CBO’s latest budget projections includes updated estimates of the impact of the insurance coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).; Health Policy Report from The New England Journal of Medicine — Health Care Coverage under the Affordable Care Act — A Progress Report; Most people buying Obamacare plans next year are likely to face a small increase in the price of monthly premiums, early numbers suggest. A few plans are asking for steep price hikes, but that's rare.; Amid fears that doctors wouldn't take the newly insured, new surveys suggest that hasn't been the case.; Research from JAMA — Changes in Self-reported Insurance Coverage, Access to Care, and Health Under the Affordable Care Act; CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) have estimated the direct spending and revenue effects of H.R. 6079, the Repeal of Obamacare Act, as passed by the House of Representatives on July 11, 2012. H.R. 6079 would repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with the exception of one subsection that has no budgetary effect.; Obamacare is flourishing even with the immoral attacks against it. The fiscal&moral irresponsibility of attempting to curtail the law is even more evident.; A new data set provides a clearer picture of which people gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.; Man who credits Obamacare with saving his life says Fox News fires people up.; New Gallup survey data suggest that about 12 million previously uninsured Americans have gained coverage since the fall.; The long-awaited Rand Corp. study of Obamacare's effect on health insurance coverage was released Tuesday and confirmed the numbers that had been telegraphed for more than a week : At least 9.3 million more Americans have health insurance now than in September 2013, virtually all of them as a result of the law.; Analysis of gains in insured people.; On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the ACA, ending litigation that had cast some legal doubt on the law's future, and provided hospitals some assurance of the ACA's existence into the foreseeable future. The week before the Supreme...; The government is closed, Obamacare health exchanges are open for enrollment and Walgreen earnings are up 86% over fourth quarter 2012.; Walgreen Co. and another 17 large employers are turning to a new concept of offering workers health benefits via private online marketplaces known as exchanges such as one run by Aon Hewitt. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) Walgreen Co. (WAG) and another 17 large employers are turning to a new [...]; By attacking Medicare Fraud instead of benefits, the Obama Administration cut healthcare costs by billions for the second year in a row.

Other Countries

The country requires everyone to purchase health insurance but it appears to work efficiently while keeping costs under control; Hello, did you know the American health-care system is terrible? It is. Don't let John Boehner tell you otherwise.; An orgaization of 16,000 American physicians advocating for single-payer national health insurance.
'Clipboard Man' Shows Media Figures Didn't Get the Memo About Ebola Transmission
0312friedman.pdf (application/pdf Object)
8 facts that explain what’s wrong with American health care - Vox: Fact one: Americans pay way, way, way more for health care than anyone else.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE MAJOR FLAWS WITH HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
A National Health System for America: This is the document produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation in the 1990s in which the individual mandate was proposed, based on the conservative buzz-phrase "personal responsibility." Note that it has apparently been scrubbed from the site, except in PDF form.
Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us | TIME.com: 1. Routine Care, Unforgettable Bills When Sean Recchi, a 42-year-old from Lancaster, Ohio, was told last March that he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, his wife Stephanie knew she had to get him to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
California Health Insurance Premiums Under Obamacare Revealed: A 40-year-old Californian with a moderate income will pay between nothing and $219 a month for a basic health insurance plan next year under President Barack Obama's health care reform law, a state agency announced Thursday. Covered California, the authority in charge of the state's health insurance exchange, has released details about what the health insurance market for individuals who don't get coverage at work will look like next year.
Cheap Health Insurance - Consumer Reports: Cheap health insurance may be too good to be true. Consumer Reports has information to help you get properly insured.
Comically Awful Survey Says 83 Percent Of Doctors Might Quit Over Obamacare | Blog | Media Matters for America: A "fact" being used by conservatives against the Affordable Care Act turns out to be a dishonest interpretation of an amateurishly constructed survey question.
Doctor Gets Court Order to Confine Pregnant Woman Against Her Will | Change.org News: Change.org is the leading site for social change, providing daily news and information about important social issues and empowering people to take action.
Ebola: What You Need to Know - Scientific American: As Ebola crisis unfolds in West Africa, the scramble for answers and medications is ongoing
Fact Check: The $700b Medicare cut
Geoffrey R. Stone: 'The Broccoli Horrible': Ginsburg Shreds Roberts: When all the dust settled, the individual mandate is constitutional. But it is nonetheless worth understanding the disagreement about the reach of the Commerce Clause.
Harvard study finds nearly 45,000 excess deaths annually linked to lack of health coverage | Physicians for a National Health Program: The Harvard-based researchers found that uninsured, working-age Americans have a 40 percent higher risk of death than their privately insured counterparts, up from a 25 percent excess death rate found in 1993.
Health care law's hidden tax change to launch 1099 avalanche - May. 5, 2010: The health care law required more 1099 reporting to recover unreported taxable income. Protests over the paperwork may result in this being changed. This rebuts Thomas Sowell's claim that this was an intentional plot to undermine gold sales.
History of the Individual Health Insurance Mandate, 1989-2010 - Obamacare / Health Care Laws - ProCon.org: History of the health insurance mandate from 1989 to 2010 including the original Heritage Foundation report where the concept of a mandate originated to the 2010 passage of PPACA.
How Much Sugar in Sodas and Beverages?
How Rick Perry's And Bobby Jindal's Medicaid Snubs Boost Private Insurance Costs - Forbes: New research from RAND Corp. shows health insurance rates for individuals purchasing private coverage will jump 8 to 10 percent in Louisiana, Florida and Texas where state political leaders have decided against expanding the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor under the Affordable Care Act. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Health insurance [...]
Junkfood Science: The myth of Health Savings Accounts — Laughing all the way to the bank?: Junkfood Science - truth about food, fat and health
Mitt Romney’s Health-Care Reform : The New Yorker: Online version of the weekly magazine, with current articles, cartoons, blogs, audio, video, slide shows, an archive of articles and abstracts back to 1925
Montana governor sees big savings with new state health clinic | Reuters: State to save $20 million over five years - governor. Aim is to reduce duplicate testing for patients. Doctors paid by the hour rather than by procedure. Employees pay neither a co-pay nor a deductible
Montana's State-Run Free Clinic Sees Early Success : NPR: A year ago, Montana opened the nation's first clinic for free primary healthcare services to its state government employees. It was pitched as a way to improve employee health but faced political opposition. A year later, the state says the clinic is saving money and diagnosing a host of issues.
Nancy Pelosi On ObamaCare, Revisited | Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Papa John's, Applebee's And Others Pay Huge Price For Anti-Obamacare Politicking - Forbes: (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) It turns out that being a good corporate citizen is as important to selling pizzas as the thinness of the crust or the quality of the cheese. If you don’t believe it, just ask Papa John CEO, John Schnatter. As covered—and criticized—in this column in great [...]
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: The Affordable Care Act puts in place comprehensive health reforms that enhance the quality of health care for all Americans. This page gives you access to the text in various forms.
Pregnant Iowa Woman Arrested for Falling Down | Change.org News: Change.org is the leading site for social change, providing daily news and information about important social issues and empowering people to take action.
Right-wing Nazi references / Health care - Hullabaloo
Sabotage afoot in Capitol | Breaking Tampa Bay, Florida and national news and weather from Tampa Bay Online and The Tampa Tribune | TBO.com: Once again, extremists in the Florida Legislature quietly are trying to sabotage the new federal health care law. Sadly, moves like this are becoming the norm in our state’s Capitol. Manipulating laws and rejecting much-needed federal funding is becoming the name of the game in Tallahassee.
Study Links Medical Costs and Personal Bankruptcy - BusinessWeek: Harvard researchers say 62% of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S. in 2007 were caused by health problems—and 78% of those filers had insurance.
The Perfect Storm of Overutilization, by Emanuel and Fuchs: "A perfect storm" occurs when a confluence of many factors or events—no one of which alone is particularly devastating—creates a catastrophic force. Such confluence is rare and devastating. Over time and through disconnected events, US health care has evolved into a "perfect storm" that drives overutilization and increases the cost of health care. (Note: often quoted out of context by conservatives claiming Emanuel is a "doctor of death.")
The Tortuous History of Conservatives and the Individual Mandate - Forbes: Unless conservatives coalesce around a free-market vision of health reform, they will always find themselves rushing headlong into tactical policy proposals—like the individual mandate—that they haven’t fully thought through. Conservatives are always playing defense, instead of offense, when it comes to improving our health-care system. For various reasons having to do with the way in which the modern conservative movement arose, health reform just hasn’t been a priority for the Right. If you want to blame conservatives for something, blame them for that.
The Uninsured American: A Primer — Kaiser Family Foundation, Oct. 2011: A non-partisan analysis of the uninsured population in the U.S.
Timeline: Milestones in Obama's quest for healthcare reform | Reuters: (Reuters) - Overhauling the U.S. healthcare system, the most costly in the world, has been a high priority for President Barack Obama since he took office in January 2009.Here is a timeline detailing
U.S. Ranks Last Among Seven Countries on Health System Performance Based on Measures of Quality, Efficiency, Access, Equity, and Healthy Lives - The Commonwealth Fund: Despite having the most expensive health care system, the United States ranks last overall compared to six other industrialized countries—Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—on measures of health system performance in five areas: quality, efficiency, access to care, equity and the ability to lead long, healthy, productive lives, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. While there is room for improvement in every country, the U.S. stands out for not getting good value for its health care dollars, ranking last despite spending $7,290 per capita on health care in 2007 compared to the $3,837 spent per capita in the Netherlands, which ranked first overall.
What Barbie Would Look Like If She Had The Body Of An Average 19-Year-Old American - Business Insider
Why Are American Health Care Costs So High? - YouTube: In which John discusses the complicated reasons why the United States spends so much more on health care than any other country in the world, and along the w...
Kennedy Saw Health-Care Reform Fail in the '70s; Today's Lawmakers Don't Have To: Asked about his greatest regret as a legislator, Ted Kennedy would usually cite his refusal to cut a deal with Richard Nixon on health care.

Sexuality

Why do so many evangelical teen-agers become pregnant?
Improve health care by building on Medicare’s success | Physicians for a National Health Program

Human Rights

Existing While Black

Police fatally shot and killed a 22-year-old man who was holding a toy rifle in a Wal-Mart store in Ohio.; Conflicting witness accounts and redacted police statements create chaotic picture of what happened in Ferguson the day Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown.; George Zimmerman re-enacting his version of what happened the night he killed Trayvon Martin.; George Zimmerman Trial: Final Jury Instructions - Free download as Text file (.txt), PDF File (.pdf) or read online for free. The instructions to be read to jurors.; Trayvon Martin was staying with his father in Sanford, FL, during a 10-day suspension from his Miami high school when he was shot to death on Feb. 26 by George Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watch captain.; This essay about the real meaning of MLK's work, to African-Americans, will change the way you think about what he truly accomplished—a real forehead-smacker.; map, Google map, Trayvon Martin murder, George Zimmerman case, documentary; Ever notice how the racist media treats black protesters & white rioters differently? SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1JUX3Xv SIGN THE PETITION & tell the media to ...; Two men were working at apartment complex, say Brown put his hands up.; North Carolina criminal defense attorney T. Greg Doucette told a story about how a police officer lied about a 17-year-old black client of his.; A perpetually recirculating video of BLM protesters chanting for "dead cops" dates to December 2014 and is unrelated to BLM protest events occurring in July 2016.

GLBT

The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 as a small civil rights law firm. Today, the Center is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups.; Battling the 'homosexual agenda,' the hard-line religious right has made a series of incendiary claims. But they're just not true.; Analysis of California bill to prevent Title IX discrimination at religious educational instituttions.; Do you think homosexual relations between consenting adults should or should not be legal? Do you feel that homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle or not?; The Public Rights / Private Conscience Project engages in policy work on a wide range of religious exemption issues. You can find more information about our latest policy projects here.; Attributing laws to deep animus is inaccurate - and makes them more difficult to defeat.; Actually, it's now up to 16 of them. Enjoy.; The hostility of many Muslims toward homosexuality has little basis in the Quran.; Recently, Dr. Keith Ablow of the Fox News Medical A-Team

Police issues

The military changed its overly aggressive tactics. It’s time for law enforcement to do the same.

Prisons & penalties

Detainees inside a holding cell at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. The facility is operated by The GEO Group Inc. under contract from US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and houses people whose immigration status is in question or who are waiting for deportation or deportation hearings. (AP Photo/Ted S.; Former Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) Judge Mark Ciavarella has been spending his time doing odd jobs for a car towing service while awaiting sentencing since being found guilty on felony corruption charges. His car towing days are over, and the 61-year-old judge is heading to federal prison for 28 years -- [...]

Torture

A former F.B.I. special agent who spent a decade chasing, interrogating and prosecuting top members of Al Qaeda says as history, 'Zero Dark Thirty' is bunk.; The report said "the offensive and objectionable material in the manuals ... undermines US credibility, and could result in significant embarrassment."; A study finds that confessions are four times more likely when interrogators adopt a respectful stance toward detainees and build rapport, instead of torturing.; The world now officially knows that CIA interrogators tortured and abused prisoners, but what about the men and women who did the job for the military and other parts of the government? One former Army interrogator says torture was never on the table.; Portraying torture as effective risks misleading the next generation of Americans that one of our government’s greatest successes came about because brutality works.; Doctors call "rectal hydration" torture, despite ex-CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden's claims that it's a "medical" procedure.; Part of the CIA’s response to today’s Senate torture report is to claim that none of them were interviewed for the study. This is just a little misleading...; The raid that led to Bin Laden’s death has raised anew the issue of using torture to gain intelligence.

U.S. Civil War / Slavery

DECLARATION OF CAUSES: February 2, 1861 A declaration of the causes which impel the State of Texas to secede from the Federal Union. Related Links Narrative history of Secession and Readmission | Narrative history of Annexation; This longer version of Florida's declaration was written but never published. It begins to talk about slave-holding in the third paragraph. The official version is one paragraph and makes no mention of any cause at all. Available at http://www.constitution.org/csa/ordinances_secession.htm?PageSpeed=noscript#Florida; The Alabama declaration mentions the election of abolitionist candidate Abraham Lincoln in the second paragraph. Slave states had declared they would secede if he and his anti-slavery platform won. No other mention of a motive occurs until the fifth paragraph, which begins "And as it is the desire and purpose of the people of Alabama to meet the slaveholding States of the South..."; The Virginia declaration also gets right to the main subject in the first paragraph: "...having declared that the ... Federal Government, having perverted said powers, not only to the injury of the people of Virginia, but to the oppression of the Southern Slaveholding States."; Georgia mentions slavery in the second sentence: "For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery."; Mississippi mentions slavery in the first line of the second paragaph (the second sentence in the document): "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world."; South Carolina's declaration takes thirteen paragaphs to describe the history of the U.S. and the Constitution, when in the fourteenth, declares that the North has not held up the agreement. The fifteenth paragraph introduces the part that is being violated: "The Constitution of the United States, in its fourth Article, provides as follows: 'No person held to service or labor in one State, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up, on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.' "; Texas has two short paragraphs about the history of its admission to the Union, then it is all slavery all the time, with obvious precursors to current paranoid anti-goverment ranting: "The controlling majority of the Federal Government, under various pretences and disguises, has so administered the same as ... a means of destroying the institutions of Texas and her sister slaveholding States."; The United Daughters of the Confederacy were once a powerful force in public education across the South, right down to rewriting history: slaves were happy, y’all.
Bill Moyers Makes Newt Gingrich Look Like an Idiot - Truthdig: The PBS headliner rises to the defense of Saul Alinsky, “a patriot, in a long line of patriots, who scorned the malignant narcissism of duplicitous politicians and taught everyday Americans to think for themselves and to fight together for a better life.” - 2012/02/05
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Data of Hate - NYTimes.com: The normality of evil, Stormfront-style.
Why the NSA Needs Your Phone Calls… - By Stewart Baker | Foreign Policy

Immigration

Effects

100,000 Parents of Citizens Were Deported Over 10 Years - NYTimes.com: The deported immigrants were the parents of children who, having been born in the United States, were American citizens, according to a Department of Homeland Security report.
136 Law Professors Say President Has Legal Authority to Act on Immigration | Immigration Impact : Immigration Impact
Americans Widely Support Immigration Reform Proposals: Majorities of Americans favor each of five immigration proposals -- ranging from 85% support for requiring employers to verify that all new hires are legal citizens to 68% support for increased spending on border security.
Debunking myths about migrant children at Ft. Sill » Oklahoma Policy Institute
Deirdre Imus: More illegal immigrants 'pouring in' now than under Reagan | PunditFact: The crisis of young Central Americans showing up at the border has presented pundits another opportunity to compare the records of President Barack Obama and President Ronald Reagan. We caught Deidre Imus, a Fox Business contributor, debating presidential immigration scorecards with Fox News analyst Lis Wiehl on July 23, 2014. "What has happened under President (Barack) Obama, is people thinking they can come here, especially unaccompanied minors, thinking they are getting amnesty," Imus said on her husband Don’s show Imus in the Morning. Wiehl shot back that this had been going on a long time and in fact, it was no different under Reagan. ...
Deportations Statistics, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
DHS | Yearbook of Immigration Statistics
FACT SHEET: Immigration Accountability Executive Action | The White House
Fox News poll: Voters want immigration reform | Fox News: Voters want Congress to pass an immigration bill this year, and most support the main provisions in the legislation being considered on Capitol Hill.
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States | migrationpolicy.org: The U.S. immigrant population—estimated at 40.8 million in 2012 — is the nation’s historical numerical high, and it is also the largest foreign-born population in the world. About 20 percent of all international migrants reside in the United States, even as the country accounts for less than 5 percent of global population. This article presents the latest, most sought-after data on immigrants in the United States—by origin, residence, legal status, deportations, languages spoken, and more—in one easy-to-use resource.
Hershey Guest Worker Scandal Result of Lax Govt. Oversight: Immigration Expert - Working In These Times: In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter.
House Fails To Pass Immigration Bill, Asks Obama To Act Alone | The National Memo: House Republicans pulled their embattled immigration legislation on Thursday, after failing to find enough Republicans to vot
Poll: Majority want Congress to pass immigration reform | TheHill: Sixty-nine percent of voters favored Congress tackling legislation dealing with immigration.
Polls: Huge support for immigration reform - Alexander Burns - POLITICO.com: Immigration reform continues to attract broad public support as the Gang of Eight compromise legislation moves through the Senate, according to a huge raft of polling conducted for three pro-reform groups: the Partnership for a New American Economy, the Alliance for Citizenship and Republicans for Immigration Reform. In a polling memo set for release...
President Obama Descends from 14 Revolutionary War Soldiers: President Barack Obama has 14 American ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War. They qualify him and his daughters for lineage society membership.
Public Polling On Immigration Reform - Immigration Reform | America's Voice — Immigration Reform | America's Voice
What Americans Want From Immigration Reform in 2014: At present, 62% of Americans favor providing a way for immigrants who are currently living in the United States illegally to become citizens provided they meet
A Guide to S.744: Understanding the 2013 Senate Immigration Bill | Immigration Policy Center: What is the purpose of this guide? The Immigration Policy Center has written this guide to provide policymakers, the media, and the public with an easy-to-understand guide to the main components of S. 744 and the purpose behind them. The guide follows the structure of the bill, with a separate section addressing the cost-benefit analysis of S.

Religion

Creationism

Sources quoted in this video: "Heme compounds in dinosaur Trabecular bone" -- Schweitzer, et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 1997 ...; First in a series of videos that goes over patterns of genes across species and the statistical possibility of these occurring by chance.

History of the Religious Right

Big business promoted “Christian libertarianism.”; Bachmann and Perry share ties to Dominionism, which says Christians should rule. By Michelle Goldberg.; One of the most durable myths in recent history is that the religious right, the coalition of conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists, emerged as a political movement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion. The tale goes something like this: Evangelicals, who had been politically quiescent for...; The modern religious right formed, practically overnight, as a rapid response to the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade. Or, at least, that ...; I was a religious fanatic appealing to political leaders. Today, the fanatics are the political leaders

Islamophobia

After three years of litigation, a federal district court last month struck down Oklahoma's 2010 anti-Sharia amendment. But don't let this development fool you. The anti-Sharia movement is alive and well in the United States — and more mobilized than ever.; I might have guessed it. CNN has fired one of its senior Middle East editors, Octavia Nasr, for publishing a twitter – or twatter in this case, I suppose – extolling Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah of Lebanon, calling him; In Islam, the practice of concealing one’s belief and foregoing ordinary religious duties when under threat of death or injury. Derived from the Arabic word waqa (“to shield oneself”),...; Tennessee's anti-sharia law is not quite what the press has reported. However, the law remains discriminatory and quite possibly unconstitutional.; Tens of; IRVINE, CALIF. - Before the sun rose, the informant donned a white Islamic robe. A tiny camera was sewn into a button, and a microphone was buried in a device attached to his keys.; The group's interpretation of the religion is not literal. It is not serious. And saying otherwise puts Muslims in an impossible situation.; Taqiyya, or forgiveness for lying about one's faith in the face of physical danger, is one of the most grossly misrepresented features of Islamic faith.; Sharia is as unthreatening to the US legal system as the ideas in the Old Testament. Yet bigoted hysteria is fueling legislation that actually undermines our courts.; Conservatives’ Skewed Interpretation Needs Debunking; The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.; When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes « | Foreign Policy | the Global Magazine of News and Ideas; Federal agents confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that they arrested a suspect they say left a backpack containing partially-made bombs in a local park.; With more than 55 million items, the Library's Manuscript Division contains the papers of 23 presidents, from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge.; Scholar Philip Jenkins argues that scriptures in the Quran are less brutal than those in the Bible. In his forthcoming book, Dark Passages, Jenkins points out that violence in the Quran is mostly defensive, but in the Bible, it is often a method of genocide.; Committed to Muslim identity generation acknowledges need for renewal in Muslim discourse; The militant group has threatened the lives of 11 imams and scholars in the West, in a fight carried out at mosques and Islamic conferences, and on social media.; Islam Is (Also) a Religion of Peace « | Foreign Policy | the Global Magazine of News and Ideas

Key Scripture

"And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take..." Establishes the parallel between the "submit" meaning of "Islam" and similar themes in Christian philosophy.; Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;; So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.; Serving Two Masters - “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise; Many conservatives do not realize that early Christians followed a socialistic, communal approach to their life.; A listing of some of the most violent or misogynistic solutions for sexual transgressions.; God appears to be completely okay with war crimes and rape.; These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.; “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone..." The proper answer to people who insist on teaching creationist lies to children: Their eventual discovery that science is true will harm their faith. Also in Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2; Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest; Jesus' ultimate answer to the question of prayer in schools and on football fields.; Disagreements with fundamentalists ultimately end with a discussion of the Bible, an area that should be fertile ground for debate. Unfortunately, social progressives, mainstream Christians, and non-Christians all-too-often surrender the high; I'm sure the practice existed before the Mormon faith was established but cant help but wonder how it is justified in the religious community.; Quran translated to Today's English - Highly accurate and closely follows the Arabic original. Read, Listen, Download.; This very detailed analysis by a fairly conservative religious scholar disassembles the argument that women do not have a role as leaders in church services.
30 Strangest Animal Mating Habits: Examples of natural behavior that the anti-gay crowd does not want to acknowledge.
ACLU Defense of Religious Practice and Expression | American Civil Liberties Union: RELIGION & BELIEF
Air Force rules limit size of tattoos, role of gospel - U.S. News: Just days before retiring as Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Norton Schwartz issued a document designed to dictate the conduct of U.S. airmen worldwide — all violations enforceable by military law. For the first time, amid regulations on tattoo size and flag handling etiquette, it laid down the law on religious proselytizing by leaders: Don’t do it. Includes a link to the actual regulations (PDF).
An Open Letter To Christians: Merry Christmas From An Atheist | Atheist Oasis – A Rational Refuge
Bible Quotes: Editor's Introduction
Christian Conservatives Are Trying To Use Hobby Lobby To Discriminate Against Gays: Maybe the President regrets intertwining government and religion when he continued George W. Bush's Faith-Based initiatives. Now they are using their connection to the White House to exact recompense in the form of permission to discriminate against the gay community according to their "deeply-held religious beliefs" the Supreme Court cited mercilessly in its ruling for Hobby Lobby.
Christian Terrorists Burn Accused ‘Witches’ At The Stake; Where’s The Outrage? «
David Barton on John Adams – The Holy Ghost letter: An article that analyzes how David Barton deceptively edited a letter by John Adams to imply the opposite of what Adams actually believed.
Four Interpretive Pitfalls Around the New Testament Household Codes
How the secular humanist grinch didn't steal Christmas - Bill O’Reilly - Salon.com: The right-wing crusade against the liberal "war on Christmas" is great for rallying the troops. Too bad the war doesn't exist.
Intolerance Found at Air Force Academy: A military study of the religious climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs found several examples of religious intolerance, insensitivity and inappropriate proselytizing on the part of Air Force officers and cadets, but a report issued yesterday at the Pentagon concluded that the school...
Non-Christian cadets cite proselytizing | Air Force Times | airforcetimes.com: COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — An Air Force Academy-sponsored survey of cadets found that 41 percent of those who identified themselves as non-Christian said they were subjected to unwanted proselytizing at least once or twice last year.
Pope Embraces Liberation Theology | Al Jazeera America: Pope's emphasis on justice, not charity, reflects evolution of his thinking on radical social change for the poor
Public Policy Poll: 57% of Republicans want to create a national religion: Although this poll is mostly about potential 2016 Republican candidates, it provided more evidence of disturbing anti-science and anti-Constitutional beliefs within that party.
Rowan Williams Tells 'Persecuted' British Christians To 'Grow Up': Former Archbishop Urges Perspective: Western Christians need to "grow up" and stop complaining of "persecution," said Lord Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. His experiences abroad meeting victims of actual religious persecution and violence led him to urge British Christians to make the distinction between feeling "mildly uncomfortable" and "the systematic brutality and often murderous hostility which means that every morning you get up wondering if you and your children are going to make it through the day."
The ACLU Fights for Christians
The ACLU Is Not Evil | Christianity Today: And neither are many people with whom we disagree.
The Real Ten Commandments: Solon vs. Moses: "...people are essentially crediting Moses with the invention of ethics, democracy and civil rights, a claim that is of course absurd. But its absurdity is eclipsed by its injustice, for there is another lawmaker who is far more important to us, whose ideas and actions lie far more at the foundation of American government, and whose own Ten Commandments were distributed at large and influencing the greatest civilizations..."
The Ten Commandments, American History and American Law: A definitive explanation of why know one can point to a definitive "ten commandments," why they should not be the focus of Christians and how this relates to U.S. law.
We Must Find a Way to Counter Religious Violence Before it Sweeps Us All Away: A Muslim writes about the need to fight against violence.
From the Danbury Baptist Association | The Papers of Thomas Jefferson
Here’s why people don’t take right-wing Evangelicals so seriously anymore