What do monkeys & babies intuitively know that we don’t? That empathy can save the world. (duh!)
9 Pictures That Expose This Country’s Obscene Division of Wealth
Many people don’t understand our country’s problem of concentration of income and wealth because they don’t see it, but a picture is worth 1,000 words.
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Veterans sue Pentagon over rape cases | Raw Replay
More than a dozen female US veterans are suing the Pentagon in a bid to change the way the military handles rape and sexual assault allegations.
Mittens: Crackhead Orderly at CPAC
A contribution of Greg G.:
Mittens, a crackhead working in an insane asylum, drives to work in his station wagon with his dog and kids in a luggage rack fastened to the roof. He works as an orderly at the CPAC Institute for the Very, Very Delusional. He smokes up in the parking lot and heads in for the night shift he had bid for hoping to avoid supervisors and be able to work on his hand sewn special religious night garments while pretending to write in the log book in the staff office. He thought Rand, Sarah and Beck (back warders with no hope of ever being discharged) were all sleeping as they were to have taken their anti-psychotic meds with Big Nurse on the previous shift, but they all apparently hid the pills under their tongues and spit them out once they left the medication room. Now at 3a.m. they were in the day room watching a DVD of “Freaks” and getting rambunctious. They had come to identify with Hans, The Feathered Hen, and a microcephalic and wanted to explore some issues they had been fomenting that had to do with Mittens lack of concern for their way of seeing things. Mittens tried to get them back to bed, but they overpowered him and soon he was renamed the Dog-Faced Boy and was no longer on staff but just one more freak in their carny show.
Letter from Southern Poverty Law Center
April 16, 2010
Dear Friend,
Monday marks the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing — a terrorist attack by a racist, antigovernment fanatic that left 168 men, women and children dead. An MSNBC special hosted by Rachel Maddow about the tragedy features extensive interviews with my colleague Mark Potok. I hope you’ll watch it, because I’m afraid that history may be repeating itself.
“The McVeigh Tapes: Confessions of an American Terrorist”Monday, April 19 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC |
We recently released a report showing an astonishing 244 percent increase in antigovernment extremist groups — the kind of groups that spawned the likes of Timothy McVeigh 15 years ago. Already, we’re seeing eruptions of right-wing violence. Just last month, for example, nine members of the Hutaree Militia — one of the groups we’re tracking — were indicted for plotting to kill hundreds of police officers.
Shortly before the Oklahoma City bombing, we sent a letter to the U.S. attorney general warning that the growing antigovernment militia movement posed an imminent threat to the public. With your help, we’re again alerting the law enforcement community to the danger posed by the rebirth of this same movement.
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Sincerely,![]() J. Richard Cohen President, Southern Poverty Law Center |
Prolife, my @$$
George Tiller, advocate for reproductive rights for women, shot to death serving as usher at church
There are no words for how angry I am.
Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait
“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.”
That is what he said. That is what Abraham Lincoln said.
“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility.” [Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862]
He was born in Kentucky, raised in Indiana, and lived in Illinois. And this is what he said. This is what Abe Lincoln said.
“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves and then we will save our country.” [Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862]
When standing erect he was six feet four inches tall, and this is what he said.
He said: “It is the eternal struggle between two principles, right and wrong, throughout the world. It is the same spirit that says ‘you toil and work and earn bread, and I’ll eat it.’ No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation, and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle.” [Lincoln-Douglas debates, 15 October 1858]
Lincoln was a quiet man. Abe Lincoln was a quiet and a melancholy man. But when he spoke of democracy, this is what he said.
He said: “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy.”
Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president of these United States, is everlasting in the memory of his countrymen. For on the battleground at Gettysburg, this is what he said:
He said: “That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. That this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
Merry Christmas All!
WHAT
I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS.
Robert Green Ingersoll
The Arena,
Boston, December 1897.
..If I had the power
to produce exactly what I want for next Christmas, I would have all the kings
and emperors resign and allow the people to govern themselves.
I would have all the
nobility crop their titles and give their lands back to the people.
I would
have the Pope throw away his tiara, take off his sacred vestments, and admit
that he is not acting for God — is not infallible — but is just an ordinary
Italian.
I would have all the cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests and
clergymen admit that they know nothing about theology, nothing about hell
or heaven, nothing about the destiny of the human race, nothing about devils
or ghosts, gods or angels.
I would have them tell all their “flocks” to think
for themselves, to be manly men and womanly women, and to do all in their
power to increase the sum of human happiness.
I would have all the
professors in colleges, all the teachers in schools of every kind, including
those in Sunday schools, agree that they would teach only what they know,
that they would not palm off guesses as demonstrated truths.
I would like to see all
the politicians changed to statesmen, — to men who long to make their country
great and free, — to men who care more for public good than private gain
– men who long to be of use.
I would like to see all
the editors of papers and magazines agree to print the truth and nothing but
the truth, to avoid all slander and misrepresentation, and to let the private
affairs of the people alone.
I would like to see drunkenness
and prohibition both abolished.
I would like to see corporal
punishment done away with in every home, in every school, in every asylum,
reformatory, and prison.
Cruelty hardens and degrades, kindness reforms and
ennobles.
I would like to see the
millionaires unite and form a trust for the public good.
I would like to see a
fair division of profits between capital and labor, so that the toiler could
save enough to mingle a little June with the December of his life.
I would like to see an
international court established in which to settle disputes between nations,
so that armies could be disbanded and the great navies allowed to rust and
rot in perfect peace.
I would like to see the
whole world free — free from injustice — free from superstition.
This will do for next
Christmas. The following Christmas, I may want more.
STEAL BACK YOUR VOTE!
Thanks for downloading the STEAL BACK YOUR VOTE INVESTIGATIVE COMIC BOOK!
Click Here to download the comic book.
Click here to download the Palast/Kennedy Rolling Stone article.
Thanks to the support of thousands of generous donors we are now able to offer the download of the Kennedy/Palast investigative comic “Steal Back Your Vote!” for free.
Democracy for America (http://www.democracyforamerica.com/) and Code Pink (http://www.codepink4peace.org) are spreading the word to their membership list – will you join them in getting it out to yours? Please send out the message below.
Thanks to the support of thousands of generous donors we are now able to offer the download of the Kennedy/Palast investigative comic “Steal Back Your Vote!” for free.
Spread the word – our servers can take it – we have a goal of 100,000 downloads by the end of the week – help us get the word out – tell everyone you know to go to http://www.StealBackYourVote.org and download the guide for FREE – or if you can – support our investigations and donate. Put our banners on your site (http://www.gregpalast.com/please-link-to-us/), grab a page from the guide and put it up on your blog . Embed the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. video PSA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azYH5qVH90M) to your blog.
Tell your family, friends and enemies that if they go to http://www.StealBackYourVote.org they can download the full color investigative comic book written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast featuring art by the graphic gonzo’s Ted Rall, Lukas Ketner and Troubletown’s Lloyd Dangle. Download the guide and find out what really is happening in the scary world of election theft, and find out how you can protect your vote in 7 easy steps.
Jesse Jackson of Rainbow/PUSH tells you to “Download it now and fight back!”
Print it out – OR Save your ink (the one thing still more expensive than gas these days…)
Make-Believe Maverick
• VIDEO: Five Myths About John McCain
• The Double-Talk Express
• Mad Dog Palin: The Full Story
US Taxpayers are Being Enrolled in an Economic Chain Gang
“To preserve their [the people's] independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our selection between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude” – Thomas Jefferson
Assist immediately please
Dear Madame/Sir:
Compliments of the day. I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.
I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion USD. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.
I am working with Mr. Phil Gramm, lobbyist for UBS, who (God willing) will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a former U.S. congressional leader and the architect of the PALIN / McCain Financial Doctrine, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. As such, you can be assured that this transaction is 100% safe.
This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.
Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.
Yours Faithfully in the Name of God,
Minister of Treasury Paulson
Count the Lies
John McCain may be trying to sell himself as a “maverick” and a “straight talker” who will tell the truth no matter the consequences, but independent, non-partisan watchdog groups aren’t buying it. But, since he wrapped up his party’s nomination, John McCain has offered more of the same false attacks and smears. To date, independent, nonpartisan fact checkers have published more than 50 fact checks debunking John McCain’s lies and distortions.
McCain’s Health Records Must Be Released
Dear Concerned Voter,
The state of John McCain’s health is an issue of grave concern for all Americans, regardless of political persuasion. Given the fact that he has been treated for an invasive melanoma and other maladies, it is important that he release his full health records.
For a very brief three hours in May, McCain released 1,173 pages of his medical records to a carefully selected group of reporters. They were not allowed to make any copies or phone calls. Why such secrecy?
We have enlisted a group of doctors from around the country to lead the effort to make sure the public is able to see and make judgments for themselves. Secrecy is not of service to our democracy, transparency is. Please have other doctors sign the open letter.
Watch the video and sign the open letter.
Cancer is a serious issue. That’s why 30 medical doctors have already signed our open letter telling McCain to issue a full, public disclosure of all his medical records. Send this video far and wide to request that McCain release his full health records. Ask every medical doctor you know to sign onto the letter, and don’t forget to sign the letter yourself! McCain’s records must be made public and soon.
While McCain doesn’t really care about our health care, we all should care about the health of McCain.
Yours,
Robert Greenwald
and everyone at Brave New Films
Tell The Media to Call Sarah Palin a Serial Liar
Join me in signing the “Tell The Media to Call Sarah Palin a Serial Liar” petition at:
http://www.democrats.com/call-sarah-palin-a-serial-liar
You can help make this petition a success by sharing this petition with your friends and family. Petitions will succeed only by word of mouth, and every signature makes a difference! Simply send your friends this link:
http://www.democrats.com/call-sarah-palin-a-serial-liar?source=donkeyod%40gmail.com
Thank you again for making a difference!
Bob Fertik
Democrats.com
Palin Coward Clock Starts Ticking
<a href=”http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/355765″> Sarah Palin is an able liar, as her acceptance speech showed. </a>She may be a coward, too, at least when it comes to facing down the reporters she blasted from the comfort of that solitary podium in St. Paul.
77+ Things To Know About Sarah Palin
Be aware that the media and Sarah spewer of hate Palin are going to try to falsely claim that liberal bloggers are attacking her children and that Palin is being attacked because of her gender. It’s a smear. Here are the issues and facts we are exposing about her. That’s much different.
via DailyKos
Thank General Clark for His Straight Talk, Tell Him To Not Back
Sunday, on Face the Nation, General Wesley Clark spoke honestly and bluntly about what it takes to be Commander in Chief. In doing so, while he said Senator John McCain’s service made him a hero to millions, including Clark himself, that experience does not trump the poor judgment that Senator McCain has shown on some of the most important issues in recent years.
What General Clark said was right, but the right-wing has been in an uproar. And even CNN accused Clark of “swift-boating” McCain. We need to fight back.
SIGN OUR PETITION THANKING GENERAL CLARK AND TELLING HIM TO NOT BACK DOWN
Let’s show General Clark that we have his back, and will not stand for any attempts to shut down this important debate.
GOP Reps advised to avoid party brand
From Politico: By MIKE ALLEN (full article here )
A new playbook for House Republicans urges them to run essentially as independents, showing empathy for voters, emphasizing local issues and ignoring many traditional party campaign practices.
(more…)
Time Magazine uncritically prints Nancy Pelosi’s “justifications” for the FISA “compromise”
It’s hardly news that Time Magazine’s principal function is uncritically to amplify false claims from government officials, but this article by Massimo Calabresi — entitled “Behind the Compromise on Spying” — is such a masterpiece in spouting simplistic government propaganda and rank falsehoods that it is revealing on numerous levels.
Remember Tim Russert
With Russert gone, Sunday will never be the same
Our view: A father we all can be proud of
For Tim Russert, success began with lessons from home
Russert’s passion showed in religion, family, work, sports
The Gold Standard Tim Russert’s legacy—in politics and in life
Tributes To Tim Russert — and Questions For NBC
Tim Russert: A personal remembrance
A Video Tribute To Tim Russert, Dead Today At 58 a la Wonkette
Luke Russert, son of the late moderator of “Meet the Press” Tim Russert, touches the empty chair that was left behind by his father on the set of the show after a taping of “Meet the Press” in memory of Russert in Washington June 15, 2008.
Investigate the Propaganda Pundits
From Free Press:
Dear Friend,
The Pentagon is infiltrating the media with pro-war propaganda.
The scheme reaches all the way to the Bush White House, where top officials recruited dozens of “military analysts” to spread favorable views of the war via every major news channel — without revealing they were working from Pentagon scripts and often lobbying for major military contractors looking to cash in on the war.
This is a violation of every conceivable standard of journalism — and possibly of federal law.
Take action at: https://secure.freepress.net/site/SPageNavigator/Punditsol
Hey you libertarian deregulation devotees and believers in the benevolence of Business…
Endocrine disruptors are perfectly okay! The plastics industry says so and they must have our best interests at heart! Right?
Learn about BPA, what it is and why you should care that it leaches from the plastic in baby bottles, the lining of all of the alumimum cans we drink from, and more… It’s in 93% of us. Studies funded by corporations found no problems with the chemical. Independent studies showed that BPA causes testicular, breast cancer, diabetes, obesity, miscarriage, hyperactivity in lab animals. Hmm. And where do our [corporatist] government regulators stand? On the side of the industry of course.
Find out more by watching Bill Moyers Journal which aired today.
and by reading the expose referenced in it…
WARNING: The chemical bisphenol A has been known to pose severe health risks to laboratory animals. AND THE CHEMICAL IS IN YOU.










