On Your Knees!: Cruz Insists That Good Leaders Need God

There are nearly 35 million non-believers in America. It stretches the bounds of belief to think that among a group that large, there is not even one person who is qualified to lead this country... Read more

Discrimination: Crash Course Government and Politics #31

Today, Craig is going to wrap up our discussion of discrimination by looking more closely at those “discrete and insular minorities” referenced in the 14th Amendment. We’ll talk about instances of discrimination of Asian, European, and Latino immigrants, Native Americans, non-English speakers, people with disabilities, and LGBT people. We’ll also talk about federal and state responses to this discrimination. It’s a lot to cover, and we’ll only scratch the surface of the battles these groups fought (and are still fighting) for equality, but we will give you some historical context for the discrimination that has occurred and the court decisioned made to help defend these groups.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/P-yviKu8Odo

George Takei gives amazing civics lesson to pro-Davis trolls: ‘I know the First Amendment. Do you?’

A Kim Davis supporter named Shawn replied: “George, learn the first amendment.”

Takei replied back:

The First Amendment has two clauses that are relevant here. One is the Establishment Clause, and the other is the Prohibition Clause. Congress may not prohibit free worship, and that is what so many claim, wrongly, is being violated. But it is also not empowered to establish any religion, nor to enact any laws favoring one religion over the other. Permitting a state employee to foist her religion upon others, denying them a fundamental right as articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefell, would be to give government, through this agent, the power to impose religious doctrine and viewpoint. That it cannot do. Ms. Davis is in effect establishing religion by using her governmental powers to impose her religious views. 

I know the First Amendment, Shawn. Do you?

https://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/george-takei-gives-amazing-civics-lesson-to-pro-davis-trolls-i-know-the-first-amendment-do-you/ 

Bernie Sanders FULL Speech at Wing Ding Dinner in Clear Lake, Iowa August 14-2015

https://youtu.be/aNeHIKxc9i8

Huckabee Is Now The Holy Abortion Crusader

During a recent Google hangout with right-wing activists, Mike Huckabee pledged that if he becomes president he will sic the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service on Planned Parenthood, but also said that such steps are “secondary” to his “more important” plan of outlawing abortion through a sweeping executive fiat that grants personhood rights to zygotes...
http://crooksandliars.com/2015/09/huckabee-now-holy-abortion-crusader
https://youtu.be/JybI6wzIJz8

Equal Protection: Crash Course Government and Politics #29

Today, Craig is going to talk about the most important part of the Constitution - the Fourteenth Amendment. In particular, we're going to discuss the "equal protection" clause and how it relates to our civil rights. So we've spent the last few episodes talking about civil liberties , or our protections from the government, but civil rights are different as they involve how some groups of citizens are able to treat other groups (usually minorities) under existing laws. We'll talk about the process the Supreme Court follows in equal protection cases, called strict scrutiny, and look at one landmark case, Brown v Board of Education, and explain its role in starting the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/qKK5KVI9_Q8

How Many Candidates Have ‘Taken Advantage’ Of Birthright Citizenship, But Oppose It?

Had the United States previously taken Trump's harsh stance to immigration policy, some presidential candidates' families may ... Read more

Ted Cruz ‘Absolutely’ Backs Ending Birthright Citizenship

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Wednesday that he "absolutely" supports ending guaranteed citizenship for children born on American soil, joining a crescend... Read more

An Immigration Lawyer On The Truth About Birthright Citizenship

...But facts don’t seem to matter to Trump. So it’s worth asking: What would it take for the United States to end constitutional citizenship?...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/immigration-lawyer-birthright-citizenship

Due Process of Law: Crash Course Government and Politics #28

This week Craig is going to continue our discussion of due process. Technically, we started last week with the 4th amendment and search and seizure, but this week we’re going to look at the 5th and 6th amendments and how they ensure a fair trial. We’ll talk about some stuff you tend to hear a lot on tv, like your right to an attorney and a jury of your peers and also terms like “double jeopardy” and “pleading the fifth”. Now, this stuff can get pretty complicated, which is where lawyers come in handy, but it’s important to know your liberties to keep the police and other judicial officers in check.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/UyHWRXAAgmQ

Donald Trump’s Immigration Plan Debunked In Under 2 Minutes

Why Donald Trump's immigration plan is unworkable.

IGOR VOLSKY: Donald Trump has an immigration plan that matches his hot rhetoric. The proposal works like this. 

Number 1: Build a wall and make Mexico pay for it. To finance construction, Trump would increase fees on Mexican visas and impound remittances. But, cracking down on America’s 3rd largest trading partner would depress Mexico’s economy, undermining American businesses, and possibly sending more people north.

Number 2: Deport undocumented immigrants. Okay! But even if the government could afford the $620 billion price tag of sending back 11.2 million undocumented immigrants, doing so would tear apart communities and significantly cripple the agricultural, construction and hospitality industries, shrinking the nation’s labor force by 6.4% 

Number 3: Ending birthright citizenship. This move would require changing the Constitution’s 14th Amendment and the Department of Homeland Security would have to peer into every delivery room to ensure that parents have documentation and that all new births are properly registered. One study estimates that parents would have to pay a birth tax of $600 per child to prove citizenship.

Now, Trump doesn't stand along. Aspects of his immigration plan have been embraced by fellow GOP contenders: Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, Rick Santorum, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Lindsay Graham -- oh! And late addition, Ted Cruz. 

After the 2012 presidential election, Republicans wanted to avoid a big immigration fight. Thanks to Trump, it’s no longer the elephant in the room.
 ... Read more
https://youtu.be/f94uG7xoaA4

Every Republican Is Racing To Change The Constitution. This Is Why That’s A Bad Idea.

Nice try, Republicans, but eliminating or altering the 14th Amendment is actually your worst nightmare.  ... Read more

How Much Does Bobby Jindal Love Our Constitution? This Much...

Someone remind me again why we should ever take another Republican seriously when they tell the public that they supposedly love America, our democrac...  Read more

You Must Hate The Constitution If You Think ‘Under God’ Should Remain In The Pledge Of Allegiance

Some people really need to finally understand this... Read more

Mike Huckabee Tries To Play Constitutional Scholar, It Doesn’t Go So Well

Huckabee misreads the Constitution. In doing so, however, he seeks to reignite a doctrinal war that is more than two centuries ... Read more

We’ve All Got The 2nd Amendment Wrong

In all of the debate over the 2nd Amendment the truth has been forgotten - it was never about guns in the first place. Read more

First Amendment Ignorance: Survey Reveals Land of the Free and Uninformed

OK, "ignorant" may be too harsh a word, but how else do we label the twin facts that only 14 percent of adults in the United States know that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the press and that nearly 30 percent cannot name a single right guaranteed by that amendment?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/clay-calvert/first-amendment-ignorance_b_5527339.html

Dear Corrupt Politicians: That Sound You Hear Is Us Winning

"The Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday began a long-shot bid at pushing a constitutional amendment that would limit deep-pocketed political campaign donors' influence.

With plenty of politics but very limited prospects of actually changing the Constitution, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the free flow of "shady money" into politics the biggest threat to democracy he's seen. His Republican counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, called efforts to limit campaign spending a tactic to rile up Democrats this election year.

Changing the Constitution is an intentionally difficult process, and leaders from both parties acknowledge that the Democrats' efforts to prohibit super PACs are likely to result in little more than election-year posturing. But Democrats plan to push forward to force Republicans to cast votes on this topic before November's elections."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

http://youtu.be/CWqovERaCGE'

Former Justice Stevens Urges Congress To Rein In Campaign Finance

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is among those urging Congress to rein in the ever-increasing spending on elections. ... Read more

Senate Democrats Plot Vote To Overturn Citizens United In 2014

The Senate will vote in 2014 on a constitutional amendment to undo Supreme Court rulings in recent years which invalidated campaign finance limits, Se... Read more