Doctors Say The Number Of Children Dying In Detroit Constitutes A ‘Public Health Emergency’

Child mortality occurs at a higher rate in Detroit than in several Third World countries, according to a study conducted by Detroit News. After collaborating with national health departments, researchers discovered that the number one factor impacting Detroit’s high child death rates is prematurity, followed by a culture of violence. ... http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/01/30/3228461/child-mortality-detroit/

VIDEO: Jon Stewart Dismantles Republican Whining After SOTU

Republican desire for bipartisanship is 'premium, grade-A, grass-fed bull-sh*t.'

Jon Stewart went on quite an extended riff last night on the Republican response to the State of the Union Address. Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and others all looked into cameras and talked about how hurt they are that Obama dared say, 'I'm eager to work with you, but the American people don't stand still and nor will I."...

http://www.alternet.org/video/video-jon-stewart-dismantles-republican-whining-after-sotu

NASA Graphic Shows Six Terrifying Decades Of Global Warming (VIDEO)

"This visualization shows how global temperatures have risen from 1950 through the end of 2013.

NASA scientists say 2013 tied for the seventh warmest of any year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the 10 warmest years in the 133-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the hottest years on record.

NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which analyzes global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated report Tuesday, Jan. 21, on temperatures around the globe in 2013. The comparison shows how Earth continues to experience warmer temperatures than several decades ago.

The visualization shows a running five-year average global temperature, as compared to a baseline average global temperature from 1951-1980...."

http://youtu.be/gaJJtS_WDmI

Grey is the New Black Hole: Is Stephen Hawking Right? (Op-Ed)

"...In reality, the headlines should not be “black holes don’t exist” but “black holes are more complicated than we thought, but we are not going to really know how complicated until gravity and quantum mechanics try to get along”.

But one last vexing question – is Hawking right? I started this article by noting that science is often compared to religion, with practitioners awaiting pronouncements from on high, all falling into line with the latest dogma.

But that’s not the way science works, and it is important to remember that, while Hawking is clearly very smart – to quote the immortal Tammy Wynette in Stand By Your Man, “after all, he’s just a man” – and just because he says something does not make it so.

Hawking’s proposed solution is clever, but the debate on the true nature of black holes will continue to rage..."

 http://www.space.com/24478-grey-is-the-new-black-hole-is-stephen-hawking-right.html

Virginia teachers oppose bill on science instruction

"If opinions and beliefs are to be used in classrooms, it undermines what science is."

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/virginia-teachers-oppose-bill-on-science-instruction/428718976e19a0aedfbe592119792d9c

Fund maneuvers common in clergy-abuse stories

"The Catholic Church, Catholic organizations, and all other faith-based organizations are not worthy of my charitable contributions. I prefer to donate money, time, and items to secular community agencies whose main objective is to provide basic needs assistance to struggling families without the proselytizing caveat. It's especially good to know that I am not supporting one single shred of an institution that systematically covers up pedophilia!" -- Comment from a listener to this story.

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/28/daily-circuit-catholic-fundraising

FACEPALM! (The things religious people say)

It's a crazy world out there. And sometimes, there's only one appropriate response.

http://youtu.be/zbYf5_S7oJo

Real Exorcisms? Via Skype?! wut . . .

Evangelical Christian Bob Larson has "exorcised" over 20,000 demons. He can even Exorcise them via skype, I guess . . . I have no hope for this species.

http://youtu.be/Dq7ZZtKioqM

Fox News Says God's Hand Caught Skydiver?

When 16-year-old skydiver Mackenzie Wethington survived a 3,500 foot fall after her parachute failed to fully open, Fox News went a little too far in reporting on the divine intervention involved as I show in this video.

http://youtu.be/jtiYEQbn4Oo

Secular Grieving :: Sarah Maddox, Secular Student Association

Sarah Maddox is the co-founder (2009) of the Secular Student Alliance at St. Cloud State, served as its president for three years, and collaborated with Ben Blanchard on two speaking appearances at the annual SSA conference in Columbus, Ohio. Sarah studied Wildlife Management at St. Cloud State and is working toward a career as a zookeeper. She enjoys outdoor adventures, dinosaur-shaped foods, quoting Carl Sagan, caring for her pet rabbit, and being active in secular and skeptic communities.

http://youtu.be/2xwgj6TCTt8

No, You Won't Get Pregnant and Die :: Miri Mogilevsky, Secular Student Association

Surviving abstinence only sex education...

Miri Mogilevsky studied psychology at Northwestern University and now studies social work at Columbia University. She is also a member of the SSA Student Speakers Bureau.

http://youtu.be/67ccmVcSFpE

Thanks To Obama The Anti-Christ Is On His Way Says Bill O'Reilly Guest

""Pastor Robert Jeffress sat down with Bill O'Reilly Monday night to argue that President Obama is laying the groundwork for the rise of the Anti-Christ because he is "conditioning" people to rely on government support. He said there will be a "future world dictator before Christ returns who's going to usurp people's personal rights, and "change God's laws... without any opposition" so "people will have been conditioned long before the Antichrist comes to accept government overreach, and that's what you're seeing with President Obama."

He said, "I'm not saying President Obama is the Anti-Christ. In fact, I'm sure he's not, because the Anti-Christ is going to have higher poll numbers."

He argued that in addition to Obamacare creating a culture of dependency, Obama is sowing the seeds for the Anti-Christ with the contraception mandate and "abortion-inducing drugs," as well as the "redefinition of marriage.""* Ana Kasparian, Dave Rubin (Rubin Report) and Desi Doyen (Green News Report) break it down."

http://youtu.be/ptAMhav4MGc

If You Thought Republicans Were Sexist Hypocrites Before, Wait Till You See This

""Fox News Channel pundits Greta Van Susteren and Erick Erickson have gone to war over Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) and Erickson's characterization of Davis as "Abortion Barbie." According to Talking Points Memo, a blog post by Van Susteren calling Erickson a "jerk" goaded Erickson into publishing a gruesome anti-choice rant that described scenes more suited to an abattoir or an installment of the "Saw" movie franchise than a women's clinic.

"Wendy Davis has staked her career on the right to chop a child to bits, no matter how viable the child is," Erickson wrote on Monday night at his blog Red State.

Rather than the bullying "jerk" portrayed by Van Susteren, Erickson perceives himself as a courageous truth-teller, saying, "I have helped define Wendy Davis by a moniker that sticks, describes, and makes her the butt of jokes, while drawing out the shrill hysterics of her supporters.""* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break it down."

http://youtu.be/vG0IIeQz7Qs

Maximum Rage Over The Minimum Wage

"House Speaker John Boehner warned President Barack Obama that he will "run into a brick wall" by using his executive power and bypassing Congress, as the White House has signaled the President intends to do. "We're just not going to sit here and let the President trample all over us," said Boehner...".* These comments were made the day President Obama is set to discuss raising the minimum wage via executive order during the 2014 State Of The Union address. Back to the brick wall, just how obstructionist have Republicans been? The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

http://youtu.be/M6j4GPjh1lA

Beck: This Was The SOTU "Where Our President Declared He Would Become America's First Dictator'

Glenn Beck says that the State of the Union Address will go down in history as the moment Obama declared himself a dictator.

http://youtu.be/PEInCVdTQIk

The GOP’s Glaring SOTU Hypocrisies

"...Take just one example—when McMorris Rodgers insisted, “Republicans believe health care choices should be yours, not the government’s.” Planned Parenthood quickly pointed out that just five hours before McMorris Rodgers spoke those words, House Republicans passed a set of sweeping bills that would significantly reduce the number of private health insurance plans that cover abortion. That, in other words, is Republicans using government to interfere in the private marketplace and control the decisions that women about their own bodies..."

The 19th-Century British politician Benjamin Disraeli once said, "A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy." This was obviously a prescien... Read more

The GOP’s Executive Order Freakout

"... The American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara keeps a tally of every executive order from every president. And where does Obama rank compared to other post-World War II presidents?

Second from the bottom. At 168 executive orders in five years, he has two more than George H.W. Bush. Above him, with 169, is Gerald Ford. Then, the numbers take a leap. JFK had 214 executive orders; George W. Bush had 291; Jimmy Carter had 320, and Lyndon Johnson had 325. Bill Clinton signed off on 364 during his eight years, and Ronald Reagan came in with 381. The winners in this game are are Dwight Eisenhower with 484, Harry S. Truman with 907, and the awful tyrant Franklin Roosevelt with a whopping 3,522.

In other words, Republicans can say what they will about the president, but it’s ridiculous to denounce Obama for the use of executive orders if you’re comparing him to other presidents..."

There's little Republicans were happy with in Tuesday's State of the Union, but they were especially upset with President Obama's promise to utilize e... Read more

Six Habits of Highly Empathic People | Alternet

Are you a HEP (highly empathic person)? Well, even if you're not, it's possible to cultivate these highly pro-social traits.

http://www.alternet.org/culture/six-habits-highly-empathic-people

Why Libertarians Play the Clowns in the Circus Show Called the Republican Party

"...The South and the Christian Right is fixated on everything related to controlling race, sex, religious practice, abortion laws, and the repeal of every progressive law that has come out of the federal government. Unwittingly, Ron Paul libertarians have been swept up in this theocratic, Southern white power, nullification movement. This alliance threatens to rip the Republican Party apart, as well as the Union itself..."

Having the ... Read more

Misleading Minorities: Voucher Advocates Hope To Win African American and Latino Support With ‘School Choice’

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today proposed sweeping legislation that would direct $24 billion ... Read more

Military Maneuvers: New Armed Forces Rules On Religious Expression Spark Religious Right Complaints About Christian ‘Persecution’

It's hard to imagine a group that comprises 78.5 percent of the military (as of 2008) being ... Read more

Poll: Huckabee Is Now The GOP's Top Choice For 2016 After Libido Remark

Uncle Sugar has apparently provided Mike Huckabee with a polling bounce. Read More -> ... Read more

Stephen Fry vs deputy Milonov re: anti-gay laws in Russia

http://youtu.be/5eI0oYTZL2Q

Top U.S. Intel Official Says New Iran Sanctions Now Would Be ‘Counterproductive’

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says Congress should hold off on new sanctions but Republicans continue to ... Read more

Gun Rights Activist: Withholding Guns From Domestic Abusers Is ‘Silly’

Philip VanCleave, the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, argued before a state Senate committee Monday that ... Read more

Family Research Council Attacks Marriage Equality With Study That Didn’t Research Same-Sex Couples

"The Family Research Council, an anti-gay hate group, is back to one of its old tricks of conflating single parents with committed same-sex couples raising children. In a radio interview, Peter Sprigg and Tony Perkins discussed a new Harvard University study that found that children growing up in communities with many single parents are less likely to have economic mobility as adults. This, they claim, shows that same-sex marriage will contribute to the same consequences for other children in their communities..."


Tony Perkins and Peter Sprigg that a new study that has nothing to say about same-sex parenting is more evidence to support ... Read more

One Surprising Policy Solution That Could Encourage Americans To Eat Healthier

A new study suggests that expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit could actually spur healthier eating habits among low-income ... Read more

Nebraska’s Atheist State Senator Introduces Bill That Would Force Churches to Pay Property Taxes

"...And now he has introduced a bill, LB675, that would eliminate a state property-tax exemption for religious organizations — essentially taxing churches...."

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/01/23/nebraskas-atheist-state-senator-introduces-bill-that-would-force-churches-to-pay-property-taxes/

Stem cell 'major discovery' claimed

"...Now a study shows that shocking blood cells with acid could also trigger the transformation into stem cells - this time termed STAP (stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency) cells..."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25917270

"American Treasure" by Old Fart Rants

We lost a national hero and a true American treasure yesterday. A wonderful artist and a tireless voice for peace and social justice, Pete Seeger died at the age of 94. A great man, self-effacing and more interested in living his principles than gaining wealth from them. His life was a statement that said right wing fascism can never prevail over the human spirit. He gave our lives both melody and the harmony; everyone knows his songs, whether they know he wrote them or not. If I Had A Hammer. Where Have All The Flowers Gone? We Shall Overcome. Turn Turn Turn - just to name a few...

http://youtu.be/tT4yDZpSz6A

RWW News: Paprocki Calls Anti-Gay Exorcism An Act Of Love

Bishop Thomas Paprocki claims that his anti-gay exorcism was an act of love.

http://youtu.be/cVQSZqN2mYE

Former Federal Communications Commissioner says it's time to go nuclear on ISPs: Reclassify them as common carriers.

"...Reclassifying companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast as common carriers would make them more like public utilities and would make them subject to FCC regulations over issues such as rate setting and universal service obligations. It goes without saying that ISPs really, really, really don’t want to be reclassified as common carriers and would scream absolute bloody murder if the FCC were to even hint that it was thinking about enacting such a plan..."

Read more

Man bitten by snake is charged by Hospital $89,000 for Anti-venom found online for $750.

"...For comparison, Ferguson and his wife found the same vials online for retail prices as low as $750..."  Read more

Retired Army General To Tea Party Group: I Would Lead A Coup Against The U.S. Government

A former Fox News contributor doesn't want to be blamed for a revolution but would lead one if given the troops.The post ... Read more

Senator Expresses Outrage That The Government Has Taken Over Government Contracting

 Sen. Roy Blunt thinks the government has no right to hold government-paid contractors accountable. The post Senator Expresses ... Read more

The Super Rich are mad as hell

The rich are under attack, says Perkins in a Bloomberg interview, by "higher taxes, higher regulation and so forth." He added: "We are beginning to engage in class warfare."
Read more

One Way Lawmakers Are Trying To Prevent Government IT Disasters : All Tech Considered : NPR

"One of the issues that you have here, and other countries have, is the absence of a delivery capacity — the absence of being able to put your hand on teams of highly skilled, multidisciplinary technical and digital and policy people and deploy them at points of real urgency," says Bracken, of America's current government tech-deployment system. The Eshoo-Connolly bill calls for putting that team at the heart of government, with the new digital office out of the White House. Bracken calls this draft bill "a great start" in solving the delivery problem..."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/01/27/267205156/one-way-lawmakers-are-trying-to-prevent-government-it-disasters

Who Are The Long-Term Unemployed? (In Three Graphs)

Who Are The Long-Term Unemployed? (In Three Graphs) by Quoctrung Bui January 28, 2014 4:15 PM When you are out of work and looking for 27 weeks or ... Read more

A Heart Surgeon's Viral Confession: Natural Food Is the Answer

Behind the beloved idea that processed food is "slowly poisoning everyone" 

 

"...Around 237,000 people now have Dr. Dwight Lundell's confession on their Facebook walls. His essay, headlined "Heart Surgeon Declares ..." Read more
 

My Fox News Nightmare: How I Tortured Myself with The Propaganda of Ignorance

"I'm a card-carrying member of the ACLU, so here's what happened when I watched 3 hours of Fox every day for a month..."

"...It was at that moment that I realized that Fox was simply not telling me things—things that, arguably, might be good for me to know. Such as, just to pick an example, that eating a certain brand of chicken might cause me illness or death, and that the problem was sufficiently dire that government employees were being recalled to work without pay to deal with it. It was a very disturbing moment, and I immediately began to wonder what other matters Fox had chosen to keep me in the dark about..."


... Read more

Bill Moyers on the Dark Money Assault on Democracy and How Racism Stills Drives Our Politics

Moyers, "We should know who’s buying our government."
http://www.alternet.org/media/bill-moyers-dark-money-assault-democracy-and-how-racism-stills-drives-our-politics

The 20 Richest Americans Are Greedy Takers—Not Inspirational 'Makers'

They have all taken from the public or from employees, or through taxes or untaxed inheritances.

 ... Read more

The Republican Plot to Kill Democracy: Why It Wants To Neutralize the Vote

Bipartisan reforms to our embarrassing voting system have been proposed. Here's what's holding up their passage.

... Read more

Big News From the First Arab Spring Country

"Tunisia's national assembly approved the country's new constitution on Sunday in one of the last steps to establishing full democracy three years after the uprising that toppled autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Just before the constitution vote, Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa appointed a caretaker cabinet as part of a deal to end a crisis between Tunisia's Islamist party and its secular opposition until new elections this year. Tunisia's new constitution and progress contrasts sharply with messy transitions in Libya, Egypt and Yemen which are still caught up in turmoil after ousting their own long-standing leaders in 2011 revolts and uprisings...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

http://youtu.be/oSprGrlEyMY

Critics Of The Rich Are Like Nazis, Says Famed Tech Investor

"Tom Perkins, the founder of one of Silicon valley's most venerable venture capitalist funds, has again suggested that people who criticize the wealth inequality between those working in the tech industry and those who don't are akin to Nazis. In an email to Bloomberg published today, he wrote that critics of gentrification and the generously well-funded tech startups that drive it are just like German fascists during the early 20th Century: "In the Nazi area it was racial demonization, now it is class demonization." Perkins is one of the fabulously wealthy founders of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

http://youtu.be/K1gVhjqHkiE

Privileged Republican Senator Dismisses 'War On Women' But Here Are The Facts

"Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wouldn't say Sunday morning whether he agrees with Mike Huckabee about women's control of their libidos, but did say he thinks that if there is a war between the sexes, women are winning it.

"This whole sort of war on women thing, I'm scratching my head, because if there was a war on women, I think they won," Paul said in an appearance on CNN's "State Of The Union." "In fact, I worry about our young men sometimes, because I think the women really are outcompeting men in our world."

Host Candy Crowley had asked about Huckabee's comments, but Paul did not directly address them. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate who is now a television and radio personality, said on Thursday that Democrats insult women with their support for contraceptives by suggesting "they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government.""* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break it down.

http://youtu.be/CNpZdVK_P00

$1T Farm Bill Slashes Subsidies, Food Stamps - Bipartisan measure is 2 years overdue

(Newser) – In another outburst of things actually getting done on Capitol Hill, House and Senate negotiators have rolled out a bipartisan farm bill—only two years overdue. The nearly $1 trillion, five-year bill cuts federal spending by around $23 billion, including about $8 billion from the food stamp program...http://www.newser.com/story/181390/new-farm-bill-slashes-subsidies-food-stamps.html

Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham Debate - Answers in Genesis - 11 Tips for Bill

Some thoughts and suggestions from Hemant Mehta, the Friendly Atheist, for Bill Nye the Science Guy, as he prepares to debate Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis. Why publicly debate someone who will not listen to reason?

http://youtu.be/J_oz7msbZu8

Creationism in public schools, mapped. Where tax money supports alternatives to evolution.

Thousands of schools in states across the country can use taxpayer money to cast doubt on basic science.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/01/creationism_in_public_schools_mapped_where_tax_money_supports_alternatives.html

"Daylight Atheism" Adam Lee on Atheists Talk #251, January 5th, 2014

Adam Lee's goal is to shine bright light into the dark crevices and shadowy doctrine of organized religions and superstitions. His blog, Daylight Atheism, is focused on giving atheists a voice in our society, as well as highlighting the role that secular humanism must play if we are to progress toward a brighter future for all of us.
Adam Lee is an award-winning writer, and his work has appeared in AlterNet, Salon, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Canadian Freethinker, Freethought Today, Free Inquiry, and Secular Future. He is the author of the fantasy novel, Dark Heart. He is on the speaker's bureau for the Secular Student Alliance and has given talks at major secular conferences across the country.
We hope you will join us on Atheists Talk this Sunday when we speak with Adam Lee about his most recent book, Daylight Atheism, a summation of many of his views related to religion, atheism and humanism...

More Info

Interview:
Download / Listen

"Refusing Atheist Money", Hemant Mehta on Atheists Talk #252, January 12, 2014

The end of the year is a traditional time for charitable giving and volunteering. Atheist and secular humanist groups have made great strides in the last few years on providing their members with opportunities to give both money and time as part of a community. Local community groups develop long-term relationships with community service organizations. Others choose organizations that meet specific needs at specific times. On top of that, Foundation Beyond Belief was formed in 2010 to channel and encourage humanist giving and volunteering.
However, because we are atheists, our help is not always wanted. Sometimes our checks are refused. Sometimes our helping hands are turned away. We're not always told why, but "faith" groups find themselves welcome where we're not.
Recently, Hemant Mehta of the Friendly Atheist blog found himself on the receiving end of two of these rejections. Funds raised by his readers were declined by a park board and library board. The library chair went so far as to call Hemant's blog "a hate group". Hemant is also familiar with this problem as part of the board of Foundation Beyond Belief. Join us this Sunday as Hemant talks to us about atheist giving, or at least attempted atheist giving...

More Info

Interview:
Download / Listen

Cartoon: If it were terrorism...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/27/1272260/-Cartoon-If-it-were-terrorism

Article: Michele Bachmann vs. Bernie Sanders CNN Debate Goes Completely Off the Rails | Mediaite

"It was the type of shout-fest debate that would not have been out of place in the original Crossfire. But instead of taking place on the reboot of that show, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) went head-to-head on CNN’s The Situation Room Monday afternoon. Once they go going, all host Wolf Blitzer had to do was get out of the way as these two ideologically-opposed lawmakers went at each other’s throats for nearly fifteen minutes straight..."

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/michele-bachmann-vs-bernie-sanders-cnn-debate-goes-completely-off-the-rails/

Article: A Sexual-Decision Flowchart That Makes Everything Simpler for Medieval Men

Say you're a Godly fellow of pure heart and intention in the seventh century, and you've met a lady, and the two of you would like to have some sex. There are so many rules, though. Where does one begin?

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/a-sexual-decision-flowchart-that-makes-everything-simpler-for-medieval-men/283364/

Article: When Judges Believe in 'Natural Law'

At least two Supreme Court justices think there's a divine legal code underlying the Constitution. How will this influence the outcomes of Hobby Lobby and other cases where the plaintiffs claim a moral high ground? http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/01/when-judges-believe-in-natural-law/283311/

National School Choice Week: It’s Really About Vouchers

This fight long ago stopped being about improving education. We know that vouchers don't do that. ... Read more

A Catholic Right Double Standard -- Koch Style

"Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC recently set off a firestorm by accepting a $1 million grant for its new School of Business and Economics from the Charles Koch Foundation.  Progressive minded organizations such as Faith in Public Life called on CUA to return the money, noting how Charles Koch's extreme libertarianism is far out of step with Catholic social teaching on economics..."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/24/1271874/-A-Catholic-Right-Double-Standard-Koch-Style

Poll: People Who Have Actually Tried Obamacare Seem To Like Obamacare

Approval for the Affordable Care Act among those who have actually tried to sign up for it is dramatically higher than approval among the general publ... Read more

Stunning Facts About Income Inequality That Are Almost Impossible To Comprehend

"Every year on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we hear snippets of his eloquent "I have a Dream" speech and see televised scenes from that dramatic gathering of the multitude on the Washington Mall a half century ago.

Few people, however, pause to ask what kind of speech King would give today to a similar assemblage on the Mall.

We act and think as if that dream of Dr. King somehow actually came true when he sent those words rolling across the 300,000 people who stood before him.

Indeed, we airbrush the ringing challenge, even sting, of his speech. King himself was on a journey to a Promised Land he envisioned and toward which he tried to point us. That rally, after all, was officially "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom," not a march only for civil rights."* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola break it down.

http://youtu.be/io-aSa7OLz0

Poll: Americans See GOP As More Extreme, Dems As More Bipartisan

Americans view Democrats as more willing to work across party lines and Republicans as more extreme in their beliefs, according to a new poll from the... Read more

Oops! GOP's Empty Threat On The Debt Ceiling Exposed

Republicans have a strange new debt limit strategy: Demand conditions attached but promise not to default if Democrats refuse to comply. "I think for... Read more

Pope: Women Should Play Bigger Role In The Church

But...
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday lauded women for their sensitivity toward the society's weak and "gifts" like intuition, insisting they t... Read more

STUDY: Obamacare Will Raise The Poorest Americans’ Incomes By At Least 5 Percent

A new study by the Brookings Institute finds that the health law will save the poorest Americans a significant amount of ... Read more

Congressmen Go To Bat For Abusive Payday Lending Industry, Attack Justice Department Investigation

Reps. Darrell Issa and Jim Jordan attacked the efforts to protect consumers from predatory loan practices.The post Congressmen ... Read more

Three Ways Sen. Jeff Sessions Is Wrong About Immigration Hurting American Workers

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), an immigration restrictionist, authored an op-ed piece over the weekend that falsely claims that the ... Read more

The Majority Of Food Stamp Recipients Are Now Working-Age Americans

In a first, children and elderly Americans are no longer the primary recipients of food stamps. The post The Majority Of Food ... Read more

The Five Worst Things About The New Republican Proposal To Replace Obamacare

The plan is a rehash of old conservative proposals that deregulate the insurance industry and pass costs onto consumers.The ... Read more

How Americans Feel About Income Inequality According To Fox News

Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola of The Young Turks discuss a recent Fox News segment featuring Conservative radio talk show host Monica Crowley. Ms. Crowley has some interesting opinions on a recent poll of Americans on income inequality. Tell us how you feel about income inequality in the comment section below.

http://youtu.be/uF0TUDGYPOA

Wealthy Tax Evaders Under Fire And That's Exactly What Republicans Want

"The Republican Party is expected to approve a resolution this week, calling for repeal of an Obama administration law that is designed to crack down on offshore tax dodging.

In what would be the party's first appeal to scrap the law -

the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) - a panel was slated to vote at the Republican National Committee's (RNC) winter meetings in Washington, likely approving the resolution on Friday, according to party members driving the repeal effort.

If adopted, the anti-FATCA resolution would reflect the party's political priorities for the time being but would not change its presidential campaign platform, according to the RNC."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down..."

http://youtu.be/rGJv37o881A

A Sensible Safe Smart Gun Law - Guess Who Hates It

"Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson refused Thursday to comply with California's controversial "microstamping" law, causing more of its products to fall off the state's permissible firearms list and be ineligible for sale.

In a two-page statement on its website, Smith & Wesson criticized Assembly Bill 1471, which requires new or redesigned semiautomatic weapons to carry microstamping technology, imprinting its make, model and serial number onto shell casings when a bullet is fired.

Though the law was passed in 2007, language in the legislation stipulated it would go into effect when the necessary technology was widely available. It was not enacted until May 2013."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down."

http://youtu.be/c5jYH3lWBqI

Koch Empire Retools, Rearms and Renames | Dark Lords Of Influence

"Join the fight against money in politics: http://www.wolf-pac.com
"If the Koch brothers' political operation seemed ambitious in 2010 or 2012, wait for what's in store for 2014 and beyond.

The billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch are convening some of the country's richest Republican donors on Sunday at a resort near Palm Springs, Calif., to raise millions of dollars for efforts to shape the political landscape for years to come.

It's the cash that can possibly kick Democrats out of the Senate majority this fall and shape the philosophy and agenda of the GOP conference -- not to mention the 2016 presidential field.

The Koch political operation has become among the most dominant forces in American politics, rivaling even the official Republican Party in its ability to shape policy debates and elections. But it's mostly taken a piecemeal approach, sticking to its sweet spots, while leaving other tasks to outsiders, or ad hoc coalitions of allies."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down."

http://youtu.be/p6TZzQU-Z74

Article: Koch World 2014

"If the Koch brothers’ political operation seemed ambitious in 2010 or 2012, wait for what’s in store for 2014 and beyond.

The billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch are convening some of the country’s richest Republican donors on Sunday at a resort near Palm Springs, Calif., to raise millions of dollars for efforts to shape the political landscape for years to come..."

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/koch-brothers-2014-elections-102555.html

Article: How the Obamacare wars hurt the mentally ill

"...The partisan war over Obamacare is now threatening the mental health services that Patrick and countless others are seeking. The president’s health care law cuts federal subsidies to safety-net hospitals that were expected to have more paying patients under the law’s Medicaid expansion and insurance exchanges. But Republican-controlled states like Georgia have refused to go along with the expansion. That’s turned safety-net providers like Grady into unintended casualties—and mental health services for Georgia’s most troubled residents are first on the chopping block..."

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/how-the-obamacare-wars-hurt-the-mentally-ill

Public School Crams Christianity

Congratulations, you are the parent of a public school student! And welcome to Sabine Parish, Louisiana. We are so happy to have your child learning w... Read more

Willie Nelson on the dangers of Marijuana.[OC]

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No, Global Warming Isn't Suddenly a Myth Because It's Really Cold Out

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Mitch McConnell: It’s ‘Irresponsible’ Not To Try To Hold The Debt Ceiling Hostage

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) believes it's responsible to block the country from paying its bills in order to ... Read more

Pharmaceutical CEO: Cancer Drug Is Only For Westerners Who Can Afford It

His company charges $69,000 for life-saving medication in India, 41 times the country's annual per capita income.The post ... Read more

Snowden: NSA Also Engages in Industrial Espionage - German TV broadcaster releases notes on Snowden interview

"German public television broadcaster ARD released a written statement before an interview airing Sunday night in which it quotes Snowden as saying that if German engineering company Siemens had information that would benefit the United States — but had nothing to do with national security needs — the National Security Agency would still use it.
ARD did not give any further context and it was not clear what exactly Snowden accused the NSA of doing with such information.
Snowden faces felony charges in the U.S. after revealing the NSA's mass surveillance program. He has temporary asylum in Russia."

 http://www.newser.com/article/f532b809b4504bb385d3b156ca6e2893/german-tv-snowden-says-nsa-also-practices-industrial-espionage.html

Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants To Ban All Marriages

If Oklahoma Rep. Mike Turner can't ban just gay marriages, he wants to ban them all.The post Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants To Ban All ... Read more

Iowa Republican Party Posts Graphic Mocking Racism

It is the Republican Party's rebranding at its finest. The post Iowa Republican Party Posts Graphic Mocking Racism appeared ... Read more

How Vaccine Fears Fueled The Resurgence Of Preventable Diseases

How Vaccine Fears Fueled The Resurgence Of Preventable Diseases by Michaeleen Doucleff January 25, 2014 1:13 PM Credit: Adam Cole/NPR with data fro... Read more

Expiring 2/1/2014 on Netflix: The Red Violin

http://dnspeak.blogspot.com/2014/01/streaming-now-on-netflix-red-violin.html

9 Netflix Originals to Look Forward to in 2014

"Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) has more to offer these days than a simple streaming platform for your favorite network shows. Slowly but surely, it’s been growing beyond contracts with networks to introduce its own original content — some of which has been very good — taking its brand name to a whole new place. It’s not the only online streaming platform to make that move either..."

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/9-netflix-originals-to-look-forward-to-in-2014.html/