Feminism, Sexism, Racism; Abortion and Birth Control, Texas; Culture Clash; Delhi, India; Rape; Statutory

Feminism

• Oh feminism, what happened to you?
• Where Feminism Went Wrong—"Has feminism raised the bar so high that women are condemned to fall below it?"
• Do Women Really Want Equality?—"Not one imagined strictly by numbers."
• 'Go Topless' demonstration causes Vancouver chaos as camera-wielding voyeurs descend on scene
• If Femen was set up by a man, where does that leave its topless protests?—"The allegation that Victor Svyatski acts as a svengali to attractive women in the Ukrainian feminist group is depressing news."
• NFL - Female reporters gain acceptance in locker rooms
• Woman denied haircut at men's only barbershop in Westdale—"She says she's also in the midst of filing a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal."
• Flipside: The broken dialogue on men's rights

Sexism

• Biden knocks 'Neanderthal' House Republicans—"Vice President Biden on Thursday blamed the 'this sort of Neanderthal crowd' in the House for holding up the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act."
• Ex-Perry Aide Tweets Article Declaring Wendy Davis 'Too Stupid To Be Governor'
• To my daughter's high school programming teacher—"My daughter has no interest in taking another programming class, and really, who can blame her. [...] In one short semester, you and her classmates undid all of my years of encouragement."

Racism

• Nina Davuluri brushes off racist criticism after Miss America victory—She's the first winner of Indian descent.
• Racist Threatens Black Woman Walking in Predominately White Neighborhood: 'I'm Going to Rape You and Hang You From a Tree'
• I'm a Black Female Cosplayer And Some People Hate It—"After my pictures started making the rounds on deviantArt, tumblr and 4chan, it became pretty clear that my cosplay brings all the racists to the yard, and they're like…white cosplay is better than yours."

Abortion and Birth Control

• Pro-life groups don't really protect the unborn—"Pro-life groups funnel tremendous resources into a legal war against abortion in the US without providing adequate practical support for women to maintain pregnancies. Yet not being able to afford a child is one of the main reasons women have abortions."
• Teen birth rate hits historic low, federal report says—"[T]here is evidence that a switch to more effective means of birth control is a factor."
• Woman Sues Over Transvaginal Ultrasound: 'It Felt Like I Was Being Raped'
• Right Before The Holiday Weekend, Iowa Quietly Eliminated Abortion Access For Low-Income Women
• Abortion Clinics Close Quickly As State Laws Tighten
• How the Koch Bros. Secretly Fund Anti-Choice Efforts
• Sir David Attenborough warns things will only get worse—"People should be persuaded against having large families, says the broadcaster and naturalist."

Texas

• Texas: Documents Still Show No Evidence of Excrement at Abortion Debate
• Perot Foundation announces $1 million gift to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas
• Texas AG Candidate Barry Smitherman: End Abortion Now or Suffer Biblical Plagues

Culture Clash

• Kurdish men in drag promote feminism in the region
• Saudi Arabia cabinet passes ban on domestic violence
• Female Indian author shot dead by Taliban in Paktika province
• Brothers hang to death 17-year-old girl for eloping with dalit youth
• Yemen: 8 year old girl dies from internal injuries on wedding night—This has got to stop.

Delhi

• Delhi gang-rape: four men sentenced to death—The prosecutors said they deserved the death penalty, and they weren't the only ones.
• Delhi gang rape: Teenager found guilty—"The teenager, who cannot be named, has been sentenced to three years in a reform facility, the maximum term possible for a juvenile."
• I would have burnt my daughter alive for premarital sex: Delhi gang-rape lawyer

India

• India's code of silence over sexual abuse
• Police Officer Gang-Raped Escorting Dead Sister in India
• Daughter gang-raped, wife killed; man moves SC seeking protection
• Six-year-old rape victim ordered to wed rapist's 8-year-old son
• Rapist dies after victim's family members burn him alive

Rape

• Maldives: Girl rape victim to be spared outrageous flogging sentence
• No Charges for Texas Father Who Beat to Death Daughter's Molester
• Pope phones Argentine woman who wrote to him about rape
• California Governor Jerry Brown Signs Law Closing Loophole That Allows Rape Of Unmarried Women
• Aggressive tactics highlight the rigors of military rape cases—"Some lawmakers want to civilian courts to try military sexual assault cases."
• St. Mary's University Students' Pro-Rape Chant Condemned After 5 Years Of Use
• Study shows 1 in 4 men in 6 Asian countries have admitted raping a woman—"Of those who acknowledged forcing a woman to have sex, more than 70 percent of men said it was because of 'sexual entitlement.' Nearly 60 percent said they were bored or wanted to have fun while about 40 percent said it was because they were angry or wanted to punish the woman. Only about half of the men said they felt guilty and 23 percent had been imprisoned for a rape."

Statutory

• Florida teen rearrested for having sex with underage classmate—"Kaitlyn Hunt, the teenage Florida lesbian who made headlines earlier this year after being expelled from school and arrested for allegedly having sex with her 15 year old girlfriend, has been rearrested."
• Montana judge's remarks about raped teen prompt outrage—"A Montana judge who said a 14-year-old rape victim was 'as much in control of the situation' as the man who assaulted her has come under pressure to resign."
• Texas girl, 10, charged with rape after playing 'doctor' in game

Republicans, GOP, Obstructionism, North Carolina, Texas, Racism; Voter Suppression, Vote Machinations; Journalism; NSA Spying, Russia, Surveillance and Privacy

Republicans

• Mitt Romney's Incredible 47-Percent Denial: "Actually, I Didn't Say That"
• Gov. Christie's shameless $2M self-promotion—"Gov. Chris Christie's habit of using his public office to promote his presidential ambitions has reached a new low."
• House GOPer Ted Yoho goes birther—"If it is true, it's illegal" and "we can get rid of everything [Obama]'s done" Salon
• Mark Sanford, Appalachian Trail Lover, Pushes To Defund Appalachian Regional Commission
• Scott Hounsell, Ex-GOP Official, Arrested For Sexting Minor After Mocking Anthony Weiner's Exploits
• Daily Show on southern states thinking they can nullify federal laws they don't like
• The Onion Predicts Real Life: Republicans Block NASA's Asteroid Plan

GOP

• The GOP flips the script on Obama
• Poll: Republican Voters Want GOP To Shift — To The Right
• Paul Krugman: "Madness of the GOP Is the Central Issue of Our Time" NYT
• Is the GOP self-destructing? The Republicans can't seem to agree on anything.
• Tea party plans to abandon GOP stars
• Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham and Mike Enzi unlikely to win primary, according to National Journal's Top 10 list
• The last moderate: Will 'passionate pragmatist' Dale Schultz be driven out of the Wisconsin Senate?
• GOP's Long-Predicted Comeuppance Has Arrived—"Republicans have dealt with some embarrassing moments on the House floor over the past year, but none so revealing or damning as today's snafu, when they yanked a bill to fund the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development…."
• Seniors Aren't Very Happy With the Republican Party These Days
• Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult

Obstructionism

• GOP obstruction as the new normal in Washington
• Congress Threatens To Default Again
• Obama's no-Congress strategy
• CNN analysis: Congress in D.C. far less than it used to be—Instead of getting jobs, the US got this.
• Fox Host Confronts House Republicans For Running A Do-Nothing Congress
• Grimes Blasts McConnell's Obstructionism: He'd Refuse To Pass A Kidney Stone
• Romney Warns 'Our Party Would Suffer' If Government Shuts Down—Tell that to the Tea Party.
• I quit! GOP Congressman fed up with partisan posturing

North Carolina

• NC House Dances With Joy Over Their Accomplishments
• The Most Backward Legislature in America
• Could North Carolina Lead A 'Red-State Resurgence'?

Texas

• Texas Lawmakers Are Too Busy Focusing On Abortion Restrictions To Get Anything Else Done
• Texas Republicans Want Wendy Davis To Pay For Special Session
• FEMA approves aid for Texas fertilizer plant blast
• Texas Officials Found No Evidence Linking Paramedic To Plant Explosion—Still unknown what caused the fire that set off the fertilizer the company was allegedly negligent in storing.
• Lewis Black to Rick Perry: 'Don't mess with Texas? No, don't f**ck with New York!'

Racism

• '47 Percent Negro': Anti-Obama Protest Turns Racist In Phoenix
• Republicans' whites-only gambit will spell doom—"Party may have claimed it'd be more inclusive, but now it's reversing course. The result: It will pay a huge price." Salon
• Mostly-White Ohio Suburb Fighting To Prevent Mostly-Black Bus-Riders From Entering Community
• Cathie Adams, Former Texas GOP Chair: Immigration Reform Will Lead To Mark Of The Beast, 'End Times'
• Video: Deion Sanders' opinions on use of the N-word

Voter Suppression

• As States Rush to Restrict Voting Rights, Justice Ginsburg Says I Told You So
• Some Texas Republicans Very Open About Disliking Non-White Voting
• Vote suppression alleged in close Fla. election—"A small Florida Panhandle town best known for its annual Worm Grunting Festival is at the center of an investigation into charges the white city clerk suppressed the black vote in an election where the black mayor lost by a single vote and a black city commissioner was also ousted."
• DOJ to challenge Supreme Court decision on Voting Rights Act
• The Republican Push to Make it Harder to Vote—"Laws like North Carolina's draconian new voter-ID laws are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. But voter backlash could be fierce."
• Rick Scott Plans To Resume Voter Purge Effort In Florida
• 5 Terrible Acts of Voter Discrimination the Voting Rights Act Prevented—But Won't Anymore
• John Oliver rips into Republicans over their 'sharknado of voter suppression'

Vote Machinations

• Dead people gave nearly $600K to campaigns since 2009—"A super PAC aiding Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's re-election reported Wednesday that it had received a $100,000 contribution from Houston home builder and GOP mega-donor Bob Perry on June 3 — nearly two months after his April 13 death."
• Reince Priebus, RNC Launch Full-Scale Attack On 'Liberal Media' Over Hillary Clinton Programs
• House GOP Defunds ACORN Yet Again, Even Though ACORN Does Not Exist—Wasting more taxpayers' time and dollars.
• Officers used police station addresses for voting
• Mike Dugeon Takes On Mike Duggan In Detroit Mayoral Race

Journalism

• Amazon's Jeff Bezos buys The Washington Post for $250 million—He's not the only billionaire out shopping.
• The de-newspaperization of America—"The loss of newspapers is part of the long-term destruction of urban America."
• Al Jazeera America sets own course—'Weeks ahead of its debut, Al Jazeera America is doing things the old-fashioned way. AJAM, as it's referred to by staff, is investing heavily in investigative journalism.

NSA Spying

• IRS manual detailed DEA's use of hidden intel evidence—"Details of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration program that feeds tips to federal agents and then instructs them to alter the investigative trail were published in a manual used by agents of the Internal Revenue Service for two years."
• Why a former NSA chief just made a big mistake by dissing hackers—That's "Former NSA Director and air quotes user General Michael Hayden" to you.
• Former NSA Chief Hayden on X-Keyscore: It's real, and it's spectacular
• Every Time The NSA Is Asked About Its Ability To Spy On Everyone... It Answers About Its Authority
• Broader Sifting of Data Abroad Is Seen By NSA NYT
• NSA snooping could cost U.S. tech companies $35 billion over three years
• US lawmaker compares Edward Snowden with Mahatma Gandhi—"A senior lawmaker from President Barack Obama's Democratic party has compared US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden with Mahatma Gandhi, saying the controversial whistleblower was engaged in a 'non-violent' act of 'civil disobedience.'"

Russia

• Russia "disappointed" bilateral talks with US cancelled
• Russia says Obama hurting himself by canceling summit over Snowden
• Greenwald: On Obama's cancellation of summit with Putin and extradition
• China applauds Russia for making the US "eat dirt" in the Snowden showdown
• Snowden's Asylum: 'It's the law, stupid'—"It should be made clear that Russia has no legal, political or moral duty to turn Snowden over to American authorities.."

Surveillance and Privacy

• US Official Admits Spying On US Phone Calls & Internet Had Nothing To Do With Latest Terror Alert
• Feds secretly obtained evidence in African lobbying case under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
• This Is What It Looks Like When Your Phone Tracks Your Every Move

Abortion and Birth Control, Ireland, Texas; India, Dubai, Gender Issues; Surveillance and Privacy

Abortion and Birth Control

• Wisconsin Lawmakers' bill seeks to give fetuses right to life
• North Dakota law banning medical abortion struck down—"Judge rules 2011 law is unconstitutional, saying the state had failed to demonstrate any need to regulate abortion." Calls it "invalid and unconstitutional." (NYT)
• Rhode Island Governor Vetoes 'Choose Life' License Plate
• US: The GOP's pro-life hypocrisy—"If pro-life Republicans want to save lives, they could start with women and children in the reddest states."
• State teen birthrate dropped to lowest level in 20 years
• I'm The 14-Year-Old Who Wrote The "Jesus Isn't A Dick So Keep Him Out of My Vagina" Sign In Texas And Was Labeled A "Whore" By Strangers Online—Parenting done right Salon.
• There's nothing wrong with being "bro-choice"—"A conservative political troll tries -- and fails! -- to expose "the truth" behind men who support abortion rights." (Salon)

Ireland

• Ireland: Dáil passes Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill
• President signs Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill into law
• Abortions would deprive future Special Olympians of life—A Fianna Fáil senator has been accused of reaching a new low after he said allowing abortions in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities would be 'depriving future Special Olympics athletes of being born.'"

Texas

• Rick Perry signs wide-ranging Texas bill to limit access to abortion—Time for the courts to get involved.
• You're Allowed To Carry A Gun Into The Texas Senate Gallery, But Not A Tampon
• Aftermath: Troopers Bust Protesters
• DPS Director Responds to Letter on Security Report
• Wendy Davis: It's the real Texans who count—Here's to her making a difference (NYT).
• Texas Legislators File Radical 'Fetal Heartbeat' Bill To Ban Abortion After Just Six Weeks
• Texas Lawmaker Says Sex Ed Makes Teens 'Hot and Bothered,' Leads to Sex and Babies

India

• India: UP Police first refuses to lodge FIR, then blames gangrape victim of setting herself ablaze and lying
• India: 62-year-old father rapes five daughters—"Mother condones crime, claiming attacks are 'family tradition.'"
• 6 men convicted of raping Swiss tourist in India
• Female vigilantes in India join forces to fight rape
• India Supreme Court orders curb on sales of acid—"India's Supreme Court has ordered federal and state governments to regulate the sale of acid in an attempt to reduce attacks on women."

Dubai

• Dubai imprisons Norwegian woman who reported rape
• Norwegian woman: I was raped in Dubai, now I face prison sentence
• Norwegian Rape Victim, Pardoned After Being Sentenced To Jail For Sex Outside Marriage - Free to Leave Dubai

Gender Issues

• 11-Year-Old Yemeni Girl Nada Al-Ahdal Flees Home to Avoid Forced Marriage: I'd Rather Kill Myself
• France forced to defend ban on Islamic veil—Can't reason with rioters.
• Talking Female Circumcision Out of Existence—Why is still "almost universal" (Salon) in some countries? NYT
• Women 'banned from shopping alone' in northern Pakistan—"The step is reportedly aimed at keeping men from being distracted during the holy month of Ramadan. It is not clear whether it will be lifted when it ends."
• Domestic violence: Three injured in acid attack over marital dispute

Surveillance and Privacy

• The Surveillance-Free Day—"What happens when an average person tries to escape the government's eye?"
• Moscow Metro says new tracking system is to find stolen phones; no one believes them—"Experts: Russians are probably using fake cell tower devices for surveillance."
• Is online privacy a right?—"Feds want an Internet skeleton key that would allow surveillance of encrypted content. Will tech companies agree?" Salon
• Activists storm office of Congressman who voted for NSA spying—Better than spouting inutile rhetoric online.
• More on NSA surveillance programs to be declassified

Marriage Equality, Intolerance; Texas Abortion; Snowden, Greenwald, Wikileaks, Whistleblowers; NSA Data, Surveillance and Privacy, Tech Tracking

Marriage Equality

• HRC Statement on Reintroduction of the Respect for Marriage Act—"RMA would fully remove DOMA from the books and establish a clear rule for the federal government that all married same-sex couples – regardless of what state they currently live in – have access to equal rights, benefits, and protections under federal law."
• Boehner spent $2.3 million of taxpayers' money defending DOMA Salon
• Conservatives Take Gay Marriage Rulings In Stride, Just Kidding
• Top 10 Rage Quotes From Scalia's Dissent On DOMA
• Rand Paul Backtracks After Likening Gay Marriage To Bestiality

Intolerance

• DOJ Official Who Destroyed Evidence Of Sexual Orientation Discrimination Gets 1 Day In Jail
• France: Gay couple sue mayor over wedding refusal—"A gay couple in south-west France pressed charges for discrimination on Wednesday against a combative mayor who has repeatedly and publicly refused to officiate at their wedding, despite risking years in prison and a hefty fine."
• Ireland: Student (21) was beaten to death over gay pass at farmer, trial told

Texas Abortion

• Texas GOP Just Revived Its Abortion Bill. Wendy Davis Won't Be Able to Stop It a Second Time.
• When Twitter does what journalism can't—Cable channels slept through it. Salon
• The Daily Show: Talker Texas Senator—"They simply believe that late one night when you're swept away by your emotions you make a stupid mistake, you should always have a chance to fix it later and not have to live with the consequences."

Snowden

• Mystery of Snowden's whereabouts deepens as he's nowhere to be seen at Moscow airport
• Why U.S. is being humiliated by the hunt for Snowden
• Obama: US will not engage in 'wheeling and dealing' over Edward Snowden
• Ecuador president blasts coverage of Snowden case—"They've managed to focus attention on Snowden and on the 'wicked' countries that 'support' him, making us forget the terrible things against the U.S. people and the whole world that he denounced."
• Chris Hedges Defends Snowden's Heroism in the Face of a Growing Smear Campaign—"If there are no Snowdens, if there are no Mannings, if there are no Assanges, there will be no free press."

Greenwald

• The personal side of taking on the NSA: emerging smears—"Distractions about my past and personal life have emerged – an inevitable side effect for those who challenge the US government."
• "He did this because he hates America"
• Frank Rich Shreds David Gregory Over Glenn Greenwald

Wikileaks

• WikiLeaks staffer helping Edward Snowden flee U.S. authorities
• Icelandic minister asked "8 or 9" FBI agents to leave country over WikiLeaks—"Agents said they were there to stop hackers, were really investigating leakers."
• WikiLeaks Volunteer Was a Paid Informant for the FBI

Whistleblowers

• Whistleblowers will continue to leak state secrets, warns AP chief—"President of global news agency says Obama administration cannot control flow of leaks in wake of Edward Snowden case."
• CIA cracks down on its own to stop leaks—"CIA Director John Brennan is launching a new campaign aimed at pressuring CIA officers to keep the intelligence agency's secrets secret, after a series of leaks to the media."
• Australia: New whistleblower bill exposes old inadequacy

NSA Data

• Google Says It Has A First Amendment Right To Release NSA Data Request Numbers
• FTC wants to let Internet users see the data that the NSA can get
• Students cite EU data protection laws, challenge firms over NSA data transfers

Surveillance and Privacy

• C.I.A. Report Finds Concerns With Ties to New York Police—"Four agency officers were embedded with the New York Police Department in the decade after 9/11, including one who helped conduct surveillance operations in the United States, according to a C.I.A. review." NYT
• EFF Sues FBI For Access to Facial-Recognition Records
• License plate readers tracking cars
• EU court says Google doesn't have to delete sensitive data from search results—"In some cases, protecting freedom of speech might overrule rights to privacy."
• Sweden Makes It Illegal To Take Photos In 'Private Environments' Without Permission
• Anger mounts after Facebook's 'shadow profiles' leak in bug—"Facebook said Friday it fixed a bug that exposed contact info for over six million accounts. The admission revealed its 'shadow profile' data collection activities, and users are furious." And apparently non-users were also affected.
• LinkedIn Has A Stalker Problem

Tech tracking

• Tim Berners-Lee: internet freedom must be safeguarded—"Web inventor warns against companies or governments 'trying to get total control' as his pioneering work is recognised with award."
• The PRISM: Privacy in an age of publicity—And is keen on targetting average citizens rather than terrorists.
• A simple SSL tweak could protect you from GCHQ/NSA snooping—"It might slow you down, but hey, you can't have everything."
• Firefox Web browser to move ahead plan to block tracking
• Mandatory Data Retention Defeated in Australia, For Now

DOMA and Prop8, Abortion and Birth Control, Civil Liberties, Vote Machinations, Politics; World News; Snowden, Surveillance and Privacy, Blasts from the Past

DOMA and Prop8

• Supreme Court strikes down DOMA—"The Supreme Court rules that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional on equal protection grounds." Salon
• Prop. 8: Supreme Court clears way for gay marriage in California
• House GOPer: Without DOMA there’d be sham marriages—"Rep. John Fleming argued that straight people would pretend to be gay and marry 'only for practical reasons.'" Salon

Abortion and Birth Control

• Texas abortion bill falls after challenge—Things went nuts at the end of the 11-hour filibuster where the Republicans' dirty tricks to pass the bill were caught red-handed.
• On abortion, Republicans treat women like children
• GOP Ignores Children Once They're Outside The Womb—"I've never been able to wrap my head around the huge gap between anti-abortionists' supposed devotion to fetuses and their animosity toward poor children once they are born."

Civil Liberties

• Silence isn't golden for suspect, Supreme Court rules—"Justices say a murder suspect's refusal to answer a question without claiming his Miranda rights can be used against him at trial."
• Why Is This US-Born Citizen Being Detained by ICE?
• Proposed FOIA rule changes seek to keep citizens in dark—"The Obama administration should not undercut the Freedom of Information Act by letting federal agencies lie about information."

Vote Machinations

• Two Hours After The Supreme Court Gutted The Voting Rights Act, Texas AG Suppresses Minority Voters—Section 4 was deemed unconstitutional.
• Republicans Brag They Won House Majority Because Of Gerrymandering
• How 31,385 People — The 1 Percent Of The 1 Percent — Act As The Political Gatekeepers Of American Politics

Politics

• An Analysis of the One Party State: At the top of the political pyramid, there is not constant trade off between Liberal and Conservative agendas, there is only THE Agenda
• The Great Disconnect—"The White House's second-term priorities are not the public's." NYT
• IRS: Other 'inappropriate' screening of groups done—Darrell Issa's been full of crap (Salon).

World News

• Bunga Bunga Trial: Silvio Berlusconi Guilty
• Australian prime minister resigns after losing party leadership challenge
• Brazil's Rousseff calls for constitutional vote to quell protests
• Iceland's EU bid is over, commission told
• Messages for Nelson Mandela; hope turns to resignation

Snowden

• Putin: NSA whistleblower Snowden is in Moscow airport —And he "vowed that Moscow would not extradite the whistleblower to the US."
• Edward Snowden: history will be kind to him—"Daniel Ellsberg, the leaker of the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago, was smeared and denounced at the time."
• Steve Wozniak: Snowden ‘Is a Hero Because This Came From His Heart’—"The Apple cofounder tells Lloyd Grove why he supports the NSA leaker, how the agency hasn’t ‘done one thing valuable for us’—and why the Internet wasn’t supposed to be this way."
• Snowden distributed encrypted copies of NSA docs around the world—"Reporter says several people will unlock trove if "anything happens" to Snowden."
• Why Snowden Asked Visitors in Hong Kong to Refrigerate Their Phones NYT
• Snowden through the eyes of a spy novelist NYT
• Poll: Generational divide over Snowden's actions

Surveillance and Privacy

• NSA: Responding to this FOIA Would Help "Our Adversaries"
• 2 Senators Say the NSA Is Still Feeding Us False Information—"How can a democratic republic function when the bureaucrats are constantly misleading the people?"
• Take A Break From The Snowden Drama For A Reminder Of What He's Revealed So Far
• Glenn Greenwald: 'Meet The Press' Interview Validates 'Incestuous' Washington Media Critique
• PRISM: Everything you need to know

Blasts from the Past

• Suspicious Death of Dr David Kelly: Doctors Seek New Death Inquest
• MI6 Codebreaker Found Dead in Bag Was Likely Killed, Coroner Says—He was linked to NSA intercept case.
• Two Strange Deaths in European Wiretapping Scandal

Educamation, Math and Science, Students, Karen Klein, Suicides, Think of the Children

Educamation

• NYC Dept. Of Education Bans 'Evolution' And Other 'Offensive' Words From Tests
• Backtracking on Florida Exams Flunked by Many, Even an Educator NYT
• Texas Republicans express 'regret' for officially opposing critical thinking skills
• Dumbing down America one child at a time
• Edmonton teacher suspended for giving 0s--"Lynden Dorval, a physics teacher at Ross Sheppard High School, has been giving the mark for work that wasn't handed in or tests not taken even though it goes against the school's 'no-zero' policy."

Math and Science

• Can We Fix Computer Science Education in America?
• Obama proposes $1B for science, math teachers
• UK: Make maths compulsory for all A level students, say Lords
• Is Algebra Necessary?--Asks the political scientist. NYT
• Teachers find bonus pay not a matter of degree--"[B]ecause [Scott Johnson's] master’s degree [in astrophysics] wasn’t in math, the subject he taught this past year, under a new state law he didn't qualify for the $2,625 bonus pay teachers can receive for having that higher degree."

Students

• The order putting Diana Tran, the honor student working to support her family, in jail for truancy has been vacated--Why are students going to jail for absurd reasons?
• University sues student who 'studied too fast'--"A private German economics and business university is suing one of its students for lost income after he finished his Bachelors and Masters degrees in about a quarter of the normal time."
• Senate Report: For-Profit Colleges Exploit Students

Karen Klein

• People Are Awesome: Bullied School Bus Monitor Gets a Really Nice Vacation--And a retirement.
• Bus monitor Karen Klein opens up about kid bullies
• 4 Bus Monitor Bullies Suspended a Year From School

Suicides

• 7-year-old's suicide shocks Detroit community
• Teen who committed suicide wrote bullying post herself, friend tells inquest
• Why are young Indians killing themselves?

Think of the Children

• Time is now for grown-up talk on drinking age--"The drinking age should be 18, period."
• Why are American kids so spoiled?
• Zen Magnets: Public response to the CPSC--Concern-trolling Consumer Product Safety Commission wants the company to shut down.
• 5-Year-Old Seriously Injured After Swallowing Buckyballs
• Blast from the Past: Choking Warning Labels for Hot Dogs?

Rmoney, Campaign Finance, Public-Private Partnerships, Voter Suppresion, States, Immigration, Elections

Rmoney

• Mitt Romney stayed at Bain 3 years longer than he stated--Claims of inaccuracy by the Romney camp can't overturn the facts, as the Washington Post's factchecker discovered.
• Tax Avoider in Chief?--"Republicans aren’t just in favor of lowering taxes; now they’re applauding wildly complex efforts by the wealthiest Americans to avoid paying billions in taxes by shipping capital to other countries." NYT
• What's Romney Hiding in His Tax Returns?
• New Republic: Mitt Romney, Crybaby Capitalist
• Media Barred From Photographing Romney With Cheney At Fundraiser
• Romney's 'Free Stuff' Speech Is a New Low
• Romney: Schrödinger's Candidate--Don't let Rush see this one though.

Campaign Finance

• DISCLOSE Act fails again in Senate--Republicans filibuster against transparency (NYT), but even the ACLU is against passing the bill.
• Harry Reid Worries About '17 Angry Old White Men' Buying The Nation
• The Power of Anonymity NYT
• The Selling of American Democracy: The Perfect Storm
• There's No Hiding It: Citizens United Wasn't About "Speech" -- It Was About Takeover of American Democracy
• Investigation takes closer look at GOP donor Adelson's billions
• The Super PAC That Aims to End Super PACs NYT

Public-Private Partnerships

• A Radical Fix for the Republic--"Lawrence Lessig thinks American democracy requires a constitutional overhaul to counter the 'economy of influence.'"
• Northrop Grumman Awards Lobbyist $500K Bonus Weeks Before Becoming Low-Paid Congressional Staffer Shaping Military Policy
• 130 Members of Congress Bought Stocks in Companies that Lobbied their Committees
• Senator Sherrod Brown Explains Why Big Business Owns Congress
• In Georgia, Tea Party And Progressives Go On Bus Tour To Fight Lobbyists

Voter Suppression

• Robinson: The GOP's crime against voters--"Spare us any more hooey about “preventing fraud” and “protecting the integrity of the ballot box.” The Republican-led crusade for voter ID laws has been revealed as a cynical ploy to disenfranchise as many likely Democratic voters as possible, with poor people and minorities the main targets."
• Drum: Voter ID Laws Are the Last Gasp of a Fading GOP Strategy
• Attorney General Holder On State Voter ID Laws: 'We Call This A Poll Tax'
• What could tighter voter ID laws mean in November?
• Fox Guest's Voter ID Law Defense: "Voting Is A Privilege"

States

• Will a GOP-backed voter-ID law turn Pennsylvania red?--"It's been 24 years since the Keystone State picked a GOP presidential candidate, but a move to bar voters who lack a driver's license could help Mitt reverse that trend."
• Mississipppi’s Voter ID Catch 22--"Mississippi’s voter identification law might prove literally impossible for some of its residents to adhere to."
• Wisconsin: Judge bars enforcement of voter ID requirements
• Oops! George W. Bush’s name on list of Texas residents who would be ineligible to vote
• Florida: Woman cut twice from voter rolls is dead certain she's alive

Immigration

• After the SB1070 ruling, undocumented Americans say 'No more Arizonas!'
• Scalia's Arizona Immigration Dissent
• Ronald Reagan Jr.: If people knew GOP's real immigration stance, 'nobody would vote for them'

Elections

• Fox's Charles Krauthammer Says Young Americans Support Obama Because They Don't Know Anything
• Michigan Rep. McCotter Resigns From Congress--"The five-term Republican from the Detroit suburb of Livonia said Friday he's leaving office for the good of his family. McCotter dropped his bid for re-election last month after learning his staff hadn't filed enough valid petition signatures to get him on the Aug. 7 primary ballot."
• Report: Schmidt, Bolger attempted 'fraud' in race for House seat, but did not break law
• Arpaio: Obama birth record definitely forged
• Washington State will enable voter registration via Facebook

Let Them Eat Cake, Taxing the Rich, Hard LIBOR, Banks, Playing Politics with the Economy, Workers, Youth

Let Them Eat Cake

• The Best Quotes From Guests at Romney's Hamptons Fundraisers
• Romney Donor Says 'Lower Income' People 'Don't Understand What’s Going On'
• Texas spends $25 million rebuilding mansion as Gov. Perry seeks cuts
• Actually, We Shouldn’t Soak the Poor
• Brooks: Why Our Elites Stink NYT

Taxing the Rich

• Obama to call for one-year extension of some Bush tax rates--"President Obama will call for a one-year extension of the George W. Bush-era tax rates for people who earn less than $250,000 per year."
• Why Letting the Bush Tax Cuts for the Rich Expire Will Not Hurt the Economy
• One Chart That Shows What The Bush Tax Cut Battle Is All About
• Republicans Were Wrong in 1993 On The Effect Of Upper-Income Tax Increases
• François Hollande keeps election promise of raising taxes for wealthiest

Hard LIBOR

• Banks face billions more in Libor losses--Check out what's behind the Libor scandal (NYT).
• Libor: Who lost out when the rate was fixed?
• New York Fed Was Aware of False Reporting on Rates--It seems as far back as 2007. NYT
• Bob Diamond to receive £2m payout--"Ex-Barclays boss Bob Diamond will receive his salary and benefits worth in excess of £2m, but has given up bonuses worth up to £20m after resigning amid the bank Libor scandal."
• New York Times, Gretchen Morgenson Applaud British, Issue Challenge To American Regulators Over LIBOR Scandal
• Rules of American justice: An American banker is shocked to be held accountable in Britain Salon
• The Libor Scandal and Capitalism's Moral Decay

Banks

• Too big to fail - too lofty to learn?--"With investigators zeroing in on over a dozen big banks in the Libor rate rigging scandal, the timing couldn't be better for a structural overhaul of Europe’s banking sector. Not so fast, says the banking lobby."
• Time for 'Banksters' to be prosecuted--Why aren't more of them behind bars?
• Dimon Faces Image 'Nightmare' With Energy Probe at JPM--"JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) (JPM)’s refusal to turn over e-mails in a federal probe of potential energy-market manipulation is the latest challenge for Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon as the bank faces multiple investigations."
• JPMorgan's trading loss: $5.8 billion--How'd Dimon hide $6 billion in losses?
• Bailed-out AIG sues US government for $30M
• Brian Cox: Bank bailout costlier than UK science 'since Jesus'
• Iceland Has Hired An Ex-Cop To Hunt Down The Bankers That Wrecked Its Economy
• The price of gold has been manipulated. This is more scandalous than Libor

Playing Politics with the Economy

• David Stockman economy Q&A: Economic disaster in the works
• Is Congress to blame for a downshifting US economy?--"Evidence is mounting that the economy is taking a hit because Congress can't – or won't – deal with the 'fiscal cliff' looming at year's end. The fight on Capitol Hill last summer over the national debt limit also took an economic toll."
• The Road to More Jobs--"[I]t was the Republicans’ relentless opposition to constructive policies that has kept unemployment high, from their resistance to the 2009 stimulus to their blockage of Mr. Obama’s proposed $450 billion jobs bill in late 2011. " NYT
• 14 reasons why this is the worst Congress ever
• George H.W. Bush Challenges GOP On No-Tax Pledge: 'Who The Hell Is Grover Norquist, Anyway?'
  

Workers

• Jobs Are Not Enough
• The Incredible Shrinking Pay Raise: Wages Can't Keep Up With Inflation
• Forced Labor on American Shores--"It is time to banish the idea that forced labor and sweatshop exploitation are problems of bygone eras or distant countries. These conditions exist within America’s borders." NYT

Youth

• Three Ways the Rich and Powerful Have Cheated Young Americans
• The young don't buy into propaganda of war between generations--"Despite efforts to portray Social Security and Medicare as giveaways to undeserving seniors that rip off the young, some young people believe they must work with older people to make the programs work."
• Drum: We Make More Money Than Our Parents, But We Aren't as Rich

Debt, Murdoch, Wisconsin, Texas and Local Politics

Debt and the GOP

• The real reason conservatives are angry at Obama
• Obama says he cannot guarantee Social Security checks will go out on August 3--"President Obama on Tuesday said he cannot guarantee that retirees will receive their Social Security checks August 3 if Democrats and Republicans in Washington do not reach an agreement on reducing the deficit in the coming weeks." Will the GOP's obstructionism finally backfire?
• Debt Crisis Deepens as Eric Cantor, GOP Propose New Cuts
• It's Now Official: The GOP is a Party of Sixth Graders
• A translation guide for nutty GOP debt ceiling rhetoric Salon
• Republicans' no-tax purity problem
• Cornyn coaches GOP recruits on how to rebut Dem debt limit criticism--Not like how they mishandled the Medicare message.

The Murdoch Mysteries

• Murdoch Ties Start to Chafe British Leader--Journalism is supposed to be be the watchdog of government yet it's like the government is now journalism's bitch. NYT
• How News Corp. Received Billions In Tax Refunds--The American taxpayers ended up paying them. UPDATE: The author has retracted his column.
• News Corp withdraws bid for BSkyB
• Keith Olbermann Details How Rupert Murdoch Blackmailed Him
• Senator John Rockefeller Calls for Investigation of News Corp--""I am concerned that the admitted phone hacking in London by the News Corp. may have extended to 9/11 victims or other Americans. If they did, the consequences will be severe." NYT

Wisconsin

• 6 fake Democrats fall, setting stage for GOP recalls--Here's a top Republican justifying running them in recall races.
• Report: Prosser grabbed fellow court justice's neck during argument
• Wis. Gov. signs budget cutting education $1.85B

Texas

• The darkest chapter of Rick Perry's career: Did the potential presidential hopeful sign off on the execution of an innocent man? Salon
• Rick Perry Doubled Texas’ Debt, Then Balanced Budget Through Accounting Gimmicks
• Rick Perry’s Texas Thumbs Its Nose At Treaty That Even North Korea and Iran Have Honored 

Local Politics

• Quartzsite in an uproar, in 'state of emergency' due to video on YouTube--Check out this quote: "[Mayor Ed Foster] said since being in office, he has discovered that every pay period, eight to 10 paychecks go to unnamed people and that he has been denied access to financial records to find out where the money goes at every turn. H esaid that's been happening since 1991 and amounts to $250,000 every year."
• Attorney says governor's budget cut is "retaliation" for her criticisms--"The chairman of a Newark program for abused children is accusing Gov. Chris Christie of personally targeting her when he cut $537,000 in funding for the program from the fiscal year 2012 budget."
• Former Temple City Mayor Sentenced to 4 Years in State Prison; Cathe Wilson Collapses in Court

Gay Girl in Damascus, TSA, Texas, On the Job

A Gay Girl in Damascus... is a guy in Turkey--WTF?

TSA

• Passenger cleared after TSA checkpoint stare-down
• House votes to cut TSA’s budget by $270 million
• TSA Considers Banning Photography at Checkpoints
• GOP denies TSA money to buy more body scanners
• TSA Lies About The Constitution In Defending Pat Downs
• TSA faked its safety data on its X-ray airport scanners in order to deceive the public about their safety.
• TSA to oversee searches at Santa Fe prom
• Utah lawmaker's proposal to ban TSA pat downs in Utah
• Renovated Disney ride gets a TSA checkpoint
• High School Fuckup Now In Charge Of Checking Airport Luggage For Explosives The Onion

Texas

• Texas House bans 'offensive' security pat-downs
• Texas: We'll arrest TSA agents who grope passengers. U.S.: We'll shut down Texas airports.
• TSA Harasses Two Texas Wounded Veterans at Airport with War Shrapnel in their Bodies--And the DOJ got the bill killed.

On the Job

• TSA Admits ‘Bad Judgment’ After Disabled Man Subjected to Airport Pat-Down--"The agents confiscated a six-inch plastic hammer, something Drew had carried with him for 20 years for comfort. Agents called it a security threat."
• Report: Newark TSA screeners targeted Mexicans
• TSA Bullied, Groped a Pregnant First Grade Teacher
• TSA molests mom, brings her to tears
• To Serve, to Protect and...to Steal--"For over a year, Brown used his position as a TSA screener to pilfer the bags of airline passengers at will, stealing an estimated $400,000 in goods...."
• Another TSA agent arrested, accused of theft
• Honolulu TSA staff fired for negligence