Politics

There are times when it seems like the America I grew up with is fading fast, if it ever existed. Now we learn that what were considered the safest of pensions are not, and the government hasn't the money to back them up as they promised they would. Real people will suffer because of this. It's here, in this article from the NY Times today: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/thought-secure-pooled-pensions-teeter-and-fall/?hp

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/11/cia-harsh-interrogations_n_5130218.html Oops, that's right. I can't just post a link! HuffPost reports today that the McClatchy News Service may have broken the law in reporting classified information from the US Senate report headed by Senator Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein declined to comment on McClatchy's story, but said: "If someone distributed any part of this classified report, they broke the law and should be prosecuted." The report, on the CIA and its adherence, or lack thereof, to rules and regulations involving torture, has been sent to the White House. There is no information on how the service obtained the classified r…

Why does this not seem like a good idea? http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/angela-merkel-denied-access-nsa-file http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=29Mg6Gfh9Co

Next, Putin Will Seize Donetsk and Kharkiv Editorial in The Moscow Times By Josh Cohen - Mar. 02 2014 As Russian troops consolidate their hold over Crimea, it seems clear that President Vladimir Putin will soon have troops in eastern Ukraine as well. The Federation Council passed a law giving Putin broad authority to use the country's armed forces on "the territory of Ukraine," and this, in combination with pro-Russian demonstrations now spreading across major eastern cities, provide Putin a fig leaf necessary to move into eastern Ukraine. While many Western analysts — and even U.S. intelligence agencies — predicted that Putin would not move on Ukraine, they hav…

Admittedly, my knowledge of issues relating to transgendered individuals is limited. But this article, from towleroad.com, raises interesting questions. Are prisoners entitled to have the government pay for their sex change, and, if so, why? Why not pay for all sex changes- even the lawabiding ones? Petitions For Name Change Convicted Wikileaker Private Chelsea Manning has petitioned a Kansas court for a legal name change to match her female identity. The day after she was sentenced to 35 years in prison for violating the Espionage Act, Manning released a statement announcing her transgender identity. Manning is seeking the name change as part of a longer battle to sec…

He's a former president, sure, but right now he is saying things that matter. He sends important mail by the Post Office rather than email. Why? “If you sent an email today, they recorded it,” the former president said. “If you’ve made a telephone call today, they’ve recorded it. They record the entire thing. They don’t go back and listen to your words — they say — but if they want to, later on, they can go back and listen to the exact words. I do think that needs to be corrected, and I hope President Obama will do it.” The former president has a book to sell, but I hope his words on the NSA get to the right audience. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/us/politics/carte…

Interesting Read from Errol Morris - I can't wait for parts two and three. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/the-certainty-of-donald-rumsfeld-part-1/?version=Full&src=me&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Opinion&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=Blogs

This isn't really about politics, but it does cover a religious effort, so I didn't think it belonged in the Pub. Many Catholics are probably unaware that the fully preserved body of Pope John XXIII is on display for tourists to visit in the Vatican. How this came about is rather fascinating, if not ghoulish. And the popular Pope is hardly alone- preservations of saints bodies and body parts is a longstanding tradition. A list of the preserved is included in this article: http://nypost.com/2014/03/22/making-of-a-saint-the-vaticans-quest-to-preserve-its-leaders/

Sure, it was just a novel, but its author probably never envisioned the NSA. The more we learn about them, the less I feel that America has a future as a free country. And now this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-surveillance-program-reaches-into-the-past-to-retrieve-replay-phone-calls/2014/03/18/226d2646-ade9-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html

Judge strikes down Michigan ban on gay marriage; state asks for a stay 5:49 PM, March 21, 2014 By Tresa Baldas Detroit Free Press WriterIn a historic ruling that provided a huge morale boost to the gay-rights movement, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman today struck down Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage, making it the 18th state in the nation to allow gays and lesbians to join in matrimony, just like their heterosexual counterparts. ■ PDF: Read Judge Friedman’s ruling striking down Michigan gay marriage ban Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed an emergency request for stay of Friedman’s ruling. In his 31-page ruling, Friedman heavily criticized the s…

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/20/solitary-confinement-psychological-effects-sarah-shourd

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10680902/America-has-a-new-weapon-to-use-against-Russia-the-E-Bomb.html

Western U.S. Republicans to urge appeals court to back gay marriage By Eric M. Johnson4 hours ago View photo (Reuters) - Republicans from Western states are expected on Tuesday to urge a U.S. appeals court to rule state bans on gay marriage unconstitutional, an aide said, citing shifts in the cultural standpoints of some conservatives in a broad national debate. Former U.S. senators Alan Simpson of Wyoming and Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas were among some 20 Republicans who signed a legal brief to be filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver. The court is to hear cases from Utah and Oklahoma, where federal courts have ruled state ba…

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/09/liberals-tea-party-republicans-unison-drug-law-reform-america

Supreme Court ruling expands police authority in home searches The Supreme Court decision, based on a Los Angeles case, says officers may search a residence without a warrant as long as one occupant consents. By David G. Savage February 25, 2014, 8:16 p.m. WASHINGTON Police officers may enter and search a home without a warrant as long as one occupant consents, even if another resident has previously objected, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a Los Angeles case. The 6-3 ruling, triggered by a Los Angeles Police Department arrest in 2009, gives authorities more leeway to search homes without obtaining a warrant, even when there is no emergency. The majority, led …

Obamacare's 'Cadillac Tax' Could Help Reduce The Cost Of Health Care By WILLIAM H. FRIST, M.D. Like much of the Affordable Care Act, the Cadillac tax—Obamacare’s solution to a tax subsidy created during World War II—offers a solution to an important problem, but is fraught with unintended consequences. Ideally, the tax would prompt employers to offer more cost-effective plans, with some shift of risk to employees along with mechanisms to help employees spend healthcare dollars wisely. For many reasons, that is not likely to be the reality. The Cadillac Tax was designed to raise revenue for the ACA and it will. But we cannot continue to be the little Dutch boy with o…

http://www.cracked.com/article_15895_the-5-most-badass-presidents-all-time.html

How Slavery Led To Modern Capitalism Bloomberg View | by Sven Beckert and Seth Rockman May 1829: A Sale Bill poster used to advertise a public auction of slaves in the West Indies. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Bloomberg View: When the New York City banker James Brown tallied his wealth in 1842, he had to look far below Wall Street to trace its origins. His investments in the American South exceeded $1.5 million, a quarter of which was directly bound up in the ownership of slave plantations. Brown was among the world's most powerful dealers in raw cotton, and his family’s firm, Brown Brothers & Co., served as one of the most important sources of ca…

Time magazine just did a cover story on the Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, arguing that he was "saving Mexico." For most of us, we had no reason to challenge it. Thankfully, though, others did, and one sarcastic, very funny, and on point rebuttal is at vice.com. Using spoof covers of Time, they take the story down, and razz the reporter mercilessly for his gullibility and laziness. It's a fun read if it weren't so sad: http://www.vice.com/read/saving-mexico-selling-mexico-slaying-mexico

Nugent, rock musician, out and proud serial child molester & NRA board member, was campaigning in Texas with the Republican candidate for government when he was called out for some remarks on Obama that were apparently considered a bit over the line even in Texas. When Abbott, the gov. candidate, declined to disavow Mr. Nugent's pungent views on the Prez, all kinds of hoorah ensued. My problem was I couldn't find exactly what Ted said that had everyone's knickers in a knot. I did find that one time he vowed that the only way Obama would take office was if he (Nugent) was dead or in jail, meaning, I guess, that he would whack the dastard before he would let that happe…

By a 2-1 vote, a division of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that California cannot limit gun owners from carrying concealed weapons in private. The majority said the restrictions violate the 2nd Amendment's guarantee of the right to bear arms because they deny law-abiding citizens the ability to carry weapons in public unless they show they need the protection for specific reasons. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-concealed-weapons-20140214,0,1930416.story#ixzz2tIc2xtwG A sad day for California. The last thing we need is more guns in public places.

In these interesting times in which we live, it's not just gay marriage that has seen a sea change in public opinion. but also the death penalty. Today the NY Times editorializes on this, both lauding the demise of support and encouraging the U.S. Supreme Court to join the bandwagon: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/30/opinion/the-slow-demise-of-capital-punishment.html I think that the issue of the death penalty overshadows pressing needs in prisons for reforms. I just could not imagine being in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, with virtually no human contact. Yet I doubt that there is any support for changing that until we get the death penalty out of the way and…

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/21/new-zealand-army-tops-tolerance-lgbt-soldiers

'Joe The Plumber' Gets A Union Job The Huffington Post | by Samantha Lachman Read it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/18/joe-the-plumber-union_n_4808043.html

A poll cited in today's NY Times gives the results for people's approval of former presidents. Kennedy was first, with 90% Next is Reagan, at 78%. Apparently they didn't survey AIDS survivors. Clinton is next at 74% Ford is at 67% G.H.W. Bush at 62% Jimmy Carter comes in at 60% Lyndon Johnson, the subject of the article, at 55% George Bush gets 42% Richard Nixon gets 30% Needless to say, I disagree. For me, Kennedy in retrospect was almost a disgrace to the Presidency, now that we have learned of his extensive sexual misbehavior, flagrant drug use, and consortation with the Mob. Reagan supposedly brought down the Soviets, but I think they were self-destructing, a…