March 26, 2015

Why Ted Cruz Is a Threat to Scott Walker

E.J. Dionne: “Although Cruz has always been a religious conservative, the senator from Texas is much better known for his crusade against Obamacare and his willingness to shut down the federal government. His evangelical turn is his first play to create a base on the right end of the party to challenge Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as the main alternative to Jeb Bush.”

“The Cruz strategy starts with marginalizing former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Ben Carson, the physician and best-selling author who has developed a significant following on the right. Huckabee and Carson are also in the running for evangelical votes. If Cruz pushes them aside, he can then go after Walker and, after that, Bush. Perhaps all this is fanciful, but Cruz knows what he’s doing.”

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http://p.feedblitz.com/r3.asp?l=103509482&f=17571&u=37190363&c=4916883

March 26, 2015

Adulterer dating website: Most of our members our Christians — ‘it is incredibly ironic’

A dating website that helps people in the United Kingdom engage in extramarital affairs says that most of its members are of the Christian faith.

The website IllicitEncounters.com said there are more than ten Christian adulterers for every one atheist.

“It’s incredibly ironic that atheists are more faithful than Christians,” Claire Page, spokesperson for IllicitEncounters, said. “It proves the argument that what some people perceive as immoral – like adultery – isn’t increased by the lack of spiritual guidance. If the only reason you don’t kill someone, or steal, or covet thy neighbor’s wife, is because it tells you not to in the Bible, to me, that’s a lot more worrying.”

“To me, that says you can’t think for yourself what is right and wrong. Besides, for us and our 987,000 customers, we don’t look at affairs like most people do. There are many reasons people have affairs, it’s not as black and white as some people think.”

The website conducted a survey of its members, and found only 6 percent described themselves as atheists, while 64 percent classified themselves as Christian.

more
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/adulterer-dating-website-most-of-our-members-our-christians-it-is-incredibly-ironic/

March 26, 2015

Baton Rouge Emergency Room Closing Shows Cost Of Obamacare Fight

By Margaret Newkirk, Bloomberg News(TNS)

ATLANTA — A Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hospital is closing the only emergency room on the city’s impoverished north side, a real-world ripple effect of the ideological clash over President Barack Obama’s health care law.

The shutdown on April first serves as an early warning for hospitals in states like Louisiana, where Republican Governor Bobby Jindal turned down federal money to expand the Medicaid program for the poor. Charity hospitals will lose billions of federal aid beginning late next year, a cut that was supposed to be offset as more residents were covered by Medicaid.

The combination is a looming “double whammy,” said Shawn Gremminger, a lobbyist for America’s Essential Hospitals in Washington, which represents those that care for the poor. “It’s not survivable,” he said. “Hospitals are going to close.”

In Louisiana, Baton Rouge General’s Mid City hospital was already caught in that vise. It was flooded with the uninsured after a nearby charity hospital was closed. Louisiana provided a one-time injection of funds last year from the federal aid program that’s about to be cut. With that money gone, the hospital is closing the emergency room.

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http://www.nationalmemo.com/baton-rouge-emergency-room-closing-shows-cost-of-obamacare-fight/

March 26, 2015

Indiana businesses speak out online and in store against religious freedom bill

By Naomi Pescovitz, WTHR Weekend Sunrise anchor

INDIANAPOLIS -
Businesses across the state are echoing Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard's sentiment against the so-called religious freedom bill.

Dozens of local companies now say they must make it clear that they are open to business to everyone. The movement is growing quickly, especially on Massachusetts Avenue.

At Silver in the City on Mass Ave, everyone and nearly everything is welcome.

"My dog comes to work with me every day. She's always here. We allow dogs. If you wanted to bring your cat in, we allow cats strollers. We just don't discriminate. There's no reason to," said SarahKate Chamness, promotions manager at Silver in the City.

It wasn't until this month, however, that management felt they needed a little blue sticker to prove that message.

Hoosier Josh Driver started the "Open for Service" sticker campaign along with a website, Twitter and Facebook account. There are now stickers up in businesses in 23 states and Australia.

-snip-

http://www.wthr.com/story/28615301/local-businesses-speak-out-online-and-in-store-against-religious-freedom-bill

Businesses along Mass. Ave. are using these stickers to make a stand.

March 26, 2015

WATCH: Texas parents blast lawmakers for anti-gay bill that makes their son a ‘second class citizen’

In the video embedded below, the parents of a gay Texas man movingly addressed the state House as it debated a measure outlawing same-sex marriage in the state, even if the courts declare that the practice is legal.

Richard and Jimmie Sue Francis were protesting Texas House Bill 1745, a Republican-sponsored measure that would, according to the Texas Tribune, “give the secretary of state, and not county clerks, sole control over marriage licenses in Texas, and prohibit issuing licenses to same-sex couples even if courts overturn the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.”

“I’m Jimmie Sue Francis and I am against House Bill 1745,” began Mrs. Francis. “My husband and I have a 47-year-old gay son who is so very proud to be a native Texan. I ask each of you to look into your heart,” she continued, “and consider the grave circumstances of approving House Bill 1745, which will serve to confirm and make permanent my son’s devalued status as an official, government-sanctioned second class citizen in his beloved state.”

Richard Francis said, “I go to my church and I hear love and inclusion. I come to my Capitol and I hear hate and exclusion. I can feel that difference…and that bothers me about my government.”

more
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/watch-texas-parents-blast-lawmakers-for-anti-gay-bill-that-makes-their-son-a-second-class-citizen/

March 26, 2015

Set phasers to shun: George Takei encourages boycotting Indiana over ‘religious freedom’ bill

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) now faces the prospect of a wider boycott from sci-fi and gaming fans with the involvement of actor and activist George Takei, the Huffington Post reported.

Takei criticized both Pence and the Republican-controlled state legislature online over Senate Bill 101. Supporters have said that the measure would protect residents’ freedom of religion from state scrutiny, while opponents counter that the bill would legalize discrimination against same-sex couples.

“To the governor and to the legislators in Indiana who support this backward-looking and divisive bill, I say to you this: If it goes into effect, Indiana will be marked as a state where certain people are not welcome, and so we will not visit,” Takei wrote. “We will not spend. And we will not attend events, including GenCon, the world’s largest gaming convention, held in Indianapolis each year.”

Takei’s post came a day after Gen Con, a gaming convention that reportedly brings in around $50 million in business to the Indianapolis area every year, sent a similar message to Pence, saying that enacting the law “will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years.” The convention is currently slated to be held at the Indianapolis Convention Center through 2020.

more
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/set-phasers-to-shun-george-takei-encourages-boycotting-indiana-over-religious-freedom-bill/

March 26, 2015

Pat Robertson: ‘Was the co-pilot a Muslim? Why did he want to kill all those people?’

Christian televangelist Pat Robertson suggested on Thursday that the co-pilot’s decision to crash Germanwings Flight 9525 could be explained if he was a Muslim. French prosecutors concluded on Thursday that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had locked the pilot out of the cockpit, and then deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps, killing 150 people.

“What happened to that plane that crashed into the French Alps?” Robertson asked on Thursday’s edition of The 700 Club. “Well, they’ve begun to find out. The pilot went to the lavatory and was soon locked out of the cockpit. He pounded on the door, begging to come in. But the door was not opened.”

“The co-pilot then takes the plane, pushes it into a dive and crashes it. The passengers are screaming as the plane went down. The pilot is yelling.”

“What a terrible tragedy,” the TV preacher continued. “Was that co-pilot a Muslim? Was he suicidal? What was it about him?”

more
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/pat-robertson-was-the-co-pilot-a-muslim-why-did-he-want-to-kill-all-those-people/

March 26, 2015

Indiana Gov. Pence Signs Anti-Gay Religious Freedom Bill Into Law

Source: TPM

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) did it. On Thursday, he signed a controversial religious freedom bill into law that protects business owners from being required to serve same-sex couples if they have religious objections.

Pence said signing the bill into law makes sure that "religious liberty" is completely protected in the state.

"The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion, but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action," Pence said in a statement.

A number of businesses strongly voiced opposition to the law. The large tabletop gaming convention Gen Con threatened to leave the state if Pence the bill, but is locked into a contract until 2020. Star Trek actor George Takei also warned that the law could result in a damaging boycott of the state.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/pence-signs-gay-marriage-religious-freedom-bill

March 26, 2015

Bipartisan VA benefits bill for gay couples set for introduction

Legislation intended to ensure same-sex couples across the country are eligible for veterans benefits — even in non-marriage equality states — is set for reintroduction in the U.S. House on Wednesday. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) is slated to introduce the bill, the Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act, in the aftermath of a speech she delivered Tuesday on the House floor on the measure.

“Our men and women in uniform do not serve in defense of a particular state, but of the United States,” Titus said. “All veterans should have access to all federal benefits, regardless of where they live, just as they do when they are in the military.”

In her speech, Titus invoked the memory of President Lincoln, who during his second inaugural address pledged the country would care for veterans that served in the American Civil War.

“When President Lincoln laid out his vision of caring for veterans, he said we should support those ‘who shall have borne the battle,'” Titus said. “He didn’t say anything about discriminating against some because of who they love.”

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https://go.madmimi.com/redirects/1427382338-711d0684def5c034b399252c8b0026ac-f890477?

March 26, 2015

The Cruz Troika - By Josh Marshall

In all the other Ted Cruz nonsense over recent days, I'm not sure how many people saw this piece by Josh Rogin, now at Bloomberg, on Cruz's foreign policy agenda. The article is based on extensive interview from last year. The part that stuck out to me is Cruz's list of three foreign policy experts he most trusts. It's quite a list.

First is Elliot Abrams, a respected neoconservative foreign policy hand. His view may not be your cup of tea; they're not mine. He is a good exemplar of the first term Bush foreign policy. There's the Iran-Contra stuff thirty years ago. But he's no crazy person. Alas, he heads up what you would have to call the moderate-Realist wing of the Cruz foreign policy troika. After Abrams, respected neoconservative, you have John Bolton, who might be charitably called a clownish warmonger. He now spends the time he's not on Fox News sending crazy emails to raise money for his PAC, John Bolton PAC. (Yes, I get them.)

After the respected neoconservative and the clownish warmonger you have a guy who might simply be certifiable: former CIA Director James Woolsey, perhaps the champion at being the biggest purveyor crap in the lead up to the Iraq War, which is saying something because the competition is intense. He may be the only former high level official still holding on to Saddam Hussein being the mastermind of 9/11.

Like everything else with Cruz's campaign, this really is if not the first then the ultimate Fox News candidacy. Like Cruz himself, the effort is not just extreme but focused less on implementation than provocation and histrionics. Even Cruz doesn't seem to go in for nutball conspiracy theories. But his favorite experts do. Basically it's just as bad as you might have expected with Cruz or perhaps worse.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-cruz-troika