December 5, 2013

Politifact: Is it true that Texas gun homicides have gone down 40% since concealed carry law passed?

Regarding a claim that homicides have gone down 40% in Texas since that time:

"Patterson said firearms homicides decreased 40 percent since Texas passed a law permitting licensed residents to carry concealed guns.

That claim was staked to changes nationally and a timeframe unreasonably starting before the law took effect.

Still, Patterson’s figure is close to correct. Data for Texas show declines of either 32 percent or 42 percent since the state law took effect. We are not concluding that the measure authored by Patterson explains the decrease, which occurred nationally for multiple reasons.

We rate this statement, which needed clarification, as Mostly True."

http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2013/nov/27/jerry-patterson/texas-firearm-homicide-rate-down-least-one-third-1/

December 5, 2013

Claim that Bill Clinton ordered "chastity training" for black women is disputed

A writer in Salon.com named FALGUNI A. SHETH said that other columnists have said that President Bill Clinton once taught "chastity training" to black women.

SHETH "But as many, from Barbara Ehrenreich to digby to Jason DeParle, point out, the Clintons and their Democratic buddies endorsed the righteous smokescreen that “workfare” was needed to teach the poor how to keep a job rather than asking for money, and to teach poor (black) women “chastity training.” Patronizing? Racist?"

Link

Media critic Bob Somerby says "That isn’t true." http://dailyhowler.blogspot.com/2013/12/professors-and-journalists-love-their.html

Can anyone here please explain what this "chastity training" ordered by President Clinton is about, if true?

December 3, 2013

TPM funder gave $100,000 to Mitt Romney's campaign

As TPM's Josh Marshall constantly defends the NSA, we learn that a source of cash to his TPM blog is a right-winger who donated $100,000 to Mitt Romney via his Super-PAC.

NBC (March, 2012): Marc Andreessen Switches to the Right

From Google to Facebook to Apple, the Silicon Valley has a long reputation for leaning left.

But one man behind the scenes of several of the valley's most successful companies is tilting the other way.

Netscape founder and tech entrepreneur Marc Andreessen said he is putting his financial support behind Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in an interview with CNBC.

"I turned 40 last year and so I figured it was time to make the switch," the Andreessen-Horowitz co-founder said.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Marc-Andreessen-Switches-to-the-Right-141205883.html

Here we can see the millionaire contribution from Andreesen to Marshall.

December 2, 2013

New York Times gives good review to ‘JFK: A President Betrayed’  Documentary

"The military leadership and some senior advisers thought it would make the United States look weak to reach out to our enemies. Kennedy, however, said, “never fear to negotiate.” This information is well known. What Mr. Taylor’s documentary skillfully examines is how Kennedy subverted these leaders, using emissaries to approach Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and how he tried to change a staid approach to foreign policy."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/22/movies/jfk-a-president-betrayed-recounts-kennedys-opposition.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0