RandomNumbers
RandomNumbers's JournalCall them what they are: woman killers.
Subject line is my takeaway from this excellent article.
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a10033320/pro-life-abortion/
The article words it a little differently, but it comes down to that, and I agree:
At the very least, they are people who will stand by cheerfully, smugly, while they enact a system that leads to 14-year-old girls drinking rat poison.
That is unconscionable.
I wonder, if every time we see an unhinged comment on social media that blares about "baby killers", we responded with a blare back about "woman killers", would that at least start to get some attention to the side effects of these policies?
I've noted elsewhere that I think the people driving the chattelization of women, are in it for the increased control they get from creating increased dependency. Nothing will get through to THEM. But THEY aren't the majority, they are just the instigators. Convince the majority that the "cure" (banning abortions) is actually worse than the "disease" (some women having abortions). Then maybe we turn this tide.
The article has much more and is well worth the read. I've chosen a couple paragraphs below, but you really should go to the link and read the whole article.
The Federalist makes an argument that women should not be dressing up to protest restrictions on abortion in Ohio because, “To compare restrictions on abortion… to the abuses many women still suffer around the world today is both intellectually insulting and downright dishonest… In Saudi Arabia, women aren’t allowed to drive, wear makeup, or clothes that 'show off their beauty.'”
Pretending that women should remain quiet on the topic of their rights because women have it worse in other countries is absurd. We do not live in other countries. This argument should carry all the weight of a C student, who, when told to do better by their parents, replies by shouting, “I could be getting Fs! I could be shooting heroin into my eyeballs!” Which is to say, it should carry no weight at all.
Politifact: Was Joe Biden a climate change pioneer in Congress? History says yes
This article fact-checks a statement Biden is making on the campaign trail. But it's also an interesting (and sad) look back at how badly we as a nation have whiffed on the climate change issue; when people like Biden and Gore, and Jimmy Carter with the solar panels on the White House, have been raising the alarm for literally DECADES.
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/may/08/joe-biden/was-joe-biden-climate-change-pioneer-congress-hist/
Paul Bledsoe, a former Clinton White House climate staff member who is now a strategic advisor at the Progressive Policy Institute, told us Biden deserves his due.
"Without question, Biden was among the earliest supporters of climate change action in Congress," Bledsoe said. "His 1987 bill was focused on forcing the Reagan Administration to establish a wide-ranging White House Task Force on Climate Change, a critical action that in fact was not taken until the Clinton Administration, so it was both prescient and influential on long-term policy."
Our ruling
Biden said, "I’m one of the first guys to introduce a climate change bill, way, way back in ‘87."
There had been some high-profile hearings about climate change on the Hill, as well as a non-binding resolution prior to Biden’s proposal. But he is credited with introducing the first climate change bill.
We rate this True.
Please go to the link to read the entire article.
Disclaimer: I truly am undecided and will support the Democratic nominee in the General Election.
Found a beautiful Easter egg today. Enjoy. (The Boss with Sting, performing The River)
Look how freakin' young these guys are! And the clothes!
(and is that a young Max Weinberg on drums? Was he with Bruce at that point or is that someone else?)
#GOPTreason , #RepublicanTreason
Seem like the most appropriate hashtags for tweeters these days. Just sayin'.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/republicantreason
https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOPTreason
After digesting the essence of the Mueller report, I don't know how it can be called any less than treason.
Whether it can be effectively prosecuted, is another matter. But it won't be prosecuted unless people realize the enormity of it.
My new* litmus test for 2020 - the will AND the chops to crack down on international crime
And by "international crime" I mean of the kind perpetrated in 2016 and Brexit, i.e. heavy involvement of hacking and money laundering to change political outcomes around the globe, to the detriment of democracy.
If this problem is not successfully addressed very soon, none of the rest has a chance of being solved ... not that it would matter to most people anyway.
John Kerry wrote a book a long time ago - published 1997 - called "The New War". Long before hacking was the thing it is today ... but addressing the issues of international crime raised in The New War would have put us in a far better place to protect this country. And it strikes me that what put Trump in power and caused the Brexit debacle is just the next phase in the "New War" that Kerry spoke of.
Kerry isn't going to be running - but I wonder if he will make an endorsement ... and if the international crime aspect will influence that endorsement? If so, that's who I will support. Otherwise, I will be evaluating the candidates based on whatever info I can gather about their will and ability to confront this issue, and bring these international crime families to justice. And yes, at this point I expect there will still be Trumps to be prosecuted in 2021.
OTOH, who am I kidding, I'm in a "my primary vote hardly matters" state (late primary). By the time I get to vote, my choice will be between frick and frack. I only hope that one or both of them meet my test. Regardless, of course I will vote for the Dem nominee in November. But let's not blow this, Dems.
----------------------
* not really "new" actually ... just the apparent letdown of the Mueller report (which I expected), has brought it into laser focus for me.
PA state Rep. Brian Ellis resigns after allegations of sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman
Source: NBC News
Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Ellis resigns after allegations of sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman
March 19, 2019, 2:20 PM EDT
By Farnoush Amiri
A Pennsylvania state representative resigned on Monday, days after a woman made a complaint to the state's Republican caucus alleging that he sexually assaulted her in 2015 when she was blacked out.
"It is with immense gratitude to the sacrifices made by my family, the support of my constituents, and the friendship of my colleagues that I have concluded that it is in the best interest of my family, the residents of the 11th House district, and my own health that I resign from the General Assembly," State Rep. Brian Ellis wrote in his resignation letter submitted on Monday.
Ellis' resignation came after House Republicans in January called on him to step down when the Dauphin County district attorney began to investigate allegations that Ellis had sex with a woman without her consent in October 2015, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"It truly has been a new day for survivors," the woman's lawyer, Christine Wechsler told NBC News on Tuesday. "This is an acknowledgment of the credibility of the allegation."
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pennsylvania-state-rep-brian-ellis-resigns-after-allegations-sexually-assaulting-n984821
Another one bites the dust. Good riddance!
Who is "The Dignity of Work" candidate now?
As we all know by now, Sherrod Brown announced he is not running.
I am interested to know which candidates come closest to understanding and supporting workers' issues the way Brown does.
I have already tentatively excluded some based on what I know. But rather than list those -
Other candidate supporters, make your case.
Ground rules:
* only positive points about how a candidate supports the working class, workers' rights, protections against discrimination and abuse, worker safety issues, access to good jobs, etc.
* please provide links to credible sources that support your assertions.
Thanks. Have at it. 
PIRG praises Sherrod Brown for including unpaid caregivers in EITC
(PIRG = Public Interest Research Group)
U.S. PIRG PRAISES SEN. SHERROD BROWN FOR INCLUDING UNPAID CAREGIVERS IN THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2019
https://uspirg.org/news/usp/us-pirg-praises-sen-sherrod-brown-including-unpaid-caregivers-earned-income-tax-credit
Evan Preston, U.S. PIRG’s Senior Director of New Economy Campaigns issued the following statement:
“Technological progress means that many jobs that provide the income to support a family are vulnerable to disruption. Moving forward, we need to redefine work and the role it plays in our society. With that in mind, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio has devised a creative way to ensure that Americans can maintain their quality of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as the nature of work changes.”
“Many people work to earn money mainly to pay someone else to take care of their children or parents. That makes no sense. Why not support families who want to provide care themselves? Investing in hard-working people who provide care for their loved ones is the right thing to do.”
“U.S. PIRG praises Sen. Brown for working with Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey and with Rep. Ro Khanna of California to accurately value contributions that are essential for improving American lives, but fall outside the traditional definition of “jobs.”
“Expanding the EITC to include unpaid caregivers acknowledges the new challenges and opportunities we face as the nature of work changes. More people should thrive as improved technology brings greater prosperity. Redefining caregiving as work brings us closer to an economy that prioritizes improving well-being, so that more people can live the American Dream.”
An earlier article from PIRG supporting this policy:
https://uspirg.org/news/usp/us-pirg-urges-lawmakers-expand-earned-income-tax-credit-caregivers
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has a long, successful, bipartisan track record of making sure more Americans meet their needs. As the nature of work is changing, this EITC Awareness Day offers the chance to prepare for a future where we prioritize work that improves the wellbeing of Americans. U.S. PIRG urges lawmakers to expand the EITC to unpaid caregivers so we can start valuing contributions that are essential for improving American lives but fall outside of traditional jobs.
The EITC was designed to encourage people to work, to find a job and thereby contribute to society. However, a lot of jobs today can be disrupted by technology. In all kinds of industries, we can make more than ever with fewer people than ever. That ought to be an opportunity to recognize other contributions to society, but it won’t be unless we return the values behind creating the EITC in the first place.
... (snip) ...
In its current form, the EITC fails to recognize the contributions of 40 million unpaid caregivers in the U.S. When we define productivity by value captured by Gross Domestic Product, we overlook the important roles unpaid individuals play in their communities and families every day.
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) introduced federal legislation that would extend EITC qualifications to caregivers and students. “The overlooked and often thankless work of caregiving is essential to our society,” Watson Coleman said in a statement.
More about PIRG:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Interest_Research_Group
What progressives need to understand about about the H-1B program.
* It is not only for truly "high skilled" workers, despite the program usually being referred to as "high skilled visa".
* Many employers abuse the program to get controllable workers who are more easily abused than Americans.
* In my direct experience, the H-1B program has zero to do with compassionate immigration policy. The people who arrive on these visas are generally from the higher classes in their home countries. These workers are coming here to get what is an enormous salary to them based on the exchange rate (at the expense of their family life in the home country of course). (To my knowledge there is no preference or consideration given under the H-1B program to circumstances warranting asylum or protection under other programs.)
* EVERY job filled under the H-1B program, removes an opportunity from the "opportunity pool" that could and instead should be directed to creating opportunities for historically oppressed and marginalized people in this country. << I would expect progressives to support creating better opportunities for African-Americans and other groups that are at a disadvantage in our society.
The below article illustrates one of the more insidious factors of the program as currently implemented (emphasis added):
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/h-1b-workers-put-in-long-hours-to-reach-the-american-dream
Yup, being sent back and probably not being able to get back in, due to the lottery system.
That's not exactly an equal power balance, huh?
That requirement was based on the idea that H-1B workers’ conditions would be improved to match U.S. labor standards, Sarasota, Fla., attorney Sara Blackwell told Bloomberg Law. Instead, it appears that employers are downgrading those standards across the board, she said.
Um, ya THINK ????
Okay, that was a naive fantasy to begin with. Here's an example of how it really works:
Another former H-1B worker at TCS said he put in “almost 12 hours a day for most of the time.” Only eight or nine hours were actually worked in the office—but employees were expected to log into the online system once they went home, and again on the weekends, he told Bloomberg Law.
Workers earned $60,000 to $65,000 per year, based on a 40-hour workweek, he said. But “the concept of overtime didn’t exist,” and no extra pay was allocated for working up to twice that amount of time, he said.
The same worker said employees were provided paid sick and vacation leave on paper, but were never actually allowed to take it. Anyone who called out sick was still expected to log in and work from home, he said.
Choudhary says these conditions not only exploit H-1B workers but create an industry that drives out everyone else. “A normal American would never be able to work for them,” he said.
Please read the full article at the link:
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/h-1b-workers-put-in-long-hours-to-reach-the-american-dream
And this is just focusing on the work hours aspect. There is much more about the program and its consequences that is highly anti-labor.
And yet, when I searched DU to see if this article had already been posted ... I gave up after reading just a few threads on the H-1B topic ... so much misinformation - and in some cases a dismissive attitude that "these jobs pay well, so why should progressives care about this?"
- this is why I sometimes want to give up on Democrats. Except republicans are evil. But then, for people who don't care about the other things I care about (environment, women's rights, LGBTQ and minority rights, etc), the attitude of not giving a shit about workers, even workers that make a decent salary (let's not talk about hourly rate though), is one more nail in the coffin of them EVER voting for a Democrat. You don't care about me? Why the HELL should I vote for YOU?
For what it's worth, I will always vote for the better option on issues across the board, and it's been a very long time since I've seen a republican even pretend to be better than the Democrat on most issues. But in any primary, the only Dem that gets my vote, has to be a supporter of workers' rights, including understanding the H-1B program and wanting appropriate changes to it.
RW view on Nat Emergency (here is our playbook)
In the Washington Examiner "Trump declaring a national emergency to build border wall with McConnell's support will come back to haunt conservatives"
by Philip Klein | February 14, 2019 03:52 PM
For the past week, we've been debating infeasibility of the Green New Deal. But many of its provisions suddenly become a lot more politically possible if a president is allowed to seize emergency powers in such a way. If Trump succeeds, it would not be difficult for a Democrat to declare an emergency based on the National Climate Assessment, and then go about using the military for massive infrastructure projects in clean energy.
The only hope for limited government conservatives is that any emergency declaration gets quickly enjoined, and eventually nixed, in federal court. At least then, the silver lining would be that a legal precedent would be set that the president cannot attempt such an end around Congress.
Either way, however, Trump's action and the likely overwhelming support by Congressional Republicans will shred their ability to resist any sort of attempt by a future Democratic president seeking to broadly employ executive power.
more at link
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/trump-declaring-a-national-emergency-to-build-border-wall-with-mcconnells-support-will-come-back-to-haunt-conservatives
Profile Information
Gender: Do not displayHome country: US
Member since: Sat Jun 4, 2005, 09:56 AM
Number of posts: 17,600