September 23, 2013

Prison-Industrial Complex Watch: Amnesty For Non-Violent Drug Offenders?

Last month Attorney General Eric Holder declared “too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law enforcement reason.” For many, this was a welcome, although limited change of policy. To get around existing mandatory minimum laws, Holder instructed federal prosecutors to use discretion for non-violent drug offenders. By not listing the quantities of drugs, prosecutors can’t avoid the trigger mechanisms in mandatory minimum sentencing rules. This is definitely a good first step, but we need all mandatory minimum laws repealed. We should not remove the ability of a judge and jury to rule on the merits of each case.

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September 23, 2013

Contrary To Republican Hot Air, Most Americans Against Defunding Obamacare

Beware the person who one hundred percent of the time speaks with authority and great confidence. Such is the case with Republicans. While the rest of us try to do what’s right, but know we will sometimes get things wrong, Republican self-deception leads to confident proclamations to the rest of us about how something should be done, and authoritative “lessons” for all of the country to learn. And this is what you are seeing with Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Republicans “know” it’s bad for the country (even though it won’t fully kick in until January), and they “know” most of the country is with them. But the reality is, while Americans are quite cynical about government in general, and that includes Obamacare, they are not nearly as brazen as Republican lawmakers.

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September 22, 2013

Louisiana GOP State Rep. Says Go To ‘Gun Friendly’ Coffee Shops Instead Of Starbucks

Maybe it’s because I don’t live in the South, but I’ve NEVER seen someone openly carrying a weapon in a store. I live in Pennsylvania, which is (according to Wikipedia) an “anomalous” open carry state, which apparently means it’s mostly up to local jurisdictions. But tell me, do you honestly consider yourself to be in greater danger when shopping at your favorite store sans firearm? Again, I must make it known that it’s entirely possible I’m ignorant to people’s lifestyles in other parts to the country. Maybe in some states it’s commonplace to see people openly carrying a firearm in a Starbucks, but it’s just not the case where I live. But because I know there are parts (I’d like to assume a majority) of the country where open carry is not a common practice, that makes the right-wing gun nut freak out over Starbucks all the more ridiculous.

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September 21, 2013

35-Year-Old Afghanistan Veteran Writes That He’s On Food Stamps, Tells Republicans He Would Prefer Not To Starve

If you are a Republican in congress voting to cut food stamp funding, you must convince yourself you are doing right by the people. You don’t want people telling you that you are an uncaring person who wants people to starve, because you don’t see it that way. So you must utilize a series of lies to assure your psyche of absolution, that you are only participating in this exercise out of concern and love for those less fortunate. Because you are the adult in the room. You are the authority on this topic. You must teach people a hard life lesson, and possibly be the bad guy for a while, for the people to see the light.

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September 21, 2013

Bill Maher: Why Has Hate Become The National Pastime?

During the “New Rules” segment of Real Time, Bill Maher pointed out all the hate on Twitter, chat rooms, and online comment sections, and showed us examples of random hate comments directed at celebrities like Zach Braff and Jonah Hill. “Abraham Lincoln said Americans were a people with malice toward none, and charity for all. But if he had said it online, the first comment would be ‘blow me, Jewbeard’.”

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September 20, 2013

Photographers Hassled By Police Might End Up On ‘Suspicious Activity Reports’

People should not have to worry about being hassled by law enforcement when they are out taking photos with their camera. But in the total fear zone known previously as the United States of America, you not only face questioning by police officers, the government might be keeping records (known as Suspicious Activity Reports) on where you’ve been and what photos you’ve taken.

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September 20, 2013

What Do Edward Snowden And Aaron Alexis Have In Common?

So what do Edward Snowden the NSA leaker, and Aaron Alexis the Navy Yard shooter, have in common? — They both had background reviews done by the same government contractor. Why does this matter? — It doesn’t. But don’t tell that to Senator Claire McCaskill. “From Edward Snowden to Aaron Alexis, what’s emerging is a pattern of failure on the part of this company, and a failure of this entire system, that risks nothing less than our national security and the lives of Americans,” said McCaskill. She went on to say:

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