Lynn Squance

Squatch’s Open Thread 10/01/2016

Posted by Lynn Squance at 1:49 am Open Thread, Politics

Jan 112016

I was up to see my mother today, not arriving home until 22:15. She is doing as well as can be expected, and ate all of her dinner with gusto which is nice to see. It is good that she eats well when fed, but it is also a sign that her mental condition is deteriorating . . . she doesn't "fight" for her dignity anymore. This week will be very busy with physio, teaching, getting my mother to a doctor's appointment, and meeting with the other members of the Family Council for mother's nursing home. So I may be short, or I may have to skip a day. We'll see.

Short Takes

Mother Jones — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has a plan to make America great again: Add nine new amendments to the Constitution. On Friday, fed up with Supreme Court rulings that have gone against conservatives as well as the regulatory actions of the Obama administration, the first-term Republican issued a 92-page report outlining his proposed tweaks to the founding document and calling for a national constitutional convention to make it happen.

Click through for Abbott's suggestions contained in the report, and the report itself. These are nine more reasons why progressives must get out the vote for state and federal elections. As I understand, any changes to the constitution require a 75% vote in favour — that's 38 states. How many states are now controlled by Republicans? I don't expect all Republican states to buy in, but . . .

Think Progress — Mark Zuckerberg, new dad, … shared an image of his daughter with a note that it was time for the six-week-old baby girl to get vaccinated.

Mark Zuckerberg

Works at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative 47,679,000 followers January 8 at 1:00pm · Palo Alto, CA, United States ·

Doctor's visit — time for vaccines!

3,103,434 Likes · 81,576 Comments · 29,938 Shares

Now normally, I'd be inclined to say "who cares what Zuckerberg writes" but this is different. As a new parent, he has studied the literature and made an educated decision to vaccinate his daughter. Thank you Mr Zuckerberg for making the decision to vaccinate your daughter very public. My maternal grandfather was afflicted with polio at the age of three, about 1910, and never walked again. His body was twisted so that his hips and legs faced sideways and his head and arms, forward. There was no vaccine then. He wished there had been.

Huffington Post — Canada plans to kick-start a long-stalled international effort aimed at ridding the world of the key ingredients needed for nuclear weapons, The Canadian Press has learned.

The renewed push this week by Canada's United Nations ambassador to Geneva to spearhead the creation of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty or FMCT, comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to attend U.S. President Barack Obama's Nuclear Security Summit.

Trudeau's presence at the Obama summit, March 31 and April 1, would come just three weeks after his scheduled March 10 gala state dinner at the White House.

Canada's renewed focus on nuclear non-proliferation efforts has been in the works for months, but the effort has new urgency because of North Korea's recent claim to have conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb.

During the now infamous Harper years, Canada's role as a peaceful nation took a hit. Harper scorned the United Nations at every turn. He was trying to show that he was wearing his big boy pants and was able to go it alone. Unfortunately, he was the class clown. Now Trudeau is trying to draw people together to discuss where this world wants to be . . . a place of peace and growth, or a nuclear cesspool of death and destruction. I support Trudeau's efforts and all those countries which stand with us. With the state of affairs today, I doubt he'll have the success necessary, but I choose to live with hope. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

My Universe — h/t Christeen A, Care2

Some will do anything for a meal!

Flint’s Dirty Little Secret

Posted by Lynn Squance at 1:41 am Politics

Jan 102016

How many times each day do we go to the water tap, run cold water, fill a glass, and then quench our thirst? I drink about 4 litres of water every day, about 16 cups. Do I even think about whether the water is fit to drink? Not usually. But what happens when the water becomes unfit to drink , , , like in Flint, Michigan?

Flintwater

Democracy Now — In Flint, Michigan, a growing number of residents are demanding the arrest of Governor Rick Snyder over the ongoing water contamination crisis. Snyder declared a state of emergency for Flint Wednesday, after learning federal prosecutors had opened an investigation into lead contamination in the drinking water. The poisoning began after an unelected emergency manager appointed by Governor Snyder switched the city’s water source to the long-polluted Flint River in a bid to save money. Lead can cause permanent health impacts including memory loss and developmental impairment. Researchers at Virginia Tech who have been testing Flint water say the city could have corrected the problem by better treating the water at a cost of as little as $100 a day. On Thursday, the mayor of Flint revealed it could now cost as much as $1.5 billion to fix the city’s water infrastructure. We speak to Curt Guyette, investigative reporter for the ACLU of Michigan, who has closely covered the story.

YouTube

Common Dreams — The Republican governor appointed Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley who enforced the April 2014 decision to switch from the Detroit system to the Flint River to source water. In an angry letter to Snyder, filmmaker and Flint native Michael Moore wrote:

Your staff and others knew that the water in the Flint River was poison — but you decided that taking over the city and "cutting costs" to "balance the budget" was more important than the people's health (not to mention their democratic rights to elect their own leaders.) So you cut off the clean, fresh glacial lake water of Lake Huron that the citizens of Flint (including myself) had been drinking for decades and, instead, made them drink water from the industrial cesspool we call the Flint River — a body of "water" where toxins from a dozen General Motors and DuPont factories have been dumped for over a hundred years. And then you decided to put a chemical in this water to "clean" it — which only ended up stripping the lead off of Flint's aging water pipes, placing that lead in the water and sending it straight into people's taps.

Moore, in fact, is circulating a petition calling on U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to arrest Snyder for "corruption and assault."

Michael Moore's Arrest Governor Snyder Petition

Al Jazeera — This emergency goes beyond simply a public health problem. (Lead is a potent neurotoxin, which can cause irreversible brain damage in children.) It is something much worse: a human rights abuse in an American city. In 2010, the United Nations declared that “ … clean drinking water … [is] essential to the realization of all human rights.” Flint’s contaminated water will prevent children from realizing their human right to health, enumerated in Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Public reaction is understandably very heated. This crisis is totally man made — Republican man made — and the result of Republican ineptitude, greed, and bigotry. In Flint, 40% of the people live in poverty. Many of the people are African American. The old lead city water distribution pipes were corroded by the Flint River toxic water, so much so that a return to getting water from Lake Huron through Detroit is not working. The pipes were corroded and continue to leach lead into the water. The only solution is the replacement of the city water pipes at a cost of $1.5 – $2 BILLION. On top of that, I would expect a class action lawsuit against the state, Snyder and a whole spate of other administrative persons who failed in their fiduciary responsibility to the people.

Squatch’s Open Thread 09/01/2016

Posted by Lynn Squance at 1:40 am Open Thread, Politics

Jan 102016

Yesterday was busy. By the time I arrived home, I couldn't seem to stir myself to prepare an Open Thread in time for publishing. The one short take I had morphed into today's lead article. So I threw up my hands, watched a video, and did some major cat cuddling. My little girl, Annie, was asleep under my desk earlier, but now my big ginger, Winnie, is there, his paw and head resting on my foot.

Short Takes

Think Progress — On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson released his tax plan, the center of which is a flat tax of 14.9 percent.

Rather than different tax brackets for different income levels and categories, the flat tax levies the same rate on all personal and business income, although Carson’s 14.9 percent rate would only apply to people who have incomes above 150 percent of the poverty level, or $36,375 for a family of four. Those who make less would have to make a small tax payment: “Even those who earn little income will pay taxes, no matter how small their contribution might be,” Carson says in his plan. Currently, 46 percent of Americans don’t have to pay federal income taxes because their incomes are too low.

Shades of Mr 999! Republicans have been in a sweaty dither about the national deficit during Obama's presidency, and now Carson wants to significantly reduce revenues? He probably thinks it will help him at the polls. What a jackass!

Politico — Charles Koch is “disappointed” with the line-up of Republican candidates in the 2016 cycle, and is surprised by the lack of influence he and his brother have wielded so far. …

Koch, his brother David, and their network had pledged to spend $889 million on policy and political battles headed into November 2016. But Charles Koch said in October that the political network of donors revised its estimate and instead planned on spending $750 million on politics over two years.

So Charles isn't feeling the love? Poor baby. I can hear him now as the campaign finance laws are reformed and Citizens United is overturned! The reduction is still a drop inthe bucket!

Mediaite — Cruz defiantly scoffed off recent criticism by Republican opponent Donald Trump regarding his citizenship by proclaiming that the question is “settled law.” Here is the thing. It is not. In fact, the meaning of natural born is just simply not defined in the U.S. Constitution.

There are three basic requirements for presidency. First, the President must be 35 years old or older. Second, he or she must be a “Resident” of the Unites States for fourteen years. But the third one is vague and is the heart of the controversy. The President must be a “natural born Citizen.” Mr. Cruz – a Harvard Law grad, an attorney and former state solicitor general – should know that.

Certainly, Trump is test driving his "birther" screed on Cruz, but so far, not as vehemently as he did with Obama . . . yet! And then there is the notion put forth in Talking Points Memo that Cruz's mother may have become a Canadian. Personally, I doubt it. And of course, the Coultergeist, a Trump supporter, weighed in on the issue in her usual flip-flop style in Mediaite.

My Universe — h/t JL

I could not get the video embeded so click here to watch. When the picture appears, click in the middle of it and the fun begins.

I'm ready for the video! Who's got the popcorn?

Cross Border Sniping

Posted by Lynn Squance at 4:23 am Politics

Jan 082016

I started out doing a short take for today's Squatch's Open Thread about TransCanada's NAFTA challenge, but things rather mushroomed. TC covered TransCanada in his lead article while I chose to take a broader approach.

There are two actions that TransCanada Corp has announced it is taking in regards to the Keystone XL rejection:

a challenge under NAFTA against the US Government; and
a lawsuit filed in US federal court in Houston, Texas.

National Post — TransCanada Corp. said Wednesday it intends to file a challenge under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) seeking US$15-billion in damages from the United States government over President Barack Obama’s denial of the Keystone XL pipeline. …

In a 27-page notice of intent to pursue the NAFTA challenge, the Calgary-based pipeline company said Obama’s denial was politically driven, directly contrary to the conclusions of own administration’s studies, and in violation of U.S. obligations under the agreement.

From the Globe and Mail

Toronto trade lawyer Lawrence Herman said …

“I’ve thought for some time that that this was a politicized issue, and there are good arguments that decisions affecting Keystone were based on political considerations. To the degree that that is so, TransCanada has a viable if not a strong case.”

Continuing from the National Post

In addition, the Calgary-based company filed a lawsuit in U.S. Federal Court in Houston claiming Obama’s decision to deny construction of Keystone XL exceeded his power under the U.S. Constitution. …

The lawsuit in Texas does not seek damages, but a declaration that the permit denial is without legal merit and that construction of the pipeline can proceed without further presidential action. …

TransCanada has pondered a NAFTA challenge for some time, but the Texas lawsuit — it names U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Charles Johnson, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell — was not expected.

Some might remember that from the beginning, the Keystone XL and TransCanada Corp have been the focus of much talk, and not just over the water cooler. Here are some of the Politics Plus articles going back to 2011: Keystone XL WOULD Increase Carbon Pollution, Keystone XL Defeated, Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline, New Keystone XL Investigation, Deck stacked for Keystone XL, Keystone Delayed, The Keystone Debacle.

TransCanada has admitted in the past that it substantially inflated employment numbers in the US. During the 2012 election campaign, Republicans were pushing the "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" and invoked TransCanada as a jobs creator saying that there were tens of thousands of jobs. Ib fact there would be a couple thousand temporary construction jobs and less than 100 permanent jobs. Take into account that the EIS at one point was arranged and paid for by TransCanada. Shame on TransCanada for trying to hide that conflict and on the State Department for allowing it. Here's a record of TransCanada's lobbying through the first half of 2013 . . . big money.

In Canada, former PM Stephen Harper and the Conservatives backed the Keystone XL. DeSmog reported:

In October 2013 the Liberal party backed the Keystone XL pipeline and won confidence from oil industry supporters when Trudeau told the Calgary Petroleum Club, “Let me be clear: I support Keystone XL.”

But Trudeau also added, “Perhaps the greatest indictment of the [Conservative] government is this: it has had the better part of a decade to remove the barriers preventing the U.S. from approving this project.”

“The [Conservative government] poked and prodded, annoyed and irritated the Obama administration at every turn. Largely, I suspect, because they don’t know how to work with people who don’t share their ideology.”

… Both Dion and Trudeau indicated that although they support the Keystone XL, they respect the decision-making authority of the Obama administration — something the Harper government continuously strained diplomatic relations by failing to do. During his years of lobbying for the pipeline, Harper forcefully said he wouldn’t “take no for an answer” and called its approval a “no brainer.”

So both Canadian governments ultimately support the pipeline, the former government being more forceful, less respectful.

But there is also another NAFTA challenge that has been before the tribunal since 2013 — Lone Pine Resources Inc. v. Government of Canada. From Global Affairs Canada,

The claimant alleges that LPRC has contractual interests relating to five contiguous exploration licences for petroleum, natural gas and underground reservoirs (“exploration licences”) located near Trois-Rivières [see map below]. These interests stem from a farmout agreement signed with the holder of these exploration licences, a Canadian company named Junex Inc. Four of the exploration licences are located on land and one is located in the St. Lawrence River.

The exploration licence located in the St. Lawrence River was revoked following the coming into force, on June 13, 2011, of a Quebec law titled An Act to limit oil and gas activities (“Act”). The Act revokes exploration licences located in the St. Lawrence River and limits the area of those that cross the water’s edge to their land portion.

The Act was passed in response to the findings of a strategic environmental study on hydrocarbon development in the maritime estuary basin and the northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence, which concludes that this environment is not conducive to hydrocarbon development activities. This study was preceded by numerous other studies that, since 2003, have been analyzing the impact of hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation activities on the biophysical and human environment of the St. Lawrence River.

In addition to studies on hydrocarbon development in the St. Lawrence River, the Government of Quebec devotes considerable resources to documenting and assessing the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the shale gas industry. Since February 2011, reports from Quebec’s Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (“BAPE”) and studies conducted as part of strategic environmental studies have been establishing the existence of risks to the biophysical and human environment tied to shale gas development activities involving hydraulic fracturing.

One thing to note, the St Lawrence River freezes each winter westward from Québec City, creating additional risks. You can also review the Lone Pine Resources' challenge at the Council of Canadians website.

Both of these challenges to the sovereignty of our two nations by corporations need to be put in their place . . . in the dumpster. Trade agreements like NAFTA, TPP, TTIP, TISA and CETA are nothing more than corporate power grabs. Where are the people in all these agreements? . . . slaves to corporations.

See lists of NAFTA challenges at the following sources:

Global Affairs Canada, and
US Department of State.

Squatch’s Open Thread 07/01/2016

Posted by Lynn Squance at 4:23 am Open Thread, Politics

Jan 082016

No earth shattering events today. Tomorrow will be busy, and next week unbelievably busy.

Short Takes

Huffington Post — A widely circulated post on social media alleging Syrian refugees receive more money for food than Canadians on welfare is not true, say federal and provincial officials who also debunk other widely circulated claims.

The Facebook post, which also appears on Instagram, began circulating on Dec.18, and government officials say it is the latest in a series of false claims on social media. …

Federal and provincial officials told CBC News that the figures are simply "not correct," and federal monthly support for Syrian refugees is based on provincial and territorial welfare rates.

The haters are at it again! Unfortunately, there will always be people who will hate, who cannot see justice except for themselves.

The Nation — From the look of the presidential campaign, war crimes are back on the American agenda. We really shouldn’t be surprised, because American officials got away with it last time—and, in the case of the drone wars, continue to get away with it today. Still, there’s nothing like the heady combination of a “populist” Republican race for the presidency and national hysteria over terrorism to make Americans want to reach for those “enhanced interrogation techniques.” That, as critics have long argued, is what usually happens if war crimes aren’t prosecuted. …

The recent history of US torture, he [Obama] said, “needs to be understood and accepted. We have to as a country take responsibility for that so hopefully we don’t do it again in the future.”

So what is this "we"? The average American had no say in the use of torture and other war crimes (ie carpet bombing). I suppose some might argue that "we the people" elected the leaders, but why? Surely it wasn't to commit war crimes. Now the Republican presidential aspirants openly advocate policies to use methods of war classified as war crimes. The article mentions a report, “No More Excuses”, released 01/12/2015 which makes the following recommendations:

To US Authorities

The Attorney General, with the support of the president, should appoint a special prosecutor to conduct a thorough, independent, and credible criminal investigation into the CIA torture that examines all evidence, including statements from current and former detainees.
The president should acknowledge wrongdoing, apologize to victims of torture, and devise policies ensuring that victims receive appropriate redress, compensation, and rehabilitation services.
The president should declassify the full Senate Intelligence Committee Report on the CIA rendition, detention, and interrogation program, redacting only what is strictly necessary to protect national security, to ensure there is a full public accounting of government wrongdoing and that victims of torture can obtain redress.

To legitimately be the leader of the free world, the US and its government officials must walk the talk, respecting international law. That will mean holding leaders and former leaders accountable. To agree with the trials of Milosevic and Hussein at The Hague, but not ratify the creation of the ICC, is the height of disrespect for international law.

Huffington Post — Democratic lawmakers in Maine plan to move forward with a motion next week that could result in Gov. Paul LePage's (R) impeachment. …

The House order would establish an investigatory committee to look at eight separate charges against LePage, including the one regarding Good Will-Hinckley. It would report back to the legislature with its findings by April 1.

"This would set up a House investigation committee to look at all eight counts in their totality to see if there is a clear pattern of abuse of power, misuse of public assets, any violations of state law," Chipman said. "We feel pretty confident there have been violations of law and that we'll probably be voting on impeachment."

Another "Divisive asshole" and bully. I wonder if LePage is a Trump wannabe. This is not LePage's first threat of impeachment, the first being in June 2013.

Travelogue — I thought I might, from time to time, show you some beautiful locations. The Earth as art!

The Grand Canyon

The Wave, Arizona

My Universe —

Squatch’s Open Thread 06/01/2016

Posted by Lynn Squance at 6:57 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jan 062016

It has been a record physiotherapy day. I did 50 minutes of bike riding and 40 reps of 5 resistance exercises on top of ultrasound, traction and chiropractic. Three hours work which left me with low blood sugars and tired. But all is well. As soon as I am done here, I have a date with an ice pack and my favourite chair!

Huffington Post — Brandon Nichols knows first hand what it's like to get poisoned by mercury.

"I got mercury poisoning two or three times," he told CBC news. "I got some serious headaches."

The University of British Columbia grad student had been in South America, researching small scale gold mining operations in Ecuador and their use of mercury.

Mercury is widely used by the miners because it bonds with gold, allowing it be more easily separated from the ore hauled out of countless mines dotting the countryside.

The widespread use of the toxic liquid metal is creating a long lasting environmental hazard that starts with ore processing and travels all the way up the food chain. But much of it is hidden in remote corners of the developing world so it's receiving little attention.

Click through for more on an environmental catastrophe that we hear little about, but which we can reduce.

Alternet — While U.S. politics has a long history of nasty elections and ugly fights, it is now fair to say that Donald Trump wins the award for the most polarizing and offensive top-ranked candidate in our nation’s history. Put simply, he’s an asshole. And so are his supporters. That story has been covered, so I won’t rehash it here. Instead the question that I want to ask is how his divisive bigotry is affecting the rest of us.

Trump’s politics are not just based on bigotry; they are based on hostility. They are founded on a winner-take-all strategy that characterizes anyone who disagrees with Trump as a loser. It’s a politics of bullying and bluster. But the problem is that bullying becomes the defining political discourse.

Republicans notoriously refer to Obama as a very divisive person, which is a lie in my view. If we measure divisiveness by how often Republicans don't get their own way, then I suppose Obama is divisive, but that is not how it is measured. Obama, although not perfect, tries to put people first which is anathema to Republicans, who delight in building up the rich and corporations. "Divisive asshole" is the perfect name for Trump. And the fact that so many people believe his fearmongering, while the MSM delight in promoting all his bullshit which provided titillation to "the masses", is abhorrent.

Politicususa — The Massachusetts Senator crystallized the issue by calling out Republicans for working for the NRA instead of the people, “If the Republican Party would rather work for the NRA than the American people and if they won’t do their jobs to keep our children safe, then somebody else has to step up.”

“And that’s why I strongly support President Obama’s actions to use the existing laws on the books to reduce background check loopholes, to increase mental health treatment and reporting and to improve enforcement of our gun laws,” she clarified, carefully using the phrase “existing laws on the books” to counter Republican claims that the President doesn’t have this authority.

Go Lizzie!

My Universe —

Squatch’s Open Thread 05/01/2016

Posted by Lynn Squance at 9:05 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jan 052016

Yesterday I woke up to about 2.5 centimetres of snow on the ground while today it was freezing rain for a short time. The temperatures warmed up during the day so no more ice or snow, at least not on the ground about me. But a quick look upwards yields a beautiful sight . . . more snow on the mountains behind me. What a glorious view!

Short Takes

Common Dreams — Speaking just blocks away from the belly of the beast, presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on Tuesday gave a major policy speech during which he laid out his plan to take on Wall Street and end the era of "too big to fail" banking.

"To those on Wall Street who may be listening today, let me be very clear," Sanders said. "Greed is not good. Wall Street and corporate greed is destroying the fabric of our nation. And, here is a New Year’s Resolution that we will keep: If you do not end your greed we will end it for you."

A great speech from Bernie, and he is so correct . . . the US needs Glass-Steagall. The world needs Glass-Steagall in the US.

Council of Canadians — On October 5, 2015, Canada, the United States, Mexico and nine other countries – together representing more than 40 per cent of the global economy – announced the conclusion of negotiations on the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership “free trade” deal.

The Council of Canadians opposes this deal because it includes an investor-state dispute settlement provision that allows transnational corporations to sue governments over legislation or policies made in the public interest, it extends the patent length (and profits) of pharmaceutical corporations by delaying the introduction of lower cost generic drugs, it slashes the domestic content requirement for automobiles, putting thousands of autoworker jobs at risks, and it undermines family farmers by opening up the Canadian dairy market to imports without creating new export markets for Canadian farmers.

The TPP could be voted on in the new Parliament early in 2016 and is expected to face a U.S. Congressional vote in the spring of 2016.

Read on in Council of Canadians.

The TPP directly threatens:

Public health and access to medicines: The U.S. is using the TPP to push for excessive patent protections and other intellectual property rights that are guaranteed to make medication much more expensive in Canada and even inaccessible to the poorest countries involved in the negotiations. Across the world, health advocates claim it is a matter of life and death that we say no to these changes in the TPP.

Click through for more details. The video below is followed by a RootsAction petition if you haven't already signed it.

Petition to Stop the TPP

My objection to this deal can be summed up in three words: People not profits! Just before Christmas, my student received news from her family in South Sudan . . . a close friend, who was like a sister but younger than her, died. She had been ill a short time but with no doctor nearby and no money to buy medicine, her fate was sealed. Her aunt's daughter-in-law who is very ill, will likely meet the same fate. In the US, how many people cannot afford life saving drugs and medical treatment, even with Obamacare. You generally can thank Republicans for that . . . and their corporate masters! But the TPP affects more than just pharmaceuticals. People before profits!

Common Dreams — American big business has now officially endorsed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), giving many all the proof they need that the 12-nation deal—poised to be the largest ever—is bad news for people and the planet. …

That endorsement followed Monday's announcement from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) that it is throwing its weight behind the pact. "Open markets encourage cooperation and prosperity among nations and governments, rather than conflict, …"

And if you believe that highlighted line, have I got a bridge over swamp land to sell!

YouTube — Two videos from John Oliver,

And now a lighter look at resolutions.

My Universe —

And you thought it was only in Narnia and Lord of the Rings that trees showed their faces!

Squatch’s Open Thread 04/01/2016

Posted by Lynn Squance at 2:07 am Open Thread, Politics

Jan 052016

I said yesterday that today would be busy, and it was. I arrived home finally about 18:30 and sat down to relax . . . that was that for about 2 hours. Tomorrow should be more relaxed. Certainly was nice to come home to 3 purring furbabies.

Short Takes

Alternet — America has succumbed to a vicious cycle in which great wealth translates into political power, which generates even more wealth, and even more power. …

The progressive era welled up in the last decade of the nineteenth century because millions of Americans saw that wealth and power at the top were undermining American democracy and stacking the economic deck. Millions of Americans overcame their cynicism and began to mobilize. …

… it is up to the rest of us to continue to organize and mobilize. Real reform will require many years of hard work from millions of us.

"Real reform will require many years of hard work from millions of us." This is the bottom line! Getting out the vote. Unrelentingly pushing for change. We are still in an age of instant gratification. But we have to realise that change does not happen over night. Change takes time, persistence and dedication.

Mother Jones — Between the shooting deaths of three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court's decision to hear its first abortion-related case in nine years, and the more than 50 new abortion restriction laws enacted by state governments, abortion access was one of the most important issues of 2015. With presidential politics and ongoing legal challenges in the states, abortion rights will continue to be under fire in 2016.

"Last year's big events, like the Planned Parenthood videos and the Supreme Court case, have actually ginned up even more interest in restricting abortion," Elizabeth Nash, a senior state issues associate at the Guttmacher Institute, tells Mother Jones. "If it was possible, they've actually added more energy to decreasing abortion access."

Republicans say they want small government, but they insist on making more repressive laws that affect women. And family values? They have no idea what true family values are!

Huffington Post — California lawmakers can ask for voters' opinions on campaign-spending laws after the California Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Legislature's power to use advisory ballot measures.

In a 6-1 decision, the Golden State's high court ruled lawmakers have the power to place a nonbinding measure on statewide ballots asking voters if Congress should be spurred to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling on unlimited independent campaign donations.

This sounds promising , another tool in the End Citizens United tool box, at least in California. Will similar measures catch on in other states? Certainly not in Republican states. Citizens United should have never come to be.

My Universe —

The natural order!

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