Thursday Open Thread | Otis Redding Jr Week

Posted on April 2, 2015 by rikyrah

Hope you’re enjoying Otis.

OtisReddingStatue

OR08

images

images (3)

IMG_0774__16407.1410094303.1280.1280

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

91 Responses to Thursday Open Thread | Otis Redding Jr Week

  5. SouthernGirl2 says:
    April 2, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    Pound sand, Netanyahu! Israel is not threatened. Your fear mongering has played out. USA need to cut ties now!

    https://twitter.com/AP/status/583768816385183747

    Reply
  6. majiir says:
    April 2, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Yes, Ametia, I am so enjoying this focus on Otis Redding.

    Thank you for this great review of his life and his contributions to this country!

    You’re a real gem, a diamond, in fact!!

    Reply
  7. SouthernGirl2 says:
    April 2, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    Nerdy Wonka killing me with this gif….

    President Obama: “Iran will never be permitted to develop nuclear weapons.”

    https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/583738390866104320

    Reply
  8. SouthernGirl2 says:
    April 2, 2015 at 3:31 pm

    Blah blah fuckety blah…

    Israel dismisses Iran nuclear framework as detached from reality.

    http://j.mp/1FmY9JF

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      April 2, 2015 at 6:36 pm

      In other words, Bibi is crying and is in a state of severe emotional distress. Boehner doesn’t know what to do except hold his hand and commiserate with him about how PBO is Israel’s “worst enemy.” These b*tches underestimated President Obama’s ability to get this deal. They are soooo butthurt that a framework for an agreement has been reached. It is a slap in their faces, and it is a stunning international revelation that their best efforts to derail the P5+1 negotiations has been a major failure.

      Reply
  9. Liza says:
    April 2, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    I heard this about a month ago for the first time. Well, it’s not “Glory” but it was done by a local band here in Tuscon for a documentary. It’s quite good.

    Reply
  10. Liza says:
    April 2, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    I’ve loved Otis Redding since childhood. One of my older sisters played the radio a lot when she was in high school, always tuned to WAPE, “The Big Ape” in Jacksonville, Florida. I remember “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” was one of my favorites. WAPE was a great radio station back then. They played all the popular music without racial bias. Kind of reminiscent of the Texas radio stations that I would hear later, after college. I don’t know what it’s like now, but Texas had the best radio stations back in the 70s. The DJs were music historians, you could always find a good station.

    Reply
    • Kathleen says:
      April 2, 2015 at 4:53 pm

      I still have my 45 of Try A Little Tenderness. He exudes such maturity in his demeanor and his voice as well as an “old soul” wisdom. It’s hard to believe he was only 26 years old when he died.

      Reply
  11. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    Tom Cotton: At Least Arkansas Doesn’t ‘Hang You For The Crime Of Being Gay’

    ByTRACY WALSH
    PublishedAPRIL 2, 2015, 11:31 AM EDT

    Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Wednesday tried deflect criticism of anti-gay legislation in his home state by saying that LGBT people in Iran are treated much worse.

    “I think it’s important we have a sense of perspective about our priorities,” Cotton said on CNN’s “The Situation Room” Wednesday, after host Wolf Blitzer asked him for reaction to the Arkansas governor’s decision not to sign the state’s contentious religious-freedom act. “In Iran, they hang you for the crime of being gay.”

    “They’re currently imprisoning an American preacher for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in Iran,” he continued. “We should focus on the most important priorities that our country faces right now,” he said.

    Watch below via ThinkProgress Video:

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/tom-cotton-gay-arkansas-iran

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      April 2, 2015 at 6:42 pm

      The American preacher Cotton is talking about should have studied Iranian law before setting foot in the country. If he had, he would have discovered that Christians are welcome in Iran and can practice their religion, but what they can’t do is proselytize by trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. The dude broke Iranian law, which is why he’s in prison. This reminds me of the old adage, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” An American cannot go to a foreign nation, break the nation’s laws and expect not to be punished for doing it. Cotton is still peddling ignorance and pandering to Christians who don’t know they cannot do the things in foreign nations that they do in the U.S.

      Reply
  13. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 2:40 pm

    ABC News ✔ @ABC

    JUST IN: Kenyan government confirms 147 killed in Al-Shabab attack at university earlier today
    Retweeted by PragmaticObotsUnite

    Reply
  14. SouthernGirl2 says:
    April 2, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    So grateful to have @BarackObama as President and @JohnKerry as Secretary of State at this moment in time. Thank you, God! #IranTalks

    Reply
  15. SouthernGirl2 says:
    April 2, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    What did Hillary get done as SoS? Not jack ISH.

    Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 1:40 pm

    Cotton compares US to Iran, sees discrimination as unimportant
    04/02/15 11:16 AM
    By Steve Benen
    With his home state of Arkansas embroiled in a controversy over a right-to-discriminate bill, Sen. Tom Cotton (R) was asked yesterday about how his state should proceed. “In Arkansas, we believe in religious freedom,” the far-right senator replied.

    CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reminded the Republican, “Everybody believes in religious freedom. The question is the discrimination, potential discrimination against gay Americans.” Believe it or not, this was Cotton’s response (via Judd Legum):
    “I also think it’s important that we have a sense of perspective about our priorities. In Iran they hang you for the crime of being gay. They’re currently imprisoning an American preacher for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in Iran. We should focus on the most important priorities our country faces right now.

    “And I would say that a nuclear armed Iran, given the threat that it poses to the region and to our interests in the region and American citizens, is the most important thing that we’d be focused on.”
    He didn’t appear to be kidding.

    It’s an incredible perspective for anyone to share, but for a U.S. senator to make this argument on national television is striking, even by 2015 standards. Arkansas’ legislature approved a proposal that would empower business owners to legally discriminate against members of the public. For Tom Cotton to endorse such a proposal would be par for the course.

    But note that his argument goes much further: the far-right senator effectively argued that gays shouldn’t complain too much about discrimination, since Arkansas is at least better than Iran. That’s his point of comparison – Cotton doesn’t compare Arkansas to America’s highest ideals; he compares his home state to a Middle Eastern theocracy.

    Sorry, gay Americans, you may face discrimination in your own country, but Arkansas isn’t talking about arresting or executing you, so apparently Tom Cotton doesn’t want to hear your complaints.

    Let’s also not overlook the fact that the senator seemed annoyed that a debate over discrimination even exists at all. As Cotton argued, “the most important thing” is whether or not Iran might, at some point in the future, have a nuclear weapon, not whether some of his constituents face public discrimination. That, the Arkansas Republican said, is what we should all “be focused on.”

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/cotton-compares-us-iran-sees-discrimination-unimportant

    Reply
  21. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 1:35 pm

    the Clown Car

    ………………….

    But just over the last 24 hours, the political world has received a timely reminder about the volatility of the early standings. Consider, for example, the new national survey from Public Policy Polling, which suggests the Republicans’ top tier has a new member.

    1. Scott Walker 20%
    2. Jeb Bush 17%
    3. Ted Cruz 16%

    Note, Cruz saw his support more than triple since the previous PPP survey in late February. (In this poll, Carson and Rand Paul were at 10% each, creating a second tier, and no one else reached double digits.)

    There’s also this new Washington Post/ABC News poll of Republican voters:

    1. Jeb Bush 20%
    2. Ted Cruz 13%
    3. Scott Walker 12%

    http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2015/04/cruz-enters-top-tier-of-gop-hopefuls.html

    Reply
  26. SouthernGirl2 says:
    April 2, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    John Kerry ROCKS!

    Reply
  33. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak on Ditching Real Housewives “Monsters” for New Show
    by CHRIS HARNICK Tue., Mar. 31, 2015 11:00 AM PDT

    Bloop! NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak Biermann are hitting the road for a new reality show. Yep, it’s NeNe and Kim are taking a road trip with cameras in town for NeNe and Kim: The Road to Riches. The Atlanta ladies are heading to Los Angeles for the new show and to say they’re excited is an understatement.
    “Well, one of the things I’m most excited about is working with Kim, just the two of us,” NeNe told E! News after her show was announced at Bravo, Oxygen and Esquire’s Upfront presentation in New York. “I just left Housewives where I was working with like, six monsters.”
    Kim and NeNe costarred on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta for five seasons where they had their fair share of ups and downs, but they’re now in a good place. “Working on a show like [Real Housewives] tears friendships apart,” NeNe said. “It’s hard.”

    http://www.eonline.com/news/641389/nene-leakes-and-kim-zolciak-on-ditching-real-housewives-monsters-for-new-show

    Reply
    • Kathleen says:
      April 2, 2015 at 5:04 pm

      Why do I have the feeling he is not what he “seems” to be – that he is a tool in a nefarious scheme against Liv and Co. Am I too suspicious?

      Reply
  35. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    April 2, 2015 at 11:37 am

    I love the bronze sculpture of Otis Redding!

    Thanks for posting it, Ametia :)

    Reply
  36. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    April 2, 2015 at 10:44 am

    https://youtu.be/1e0ah8SMAVw&rel=0

    Published on Mar 12, 2015 by CountyCollegeMorris

    “Chanceman’s Brothers & Sisters: The Origins of the 20th Century Morris County Black Community was produced by County College of Morris (CCM) professor Rita Heller (Executive Producer and Project Director) and Vera Aronow (Producer) in 1998. It is the important story of how a small black community evolved in bucolic Morris County during much of the twentieth century. Confronted with deep-rooted racism, which also affected Catholics, Jews, and some ethnic groups, black families demonstrated cohesive pride and dignity. This resulted in self-contained communities in which religion and education were hallmarks. There were often stylish tea and dinner parties.

    “The recollections of early members of this black community do not gloss over the massive discrimination. What one senses is how well they flourished, despite being marginalized by the white majority. Gwen Boyce Squier recounts how her father, a chauffeur, quit, when his employer was incensed that Mr. Boyce had once driven his daughter to school. Robert Banks, the first black policeman in Boonton, discusses the local reaction, prior to his being named Boonton’s first black police chief.

    “This documentary was cast within both a broader as well as a more detailed context at a videoed 1999 conference held at CCM. Professor Clement Price provided a vivid historical framework relating the black Morris County story to the Great Migration that brought a small number of blacks to various New Jersey communities. He stressed the importance of documentaries and oral history to recall these early years in which great dignity and courage confronted discrimination. Professor Price lauded this documentary as complementing written history and providing oral history where there is no written documentation.

    “Extensive interviews with John Pinkman and Robert Banks provided poignant stories of how black families and communities created their own social life and safety net. They also underscored the importance of education, and particularly of the Boydton Institute, established after the Civil War in Virginia for blacks by northern Presbyterians.

    Reply
  37. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    April 2, 2015 at 10:35 am

    “New York destroyed a village full of African American landowners to create Central Park”

    http://www.citymetric.com/skylines/new-york-destroyed-village-full-african-american-landowners-create-central-park-893

    Reply
  38. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 10:05 am

    from POU:

    Miranda

    I am always intrigued by the tweets from @afamhistfail – a tour guide at a plantation. This is a series of tweets on what happened with a tour yesterday. The last tweet is from this morning.
    —————————–
    We’re debuting a new slavery tour at the historic mansion today, and so far it’s going very well.

    Most of the tourists have been in a good mood and receptive to information about slavery.

    With one notable exception.

    One lady stayed late after my coworker’s tour. “What is your name?” she demanded of the guide.

    My coworker gave her name. The tourist continued, “Well, I just want you to know that was the worst tour I’ve ever been on.”

    Tourist: “You talked way too much about the slaves and not enough about the [family that owned them].”

    My coworker was like, “Well, my job title is slavery specialist.”

    The tourist kept barging on. “EVERYBODY owned slaves back then. EVERYBODY had servants. I came here to learn abt the [slaveowning family].”

    The other people in the tour were staring at this point. The lady was full-on yelling at my coworker.

    Tourist: “I’ve been coming here for years, & I wanted to hear about [slaveowning family]. You just talked about the slaves the whole time.”

    My coworker tried to gently interrupt the yelling. The tourist yelled, “CAN I JUST FINISH.”

    When she had tired herself out, the offending tourist stormed away.

    Presumable in search of more information about white people.

    (this tweet from this morning)
    Apparently yesterday a tourist came up to a coworker of mine and demanded primary documentation for every slave fact that was uttered.

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 9:53 am

    Kaiser on the Cleveland Clinic:

    The Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest hospitals in the country, has cut its charity care spending — or the cost of free care provided to patients who can’t afford to pay — to $101 million in 2014 compared with $171 million in

    Reply
  40. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 9:50 am

    this is a nice sized list

    …………..

    List of Hudson County politicians convicted of corruption charges

    Today U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, the former Union City mayor, was indicted on charges that include conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud. Here’s a list of some Hudson County politicians and power brokers who were charged and convicted on corruption counts:

    http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/04/hudson_county_politics_convicted_of_corruption_cha.html#incart_maj-story-1

    Reply
  42. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 9:07 am

    Scott Walker pledges to ‘push back’ on Obamacare

    Governor also speaks about federal ethanol mandate, national debt

    By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel

    Brookfield— Speaking before a conservative audience Wednesday, Gov. Scott Walker suggested he would not allow Wisconsin to set up a health care exchange if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a portion of Obamacare.

    “We’re going to push back,” the likely Republican presidential candidate said of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

    “This president of the United States — they’ve got to come up with a solution….They’re going to try to put the pressure on us but we need to put the pressure right back on them.”

    Walker spoke at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts as part of the “Insight 2015” program put on by WTMJ-AM (620) host Charlie Sykes. The event will be broadcast from 8:30 a.m. to noon Thursday.

    The Supreme Court is now considering a case that argues tax credits to subsidize health care can be given only to those who sign up for health care through insurance exchanges established by states — and not ones set up by the federal government. Like some other states, Wisconsin does not have its own exchange and people here rely on a federal exchange.

    If the Supreme Court rules against the Obama administration, there will be pressure on states like Wisconsin to establish exchanges. There will also be a push for Congress and the president to reach a deal changing the Affordable Care Act — and Walker said that’s who should address the issue.

    http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-says-hell-make-major-announcement-wednesday-b99473239z1-298312041.html

    Reply
  43. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 9:06 am

    Don’t wreck religious liberty’s brand

    By E.J. Dionne Jr. Opinion writer April 1 at 7:49 PM 

    DURHAM, N.C.

    We are all obsessed with our brands these days, and no one more so than states competing fiercely for jobs and businesses. Some of them are quickly learning that being seen as anti-gay is dangerous to their image. As controversy engulfed Indiana over its religious-liberty law that would give legal recourse to those who discriminate against gay men and lesbians, leaders of North Carolina, which has one of the most conservative state governments in the country, were getting cold feet about passing a comparable statute.

    I think we need to show that if we approve this bill, that it will improve North Carolina’s brand,” said Tim Moore, the Republican speaker of the state House of Representatives. “Anything we do, we have to make sure we don’t harm our brand.”

    A new commandment now trumps some of the others: Thou shalt not spoil the brand.

    Gov. Pat McCrory (R) went further the day before on a Charlotte radio show, saying that the proposed law “makes no sense.” He asked: “What is the problem they’re trying to solve?” Meanwhile in Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) called on state lawmakers to recall a religious-liberty bill they had passed.

    This turn of events is coming as a shock to opponents of gay marriage. They thought that moving the fight to the ground of religious liberty was a politically shrewd fallback position now that courts are ratifying marriage equality. In our rights-oriented country, the best way to push back against one right is to assert a competing one.

    Conservatives have a fair claim up to a point — and now they have barreled past it. The legitimate argument is that the country has rapidly changed its mind on gay marriage even as many religious traditions continue to see homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage as sinful.

    Most supporters of gay marriage are willing to acknowledge (and should) that the law cannot force religious denominations to participate in activities they regard as deeply wrong. Most marriage-equality statutes have thus included broad exemptions. An objecting church, for example, cannot be forced to bless a same-sex union, nor can it be required to let its facilities be used to celebrate one. Those who want their faith communities to change their view of marriage have to work out the matter on the inside and not rely on the coercive power of the state.

    But opponents of gay marriage wanted more. Going far beyond what the original Religious Freedom Restoration Act had in mind at the federal level, they want a baker to be able to refuse to confect a cake for the reception after the ceremonies and for a florist to decline to provide the bouquets.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bad-for-the-brand-of-religious-liberty/2015/04/01/904973da-d8a0-11e4-b3f2-607bd612aeac_story.html

    Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 9:02 am

    DEMOCRATS WANT A CONTESTED PRIMARY: An interesting finding in a new Quinnipiac poll: Large numbers of Dems in the key swing states want Hillary Clinton to face a primary, rather than run unopposed. That view is held by 53 percent of Ohio Dems; 52 percent of Pennsylvania Dems; and a plurality of Florida Dems.

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      April 2, 2015 at 11:09 am

      I’m not surprised. The Democratic party leadership is surely at odds with Democratic voters and you can bet that I am one of them. What does Hillary have to offer? What has she accomplished on her own or in a leadership position? What does she even stand for? She’s been around a long time, perhaps too long because many of us just see a political wife turned politician who tries to stay in sync with the prevailing winds once she’s been told what those are. But the Clintons are Democratic party royalty and if Hillary wants to run they will smack down anyone who thinks they can challenge her. They want her to run unopposed, of course, because she won’t have to take a stand on anything until the general election.

      Reply
  45. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 8:30 am

    Morning Plum: Battle over religious liberty is likely to rage on

    By Greg Sargent April 2 at 9:13 AM 

    The Indianapolis Star is reporting that a deal has been reached between Indiana Republicans and business leaders to alter the state’s religious freedom law so it doesn’t enable discrimination by the state’s businesses against gays and lesbian customers. The paper says the compromise is likely to “rile socially conservative advocacy groups.”

    The particulars thus far:

    The compromise legislation specifies that the new religious freedom law cannot be used as a legal defense to discriminate against patrons based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

    The proposal goes much further than a “preamble” that was proposed earlier in the week, and, if it stands, would be the first time any protections against discrimination have been extended to gays and lesbians in state law. But it doesn’t go as far as establishing gays and lesbians as a protected class of citizens statewide or repealing the law outright, both things that Republican leaders have said they could not support.

    A draft circulated early Wednesday said that the new “religious freedom” law does not authorize a provider — including businesses or individuals — to refuse to offer or provide its services, facilities, goods, or public accommodation to any member of the public based on sexual orientation or gender identity, in addition to race, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, disability, sex, or military service.

    The details will matter, but for now, it looks as if conservatives may see this as a cave to secular liberals and a sell-out of religious liberty. How will the 2016 GOP candidates react? Will they agree that this represents capitulation, or will they urge fellow Republicans to move on?

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/04/02/morning-plum-battle-over-religious-liberty-is-likely-to-rage-on/

    Reply
  46. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 8:28 am

    Under Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Opens the Door to Privatizing Half its Public Housing

    Residents fear that a new redevelopment initiative will usher in another wave of displacement.
    BY Rebecca Burns

    Chicago, long a pioneer of privatization, is poised to embark on a sweeping experiment with the city’s public-housing stock. The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) plans to court private investment in as much as half of its public-housing units through the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), a new federal program billed as a way to “revitalize” housing for the poor and address a $26 billion backlog in needed repairs.

    But housing advocates around the country worry that RAD is just a prelude to privatization. RAD, approved by Congress in 2011, gives local housing authorities broad latitude to raise funds, including the ability to mortgage or sell public-housing buildings. Critics believes that if public housing is opened up to the vagaries of the mortgage market and the whims of private developers, large swaths of low-income housing could wind up in foreclosure, or become luxury condos once RAD’s affordability requirements expire.

    Steven Knight, supervising attorney at the National Housing Law Project, says that the program’s “stated goals are very laudable” but “the devil is in the details–local housing authorities have to get these transactions right, and if they don’t, the consequences may be severe and long-lasting.”

    So, will Chicago get it right? RAD arrives in the city as the CHA is already under fire for failing to spend millions of dollars earmarked for affordable housing while amassing at least $440 million in cash reserves, even as more than 280,000 people sit on its housing waitlist. These financial shenanigans were enabled in large part by the CHA’s deregulation in 2000 under now-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s, who pushed to remove federal oversight of the housing authority’s budget as vice chairman of its board.

    As mayor, Emanuel has been lambasted by housing activists and progressive challenger Jesus “Chuy” Garcia for blocking reform of the CHA, whose board the mayor appoints. Over the course of Emanuel’s tenure, notes an investigation this month in the Huffington Post, “the CHA has become as much an investment fund as a housing agency,” using its funds to pay down its debts early, purchase government bonds and secure a AA credit rating.

    Housing advocates fear that the CHA’s transformation into an asset manager, rather than a direct provider of housing, is about to be intensified through RAD. (The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the initiative).

    The CHA has submitted the largest RAD request of any U.S. city, for nearly 11,000 public-housing units. The agency is still waiting for approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), but is moving ahead with plans to implement RAD, stirring suspicions among public-housing residents that they will be left out of crucial decisions.

    http://inthesetimes.com/article/17793/is-rahm-emanuel-planning-to-privatize-chicagos-public-housing

    Reply
  47. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 8:22 am

    How religious refusals could go far beyond LGBT weddings
    04/01/15 06:54 AM
    By Irin Carmon
    In the recent controversy over broadened religious exemptions in laws passed by Indiana and Arkansas, we’ve heard a lot about weddings between same-sex couples — the cake not baked, the flowers not provided. But judging from the vast scope of religious exemption claims that have already been made across the country, this does not begin and end with weddings, or with LGBT people. Such laws have potentially sweeping implications for medical care, housing and employment discrimination, and for any group that could find itself on the wrong side of a religious belief.

    Attempts to seek religious exemptions from civil rights laws aren’t new. In the Jim Crow era, segregationists cited their religious beliefs to try to get out of following civil rights laws at, to name one famous example, their restaurants. A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court told Maurice Bessinger, the unrepentantly pro-slavery South Carolina barbecue owner, in 1968 that he couldn’t use religion to defy desegregation. Decades later, he told a newspaper that he had no regrets. “It is really a constitutional right — whether a man has the right to run his business without governmental interference,” Bessinger, now deceased, said.

    Back then, there were no religious freedom laws that exempted people from generally applicable laws. Of course, just making a claim that your religion mandates an exception doesn’t mean it gets accepted — the government’s compelling interest has to be balanced against the religious claim. A man could in theory claim that he had a religious reason for beating his wife, but the government would respond that it has a compelling interest in keeping its citizens safe.

    But that doesn’t mean religious liberty claims haven’t already found themselves in direct conflict with other people’s rights, and such conflicts are likely to proliferate under ever-broader exemption laws. “We know that there are some people who have religious beliefs that will harm women,” said Gretchen Borchelt, vice president for health and reproductive rights at the National Women’s Law Center.

    Can a landlord deny an apartment to a single mother because of religious disapproval of non-marital sex? Can an employer cite his or her religious belief for firing an employee for getting pregnant or for the employee using in-vitro fertilization? Or for denying that employee benefits?

    http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/how-religious-refusals-could-go-far-beyond-lgbt-weddings

    Reply
  48. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 8:20 am

    McConnell borrows from ‘Tom Cotton’s playbook’
    04/01/15 02:50 PM—UPDATED 04/01/15 03:05 PM
    By Steve Benen

    Last month, 47 Senate Republicans surprised much of the world by sending a letter to Iranian officials, trying to derail international nuclear talks and sabotage American foreign policy. The stunt didn’t work, but the initiative itself was dangerous: when the United States communicates with foreign nations, it’s important that the world hears one voice.

    Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and his 46 friends told a foreign foe the opposite: they told Iran not to trust U.S. negotiators.

    This month, ThinkProgress reports that Cotton’s stunt has apparently inspired a copycat.
    In an effort to undermine international negotiations aimed at combating climate change, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is telling other countries not to trust President Obama’s promise to significantly reduce the United States’ carbon emissions.

    In a statement released Tuesday, McConnell warned other countries to “proceed with caution” before pledging any carbon emissions reductions to the United Nations, saying the U.S. would likely not be able to meet its own climate goals.
    “Mitch McConnell has evidently stolen Tom Cotton’s playbook for undermining American leadership in the face of international crises,” a Sierra Club official said in a statement.

    The parallel between the two stunts matters.

    Just yesterday, the White House officially submitted emissions targets, formalizing a climate agreement Obama administration officials agreed to earlier. To make the process effective, other countries must take our commitment seriously.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mcconnell-borrows-tom-cottons-playbook

    Reply
  49. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 8:19 am

    Jeb throws the ‘I am my own man’ pitch out the window
    04/01/15 12:53 PM—UPDATED 04/01/15 02:53 PM
    By Steve Benen
    After Jeb Bush turned to his mother, father, and brother to help raise money for his super PAC, I joked last week that the Republican might have to turn to Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, Jeb’s son, for the next fundraising appeal. What I didn’t realize at the time was that it’s tough to joke about these guys.

    Rachel noted on the show last night that George P. Bush did, in fact, write the latest fundraising pitch for his father’s Right to Rise PAC.

    The former Florida governor is, as he recently boasted, his “own man,” though as Rachel explained, “every member of his powerful political family would like to have a word with you about sending Jeb some money.”

    Of course, it’s not just about cash. We recently learned that practically every member of Jeb Bush’s foreign policy team worked for his father, brother, or both, and Reuters reported last night that he’s embracing his brother’s economic team, too.
    Glenn Hubbard and Kevin Warsh, veteran Republican economic policymakers and critics of the Fed’s ultra-loose monetary policy, have emerged as top economic advisers to likely presidential candidate Jeb Bush, Republican sources said on Tuesday.

    Hubbard, who served as the top White House economist for former President George W. Bush, was one of the architects of Bush’s tax cuts. Hubbard also advised Mitt Romney in his 2012 bid for the presidency.
    After we learned that Condoleezza Rice has helped advise Jeb Bush, a source close to the campaign said there’s some “sensitivity” about signaling to the public that Bush “would be a carbon copy of his brother’s administration.”

    We’re apparently well past that now.

    But in the case of Glenn Hubbard, we’re not just talking about one of the architects of the Bush/Cheney economic agenda, we’re also talking about a unique political voice.

    As long-time readers may recall, Hubbard, during his tenure as chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under George W. Bush, not only defended ridiculous policies that didn’t work, the Bush White House had him promote policies he’d argued against before joining the president’s team – the kind of move that undermines an economist’s credibility.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/jeb-throws-the-i-am-my-own-man-pitch-out-the-window

    Reply
  50. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 8:15 am

    GOP leader: the popular parts of Obamacare don’t count
    04/01/15 04:41 PM
    By Steve Benen
    Last week, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), the House Republican Conference chair, thought she’d come up with a clever way to engage the public in a debate over health care. On Facebook, in honor of the Affordable Care Act’s fifth anniversary, the Republican lawmaker asked constituents to tell her about their horrible experiences with the ACA system.

    It failed rather spectacularly – people responded to McMorris Rodgers’ request with testimonials about how “Obamacare” has been a lifesaver for their families. The GOP congresswoman’s stunt backfired.

    As news of McMorris Rodgers’ misstep spread, the Republican leader was pressed for an explanation. Consider her response to the Spokesman-Review:
    McMorris Rodgers said Monday that many of the success stories seemed to be centered on reforms that both parties agreed on, rather than her concerns with the health care package.

    “The stories are largely around pre-existing conditions and those that are getting health insurance up to age 26,” she said. “That’s broad, bipartisan support for those provisions.”
    Ah, right. The Affordable Care Act, which McMorris Rodgers has voted literally dozens of times to destroy in its entirety, is filled with popular and effective provisions that help millions of families nationwide.

    According to McMorris Rodgers, however, those provisions don’t really count because she doesn’t hate those elements of the ACA, her voting record notwithstanding. She only hates the unpopular provisions.

    It’s a shallow, self-serving posture that simply cannot withstand serious scrutiny.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-leader-the-popular-parts-obamacare-dont-count

    Reply
  51. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 8:04 am

    Deborah Gregory’s YA Novel Series ‘Catwalk’ Will Be Adapted as a TV Series by Producer Jesse Collins

    By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
    April 1, 2015 at 2:59PM

    Author Deborah Gregory’s YA novel series “Catwalk” has been optioned by producer Jesse Collins (BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” BET Awards, The BET Honors, BET Hip Hop Awards) to develop as a scripted TV series, although no network is attached yet, although Collins recently inked a first-look deal with BET, so one might assume that the series may find a home there… or elsewhere.

    “Catwalk” follows Aphro, Angora, Pashmina and Felinez, 4 best friends at Manhattan’s Fashion International High School, who are about to enter the contest of their lives. Each year, students split up into Fashion Houses and compete to design, produce, and show fully original fashion lines. The winner gets a scholarship, a professional show, and a real shot at a career in fashion.

    The novel is described by reviewers as bouncy and smart, as well as a “fierce introduction to a fashion world where fabulosity trumps waist size, and there truly is room for everyone.”

    A search for a writer to adapt the novel is underway.

    Collins serving as executive producer through his Jesse Collins Entertainment shingle.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/deborah-gregorys-ya-novel-series-catwalk-will-be-adapted-as-a-tv-series-by-producer-jesse-collins-20150401

    Reply
  52. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 8:01 am

    Gunmen in Kenya Carry Out Deadly Attack on University
    By ISMA’IL KUSHKUSH and RUKMINI CALLIMACHI
    APRIL 2, 2015

    NAIROBI, Kenya — Gunmen attacked a university in eastern Kenya early Thursday and killed at least 14 people, according to news media reports, as they fought with armed officers and forced their way into student dormitories, the police said.

    The National Disaster Operation Center of Kenya said 65 people had been admitted to a hospital as a result of the attack at Garissa University College, most with gunshot wounds. Four critically wounded people were airlifted to Nairobi, the capital, for treatment, the center said on Twitter.

    A statement by the United States Embassy in Nairobi said that “according to the reports, there have been explosions and heavy gunfire at the school; hostages have been taken and Al Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack.”

    In 2013, an attack by the Shabab on an upscale mall in Nairobi killed 67 people.

    Augustine Alanga, 21, said he had been asleep in his dormitory room when the shooting began around 5:30 a.m. Startled and afraid, he said, he had bolted from his room, forgetting to put on his shoes and cutting his feet as he sprinted across the campus and into a nearby forest.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/world/africa/garissa-university-college-shooting-in-kenya.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

    Reply
  53. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 7:58 am

    Said yesterday that the phone call from Bentonville to the Governor must have been blistering

    https://twitter.com/mikiebarb/status/583460570290065408

    Reply
  55. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 7:55 am

    Been loving Otis!

    Reply
  56. rikyrah says:
    April 2, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply
  57. vitaminlover says:
    April 2, 2015 at 7:23 am

    Good morning, 3 chics! It’s off to work I go!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to LizaCancel reply