How exactly are lawmakers getting away with this?
If a Jewish congressman tried to outlaw pork the reaction would be outrage.
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Sandstone and Oyster Light
Things I think are funny, pretty, interesting, or important. Seeing as how I feature heavily in this blog, I apparently think i am very important.
~ Monday, August 27 ~
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~ Wednesday, May 23 ~
“ Nuclear power has huge problems.
Tags:
nuclear
nuclear power
fuel cycle
arizona
politics
sierra club
—
Sierra Club spokeswoman Sandy Bahr.
The Arizona legislature’s request for U.S. government funding that would implement a spent nuclear fuel recycling facility has lead environmental groups to question the practicality and sustainability of housing such a venture in the state.
(via statepress)
FUCK YOU I AM FROM ARIZONA AND I SUPPORT THIS
WHAT COULD BE A MORE RESPONSIBLE WAY TO DEAL WITH SPENT FUEL THAN RECYCLING IT?
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~ Wednesday, March 28 ~
U.S. To Propose First Climate Limits On Power Plants
The Obama administration will propose as soon as Tuesday the first ever standards to cut carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants, sources involved in talks on the matter said - a move that is likely to be hotly contested by Republicans and industry in an election year.
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose the long-delayed rules, known as New Source Performance Standards, that would effectively limit emissions of all new U.S. power plants to those of efficient natural gas plants.
“Tuesday could be the day,” said one source close to the administration.
Opponents of the rules, which include Republicans and some Democrats from energy-intensive states, say they will prevent companies from building new coal plants since coal plants emit roughly double the carbon dioxide as natural gas.
The sources said, however, that coal plants could add equipment to capture and bury underground for permanent storage their carbon emissions. The rules would likely give any new coal plants time to get those systems running, by requiring that they average the emissions cuts over decades, they added.
Record low prices for natural gas and the looming air rules have pushed many companies to put older coal plants into retirement.
The EPA is moving forward on the climate rules, which do not need to be approved by Congress, after a wide-ranging climate bill died in the Senate in 2010.
This is a bold move and I hope it goes through.
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~ Monday, March 26 ~
barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark:
hahaha what
Don’t elect Obama or America will become a post apocalyptic NIGHTMARE
So, guys, there is a dead baby in this video. Um complete nonsequiter?
OBAMA DEADS BABIES
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~ Tuesday, March 6 ~
“
Tags:
politics
wisconsin
lolconservatives
ugh
Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman, the Assistant Majority Leader and a close ally of GOP Governor Scott Walker in the effort to destroy collective bargaining in the Badger State, is taking crazy to new levels.
Grothman has introduced a bill that would require the State of Wisconsin to officially deem single parenthood to be a “contributor” to child abuse and neglect and to put the same into statutory laws of the state.
Seriously…no kidding…really.
If it strikes you as odd that the Wisconsin senate is spending the taxpayers’ money debating this sort of legislation in committee—considering that a full one-third of Wisconsin’s parents are, indeed, single parents—you need to understand a little bit more about Wisconsin state Senator Grothman.
You should know that it was Senator Grothman who informed us last year that “The Left and the social welfare establishment want children born out of wedlock because they are far more likely to be dependent on the government.” This is also the same Senator Grothman who opposed a provision in the 2010 Wisconsin sex education law that would prohibit teachers from promoting bias based on sexual orientation because he believed that instructors would have an “agenda” to persuade students to become gay.
And, yes, this is the same Senator Grothman who wants to defund kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds because, argues Grothman, any academic benefits disappear by the fourth grade, and the program is used by school districts to pad their budgets to get more state aid.
..According to Lisa Subeck, a program manager and family advocate at Wisconsin’s Dane County Parent Council Head Start, Grothman’s bill was written to dictate personal choices rather than to help prevent child abuse. Says Subeck, “Sen. Grothman is inserting government into what should be a very personal decision.
That sounds about right.
And here I thought it was the GOP that was dedicated to keeping government out of our private lives.
My bad.
—
RICK UNGAR, writing in Forbes, “Wisconsin Legislator Proposes Legislation to Blame Single Parents for Child Abuse and Neglect” (via inothernews)
Judging from current state politics, it’s pretty unbelievable that Wisconsin is the place where progressivism was born.
(via mohandasgandhi)
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~ Friday, February 17 ~
Hey, Gary Granger. I have a question.
Why is it that perpetrators of sexual assault are allowed to live on campus, to attend social events, to be HOUSING ADVISORS, even — but two incredibly sweet kids who haven’t done harm to ANYONE aren’t?
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~ Sunday, January 22 ~
“ As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right. While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue—no matter what our views, we must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant woman and mothers, reduce the need for abortion, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption. And as we remember this historic anniversary, we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.
Tags:
abortion
sighs
social issues
politics
facebook
discussions
obama
roe vs. wade
—
President Obama’s statement on the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (via barackobama)
A thousand times yes.
(via death-before-decaf)
Today I got into a Facebook debate about abortion, and all my female friends messaged me to tell me how ANGRY they were that they couldn’t join because they weren’t friends on FB with the debate’s instigator. I wish I could say that it had been a good debate, but there wasn’t really a lot of listening. It’s gratifying to have people tell me they agree with what I say and all, but I really want discussions to lead to mutual understainding, and I don’t think that was achieved.
(Source: theamericanprospect)
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~ Monday, December 26 ~
STUNNING Facts On Income Inequality and Bank Bonuses
Stunning facts about bank bonuses on Wall Street, average compensation and homeless kids are shared by The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur.
From ThinkProgress:
In the United States, the top 1 percent controls roughly 40 percent of the nation’s wealth. According to the study, which examined Roman ledgers, previous estimates, imperial edicts, and Biblical passages, Rome’s top 1 percent controlled less than half that at the height of its economic power, as Tim De Chant notes at Per Square Mile:
Their target was the state of the economy when the empire was at its population zenith, around 150 C.E. Schiedel and Friesen estimate that the top 1 percent of Roman society controlled 16 percent of the wealth, less than half of what America’s top 1 percent control.
Of course, the millions of Romans at the bottom of the empire’s class structure — the conquered and enslaved, the poorest Romans, and the women who had little civic or economic empowerment — would probably disagree with the study’s conclusion. Still, it serves as yet another highlight of how large the income gap in the United States has become over the last three decades.
Still, it’s unbelievable that the wealth of the bottom 60% in the U.S. is less than the Forbes 400 richest and that the 6 heirs to the Walmart franchise have the combined wealth equal to the bottom 30% in this country. Give the bankers their record bonuses anyway. They’re doing a fantastic job.
1) Cenk Uygur = celebrity crush omg. Not kidding.
2) Sorta disgusted that the banks get government bailouts only for the rich to try to avoid paying taxes to the government. Taxes: where the bailouts came from.(Actually from IOUs but I don’t know dick about econ so.) I also kind of hate inheritance?
3) It makes the Occupy Wall Street, especially Occupy Portland, movement, if anything seem more immediate and essential when I get back to basics and hear things like this.
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~ Sunday, December 25 ~
The Portland Occupier: Forming a More Perfect Occupation
Tags:
occupy portland
occupy wall street
activism
writing
politics
metaphor
by Janice Leber
An analogy came to life in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Along a flyway, I came upon a huge cloud of geese galumphing low in the sky in no discernible pattern – wheeling and circling and getting nowhere. The only thing they had in common was the fact that they were all…
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~ Wednesday, December 21 ~
sexy funtime blog: classism and other things 101 for tumblr leftists
Tags:
words to live by
privilege
politics
tumblr culture
HINT: don’t:
- brag about your education on daddy’s trust fund at a ‘highly regarded liberal arts college’ in the united states
- attack someone’s spelling and grammar over and over again as some kind of smarmy form of argument
- attack someone’s high school education as low…
This is good to keep in mind. I do the whole I GO TO A REALLY GREAT SCHOOL thing a lot, and tend to prioritize empiricism/’experts’ to a greater extent than I should. SO. GOOD TO KNOW. THANKS FOR POSTING THIS.
Yeah you guys keep this stuff in mind, basically a “how not to be a hypocrite on Tumblr 101”. I know I’ve been a hypocrite and I’m going to do my best to take these to heart.
(Source: 345578687)
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~ Friday, December 9 ~
Gonna be honest, I think it’s funnier when he’s praising bad things.
“Nickelback is a wonderful band”
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![iamvivified:
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” - Thomas Jefferson](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvri4ilakz1qghmoao1_250.gif)
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” - Thomas Jefferson
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~ Thursday, November 10 ~
Occupy Portland, by a student in PNCA’s Youth Program. I LOVE kid art.
I am posting this as my farewell to Occupy Portland. I am always the last person to get the news, but apparently it is being shut down soon.
I also love kid art.
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~ Saturday, November 5 ~
Why I am not an anarchist
So, everyone on Tumblr (at least Reed Tumblr) has been talkin/arguing quite a bit about anarchism. Having watched “The Anarchist Cookbook” last night, which I am thinking of reviewing on here, I’m kind of on that wavelength myself at the moment.
Some background: I spent most of my teenage years as an anarchist, of the green variety. I still believe in a lot of anarchist ideals—consensus, direct action, lack of authoritarianism—and in the sense that anarchism operates on these principles, I am still an anarchist. But, the thing is, I believe in government.
I will cede that anarchism actually does work on a small scale, usually when you have one or two hundred like-minded people living in a community together. Freetown Christiania, Occupy Everywhere and even some tribal societies are acceptable examples.
Think about that for a second, though. The “like minded people” part of that is important. Anarchism depends upon everyone involved believing in the same kind of government. That means, on a a national level, all 300 million of us would have to believe in consensus and a whole host of other ideas. Do you have any idea how many things people disagree on?
It seems to me that a truly diverse society can’t be operated by anarchism. I feel like, on a less extreme level, this is what the federalists and anti-federalists were arguing about 200 years ago. It seems as though a big part of freedom is choosing how you feel about the society you live in, and the sort of community you want to be part of. I don’t want to give up the big freedoms for the sake of the little ones.
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~ Friday, October 21 ~
TRIGGER WARNING: FBI Changes Official Definition of Rape
Tags:
social issues
sexual assault
politics
yay
trigger warning
The FBI currently defines rape as “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will”, which, as Vanessa explained back in April, excludes statutory rape, same-sex rape, forced anal or oral sex, rape with an object and victims who are male or transgender or have disabilities, not to mention those who have taken drugs or alcohol and therefore had their ability to consent taken away.
The Uniform Crime Report Subcommittee voted unanimously to change the definition of rape, which had not been changed for 80 years (!) and rape will now be defined as, “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
(Source: neverleftescotia)
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Posts that have made me click the 
button
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Felicia Olin. Fertility.
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Illustration from ‘The Conference Of The Birds’ by Peter Sis.
