March 29, 2013

I just heard a wingnut give the stupidest explanation ever for Western European type socialism

I was sitting in a local bar that does attract a pretty broad range of clientele - including some very colorful characters and some intractable dumbasses. The reason why Europeans have to put up with such terrible things as socialized medicine, and a far more extensive economic safety net and laws mandating worker input into management and long six week vacations is simple - it's because they have been disarmed and they don't have guns to fight back against the oppression and this terrible assault on their liberty. I'm not kidding you that was the explanation. If only European had guns like Americans their governments would not being doing all these terrible things to them.

I have found that usually when one right-winger says something crazy and ignorant on any subject - a whole bunch of them are saying it around about the same time and the source usually goes back to someone on Fox News or some other crazy right-wing source - and before you know it the most preposterous claims in the universe have become common knowledge and they think the people who are not in the know are the ignorant ones. I wonder who started the cycle of this one going around?

March 27, 2013

Justice Sotomayer Takes Down An Anti-Gay Marriage Argument In 1 Minute - actual exchange on video

March 26, 2013

Seeing Red: Human Rights Campaign’s marriage equality logo goes viral

Source: MSNBC

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The Human Rights Campaign’s push for marriage equality is sweeping social media Tuesday as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the Proposition 8 case. The social campaign launched around 1 p.m. EST Monday afternoon, when the organization changed its Facebook profile picture from its iconic blue and yellow logo to the current red version.

“Red is a symbol for love, and that’s what marriage is all about,” Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Charlie Joughin told MSNBC.com on Tuesday. “We wanted to give people an opportunity to show their support for marriage equality in a public and visible way.”

Celebrities and politicians alike have replaced personal Facebook profile pictures with the HRC’s red logo–actor George Takei, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley–and even more have spoken out on Twitter.

“We never expected anything like this–for it to go viral,” HRC’s Joughin said. “So we’re excited. But more importantly, we’re excited that the public support for marriage equality has been so great.”


Read more: http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/03/26/seeing-red-human-rights-campaigns-marriage-equality-logo-goes-viral/

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I must admit - until this AM I was not familiar with this particular log..when suddenly several different Facebook friends of mine had suddenly changed their profile pictures to this logo. I honestly thought that this must be the work of some kind of virus. But I was able to quickly find out the story.

March 26, 2013

Several people who do not know each other have suddenly changed their Facebook profile picture

this..today..



Has anyone else seen this?

What's going on? Does this mean something? Is this the work of some kind of virus? Or have the Martians landed?

March 26, 2013

An Interview with Elizabeth Warren - from 2007 - long before she ran for the Senate

A one hour interview with one of the very few American politicians who has seriously studied and understands the economic realities of ordinary American.

March 25, 2013

Introducing eLEGS - a truly awesome technology offers real hope to those who would never walk again

Working in my particular field - I see people with various levels of paralysis all the time. Many of these have gone years and years without hope they would ever walk again or in some cases to ever walk for the first time. This video does promote one particular technology of exoskeletons based on technology originally developed by the military. Although this video comes from one particular developer - there are a number of other companies working on similar technology. As the technology improves and become more cost efficient a whole new hope for those who had previously had no hope of ever walking is becoming increasingly probable.



Here is another article from the same developer - needless to say I have no reason to promote one particular developer. I would hope if anyone wants to find out more they should research all the options.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662467/a-robotic-exoskeleton-helps-paraplegics-walk-again

March 22, 2013

Watch an awesome sixth-grader testify for marriage equality

March 22, 2013

who said it? Mitt Romney or Mr. Burns?

March 22, 2013

Rachel Maddow: Why Do So Many Republicans Keep Forgetting What They Believe In?

this was a really good episode:

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/rachel-maddow-why-do-so-many-republicans-keep-forgetting-what-they-believe-in/

March 21, 2013

How Obama Became Netanyahu by Peter Beinart

Obama is essentially telling Palestinians to keep their heads down until an Israeli leader comes along who wants to create a viable Palestinian state. Or until ordinary Israelis stop worrying about the ultra-Orthodox and the price of cottage cheese and create another peace movement. Or until politics change in Washington. He’s telling Palestinians to relinquish every form of counterpressure they have and put themselves at Israel’s and America’s mercy, even though this trip itself is evidence that without Palestinian counterpressure, America and Israel will do little else except entrench the status quo.

By refusing to challenge Netanyahu’s approach to the Palestinians, Obama has made it his own. Like Netanyahu, he’s betting that he can take the Palestinians for granted while tending to his own domestic needs, and that they won’t be able to do anything about it but whine.

But that’s not right. The Palestinians can do something. They can throw Israel, and Barack Obama’s foreign policy, into chaos. For several years now, Israel has benefited enormously from the Palestinian Authority’s security cooperation. Today, instead of making its own 19-year-olds patrol Palestinian neighborhoods and towns, Israel largely leaves that to the Palestinian Authority. When Israeli security officials fear Hamas or Islamic Jihad is hatching a terrorist plot, they don’t always have to send soldiers to foil it themselves. They can just get on the phone to Abbas’s men.

Take the Palestinians for granted, however, and this relative quiet will eventually give way to something far more frightening. In the words of former Palestinian Authority adviser Ghaith al-Omari, Palestinian security cooperation “was predicated on a path leading to liberation and a new state. Soon, very soon, if it is clear that is not happening, they will feel like suckers enforcing the occupation, and this security regime—like the Palestinian Authority itself—could dissolve.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/20/how-obama-became-netanyahu0.html