-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
via Amanda Terkel, The Huffington Post Activists pushing to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) announced on Monday evening that they have collected more than 300,000 signatures for the effort in just 12 days. To trigger a recall election, Walker’s opponents — coordinated by the group United Wisconsin — need to collect 540,208 valid signatures … Continue reading
via David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement Vermont on Monday swore in its first openly-lesbian Supreme Court justice. Beth Robinson, who is 46, has worked to secure gay and lesbian rights for over a decade, winning the landmark 1999 case that made Vermont the first state to offer civil unions. Robinson also worked as the co-founder … Continue reading
via Jennifer Liberto, CNN There’s one thing that turns some Tea Party Republicans into government-job lovers like their Democratic rivals: Their neighborhood post office. In fact, the U.S. Postal Service’s reach into every state and congressional district is a big reason why Americans shouldn’t expect Congress to make the drastic changes that the postmaster general … Continue reading
via Christopher Palmeri and Romy Varghese, Businessweek Los Angeles police evicted protesters camped in hundreds of tents around City Hall, ending almost two months of occupation and detaining about 300 people, while a similar operation in Philadelphia led to 52 arrests. The demonstrators in the second- and fifth-most-populous U.S. cities were offshoots of the Occupy … Continue reading
via Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune An ordinance that lessens penalties for those in Evanston caught with 10 grams or less of marijuana received unanimous approval from aldermen at Monday night’s City Council meeting. Originally proposed by Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, the ordinance replaces jail time with a ticket for those caught with 10 grams or less, … Continue reading
via Naomi Wolf, The Guardian US citizens of all political persuasions are still reeling from images of unparallelled police brutality in a coordinated crackdown against peaceful OWS protesters in cities across the nation this past week. An elderly woman was pepper-sprayed in the face; the scene of unresisting, supine students at UC Davis being pepper-sprayed by … Continue reading
via Get Up Australia
via Mary Slosson, Chicago Tribune Hundreds of anti-Wall Street protesters who have been camped in front of Los Angeles’ City Hall for nearly two months will be evicted on Monday, city officials said on Friday. “We’re asking the participants in the Occupy LA encampment to pack their belongings and leave in an orderly manner,” Los … Continue reading
via Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones Undeterred by Mississippi’s failed attempt to grant fertilized eggs the same rights as adult humans, anti-abortion rights advocates in Colorado and Virginia signaled Monday that intend to bring the effort to their states. In Virginia, Delegate Bob Marshall (R) filed legislation that would amend the state constitution to declare that … Continue reading
via The Huffington Post Big banks are on track to spend a record amount lobbying lawmakers this year. The five banks that spend the most on lobbying have boosted their lobbying outlays by 12 percent in the first three quarters of 2011, compared to the same period last year, according to an analysis by the … Continue reading
via Ryan Teague Beckwith, Roll Call News The super committee has officially failed. In a joint news release, Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction Co-Chairmen Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) said they concluded today that they will not be able to make “any bipartisan agreement” public before the deadline. The brief statement was … Continue reading
via Ben Johnson, Slate The banking lobby has a new message for the Occupy movement: don’t mess with our money. A well-known financial services lobbying firm based in Washington has come up with a plan that would funnel close to $1 million in funds towards undermining the Occupy Wall Street and other Occupy protests. According … Continue reading
via Erik Oster, The Faster Times November 16th was the first ever American Censorship Day, in response to the House of Representatives holding their first hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), an act drawing comparisons to the Great Firewall of China. (And the method that would be used, DNS blocking, is the same website … Continue reading
via Reuven Blau, Helen Kennedy, Tina Moore and Matthew Lysiak, New York Daily News Occupy Wall Street hoped to show there was life after Zuccotti Thursday by staging a series of marches and rallies – starting with a sneak attack on the Stock Exchange itself. As the city braced for a “sizeable” crowd, observers on … Continue reading
via Omar Sacirbey, Religion News Service, The Washington Post Gay and Muslim groups say they are relieved after a Michigan lawmaker agreed to drop a provision in an anti-bullying bill that would have carved out an exemption for religious or moral beliefs. State Sen. Rick Jones, a Republican, inserted a carve-out for a “sincerely held … Continue reading
via Adam Liptak, The New York Times The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to the 2010 health care overhaul law, President Obama’s signature legislative achievement, setting the stage for oral arguments by March and a decision in late June as the 2012 presidential campaign enters its crucial final months. The decision to hear the case prompted confident … Continue reading
via James Oliphant, Chicago Tribune The day the Supreme Court gathered behind closed doors to consider the politically divisive question of whether it would hear a challenge to President Obama’s healthcare law, two of its justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, were feted at a dinner sponsored by the law firm that will argue the … Continue reading
via Colleen Long and Verena Dobnik, AP, TIME Hundreds of police officers in riot gear raided Zuccotti Park early Tuesday, evicting dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters from what has become the epicenter of the worldwide movement protesting corporate greed and economic inequality. About 70 people were arrested, including some who chained themselves together, while … Continue reading
via Sarah van Gelder, David Korten, and Steve Piersanti, Truthout Before the Occupy Wall Street movement, there was little discussion of the outsized power of Wall Street and the diminishing fortunes of the middle class. The media blackout was especially remarkable given that issues like jobs and corporate influence on elections topped the list of … Continue reading
via The AP, The Washington Post The leaders of a powerful Mexican cartel, frustrated that U.S. law enforcement was interfering with their lucrative drug business, plotted a military-style attack on a U.S. or Mexican government building to “send the gringos a message,” federal prosecutors allege in documents filed this week. Leaders of the Sinaloa cartel … Continue reading
via Ken Burridge, KenBurridge.com Several Occupy General Assemblies are currently voting to adopt semi-official symbols to help represent and promote worldwide unity for the Occupy Movement. A worldwide royalty free logo license has been granted to Occupy General Assemblies and their Members for purposes or promoting and funding of the Occupy Movement for the design. … Continue reading
via Peter Makossah, Nyasa Times Malawi and other African countries will not be forced or induced into enacting pro gay laws in exchange for aid, United Kingdom’s minister for Africa Henry Bellingham has declared. Bellingham , who has been visiting Malawi on his African tour that has also taken him to Zambia, stressed that her … Continue reading
via Dan Whitcomb, Reuters Anti-Wall Street protesters in Oakland rejected a call by the California city’s police union on Friday for them to leave their encampment, creating the potential for a showdown. The police request came one day after a man was shot to death near their protest site. But Occupy Oakland demonstrators said the … Continue reading
via AP, USA TODAY Senate Democrats who back gay marriage have decided now is the time to repeal a federal law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The Democrats may satisfy their gay marriage supporters, but the bill won’t get very far. The repeal could be approved by the Senate … Continue reading
via Dinesh Ramde, AP, USA TODAY The resounding rejection of an anti-union law by Ohio voters provides a huge boost for Democrats and union officials preparing for their next major battle — the attempted recall of Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker — but their prospects could be clouded by the differences between the two Midwestern … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 