January 24, 2013

Paul Ryan, Pathological Liar

Salon / By Joan Walsh

Paul Ryan, Pathological Liar
He got famous for telling fibs during the campaign and now he's spreading lies about his attack on society’s “takers.”

January 23, 2013 |


Last seen blaming “urban” voters (you know who he’s talking about) for his and Mitt Romney’s bitter November defeat, Rep. Paul Ryan returned to the prevaricating ways he made famous throughout the campaign on Tuesday. There were his silly lies about his marathon time, of course, and perhaps more serious, his serial lies in his acceptance speechat the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla., last August, on welfare, GM restructuring and the 2009 stimulus bill. It’s hard to know exactly what words to use to describe his campaign appearance “helping” at a soup kitchen that turned out to be a photo op showing him scrubbing already clean pots and pans, but “honest” isn’t one of them.

Now Ryan is trying to squirm out of the lasso in which the president captured him in his inaugural address Monday. “The commitments we make to each other through Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, these things do not sap our initiative, they strengthen us,” Obama said with indignation. “They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.”

Everyone who followed the 2012 campaign knew Obama was talking about Ryan as surely as if he’d said his name.

But now Ryan is complaining that Obama is being unfair, and that he never included Social Security and Medicare recipients in his attacks on “takers.” On the Laura Ingraham Show, he told a guest host that those programs “are not taker programs.” He accused the president of a “switcheroo” and said he had decided to “shadowbox with a straw man” and misrepresent the GOP position on those programs. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/paul-ryan-pathological-liar

January 24, 2013

U.S. requests more and more Google user data

from Salon.com:


U.S. requests more and more Google user data
Under an outdated act, the U.S. government can obtain user data easily from Google without a warrant

By Natasha Lennard


Google Wednesday released its most recent Transparency Report, showing a sharp uptick in U.S. government warrantless requests for user data. User data requests by government entities worldwide have increased by 70 percent since Google first began amassing this data in 2009, with a particularly sharp uptick in U.S. government requests.

Google’s most recent report is the first to break down the kinds of legal process that government entities in the U.S. use when compelling communications and technology companies to hand over user data. Notably, the vast majority of requests (68 percent) are made without the need for search warrants. Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, government agencies can issue subpoenas to request user-identifying information from third-party servers. Google reported it complies to some extent with 90 percent of such requests.

As the Guardian noted, “The ECPA has been widely criticized by privacy advocates, and was passed in 1986, long before electronic communication became so common. Under the act, email stored on a third party’s server for more than 180 days is considered abandoned. To access that information, officials need only a written statement certifying that the information is relevant to an investigation.” ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2013/01/23/us_requests_more_and_more_google_user_data/

January 24, 2013

Former Staffer Says Michele Bachmann Violated Federal Election Laws, Is Totally Wily

from Jezebel:


by
Katie J.M. Baker


Our favorite googly-eyed presidential failure and outrageously shitty person, Michele Bachmann, recently won WND's "Woman of the Year" award. But she won't be winning any financial prizes anytime soon, because her ex-staffers continue to come out of the woodwork with horror stories.

We've heard that Bachmann didn't pay her staffers because they wouldn't sign a sketchy confidentiality agreement. Now, former field coordinator Peter Waldron — the accused terrorist/"Kill The Gays" advocate who's a real gem himself — claims several violations of federal election laws by Bachmann's campaign.

According to the Quad City Times, one pertains to Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson, who Waldron alleges was paid $7,500 a month for his role as Iowa state chairman for the Bachmann campaign through a third party: C&M Strategies of Colorado. Basically, that means "the Bachmann campaign would overpay C&M Strategies for its work and C&M Strategies would then cut a check to Sorenson for his work on behalf of the Bachmann campaign." ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://jezebel.com/5978403/former-staffer-says-michele-bachmann-violated-senate-ethics-rules-is-totally-wily

January 24, 2013

Prison Prep School

from In These Times:


Prison Prep School
‘Zero-tolerance’ and ‘tough-on-crime’ policies put students in a school-to-prison pipeline.

BY Rebecca Burns


Metal detectors and uniformed security guards greet students each day at Orr Academy on Chicago’s West Side. “My high school seemed like its own personal prison,” Edward Ward, a 2011 Orr graduate, told the Senate Judiciary Committee during his testimony in December 2012. He recalled how a police processing center was even set up to book students on school grounds.

Ward’s testimony was part of a historic congressional hearing on the school-to-prison pipeline. With more than 3 million students suspended or expelled each year, U.S. schools are “increasingly a gateway to the criminal justice system,” according to Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), who convened the hearing.

Activists warn that this trend is exacerbating the racial disparities that already permeate the prison system. A 2010 study from Indiana University found that, compared with their white peers, black male middle-school students are three times more likely to be suspended, and black female students, four times. The Senate hearing represents a landmark moment in the campaign to eliminate school disciplinary policies that organizers say criminalize students and fail to address root causes of behavioral problems.

The emergence of the school-to-prison pipeline is linked to the proliferation of zero-tolerance policies adopted throughout the nation during the 1990s, prompted in part by a series of high-profile school shootings and a media narrative fixated on youth violence. In addition to bringing students into direct contact with law enforcement through school-based arrests and referrals to juvenile courts, schools can indirectly push students into the criminal justice system through policies that may isolate and exclude struggling students, such as out-of-school suspensions and high-stakes testing. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/14459/prison_prep_school/

January 23, 2013

How 'Stop and Frisk' Is Too Often a Sexual Assault by Cops on Teens in Targeted NYC Neighborhoods

AlterNet / By Kristen Gwynne

How 'Stop and Frisk' Is Too Often a Sexual Assault by Cops on Teenagers in Targeted NYC Neighborhoods
Teenagers are harassed and violated in ways you can't imagine.

January 21, 2013 |


Imagine you're 17 years old. A man with a gun and a badge has stopped you on the street and jammed his hand inside your pants, touching your penis. The girl you have a crush on is watching from nearby. That's the reality for many young men of color in New York City.

Stop-and-frisk is the controversial policing tactic in which street cops looking for weapons stop and pat down young men. Discussions of this policy in the media most often consist of alarming stats, like what percent of men targeted are black and brown ( 87% in New York) or the breach of constitutional rights the searches entail. But the reality on the ground is far less abstract. The policy amounts to a constant disruption of the lives of hundreds of thousands of young black and brown men. It's a belittling experience that could better described as sexual assault.

I've reported on stop and frisk for two years, and in that time I've talked to young men who have experienced stop-and-frisk, and the stories they tell are harrowing. A black teenager in Bedford-Stuyvesant described how embarrassed he was to have “old ladies” watch as his pants landed around his ankles while police searched him. A 17-year-old in the Bronx explained that police, “They go in my pants. You’re not supposed to go in my pants.” Being touched by a female police officer can be especially upsetting for adolescent males. “It’s annoying because it doesn’t matter what kind of cop it is, female or male, they’re gonna frisk you. If you say something to the female about it, the female says something to you like ‘What? I can do what I want.' And they still frisk you. You can’t say sexual harassment, nothing,” 18-year-old South Bronx resident Garnell told me last year, adding, “And they go hard, grabbing stuff they’re not supposed to.”

A New York attorney told me last year he has video of a cop saying he just “credit card-swiped” a man’s ass -- without gloves, naturally. What kind of gun can fit between two butt cheeks? And why are cops touching penises, anyway? The answer is simple: They’re not looking for guns, but hoping to make arrests. While stop-and-frisk is only legally allowed for the purpose of uncovering weapons, it has been linked to far more low-level summonses and pot busts than guns. As 18-year-old Lower East resident “Twin” recently told me, “They run their hands down your ass crack because they think you’re hiding drugs there.” In the public housing on Baruch Street, he says police hang out until they see someone “suspicious” enough to grope. ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/how-stop-and-frisk-too-often-sexual-assault-cops-teenagers-targeted-nyc

January 23, 2013

Seeds of change: Legalization efforts grow from the bottom up

from the Detroit Metro Times:



By Larry Gabriel
Published: January 16, 2013


Peeling back the layersof cannabis prohibition is like playing a game of three-card Monte. Now you see it, now you don’t. That seems to be the case with decriminalization efforts that won handily in five Michigan cities in November and energized activists. Now local officials are throwing up roadblocks along the route to instituting change.

In Grand Rapids, Proposal 2 amended the city charter to make possession of marijuana a civil infraction punishable by a $25 fine for a first offense. But in December Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth, whose jurisdiction includes Grand Rapids, filed a lawsuit against the city to stop implementation of the law. His argument, in part, is that the amendment is contrary to state law. (I guess he should talk to the folks in Ann Arbor, who have had a similar ordinance in place for a few decades.) Last week, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Sullivan began hearing arguments on whether to allow Grand Rapids to implement the law or not until the lawsuit is settled. No one knows when that will be. No matter which side wins in county court, the other side is expected to appeal the decision. So who knows when this will be settled?

It is interesting that Grand Rapids City Attorney Catherine Mish cited Proposal M’s route to the ballot in Detroit during her argument in favor of implementing the new law. The Detroit Election Commission refused to put Proposal M on the ballot in 2010, arguing that it was contrary to state law. Subsequently the state Court of Appeals ruled that the city had to put Proposal M on the ballot. It passed overwhelmingly in November.

Last week, a Detroit Free Press article reported that Detroit elected officials are “foot-dragging” about implementing Proposal M, which decriminalized possession of as much as 1 ounce of marijuana by an adult on private property. The article quoted City Council President Charles Pugh, who in December said, “I don’t think we can have a local law that is incongruous with state law.” .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/seeds-of-change-1.1429967

January 23, 2013

Dish to close 300 Blockbuster stores, 3,000 jobs may be lost

(Reuters) - Dish Network Corp plans to close 300 Blockbuster stores in the United States in the coming weeks and could lay off as many as 3,000 employees, a move that comes days after the DVD rental firm's UK unit went into administration.

Dish is trying to shed unprofitable Blockbuster outlets as online retailers like Amazon.Com Inc and download sites like Apple Inc's iTunes eat away at Blockbuster's business model. The potential job cuts represent about 40 percent of Blockbuster's U.S. workforce of 7,300 people.

"We continue to see value in the Blockbuster brand and we will continue to analyze store-level profitability and, as we have in the past, close unprofitable stores," Dish said in a statement. The company did not disclose the locations of the store closings. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/dish-close-300-blockbuster-stores-3-000-jobs-035624824--finance.html

January 23, 2013

Allen West: "NUTS!"

Weeks after taking to eBay to auction off a bizarre letter it received from former Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) in 2011, the Florida chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations has cashed in on the piece of political memorabilia.

The item, listed as "Allen West NUTS Letter Possibly Shortest Letter from Congress in US History," began at a starting price of $1,000. It ultimately sold for $2,625, after receiving 15 bids.

In 2011, local leaders of CAIR called on West to denounce anti-Muslim activists that they believed to be involved with his campaign. The Tea Party congressman responded with a one-word retort.

"NUTS!" West's letter read, printed on his official congressional stationery. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/allen-west-nuts-letter-cair_n_2533307.html?1358952379&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

January 23, 2013

WATCH: Jamaican Video Campaign Against Anti-Gay Discrimination

The Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) has launched a poignant new video campaign in hopes of combatting local anti-gay sentiment.

"'We Are Jamaicans' is a campaign for Jamaicans, whether gay or straight, to share their experiences and perspectives about LGBT human rights," J-FLAG members note on their YouTube profile. "This in an effort to promote greater understanding and help change minds and hearts of Jamaicans about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We Are Jamaicans is funded with the kind support of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) through its Global Fund Vulnerablised Project."

In the videos, which were reportedly recorded and edited by Maya Wilkinson, participants recall being bullied, harassed and otherwise tormented for being at least perceived to be LGBT. Some chose to remain anonymous. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/we-are-jamaicans-anti-gay-discrimination-video-campaign_n_2505521.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices

January 23, 2013

Chinese Factory Workers Hold Managers Hostage In Strike Over 2-Minute Bathroom Breaks

BEIJING -- Hundreds of Chinese factory workers angry about strictly timed bathroom breaks and fines for starting work late held their Japanese and Chinese managers hostage for a day and a half before police broke up the strike.

About 1,000 workers at Shanghai Shinmei Electric Company held the 10 Japanese nationals and eight Chinese managers inside the factory in Shanghai starting Friday morning until 11.50 p.m. Saturday, said a statement from the parent company, Shinmei Electric Co., released Monday. It said the managers were released uninjured after 300 police officers were called to the factory.

A security guard at the Shanghai plant said Tuesday that workers had gone on strike to protest the company's issuing of new work rules, including time limits on bathroom breaks and fines for being late.

"The workers demanded the scrapping of the ridiculously strict requirements stipulating that workers only have two minutes to go to the toilet and workers will be fined 50 yuan ($8) if they are late once and fired if they are late twice," said the security guard, surnamed Feng. "The managers were later freed when police intervened and when they agreed to reconsider the rules." ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/chinese-workers-strike_n_2525171.html?utm_hp_ref=business