Bully

Candidate Obama promised to protect and support whistle-blowers. President Obama's actions reveal otherwise.

The Abuse of Private Manning - NYTimes.com:

"Philip Crowley, a State Department spokesman, committed the classic mistake of a Washington mouthpiece by telling the truth about Private Manning to a small group (including a blogger): that the military’s treatment of Private Manning was “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.” He resigned on Sunday.

Far more troubling is why President Obama, who has forcefully denounced prisoner abuse, is condoning this treatment. Last week, at a news conference, he said the Pentagon had assured him that the terms of the private’s confinement “are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards.” He said he could not go into details, but details are precisely what is needed to explain and correct an abuse that should never have begun."

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Actors, musicians demand end to inhumane treatment of Bradley Manning | The Raw Story

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WTF.

AMERICAblog Gay: Judge asks why Obama admin. seeking unusually tough charges against GetEqual DADT protesters, invokes MLK:

"What happened next was surprising to those in the Courtroom. Judge Facciola got up out of his chair, while pacing, gave a speech about the history of the civil rights movement in the United States. He intimated that there were trumped up charges back in the 50s and 60s, too. And, he evoked the Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham case, Martin Luther King's 'letters from the Birmingham jail' and how civil rights protesters were often brought to court to face stricter charges. The judge clearly linked the protest over Don't Ask, Don't Tell to those earlier civil rights protests."

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If you see this guy at an ass-kicking contest, best run away.

One-Legged Wrestler Wins NCAA Title | ThePostGame

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The perfect response to a bully. Democrats should be forced to watch this until they get it.

Casey Heynes | Bully Video | SportsGrid

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Dream house.

Historic hideway / 1913 home highlighted by quiet location, lower-level speakeasy

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Corporate PEEthos

Other than the 'jaded' biased BS, a fine read.

A Chicken Chain’s Corporate Ethos Is Questioned by Gay Rights Advocates - NYTimes.com

I truly believe that if more people were conscious of the places they spend money and acted according to their personal morals and did not patronize establishments who do not represent their values, then more meaningful change would occur. One might have to go out of their way or spend more money at another establishment, though. Too bad American culture is pretty lazy.

Though, admittedly, I'll cave and eat a sandwich from American Taliban establishments as I would a Thai restaurant with Hindu idols in the corner. The difference is the Thai place isn't actively attempting to suppress my rights under the Constitution.

Purity is hard to attain with so much corporate concentration.

"“It’s a hard call, a personal call,” she said. “You have to decide which soul you want to feed.”"

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Great analogy, though far too many elected Democrats are MLB. Far. Too. Many.

New Rules: Democratic NFL vs Republican MLB | Video Cafe

MAHER: So it's no surprise that some 100 million Americans will watch the Super Bowl next week. That's forty million more than go to church on Christmas. Suck on that Jesus! It's also 85 million more than watched the last game of the World Series and in that is an economic lesson for America, because football is built on an economic model of fairness and opportunity. And baseball is built on a model with the rich always winning and the poor usually have no chance.

The World Series is like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills; you have to be a rich bitch just to play. Where as the Superbowl is like Tila Tequilla, anyone can get in. Or to put it another way, football is more like the Democratic philosophy. Democrats don't want to eliminate capitalism or competition, but they would like it if some kids didn't have to go to a crummy school in a rotten neighborhood, while others get to go to a great school, and their dad gets them into Harvard. Because when that happens, achieving the American dream is easy for some and just a fantasy for others.

That's why the NFL literally shares the wealth. TV is their biggest source of revenue and they put it all in a big Commie pot and split if thirty two ways. Because they don't want anyone to fall too far behind. That's why the team that wins the Superbowl in the next draft, picks last, or what the Republicans would call “punishing success.”

Baseball... baseball on the other hand is exactly like the Republicans. And I don't just mean it's incredibly boring. I mean their economic theory is every man for himself. The small market Pittsburgh Steelers go to the Superbowl more than anybody. But the Pittsburgh Pirates? Levi Johnston has sperm that will not grow up and live long enough to see the Pirates in a World Series. Their payroll is forty million. The Yankees is two hundred and six million. The Pirates have about as much chance of getting to the playoffs as a poor black teenager from Newark has of becoming the CEO of Halliburton.

That's why people stop going to Pirate games in May. Because if you're not in the game, you become indifferent to the fate of the game and maybe even get bitter. That's what's happening to the middle class in America. It's also how Marie Antoinette lost her head. So you kind of have to laugh that the same angry white males who hate Obama because he's “redistributing wealth” just love football; a sport that succeeds because it does just that.

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Again, DADT has not been repealed.

Pam's House Blend:: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal: There Is No Target Date

It is just like the 'near universal health coverage' that does not exist but that the OA keeps crowing about.

Half-assed symbols does not equal any kind of 'change'.

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Oh, academia.

Professor charged with peeing on colleague's door

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Beard Eater

The only thing being terrorized is the wallet.... and our junk.

Investigate the TSA, Not Tyner | FDL Action:

"This goes to show just how how constant threats of “terror” are used to create new markets for products nobody needs. The public is then intimidated into compliance in the name of “national security,” when in reality they’re sacrificing their dignity, their civil liberties and their tax dollars for the sake of enormous profits:

* 2005: Michael Chertoff, as head of Homeland Security, orders the first batch of porno scanners from a company called Rapiscan Systems. After his departure, Chertoff gave dozens of interviews using his government credentials to promote the device. What he didn’t tell people was that Rapiscan was one of the clients of his consulting company, The Chertoff group"

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Great idea.

TSA Opt-Out Day, Now with a Superfantastic New Twist! - Jeffrey Goldberg - National - The Atlantic

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Dear Reid and Obama: Results matter, not half-assed effort after the fact.

With White House Pressing, Reid Vows DADT Repeal Will Reach Senate Floor

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The over under that make it to trial AND conviction? I'm betting zero.

Fool me eight times....

FDIC launches 50 criminal investigations into bankers

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I'm so confident in my previous prediction that I'll eat my.... wait.

Ky. men sentenced in bizarre beard-eating case | Raw Story:

"Harvey Westmoreland of Lawrenceburg had said Holt cut off his beard and forced him to eat it while Hill allegedly held a sickle blade to Westmoreland and his brother during the May incident.

Holt could not say why he made Westmoreland eat his beard other than that things 'got out of control' after some heavy drinking.

He added, 'I ain't got no excuses about what I done.'"

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GaGa > Obama?!?

I can't believe I'm posting this and I can't believe that a smart part of me believes it is true.

Lady Gaga did more lobbying to pass the DADT repeal in the defense funding bill than Obama did.

It is getting embarrassing.

Is Lady Gaga a Better Politician Than Barack Obama? | Mother Jones:

"The repeal of DADT was one of President Barack Obama's key campaign promises—one that he repeated in his first State of the Union address earlier this year. Now it's a promise that may well wither, especially if Republicans gain control of the House in November. But as usual, the White House did little to publicly pressure Collins, Snowe, or Brown. Obama spent the day before the vote at a fundraiser in Pennsylvania and did little to draw attention to the upcoming vote and the GOP's intrasingence. The White House wouldn't even answer the New York Times' questions about the bill. Vice President Joe Biden, according to the White House, did call Snowe. But Obama did no lobbying of his own. Instead, the pressure politics were left to someone who's never been elected to public office: a 24-year-old New Yorker named Stefani Germanotta—a.k.a. Lady Gaga."

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Why would he start now, Rachel?

Daily Kos: Do the Right Thing: �Rachel Maddow Challenges the President

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Wow. No one could have predicted... except all of us who did predict that the toothless Screw The Patients and Give all of the Money to the Evil Health Insurance Cos. bill wouldn't prevent said HICs from still screwing the fuck out of us commoners.

Major insurers to drop child policies ahead of coverage mandate | Raw Story

And no one could have predicted this either... EXCEPT FOR THOSE OF US WHO DID! FUCK!!!

White House looks to boost health law at 6 months - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama once told Democratic lawmakers they'd be proud to campaign on historic health care legislation. Six months later, the only Democrats running ads about it are the ones who voted 'no.'"

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And yet another failure. I'm sure they'll keep trying once they decide to fucking try.

Timothy Karr: Net Neutrality: We're Still Waiting:

"Remember, this is the man whom President Obama put into office with the explicit understanding that his first priority was to protect Net Neutrality. 'I am a strong supporter of Net Neutrality,' Obama pledged in 2007. 'As president I'm going to make sure that that is the principle that my FCC commissioners are applying as we move forward.'"

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Shocking. I'm pretty sure I could have guessed this listed within about 90%.

States With The Lowest Percentage Of College Degree Holders (PHOTOS)

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