Feb
21
2013
California voters are poised to become the largest electorate to decide whether to support a constitutional amendment that would overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling.
California Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) introduced a bill, AB 644, Wednesday to put a measure on the state’s 2014 ballot urging Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the 2010 Citizens United ruling, which lifted restrictions on political spending by corporations and labor unions. Independent spending in federal …
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Feb
21
2013
BP has announced that it will square off against the federal government in court next week to fight “excessive” claims arising from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
In a combative statement, the oil giant said it had been open to a settlement in the civil trial, set to start on Monday in a federal court in New Orleans. But it had failed to reach a deal with federal government lawyers.
The trial could potentially …
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Feb
21
2013
In a major step forward, Mississippi banned slavery this week. This type of definite legislative action is ostensibly the type of thing to be excited about in an era of unprecedented political foot-dragging, so congratulations Mississippi for finally ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment. Sure, the state is a little behind the curve on this one, given that the nation is a full 148 years past the official end of slavery (more on that, in a second). …
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Feb
21
2013
Syria’s government blamed terrorists for a car bomb that killed at least 31 people in central Damascus near the headquarters of the ruling Ba’ath party on Thursday, as pressure mounted for talks between the government and opposition.
Among more than 230 people reportedly injured in the incident in the Mazra’a district of the capital were children from a nearby school, as well as Nayef Hawatmeh, the head of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. …
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Feb
21
2013
You’ve heard of the birthers and the truthers, and probably even the tenthers and the nullifiers. But now it’s time to meet the Simpson-Bowlers. Over the past few years, we’ve heard a lot of crackpot ideas.
First there was Donald Trump and his jolly gang of birthers, who to this day claim that President Obama was born in Kenya.
Then came the Koch-brothers-funded climate change deniers, who, …
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Feb
21
2013
A strike by millions of low-skilled workers in India has seen banks close and public transport disrupted, amid reports of two deaths in the north.
An estimated 100 million Indians, angry about rising prices, low pay and poor working condition, walked off their jobs on Wednesday, on the first day of a two-day strike organised by eleven major trade unions.
The strikers are demanding a legal minimum wage, fairer contracts and improved working conditions.
“Workers are being totally …
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Feb
20
2013
With a tagline that reads, “It’s hard to see racism when you’re White,” the University of Wisconsin Duluth-Superior‘s Un-fair Campaign is forcing Whites of Duluth, Minn., to reconsider their White privilege once again, and their latest campaign has some crying foul. Why? Because it features Whites wearing a number of grievances allegedly shared by minorities…on their faces.
“Is White Skin Really Fair Skin?” and “Society Was Set Up For Us” are just some of the messages …
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Feb
20
2013
Finally.
Finally somebody said it. Finally somebody defended the innocent actions of Evander Kane, and finally somebody said those words we all knew we’d finally hear a hockey player say, one day. It’s just too bad it had to be Kane, himself, who said them.
“I think a good portion of (the criticism of me) is because I’m black and I’m not afraid to say that,” the left winger told The Hockey News. …
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Feb
20
2013
It’s been a few days since Chris Dorner got burned alive. But, troubling stories were reported early on and they’re just not being discussed any longer. It seems like there’s been no exploration of this by the press and I think that this is now becoming the story: the press and the way that they’re dealing with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department and how the …
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Feb
20
2013
Emad Burnat, the Palestinian who co-directed the Academy Award-nominated documentary “5 Broken Cameras,” was reportedly detained at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday night as he attempted to enter America to attend the Oscars, this according to filmmaker Michael Moore.
Burnat and his family were eventually released, according to Moore, but not before spending 90 minutes being held by immigration officials. Moore explained what happened to Burant in a series of tweets to his 1.4 million …
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