The Republican Utopia

[NM11046]

Nebraska farmers were mostly Democrat too

Speaking of which - don't think this was shared here, but is a real good perspective of small town Nebraska's views.

 

http://www.omaha.com/columnists/grace/grace-dewitt-nebraska-a-purple-village-in-a-red-state/article_ed547194-d001-5c9b-87f8-7fd01af06738.html

[Danny Bateman]

How brave of contemporary American hero Paul Ryan.

 

Perhaps he'll discover what style collar Trump is going to make him wear.

[Moiraine]

Putting this here because the Right's coverage of shooting victims when they aren't White really bothers me. They always imply that because the person had something (whatever they can dig up) negative about them in the past, it's sort of okay that they died.

 

 

 

 

Summary: A photograph of Trayvon Martin at a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Education Coalition-related activity is real, although it was taken at Experience Aviation and not at Space Camp (or Aviation Challenge Camp).

[zoogs]

Trump made a splash last summer for saying "why not" on the transgender bathrooms question. Today his administration moves forward to undo the Obama administration's efforts to expand Title IX protection for transgender students, specifically their use of bathrooms according to their gender identity. Trump does this over the (rumored) objections of his education secretary Betsy DeVos.

 

As if it were not plain before...We should now know what Trump's words mean. Consider this the next time you entertain one of the ludicrous arguments floating around that Trump "is good for _____ people" based on some words he said.

 

For the record, I do not believe Trump is particularly anti-LGBT. However, he doesn't seem to really care. And that is in effect the same thing: not only is he allowing his administration to move aggressively in the opposite direction, he appears to be energetically driving this motion over in this case the potential objections of his most relevant cabinet member.

 

Hence why I think it's crucially important to hold people -- politicians and citizens alike -- accountable to the issues about which they claim to care.

[GM_Tood]

Trump made a splash last summer for saying "why not" on the transgender bathrooms question. Today his administration moves forward to undo the Obama administration's efforts to expand Title IX protection for transgender students, specifically their use of bathrooms according to their gender identity. Trump does this over the (rumored) objections of his education secretary Betsy DeVos.

 

As if it were not plain before...We should now know what Trump's words mean. Consider this the next time you entertain one of the ludicrous arguments floating around that Trump "is good for _____ people" based on some words he said.

 

For the record, I do not believe Trump is particularly anti-LGBT. However, he doesn't seem to really care. And that is in effect the same thing: not only is he allowing his administration to move aggressively in the opposite direction, he appears to be energetically driving this motion over in this case the potential objections of his most relevant cabinet member.

 

Hence why I think it's crucially important to hold people -- politicians and citizens alike -- accountable to the issues about which they claim to care.

 

He did it because Conservatives love States Rights, imo.

[zoogs]

States rights is one of those things everyone loves when it suits them, and hates when it does not.

 

One of the LGBT advocates quoted on the article I read put it really well (for me; paraphrasing here). "Trans people's rights should not depend on state." These are basic human dignities that I would hope the Constitution of the United States protects uniformly for all people in the country. Obviously, it's never been quite so idealistic, and lots of legal wrangling on lots of fronts through our entire history to move to where we are today.

[Danny Bateman]

 

Trump made a splash last summer for saying "why not" on the transgender bathrooms question. Today his administration moves forward to undo the Obama administration's efforts to expand Title IX protection for transgender students, specifically their use of bathrooms according to their gender identity. Trump does this over the (rumored) objections of his education secretary Betsy DeVos.

 

As if it were not plain before...We should now know what Trump's words mean. Consider this the next time you entertain one of the ludicrous arguments floating around that Trump "is good for _____ people" based on some words he said.

 

For the record, I do not believe Trump is particularly anti-LGBT. However, he doesn't seem to really care. And that is in effect the same thing: not only is he allowing his administration to move aggressively in the opposite direction, he appears to be energetically driving this motion over in this case the potential objections of his most relevant cabinet member.

 

Hence why I think it's crucially important to hold people -- politicians and citizens alike -- accountable to the issues about which they claim to care.

 

He did it because Conservatives love States Rights, imo.

 

 

He did it for the religious conservatives. He cares more about keeping the Mike Pence wing of the party happy than protecting vulnerable kids.

 

That's really sad, IMO.

[knapplc]

 

Some good reading on the dangers of private prisons.

 

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/history-of-americas-private-prison-industry-timeline

https://www.aclu.org/banking-bondage-private-prisons-and-mass-incarceration

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-prison-industry-in-the-united-states-big-business-or-a-new-form-of-slavery/8289

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-the-u-s-is-right-to-move-away-from-private-prisons

[TGHusker]

This may be a way to shrink govt but it doesn't mean it is a good way to govern. We've seen some nasty results even in Tulsa with private jails. The county lockup was a private enterprise for years and now it is back under the sheriff. Not perfect and issues still happen when you have people locked up but not as bad as what it was.

[TGHusker]

I had to copy this from Knapp's 3rd article link above.

 

this is really sick and distressing:

 

Quote:

There are approximately 2 million inmates in state, federal and private prisons throughout the country. According to California Prison Focus, “no other society in human history has imprisoned so many of its own citizens.”

The figures show that the United States has locked up more people than any other country: a half million more than China, which has a population five times greater than the U.S. Statistics reveal that the United States holds 25% of the world’s prison population, but only 5% of the world’s people. From less than 300,000 inmates in 1972, the jail population grew to 2 million by the year 2000. In 1990 it was one million. Ten years ago there were only five private prisons in the country, with a population of 2,000 inmates; now, there are 100, with 62,000 inmates. It is expected that by the coming decade, the number will hit 360,000, according to reports.

What has happened over the last 10 years? Why are there so many prisoners?

“The private contracting of prisoners for work fosters incentives to lock people up. Prisons depend on this income. Corporate stockholders who make money off prisoners’ work lobby for longer sentences, in order to expand their workforce. The system feeds itself,” says a study by the Progressive Labor Party, which accuses the prison industry of being “an imitation of Nazi Germany with respect to forced slave labor and concentration camps.”

The prison industry complex is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States and its investors are on Wall Street. “This multimillion-dollar industry has its own trade exhibitions, conventions, websites, and mail-order/Internet catalogs. It also has direct advertising campaigns, architecture companies, construction companies, investment houses on Wall Street, plumbing supply companies, food supply companies, armed security, and padded cells in a large variety of colors.”

CRIME GOES DOWN, JAIL POPULATION GOES UP

According to reports by human rights organizations, these are the factors that increase the profit potential for those who invest in the prison industry complex:

. Jailing persons convicted of non-violent crimes, and long prison sentences for possession of microscopic quantities of illegal drugs. Federal law stipulates five years’ imprisonment without possibility of parole for possession of 5 grams of crack or 3.5 ounces of heroin, and 10 years for possession of less than 2 ounces of rock-cocaine or crack. A sentence of 5 years for cocaine powder requires possession of 500 grams – 100 times more than the quantity of rock cocaine for the same sentence. Most of those who use cocaine powder are white, middle-class or rich people, while mostly Blacks and Latinos use rock cocaine. In Texas, a person may be sentenced for up to two years’ imprisonment for possessing 4 ounces of marijuana. Here in New York, the 1973 Nelson Rockefeller anti-drug law provides for a mandatory prison sentence of 15 years to life for possession of 4 ounces of any illegal drug.

. The passage in 13 states of the “three strikes” laws (life in prison after being convicted of three felonies), made it necessary to build 20 new federal prisons. One of the most disturbing cases resulting from this measure was that of a prisoner who for stealing a car and two bicycles received three 25-year sentences.

. Longer sentences.

. The passage of laws that require minimum sentencing, without regard for circumstances.

. A large expansion of work by prisoners creating profits that motivate the incarceration of more people for longer periods of time.

. More punishment of prisoners, so as to lengthen their sentences.

[Lil' Red]

 

Trump made a splash last summer for saying "why not" on the transgender bathrooms question. Today his administration moves forward to undo the Obama administration's efforts to expand Title IX protection for transgender students, specifically their use of bathrooms according to their gender identity. Trump does this over the (rumored) objections of his education secretary Betsy DeVos.

 

As if it were not plain before...We should now know what Trump's words mean. Consider this the next time you entertain one of the ludicrous arguments floating around that Trump "is good for _____ people" based on some words he said.

 

For the record, I do not believe Trump is particularly anti-LGBT. However, he doesn't seem to really care. And that is in effect the same thing: not only is he allowing his administration to move aggressively in the opposite direction, he appears to be energetically driving this motion over in this case the potential objections of his most relevant cabinet member.

 

Hence why I think it's crucially important to hold people -- politicians and citizens alike -- accountable to the issues about which they claim to care.

 

He did it because Conservatives love States Rights, imo.

 

What is his motivation for enforcing federal marijuana laws then?

[Danny Bateman]

 

 

Trump made a splash last summer for saying "why not" on the transgender bathrooms question. Today his administration moves forward to undo the Obama administration's efforts to expand Title IX protection for transgender students, specifically their use of bathrooms according to their gender identity. Trump does this over the (rumored) objections of his education secretary Betsy DeVos.

 

As if it were not plain before...We should now know what Trump's words mean. Consider this the next time you entertain one of the ludicrous arguments floating around that Trump "is good for _____ people" based on some words he said.

 

For the record, I do not believe Trump is particularly anti-LGBT. However, he doesn't seem to really care. And that is in effect the same thing: not only is he allowing his administration to move aggressively in the opposite direction, he appears to be energetically driving this motion over in this case the potential objections of his most relevant cabinet member.

 

Hence why I think it's crucially important to hold people -- politicians and citizens alike -- accountable to the issues about which they claim to care.

 

He did it because Conservatives love States Rights, imo.

 

What is his motivation for enforcing federal marijuana laws then?

 

 

"We're the party of getting more power back to the states*."

 

*When we agree.

[RedDenver]

He did it because Conservatives love States Rights, imo.

States' Rights is a cop-out for politicians. When an issue doesn't go their way at the federal level, they then try to make it about States' Rights. But if an issue is going their way at the federal level (e.g. marijuana laws), then there isn't a peep about the States.

[knapplc]

#BOOMROASTED

 

 

[knapplc]

Apropos to the above post, and Gabby Giffords eviscerating any excuse Republicans have for dodging their constituents, Marco Rubio chimes in:

Rubio: No town hall because of 'liberal activists'

MIAMI — Sen. Marco Rubio said he has not held an open forum with constituents because the room would be packed by “liberal activists” and wouldn't be productive.

Rubio told CBS4-Miami interviewer Jim DeFede on Sunday that liberal groups would organize hundreds of protestors, show up early and take all the seats. They would then ask all the questions, many of them about his opposition to the Affordable Care Act.

He said they would boo no matter what answer he gave in hopes that would be shown on television.

The Republican senator said their goal would be to make it seem like he lacks support even though he won re-election in November.

He said he would hold a town hall if he thought the conversation would be productive, but he doesn't.

 

 

If he has so much support, no matter what the "Liberal activists" try to do to rig his audience, couldn't his loyal supporters shout them down? Couldn't his loyal supporters get there earlier and fill the audience?