Why We Need to Talk About the Horrifying Gosnell Abortion Trial
By Katie J.M. Baker, Jezebel
His business was able to thrive because of limited access to reproductive choice, not because of reproductive choice itself. READ MORE»
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On March 21, my four year old daughter and her babysitter were trapped in our apartment in Albany, New York in the middle of a police drill to simulate a hostage situation. She woke up to flash grenades, assault rifles and real tear gas being used in our home. The police threatened my neighbors with arrest if they tried to leave. I don’t disagree with the police providing training to their officers, but nobody in the complex, not even the tenants’ association, was warned about this drill. People thought it was real. Last week, the Albany police department apologized for holding the training so close to occupied residences. But my daughter still shakes with fear when she sees the police and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which actually allowed the police to conduct the training in our community, hasn’t said anything. The Albany police department says that they chose our neighborhood, which is lower-income and mostly African American, for their training because they wanted it to be “more realistic.” I don’t think this ever would have happened in one of Albany’s wealthier neighborhoods. This isn’t the first time this has happened, either. Similar exercises have happened in public housing in Illinois, Connecticut, Kentucky and Pennsylvania in the past two years and have even included fake bombs and helicopters. Public housing is meant to help hardworking people like me build better lives for ourselves and our families through safe and stable communities. Allowing our homes to be used for war games is completely counter to HUD’s mission. That’s why I’m confident that HUD will tell local housing authorities not to allow trainings like these on HUD property — if the department hears from you and many others. Thank you. Lauren Manning |
just another rant …
On a cold February day, people on the east coast put on top hats and tuxedos while Woodchuck weatherman Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring, but as the days passed record warmth as well as tornadoes rain and winter storms interrupted the living caused the deaths of many.
No one really had to tell us but as meteors flew by en masse, several trained meteorologists set out to dash our hopes for an early spring in strange and wonderful ways. I have to say it seemed as if most laughed it off at first but as we slid into the first day of spring those weather people confirmed that we will indeed have two more weeks of cold weather. In fact, just days from rain a snowstorm made itself known on the first day of spring. It was is sunny and or hot in parts of the country, mostly on the left coast while others are getting up to 30 inches of snow reminding us not only of that natural disaster Katrina but that climate change is no joke . The winter cold snap is still plaguing the Mid-West and East Coast while spring like weather tries to break out on the West Coast as cold morning’s move into afternoon warmth that dips into lower temperatures when the evening rolls back around. I will say it again, talk about some useless prairie dogs ok, they are from the woodchuck, whistle pig, land and beaver family … whatever, Punxsutawney Phil was wrong !
Earlier this year, Republicans in several swing states unveiled sore loser plans to allocate their electoral college votes by congressional district or in some other proportional manner rather than the current winner-take-all system in place in 48 states. This would result in votes that would likely go to the Democratic nominee being pushed over into the GOP column. Tellingly, the GOP is not proposing to split the electoral votes of red states.
Had such a plan been in place in every swing state last year, Mitt Romney would most likely be president right now despite having lost the popular vote by nearly 5 MILLION votes.
Fortunately, massive outcry quickly killed this plan in Virginia, Florida, and other states where it reared its head.
Unfortunately, this GOP plan to steal the White House is now back in two key swing states:
BOTTOM LINE: If the GOP wants to win elections the old fashioned way — by winning more votes — then they should change their unpopular policies instead of trying to change the rules in the middle of the game.
The sequester cuts will be painful for the home states of the Congressional GOP leadership.
The virtues of a financial transactions tax.
Shock election result leaves Italy in gridlock.
The GOP’s war on Planned Parenthood marches on.
The sequester will harm border security and our ability to stop a terrorist attack.
The Supreme Court made a good decision on campaign finance.
GOP senator with an “A” rating from the NRA is open to background checks.
POLL: voters prefer military spending cuts to reduce the deficit.
Why Seth MacFarlane and The Onion’s jokes about Quvenzhané Wallis are so gross.
When we launched the campaign in April 2011, I hoped to be able to send something like this.
Enjoy this compilation of some of our finest moments together:
http://my.barackobama.com/Our-Journey
I can’t wait to see how much more we will accomplish. Our next chapter is just beginning, and President Obama is counting on us to help finish what we started.
Thank you for an amazing 2012 — and have a very happy new year.
Messina
Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
Be a Seed for Change 
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