Link Me Up, Scotty - Valley of Death Edition

Monday, February 13, 2017

Shippie Jim Wright with his thoughts on the Yemen military operation and the hubris and cowardice of the Republican administration trying to stifle criticism of the operation. A "success," huh? The same way Benghazi was a "success?" Hypocritical motherfuckers.
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My semi-celebrity platonic boyfriend Eric Garland with an analysis of what the Super Bowl ads really meant, and why those of us who "persist" should take heart from their content.
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Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, has some sage advice for those of us who wish to persist. Caveat: Please ignore the speculative rhetoric on this link. I'm only including it because some readers don't have Facebook accounts, where the original content was posted on February 8th at 10:58 a.m..

NOTE: As recommended by Ms. King, I will henceforth refer to our current President as "45," and will also do more to call out his entire administration, all of whom are as culpable as 45.
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Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT) suggested that a woman senator, quoting a woman civil rights leader, should stop talking because she insulted another woman's husband. I'm speechless. I can't think of a single thing to say about such mind-boggling paternalism and misogyny. This is the kind of nonsense that makes liberals believe Mormons are permanently stuck in the 1950s and want the rest of us to join them there.
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Remember back when the LGBTQ community and their allies boycotted Barrilla because their CEO presented himself as a bigoted turd-pop? Well, they're not only walked their bigotry back, they now score 100 on the HRC's equality index, and they're a true ally to the community. It heartens me when people change their direction after taking the time to learn about the target of their bigotry.
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Greg Sargent of the Washington Post with an opinion piece about a working blueprint to oppose 45. Since I'm practically a daily correspondent with my own Invisible Republican Senator (the cowardly Cory Gardner), I like the idea of continuing to put pressure on Republicans to hold their President in check. It pays to remind them, again and again and again, that their oath is not to party, but to the Constitution, and their obligation is to us. 
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As if we didn't need something else to roll our eyes about, the ACLU has issued a report about the junk science, disingenuous manipulation of Congress, and racist policies of the TSA. That's $1.7B wasted on confirmation bias and territorial dick-wagging under the guise of “Behavior Detection and Analysis.” Tell me again how the TSA makes flying safer. I'm waiting for your data-based answer.
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Professional historian and fellow UCFer David on the dangers of nativism and how very un-American it is to those of us who actually, you know, read.
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Ten illustrations that all dog lovers will understand. The rule here at the Big Brown House is #4.
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My favorite Christian Pastor speaks about why the Resistance is important, and why its nature is inclusive rather than exclusive. Just so.
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The Atlantic with a photo essay of the North Philly Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club. This makes me furiously happy.
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Let's end a good note, shall we? Here's a photograph of Pike's Peak as seen from Castlewood Canyon State Park Lake Gulch Trail, taken Saturday, February 11, 2016 by yours truly:



Today's sources:
  • Stonekettle Station: The personal blog of writer Jim Wright. 
  • Eric Garland: The personal website of futurist Eric Garland, Executive Director of Competitive Futures
  • Bipartisan Report: A strong left bias with mixed factual reporting. 
  • Vox: A strong left bias with highly factual reporting. 
  • LGBTQ Nation: A left bias with highly factual reporting. 
  • WaPo: Mainstream media source with minimal partisan bias.
  • American Civil Liberties Union: A non-profit organization dedicated to working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
  • 4 Quarters, 10 Dimes: The personal blog of David, an academic historian who does not use his last name on-line.  
  • Bored Panda: Crowd-sourced website focusing on art and culture.
  • Stuff That Needs to be Said: The personal blog of Pastor John Pavlovitz.
  • The Atlantic: Skews left but still a reputable source of in-depth news. 

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