- by Jad Jadderson
The drug war years in Mexico have to be some of the worst the country has ever seen. Ramping up in violence since December of 2006 when Mexican President Calderón sent 6,500 troops into battle with organized crime, the resulting civil war-like conditions have left a total of 40 – 50,000 dead on both sides, with an estimated quarter million Mexicans internally displaced. Politicians have not escaped being the victims of drug cartels, with police chiefs, mayors, and others further down the line in state and local municipalities being killed for not cooperating with the cartels, or at least not on a level the cartels wanted. The cartels have even gone to war with social media – beheading bloggers and stringing their dead bodies up from highway overpasses as a message to anyone else considering speaking out locally. < Read More >
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Personhood Comes to Mississippi
- by Rutherford Lawson
There was a time when the only “hood” conjured up by mention of the State of Mississippi was the white hood of the Klansman as he burned crosses and lynched blacks. My, what a difference some sixty years make! Now Mississippi’s concern for civil rights reaches all the way back into the uterus. Tomorrow, the citizens of Mississippi will vote on whether the state constitution should be amended to define “personhood” as the point at which the human female egg is fertilized by the male sperm. With a person thus defined, a whole new class of homicides could conceivably be on the books in no time flat. < Read More >
There was a time when the only “hood” conjured up by mention of the State of Mississippi was the white hood of the Klansman as he burned crosses and lynched blacks. My, what a difference some sixty years make! Now Mississippi’s concern for civil rights reaches all the way back into the uterus. Tomorrow, the citizens of Mississippi will vote on whether the state constitution should be amended to define “personhood” as the point at which the human female egg is fertilized by the male sperm. With a person thus defined, a whole new class of homicides could conceivably be on the books in no time flat. < Read More >
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Mississippi Defeats Bill Stripping Reproductive Rights
- by Jad Jadderson
A law that is basically a wet dream for the ultra conservative in America – a bill banning abortion to the point where miscarriages would require criminal investigation and the sale of contraceptives would have been banned was thoroughly trounced in this blood-red state by a 42/58 margin. The political establishment of Mississippi was all but united behind supporting the bill, though it is worth mentioning that the governor’s mansion was also up for grabs in this election so there is at least the chance of pandering to values-voters out there to “support” the blatant disregard for womens’ rights. < Read More >
A law that is basically a wet dream for the ultra conservative in America – a bill banning abortion to the point where miscarriages would require criminal investigation and the sale of contraceptives would have been banned was thoroughly trounced in this blood-red state by a 42/58 margin. The political establishment of Mississippi was all but united behind supporting the bill, though it is worth mentioning that the governor’s mansion was also up for grabs in this election so there is at least the chance of pandering to values-voters out there to “support” the blatant disregard for womens’ rights. < Read More >
Talk'n currency with Pirate Larry, KTP and the 99 Report
- By Kim G.
Our special guest this week is Pirate Larry of the band Piratas de Dios. Not only is he a talented musician he is also into the politics of currency and will be talking to us about money : ) Who doesn't like to talk about money? We will be taking listener calls so give us a ring and tell us what's on your mind! We have cool t-shirts designed by AWOP Radio Host Kim G... Pick one up at our shop and help support the show. This week we feature our great new segments Kitchen Table Politics with Momma Politico and The 99 Report with Allie McNeil. < Read More >
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
As a Christian, Why the GOP Doesn’t Speak for Me
- by Jeff Fulmer
For most of my life, I considered myself a Republican and a Christian, not necessarily in that order, but they weren’t mutually exclusive either. The two ideologies happily went hand-in-hand like Adam and Eve, before you-know-who showed up and crashed the party. In my genesis story, I have to credit George W. Bush with tempting me to question my longstanding, intertwining beliefs. While I munched on the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the rose-colored Republican scales fell from my eyes.
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Get Out the Vote – Robocalls Reach Voters
- by Ben Donahower
GOTV (Get Out the Vote) robocalls are a valuable campaign tool for candidates who are looking for a targeted and inexpensive method to remind voters about election information. Candidates or their spokespeople can send out pre-recorded messages via phone to thousands of voters simultaneously for a fraction of what it would cost to send campaign literature through the mail. Fact is, people do really forget to vote and the United States has one of the lowest voting rates in the free world hovering around 50% at a time when many European countries average well over 80% turnouts.
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Rove for Obama?
- by VisualizePolitics
Karl Rove believes the GOP is being overrun by extremists who will run the party aground. In attempting to sabotage the nomination of candidates like Rick Perry, his motives are obvious. So the reasoning goes, this amounts to a tacit endorsement of Mitt Romney: the somewhat-"establishment" candidate whose "turn it is". But what if there's another option?
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U.S. Poverty to 16%, Coal Ash-Dumping Ferry As A Landmark, Viacom’s CEO Gets $50m Pay Raise
- by Jad Jadderson
The Census Buearu has rolled out a new experinmental method to calculate poverty. It takes into account more than just spending on food – including items like child care, out-of-pocket medical expenses, taxes, and rent. Using those new figures, the number of people below the poverty line in the United States has increased by over 5%, to a rate of 16% nationally. The poverty rate has been set at an annual income of $24,343 for a family of four. As a result of factoring in government assistance programs like food stamps and the earned-income tax credit, 3.2 million children fell off of poverty roles – as well as 800,000 African Americans. These figures accurately reflect what the goal of such antipoverty programs are: to get people above the poverty line. Perhaps as many as 11 million people in all were lifted above the poverty line because of these expanded government assistance programs, and being accurately counted as such.
The Census Buearu has rolled out a new experinmental method to calculate poverty. It takes into account more than just spending on food – including items like child care, out-of-pocket medical expenses, taxes, and rent. Using those new figures, the number of people below the poverty line in the United States has increased by over 5%, to a rate of 16% nationally. The poverty rate has been set at an annual income of $24,343 for a family of four. As a result of factoring in government assistance programs like food stamps and the earned-income tax credit, 3.2 million children fell off of poverty roles – as well as 800,000 African Americans. These figures accurately reflect what the goal of such antipoverty programs are: to get people above the poverty line. Perhaps as many as 11 million people in all were lifted above the poverty line because of these expanded government assistance programs, and being accurately counted as such.
< Read More >