Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Missouri River about to flood I-29
The area depicted in the banner normally hosts a small pond, not a lake miles in area.
In Iowa, I-29 runs roughly parallel to the Missouri river, north/south.
The camera was about 1.5 miles east of the Missouri, which gives you an idea of the problem that people who aren't protected by levees have.
As you can see, the rising waters, even that far away, are about to overtake the roadway.
Exits to I-29 near Crescent, Iowa are already closed. Rain and a tornado watch are forecast for tonight.
Rachel Maddow on Anthony Weiner scandal and Republican hypocrisy
(@ 6:08) David Vitter, the [GOP] senator from Louisiana, is the guy who has admitted to using the services of prostitutes and nobody in the Republican Party has ever called for him to resign, but yet they're calling for Anthony Weiner to resign, and that, to me, says a lot more about the Republican Party than it does about Anthony Weiner, that sort of hypocrisy...
I still don't understand why the [GOP senator] John Ensign scandal didn't get more attention...
He's schtupping someone who works for him, who is married to somebody else who works for him, it gets exposed and he decides that in order to cover it up he's going to have his parents pay them $96,000 AND give the husband an illegal lobbying job and then Tom Coburn, the [GOP] senator from Oklahoma, helps him work out the financial deal for the settlement.
Why is that less of a scandal than Anthony Weiner Has Bad Manners On Facebook?
Family Research Council founding member
implicated in beatings, eventual suicide of gay child;
Where are George Rekers' other patients?
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Nude cell phone photo of Anthony Weiner shown by Andrew Breitbart to Opie and Anthony
Before showing the Sirius XM shock jocks the alleged nude photo of Anthony Weiner that he apparently keeps on his smartphone, suspected alcoholic and Republican operative Andrew Breitbart claimed he wouldn't release the picture because "I don't think I want to put his family through that type of thing." Then he showed the photo to the two DJs and to the video cameras in their studio, Naturally, the two radio hosts promptly tweeted a still, which also ended up on Gawker this morning.
Breitbart claims he is "mortified."
"This is the first time that someone surreptitiously grabbed a photo of it," he said. "This is a complete breach of our arrangement that the photo would not be made public. It was a complete violation of trust."
Opie admitted that he tried but was unable to take a picture of Breitbart's phone screen. Later he tweeted: "Wasn't until @AndrewBreitbart left the studio that we realized what was captured on our video camera."
Breitbart claims he is "mortified."
"This is the first time that someone surreptitiously grabbed a photo of it," he said. "This is a complete breach of our arrangement that the photo would not be made public. It was a complete violation of trust."
Opie admitted that he tried but was unable to take a picture of Breitbart's phone screen. Later he tweeted: "Wasn't until @AndrewBreitbart left the studio that we realized what was captured on our video camera."
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Missouri River Flood Watch
Residents from Blair, Nebraska to Hamburg, Iowa are getting very nervous about the levels of the Missouri river which, at this writing, is at 30.38'; flood stage is 29'. An interactive version of the map below from the National Weather Service is here.
The Omaha World-Herald reported on a packed flood meeting in Glenwood, Iowa in Mills County. A levee was breached near Hamburg, Iowa, where evacuations have been ordered and residents have been sharply critical of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Rulo, Nebraska is threatened as are Blair and Browneville, Nebraska. Brownville is the site of a nuclear reactor.
The Omaha World-Herald reported on a packed flood meeting in Glenwood, Iowa in Mills County. A levee was breached near Hamburg, Iowa, where evacuations have been ordered and residents have been sharply critical of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Rulo, Nebraska is threatened as are Blair and Browneville, Nebraska. Brownville is the site of a nuclear reactor.
Bob Barker, PETA get on SeaWorld's case
(Via Joe.My.God; see blog list)
This is how public relations is done — or undone. Bob Barker is a pro at persuasion. Reminds AKSARBENT of the old Jimmy Stewart ads proclaiming that "Only elephants should wear ivory."
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Keith Olbermann: Bush administration unable to confront him on Valerie Plame story because they couldn't spell his name right; emails bounced back
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| Current TV |
"Apparently, the people in the Bush administration who wanted to confront me on this could not spell my name correctly. They wanted to send a series of emails thinking that perhaps MSNBC was perhaps favorable to the Bush administration. They thought that they could send me a series of questions or talking points to disprove Joe Wilson with. So they apparently sent it to me several days in a row and it all bounced back because they left off the second 'n' or they left off the 'l' ... or goodness knows what.
"Finally, they sent these talking points to all of the people at NBC News who they considered friendly and said 'Would you pass this on to Keith Olbermann?' So I got this same email with talking points for Joe Wilson forwarded to me by seven or eight people at NBC News. And literally, I then had a list of all of the people at NBC News who the Bush administration thought were theirs."
Evasive Shrek, New Zealand's wooliest, most beloved sheep, dies at 16
Shrek, a merino sheep who evaded shearers for six years until his fleece became so enormous that he couldn't, has died. The animal was shorn on New Zealand television in 2004 by which time the weight of his clipped wool reached almost 60 pounds.
The iconic Kiwi received an audience at the national parliament with Prime Minister Helen Clark, became a popular draw at charity appearances, and, perhaps due to his patiences with children as well as the elderly, was the subject of several children's books.
Hundreds rally to support Bradley Manning in Leavenworth, Kansas
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| savebradley, Flickr |
Bradleymanning.org, a website dedicated to Manning's release, published the following:
“The information Bradley Manning is accused of releasing should have been in the public domain. Whoever revealed it is an American hero.” said Jeff Paterson, who spoke at the rally on behalf of the Bradley Manning Support Network. “Our leaders in Washington need to return to American principles of transparent and accountable government. That starts with protecting—not prosecuting—whistle-blowers and dropping all charges against Bradley Manning.”In related news, PC World today reported that the Guardian newspaper of Manchester England has published an investigative report revealing that the FBI has intimidated 25% of hackers into becoming informants.
Supporters and campaign organizers from a variety of organizations will be meeting after the rally to talk about next steps in the campaign.
PFC Bradley Manning, 23-years-old, was detained in Iraq one year ago on May 26, 2010. He still awaits his first public court hearing, now expected to begin later this summer. Today’s rally is part of an escalating campaign to show broad public support for PFC Bradley Manning. Over 4,300 individuals have contributed $333,000 towards PFC Manning’s legal fees and related public education efforts. The Bradley Manning Support Network is dedicated to securing due process and a public trial for PFC Manning — and to eventually winning his freedom.
Blue Coat Systems Filtering Software Exposes Georgia School To Liability
The Georgia ACLU is going after a generally LGBT-supportive high school which recently reconfigured its Internet filtering software — and illegally cut off access to non-sexually explicit LGBT web sites with information about anti-gay bullying and suicide prevention. Here is the press release:
ACLU and Local Student Ask Gwinnett County Public Schools to Stop Censoring LGBT Websites
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2011
Software From Blue Coat Systems Exposes Public Schools Across the Country To Liability For Viewpoint-Based Censorship
Atlanta, GA – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia contacted Gwinnett County Public Schools today to alert the school district that its Internet filtering software has been improperly configured to block access to web content geared toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. The organization has sent demand letters to school districts across the country as part of the organization’s national “Don’t Filter Me” initiative, which seeks to combat illegal censorship of LGBT educational information on public school computer systems.
“The administration at Brookwood High School has always been really supportive, but a few weeks ago the web filter system at our school was changed, and suddenly websites that I’d been using all year to plan activities for our gay-straight alliance club started being blocked,” said Nowmee Shehab, a senior and the president of the GSA. “Students need to be able to find information about their rights and about suicide and bullying prevention, and now they’re not able to get to information that’s really important for them.”
“There could be school districts throughout Georgia that have activated anti-LGBT filters without realizing it,” said Chara Jackson, Legal Director for the ACLU of Georgia. “Schools need to make sure that their filtering software is properly configured to provide viewpoint-neutral access to important educational resources.”
Blue Coat’s filtering software includes a category called “LGBT” that blocked access to educational LGBT-related websites that are not sexually explicit in any way. The ACLU discovered that public schools across the country had improperly activated the “LGBT” filter and blocked access to sites such as the Gay Straight Alliance Network; the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and the It Gets Better Project, which provides resources for students who experience anti-LGBT bullying. Many schools activated the filter in the mistaken belief that it blocked sexually explicit content.
Last week, one of Blue Coat’s competitors, Lightspeed Systems, announced that it would remove a similar filter from its software, which blocked access to educational LGBT websites. Blue Coat is one of five filtering companies identified by the ACLU that continue to use a specialized filter designed to target LGBT content that is not pornographic or sexually explicit.
When used by a public school, programs that block all LGBT educational content violate First Amendment rights to free speech, as well as the Equal Access Act, which requires equal access to school resources for all extracurricular clubs. This means that gay-straight alliances and LGBT support groups must have the same access to national organizational websites that help them to function, just as other groups such as the Key Club and the chess club are able to access their national websites. By blocking access to LGBT educational websites, schools deny helpful information to gay-straight alliances and other support groups that could be vital for troubled LGBT youth who either don’t have access to the Internet at home or do not feel safe accessing such information on their home computers.
A video showing students how to test whether or not their school is illegally filtering content and providing instructions for reporting censorship can be seen here: www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/dont-filter-me
Students who want to report unconstitutional web filtering at their schools can fill out a form at: action.aclu.org/dontfilterme
More information on the ACLU’s work on LGBT school issues can be found here: www.aclu.org/safeschools
More information on the ACLU of Georgia’s work can be found here:
www.acluga.org
ACLU and Local Student Ask Gwinnett County Public Schools to Stop Censoring LGBT Websites
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2011
Software From Blue Coat Systems Exposes Public Schools Across the Country To Liability For Viewpoint-Based Censorship
Atlanta, GA – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia contacted Gwinnett County Public Schools today to alert the school district that its Internet filtering software has been improperly configured to block access to web content geared toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. The organization has sent demand letters to school districts across the country as part of the organization’s national “Don’t Filter Me” initiative, which seeks to combat illegal censorship of LGBT educational information on public school computer systems.
“The administration at Brookwood High School has always been really supportive, but a few weeks ago the web filter system at our school was changed, and suddenly websites that I’d been using all year to plan activities for our gay-straight alliance club started being blocked,” said Nowmee Shehab, a senior and the president of the GSA. “Students need to be able to find information about their rights and about suicide and bullying prevention, and now they’re not able to get to information that’s really important for them.”
“There could be school districts throughout Georgia that have activated anti-LGBT filters without realizing it,” said Chara Jackson, Legal Director for the ACLU of Georgia. “Schools need to make sure that their filtering software is properly configured to provide viewpoint-neutral access to important educational resources.”
Blue Coat’s filtering software includes a category called “LGBT” that blocked access to educational LGBT-related websites that are not sexually explicit in any way. The ACLU discovered that public schools across the country had improperly activated the “LGBT” filter and blocked access to sites such as the Gay Straight Alliance Network; the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and the It Gets Better Project, which provides resources for students who experience anti-LGBT bullying. Many schools activated the filter in the mistaken belief that it blocked sexually explicit content.
Last week, one of Blue Coat’s competitors, Lightspeed Systems, announced that it would remove a similar filter from its software, which blocked access to educational LGBT websites. Blue Coat is one of five filtering companies identified by the ACLU that continue to use a specialized filter designed to target LGBT content that is not pornographic or sexually explicit.
“We hope that Blue Coat follows Lightspeed’s lead and its ‘LGBT’ filter, which is designed to discriminate against LGBT viewpoints,” said Joshua Block, staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT Project. “The vast majority of school districts have no desire to discriminate against LGBT-related content and are simply trying to protect their students from pornographic or sexually explicit materials. Why should a software company include a feature that could be mistakenly activated and cause the school to violate the Constitution? By failing to step in to remove its ‘LGBT’ feature, Blue Coat is doing a disservice to its customers and the students they serve.”
When used by a public school, programs that block all LGBT educational content violate First Amendment rights to free speech, as well as the Equal Access Act, which requires equal access to school resources for all extracurricular clubs. This means that gay-straight alliances and LGBT support groups must have the same access to national organizational websites that help them to function, just as other groups such as the Key Club and the chess club are able to access their national websites. By blocking access to LGBT educational websites, schools deny helpful information to gay-straight alliances and other support groups that could be vital for troubled LGBT youth who either don’t have access to the Internet at home or do not feel safe accessing such information on their home computers.
A video showing students how to test whether or not their school is illegally filtering content and providing instructions for reporting censorship can be seen here: www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/dont-filter-me
Students who want to report unconstitutional web filtering at their schools can fill out a form at: action.aclu.org/dontfilterme
More information on the ACLU’s work on LGBT school issues can be found here: www.aclu.org/safeschools
More information on the ACLU of Georgia’s work can be found here:
www.acluga.org
Chino women's prison guard can't march in West Hollywood gay day parade but Carrot Festival is OK; Gloria Allred seizes the opportunity
Allred didn't allow Andrew Johnson, who was seated next to her in front of the cameras, to speak because of fear of retaliation. (WTF?)
Iowa: Herman Cain says he'd hire a gay staffer;
Host Bob Vander Plaats quickly changes the subject
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| Herman Cain with another one of his very odd friends |
"Nope, not at all. I wouldn't have a problem with that at all," he said as stragglers from the crowd listened in and Bob Vander Plaats, the president of the Family Leader, stood next to him.Standing next to Cain was Bob Vander Plaats, who campaigned to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices after that body unanimously ruled to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009.
"I just want people who - I want qualified," said Cain, 65, a former pizza chain chief executive who lives in suburban Atlanta. "I want them to basically believe in the Constitution of the United States of America, so, yep, I don't have a problem with appointing an openly gay person."
The Register reported that Vander Plaats didn't react to Cain's comment, but quickly changed the subject.
Bill introduced to end discriminatory taxation of domestic partner health insurance
HRC reports that Representatives Jim McDermott (D-WA), Richard Hanna (R-NY) , Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Nan Hayworth (R-NY) have introduced the Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act in the House of Representatives. The bill would end the unfair taxation of employer-provided health insurance for domestic partners. A companion measure from Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Susan Collins (R-ME) will be introduced when the Senate returns from its Memorial Day recess.
Under current law, although employer-provided health coverage for different-sex spouses is excluded from an employee’s gross income, domestic partner benefits and coverage for same-sex spouses are not. As a result, an employee who elects to cover his or her domestic partner or same-sex spouse pays more income and payroll tax than a similarly-situated employee with a different-sex spouse. Moreover, because of this inequitable treatment, employers who offer benefits to domestic partners face the administrative burden of calculating taxes separately, and they also pay additional payroll taxes.
Nearly 60% of Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner benefits. That is why a coalition of top employers like Dow, Corning, Chubb, IBM, MassMutual, Microsoft and dozens more support ending the taxation of these benefits, and endorse the Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act. To see a full listing of businesses who have publicly stated their support for this legislation, go here:
Nationwide Statement
"Reflecting our strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, Nationwide offers health care coverage to certain non-spouse, non-dependent beneficiaries of our associates, such as adult children, grandparents, domestic partners, and other household members," said Steve Keyes, Vice President of Associate Relations and Human Resource Policy at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. "While our coverage gives associates health coverage on an equitable basis, the federal tax treatment of such coverage is not equitable. Extending the tax preference to all members of an associate’s household would lower costs while improving access to coverage for many Americans."
American Airlines Statement
“American has been at the forefront of supporting fair and equitable tax policy for all Americans and today’s introduction of the Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act is another step toward achieving that goal. Eliminating the federal tax inequities for employees of corporations like American that provide health care coverage to the domestic partners of our employees remains a priority and we encourage the Congress to enact this important legislation,” said Will Ris, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs at American Airlines.
Metlife Statement
"MetLife’s decision to extend benefit coverage was made nearly 10 years ago, and was centered around questions not only of equity, but the usual factors influencing benefit offerings – to attract and retain the most qualified, committed, talented and diverse workforce. As a leader in the benefits area, we know that tax treatment is not the only factor considered when employees make a benefits decision – but, it is very often an important catalyst to education and action, and certainly influences affordability," stated Margery Brittain, Senior Vice President, Global Compensation and Benefits at MetLife.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Matt Baume — Marriage News Watch, June 6, 2011
A new poll shows us neck-and-neck in Minnesota, with a vote on marriage still a year off. There's just two weeks left to pass marriage in New York, but a Senate bill still hasn't even been introduced yet. Illinois launched civil unions this week as Rhode Island debated doing the same. And a Michigan Republican can't tell the difference between gay couples and child abusers.
Equality Matters: 20% of NOM's May blog posts
weren't about gay marriage
Roughly 20% of the entries on NOM’s blog in the month of May were unrelated to the organization’s stated goal of “protecting marriage.” Instead, these posts dealt with a number of more traditional anti-gay topics, chief among which were:
- Opposing Civil Unions
- Opposing Pro-LGBT Curriculum
- Opposing Same-Sex Parenting
- Opposing Non-Discrimination Laws
- Exaggerating LGBT Political Clout
- General Anti-LGBT
- Promoting Republican/Conservative Causes
Repeal of DADT: Defense Secretary Gates tells homophobic Marine to suck it up
"Sir, we joined the Marine Corps because the Marine Corps has a set of standards and values that is better than that of the civilian sector. And we have gone and changed those values and repealed the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy," the sergeant told Gates during the question and answer session.
"We have not given the Marines a chance to decide whether they wish to continue serving under that. Is there going to be an option for those Marines that no longer wish to serve due to the fact their moral values have not changed?" he asked.
"No," Gates responded. "You'll have to complete your ... enlistment just like everybody else."
"The reality is that you don't all agree with each other on your politics, you don't agree with each other on your religion, you don't agree with each other on a lot of things," he added. "But you still serve together. And you work together. And you look out for each other. And that's all that matters."
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Video from Faith and Freedom conference in Washington: Michele Bachmann gloats at her role in anti-gay marriage referendum in Minnesota, calls Planned Parenthod 'corrupt,' calls for defunding
Minnesota Public Radio reports that Michele Bachmann again attacked Planned Parenthood, this time at the "Faith and Freedom" conference in D.C., calling Planned Parenthood a "corrupt organization," asserting "trafficking of underage girls that has gone on under Planned Parenthood's nose."
Bachmann refused to elaborate, but her website praises the anti-abortion group Live Action, which claimed to have found evidence of human trafficking by the group through the use of undercover sting videos.
Planned Parenthood has not responded to requests for a comment on Bachmann's allegation but on its website, it called the Live Action videos "dishonest" and "doctored."
Bachmann also claimed to have been "the tip of spear" in legislative efforts in Minnessota to put a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, before Minnesota voters.
Keystone XL pipeline comments to State Department: You have just three days left to make 'em
Dear Sec. Clinton,
We urge you to deny the permit request from TransCanada to build a risky tarsands oil pipeline across the Sandhills and through the Ogallala Aquifer.
Click here to comment on the Department of State's "Supplemental Environmental Impact Study," and ask Sec. Clinton to visit the Sandhills first hand so she can meet the landowners and unique ecosystem. We have until June 6th to submit comments.
GLAAD's inexplicable support of anti-net neutrality AT&T and its proposed merger with T-Mobile
AT&T, an opponent of net neutrality, is on the board of directors of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, which recently backed a law negating Nashville's ordinance prohibiting LGBT discrimination. (20 minutes before Tennessee's governor signed the law, the CoC withdrew its support.)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Peekskill, New York: home of Mel Gibson, Stanley Tucci, Paul Reubens and now, the Yellow Brick Road
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| Neatnessdotcom, Flickr |
At one time the road of Dutch Pavers led directly to the Peekskill Military Institute, which L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, attended for two years, during which he must have walked the road many times, hence Curran's supposition that it was the inspiration for the road leading to Oz.
Evangelical Republican may challenge
Mike Gronstal in Iowa
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| Bayliss Park Oculus, Council Bluffs Waterbearer Images, Flickr |
“My wife loves her house but it’s a decision that we’ve arrived at together, that if this is God’s calling for us, we have a duty to fulfill and we will make the sacrifice,” Ringgenberg told the Register.
Council Bluffs, population 62,230, is Iowa's seventh-largest city; it grew by almost 7% from 2000-2010. Hardly an economically depressed area, it has three bustling casinos, a new Google data center, and is next door to prosperous Omaha, Nebraska and its low unemployment.
Despite this, Ringgenberg says that "government spending and taxation policies" — for which Gronstal is presumably responsible — are "currently inhibiting and holding back economic development in Council Bluffs.”
Prague, Czech Republic, to hold first gay pride celebration: WTF!
The first gay pride celebration in the Czech Republic will be held this August. Astonishingly, the sexually liberal country is, according to Pink News, the last holdout in the European union in respect of hosting gay day events. The Czech Republic is, of course, a hotbed (so to speak) of gay porn production. The clip above is from the Czech edition of Big Brother, the popular internationally-franchised reality series.
Jamaica: machete-wielding mob threatens Swedish film crew documenting homophobia
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| Tach_RedGold&Green, Flickr |
Text of Elton John's open letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scott not to further cut AIDS funding
John, who is well-known for calling them as he sees them, must have had to swallow hard to refer to Scott in his letter as "a leader with a distinguished career in the health care sector."
The following is from WikiPedia's entry on Rick Scott:
Columbia/HCA fraud case details
On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.[19]
Following the raids, the Columbia/HCA board of directors forced Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO.[20] He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement. He also left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.
June 1, 2011
Dear Governor Scott:
We are writing out of deep concern regarding a proposal currently under consideration by the Florida Department of Health to lower the income eligibility requirements for the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).
Since its establishment in 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has invested significant funding in HIV/AIDS prevention, stigma reduction, treatment, care, and associated services for those living with HIV/AIDS in Florida. Furthermore, as one of the largest HIV/AIDS grant making organizations in the United States, we are intently focused on the worsening AIDS epidemic in the American South. We believe the proposal under consideration by the Department of Health would have a deadly, costly, and widespread impact in Florida and across the South.
As you know, over 9,600 low-income, HIV-positive Floridians currently rely on the ADAP program to receive life-saving antiretroviral medication. Because this program is severely underfunded, some 3,900 additional people of limited means in your state are on a waiting list to receive treatment they cannot afford, yet need to survive. Florida currently has the largest ADAP waiting list in the entire nation.
Against this troubling backdrop, the Florida Department of Health is considering a drastic reduction in eligibility for the state's ADAP program. This cost-saving measure would exclude all but the state's poorest residents from ADAP - those earning less than $21,780 per year. If this measure is enacted, over 1,600 people who currently receive ADAP assistance would be cut from the program, and those on the waiting list would have no hope of receiving medication through ADAP.
Given that life-saving HIV/AIDS medications can cost between $10,000 and $30,000 per year, this proposal would put these low-income individuals with HIV/AIDS in the untenable position of being completely unable to afford treatment for an incurable, communicable disease. Also, the people currently participating in the program who would lose funding for their HIV treatment would potentially be at risk to develop dangerous, drug-resistant strains of HIV in their bodies if forced off their medications.
With treatment, these Floridians can lead healthy, productive lives. Without it, they will slowly die.
Moreover, lack of treatment for those living with HIV has vast implications for the state and the nation at large. First, reducing the size of Florida's ADAP program might save money in the near-term, but it will quickly become more expensive for the state in the medium- and long-term, as those denied treatment by ADAP become ill and require emergency room and hospital care. Second, denying treatment to low-income Floridians would exacerbate the state and region's worsening AIDS epidemic. A recent, groundbreaking study by the National Institutes of Health demonstrated that people living with HIV who receive antiretroviral treatment are 96% less likely to pass the virus on to their uninfected partners. Therefore, denying HIV treatment to low-income people not only harms their health and increases the incidence of drug-resistant HIV, it also makes it more likely that these people can and will spread the disease to others.
For these reasons, we are writing to join the hundreds of Floridians who have bravely stepped forward in public hearings to speak out against the Department of Health's ill-conceived proposal. We also echo and applaud Senator Bill Nelson, who has written to you and President Obama about the unacceptable lack of funding for ADAP in Florida and across the nation. We stand in solidarity with our grantees and partners in Florida who are deeply concerned about the tremendous harm this proposal would cause in the communities they serve.
Governor Scott, we urge you, as a leader with a distinguished career in the health care sector, to demand that the Florida Department of Health rescind this harmful, inhumane, and fiscally-ineffective proposal. We hope and trust that you will demonstrate national leadership on this issue to safeguard the health and lives of your citizens.
Sincerely,
| Sir Elton John Founder | David Furnish Chariman |
Newt Gingrich's 0% Tiffany's credit account could result in criminal charges
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| Newt Gingrinch, factually enhanced by Conan O'Brien |
...The Agriculture Committee monitors the Forest Service, which oversees mining, including silver mining, in federal forests. During the time Callista Gingrich worked for the House Committee, she carried a balance in the account (representing an interest-free loan). Tiffany's mines silver on public lands, so keeping a staffer with the pull of Callista Gingrich happy could pay off dearly for the company.
...Adding to the madness is the fact that Newt Gingrich's former top staffer is now a lobbyist for...wait for it...Tiffany's!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
How to refute NOM's talking points
has sifted through the wealth of information at Alvin McEwen’s site, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and Jeremy Hooper’s site, Good As You, to come up with “Simple answers to NOM’s complicated lies.” A nice repository of prewritten answers, handy for inclusion (with credit, of course) when responding to homophobic posts in various social media forums.
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