****
Youth Guidance: President Obama Invites BAM Program Back To The White House
President Obama has invited Youth Guidance’s Becoming a Man (B.A.M.) program back to Washington D.C. to kick off a new White House initiative called “My Brother’s Keeper.” Three B.A.M. students from Hyde Park High School, along with B.A.M. Lead Supervisor, Marshaun Bacon, and Youth Guidance Board Member, Stuart Taylor, will visit the White House Thursday and Friday. The President’s initiative will support young male minorities by bringing foundations and companies together to find ways to keep young men in school and out of the criminal justice system.
More here
****
****
USA Today: Obama Plans Program To Aid Minority Men
As part of the new effort, businesses and foundations would seek to develop strategies designed to help young men at critical and vulnerable parts of their lives. Goals range from helping boys get to school on time to avoiding problems with the criminal justice system. Ideas include promoting literacy, early childhood education and healthy lifestyles, as well as disrupting what one official called “the school-to-prison pipeline.” “My Brother’s Keeper” also involves a review of existing federal programs designed to address the challenges facing young men, discarding those that don’t work and improving those that do — “all within existing federal resources,” one official said. One official said the goal of “My Brother’s Keeper” is “to make sure that every young man of color who is willing to work hard and lift himself up has an opportunity to get ahead and reach his full potential.”
More here
****
****
Yahoo: Obama Embraces A Lifelong Cause: Helping Minority Boys Succeed
“I never signed a Father’s Day card before,” the young man explained as the president opened the card. “I’ve never signed a Father’s Day card, either,” Obama replied, according to an aide, improbably closing the distance between the Chicago teens and the American president. It was an intimate, private moment that moved him. On Thursday afternoon, Obama will be addressing the same set of issues in a far more public way. Three of the BAM teens will return to the White House for Obama’s unveiling of a new initiative partly inspired by the Chicago program. As part of “My Brother’s Keeper,” as the new campaign is known, the White House will bring together nonprofits, foundations and private businesses to endorse and test out programs designed to help young minority men graduate from high school, stay out of juvenile detention centers and prisons, and train for and get good jobs.
More here
****
****
Chicago Tribune: Obama Meets With Chicago Youths, Fathers At White House
Continuing the first family’s outreach to Chicago teens, President Barack Obama today welcomed 14 students and five chaperons from Chicago’s Hyde Park Academy High School to be among his guests at an informal luncheon in the State Dining Room to mark Father’s Day. White House spokesman Kevin Lewis said the luncheon was a chance for the president to continue the “national conversation” he began during his first term about the vital roles that fathers have in families and communities. After the luncheon, Obama invited the Chicagoans for a quick trip to the Oval Office.
Afterward, the students were to take part in a round-table discussion on mentorship with administration staffers, Lewis said. Obama traveled to Hyde Park Academy to talk about gun violence and other issues, meeting privately that day with participants in the “Becoming a Man — Sports Edition” program, which mixes after-school sports with counseling, mentorship and violence-prevention activities. First lady Michelle Obama has begun her own relationship with students from Chicago’s Harper High School, visiting the school in April and hosting some Harper students at the White House on June 5, when they met both Obamas.
More here
****
****
****
News One: Obama To Launch ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ Initiative For Young Men Of Color
There has been a change in direction in the President’s message ever since his spirited State of the Union speech last month. During the address, President Obama spoke clearly of his upcoming agenda, although he didn’t announce it by name. “I’m reaching out to some of America’s leading foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help more young men of color facing especially tough odds stay on track and reach their full potential,” said the President during the address.
A White House official told the Washington Post that, with the help of community and business leaders, the initiative will zero in “on key moments in the lives of these young men where interventions have been shown to have the greatest impact — things like making sure children arrive at school ready to learn and reducing negative interactions with the criminal justice system.”
More here
****
****
Orlando Sentinel: Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses Stand-Your-Ground Laws At NAACP Convention
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the nation’s first black person to hold that post, urged NAACP members convening in Orlando on Tuesday to help overturn stand-your-ground laws that “senselessly expand the concept of self-defense.” He told NAACP members attending the group’s 104th annual convention to peacefully confront “the unfortunate stereotypes” that sometimes lead to police suspicion and private misjudgment. Holder praised the relatively peaceful reaction to Saturday’s acquittal of Zimmerman and the “dignity” of Trayvon’s parents.
But he also recounted the personal incidents of racial profiling he had faced as a young man, including being stopped on the New Jersey turnpike for no reason and being questioned by an officer one night while running to catch a movie in Washington’s trendy Georgetown district. “I was at the time of that last incident a federal prosecutor,” Holder noted. In a rare public disclosure, Holder also shared how, when he was a teen, his father had instructed him on how to conduct himself if he were ever stopped by the police — and how Holder found himself having the same talk with his own 15-year-old son after Trayvon’s death. “I am sure that my father felt certain that his generation was the last that would have to worry about such things for their children,” Holder said.
More here
****
****
****
****
NY Daily News: Michelle Obama’s Chicago Gun-Control Speech Highlights Death Of Fallen Honor-Student Hadiya Pendleton
First Lady Michelle Obama entered the national conversation on gun control with a deeply emotional speech in her hometown of Chicago about the death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton. Pendleton, an honor student and a band majorette, was murdered on Jan. 29 at a park near her school and just one mile from Obama’s Chicago home. Her death came just one week after she sang at the President’s inauguration in Washington. “What I realized was that Hadiya’s family was just like my family. Hadiya Pendleton was me, and I was her. But I got to grow up and go to Princeton and Harvard Law School and have a career and a family and the most blessed life I could ever imagine,” said Obama, holding back tears.
More here
****
****
****
****
****
***
“I never signed a Father’s Day card before teen” 2 @BarackObama Reply: “I’ve never signed a Father’s Day card either” http://t.co/1ryL4pX207
— The Lovely Plains (@DaRiverZkind) February 26, 2014
****
Thursday 2/27 the President will host @WhiteHouse event to unveil “My Brother’s Keeper” streamed live on http://t.co/UfzJOeOTAX #AfAmEdChat
— White House Af-Am Ed (@AfAmEducation) February 25, 2014
The Obama Diary 
Happy Thursday!
Hi Cindy up there on top!
Hi Judith,
THANK YOU!!!
Good to see you, and Happy Thursday to you.
Have a wonderful day!
Congrats on 1st, Cindy.
LP – FANTASTIC post!!! Thank you!!!
Hi Mr. Bobfr…
THANK YOU!!!!
Happy Thursday to you!
Enjoy your day……
We are blessed and super duper lucky to have the Obamas.
Yes indeed we are.
For those coming in, who haven’t checked out Rise and Shine, – shame on you 😀 – this happened but he is okay now. Thank goodness.
I’m just signing on and your R & S was phenomenal as usual. Thanks for the update on AG Holder!
You’re welcome, Donna.
I’m glad he’s doing well. When I heard the news, it felt like my heart stopped. He’s done and is doing so much good that we need him around for a long time.
Isn’t it funny how we get attached to those working for President Obama?
They all become like extended family to us. My thoughts are with him that he gets the rest and care needed to get him back on his feet. As you say, we need him to continue to do the valiant work that he has started making our society a more fair and equal place for all.
So true!
I love My AG!
Thanks ut for re-posting. I’m seeing too many hair-on-fire tweets from folks who aren’t updated and just feeding off the media-induced hysteria. You would think that AG holder was hospitalized in full cardiac arrest based on some reports!
Or maybe some people aren’t fully able to get full media access by the minute.
Jeff, they can always come here to TOD – we have “Up-to-the-Minute” news and information from around the World 😉
I know but I get so caught up in the sensationalism that I get real excitable about everything. Will try to curb going to idiotic sites like Yahoo, UGH the commentators on there are worse then HP or even MSNBC.
Indeed Jeff. But I’m also thinking if someone is on Twitter than they should have access to the updated info. The hair-on-fire tweets are mostly driven by MSM which send out the initial reports, but refuse to update in order to keep the hysteria going, and if they do update, they make sure to put it in quotes as if to suggest it’s just hearsay.
Twiter is the pits… I know a lot of people go on there but I am more partial to facebook… Maybe it’s cause I’m a more private guy type.
LOL! I think Twitter has its merits, particularly when it comes to sending/receiving updated info quickly. On the other hand a lot of rubbish gets transmitted just as quickly. 🙂
NW, I am playing catch up on the work I didn’t do yesterday 🙂
I did scan the R&S, but you have so many good things on it, that I lingered too long to be able to comment on any of it! LOL!!!
I loved the photo of FLOTUS in the dress where she’s turned sideways – she is so stately and beautiful.
I am happy to hear that AG Holder is resting comfortably – his will be added to my prayer list.
I know there’s other items I wanted to comment on – maybe y’all should put little comment boxes in between the pictures and articles for us senior folks with short-term memory 😀
Hahahahahaha. You have an iron-clad excuse, GGail. It’s your post-birthday. We should all be serving you grapes and chocolate and champagne. 😆
You wouldn’t get a fight or any resistance from me – hahahahaha!!!
Thanks for putting our worries to rest about A.G. Holder. He is crucial, so we are relieved he’s okay.
Thank God. Thank you, NW for this update. Was out and about and missed the R&S. It’s next on my list.
I wouldn’t disagree with this.
I won’t argue with them either! 🙂
Hollah! 😉
DD, I don’t know who these two people are – but I like the way they think about President Obama
MAJOR DUH!
Not to mention SMART. PBO is gorgeous and brilliant – a winning combination. I will forgive Armisen and Brownstein for making fun of my fair city in their show.
hahahahaha TOD people “POTUS sexy??” we never noticed, not much
GOP on the issues for 2014: FAIL
by Nancy LeTourneau
————————————-
Deregulation – I’m sure we’ll be hearing about this one from lots of Republicans. But when plants blow up in Texas and water isn’t safe to drink in West Virginia, that’s a tough sell.
Foreign Policy – Right now the John McCain hawks are at war with the Rand Paul non-interventionist libertarians. There is no clear end in sight on that conflict.
That about covers the standard Republican fare. Nothing much to work with there. And so we’ll likely see the default position that Republicans tend to rely on – negativity as a means to induce fear. The only question that remains is whether or not enough Americans will buy it. Let’s just call it what it is…FAIL.
———————————————
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2014/02/gop-on-issues-for-2014-fail.html
For our Go Brooklyn and all the other TODer’s on the mend as well as AG Holder
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=obama
donna dem thank you so much for posting the candles link again. So many times I have gone to it because it was posted here and lit a candle. I did so just now for our esteemed and much loved AG and for all at TOD who are in need of healing in mind, body, or spirit. I truly believe it works; I think taking a moment to reflect and/or pray when doing so is like an embrace between the person lighting the candle and the recipients of the thoughts and prayers. Again, thank you.
On a lighter note, hubby and I ate lunch out then were making a mad dash down our Parkway to stop by the house before returning to our office. We encountered an unexpected traffic bumper-to-bumper jam near our exit. I asked hubby if Christie had any reason to prevent us from getting home that day? Lol.
Wouldn’t it be a pip if PBO makes this his major work after he leaves the White House? What would all the dashiki tower brothers say then?
LL, isn’t it strange…where is wild-hair Cornel and fast-talking Tavis?????
Hopefully the pound has picked them up; carried them away, and they are being pissed on by the other dogs the way they try and piss on President Obama.
Hi GGAIL!
Happy Thursday to you!
Those two clowns causes my pressure to go up!
Hi Cindy – the way you just wrote about them – should make you “Happy”, “clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth” 😀
Oh Yeeeeaaahhhh!
Hope you had a wonderfully, delicious and awesome BIRTHDAY!
Hope you didn’t stumble on your way to TOD….too much dancing, and all the other good stuff we need : ) and get for our B-Day.
Now you can fill in the blanks…. ____, ____, ____ : )
Ha ha good one Cindy! You guys making me laugh makes my blood pressure go down. Lit a candle for GB and TOD. Happy after birthday to GGail, and a merry good day to all y’all.
Still feeling warm from the chimp hug from an earlier post.
Thanks Paulita {{{{hugs}}}}
Laughter is good medicine – I highly recommend a daily dose – and I get it here at TOD (although I do create a lot of it too) 😆
Hi Paulita,
Happy Thursday to you!!!
It is an understatement when I say; I : O DESPISE those two underhanded, wanna be President Obama impersonators, bought and paid for Uncle Toms’ .
Let me know if you want me to tell you how I really feel…….ok, maybe not, Chipsticks may have to move me out : (
Other than that….Have a Wonderful and AWESOME DAY! : )
… and in this corner:
Hahahaha! good one Dudette!
😀
As has been reported, it is expected that this work will continue to be a major concern and effort by both Obamas post-presidency. I also expect, and hope, that PBO will play a major role globally. He is loved and respected by so many around the world, I feel he is going to be a significant presence and will be able to do great things, help to enact meaningful change, improve lives here and around the world.
Minority youth have been at a disadvantage for decades. The Jesse Jacksons, Al Sharptons, Tavis Smelly, and Corny Wests laid it on PBO’s shoulders. These young people have two fantastic people (Potus &Flotus) in their corner. I hope this is rolled out to all states.
But it’s a right wing revolt, don’t you know, and all true blue progressives should fly to Caracas THIS INSTANT and join Maduro’s paramilitary to protect the Bolivarian project.
Isn’t Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid still hanging around over there?
No, that was Bolivia. They ran with Che Guevara. 😆
😆 oh
All I see is a bunch of serious trouble
Good evening and Happy Good Thursday to “EVERYONE.”
Thank you Chipsticks, Nerdy Wonka, Liberal Librarian, lovelyplains, Bobfr, and all who are making contributions to this lovely place. I am left in awe, every time I come by, of how much news is covered and up to date information that we can use based on “truths.”
Sending warmest blessings, prayers for healing, continued healing, and full recovery to Momma Chipsticks, No Child Left Behind, CarolMaeWY, MelainTX, Tnmtngirl, Dudette, Dudette’s brother, Gobrooklyn, everyone that I left out who are in need, and to our AWESOME AG – Mr. Eric Holder.
TOD ROCKS!!!
You are a treasure, Cindy.
Hey 57andfemale,
How are you? I missed you…didn’t know that you were here.
Hope you are having a splendid day.
HAPPY THURSDAY to you!!!!!!
Hi, girlfriend! I hope this day is being good to you. You have bestowed on us so many kind, beautiful thoughts and blessings. May they reflect back on your kind spirit.
Everything’s fine, Cindy. Still cleaning up from the flooded sewing room last week but it will end up a blessing in disguise: it is time to make room in my house and do some serious purging of stuff we don’t need.
Now that the danger has passed, I’m taking a different approach: normally I would look at things through the lens of what we can do physically and what we can afford. This time, I am going ‘design’ the most efficient, workable space – at least on paper and in my mind. THEN I will add the practical element to the equation. But right now I have to ‘aim for the stars’ of what would make my life easier in order to enjoy and access the things I love to do.
A work in progress, to be sure…….
#BlackHistoryMonth
Did You Know That?
African-American Toni Blackman is the U.S. State Department’s first official hip-hop ambassador working under their Cultural Diplomacy Program. Blackman has a long history in music, from freestyling and rapping as a child to starting her own organization in Washington D.C. called the Freestyling Cipher Workshop. Through her work with the government, she’s traveled to countries like Senegal to work with the hip-hop community and to Guyana to work with art teachers. Blackman has used art as a way to prevent violence against women in the Congo and other war-torn countries.
One of the ways she brings diverse artist together is by using ciphers, a gathering of creative artists in a circle to make beats together and express themselves through music. Blackman’s tireless work has also led her to Ghana, Botswana, and Swaziland. She’s performed with Erykah Badu, Mos Def, The Roots, the Wu-Tang Clan, Guru, Me’Shell NdegeoCello, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, and more and has collaborated with Craig Harris, James “Blood” Ulmer, Vernon Reid, Jay Rodriguez and master kora players Papa Susso and Yacouba.
Wow! This is wonderful! Thanks for sharing this Donna! This administration continues to surpass any I’ve seen in so many ways. I couldn’t be prouder of our President and the extraordinary team he’s put in place.
This initiative is much needed. I can definitely see the president becoming fully vested in causes like these post-presidency. He is a teacher and mentor by trade. : )
Well, at least they issued a correction.
That they would ever issue a correction when they lie and smear PBO…….
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/press-briefing-press-secretary-jay-carney-170
2-27-14
LIVE Jay’s at the WH Podium briefing the DC WHPC
LL, this is one of those commercials that made me stand still and watch it till it ended. I love how men of color can make clothing of color look so dayum good on them.
And the beer looks good too (it is about beer isn’t it?)
It is about beer, but my beer days are long behind me. Don’t need a beer belly, which I was getting. Wine and cocktails for me.
“it is about beer isn’t it?”
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Guinness should start a line of naughty mats ….
Hahahahaha – Bob! You busted me – Hahahahaha!!!!!
Congrats Cindy on first! Thanks LP for the post, good to see you! I didn’t know anything about AG Holder so will have to go back to R&S to get the update. Thanks for keeping us informed TOD! 😀
Howdy CarolMayWY….
How are you doing today? Taking care of your eyes I hope. Hang in there, March 10th is around the corner. Healing prayers going up for you.
Have a WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS DAY!!!
Thank you so much Cindy. I found out yesterday that driving is probably not a good idea. Also trying to stay off TOD and not being up to date is also very hard. I need to listen to a really good audiobook again and follow MTMarilyn instructions. ☺️
Now, the question is what will Putin do? Will he accept defeat and grumble away? Or will he try to put Yanukovych back in power? The next weeks until the EU-Ukraine summit will be pivotal.
Putin’s best choice would be to allow Ukraine to flourish as a sovereign, self-sustaining economy. Civil War in Ukraine, besides all the regional and global unintended and potentially catastrophic consequences, would have a high probability of ending very, very badly for him, personally.
I would love to see a photo of the same young people that appeared at the WH today as they will be ten years from now. I hope they have all gone on to the careers that best reflect their talents. I hope they’re successful, happy and have broken out of the cycle of failure that might once have doomed them. I hope they in turn raise happy, healthy children and through their efforts and those of their children, the US becomes a better place. And I hope all of them and all of us remember that it was President Obama and his beloved FLOTUS who started them on that road.
I couldn’t even finish watching that Joy Reid show video all I was hearing is “It’s not good enough.” Why is this President is always held to a higher standard than any other? I’m sure when the first “black President” returns to the White House with Hillary, these same people will say nothing.
Every African-American understands this moment from the word, action. The BEST monologue on TV in 2013 and he’s baaaaack tonight. Just one reason why Scandal is must watch TV.
Delivered by one hell of an actor! Have always loved me some Joe Morton! Was on my feet cheering!
He’s phenomenal and is the personification of the word. A broader audience in the millions is being exposed to his A+ caliber of acting and I’m so happy.
That’s the beauty and joy of having Shonda Rhimes on network TV. She makes sure that her audience around the world sees themselves when they turn on the TV and doesn’t accept Hollywood’s excuse of “oh, there are no talented actors of color in the industry.”
That’s potent, to say the least!! Someday maybe I’ll have time to watch via DVD or download … not likely, though, for the next few years!!!
I highly recommend ‘Scandal,’ Bob. When you have some free time in the next few years, you should have it on your list of shows to catch up on.
Scandal, Breaking Bad, The Wire, True Detective, Downton Abbey, Treme, are just a few of the excellent shows that TV audiences have been fortunate to watch.
Thank you, NW. Will definitely look forward to the day when I can enjoy these shows.
Scandal is BACK. Love this show. He chewed the hell out of that scene.
And this is fun:
YAY
Wonderful news. So glad to hear this.
Thanks meta for update! Glad to hear he’s back home. 🙂
Happy to hear AG Holder is home resting.
You may have heard that AG Holder was released from the hospital, nearly an hour ago. Thank God!
The GOP’s latest efforts at voter suppression in Ohio, NC and other states will only work if we let it. Voters need to become angry at these changes and they need to flood to the polls wherever and whenever they can. The state of Pennsylvania has lived with anti-voter rules for decades. We have NO early voting. New registrations must be turned in a MONTH ahead of time and we have the most draconian absentee ballot rules in the country. To counter these obstacles the word has to go out over and over and ever again that people have to come out on the designated election day. Every voter contact should begin and end with the statement that the GOP is trying to suppress your vote. Defy them and come out to vote. I hope every Dem candidate for office takes up this fight and pounds this theme into the hearts and minds of voters.
NOW ON THE REID REPORT
Joy is interviewing Ohio state senator Nina Turner on voter disenfranchisement.
Nina Turner was fantastic. She’s not afraid to call out voter suppression loving Jon Husted.
Joy’s show has been great so far. She’s really covered important issues in depth. Voter suppression, My Brother’s Keeper, LGBT, Healthcare, Gentrification, the job policies President Obama is enacting in spite of Republican obstruction, GOP’s war on women, etc.
Yes, Nina Turner was fabulous. I have been positively giddy watching The Reid Report every day since the debut on Monday. It is such a pleasure to see that Joy Reid finally has her own show. As always, she is covering meaty and important topics with aplomb. She is a top notch interview and in my opinion the best political analyst on MSNBC. She does her homework and she challenges spin and misinformation with facts on the spot. This is such a rarity.
Do anyone want to hear a peep from Corney West or his sidekick Tavis Smiley? I know I don’t.
Nope…not a word since they were picked up by the Pound. Hope they stay in there forever, they are among their own kind.
🙂
Speaking of food safety/labeling—-and will they please stop trying to poison us? It’s not just Subway bread, but there are now warnings of 500 other familiar and popular food products which are made out of yoga mats. (contains same cancer-causing chemical as in yoga mats)
I think the food companies should have to list everything they put in their product.
Wow, Dotster, that’s an incredible list. Fortunately, I couldn’t find one thing on it that I buy, except that I did once get some Schmidt rye bread and didn’t like it.
Interesting perspective …
“With Ukraine drifting irresistibly towards the EU, Venezuela tottering on the edge of economic collapse, and with no end in sight for Syria, the embryonic informal empire is on life support. To make matters worse, at home Russia is having to contend with sputtering growth, a dependence on oil and gas exports that would make Saudi Arabia look diverse, an industrial sector seemingly impervious to reform, disintegrating infrastructure, and a rampant public health crisis of HIV and alcoholism. And in Russia’s far east, whole Chinese villages have been established inside Russian territory in a creeping colonization that, although not directed by Beijing, they’re in no rush to halt.
But the West would do well to resist gloating or complacency, for the most dangerous animal in the woods is a wounded bear. Giving Russia a face saving climbdown should now be the goal of Western diplomats.”
“US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday joined NATO in warning Russia not to take any action that could lead to “miscalculation” amid rising tensions on Ukraine’s majority-Russian Crimea peninsula.
Speaking after pro-Kremlin gunmen seized regional administration buildings in Crimea and Moscow ordered snap combat readiness drills near the border, Hagel warned: “I am closely watching the Russian military exercise.
“I expect them to be transparent about these activities,” he told a press conference at the close of a two-day NATO defence ministers meeting.
“I urge them not to take steps that could be misinterpreted or lead to miscalculation.””
“Here we have a country—Russia—where hunting for gays and for northern Caucasian facial features is becoming a national sport.
Here we have a country where, on April 20, Adolf Hitler’s birthday, “non-Slavs” are invited to stay home lest something terrible happen to them.
Here we have a country where, when a thousand young people take to the streets in 2006 to protest a bill before the Duma to ban Jewish groups suspected of having made a “pact with the devil,” they donned masks for fear of finding their faces on the Facebook page of a “white patrol” hit-man who would come and bust their head.
And here we find that that country, through the voice of its president, while berating Germany, France, and the United States, has the unbelievable nerve to declare that the Ukrainian revolution marks the return of fascism to Europe.”
THIS is an ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL read, btw …
Levy is what I wish more US leftist “intellectuals” would be.
The level of scholarship required to even sit at the table with Levy is far beyond the intellectual capacity and discipline that the vast majority of US “leftists” display, for starters.
That’s what’s most amusing, the Russians in eastern Ukraine calling the Maidan protestors “fascists”, while in Russia what he have is a state corporatism with a dollop of virulent nationalism.
Which, you know, was the Nazi program.
Yep.
Which, of course, comports to the definition of fascism. People throw that word around without understanding it at all.
Republican State Rep. Gordon Denlinger (PA) wants to pass a “legalize discrimination” bill in Pennsylvania.
The PA GOP bill is just like the controversial bill in Arizona that will allow people to discriminate based on “sincerely held religious beliefs.”
Don’t like gays? Kick them out of your restaurant. Hate Jews? Don’t let them stay at your motel. Think blacks and whites shouldn’t marry? Don’t rent your apartment to them.
All of this will be legal under Denlinger’s bill. As long as you can “justify” it by your religious beliefs. This GOP bill will roll the clock back to before the Civil Rights Era. We can’t let this happen.
Stop the Legalize Discrimination Against Gays Bill. SIGN THE PETITION HERE: http://www.nolegaldiscrimination.org/
This is a serious must-read on this very topic:
Jer, right now PA has an ALEC controlled legislature and governor. That’s why it’s so important that we at least get a Dem governor elected this fall. Legislators would then know that crap like this would be stopped dead with a veto. We are making progress in getting Dems in the PA Senate, but as of now, the PA House is a hot mess of rabid TPers.
Sweet story.
Here’s a direction we need to go in nationally.
This is a serious MUST READ:
Heads up:
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/02/27/president-obama-delivers-remarks-on-the-my-brothers-keeper-initiative/
My older brother is 7 years sober today! I am so proud of him and so relieved to see his life improving as a result of his sobriety!
This is awesomeness.
Making Obamacare less taxing: Preparers sign up clients
///
H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service are partnering with two leading online insurance brokers—H&R Block with GoHealth and Jackson Hewitt with Getinsured. They are now steering customers to those brokers if the clients say they want to enroll in Obamacare insurance after getting their tax returns prepared. Given potential tax penalties under the new law, the companies see it as a natural fit—and a potentially growing service.
////
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101449602
I love this beautiful place that has the heart of gold starting with Chips. I was speaking to someone who is close to one of POB’s closest friends and worked his hands, feet, heart, and brains to the highest level during both of the campaigns, and he gave me(as always) another level of hope. I also gave him a sweet taste of hope when I shared with him again how this beautiful TOD family is still working in such a beautiful manner with such brilliant minds. He responded,” Yes, I know.” Never doubt what you all give everyday in your hard work of sharing with all of us on this beautiful site. The compassionate family care; the love of what this administration is doing globally as well as domestically. We have elected twice a great man and mind who hands off the different batons to keep the race moving.
I love our president and his administration and will continue to support him. Please keep your candles lit and your prayers and meditative words of healing, rest, comfort, and love going forth for our beautiful AG, Eric Holder and his lovely wife, Dr. Sharon Holder. Thank you all.HZ