3/4ths of Senate GOP Doesn’t Believe in Science – When Did Republicans Go Completely Off the Deep End? | | AlterNet

The title of this article really gets it wrong.

Many, not all, Republicans actually DO hate science and progress and critical thinking. They just want everyone to accept their narrowly defined version of reality as the be-all, end-all of everything. No discussion, no alternatives, no facts. Just believe.

I’m all for faith. Faith gets you through a lot of crap you probably otherwise couldn’t handle. But it is your backbone against a sea of troubles, not the driving force for what your mind and hands can otherwise do much better in handling the reality of life.

Republicans want ‘In God We Trust’ emblazoned on 9,000 federal buildings, cost could top $100m

When you’re taking rights away from women, minorities, and workers and giving jobs to adulterous senator’s girlfriends and basically screaming about how broke the country is (and neglecting to mention you had a hand in it) there’s only one thing to do: spend $100 million to con folks into thinking God is on your side.

Kansas Republican Suggests Shooting Illegal Immigrants From Helicopters | Political Correction

I’ve been chastised recently for stating that many Tea Party types are racist bigots.

I *do* realize the following; some of those folks are not actually racist; they just quietly condone being lumped in with them. I also realize that not all racists are Tea Baggers: Hillary Clinton’s PUMA supporters proved that.

So, even with those two caveats, I would like the defenders of “free speech racism” to explain this.

I also have two points to make here.

One, if you aren’t racist, why do you compare humans to pigs and suggest slaughtering them is the only way to deal with any potential issues they cause? Also, yes, this is racist. You can’t check documentation from a helicopter so this guy is asking to hunt brown people from the air.

Two, why do these conservative cowards refuse to hunt fairly? Cheney and his box o’ birds (which he still couldn’t shot without hitting a “friend”) and Palin and this moron wanting to shoot things from a helicopter.

Come on down to ground level and make it at least somewhat equal.

Also, if you really want to shoot brown people from the air, join the Air Force. They’ll even let you have a drone so you don’t have to leave the U.S. to do it.

Why Silicon Valley Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Returning Home

Congratulations America. We educate millions of foreign students, give them the foundation to be innovators and entrepreneurs, than, because our inept handling of immigration reform is in permanent limbo, they go home.

Once there, they start the companies that challenge our industries here.

This needs fixed, and quickly.

We also need to finally address our attitude problem towards immigrants. When we lived in Oklahoma, after 9/11 the Air Force ROTC goon-in-charge liked to march his cadets in full uniform, gear, and guns up the hill through the family housing areas – where most of the international students lived.

Some of these families came from countries where the soldiers are the cops. And whatever pass for justice wasn’t interested in fairness, legality, or the fate of the common man. Kids were yanked inside by terrified parents. The local campus police, to their credit, did everything they could to stop this behavior.

In many cases, the damaged was done. This didn’t happen before 9/11. This wasn’t a necessary task. The head officer actually bragged about what he was doing.

You just don’t need to change the laws to let folks know they can and should stay and make their dreams come true here. You also need to tell bigots that we ALL came from somewhere else and a person’s religion, gender, melanin tone, or whatever else they want to separate us by do not matter.

In Defense of NPR

Some perspective, and truth, about the right wing hate-filled bleating against NPR.

Hell, I don’t even think they have an argument. It is just nice to see someone finally standing up for a relatively reasonable news source.

Look at it this way. I get more news off of a half hour of publicly funded BBC news aired on the local PBS station at 10 pm than I do from any other news source I read or listen to all day.

This isn’t a coincidence. Publicly funded news works for the people and does a great job of it.

Imagine if we treated our public media with the same funding and respect?

Anguished Bradley Manning Speaks Out on Prison Torture – “Why Are You Doing This to Me? Why Am I Being Punished?” | AlterNet

Now I’ve said this before, but Bradley Manning broke the law by releasing military documents. He probably deserves to be tried and found guilty of at least that.

That said, it behooves us as a nation to treat him, a fellow citizen with respect. Hell, as a nation we should treat everyone in our custody as we would a human being we honor and cherish. Not because we are soft, but because we are better. Better than anyone who considers us an enemy. Better than folks like Mr. Manning, who find us lacking in character at this moment in time.

Even when we are flawed, how we treat those in our custody should be irreproachable.

Which, frankly, in this case, does not appear to be true.

More on the situation .

Also, State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley was forced out of his job for calling this style of imprisonment “stupid”. Good for him for speaking out. Poor form by the President for letting this kind of thing still happen under the Stars and Stripes.

We don’t have to stoop to the level of our enemies to win. We don’t have to treat those who respect the truth over orders as the enemy. We don’t have to be stupid at a time when only our wits and advantages will win the day.