When the government lies to us, we go to war.
When we lie to the government, we go to prison.
Somehow, we're getting the short end of the stick here.

Ashely Judd] hasn't announced yet, but her biggest supporter in Kentucky, Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth, told ABC News, "I would be surprised if she doesn't run at this point."

"My impression is this is something she wants to do, and she is now taking the time to make the contacts she needs to make throughout the state to try and generate commitments of support and in some cases fundraising," Yarmuth said. "She is certainly acting like a candidate, a potential candidate.

"I think in her own mind ... she has made a decision to run and she's doing the right thing and not ruffling any feathers along the way," Yarmuth said. link

At a time of moral cowardice on the part of our elected officials in the face of some of the biggest threats to public health in this country, the former U.S. Surgeon General during the Reagan and George H.S. Bush administrations braved the wrath of his fellow Republicans and Christian conservatives with his frank and non-judgmental talk about both the burgeoning AIDS pandemic and the perils of second-hand smoke.

From the NYT:

   President Obama's political team is fanning out across the country in pursuit of an ambitious goal: raising $50 million to convert his re-election campaign into a powerhouse national advocacy network, a sum that would rank the new group as one of Washington's biggest lobbying operation.

[snip]

    At least half of the group's budget will come from a select group of donors who will each contribute or raise $500,000 or more, according to donors and strategists involved in the effort.

    Unlike a presidential campaign, Organizing for Action has been set up as a tax-exempt "social welfare group." That means it is not bound by federal contribution limits, laws that bar White House officials from soliciting contributions, or the stringent reporting requirements for campaigns. In their place, the new group will self-regulate.

[snip]

But those contributions will also translate into access, according to donors courted by the president's aides. Next month, Organizing for Action will hold a "founders summit" at a hotel near the White House, where donors paying $50,000 each will mingle with Mr. Obama's former campaign manager, Jim Messina, and Mr. Carson, who previously led the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Giving or raising $500,000 or more puts donors on a national advisory board for Mr. Obama's group and the privilege of attending quarterly meetings with the president, along with other meetings at the White House. Moreover, the new cash demands on Mr. Obama's top donors and bundlers come as many of them are angling for appointments to administration jobs or ambassadorships.

"Self-regulation" has always worked so well, I can't imagine anything ever going amiss with this new "social welfare" organization, can you?

MAKERS: Women Who Make America

A 3 hour feature narrated by Meryl Streep, it will cover a host of women like Betty Friedan, Hillary, Gloria Steinam, Oprah, and Sandra Day O'Connor.

I remember Mr. K exactly as described by his other former student who has started this petition to at least get an apology out of St. Francis Prep.  A loving, caring, effective educator who never brought his personal sexual preferences into the classroom ever.  Also an excellent musician (keyboardist) who I loved to talk music with.

By all counts a huge asset to the school, till one lame-arse parent complains and the man who gave 30 + years of service gets sh*tcanned for being honest.  Truly shameful...I see they've still got the same principal too as when I attended, and apparently he's still a total douchebag.

Republican governors are making a big ask of the Obama administration in return for cooperating on the Medicaid expansion: They want to overhaul the underlying insurance program that covers 60 million low-income Americans.

If the Obama administration agrees, the battles over the health-care law could have an unexpected resolution: A larger, but more conservative, Medicaid program.

Emerging deals show governors exploring approaches that would significantly reshape the program, such as moving beneficiaries into privately managed health coverage or giving enrollees a greater financial stake in their health care.
...
Hours before announcing his decision to expand Medicaid, Florida Gov. Rick Scott had two waivers approved by Health and Human Services. The new flexibility will allow the state to move nearly all Medicaid enrollees into privately managed plans.
...
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will only consider the Medicaid expansion if he can move forward using the state's Healthy Indiana Program, which puts new enrollees in a private-style plan with a high deductible. link

I feel like Seth is always pointing to the dark side of people and culture.  Everyone is always very happy to pretend those things don't exist and we have all these hiccups happening to us and around us because we do have these ongoing issues and few want to acknowledge any of what isn't pleasant.  If you are going to partake of Mcfarlane work, don't expect a warm blanket to come with any of it.  

Pistorius's attorney is considering asking the court to ease some of his bail conditions.

The lawyer, Kenny Oldwage, told Bloomberg News:

"He just really wants to get on with his life."