THE HEADLINES

Russian election protests

IS THERE NOW TO BE A “RUSSIAN SPRING?” AND ARE THE FINGERPRINTS OF OFFICIAL U.S. POLICY TO BE FOUND ON IT?

(World Socialist)

Things seem to be shaping up this way as an election in Russia is marred with charges of electoral fraud, the government suppresses protests, and U.S. officials express sympathy for the protesters and give Russian officials lectures on “democracy.” Likewise the plans for a U.S.-installed European missile shield go forward despite Russian opposition and the refusal of the U.S. to sign a treaty guaranteeing that the project will not be used aggressively against Russia.

`

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: MORE BOOSTERISM THAN OVERSIGHT.

(Counterpunch)

Tom Barry, who wrote a book on the militarization of U.S. border enforcement, notes how the deployment of surveillance drones and other military facilities by the DHS is building the symbiotic relation between the Pentagon and members of Congress who benefit politically from such deployments in their districts.

`

EVER WONDER WHO REALLY KNOWS THE SECRET FORMULA FOR BUSH’S BAKED BEANS?

(USA Today)

The famous TV commercial in which only an owner and a pet dog know the answer is mirrored in the way other brands treat the recipes for their products as top “trade secrets.” KFC has its fried chicken recipe in a vault and now Coca Cola makes a big social media splash by trumpeting the breathless news of the transfer of its secret recipe to a vault at the World of Coca-Cola tourist attraction in downtown Atlanta.

`

MICHIGAN MOVES TOWARD BAN ON DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, BUT UNIVERSITIES MAY GET A PASS ON ENFORCEMENT.

(Detroit Free Press)

The Governor is expected to sign a measure putting into law a 2004 state referendum rejecting the concept of gay marriage, but he will consider matters of both “constitutionality and university autonomy” before signing the measure. Michigan universities are currently using that “autonomy” to maintain such benefits for their employees.

`

WHAT HATH THE JOHN McKAY SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR DISABLED FLORIDA CHILD WROUGHT?

(Miami New Times)

It hath wrought, according to a June 2011 expose article in the Miami New Times, what the article calls a fantastic “boondoggle” in which a billion dollars has been poured into a project with marginal benefit, at best, for its intended beneficiaries. The special “schools,” maintained by taxpayer-funded vouchers, have delivered a quality of education in makeshift classrooms and under-qualified teachers which, thanks to the MNT article, is beginning to reach the ears of the legislators who established them.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Quote of the day…

Now, in its rush to accommodate the left, Congress may have inadvertently opened the door to even more perversion. As part of the defense authorization bill, liberals are pushing to make sodomy a legal activity under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In its haste to make gay sex an official part of military life, the left could be unintentionally repealing the ban on bestiality too.

Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, on Senate-passed measure affirming bans on anti-sodomy laws already established by the courts.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Do you receive the daily headlines in the form of an early-morning e-mail? If you don’t and you would like to receive them, just send a note to sunstateactivist2@yahoo.com and you’ll be enrolled in the “Progressive breakfast club.”