THE HEADLINES

IN 25 U.S. STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A HOMELESS PERSON CAN LOSE HIS/HER CHILDREN BY THE ACT OF TRYING TO OBTAIN SOCIAL SERVICES TO HELP PROVIDE FOR THEM.

As in so many ways that the homeless are “criminalized” rather than being provided for, these states make application for assistance actionable instances of “abuse and neglect” on the basis of which their children can be taken from them. And they may face such action if they try to enroll their children in school and are found to be lying about their “place of residence” to comply with school zoning rules.

(Alternet)

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 ONCE YOU’RE IN THE CROSS-HAIRS OF “THE VILLAGE,” YOU’LL NEVER GET OUT ALIVE.

Government safety net programs like Social Security and Medicare are under siege from a collection of the media and political establishments some are calling “The Village.” An elitist cadre that announces their disdain for any form of government assistance for lower classes of Americans by deriding these programs as “entitlements,” the men (and a few women) running the show in Washington and the nation’s power circles have unilaterally moved the goalposts on the broader debate over spending and cuts. Incredibly influential, they have the ear of the Obama White House and are so far succeeding in pushing safety net reforms with unintelligible names like “chained CPI” that represent massive cuts to low income beneficiaries.

(Digby’s Blog)

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PRESIDENT OBAMA MOVES CLOSER TO DETONATING THE “CARBON BOMB” OF KEYSTONE XL.

Last night’s State of the Union address saw President Obama give the issue of climate change one of its most prominent place in an official presidential speech, using the threat of a warming planet as a focus point to deliver promises of a new clean energy agenda. But specifics, as usual, left the lasting impact of such an environmental milestone virtually barren of meaning. The President spoke of working with Congress to pass conservation and clean energy legislation, but that is impossible with the current fractured political climate. Most importantly, any cheers for the President from scientists and environmental activists will be short-lived if Obama ignites the “climate bomb” of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. That project, championed by the fossil fuel industry and their bipartisan roster of political allies, remains a climatological Sword of Damocles that is a crucial tipping point in the future health of the planet. Killing the pipeline would represent the first serious defeat of the oil industry and make fossil fuels less viable as an energy source. Approval would drastically increase the consumption of fossil fuels and lead to a carbon explosion that would make climate change irreversible.

(Naked Capitalism)

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OLD FAILURES CREATE NEW PROBLEMS FOR U.S. MILITARY FOOTPRINT IN AFRICA.

A wave of militant uprisings across Africa, many led by suspected “Islamist” militants, is creating a challenge for the growing footprint of US troops and trainers stationed on the continent, part of a broader program launched five years ago to expand American influence in the region. Devised as a means to aid friendly countries and develop alliances, the Pentagon’s African Command — actually based in Germany — is now reaping some unwanted side effects of their mission. Charged with military training and social development in several African countries, AFRICOM’s role may have ended up emboldening Islamists and other foes of often brutal US-allied regimes, accelerating political tensions and sparking military conflict. Now the US mission in Africa is on the front lines of holding back rebel groups suspected of having “terrorist” ties, while lawmakers on Capitol Hill are waving off calls for a draw down and urging a more robust American presence on the continent.

(New York Times)

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 ”DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE A PURPOSE IN LIFE? NO, I DON’T. I HONESTLY DON’T.”

Students and teachers at a rural Indiana high school, along with local pastors, are causing a stir in the community by boycotting the annual school prom over a decision to allow gay students to participate. Citing their religious opposition to acknowledging homosexuality, a group is trying to organize a “traditional” prom for students that would ban gay individuals from attending. The idea has enthusiastic support from many in this highly religious section of the Hoosier State, including church leaders calling on those fighting for “traditional” values to put on “armor for the front.” One special needs teacher organizing the anti-gay prom says that gay people “don’t have a purpose in life” and should not be treated equally.

(My Wabash Valley)

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Quote of the day…

There’s no tension; it’s peaceful here. Until something happens, nothing happens, that’s the way I see it. Because we’re used to it – that’s how we live.

Amit Rotem, a student from Jerusalem, while skiing at resort in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near Syria, a country in a state of much current “tension” with Israel.

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