On the 10 year anniversary of the Iraq invasion, I wondered what it felt like to have made the right call before the war. What did it feel like to be on the right side of history?
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Coffee Party USA's insight:
I have read Republic, Lost by Lawrence Lessig. I must say this article is a numeric explainaton of it. Reality is lost when it comes to the needs of people, since the only ones giving answers are the 147 people around the leaders. This is a very accurate story. Delete the scoop?
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Monica S Mcfeeters's comment,
March 27, 5:45 AM
In case some haven't heard what is upsetting about section 735 of HR 933, it is the monsanto rider that allows biotech companies to ignore court orders to halt or stop production while they are being required to offer more evidence of safety and benefit to the public. This says that court orders can actually be ignored by these companies as they go about planting what too often is millions of acres even though they were ordered not to do this. Companies that pay big money to place the right people in office to do their bidding should not be allow to be above the laws the rest of the people of the land must obey. That's what this push back is all about. The rider had been removed then magically reappeared as the final bill was voted on. Worth following on a regular basis as it involves a massive conversion of our traditional food supply to genetically altered crops and much of this transformation takes place through political control and large sums of money to put the right people in the right public offices to ensure these companies gain more control over our food supply. When you start reading you realize this political placement has been laid strategically in place over the last 20 years and until very recently went unnoticed and unchallenged.
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Pat Robertson of the CBN's 700 Club and Donald Trump supply two examples of the Conservatives complete inability to understand irony. Delete the scoop?
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U.S. President Barack Obama has called on Israel to reverse an undertow of isolation and for its citizens to demand change from their leaders in order to secure peace.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
This was my favorite part. Where Obama tells the most honest truth I've heard in a long time from a politican. He speaks to everyone on the whole globe about every important cause that has too often in history been the absolute fact when he says this sad truth about leaders around the world. People must come together and push leaders for peace and any other important change or it won't happen! "Obama stressed in a speech on Thursday to university students at the ..."Speaking as a politician, I can promise you this: political leaders will ...He later told a news conference in Ramallah that Palestinians ... The Associated Press, 2013 ..." Delete the scoop?
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Press [1] For Democracy Partner Spotlight: Public Citizen's Shareholder Actions This Monday at 10 p.m.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
This should be a great discussion! Tune in if you can. We all know about the lobbyist that work for corporations and business interest. This group works for consumer interest and with the army of corporate lobbyist we need to enlist more people to work for the consuming public like this group does. Here's some info from wikipedia about Public Citizen and you can check there and google for more to learn more about the group: Public Citizen advocates for the public interest before all three branches of the United States federal government.[1] Its five divisions include: Congress Watch; Energy; Global Trade Watch; the Health Research Group; and Public Citizen Litigation Group, a nationally prominent public interest law firm founded by Alan Morrison and known for its Supreme Court and appellate practice.[2] Broadly speaking, Public Citizen favors robust corporate accountability and strong government regulation, particularly in the areas of transport, healthcare, andnuclear power. The organization's priorities range from campaign finance reform to drug and auto safety and financial reform. The unifying theme is an effort to curb the impact of corporate power on American democracy.[1] Public Citizen's pro-regulatory stance has been criticized by business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,[3] as well as by free-market non-profit institutes such as the Cato Institute,[when?] among others.[clarification needed] Delete the scoop?
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RT @BartNaylor: Senate approves Merkley resolve to combat TBTJail http://t.co/h42LA2kLj1
Coffee Party USA's insight:
Jeff Merkley is looking out for not only Oregon....call and say "Thanks!" There are very few standing up against big money and they need us to stand firmly with them. Excerpt “Under our American system of justice – where Lady Justice is blindfolded – there should never be a prosecution-free zone. But that is what our Department of Justice created on Tuesday, December 11. They chose to fine, but not indict or prosecute, HSBC for laundering over $800 million in illicit drug money and $600 million in transactions that violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, Sudan, Cuba and others. Too big to jail is wrong under our Constitution that promises equality under the law and we must end it.” Delete the scoop?
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Three years ago, Coffee Party went from a viral Facebook page to a national organization asking people in America to organize locally. Three years later, what have we learned? What are the local groups doing now?
Coffee Party USA's insight:
Get your coffee or tea, water, juice or cola & Join In and tune in at 2:30 today from this link. Just click the title to go to the virual town hall meeting. Delete the scoop?
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Politics Done Right with Egberto Willies Saturday 12:00 Noon Central/1:00 PM Eastern Call In, talk and/or Listen: (646) 929-2495 Listen On Computer/Smartphone Live/Podcast: HERE This week’s show I must admit that my blog writing this week was not...
Coffee Party USA's insight:
Another enlighting afternoon. Tune in. Delete the scoop?
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Democrats are winning the digital arms race, a recent GOP report concludes. Republicans say Democrats have a built-in advantage: that many technology and social media experts aren't Republican.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
It appears that the Republicans have decided that if they just dress their ideas in new clothes (digital coolness) no one will notice the real shape underneath those clothes. Well maybe new clothes will work better for them then it does for me. Delete the scoop?
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Opinion: Americans once felt an obligation to come together to face national problems. Delete the scoop?
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A budget is more than just a spending document, it's also a vision document. If you live in a district or state with a vulnerable incumbent, expect to hear more about the budget votes taken this week between now and November 2014.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
This is worth some real thought and the budget seems to be a major weapon of mass destruction that will be released mainly on those that least afford to take a direct hit or even an indirect hit for that matter.
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Presented by Coffee Party USA, "The Middle Ground" covers a variety of topics with a trans-partisan approach with an eye to finding the place where the two major political parties share that middle ground. Delete the scoop?
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Coffee Party USA's insight:
This short video outlines how money courrupts in three areas; congress, unions and making things worse. Offering the idea of a the idea of a Third Party for 2016 and its benefits. I was a little startled by the mention of billonaires but 100 years ago some were the champions of the worker. This is worth the view. Delete the scoop?
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Sign the petition to keep corporate money and secret cash out of our elections by visiting http://democracyisforpeople.org/. A recent Supreme Court decision ...
Coffee Party USA's insight:
This is another very important push back about public interest vs huge amounts of money to win favors for private interest and profits for a few. This comes with a high cost to the everyone else that feels the affects of this politcal tinkering when officials that are elected to represent the interest of all find but feel obligated to reward those that richly supported them more than the general public they are intended to represent. Delete the scoop?
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Koch Brothers Exposed is a hard-hitting investigation of the 1% at its very worst. The film looks to uncover corruption by the billionaire brothers -- and points the way to how Americans can reclaim their democracy.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
Catch this documentary about the Koch Brothers on LinkTV! All about the two guys that pretty well own the GOP and a good bit of what was once our democracy through the money they pour into groups like ALEC and many anti-public and pro-privatization Astroturf grass-roots organizations. Hardly anyone gets upset about responsible private ownership but some things are too priceless and important to allow them to be placed into private ownership and really demand we share ownership and responbsiblity of those activities and objects that should not be up for sale. These special things make our life liveable and successful and protect public interest. Those should not be up for sale and resale to the highest bidder or most powerful for mainly private personal gain. Delete the scoop?
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The second of two posts about Oklahoma, its Marriage Initiative promoting it as a solution to poverty.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
A clear look at Oklahoma's wages, poverty and healthcare. The state goernment has the abiltity to correct a lot of the problems, as outlined in the article, the author states. He also points out the ways employers use the system to their own advantage, single parents have nothing to do with poverty, Is marriage a cover for this. Will this become a national trend? Delete the scoop?
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"A SPEECH is just a speech," one particularly blasé Israeli peacenik remarked in the wake of Barack Obama's address to Israeli students in Jerusalem on March...
Coffee Party USA's insight:
A good assessment but I think it leaves my favorite part out. Delete the scoop?
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This week, the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism released its annual “State of the News Media” report, detailing the health, or in this case the frailty, of mainstream US media online and off.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
This is a great analysis! Take a moment to read over this and listen to the summary of the info and it will be well worth your time. The Pew Project on our mass media seems to be a fair assessment. 
Joseph Pomponio's curator insight,
March 26, 12:32 AM
A very worth while read. You will get some good facts and analysis of the media you use, both onlineand off. Delete the scoop?
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PAUL KRUGMAN writes:Let me make a broader point: we’ve now seen three island nations around Europe become huge international banking hubs relative to their GDPs,...
Coffee Party USA's insight:
Excerpt: "Hm. Well, the world's second largest economy maintains very tight controls over capital flows. The third largest economy is actively engaged in managing its currency. The sixth-largest economy has used capital controls to limit appreciation of its currency. Many of the world's other large economies are part of a monetary union actively experimenting with a handful of financial-repression mechanisms. The International Monetary Fund has taken the official position that the use of capital controls may be warranted as a financial stability tool. And so on. I would say that the era of free capital mobility is definitely on life-support." Delete the scoop?
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It would be the first budget proposal in four years, calling for tax increases while sheltering safety net programs targeted by House Republicans.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
As this story reports on the numbers of the budget from the Senate with comparison to the House budget, I'm wondering; "Is this the Battle of the Titans or A Gap to Wide." One thing is sure, there will be plenty of posturing for thirty second sound bites to use in the 2014 elections. 
Michael Charney's curator insight,
March 23, 9:04 AM
Do we really have time for all of this symbolic, will-never-go-anywhere legislation? Delete the scoop?
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Some people in the Grand Old Party think it's time for some new ideas, if Republicans want to win future elections. Delete the scoop?
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In another example of failed Republican logic, one Oklahoma congressman thinks he might have solved the problem of poverty. Draft legislation, HB1908, authored by House Speaker T.W. Shannon, will set aside funding from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program for statewide public service announcements.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
The article addresses many great points to consider. One of the critical points is that marriage does not promise economic safe havens but good economies, good living wages and family safety nets like medical care and education funding and such helps promote healthy marriages. Any family that has ever been through tough money times like loss of income through job loss or illness knows the stress can break a marriage apart and often does. The author makes the point that while promoting marriage is a nice idea. It over simplifies the problem and the funds going toward this effort would be better spent in ways that financially promote the economic security net of the family.
Tough times can strengthen a family unit, but all too often it is the main reason marriages break up, outside of finding a new love or loosing interest in preserving the marriage and relationship. The author presents a good case that the marriage solution to poverty is over simplified. I have even heard of families so desperate they spilt up to qualify for help even though they are life time aging mates. Some families facing hardship of long term care are encouraged by advisers to give a child or elder to the state to save the family from financial ruin of health care cost. Suicides, which spilt a family forever are also common in stressed times. This article seems to support the idea that poverty is more likely to destroy a family then a marriage is likely to raise people out of poverty. Delete the scoop?
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Lawmakers and staffers prepare for 2014 -- but quirks have led to questions on coverage.
Coffee Party USA's insight:
This is a topic worth following on a regular basis. The plan will take time to improve for sure. It would be wise to look at how you are really going to be affected not just the scary stuff one side or the other might say. One thing is plain...more of what we were doing won't be the answer we can afford. So we need to be paying close attention and decide how to continue to shape things from now on.
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by MARA LIASSON, NPR The GOP's election autopsy was brutal. Focus groups describe the party as narrow minded and out of touch, filled with stuffy old men who favor the rich. The RNC report recommended lots changes but, according to party, chair Reince Priebus, none was more urgent than connecting with minority communities. [MORE]
Coffee Party USA's insight:
They need to realize it's not about putting lipstick on the pig. The true nature and heart of people show through in the end and one can't just cover that up and have the disguise hold long. 
Marilee Ritchie Hird's comment,
March 19, 10:04 AM
Changing the primary laws to try to favor your candidates is pretty low - and desperate.
Joseph Pomponio's comment,
March 20, 8:34 PM
Putting workers in districts and telling them you want to take what earned away from them is not to bright, so they will have to deceive.
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I remember the flag waving, the people telling me,"We will get free oil." so I can easily empathise with Micheal Moore. Take a trip to the past with this video documented piece. The one missing was the protesters being shot with rubber bullets in California. Some of us don't fit the blind obedience mold.