Flap Your Lips Friday
Posted by Michelle Moquin on December 20th, 2013
Good morning!
We have less than 2 weeks until the new year. Is it too early to post “a final look?’ The Progress report doesn’t think so, nor do I. So, here it is:
Why Aren’t More People Talking About This?
A Final Look at 2013
This is the last Progress Report before we go on vacation for the holidays and we wanted to wrap up our look back at 2013. In particular, we wanted to bring you some really important stories that most people aren’t talking about.
ThinkProgress’ Judd Legum rounded up 9 big under-the-radar stories we think you should know more about. Check them out and spread the word:
1. Human rights abuses in North Korean prisons reached a level not seen since the Nazi atrocities.
A new report from the U.N. released in January found that hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are being subjected to historic human right abuses. Michael Kirby, a retired Australian judge who took the lead in creating the report, told BBC News “They had to live on rodents, grasshoppers, lizards and on grass and they were subject to cruelty, All in all it is a very horrifying story, the like of which I don’t think I’ve seen or read of since the Khmer Rouge [in Cambodia] and the Nazi atrocities during the second world war.” A former camp inmate “told investigators that he was lucky when a warden ordered the tip of his finger chopped off for damaging a piece of sewing equipment used to carry out forced labor — he could easily have been executed for the transgression.
2. The Tea Party became a major advocate for solar energy.
In Georgia, the Tea Party has teamed up with clean energy advocatesto bring more solar energy to the state, over the objections of utility giant Southern Co. Tea Party advocates are motivated not by reducing carbon emissions but by adding more competition to the energy market and reducing prices. Still, the atypical coalition could be a game-changer as renewable producers seek access to energy markets.
3. American cities criminalized homelessness.
In South Carolina, Columbia City passed an ordinance “to remove homeless people from the downtown business district.” Police officers are now specially assigned to patrol the downtown area and a hotline was set up “so local businesses and residents can report the presence of a homeless person to police.” In Los Angeles, Harrisburg, and Raleigh authorities cracked down on good samaritans providing food to the homeless in public. New York, Palo Alto, Tampa andMiami have focused on criminalizing sleeping in public. Overall, these efforts make it next to impossible for the homeless — a population of about 600,000 in America — to get back on their feet.
4. Thousands of people who worked their entire lives had their pensions stolen.
In Illinois and Michigan, thousands of working Americans had their promised pensions stolen from them, despite guarantees in their states’ constitutions that protected their benefits. Those impacted include “retirees who worked their careers as sanitation engineers and teachers, firefighters and police officers, public defenders and city clerks” — many of whom will now be thrown into poverty. As these two Midwest states appear to be getting away with it, many other localities may follow suit.
5. More people died in America from suicide than car accidents.
While mass shootings frequently land on the front page, many more people die of suicide each year. Data released in this year, covering 2010, found that for the first time more people died from suicide (38,364) than car crashes (33,687). While suicide is frequently associated with teenagers and the elderly, the growth has been fueled by “middle-aged Americans.” Experts speculate the rise might be attributable to middle-aged people “coping with the stress of caring for aging parents while still providing financial and emotional support to adult children.”
6. The oceans changed dramatically, transforming into an acidic stew inhospitable to marine life.
Much of the conversation about climate change focuses on rising temperatures. But carbon dioxide emissions is rapidly making the oceans inhospitable for marine life. Why? According to studies “the ocean absorbs about 30 to 40 percent of the atmosphere’s excess carbon, causing its pH to drop.” These acidity levels can corrode the shells of crustaceans, and have lead to an explosion in jelly fish populations. One Oregon fisherman reported, “Sometimes we’ll catch 4,000 or 5,000 pounds of jellyfish.” Another fisherman said that “he saw baby octopuses climbing up his crab line to escape the water. When he pulled up his crab trap, all the crabs were dead.”
7. The Supreme Court green-lighted the execution of people with severe mental disabilities.
In August, the State of Florida executed John Errol Ferguson, “a paranoid schizophrenic man who believes that he is the ‘Prince of God’ and that his execution is preparing him for ‘ascension.’” The Supreme Court has ruled that people with extreme mental disabilities are not constitutionally eligible for execution, but declined to intervene in Ferguson’s case and other cases like his. Last yeah, Texas executed Marvin Wilson, a man with an IQ of 61.
8. Vaccine conspiracy theories created localized epidemics of deadly, previously eradicated diseases.
In one Texas town a measles outbreak was traced to a mega-church pastor who preached against vaccines. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, more 1,200 people contracted Measles. The outbreak was traced to “the country’s extensive Bible Belt where the majority of fundamentalist Protestants do not believe in having their children vaccinated.”
9. Cities and counties sought to boost their economy by attracting undocumented immigrants.
Much recent coverage has focused on states like Arizona and Alabama that have sought to make their states as inhospitable as possible to undocumented immigrants — with disastrous consequences. But other cities and counties have taken the opposite approach in an effort to boost their local economies, bucking federal guidlines and welcoming the undocumented. In Dayton, Ohio officials “make no effort to pursue residents without legal status, if they are otherwise law-abiding.” In Philadelphia, members of the city council are encouraging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to stop detaining undocumented immigrants that aren’t dangerous. Meanwhile, Newark Police announced they would “decline immigration detainers issued to the department”by ICE.
Thank you for reading and helping to advance a progressive vision for America that seeks to improve the lives of all Americans, not just the privlieged[sic] few. We look forward to your help keeping up the fight in 2014.
Have a happy holiday season!
*****
Readers: Thoughts? Any end of the year stories you think should be included? The blog is open.
I am so behind in my reading of the comments, I am not even going to try and catch up. I did a quick perusal and I see that Social Butterfly posted a write that got quite a few responses. Thank you /SB for engaging the readers on such an important topic that has hit home for many. I agree with you, these atrocities need to be heard so that people who are affected or who have similar stories feel that they are heard too…that they too have a voice.
Speaking of voices…I think there are just as many people on my blog who commented and are not fans of Rachel Maddow as there were in the comment section where the article was originally posted. Where did you all come from? I’m going to hang with Helen: I know I’m repeating myself but I can’t help it. Yeah…where did they all come from? You stated it beautifully. And I had to chuckle at Rachel’s comment. Thanks for sharing. I am not familiar with that quote from her, but it is fitting isn’t it?
And, Mike, TM: You nailed it too.
Happy Friday! Peace & Love.
Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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December 20th, 2013 at 6:36 pm
Most definitely it is fitting Michelle. Where did all those idiots come from? I guess you never know who is monitoring your blog.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:38 pm
Bradenton, Florida, needs to be added to that list. Bradenton is SUPPOSED to be “The Friendly City,” but what I saw and experienced during my two months undercover on the streets of Downtown Bradenton would have me believe otherwise.
There’s a reason Bradenton is the 9th Meanest City in America when it comes to the Homeless Population.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:39 pm
I am willing to bet that there are Private prisons ner these cities that want to keep their quota up and that is why they are criminalizing homelessness.
I can’t believe that they would treat people this way when most of the men who are homeless served our Country in the armed forces. The Right spent close to four trillion dollars on the Iraq ( for oil) and Afghanistan wars and expect us to foot the bill through cuts to the poor, which has also taken away funds to help the homeless.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:40 pm
After reading those 9 all I can say is it’s a sad day in America.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:43 pm
What kills me is I sit here and read all these responses that say KILL THEM. Stop calling yourselves Christians. First of all Jesus said YOUR job is to LOVE…….its MY Job to judge. Dont confuse who has which job. yes I did paraphrase that but it is what he preached.
YOU are responders here are horribly as unqulaified to decide someone’s capabilities as I am. Just because someone can plan a crime does NOT mean they are sane. it doesnt mean they arent handicapped. Our main problem here is we have a “get even”mentality. its not about getting even its doing what’s right that counts.
Killing people for being mentally ill makes US insane. You worry and obsess about the handful of people that may be gaming the system but worry NOTHING about the KILLING of someone who isnt guilty or is so handicapped they cant make rational decisions.
if you are going to claim Christianity then figure out what Jesus actually preached instead of thios bullshit you call justice. What you call justice sane people call vengance.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:44 pm
What happen to America? so shameful!! God bless the poor people!!
December 20th, 2013 at 6:45 pm
Disturbing that they have not come up with a standard procedure to determine this based on latest expert research. Texas is a prime example of how this should not be left in state hands.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:46 pm
being homeless is real, and so sad. HOWEVER there are people who abuse the system and use people’s generosity when they are NOT in need of help.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:46 pm
Houston decided that public feeding was a bad thing too. Various groups defied the law and continue to do so. They tried saying that it was about “health concerns,” but I’ve never (and lived in the area since the mid 1970s) heard of anyone becoming ill from food fed to the homeless.
Furthermore, if the feeding times and locations are well-known, charities can go there and reach these people. It’s much easier to drive a charity worker to a soup kitchen than it is for a person without funds or transport to seek out charities.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:47 pm
If someone commits a serious violent crime, then I don’t care what their IQ says- if they have enough mental capacity to plan and commit a crime, they should be able to do the time.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:49 pm
During the reign of King Henry VIII of England (15th Century, the king with the many wives), homeless people were not allowed to be seen nor to travel. If there was a complaint against a homeless person,they were arrested and branded on the face with a V.
The V stood for vagabond. This word, vagabond comes from this time period.They were then further punished by some time in the stocks. If that was not enough they could be arrested again and instead of the stocks they would be made the complaintant’s slave for life and be branded again but this time with an S for slave.
Many of these homeless people were formerly nuns or monks made homeless when Henry VIII destroyed their Abbys and seized their properties in his battle against the Roman Pope and the Catholic church.
Others were poor people kicked off the church lands or evicted from charity hostels run by Catholic orders. Now in the 21 century we have homelessness created by corporations and the government.
The mentally ill are turned out on the streets, many after serving their time in prisons are dispised and cast away by our society and people whose only crime is being poor are homeless.
Those 6 cities and their governments are practising institutionalized cruelity. It,s all about money, not kindness.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:51 pm
My add-on would be that the Israelis almost conned the US into a war against Syria. We knew about it because so many people rose up to stop it.
Most people didn’t know who was behind it. Those same Israelis are still pulling the levers from behind the curtain, working hard to sabotage any meaningful rapprochement with Iran.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:52 pm
Some good, some bad, some not important. The author missed the biggie:
By inference, the Supreme Court OK’d legislation (Obamacare) which requires some citizens to purchase a commercial product by threat of taxing punishment – pun intended. This could result in privatization of Social Security.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:53 pm
No wonder nobody’s talking about this stuff;it’s all bad news except for the tea bag item.
We’ll end up polluting ourselves to death, because nobody seems to care enough to do anything about it.
So much for the species with the big brains.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:53 pm
The rapid decline of life in our oceans, and the hideous pollution across the planet should be the number one issue for all. It should be headline news, and should be the priority for all governments, businesses, and humans…..if this destruction is not abated soon, the planet cannot survive.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:54 pm
10. Nearly three years later, TEPCO and the Japanese government finally began admitting that the nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi and Daini melted down, burned and continue to spew inconceivable amounts of highly radioactive particles into the ocean, across Japan and into the jet-stream.
Northern Hemisphere air, land and water radiation levels reached a level this year not seen since the atrocities of the early 1960′s A-bomb tests, easily topping Chernobyl.
Oh, also, this paper was published in the Open Journal of Pediatrics:
“Significant increase in hypothyroidism among babies in California” due to Fukushima, a paper by Joe Mangano and Janette Sherman of the Radiation and Public Health Project in New York, and Christopher Busby, guest researcher at Jacobs University, Bremen.
We’ll have to save the news item about the Canadian and American governments admitting the radiation is now affecting their citizens until 2014, apparently…they need more time to slowly acclimate the masses to the news, otherwise they might have to do something that would hurt the nuclear industry.
They’ve already let the cat out of the bag that they’ve been monitoring levels since the incident (as shown by a few reports and the ability to record when someone in N.Korea gets delivery of a radium watch off eBay). And we’ve had that amazing public response machine since the Cold War started, yet….nothing.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:55 pm
Another biggie that very few people seem even remotely wary of or concerned with…
Obama signs NDAA 2013 without objecting to indefinite detention of Americans
“President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 on Wednesday, giving his stamp of approval to a Pentagon spending bill that will keep Guantanamo Bay open and make indefinite detention for US citizens as likely as ever.
The president inked his name to the 2013 NDAA on Wednesday evening to little fanfare, and accompanied his signature with a statement condemning a fair number of provisions contained in a bill that he nevertheless endorsed.
The NDAA, an otherwise mundane annual bill that lays out the use of funds for the Department of Defense, has come under attack during the Obama administration for the introduction of a provision last year that allows the military to detain United States citizens indefinitely without charge or trial for mere suspicions of ties to terrorism.
Under the 2012 NDAA’s Sec. 1021, Pres. Obama agreed to give the military the power to arrest and hold Americans without the writ of habeas corpus, although he promised with that year’s signing statement that his administration would not abuse that privilege.”
http://rt.com/usa/obama-ndaa-d…
December 20th, 2013 at 6:56 pm
Eve, and the nazi fascist party of NO (repugs) want to continue reducing the air. water, job safety, and all safety laws in America so their corporate cronies can finish raping the American people along with America
December 20th, 2013 at 6:57 pm
Eve#15, I agree that the rapid decline of life on our oceans is a very very serious issue. However, number one should be getting money out of politics.
Without that, we will not be able to clean up the oceans, address global warming, change our food system, limit the NSA’s powers, address the increases in private prisons and abuse of prisoners, stop the hate war against black people, etc., etc., etc.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:59 pm
SC, B.O. is taking orders, along with the media, and Major Gen. Michael Lehert, who led Gitmo from the beginning but now says: “The Constitution doesn’t stop at our water’s edge and we need to close Guantanamo and that would not lead to any security dent to America.”
But these trifling concerns (“The Constitution is now irrelevant”-D Cheney) can’t compete with extreme sports, extreme survival and extreme narcissism.
Rt News along with Democracy Now and AlJazeera America and the rare Bill Moyers’ are some of the few cable and broadcast shows where things can be found.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:59 pm
SC#17, How much does Karl Rove pay you to post here? Probably too much! Ha! Ha!
December 20th, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Crane#16, Nuclear power is a dead end, emphasis on the DEAD.
The only people saying otherwise are the usual greedy psychopaths and their shills in elected offices.
Perish the thought we should follow the lead of Germany or anybody else in ending this fools’errand.
December 20th, 2013 at 7:02 pm
WM#19, I agree that money in politics must be changed here, but the entire world is using the oceans as dumping grounds, and without some immediate change on the part of all nations, this pollution may reach the tipping point and be irreversible.
December 20th, 2013 at 7:26 pm
For those who have lost a loved one, the holidays can be a time of sadness and grief. “Handling grief can be really difficult during the holidays depending on the individual,” says Greg Lizama who lost his infant daughter to sudden infant death syndrome nearly three years ago. “Sometimes you don’t even want to be around people.”
Going at your own pace and even continuing traditions can help ease some of those feelings, says Josh Klapow, an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.
“Personal issues don’t magically go away because the calendar turns to November or December,” he says. “Problems with relationships, jobs, finances or health can take on enhanced importance during the supposedly ‘merry’ holiday period.”
The death of a loved one during the holidays can trigger strong feelings, even if the death occurred several years ago, Klapow says. In the case of someone who died recently, the holidays can take on a whole new meaning for their family and friends.
Lizama tries to share with others experiencing similar grief that it’s OK to feel the way they do. He also lets them know there are others who can relate to their situation.
Lizama and his wife, Joyce Sosa, helped start the Guam chapter of The Compassionate Friends, a support group for parents who have lost children.
The group recently brought families together to help decorate their Christmas tree at Guam Premier Outlets for the Annual Shieh Su Ying Charity Tree contest sponsored by Dr. Thomas Shieh. Earlier this month, the group also held its second candle lighting ceremony in honor of lost loved ones.
“The whole point is that we ask them to never forget,” Lizama says. “And always to celebrate it the way you want to celebrate it. If you want to celebrate it with your child or want to celebrate alone, that’s also a good way to do it.
“But we also encourage them to not do something. If they feel awkward around other family members, then they can celebrate by themselves so there are no thoughts of anyone else telling them what they should be doing for Christmas,” he adds.
Hafa Adai and Happy holidays
Anna
December 20th, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Michelle, you can add to that list this:
GOP Conservatives Oppose Guam War Reparations; Hold Up Omnibus Territories Bill
Washington D.C. – Key Legislation for the NMI and Guam has advanced in the U.S. Senate but GOP objections to a key Guam provision makes it unlikely the full Senate will act on the bill this year.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reported S. 1237 to the full Senate, including a key provision by Congressman Greg ‘Kilili’ Sablan to effectively end-run the labor secretary and automatically extend the transitional Commonwealth-only worker program 5-years through 2019.
But it was the expected cost of Guam war claims that staffers say, caused four panel Republicans to bolt making it unlikely the bill will get last-minute Senate ‘ok’ this year by ‘unanimous consent.’
Top energy Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said, “on s.1237, the Omnibus territories, Senator Alexander has asked to be recorded as ‘no,’ as well as Senator Lee and Senator Scott and Senator Barrasso.”
Companion legislation in the House hasn’t even had a hearing and could also face Conservative opposition over cost in an election year – even while Guam’s Madeleine Bordallo argues the estimated 80-million dollar cost is paid for through Section 30 tax rebates on Guam.
The Guam war claims language limits payments to living survivors, raped, injured, interned or subjected to forced labor or marches or survivors of those who died in war.
Earlier versions covered decendents of survivors a category dropped in a 2011 compromise among Bordallo, Senator John McCain and others.
Bordallo’s office understands the work still ahead in changing minds, but argues it’s the first time any Senate committee’s reported out war claims.
Other key provisions: an Interior Department-developed energy action plan approved by the secretary to cut fossil fuel imports and develop domestic sources, a requirement federal agencies waive local grant matching requirements of 500-thousand dollars or less, required preference for Guam U.S. citizens over legal aliens for housing aid, extending a long-term foreign investor program in the NMI, and continued NMI exemption from accepting asylum applications.
Meantime, the Senate was still expected to pass overnight, a House-approved compromise 2014 defense budget that authorizes almost half-a-billion in military spending for Guam and eases restrictions on spending Japan funds for Guam projects—including site improvements at north ramp on Andersen Air Force Base.