Black & Proud World News

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Family and friends gather for funeral of woman killed in police crash - baltimoresun.com

Family and friends gather for funeral of woman killed in police crash - baltimoresun.com
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Mourners packed into a Baptist church Saturday for the funeral of Angel Chiwengo, less than a mile from where she died after a Jeep she was riding in was hit by a car fleeing from police.
The precise circumstances around Chiwengo's death remain unclear — the Police Department has said its officers were following a pair of suspects, but not whether their actions amounted to an unsanctioned chase — and songs of praise and fond memories dominated at her funeral.
But during his eulogy — to a congregation of approximately 150 — the Rev. Walter L. Parrish III, pastor at Northside Baptist Church, questioned why the city or the department had not sent a representative to pay their respects.

"We are saddened by how we lost her," Parrish said. "I am still saddened to know that the city of Baltimore has not shown up officially to show its condolences. "
Chiwengo, 46, died after a Honda carrying two men fleeing north from Harford Road and 25th Street slammed into the Jeep of her colleague Andrew Baker Jr. at the intersection of Northern Parkway and York Road. The two people in the Honda, Devell Johns, 26, and Terrell Young, 28, were also killed, and Baker, 54, was critically injured.
Police said that officers have been in touch with the family a number of times and that their criminal investigation into the incident is continuing. Kevin Harris, a spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said in an email that she had wanted to give the family time to grieve by themselves but would be willing to talk to them as the investigation into Chiwengo's death continues.
"This is a tragic loss of life and my heart aches as they say goodbye today," the mayor added in a statement. "I can imagine their frustration in wanting answers to questions they have regarding the details of this devastating accident. The Police Department is working closely with the State's Attorney's Office on their criminal investigation to determine exactly what happened that night."
Chiwengo came to the United States in 2002, leaving her native Democratic Republic of Congo.
Her brother, Joe Samalenge, presided over an "African section" of the funeral, translating between English and French throughout. Samalenge described hearing the news of his sister's death and being stunned, unable to cry or do anything else. But he said at that moment he "felt the presence of the Lord in a special way."
"When I thought she wasn't ready, he knew. He was God," Samalenge added first in English and then in French. "She's just as peaceful as Jesus Christ."
In Africa, Chiwengo had been an accomplished business woman, importing used cars and other goods from Asia, according to an obituary prepared by her family. She spoke three languages before learning English in the United States and traveled to China, Thailand and Dubai, as well as to many other countries in Africa.
Since coming to America, Chiwengo had worked less high-powered jobs — she was a housekeeper at a DoubleTree by Hilton when she died. But Parrish said that she was carefully planning a second phase in her life.
Jacques Chiwengo, another brother, said his sister was equally at ease with corporate bosses, government ministers and maids. And when she had no money or anything material to give, Chiwengo said she offered the thing that was most beautiful — "le plus beau" — her smile.
A banner on the wall of the church read "He who sings, prays twice," and Chiwengo's mourners heeded the advice.
During one song in Swahili, the third language employed in the services, members of Chiwengo's family stood as tears streamed down the faces of some, while others yodeled or raised their hands in praise.
"Thank you, Jesus," Samalenge said when the song was done. "We believe that Angel is worshiping you right now."

Al Shabaab leader believed killed by U.S. commandos: NYTimes - Yahoo News

Al Shabaab leader believed killed by U.S. commandos: NYTimes - Yahoo News
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
A U.S. Navy SEAL team is believed to have killed a senior leader of the al Shabaab militant group in a raid on his seaside villa in Somalia on Saturday in response to a deadly attack on a Nairobi shopping mall last month, the New York Times reported.
The unidentified target was believed to have been killed in a predawn firefight after the SEAL team landed in the Somali town of Barawe by sea, but the commandos were forced to withdraw before that could be confirmed, a report on the newspaper's website quoted a senior U.S. official as saying.
It said U.S. officials initially reported that the commandos had seized the Shabaab leader, but later backed off that account.
"The Barawe raid was planned a week and a half ago," the paper quoted an unnamed U.S. security official as saying.
"It was prompted by the Westgate attack," he added, referring to a militant assault on a Nairobi shopping mall two weeks ago in which at least 67 people were killed.
The Times quoted witnesses as saying that the firefight lasted more than an hour, with helicopters called in for air support.
The Times report quoted a spokesman for al Shabaab as saying that one of its fighters had been killed in an exchange of gunfire but that the group had beaten back the assault.
The U.S. officials said it was unclear whether the SEAL team's target was taken alive or killed.
The paper said a senior Somali government official confirmed the raid, saying, "The attack was carried out by the American forces and the Somali government was pre-informed about the attack."
Earlier, al Shabaab militants said British and Turkish special forces had raided the coastal town overnight, killing a rebel fighter, but that a British officer had also been killed and others wounded.
Britain's Defence Ministry said it was not aware of any such British involvement. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official also denied any Turkish part in such an action.
A Somali intelligence official said the target of the raid at Barawe was a Chechen commander, who had been wounded and his guard killed. Police said a total of seven people were killed.
http://news.yahoo.com/u-commandos-seize-al-shabaab-leader-nairobi-attack-211536128.html

Friday, October 4, 2013

RALEIGH: First 'Moral Monday' protestor to stand trial is found guilty | State Politics | NewsObserver.com

RALEIGH: First 'Moral Monday' protestor to stand trial is found guilty | State Politics | NewsObserver.com
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Saladin Muhammad, a labor organizer who was among the early wave of protesters arrested during this year’s “Moral Monday” demonstrations at the state legislature, was found guilty of all three charges Friday.
He was the first demonstrator to be tried in Wake County District Court. The ruling came from Judge Joy Hamilton.
Al McSurely, the lawyer representing Muhammad, gave immediate notice of plans to appeal the verdict in Wake Superior Court.
Muhammad’s trial offered a glimpse of the video evidence and arguments that prosecutors plan to employ as more than 900 cases make their way through the courts.
It also offered a glance at defense strategies, as well as the strengths and weaknesses in the state’s cases.
Muhammad, a Rocky Mount resident, was among 49 demonstrators arrested inside the N.C. Legislative Building on May 13, wearing a yellow armband like many of the protesters to symbolize “the rising of labor like the sun.”
On that Monday evening, nearly 200 people crowded around the rotunda fountain on the second floor, outside the doors of the chamber where the state House was doing business.
They were protesting tax plans, education policies, health care proposals, welfare cuts, environmental regulations and new voting policies.
Muhammad, who took the stand in his defense, said he joined the rally that night to protest a specific state law that he thought would be harmful to labor.
Muhammad was charged with second-degree trespassing, failure to disperse on command and posting or displaying signs or placards in violation of building rules.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/04/3253309/first-moral-monday-protestor-to.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/04/3253309/first-moral-monday-protestor-to.html

Idris Elba Lands Cover of ESQUIRE UK, Talks Playing Madela and Possible Bond Role | EURweb

Idris Elba Lands Cover of ESQUIRE UK, Talks Playing Madela and Possible Bond Role | EURweb
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
*In next month’s issue of “ESQUIRE UK,” actor Idris Elba opens up about his experience playing Nelson Mandela in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” as well as his thoughts on the 007 James Bond Role.
He also talks about the fans’ reaction to him playing the role and their opinions on his being considered for the James Bond film.
Thanks to YBF, here’s sample of what he discusses …
His vibe:
‘Me! The way I live my life, I’m two drinks from being in the tabloids every day,’ he said. ‘I’m no national treasure. I’m a f***ing dutty rude boy!’
His old hustlin’ days:
‘You got to remember, I was hustling back then,’ he recalled. ‘And I mean huss-ell-ing. I was working the door at Carolines comedy club. Selling weed, 10 spots, everything, just to make money because the acting weren’t coming in fast enough.’
On the idea of playing James Bond:
‘If it f***ing happens, it’s the will of the nation. It’s not because of me. Everywhere I go people are saying, ‘You’d be a great Bond.’ And I want to ask them, ‘Are you saying that because it’s trendy or because you mean it?’ But you can tell by looking in their eyes they mean it!’
Living in Atlanta and London:
‘I have no base. I go from one job to another. As an actor, you have to sell out where you’re from because you’re playing other people. That’s why I DJ, because for one night, I’m me.’
Playing Mandela:
‘People are going to judge me for this role,’ he said. ‘I don’t look like Mandela, some say I don’t deserve it. Whatever. For me, it’s important I am who I am, as I present this piece to the world. I’m 40 and I’ve had a great career. I’m alright to be myself at this point. Look, if I never work again, I don’t care. I did my bit, you know?’
The first time people saw him in character:
‘We did our final checks, and then me and my troops walked in. ANC—boom! I had the haircut. Pa-pow! Young Mandela at his prime! I was f***ing nervous, because this was Soweto – that’s like someone playing Jay Z going into Brooklyn. But I’m telling you, man — people were crying. First take, I’m not even joking. First they were like, ‘It’s Idris Elba’. Then, ‘It’s Idris Elba playing Madiba’ (Mandela’s clan name).Then it’s like, ‘S**t—it’s Madiba!’ It was so layered.’
He won’t care about the reviews:
‘I got to tell you something, man, as arrogant as this might sound, I actually don’t care what the press think. Because as a memoir to Mr Mandela, this film is one of the greatest gifts I think we can give to the Mandela family.’
it, in my head I’m thinking, ‘Aaargh!’”
Watch BTS video here.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Government shutdown: Bobby Jindal blames ‘leaders across the board’ - Alexander Burns and James Hohmann - POLITICO.com

Government shutdown: Bobby Jindal blames ‘leaders across the board’ - Alexander Burns and James Hohmann - POLITICO.com
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal cast blame for the federal government shutdown broadly across Washington on Wednesday, declaring that “leaders across the board” have failed to deliver for the American people.
In a briefing for reporters at the Republican Governors Association headquarters this evening, Jindal announced that RGA would be launching digital ads tomorrow touting the work of GOP governors in pioneering “conservative solutions” in the states – a sharp difference from the current gridlock in D.C.

Latest on POLITICO

The RGA chairman said the advertisements were in the works long before the shutdown became inevitable and were not crafted deliberately to present a jarring contrast with government in Washington.

(POLITICO's full government shutdown coverage)
“I think the American people look at what’s happening in D.C. and see that leaders across the board are not doing what they were elected to do,” Jindal said, lamenting that national politicians – and, chiefly, President Barack Obama – were “not solving the big challenges, the structural challenges, facing our country.”
Jindal, a potential 2016 White House contender, repeatedly declined to say how much blame he apportions to Congress in general, or House Republicans in particular. He said that he shares the congressional GOP’s firm opposition to the Affordable Care Act, and that only “structural changes” to the legislative branch of government will produce better results for voters.
The sweeping changes he suggested included: a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, term limits for members of Congress, a part-time legislature and requiring a legislative supermajority to either raise taxes or increase spending at a faster rate than population growth.
“All of Washington, D.C., is dysfunctional,” he said. “It’s not just a matter of who’s in leadership or personalities or who’s in power.”
Jindal’s broad discourse on the shutdown – like his larger sales pitch about Republican governors – was a case study in the political advantage ambitious GOP governors have over their potential 2016 rivals in Washington when it comes to the current spending standoff. Without prescribing any particular solutions for the shutdown, governors stand to gain by comparison with the mess here in the nation’s capital.
“As governors, we’re no longer content to outsource the definition of our brand, or what it means to be a Republican, to Washington D.C.,” he added.
The RGA digital campaign that begins Thursday is dubbed the “American Comeback Campaign,” and will eventually include video appearances by all of the country’s 30 GOP governors, Jindal said.
The first video features Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and Jindal himself touting accomplishments in their home states and reciting variations on the phrase: “Republican governors are the ones who are driving America’s comeback.”
“We’ve got to shift attention away from Washington, D.C., to the state capitals,” said Jindal. “That’s where the rubber’s hitting the road. That’s where you can see measurable results.”
Though he pointed to conservative governance in the states as a sign of the GOP’s overall health, the Louisiana Republican suggested reporters should not go too far in drawing in “all kinds of generalizations” from next month’s gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia.
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie is expected to win reelection easily, while Virginia GOP nominee Ken Cuccinelli is now viewed as an underdog in the race against former national Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe.
“Each election involves local issues, involves particular candidates,” Jindal said. “I think Terry has disqualified himself with some of his antics.”
Asked if the RGA would continue to spend money in Virginia over the next month, Jindal said he has a general policy of not discussing spending in advance. The RGA has spent nearly $7 million in the race so far, compared with $5.2 million the committee spent during the 2009 race that ended in outgoing Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s victory.
“We’ve made significant investments to date,” Jindal said. “I think we’ll do well in Virginia.”
Next year will bring 36 governor’s races. RGA officials will prioritize four of them, where incumbents face hotly contested races: Florida’s Rick Scott, Michigan’s Rick Snyder, Ohio’s Kasich and Pennsylvania’s Tom Corbett.
The RGA spent about $40 million collectively electing those four in 2010, half the association’s overall spending.
Their second-tier of targeted races include four states where the GOP incumbent does not have a serious challenger as of yet: Nevada’s Brian Sandoval, New Mexico’s Martinez, Iowa’s Terry Branstad and Wisconsin’s Walker.
Committee leaders hope to play offense against a handful of Democratic incumbents: Illinois’ Pat Quinn, Connecticut’s Dannel Malloy and Colorado’s John Hickenlooper. They are also eyeing a pick-up in Arkansas, where Gov. Mike Beebe is term-limited, and express confidence about the chances of Massachusetts Republican Charlie Baker (who lost a three-way race by 6 points in 2010).
Republicans are defending several governorships in states carried by Obama last year, but turnout will be lower than in the presidential election and the president’s popularity has dropped off.
Jindal attacked Obama for trying to play the role of “victim-in-chief,” blaming others instead of solving problems.
“He likes to play the role of victim. …That’s not very presidential,” said Jindal. “This president apparently has time to golf. I wish he’d find time to work with Congress.”

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The Other Deadline Congress Missed: Welfare Just Lapsed | ThinkProgress

The Other Deadline Congress Missed: Welfare Just Lapsed | ThinkProgress
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Congress didn’t just miss the deadline on Monday night to pass a continuing resolution that would keep the government open. It also missed the deadline to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, formally known as welfare.
The TANF block grant that the federal government gives to states to share the cost of welfare programs was scheduled for reauthorization in 2010, but rather than reauthorizing it then Congress instead extended it multiple times. The most recent extension was part of a continuing resolution passed in March that funded the government through the end of September 2013, so it expired Monday night along with all other government funding.
That means that as of Tuesday, states stopped receiving the funds from the block grant. This shouldn’t impact beneficiaries, however — at least in theory. Benefits are typically paid on the first of the month. According to the advocacy organization CLASP, states have funds that they can use to cover the cash assistance and other programs until the block grant is reauthorized. “In practice, there’s nothing that should stop the benefits from going out,” Elizabeth Lower-Basch, policy coordinator at CLASP, told ThinkProgress. Most actually float the money, paying out benefits and then requesting the money from the federal government afterward.
But there is no federal requirement that they use state funds to keep paying benefits and rather than cover the costs until they can be reimbursed by the government, some states could potentially simply “push the button and say stop,” she said. “It is possible that in some states the benefits will not go out.” CLASP is trying to touch base now with all states to find out what they decided to do. “We haven’t gotten an answer from all states,” she said. “We’re hearing some yeses. We haven’t heard any definite nos yet.”
States should also be able to weather the gap for a good amount of time. “In every state, for at least a month or so you could run with just the state funds,” Lower-Basch said, and most have even more room. But “after a month states would start to get nervous.” Most that are using their own funds likely don’t feel too at risk right now on the assumption that the lapse will only last a few weeks, but that mindset may change if things drag on past the month mark. And the picture looks really dire if this extends indefinitely. “A state could not do everything it does with the block grant all year without it,” she said.
TANF plays a role in reducing poverty, which would be 0.3 percent higher without the benefits. It lifted 650,000 children out of deep poverty in 2005. Yet the value of benefits have declined since welfare reform, so it is reaching fewer and doing less to alleviate poverty than it used to.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/10/01/2712891/shutdown-tanf-welfare-lapse/

Opinion: Shutdown a sneak attack on women - CNN.com

Opinion: Shutdown a sneak attack on women - CNN.com
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Instead of keeping the government running and focusing on the economy and other pressing issues facing the country, the House leadership has decided to play politics with women's health and economic stability.

In its 43rd vote to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, the House has shut down the government to delay the law's implementation until 2015. It is a desperate attack that could leave millions of people without health coverage.

But a small group of far-right members of the House pushed through a provision that goes even further, passing an amendment that would allow employers and insurance companies to refuse to cover women's preventive health care because they have a personal "moral" objection.

Cecile Richards

This would include birth control, HPV testing, breast-feeding services and counseling for domestic violence. Any employer or insurance company could refuse to cover them, and women would have no recourse. It's a clause that could easily be abused by employers and insurers. And the amendment only covers the women's preventive benefit -- employers would not be able to refuse to cover preventive care specific to men for "moral" reasons. But

This is from the same House Republican leaders who tried to shut the government down in 2011 over funding for Planned Parenthood's cancer screenings, birth control and other preventive health care services and have tried dozens of times since then to block women from making their own personal medical decisions.

Shutdown: Day 1

Obama blasts one political 'faction'

What Obamacare means for you

This unprecedented and ongoing attack on women's health is out of touch with the needs of millions of women and is deeply unpopular with the American public.

Seven in 10 Americans believe that health insurance companies should cover the full cost of birth control, just as they do for other preventive services. These policies are working.

Already, 27 million women across the country have been able to receive preventive health care without a co-pay, and an estimated 47 million will benefit when the law takes full effect.

These investments in women's health services are not only providing women with more control over their health and their own family planning, but they are also a great deal for taxpayers. According to research released by the Guttmacher Institute this summer, for every $1 we invest in birth control services, we save nearly $6 in the long term.

It's a smart policy for the health of women and for our nation's economy. This is why earlier this year, Planned Parenthood members and our allies submitted more than 350,000 comments to the Department of Health and Human Services in support of the benefit. These comments came from women and men in all 50 states, and we continue to hear from women every day who are already benefiting from birth control with no co-payss.

We hear from women such as Ariel of Ridgewood, New Jersey, a 23-year-old who wrote to us to say that she just married "the love of my life" and plans to have children one day -- when she and her new husband are ready. They both have "piles of student loans" to pay first, and she can barely afford birth control if it weren't covered. Ariel and others like her will suffer if this narrow group of GOP members of Congress succeed in their crusade to keep women from having access to birth control and other preventive care.

Although it's not the first time they've tried, it's alarming how far some members of the GOP will go to attack the women's preventive benefit and the ACA itself.

As the leading women's health care provider and advocate, Planned Parenthood has fought hard to protect this benefit from the beginning because we know that birth control is basic, preventive health care for women, and it is a key economic issue for women and their families.

The country wants Congress to focus on jobs and the economy, not on pushing an extreme agenda against women's access to health care.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/01/opinion/richards-congress-womens-coverage/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

Slave descendants fighting tax hikes on Ga. coast - Yahoo News

Slave descendants fighting tax hikes on Ga. coast - Yahoo News
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Residents of one of the few remaining Gullah-Geechee communities on the Southeast coast opened new appeals Monday against soaring property values that brought them big tax hikes, fearful they could be forced off lands their families have owned since their ancestors were freed from slavery.
The African-American residents of the tiny Hog Hammock community on Georgia's Sapelo Island got sticker shock last year when steep increases in their property values saddled them with whopping tax bills.
Skyrocketing appraisals and tax bills come amid pressure from affluent mainland buyers driving up land values while seeking property along or near the Atlantic coast. But critics say the increasing tax burden violates protections enacted to help preserve the island's indigenous inhabitants.
Made up of slave descendants long isolated from the U.S. mainland, the Gullah-Geechee culture has clung to its African roots and traditions more than any other in America. Hog Hammock — with fewer than 50 residents — is one of the last such communities from North Carolina to Florida.
Julius and Cornelia Bailey saw the appraised value of the single acre on which they have a home, a convenience store and a small inn shoot from $220,285 in 2011 to $327,063 last year. Appraisers in Georgia's McIntosh County held firm on the new value after being ordered to take a second look in January by local authorities.
The Baileys and more than 40 of their neighbors appealed anew Monday after seeing little relief from the new appraisals.
Cornelia Bailey said her tax bill shot from about $800 to $3,000, though she and other island residents receive virtually no county services. They have no schools, no trash pickup, no police station and only one paved road.
"So what are we paying taxes for?" Bailey said after the board shot down her appeal and at least nine others Monday. "We're just paying for privilege of living on Sapelo Island. We don't want to be crybabies, but it seems like we're being treated unfairly."
Sapelo Island is separated from the mainland and reachable only by boat. Since 1976, the state of Georgia has owned most of its 30 square miles, largely unspoiled wilderness, while the tiny Hog Hammock community sits on less than a square mile of modest homes amid dirt roads.
The Gullah, referred to as Geechee in Georgia, are scattered in island communities over 425 miles of Atlantic coast where they've endured after their slave ancestors who worked island plantations were freed by the Civil War.
Scholars say these people long separated from the mainland retained much of their African heritage — from unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets. But isolation also caused Gullah communities to shrink.
Since 2010, a handful of Hog Hammock landowners have sold their properties for as much as $165,500 a half-acre to mainland buyers wanting to build houses near the water. County appraisers insist they have valued homes according to market demands and land sale prices in the community.
"The values that we placed on their properties, we feel they still hold," said property appraiser Blair McLinn. "Nothing, we felt, has changed."
In at least one case the resulting property value increase was extreme. William and Maggie Banks saw a single acre of undeveloped land they own vault from an appraised value of $10,000 two years ago to a whopping $181,250. The appeals board upheld that higher value Monday.
Reed Colfax is a Washington-based attorney for 28 Hog Hammock landowners who have a separate housing discrimination complaint pending against McIntosh County with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
He said the higher appraisals fly in the face of a 1994 county ordinance that designates Hog Hammock a special zoning district intended to prevent "land value increases which could force removal of the indigenous population."
"They can't afford it," Colfax said. "They're going to be forced off the island in direct contradiction to the ordinance."
Attorneys for Hog Hammock residents argued Monday that county appraisers unfairly valued properties based on land sales between corporations and developers that were artificially high and dealt with properties never listed on the open market. They also said newer homes that have driven up property values are larger than allowed under zoning ordinances.
Robert Hudley, chairman of McIntosh County's Board of Equalization that hears appeals of property values, said his board was powerless to deal with zoning violations. He urged Hog Hammock residents to keep up their fight as the board upheld most of the higher appraisals. Its decisions can be appealed to Superior Court.
"I agree with what you're saying," Hudley told the group. "I'm saying go to a higher court. This doesn't need to stop here. It needs to go further."
http://news.yahoo.com/slave-descendants-fighting-tax-hikes-104349183.html

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Conservative Anti-Gay GOP US Senator Gets Outed | The New Civil Rights Movement

Conservative Anti-Gay GOP US Senator Gets Outed | The New Civil Rights Movement
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
When it comes to outing politicians as gay, there is no one with a better track record that Mike Rogers. Rogers, who for years ran the much-feared Blogactive.com website, has outed Congressmen Mark Foley, Larry Craig, David Dreier, and Edward Schrock, among many others. Ken Mehlman, for example.

Rogers was also featured in Kirby Dick’s Magnolia Pictures/HBO documentary, Outrage, which highlights several of the above politicians, along with others, and Capitol Hill staffers, and their anti-gay work.
So when Mike Rogers says that a well-known conservative Republican U.S. Senator is gay, look at his track record.
And what does Rogers say?
Well, this morning Rogers said that the junior Republican senator from Wyoming, John Barrasso, “had the chance to come out as gay.”

“When reached for comment, Rogers who has had a 100% record on outing closeted GOP politicians replied: ‘My tweets stand on their own,’” Will Kohler, of Back2Stonewall, first reported.
Barrasso has a long record of voting for anti-gay and anti-women legislation and voting against women and the LGBT community. If it’s pro-LGBT, Barrasso is against it. It’s it’s pro-women, Barrasso is against it.
“I believe in limited government, lower taxes, less spending, traditional family values, local control and a strong national defense,” Barrasso said in 2004, the Washington Post reported. “In the state Senate, in addition to receiving an ‘A’ rating from the NRA, I have voted for prayer in schools, against gay marriage and have sponsored legislation to protect the sanctity of life.”
And yes, he was bragging. Those comments are on his application to be appointed to the U.S. Senate after the death of Sen. Craig Thomas. It worked. And he hasn’t changed.
Barrasso, who earned a zero percent rating from HRC, voted against the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He also voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women this year, which includes protection not only for women, but for “underserved populations” including sexual minorities and Native Americans. And he voted against the bipartisan expanded background checks bill that 91 percent of all Americans support.
Sen. Barrasso is also the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, which pretends to be a legislative think tank, publishing policy papers like “Obamacare Exchange Opens Door to Fraud and Identity Theft,” and “Democrats Target Family Farms for Death Taxes.”
Senator Barrasso, 61, is a Presbyterian, divorced, remarried, and has three children. He is up for re-election in 2016. He is on Facebook and Twitter.
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/conservative-anti-gay-gop-us-senator-gets-outed/politics/2013/09/29/75950?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNewCivilRightsMovement+%28The+New+Civil+Rights+Movement%29#.UkiaWCddlfA

Bill Clinton: When It Comes to Obamacare, GOP 'Begging for America to Fail' - Yahoo News

Bill Clinton: When It Comes to Obamacare, GOP 'Begging for America to Fail' - Yahoo News
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:

The Republican Party is "begging for America to fail" by rooting for President Obama's signature health care law to fail, former President Bill Clinton said during an interview for "This Week" with ABC's George Stephanopoulos,
"I've never seen a time - can you remember a time in your lifetime when a major political party was just sitting around, begging for America to fail … I don't know what's going to happen. But I'll be shocked if it fails," Clinton, who attempted during his first term as president to overhaul the country's healthcare system in the early 1990s, said during an interview taped Thursday in New York while the annual Clinton Global Initiative was taking place.
A recent ABC News-Washington Post-poll found that more than half of Americans are opposed to the Affordable Care Act. But for his part, Clinton is optimistic that with time, the law - known more commonly as "Obamacare" - will grow in popularity.
"I just think that when all these dire predictions don't come out, if they don't - I believe that pretty soon, within the next several years, this'll be like Medicare and Medicaid. And it'll be a normal part of our life. And people will be glad it's there," the former president told ABC News.
READ: Clinton Calls Parts of House GOP Proposal to Raise Debt 'Chilling'
Clinton was responding to a recent suggestion by Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's political future was tied to the success or failure of Obamacare. Graham said he thinks the law will fail.
Clinton told Stephanopoulos he was "not at all" concerned about the potential failure of the Affordable Care Act having any impact on a potential run by his wife for the White House in 2016.
"I think this bill's already produced a lot of good results and every - look, they are desperate for this bill to fail, because if it's not a failure, their whole - everything they've been telling us since 1980 that government's bad is wrong. They so badly want it to fail," he said.
Since being passed in 2010, the Affordable Care Act has been a political lightning rod and has been subject to attempts by Republicans to delay and defund it. The law is at the center of the current fight in Congress that could lead to a government shutdown, which would be the first in almost 20 years.
http://news.yahoo.com/bill-clinton-comes-obamacare-gop-begging-america-fail-130341638--abc-news-topstories.html