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08 Feb 2012 13:56

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Tech: Iris, Android’s Siri clone, has a biblical insight about abortion

  • “Is abortion wrong?”: You typically might not think to ask such a heady question of your mobile phone, but if you happen to have Android’s “Iris” (is it good marketing to so obviously reverse the name “Siri?”) you’ll get a strong response. The issue seems to be that Iris is powered by an Ask Jeeves style search engine called ChaCha, which answers user questions with answers from paid freelancers. Meaning that in asking your phone whether abortion is wrong, you’re actually asking an unknown human being – one which might have a strong opinion on the subject. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink


06 Feb 2012 14:20

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Politics: The Onion’s response to the Congressman who mistook one of its articles for the real thing

  • We’re delighted to hear that Rep. Fleming is a regular reader of America’s Finest News Source and doesn’t bother himself with The New York Times, Washington Post, the mediums of television and radio, or any other lesser journalism outlets.
  • The Onion editor Joe Randazzo • In response to the Republican Congressman who mistook an Onion article for the real thing. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink


09 Jan 2012 12:36

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Politics: Rick Santorum and the culture wars: How he’s standing out

  • So why has he struck such a chord among GOP voters and progressives alike? Why have videos exposing his racial biases and anti-gay attitudes gone viral and inspired hashtags? It’s simple: Even in a recession, social issues like sex and race are extremely resonant. And Santorum is the only candidate talking about them.
  • Good Magazine Associate Editor Nona Willis Aronowitz • Opining on exactly why Rick Santorum made a comeback in an era where his brand of social conservatism was starting to look old-hat. Essentially, because he’s the only person seriously discussing these issues, he stands out. But it goes further, Aronowitz notes: “The Santorum hubbub is a reminder that the issues we hold dear — issues of sex and race and civil rights — are absolutely recession-proof.” (Related: This Patch video, in which a heckler asks Santorum if he would abort a gay baby. Ah, campaign trail politics. Thanks John Ness for that tip.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


20 Oct 2011 15:01

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Politics: Oops, that’s bad: Herman Cain implicitly makes pro-choice stance

  • So what I’m saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn’t have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue.
  • GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain • Expressing his views on abortion on Piers Morgan Tonight. We applaud Cain for being willing to split with his party’s orthodoxy, here, but in doing so he’s exposed himself to a damaging contradiction; he also said he believes life begins at conception, and that abortion was appropriate “under no circumstances.” What that means to a passionately anti-abortion GOP base is that Herman Cain, while believing a fertilized egg is in fact a human life, is not willing to defend that life through the law. And if he was striving for independent appeal (which wouldn’t work even if he supported abortion rights wholesale), his personal objection to abortion under any circumstance blunts that. Cain’s Twitter account has since said he is “100% pro-life,” which follows exactly with what he implied before; pro-life personally, but not legislating his opinion. This could be a critical blow to Cain’s recent success in GOP polling. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink


20 Jun 2011 16:29

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Politics: Ron Paul spokesman criticizes Romney on abortion

  • Given Governor Romney’s past flip-flops on the Right to Life issue and his support for Obamacare-like individual mandates, this stance is very troubling. Right to Life conservatives must question Gov. Romney’s commitment to our cause.
  • Jesse Benton, Ron Paul’s campaign manager • Voicing doubts about Mitt Romney’s commitment to the conservative anti-abortion movement. This line of attack on Romney from the right isn’t unusual, as the former Massachusetts governor was at one time avowedly pro-choice, but now says he’s changed his mind. This highlights an interesting contradiction between professed political ideology and reality, though — there’s a certain inescapable strangeness about a Ron Paul adviser, of all the possible campaigns, being the one to voice this charge. Making abortion illegal (and defunding institutions that provide) is, regardless of one’s feelings on the issue, an enormously “big government” solution. And if there’s one thing Ron Paul opposes in nearly every other circumstance, it’s big government. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink


09 Jun 2011 17:32

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U.S.: Iowa’s 18-week abortion ban passes state house

  • The most restrictive ban in the country? Well, only if it passes the Iowa Senate, which isn’t certain as it’s firmly in Democratic control. Regardless of the success of this bill, though, we’ve seen a pronounced and aggressive campaign across a number of states to restrict abortion rights lately. Five states other than Iowa have already banned abortion after 20 weeks — a tactic that, in its likely envisioned endgame, could lead to a Supreme Court challenge. That’s the pro-choice movement’s critical weakness in this; challenging any of these bans could lead to a SCOTUS ruling, the outcome of which would be unclear. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink


07 Jun 2011 14:01

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U.S.: Women’s rights debate moves to a billboard controversy

  • This Would Have Been A Picture Of My 2-Month Old Baby If The Mother Had Decided To Not KILL Our Child!
  • A billboard purchased by Greg Fultz • Expressing his frustration with what he says was his ex-girlfriend’s choice to abort her pregnancy, denying him a chance to become a father. What’s problematic is that the woman’s friends say it wasn’t an abortion at all, but a miscarriage. A court has recommended these billboards be taken down, but Fultz’s lawyer says that violates his client’s free speech rights, citing the Supreme Court case dealing with Westboro Baptist Church earlier this year. Seems like one big mess to us. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink


 

02 Jun 2011 00:30

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U.S.: Latest attempt to defund Planned Parenthood fails

  • plan In preparation for his aborted presidential run, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed a bill blocking Medicaid recipients from using Planned Parenthood’s services.
  • problem The Health and Human Services Department has informed Daniels that the bill he signed is in violation of federal Medicaid law, and thus can’t be implemented. source
  • » What was wrong with the bill? Well, from a moral standpoint, a lot. But from a legislative standpoint, the issue is that Medicaid beneficiaries are legally permitted to use their Medicaid anywhere they want, so long as they do so at a “qualified service provider.” The bill Daniels discriminates against Planned Parenthood for reasons unrelated to its qualifications. Proponents of the bill correctly pointed out that the Hyde Act makes it illegal for federal funds to pay for abortions; however, only 3% of Planned Parenthood’s services are abortive, and for low-income Hoosiers to be blocked from Planned Parenthood’s other services simply because the governor once wanted to run for president is not only wrong–it’s against the law.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink


11 May 2011 19:37

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U.S.: “Mitch The Knife” lives up to name, cuts health services for poor sick people

  • NO Planned Parenthood access for poor Hoosiers source
  • » Last June, he called for a “truce” on social issues. Now, with a presidential run looking ever-so-tempting, Mitch Daniels has no problem cutting reproductive services for 9,300 Medicaid recipients in Indiana, of which he is regrettably the governor. Today, a court rejected Planned Parenthood’s efforts to postpone enforcement of the bill. For low-income Indianans who feared they might have life-threatening illnesses, Planned Parenthood was one of their only resources. Now, thanks to Daniels’ quixotic presidential ambitions, they’re out of luck. (Note: A separate request for an injunction, filed by the ACLU, has not yet been ruled on)
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink


11 Apr 2011 23:07

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Politics: Stupak’s back: Pro-life Democrat makes surprising career move

  • then Remember Bart Stupak? During the health care debate, he was the pro-life Michigan Democrat who almost derailed the entire legislation over concerns that it would allow federal funds to be spent on abortions. He eventually buckled, of course, and the legislation passed.
  • now Stupak, who retired from Congress last year, has found a new job at Venable LLP, one of “America’s top 100 law firms,” according to it’s website. Why is this notable? Because Venable represents, amongst others, the Maryland chapter of Planned Parenthood. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink


 
 
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