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Sat Feb 04, 2012 at 12:00 PM PST

Midday open thread

by Dante AtkinsFollow for Daily Kos

The threadhog emerged, saw its shadow, and settled upon at least six more weeks of blogging.

  • What's coming up on Sunday Kos ...
    • For evidence of a war on workers, look no farther than the rise of the lockout, by Laura Clawson.
    • The controversy  and conversations sparked by the “UnFair” anti-racism campaign in Duluth, Minnesota, by Denise Oliver Velez.
    • Why Obama? An Argument to Reluctant Progressives for Supporting the President's Reelection, by Armando.
    • Making new friends, while keeping the old, by Scott Wooledge.
    • Susan G. Komen for the Cure's curious relationship with the science of cancer prevention, by Laurence Lewis.
    • Komen's hypocrisy: Let us count the ways, by Georgia Logothetis.
    • The curious relationship of the Republican Party to the very poor, by Dante Atkins.
  • Join us for liveblogging of the results of the Republican caucus in Nevada, starting at 5 PM PT.—Kaili Joy Gray
  • Seems like some Republicans want to make a last stand on making sure that children can work in manure pits. Builds character and a work ethic, the way Newt Gingrich would tell it.
  • An excellent graphic from the Obama campaign detailing the President's record on job creation. Even better, the page includes utilities to share the graph on your own site or send it as a postcard to a friend. And this is despite the Republican Party doing everything they can prevent things from getting better to damage Obama's reelection chances.
  • So, this is back:
    Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin has just passed on word that the Business Committee of Uganda’s Parliament will discuss the proposed “Kill The Gays” bill next week. Despite rumors to the contrary, the bill did not die at the end of the last session of Parliament, nor were its death penalty provisions removed. It is unclear to what extent the measure will advance beyond next week’s debate. The measure would impose the death penalty or life imprisonment for some homosexual acts (which are already illegal), require people to report every LGBT individual they know, and criminalize so-called LGBT advocacy.
  • And speaking of homophobic bigots:
    The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has vowed to repeal a proposed gay marriage law being debated in Washington state.

    The Senate on Wednesday approved the measure with a larger than expected 28 to 21 vote. Supporters outnumber opponents in the House, making a vote in that chamber just a formality.

    ...

    Opponents cannot begin a referendum campaign until after the bill is signed into law. They will need to collect 120,577 valid signatures by June 6 to put the issue on the November ballot.

    Obviously, the hope is that they can't collect the signatures. But if they do, let's make sure that the people of Washington vote to uphold basic rights and begin the cascading rejection of NOM's agenda.

  • There's going to be a lot more of this on Sunday, but let's be clear: Komen didn't cave to the right wing, they became the right wing.
  • If Rick Santorum is right, the good people of Missouri need to start shaking in their boots:
    During a campaign speech delivered in Missouri on Friday, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum did his best to make his audience shake in their boots with the specter of an Iranian nuclear attack.

    “Once they have a nuclear weapon, let me assure you, you will not be safe, even here in Missouri,” Santorum predicted.

    According to The Hill, Santorum is hoping to attract conservative votes in Missouri, where Newt Gingrich is not on the ballot.

    Because we all know the Missouri suburbs are prime terrorist targets, a fact with should leave people like me who live in places like Los Angeles feeling pretty comfortable.

  • For the next time your Republican uncle tells you that taxes on corporations are just too high, there's always this:
    Corporate tax receipts as a share of profits are at their lowest level in at least 40 years.

    Total corporate federal taxes paid fell to 12.1% of profits earned from activities within the U.S. in fiscal 2011, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That’s the lowest level since at least 1972. And well below the 25.6% companies paid on average from 1987 to 2008.

    So in short, no. Making rich people even richer will not help the economy, and if reducing corporate taxes could make the economy better, it should already have been booming by now.

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