Left Side of the Aisle #141

Left Side of the Aisle
for the week of January 9-15, 2014

This week:

Bad-news-good-news: employer credit checks
http://www.demos.org/discredited-how-employment-credit-checks-keep-qualified-workers-out-job
http://www.demos.org/sites/default/files/publications/Discredited-Demos.pdf
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/18/elizabeth_warrens_bold_new_crusade_keeping_employers_out_of_your_credit_history/
http://www.demos.org/publication/problem-employment-credit-checks-why-america-needs-senator-warren%E2%80%99s-equal-employment-all
http://www.care2.com/causes/should-credit-scores-be-fair-game-in-the-job-hiring-process.html

Bad-news-good-news: guns
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=9384626
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2014/0107/Chicago-gun-laws-rolled-back-again-US-judge-strikes-down-ban-on-gun-stores-video
http://www.bet.com/news/national/2014/01/07/chicago-officials-say-they-must-continue-to-curb-gun-access-despite-ruling.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/31/new-york-gun-control_n_4525108.html
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/12/chris_christie_declines_to_defend_nj_gun_laws_sparking_criticism.html
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/christie_not_defending_nj_gun_law_in_states_highest_court.html

Point of personal privilege: atheism
http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~will/Gervais%20et%20al-%20Atheist%20Distrust.pdf
http://www.alternet.org/
http://www.alternet.org/belief/5-worst-high-profile-attacks-atheism-year-how-oprah-time-magazine-and-supreme-court-justice

Point of personal privilege: drugs
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/08/legal-weed-next_n_4557583.html
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/legalizing-marijuana-washington-state_n_2249238.html
http://www.gallup.com/poll/165539/first-time-americans-favor-legalizing-marijuana.aspx

Update: Utah and same-sex marriage
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/06/utah-gay-marriage_n_4548931.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/us/uncertainty-in-utah-as-appeals-process-plays-out-over-gay-marriage.html
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57357406-78/court-utah-state-stay.html.csp
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/08/utah-gay-marriage_n_4562488.html

Update: South Sudan
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/07/us-southsudan-unrest-idUSBREA0607Y20140107
http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-ex-vp-backs-agreement-to-end-violence/1823826.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/01/06/this-map-drives-home-how-bad-things-are-getting-in-south-sudan/

Update: Iraq
http://www.juancole.com/2014/01/iraqs-sunni-civil.html
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/iraq-falluah-al-qaida
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/iraq-forges-new-strategy-defeat-fighters-201418142439592864.html

Clown Award: John McCain and Lindsey Graham
http://www.juancole.com/2014/01/lindsey-graham-falluja.html
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/04/mccain-and-graham-slam-obama-for-iraq-violence/

Outrage of the Week: when religious freedom crosses the line
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/catholic-groups-court-halt-health-care-law-21385807
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/us/politics/justice-sotomayor-blocks-contraception-mandate-in-health-law.html?hpw&rref=politics&_r=0