Left Side of the Aisle #147

Left Side of the Aisle
for the week of February 20-26, 2014

This week:

Good news: Strong words from Kerry on climate change
http://www.aol.com/article/2014/02/16/kerry-calls-climate-change-weapon-of-mass-destruction/20831508/

Good news: Greenwald, et. al., win Polk Award
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/02/glenn-greenwald-ewen-macaskill-laura
http://www.liu.edu/polk/
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/16/guardian-nsa-snowden-george-polk-awards

Good news: Westboro Baptist Church gets pwned - again
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/16/westboro-baptist-church-michael-sam_n_4798837.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sam

Good news: Same-sex marriage rights advance in KY, VA
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/12/kentucky-gay-marriage-ban_n_4775002.html
http://www.scribd.com/doc/206720265/Kentucky-Gay-Marriage-Decision
http://nation.time.com/2014/02/13/kentucky-judge-turns-gay-marriage-tide-in-the-south/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/02/14/attorneys-general-gay-marriage/5492785/
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/oregon-defend-gay-marriage-ban-lawsuit-22603097
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/13/virginia-gay-marriage_n_4785530.html
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1018081-vassmruling.html
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2014/02/federal-judge-strikes-down-virginia-samesex-marriage-183331.html

Clown Award: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/02/gov_rick_snyder_asks_federal_j.html
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/snyder-gay-couples-benefits
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snidely_Whiplash
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/publicact/htm/2011-PA-0297.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Flanagan,_The_Pathological_Liar#Tommy_Flanagan.2C_the_Pathological_Liar

Footnote: Kansas tries to legalize discrimination
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/13/1277364/-Kansas-House-passes-sweeping-bill-allowing-anti-gay-discrimination-in-government-businesses
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/12/kansas-same-sex-marriage-religion_n_4773772.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/14/1277718/-Kansas-State-Senators-face-Backlash-and-plot-retreat-A-Report-from-the-Capital

Hero Award: Transform Now Plowshares
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/wp-style/2013/09/13/the-prophets-of-oak-ridge/
http://transformnowplowshares.wordpress.com/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/3-peace-activists-sentenced-for-breaking-into-nuclear-site/2014/02/18/13a6bb7a-9815-11e3-afce-3e7c922ef31e_story.html

Outrage of the Week: Criminalizing feeding the homeless
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/08/20/2496741/columbia-criminalize-homeless/
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/02/13/3288211/columbia-feeding-homeless-ban/
http://www.foodnotbombs.net/

CBO report on minimum wage: Where did those job figures come from?
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-minimum-wage-20140219,0,872599.story
http://www.irle.berkeley.edu/workingpapers/157-07.pdf
http://www.epi.org/minimum-wage-statement/

Being rich is a sickness
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/02/13/3290011/fashion-ceo-konheim-inequality/#
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/wilbur-ross-1-percent_n_4769368.html?utm_hp_ref=business
http://www.alternet.org/economy/you-can-buy-ice-cubes-750-each-new-york-city
http://www.davemanuel.com/median-household-income.php
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/05/no-jail-for-teen/5242173/
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/7/affluenza_defense_lands_wealthy_teen_in