Left Side of the Aisle 223

Left Side of the Aisle
for the week of October 15-21, 2015

This week:

Company introduces (almost) zero pollution electric bike
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11904005/French-unveil-world-first-hydrogen-powered-electric-bike-emitting-only-pure-water.html

California adopts Death with Dignity law
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-gov-brown-end-of-life-bill-20151005-story.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/us/california-assisted-dying-legislation/

Signs of acceptance of transgender people
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/08/1429134/-Westboro-Baptists-Protest-Transgendered-Homecoming-Queen-High-School-Kids-Force-them-to-Leave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqG1Ma_NCgs
http://revolution-news.com/westboro-baptist-church-run-out-of-town-high-school-students-in-missouri/

The rise of Indigenous Peoples' Day
http://usuncut.com/black-lives-matter/these-8-cities-just-abolished-columbus-day/
http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/10/12/354274630/seattle-swaps-columbus-day-for-indigenous-peoples-day
http://www.startribune.com/april-26-mpls-city-council-votes-to-recognize-indigenous-people-s-day/256788831/
http://time.com/3495071/indigenous-peoples-day/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_16158140
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/index.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_among_Native_Americans_in_the_United_States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Borg
http://www.augustana.edu/academics/history/department/witchcraft/tor1.htm
http://io9.com/the-10-most-gruesome-torture-techniques-from-medieval-e-1626942115

Clown Award: Commissioner Karen Miller of Blount County, Tennessee
http://wate.com/2015/10/05/tennessee-equality-project-fights-blount-county-resolution-to-save-county-from-gods-wrath/
https://mgtvwate.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/resolution.pdf

House repeals ban on export of US crude oil
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/09/house-oks-lifting-40-year-old-us-ban-on-crude-oil-exports/?intcmp=ob_article_sidebar_video&intcmp=obinsite
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/09/republicans-fuming-after-obama-threatens-to-veto-major-energy-bill/

States continue to demonize poor as drug abusers
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/10/07/3710190/tennessee-welfare-drug-tests-year-one/
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/welfare-drug-testing_56156d38e4b021e856d344cd
http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/influencing_public_policy/public_policy_submissions/mandatory_drug_testing/Pages/manddrugtesting.aspx

Cleveland prosecutor lays grounds to whitewash killing of Tamir Rice
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=45365
http://www.ibtimes.com/tamir-rice-cleveland-shooting-reasonable-independent-probes-what-constitutes-213970

Something about guns
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/06/04/a-minority-of-americans-own-guns-but-just-how-many-is-unclear/