Left Side of the Aisle #237

Left Side of the Aisle
for the week of February 11 to 17, 2016

This week:

Good News: some voting rights restored in Maryland
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/9/1482301/-The-Maryland-legislature-just-gave-40-000-people-the-right-to-vote
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-senate-scheduled-to-vote-to-overturn-veto-of-felon-voting-bill/2016/02/04/c104a4e2-cb46-11e5-a7b2-5a2f824b02c9_story.html

Passing thought: Will the US denounce the government of Japan as "tyrannical" for threatening to close "biased" media outlets, as it did in the case of Venezuela?
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/search?q=Hugo+Chavez&max-results=20&by-date=true
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/02/09/national/politics-diplomacy/minister-warns-that-government-can-shut-down-broadcasters-it-feels-are-biased/

Why has the left stopped talking about cutting the military budget?
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/search?q=Congressional+Progressive+Caucus
http://www.opednews.com/articles/What-Does-a-Progressive-Bu-by-David-Swanson-Budget-160131-985.html
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/spending/
http://www.aol.com/article/2016/02/09/pentagons-proposed-582-7-bln-budget-for-2017-under-fire-from-r/21310096/
http://bos.sagepub.com/content/71/2/107.abstract
http://useconomy.about.com/od/usfederalbudget/p/military_budget.htm

Bernie Sanders, just like Hillary Clinton, is more hawkish than people think
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Bernie-Hysteria--Liberal-by-Chris-Ernesto-Antiwar_Bernie-Sanders_Bernie-Sanders-Presidential-Campaign_Hypocrisy-160207-867.html
https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/the-assassination-complex/
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/opinion/opening-a-new-front-against-isis-in-libya.html?_r=0
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2011/04/most-important-fact-about-libya-is-not.html
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-debate-and-vote?source=c.url&r_by=1135580
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/CandidateQA/ObamaQA/
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Is-America-about-to-sleepw-by-Trevor-Timm-Boots-On-The-Ground_Isis_Lybia_Syria-160131-163.html

People in Laos still dying from unexploded bombs from the Indochina war
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-to-increase-aid-to-clear-unexploded-bombs-in-laos/2016/01/25/d5462bd2-bfcb-11e5-98c8-7fab78677d51_story.html

Not Good News: North Carolina fighting suit against its new moves at voter suppression
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/09/3747158/new-hampshire-voter-id-2/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/north-carolina-voter-id_us_56a671bfe4b076aadcc77201
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2013/06/left-side-of-aisle-114-part-3.html
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2013/08/1216-update-voter-suppression-comes-to.html

Outrage of the Week: study proves corporations deliberately choose poor and nonwhite neighborhood for toxic waste dump sites
http://www.care2.com/causes/companies-really-do-target-poor-neighborhoods-for-dangerous-waste-sites.html
http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/23414-targeting-minority-low-income-neighborhoods-for-hazardous-waste-sites

Clown Award: Steve Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone private equity firm
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/01/22/1473651/-Billionaire-bewildered-that-American-voters-are-angry
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/12/17/wealth-gap-upper-middle-income/
http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/inequality-in-american-cities-is-on-the-rise
http://www.ibtimes.com/health-care-costs-us-rise-hospitals-now-charging-10-times-medicare-rates-common-1957271
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-schwarzman-taxes-hitler-invaded-poland-2010-8?IR=T

VIP: Paul Kantner and Signe Toly Anderson
http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Jefferson-Airplane-s-Paul-Kantner-dies-at-74-6791483.php?t=b26db710676c5a3c1f&cmpid=fb-premium
http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/signe-anderson-original-airplane-singer-dead-at-74/