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[Tommi]

Originally Posted by Andrea

I understand what you are saying and I have a really hard time with the death penalty, but I also know there are times I hear about someone dying by execution, their own hand after killing others, or some type of karma, and I am relieved that person no longer resides on this planet.

Andrea

I like your post. Karma.

[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by Tommi

As long as they are breathing the violent criminal mind is active. They are always a threat. We just had a guy let out that was a serious agravated child molestor, because of the system. See system below.

The Really Old West Ruled. Kill someone. Get killed.

Then the progressive Old West added a sheriff, then the jail, then the judge, then the jury, then the bigger jail, then the lawyer, then the bail bondsmen, then the prison for criminals, then the lawyer teams, then the institution for the criminally insane, then the rogue cops, then the appeals, then...we have today's repeat offenders..

Okay, my cat woke me at 5 AM..on my day off.

Well, if all of the above offends you we could just go back to a feudal system of crime and punishment where you didn't get a trial (no lawyers), there was no bail (no bail bondsmen), there were dungeons but those were for torture not imprisonment.

You can have a legal system, in which case you have to put up with the fact that the legal system must play by the rules or you can have an ad hoc system of crime and punishment for which there is another name: lynching.

ETA: Let me also point out that even WITH the current system of laws, we routinely execute the wrong person. In Texas a man was executed for killing his three children in an arson fire. Except that when actual fire experts looked at the crime, they determined not only was it NOT arson but it could not have been arson. Several studies have also found that black men are three or four times as likely to be given the death penalty for the *same* crime even if you hold every other relevant detail constant. And a disturbing number (approaching a third) of those death penalties are eventually overturned on DNA evidence. So if we go back to the Old West system of lynching--and once you pull out the legal system, all you're left with is mob justice--do you really think it will be any better? I'll tell you right now, since we've *run* that experiment--it wouldn't be.

In the Deep South, into the middle of the last century, a black man could go from having a nice day to being hung from a tree in an afternoon all because he bumped into a white woman. That was also swift and sure 'justice'. Thank you very much but I'll take the set of problems flowing from having a legal system--even one as flawed as ours--to ad hoc 'we think this person did the crime, so that's the person we'll punish for it' mob justice.

[Nat]

I did start that death penalty thread should any of you like to share your thoughts there.

[Nat]

Scientists reverse some age effects in mice

Telomeres "are like the caps on your shoelaces — they help maintain the package of your chromosomes," DePinho said.

As cells divide and replicate, these chromosome protectors get worn down and frayed over time. And with age, as telomeres shorten, signs of age-related degeneration — from graying hair to infertility to organ failure — emerge.

To figure out whether this process could be reversed, the scientists first engineered mice that aged artificially fast. In these rodents, the team had suppressed the gene that makes telomerase, an enzyme partly responsible for the repair of telomeres.

With prematurely shortened telomeres, the mice's coats grayed, their spleens atrophied and their brains and testes shrunk. Their skin was plagued by dermatitis and their sense of smell dulled. In short, they showed many signs of aging. At a normally youthful 6 months, they already looked 2 years old, DePinho said — equivalent to a human octogenarian.

The scientists then administered a drug that switched the suppressed telomerase gene back on. Soon enough, the mice regained the sheen in their coats, sensitivity in their noses and the sperm in their testes. The signs of age seemed to slough off them.

[Nat]

Obama announces tentative deal to extend Bush tax cuts

[MsTinkerbelly]

BREAKING: DADT repeal likely to come up for a vote tonight
By Adam Bink

Just this morning, Sen. Reid said the following on the Senate floor:

“And I’m likely going to move to my motion to reconsider on the Defense Authorization Act this evening. Allowing, as I will indicate at that time, time for amendments to that piece of legislation.”

As I wrote earlier, if Sen. Reid allows for a process that accords Sen. Collins and other pro-repeal Republicans the opportunity to offer amendments with sufficient time for debate, it is very likely they will support the motion to reconsider, which requires 60 votes. That is our last major hurdle to overcome.

But, it’s no sure thing (it never is). So, that means it’s time to hit the phones for one last big push. The switchboard is 202-224-3121. This cannot be left up to backroom dealing between the Republicans and Sen. Reid. And as Joe wrote, this isn’t a political game. Both sides have to deal in good faith and not hide behind process. And then we’ll find out who’s on our side tonight.

Breaking this morning, we picked up Sen. Pryor. If that’s true, and Manchin and Lincoln go our way (and I’m told it’s likely they will), we’ll need two Republicans. So, based on what a few sources have told me this morning, the following are all potential votes for the motion to reconsider:

–Susan Collins (R-ME)

–Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

–Richard Lugar (R-IN)

–Judd Gregg (R-NH)

–Scott Brown (R-MA)

–George Voinovich (R-OH)

–Kit Bond (R-MO)

–Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

–Mark Kirk (R-IL)

The number is 202-224-3121. Call them and ask them to support the motion to reconsider on the defense authorization bill. This is especially important if you are a constituent. Then, pick 5 family/friends/colleagues, and ask them to do the same. Tell them if there’s one holiday present you’d like in the social justice realm, it’s 5 minutes on the phone.

Then, post in the comments what you heard.

Let’s do this

[MsTinkerbelly]

Update: Sen. Lieberman affirms that the biggest obstacle to repeal is process, not policy. In what appears to be a response to reports that Sen. Collins is not negotiating in good faith, via e-mail, Sen. Lieberman (who has been a strong champion for repeal) issued the following statement:

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) issued the following statement today in response to the baseless allegations that have been raised with respect to Senator Collins’ negotiations on the National Defense Authorization Act:
“Senator Collins has been working in good faith to achieve an agreement on the process to move forward with the defense bill that contains the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ I categorically reject reports by uninformed staffers who have suggested otherwise. As she always does, Senator Collins is working diligently and across party lines to find solutions to the challenges that confront our country. I call on those responsible for such baseless allegations to stop immediately and instead work to get to an agreement to bring this critical bill to the floor for Senate action.
“We are making progress toward an agreement to move forward on the defense bill that includes the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and I remain confident that we can reach an agreement, which is necessary before any vote on the motion to reconsider is taken. I am working closely with Senator Reid and Senator Collins and other members who want to reach a fair and reasonable agreement to move the defense authorization bill that that is so essential to the needs of our troops, veterans, and their families.
“It is now more clear than ever that we have 60 or more votes in support of repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ so it is vitally important to reach agreement on the right process to move forward.”
Like I wrote above, this shouldn’t just be a backroom process- it’s a public process, too. We’ve been enough of a political football. Make your voice heard so that even if a swing Republican Senator doesn’t like the “agreement”, the calls coming into his/her office are 85-15% in favor of repeal, and the Senator’s decision is made up for him/her.
202-224-3121. The target list is above

[betenoire]

Warning To Gulf Volunteers: Almost Every Cleanup Worker From The 1989 Exxon Valdez Disaster Is Now Dead

[Corkey]

Dream Act passed the House!

[betenoire]

Originally Posted by betenoire

Warning To Gulf Volunteers: Almost Every Cleanup Worker From The 1989 Exxon Valdez Disaster Is Now Dead

I forgot to put in a disclaimer. I can't seem to find anything else online to prove OR disprove this, so take it as you will.

[Greyson]

Originally Posted by Corkey

Dream Act passed the House!

House passes DREAM Act, but bill faces tough Senate vote Thursday
By Mike Lillis - 12/08/10 09:11 PM ET

House lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation allowing illegal-immigrant students to remain permanently and legally in the United States.

The DREAM Act — a top priority of Democrats in both Congress and the White House — was approved by a tally of 216 to 198. Eight Republicans crossed the aisle to vote in favor of the bill, while 38 Democrats voted against it.


The bill now moves to the Senate, which is expected to take up the measure Thursday morning. The proposal's success is much less likely in the upper chamber, where a GOP filibuster will require 60 votes for passage. The Senate shot down a similar measure in 2007, and most of the opponents at the time haven't changed their positions over the last three years.

First introduced in 2001, the House legislation extends conditional legal status for five years to those illegal aliens who:

• Were younger than 16 when they entered the country

• Have lived in the U.S. for at least five years

• Have a degree from a U.S. high school, or its equivalent

Beneficiaries can apply for an additional five years of conditional nonimmigrant status if they've completed at least two years of higher education or military service. Afterward, they could apply for permanent legal status.

RELATED ARTICLESDems make last-minute push for DREAM ActRep. Smith: DREAM Act carries some harsh realitiesLa Raza: A watershed vote Latinos will not forget
Supporters of the bill said it will offer opportunities for motivated kids who are in the country by no fault of their own.

"The beneficiaries of the DREAM Act are the kind of Americans we want," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said just before the vote.

Republicans argued that the proposal grants amnesty and puts the interests of illegal aliens above those of American taxpayers.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said the proposal is "a nightmare for the American people."

"It insults American workers, American taxpayers and anyone who believes in the rule of law," Smith said. "How can we consider amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants when just last week the Dept. of Labor reported that unemployment in America jumped up to 9.8 percent?"

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the House bill will save taxpayers $1.4 billion over the next decade. CBO warned, however, that the reforms will begin consuming government funds after 2020, as beneficiaries become eligible for other government programs.

Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefi...e-to-move-next

[Greyson]

If you go view the link where the story came from, read the comment section too. Here is one of the comments:


"There's so much money backing the gay agenda it's obscene."

__________________________________________________ _____________




Scientists have created mice that are the genetic product of two fathers, the latest in a series of unusual experiments in mammalian reproduction.

By Gautam Naik


Researchers at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and elsewhere first engineered a female mouse whose eggs contained the DNA from a male. When the female was mated with another male, the offspring had genetic contributions entirely from two males. The study appears online in the peer-reviewed journal Biology of Reproduction.

While the achievement is technically intriguing, its practical benefits are far from clear. Any move to try the same experiment in people is certain to be more complicated and controversial.

The study describes the technique as "a new form of mammalian reproduction" that could potentially be used to improve livestock breeds or preserve endangered species. More provocatively, the authors argue that if certain technical hurdles can be overcome, "then some day two men could produce their own genetic sons and daughters." But those technical hurdles are extremely high.

"It has been a weird project, but we wanted to see if it could be done" in mice, says Richard Behringer, lead author of the study and a developmental geneticist at M.D. Anderson in Houston.

New techniques are allowing scientists to tweak the biology of reproduction in unusual ways. In April, scientists at U.K.'s Newcastle University created embryos with DNA taken from a man and two women. The research, published in the journal Nature, was undertaken to potentially help mothers avoid passing on rare genetic disorders to their children. The embryos weren't brought to term. In 2009, a cloning-related method was used to produce monkeys with genetic material from two mothers.

So how is it possible to engineer mice whose genetic material is entirely from two males?

A human embryo has 46 chromosomes, including two that determine sex. Females normally have two of the same, written as XX, while males have an X and a Y chromosome, or XY.

In the latest experiment, Dr. Behringer and his colleagues first took a cell from a male mouse—Dad A. They reprogrammed the cell so it became similar to an embryonic stem cell, which eventually gives rise to all the tissues of the body.

When copies of the cell were grown in a cell line, about 1% spontaneously lost the Y chromosome, an occurrence that happens when mistakes creep in during cell division.

These cells—with Dad A's original X chromosome but not the Y chromosome—were injected into blastocysts, early-stage embryos created from donor egg and sperm. The treated blastocysts then were transferred into surrogate mothers.

When the mouse babies were born, they had cells from both the blastocyst and from Dad A—so-called chimeras, which are creatures composed of at least two genetically distinct types of cells. When the females matured, some produced eggs containing only Dad A's genetic material.

As a final step, the female chimeras mated with an ordinary male mouse, Dad B. Some of the resulting progeny, both male and female, were made entirely from the genetic material originating in the two dads.

One hitch was that, as part of the reprogramming step, the researchers added certain genes that triggered tumors in some mice, an inherent problem in the current approach used for cell reprogramming.

Trying this in humans is a much bigger challenge. When a human embryo inherits only one X chromosome (instead of one chromosome from each parent) it tends to die. Rarely, females are born this way, called Turner syndrome, and all are infertile. And scientists would also have to find a way to create eggs without creating human chimeras, which is ethically contentious.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...376020012.html

[katsarecool]

I am very happy to hear this great news!!! A young woman by the name of Jennifer Colido who is a student at Kennesaw State in Georgia will be very happy to hear this news. She was reluctantly thrust into the limelight when she was stopped by a police officer for a traffic violation (minor) and arrested and jailed when it was discovered that she was undocumented despite the fact that she came to this country with her parents at the age of five years old. INS granted her a stay until she graduates in a few years then she will be deported to Mexico and she does not even speak Spanish!

[Sparkle]

The Senate delays (possibly kills) the DREAM Act.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/1..._n_794492.html

[katsarecool]

I just saw that and it stinks!!! I hate just hate the politics that is going on in DC right now. The way they are playing with our lived regardine the Dream Act, DADT, unemployment for nine million Americans and their families, Estate tax, Tax cuts for the wealthy.... I am about over their bad behaviors and will begin writing letters and making phone calls tomorrow. Today I take for thinking about it, ranting and raving and coming to a nice logial letter and one they can understand!!!

[Nat]

Just got an email from getequal:

The Senate just voted on whether to bring the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) up for conversation. Not for passage -- just for conversation. It failed.

[MsDemeanor]

Just think how much money we would have for everything else if we quit funding Defense for a few months. Let's give 'em just enough money to ship everyone home from the wars and to make payroll.

[Nat]

I really do truly despise this woman. Just received the following email:

Dear Friend:
**** Thank you for contacting me about our nation's "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. *I welcome your thoughts and comments.
*
**** Officials from the Department of Defense previously testified before Congress that the current policy has served the military well. *However, in recent months, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates publicly stated his support for repealing the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy, pending the results of an internal Pentagon review.
*
**** The internal Pentagon review report was released on November 30, 2010, and its findings indicated that the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" would bring about limited disruption to unit cohesion and retention. *I respectfully disagree with the report's findings. *I will not support a repeal of the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. *After speaking with military personnel and former leaders of our armed services, I remain very concerned about how repealing this policy could negatively impact unit cohesion and overall troop readiness -- especially during a time of war.
*
**** Our military has obligations around the world, including intensifying efforts to topple the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. *I, along with many others, am concerned that a drastic change in the military’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy could hurt morale, recruitment, and retention at a time when our armed forces need to maintain a strong presence at home and abroad.
*
**** Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind. *I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope that you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue that is important to you.
*
Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
United States Senator
*
284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC *20510
202-224-5922 (tel)
202-224-0776 (fax)
http://hutchison.senate.gov
*
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY to this message as this mailbox is only for the delivery of outbound messages, and is not monitored for replies. *Due to the volume of mail Senator Hutchison receives, she requests that all email messages be sent through the contact form found on her website at http://hutchison.senate.gov/contact.cfm .
*
If you would like more information about issues pending before the Senate, please visit the Senator's website at http://hutchison.senate.gov . *You will find articles, floor statements, and press releases, along with her weekly column and monthly television show on current events. *You can also sign up to receive Senator Hutchison's weekly e-newsletter.
*
Thank you.

[katsarecool]

Now let me guess... wait a minute... almost there... She is a Republican!!!! Or wait? Maybe a Tea Bagger? Or worse yet Both?

[Nat]

Originally Posted by katsarecool

Now let me guess... wait a minute... almost there... She is a Republican!!!! Or wait? Maybe a Tea Bagger? Or worse yet Both?

She's been a senator here since I was a freshman in high school. She's always been awful. Not sure how she feels about the tea party - I'd be surprised if she had any feelings at all really.