Double standard decried as Minnesota mosque bombed

Social media users have voiced frustration at what they described as a double standard after a mosque was bombed in the US.


The explosion at around 5am local time (09:00 GMT) at the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, caused damage but did not cause any casualties.

Worshippers had been preparing for the dawn prayer when the attack happened.

There were between 15 and 20 people inside the building at the time, according to Star Tribune, a local newspaper.

more
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/double-standard-decried-minnesota-mosque-bombed-170806054500392.html

Is there any doubt that if this had been a Christian church it would have been all over the news?

White supremacy week at the White House: Even by Trump standards, the racism was dialed to 11

Donald Trump is too dumb to be trusted to butter his own bread, but one thing his limited brain is capable of understanding is that tickling the racist impulses of much of white America makes them cheer for him. This explains the dizzying escalation of white supremacist gibberish emanating from the Trump administration over the past week. Trump is afraid he’s losing his proverbial “white working class” base and believes his best bet to win them back is to remind them that he shares their hatred and distrust of people they view as racially or ethnically Other. Unfortunately, he’s probably right.

A lot happened during the unofficial White Supremacy Week at the White House, so it’s a bit hard to keep up. The festivities kicked off last Friday, July 28, when Trump went to Long Island to give a speech to assembled police officers in which he painted immigrants as criminals and recommended police brutality, to great applause. On Tuesday of last week, the Justice Department announced it would focus resources on fighting discrimination against white people in college admissions, shoring up the racist myth that undeserving people of color are “stealing” opportunities from more deserving whites. On Wednesday, the White House rolled out, with great fanfare, a proposal to cut legal immigration in half, which was clearly meant to prioritize white and/or English-speaking immigrants over others.

more

http://www.salon.com/2017/08/06/white-supremacy-week-at-the-white-house-even-by-trump-standards-the-racism-was-dialed-to-11/

Sunday's Doonesbury- Talking Health Care

Sunday's PBS Toon - Congressman Search and Rescue

Illinois Declares August 4th - "Barack Obama Day" - a State Holiday

Former President Barack Obama got a special treat for his birthday this year - his very own holiday.

Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law Friday a measure to designate Aug. 4 as "Barack Obama Day" across Illinois.

The newest state holiday will be celebrated each year on the 44th president's birthday, beginning in 2018.

The holiday will be "observed throughout the State as a day set apart to honor the 44th President of the United States of America who began his career serving the People of Illinois in both the Illinois State Senate and the United States Senate, and dedicated his life to protecting the rights of Americans and building bridges across communities," Senate Bill 55 reads.


http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/barack-obama-day-illinois-holiday-438732933.html

Some Memes for Saturday

Oh, Snap!

Furloughs approved for 1st time in Puerto Ricos history

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico’s crisis-wracked finances announced Friday that it will impose furloughs for the first time in the U.S. territory’s history.

Furloughs of up to two days a month will start Sept. 1 and apply to all government employees except police, said Natalie Jaresko, the board’s executive director. She said these will continue until the end of fiscal year 2018.

The furloughs are needed because the administration of Gov. Ricardo Rossello has not achieved $218 million in savings as part of an overall $880 million in savings required by the board, Jaresko said.

“Where we are today is still very concerning,” she said.

more
https://apnews.com/3781730230e74779bcbf5df52fb18b7b

Some Friday Memes for your enjoyment

Chelsea Clinton: I'm donating to ACLU in response to DOJ crackdown on leaks

Chelsea Clinton says she is donating to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the wake of Attorney General Jeff Sessions's announcement on Friday of a government-wide effort to crackdown on leaks.

Part of the crackdown involves a Justice Department review of its policies on subpoenaing media organizations that publish leaked sensitive information.

The ACLU swiftly condemned the Sessions's announcement as an attempt to clamp down on press freedom.

“Every American should be concerned about the Trump administration’s threat to step up its efforts against whistleblowers and journalists," said Ben Wizner, the director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. "A crackdown on leaks is a crackdown on the free press and on democracy as a whole."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/345354-chelsea-clinton-im-donating-to-aclu-in-response-to-sessionss