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Senate Accepts Deal to Kick Formerly Incarcerated Off Food Benefits - COLORLINES

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:02:46 +1000

Senate Accepts Deal to Kick Formerly Incarcerated Off Food Benefits - COLORLINES:

Yesterday, Sen. Vitter of Louisiana offered up an amendment to permanently drop anyone ever convicted of a violent crime from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). According to Robert Greenstein, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Democrats in the Senate obliged him. The amendment is for a farm bill, which is currently being debated in the Senate.

Says Greenstein:

The amendment would bar from SNAP (food stamps), for life, anyone who was ever convicted of one of a specified list of violent crimes at any time — even if they committed the crime decades ago in their youth and have served their sentence, paid their debt to society, and been a good citizen ever since. In addition, the amendment would mean lower SNAP benefits for their children and other family members.

So, a young man who was convicted of a single crime at age 19 who then reforms and is now elderly, poor, and raising grandchildren would be thrown off SNAP, and his grandchildren’s benefits would be cut. … Democrats accepted it without trying to modify it to address its most ill-considered aspects.

Two-thirds of SNAP recipients are children, elderly or the disabled, and two-fifths of SNAP households live below half the poverty line.

"How about Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki, a 16-year old American killed by drones? Is that the way we treat..."

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:00:24 +1000

“How about Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki, a 16-year old American killed by drones? Is that the way we treat a 16-year old American? Why was he killed? Can you tell us why Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki was killed? Can you tell the Muslim people their lives are as precious as our lives? Can you take the drones out of the hands of the CIA? Can you stop the signature strikes that are killing people on the basis of suspicious activities? Will you apologize to the thousands of Muslims that you have killed? Will you compensate the innocent family victims? That will make us safer here at home! I love my country! I love the rule of law! The drones are making us less safe. And keeping people in indefinite detention in Guantanamo is making us less safe! Abide by the rule of law. You are a Constitutional lawyer!”

- Medea Benjamin, political activist and co-founder of Code Pink, interrupting President Obama during a speech on national security. May 23, 2013.

To which Obama replied, “The voice of that woman is worth paying attention to. Obviously I do not agree with much of what she said, and obviously she wasn’t listening to me in much of what I said. But these are tough issues and the suggestion that we can gloss over them is wrong.”

(via mamaatheist)

So instead of glossing over the issues he strikes at them with drones and these issues are essentially people of color looking suspicious from abroad. How does any of this make sense to anyone? How much of a blind patriot or fool to his personality do you have to be to overlook this?

(via ikenbot)

ikenbot: lol at men of color who assume the pacifist role when discussing or experiencing racism...

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:55:40 +1000

ikenbot:

lol at men of color who assume the pacifist role when discussing or experiencing racism all for the sake of white approval and acceptance.

the pasta nerada: i-have-a-complex: thepasta-nerada: i want to learn more about my...

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:50:01 +1000

the pasta nerada: i-have-a-complex: thepasta-nerada: i want to learn more about my...:

thefrailtyofgeniusisaudience:

i-have-a-complex:

thepasta-nerada:

i want to learn more about my phobia but i cant google my phobia without seeing picTURES OF the thINGS i am AFRAID OF and wanting to crawl out of my skin do u see the flaws in this system oh my god

I thought I would have this problem but if you…

if you want I could google the thing and send you the text of articles and stuff (about whatever phobia you want to learn more about) without the pictures so you wouldn’t have this problem.

pixyled: genderbitch: captain-america-steve: ...

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:47:22 +1000

pixyled:

genderbitch:

captain-america-steve:

OH COOL LOOK A NEW MESSAGE!

WRONG!

THAT BAD BOY RIGHT THERE IS A VIRUS.

YEP, YOU HIT THAT TEMPTING LITTLE CIRCLE AND YOU HAVE A ONE WAY TRIP TO VIRUS-VILLE ON THE MY COMPUTER IS NOW CRASHED BUS!

DON’T CLICK IT.

CLICK IT AND YOUR HACKED.

CLICK IT AND YOUR COMPUTER DIES.

CLICK IT AND BASICALLY YOU’RE SCREWED.

I am super glad that I delete any submission from an email with a video in it and no commentary.

Cuz someone submitted what I assume is the same thing to me and I deleted it without touching it.

SDFS ROMY QUICK RUN A VIRUS SCAN ON YOUR COMPUTER AND CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD

shartonnay: the joke about the show friends is that they were all so fucking awful that they were...

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:46:26 +1000

shartonnay:

the joke about the show friends is that they were all so fucking awful that they were the only friends they had

Exploded flowers by Fong Qi Wei

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:44:26 +1000

Exploded flowers by Fong Qi Wei

the life and times of j.m.: how to not be a White Savior when in Africa

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:01:19 +1000

the life and times of j.m.: how to not be a White Savior when in Africa:

queerhairyvag:

Don’t assume those you intend to help even wanted your help.

You are not there to ‘help’ anyone. Help assumes you are in authority and they depend on you.

You are there to work with people.

Those people are not charity cases: they are human beings with feelings history…

anythingphotography: The Cycle of Abuse Illustrated Through...

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:27:54 +1000

anythingphotography:

The Cycle of Abuse Illustrated Through Single Photos and Multiple Models

Statistics show that 70% of people who are abused as children will grow up into adults who will in turn abuse children. A recent awareness ad campaign by Mexican organization Save the Children shared this fact in single photographs that are both creative and difficult to stomach.

The advertisements were originally published back in May 2012, and were created by Mexican agency Y&R and photographer Ale Burset.

Each one uses five models showing one individual at different stages of life. In the foreground, the individual is experiencing abuse as a child. Older versions of the abused child grow up as they walk across the background of the frame, and turn into the original abuser by the time they walk a full circle.

“70% of abused children turn into abusive adults. Donate at savethechildren.mx,” the advertisements say.

seblaine: what do people do if they’re not obsessed with anything

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:16:53 +1000

seblaine:

what do people do if they’re not obsessed with anything

skepticalavenger: Hmmph. While I appreciate Twain’s sentiment,...

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:06:23 +1000

skepticalavenger:

Hmmph. While I appreciate Twain’s sentiment, to be fair, for those billions and billions of years I didn’t know what I was missing, either.

abelovedfool: Calvin and Hobbes combined with real photos. Get...

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:55:18 +1000

abelovedfool:

Calvin and Hobbes combined with real photos. Get on it.

Photo

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:44:05 +1000

vvant: im just so glad the word “ugh” was invented

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:33:05 +1000

vvant:

im just so glad the word “ugh” was invented

Photo

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:22:29 +1000

"There are so many lonely souls like mine but I can’t find them across this vast world. Like me they..."

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:11:29 +1000

“There are so many lonely souls like mine but I can’t find them across this vast world. Like me they wear masks of smiles and laughter. I can’t recognize them. They can’t see me either. Maybe we could be the antidote for each other. Be the cure for the loneliness that slowly kills our souls. Maybe we could be a little less lonely together. Maybe…”

- Acoustic Imagery (via acousticimagery)

mittromneyfanfiction: It really pisses me off how fighting for being treated like a human being is...

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:49:28 +1000

mittromneyfanfiction:

It really pisses me off how fighting for being treated like a human being is now labelled as ‘social justice’ like it’s some optional clique you can just join rather than it being a struggle you have to fight daily.

me: I can do this

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:38:30 +1000

me: I can do this

me: I can send this text message

me: I’m sure that they want to hear from me

me:

me:

me: sends text

me: that was the worst mistake of my entire life why do I even exist I am so annoying

SETTING REALISTIC GOALS FOR MY FUTURE

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:27:33 +1000

versus21:

hiddlestonhug: -apple: i don’t understand how my room gets so messy when i literally sit in one...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:16:54 +1000

hiddlestonhug:

-apple:

i don’t understand how my room gets so messy when i literally sit in one spot with my laptop all day

Most accurate post I have ever read.