It is always breathtaking the lies, myths, propaganda, misinformation and absurdities poorly educated Americans and Religious Zealots readily accept. 

It is always to the advantage of Zealots to foster poor education the creates Malleable Masses amenable to this level of ignorance.

Sad commentary on America! Perpetuating ignorance.  

5 Most Absurd Conspiracy Theories Peddled By Anti-Choice Christians

Why is the anti-choice movement even taken seriously as a political movement by the media?

By Amanda Marcotte / AlterNet

July 30, 2015

For the past few years, conservatives have been diligently trying to put a kinder, gentler face on the anti-choice movement. They try to hide that they’re a bunch of ghouls stuck in a titillation-disgust obsession with female sexuality and reproductive function. Instead, they claim to be a bunch of well-meaning church ladies just trying to help those poor young ladies realize that their true calling is motherhood.

But a few weeks ago, the mask got ripped off when a radical anti-choice group going by the name Center for Medical Progress released a bunch of misleadingly edited videos accusing Planned Parenthood of selling fetal body parts in some kind of black market profiteering scheme. The accusations got a momentary blip of incredulous media coverage before the debunking started. To summarize: the people in the videos are actually talking about donating fetal tissue to research (something even Republicans have supported in the past). The people behind the stunt are the same kind of loony right-wing nuts who love trading in bizarre conspiracy theories.

The real question here is why the anti-choice movement is taken seriously at all as a political movement by the media. The movement has a long history of pushing breathless and implausible urban legends that are more at home on some conspiracy theory website than in grown-up politics. Reproductive health care sits at an intersection of human sexuality and medicine, and anti-choicers really love wallowing in the ghastly and the sensational, even if neither has any relationship to reality.

Here are some of the more ridiculous and gross examples.

1. 'The Silent Scream'

The Silent Scream is a bit of religious right propaganda about abortion created in 1984. Simply looking at the video cover, with its horror movie font and pixelated image of a screaming face, should give you an idea of what level of ridiculousness we’re dealing with. The movie, which claims that a 12-week-old fetus “screams” when it is aborted, is so over the top it reads like camp to all but its intended audience of naïve conservative Christians. “The Silent Scream has the appeal of a snuff movie,” said a 1985 review in the New Republic, which also noted its “inappropriate horror B-movie title roll."

2. 'Hooking Kids On Sex'

The Center for Medical Progress is far from the first group making lurid accusations that Planned Parenthood engages in sinister behavior for profit. In 2013, the American Life League (ALL) put out a breathless video titled Hooking Kids On Sex.

“Just as the goal of a drug dealer is to make drug addicts,” the narrator explains, “Planned Parenthood’s goal is to make sex addicts.” The video calls masturbation a “gateway drug” and argues that the purpose of tricking teens into thinking they like sex is to get them to buy up more contraception, which ALL believes is designed to fail, so the young people then have to get even more expensive abortions. Ka-CHING! The flaw in this brilliant conspiracy theory, just like the new one about fetal tissue selling, is that Planned Parenthood is a non-profit, making the profit part of the equation nonsensical.

3. Phony video accusing Planned Parenthood of child sex trafficking.

In 2011, the group Live Action (of which the Center for Medical Progress is a spin-off) made a splash in anti-choice circles with a video purporting to prove that Planned Parenthood engages in child sex trafficking. The video claimed to show undercover investigators posing as pimps who admit to trafficking minors.

The fact that the Planned Parenthood employees continued talking to the phony pimps was held out as evidence of collusion and a cover-up. It was neither. The employees did talk to the self-reported criminals, but then immediately alerted the FBI to the alleged sex trafficking. It also soon became evident that few, if any, of the “colluding” employees actually believed the ruse. But anti-choicers disregarded the obvious conclusion, because they prefer to believe whatever crazy nonsense they can about Planned Parenthood.

4. Abortion 'reversal' scam.

This gambit is one of the loonier anti-choice contrivances to come around in recent years. Yes, they are telling women abortions can be reversed. The weirdness started with an anti-choice doctor named George Delgado, who claimed he could “reverse” medication abortions with shots of progesterone he said would save the embryo before the medications expelled it. 

It's not possible, of course, and Delgado's "evidence" that there is any demand for this supposed procedure is iffy, to say the least. This is just more anti-choice theatrics. In reality, 95% of women say their abortion was the right choice for them.

5. The pill kills.

Artificial progesterone is the hero of these mythical tales of “abortion reversal,” but when the same hormone is used (effectively, I might add) to prevent pregnancy, it becomes the demon that does nothing but bring terror and misery. Progesterone is used in birth control pills to suppress ovulation, so women can have sex without getting pregnant. Anti-choice activists oppose this, and so have created a dizzying number of lurid horror stories of all the bad things that will happen if women take the pill.

The American Life League has an annual event, tagged to the anniversary of the legalization of contraception by the Supreme Court, called The Pill Kills. Every year, they highlight some other supposed victim of this killer pill. The pill kills marriage! The pill kills babies! (Anti-choicers claim progesterone “kills” embryos. Yes, the same drug Delgado injects in women to “save” embryos.) The pill kills the environment! (Unlike those harmless fossil fuels.)  The pill kills women! (They neglect to mention the stroke risk for frequent pregnancy is much higher.)

The conspiracy theories and theatrics of the anti-choice movement are ridiculous, of course. Yet they serve a serious purpose. The melodrama and lurid claims are meant to distract the public from a serious discussion about important public health issues, like contraception access and safe abortion care. All the blood and orgies talk forces pro-choicers to waste their time debunking right-wing urban legends, instead of focusing the discussion on less exciting but more realistic topics like how empowering women to choose when and if they give birth improves women’s educational and employment opportunities. Important stuff, but boring compared to screeching right-wing nonsense about black market fetal parts and Planned Parenthood pimp orgies. Which is, of course, the point.

Amanda Marcotte co-writes the blog Pandagon. She is the author of "It's a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments."

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/5-most-absurd-conspiracy-theories-peddled-anti-choice-christians

RSN: Coal Companies Are Cheating US Taxpayers out of Billions, Is the FBI's Counterterrorism Program Targeting Americans With Mental Illness and Cognitive Limitations?, Julian Assange: The Untold Story of an Epic Struggle for Justice

It's Live on the HomePage Now: 
Reader Supported News

---

John Pilger | Julian Assange: The Untold Story of an Epic Struggle for Justice 
 
John Pilger, CounterPunch 
Pilger writes: "The persecution of Julian Assange is about to flare again as it enters a dangerous stage." 
READ MORE

Talks for Pacific Trade Deal Stall at a Critical Step 
Jonathan Weisman, The New York Times 
Weisman writes: "Trade negotiators from the United States and 11 other Pacific nations failed to reach final agreement on Friday, with difficult talks on the largest regional trade agreement ever deadlocking over protections for drug companies and access to agriculture markets on both sides of the Pacific." 
READ MORE

WikiLeaks: US Spied on Japanese Government and Corporations Since 2006 
WikiLeaks 
Excerpt: "35 Top Secret NSA targets in Japan including the Japanese cabinet and Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi, together with intercepts relating to US-Japan relations, trade negotiations and sensitive climate change strategy." 
READ MORE

Bernie Sanders and the Crisis of Affordable College Education 
Michael Sainato, Observer 
Sainato writes: "On May 19, 2015, Bernie Sanders introduced a bill to make all 4-year public college tuition free. Under the proposed legislation, the $70 billion a year awarded in assistance in the form of federal student loans and grants would be paid for through taxes on Wall Street transactions." 
READ MORE

Newly Revised US History Standards Brush Over Issue of Racism 
Zoe Schlanger, Newsweek 
Schlanger writes: "Passages that previously cited racial attitudes, stereotyping, and white superiority in early American history have been rewritten or deleted, and some passages that previously implicated early European colonists in racism and aiding in destructive Native American warfare have been softened and replaced with more passive language." 
READ MORE

Is the FBI's Counterterrorism Program Targeting Americans With Mental Illness and Cognitive Limitations? 
Trevor Aaronson, The Intercept 
Aaronson writes: "The news spread quickly when federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday night that FBI agents had foiled an Islamic State-linked plot to bomb a beach in Key West, Florida." 
READ MORE

Coal Companies Are Cheating US Taxpayers out of Billions
Clair Moser, ThinkProgress 
Moser writes: "Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell on Wednesday launched the first high-level review of the federal government's coal program in more than three decades, noting concerns with the program's environmental impacts and fairness to taxpayers." 
READ MORE

---

CapeCodToday: SHNS: What's ahead in state government this week

What's ahead in state government this week

Local: Cape Cod Commission on the Wellfleet tower project; Herring grant announcement in Wellfleet

ARTICLE | POLITICS | AUGUST 1, 2015 06:00 AM | BY STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

- See more at: http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/08/01/225658-Whats-ahead-state-government-week#sthash.mGH9NHZz.dpuf

Initiative petition sponsors have until Thursday to file the language of their proposed ballot laws along with signatures from 10 sponsors of their measures if they wish to be in the running for a slot on the November 2016 ballot.  It's the first in a series of deadlines that ballot campaigns must meet if they wish to put proposals before voters.   Activists have been talking up measures to legalize marijuana, authorize more charter schools, end the state's participation in Common Core education standards, tax millionaires at a higher rate and overhaul the public records laws.  After Thursday, Attorney General Maura Healey faces the next deadline in the process.   By Sept. 2, Healey must decide whether the proposals meet constitutional requirements for ballot questions.   Sponsors of questions that clear that hurdle then face a two-step signature-gathering requirement, with 64,750 required in the first round and another 10,792 in the second round.   If the Legislature hasn't approved a law that satisfies ballot activists by next July, they can proceed to the ballot if they've met the requirements.

-- After busy formal sessions Wednesday and Thursday informal sessions resume in the Legislature on Monday when lawmakers are free to pass almost any bill as long as no one objects.  The House and Senate are likely to use informal sessions to re-enact sections of the budget sent back by Gov. Baker with amendments, including the section authorizing an expansion of the earned income tax credit.

-- Gov. Charlie Baker's signature is all that's needed to green-light the suspension of the state's 6.25 percent sales tax on Aug. 15 and Aug. 16. The Legislature this week passed the sales tax holiday bill, which has become an annual event in recent years.  

-- Congressman Joe Kennedy III, who has stepped up his political activity this year, is scheduled to address progressive business officials Monday night in Boston.

-- The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees meets Monday with plans to confirm Jacqueline Moloney, executive vice chancellor of UMass-Lowell, to succeed Martin Meehan as chancellor of that campus.  The job opened up when the UMass Board in May picked Meehan to succeed former UMass President Robert Caret.

-- Republican presidential candidates plan to gather Monday in New Hampshire and Thursday in Cleveland as voters screen the large field of contenders ahead of next year's election to choose a successor to President Barack Obama.

-- The Senate this month passed legislation aimed at vastly expanding the state's solar power capacity and Gov. Baker next week plans to file his own "net metering" bill to boost solar's role in the state's energy mix while attempting to minimize impacts on ratepayers.

SATURDAY, AUG. 1, 2015

FEAST OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT:  Gov. Charles Baker plans to attend the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament at Madeira Field in New Bedford.  Now proclaimed by organizers to be the largest Portuguese feast in the world, and the largest ethnic festival in New England, the feast was founded in 1915 by four Madeiran immigrants.  (Saturday, 2 p.m., 50 Madeira Ave., New Bedford)

'JOE DAY' DAY:  Members of Boston's news community will gather to celebrate the life of longtime Boston political reporter Joe Day, who died in March at age 78.  He reported politics for WGBH-TV Ch. 2, WCVB-TV Ch. 5, and WHDH-TV Ch. 7, covering local and national affairs, presidential campaigns, gubernatorial races, and Boston mayoral campaigns.  Day was known to Ch. 7 colleagues as "The Doctor" for "nearly-surgical precision" to "cut to the heart of a story."  7News alumnus Mark Wile has spent months organizing the celebration, which has been dubbed "Joe Day" Day.  Day's wife Nancy and sons Peter and Matt will join in the event, along with colleagues, friends, and fans.  (Saturday, 12 p.m., Joe's American Bar & Grill, Rte. 1, Dedham)

STAN LEE DAY: Boston Mayor Martin Walsh will honor comic book icon Stan Lee, the 92-year-old former president of Marvel Comics who co-created Spider-Man, The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, X-Men and others, by proclaiming Aug. 1, 2015 "Stan Lee Day" in Boston. Walsh will present Lee with a proclamation and offer brief remarks at the 8th annual Boston Comic Con, where Lee will be greeting fans and signing autographs. (Saturday, 11:30 a.m., Cityview Ballroom, Third Floor, Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd., Boston)

SUNDAY, AUG. 2, 2015

PAN-MASS CHALLENGE:  Gov. Charles Baker and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh will ride in the 36th Pan-Mass Challenge, starting at Babson College.  They will be among thousands of cyclists traversing the state to raise money for cancer research and treatment.  (Sunday,6:30 a.m., 231 Forest St., Babson Park, Wellesley)

SUNUNU ON KELLER:  Former N.H. Governor John Sununu talks with Jon Keller about his new book "The Quiet Man: The Indispensable Presidency of George H.W. Bush."  They will discuss the difference between Bush's generation and baby boomer political leadership; how the media covers politics; and Trump, for whom Sununu has little use.  (Sunday, 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV Ch. 4)

WALSH "ON THE RECORD": Boston Mayor Marty Walsh talks to "On the Record" hosts Janet Wu and Ed Harding on several topics including the Olympics.  (Sunday, 11 a.m., WCVB-TV Ch. 5)

NECN: THIS WEEK IN BUSINESS | Shirley Leung of the Boston Globe, Chris Dempsey of No Boston Olympics and Peter Howe of NECN talk about the USOC's decision to pull Boston's 2024 Olympic bid. (Sunday, 12:30 p.m., NECN)

FALCHUK ON URBAN UPDATE: Evan Falchuk will talk with host Byron Barnett about the end of "Boston 2024." Barnett will also host Boston Herald columnist Kevin Peterson and Beverly Morgan-Welch, executive director of the Museum of African American History, to discuss the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He will also discuss El Sistema, a musical program created in Venezuela, and its Summer Academy in Massachusett (Sunday, 11:30 a.m., WHDH-TV Ch. 7)

MONDAY, AUG. 3, 2015

HOUSE AND SENATE: Both branches plan to meet in informal sessions at 11 a.m.

LEADERSHIP MEETING:  Gov. Charles Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, House Minority Leader Bradley Jones, and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr plan to meet in a weekly leadership meeting.  This will be their first meeting since the legislature voted to override 87 of Gov. Baker's line-item vetoes, restoring around $97 million in spending to the fiscal 2016 budget.  (CLOSED PRESS)  (Monday, 2 p.m., House Speaker's Office, Room 356)

TRANSPO PROJECT AMENDMENTS: The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization will release a draft of an amendment of the federal fiscal years (FFYs) 2015-18 Transportation Improvement Program and an amendment to the FFY 2015 Unified Planning Work Program for a 30-day public review process. The TIP amendment addresses a cost increase to the improvements on Dedham Street/Canton Street project in Canton and reflects that the project will be funded with federal aid instead of non-federal aid. The UPWP amendment removes a mapping study and transfers the funding for it to another study, which is focused on improving bicycle and pedestrian access to MBTA stations on the Fairmount commuter rail line. (Monday, no specific time, online at the MPO's website, www.bostonmpo.org.)

GOP PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS ON STAGE, ON AIR: Further cementing its "first in the nation" status, New Hampshire will be the site of the Voters First Presidential Forum as 14 Republican presidential candidates are expected to discuss the issues at Saint Anselm College. The event is jointly sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Charleston Post & Courier (SC), the Cedar Rapids Gazette (IA), and WLTX-TV in Columbia, SC. The forum was organized in response to the criteria Fox News established to limit participation in the first GOP-sanctioned debate, scheduled for later in the week, the Union Leader said. Tickets for the event are no longer available. (Monday, 7 p.m., The Dana Center, Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Dr., Manchester, NH, also airing live on C-SPAN.)

UMASS TRUSTEES: The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees holds a special meeting to vote on the appointment of a new chancellor for UMass-Lowell. The UMass Lowell Chancellor Search Committee will present its report to the board, and UMass President Marty Meehan will make his recommendation to the board before the vote. If the board approves UMass-Lowell executive vice chancellor Jacqueline Moloney for the position, she will become the first female chancellor in the 121-year history of UMass-Lowell and its preceding institutions, the university said. In the just-completed state budget deliberations, UMass secured a long-sought tuition retention law and convinced the Legislature to restore $5.25 million in university funds that had been vetoed by Gov. Charlie Baker.  (Monday, 4 p.m., Amherst Room, 33rd Floor, 225 Franklin St., Boston)

KENNEDY AT "PROGRESSIVE POWER HOUR":  Congressman Joseph Kennedy III is scheduled as the featured guest at the Alliance for Business Leadership's "Progressive Power Hour."  The series of hour-long events aims to bring together top public figures with the progressive business community for networking and Q&A.  The next power hour will feature Congresswoman Katherine Clark on Oct. 13.  (Monday, 6 p.m., MassChallenge, 21 Drydock Ave., Boston)

FEINBURG HOSTS NIGHTSIDE:  Boston talker Todd Feinburg will sit in for Dan Rea as guest-host on "NightSide."  (Monday, 8 p.m., WBZ NewsRadio 1030)

TUESDAY, AUG. 4, 2015

ROSENBERG ON HERALD RADIO:  Senate President Stanley Rosenberg plans to sit down for a monthly interview on Boston Herald Radio's "Morning Meeting."  (Tuesday, 10 a.m., 70 Fargo St., Boston, www.bostonheraldradio.com, WMEX-AM 1510, WCRN-AM 830)

DOI SESSION ON WORKERS' COMP: The Division of Insurance will hold a public listening session on workers compensation insurance. (Tuesday, 10:30 a.m., 1000 Washington Street, Hearing Room 1-E, Boston.

GROUNDBREAKING OF MALDEN POLICE STATION: Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash will deliver remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Malden Police Station. (Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., Malden Police Station, 800 Eastern Ave, Malden)

T CONTROL BOARD: The MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board holds its third meeting and is expected to discuss Parcel 13,  approximately 54,500 square feet of air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike and portions of the MBTA Green Line tunnel across the street from the Hynes Convention Center. Earlier this year, the MBTA and MassDOT selected a developer for a project at Parcel 13 that calls for 85 rental and 88 condominium residential units, a 156-key hotel, 26,000 square feet of retail space, and 138 accessory parking spaces, according to the MBTA. (Tuesday, 2:15 p.m., 10 Park Plaza, MassDOT Board Room, Suite 3830, Boston)

MASSDOT BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors will hold its first meeting since the recently-announced changes to the department's leadership structure. The board will receive a presentation on its Accelerated Bridge Project and the Central Artery-Tunnel Project Repair and Maintenance Trust Fund. (Tuesday, 1 p.m., 10 Park Plaza, MassDOT Board Room, Suite 3830, Boston)

'HEROES AMONG US' AWARD CEREMONY: Treasurer Deb Goldberg will give remarks at the 17th Annual Heroes Among Us Award Ceremony presented by the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission in partnership with the Boston Celtics. Heroes Among Us is a community outreach program associated with professional sports. The award is presented to an individual or individuals who have made lasting contributions to the community. (Tuesday, 2 p.m., Great Hall, State House)

AG ON BROADSIDE: Attorney General Maura Healey will be in studio for an interview on NECN's "Broadside" program. (Tuesday, 6 p.m., NECN)

D.A. RYAN ATTENDS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT: District Attorney Marian Ryan plans to attend National Night Out Against Crime and Drugs community gatherings in Tewksbury and North Reading (Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., 175 Chandler Street, Tewksbury) (6:45 p.m., Ipswich River Park, North Reading)

REVERE COMMUNITY COMPACT:  Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo will attend a community compact signing at Revere City Hall.  (Tuesday, 10 a.m., 281 Broadway, Revere)

ROSENBERG SPEAKS TO CAMPERS:  Senate President Stanley Rosenberg plans to speak to 30 campers from the Phillips Brooks House Association.  The association provides summer camps to families around Boston who live in low-income neighborhoods that leave them prime to gang violence and danger.  (Tuesday, 1 p.m., Senate Chamber)

HEARING ON CHALLENGE TO POLITICAL FINANCING LAW: The first hearing in a case challenging the state's ban on business contributions to parties, candidates and political committees will take place in Suffolk Superior Court. The Goldwater Institute is representing 1A Auto Inc., which sells auto parts in Pepperell, and 126 Self Storage Inc., which rents out self-storage units in Ashland. Rick Green is the president of 1A Auto Inc. and chairman of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, a conservative non-profit that targets Democrats on specific issues. The owner of 126 Self Storage is Michael Kane, who is also clerk and director for MassFiscal. The Goldwater Institute is named after former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, an Arizona Republican who was the party's presidential nominee in 1964. "Massachusetts law outright bans businesses from making political contributions to parties, candidates, and political committees," the Goldwater Institute wrote in an advisory. "But labor unions are allowed to directly contribute up to $15,000 to candidates, parties, and political committees with no disclosure requirements at all. On top of that, labor-directed political action committees are also allowed to contribute to candidates, parties, and other PACs. Business-directed PACs are banned from contributing altogether." (Tuesday, 2 p.m., Suffolk Superior Court, Three Pemberton Square, Boston)

MASSDEVELOPMENT: The proposed issuance of about $13.3 million in bonds for the financing, refinancing or reimbursement of a project at the Berkshire School in Sheffield will be considered at a public hearing of the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency. (Tuesday, 10 a.m., 1350 Main St., Suite 1110, Springfield)

POLITO ATTENDS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT:  Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will attend National Night Out at Fuller Park in Worcester.  (Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., 104 Murray Ave., Worcester)

CAHILL HOSTS NIGHTSIDE:  Former Treasurer Timothy Cahill will sit in for Dan Rea as guest-host on "NightSide."  (Tuesday, 8 p.m., WBZ NewsRadio 1030)

AUDITOR ON THE MOUND: State Auditor Suzanne Bump will throw out the first pitch at the Brockton Rox home game against the Worcester Bravehearts. (Tuesday, 6:35 p.m., Campanelli Stadium, 1 Feinberg Way, Brockton)

LASELL COLLEGE IN NEWTON: The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency will accept testimony on the proposed issuance of $10 million in bonds for a $24 million project at Lasell College in Newton at a public hearing. (Tuesday, 11 a.m. 99 High St. 11th Floor, Boston)

TREASURER GOLDBERG MEETS WITH GUV: Treasurer Deb Goldberg will have her monthly meeting with Gov. Charlie Baker. (Tuesday, 4 p.m., Governor's Office,Room 360, State House)

HERRING GRANT: Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton and Department of Fish and Game Commissioner George Peterson announce a grant for the Herring River Estuary Restoration. (Tuesday, 2 p.m., Herring River Bridge, adjacent to 1065 Chequessett Neck Road, Wellfleet)

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5, 2015

GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL: The Governor's Council meets for its weekly assembly. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito presides. (Wednesday, 12 p.m., Governor's Office, Room 360)

BAKER, ASH IN WORCESTER:  Gov. Charles Baker and Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash plan to visit City Square in Worcester.  (Wednesday, 4 p.m., City Square, Worcester)

D.A. RYAN ATTENDS PICNIC: Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan attends Somerville Mayor Joseph Curatone's Annual "Old Time" Senior Picnic ( Wednesday, 11 a.m., Powderhouse Park, Somerville)

POLICE COMMISSIONER EVANS ON RADIO BOSTON: Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans is scheduled to speak with the co-host of "Radio Boston," Anthony Brooks, and take listener calls. (Wednesday, 3 p.m., WBUR-FM 90.9)

TREASURER GOLDBERG SPEAKS AT MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL: Treasurer Deb Goldberg will visit and speak to the Minuteman High School STEM summer exploratory program for the 7th and 8th grade girls. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Minuteman High School, 758 Marrett Road, Lexington)

DOI SESSION ON FINANCIAL REGULATIONS: Financial regulations will be the topic of a public comment session hosted by the Division of Insurance. (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., 1000 Washington Street, Hearing Room 1-E, Boston)

MASSDEVELOPMENT: The issuance of tax-exempt revenue bonds totaling no more than $39,235,000 for the Dexter School project in Brookline will be the subject of a public hearing of the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency. (Wednesday, 10 a.m., 99 High St. 11th Floor, Boston)

SUDDERS ADDRESSES INTERNS: Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders will be a guest speaker at the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind's internship lunch. (Wednesday, 10 a.m., Great Hall of Flags, State House)

NORWOTTUCK RIBBON CUTTING: Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton joins Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Carol Sanchez and Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack for a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Norwottuck Rail Trail Rehabilitation project. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Elwell Recreation Area Parking Lot, 446 Damon Road, Northampton)

THURSDAY, AUG. 6, 2015

HOUSE AND SENATE: Both branches plan to meet in informal sessions at 11 a.m.

SUDDERS ON BOSTON PUBLIC RADIO: Marylou Sudders, secretary of health and human services, will be a guest on "Boston Public Radio" with hosts Margery Eagan and Jim Braude. (Thursday, 12 p.m., WGBH-FM 89.7)

MASS GAMING MEETING: The Massachusetts Gaming Commission will hold a public meeting. Topics at the meeting will include Suffolk Downs racing application, Wynn Resort's Second Supplemental Final Environmental Notification Form, MGM schedule and historical commission MOA, Region C and an update from the Access and Opportunity Committee. (Thursday, 10:30 a.m., Hynes Convention Center, Boston)

ROSENBERG ON WHMP:  Senate President Stanley Rosenberg plans to sit down for a monthly interview with Bill Newman.  (Thursday, 9:15 a.m., 15 Hampton Ave., Northampton, www.whmp.com, WHMP-AM 1400 Northampton, 1600 East Longmeadow, 1240 Greenfield, FM 96.9 Amherst)

ROSENBERG VISITS SEEDS OF SOLIDARITY:  Senate President Stanley Rosenberg plans to visit Seeds of Solidarity's 30-acre site, a farm and education center established "in the spirit of New Alchemy and in honor of those around the world helping to feed the people."  (Thursday, 11 a.m., 165 Chestnut Hill Rd., Orange)

REPUBLICAN FIELD PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: Ten GOP presidential candidates will go toe-to-toe on Fox News as the cable network hosts the first GOP-sanctioned debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. The debate will take place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and will feature the top 10 candidates in national polls, as determined by Fox News. The debate will include "Facebook data illustrating how the issues of the day are resonating with people on today's largest platform for political conversation," the cable network said. Anchors Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace will moderate. (Thursday, 9 p.m., Fox News)

MASSDEVELOPMENT: The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency will consider a proposal of the Advent School Corporation related to the financing of the renovation of two buildings on Brimmer Street in Boston. (Thursday, 10 a.m., 99 High St. 11th Floor, Boston)

HEARING TO INVESTIGATE TIME WARNER CABLE:  The Department of Telecommunications and Cable will hold a public and evidentiary hearing to investigate Time Warner Cable's proposed basic service tier programming, equipment and installation rates for Western Massachusetts. (Thursday, 11 a.m., 1000 Washington Street, Hearing Room 1-E, Boston)

CONVERSATION ON VOTING RIGHTS ACT: The Museum of African American History will host a program titled 'The Struggle Continues: 2015 Millennium Conversation on the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act in Boston.' (Thursday, 6 p.m., Museum of African American History, 46 Joy Street, Boston)  

LIBRARY COMMISSIONERS: The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners holds its monthly business meeting and will receive an address from the director of the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. The board will also discuss its strategic planning process. (Thursday, 10 a.m., Grousbeck Center for Students and Technology, Perkins School, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown)

WOMEN2WOMEN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION:  The Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus will co-host a 10th anniversary celebration for Women2Women (W2W), an international leadership program for young women.  Launched in 2006, W2W builds a network of promising young women ages 15 to 19 from around the world, providing them with tools, relationships, and opportunities to lead, according to organizers.  The program has impacted over 800 young women from nearly 60 different countries.  (Thursday, 5:30 p.m., The Hampshire House, 84 Beacon St., Boston)

VOTING RIGHTS ACT CELEBRATION: Massachusetts Democratic Party officials celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. The event will honor the achievements of the movement and the law, which was passed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965.  Tickets for the event are $25. (Thursday, 7 p.m., Hanover Theater, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester)

SCHOOL BUILDING AUTHORITY: The Massachusetts School Building Authority's Board of Directors, chaired by Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, meets to discuss MSBA finances, audit status updates and school construction projects. (Thursday, 10 a.m., 40 Broad Street, 2nd floor conference room, Boston)

LAVENDER LAW CONFERENCE: Attorney General Maura Healey will discuss her office's efforts around equality and civil rights and what more must be done nationally on these fronts in a keynote address at the Annual Lavender Law Conference hosted by the National LGBTQ Bar Association. (Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT, Chicago Marriott Downtown, Chicago)

FRIDAY, AUG. 7, 2015

DOI PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION: Health insurance will be the topic of a public comment session hosted by the Division of Insurance. (Friday, 10:30 a.m., 1000 Washington Street, Hearing Room 1-E, Boston)

CABINET MEETING:  Gov. Charles Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, and members of the governor's cabinet meet.  (CLOSED PRESS)  (Friday, 10 a.m., Governor's Office, Room 360)

WELLFLEET TOWER PROJECT: A hearing officer from the Cape Cod Commission will open a pro-forma Development of Regional Impact hearing for procedural purposes related to a 90-foot communications tower project in Wellfleet. No substantive presentations will be made, no testimony will be taken and no substantive action will be taken regarding the project at the hearing, according to the Cape Cod Commission. (Friday, 10 a.m., Cape Cod Commission, 3225 Main St., Route 6A, Barnstable)

BAKER AT CHARTER SCHOOL:  Gov. Charles Baker plans to deliver remarks at the UP Summit at UP Academy Dorchester.  (Friday, 3:15 p.m., 35 Westville St., Dorchester)

About the Author  »

State House News Service

The State House News Service has covered Massachusetts government news since 1911.

- See more at: http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/08/01/225658-Whats-ahead-state-government-week#sthash.mGH9NHZz.dpuf

CapeCodToday: NRC: Pilgrim operator fails drug test

NRC: Pilgrim operator fails drug test

Nuclear Regulatory Commission requests follow-up from Entergy-owned plant

ARTICLE | NEWS | JULY 31, 2015 10:30 AM | BY CAPECODTODAY STAFF

- See more at: http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/07/31/225650-NRC-Pilgrim-operator-fails-drug-test#sthash.CjQJ6SPM.dpuf

A licensed operator at the Pilgrim Nuclear Plant in Plymouth failed a drug test on Monday. According to a letter from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to Entergy, the company that owns Pilgrim, the operator tested positive following a fitness-for-duty test. The results of the test were reported to the NRC on Tuesday. In an email, Lauren Burm, a spokesperson for Entergy, confirmed that a plant operator tested positive for a controlled substance during a random fitness-for-duty-test.  That operator has had their access denied for 14 days per site procedure, according to Burm.

"Keeping Pilgrim secure is the primary focus of our daily operations," Burm said.

In the letter, NRC acknowledged the receipt of the preliminary report and requested more information. Entergy has 30 days to answer questions related to the fitness-for-duty test and to provide any other pertinent details regarding the operator.

Entergy must also determine if the unnamed operator is fit to continue in his/her current capacity. The NRC must be notified if Entergy deems the operator unfit. Should that be the case, the NRC will review the information provided by NRC and determine what action should be taken. The information provided by Entergy to the NRC will be subject to the Privacy Act, the letter said. A review of the operator's work history and Entergy's intentions regarding the operator's return to duties must also be included.

Within 30 days, Entergy must provide NRC with the operator's name, docket number and responsibilities. The operator's entire fitness-for-duty testing history must also be included. The circumstances surrounding the test--whether it was for-cause, random or a follow-up--must also be included in the response. Entergy must also indicate whether the operator used, sold or possessed illegal drugs or consumed alcohol in a protected area. NRC also wants to know if the operator was either at the controls or supervising licensed activities while under the influence. Entergy must also indicate whether the operator made procedural errors while under the influence as well as the consequences of those errors if any. 

Burm said on average, Entergy tests 11-22 employees per week. The selection is random via a computerized system. A first offense results in a minimum of 14 days denied access plus mandatory referral to Entergy's employee assistance program. A second offense results in a permanent denial of unescorted access at Pilgrim. "Unfortunately these issues affect all industries and workforces. What goes on here is not unique. The difference is our rigorous testing program is identifying those employees who don't follow the rules," Burm said.

- See more at: http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/07/31/225650-NRC-Pilgrim-operator-fails-drug-test#sthash.CjQJ6SPM.dpuf

RSN: Wall Street Now Hates Democrats, Death of a Young Black Journalist,

It's Live on the HomePage Now:
Reader Supported News

---

Paul Krugman | Wall Street Now Hates Democrats

Paul Krugman, The New York Times
Krugman writes: "Anyone who tells you that reform was meaningless and that there's no difference between the parties should follow the money, which thinks that there is a big difference indeed."
READ MORE

Two Other Officers at Samuel DuBose Shooting Scene Will Not Be Charged
Oliver Laughland, Guardian UK
Laughland writes: "University of Cincinnati police officers at scene of fatal shooting seemed to have corroborated false account given by officer Ray Tensing."
READ MORE

Elizabeth Warren Wants You to Run for Office
Sam Frizell, TIME
Frizell writes: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren urged down-ballot candidates and grassroots Democrats to run for office at a gathering of liberals in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, saying that local elections won in 2016 will help build a national progressive movement in future races."
READ MORE

Edward Snowden Explains Why Apple Should Continue to Fight the Government on Encryption
Jenna McLaughlin, The Intercept
McLaughlin writes: "As the Obama administration campaign to stop the commercialization of strong encryption heats up, National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden is firing back on behalf of the companies like Apple and Google that are finding themselves under attack."
READ MORE

Death of a Young Black Journalist
Sarah Stillman, The New Yorker
Stillman writes: "On the night of May 27th, Charnice Milton, a twenty-seven-year-old journalist, was heading home from an assignment."
READ MORE

US Intel: One Year of War Hasn't Weakened ISIS
Ken Dilanian, Zeina Karam and Bassem Mroue, Associated Press
Excerpt: "After billions of dollars spent and more than 10,000 extremist fighters killed, the Islamic State group is fundamentally no weaker than it was when the U.S.-led bombing campaign began a year ago, American intelligence agencies have concluded."
READ MORE

Zimbabwe Calls for Extradition of Cecil the Lion's Killer
MacDonald Dzirutwe, Reuters
Dzirutwe writes: "The American dentist who killed Cecil the lion was a 'foreign poacher' who paid for an illegal hunt and he should be extradited to Zimbabwe to face justice, environment minister Oppah Muchinguri said on Friday."
READ MORE

---