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REWIND - A Week of Quotes and Cartoons

Inequality, Dignity of Work, West Bank

REWIND - A Week of Quotes and Cartoons

SUNDAY

Quote of the Day
February 23, 2014

'When President Obama declared in December that gross
inequality is the "defining challenge of our time," he
was right, and resoundingly so. As is his habit,
however, he quickly backed away from the idea at the
urging of pollsters and various Democratic grandees.

'I can understand the Democrats' fears about venturing
into this territory. It feels like a throwback to an
incomprehensible time - to a form of liberalism that few
of them understand anymore. Unfortunately, they really
have no choice. Watching first the way the bankers
steered us into disaster in 2008 and then the way they
harvested the fruits of our labored recovery - these
spectacles have forced the nation to rediscover social
class, and as we dig deeper into the subject we are
appalled to learn what has been going on for the last
three decades.'

Thomas Frank
Salon
February 23, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

http://assets.amuniversal.com/1f6f66e07a240131fa8f005056a9545d
Dignity of Work
Jan Sorensen
 

Tuesday

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Quote of the Day

'It's far too easy to look at a place like Uganda and
think that their laws or societal dealings don't affect
you. It's just as easy to look at Arizona's proposed
legislation and think that it's not that serious because
it will only impact a minority in one particular state.
But it's precisely when the rights of minorities or the
disenfranchised are at risk that we must be the most
vocal. We cannot only speak out on our own personal
issues, or pick and choose which rights we want to fight
for. Nobody is protected until we are all protected
equally under the law. Just as I'm not silent about
justice for Trayvon Martin or Jordan Davis, I will not
be silent about this. It's not about your particular
quest for civil rights; it's about fairness and equality
for all human beings. Period.'

Rev. Al Sharpton
President, National Action Network
blog
Huffington Post
February 24, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

http://assets.amuniversal.com/dc5d6dd0807a0131ffff005056a9545d
Socialism
Ben Sargent
 

WEDNESDAY

Quote of the Day

'Remaking the tax code the way Chairman Camp is
proposing would concentrate more power and wealth in the
hands of a few instead of investing it in America’s
working families. Tax reform is one of the country’s
best chances to make sure big corporations and wealthy
individuals begin to pay their fair share.

'When we write better tax policies, we can provide a
world-class education for our kids, fix our crumbling
roads and bridges, and fund cutting-edge scientific
research the way we used to. We should close loopholes
that reward companies for parking profits overseas and
for destabilizing our climate. We can stop making it
profitable to ship American jobs overseas. We can expand
and make permanent the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
and the Child Tax Credit, which help working families
thrive.

'... The Congressional Progressive Caucus has long insisted
that tax reform must follow commonsense
principles aimed at ending the terrible income disparity
in this country.  A new tax code should be revenue
positive, promote responsible corporate behavior, and
create a global system that works for the American
people.  It should restore progressivity and make sure
the wealthiest taxpayers pay fair rates.  It should stop
government spending that only benefits the wealthy and
increase spending that supports working families, the
poor and seniors.

'This proposal fails every one of those popular tests.'

Statement issued by Congressional
Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs
Reps. Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and
Keith Ellison (D-MN) released after
Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the
House Committee on Ways and Means,
released a proposal for
comprehensive tax reform.

CPC
February 26, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

http://assets.amuniversal.com/fb378330810a01310082005056a9545d
Religion

Mike Luckovich
 

THURSDAY

Quote of the Day

'I was an enthusiastic supporter of the president then
and I still am - I consider his environmental record a
tremendous improvement over his predecessor's.

'But that record is still being written, and it is
heading in the wrong direction. If the president
approves the Keystone XL pipeline on the basis of the
lobbying and bad science that has been offered to
support it, much of his good work will be undone and a
business-as-usual atmosphere will settle back on
Washington like a heavy cloud. It would be a bad end to
what could still be a very strong environmental legacy.'

Rep. Raul M. Grijalva,
Democrat of Arizona,
co-chair of the Congressional
Progressive Caucus

New York Times
February 27, 2014

FRIDAY

Toon of the Day

http://assets.amuniversal.com/a1c75840822c0131019b005056a9545d
Patriotism
Rob Rogers
 

SATURDAY

[Corrected from Friday
February 28 with link]

'Israeli security forces use excessive force against
Palestinians in the West Bank and display "callous
disregard" for human life, Amnesty International said
Thursday.

'In a report called "Trigger-Happy: Israel’s Use of
Excessive Force in the West Bank," the human rights
organization says Israeli soldiers and police killed 45
Palestinians since 2011, nearly half of them last year.

'In all cases examined by the organization, the
Palestinians killed did not appear to pose a direct or
immediate threat to life, Amnesty said. In some cases,
the organization said it found "evidence that they were
victims of willful killings".'

Los Angeles Times
 

Toon of the Day

Cheney
Pat Bagley