Portside

Reader Comments - Chicago torture site; Unions Show New Creativity, Militancy; Assault on Women; Netanyahu, Boehner, Israel, Iran, U.S. war policy; Gaza, Settlers; Racial Bias Among Ferguson Police; Truth and Reconciliation; Lynching in America; Social Security Crisis?; Tax High Incomes, Solve State Funding Crisis; Greece: Portugal Cut Addiction Rates in Half; Militarized Future; Announcements - New York events

Lesley Gore, whose song "You Don't Own Me" in 1964, became a rallying cry, proclaiming that men did not own women, "so don't tell be what to do". "The power of women just saying that phrase together: "YOU. DON'T. OWN. ME." Not to our special someones ... but to our government. Until now! Dayum! Gauntlet thrown!" (Upworthy). Gore died on February 16 after a bout with cancer.

Men now outnumber women on the planet by 60 million, the highest ever recorded. Preference for sons in India and China is driving the trend, but those two countries are not the only ones struggling with an imbalanced population.

Reader Comments- Race inequality...by the Numbers; Darren Wilson Acquittal; Workers and Students Leave Jobs, Classes in Nationwide Walkout for Ferguson; Thanksgiving; Univ of Virginia Finally Confronts Its Rape Problem; Madison Teachers Recertify Union; Walmart Black Friday Protests; Price of 13-Year War on Terror; Chile; Israel's Jewish State Bill; 2014 and Future Elections; ALEC Blueprint for 2015; Wanted: A Challenge to Clinton; Chicago's Mayoral Race (correction)

Nugent Gets Dumped; Disney Investment Gets Cancelled; Celebrities Get Deleted; NY Times Gets Called Out; Koch Brothers Get Rejected; Waltons Get Ecumenical

Today, the Supreme Court handed down a decision striking a Massachusetts law that protects patient access to abortion clinics. The Court, upheld the historically broad interpretation of the president's recess appointments power, and opened the door to new forms of Senate obstruction by ruling that the president's recess appointments were invalid because the Senate had used "pro forma sessions" - sessions in name only - to avoid going into recess.

Billy Frank Jr, fishing rights fighter; Piketty and critics; Demystifying abortion; Lessons from old school labor; Deconstructing the fashion industry

The effort to restrict abortion has been a backlash, not just to the decision to end a pregnancy but the decision to treat women like full and equal participants in our society...At work while pregnant? Driving? Working with chemicals or heavy loads? In many states, if something were to happen to your pregnancy that could be traced to your behavior, you could find yourself dragged into jail under fetal protection or personhood laws.

What can we do to help young men respect women, recognize consent, and have healthy sexual relationships? Teach them kindness to others and the courage to go against the crowd.

Despite the election results, efforts are still underway to restrict US women's access to healthcare and contraception