This week's Sunday Liberal Reader begins on a somber note. The senseless mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado early Friday morning is yet another reminder of just how much America loves its guns. Andrew Cohen reminds us of the sobering fact that in the day and a half since that massacre over 100 other Americans have lost their lives to the barrel of a gun. A recent Brady Campaign release lists 62 pages of mass shootings in the United States since 2005.
Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy caused a bit of a cluck last week coming out in support of traditional marriage in an interview with the Baptist Press. The interview itself was fairly benign but it did manage to ruffle a few feathers at LGBTQ Nation, who came out with a detailed list of anti-gay organizations that Chick-fil-A's charitable arm, WinShape Foundation, has made major contributions to. Something more socially conscious diners may want to consider next time they have a craving for waffle fries.
Georgia Representative Jack Kingston has been busy lately undermining the safety of our nation's food chain and the viability of small farms by tailoring the Farm Appropriations Bill to suit his corporate best friend Monsanto and their use of GMOs. While many countries are rejecting Monsanto's attempts to control the world's food supply, farmer Jack is carrying their water here at home. Here's the best of the rest:
Find out what's happening in Daculawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
This weeks must read. Barry C, Lynn and Lina Kahn at Washington Monthly discuss The Slow-Motion Collapse of American Entrepreneurship.
A quick read from The American Prospect on The Beltway's Destructive Obsession With The Deficit.
Find out what's happening in Daculawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Many of us, including myself, were punked this week by a link to a purported Shell Oil ad campaign gone terribly wrong. It turns out this too good to be true story was just that. Helluva prank though.
Trending: Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi reports on A Serious Challenge To Wall Street in his piece on eminent domain mortgage seizures. Relief may be on the way for underwater homeowners.
Growing income disparity in Israel and the conservative government's failed safety net programs result in this chilling tale of one man's desperation from Haaretz.
A fascinating glimpse into the inner world of Scientology from The Village Voice.
In case you missed it (I did): A recent study in the peer-reviewed journal Nature titled Approaching a State Shift In Earth’s Biosphere (unfortunately paywall protected) deserves examination. Several diverse publications have done just that.
For the lazy reader: Chris Hayes opening segment on "Up" this morning on why Mitt Romney should pay a tax rate more like his father is must-see TV.
That's it for now. As always; stay informed, read liberally!