The Daily Echo

#DaveTheFag

wheretheweedstakeroot:

youarenotyou:

[Two smiling people at a table. One is saying “I’m so happy we live in a world without slavery and imperialism.” There are boxes pointing to various objects around and on the people. They read:

COTTON: Picked in Uzbekistan where 2 million children as young as 7 are forced to pick cotton for 3p a kilo.

APPLES: Picked in California by Mexican migrant workers, not being paid minimum wage nor provided housing.

LAPTOP: Made in China by adults working 18 hours a day at 32p an hour. The laptop will end up back in China’s landfills, where children will dismantle it for its valuable metals including lead.

MOBILE PHONE: Gold, tantalum, tin, and tungsten mined in Congo in abysmal working conditions, causing disease and the regional conflict responsible for the deaths of over 5 million people and systematic rape of women.

ORANGE JUICE: Picked in Chile by women working 60 hours a week, below minimum wage.

FACE: Detoxed with Dead Sea salts sourced in occupied West Bank; land stolen by Israel from Palestinians, who are subject to continual and severe human rights violations.

COFFEE: Picked in Guatemala where entire families with children as young as 6 are forced to pick a 100-pound quota in order to get the minimum wage of less than  £2/day

SHIRT: Sewn in India under forced labour conditions by people earning less than 25p an hour, for 16 hours a day, while being unable to send their children to school.

DIAMOND: Mined in Sierra Leone by children as young as 7, working in dangerous conditions for 10p an hour, six days a week.]

this needs a million notes

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(via thepoliticalfreakshow)

theatlantic:

America’s Secret Growth Weapon: Why Immigration Really, Really Matters

Immigration is a big part of what distinguishes the U.S. from, say, the EU. Immigration makes us younger. That’s what you see from the graph above. Immigration makes us smarter. Half of all Silicon Valley start ups have a co-founder no more than one generation separated from an immigrant. Immigration makes us work. The U.S. fertility rate is below 2.1, so it’s immigration that pushes us above replacement level growth.

But don’t gloat. There are cracks in our armor.

One in three U.S. immigrants today was born in Mexico, making it the “biggest wave of immigration in history from a single country to the United States,” according to the Pew Hispanic Center. But that wave hit a wall. Thanks to a weak U.S. economy, a growing Mexican economy, and a handful of other policies, net flow of Mexican immigrants to the U.S. has possibly reversed for the first time in several decades.

At the same time, “highly educated children of immigrants to the United States are uprooting themselves and moving to their ancestral countries,” the New York Times reported just two weeks ago. The factors aren’t all the same, but they rhyme. India is getting stronger relative to the United States, and, once again, public policy is getting in the way of immigration. We don’t block foreign-born students at the Texas border. We kick them out if they can’t marry, find a job, or snag one of a limited number of visas. In the race for human capital, this is a deliberate losing strategy.

There are reasonable arguments for using government laws and resources to limit immigration and protect jobs for American-born workers. But the broader picture is that the U.S. is failing to recognize a free and automatic virtue of being America: People want to move here and work in exchange for money.

Read more. [Image: Reuters]

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(via reagan-was-a-horrible-president)

(via holygoddamnshit-deactivated2012)

holygoddamnshit:

GAY REPUBLICANS NOW FUNDRAISING FOR SCANDAL-RIDDEN ARIZONA SHERIFF PAUL BABEU

In the fantasy world Republicans live in, a closeted sheriff accused of threatening to deport his Mexican ex-amigo if he spoke about the relationship doesn’t make you a pariah—it’s the stuff of heroism!

Buzzfeed reports that the Log Cabin Republicans of Arizona have decided to throw Paul Babeu, the scandal-plagued sheriff of Pinal County, a big fundraising party. Only $1,000 a ticket (no dinner, either)!

Where’s it all going down? At the house of fellow scandal-ridden gay Republican, Jim Kolbe, of course!

Here’s the text of the letter (and here’s a jpg):

Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu is a rising star in conservative politics. Chosen “Sheriff of the Year” by the National Sheriff’s Association in 2011, Babeu has gained prominence for his work securing the border and reforming law enforcement in Pinal County.

An Iraq War veteran, Babeu served for over 20 years in the Army National Guard. In his race for Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, Babeu has won the support of leading Republicans and was warmly welcomed at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year.

In short, Sheriff Babeu is a successful conservative Republican. He is also gay.

Sheriff Babeu follows in the tradition of many conservatives who have stood up in communities, town halls, and in Congress for what’s right for the American people. Following in the mold of the late Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), Arizonans have long supported the best candidate for office, regardless of their sexual orientation, including Log Cabin member and longtime Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ).

Simply by being who we are – unapologetically pro-gay and unapologetically conservative – Log Cabin Republicans like Sheriff Babeu are helping to secure the freedoms America stands for, and that’s something we can all be proud of.

Proud of? This is the stuff of pride? Ugh. Vom.

Full story here: http://www.queerty.com/gay-republicans-now-fundraising-for-scandal-ridden-az-sheriff-paul-babeu-20120424/#ixzz1syA2mhmk

(via holygoddamnshit-deactivated2012)

Obama Off Base On Drug Legalization - The National Memo

The definition of crazy?