Linkee-poo it's so easy to fall in love

Janiece on her experiment taking a hiatus from social media. Same.

Jim Wright on the long-con of the current politics and beating the drums of the military-industrial complex.

On the government shaming the poor. In this case an older article about limited withdraws on TANF cards in Kansas. Note that every transaction cost the recipient money which went to a government contractor. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)

"Though he's often wrong about his sources, President Trump is very right about one thing: there's a lot of fake news swirling around the internet these days. In fact, the problem has become so prevalent that many teachers are taking extra steps to ensure their students can tell which news is fake and which is real!… For instance, Reddit user soldier4hire was at his local library when he noticed a unique bookmark." Libraries (and librarians) FTW! (Grokked form George Takei)

"With states and even other charter schools massed against them, virtual schools and their supporters have fought back. They've lobbied politicians and donated millions to their campaigns. They've pushed for changes and exceptions to accountability systems. They've taken legal action." Note those "millions" are you tax dollars that state governments have sent to virtual schools. And even in Ohio, which has a deeply entrenched conservative government, the states are trying to close these "virtual" charter schools.

Damnit, I know to never link to Fox News. The Snopes correction to the "teacher dies after not being able to afford flue medication" story. The Fox News article has been updated.

"A punishing series of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Syria last week reportedly killed an unknown number of Russian mercenaries fighting on behalf of the Damascus regime, with some sources saying there were 'dozens' of casualties." You know, "mercenaries." Like the Russian soldiers "on vacation" in the Ukraine. Seems like Russia is becoming an outsourcer for military might. The US isn't doing much better. Just to reiterate here I have a long standing dislike of mercenaries and "government contractors" doing the fighting (even though my family is from a part of Eastern Europe that supplied and sold mercenaries as their main export for much of medieval Europe).

"The Israeli police recommended on Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, casting a pall over the future of a tenacious leader who has become almost synonymous with his country. The announcement instantly raised doubts about his ability to stay in office." This isn't the first time PM Netanyahu has been in trouble with the police. In the past he's been able to get the charges dismissed or just never pursued.

"FBI director Christopher Wray said the bureau completed its investigation of White House staff secretary Rob Porter last July, nearly seven months before Porter was forced to resign over allegations of domestic violence from two ex-wives." So last July he was denied clearance, and they sent a memo to the White House in March outlining his abuse of his wives. So at the time they said the investigation was "ongoing" they new it had been completed. Because background checks don't take a year. Notes all the people working in the White House who don't have security clearances and wonders what their files show.

"FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday said President Trump hasn’t directed him to stop Russian efforts to interfere in this year’s midterm elections 'Not as specifically directed by the president,' Wray responded." (Waves to my Russian friends) (Grokked from Wil Wheaton)

"Twitter has banned Paul Nehlen, a Republican challenging House Speaker Paul Ryan for a congressional seat, for a racist tweet targeting American actress Meghan Markle, the fiancée of Prince Harry." And he isn't even the avowed Nazi running for office. For the GOP not being a racist party there sure are a lot of racists running for office as Republicans (note the Democrats also have their share of racists and Nazis, but it's not like they're coming out of the woodwork and falling out of the windows like it appears is happening on the GOP side).

There's this recurring thread of thought that the stimulus of the tax bill and the budget (at a level of 2x what Obama was able to get through Congress) won't be bad… unless the Fed is forced to raise interest rates quickly. "The Consumer Price Index, which measures how quickly prices are going up in the U.S. economy, rose at a faster than anticipated 2.1 percent in January compared to a year ago, triggering fears of another rocky run on Wall Street. The Dow fell over 100 points at the open." Rhut 'rho, Raggy! The increase in March of an eighth percentile was kinda factored in. But this may mean a quarter point raise or more (or have more than 3 eighth points of an increase this year). (Grokked from Joy Reid)

Hey, you know all those people screaming about how we should cut social programs to help veterans? Yeah, about that… "Every year the Department of Agriculture publishes data about where food stamp benefits (officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) are being spent. The categories range from grocery stores and super stores to convenience stores and farmers markets. Also on the list, surprisingly, are military commissaries — those stores on military bases that sell groceries just above cost to active duty and retired military personnel and their families, as well as those in the reserves and National Guard." (Grokked from Fred Clark)

"Just when you thought you'd read about all of the tax scams: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning taxpayers about a new - and growing - scam involving erroneous tax refunds being deposited into real taxpayer bank accounts. Then, the crooks use various tactics to con taxpayers into turning over the funds. It's a new twist on an old scam."

So, evangelicals, how's that deal with the Trump administration going? "The increased dependence on immigrants to fill U.S. church pews means that Christian leaders have a big stake in the current debate over immigration policy. While many cite the biblical instruction to welcome the stranger, some have a more existential concern for supporting a generous approach: Without immigrants, they fear the U.S. Christian church may not survive in its current form." About as to be expected it looks like. Up until now churches have been off limits for ICE arrests. But then so were hospitals at one time and look at how well that held up.

"On one side, there's the giant Monsanto Company. On the other, a committee of 18 people, mostly farmers and small business owners, who regulate the use of pesticides in (Arkansas). They've banned Monsanto's latest way of killing weeds." And thems fightin' words to Monsanto. So, if dicamba can migrate after being sprayed on fields, while that may be killing your neighbors' crops and trees, what about your inhalation of the drifting dicamba?

"America's adversaries are circling like coyotes just beyond the light from the campfire, top intelligence officials warn — but that's not the scariest thing to some members of the Senate intelligence committee…What bothers them is the need to convince people the coyotes are there." We now have denialism regarding Russian interference in our elections. "The campaign of 'active measures,' as intelligence officers call them, is no longer discussed in terms of whether it happened, but, rather, amid certainty that it never stopped." That's because their goal has not been met.