Our first anniversary. HILLARY CLINTON, ONWARD TOGETHER.

David, it’s been a big month for Democrats. Half of the women running in House primaries have won their races so far, thanks in no small part to the work of our friends at Emerge America. Young, diverse candidates endorsed by Run for Something have continued to win at nearly five times the usual rate for first-time candidates. At least six Swing Left candidates have come out on top, and two District Attorney candidates in North Carolina won after Color of Change mobilized tens of thousands of voters. Meanwhile, Collective PAC, the Arena, and the rest of the groups that Onward Together partners with have worked tirelessly to get progressive voters inspired and engaged. And I’m just as thrilled as anyone that, thanks in part to our partner groups and thousands of passionate volunteers, Stacey Abrams won her primary earlier this month -- and became the first black woman to be a major party nominee for governor in the history of our country. This month, Onward Together celebrated our first anniversary. I can’t believe how much we’ve accomplished together in just one year, and I’m looking forward to another year of fighting for our progressive values alongside you. Thank you. I hope you’re as proud as I am. Hillary

June 1 is the deadline to submit a paper for the 2019 Central Division meeting. AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION.

Dear DAVID, Paper submissions for the 2019 APA Central Division meeting in Denver, Colorado, opened on May 1, and will close on Friday, June 1, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. All current APA members are eligible to submit a paper. Submission guidelines and information about graduate student stipends can be found on the APA website. Submit a paper today. Only current members of the APA can submit a paper. If you are not a current member, you can join or renew your membership, and then submit your paper. Volunteers to chair sessions or comment on papers are welcome. Please bear in mind that there are many more volunteers than there are slots in the program, so volunteering does not guarantee that you will be asked to comment or chair. If you have questions or run into any difficulties in the submission process, please contact me and I'll be happy to assist. We encourage authors to submit papers as soon as possible in order to avoid a rush in the final hours of submissions—APA staff will not be available to answer questions after 4 p.m. Central time on June 1. Thank you, Mike Morris Deputy Director

GOOD NEWS FROM VIRGINIA...

VIRGINIA HOUSE DEMOCRATS.

Medicaid expansion has PASSED in both the House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia. The budget that is on its way to Governor Northam's desk will give nearly 400,000 Virginians access to affordable healthcare, and teachers will get a much-deserved raise!




MARK HERRING.
VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL.

You made Medicaid expansion happen!

So I want to say thank you...

Thousands of Virginians...have organized, advocated, and made the case for Medicaid expansion...re-elected me as Attorney General, elected Governor Northam and Lieutenant Governor Fairfax, and flipped 15 seats in the House of Delegates, and that message was heard loud and clear in Richmond.

Because of dedication...Medicaid expansion is now a reality, and with today's historic vote comes a new era in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Thank you!

Mark

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE JENNIFER WEXTON.

BREAKING: Virginia General Assembly passes budget that expands Medicaid and gives teachers a raise!

I’m really proud of this news, David. My colleagues and I set our differences aside and worked together to truly put Virginians first. Thanks to this bipartisan work, we were able to expand healthcare access to more than 300,000 Virginians who fall in the coverage gap.

I’m overjoyed to be a part of the General Assembly that passed this historic budget. And now that we’ve seen that Medicaid can be achieved here in our Commonwealth, it’s time we take the next step at the federal level.

Thank you,
Jennifer Wexton

A REMINDER ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH: ROSEANNE AND DUCK DYNASTY, TWO OF A KIND.

DO YOU REMEMBER...BLAST FROM THE PAST.

I AM NOT GOING TO ADDRESS ROSEANNE BARRS TWITTER POST THAT LED TO HER BEING CANCELLED BY ABC. IT WAS DISTURBING ENOUGH THAT IT DESERVES ITS OWN ARTICLE. THIS POST ADDRESSES "FREEDOM OF SPEECH," AS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. 

                                                       REMEMBER...

"DUCK DYNASTY" CONTROVERSY, AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH. PT 1.

( FIRST PUBLISHED ON 12/22/2013.)

This past week the A&E network announced that it was suspending Phil Robertson, star of their reality T.V show "DUCK DYNASTY", indefinitely. This action was in response to statements made by Robertson in a GQ MAGAZINE interview to be published in January. Quotes taken from the interview, which indicate he believes Homosexuality to be "Sinful" and not "Logical", were reported in different media outlets to have offended Same-Sex rights activists and groups.

What is written in the above paragraph is considered to be factually accurate, and neither Robertson or GQ has claimed any inaccuracy in the words or quotes reported to be in the body of the interview, or that certain statements were taken out of context. So where is the controversy?

It is amazing that no matter how apparent the flawed reasoning of certain individuals can be, there are those who will seek to justify it. The following is a prime example;

ACCUSATION- BY SUSPENDING ROBERTSON, A&E HAS VIOLATED HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

Question- Did Robertson make these statements?

Answer- Yes, that is not in dispute.

Question-- Are Robertsons comments protected by the 1st amendment,

in that he cannot be prosecuted or punished criminally?

Answer- Yes, his words are protected.

Question- Because A&E suspended Robertson, his Constitutional Right to

Freedom of Speech has been violated.

Answer- Absolutely not.

To even have to address this issue is silly, for it has been covered and ruled upon (Judicially), many times.

However, certain political pundits and commentators are trying to score points with the public at large by claiming that the "DUCK DYNASTY" star has been punished contrary to Constitutional Law.

The simple answer to this claim is the following; TO HAVE YOUR RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH OR EXPRESSION VIOLATED, IT MUST DONE BY AN ENTITY OF THE GOVERNMENT. PRIVATE CITIZENS OR GROUPS ARE NOT SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH IN THIS PART OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT.

Legally, there are restrictions on how an individual may exercise their right to freedom of speech. Slanderous or Libelous statements can lead to legal sanctions, but that is because the truth of these claims are called into question. Time, Place and Location is also a factor when judging whether or not one has the right to speak or act freely, but that is because such acts may infringe upon the rights of other individuals.

ROSEANNE BARR, LIKE EVERY OTHER PERSON, REPRESENTS THEIR EMPLOYER BOTH ON AND OFF THE JOB. WHILE RACIST SPEECH, (ALONG WITH SPEECH THAT ENDORSES  XENOPHOBIA, HOMOPHOBIA, RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY etc.,) MAY BE PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE TO DONALD TRUMP AND THE "NEW" REPUBLICAN PARTY, MOST AMERICANS ARE NOT HAPPY WITH PUTTING MONEY IN THE POCKETS OF THOSE EMPLOYING THE INTOLERENT, THE IGNORANT, AND THE STUPID. GUESS WHAT? NEITHER ARE THE SPONSORS.