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When Roger West first launched the progressive political blog "News From The Other Side" in May 2010, he could hardly have predicted the impact that his venture would have on the media and political debate. As the New Media emerged as a counterbalance to established media sources, Roger wrote his copious blogs about national politics, the tea party movement, mid-term elections, and the failings of the radical right to the vanguard of the New Media movement. Roger West's efforts as a leading blogger have tremendous reach. NFTOS has led the effort to bring accountability to mainstream media sources such as FOX NEWS, Breitbart's "Big Journalism. Roger's breadth of experience, engaging style, and cultivation of loyal readership - over 92 million visitors - give him unique insight into the past, present, and future of the New Media and political rhetoric that exists in our society today. What we are against: Radical Right Wing Agendas Incompetent Establishment Donald J. Trump Corporate Malfeasence We are for: Global and Econmoic Security Social and Economic Justice Media Accountability THE RESISTANCE

Friday, October 31, 2014

PLEASE DON'T VOTE

REPUBLICANS WOULD RATHER YOU NOT VOTE THIS MID-TERM CYCLE - THIS WAY THEY CAN WIN


Video Courtesy of TYT




The Republican party is counting on poor voter turnout to win back the Senate on November 4th, 2014. Do your part to help the GOP and stay home

The sad thing is, this is supposed to comedy, but too often the case, when mocking the republican, comedy is reality, and it then no longer becomes funny.

Get the hell out and vote readers!





NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Thursday, October 30, 2014

KOCH WHORES DARK MONEY

JON STEWART TAKES THE KOCH'S TO TASK FOR ADVERTISING ON HIS SHOW


The Koch brothers, yes those Koch's, David and Charles, have taken to liberal airwaves to selling their smut.

Last night Jon Stewart shredded the brothers, their companies and their diabolical ways of buying Washington and politicians alike.

For some reason, these tea baggers thought it was a great idea to advertise on Stewart's Comedy Central show last night.

The Koch's today, basically own every republican, both in the House and in the Senate of American congress. It's why we hear Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, et al regurgitating Koch Ideology.

The Koch's tangled tentacles of lunacy can be found hidden in many forms as you'll see in the below clip.

SEE HOW A KOCH INDUSTRY AD SHOULD LOOK Video courtesy of Comedy Central




You would think these two numb-nuts would re-think paying for ads on liberal shows, but then again, conservatives could careless who they bullshit or lie too - the only problem is, liberals aren't buying the smut that these Koch whores are selling!




NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

DEMOCRATS MIRED IN A "TURD HOLE"

DEMOCOLYPSE 2014


Says Jon Stewart.

Jon Stewart kicked off night two in Austin mercilessly mocking Democrats for being stuck in a political “turd hole” for midterm season and for running like hell from President Obama “like he was one of the bad guys in those Chainsaw Massacre movies.”

Stewart rounded up all the ridiculous Democratic non-answers and disses when it comes to the issue of whether they support Obama, with one senator acting like someone “found your porn.”

And what killed Stewart is that Democrats are losing to really bad Republican candidates like Mitch McConnell and Scott Brown, the latter of whom, when asked about his record, actually said, “Do I have the best credentials? Probably not. ‘Cause, you know, whatever.”

POTUS PARTUM DEPRESSION Courtesy of Comedy Central





Later in the show, the Daily Show trolls Texas.

JASON JONES TROLLS TEXAS Courtesy of Comedy Central





As a democrat I am astounded that these numbers can be factual- that indeed these races can be so statistically close. Fact, there are 17 million more democrats than republicans that voted in 2012 [The FEC reports that combining the total number of votes cast by Americans for president, House and Senate in 2012, Americans voted for the GOP 158,605,000 times and for the Democrats 176,167,000 times. In other words they cast over 17 million more Democratic votes than Republican votes in 2012].

Bottom line liberals, get off your asses and fucking vote!




NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

F-BOMBS FOR THE CAUSE

F-BOMBS FOR FEMINISM



CAUTION ADULT CONTENT.  NSFW

FCKH8 has issued its latest advertisement for tee shirts. This ad tackles the tough issues with feminism.

From FCKH8:
"Facing a future where women are still paid 23% less than men for the same work, and where 1 in 5 women are raped or sexually assaulted in gender-based violence, little girls between 6 and 13 years-old dressed as pretty pink princesses drop F-bombs to draw attention to society’s continued sexism. Asking the question, “What’s more offensive? A little girl saying fuck or the sexist way society treats girls and women” these adorably articulate little ladies in sparkling tiaras turn the “princess in distress” stereotype on its head and contrast the F-word with words and statistics society should find shocking such as “pay inequality” and “rape.” The video also features a 12 year-old boy wearing a pink gown standing up against sexism saying, “When you tell boys not to ‘act like a girl,’ it’s because you think it’s bad to be a girl."

Video from FCKH8





Now naturally, in the world of "Conservative Family Christian Values" - they are seething and foaming out of all orifices over these little princesses telling facts.The internet is overloaded with tin foil hat society members screaming "child abuse", "disgusting".

How shocking is it to hear little girls dressed as princesses saying the f-word, in context, over and over again?

Not as shocking as, lets say, the statistic that one in five women will be sexually assaulted or raped by a man, posits this new video from FCKH8. The social change company sells t-shirts that, according to its mission statement, act as "mini billboards for change."

Though feminism has been called "the other f-word," often thanks to a surprising number of people who are rejecting the term, this video is meant to serve as a reminder that the things feminism fights for can be far more horrifying than little girls swearing their faces off.

This video has social value because of it's shock value alone .When tea baggers, flat earth society and tin foil hat society members get shocked out of there comfort zones, they tend to take action. Unfortunately, the ad is laden with facts, which completely discombobulates the right-wing-nut-job.








NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Monday, October 27, 2014

"DON'T EAT MYSTERY MUCUS IN THE STREET UNTI THIS EBOLA PANIC IS OVER"

Says HBO's "Last Week Tonight's" John Oliver. Oliver had some advice for anyone concerned about contracting Ebola in New York.




Thank goodness I picked a good week to quit eating mystery mucus.




NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Sunday, October 26, 2014

"PAID FOR BY"

KOCH WHORES - BUYING POLITICIANS IS THEIR BUSINESS


In this day in age, with the NRA and Koch whores spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy politicians - actor Jason Alexander brings this corruption to reality in the video below.





RELATED:

Kochs Buy Senate

Koch"s Buy Election

Resist the Koch Whores

Kochies







NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West




Saturday, October 25, 2014

KANSAS VOTERS ARE MIRED DOWN WITH TOUGH DECISIONS

SAM BROWNBACK - KANSAS TIN FOIL HAT SOCIETY LEADER


WHICH IS WORSE, DICK TRICKLE DOWN SYNDROME OR LAP DANCE:

During his New Rules segment this Friday night, Real Time's Bill Maher took a shot at the "easily distracted" voters of Kansas, who may actually reelect their Governor Sam Brownback for another undeserved term after he wrecked the economy of their state, but the better part of his ire was reserved for the likes of Chuck Todd and Meet the Press, who allowed Grover Norquist to come on last month and attack Brownback's opponent, Paul Davis, for going to a strip club sixteen years ago.



New Rule: People in Florida now earn the right to make fun of Kansas.

Kansas needs a buddy state. A state that comes along and says "I don't think that's a good idea, Champ. I think you might hurt yourself pal". And to provide encouragement when they do good. "I elected a person not of the galactically stupid." "Good going Champ".






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Friday, October 24, 2014

FOX NEWS MOUTHPIECE BERNIE GOLDBERG SAYS:

FOX NEWS MOUTHPIECE BERNIE GOLDBERG


"FACTS MEAN SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO BLACK LIBERALS " IN MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING





Bernie Goldberg is as loathsome toad, much Bill-O and Charles Krauthammer. They speak in tea bagger coded language that impresses their illiterate base - however, upon further examination, Goldberg is full of vacuous, endless, pointless meanderings of the mind.


Bernie Goldberg, congratulations Einstein, you are today's asshat of the day. 





NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Thursday, October 23, 2014

FLORIDA'S TIN FOIL HAT SOCIETY READY TO SECEDE

CONSERVATIVES AND THE FLAT EARTH SOCIETY HIT SOUTHERN FLORIDA


One small city in South Florida is willing to secede from the state if it means the threat of sea level rise will finally be taken seriously.

The city commission of South Miami, FL — a city that sits just west of the University of Miami in Coral Gables — passed a resolution this week that calls for Florida to be split into a North Florida and a South Florida, a creation of an additional state that would allow South Florida to take climate change preparation and adaptation into its own hands.
“It’s very apparent that the attitude of the northern part of the state is that they would just love to saw the state in half and just let us float off into the Caribbean,” South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard said. “They’ve made that abundantly clear every possible opportunity and I would love to give them the opportunity to do that.”

Under the northern border of South Florida would include the counties of Brevard, Polk, Orange, Pinellas, and Hillsborough, which would mean drawing the new state line north of Orlando, Tampa and Clearwater. South Florida would encompass 24 counties and total about 23,000 square miles, an area that houses 67 percent of Florida’s current population.

The resolution — like all other secession attempts in the U.S., apart from the one in 1775 — isn’t likely to make it very far. In order for Florida to actually split into two states, the resolution would have to be approved by Florida’s state legislature and by the U.S.

Congress. But the three South Miami council members who voted the resolution into being still think the subject of sea level rise is serious enough to make the secession statement.

The resolution singled out Southeast Florida’s particular vulnerability to sea level rise in its reasons behind its call for secession from the current state of Florida. It noted sea level rise estimates of three to six feet by the end of this century, and stated that, because much of South Florida is low-lying and sits on porous bedrock, even a small amount of sea level rise can easily cause flooding and could pose a threat to the region’s groundwater.
“South Florida’s situation is very precarious and in need of immediate attention,” the resolution states. “Many of the issues facing South Florida are not political, but are now significant safety issues.”
Despite these dangers, however, the resolution notes that Florida’s capitol hasn’t been receptive to South Florida lawmakers’ concerns about sea level rise. South Florida has done what it can to independently tackle the threat — four South Florida counties have formed the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact, which has created a projection for sea level rise in the region and a Regional Climate Action Plan that is adaptable to each county’s needs. But these local efforts aren’t enough without support from the state, which is why the South Miami council members who voted for secession want to create a new governing body in South Florida.
“We have to be able to deal directly with this environmental concern and we can’t really get it done in Tallahassee,” South Miami Vice Mayor Walter Harris said. “I don’t care what people think — it’s not a matter of electing the right people.”
Harris may have given up hope on his state’s capitol, but over the last few months, climate change has become a hot-button issue in Florida’s gubernatorial race. Gov. Rick Scott has refused to take a firm stance on whether or not he thinks climate change is real and man-made, while Democratic challenger Charlie Crist has been open about his belief in climate change and its threat to Florida.

And though the voting to create a new state might seem extreme, South Florida isn’t the only region in recent years to consider secession. Last year, 11 Colorado counties, fed up over state regulations on gun control, agriculture and energy development, tried to create a new state, an attempt that failed. This year, a northern California county voted to secede and create the new state of Jefferson, a would-be state that was first proposed in 1941. Residents in western Maryland also pushed for secession this year, saying they had grown fed up over the state’s Democratic leadership.

"Flat earth society members" [Agenda 21 enthusiasts] have rallied the cry, that neither science nor scientist are culpable of emitting facts - and that they are full of more fecal matter than a Christmas turkey.

Maybe when these conservatives are floating off into the Caribbean - that this is a true reality and not some fabled fantasy - when dawning their tin foil hats, that the reality to join the fabled Atlantis as an underwater city is a very absolute reality. That their hotels will be occupied by octopi, and groupers shall hang out menacingly on street corners. Then there's the gang problem. This area is under Shark jurisdiction.

Seriously, I think there is a much simpler solution to this problem in Florida, quit voting Republican, and raise your educational standards exponentially higher than the fifth grade.




NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

WHEN A CITIZEN CHALLANGES THE POLICE


How’s this for a twist? An average citizen decided to pull a Washington state police officer over, asked him a few questions, and even checked his identification.

Gavin Seim pulled the cop over for what appeared to be an unmarked sheriff car violation. And the conversation, remarkably, didn't get as heated as you might think.

VIDEO COURTESY OF THE YOUNG TURKS




"I'm not going to write you up today"?

Since the The Young Turks tossed the race card into the mix - it is my belief that if indeed a man of color did this, the ass kicking they'd have received would've made the Rodney King assault look like a deep tissue massage. 






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

JAMES O'KEEFE, STILL A SLIMY DOUCHE BAG




James O’Keefe, perhaps best known as the undercover pimp who targeted the community organizing group ACORN, has once again been trying to target Democratic candidates with undercover schemes, this time in Colorado. Last week, he and two collaborators tried to bait field staffers working on the reelection campaign for Sen. Mark Udall into approving voter fraud using Colorado’s new vote-by-mail system.

This year will be the first time Colorado voters have the opportunity to vote in a general election by mail. All registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail that they simply fill out and return. On several occasions, O’Keefe and his collaborators approached Udall campaign staffers to suggest that they fill out these ballots for other people.

In one case, a man visited a Democratic field office in Boulder hoping to volunteer for the campaign. Identifying himself with an LGBT activist student group called Rocky Mountain Vote Pride, the individual suggested that he could fill out mail-in ballots for other college students who had moved away but still received mail on campus. Though he was turned away, he came back another time, bringing along a friend he introduced as a “civics professor” from the University of Colorado-Boulder who also served as the faculty adviser for Rocky Mountain Vote Pride. Staffers later confirmed that the “professor” was, in fact, O’Keefe himself, matching his appearance to a photo O’Keefe tweeted of himself in disguise as a “45 yo” with a mustache.

Rocky Mountain Vote Pride does not seem to be a real group. It has a basic website and Facebook page, neither of which contains any contact information. The website suggests it’s a student group dedicated to advancing “voter participation and equality in America,” listing some basic polling on marriage equality, without citation.

O’Keefe’s Project Veritas would not confirm to Mother Jones any “operations in Colorado,” but spokesman Stephen Gordon said to “watch for our upcoming videos.”

Recently, O’Keefe tried to expose Sen. Mark Pryor as secretly supporting same-sex marriage — he’s one of the only Democrats in the Senate who doesn’t. In 2010, O’Keefe and his mentor applied for same-sex marriage licenses in Massachusetts, telling clerks they were straight and just wanted insurance coverage, seemingly just to prove that they could.

It must be really tragic when you can't find enough slime under the rock that you have to create it.

James O'Keefe, you are today's worst person in the world. I am sure the dead Brietbart [Andrew] must be extremely proud.






NFTOS 
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Monday, October 20, 2014

OBSTRUCT AND BLAME



It has been nearly a year since Vivek Murthy was nominated by President Obama to serve as the next Surgeon General, but thanks in large part to the gun lobby and their Republican allies in the Senate, there has yet to be any movement on his confirmation.

That vacancy has become a central focus in the last week as government officials and medical professionals try to calm the public about the spread of Ebola.

On Sunday, Meet the Press host Chuck Todd asked Senator Roy Blunt about the NRA’s role in blocking Murthy’s confirmation, but the Republican senator dismissed the question outright.

Blunt blamed the vacancy on President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has yet to put Murthy’s nomination to a full vote, and dismissed questions about the National Rifle Association’s efforts to block the nominee.
“The NRA said they were going to score the vote and suddenly everybody froze him,” said Chuck Todd. “That seems a little petty in hindsight, does it not?”
“Well, the president really ought to nominate people that can be confirmed to these jobs, and frankly then we should confirm them, there’s no question about that,” replied Blunt.
Earlier this year, the NRA launched a campaign to derail Murthy’s nomination because he voiced support for expanding background checks for gun purchases. His comments that gun violence was a public health concern raised the ire of the gun lobby and conservative lawmakers despite the fact that every major medical association — and several former Surgeons General under Republican presidents — shared the same view.

Todd questioned the wisdom of giving the NRA any kind of influence over the country’s top public health position, but Blunt rejected the notion that the NRA played any role in Murthy’s confirmation. “I’m not sure that’s why, you’d have to ask Senator Reid why he hasn’t move that to the top of his list to be confirmed.”

After the NRA began publicly opposing Murthy’s nomination, several of Blunt’s Republican colleagues including Rand Paul, John Cornyn and John Barrasso said they too would move to block Murthy’s nomination, and Paul placed a hold on the nomination.

Lawmakers and health experts have expressed concern over the lack of a Surgeon General to craft a unified response to the ebola diagnoses, leading to confusion that has helped fuel public fear of the virus, fear that is largely unfounded.

Blunt told Todd that he thinks we need a surgeon general. But asked if he would vote for Murthy’s confirmation, Blunt again refused to answer the question and blamed the administration.
“Until this came up, frankly I've heard very little discussion about the Surgeon General,” he said.






NFTOS
STAFF WRITER

Sunday, October 19, 2014

FLAT EARTH SOCIETY DOING WHAT THEY DO BEST

FEAR:

Watch how conservatives use Ebola to stoke fear -- and notice how similar it sounds regardless of whether it's coming from the fringe or whether it's on Fox News itself.

Gloom and Doomers, Glenn, Beck, Laura Ingraham, Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, Dipshit Dr. Keith Ablow, Bill-O, Bullshit Mountain, Stacy Dash, tell us how to make Ebola a conspiracy theory.


EBOLA, THE CRISES THAT ISN'T Video courtesy of Media Matters.


Isn't this just like the movie goer going into a theater and screaming fire? 




NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Rick Perry Is A Know Nothing 'Ignoramus' On Ebola

FEDERALLY INDICTED "IGNORAMUS" RICK PERRY

.....Says former Vermont Governor Dr. Howard Dean. Dean also said he discounts everything that the American Taliban utters. Amen Tell me again why Dr. Dean is not heading the DNC?

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean didn't mince any words when asked about Texas Gov. Rick Perry's continued insistence that we need a travel ban on flights from West Africa to stop Ebola from spreading to the United States on Chris Hayes' show this Friday evening while discussing the appointment of the new "Ebola czar" Ron Klain.


DR. DEAN ON RICK PERRY




The sad thing is, Rick Perry would be extremely offended if he was able to comprehend what Dean was saying about him. But in typical "OPPPPS" fashion, the verbal bitch slapping by Dr. Dean flew right over the Cuckoos nest!






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Friday, October 17, 2014

CONSERVATIVE EBOLA FEAR MONGERING

DOES THIS DEPICT YOUR REPUBLICAN?



We at NFTOS would like you, our readers to view the thinly veiled racism and fear mongering conducted by the freak show that is the tin foil hat society.

I know facts are not important to conservatives, why have them when they ruin a great conspiracy theory? Daily we are bombarded by two cable news organizations, hyping the Ebola story to frantic frenzy. While CNN is not outright lying like Fox News, both of these institutions are exacerbating the situation exponentially.

Infect [no pun intended] the low IQ human [Fox viewer] with world ending catastrophic infectious diseases like "viral hemorrhagic fever syndrome" [Ebola] - then we get the hyperbole of ignorance from the flat earth society membership.

DIPSHIT GOHMERT AND BECK




ALEX WAGNER SHAMES THE CONSERVATIVES




With right wing nut jobs - one moment the government is too big and too intrusive, the next moment you can't get enough government to protect you. Which is it numbnutz?

How can we as country, can we expect to follow our allow conservatives to lead us any longer, especially when they deny the very science that is to stop Ebola?





If the narrow minded dimwits can't grasp the easiest of science facts, that Climate change, that polar caps are melting, that storms are more violent, that the sea level rise in Norfolk Virginia has indeed gotten higher exponentially over the last ten years, then how in the hell do we expect these science deniers to grasp viral hemorrhagic fever syndrome? The reality is, they aren't ever going to get it!

Let's face it, higher education is not something we associate to conservatives. The dumber the box of rocks the better for them is the narrative.

These short sighted Neanderthals couldn't mentally get themselves out of a wet paper bag, let alone grasp complex infectious diseases like viral hemorrhagic fever syndrome.

Fact:
It would be great to have a Surgeon General during this issue, because its their job to do so. As we know, Republicans will not vote on the current SG elect because he warrants stricter guidelines for the NRA. So for over a year, we have been without a SG. 
Fact: Since 2006 republicans have gutted government budgets in half, the CDC is no different as the tea baggers have gutted CDC funding by half, over 580 million dollars. The CDC said today, vaccination for Ebola would have been created by now if not for these budget cuts.

Now these two slices of the pie seem pretty important to anyone with an IQ above -500. Conservatives in typical hypocritical fashion, are now confounded as to why we have Ebola failures in the system.

Daily, conservatives are beating the 'we are all going to die from Ebola" drum. Conservative protocol since their inception, has been to fear its base and viewers.

Fact: Fox News won a Florida state supreme court ruling, that they where entitled to indeed lie to their viewers. They do it on a daily basis whether its Ebola, number of vacation days the President has taken, how a much a presidential trip cost to India, or Benghazi, these troglodytes manipulate, deceive and outright lie - and their base takes the bait, hook, line and sinker.

Until we get past the perception of "low information Fox Viewership", it can be only then when we tackle complex solutions like eradicating Ebola.

BREAKING: As only they can, Fox News and Conservatives have linked the connection between, Ebola, Benghazi, WMD and the Killing of Kennedy. The common thread, Obama. Damn you Obama! [snark]






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Thursday, October 16, 2014

FANGHAZI

CREEPY FLORIDA GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT - #FANGATE #FANGHAZI


In the weirdest start of a gubernatorial debate ever Florida Gov. Rick Scott refused to take to the stage for his debate against former Gov. Charlie Crist. It wasn’t because he was feeling ill or anything logical such as that. It was because Crist had been given an electric fan to deal with the humidity and Scott was going to be forced to go it alone.

The Tin Foil Hat governor finally emerged at least six minutes late as flummoxed moderators struggled on live TV to figure out what to do with a bemused Crist standing solo on stage at Broward College.
"Are we really going to debate about a fan? Or are we going to talk about education and the environment and the future of our state?" Crist asked. "I mean, really."
The sharp elbows started almost as soon as Scott walked out, looking rattled. Scott went on offense quickly, but some of his supporters privately fretted that the fan incident could be a defining and damaging moment for the incumbent in the final stretch of a close race.

Republicans who were in attendance at the debate streamed out of Broward College's Bailey Hall like they were leaving a funeral.

FANGHAZI




RICK SCOTT'S EXPLANATION




If the election for Florida governor were held today, less than 24 hours after #Fangate or #Fanghazi, it's likely Democrat Charlie Crist would win his old job back. Not by much, but by the few points afforded him by numbnutz Rick Scott - for his for-the-history-books petulance.

Or maybe not. Maybe there just aren't enough undecided voters left in this election to overcome the GOP's historical dominance of midterm elections [As if, if Floridians vote this asshat inagain as their governor, may the get exactly what they deserve!].

But if Scott does end up being the third Republican governor in twenty years to not serve a second term - Fanghazi can be pinpointed to - as one of the worst campaign strategies ever.

Florida Governor Rick Scott, congratulations sir, you are today's asshat of day.






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

WHY IS EBOLA THE THREAT THAT IT IS?

REPUBLICANS CUT HALF OF BUDGET FOR HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

There has been no lack of conservatives freaking out on Bullshit Mountain [Fox News] to discuss the arrival of the deadly Ebola virus in America, and they have had a fair measure of success frightening a surprisingly large segment of their viewership.

MADDOW PART ONE




MADDOW PART TWO


Republicans and their conservative cabal have even combined their ISIL fear-mongering tactics with their immigration fear-mongering to distract Americans going into an important midterm election. Except for the medical researchers and infectious disease scientists from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute of Health (NIH), there has been precious little information from real medical professionals of any repute that could relieve the rising fear and anxiety among the population that knows little about the virus, or what precautions they need, if any, to protect themselves and their families.

Although experts claim there is little reason for panic of a devastating outbreak of the deadly virus in America, a recent Harvard poll revealed that 39% of American adults are worried about a large-scale outbreak and over 25% are mortified that an immediate family member will be stricken with the infectious virus and die. What America needs at times like this is a trusted public health expert and medical professional to educate the public about the risk of contracting Ebola and reassure them that there is little to worry about and what steps to take to stay safe and Ebola-free.

Last November 14th, the President nominated Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, an extremely qualified candidate to replace ‘acting’ Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin. It took three months, but the Senate finally got around to holding a confirmation hearing for Dr. Murthy’s appointment. However, the National Rifle Association exerted its very substantial legislative prerogative and blocked Murthy’s confirmation because he does not recognize that the NRA is “fourth and all-powerful branch of the federal government” and called for sane gun restrictions to prevent more Americans from dying unnecessarily from the gun violence epidemic. It is exactly what a real medical professional, and highly-qualified potential Surgeon General of the United States is supposed to do - help prevent a deadly epidemic from spreading to save American lives.


It is a sad state of affairs when Republicans and their puppet masters - the NRA, are able to wield such powerful influence that they will not vote to confirm Dr. Murthy. Ebola is not an epidemic in America and a trusted Surgeon General would ease the fear and anxiety among the growing number of Americans worried they or their families will contract and succumb to the virus. However, because the qualified Surgeon General candidate believes easing the proliferation of guns driving the real American epidemic killing over a hundred Americans daily and injuring even more, the National Rifle Association, Republicans, and a few gun-shy Democrats will not allow his confirmation.

With the blockage of Dr. Vivek H. Murthy - along with a republcian lead congress reducing federal dollars to PHEP [Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement Funding] by half since 2006 [See above Gantt Chart] its no wonder why America is not prepared for a Ebola outbreak.

Naturally, like all things tea bagger, if Obama wasn't busy covering up Benghazi conspiracies by playing golf, we would be more prepared for Ebola.




Conservatives are our own worst enemy. This story is a prime example readers of why we should always - "remember to spay or neuter your Republicans".






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

HOLY HANDCUFFS BATMAN!

NYPD "COURTESY, PROFESSIONALISM, RESPECT"? 

NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT LAW SUIT SETTLEMENTS REACH 100 MILLION FOR SIX CONSECUTIVE YEARS.

Mudruck filed a FOI request to the NYPD for information concerning cases they had closed since 2009. It's a big PDF containing more than 10,000 settlements, ranging from $1–$11,500,000. Gawker explains:
Those numbers are in line with the findings of a 2010 AP investigation, which discovered nearly $1 billion in NYPD payouts over the previous decade. In 2012, Bloomberg News found the City of New York planned to spend $735 million on settling lawsuits, police and otherwise, almost six times what Los Angeles pays per capita.
Those Bloomberg numbers can be found here.
The cost of claims is forecast to rise to $815 million by 2016, more than the city pays to run the Parks and Recreation Department, according to budget documents. Among the incidents triggering payments are malpractice in public hospitals, police beatings, improper arrests, collisions with fire trucks and potholes causing accidents. [...}
New York spent $664 million on claims in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011, the most recent year for which data are available, according to the Law Department. Claims alleging personal injury accounted for $565 million, including $119 million for police misconduct and civil-rights violations.
Recent examples of Police enforcement around the United States. Without listing them all you can read about some of The Big Apple's recent highlights of law and order here and here and here.

There's video and imagery for all of those cases and many others. It makes it hard not to settle for millions and millions of dollars. What's extraordinary about racism and the privileged class' dislike of the lower strata of society is that, even using the most cynical logic, it just doesn't make good economic sense. It's bad business for everyone.

Is this the cost for doing "police business"? Why is this story not front page news across the country? And police wonder why they have a bad reputation and are considered not better than the deviants they arrest? SMH!

portions of this blog are Cross posted from daily kos






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Monday, October 13, 2014

WHY ARE HEALTHCARE FACILITIES NOT READY FOR EBOLA?





A health care worker in Dallas has been diagnosed with Ebola - the first case of the deadly virus has been transmitted on U.S. soil. The news has renewed questions over whether Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, the facility that recently treated the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States, is doing enough to stem the spread of the disease.

The worker — who has not been identified by name — was one of the hospital employees who helped treat Thomas E. Duncan, the Liberian man who recently died of Ebola after traveling to Dallas. Federal health experts have been tracking all of the Americans with whom Duncan may have come into contact while he was contagious.

According to hospital officials, the infected individual helped treat Duncan during his second trip to the emergency room, when he was seriously ill. “That health care worker is a heroic person who provided care to Mr. Duncan,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkin said at a news conference on Sunday morning.

The infected worker was reportedly wearing full protective gear around Duncan, so it’s not yet clear how the virus was transmitted. But, according to federal officials, the hospital failed to follow at least part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s protocol for containing Ebola. The agency has released a set of detailed guidelines for health care facilities to ensure that the virus is not transmitted further.

There has been some controversy over the care that Duncan received at Texas Health Presbyterian. First of all, it’s concerning that he was sent home after his first visit to the ER; the fact that he had a high fever and had recently traveled from Western Africa should have alerted officials to the potential Ebola risk.

According to the Associated Press, the hospital has repeatedly changed its story about what exactly medical professionals knew about Duncan’s health. Newly released documents show that some of the hospital staff may have recognized the Ebola threat when he was first admitted, but that didn’t translate to swifter action. The state health department is now considering a probe into the hospital to make sure it’s following health and safety laws, and the CDC is going to send additional staff to Texas.

Joined by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Duncan’s family has repeatedly criticized the hospital, saying he was given substandard care because he was not a white American. They point out that Duncan was the only person treated for Ebola in the U.S. who wasn’t taken to Nebraska Medical Center, which has a high-tech quarantine unit, or given experimental drugs that may help combat the virus. Duncan’s nephew has told reporters that said his uncle’s care was “either incompetence or negligence,” and he finds it “conspicuous” that all the white Ebola patients in the U.S. have survived while “the one black man died.”

More broadly, there has been some concern that panic over the global Ebola epidemic — which has claimed more than 4,000 lives in Western Africa — is leading to an uptick in xenophobia and racism. Pundits’ increasingly insistent calls to close the U.S. borders to protect against Ebola-infected travelers is furthering a narrative of “otherness.” Some African travelers arriving back to the U.S. and Europe say that medical staff is now refusing to care for them in routine doctor’s appointments out of fear of contracting Ebola, even if they’re not showing any symptoms.

When it comes to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, officials promise they’re continuing to “review and evaluate” the decisions around Duncan’s treatment. The hospital has also isolated the health care worker who is showing signs of Ebola infection and is working to track down the other people who may have come into contact with them. Officials say they’re still confident they know how to contain the virus.
“Contingency plans were put into place, and the hospital will discuss the way that the health care worker followed those contingency plans, which will make our jobs in monitoring and containment much easier in this case than in the last one,” Jenkin said. “While this was obviously bad news, it is not news that should bring about panic.”
In response to growing concern about travelers bringing Ebola into the United States, airport officials began enhanced screenings on Saturday. Still, experts maintain that the best way to respond to Ebola is to address the outbreak’s epicenter in Western Africa, where embattled countries are still struggling to get the health care resources they need to treat the virus.

One thing is for sure, and its very rarely republican plans are ever a success, but the republican lead sequestration, its strangulation of government operations, has reached optimal success.








NFTOS
STAFF WRITER

Sunday, October 12, 2014

BLACK KIDS MORE LIKELY TO BE KILLED BY POLICE THAN WHITE KIDS




Who knew?

There’s a lot we don’t know about how many people have actually been killed at police hands in the United States, thanks to woefully inadequate transparency and federal record-keeping. But there’s one thing we do now know: Among those we do know were shot by police, black teens were 21 times more likely to be shot dead than their white counterparts.
“The 1,217 deadly police shootings from 2010 to 2012 captured in the federal data show that blacks, age 15 to 19, were killed at a rate of 31.17 per million, while just 1.47 per million white males in that age range died at the hands of police,” a new ProPublica report explains, noting that if whites were killed at the same ratio there would have been another 185 white deaths, just during that three-year period, just of those in that narrow age range.

To arrive at this statistic, ProPublica analyzed the list of 12,000 police shooting deaths that were self-reported by agencies to the Federal Bureau of Investigation between 1980 and 2012. Because this data is self-reported and departments are not required to submit information, this data likely significantly ucounteractsthe number of shootings. Florida departments, for example, haven’t submitted data since 1997 and New York City hasn't submitted data since 2007. And the FBI asks only for “justifiable homicidefigures, meaning in those instances where the shootings are most overtly viewed as unjustified or the litigation is ongoing, departments are less likely to report.

Still, assessing available data may provide the best insight we have into how grave racial disparities in police violence are, particularly when it comes to young black men, who were stopped by NYPD officers in 2011 more times than the total number of young black men in New York City. Unsurprisingly, past analyses have also found disproportionate violence against blacks, including a 2007 investigation by Color lines and the Chicago Reporter in 10 major cities. An NAACP report of Oakland, California, found that 37 of 45 police-involved shootings were of blacks, while zero were of whites. “Although weapons were not found in 40 percent of cases, the NAACP found, no officers were charged," Mother.

Studies of human and police behavior suggest that racial bias is baked into policing, particularly because individuals mis-perceive the threat posed by African Americans. Nonetheless, a 2012 poll after the George Zimmerman verdict found that that the gap between whites and blacks who think the justice system is biased was greater than ever.


portions of blog from thinkprogress




NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Saturday, October 11, 2014

HOLY PSYCHO BABBLE BIBLE BULLSHIT BATMAN!

ISLAM VS CHRISTIANITY


Now, I am no big fan of Cenk Uygur by any stretch of the imagination, even though we are from the same town in N.J. But I do respect the man for being out front of the camera blasting away at not so useful idiots. It takes a big man [or woman] to bitch about your convictions to family and friends, it takes a bigger man to take it to either the internet or cable air waves where your audience is many.

In the below video, Uygur discusses radical religion, literal terminology of religion, and provides a "guess what religion" this is. Watch the below video and see if you can tell who Uygur is speaking of....that is before he discloses which book, the Qur'an or Bible.

ISLAM OR CHRISTIANITY, JESUS OR MUHAMMAD, QUR'AN OR BIBLE?




It should be noted that Uygur was born and raised as a Sunni Muslim and is now a self proclaimed agnostic.

I have found since blogging, that very few if any Christians, have they truly read the bible from front to cover. Like most things in American Christianity - radical bible thumping Americans, its pick and choose religion, apply what's good for you, shit can the rest, much like the US constitution.

My analogy with regards to religion is as such - that its like a penis, its ok to have one, its ok to be proud of your religion, just don't flaunt it in public.

Don't get me wrong, and as I have said over 4 years of blogging, radicalism, whether it be the zealous ammosexual NRA gun hugger, your Southern bible belt thumping Baptist, your local radical tea bagger enthusiasts, or ISIS - they are all to be considered a danger to human beings as a whole.

With both radical religions coming to the forefront, are these religions, in their truest radical "literal' form, are they really any different from each other?

Interpretations are a problem with anything, whether it be religion, constitutions, or laws - they will always have a bad outcome when they are distorted.......not as the writer intended.








NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West



Friday, October 10, 2014

CLOSE THE GAP


Sarah Silverman as only she can, addresses the issue of the wage gap between men and women.

Caution Adult Content








NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Thursday, October 9, 2014

DUNCAN HUNTER IS NO ORDINARY IDIOT

DUNCAN HUNTER - LIAR, FEAR MONGER AND TODAY'S WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD


Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter (Tin foil hat society member and dipshit extraordinaire) made a pretty extraordinary claim on Fox News this week, telling a national television audience on Tuesday night that 10 Islamic State militants were caught entering the United States through the Mexican border. The far-right congressman was categorical: Hunter said in no uncertain terms that this has already happened, but “there’s nobody talking about it.”

The California Republican added that he knows this is true “because I’ve asked the Border Patrol.”

Right-wing media outlets were predictably excited by the baseless claims – National Review, citing Hunter’s comments, asked, “Could the administration really successfully cover up something as big as this?” – but there’s a small problem. Neither Hunter nor his allies have any verifiable evidence to bolster the allegations. I mean that quite literally – there’s nothing from Border Patrol, nothing from other members of Congress or relevant committees, nothing from the Mexican government, and nothing from the Department of Homeland Security.


Video Courtesy of MSNBC




On the contrary, DHS described the claim as “categorically false” and Secretary Jeh Johnson suggested Hunter has no idea what he’s talking about.

And that leaves the far-right congressman with a choice: Hunter can scale back his explosive claims or he can stick to his guns. Take a wild guess which course the Republican prefers.

Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper said the congressman stands by his comments. “A high level source informed the congressman – it was also said that DHS is actively discouraging any talk of IS on the border,” Kasper said.

“The congressman was conveying what he knows – and what he was told,” he said. Hunter has no proof, but he has a source he won’t identify, who gave him information that literally no one else can verify, about an important claim unsupported by facts.

Wait, it gets even better.

Kasper emailed me yesterday, encouraging me to check out a blog post from a right-wing legal group called Judicial Watch, which also claims to have secret information about ISIS terrorists arrested in Texas. There’s no independent evidence to support this, either, though Hunter’s office apparently takes it quite seriously.

In a follow-up email to The Rachel Maddow Show, the congressman’s aide added that the 10 ISIS terrorists Hunter referenced on the air should probably be referred to as “foreign nationals” with “associations” to the terrorist group. The congressman’s office did not feel the need to share this information with federal law enforcement, the aide added, because Hunter’s source is already in law enforcement and there’s “no need to inform the person that is informing us.”

While this continues to play out, we’ll be curious to learn how Duncan Hunter made the decision to share this incredibly important information with the American public. Under normal circumstances, if a member of Congress obtained secret information that literally no one else has about terrorists entering the United States, one would assume the lawmaker would hold a press conference, issue some kind of press statement, and/or announce an upcoming congressional hearing on the revelations.

Hunter, however, shared this alarming information towards the end of an interview on Fox News. As of this morning, the congressman has posted nothing about the claims on his website – he issued a press release on Tuesday, but it had nothing to do with terrorism – and Hunter has scheduled no press conferences to discuss his important allegations.

Cross posted from the Maddow Blog

Mr. Hunter should be held accountable for his bullshit - maybe since Sean Hannity says water-boarding is not torture, maybe we water-board Duncan to get the truth out of him.

Duncan Hunter, you are today's dual award winner - you are both today's asshat of the day, and today's worst person in the world. Congratulations numb-nutz!








NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

EBOLAPALOOZA

COLBERT POINTING TO CNN EBOLA HYSTERIA


Comics alike simply cannot resist the Monday Ebola segment from CNN’s “Legal View” with Ashleigh Banfield.

On his titular program last night, Stephen Colbert was no different - when he grabbed CNN's gaffe and rolled with it:
“Folks, you can smell the fear thanks to heroes like CNN, who have asked the question, ‘Ebola: The ISIS of biological agents?’” riffed the host. “Oh yeah, oh yeah, it is — without a doubt. Scientists have long compared diseases to murderous madmen. That’s why epidemiologists call tuberculosis ‘Lung Hitler.’

PART I Video Courtesy of Comedy Central




The slamming of CNN is to a great extent justified. Consider the speculation that flowed from Banfield during the segment: “All ISIS would need to do is send a few of its suicide killers into an Ebola-affected zone and then get them on some mass transit somewhere where they would need to be to effect the most damage,” she said, summing up the argument for chaos.


PART II Video Courtesy of Comedy Central




To quell Banfield's amped up Ebola charge, the CNN segment did infuse some sanity, when they allotted the views of Dr. Amar Safdar, an associate professor at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. Safder who said:
"It’s not an easily communicable disease. It’s not SARS. It’s not MERS. It’s certainly not influenza, and it is not the swine flu and the bird flu that we have encountered. So patients who develop this infection and become sick with this, by the time they get to a point where it is easily transmissible, they are very ill, so they are not taking buses and subways and exposing other people…So the infection, the way it’s transmitted, is quite different than what you would expect that infection that can be easily facilitated and transmitted to masses out there.”

Maybe Banfield is with the wrong cable news group. It would appear to this blogger that her fear tactics are better suited for Faux News.







NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

CDC "THE COALITION FOR DECEPTION AND COERSION"

CDC "THE COALITION FOR DECEPTION AND COERCION"



Stephen Colbert took to the airwaves last night to mock Fox News's relentless scare tactics about Ebola.

Video Courtesy of Comedy Central




As only Colbert can, he eviscerates the ignorance that is Fox News, and as per the norm, Fox News avoids the scientific facts and goes full monty with their mantra of serial misinformation.

I certainly hope that this Faux News Ebola "scare" is over soon before some kid dresses up as an Ebola patient on Halloween, trick-or-treating, and makes the mistake of ringing [conservative right wing nutjob] Kincannon's doorbell - and is "humanely executed!"

And they say there are no "death panels" in the U.S.

Fox News, Todd Kincannon, Betsy McCaughey and "judge" Jeannie Pirro - you are today's asshats of the day. Congrats fear mongers.







NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Monday, October 6, 2014

SCOTUS Punts Appeals From Five States, Clearing Way For Same-Sex Marriage

KU KLUX KOURT PUNTS ON SAME SEX MARRIAGE RULING

BREAKING:

This rejection lets three federal appeals decisions take effect, legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin and Indiana.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected calls for a nationwide ruling on same-sex marriage, a rebuff that lets gays marry in as many as 11 new states and leaves legal uncertainty elsewhere.

The denial today of seven pending appeals defied predictions. Advocates on both sides had urged the justices to resolve the issue following a wave of lower court rulings that the Constitution guarantees same-sex marriage rights.

The rejection lets three federal appeals decisions take effect, legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin and Indiana. Six other states -- Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina -- will likely follow because they fall under the jurisdiction of those appellate courts.

Those additions will bring the number of gay-marriage states to 30, plus the District of Columbia
.

As a practical matter, however, this decision, to not to hear these cases is an earthquake for gay rights. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which covers Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, refused to issue a stay halting its order favoring marriage equality. Although the Supreme Court later stepped in with its own stay order, that order provides that the Supreme Court’s stay will “terminate automatically” if the Supreme Court denies review of the case. Now that the justices have done so, there should be no further legal barriers preventing marriages from beginning in those five states — although it is possible that there may be some delay before marriages may begin due to procedural steps that need to be taken by the judiciary.

One thing that should be noted is that there are still marriage equality cases pending before conservative circuits that could rule against equality. Nevertheless, the fact that marriages are likely to begin very shortly in the states currently subject to court orders will make it very difficult for the Supreme Court to reverse course — and retroactively invalidate those marriages — in a subsequent opinion.

RELATED: Virginia same sex marriages to begin later today






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

Sunday, October 5, 2014

AFFLECK Vs MAHER

MICHAEL STEELE, BEN AFFLECK TAKE ON BILL MAHER


In a testy ten-minute exchange on “Real Time” with television host Bill Maher and author Sam Harris, Hollywood actor Ben Affleck slammed the host for commenting that Islam is the only religion that acts like the “mafia.” Along with journalist Nicholas Kristof, Affleck argued that ascribing an entire religion based on the actions of the terrorist group Islamic State, was “gross” and “racist,” while Maher and Harris shot back that criticizing Islam “gets conflated with bigotry towards Muslims as people,” a ploy that others have used to build on anti-Muslim sentiment in the country.

During the exchange with Kristof and RNC Chairman Michael Steele, Affleck took the lead to slam Maher and Harris for defending their generalization of Islam. Harris stated, “We have been sold this meme of Islamophobia, where every criticism of the doctrine of Islam gets conflated with bigotry towards Muslims as people.” Affleck asked, “Are you the person who understands the officially codified doctrine of Islam?”

To Maher’s idea of generalizing Islam, Affleck said, “It’s gross, it’s racist,” while Kristof added that the view of Muslims is “incomplete,” referring to the example of Malala Yousafzai, a teenager shot by fundamentalists, who is part of the larger peaceful Muslim movement. Harris panned both Affleck and Kristof’s responses saying that Islam is “the motherload of bad ideas” and that fundamentalists are not just the “fringe group” of practicing Muslims.

Still later in the exchange, Maher said, “It’s the only religion that acts like the mafia that will fucking kill you, if you say the wrong thing, paint the wrong picture or write the wrong book” to which Affleck shot back, “What is your solution? To condemn Islam? To do what? We've killed more Muslims than they've killed us by an awful lot.”


AFFLECK Vs MAHER






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West



Saturday, October 4, 2014

"WHO DO YOU HAVE TO BLOW TO GET THROWN OUT OF CONGRESS"?

REPUBLICAN DOUCHE BAGS - MICHEAL GRIMM, MARK SANFORD, JOE GARCIA, SCOTT DESJARLAIS



In his editorial New Rules, Bill Maher shines a spotlight on some of the most “scandal-plagued lowlifes” in Congress and why it’s so easy for them to get reelected.

BORN AGAIN BOOTY CALL



Video Courtesy of HBO




NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West