I may be wrong but: Maybe Democrats have to get cracked before they wake up. I'm sorry Thom, but most; (Excluding: Warren, Grayson, Sanders, Brown, and more..) are too complacent and quiet. And that does not get you on the news.

ANYONE who grabs big money, are prisoners to the money givers. Hillary was one example. You don't "play money games" with Corporations anymore than you play with a dangerous animal. (I still voted for her because she was.. less evil)

Democrats - I vote for them. They don't work for the pernicuous Ultra rich.. I"m hoping if we choose the better, every chance we get to vote, that a voter will eventually filter out the bad/lethargic/weak ones over time.

Oh how right-wing propagandists and their gullible Trump/Republican fringe audience hate Snopes!

HotCoffee in post #15 cites an opinion piece that was essentially nothing more than a veiled ad hominem attack, albeit by a think-tank scholar (who should know better), against David Mikkelson, the founder of Snopes, and it's employees -- as if Kalev Leetaru's personal opinion (and apparent umbrage at being ignored) in any way detracts from Snopes' professional veracity or debunks Legend's sources in post #12. (It doesn't.) The Clinton/uranium conspiracy theory remains fake news as well as the right-wing's hits on Snopes and other fact-checkers who expose their lies.

http://www.skeptical-science.com/critical-thinking/attack-fact-checking-site-snopes-valid/

#17

And then there is the left that wears halo's and only does good.

Funny how Second Amendment Extremists have total disregard for the First Amendment. I believe that's what our founders would be most perplexed and outraged about. Crooked Donny's gun-toting God and Guns base ignores what the timeless wisdom of freedom "from" religious tyranny means, but are convinced their right to keep and bear assault weapons was handed down from 1791.

The Kochpublican God and Guns base is fed by outlets like Foxaganda News....remember how Obama was coming for everybody's guns? The war on Christmas!... etc.

So we can thank the corpse media for not only Fascism but also this twisted view of our constitutional rights by gullible citizens.

While there seems to be grave concern about Putin attacking our democracy with disinformation, there seems to be no such outcry about Murdoch and his Foxaganda machine undermining our democracy with the same exact strategy???? Hmmmm?

Thom's article is fantastic...brings to mind all sorts of religious fomented evil.... 30 years war, inquisitions, St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Crusades, 1692, supposed conversion of Clovis, constant Eastern Roman Empire violence over orthodox christian interpretations, Muslim conquests, Christian conquests in the New World.....never ends...and that's why we have the First Amendment, the most important words in our constitution.

Interested in 18th century Deism? Read Thomas Paine's "The Age of Reason."

This article explains A LOT that I didn't already know about the American founding fathers' views regarding the relationship between church and state.

THANKS!

HC, Why do you pick fake news. You just make a fool of yourself:

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=O57_WcSdNeH-jwTt_5eYAQ&q=the+...

https://www.snopes.com/hillary-clinton-uranium-russia-deal/

here is another:

http://crooksandliars.com/2017/11/have-you-heard-about-trumps-fraud-o

This is such a sweeping topic for the weekend anyway, I hope the following isn't too far off the subject. Dana Milbank wrote a pretty funny opinion piece Friday about the bald-faced lies the Republicans are trying to slip past the public with their much-touted tax "reform" (hahaha) proposal for the rich, which the rest of us will be paying for one way or the other:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/whats-in-it-for-johnny-lunchbucket/2017/11/03/d867a758-c08e-11e7-8444-a0d4f04b89eb_story.html?utm_term=.e759ec4287b9

Kend. Well said. Can't disagree for the most part except to add a dash of liberal flavor to a few points.

In our representative democratic republic limited by a constitution, "the" goverment is supposed to reflect the will of the People; so it is more accurately described as "our" government. Psychologically, as well as every other way, that's an important distinction, isn't it?

Also, volunteerism through church and community, while a good thing, simply cannot match the sheer number of human beings in desperate need of life-saving assistance. "The Great Hunger" in Ireland put the lie to British naiveté in that regard. (At the higher echelons of power, it was willful ignorance!)

With a large nationwide population during normal times, it's ludicrous to think local efforts can meet the need; in times of crisis, it's a huge crime against humanity! Not to have in place a well-funded welfare system that adequately and successively serves ALL citizens -- when they are in critical need -- is morally wrong no matter the excuses.

Why else insert "general welfare" in the Constitution, as most democracies do?

stopgap. They are revealed by their own words.

"My ear protection is at the ready." In poker that's a tell, a visibly self-conscious admission -- jitters when you know that you are bluffing (lying), and you know that everyone else at the table also knows it.

AKA Chelsea continuously reinforces her credentials as a gullible Trump troll with calorie-free distractions from the larger truths of this Administration and Congress and their penchant for Washington-speak bafflegab.

It's a new take on an old joke: The most contested piece of real estate in America is that five-foot strip of land between a gaggle of Republican lawmakers and a bank of microphones and cameras, as they trip all over each other in their mad dash to lie directly to the American People about healthcare "reform," tax "reform," and just about every other Republican policy initiative. "Oh but, it primarily helps the middle class, not our wealthy donors ...'cross our hearts and hope to die.' [FDR]" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3RHnKYNvx8

#28 is a classic example. Cantankerous ol' Granny loves to kick sand, throwing out lots of childish insults, false accusations, and subjective psychobabble, but then serves up nothing but thin gruel with no meat, citing a right-wing spin doctor at a right-wing website who engages in selective reporting while ignoring the bigger picture. HOLY COW! HOLD THE PRESS! Some Democratic lawmakers got a minor talking point wrong as they speculated about leaked information on a bill that hadn't even been released yet. "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"

And for good measure, she throws into her witch's brew an anecdotal non sequitur in the form of a pithy news item, which does not prove anything, let alone a wider trend of election fraud by the Democratic Party -- and yet, not a word about the very real, widespread, institutionalized, Republican election fraud perpetrated against the entire nation for decades.

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast.

But enough of dead-end wingerism; for a sunnier day, stick with actual truth tellers. I feel sorry for Trump trolls who think simple truth sounds like a liberal conspiracy. It must be maddening waking up every morning to the false reality of a babbling buffoon making America "great" (again?). (What? Back last century when a younger version of a racist New York real estate mogul, borrowing billions and sticking it to the taxpayers, was an item?)

Anyway, from a Nobel Prize economist, the truth about the lies:

https://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies/

Deepspace, These Trolls can't seem to do simple math that would prove to them that Hillary actually won the popular vote by 3 million votes. How many votes do they think a candidate has to win by before they are actually deemed the victor? If they can't do simple math then why do they think that anything else they say should be believed?

It appears that some leftie/socialists can’t deal with any opposing views. It must bolster their ego to know you are always correct 100% of the time which is why their arrogance following the last election cycle is so delightful to watch and refute. God forbid anything or anyone from the other, or even the same, side throw in their 2¢.

Headlines like this must send them into orbit.

Democrats are lying about Republican tax plan, says Washington Post fact-checker

Or

4 Philadelphia election workers charged with fraud, voter intimidation

Merry Christmas anyway and remember only four more days until your protests can be vocalized in a sensible manner, although I am very concerned that your combined screeching toward the sky could throw an inordinate amount of carbon dioxide into the air resulting in another polar bear going home without dinner.

My ear protection is at the ready.