The New York Times called it “the most extreme Republican platform in memory.” The Human Rights Campaign called it “the most overtly anti-LGBTQ platform in history.” But is the 2016 Republican platform really that bad?

“WE DENOUNCE BIGOTRY, RACISM, ANTI-SEMITISM, ETHNIC PREJUDICE, AND RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE. THEREFORE, WE OPPOSE DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, SEX, RELIGION, CREED, DISABILITY, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN…”

And without further ado, our presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

Also, opposing discrimination against sexual orientation or identity? Haha, f*ck that.

“AS THE PARTY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, WE MUST CONTINUE TO FOSTER SOLUTIONS TO AMERICA’S DIFFICULT CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO RACE RELATIONS TODAY. WE CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE EQUALITY FOR ALL CITIZENS AND ACCESS TO THE AMERICAN DREAM. MERIT AND HARD WORK SHOULD DETERMINE ADVANCEMENT IN OUR SOCIETY, SO WE REJECT UNFAIR PREFERENCES, QUOTAS, AND SET-ASIDES AS FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION.”

We decided to put these sentences together to highlight our ignorance of how America’s racial history still limits the economic opportunities of minorities in poor communities, something affirmative action was designed to help alleviate.

“A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIBLE BEING INDISPENSABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EDUCATED CITIZENRY…”

That’s right, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, and agnostics — if you don’t learn about our ancient text written by primitive Middle Eastern clans, your education is flawed and so is your ability to be a good U.S. citizen.

“WE BELIEVE THE CONSTITUTION WAS WRITTEN NOT AS A FLEXIBLE DOCUMENT, BUT AS OUR ENDURING COVENANT.”

That’s why no changes were ever really necessary. Don’t you dare bring up slavery or votes for women.

“WE BELIEVE IN AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM. WE BELIEVE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER NATION ON EARTH.”

Isn’t it such a happy coincidence that you happened to be born in the greatest nation of all time?

“EVERY TIME WE SING, ‘GOD BLESS AMERICA,’ WE ARE ASKING FOR HELP. WE ASK FOR DIVINE HELP THAT OUR COUNTRY CAN FULFILL ITS PROMISE.”

Yeah, a little Manifest Destiny never killed anyone.

“GOD BESTOWS CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS ON EVERY INDIVIDUAL, THUS PRODUCING HUMAN EQUALITY… MAN-MADE LAW MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH GOD-GIVEN, NATURAL RIGHTS; AND THAT IF GOD-GIVEN, NATURAL, INALIENABLE RIGHTS COME IN CONFLICT WITH GOVERNMENT, COURT, OR HUMAN-GRANTED RIGHTS, GOD-GIVEN, NATURAL, INALIENABLE RIGHTS ALWAYS PREVAIL; THAT THERE IS A MORAL LAW RECOGNIZED AS “THE LAWS OF NATURE AND OF NATURE’S GOD”… [THE CONSTITUTION] ENSHRINES OUR GOD-GIVEN INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS…”

Guys, we really like the Judeo-Christian deity. A lot.

“THE CORNERSTONE OF THE FAMILY IS NATURAL MARRIAGE, THE UNION OF ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.”

In case you’re bad with reading between the lines, gay marriage is unnatural, folks.

“WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE SUPREME COURT’S REDEFINITION OF MARRIAGE AND WE URGE ITS REVERSAL, WHETHER THROUGH JUDICIAL RECONSIDERATION OR A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT RETURNING CONTROL OVER MARRIAGE TO THE STATES.”

Yeah, a little State’s Rights never hurt anybody.

“WE OPPOSE GOVERNMENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST BUSINESSES OR ENTITIES WHICH DECLINE TO SELL ITEMS OR SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS FOR ACTIVITIES THAT GO AGAINST THEIR RELIGIOUS VIEWS ABOUT SUCH ACTIVITIES.”

Sorry, ma’am, but you’re an atheist, and the Bible says nonbelievers must be put to death. I don’t actually take that part of the Bible seriously, but I think I’ll still have to ask you to take your business elsewhere.

Whoa, just kidding. We were only talking about the gays.

“TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, BASED ON MARRIAGE BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN, IS THE FOUNDATION FOR A FREE SOCIETY AND HAS FOR MILLENNIA BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH REARING CHILDREN AND INSTILLING CULTURAL VALUES.”

You heard it here first. With gay marriage, society cannot be free.

“WE RENEW OUR CALL FOR REPLACING ‘FAMILY PLANNING’ PROGRAMS FOR TEENS WITH SEXUAL RISK AVOIDANCE EDUCATION THAT SETS ABSTINENCE UNTIL MARRIAGE AS THE RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTED STANDARD OF BEHAVIOR.”

Abstinence education works, folks. I’d bet my daughter’s unbroken oyster on it.

“[TITLE IX] IS NOW BEING USED BY BUREAUCRATS — AND BY THE CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES — TO IMPOSE A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REVOLUTION UPON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BY WRONGLY REDEFINING SEX DISCRIMINATION TO INCLUDE SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR OTHER CATEGORIES. THEIR AGENDA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS; IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH POWER. THEY ARE DETERMINED TO RESHAPE OUR SCHOOLS — AND OUR ENTIRE SOCIETY — TO FIT THE MOLD OF AN IDEOLOGY ALIEN TO AMERICA’S HISTORY AND TRADITIONS.”

That’s right! Expanding anti-discrimination laws to cover more Americans has simply never been done before.

And just like when it wasn’t done before, with women and minorities, it’s all about power, not people’s well-being.

“WITH ALL OUR FELLOW CITIZENS, WE HAVE WATCHED, IN ANGER AND DISGUST, THE MOCKING OF OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS BY A PRESIDENT WHO MADE HIMSELF SUPERIOR TO THE WILL OF THE NATION. WE STAND WITH THE VICTIMS OF HIS POLICIES, ESPECIALLY THE FAMILIES OF MURDERED INNOCENTS. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ENDANGERS EVERYONE…”

They’re bringing crime. They’re bringing drugs. They’re rapists. And I’m sure a lot of them are good people.

“THE NEXT PRESIDENT MUST NOT SOW SEEDS OF DIVISION AND DISTRUST BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE PEOPLE THEY HAVE SWORN TO SERVE AND PROTECT.”

Because everyone knows distrust between police and ordinary citizens is, historically, Obama’s fault.

“THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THAT COAL IS AN ABUNDANT, CLEAN, AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE DOMESTIC ENERGY RESOURCE.”

Trust us, we’ve never been wrong on issues of science.

“OVER A DOZEN STATES HAVE PASSED PAIN CAPABLE UNBORN CHILD PROTECTION ACTS PROHIBITING ABORTION AFTER TWENTY WEEKS, THE POINT AT WHICH CURRENT MEDICAL RESEARCH SHOWS THAT UNBORN BABIES CAN FEEL EXCRUCIATING PAIN DURING ABORTIONS, AND WE CALL ON CONGRESS TO ENACT THE FEDERAL VERSION.”

Because at twenty weeks, women will still feel healthy enough to make the drive down to Texas to buy Miso on the black market and commit abortion anyway.

“WE SUPPORT BUILDING A WALL ALONG OUR SOUTHERN BORDER AND PROTECTING ALL PORTS OF ENTRY.”

Just like with my daughter.

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John Hinckley, Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, will soon be freed from the psychiatric hospital where he has resided for 35 years.

Hinckley attacked Reagan outside a Washington, D.C., hotel on March 30, 1981. He shot Reagan in the chest, Press Secretary James Brady in the head, and wounded a policeman and a Secret Service agent. Hinckley was tackled and arrested at the scene, while Reagan was rushed to the hospital. The president survived, offering at the hospital the now-famous quip “I hope you’re all Republicans” to the doctors. The bullet missed his heart by an inch.

Brady was paralyzed from the waist down.

• He cannot speak with media. Any media contact by him or his family will constitute a violation of his release.
• No drugs, no weapons.
• No contact with the family members of his victims, which include the Reagan family, Brady family, Thomas Delahanty or Timothy McCarthy.
• He cannot travel to areas where current or former presidents, Congress or senior executives or “United States Secret Service protectees” are found.
• He can use the internet but cannot Google himself, research weapons, porn, or his victims.
• He may not set-up any social media accounts without unanimous permission from his treatment team.

Hinckley will be released as early as August 5, 2016.

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On Tuesday morning, August 2, 2016, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s speech in Loudoun County, Virginia, was continuously interrupted by a crying baby. Eventually, Trump could ignore it no longer.

“Don’t worry about that baby, I love babies,” Trump said, to the delight of the crowd.

“I love babies!” he repeated. “I hear that baby crying. I like it!”

“I LIKE IT!”

“What a baby!” he continued, a strange sort of grimace passing over his face.

“What a beautiful baby. Don’t worry about it… It’s young and beautiful and healthy.”

Trump then resumed talking of China, who has “ripped us to shreds” by devaluing its currency, but was forced to address the wailing once again. “Actually I was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here,” he said in a low voice, jabbing his thumb toward the door. The crowd laughed.

“That’s all right, don’t worry,” he said to the mother as she made an exit.

“I think she actually believed me that I loved having a baby crying while I’m speaking,” he joked. A smug, disconcerting smile appeared on his lips.

Then, randomly: “People don’t understand.”

Watch the entire video via CNN.

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On Sunday, August 7, 2016, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson wrote a response to critics of the idea that nations should “base policy on the weight of evidence” — and that citizens of Earth who support the idea should become members of a virtual nation, “Rationalia.” The thought of Rationalia was first conjured by Taylor Milsal, a marketing executive, in casual conversation with Tyson and other scientists like particle physicist Brian Cox.

Tyson tweeted about it in June: “Earth needs a virtual country, Rationalia, with a one-line Constitution: All policy should be based on the weight of evidence.”

Of course, around the web, some were quick to take this one sentence and attempt to tear it to shreds, jumping at the change to “educate” Tyson and let him know science — the gatekeeper of evidence — isn’t always accurate, and can result in terribly immoral policies.

Thus some brought up the eugenics of the Nazis, and of course other crimes against humanity like the pseudo-science that justified black slavery and Jim Crow, conclusions that homosexuality was a sickness, and so on. A contributor for U.S. News & World Report insisted the whole idea was nonsense because if you don’t “subdivide data” you can get the wrong conclusions (here he used batting averages and medical tests as examples), and a writer for New Scientist whined about how “nobody really knows what science means,” how “rationality is subjective,” and that “scientists can’t tell us if it’s right to kill a baby with a developmental disability, despite how well they might marshal evidence about the baby’s life prospects or her capacity to think or move on her own.”

Tyson’s response first pointed out the obvious:

A common critique was the question of where such a country would get its morals, and how other other ethical issues might be established or resolved. The last I reviewed the US Bill of Rights, there was no discussion of morals there either. Nowhere does it say “Thou Shalt Not Kill”. Meanwhile, there’s an entire Amendment — Number 3 — that prevents the military from bunking in your home without your permission.

Across time and culture, morals have evolved, typically by rational analysis of the effects and consequences of a previously held moral, in the light of emergent knowledge, wisdom, and insight.

Tyson explains that “in Rationalia, the Constitution stipulates that a body of convincing evidence needs to exist in support of an idea before any Policy can established based on it.” This does not mean checks and balances must be obliterated, that scientists and politicians will be allowed to implement any old policy that will kill, imprison, experiment on, or otherwise harm “lesser peoples” or “undesirables.” Literally all he is saying is this:

In Rationalia, for example, if you want to introduce capital punishment you’d need to propose a reason for it. If the reason is to deter murder, then an entire research machine would be put into place (if it did not already exist) to see whether, in fact, capital punishment deters murder. If it does not, then your proposed policy fails, and we move on to other proposals. In Rationalia, if you want to fund art in schools, you simply propose a reason why. Does it increase creativity in the citizenry? Is creativity good for culture and society at large? Is creativity good for everyone no matter your chosen profession? These are testable questions. They just require verifiable research to establish answers. And then, the debate ends quickly in the face of evidence, and we move on to other questions.

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During the week of August 15, 2016, 23 people, including clergymen and women from Kansas City, are on trial for civil disobedience. In May 2014, the group refused to leave the capitol building in Jefferson City, Missouri. 300 people, with song and chants, were peacefully protesting, urging the legislature to expand Medicaid — healthcare for the very poor. It is estimated hundreds of Missourians will die without the expansion. The 23 refused to leave when ordered, and were arrested and charged with misdemeanors. They face up to 6 months in jail and $500 in fines.

In solidarity, here are quotes on civil disobedience, one for each of the “Medicaid 23.”

1. HOWARD ZINN

“Civil disobedience…is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience… Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity and war and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country.”

2. HENRY DAVID THOREAU

“Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”

3. ROSA PARKS

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”

4. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

5. EDMUND BURKE

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

6. GANDHI

“Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state becomes lawless and corrupt.”

7. THOMAS JEFFERSON

“If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.”

8. CESAR CHAVEZ

“The first principle of non-violent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating.”

9. DESMOND TUTU

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

10. ORIANA FALLACI

“I have always looked on disobedience toward the oppressive as the only way to use the miracle of having been born.”

11. JUVENAL

“Dare to do things worthy of imprisonment if you mean to be of consequence.”

12. RALPH WALDO EMERSON

“Every actual state is corrupt.  Good men must not obey laws too well.”

13. LEMUEL K. WASHBURN

“It is necessary to distinguish between the virtue and the vice of obedience.”

14. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

“Disobedience [is] the rarest and most courageous of the virtues.”

15. LOUIS D. BRANDEIS

“If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.”

16. CHINESE PROVERB

“Laws control the lesser man.  Right conduct controls the greater one.”

17. JOAN BAEZ

“That’s all nonviolence is — organized love.”

18. EMMELINE PANKHURST

“We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.”

19. ELIE WIESEL

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

20. ALICE WALKER

“Resistance is the secret of joy!”

21. MARK TWAIN

“Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn’t. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.”

22. ALBERT EINSTEIN

“Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.”

23. BETTY WILLIAMS

“I always say that non-violence is not the weapon of the weak. It is the weapon of the strong.”

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