What if we cared about those living in poverty as much as we care about celebrities?

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Op-Ed The Trans-Pacific Partnership won't deliver jobs or curb China's power

This article comes from someone who is an expert on the subject and worked for Reagan and Clinton:

As counselor to the secretary of Commerce in the Reagan administration, I was involved in a number of trade negotiations, including the so-called MOSS (market-oriented sector-selective) talks. Some veteran negotiators waggishly renamed those negotiations — to paraphrase in family friendly terms — “more of the same old stuff.” And that's what President Obama called for in his State of the Union proposal for completion and adoption of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, or TPP, for the Asia-Pacific region.

The president, unfortunately, doesn't know much about the history of U.S. trade deals, but his proposals are being touted by many who do and who should know better about this one.

Analysis: Secret Israeli-Saudi ties likely to continue despite Abdullah's death

 This kind of article wouldn't appear in the U.S. press. There is no debate about our relationship with Israel in America. Any paper that wrote an article like this might be accused of being anti-Israel, or worse:

The tacit security and intelligence cooperation that has come to characterize Israel’s clandestine relationship with Saudi Arabia is likely to remain intact even as the House of Saud undergoes a transition of power following Thursday’s passing of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud.

“The changes that the Middle East has experienced in recent years have created a set of joint interests between the two countries,” said Dr. Michal Yaari, an expert on Saudi foreign policy and a lecturer at the Open University.

Barrett Brown Conviction Part of Reign of Terror Against Hacktivists

While the U.S. government is free to break into computers and networks--illegally--all others who do the same are treated like al Qaeda terrorists. It's all about power. We don't have it and the government does. And if you complain about it you will go to jail. Thank goodness that there are those--like Brown and Edward Snowden--willing to risk their lives so that we live free:

...Barrett Brown is nonetheless the latest victim of what advocate and lawyer Gráinne O’Neill has dubbed “the nerd scare”: Over the past couple of years, scores of hackers have been arrested in a single, unprecedented, cohesive swoop—and largely in direct retaliation to politically motivated hacks, such as those organized by the collective Anonymous. These hacks are not about getting rich—they are digital direct action intended to increase transparency and to protest censorship and corruption.

Man Acquitted of Stabbing a Police Officer, Juror says he Was “Protecting his Family

When have you seen this? Some justice for someone is a victim of police violence. But it's still a rare event, unfortunately:

A Texas man has been acquitted after being accused of stabbing a police officer during a violent confrontation with six “amped up” police officers.

A jury of seven women and five men cleared Shane French, 38, of four counts of assaulting a peace officer and three counts of resisting arrest. After the incident in February, French was originally charged with attempted murder.

Pope Francis Wants All Annulments To Be Free

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Pope Francis on Friday (Jan. 23) warned the Vatican’s top marriage judges that they should not “lock the salvation of persons within the straits of legalism” and indicated he wants the church to no longer charge for the sometimes onerous and expensive annulment process.

“This is a point I want to emphasize: the sacraments are free,” Francis told jurists of the Roman Rota, the church’s final court of appeals for annulments.

“The sacraments give us grace,” he said. “And a marriage proceeding” — like an annulment — “touches on the sacrament of marriage.”

“How I wish all marriage proceedings were free of charge!” he added.

Netanyahu 'spat in our face,' White House officials said to say

This demonstrates what little respect foreign leaders have for this President. And that's very dangerous. It's also shows that Republicans will do anything to attack Obama. There whole agenda is to attack this President. If the Democrats had done the same thing to a Republican President they would be screaming "treason."