Fox Promotes Deceptive Ad Accusing Obama Of
Taking All The Bin Laden Credit

Fox News figures are promoting an ad produced by Veterans for a Strong America that deceptively edited statements by President Obama to portray him as taking all the credit for the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. In fact, fuller context of the speeches that the ad excerpts makes clear that Obama did give credit to the troops for the bin Laden raid, a fact that Fox's own Megyn Kelly has noted.

Fox Promotes Deceptive Anti-Obama Ad 

Fox's Charles Krauthammer: Veterans Group "Ad Simply Shows The Words Obama Has Used Himself, So The Facts Are Not In Dispute." During the May 3 edition of Fox News' Special Report, guest host John Roberts said that Veterans for a Strong America has released an ad "accusing President Obama of spiking the football over Osama bin Laden." Fox then aired part of the ad saying that "heroes don't spike the football." After comments from The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol and Fox contributor Kirsten Powers, Fox contributor Charles Krauthammer said "[t]his is a very strong ad" that "simply shows the words Obama has used himself, so the facts are not in dispute." He continued: 

KRAUTHAMMER: And it hits at several levels. It isn't just that Obama has managed to turn a positive, something he did well, into a negative by attacking, using it as a partisan weapon which diminishes him, also it diminishes the solemnity of the event, which was a national event, and he used it, he appropriated it for himself. It is the narcissism, and that is the deeper issue here, how they quote Obama again and again, using the first personal pronoun in his announcement of the event. It's all about me, I, commander-in-chief, I ordered, I did this. What about the guys out there who did it and who risked their lives? And secondly, this idea that what was at stake was the political fortunes of the president if the lives of his own soldiers whom he ordered into battle were lost. That is devastating because I think it speaks to an underlying issue with Obama, of the self-regard and the narcissism that is implicit in a lot of what he does, but involved in an event of this kind where soldiers are at risk, I think it really hits hard. And if this ad were to play around the country, I think it would have a devastating effect. [Fox News, Special Report with Bret Baier, 5/3/12, via Media Matters]   

Fox's Van Susteren: "A Veterans Group [Is] Slamming The President For Taking The Credit" For The Bin Laden Raid "Instead Of Giving It To The Special Forces." During the May 3 edition of Fox News' On the Record, host Greta Van Susteren said, "One year after the killing of bin Laden, Republicans blasting President Obama for spiking the football. And now, a veterans group slamming the president for taking the credit instead of giving it to the special forces." After airing part of the ad, Van Susteren said that "what I take away from that ad is that the veterans are deeply disturbed -- this group of veterans, maybe not all veterans, but this one -- and they were saying that he was arrogant and taking credit, that he was not humble and had no humility." She concluded the segment by saying "it's very boorish to take credit away from those brave men ... at the scene, who did actually execute this unbelievable killing of Osama bin Laden." [Fox News, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, 5/3/12, via Media Matters] 

But Even Fox's Kelly Says The Ad Is Dishonest 

Fox's Kelly: Obama "Did Give Thanks" To The Troops Who Killed Bin Laden. During an interview with Veterans for a Strong America founder Joel Arends on the May 3 edition of Fox News' America Live, host Megyn Kelly observed that Obama did indeed credit the troops for killing bin Laden, saying, "He did give thanks to the others, and of course had to mention the first person in discussing how things went down." From the show: 

KELLY:  You point out in your ad that President Obama, you feel, used the first person too much in talking about this issue. And here's part -- the part of your ad that goes after that. 

OBAMA [video clip]: I can report. I directed Leon Panetta. I was briefed. I met repeatedly. I determined. At my direction. I called President Zardari. I, as commander-in-chief. We don't need to spike the football. I said that I'd go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him, and I did. 

KELLY: That first part was from May 2011, after bin Laden was killed, and the president was announcing it. But we did go back and look at his remarks, Joel, and here's another portion of them.  

OBAMA [video clip]: A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who've worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country.    

KELLY: He did give thanks to the others, and of course had to mention the first person in discussing how things went down. Do you think the ad is fair on that score? [Fox News, America Live, 5/3/12, via Media Matters]  

Indeed, The Ad Deceptively Edited Obama's Statements 

Veterans For A Strong America Ad Pushes Narrative That Obama Took All The Credit For The Bin Laden Raid. The political ad from Veterans for a Strong America is titled "Why does President Obama take so much credit for killing Bin Laden?" It shows short snippets of President Obama using the word "I" from his May 2, 2011, announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden and from his April 30, 2012, joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Noda, leaving the false impression that Obama took full credit for the bin Laden raid. [Veterans for a Strong America, 5/1/12] 

But In Speeches The Ad Excerpts, Obama Did Give Credit To The Troops For Bin Laden Raid. 

• Obama: "We Give Thanks For The Men Who Carried Out This Operation, For They Exemplify The Professionalism, Patriotism, And Unparalleled Courage Of Those Who Serve Our Country." From Obama's May 2, 2011, remarks on the killing of bin Laden: 

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort.  

[...] 

A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body. 

[...] 

Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who've worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice. 

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day. [WhiteHouse.gov, 5/2/11] 

• Obama: Bringing Bin Laden To Justice Is "A Mark Of The Excellence Of Our Intelligence Teams And Our Military Teams." From Obama's April 30 remarks at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Noda: 

I think that people -- the American people rightly remember what we as a country accomplished in bringing to justice somebody who killed over 3,000 of our citizens. And it's a mark of the excellence of our intelligence teams and our military teams; a political process that worked.  And I think for us to use that time for some reflection to give thanks to those who participated is entirely appropriate, and that's what's been taking place. [WhiteHouse.gov, 4/30/12] 

And Joel Arends, Whose Group Created The Ad, Is A Longtime GOP Activist 

Arends Was A Paid Staffer On John McCain's 2008 Presidential Campaign. According to multiple sources, Joel Arends was on John McCain's payroll for the 2008 presidential campaign: 

• Federal Election Commission records, via CQ MoneyLine, show Joel Arends received at least $23,510 in payments for "travel" and "payroll" purposes from John McCain 2008 Inc. [Search of FEC filings, via CQ Moneyline, accessed 5/3/12] 

• Joel Arends' LinkedIn page includes "Director Iowa Veterans Operations at John McCain 2008" under past work experience. [LinkedIn.com, accessed 5/3/12] 

Arends Worked On George W. Bush's Presidential Campaign. According to multiple sources, Joel Arends worked on the staff of George W. Bush's presidential campaign: 

• Joel Arends' LinkedIn page includes "Field Director" at "Bush Cheney 2000" under past work experience. [LinkedIn.com, accessed 5/3/12] 

• The Argus Leader, a daily newspaper in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, described Arends as having "worked on the staff of George W. Bush's presidential campaign," and quoted him as having said, "On the campaign trail, I saw a man who was extremely confident he was going to win." [Argus Leader, 11/9/01, via Nexis] 

Arends Is The Chairman Of The Lincoln County, South Dakota, Republican Party. Multiple sources show Joel Arends as the chairman of Lincoln County South Dakota Republican Party: 

• The "Lincoln County GOP" Facebook page lists Arends as the current "Chairman" of the South Dakota Republican Party in Lincoln County. [Facebook, accessed 5/3/12] 

• Joel Arends' LinkedIn page includes "Chairman at Lincoln County South Dakota Republican Party" under current jobs. [LinkedIn.com, accessed 5/3/12] 

Arends Has Also Worked For Craig Dewey, The State Director Of The Conservative Advocacy Group Americans For Prosperity. Mother Jones reported: 

Though he doesn't list it on his public resume, around 2006 Arends went to work for Craig Dewey, the state director of Americans for Prosperity, an advocacy outfit that's Astroturfed everything from the tea party and the Wisconsin union fight to public-school segregation. (AFP's nonprofit 501(c)3 wing is chaired by David Koch, who founded the Americans for Prosperity Foundation with his brother Charles.) 

"I was consulting with Americans For Prosperity on a state level, helping to connect them with key decision makers," Arends says. Craig Dewey initially denied this to me in a phone conversation. "Joel was never on paid staff at Americans for Prosperity," he said before conceding, "He was an advisor to me." [Mother Jones, 5/4/12]

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.mediamatters.org/~r/mediamatters/latest/~3/nyUkxUTOiUU/201205040010

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...and a light goes dark

By @BGinKC

Adam MCA Yauch, 1964 - 2012

One of the lights that illuminates the world went out today when Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys lost the battle with throat cancer he had been waging for three years and slipped the bonds of this mortal coil.

He really was one of the good guys, and the world really is a better place for him having been in it for 47 short years. He was active in politics and dedicated to progressive causes, a practicing Buddhist who virtually single-handedly started the "Free Tibet" movement in the 90s, and a commited feminist. Like I said, the world is a better place today because he was in it for a while.

I wanna say a little something that's long overdue
This disrespect to women has got to be through
To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends
I want to offer my love and respect to the end.
-- Lyrics from Sure Shot, on the album Ill Communication

Right back atcha, friend.

RIP, MCA. I miss you already.  


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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheyGaveUsARepublic-FrontPage/~3/Ikk932KsnCo/and-a
-light-goes-dark

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The Emperor is Naked: David Stockman

The Gold Report: David, you have talked and written about the effect of government-funded, debt-fueled spending on the stock market. What will be the real impact of quantitative easing?

David Stockman: We are in the last innings of a very bad ball game. We are coping with the crash of a 30-year?long debt super-cycle and the aftermath of an unsustainable bubble.

Quantitative easing is making it worse by facilitating more public-sector borrowing and preventing debt liquidation in the private sector?both erroneous steps in my view. The federal government is not … [visit site to read . . . → Read More: The Emperor is Naked: David Stockman

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http://jutiagroup.com/20120504-the-emperor-is-naked-david-stockman/

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GOP Madness 2012, Round 1, Match 12

Is this really the 12th contest? Only 17 to go before we have a final winner. What did I get myself into?

The bracket thus far is here. Today's winner will face off against Rick Santorum telling Puerto Ricans to speak English if they want to be American.

1. GOP AUDIENCE CHEERS "LET HIM DIE!"

BLITZER: A healthy 30-year-old young man has a good job, makes a good living, but decides, you know what? I?m not going to spend $200 or $300 a month for health insurance because I?m healthy, I don?t need it. But something terrible happens, all of a sudden he needs it.

Who?s going to pay if he goes into a coma, for example?  Who pays for that?

PAUL: Well, in a society that you accept welfarism and socialism, he expects the government to take care of him.

BLITZER: Well, what do you want?

PAUL: But what he should do is whatever he wants to do, and assume responsibility for himself. My advice to him would have a major medical
policy, but not be forced ?

BLITZER: But he doesn?t have that. He doesn?t have it, and he needs intensive care for six months. Who pays?

PAUL: That?s what freedom is all about, taking your own risks. This whole idea that you have to prepare and take care of everybody ?
(APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: But Congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die?

CROWD: Yes! Yeah! (LAUGHTER)

Ha ha ha, it's so funny when Americans die. Particularly libtards, because good, honest, hard-working Americans couldn't be walking around without health insurance, could they?

2. MITT ROMNEY INSTALLS CAR ELEVATOR IN MANSION

Romney SOOOO wants one of these.Mitt did so much to prepare for his 2012 presidential bid. He got rid of his undocumented workers, because all that cheap labor could come back and haunt him. He also sold a bunch of his mansions, because that sort of thing didn't play well for John McCain.

But there was only so much he was willing to sacrifice to his political ambitions. So he set out to quadruple the size of his $12 million California beachside mansion, hiring a lobbyist to navigate through the city planning process. Among his renovations:

At Mitt Romney?s proposed California beach house, the cars will have their own separate elevator.

For a campaign that has had so much trouble connecting with voters, such ostentatious displays of wealth further cement the fact that Mitt Romney just isn't like the rest of us.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/rMJbr3c_uIs/-GOP-Madness-2012-Roun
d-1-Match-12

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Promising Revenue Growth Could Ease Budget Cuts
But Big Corporate Tax Cuts Spell Trouble

Even Governor Has Concerns About House Bill to Cut Corporate Taxes by Nearly $1 BillionThis week brought some good news on the state revenue front, but it also brought some long-term worries as the Pennsylvania House voted to approve major business tax cuts over the decade. If signed into law, this bill will weaken Pennsylvania's economy and result in a long-term erosion to the quality of our schools, colleges, and health care.
First, the good news. Pennsylvania?s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) in a report this week predicted stronger state revenues based on an improving economy. This would give the General Assembly as much as $800 million to restore cuts proposed by the Governor. This is clearly good news, but both the Corbett administration and legislative leaders are already dampening expectations about the scale of funding restorations. Click here to read more about that.
Rally at the Capitol: Hundreds will rally at the State Capitol at 11 a.m. on May 7 to call on lawmakers to enact a budget that works for Pennsylvania families. Learn more.Now, the troubling news. The House gave the green light this week to a bill making nearly $1 billion worth of corporate tax cuts by the end of the decade. House Bill 2150 does not close the Delaware loophole that large multi-state companies use to avoid paying state taxes, but it will mean major cuts to education and human services down the road and a tax shift onto individual taxpayers. And it comes with no commitment from businesses to put Pennsylvanians back to work.
Twenty-three Democrats joined most Republicans in support of House Bill 2150, while two Republicans joined 56 Democrats to vote against the bill. The overall vote was 129-58.
The bill is so costly that even Governor Corbett's administration has voiced concerns about it. Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser told Capitolwire this week: "And frankly, in a period when revenues are sensitive and budget challenges are great, the timing is not right to enter into a new program in tax reform that can create uncertainty, the governor is very interested in a perhaps larger more comprehensive tax reform bill, possibly next year if the timing is right. Hopefully it is and we will have a stronger economy and revenues are more stable.?
Most Pennsylvanians support closing corporate tax loopholes to level the playing field for all businesses and boost the state's economy. But lawmakers need to act cautiously and responsibly. House Bill 2150 takes the wrong approach. It would ensure budget shortfalls, major service cuts and higher local taxes for years to come.Learn more about House Bill 2150 here.
Come to the State Capitol Monday. Add your voice to the growing chorus in Harrisburg urging lawmakers to restore cuts to schools, health services and help for people with disabilities and struggling families. Join advocates from across Pennsylvania at 11 a.m. Monday, May 7 for a rally in the Main Rotunda of the State Capitol to call on lawmakers and the Governor to enact a budget that works for Pennsylvania families and our economy. Learn more about this event.

---

The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center is a non-partisan policy research project that provides independent, credible analysis on state tax, budget and related policy matters, with attention to the impact of current or proposed policies on working families.

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http://keystoneprogress.blogspot.com/2012/05/promising-revenue-growth-could-ease.
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The Never Ending Sexual Saga of Dominique
Strauss-Kahn

SOME PIECE OF WORK Strauss-Kahn is turning out to be, with the latest headlines screaming…

Dominique Strauss-Kahn could face gang rape charges after US hotel orgy

I’m still wondering who at Huffington Post will get the Anne Sinclair interview? Sinclair is Strauss-Kahn’s wife, as well as the editor of Le Huffington Post, whose endurance has got to be at the point of breaking. His dangerous libido is putting her through yet another round of fresh hell.

France could have been stuck with the guy as president. That he was a respected member of the world elite, running the World Bank, is something worthy of pondering. If he weren’t among the 1% of the world’s 1% how would the police have handled his excursions?

The latest reports from the French media are harrowing, via the UK Telegraph:

During questioning in the so-called Carlton case – as many of the prostitutes operated out of a hotel of that name in Lille, northern France – Marie-Anne S. described a ?violent scene? in the upmarket W hotel, near the White House.

She said Mr Strauss-Kahn ?used force? against her. ?He held my hands. He pulled my hair, he hurt me,? she told judges, adding that the former French finance minister tried to sodomise her.

?I refused saying no, I don?t want to?I clearly said I didn?t want to several times, out loud,? she reportedly told the judges.

French elections are Sunday and it looks like anti-austerity Socialist François Hollande, after winning the recent debate, as well as garnering a “centrist” endorsement, is poised to take the presidential prize.

“Ah that debate.” Mr Hollande said to chants of “François President”. “The incumbent placed so much hope on it ? He thought he would eat me up in one mouthful, but I’m afraid he ended up going hungry.” – UK Telegraph

If François Hollande wins on Sunday, one of his brainy ideas is to lower the retirement age to 60 for some workers. It’s positively mad.

Read The Full Article:
http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2012/05/the-never-ending-sexual-saga-of-dominique-str
auss-kahn/

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Wash Post on Romney's "narrow path" to victory

The Post does a good job of laying out, in detail, the states that Romney needs to win in November, and they explain why he may have a difficult time doing so.

It's quite interesting how Obama's fortunes have turned around from a year ago. In part, it's because the GOP primary really took the wind out of the Republicans' sales. In part, it's also because the President has been playing a much tougher game with the GOP over the last year or so, and it's worked to (slowly) win people back to his side. Mitt Romney faces a narrow path to the presidency, one that requires winning back states that President Obama took from Republicans in 2008 and that has few apparent opportunities for Romney to steal away traditionally Democratic states.

Washington Post:

Mitt Romney faces a narrow path to the presidency, one that requires winning back states that President Obama took from Republicans in 2008 and that has few apparent opportunities for Romney to steal away traditionally Democratic states.

Months ago, Obama?s campaign advisers laid out five distinct ways for the president to clear the threshold of 270 electoral college votes and win reelection. As Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and his advisers chart their strategy, they plan to target a dozen to 15 states and say that they, too, have more routes than their opponents claim.

But Romney?s team acknowledges that any realistic course to 270 starts with winning back three historically Republican states that Obama won in 2008 ? Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia ? and believes that changing demographics in Virginia present a challenge.

After that, Romney must play take-away with the Democrats in a number of other states that the Obama campaign flipped to its column four years ago. The two biggest and most important are Ohio and Florida, which advisers see as must-wins for Romney unless he can pick off one of the 18 states that Democrats have won in each of the past five elections.

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Americablog/~3/M3wRDti2KnA/wash-post-on-romneys-na
rrow-path-to.html

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Veteran Challenges Romney On Oil At Town Hall:
‘Big Oil Is Taking Over!”‘

Mitt Romney hates regulation, and he’s not afraid to say it. At an event in Pennsylvania today, Romney was confronted by a veteran who asked him how he will make sure big oil doesn’t take over at the expense of smaller refineries. Addressing the Keystone Pipeline, the man said, “Big oil is taking over!” But Romney stood by his support for a free market with no regulation. “That pipeline from Canada?” Romney said, “If I’m President, we’ll build it if I have to build it myself.” Watch it:

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/05/04/478404/veteran-pushes-romney-on-supp
orting-big-oil/

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Two Kentucky Women Convicted Under Federal
Hate-Crimes Law

Two Eastern Kentucky women have become the first people in the U.S. convicted under provisions federal hate-crimes law covering acts of violence “motivated by a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.” Alexis Leeann Jenkins and Mable Ashley Jenkins pleaded guilty to one charge of kidnapping and one charge of aiding others in causing bodily injury. The charges stem from a 2011 assault in which the two young women lured Kevin Pennington, a friend to a secluded spot where he was dragged out of a pickup truck and beaten. Both women face possible life sentences and are expected to be sentenced in August. Other named assailants have been charged in the April 4, 2011 attack, and while both have pleaded not guilty, they could also face life sentences if convicted. In 2009, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard Act, which added gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability to the federal definition of a hate crime. — Fatima Najiy

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/05/04/478437/two-kentucky-women-convicted-unde
r-federal-hate-crimes-law/

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Recommended Reading for Summer 2012

I’ve eased up on the book club because I think it’s hard for a critical mass of folks to keep up?we all have a lot on our pop culture agendas. But some people have been asking me what I’m reading or what I’m looking forward to this summer. So here are five books that are either coming out, or are relatively new releases that I think are worth making time for if you’re escaping to the beach somewhere.

-Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson, Out on July 3: Alif The Unseen may not be the first major fictional take on the Arab Spring, but it’s definitely the first to examine what would happen to a censorious oil state if a talented young hacker of Indian-Arab origin, after having his heart shattered by the upper-class girl he’s in love with, goes on the run with his veiled neighbor and best real-life friend and a djinn. It’s a terrifically fun novel about the connections between literature and coding, magic and Islam, and the identities we create for ourselves.

-Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo, Out on June 5: For all my YA readers of all ages in the house, Bardugo’s fantasy set in a Russia where the tsar’s advised by both a Rasputin-like holy man and a powerful wizard is the first part of a trilogy, and by the end of Shadow and Bone, you’ll be glad that’s the case. Fictional authoritarians don’t always pack the punch or capture the rot of unstable regimes, but Bardugo’s does. Plus magic and smooching and some super-scary demons.

-Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel, Out on May 8: Wolf Hall, the first book in Mantel’s trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, is one of my favorite books of recent years, a rich, strange volume that actually captures what it feels like to be inside a non-modern mindset. I’m excited for the HBO adaptation, if it ever comes to fruition. But I’m even more excited for this sequel.

-The Orphan Master’s Son, Adam Johnson: Johnson’s novel of life in North Korea has been out for a while, and at first blush, it might not seem like beach reading. But it’s gorgeously written, and a propulsive adventure, a reminder that life as we know it can be so strange as to approach magical realism. If you want a reckoning with American inability to comprehend the world beyond ourselves, this is one of the most innovative ways to have that conversation with yourself and a piece of literature.

-Are You My Mother?, Alison Bechdel: I feel like I shouldn’t even have to make the case for this graphic novel memoir, given how wonderful Bechdel’s meditation on her father, Fun Home, is. But for those of you who are unfamiliar, Alison Bechdel is a genius, and Dykes to Watch Out For, her long-running syndicated comic strip about a lesbian community, was fantastic, no matter what your sexual orientation.

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2012/05/04/476390/recommended-reading-for-summer-
2012/

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