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We are the only country that does this. Every other democracy uses independent authorities to handle the administration of elections. And basically it’s got a couple of roots; the single largest root is we have traditionally handled elections at the state and local level. Now, that includes of course all the federal elections, and Congress does have the constitutional authority to regulate the time, manner and place of federal elections. [But] we’ve left it to the states, and the states, over many decades, decided that elected officials, secretaries of state, would [be] running elections.

Nobody, I think, thought this through, [and] the result was something that is really terrible. It’s the equivalent of having an NFL game where the referees are part owners of one of the teams. It’s just a terrible way to run an election process. It evolved without forethought, but now it’s there.

Norm Ornstein on why the United States has an election system where partisan officials, such as Democratic and Republican secretaries of state, oversee voting and make election calls (via nprfreshair)

The 27th District of Texas…

nprfreshair:

It’s shaped like a Glock pistol. There are a lot of funny shapes in Texas because of the rather imaginative map drawings. One of them is called the ‘Texas Jumbo Shrimp.’ There’s another one that looks like a bottle opener. These maps can be very, very fanciful - they’re these kinds of impressionistic representations of the yearnings and deviousness of politics today.

— Robert Draper on the funny shapes that come out of redistricting

Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. According to Bill Nye, aka “the science guy,” if grownups want to “deny evolution and live in your world that’s completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that’s fine, but don’t make your kids do it because we need them.”

Bully

This year, over 5 million American kids will be bullied at school, online, on the bus, at home, through their cell phones and on the streets of their towns, making it the most common form of violence young people in this country experience. The Bully Project is the first feature documentary film to show how we’ve all been affected by bullying, whether we’ve been victims, perpetrators or stood silent witness. The world we inhabit as adults begins on the playground. The Bully Project opens on the first day of school. For the more than 5 million kids who’ll be bullied this year in the United States, it’s a day filled with more anxiety and foreboding than excitement. As the sun rises and school busses across the country overflow with backpacks, brass instruments and the rambunctious sounds of raging hormones, this is a ride into the unknown. For a lot of kids, the only thing that’s certain is that this year…

Poor in the US bartering for healthcare

thedailywhat:

Historical Homecoming Kiss of the Day: For the first time in Navy history, a lesbian salior was picked to plant the traditional homecoming kiss on her significant other.

Through a raffle held onboard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta won the right to be the first off the ship when Oak Hill docked in Virginia Beach. As part of a time-honored tradition, the first off the ship gets to share the first kiss with a loved one.

23-year-old Gaeta was greeted by her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, 22, and the two locked lips while the crowd gathered around them cheered.

“It’s something new, that’s for sure,” Gaeta said after the historical smooch. “It’s nice to be able to be myself. It’s been a long time coming.” 

Watch the two talk about their special moment below:

[virginian-pilot.]

(Source: thedailywhat, via vintagebrooklynryn)

Gay marriage ‘improves health’

Legalising same-sex marriage may create a healthier environment for gay men, say US researchers.

The number of visits by gay men to health clinics dropped significantly after same-sex unions were allowed in the state Massachusetts.

This was regardless of whether the men were in a stable relationship, reported the American Journal of Public Health.

A UK HIV charity said there was a clear link between happiness and health.

Research has already suggested that gay men are more likely to suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts than heterosexual men, and that social exclusion may be partly responsible.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16203621

Nearly 20% of women in the US are raped, study reveals

Nearly 20% of women in the US are raped or suffer attempted rape at some point in their lives, a US study says.

Even more women, estimated at 25%, have been attacked by a partner or husband, the Centers for Disease Control said.

The findings form part of the first set of results from a nationwide study surveying sexual violence by intimate partners against men and women.

More than 24 people a minute reported rape, violence, or stalking, it says, with 12 million offences reported.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16192494

The US has publicly declared it will fight discrimination against gays and lesbians abroad by using foreign aid and diplomacy to encourage reform.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience of diplomats in Geneva that “gay rights are human rights”.

A memo from the Obama administration directs US government agencies to consider gay rights when making aid and asylum decisions.

Similar policies already exist for gender equality and ethnic violence.

“It should never be a crime to be gay” Mrs Clinton said at the United Nations in Geneva, adding that a country’s cultural or religious traditions was no excuse for discrimination.