Gal Gadot spotted at Wonder Woman set. I love the World War One-era outfit.

In Confidential Memo, Hillary Clinton Urged Obama To Close Gitmo

WASHINGTON -- Weeks before she stepped down as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton wrote a memo urging President Barack Obama to step up his administration's efforts to close the military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in his second term. In the confidential January 2013 memo obtained by The Huffington Post, Clinton told Obama she worried that support for closing Guantanamo would further erode unless the administration took action.

"We must signal to our old and emerging allies alike that we remain serious about turning the page of GTMO and the practices of the prior decade," Clinton wrote in the document, using the military abbreviation for the U.S. naval base. "The revitalization of transfers, efforts to prosecute some detainees in federal courts, a longer-term approach to the return of Yemeni detainees, and credible periodic reviews would send the signal and renew a credible detention policy."

She also encouraged Obama to consider moving Guantanamo detainees into the country. "If the law permits, I recommend that you consider transfers to the United States for pre-trial detention, trial, and sentences," Clinton wrote.

The memo laid out three steps Obama should take in the wake of renewed restrictions that Congress placed on the president's ability to transfer detainees from the Guantanamo Bay facility. One of Clinton's key suggestions was for Obama to appoint a senior White House official to "lead all GTMO efforts," stating that an "impasse" on detainee transfers would continue without centralized leadership. Clinton said restrictions had "effectively prevented any transfers" and said the Pentagon and other agencies had been "wary" of certifying that a number of security conditions were in place and allowing transfers to move forward. "We need a White House lead," Clinton wrote.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-guantanamo-memo_5654cc40e4b0258edb33537b

Republicans' Playbook on Women Gets Even Scarier

Last week, Ted Cruz promoted the endorsement of Troy Newman, an anti-choice leader who has gone so far as to say that a perfectly biblical society would execute its abortion providers.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Ted Cruz is so thrilled that someone who wants abortion providers to be killed is supporting him that he actually sent out a press release to celebrate the endorsement. Is that what this Republican primary has come to? Presidential candidates applauding -- not denouncing -- these radically extreme positions?

Regardless of one's view on abortion rights, I would hope we can all agree that abortion providers do not deserve to be put to death for their entirely legal work. For a presidential candidate to not immediately distance himself from an endorsement from someone like Newman -- and instead to actively promote it -- is horrifying.

Sadly, though, it's indicative of just how extreme this year's Republican presidential primary has become. All of the GOP candidates have been fighting over who can be the most anti-choice, who can most restrict a woman's ability to make her own decisions.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-turner/republicans-playbook-on-w_b_8641604.html

Wherein I've long called BS on the NRA's mental health meme.

A sweeping mental health overhaul cast as a congressional response to gun violence is running afoul of ... gun control.

Which is precisely what happened the most recent time lawmakers tried to pass mental health legislation, after the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.

The spate of mass killings over the past year reignited mental health reform efforts in both chambers of Congress. A bipartisan bill is gaining momentum in the Senate, with the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions likely to take it up early next year. The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health recently approved a similar bill, and Speaker Paul Ryan this month said on “60 Minutes” that he wants Congress to move ahead on mental health.

But the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, has been working behind the scenes to drum up support for his own mental health legislation, which includes language endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

Cornyn says his bill would boost the federal background check system to prevent guns from getting into the hands of those with serious mental illness. His critics say the legislation actually loosens restrictions on gun purchases, under the umbrella of mental health reform.


http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/mental-health-gun-control-nra-216221#ixzz3su28B2AJ

Know Your Right Wing Publications: The New York Post

Before you post articles to smear the opposing candidate, I thought I would give a brief primer on a newly popular source here on DU: The New York Post.

Economic developers brought religious right to Colorado Springs in the 1980's

COLORADO SPRINGS— Stung by a real estate market that left shopping plazas and office buildings empty in the mid-80's, this city began to use its reputation for conservatism to tap a growing field of employment: evangelical Christian organizations.

In the view of economic developers, these were enterprises that could invigorate commerce without fouling the natural splendor here at the foot of Pikes Peak. And the religious groups believed they could fit comfortably in a community that prizes the conservative ethic.

But as Colorado Springs has become a center for the religious right, with more than 40 evangelical groups now based here, many residents are raising fears that the city is becoming a bastion of religious extremism and intolerance. Effect of Anti-Gay Statute

"The old conservatism of Colorado Springs was based on economics, rugged Western individualism, a leave-me-alone attitude," said Jean Matthews, 69, who has long been active in the Republican Party here. "But this is all moral issues. And if you don't agree with them, you're evil."


http://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/14/us/rise-of-christian-right-splits-a-city.html

Hillary Clinton will hit Omaha, stump with Warren Buffett in December

Hillary Clinton is not taking Nebraska for granted.

The Democratic presidential front-runner will be stumping in Omaha on Dec. 16, with the help of famed Omaha investor Warren Buffett.

A Clinton campaign staffer said the visit is an effort to organize grassroots support before Nebraska’s Democratic caucuses.
She is also expected to talk about tax reform with Buffett, who has called for an income tax increase on the nation’s wealthier citizens.

Iowa holds the nation’s first presidential test Feb. 1, but Nebraska Democrats follow a little less than a month later on March 5.


http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/hillary-clinton-will-hit-omaha-stump-with-warren-buffett-in/article_be3c1f27-d468-516c-95e1-452cde9121f0.html

Iron Fist Series Confirmed for Netflix

With Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War we really are in the golden age of Marvel movies. Added to that, we have Agents of SHIELD, Daredevil and Jessica Jones on the smaller screen, all of which are doing pretty well in terms of ratings. So, what else do we need?

Well, for a while now there have been discussions about an Iron Fist Netflix series, but there has been no official confirmation. This has sparked speculation about whether the series is dead before it's up and running, and whether Iron Fist will be replaced by a feature-length movie or a Punisher television series.

Interestingly, there has also been discussion about an upcoming Defenders crossover, set to include characters such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. We already have Daredevil and Jessica Jones, whereas Luke Cage is due to air in 2016, but we now officially know that Iron Fist is on his way!

In an interview with Comicbookresources, head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb discussed the claims that Iron Fist will be replaced by a Punisher series, dismissing them outright:

Public Library To Open In Polygamous Community After Sect Leaders Prevented It

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A public library is set to open next year in a polygamous town on the Utah-Arizona border that hasn't had one for decades because of controlling sect leaders who try to limit followers' exposure to the outside world.

The library is expected to open in March 2016, Washington County Library System director Joel Tucker said. The plan is to put the library in an old schoolhouse the center of town, near the public school and town hall in Hildale, Utah.

The community is dominated by a polygamous sect led by jailed leader Warren Jeffs. He and other sect leaders try to limit members' exposure to the outside world by prohibiting Internet and books.

The community used to have a library on the Arizona side of the town in Colorado City, but it was shuttered after Jeffs took over the group in the late 1990s, former member Isaac Wyler said.

"I think it's really going to be good for the community. Warren has been trying to keep knowledge out of this town for so long," he said. "In the end, look what's winning out."

The nearest library now is about 40 minutes away, and having easier access to information could help people in the remote community get information that's not influenced by sect leaders, Tucker said.


http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/polygamous-community-utah-public-library

Independent: Netflix's Jessica Jones portrays the domestic violence I knew.

What I didn’t expect was that a show that centres round a comic book character with super-strength would also feature the most nuanced, realistic portrayal of partner violence that I’ve ever seen on television. In fact, the entire first season deals with the repercussions of Jones’ relationship with a violent man. I never thought I’d relate so strongly to someone who can lift a car with one hand.

The violent man in question is Kilgrave, played to sinister perfection by David Tennant. Because this is a superhero show, he has the ability to control minds and force people to bend to his will, which is how he kept the physically stronger Jessica in line during their time together. It is a constant struggle for the women he controls to assert their independence from him and, when they do, to convince the world of his crimes.

The metaphor here is obvious. Though abusive men in reality don’t possess psychic abilities, their control over their partners is real and palpable and hard to explain. The inability to escape, even though - as the characters in the show describe - you know in some part of you that this situation is damaging is familiar to countless women, myself included.

Kilgrave’s abuse of women ranges from the seemingly minor - forcing them to smile for him - to the extreme. The show doesn’t shy away from discussing rape, which is rare on any series, let alone one of this genre. Kilgrave’s desire to control Jessica by forcing her to use her immense power to benefit him is analogous to the gradual restriction of a woman’s freedom and a redirection of her energies until she is subservient to her partner. It is horrifying to watch and so, so real.

If the show merely dealt with the realities of being in an abusive relationship, it would still be worthwhile and powerful. However, it goes further, as it tracks Jessica’s subsequent PTSD and attempts to recover. She drinks, she has nightmares but, most importantly, she goes on.


http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/domestic-violence-now-appears-in-the-marvel-universe-and-in-jessica-jones-its-brilliantly-portrayed-a6746936.html