DL Exclusive: Brenda Mayrack Receives Major Endorsement from Emily’s List

DL Exclusive: Brenda Mayrack Receives Major Endorsement from Emily’s List

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Delaware State Auditor candidate Brenda Mayrack has officially been endorsed by Emily's List. Come inside for the full release.... "I am both inspired and gratified by this endorsement," Mayrack told Delaware Liberal. "I am running for Auditor because I intend to work to ensure that each one of our hard-earned tax dollars is used well and not wasted. All Delawareans, along with those who have placed their trust in me, deserve that, and that's the mission I will bring to the office." This is a big deal for Delaware. Brenda Mayrack offers the real promise of progressive leadership for Delaware. She will be a great auditor, bringing both an incisive mind and, here's a word you don't ever hear associated with current Auditor Tom Wagner, competence, to effectively do the job.
America’s Psych/Neuro Crisis: Silence From The Medics

America’s Psych/Neuro Crisis: Silence From The Medics

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You might have noticed, if you're paying attention, that the U.S. has a major set of medical crises. An epidemic of mass killings from clearly deranged perpetrators who've slipped through the net of the psych/neuro professionals unnoticed. And an epidemic of broken vets returning home from the killing fields with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). . The response from the medical profession (using this term advisedly)? Silence.
How to Transform the War on Drugs into Providing Drug Treatment and Compassion

How to Transform the War on Drugs into Providing Drug Treatment and Compassion

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Make the faces of drug use and abuse white ones. Interesting, yes? Most black and brown people have known this since forever. Last week, the WaPo published two authors who note that with the reports of the explosion of heroin use and abuse in the suburbs, that the news reporting as well as law enforcement sound much more compassionate, but that seems to be because they are now talking about white people:
Last month, NBC News ran a series of stories about the United States’ “growing heroin epidemic.” Two things stand out in the reports: One is their sympathetic tone; the other is that almost everyone depicted is white. Drug users and their families aren’t vilified; there is no panicked call for police enforcement. Instead, and appropriately, there is a call for treatment and rehabilitation. Parents of drug addicts express love for their children, and everyone agrees they need support to get clean.
Republican Hypocrisy on the VA Scandal

Republican Hypocrisy on the VA Scandal

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The abuse of the VA scandal in a midterm election year to "rock" the anti-Obama vote is entirely disgraceful. The issue of VA bureaucracy is one that has existed for decades now, and while President Obama hasn't done enough to solve the issue, pinning the fault entirely on the President is plainly wrong. From 1921's Veteran's Bureau collapse, to unpaid revolutionary soldiers, to today's waiting lists, the issue of how we treat our veterans is one that needs an open national discussion, not a finger-pointing series of aggressive speeches and letters.
Friday Open Thread [5.30.14]

Friday Open Thread [5.30.14]

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According to Politico, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "offers a detailed account of the deadly attack on the American embassy in Benghazi -- and a pointed rebuttal to Republican critics who've laced into her over the incident -- in a much-anticipated chapter of her forthcoming book, Hard Choices."
"The 34-page chapter is Clinton's most complete account to date of the attack and its aftermath. Her tone is less defensive than defiant: Clinton takes responsibility for the "horror" of the loss of life in Benghazi, but puts it in the context of "the heartbreaking human stakes of every decision we make" -- and she accuses adversaries of manipulating a tragedy for partisan gain."
Good. A fighting Clinton is always a site to see. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that 55% of Americans say they support Hillary Clinton running for president. The same poll finds 66% of Americans disapprove of Karl Rove raising questions about Hillary Clinton's age and health in advance of her potential presidential run.