There are some youth my colleague knows who will not apply for Dream status because the person figures when a Repub administration gets in they now have a database of "illegals" and could be tacked down and deported.

That's very sad. And even moreso that I don't think it's entirely unjustified.

I probably wouldn't do it. I will not participate in our "employee wellness screenings" at work, as I fear someday they will use my weight to either raise my insurance or fire me. I am a little paranoid.

I get the fear but I don't think it's very likely. This is something that I've been thinking a lot about because people have been asking me that question every day. I hope I don't come across as overly strident about this, but my hope is that should anyone ever try to deport these kids, the courts would stop it.

Most of these kids work with fake social security numbers or fake IDs. Getting convicted of that is usually a felony and almost always makes any future legal immigration status extremely difficult or impossible. So having a valid SSN can make a huge difference in that regard, not to mention the ability to get a better paying job and the ever present fear of deportation.

I'm in court at the moment watching people get deported as I type so this may be a bit shorter/not as well thought out as it could be.

Some good news from Nate Silver at 538.

Apparently the vote on the floor was loudly against putting the references to God back in the platform, so it was kind of embarrassing that it passed. Fuck it, I don't care.

Aside from everything else? Listening to Clinton wasn't dessert; that was a satisfying, well balanced, nutritious substantive meal.

Thought! Ideas! Rebuttal! Clear lines of argument!

Something that wasn't bullshit, fearmongering, jerk-yourself-off-with-the-flag rhetoric.

I have a lot of disagreements with Clinton, but he is one of the best rhetoricians (presenters of oral argument)in America. I think most the men and women that are better speakers than he is are black. (Because of the black churches, most of the best rhetoricians are black. I don't what the difference is but white churches don't train their preachers as well as the black ones. And since church is still a big influence in America, if your preachers are better speakers, more of the people who attend the churches will be better speakers, and some of those who know people who attend the churches will better speakers. It is like tons of great popular musicians come out of church choirs; churches influence rhetorical skill as well.)

I think the Dems strategy should look something like John Belushi's "Niedermeyer! Dead!" rant in Animal House.

First pic: Belushi in full rant, "Osama Bin Laden? Dead!"

Second pic: Belush still ranting, "Khaddafy? Dead!"

Third pic: Belushi shrugging, "GM? Still alive!"

Fourth pic: Belushi swigging liquor, "And free birth control for everybody."

Freaky-ass jacket: ‘Hug Me’ Jacket For The Cold And Lonely

Second-Ever Photo of Emily Dickinson Discovered

Probably.

Second-Ever Photo of Emily Dickinson Discovered

wow

Typo, it's an interesting question. From my own experience, with Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, and Episcopalian churches in the South, I think in "white" churches (whose congregations often included a few black people), open and effusive displays of emotion were discouraged, and preachers were expected to be "dignified", only expressing strong emotion in anger at sinners. Whereas in black churches (whose congregations rarely included white people), open and effusive displays of joy and "the spirit" were encouraged, and dignity didn't exclude "making a joyful noise". (Pentecostal churches were the exception, but were still not as exuberant as black churches. Usually it would be just one person or a small group of people "surrendering to the spirit", while the rest looked on.) So, I think preachers from the culture of black churches are encouraged to be rousing speakers, and also to learn to sing, which includes control of breath and voice - the resonance most rousing speakers can achieve is not the same as simply speaking louder. Most preachers in white churches would just yell. They never learned how to make people get up on their feet and cheer and cry, because people in their churches were not expected to do that. YChurchExperienceMV, of course.

Obama learned how to give a rousing speech sometime after Harvard and before hitting the campaign trail, probably from that controversial preacher, because he was dull as stale coffee before that.