On Thursday the Massachusetts Senate is scheduled to begin debate on adding protections for transgender people in public accommodations to the 2011 anti-discrimination law that bans discrimination in the workplace and in housing.

There is no justification on earth for discrimination against anyone who wants to go to park, movie theater, doctor’s office, restaurant or a gym,” said Deborah Shields, executive director of MassEquality, an organization that has vocally supported the bill. “It’s unconscionable that in 2016 discrimination would be permitted.

--Deborah Shields, MassEquality

House and Senate versions of the bill were recently released from committee. Both versions would prohibit discrimination against transgender people in public accommodations, allowing them to use locker rooms and restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

While supporters of the bill say it would provide important protections to transgender people, opponents of the legislation have argued it could subject women and children to voyeurs and sexual predators.

I know that I have been writing a lot more than usual. I am generally not the type of person who shares a lot of my opinions in long, written rants. But I am currently going through one of my phases where politics seems to be on my mind constantly.

Thursday May 10, 1906
From the International Socialist Review: A. M. Simons on Justice for W. F. of M.

Striking union miners being deported from Cripple Creek..

Yes, there are people on this world who hate Bernie Sanders' supporters so much that they have posted the "recipe" for this very real, very dangerous and possibly fatal homemade (you can get all the ingredients at Walmart!) explosive device. [WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AS IT MAY LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH]

[video:https://youtu.be/Dd8WjeK8riE width:320 height:200]

Edward Snowden (yes, that one) has an interesting piece up over at The Intercept on the moral and ethical difference between leaking for personal benefit (yes, that is bad and deserving of punishment) and whistleblowing to expose corruption and abuse (yes, that is good and should not be punished).

I think an important consideration besides qui bono is also the power relationship of the discloser (to use a neutral term) to the establishment status quo and whether the disclosure is perceived as advancing the establishment's objectives or sabotaging them.

Take for example the Greenpeace exposure (also a nice neutral term) of TTIP proposals yesterday. One could argue that Greenpeace is powerful, but not very in relationship to sovereign governments and certainly the individual members are not very powerful at all. Then there is the fact that public knowledge reveals policies that most people would not support. In Germany TTIP polls only 15% favorable and I'd predict that number would fall except that most of that 15% (which is pretty rock bottom but not as bad as United States citizens is about their Congress) have a vested interest (personal benefit) from its passage.

Have no doubts about it, if Germany doesn't approve TTIP it won't happen.

Anyway here are some excerpts to think about.