Rams can clinch the first playoff spot since 2004, Alabama Getaway, Sweet Home Alabama, Steve Kornacki, Benji, Whitney Cummings, Chelsea Handler, Charlize Theron, Mushrooms at Joshua Tree, Trump’s Court-Packing Agenda,GOP's Tax Scam, Sandy Hook Anniversary, Net Neutrality & the Rams Play the Seahawks this week!

The Rams can clinch the first playoff spot since 2004 if they win of course and if the Saints, Falcons lose but also, the Packers and Lions have to also lose or tie.

Benji said on the Howard Stern Show early this week that a Whitney is on dating sites. Would Whitney Cummings (I am assuming that is the Whitney he spoke of) of all women really be on dating sites? Why? How could she not find a guy? Benji also said that Chelsea Handler is also on dating sites or evidently had been on them too.

Chelsea would be so much fun to hang with and remember when I said how I wished I could have gone with her and the woman I love from A Million ways to Die in the West....? What is her name again? I have to look it up. She was in the latest Fast and Furious and I know her name. Charlize Theron. It hit me when I thought about her film that came out this year called Atomic Blonde. I love her laugh. 

Regardless, I meant when they went to Africa.

I bet they dosed, did E or did mushrooms while they were in Africa. I am not sure why I think that besides the fact that Chelsea took her staff on a retreat to Joshua Tree maybe, and they all did fungi. I did mushrooms at Joshua Tree back in like 1992.

Anyway, Alabama was this week and man was that a huge blow to Trump. He cannot spin his way out this one after he not only did that rally backing Roy Moore, he also pushed him in interviews and then he also did a robo call for him. That rally 15 minutes from Alabama that Trump had last week was him point blank backing Moore. I am proud of Alabama. I was in shock all night. And, Steve Kornacki breaking it down by county is just the best. Last night I felt the same way as I did on election day last year when Kornacki had the Pennsylvania map up because when he showed how Trump won certain districts and most of them in PA, that was when I knew he won the election last year. I love Steve Kornacki. He is from Jersey BTW. He is cool and he is very smart. 

I am off track. Go figure but that was exciting and yeah, I was up for most of the night.

I will say that the Democratic Party handled that race perfectly. They stayed the hell out of it while quietly funnelling a boat load of money for Doug Jones to use for ads. It was a far cry from how they handled the Georgia 6 election this year that ended up to be a lot of running round to get really nowhere (although there is a shift from GOP to Dem with voting of about 4% in that District and in some parts of Georgia).

And, Doug Jones actually ran for issues and not just against Roy Moore (even though Roy Moore could not be a worse candidate). It was effective and again, what a week! 

We had that amazing win in Alabama, keeping Democrats' electoral momentum going from the progressive victories last month in Virginia and around the country, and handing a big defeat to both Roy Moore, one of the most bigoted right-wing zealots in politics, and to Donald Trump. In addition to Alabama, there was big news on some of our ongoing issue campaigns.

Trump’s Court-Packing Agenda. Senate Republicans -- with the exception of ONE senator on ONE vote -- have been quick to fall in line and rubber stamp every absurdly extreme and unqualified judicial nominee Trump has put in front of them... but this week we finally saw some progress as two unfit nominees for federal district courts were withdrawn from consideration. Jeff Mateer was a nominee with a disturbing record of truly poisonous anti-LGBTQ hate -- including his attendance at a conference where speakers advocated the death penalty for gay people. And Brett Talley was a shockingly unqualified legal neophyte who defended the KKK online and failed to disclose to the Senate the potential conflict from his wife working White House Counsel's office. Neither of them will come to a vote.

People For American Way fought hard to stop the confirmation of these two nominees and deserve a great deal of credit for these victories. It's also activism that is empowering Democrats on the Judiciary Committee to step up their use of the few procedural tools they have left to slow the confirmation processes of Trump's remaining nominees.

The Senate should freeze consideration of any more Trump nominees until next year, especially under the cloud of questions about potential lawbreaking by the Trump campaign and administration, as well as the president's own fitness to hold office, growing every day. Any nominee not confirmed before the end of the year will have to be re-nominated next year by the White House and considered by a more closely divided Senate with Doug Jones in it. Sign the petition to tell the Senate NO MORE CONFIRMATIONS now!

The FCC, led by Trump’s chairman Ajit Pai, voted 3-2 to end net neutrality yesterday. Tens of thousands of PFAW members took online action, submitted comments to the FCC, called Congress, and attended protest events, but the ideologues that make up the Republican majority on the FCC -- and Pai, in particular -- were dead set on changing the rules to remove the most basic protections against the Internet's gatekeepers manipulating the flow of information for Internet users, companies trying to compete, and content producers.
But the fight is not over! The decision will surely now head to the courts and there are things Congress could do to ensure that rules are in place to protect and free and open Internet. Please add your name to tell Congress: Correct the FCC ruling and pass net neutrality!
Congressional Republicans have reportedly reached a compromise between the House and the Senate on their monstrous tax scam, but the final details are still being hammered out.
In the midst of the Republicans' last-minute negotiations, we can now report at least one victory: a strong push by the Far Right to use this tax bill to erode the separation of church and state has been thwarted! THANK YOU to everyone and all activists who signed petitions, called and emailed Congress, and shared information on social media about stopping repeal of the Johnson Amendment.
Make no mistake, this victory could be temporary, as right-wing Republicans will keep fighting to repeal the Johnson Amendment in upcoming spending bills and one of Trump's campaign promises to the Religious Right was the Amendment's repeal, but for the moment (even if just for a moment) we can breathe a well-earned sigh of relief on this one issue.
We remain in the fight until the very end to STOP the tax bill and, while it's difficult to trust the sincerity of Republican lawmakers, there are several GOP senators whose support could be wavering in these final days, as promises that were made to them to get their votes for the Senate version of the bill seem to be out the window.
Votes in both the House and Senate on the final legislation are expected next week, but PFAW and our allies maintain that the vote in the Senate should delayed until Senator-elect Doug Jones is seated … the same way the Affordable Care Act vote was not held until Scott Brown was seated after winning in Massachusetts. Alabamans deserve their say in this process too and Doug Jones should be seated as quickly as possible. Tell Congress that you strongly OPPOSE the Trump-GOP tax scam!
Regardless, there is no question how this tax plan will benefit the ultra rich, it is just a matter of how much. The latest draft is even better than the senate when it comes to tax breaks for the ultra rich. And, the idea that this tax plan in itself is going to jump start growth is ridiculous. There will be absolutely no positives for the 99% with regard to anything in this tax plan. It is actually pure fantasy as one executive said this week that this type of a tax plan will raise wages and grow businesses. 

The Trump administration and everyone involved is depending on the economy to grow at a rate it has never ever reached (I think the last time it went as high as they want it to go was back in the twenties or maybe after the World War's). Remember a few weeks ago when Gary Cohn asked chief business executives and leaders to raise their hands if they were going to hire and no one did? In a sense if they cared about it or if this tax plan is not for the ultra rich, they could easily find study after study refuting that age old claim. 

This theory never worked. 

The thing that no one is caring about from a fiscal conservative point of view is how the final CBO score states that the Trump-GOP tax bill will increase the deficit another $1.455 Trillion. Where are the deficit hawks? They are radio silent and it is so odd that they just want to pass a bill, no matter if it is bad or good. Then again, by the time this comes full circle, it could feasibly be under a Democrat as the POTUS. Meaning when any new and responsible person steps into deal with the US, it will look like the Dem's are raising taxes when it's a ploy and a farce. A diabolical one but a total joke.

It also depends that the economy would grow at such a high rate to which it never reached. 

But again, they do not care about the plan per se more than they care about getting anything through congress. 

If you look at all the models laid down by economists, they (including a couple left winged progressive organizations) all say that a lower corporate tax rate is positive to some degree. They all say that it will help the economy grow faster than if there were no bill, however, they also say that no matter how fast the growth, there is no way it will pay for itself, hence the $1.5 Trillion deficit hike. 

And, lets say there is a ton of business investment that could trickle down to the consumer and to the worker. That will not happen for a long time. By the time you set up the plan, implement and execute it, we will be through two more terms before any profits are made.

The middle Class and lower class will get a little break that eventually ends whereas corporate tax breaks stay perpetually.

Anyway. What else?

It was the five year anniversary of sandy Hook this week. It has been five years since a gunman shot and killed 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Five years since we asked ourselves "What can we do to prevent this tragedy from happening again?"

In these five years, gun violence has continued to affect our communities across the country, and tragedies keep occuring at our concerts, our churches, our movie theaters, and our schools. Without remorse, the NRA's extremist leadership continues to push their dangerous "guns everywhere" agenda, putting the safety of our families and communities at risk.

Though we've suffered some setbacks, our movement has been making tremendous progress:
  • We've helped block dangerous gun bills that would allow guns in K-12 schools in 19 states.
  • We've helped pass strong domestic violence bills in eight states this year that protect survivors of domestic violence from gun violence.
  • Because of your actions, nearly half of the country live in states with comprehensive background check systems.

And in 2018, we're taking our fight to the next level by loosening the NRA's grip on our elected officials at the ballot box.

I have watched the gun lobby try to push their dangerous agenda across the country. In fact, just last week – nearly five years after the tragedy at Sandy Hook – the House passed a dangerous gun bill that would gut state gun laws and allow many people with dangerous histories and no training to carry hidden, loaded handguns across the country. I work hard every single day for an America free from gun violence – where concert goers can enjoy themselves safely, where church goers can worship peacefully, and where students, teachers, and principals aren't shot and killed in their classrooms. 

Take a stand with us in 2018 and commit to fighting to end gun violence in America.

'Drain The NRA' is a movement that boycotts, protests and encourages divestment from the gun industry and its corporate partners. 
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We were dismayed to discover that TrueCar advertises on the NRA's website and offers its car buying services as a benefit to NRA members. By partnering with the NRA, TrueCar is endorsing the gun lobby's practices of stopping sensible gun safety laws from getting passed and making large contributions to Congressional campaigns to ensure that politicians do nothing about the proliferation of guns and easy access to weapons of war.  

By associating itself with the NRA, TrueCar is complicit in stalling gun safety legislation while we see more and more mass shootings in addition to the 315 people who are shot and 93 that die every day from gun violence. 

Drain The NRA is a new movement of mothers who want their children to come home from school or church or a concert. We're gun control activists who have seen firsthand the suffering that gun violence brings to families. 

TrueCar's relationship with the NRA spits in the faces of victims of gun violence and their loved ones. Those who sign this petition are asking TrueCar to no longer advertise its services to NRA members and remove its page from the NRA website. 

We will boycott, protest and divest from TrueCar until it decides to be on the right side of history, stand with the majority of Americans who want sensible gun safety laws and walks away from the NRA. Click to be a part of it.
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Rams vs. Seahawks
The Rams will travel to CenturyLink Field in Washington to face their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. The game holds a lot of importance for both teams in the race to control the NFC West. It will be broadcast live on FOX with a kickoff time set for 1:05 p.m. PT. Check below for all the information you need to watch Sunday’s game:
BROADCAST INFO
— TELEVISION: The game will be available live on Fox with play-by-play provided by Kevin Burkhardt and color analysis from Charles Davis. Pam Oliver will be the sideline reporter.
— RADIO: Sunday’s contest will be broadcast on Sports USA National Radio with play-by-play and analysis from Larry Kahn, John Robinson and Troy West. It will also be available on ESPN LA English Radio on ESPN 710 AM and 93.1 Jack FM (Play-by-play provided by: J.B. Long, Maurice Jones-Drew and D’Marco Farr). Plus, tune into 1330 AM for ESPN Deportes' live Spanish broadcast of the game with Troy Santiago and Ricardo Lopez on the call.

— SOCIAL MEDIA:  Follow the Rams on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchatfor live updates and behind-the-scenes content before, during, and after the game.
— ONLINE: The game will not be available live via NFL Game Pass*. However, fans will still be able to watch replays of every game and so much more! Click here to sign up for your FREE 7-day trial and start getting unprecedented access to every game, all year long.
*For domestic subscribers NFL Game Pass does not include live regular season, playoff, or Super Bowl game broadcasts, as well as some preseason games broadcasts. Access to these games is available within NFL Game Pass on an on-demand basis in the NFL Game Pass archives. International subscribers are able to watch both preseason and regular season games as they happen with certain restrictions. Audio feeds may be subject to availability. 2009-2011 games are temporarily unavailable. For a full description of features, requirement, limitations, and other information, visit our FAQ at NFL.com/help/GamePass.
Diary Of A Ram Fan. A satirical look at more than 75 years of Football's Rams history, combined with discussions of American Exceptionalism and almost 50 years of personal experience in the life of a Rams Fan. The history parallels and intertwines life to form a humorous, yet serious look at American HistoryWorld History, an American Football team, and Political Science.