Hundreds of students formed a human wall around the basketball stadium at the University of Missouri on Saturday because the Westboro Baptist Church had pledged to protest gay football player Michael Sam.

After Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam came out last week last week, anti-LGBT members of the Westboro church vowed to show up at Missouri's game against Tennessee. But a group of students wearing "Stand with Sam" pins made the extremist group's demonstration impossible by surrounding the stadium.

"Because Michael Sam stood up for Mizzou his entire career and we need to stand up for him," one counter-protester said.

Is Fracking Causing Earthquakes?

In Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio and other states, people who have rarely experienced earthquakes in the past are getting used to them as a fairly common phenomenon. This dramatic uptick in tremors is related to drilling for oil and natural gas, several reports find. And the growing popularity of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is in part to blame.

Between 1970 and 2000, there was an average of 20 earthquakes per year within the central and eastern United States. Between 2010 and 2013, there was an average of more than 100 earthquakes annually. A United States Geological Survey released last month summarizedresearch on man-made earthquakes conducted by one of the agency’s geophysicists:

USGS scientists have found that at some locations the increase in seismicity coincides with the injection of wastewater in deep disposal wells. Much of this wastewater is a byproduct of oil and gas production and is routinely disposed of by injection into wells specifically designed for this purpose.

So, the actual hydraulic fracturing process itself is not to blame in these cases; instead, it’s the injection of wastewater into deep wells that accompanies it.

Hydraulic fracturing produces a higher volume of wastewater than traditional drilling — as the name implies, drillers use millions of gallons of high-pressure water, sand and chemicals to break apart rock and release gas trapped in pockets in the earth. The wastewater generated is often contaminated with salt or poisonous chemicals, and environmental regulations bar drilling companies from allowing it to mix with drinking water; oftentimes, the most economical way for these companies to  dispose of it is to sequester it deep in the ground, below aquifers. Once there, it changes pressure underground and lubricates fault lines, with the potential effect of causing earthquakes.

In both Texas and Oklahoma, the number of earthquakes per year has increased ten-fold. And wells storing wastewater from fracking have also been linked to hundreds of earthquakes near Youngstown, Ohio.

Studies last year found that the largest quake ever recorded in Oklahoma — which was felt 800 miles away in Milwaukee, Wis., damaged 14 homes, injured two people and buckled a highway — could be linked to wastewater injection. Damage from the quake, which measured 5.6 on the Richter scale, “would be much worse if it were to happen in a more densely populated area,” the USGS wrote.

And as quakes increase in frequency, residents of Oklahoma and Texas are taking notice. More noticeable than the shaking, for many, is the noise these quakes make: a loud boom, like artillery fire.

In the Netherlands, where the Groningen gas field lies, quakes have also become more frequent, increasing from about 20 each year before 2011 to an average of one per week. Shell and Exxon Mobile, active in the gas field, set aside $130 million to strengthen buildings as the quakes increased in severity. But residents of the area worried that a 4-or-5 magnitude earthquake –the likelihood of which, experts warned, is increasing — would threaten the integrity of the country’s dikes, which protect the low-lying northern Netherlands.

Last month, the country’s government decided to scale back production of natural gas on the Groningen field, foregoing one billion euros a year by 2016, even as the country struggles to cope with the European Union’s deficit reduction targets.

But similar reductions in the US are unlikely. The oil and gas industry employs hundreds of thousands of people in both Texas and Oklahoma, and natural gas has become widely popular among electric utilities for its low cost.

An imperfect verdict.

The mother of Jordan Davis says that she will pray for her son's killer in an eloquent and passionate press conference, after her son's killer was found not guilty of his murder by a jury made up mostly of his peers.

She said that she felt sorry for him that he will have to spend the rest of his life being remorseful for her son's killing. 

I watched this trial from the start, and I wish I could say that I am surprised. 

The lives of young black men in this country (especially in places like Florida) just doesn't matter that much. Sadly, some will argue, that young black males themselves are to blame for this. They kill each other in such record numbers that others feel like when a young black life is lost it is no more meaningful than the death of a family pet. 

But this is a chicken and egg question; because when the justice system finds it necessary to treat the killers of young black men differently than they do others, we all see it. And we all know the deal. The system sends a message to all of us. 

"But , the man is looking at 60-90 years in jail, what more do you want?"

Well yes. But this is because Mr. Dunn chose to fire a second volley of shots into the SUV on that fateful night. He was charged and convicted of attempted murder of the other boys who actually lived. That is why he is going to probably spend the rest of his life in prison, not because he shot an innocent young black male in cold blood.

Following the logic of the verdict, if he had shot and killed all the young men in the car that night he would be a free man.

Angela Corey, the incompetent state attorney in Florida, says that her office is going to retry Mr. Dunn on the first degree murder charge.

I hope that she does. Because the parents of this young man deserve closure.   

listening to Don Lemon (My current HNOTD) go off on CNN about the verdict and the fact that Mr. Dunn was not found guilty of gunning down Jordan Davis. "This is absolutely about race, and it makes me angry" he says. "It's time for some real talk about the elephant in the room and what type of message this sends to society at large."

Tennesee Preacher Refuses To Marry Whites And Blacks Because Communism

Wow! The Happy Valley Church of Jesus Christ in Tennessee must be channeling Phil Robertson! Brother Donny Reagan doesn’t like Communism–and by Communism, he means “race mixing.”

To choruses of “Amen” and applause, Brother Donny explained to his congregation that God made people just the way they are, and that it is an affront to the Big Guy to attempt to change that. Yes, that’s right–having children with a person with another race is somehow an attempt to change your own skin color….or something.
Brother Donny, in a 2013 sermon posted by the American Jesus, let his congregation know exactly how evil it is to “hybreed” the races. Citing Brother William Branham, a man who is credited with founding the post-WWII divine healing movement and who is considered a prophet by many Pentacostals, Reagan explained to his sheep that race mixing is just wrong.
“We realize there’s a move in the message of blacks marrying whites, whites marrying blacks and folks think it’s alright,” Reagan told his followers (Spoiler alert: Reagan does not think it’s “alright) through quoting the “prophet” Branham. He explains that Branham did not share his opposition to “race mixing” because it was the 60′s when”all that racial stuff was going on.” Brother Branham (and he) spoke in opposition to the mixing of races because it is an affront to God.
To the cheers of his congregation, the Tennessee pastor read passages from Branham’s writing. While he did speak out against the mixing of races, facetiously praising “colored” people, the most impassioned 
hate speech expressions of his Christian faith came when speaking about white women and men “breeding” with other races.
Branham says that if God wanted someone to be a particular color he would have made that person that color. Branham’s seething hatred for those of other races shows more and more as he continues to speak. He warns the young people in the congregation that if they want to marry an “African” he will not perform the wedding under any circumstances because he doesn’t want to make God angry. “Let me tell you right up front, any of you young people–you want to marry a black man you girls, don’t ask me to do it. I will not. I refuse. I cannot do it with a conscience toward God and look these quotes in the face. You white brothers you find a black sister, you want to marry an African or whatevermore don’t ask Brother Donny,” he told the congregation’s youth.
Driving his point home, Brother Donny explains the real problem with the mixing of races: that’s right–Communism.
“Communism, has infiltrated our message. Not through Stalin, not through Mussolini, but through mixed marriages,” he claims.
Donny Reagan can be contacted at (423) 543-6811 if you would like to educate him on what, exactly, it means to be a Christian–because he is spreading the wrong message.

Oklahoma State Senator Justifies Need For ‘Open Carry’ Gun Law Due To Threat From Wild Turkeys

By Faiz Shakir posted from ThinkProgress Justice

In Oklahoma, state lawmakers are poised to enact an “open carry” law which would allow residents with a permit to display their guns in grocery stores, libraries, and anywhere else in public. The measure is expected to be passed by the legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Mary Fallin.

Oklahoma law currently requires that people must generally conceal their handguns. In 2010, then-Gov. Brad Henry (D) vetoed an open carry bill because state police expressed concern that it would make it hard for them “to distinguish criminals from law-abiding citizens.” Keith Barenberg, the president of the Oklahoma State Troopers Association, maintains his concern: “Law-enforcement officers will be that much more jumpy and nervous if they see a gun.” And such confrontations could lead to loss of innocent life. As Norman McNickle, president of the Oklahoma Association of Police Chiefs, put it: “How does the first arriving officers know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are? It makes their job exponentially harder.”

Proponents of the “open carry” legislation, like Tim Gillespie, director of the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association, claim the measure is necessary because “we live in a dangerous world.” So dangerous, according to Republican state Senator Ralph Shortey, that people need the open display of guns to help fend off attacks from wild turkeys:

During committee discussions, Shortey argued that he shouldn’t be required to pay fees and get a license to carry a weapon. Here’s how he justified that:

“I was in oil and gas,” Shortey said. “I was out on a lease at one time and I got attacked by a turkey. Wait until you get attacked by a turkey. You will know the fear that a turkey can invoke in a person. And so I beat it with a club. That was all I could do.

“I wish that I had a gun with me,” he said. “And I started carrying a gun in my truck after that without a license because I didn’t want to get attacked by a mountain lion. Turkeys are bad enough.”

The Tulsa World opined, “Open-carry is needed to protect us from enraged turkeys? Seriously?” The editoral joked, “Maybe Oklahoma’s stand your ground law covers turkey attacks.”

Sen. Shortey is full of “asinine” ideas. As ThinkProgress noted earlier this year, Shortey introduced a ludicrous and unnecessary bill that would prohibit the manufacturing and sale of food “which contains aborted human fetuses.” He also has proposed legislation to “abolish the state Court of Criminal Appeals and…to eliminate the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s power to review the constitutionality of laws.”

Rick Santorum: Single mothers are 'breeding more criminals'

For a guy who's still whining about being typecast as the social issues guy, Rick Santorum sure spews a lot of incendiary and attention-grabbing (not to mention hateful) stuff on social issues. Like the scourge of single mothers.

"Most people agree a continuation of the current [welfare] system will be the ruination of this country," Santorum told a town meeting in Clairton, Pa., in February 1994, according to transcripts of the appearance obtained by Mother Jones. "We are seeing it. We are seeing the fabric of this country fall apart, and it's falling apart because of single moms." [...]

[...] One month later, at an appearance in Erie, Pa., Santorum framed welfare reform as a public safety issue. "What we have is moms raising children in single-parent households simply breeding more criminals," he said.

None of which is new for Santorum, this Mother Jones article points out. Back when he was in Congress he introduced legislation that not only would have required single mothers to work 35 hours a week as a condition of receiving benefits, it would have denied benefits to women who couldn't or wouldn't identify the father of their child and to teen moms. At least he's not trying to sell himself as a compassionate conservative.

Why does he have such a laser-like focus on single mothers?

In October he told Family Research Council president Tony Perkins that single moms are "the political base of the Democratic party." He continued, "Why? Because it's so tough economically that they look to the government for help and therefore they're going to vote. So if you want to reduce the Democratic advantage, what you want to do is build two-parent families; you eliminate that desire for government."

There you have it. His relentless war on women is all about beating Democrats and shrinking the size of government. He wants it just big enough to fit in a uterus.