MID-WEEK READING (May 13, 2015)

Pope Francis: 'Many powerful people don't want peace because they live off war' (Daily Kos).

Obama's plans for trade deals with Asia and Europe in tatters after Senate vote (The Guardian).

The 10 biggest lies you've been told about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (Salon).

Senator Warren hits back at Obama in Pacific Rim fight (Yahoo News).


CHARTER SCHOOLS ... SERIOUSLY?
Education reform's big lie: The real reason the right has declared war on our public schools ... they see public school budgets as pots of gold to be mined for private gain (Salon).

Fraud, waste, and lies: Charter schools cheating communities out of millions of dollars (Common Dreams).

Charter school dissolves amid charges of nepotism, fiscal mismanagement, enrollment fraud (Recordnet).

D.C. Charter school founder to pay $3 million to settle suit (Philanthropy).


THE CRIMINALIZATION OF YOUTH IN AMERICA ...
11-year-old has criminal and felony charges against him for kicking trash can in school (Daily Kos).

The school to prison pipeline (Daily Kos).

Justice in action: How we can address the school to prison pipeline (Cloaking Inequality).

Stop the school-to-prison pipeline (Rethinking Schools).


THINGS WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT
How for-profit prisons have become the biggest lobby no one is talking about (Washington Post).

Entitlements are bankrupting America, but the rich keep taking them (Nation of Change).

This is why I only have one broker (who I don't really need; call it 'welfare') ... Cities and states paying massive fees to Wall Street (Nation of Change).

The Feds spend $3.3 billion fueling charter schools but no one knows what it's really bought (Truth Out).


AN EYE ON THE 1%
How a 1% sales tax on Wall Street helps all of us (UFAA).

Charting American oligarchy: How the .01% contributes 42% of all campaign funds (Zero Hedge).

The rich are not entitled to bankrupt the United States (Buzz Flash).

Why the rich don't care about jobs for the rest of us (Buzz Flash).


YEAH, THERE'S NO FREE MARKET
Why does money flow freely across borders but refugees die trying (Buzz Flash)?

How BofA's depositors funded the bank's "Fugazi P&L" (Zero Hedge).

The Baltimore riots: The stunning [but common sense] comments made by Orioles owner's son (Zero Hedge).


THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS
Kansas GOP Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook wants to criminalize "harmful" books (Forward Progressives).

Rand Paul petition: Universities are 'left-wing indoctrination centers' that 'oppress' conservatives (Right Wing Watch).

Is Ted Cruz the Stupidest 'Smartest' Man on Earth?  Claims that 'liberal fascism' is going after American Christians (Daily Kos).


MISCELLANEOUS
Holy Trinity of whistle blowers: Statues of Assange, Snowden, and Manning go up in Berlin (RT).

For-profit college closures: The next billion dollar taxpayer bailout (Zero Hedge).

The swaggering idiot returns: George W. Bush emerges from artistic exile to [try and] rehab his disastrous legacy (Salon).

For profit college operator accused of fraud (USA Today).

- Mark