afghanistan – Effects of Anxiety

Smart take! Dem Rep. Jackie Speier explains why Taliban aren’t ‘necessarily’ terrorists [video]

http://twitter.com/#!/NoahCRothman/status/476380604561637376

Looks like Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier thinks David Brooks is right on. This morning, Speier told MSNBC’s Kristen Welker that the Taliban aren’t as bad as some people (i.e. Republicans) have made them out to be:

http://twitter.com/#!/RepSpeier/status/476420714099376128

Transcript (starts around the 4:40 mark):

Let me underscore the term “terrorist.” The Taliban is part of the fabric of Afghanistan. They were part of the leadership of that country before we engaged there. We are now actively attempting to get the Taliban to negotiate with President Karzai and the [Afghani] government, because there will be some cooperation, some level of coordination between the two if that country is going to survive and move forward. So, to say that they are terrorists, at this point, is not necessarily accurate.

The Taliban are just patriotic Afghanis. So stop being so judgmental, you guys, and give ‘em a chance.

http://twitter.com/#!/SimonTemplarPV/status/476380869046063104

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David Brooks: Obama was right on Bergdahl, Taliban aren’t as terrorist-y as al-Qaeda

Wow: Hicks ‘effectively demoted’ after questioning State; Did Rep. Speier offer him a bribe? [Video]

Rep. Jackie Speier wants to know why House Republicans are ‘so obsessed with sex’

Bless her heart! Dem Rep. Jackie Speier reveals her hilarious ‘fantasy’

WH to take no disciplinary action for outing of Kabul CIA station chief

http://twitter.com/#!/Wodeshed/status/476871824320393216

Last month, when President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, a pool report containing the name of the CIA’s station chief in Kabul was sent to more than 6,000 email addresses. The station chief who was “outed” reportedly had to leave the country.

A review of the “outing” has been completed:

http://twitter.com/#!/ZekeJMiller/status/476866681806262272 http://twitter.com/#!/jaketapper/status/476870759265370112

Nobody will be disciplined or fired? Well, why start now?

http://twitter.com/#!/linusesq/status/476871536910278657 http://twitter.com/#!/alexnwong/status/476871981883609089 http://twitter.com/#!/CapCube/status/476885064639201280 http://twitter.com/#!/sav01/status/476881214604066816 http://twitter.com/#!/donsspencer/status/476882636959256576

Our 9 Favorite Feature Stories This Week: A Rat Tribe, A Sleeping Sickness, And A Serial Killer

This week for BuzzFeed News, Tim Stelloh chronicles the search for the lost victims of one of America’s most infamous serial killers. Read that and these other great stories from BuzzFeed News and around the web.

1. The Gacy Files: One Detective’s Quest to Identify A Serial Killer’s Lost Victims — BuzzFeed News

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Photograph by Andrew A. Nelles for BuzzFeed News

Thirty-five years after Chicago’s infamous “killer clown” was convicted for murdering 33 men, eight of John Wayne Gacy’s victims remained unidentified. Jason Moran, Cook County’s one-man cold case unit, has made it his mission to find those names, exposing what has been called our criminal justice system’s “silent mass disaster.” Read it at BuzzFeed News.

2. Wake No More — Matter

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Photograph by Claire Martin for Matter

What do you do when sleep feels more like a death sentence than a relief? Virginia Hughes reveals the exhausting lives of hypersomniacs: people who can sleep for days on end yet never feel fully awake. Read it at Matter.

3. Your Son is Deceased — The New Yorker

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Illustration by Oliver Munday for The New Yorker

Christopher Torres was 27 and on a path to coping with schizophrenia when an Albuquerque police officer shot him dead in his family’s back yard in 2011. Rachel Aviv examines why no officer has ever been indicted in a city with one of the highest rates of fatal police shootings in the country. Read it at The New Yorker.

4. Why is Calvin Buari Still in Prison for a Murder Someone Else Confessed to? — BuzzFeed News

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Courtesy of Calvin Buari

In 1995, Calvin Buari’s former drug crew put him in prison for murder. Now, Albert Samaha explores how prosecutors and detectives made sure he stayed there.
Read it at BuzzFeed News.

5. The Fire on the 57 Bus in Oakland — The New York Times Magazine

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Photograph by Katy Grannan for The New York Times

A chance encounter between two teenagers on a public bus in California results in one of them lit on fire and the other sent to jail for a hate crime. Dashka Slater reports from Oakland, where the story of Sasha Fleischman and Richard Thomas illuminates the complex relationship between its residents. Read it at The New York Times Magazine.

6. The Rat Tribe of Beijing — Al Jazeera America

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Flickr: jonathankosread / Via Creative Commons

Ian Johnson goes underground in Beijing, where one million migrants, known as the “rat tribe,” live illegally in former air raid shelters. “It’s a space where no one disturbs you. I’m used to not seeing the sun already.” Read it at Al Jazeera America.

7. Getting Out of Afghanistan — Fast Company

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Photograph E.B. Boyd for Fast Company

E.B. Boyd chronicles the enormous and complicated task of moving U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. “What’s made getting out of Afghanistan harder, more dangerous, and more expensive is that while the military is genius at optimizing everything involved in winning battles, it’s not as good at setting itself up for a smooth and efficient exit.” Read it at Fast Company.

8. Dying to be Free — The Huffington Post

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Illustration by Jan Diehm for The Huffington Post

As heroin addiction ravages lives across the nation, how is it that we aren’t using an already-proven drug to treat it? A sprawling, stunning, and painfully frustrating piece by Jason Cherkis. Read it at The Huffington Post.

9. Life in the Fast Lane: My Love Affair with Luxury Cars and a Professional Baseball Player — Vice

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Illustration by Feroze Alam for Vice

Gemma Sieff recounts her years borrowing Bentleys and Maseratis to drive around the country for love — and how it all came crashing down. “How difficult it was to combine showing off with cheering up.” Read it at Vice.

Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for our Sunday features newsletter, and we’ll send you a curated list of great things to read every week!

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