Friday, June 25 Issue #18

TODAY'S ACTION ALERTS

Let your Senators know that you want them to oppose the Hate Amendment (Federal Marriage Amendment).

Join Ben & Jerry's cofounder Ben Cohen in telling your Representative and Senators that any energy bill must include support for renewable sources.

Tell Dubya that you do not support his anti-choice appointments.

Tell Cheney: Prove It or Resign

Urge the EPA to reverse dangerous mercury standards.

FEATURED ARTICLES

Did Cheney run our nation on Sept. 11 in a temporary coup?

Human Rights Watch calls released torture documents "not sufficient."

Activist/Journalist Greg Palast laments that many votes are never counted.

"Democracy Itself is in Grave Danger" says Al Gore.

NYTimes columnist Bob Herbert breaks apart the right-wing's "tort reform" argument.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES

Lee Iacocca, a staunch conservative, has thrown his support behind John Kerry.

The Supreme Court has allowed Dick Cheney's Energy Task Force records to remain unavailable for viewing by watchdog groups.

E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post offers a look at the Democratic Illinois Sentorial candidate Barack Obama.

Jack Ryan, Republican candidate for the same seat as Obama, may be forced to withdraw from the race after sex allegations are revealed from a divorce case with his former wife, the actress Jeri Ryan.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom."-Bertrand Russell

TODAY'S BUSHISM
"It's hard to be successful if you don't make something somebody doesn't want to buy."
-March 9, 2004.

BLOG OF THE DAY
There are four things that I start most mornings with:

1) A kiss from my girlfriend
2) Online edition of the Washington Post
3) Cup of strong coffee
4) Daily Kos

is the community center for liberal bloggers with daily news updates, editorials on current events, and an aggressive progressive agenda. The dKos 8 are the site's chosen candidates for the November 2004 election. Through dKos, the candidates have collected over $40,000 in donations.

NEWSWORTHY

You can read more about liberal ice cream icon Ben Cohen in an interview with Grist Magazine.

The nursing shortage of the nation is being felt personally in North Carolina.

American business representatives scarce at UN business conduct and ethics convention.

Medicare is failing in yet another way: severely underfunding access to cancer drugs.

DRUG WAR UPDATE

The Utah Supreme Court allows peyote use during religious ceremonies.

High Court may hear medical marijuana case which has most recently been decided in favor of patients.

LINK OF THE DAY

Need a laugh? Is it a Bush or a Chimp?

SITE OF THE DAY

The Victory Fund is a Gay and Lesbian PAC which supports openly homosexual candidates.

COOL SITE OF THE DAY

Blogshares is a fantasy trading market based on blogs instead of stock. You can participate for free, or upgrade your account for one year for just $15.

CLAPS, SLAPS, AND THE MIDDLE FINGER

Claps go out today to Lee Iacocca for sticking to his conservative financial principles in backing John Kerry. Iacocca's experience from decades in big business has given him a keen view of our economy, and according to his endorsement of Kerry, he recognizes that Bush has abandoned his fiduciary responsibilities. It isn't everyday we welcome turncoats, but for Iacocca, we'll make an exception.

Slaps swing toward Paul Wolfowitz for his inane comments that journalists in Iraq were "afraid to travel" and were simply "publish[ing] rumors." Although Wolfowitz soon offered a retraction and apology, his original response is typical of an administration obsessed with control and blinded by ideology.

My Middle Finger is extended towards Dick Cheney for uttering "fuck yourself" to Vermont Senator Pat Leahy after a heated argument on the floor of the Senate. While I have no objection to any form of the f-word being used in appropriate circumstances (as in "fucking Republicans!"), the usage of such an infantile remark in a professional setting is unprofessional and a sign of the juvenille, bullying persuasion of Bush Administration officials.

ANIMAL RIGHTS WATCH

Tanya Tucker gives up her furs.

One activist solved a "turtle killing field."

CANDIDATE OF THE DAY

Stan Matsunaka is running in the fourth district House race in Colorado. He will be facing Hate Amendment supporter Marilyn Musgrave, a Congresswoman who spent more time on the FMA than important issues facing her constituents. Matsunaka, a solid supporter of women's rights, is forcing this rematch of the 2002 race, a contest which Musgrave won by 13 points. Visit Stan at his new 2004 site, which is still under development, or at his 2002 site.

DAILY PHOTO

Future First Daughter Alexandra Kerry

TODAY'S POLITICAL CARTOON


HISTORY LESSON

Someone making news this week you might have missed is John Negroponte. If the name is familiar, you might know him better as one of those responsible for covering human rights abuses during Iran-Contra activities. He had been Bush's ambassador to the UN, but now has been sworn in as the ambassador to the "like-new" nation of Iraq. Learn more about him here.

STRANGE HAPPENINGS

Justice of the Piece?