Monday, July 5 Issue #26

TODAY'S ACTION ALERTS
Let your Senators and Represenatative know you want FDA oversight and regulation of meat products.

Tell Karl Rove you want to protect our wild areas.

FEATURED ARTICLES
Michael Moore penned an opinion piece for Sunday's LATimes.

John Kerry's Sunday Washington Post opinion.

Government Executive Magazine takes a priliminary look at Kerry's philosophy of government.

Despite Bush administration rhetoric, NATO is crippled after Iraq.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
The Naples Daily News offers a more in-depth look at the Florida voter roll controversy.

Woody Harrelson, Scarlett Johansson and Rob Reiner ad Hollywood edge to MoveOn.org anti-Bush campaign.

One snapshot of a Marine in Iraq.

Did Laurie Mylroie give Bush's Iraq aspirations early wood?

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision."
-Lynn Lavner

TODAY'S BUSHISM
"Look up the word. I don't know, maybe I made it up. Anyway, it's an arbo-tree-ist, somebody who knows about trees."
-August 22, 2001

BLOG OF THE DAY
The Smirking Chimp offers liberal blogging as it is meant to be. With over 22000 registered users, the SC is one of the most popular blogs on the net.

NEWSWORTHY
Democrats have released an early glimpse at the likely 2004 party platform.

Polio has reappeared in force in Nigeria and Sudan.

TV networks plan to scale back coverage of the national conventions, but I'm sure there will be ways to see all of the action. When I find links, I'll post them.

Montana battle over drilling proposal is but one of several fronts in the war against the environment.


DRUG WAR UPDATE
No charges are brought against officers who drew guns during an SC high school drug raid.

Several major church denominations are supporting medical marijuana.

LINK OF THE DAY
The Center for American Progress maintains a collection of first chapters of liberal and progressive minded books. If you want to get a good idea whether you want to read the whole thing, read the first chapter here. Books included are Richard Clarke's "Against All Enemies" and Joseph Wilson's "The Politics of Truth."

SITE OF THE DAY
Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) is a media watchdog that carefully monitors claims laid by media outlets and pundits and takes on investigative activities in the name of an independent media.

COOL SITE OF THE DAY
SeeYaGeorge.com has all the anti-Bush merchandise you need, from buttons to bumperstickers.

ONLINE VIDEO OF THE DAY
If Bush spoke the truth, sadly, it might sound more like this.

CLAPS, SLAPS, AND THE MIDDLE FINGER

Claps to the fledgling Iraqi government for pursuing peace with insurgents who have spent months fighting the American occupation. While I have no love for anyone who shoots at our soldiers, sailors, or Marines, no one can blame the Iraqis, such as Sadr, for fighting for their own dignity and firmament. Put in a similar situation, facing endless, unwanted occupation, and with the style of brutality at Abu Ghraib switching only from regular to decaf, Sadr and his militia have likely choosen a path most of us would have at least considered. Iraq's government is following a path to peace, and that path must flow through people like Sadr, not around them.

Slaps are flying toward Microsoft for its continual failure to protect its monopolistic software from even the most obvious attacks. This past week, internet experts were (and still are) strongly recommending that everyone cease using the Internet Explorer browser due to highly serious security flaws. You would think that with all of the financial resources available for the conglomerate to utilize, someone would have invested a little more responsibly in security checks. This is reason number 672 for using any software you can that does not come from the computer pundits at Microsoft.

My Middle Finger is having a hard time pointing at all the asinine news outlets glorifying one of the seven deadly sins. Gluttony was paraded across newswires, television screens, and internet feeds reporting the "exciting" competition for hot dog eating prowess. You'll find no link to any relevant article here since I have no desire to channel more of your time away from more important subjects, like war, poverty, genocide, and nuclear weapons. Hopefully, the hot dog journalism will fade as the week progresses, but I doubt journalistic standards will improve anytime soon. When American Idol and Fear Factor are more a part of our family than our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, hot dog eating contests apparently cry out to be gladhanded by the media.

ANIMAL RIGHTS WATCH
Chester the cat gets another life.

CANDIDATE OF THE DAY
Brad Carson is a Congressman from Oklahoma running for a Senate seat in a strongly GOP state. Despite claims by Republicans that Oklahoma will fall easily to Bush, recent polls indicate a much closer race than expected. Carson is a popular Congressman with strong records on defense and in fighting for the disadvantaged. He worked hard as a lawyer representing low-income clients, and hopes to take his Rhodes Scholar intellect into the U.S. Senate.

DAILY PHOTO

The Real South?


TODAY'S POLITICAL CARTOON



HISTORY LESSON
In honor of our July 4 celebration, and in light of our democratic muddle through the early 21st century, maybe it is time to reread the Declaration of Independence one more time. But have we been celebrating on the wrong day?