Thursday, July 15 Issue #31

TODAY'S ACTION ALERTS
Let Bush know that you expect this election to operate legally and be verifiable.

FEATURED ARTICLES
Veterans of the war in Iraq may survive, but many face traumatic head injuries.

Arianna Huffington wonders whether Bush is "Presidential or Pathological".

Two Florida reporters tune us in to the company behind the felon lists.

NYTimes finally realizes that bloggers exist.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
Joe Conason believes Bush would benefit from a postponed election.

Grist Magazine speaks to Bush and the environment.

AskQuestions.org took a look at the corporate dominance of search engines.

Bush v Poor Kids: Round 15

WaPo editors rage that recent Supreme Court decisions have thrown sentencing into chaos.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."
-Harry S Truman

TODAY'S BUSHISM
"Pennsylvania's unemployment rate is 5.1 percent. That's good news for people who are trying to find jobs. "
-July 9, 2004

BLOG OF THE DAY
Rain Storm takes on everything from politics and the military to society and justice (which you would discover on your own if you visit the site). Rain Storm is one of the blogs which has been chosen to attend the Democratic Convention less than two weeks from today. Check back for intriguing reports.

NEWSWORTHY
The Bush Administration fails to fulfill promise on AIDS funding.

The Hate Amendment introduction was voted down in the Senate, will likely return next year.

Mike Ditka has announced that he will not seek a Senate seat in Illinois. Obama's chances look better all the time.

DRUG WAR UPDATE
Arkansas is one of many states which may vote on medicinal marijuana this fall.

Albany legislators will address Rockefeller drug laws.

LINK OF THE DAY
Jesus' General always offers his satirical best when addressing homosexual issues. Read his newest letter to Senator Santorum.

SITE OF THE DAY
RealClearPolitics is a cluttered but overflowing clearinghouse for election news, poll results, and daily headlines.

COOL SITE OF THE DAY
Ever think you could write a book? AuthorHouse is willing to publish it. Though I cannot vouch for the experience, the organization offers some pretty nice services if you've ever wanted to see your works bound professionally and available for distribution.

ONLINE VIDEO OF THE DAY
MoveOn PAC has introduced a new video comparing Cheney and Edwards.

CLAPS, SLAPS, AND THE MIDDLE FINGER

Claps to Tony Blair for having more guts than George Bush in admitting responsibility for faulty pre-war intelligence. Though he offered caveats to his acceptance, Blair takes his leadership roll far more seriously than Bush has ever done. As John Edwards pointed out, leaders must lead during the good times, but also during the bad. Blair, at least, holds himself to a more accountable standard than our own leader...which isn't saying much.

Slaps go exhaustively to NATO for being stupid enough to NOT CHECK to see that the organization was supporting a legitimate counterterrorism unit. Jonathan Idema conducted his own independent raids and maintained a private jail in Afghanistan, kidnapping and detaining individuals that he had determined may have vital information. NATO supplied bomb-sniffing dogs on three occasions to the mercenary, but apparently were fooled by the "American-style uniforms." Geez, if I weren't fairly confident that American operatives were supporting such actions and misleading NATO, this would have easily been a Middle Finger.

My Middle Finger seeks out the woman who incited widespread anger in France by claiming to be assaulted in an anti-Semitic attack. The charge, which occurred in a nation already on edge over racial issues, had provoked outrage from common folk and hired guns like President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. After determining the claim was a hoax, further investigation finds that the woman had a history of filing false charges. What we need less of is reactionary justice as was demonstrated by the French reaction. Instead, people like this woman should be quickly told to "Go Cheney yourself." My Middle Finger makes just that point.

ANIMAL RIGHTS WATCH
Animal rights activists are being charged as "terrorists."

Britain set to enact tougher animal rights laws, including the outlaw of animal tail-docking.

Hartz is under fire from thousands of complaints.

CANDIDATE OF THE DAY
Inez Tenenbaum is seeking to hold the U.S. Senate seat from South Carolina being vacated by the well-respected Fritz Hollings. Tenenbaum has a strong back ground in education, and has experience serving the public as the S.C. Superintendent of Education. She has served on numerous task forces and advisory boards, and received a law degree from South Carolina Law School.

DAILY PHOTO
The Keynote Speaker at the Democratic Convention: Barack Obama


TODAY'S POLITICAL CARTOON



HISTORY LESSON
Get a more in-depth look at the presumptive Democratic nominee, John Kerry, at Wikipedia.

STRANGE HAPPENINGS
You had to know that Airport Security would come to this one day.