Thursday, July 29 Issue #40

TODAY'S ACTION ALERTS
Send a letter to Kerry and Bush speaking out against the current War on Drugs.

FEATURED ARTICLES

Read the text of Jimmy Carter's speech from Monday night.

Bush is again proposing cutting Medicare funding, this time for cancer doctors.

The Village Voice jumps on the Obama bandwagon.

Here is the text of Obama's speech.

Richard Cohen critiques Kerry's use of international standing in campaign sound-bites.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES

Informed Consent's Juan Cole argues with Cheney.

John Nichols chides the media for missing convention highlights, such as Obama's masterpiece.

Progressive Greens left to ponder exactly how to feel this election year.

Nader's presence in the race should convince Democrats to favor instant-runoff, or 1,2,3 voting.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
-H.G. Wells

TODAY'S BUSHISM
"I've been talking to Vicente Fox, the new president of Mexico... I know him... to have gas and oil sent to U.S.... so we'll not depend on foreign oil. "
-October 3, 2000

BLOG OF THE DAY
Digby over at Hullabaloo is one of the most cited bloggers around. Known for having insights with teeth, the site offers commentary on all thing political, from a liberal point of view, naturally. You'll see digby's posts show up often in the Blogworthy section of CEM.

BLOGWORTHY
Atrios brings the media hypocrisy to light in the coverage of blogger integrity.

Mortgage costs are complex and daunting for most anyone to consider, so Paperwight's Fair Shot offers a look at the shady tax resemblance of mortgage insurance.

Island Dave's View takes a look at flip-flopping, and why it is a good thing.

The Mahablog takes on William Safire in a personal and nuanced view of abortion.

Grocer hates Ben Cohen's anti-American activities, enough so to burn Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and sell the products of a terrorist financier. That Good Night's tenacity has the scoop.

For anyone following Iron Blog on a regular basis, you know about the row this week over a score. Judge Pineapple Girl defends her decisions on her blog.

DRUG WAR UPDATE
Arkansas medical marijuana initiative needs help to get on November ballot.

ACLU sues to get Arizona ballot signature approved, cites unjust restrictions.

LINK OF THE DAY
Joel Caris from Nightmares For Sale has a photo album posted from his trip to the Glacier National Park. The photos are breathtaking.

SITE OF THE DAY
AlterNet is a hub for independent media and journalism articles, of which the CEM has referenced many.

COOL SITE OF THE DAY
If Google and Yahoo searches bore you, check out the Devilfinder Search Engine. (thanks to Dave at Spacecoastweb: blog)

ONLINE VIDEO OF THE DAY
This is one of the funniest pieces I have seen in a long time. Will Ferrell doing his Dubya for ACT.

CLAPS, SLAPS, AND THE MIDDLE FINGER

Claps to XM Radio for signing NPR veteran Bob Edwards to a new show which will appear in a timeslot competing with Edward's old "Morning Edition". Edwards was a master of the calm, intelligent radio show, and could be counted on to address many issues other shows would not cover. NPR's hard shift to a middle ground has made many people reconsider NPR's integrity, especially after the FAIR study came out demonstrating a particular conservative lean to NPR guests.

Slaps to Washington DC's Metro for again resorting to extreme measures to enforce a no-food and drink law on subways and in stations. After receiving a warning from a station officer, one rider quickly finished her candy bar and discarded the wrapper. Instead of letting the situation die, the officer handcuffed her and searched her, claiming she had finished the bar after entering the station. The woman spent time in a jail cell, and was released when she paid a measly $10 fine. WTF??? With John Ashcroft screaming insane babble about "the terrorists are coming! The terrorists are coming!", don't you think the Metro officers have more important things to look out for than someone chewing? Jesus Christ...

My Middle Finger goes in effigy to the once powerful French, who yet again, hedge their bets in hopes of screwing the U.S. out of a promise. France has held back on fulfilling its promise to provide troops to aid the NATO-led training mission in Iraq. While I France had every right and justification for refusing to take part in the war with Iraq, this latest gaff underscores just how low the French have sunk in international relations. This was one chance for France to work toward better ties with the U.S. and take part in restoring order to the chaotic nation. Again, had no promise been made, France would have every right to abstain from participation, but after making a commitment, dammit, we expect them to honor it. The longer France waits to hold its end of the bargain, the more opportunities there are for our soldiers to be slaughtered.

ANIMAL RIGHTS WATCH
Animal rights group screws chance to investigate pig-farm cruelty accusations.

"Lucky" rescued after being shot with an arrow.

Feral cats in Cape May getting the blame for disappearing wildlife.

Caged killer whale tries to live up to its name,

CANDIDATE OF THE DAY
Patty Murphy is looking to hold on to her U.S. Senate seat from Washington. Murphy, who has served two full terms in the Senate, has fought hard to strength education and afterschool programs, and has an intent focus on family interests. She believes in fair trade and labor rights, as well as supporting smart growth for our nation's economy.

DAILY PHOTO
So simple even Republicans can understand it.

(thanks to BagnewsNotes)

TODAY'S POLITICAL CARTOON



HISTORY LESSON
During this week of amazing speeches, lets remember one of the best orators of his day, George McGovern.

STRANGE HAPPENINGS
Insurers sure are getting creative in screwing their customers.