Tuesday, July 6 Issue #27

TODAY'S ACTION ALERTS
Tell the EPA that you have a right to know about Toxic Release Inventories.

Urge your Representative to vote in favor of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment.

FEATURED ARTICLES
Henry Waxman opines in today's Washington Post about Congressional oversight.

Bloggers make front page of the WaPo, and Kos gets quoted.

Howard Dean writes about Bush's war on science.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
Billionaire Warren Buffett offers his views on stock options.

Here is the WaPo's take on the Edwards nomination.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame."
-Laurence Peter

TODAY'S BUSHISM
"She is a fabulous First Lady. I was a lucky man when she said, yes, I agree to marry you. I love her dearly, and I'm proud of the job she's doing on behalf of all Americans. Just like I love my brother. "
-September 9, 2003

BLOG OF THE DAY
Captain Steven Alverez maintains a blog through the Orlando Sentinel of his deployment in Iraq.

NEWSWORTHY
Despite ongoing terror risks, Bush may not choose CIA replacement for George Tenet.

Jose Padilla's lawyers refiled his case to satisfy Supreme Court ruling.

DRUG WAR UPDATE
An opinion piece in The Monitor argues that the Supreme Court may decide this fall for the rights of states and medical marijuana patients to be free from prosecution by federal agencies.

Michigan town debates medical marijuana initiative.

LINK OF THE DAY
What is wrong with this picture?

SITE OF THE DAY
The Economic Policy Institute maintains a site called Job Watch where wages and employment numbers are tracked and analyzed.

COOL SITE OF THE DAY
The National Archives Experience offers an interactive tour of our nation's most well-known and important documents. Specifically check out the "Charters of Freedom" link.

ONLINE VIDEO OF THE DAY
Here is the CBS video coverage of the Kerry-Edwards announcement.

CLAPS, SLAPS, AND THE MIDDLE FINGER

Claps to John Kerry for making the best choice for VP. Edwards has his flaws, but nonetheless adds an element to the ticket not available in any other prospects. His youth, populist message, and successful integrated campaigning are a perfect addition to the Democratic ticket, and puts North Carolina into play in this year's election.

Slaps to the New York Post for headlining its Tuesday edition with the moronic "Kerry's Choice: Dem picks Gephardt as VP candidate". Despite having no solid evidence of the choice (could it be an intention Kerry campaign misdirection?), the Post, owned by right-wing financier Rupert Murdoch, ran with the presumptive decision regardless. In this "Dewey Wins!" remix, the Post showed its journalistic ineptness brilliantly for the world to see, and has since offered a "sincere retraction and apology."

My Middle Finger scorns the Fridley and GKC cinema chains for refusing to show F9-11 in any theaters. Although I support an individual's right to make personal business decisions, refusal on such a large scale, especially in the midwest states where these chains are located, amounts to censorship. According to one spokesperson, requests for showings are beating support for censorship 5-1. Go figure...

ANIMAL RIGHTS WATCH
PETA activists go topless to protest the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

Shelter crowding still a major problem.

CANDIDATE OF THE DAY
Mike Byron is running for Congress against one of the most conservative members from California. Byron, who has a Ph.D in Political Science, served in the Navy and has taught numerous political and foreign-focus courses. His opponent, Darrell Issa, spent a fortune bringing about the California recall vote, and has been marred by numerous ethics complaints.

DAILY PHOTO

Post says Dewey was his second choice.


TODAY'S POLITICAL CARTOON



HISTORY LESSON
Here is a January 2004 NYTimes account of John Edwards legal work.