Friday, August 6 Issue #44

TODAY'S ACTION ALERTS
Since Ford failed to fulfill its promise to raise fuel efficiency, pledge not to buy a Ford.

Protect the Cape Hatteras Seashore from off-road vehicles.

FEATURED ARTICLES

NYTimes editors slam Bush administration for maneuvering to soften nuclear restrictions, a frightening and security-threatening policy.

Former weapons inspector Scott Ritter offers a brutal but fair critique of Kerry's stance on Iraq.

Incarceration of blacks leading to horrid social conditions and the spread of AIDS.

The U.S. government again rushes to install error-prone identification technology.

Paul Krugman digs beneath the politicized media coverage in Iraq and Afghanistan.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
Grist Magazine shows Obama to be an advocate for the environment.

Sidney Blumenthal smacks down the clouds around the recent terror alert and the Bush record on Homeland Security.

Failed leadership is worse with superpowers, says Bob Herbert.

Saudi Royals gift royally to Bush family and friends.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use - of how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public."
-Robert F. Kennedy

TODAY'S BUSHISM
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
-August 5, 2004

BLOG OF THE DAY
Pandagon is a hub for slightly edgy, seriously informative blogging. Another great community blog for debating the news of the day.

BLOGWORTHY
POGGEh? points us to a strong article making the conservative case against Bush.

Just a Bump in the Beltway caught another story of Bush campaign crackdown on protesters.

Mick, over at his rant blog Omniun, brings us an article by British reporter Robert Frisk, whose words destroy any sense of even a faux-peace in Iraq.

At Short Notes, Will Brady points to sources which suggest Wacky Moony Rev. Moon wants submarines to develop undersea colonies.

Unlike Dukakis in '88, Kerry is not taking libel lightly. As Left Coaster discovered, Kerry's lawyers consider libel suit against Swift Boat Veterans.

Whopundit has a kind offer for Alan Keyes should he need some assistance.

DRUG WAR UPDATE
The Capital Times takes a look at medical marijuana patients.

The IDF will start using cannabis to treat "shell shock" of troops.

Bolivia decides to reduce harm by ending destructive eradication of coca plants.

LINK OF THE DAY
Bob Novak: What an asshole.

SITE OF THE DAY
Surprisingly, one of the best maintained sites from the government remains the official U.S. House of Representatives website. You can find bills under consideration, schedules, and links to each Representative's site.

COOL SITE OF THE DAY
Anyone cinematically inclined undoubtedly checks the Internet Movie DataBase regularly. You can find lots of great political and journalistic movies. Some of my favorites are All the President's Men, Citizen Kane, and Thirteen Days.

ONLINE VIDEO OF THE DAY
CNN had a piece on the Swift Boat Veterans commercial, as well as McCain's reaction.

CLAPS, SLAPS, AND THE MIDDLE FINGER

Claps go first to John Kerry, for finally putting his pimp-hand down, offering an actual rebuttal to Bush's choice of actions. Kerry, at a stump speech in Missouri, told the crowd that he would not have sat in the Florida classroom after such a whisper in his ear. "I would have told those kids very politely and nicely that the president of the United States had something that he needed to attend to." Well, ok, still not full force, but for Kerry, this was direct, to-the-point, and made the rounds as a great sound-bite. This is bringing awareness of Bush's actions to another level, much like F9-11 earlier this year. We need more strong statements from Kerry. He doesn't have to spend millions on ads if he can repeated hit the soundbites.

Second round for John McCain, for blasting the television ad produced by a group of Vietnam veterans against Kerry. The ad, which the CEM highlighted yesterday, shows "testimonials" of soldiers who claim to have served with Kerry. In fact, none of the men served directly with Kerry. McCain strongly condemned the ads as "dishonest and dishonorable", making a statement that he felt Kerry served honorably in Vietnam. Of course, he destroys his integrity once again by sticking to GOP position that Bush also served his time in the National Guard honorably. You would think all this fence straddling would chaff his nuts. If if were anyone other than McCain, I'd insert the obvious punchline here.

Slaps to all countries that continue to allow diplomatic immunity for foreign emissaries. As seen in Britain, diplomats often break laws, even serious ones, without fear of repercussion. While there is no doubt that there must be a healthy respect of host nations for foreign dignitaries, there must also be reciprocal respect of said dignitaries for the host nation's laws. No nation's citizens should suffer indignities, assaults, and victimization from unchecked diplomats. We would not allow our own citizens to do such a thing, how can we allow a foreigner to do so? At least the British are opening a dialogue about the issue. I'm sure we'll never hear a peep about this until something incredibly tragic finally manages to break the serious government stranglehold on such reports.

My Middle Finger to Katherine "Dirty Knees" Harris for pulling a false security success story out of her ass. Harris, who would certainly make Tammy Faye proud of her color choices, had never uttered an original thought til that point in her life, so it is no wonder that the first one was so wacky. She literally made up a story about busting up a bomb plot, a nutty story disputed by local authorities. Sorry, Florida, but after 2000, you should have known better...To quote Dubya, fool me once...Shame..Shame on...you...Fool Me...Can't get fooled again.

ANIMAL RIGHTS WATCH
Florida town may crack down on alligators after attack.

No-kill shelter in San Fran needs a companion kill shelter to reduce overall euthanasia rate.

No snipping you dog's nads any longer, just give him a shot.

CANDIDATE OF THE DAY
Jeff Hardenbrook is seeking a U.S. Congressional seat from the battleground state of Ohio. A former missionary, Hardenbrook also worked for the Rural Electrification Administration. He also supports a higher minimum wage, an important fight for the struggling Ohio labor force.

DAILY PHOTO
Think January 20, 2005.


TODAY'S POLITICAL CARTOON



HISTORY LESSON
Read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle to understand why corporate dominance and government apathy lead to social exploitation of the labor force.

STRANGE HAPPENINGS
War...Peace...Freedom...Police State...Amish...Bush...Hmm...