Wednesday, August 11 Issue #45

TODAY'S ACTION ALERTS
Protect Hawaii's coral reef system.

NYC residents: Get ready for a NORML event on August 17th.

FEATURED ARTICLES
Iraq is disintegrating by day and terrifying by night.

Economist Robert Reich predicts a pension disaster brought on by congressional apathy.

The Post provides yet another case of a classic Republican being lost from the Bush camp.

The world fiddles while Sudan burns...

Al Jazeera vows to continue Baghdad coverage despite station closure.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
Older Americans not impressed with new Medicare changes, confusion and doubts continue.

Vermont wants to import drugs to save cash, sues U.S.

Elizabeth Scanlon Thomas discovers that America is not the America of ages past.

Jon Stewart is about the only journalist willing to aggressively ask tough questions. See online video of the day (below) for more proof.

Alaska is typically a red state, but this year, Mother Jones thinks two-term Democratic Governor Tony Knowles, former Candidate of the Day from the CEM, may just win a Senate seat.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use."
-Soren Kierkegaard

TODAY'S BUSHISM
"Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better."
-September 24, 2001

BLOG OF THE DAY
BagNewsNotes is one of the most unusual sites you can visit. Of course, in Blogonia, that is typically a good thing. For BNN, that is a great thing. The cartoons are fresh, and invoke my kind of satire and sarcasm. This is one of those blogs to read if you only have a moment and need a quick laugh.

BLOGWORTHY
Somehow, Joel Caris of Nightmares For Sale found time to dig into Bush's economic numbers after a long week of Iron Blog judging.

Billmon is on top of Bush's choice to head the CIA.

Fact checking campaign speeches seems to be a lost passion by the media. Good thing blogs like Fact-esque are on the job.

Conservatives are out to dismantle any semblance of a decent education system thanks to incentive based compensation. Bryant at Make Me a Commentator shares his view.

The Chalabi mess stirs up all sorts of policy questions, and Mick takes on a few over at Omnium.

John Kerry's Christmas '68 recollections are getting a great deal of conservative blogger scorn since he has apparently offered several versions of the tale. Shankar Duraiswamy at Three Guys is pissed off, and needs to tell you why.

Steve Bates, the Yellow Doggerel Democrat, notes the outing of the Pakistani deep-cover agent exposed this week in support of Bush's terror warning.

Stephen at To The Barricades questions the "crowing" of WMD busts for "terrorists" instead of for domestic supremacist.

DRUG WAR UPDATE
The Capital Times continues to be a beacon of progressive causes, this time advocating for medical marijuana.

I can see it now: Vaccine: My anti-drug.

LINK OF THE DAY
Is there a connection between Bush poll numbers and terror alerts? Check out this composite chart which combines numerous poll results, significant events, and terror alerts. (great work to JuliusBlog)

SITE OF THE DAY
One of the few objective and surprisingly accurate government agencies remains the Government Accounting Office or GAO. This oversight body handles everything from drug war studies to foreign policy decisions, campaign reforms and taxation implementation. If someone from Congress wants it investigated, this is the team that does it. Great resource for in-depth studies and research.

COOL SITE OF THE DAY
Check out the National Budget Simulator to see just why fiscal policy is so difficult.

ONLINE VIDEO OF THE DAY
Damn, why can't all journalists be as forward as Jon Stewart? Watch him grill Republican Congressman Henry Bonilla on the "L" word.

CLAPS, SLAPS, AND THE MIDDLE FINGER

Claps to Denise Majette for winning the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat from Georgia. She becomes the first black candidate for a Senate position from the state, defeating millionaire businessman Cliff Oxford in Tuesday's runoff election. Majette is a heavy underdog in the conservative state, but in this strange election year, anything is possible. Should she win in November, she would be but the third Southern Senator since Reconstruction. The seat is being vacated by turncoat nutcase Zell Miller who was a DINO (Democrat in Name Only) who voted with Republican leaders at every opportunity. Miller will even speak at this month's Republican convention.

Slaps to Laura Bush. Why? She finally took a stance on an issue. Well, that's not what the Slaps are for, instead, they come as a result of the moronic stance she took in opposition to stem cell research. In her rebuke to Kerry's call for expanded stem-cell applications, Boring Bush Juniorette championed the religious right, but failed to account for the 70% or so of Americans that clearly favor Kerry's position. Laura, who has previously failed to teach UnCurious George to read, shows her own ignorance of all things important. Even at the pleading of Nancy Reagan, the stem-cell stance from the White House has been anything but progressive. Why does she say we should not pursue stem-cell research? "The implication that cures for Alzheimer's are around the corner is just not right, and it's really not fair to the people who are watching a loved one suffer with this disease." So, since we aren't 100% certain it will produce positive results, we shouldn't try? Laura, another slap for not iterating that logic prior to our invasion of Iraq.

My Middle Finger to Porter Goss for accepting the nomination of Bush and Co. to head the newfangled incarnation of the CIA. Goss, a Florida Congressman, has been irritatingly partisan in his bootstepping, and was one of the strongest opponents of the creation of the 9-11 Commission. He has been known to abandon intelligent debate in order to conduct vicious character attacks on Democrats, Kerry in particular, rather than press on with the vital issues most deserved of his time. Again, sorry Florida, but if you keep electing scum as your representatives, I hate to say how badly that reflects on the populace. I want to like you, really I do. But when people like Katherine Harris and Portor Goss speak for you, I just have to wonder if the Bush prescribed Prozac therapy is enough...

ANIMAL RIGHTS WATCH
A federal judge blocked Bush administration wishes to loosen restrictions on dolphin safety.

Maine is offering to help low-income pet owners get their pets to be "socially responsible."

Vogue Magazine should be protested for its advocation of fur as fashion.

CANDIDATE OF THE DAY
John Lynch wants to turn the office of New Hampshire Governor around to one of progressive and proactive leadership. A recent endorse of the Dean Dozen, Lynch made ethics a prerequisite for entrance to Harvard Business School during his tenure there. He has fought to maintain support for community hospitals and has been active in youth sports and activities.

DAILY PHOTO
The new Abu-Ghraib will use eco-friendly torture


TODAY'S POLITICAL CARTOON



HISTORY LESSON
Island Dave has begun work on his American Cities thesis on the homesteading of the Sooner state of Oklahoma. Take a look at one of the most unusual migrations to take place in U.S. history.