The Economist Sounds the Alarm About Africa's Famine

An excellent on-line article focusing chiefly on Mali, here.

Blaming the Rape Victim

In Pakistan, rape victims can be charged with adultery or fornication. Nicholas Kristof has the repulsive details.

Dinosaurs, My First Scientific Love

So naturally I was interested in this story.

Billions for Iraq, Not So Much for Domestic Security

Jack Beatty in the Atlantic Monthly nails it nicely.

Iraqi Civil War? Some People Think It Wouldn't Be So Bad

Spencer Ackerman in the New Republic (via Washington Monthly) discusses the horrifyingly casual way in which some people talk about the possibility of a civil war in Iraq and how they think it wouldn't be any "worse" than what happened in Lebanon, where a mere 100,000 people were killed, 1,000,000 displaced, and the country thrown into war and foreign domination for 30 years.

I guess it's easy to talk about these things when other people are doing the dying.

The Worst Country in the World

Although there are many contenders for this sorry distinction, North Korea far and away is the winner. Amnesty International's report makes that clear.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has a horrifying story here.

The U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea weighs in here.

A director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center writes about North Korea's Nazi-like regime in the Washington Post.

So far, religious organizations have taken much of the job of trying to enlighten the world about North Korea's hideous government and the terrible suffering of its people. It's up to progressives, liberals, and Democrats of all types to put this issue front and center. If we are to be morally consistent, we must protest. We have to be champions of human liberty everywhere. And no country demands our outraged voices be raised more than the vicious, barbaric dictatorship of Kim Jong-il.

"The Best President America Never Had"

This is fantastically well said. History will indeed remember Al Gore as someone who not only had what was rightfully his stolen from him, but someone who would have been superior in every way to the wretched little man who usurped him.

Thanks to eloy, posting on DKos.

Yeah Baby!

Bush hits a new low in Gallup!

Ohio Ain't Goin' Away

The 2004 election rat in Ohio continues to emit stench. Some interesting details are here.

(Thanks to My Left Wing)

The article about Ohio by Hitchens (who despises John Kerry) in Vanity Fair is here.

The Rove-Led Campaign to Smear Fitzgerald Has Begun

Joe Conason has the goods.

Pakistan: The Real Enemy?

This article in yesterday's L.A. Times reminded me once again of an uncomfortable truth: Pakistan is one successful presidential assassination away from being a radical Islamicist state with nuclear weapons. Read the article and tell me you're not concerned.

(Thanks to Kevin Drum)

How Many Africans Have to Die Before It's Newsworthy?

This post in Huffington this morning absolutely disgusted me. Gayle Smith and others have been monitoring network news for mentions of the Darfur genocide in the Sudan. In a single 75 day period, CBS had no mentions of this, but more than 300 of Tom Cruise (!), and more than 600 of the Michael Jackson trial. Absolutely sickening.

This is part of a pattern that we've seen examples of over and over again throughout the years. African lives just don't seem to matter very much to American news organizations. To me, the ultimate gruesome example will always be the comparison of the coverage given to the Rwanda mass murders and the Nancy Kerrigan incident in 1994. Newspaper editors and TV viewers, when surveyed about these issues, ranked Nancy Kerrigan getting bonked on the leg as a BIGGER STORY than the death of 800,000 to 1,000,000 people by mass murder in Rwanda. I think that's about the time I stopped taking TV news seriously. Can you blame me?

Similar indifference has been shown in regard to the horrible death toll in the Congo's civil war, which has killed 2.5 million people by some estimates since 1998. (You'll notice the link is to Radio Netherlands, which is interesting.) How many Americans know about the Congolese nightmare? I mean besides you and me and a handful of others?

I linked to this story about famine in Niger yesterday. How many people are aware of that? If the answer is not many, it's because things like the tiles on the space shuttle, the search for a missing girl in Aruba (however tragic) and show biz news take priority over dying Africans.

Oh well. I mean, just because they're people doesn't mean they matter, I guess. After all, how many of them are figure skaters who've been hit on the leg? You gotta have priorities, after all.

Cockroach Man, Corrupt Down to His Toenails

Tom DeLay is really little better than a common thief. His latest outrage, courtesy of Think Progress, is here.

Damn it, we have GOT to get this miserable little SOB out of Congress--and into a jail cell.

Your Fellow Humans Are Suffering

This time in Niger, where famine is ravaging the land. The main news story and plenty of links to more on the crisis, from the BBC.

Not Doing Too Well? Change Your Slogan

Almost four years after 9/11, Bush and his people are figuring out that fighting terrorists might have a political dimension. Fred Kaplan tells us about it here.

Listen to Saturn: Truly Eerie

Check this out for early morning weirdness. From NASA, courtesy of Lance Ehlers.

Little Ricky Continues to Make an Ass of Himself

The Worst Member of the Senate continues to shine.

A schmuck. A complete, out and out schmuck.

CASEY FOR U.S. SENATE

A Great Answer to Right Wing Cheap Shots

Certain conservatives wonder why so many people criticize Dear Leader when, after all, in World War II the country pulled together. There's an excellent reply on My Left Wing by dhonig:

"The first letter writer here asks a question I see a lot- ‘can you imagine people win World War II complaining the way liberals complain about Bush and Iraq today?’ The answer, quite honestly, is no, I cannot.

I cannot imagine Harry Truman skipping WWI because he had “other priorities.”

I can’t imagine fighting WWII without gas rationing, even if the profits go to the enemy.

I can’t imagine Harry Hopkins revealing the name of a spy in petty revenge for disagreeing with Roosevelt.

I can’t imagine a WWII where Joe Kennedy never got shot down because he was teaching at a community college.

I can’t imagine a WWII where John Kennedy was never in PT109, arguing the position he coveted 'was taken by blacks and hispanics.'

I can’t imagine WWII without a draft.

I can’t imagine WWII where there was no Rosie the Riveter, because it was cheaper to outsource her job to India.

I can’t imagine WWII in which we tell the Russians and the British they were “old Europe” because they wanted to fight the Germans first instead of agreeing with us that Japan should be the priority, and cutting our alliances as a result.

I can’t imagine fighting WWII against Spain because they were fascist and easy to beat, while ignoring Germany and Japan.

I can’t imagine starting a war against Japan after Pearl Harbor, but then pulling all the aircraft carriers and submarines out of that war to attack Sri Lanka.

I can’t imagine America hiding the bodies of its sons as they come home hidden in the dead of night.

And I can’t imagine Americans in WWII torturing, murdering, and raping, and the government covering it up.

So the answer is no, I can’t imagine having the same criticism of Roosevelt that I have of Bush. But not because I am worse. Because WWII was better."

The entire post is here.

Amazing! Republicans Planning to Investigate the Plame Investigation ITSELF

Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, amazingly enough, is planning to investigate Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of the Rove Scandal. Note that he's NOT investigating Rove; he's going to be investigating the guy who's giving Rove a hard time. Just when you think the White House couldn't manipulate and lie any more than they already have, they surprise you.

(Thanks to John Marshall)

Little Ricky is Getting Smacked Around

The results from the latest Rasmussen poll don't bode well for Santorum, the Worst Member of the Senate. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

CASEY FOR U.S. SENATE

These Are Our Opponents

Maryscott O'Connor is right: the Republican Party is rapidly becoming a hate group. Check this out:



There used to be a sane, fair-minded Republican Party. I don't know what in the hell happened to it. This crap is just sick.

I Hate Use the "F" Word...

But Bush and his people make it so easy.

Look, I taught about the history of Nazi Germany for many years, and I don't see the United States heading in that direction. And I don't agree with everything in the link above.

But damn, it makes you think.

Matt Welch Called It

He predicted three months ago that Bush would fight tooth and nail to prevent the second round of Abu Ghraib photos from being released. His take on it here.

I'm Afraid This is Right

The headline on this story says it all.

Is Frank Rich America's Most Valuable Journalist?

I should just establish a permanent link to this guy. He beautifully articulates why the Rove Scandal is so vitally important. It is when the scandal is seen as part of the Bush Administration's campaign of lies and disinformation leading up to the Iraq war that it makes sense. Frank lays it out here.

Terrorist Bastards Attack Egypt

Terrible violence has ripped through an Egyptian resort, thanks to soulless, murdering terrorist scum. At least 83 are dead; the death toll could still rise substantially. The grisly details are here.

Six Degrees of Separation to Bring Down the Bush Administration

I don't know if the theory is true that everyone in the world is separated from everyone else by only six other people, but testing it is worth a shot here. The Liberal/Democratic/Progressive blogosphere has become a major communications phenomenon. We need everyone's help here, folks, on what could be the key to destroying the worst presidency since the time of James Buchanan (or quite possibly, ever). Do you know anyone (or know anyone who knows anyone) who works or has worked for any of the following:

The Diebold Corporation
The Florida Secretary of State's Office
The Ohio Secretary of State's Office
Triad Systems (helped process Ohio votes in 2004)
Any Board of Elections in Ohio or Florida
Sproul & Associates (implicated in Nevada voter
registration scandal)
Any tech service that deals with vote processing
Anyone who knows how to hack into a voting system, to show how it might be done.

This is of the highest importance. Tech people especially, now is the time to come to the aid of your country. I KNOW we can find someone to come forward and give CREDIBLE testimony about vote fraud in both 2000 and 2004. The impact on this country of PROVING that at least one Presidential election was stolen would be shattering. I am convinced that a vote fraud participant is there. I spoke about this yesterday. I am aware that many have been looking. Now we need to expand the search. There are, for example, over 50,000 members of Daily Kos. Someone there knows someone who knows someone who knows someone...

Think. Search through your e-mail list, your holiday greeting card lists, your snail mail address book. Help us uncover the greatest political frauds since 1876. Help us stir up a firestorm that will make Watergate and Iran-Contra look like child's play. This is the biggest potential key we've got to bring the Bush bastards and their henchmen down and down HARD.

And by the way, just what the hell WAS that wire on Bush's back in the first debate (the one where Kerry utterly mopped the floor with Dubya)? That was never settled; I have a damned long memory.

American Public Negative on Bush's Iraq Policy 64-34!

Harris (by way of Bloomberg) has the bad news for El Presidente. Check out the percentage of people who have confidence that Dubya can make the Iraq situation come out well. (Hint: It's BELOW 25%).

Ever think about what things would have been like if Bush had announced he wanted to (effectively) abolish Social Security before the last election? Or if the Rove scandal had hit last September, instead of now? Dontcha kinda think Georgie would be back at his faux ranch in Crawford full time?

Lawrence O'Donnell Nails More Rove Lies

Read his post in Huffington today. It's an excellent response to the White House campaign of disinformation.

Howard Dean Fights for the American People

I didn't support him in the presidential nominating campaign last year, but DAMN is he a good Democratic Party Chairman. Check this out, brothers and sisters!

Ahnold Heading Down the Tubes

The Governator continues to hit the skids.

Message for 2006: He won't be back.

We Need a LIVE Participant to Prove GOP Vote Fraud

Anyone who knows me knows that I consider the 2000 election to have been a Republican-run coup d'etat. There are also considerable suspicions about what happened in Ohio in 2004. Now there is renewed talk about what happened in an election you might not have heard much about--the 2002 election in Georgia, where a Democratic governor and U.S. Senator were both turned out of office despite having held substantial poll leads just before the election. The Georgia voting system used, in many areas, a touchscreen system devised by the Diebold Corporation. Diebold's owner is a die-hard Republican who contributed $250,000 to the Bush campaign. The Diebold system in Georgia left no paper trail, i.e., a receipt that a voter could have that reflected his choices. Numerous anomalies popped up when Georgia's votes were tallied. There is an excellent diary and thread about this on DKos this morning. (You should read all the comments, too.)

But I still maintain that none of these accusations are going to fly until we get a living, breathing, sweating, confessing PARTICIPANT in these frauds to come forward. Most Americans are not moved by abstract statistical analyses, but they are moved by credible,emotional public admissions. The quest of the Blogosphere must be to uncover one of the people who hacked and manipulated the system in favor of the Republicans, a person who has ironclad evidence in his or her possession. This is going to take deep cover detective work, but can you imagine the payoff if we find a credible witness? It would mean the utter collapse of the Bush Administration and a discredited Republican Party for the next 20 years. There are people out there who know things and can be persuaded to talk. Let's FIND THEM and forget trying to win this battle just by using numbers.

J. Miller Rampant Obituaries!!

The guy who invented the TV dinner.

Scotty from Star Trek.

An Eloquent Plea for the Survival of Books

How could I, a certified bibliomaniac, not link to this?

(Thanks to Arts and Letters Daily)

William Westmoreland Dies

The controversial U.S. commander in Vietnam (until 1968) is profiled in this biography. Vietnam did tremendous harm to his reputation. It will take more temporal and emotional distance than there is right now to judge Westmoreland's place in history. He served his country with great heroism and distinction, in many ways.

Gee, You Don't Think He's LYING, Do You?

Our least favorite political figure may have been trying to deliberately mislead the FBI. I'm shocked. Karl Rove a...a...lying sleazebag SOB?

A Sign of the Times in North Dakota

If you want to buy a town, now's your chance. Much of America's Great Plains region is becoming devoid of people. This story is just another sad reminder.

Roberts' Record: It Doesn't Look Promising

Bush's new Supreme Court nominee is apparently a hard-line rightwinger, as conservative as they come. A detailed look at him can be found here.

There's more here.

UPDATE: It now appears that John Roberts might be more reasonable than I first feared.

More on Santorum, the Worst Member of the Senate

Apparently, Little Ricky thinks that when a post-pubescent boy is molested or seduced, it's really almost consensual sex. The detailed statement is here.

Worst. Member. Period.

CASEY FOR U.S. SENATE

Well Said

From Auth at the Philadelphia Inquirer by way of Newsie at Penndit.

Sudan: The Greatest Human Rights Disaster

Along with the Congo, the Sudan ranks as the world's most pressing human rights crisis. In all our political tussling here in America, we forget that sometimes. This is an excellent reminder.

The Real Issue in the Rove Affair

NYT columnist Frank Rich nails it hard. (Man, I've glommed off the Times twice already today, but it's just so good.)

Good Overview of N. Korean Situation by Nicholas Kristof

It's the first item listed in his interactive archive. There are related links as well.

A Hideous Crime

Insurgents, aka murdering bastards, slaughtered 59 people in a single attack near Baghdad. Many of the victims were children, and many of those who died had been burned to death. Was the Iraq war a bad move by the U.S.? No doubt. But I'm sure as hell not going to characterize the scum who would burn children alive for their cause as "freedom fighters." They're vicious butchers, and they should be treated that way.

2012 Hysteria on the Rise

When a culture is spiraling out of control, lunacy begins to manifest itself in a variety of ways. For many people, the year 2012 is viewed with dread because supposedly the Mayan calendar predicted the world will end then. Oh well. At least I'll have 5 years in retirement before I'm vaporized into subatomic particles.

This is an OUTRAGE

This kind of crap almost makes me physically sick. The drug war fanatics have this man's blood on their hands.

Don't Let the Republicans Count the Votes!!

This is why. Damn it, when are Democrats going to make a national issue out of voting reform? And why aren't more people asking hard questions about what happened in Ohio last November?

Krugman Speaks the Truth About Rove

America's most lucid and valuable columnist is right on target--again.

Did the Bush Administration's Incompetence and Stupidity Help Bring About the London Bombings?

The horrifying story is here, via AmericaBlog. By prematurely spilling the beans about an Al Qaeda mole, we may have let dozens of terrorists escape capture.

The Depths to Which Rove Will Sink

I urge you in the strongest terms to read the entire article by Joshua Green that appeared in the November 2004 Atlantic Monthly, but this section of it absoluely demands your attention. It is how Karl Rove smeared a Democratic candidate for Alabama's Supreme Court, a man who is a strong advocate for children, by labeling him as a child molester. The key grafs:

But no other example of Rove's extreme tactics that I encountered quite compares to what occurred during another 1994 judicial campaign in Alabama. In that year Harold See first ran for the supreme court, becoming the rare Rove client to lose a close race. His opponent, Mark Kennedy, an incumbent Democratic justice and, as George Wallace's son-in-law, a member in good standing of Alabama's first family of politics, was no stranger to hardball politics. "The Wallace family history and what they all went through, that's pretty rough politics," says Joe Perkins, who managed Kennedy's campaign. "But it was a whole new dimension with Rove."

This August, I had lunch with Kennedy near his office in Montgomery. I had hoped to discuss how it was that he had beaten one of the savviest political strategists in modern history, and I expected to hear more of the raucous campaign tales that are a staple of Alabama politics. Neither Kennedy nor our meeting was anything like what I had anticipated. A small man, impeccably dressed and well-mannered, Kennedy appeared to derive little satisfaction from having beaten Rove. In fact, he seemed shaken, even ten years later. He quietly explained how Rove's arrival had poisoned the judicial climate by putting politics above matters of law and justice—"collateral damage," he called it, from the win-at-all-costs attitude that now prevails in judicial races.

He talked about the viciousness of the "slash-and-burn" campaign, and how Rove appealed to the worst elements of human nature. "People vote in Alabama for two reasons," Kennedy told me. "Anger and fear. It's a state that votes against somebody rather than for them. Rove understood how to put his finger right on the trigger point." Kennedy seemed most bothered by the personal nature of the attacks, which, in addition to the usual anti-trial-lawyer litany, had included charges that he was mingling campaign funds with those of a nonprofit children's foundation he was involved with. In the end he eked out a victory by less than one percentage point.

Kennedy leaned forward and said, "After the race my wife, Peggy, was at the supermarket checkout line. She picked up a copy of Reader's Digest and nearly collapsed on her watermelon. She called me and said, 'Sit down. You're not going to believe this.'" Her husband was featured in an article on "America's worst judges." Kennedy attributed this to Rove's attacks.

When his term on the court ended, he chose not to run for re-election. I later learned another reason why. Kennedy had spent years on the bench as a juvenile and family-court judge, during which time he had developed a strong interest in aiding abused children. In the early 1980s he had helped to start the Children's Trust Fund of Alabama, and he later established the Corporate Foundation for Children, a private, nonprofit organization. At the time of the race he had just served a term as president of the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect. One of Rove's signature tactics is to attack an opponent on the very front that seems unassailable. Kennedy was no exception.

Some of Kennedy's campaign commercials touted his volunteer work, including one that showed him holding hands with children. "We were trying to counter the positives from that ad," a former Rove staffer told me, explaining that some within the See camp initiated a whisper campaign that Kennedy was a pedophile. "It was our standard practice to use the University of Alabama Law School to disseminate whisper-campaign information," the staffer went on. "That was a major device we used for the transmission of this stuff. The students at the law school are from all over the state, and that's one of the ways that Karl got the information out—he knew the law students would take it back to their home towns and it would get out." This would create the impression that the lie was in fact common knowledge across the state. "What Rove does," says Joe Perkins, "is try to make something so bad for a family that the candidate will not subject the family to the hardship. Mark is not your typical Alabama macho, beer-drinkin', tobacco-chewin', pickup-drivin' kind of guy. He is a small, well-groomed, well-educated family man, and what they tried to do was make him look like a homosexual pedophile. That was really, really hard to take."

Earlier this year the lone Democrat on the Alabama Supreme Court announced his retirement. There's an excellent chance that on Election Day the court will at last become entirely Republican

This is what we have to destroy. This is why Democrats, Independents, and sane Republicans must prevail. The very life of our country is at stake.

Dubya is Crashing Through the Floor

Hee hee!



Thanks once again to Al Rodgers.

The Worst Member of the Senate

Although the Republicans have several strong contenders for this title (Tom Coburn of Oklahoma springs to mind immediately, as does Sam Brownback of Kansas), I think Little Ricky Santorum truly deserves the prize. Santorum has been trying to blame the Catholic Church's pedophilia scandal on liberals. Yes, it's not the fault of the Church's outmoded celibacy requirement, it's the liberal culture of places like Boston that has induced sex-offending priests to ruin the lives of the children with whom they interact. Santorum has absolutely no shame. He is perhaps the sickest and most brazenly dishonest officeholder in the entire GOP, and you gotta go some distance to win that race. He's in trouble in his re-election race already. I say let's help flush him next year.

Here's an excellent response to Santorum's preposterous lies.


UPDATE: John Kerry responds to Santorum's grotesque lies.

It's NOT the Lawsuits

A favorite assertion of right-wing propagandists like John Stossel is that health care expenditures in the United States are being driven through the roof by malpractice costs. This article nails that lie quite nicely.

Hat Tip: Kevin Drum

Look Out Below!

And these figures were BEFORE the Rove scandal blew up.

Heh.

Update: From NBC, via Al Rodgers on DKos

Keeping Perspective

Look, I'm angry about being misled into (hesitantly) supporting the Iraq war back in 2003. I now bitterly regret my error. It was a mistake for me to trust the liars and criminals who run the Bush Administration. But let's be real about something. The insurgents we're fighting in Iraq are murdering, vicious, filthy bastards. They will kill anyone to further their "cause". More evidence is here.

General Clark on Terrorism

Wesley Clark has one of the sharpest minds in America and he applies his insights to the war on terrorists in this article from USA Today.

General Clark would make an excellent President, don't you think?

Har!

You gotta love Patrick Oliphant.

Understanding the Dangers of Meth

Perhaps the most destructive drug out there right now is methamphetamine. A Washington state newspaper has a comprehensive look at the threat it poses. (Hat tip to Sully) [You'll need to register to read past the site's home page.]

They've Found the Murder Weapon

The one that might have killed Leon Trotsky, that is. Well now we can finally get CSI on this.

Talk to the Dead!

I just hope they don't use up all your minutes or contact you during peak hours. The Fortean Times has the details.

(From Reality Carnival)

Find Your Local Hate Group!

The Southern Poverty Law Center, ruin by Morris Dees, has done great work over the years to help promote racial and economic justice. They keep track of hate groups throughout the United States. Here's their interactive map of where the haters in your area are.

(Tip o' the Hat to Caldonia at DKos)

Newsweek to Out Rove in Plame Scandal

David Corn has the news, via Huffington's blog.

As a character in Doonesbury once proclaimed in reference to Richard Nixon, so I would like to proclaim in reference to Karl Rove:

GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!

It's Dubya, the Movie!

This is one of the funniest freaking things I've seen in a long time. I recommend the smaller version

The Catholic Church: Taking a Step Backward

I was encouraged a few years ago when Pope John Paul II declared that evolutionary ideas were not incompatible with Catholicism. Although I am not a Catholic, I know many who are, and I was glad to see the Church guiding them toward this rational position. I am convinced that religion and science need not be in perpetual conflict. Now, however, it appears that conservative forces within the Church are moving the faith away from its sound and reasonable views on this issue. The unfortunate details are in here.

Thank GOD Robert Bork Never Got on the Supreme Court

Back in 1987, when Robert Bork was a controversial (and unsuccessful) Supreme Court nominee, I thought he was handled rather roughly. (I was in my Republican phase at that time.) Some years later, I realized the error of my ways. I came to see Bork for the far right crackpot he actually is. Further confirmation of this comes via MyDD.

Brit Hume: World Class Jackass

His first reaction to the London bombings? Good time to buy stocks. The disgusting details are here.

Check Your Horoscope, Folks

Courtesy of the Onion.

Chuck Hagel: A Truly Decent Republican

In a time when so much of the Republican Party has gone completely off the deep end, the candor and intellectual honesty of Nebraska's Senator Chuck Hagel is refreshing. Ah me. If only more Republicans were like this.

FOX News(?) Almost Welcomes the London Bombings

After all, the attacks this morning will focus us on the main issue in the world.

Watch the right-wing media machine in this country try to use these atrocities for the benefit of Bush and company. Disgusting.

And how in the HELL is the Iraq war acting to prevent such vicious acts? Why are we putting the most courageous men and women in America in mortal danger for no apparent reason?

Terrorist Bastards Attack London

It's too early to know who did this, but it has the earmarks of Al Qaeda. BBC's coverage is here, although you might not get through the first time you try to access it.

Damned Activist Judges

I knew they were out there!

$1 Million+ for a TRAILER

OK, folks, you think maybe housing prices in southern California have gone insane?

SCANDAL: Two Years Into the War and Our Troops STILL Aren't Adequately Protected

But Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and associates were well defended during their recent visit to Iraq. I guess Rumsfeld's life is just more valuable than the lives of the grunts on the firing line. After all, the soldiers and marines are merely our sons, brothers, friends, and husbands. An angry article in Soldiers for the Truth lays it on the line.

Bush vs. Our Country's Veterans

George W. Bush and his cronies give a great deal of lip service to honoring and protecting our fighting men and women and taking care of veterans, but when the chips are down, the soldiers and veterans consistently get stiffed. The Toledo Blade tells it like it is. Even more powerfully, Rose Aguilar interviews a paralyzed vet who's sick and tired of Bush/Republican BS on veterans issues. Read only if you're ready to get really angry.

Thanks to storiesinamerica at Daily Kos. You can read the second part of the interview here.

Happy Birthday, United States of America!

You're 229 years old. Here's to better days ahead.

God bless America.

The Republican Objective: A Permanent One Party Government

All Democrats, independents, progressives, libertarians, and just plain people who care about the American political system should read this. It's about a Republican attempt to crush the 527s, the independent campaign groups that played such an important role in 2004. The only reason Democrats had any parity with the Republicans in the political ground game last year was these organizations. The Republican move to crush them is part of the strategy to make America a permanent one party state. We need to fight this attempt NOW.

"The failure of drug prohibition in the United States is wreaking havoc in northern Mexico."

America's misguided and ill-conceived "War on Drugs" continues to sow tragic unintended consequences, especially south of the border. The Economist carries a grim report here.

Where to Find the Truth About Scientology

Since Tom Cruise's belief in Scientology has been in the news lately (another indicator of the domination of celebrity over substance in modern America), I thought y'all would like to see the perfect antidote to the fraudulent idiocy he and so many other rich suckers have bought into.

Go bake some clams!

Rove Identified as Criminal Who Outed Valerie Plame

Lawrence O'Donnell has made it official--top Bush advisor, Chicken Hawk in Chief, and political sewer rat Karl Rove was the one who outed CIA operative Valerie Plame in clear violation of U.S. laws related to the protection of intelligence agents. Read all about it here.

Let's see Karl doin' the Frog Walk!

Update: O'Donnell responds to Rove's lawyer.

The Bush Administration and AIDS in Botswana: Publicity vs. Reality

The Washington Post has the goods. If Bush's commitment to fight African AIDS is genuine, the Administration is going to have to step things up considerably. (Tip O' the Hat to Dave Gallagher for alerting me to this.)

A Thoughtful Conservative Critique of the Culture of Therapy

Although I'm not a conservative, I respect conservative thought that's well reasoned and argued in a civil manner. This article is an example. See if you don't agree with a lot of what its authors are saying.

The Intellectual "Consistency" of the Right

The wonderful Arianna Huffington nails it here.

The Iran Situation and the Threat of John Bolton

Talk of a recess appointment to make the recklessly irresponsible John Bolton the U.S.'s UN ambassador continues to circulate. Bolton would be a disaster for many reasons, but perhaps most especially in regard to Iran. Michael Tomasky explains here.

Sandra Day O'Connor Retires

The nation's first female Supreme Court justice announced today she is stepping down. Get ready for a potentially brutal fight if Bush caves into his worst instincts (as he usually does) and nominates a right-wing fanatic to take her place.

The Chicago Tribune's story is here.

Krugman Strikes Again

If you aren't reading New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on a regular basis, you should be. His analysis of Bush's catastrophic handling of Iraq in this morning's NYT gets it right on the money.