Greetings, fellow Freedom Fighters™ and Defenders of Democracy™!

Today, we bring you another emergency post: today's daily briefing from the Center for American Progress's Progress Report. This issue was jam-packed with so much good information that we wanted to present it by itself and give our Readers a chance to read it thoroughly.

Topics in this issue include

- blockage of the administration's plan to drill in Alaska's wetlands
- Christine Todd Whitman's lies re the safety of NYC after 9/11 coming home to roost
- more proof of the apocryphal "Path to 9/11" pro-Bush, anti-Clinton, fact-free propaganda-fest
- Rep. Curt Weldon's (R-PA) plan to strip Bush and Rumsfeld of war powers
- Bolton's confirmation process dead in the water
- Bush's failure to push legalization of illegal wiretapping through Congress
- and much more!

Keep the faith and keep fighting; together; we WILL win our nation back!

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Center for American Progress: the Progress Report

Subject: Progress Report: Taking the 'Docu' Out of 'Docudrama'

GOOD NEWS

"A federal judge issued a preliminary ruling on Thursday that temporarily blocks the U.S. administration's plan to allow oil development in the sensitive wetlands near vast Teshekpuk Lake in Arctic Alaska."

STATE WATCH

OHIO: An initiative to raise the state's minimum wage has qualified for the ballot.

MISSISSIPPI: Lawmakers are being urged to increase regulation of the payday lending industry.

NEW YORK: NYPD's top counterterrorism expert says terrorists still see New York City as a prime target for an attack.

CALIFORNIA: Declining numbers of African American students prompts UCLA to move toward a major shift in the admissions process for November 2007 applicants.

BLOG WATCH

THINK PROGRESS: Conservative author Richard Miniter: "There's zero factual basis" for key scene in "The Path to 9/11."

THE CAUCUS: New York Times launches politics blog.

FIRST DRAFT: U.S. military's top lawyers line up to oppose Bush's new military commissions legislation.

POLITICAL ANIMAL: Musharraf's last stand?

DAILY GRILL

"Former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman is blaming the city for not forcing Ground Zero workers to wear respirators."
-- Newsday, 9/8/06

VERSUS

"[Whitman] was quoted in Newsday on Sept. 15, 2001, as saying, 'There is no reason for concern,' referring to asbestos measurements at Ground Zero and elsewhere in lower Manhattan. And on Sept. 16, she said, 'New York is safe.'"
-- Newsday, 9/8/06

ARCHIVES

Progress Report

STUDENTS

Politics with an Attitude: Everyone from Barack Obama to Stephen Colbert talks to Campus Progress. Right-wingers seem scared of us. Find out why here.

by Judd Legum, Faiz Shakir, Nico Pitney
Amanda Terkel and Payson Schwin

September 8, 2006

MEDIA

Taking the 'Docu' Out of 'Docudrama'

UNDER THE RADAR

Go Beyond The Headlines

THINK FAST

Coffee and Donuts Not Included
For news and updates throughout the day, check out our blog at ThinkProgress.org.
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MEDIA
Taking the 'Docu' Out of 'Docudrama'

Scheduled to air around the five-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks, ABC's docudrama "The Path to 9/11" has elicited a firestorm of criticism for being an inaccurate and deeply-biased account that blames President Clinton for the 9/11 attacks while praising President Bush's response. Written by avowed conservative Cyrus Nowrasteh, the film claims to be based on the bipartisan 9/11 Commission report, despite containing numerous factual inaccuracies that have no basis in the Commission's work. Senate Democratic leaders, led by Harry Reid (D-NV), wrote a letter yesterday to Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company (the parent company of ABC), urging him to "cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program." Clinton lawyer Bruce Lindsey also wrote Iger, explaining, "The content of this drama is factually and incontrovertibly inaccurate and ABC has a duty to fully correct all errors or pull the drama entirely." Feeling the heat and recognizing its errors, ABC "has in recent days made changes to the film" and is claiming "the editing process is not yet complete." As the Families of September 11 have said, the events surrounding 9/11 are far too important to play politics with. Take action now -- join the over 69,000 individuals who have called on ABC to tell the truth about 9/11.

ALL DRAMA, LITTLE DOCUMENTARY: In recent days, the film's writers and consultants have begun distancing themselves from the factual inaccuracies contained in the film. Nowrasteh has said that a key scene falsely in the movie -- which alleges that former National Security Adviser Samuel Berger failed to pull the trigger on a surefire opportunity to kill Osama bin Laden -- was "improvised" by the actors on the set. "Accidents occur, spontaneous reactions of actors performing a role take place," Nowrasteh argued. Former 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean, who acted as a senior consultant and was credited as co-executive producer of the movie, "admitted...some scenes in the film are fictionalized." Actor Harvey Keitel, who plays FBI special agent John O'Neill in the film, said, "You can't put things together, compress them and then distort reality." ABC and its defenders have evolved their positions on the movie, emphasizing that the miniseries is a "dramatization, not a documentary." But in fact, ABC publicized this film as the official rendering of the 9/11 Commission report. Executive producer Marc Platt and Nowrasteh said earlier that they wanted to "match the just-the-facts tone of the report." ABC producers earlier claimed the film was "based solely and completely on the 9/11 Commission report." For ABC to now suggest that the miniseries was not billed as a documentary is disingenuous. Steve McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, explained the project in the following way: "When you take on the responsibility of telling the story behind such an important event, it is absolutely critical that you get it right."

CRITICISM COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS: While some conservatives have tried to argue that critics of "The Path to 9/11" are simply partisans who are "whining," the truth is that complaints have reigned down from all circles, including from conservatives, former Bush officials, and 9/11 Commission members. Conservative author Richard Miniter, who wrote a book blasting President Clinton's counterterrorism policies, has acknowledged that there is "zero factual basis" for the "idea that someone had bin Laden in his sights in 1998 or any other time and Sandy Berger refused to pull the trigger." Conservative media watchdog Brent Bozell said ABC should "correct" the scenes that "do not have any bearing on reality." Former counterterrorism officials Richard Clarke and Roger Cressey, who worked for Presidents Clinton and Bush, have blasted the movie and said that scenes in the movie are completely made-up. Many former members of the 9/11 Commission have also spoken out against the film. Richard Ben-Veniste said that as members of the Commission were watching a private screening of the film, "we were trying to think how they could have misinterpreted the 9/11 commission s finding the way that they had. Jamie Gorelick told Iger, "I hope that you will correct the record before series airs," and Tim Roemer told CNN yesterday that the Berger scene had no basis in the 9/11 report. Even Kean said he "had pointed out the issue" with the Berger scene to ABC recently, and according to CNN, ABC told Kean "they would go back and take a look at the scene."

SCHOLASTIC CUTS PARTNERSHIP WITH MOVIE: Scholastic Corporation, one of the leading distributors of educational materials for children, announced yesterday that it was ending its partnership with "The Path to 9/11" film. Scholastic and ABC had earlier announced a pact to produce "online study guides" related to the film and to send 100,000 educators a letter from Kean informing them of such materials. As Media Matters documented, the discussion guides were "rife with conservative misinformation" and key omissions which resulted in a distorted account of pre-Iraq war WMD capabilities and misleadingly suggested a tie between Iraq and 9-11. In a press release, Scholastic stated the educational materials "did not meet our high standards for dealing with controversial issues." Scholastic will produce a new classroom discussion guide to that it claims will not aid in "promoting the program" but will still encourage the use of the film as as a "teachable moment." Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, called on teachers across the country not to use "The Path to 9/11" to educate their students about the history of 9/11 because of the film s inaccuracies.

A PRECEDENT FOR CANCELLATION: If the film's inaccuracies cannot be corrected prior to its scheduled airing, ABC should not to run it. There is precedent for such a decision. In Nov. 2003, CBS announced that it would broadcast a mini-series called "The Reagans," which many conservatives argued contained fabricated dialogues about Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The National Review's Ed Morrow wrote at the time, "Attempts to distort our history must be resisted. Historical truth is simply too valuable to be made a plaything for biased filmmakers rewriting it to fit their politics." Similarly, the Review's Seth Leibsohn said, "We should all be ashamed of bad history, though -- of dressing up fiction as fact." Wall Street Journal editorialist James Taranto acknowledged the similarities in the arguments being made against the two movies: "The Clintonites may have a point here. A few years ago, when the shoe was on the other foot, we were happy to see CBS scotch 'The Reagans.'" Daily Variety reports today that, just as the Reagan documentary was pulled from CBS, a similar fate may soon hit "The Path to 9/11." "Sources close to the project say the network, which has been in a media maelstrom over the pic, is mulling the idea of yanking the mini altogether," the Variety writes.

Under the Radar

INTELLIGENCE -- SENATE COMMITTEE RELEASES PORTIONS OF PHASE II IRAQ INTEL REPORT: The Senate Intelligence Committee voted yesterday to release a 400-page report that "covers only two of the five topics outlined under Phase II" of the committee's report on the manipulation of intelligence preceding the Iraq war. "Much of the information -- on the intelligence supplied by the INC and Chalabi and the overestimation of Saddam's WMD threat -- has been documented in numerous studies." The documents will be available on the committee's website later today. The "heart of the report" -- an "analysis comparing the Bush administration's public statements about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein with the evidence senior officials reviewed in private" -- "remains mired in partisan recrimination and will not be released before the November elections." Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) promised to continue working on the report, although he has in the past called Phase II a "monumental waste of time." Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said the released portions would show the "administration pursued a deceptive strategy of using intelligence reporting that the intelligence community had already warned was uncorroborated, unreliable, and in some critical circumstances, fabricated."

AFGHANISTAN -- VIOLENT TALIBAN RESURGENCE WREAKS HAVOC IN SOUTHERN PROVINCES: Nearly five years after the Taliban was overthrown, "the fighting in Afghanistan is the bloodiest since" the beginning of the war. A violent Taliban resurgence has killed more than 1,600 people over the past four months, including many American and NATO soldiers. Just yesterday, "a suicide car bomb struck a convoy of U.S. military vehicles in Kabul on Friday, killing at least seven people," including two American soldiers. This increase in violence has prompted NATO commander Gen. James L. Jones to call for "as many as 2,500 more soldiers and additional aircraft" in an effort to prevent provinces in southern Afghanistan from collapsing. Among the Afghan public, "resentment and disenchantment" are spreading because of the "glacial pace of reconstruction coupled with corrupt and inept local government," leading many to support the Taliban. Basic social infrastructure, such as a police force, judiciary, and civil service, has "[fallen] by the wayside." In addition, because "ordinary Afghans still live without power, water or other amenities," many have resorted to growing one of the nation's top cash crops: opium. Afghanistan's opium harvest is up 60 percent since last year, causing concern in the United Nations that "the bumper crop was helping fuel the deadly Taliban-led insurgency in the south."

IRAQ -- REP. WELDON PROPOSES PLAN TO STRIP BUSH AND RUMSFELD OF WAR POWERS: Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA), the number-two Republican on the Armed Services Committee, has proposed legislation that would essentially "remove George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld from the military chain of command over Iraq." Weldon "is a strong supporter of the U.S. military mission in Iraq," and once made plans to travel to Iraq and secretly "go digging by the Euphrates for a cache of WMD he believed to be there. The Hill reports, his resolution "would give military commanders -- instead of President Bush or Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld -- decision-making authority over when American troops should return home." Weldon is "in the midst of a difficult reelection campaign because of voters generally sour view of the war in Iraq." Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), two members of the Armed Services Committee, suggested the legislation was unconstitutional. It would subvert civilian leadership of the military, Graham said.


Think Fast

Sources tell the New America Foundation's Steve Clemons that John Bolton's confirmation process "is now dead." "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is 'highly unlikely' to reconsider Bolton's confirmation again as things now stand."

Yesterday, the Senate unanimously reinstated a special CIA unit dedicated to hunting Osama bin Laden. The CIA received intense criticism after closing the unit in late 2005.

Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer continued to throw personal attacks at his opponent, Janet S. Owens, saying she is "getting fat" and "her husband rules her." He added that she "prissy little miss" who wears "long dresses, looks like Mother Hubbard -- it's sort of like she was a man."

"The Senate passed legislation Thursday night that would create a massive, Google-like searchable database to track federal spending." The bill passed "by a voice vote after both Republican and Democratic senators dropped their objections to it."

Richard Woollam, the former head of pipeline-corrosion at BP Alaska, invoked the Fifth Amendment in testimony before a House subcommittee. The company transferred Woollam to Houston in 2005 "amid concerns that he intimidated potential whistleblowers."

"President Bush's support proved insufficient to push a bill authorizing his warrantless wiretapping program through the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday." The bill stalled after Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) "spoke against the bill for about a quarter of the panel's two-hour meeting and offered four amendments."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose reputation has been badly damaged by his support for the U.S. war in Iraq, promised to step down within a year.

The possibility of compromise on comprehensive immigration reform "is essentially dead." House conservatives, "who have campaigned hard against illegal immigration with few legislative accomplishments to show for it," will "try to cobble together a package of border crackdown measures before their recess next month."

And finally: Congress horses around. Rather than deal with "war in Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorism and border problems, high energy prices and health-care costs," the House's first order of business was HR 503, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. "The debate - lasting nearly four hours while horse lover Bo Derek watched from the gallery - quickly degenerated into dueling expressions of equestrian love."

Greetings, fellow Freedom Fighters™ and Defenders of Democracy™!

Today, we bring you an emergency post: an article from Thom Hartmann. The matters it discusses are so serious that we felt it deserved its own post rather than being relegated to the information clearinghouse section of our regular posts.

As one famous progressive likes to say, read it; get mad as hell; then go raise hell.

Keep the faith and keep fighting -- together, we WILL win our country back!

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JonBenét Died and Bush Lied?

by Thom Hartmann

I was on the air doing my radio program two weeks ago when the story came down the wire that the killer of JonBenét Ramsey had been captured in Thailand just hours earlier. I opened the microphone and said words to the effect of, "Today there must be something really awful going down for the Republicans. Maybe Rove really will be indicted. Maybe Cheney. Maybe some terrible revelation about Bush. And if there isn't, today will be the day they'll toss out the unsavory stories - like gutting an environmental law or wiping out pension plans - that they don't want covered."

Apparently it was worse than I'd imagined.

That same morning - just hours after the JonBenét information hit the press and just after I got off the air - it was revealed that US District Court Judge Anna Diggs Taylor had ruled that George W. Bush and now-CIA Director Michael Hayden had committed multiple High Crimes, Misdemeanors, and felonies, both criminal and constitutional. If her ruling stands, Bush and Hayden could go to prison.

As Judge Taylor said in her "ACLU v. NSA" decision (available here): "In this case, the President has acted, undisputedly, as FISA [the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] forbids."

When somebody acts "as FISA forbids," the law is pretty clear about the penalties. As you can read here, when somebody - anybody - breaks the FISA law, they are subject to "a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both."

Further, in the case of a president or NSA director, the law specifies that federal agents and courts have the authority to arrest and prosecute: "There is Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section if the person committing the offense was an officer or employee of the United States at the time the offense was committed."

Judge Taylor went on to point out that Bush had not only broken the law, but that he had also violated the Constitution - which many legal scholars would suggest is clearly an impeachable offense. In Judge Taylor's words:

"The President of the United States, a creature of the same Constitution which gave us these Amendments [the Bill of Rights], has undisputedly violated the Fourth in failing to procure judicial orders as required by FISA, and accordingly has violated the First Amendment Rights of these Plaintiffs as well."

But the media didn't notice. They were too busy with the story of the child-killer who had finally, after a decade, been found and captured. As the Think Progress blog noted:

Yesterday, a federal judge in Michigan issued "a sweeping rebuke of the once-secret domestic-surveillance effort the White House authorized following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." The ruling was "a significant blow to Bush's attempts to expand presidential powers," but you wouldn't know that by watching last evening's network newscasts.

Think Progress went on to chronicle how much time the three big networks had devoted to the two stories that first night:

NBC - 7 minutes 39 seconds on the Ramsey story, only 27 seconds on the NSA

CBS - 3 minutes 23 seconds on the Ramsey story, only 25 seconds on the NSA

ABC - 4 minutes 3 seconds on the Ramsey story, only 2 minutes on the NSA

Within a few days, the story of the President being found guilty of both imprisonable felonies and impeachable violations of the Constitution had vanished from the mainstream media altogether.

This isn't the first time bad news for Republicans has been coincidentally eclipsed by Suddenly Huge Stories.

Keith Olbermann first compiled, almost a year ago on his "Countdown" program on MSNBC, a list of ten "coincidences" wherein bad news for the Bush administration (or, during the election, good news for John Kerry) was immediately followed by terror alerts that grabbed the headlines and diverted the attention, Teflon-like, away from Republicans and into a media frenzy.

Olbermann's list is now up to 13 of these odd "coincidences." An administration that would out a CIA agent and bring down an entire counterterrorism operation just to punish a former ambassador who dared to speak out about administration lies may well be easily capable of cooking up news-grabbing "coincidences."

And apparently there's some fire to go with that smoke. As USA Today reported ("Ridge Reveals Clashes On Alerts" by Mimi Hall, 10 May 2005):

"The Bush administration periodically put the USA on high alert for terrorist attacks even though then-Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge argued there was only flimsy evidence to justify raising the threat level, Ridge now says. ...

"'More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it,' Ridge told reporters. 'Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don't necessarily put the country on (alert). ... There were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said, "For that?"'"

By coincidence, when Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy made her first announcement, transcribed by the Rocky Mountain News, she mentioned her work with Bush's Department of Homeland Security several times, naming agents of that department, and pointing out that her own investigator, Mark Spray, had been sent off to Thailand a week earlier "with little more than four hours notice."

It probably took Judge Anna Diggs Taylor around a week to wrap up the wording of her decision, and if the NSA were spying on her without a warrant, the timing of sending off a Boulder agent just in time to generate a sensational headline a week later would be no problem.

In a way, it would be nothing new: Republican operatives working out of Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch's office successfully hacked into the computers of and spied on several prominent Democrats, most notably Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, for over a year from the Spring of 2002 through April of 2003. As The Boston Globe noted on January 22, 2004, the memos were then leaked at useful moments to The Washington Times, Bob Novak, and others:

"Republican staff members of the US Senate Judiciary Committee infiltrated opposition computer files for a year, monitoring secret strategy memos and periodically passing on copies to the media, Senate officials told The Globe.

"From the spring of 2002 until at least April 2003, members of the GOP committee staff exploited a computer glitch that allowed them to access restricted Democratic communications without a password. Trolling through hundreds of memos, they were able to read talking points and accounts of private meetings discussing which judicial nominees Democrats would fight -- and with what tactics.

"The office of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms William Pickle has already launched an investigation into how excerpts from 15 Democratic memos showed up in the pages of the conservative-leaning newspapers and were posted to a website last November.

"With the help of forensic computer experts from General Dynamics and the US Secret Service, his office has interviewed about 120 people to date and seized more than half a dozen computers -- including four Judiciary servers, one server from the office of Senate majority leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, and several desktop hard drives.

"But the scope of both the intrusions and the likely disclosures is now known to have been far more extensive than the November incident, staffers and others familiar with the investigation say.

"The revelation comes as the battle of judicial nominees is reaching a new level of intensity. Last week, President Bush used his recess power to appoint Judge Charles Pickering to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, bypassing a Democratic filibuster that blocked a vote on his nomination for a year because of concerns over his civil rights record."

Investigations into the "computer glitch" have been blocked by Senate Republicans for three years now, and the data was used to successfully torpedo several of Kennedy's and other Democrats' efforts against Bush's federal judicial appointments of right-wing extremists.

So we have Republicans who have admitted spying illegally. Who brag about it. And who have evidently - according to Tom Ridge - played the media like a violin for years. Could it be that the Karr/Ramsey case is another Soviet-style manipulation of the media?

Or is that too paranoid to contemplate?

Tragically, there are virtually no investigative reporters left in America, and the few who are still working find incredible roadblocks - and over the past year the threat of imprisonment - when looking into the workings of the Bush administration's intelligence services.

So, at the worst for Republicans who trot out "news" and "terror alerts" to misdirect our attention, this will probably just be chalked up as Coincidence Number 14 on Keith Olbermann's list.

Thom Hartmann is a Project Censored Award-winning best-selling author and host of a nationally syndicated daily progressive talk show carried on the Air America Radio network and Sirius. www.thomhartmann.com His most recent book, just released, is "Screwed: The Undeclared War on the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It." Other books include: "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight," "Unequal Protection," "We The People," and "What Would Jefferson Do?"

Greetings, fellow Freedom Fighters™ and Defenders of Democracy™!

Today, we bring you a memorial of the untimely and tragic death of naturalist and conservationist Steve “the Crocodile Hunter” Irwin, recommended links, political letters, news from our clearinghouse, and more … including a wee bit of satire for good measure. Be sure to read Greg Palast’s “Recipe for Labor Day” -- today’s pig is tomorrow’s bacon! -- in our information clearinghouse. You also won’t want to miss some of our recommended links describing George W. Bush’s aspirations to replace the United States Constitution with himself as the nation’s living Constitution!

Keep the faith and keep fighting; together, we WILL win our nation back!

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In memoriam Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter

On the fourth of September, 2006, the world lost one of its most devout and passionate conservationists when Steve “the Crocodile Hunter” Irwin died in a freak accident while filming. Suffering a fatal barb to the heart from a stingray, Irwin, 44, suffered cardiac arrest and could not be revived. According to Wikipedia, stingrays are not aggressive, so Mr. Irwin must have been stung as the stingray’s tail brushed past him. Fatal stings are extremely rare, but they can occur in stings to the heart. Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray for more information on stingrays. Mr. Irwin, a colorful and beloved TV personality, is survived by his wife Terri, his daughter Bindi Sue, and his son Bob Clarence.

Crocodilehunter.com offered the following statement:

Media statement – 4 September 2006

Steve Irwin

At 11am today, the 4th September 2006, Steve Irwin was fatally wounded by a stingray barb to his heart whilst filming a sequence on Batt Reef off Port Douglas for his daughter’s new TV series.

Emergency services were called from Cairns Rescue Base and met Croc One, Steve’s rescue vessel at Low Isle on the Great Barrier Reef.

The Croc One crew performed constant CPR during the thirty minute dash to Low Isle, but the medical staff pronounced Steve dead at approx. 12 noon.

His producer and closest friend, John Stainton said on Croc One today, “The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest Dads on the planet. He died doing what he loves best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. Crocs Rule!”

For our Readers who are unfamiliar with Mr. Irwin’s untiring efforts in conservation, we offer the following petition that sums up Mr. Irwin’s accomplishments and goals nicely:

http://www.petitiononline.com/1c2r3o4c/petition.html

To: Mick Pitman

This petition is in recognition of the accomplishments of Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin.

We recognize Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin as someone more than just a colorful character who wrestles crocodiles on Animal Planet. We consider him to be the world's foremost Wildlife Warrior.

He founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation which is at the forefront of protecting habitats and wildlife, creating rescue programs for some of Australia's most beloved creatures, as well as the leading in scientific research that will help save endangered species for generations to come.

Steve helped found the International Crocodile Rescue. For decades he has been on the front lines of crocodile management programs in Queensland, and around the world. Steve does everything in his power to keep rogue crocodiles alive and well, including sacrificing himself.

In memory of his wonderful mother, Steve founded the Lyn Irwin Memorial Fund. All donations go directly to the Iron Bark Station Wildlife Rehabilitation Center with 3,450 acres of wildlife sanctuary. He also owns 83,000 acres of endangered Acacia Woodland in southwestern Queensland called Westbore and started the Brigalow Belt Conservation Project. That’s not all. Steve is buying up enormous portions of Australia for the sole purpose of conserving habitats for wildlife.

Steve Irwin is responsible for starting endangered species breeding programs for the Southern Cassowary, Koalas, Fijian Crested Iguanas, Bilby Rhinoceros Iguanas, Galapagos Giant Land Tortoises, Aldabran Giant Land Tortoises, Mary River Turtles, Peregrine Falcons, Komodo Dragons, and Irwins Turtles -- a newly-discovered breed named after Steve himself. He has also established breeding programs for such vulnerable species as Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Echidnas, Red Kangaroos, Asian Small-Clawed Otters, Queensland Womas, Death Adders, Rusty Monitors, Canopy Goannas, Yakka Skinks, Reticulated Pythons, Burmese Pythons, Australian Green Pythons, Sea Snakes, Black Cockatoos, Jabirus, Curlews, and his beloved Saltwater Crocodiles.

Steve has helped fund field studies for scores of species of crocodilians, lizards, snakes, mammals, and birds in order to help stave off their habitat destruction and learn exactly what it is those species need to survive. Even today we are learning things we never knew about all sorts of animals, all because of Steve Irwin's work. He is also responsible for the rescue and well-being of thousands upon thousands of animals from all around Australia. His devotion of wildlife and conservation cannot be questioned.

But the most precious of all his accomplishments is Steve Irwin's ability to educate and entertain. He has single-handedly raised conservation awareness across the globe. His message has literally gotten to millions of people in many different languages. For that, we will always be grateful.

Furthermore, we declare our condemnation for the destruction of any Crocodilian species for taxidermy, jewelry, handbags, belts, or any other product. We recognize that one can be a “hunter” without killing, as in a treasure hunter. We love "The Crocodile Hunter", but we abhor Crocodile murderers.

We, the Undersigned, do hereby pledge our total support to Steve Irwin, and recognize him -- for now and for always -- as the world's only true Crocodile Hunter.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

We of The Scallion hope that our Readers will join with other fans of Steve and Terri Irwin to support Terri, Bindi, and Bob and to continue Mr. Irwin’s dream of ever increasing wildlife conservation.

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Recommended links

Bush’s illegal domestic spying
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/ACLU_suggests_US_may_be_spying_0719.html

Fascism in America, including George W. Bush as the nation’s “living Constitution”
Thom Hartmann:
http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views06/0828-23.htm

Will Grigg:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/artman/publish/article_2943.shtml

For our Readers who follow Doonesbury
Recent Doonesbury strips have featured the coronation of George W. Bush as America’s first king. However, This was not Doonesbury’s first foray into the coronation of an overstepping zealot in the White House: the Zonker papers recount the story of the potential coronation of Tricky Dick Nixon. Ironically, Nixon, despite his astonishing arrogation of powers and infamous secrecy, would never cut it in today’s Republican party. With his creation of the EPA and other acts of public service, Nixon would find himself relegated in today’s politics to the tree-hugging, latte-sipping loony left!
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/zonkerpapers.html

The Freeway Blogger encourages all True Americans to get the message out all over our fair nation
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/

The world CAN’T wait!!! The time to remove the Bush junta from office is NOW!!!!!
http://www.worldcantwait.org/index-normal.html

Corporate media are a threat to the free and fair Internet as we know it!
http://www.iwantmedia.com/people/people5.html

A very sad Katrina update
http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Reports/katrina_response_updated_20oct05.pdf

The Muslim Brotherhood is not your friend!
http://www.rotten.com/library/conspiracy/muslim-brotherhood/

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Political letters from The Scallion

The following political letters were written by Scallion staffers to politicians and the media.

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When Republican Congressional leaders met with George W. Bush about renewing the Patriot Act, they told him that his hardcore push to renew the Patriot Act could alienate conservatives. Bush replied, "I don't give a [expletive], I'm the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way." He added, "STOP THROWING THE CONSTITUTION IN MY FACE. IT'S JUST A [EXPLETIVE] PIECE OF PAPER!"

It is clear from Bush’s actions that he not only considers himself above the law: he considers himself to BE the law.

Bush has been guilty of such gross incompetence and reckless indifference to the nation’s welfare that Americans doubt he ever took his oath of office seriously or is capable of doing so.

George W. Bush lied to Congress and the American people to frighten us into invading Iraq. Bush’s insistence on being a “war president” so that he could have a second term in office has cost lives and limbs of our military service-people, who are fighting a nonexistent threat. Given the human cost at home and abroad and the enormous debt America now faces, Bush MUST be impeached for committing this fraud.

On December 17, 2005, Bush admitted repeatedly authorizing wire taps without obtaining a warrant. Thousands of calls were monitored and the information obtained widely circulated among Federal agencies. These warrantless wiretaps violate FISA, which requires court approval for national security wire taps. Violation of the FISA is a felony. The warrantless monitoring of millions of emails and phone calls by the NSA under Bush’s authorization are further violations of FISA and the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. Bush MUST be impeached for committing these felonies.

Bush must be brought to justice for insisting on systematic torture and abuse of detainees. George W. Bush violated his oath of office, the Geneva Convention, and the War Crimes Act: ALL impeachable offenses.

George W. Bush flouted his sworn oath of office through signing statements for over 700 American laws, saying that our laws do not apply to him!

As Christians and Americans, Congress MUST impeach George W. Bush and his entire administration. These evildoers must be brought to justice NOW.

-----
As he demonstrated yet again by using his first official veto to stop stem cell research, George W. Bush is the world's biggest hypocrite.

How dare George W. Bush pretend that he espouses a culture of life when he personally put to death more people in the state of Texas than any previous governor?

How dare George W. Bush pretend to value life when he mocked a woman he personally had put to death while he was governor of Texas?

How dare George W. Bush pretend that every human being is sacred when he put to death record numbers of mentally retarded prisoners? Or when he fiddled while the blacks of New Orleans drowned? Or when his policies kill more of America's poor every day?

Despite his claims to the contrary, George W. Bush uses taxpayer money to destroy life every day he is in office.

Bush used taxpayer money to wage an illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, where the Lancet reports that over 100,000 innocent Iraqi civilians have already died -- naturally, Bush isn't counting the Iraqi dead because they clearly do not matter to him. Bush uses taxpayer money to enrich the already rich instead of saving America’s poor from starvation. Bush's exorbitant tax cuts for the rich allow our men and women in uniform to die from lack of simple equipment, like body armor. Bush uses taxpayer money to fund America's weapons manufacturers to build vehicles and weapons for Israel to destroy human life in Palestine and Lebanon.

In Mr. Bush's world, embryos are apparently the only ones who are entitled to life. Except for the rich and white, the rest of us are screwed.

-----
As usual, George W. Bush is willing to sacrifice the real needs of real Americans who are sick and dying in order to pretend to save the lives of innocent embryos.

The truth?

Some stem cell research does rely on embryonic tissue, but many non-embryonic sources of stem cells are available for scientific use. This information page from the National Institutes of Health has everything you need to know to convince you that, as usual, George W. Bush is grandstanding and blowing smoke for the sake of politics.

http://stemcells.nih.gov/

Here’s another fact for you.

Studies show that 30-50% of fertilized eggs DO NOT result in pregnancies because those fertilized eggs fail to implant in the uterine wall.

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregcomplications/252.html

George W. Bush and the “Christian” “right” have taken the position that destroying a fertilized egg equates to murder. Apparently, Bush and his extremist pals believe that, if a woman has had sexual relations during ovulation but failed to become pregnant, then she is guilty of murder. (See our letter to Indiana state representative Tim Harris on his bill to require doctors to tell female patients that “life begins at conception.” Mr. Harris apparently drinks the same voodoo science Kool Aid that these other fundamentalist theocrats and oiligarchs [sic] do: http://scallion.blogspot.com/2006_03_05_scallion_archive.html)

It’s bad enough that the fundamentalists on the “Christian” “right” (or should we say “fustian WRONG”) are so eager to risk innocent people’s lives and limbs by eschewing science and fact at all costs. It is unforgivable for the thief in chief to do the same.

-----
The Geneva Convention mandates humane, dignified treatment of prisoners of war. The Geneva Convention does not approve

- waterboarding prisoners into thinking they're about to drown.

- depriving prisoners of sleep and clothes.

- force-feeding prisoners.

- chaining prisoners in cages so tiny that they live in their own excrement.

- menacing prisoners with snarling dogs.

- keeping prisoners outside year round.

- denying prisoners Red Cross visits.

- conducting torture on prisoners, sometimes to the death, or "rendering" prisoners to "allies" whom our government knows will conduct torture, sometimes to the death.

- holding prisoners indefinitely without placing charges.

- sexually humiliating and molesting male prisoners and raping female prisoners.

American law further stipulates that alleged criminals must have access to attorneys and due process of law.

Members of American intelligence and military services know that information gained through torture is unreliable. American troops have died needlessly tracking down “leads” gained by torturing prisoners.

According to intelligence and military sources, 70-80% of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay have no credible ties to terrorism or any other crimes.

The Bush administration has finally admitted that the prisoners at Guantanamo are covered by the Geneva Convention. The Bush administration has proven itself unwilling and unable to obey the Geneva Convention. Policies executed on site at Guantanamo and other American-run war prisons flow down from the highest levels in the administration.

These policies of torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners must be stopped! The first step is to close Guantanamo Bay NOW.

-----
It is well known that George W. Bush, a blithe Armageddonist, fully approves of the extremist actions of Israel, America's Mid-east aircraft carrier, as Israel uses its U.S.-supplied weapons to target innocent civilians.

However, the vast majority of American citizens do not approve.

Targeting civilians -- whether it be America's targeting of Iraqi civilians or Israel's targeting of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians -- is a war crime. It is a crime against God and humanity.

It is time for Congress to put a stop to these crimes NOW.

-----
Afghanistan, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Hawaii, Iran, Iraq, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Vietnam. Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, and countless others.

What do they have in common?

Countless times throughout history, the American government has deliberately overthrown or otherwise interfered with lawfully-elected, democratic regimes so that American robber-barons could pilfer natural resources.

Every American who cares about the future of this nation, the planet, him- or herself, and his or her loved ones needs to read every word of this AlterNet article:

http://www.alternet.org/audits/39416/

Please read the reader comments, too. Then read “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” by John Perkins and the other excellent sources recommended by AlterNet’s readers.

If you want to know why “they” hate us, it’s not our “freedom” or our “democracy.” It’s our imperialism.

-----
The relationship between America’s rich and America’s poor used to be like the Biblical banquet, where the scraps from the table of the wealthy would fall to the dogs. Today’s Republicans refuse to let even a single scrap fall from their table to those who need it most. Rather than stand up for America’s workers, Republicans decided to hold the minimum wage increase for ransom so that they could grab even more free money for their fascist cronies.

Last night in the House of Representatives, on the last day before recess, Republicans tried to jam through, H.R. 5970, was entitled "Estate Tax and Extension of Tax Relief Act." This bill is yet another shameless budget-busting giveaway to the privileged few who need it least.

An increase of the minimum wage is mentioned NOWHERE in H.R. 5970 as its purpose. Democrats scrambled to even read the bill, dumped as it was in their laps literally just before the Republicans tried to ram a vote through on it. What’s more, if enacted as written, H.R. 5970 would REDUCE many workers’ wages and saddle us average Americans with $800B in additional debt so that the excessively rich could get their hand-outs first.

When the Democrats called a vote on restructuring the bill to strip out the estate tax giveaway only, the result was a mean-spirited near party line vote. So much for Republicans in favor of raising the minimum wage!

In the 10 years since the minimum wage was passed, members of Congress have voted nine times to raise their pay. Congress’s latest wage increase will fatten their wallets to $165,200 a year, starting Jan. 1. Congress has voted itself more in raises than minimum wage workers earn in a year! House Republican leaders have refused to hold a straight up or down vote on a bill by Rep. George Miller (D-CA) to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. Democrats have been fighting to force a vote on the minimum wage bill without crippling amendments or outrageous budget killers. In the Senate, Republican leaders recently fought to defeat a similar bill from Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) by using parliamentary rules that required 60 votes to win. The bill won a majority, 52-46, but fell short of the 60-vote threshold.

We Americans have been waiting nine long years for OUR next pay raise. We can wait another 3 months to kick out Republican hypocrites and form a real Congress that will again serve the interests of the people.

-----
George W. Bush has broken the law.

Mr. Bush broke the law by declaring war on Iraq. Only Congress has the authority to declare war; Congress does not have the authority to abdicate this responsibility. Mr. Bush broke this law so that he could be a "war president" while campaigning for his second term. Mr. Bush broke the war declaration law to remain in power. Breaking the law to remain in power is an impeachable offense.

Mr. Bush broke the law by demanding illegal domestic spying. Mr. Bush broke our nation's FISA laws so that he could intimidate Americans who disagree with his dangerous, illegal policies. Mr. Bush uses intimidation to stop Americans from demanding his impeachment. Mr. Bush arrogated authority to himself that is invalid under the United States Constitution, which is the law of the land. Mr. Bush’s arrogation of power is tantamount to breaking the law to remain in power. Breaking the law to remain in power is an impeachable offense.

Mr. Bush broke over 750 laws by using signing statements. The role of the president is to execute the laws that Congress makes, hence the term the “executive” office. Mr. Bush uses signing statements to reinterpret or circumvent laws he does not like. Mr. Bush uses signing statements to declare that American law does not apply to him. Mr. Bush uses signing statements to arrogate for himself the authority of a king. By his specific use of signing statements, Mr. Bush commits impeachable offenses every day that he remains in office.

George W. Bush must be impeached. His administration must be impeached for supporting him. The Senators and Representatives who support George W. Bush must be impeached for dismantling our democracy.

George W. Bush must be impeached NOW.

-----
Excuse me for acquainting you with the truth, Mr. Cheney, but the al Qaeda supporters are not the 146,587 Connecticut voters who supported Ned Lamont in the recent primaries. The real al Qaeda supporters are the people who currently inhabit the White House and the Bush administration.

Remember:

Ned Lamont did not fail to find Osama bin Laden after 9/11.

Ned Lamont did not conduct an illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq that has resulted in staggering increases of al Qaeda followers and training grounds.

Unlike George W. Bush, Ned Lamont did not steal presidential elections in 2000 and 2004.

Nor did Ned Lamont win the nomination by disenfranchising and intimidating voters, both of which are common Republican tactics.

Mr. Cheney, you and the entire Bush administration are the terrorists here. This benighted administration is the worst nightmare to befall not only America but the entire planet, which you, unlike Ned Lamont, seem intent on destroying. Just ask any informed citizen of any nation: he or she will gladly tell you the truth that your administration is the single largest threat to world peace.

You need to apologize not only to Ned Lamont but to America and the world for being the heinous, craven, rapacious coward that you are. You also need to resign NOW.

And take your buddies George W. Bush and Joseph LIEberman with you.

Have a nice day.

-----
Concerned that he may lose the upcoming Senate primary to challenger Ned Lamont, Joseph Lieberman recently announced, "I have higher loyalties than my Party." On CNN, Lieberman admitted for the first time that he is pulling signature petitions to run as an Independent if he loses the primary on August 8th in Connecticut.

The answer is simple enough.

If Joseph Lieberman fails to win the Senate nomination as a Democrat, he should run for office under his true colors: as a REPUBLICAN.

And Hillary Clinton, who supports Lieberman, should stop wasting the American public's time -- she should run as a Republican, too.

Perhaps it is not clear to these pretenders, but it is clear to the American people: the loyalties of Senators Lieberman and Clinton lie with George W. Bush, not the American people.

-----
And now … our Raison Debtor … original satire from The Scallion (woo hoo)!

News Flash: Lebanese Unite to Help Katrina Victims

September 5, 2006, Beirut, Lebanon. In a stunning turn of events yesterday, Prime Minister Siniora declared that not only would Lebanon refuse any “aid” money from the United States, but the Lebanese people had pledged to do what the United States government has been unable -- or unwilling -- to do: rebuild New Orleans for the people.

“As we understand it,” remarked Siniora, “very little has been done to date to help the people of New Orleans rebuild their lives after the tremendous storm of last year. FEMA has only given, oh, maybe two thousand dollars per household to a mere handful of households that need to rebuild their lives in New Orleans. In Lebanon, we have it so much better. Hezballah has already started to clean up the debris of Israel’s latest attack on our civilians, and they have pledged twelve thousand dollars per household to use for rebuilding. More of our people have already received their twelve thousand dollars -- in cash -- in the past month than the victims of hurricane Katrina have received in the past year from FEMA. And this is in addition to the thirty three thousand dollars per household that my government has pledged to the innocent victims of Israel’s vicious rampage.

“We do not want a single penny from the United States government. The Bush administration promises us ‘aid,’ but it is not aid. It is blackmail … money that comes with many strings attached and more conditions and caveats than the money is worth. We will take care of our own without taking Mr. Bush’s hush money … or blood money.

“Meanwhile, our own plight has broken our hearts for the innocent Americans who have suffered at their government’s hands in the wake of hurricane Katrina. It is not right that so many hard-working Americans should be denied the right to return to the clean, safe homes that they left behind when the storm hit. After all, these are the men and women who create the wealth -- such as it is -- of New Orleans. They deserve to be treated fairly, so we, the people of Lebanon, hereby pledge our money and our services to right the wrongs the people of New Orleans have suffered. Mr. Bush is unable or unwilling to help the people rebuild New Orleans, so we Lebanese will step in and do what he can or will not.

“How terribly sad that, in the richest nation in the world, there are so very many people who are so much worse off than we … just because their own elected officials won’t lift a finger to help them.”

-----
From our information clearinghouse

These are items we receive from the countless mailing lists to which The Scallion collectively subscribes. They are worth the effort of at least a good skim.

-----
From AlterNet

The End of Oil, the End of Food? | The 'Bush Is An Idiot' Camp Grows

Top Stories from AlterNet for August 31, 2006
http://www.alternet.org/
________________________

Is there a place for fear in environmentalism?

Fear: it's as American as freedom fries these days, and the Right
isn't afraid to manipulate you with it. Anger and fear are good
motivators, like it or not, and violence is oft cited as
effectively "sending a message." Should environmentalists be
focusing more energies on scare tactics, or is there a more
effective way to tackle long-term problems? In a five-part series
on Grist's blog, David Roberts considers where fear intersects
with environmentalism, and whether reason, compassion,
forbearance, and selflessness can hold their own.

http://alternet.org/gristarticle
________________________

WILL THE END OF OIL BE THE END OF FOOD?
Jason Mark, AlterNet
American agriculture is fatally dependent on oil. A few
forward-thinking farmers are trying to reduce their
reliance on fossil fuels.
http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/41023/

THE BUSH-IS-AN-IDIOT CAMP GROWS
David Corn, TomPaine.com
It is getting harder for conservatives to ignore the
president's intellectual shallowness.
http://www.alternet.org/story/41086/

TWO GIRLS BLEED, ONLY ONE LEADS
Tamera Gugelmeyer, Women's Media Center
We all remember Jon Benet and Elizabeth Smart. But what
happens to the memory of a murdered girl like Abeer Qassim
Hamza al-Janabi?
http://www.alternet.org/story/41059/

HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BUS
Christine Gardner, Grist Magazine
A mom in middle America attempts to survive a month without
a car. Did we mention she has two small children?
http://www.alternet.org/story/40968/

DON'T LET INSURERS SHIRK THEIR DUTY
Nomi Prins, AlterNet
New laws must prevent abuse by companies that are squirming
out of paying Katrina victims.
http://www.alternet.org/katrina/41065/

CLINTON ENDED WELFARE, NOT POVERTY
Robert Scheer, AlterNet
You'd think Bill Clinton doesn't know the difference between
getting single mothers off the welfare rolls and getting
them out of poverty.
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/41074/

TALK OF 'END TIMES' HITS THE PRIMETIME
Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com
With the Bush admin's earthly policies in shambles, Karl
Rove and co. may be flirting with selling the same thing
cult leaders throughout history have sold their followers:
the afterlife. Cable news is already on the job.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/41075/

THE JOHN MARK KARR FEEDING FRENZY
Arianna Huffington, AlterNet
Most in the mainstream media (well, except Nancy Grace) know
how sick they are for continuing to talk and talk and talk
about this scandal.
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/41079/

--> New in AlterNet VIDEO

Goof: the genius of George Bush
An amusing montage of Bush's brilliance.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/41061/

Rumsfeld: If you don't agree with us, you're a Nazi lover
Rumsfeld and FOX News team up to give us a lesson in propaganda.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/41048/

Murtha 'disappointed' in pro-war Clinton
John Murtha expresses his 'disappointment' in Hilary Clinton's
decision to not support his call for troop withdrawal.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/41058/

Whistleblower accuses Lockheed of endangering national security
As a last resort a former Lockheed Martin employee created this
video alleging "serious safety and security issues relating to
homeland security, specially the U.S. Coast Guard."
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/41072/

--> New in AlterNet's blogs:

Laura Barcella discusses architecture that offers solutions to
poverty and homelessness:
http://alternet.org/blogs/themix/41087/

And two takes on Donna Edwards' Maryland Congressional campaign:
Don Hazen says Edwards is Maryland's Ned Lamont:
http://alternet.org/blogs/themix/41022/

Joshua Holland covers the Washington Post's endorsement of her
'insurgent' campaign:
http://alternet.org/blogs/themix/41084/

These stories and more are available on AlterNet.
http://www.alternet.org/

===========================================================
Donate: Visit https://www.alternet.org/donate/ to support
AlterNet and independent journalism.

-----
From "Democracy Now!"

Shocking Lancet Study on Rape and Murder in Haiti//Ohio Delays Destruction of 2004 Ballots

DEMOCRACY NOW! DAILY EMAIL DIGEST
August 31, 2006

= = = = = = = = =

Democracy Now! 10th Anniversary Tour and launch of Amy and
David Goodman's second book STATIC: Government Liars, Media
Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back.

09/01 Provincetown, MA
09/02 Nantucket, MA
09/02 Martha's Vineyard, MA
09/08 Minneapolis / St Paul, MN
09/09 Milwaukee, WI
09/09 Baraboo, WI
09/11 New York, NY

For more tour details and dates, visit http://tour.democracynow.org

= = = = = = = = =

TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!:

* Shocking Lancet Study: 8,000 Murders, 35,000 Rapes and Sexual Assaults in
Haiti During U.S.-Backed Coup Regime After Aristide Ouster *

A shocking new report in the British medical journal the Lancet on human
rights abuses in Haiti finds that 8,000 people were murdered and 35,000
women and girls raped during the U.S.-backed coup regime that followed Jean
Bertrand Aristide. Those responsible included Haitian police, United Nations
peacekeepers and anti-Lavalas gangs. We speak with the co-authors of the
report.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/31/144231


* Eyewitnesses Account: UN Forces Open Fire on Poor Haitian Neighborhood *

United Nations troops in Haiti opened fire last week on a poor neighborhood
outside of Cite Soleil. We show footage of the raid, speak with a writer and
activist who witnessed the raid and hear from the mother of a nineteen
year-old who was killed in the raid.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/31/144235


* Women Recount Gang Rape, Abuse at Hearing Against Haitian Death Squad
Leader Emmanuel Constant *

Two women have testified at an evidentiary hearing in a civil case against a
former Haitian death squad leader living in New York City. The suit against
Emmanuel "Toto" Constant was launched in December 2004 by a group of women
who suffered gang rape and other abuses from Constant's forces. We speak
with the lead attorney in the case.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/31/144239


* Public Outcry Forces Ohio to Delay Destruction of Presidential Ballots *

A public outcry in Ohio has forced the state to delay its plans to destroy
the ballots from the contested 2004 Presidential elections. Allegations of
fraud and disenfranchisement in the state continue to cause people to
question the results which declared Bush the winner by a 130,000 vote
margin. We speak with Steven Rosenfeld, co-author of the forthcoming book,
"What Happened in Ohio."

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/31/144243


* "I Am Not Willing To Kill Or Be Killed For Something I Don't Believe In" -
AWOL Soldier Refuses to Return to Iraq *

We hear from a soldier who is refusing to fight in Iraq. Mark Wilkerson has
been AWOL for more than a year and is turning himself in at Fort Hood in
Texas today. In a taped video statement he says, "I am not willing to kill
or be killed for something I don't believe in. My morals said going to Iraq
was not the right thing to do." I was not going to live a life of violence."


Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/31/144247


* Headlines for August 31, 2006 *

- UN: Israel Dropped 90% of Cluster Bombs in War's Final Hours
- Hezbollah Renews Call for Prisoner Swap
- Israel Rejects Annan Call To End Lebanon Blockade
- Annan: Ending Israeli Occupation Key to Mideast Peace
- Pentagon Believes Iran Up To 8 Years From Nuclear Weapons
- Monitors Accuse Sri Lankan Forces of Aid Worker Massacre
- Chile Establishes National Day of the Disappeared
- California To Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- US Tenders New Contract For Monitoring Iraq War Coverage

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/31/144223

-----
From the Huffington Post

Rep. Emanuel: the Bush admin has "got only fear to sell"

AP

The Bush administration launched an aggressive campaign this week to bolster GOP candidates, working hard to paint the Iraq war as only one piece in an "uphill and uneven" battle to secure US national security. In response to the administration's publicity blitz to rally support for the war, Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) said, "After six years, they've got only fear to sell."

President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld all focused on similar messages of fear in recent speeches, referencing Fascism, Nazi Germany, and Communism in a bid to use American concern about safety to boost GOP poll numbers. As the midterm elections approach, Democrats believe the increasing unpopularity of the Iraq war and skepticism of Republicans' handling of national security will undermine the administration's attempts to win votes from public anxiety.
Click here to read the whole story.

Click here to discuss it on HuffPost.

ON THE BLOG TODAY

Arianna Huffington: He's Baaaack: John Bolton ... Still Bad for America

Frank Dwyer: The Mystery of the Ekalektic Shakespeares

Rep. John Conyers: Wall Street Journal Hit Piece Misses the Mark

Bob Cesca: WANTED: Bullyish Frat Boy President Seeks Pity, Sympathy

---

-----
From "Democracy Now!"

Jazz Legend Charlie Haden//We Will Not Be Silent

DEMOCRACY NOW! DAILY EMAIL DIGEST
September 1, 2006

= = = = = = = = =

Democracy Now! 10th Anniversary Tour and launch of Amy and
David Goodman's second book STATIC: Government Liars, Media
Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back.

09/01 Provincetown, MA
09/02 Nantucket, MA
09/02 Martha's Vineyard, MA
09/08 Minneapolis / St Paul, MN
09/09 Milwaukee, WI
09/09 Baraboo, WI
09/11 New York, NY

For more tour details and dates, visit http://tour.democracynow.org

= = = = = = = = =

TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!:

* We Will Not Be Silent: Movement Grows to Challenge Racial Profiling at
Airports *

A growing movement across the country is challenging what appears to be an
increase in racial profiling at airports. More and more travelers are
donning T-shirts that say "We Will Not Be Silent" in English and Arabic in
solidarity with Iraqi blogger and activist Raed Jarrar who was forced to
change the T-Shirt before boarding a JetBlue Airways flight at Kennedy
airport.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/01/1338241


* Jazz Legend Charlie Haden on His Life, His Music and His Politics *

We speak with legendary bass player and composer, Charlie Haden, one of the
most politically outspoken jazz musicians of his time. During the middle of
the Vietnam War, Haden formed the Liberation Music Orchestra that mixed
songs from the Spanish Civil War, anti-war songs and a tribute to Che
Guevera. He recently re-formed the group to respond to the Bush
administration and the invasion of Iraq. He titled the new album "Not In Our
Name."

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/01/1338250


* Headlines for September 1, 2006 *

- UN: Iran Violates Uranium Enchrichment Deadline
- Lebanon Donor Conference Yields $940m in Pledges
- Lebanese PM: Israel Has Created "Several Little Hiroshimas"
- Sudan Rejects UN Resolution For Darfur Peacekeeping Force
- US Troop Presence Reaches Highest Level Since January
- Education Dept. Shared Student Applicant Data With FBI
- Study: Most Cigarettes Brands Increase Nicotine Content
- Detroit School Teachers, Staff on City-Wide Strike

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/01/1338201

-----
From the Center for American Progress

GOOD NEWS

"The United States, Europe and the Persian Gulf states pledged nearly $1 billion yesterday to help Lebanon recover from a crippling war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas."

STATE WATCH

MASSACHUSETTS: Gov. Mitt Romney (R) calls embryonic stem cell research "Orwellian."

OHIO: Activists file a civil rights lawsuit claiming "Secretary of State Ken Blackwell deprived people of their voting rights during the 2004 presidential election and seeking to have him removed from overseeing the general election in November."

ENVIRONMENT: Twelve states have filed a lawsuit to force the EPA to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars.

BLOG WATCH

THINK PROGRESS: Pat Buchanan: "The country I grew up in" was "89 or 90 percent white. I like that country."

TPM MUCKRAKER: Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) also placed a hold on federal spending database bill -- but has now dropped it.

POLITICAL ANIMAL: The new obsession with the term "Islamofascism."

GRISTMILL: Solar-powered Internet and recycled cell phones are heading to developing countries.

DAILY GRILL

"That [macaca] remark I made was a mistake. I have apologized for it. But people care -- only the media asks about it. The people care about high gas prices. They care about security, winning this war on terrorism."
-- Sen. George Allen (R-VA), 8/30/06, insisting voters don't care about his "macaca" remark

VERSUS

Sixty-seven percent of Virginians found Allen's remarks "inappropriate" and a majority believe "he needs to say more" about the incident.
-- SurveyUSA poll, 8/18/06

ARCHIVES

Progress Report

STUDENTS

Politics with an Attitude: Everyone from Barack Obama to Stephen Colbert talks to Campus Progress. Right-wingers seem scared of us. Find out why here.

by Judd Legum, Faiz Shakir, Nico Pitney
Amanda Terkel and Payson Schwin

September 1, 2006

ECONOMY

Labor's Pains

UNDER THE RADAR

Go Beyond The Headlines

THINK FAST

Coffee and Donuts Not Included
For news and updates throughout the day, check out our blog at ThinkProgress.org.
Sign up | Contact us | Permalinks/Archive | Mobile | RSS | Print

ECONOMY
Labor's Pains

In 1898, Samuel Gompers, one of the original founders of the American Federation of Labor, called Labor Day "the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and their wrongs would be discussed." This Labor Day, U.S. workers have many grievances that deserve attention. The New York Times reported recently that the median real hourly wage for American workers has declined two percent since 2003, despite the fact that productivity has been steadily rising. Worker productivity rose 16.6 percent from 2000 to 2005, while total compensation for the median worker rose 7.2 percent. Among the reasons economists offer to explain this phenomenon are that workers' bargaining power is being slowly eroded and "trade unions are much weaker than they once were." The trends have left U.S. workers feeling bleak about the future. A poll of laborers conducted recently found that 63 percent of the workforce believes the country and the economy are on the wrong track; a majority now believe their children are going to be worse off economically than they are. The Progress Report details some of the problems facing today's workforce:

WORKING HARDER, EARNING LESS: "Wages and salaries now make up the lowest share of the nation s gross domestic product since the government began recording the data in 1947." A majority of today's workers say the number one issue they face is that the wages they are paid are not keeping up with the cost of living. Aug. 20th marked 10 years since the last time the federal minimum wage has been raised. Frozen at an unlivable $5.15/hour, the minimum wage is at the lowest buying power it has been in 51 years. Workers earning above the minimum wage are struggling as well. According to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, "Real median earnings for men working full-time and year-round were lower in 2005 than in 1973. In inflation-adjusted 2005 dollars, a typical man working full-time in 1973 earned $42,573. Thirty-six years later, this figure has fallen to $41,386." Yet, productivity -- as President Bush likes to frequently point out -- remains high. "What jumps out at you is the gaping hole between productivity growth and earnings," said Jared Bernstein, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). People are "working harder and smarter but not really seeing remunerationwage crunch isn't affecting the entire labor force, however. The top one percent of earners -- including many corporate CEOs -- received 11.2 percent of all wage income in 2004, up from 8.7 percent a decade earlier and less than six percent three decades ago.

SICK ABOUT HEALTH CARE: According to new Census data released this week, the number of people living in the United States without medical insurance rose 2.9 percent -- 1.3 million people -- to a record 46.6 million over the last year alone as health-care costs climbed three times as fast as wages. The statistics indicate 6.8 million people have lost coverage since 2001, and this total has climbed every year since Bush has been in office. The Census Bureau also reports the percentage of uninsured children rose from 10.8 percent in 2004 to 11.2 percent in 2005 due to state budget struggles. This reverses a trend that started in 1998 of declining uninsured rates for children. "Due to the rising cost of health care and health-care insurance, you see a continued decline in workers accepting coverage when it's offered and employers offering it," said Emory University Professor Ken Thorpe. Indeed, three million people have lost employer-based insurance, while the rate of uninsured, full-time workers has increased by 13 percent since 2000. The bottom line is sadly simple: "Uninsured workers can't afford to get sick." Ultimately, this is a moral question -- it is wrong for anyone who works hard and plays by the rules to go without health coverage. "People who don't have coverage, can't afford preventive care, and don't see a doctor until a disease has progressed often suffer needlessly, drive up the cost of care, and lower the nation's productivity."

ORGANIZED VOICES BEING REPRESSED: In a recent report on the boom in profits, economists at Goldman Sachs wrote plainly, The most important contributor to higher profit margins over the past five years has been a decline in labor s share of national income. If I had to sum it up, said Bernstein, it comes down to bargaining power and the lack of ability of many in the work force to claim their fair share of growth. Wal-Mart, America's largest employer and heralded as the corporate model for today's economy, has opposed every effort of its employees to form a union. (Ironically, Wal-Mart has given its approval to its China-based workers organize.) "According to Cornell labor relations professor Kate Bronfenbrenner, at least 5 percent of workers involved in unionization campaigns are fired, which is both quite illegal and quite routine: Companies would rather pay the nominal fines than pay their workers higher wages and lose the absolute control they hold over the work lives of their employees." Today's labor movement faces union-busting law firms and consulting agencies which are increasingly enlisted by union-wary employers to keep labor from organizing. Today, the vast majority of union members -- 84 percent -- live in only 12 states, leaving workers with little organized power in much of the country. But despite internal struggles in the past, union leaders are now making moves to unite and mobilize workers around pocketbook issues.

NO FRIEND IN THE WHITE HOUSE: The Bush administration has consistently sent signals to the labor movement and the general workforce that they do not have an ally in the White House. In the wake of the Sago mine disaster that called attention to the administration's lack of safety enforcement, President Bush nominated Richard Stickler, a coal industry executive who managed coal mines with injuries that were double the national average, to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). When the Senate blocked the nomination, Stickler was hired by MSHA as a "consultant" to advise the agency on mine safety issues. Just yesterday, Bush announced he would recess-appoint Paul DeCamp, a former lawyer for Wal-Mart "with a long paper trail outlining his opposition to the Fair Labor Standards Act s (FLSA s) overtime pay and other provisions, to run the U.S. Department of Labor s Wage and Hour Division (WHD)." Also, labor leaders are concerned that the National Labor Relations Board -- composed of five Bush appointees -- is weighing a series of cases that "could make it easier for companies to declare certain workers supervisors and thus ineligible for union membership." Union activists fear that employees who could possibly be reclassified as "supervisors" -- such as nurses and teachers -- would be forced to do so by employers trying to prevent the formation of unions. Business groups are pushing for such authority, arguing as Elizabeth Gaudio with the National Federation of Independent Business Legal Foundation did, that the "bottom line" is to be profitable.

Under the Radar

IRAQ -- U.S. MILITARY LEADERS FORCED TO BUY GOOD NEWS IN IRAQ: An oft-repeated claim by President Bush, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, and others is that the mainstream media is failing to report the good news in Iraq, partly thanks to media manipulation efforts carried out by terrorists. Now the administration is putting their money where their rhetoric is. Bids are being taken on "a two-year, $20 million public relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of U.S. and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq." The plan would attempt to improve media coverage of the Iraq war by "assembling a database of selected news stories and assessing their tone as part of a program to provide 'public relations products'" for military commanders who are reportedly "overwhelmed by the media out there and are trying to understand how to get their information out." This is not a new approach for the Bush administration. In late 2005, U.S. military command "paid Iraqi newspapers to carry positive news about U.S. efforts in Iraq" without identifying the U.S. military as the source of the information. In addition, the White House is also launching its own "major public-relations offensive" in an attempt to "strengthen support for the Iraq war." However, similar initiatives (see here, here, here, and here) have failed to increase support for Bush's handling of the Iraq war as sectarian violence rages across the country.

DARFUR -- SUDANESE GOVERNMENT REJECTS U.N. PEACEKEEPING FORCE AMID GROWING VIOLENCE: Yesterday, the U.N. Security Council voted 12-0 -- with Russian, China, and Qatar abstaining -- to approve "a long-sought resolution that would place an expanded peacekeeping force in Sudan's troubled Darfur region under U.N. authority, even as the government appeared to have begun a new offensive against rebel forces. The new U.N. mandate would take effect only with Sudan's consent, and its president, Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan al-Bashir, immediately rejected it." "The Sudanese people will not consent to any resolution that will violate its sovereignty," the Sudanese government responded. The push for peacekeeping forces comes after a signed peace agreement in May has turned out not to be "worth the paper it's printed on." "There have been more raids, more rapes, and more people displaced from their homes -- and violence has only gotten worse since the deal was signed a few months ago." In fact, the peace deal "appears to have rekindled" the fighting. "The Darfur Peace Agreement is allowing the government to resume the war," John Prendergast of the nonprofit International Crisis Group said. "This is a grotesque abuse of the intentions of those who crafted the peace deal back in May." (To learn what your member of Congress has done to end genocide in Darfur, go to DarfurScores.org.)

ADMINISTRATION -- WHITE HOUSE BACKS APPOINTEE WHO RAN HORSE-RACING OPERATION WITH TAXPAYER RESOURCES, CONGRESS THINKS TWICE: A State Department inspector general's report this week found that Kenneth Tomlinson, who President Bush appointed as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) in 2002, has "improperly used his office, putting a friend on the payroll and running a 'horse-racing operation' with government resources." Tomlinson is a "longtime...ally of White House political adviser Karl Rove," and maintained his position at the BBG even after resigning in scandal last year from the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting after similar offenses were exposed. The White House doesn't seem to mind the latest evidence of malfeasance, either. The Justice Department has declined to prosecute him over the new findings, and an administration spokesperson said President Bush "continues to support Tomlinson's pending renomination as BBG chairman." Fortunately, the Senate is taking a second look. CQ reports that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee "has no plans to act" on Bush's re-nomination of Tomlinson to the BBG. "His nomination has been pending since January 2005 and that is not changing," said Andy Fisher, spokesman for committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN), adding that the committee has "not been acting on the nomination because of the investigation. CQ added, "Unless the committee approves Tomlinson s nomination, it will be returned to the White House at the end of the 109th Congress, effectively killing it."


that they ought to be seeing." The Think Fast

"No Retreat, No Surrender: The American Passion of Tom DeLay." DeLay announced that he has a deal to publish a book that will explain how "everything I've done in my career furthered the conservative cause."

Sen. George Allen (R-VA) declined a leadership award from the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund yesterday after donors to the minority fund "threatened to withhold contributions" following Allen's recent "macaca" remark.

60: Percentage of Americans who think there will be more terrorism in the U.S. because of the Iraq war.

Following yesterday's Security Council deadline, "[s]everal diplomats at the United Nations expect Russia and China to support low-level sanctions on Iran due to its refusal to stop enriching uranium."

In terms of health benefits, doctors believe "breast milk is something of a magic elixir" for infants. Yet a class system is developing for working mothers: "for lower-income mothers -- including many who work in restaurants, factories, call centers and the military -- pumping at work is close to impossible."

"The United States has expanded its force in Iraq to 140,000 troops, the most since January and 13,000 more than five weeks ago, the Pentagon said on Thursday, amid relentless violence in Baghdad and elsewhere."

"Federal agents raided the offices of at least six Alaska lawmakers Thursday," including the office of State Sen. Ben Stevens, son of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK). The search was "for any ties between the legislators and a large oil field services company...whose executives are major contributors to political campaigns."

Since the 9/11 attacks, the Department of Education has "shared personal information on hundreds of student loan applicants" with the FBI for counterterrorism purposes, in an operation known as "Project Strikeback."

And finally: Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner held a virtual town hall discussionphotos), including a "green Incredible Hulk type," "a series of tubes," and "a knight with feathers in the helmet." Minutes into the Q&A, the "avatars became bored," and a few began using gestures like "muscle-flexing, yawning, rock-scissors-paper and a spanking gesture called 'kmb' -- kiss my butt."

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From AlterNet

The Bad Wives Club | Fun With Fundamentalists | Arabs On a Plane



AlterNet Video


Olbermann: Rumsfeld is a fascist
Post by David DeGraw
Keith Olbermann gives Rumsfeld an Edward R. Murrow-esque history lesson. Watch
US media: Israel's 'shocking' use of cluster bombs not newsworthy
Post by David DeGraw
Israel dropped hundreds of cluster bombs throughout southern Lebanon in the final hours of the war and US television "news" outlets don't consider it newsworthy. Watch
Blogs
'Death of a President'
Post by Laura Barcella
A new British film looks back at the fictional assassination of George W. Bush in 2007. Whoa. Read more


September 1st, 2006

Gasp! I Married a Career Woman
By Caryl Rivers, Rosalind Barnett, Women's eNews
Forbes.com is just the latest media outlet to say working women have terrible marriages. Will this myth ever die?

The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right
By Rob Lanham, AlterNet
A hilarious new book provides instructions on how to argue the big issues with ultra-conservative fundamentalists.

Snakes on, Arabs off the Plane
By Naeem Mohaiemen, AlterNet
In these times of hyperparanoia, passengers are more likely to accept snakes on a plane than Arab-looking men.

Is Wal-Mart Big Green or Big Mean?
By Liza Featherstone, The Nation
Wal-Mart wants to bring organic food to the masses, but the retail giant's aggressive ways could end up doing more harm than good.

Shortcut To Catastrophe
By George Monbiot, AlterNet
A prominent scientist's idea to re-engineer the atmosphere in order to cool the earth could be as dangerous as climate change.

What Keeps Rumsfeld Up At Night?
By Arianna Huffington, AlterNet
Hint: It's not the body count in Iraq.

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From the Hightower Lowdown

Dear Hightower E-Blasters,

This special message comes to alert you to check out the latest issue of the Hightower Lowdown. This month’s edition, entitled “Where Bush's Arrogance Has Taken Us,” features significant facts on the war president, Halliburton, the imperial presidency, and the regime of secrecy, and includes the special edition "Are you Safer Yet?" poster.

Please view:
http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/node/835

To look at the special edition poster:
http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/sites/hightowerlowdown.civicactions.net/files/2006_AugustPoster_full.pdf

Keep agitating!

The Hightower Staff

yesterday with an "invitation-only crowd" of avatars (see

A BILL TO BAN SWEATSHOP LABOR

Thursday, August 24, 2006
Posted by Jim Hightower

The mantra of the global corporate establishment is: "free trade... free trade... free trade..."

Especially insidious is their insistence that "free trade" is the answer to world poverty. This has been the public rationale for... [read more]

BUSING ADS TO SCHOOL KIDS

Friday, August 25, 2006
Posted by Jim Hightower

You know what's wrong with kids today? They're just not getting enough advertising in their lives, that's what.

Take school. Sure, there are ads in the hallways, on classroom televisions, and even in some... [read more]

HEALTH CARE MORALITY

Monday, August 28, 2006
Posted by Jim Hightower

Contrary to the "contrived wisdom" of the Powers That Be, providing health care for everyone is not an economic or even a health issue - it's a moral issue.

NNotice that corporate chieftains and the political... [read more]

OLD MR. GREED TAKES CHARGE AT AMERICAN

Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Posted by Jim Hightower

It's said that the only constant in our fast-paced world is change. But employees at American Airlines have learned that one thing does not change: top-executives' greed.

I'm a very frequent flier on American - a... [read more]

ASHCROFT CASHES IN

Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Posted by Jim Hightower

Years ago, an ethically-challenged Texas legislator who had made quite a bit of money while in office, unabashedly said: "I seen my chances, and I took 'em."

That same enterprising ethic explains the recent good... [read more]

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From AlterNet

No Civilization Clash... Yet | Dems Must Call For Iraq Withdrawal



AlterNet Video


Rage Against the Machine: No Shelter
Rage Against the Media/ Consumerism/ Apathy/ War. View the world through American eyes.

US media: Israel's 'shocking' use of cluster bombs not newsworthy
Israel dropped hundreds of cluster bombs throughout southern Lebanon in the final hours of the war and US television "news" outlets don't consider it newsworthy.

Blogs
Updated: Latin America round up
Post by Joshua Holland
Legal process in Mexico's election heads toward a potentially rocky conclusion ...

September 2nd, 2006

The Clash of Civilizations Doesn't Exist... Yet
By Joshua Holland, AlterNet
The neocons who are pushing a Clash of Civilizations are mirror-images of the terrorists that inspire their hyperbolic fear -- they are just as irrational and just as great a threat to our security.

Democrats Should Offer Voters a Choice on Iraq
By Helen Thomas, Hearst Newspapers
Iraq is the big issue in the mid-term election, even if Democrats don't want it to be -- that's why they need to call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

Photo Posed with Racist Group Haunts George Allen
By Max Blumenthal, TheNation.com
The Virginia senator claimed his 'macaca' comment was a mistake. But George Allen has a long and cozy history with white supremacists.

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From the Progressive Democrats of America

The Ground Truth - Sneak Preview at Camp Democracy

"A must-see film for concerned citizens in both red and blue states." -James Greenberg, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

THE GROUND TRUTH depicts with ferocious honesty the terrible conflict in Iraq, a prelude to the even more challenging battles fought by soldiers when they return home to personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government.

The Ground Truth - "Sneak Preview" at
Camp Democracy
Tuesday September 5 at 7:00 pm

After more than two years of dedication and incredible commitment to the truth, Patricia Foulkrod's THE GROUND TRUTH has found a home with Focus Features. (Brokeback Mountain, Motorcycle Diaries, The Constant Gardener)

Please join us for the theatrical opening...




At Landmark Theaters in the following cities:

Los Angeles-New York-Boston-Chicago-Seattle-Austin-Washington, D.C.-San Francisco

*Additional screening nationwide - For details, go to: www.thegroundtruth.net

HOST A PDA "GROUND TRUTH GATHERING"
OCTOBER 4th - OCTOBER 11th

>From October 4 th - 11th, join 1000's as we gather across America in universities, community centers, town halls, coffee houses and living rooms to screen THE GROUND TRUTH, engage in conversation, and listen to Iraq veterans.

MEET THE VETERANS. GET INVOLVED.

Order your DVD today

Get your Gathering Kit!

PDA will receive a small rebate when you use this link:

http://groundtruthstore.seenon.com/?pa=pda

-----
From Greg Palast

TODAY'S PIG IS TOMORROW'S BACON (a Labor Day recipe)

By Greg Palast
September, 3 2006

Some years from now, in an economic refugee relocation "Enterprise Zone," your kids will ask you, "What did you do in the Class War, Daddy?"

The trick of class war is not to let the victims know they're under attack. That's how, little by little, the owners of the planet take away what little we have.

This week, Dupont, the chemical giant, slashed employee pension benefits by two-thirds. Furthermore, new Dupont workers won't get a guaranteed pension at all -- and no health care after retirement. It's part of Dupont's new "Die Young" program, I hear. Dupont is not in financial straits. Rather, the slash attack on its workers' pensions was aimed at adding a crucial three cents a share to company earnings, from $3.11 per share to $3.14.

So Happy Labor Day.

And this week, the government made it official: For the first time since the Labor Department began measuring how the American pie is sliced, those in the top fifth of the wealth scale are now gobbling up over half (50.4%) of our nation's annual income.

So Happy Labor Day.

We don't even get to lick the plates. While 15.9% of us don't have health insurance (a record, Mr. President!), even those of us who have it, don't have it: we're spending 36% more per family out of pocket on medical costs since the new regime took power in Washington. If you've actually tried to collect from your insurance company, you know what I mean.

So Happy Labor Day.



But if you think I have nothing nice to say about George W. Bush, let me report that the USA now has more millionaires than ever -- 7.4 million! And over the past decade, the number of billionaires has more than tripled, 341 of them!

If that doesn't make you feel like you're missing out, this should: You, Mr. Median, are earning, after inflation, a little less than you earned when Richard Nixon reigned. Median household income -- and most of us are "median" -- is down. Way down.

Since the Bush Putsch in 2000, median income has fallen 5.9%.

Mr. Bush and friends are offering us an "ownership" society. But he didn't mention who already owns it. The richest fifth of America owns 83% of all shares in the stock market. But that's a bit misleading because most of that, 53% of all the stock, is owned by just one percent of American households.

And what does the Wealthy One Percent want? Answer: more wealth. Where will they get it? As with a tube of toothpaste, they're squeezing it from the bottom. Median paychecks have gone down by 5.9% during the current regime, but Americans in the bottom fifth have seen their incomes sliced by 20%.

At the other end, CEO pay at the Fortune 500 has bloated by 51% during the first four years of the Bush regime to an average of $8.1 million per annum.

So who's winning? It's a crude indicator, but let's take a peek at the Class War body count.

When Reagan took power in 1980, the One Percent possessed 33% of America's wealth as measured by capital income. By 2006, the One Percent has swallowed over half of all America's assets, from sea to shining sea. One hundred fifty million Americans altogether own less than 3% of all private assets.

Yes, American middle-class house values are up, but we're blowing that gain to stay alive. Edward Wolff, the New York University expert on income, explained to me that, "The middle class is mortgaging itself to death." As a result of mortgaging our new equity, 60% of all households have seen a decline in net worth.

Is America getting poorer? No, just its people, We the Median. In fact, we are producing an astonishing amount of new wealth in the USA. We are a lean, mean production machine. Output per worker in BushAmerica zoomed by 15% over four years through 2004. Problem is, although worker productivity keeps rising, the producers are getting less and less of it.

The gap between what we produce and what we get is widening like an alligator's jaw. The more you work, the less you get. It used to be that as the economic pie got bigger, everyone's slice got bigger too. No more.

The One Percent have swallowed your share before you can get your fork in.

The loot Dupont sucked from its employees' retirement funds will be put to good use. It will more than cover the cost of the company directors' decision to hike the pension set aside for CEO Charles Holliday to $2.1 million a year. And that's fair, I suppose: Holliday's a winning general in the class war. And shouldn't the winners of war get the spoils?

Of course, there are killjoys who cling to that Calvinist-Marxist belief that a system forever fattening the richest cannot continue without end. Professor Michael Zweig, Director of the State University of New York's Center for Study of Working Class Life, put it in culinary terms: "Today's pig is tomorrow's bacon."

******

Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "ARMED MADHOUSE: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Class War," just released from Penguin/Dutton, from which this is adapted.

And go to www.GregPalast.com for a special Labor Day treat: an excerpt from Air America Radio's Thom Hartmann's new book, "Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class -- and What We Can Do About It."

-----
From Planned Parenthood of Virginia

Planned Parenthood Joins The Commonwealth Coalition to Defeat Marshall-Newman Amendment

On November 7th, 2006 VOTE NO on the Marshall-Newman amendment (Ballot Question 1)!

What is The Commonwealth Coalition?
It is a diverse group of individuals, businesses, and civic, community and religious organizations who have joined together to oppose the proposed amendment to the Virginia bill of rights that will be on the ballot this fall on election day, November 7, 2006. The Marshall/Newman amendment would add to the Virginia constitution language that would go well beyond prohibiting same sex marriage to prohibit any and all legal recognition of unmarried relationships, gay or straight.

Why is Planned Parenthood part of the Coalition?
T he reproductive rights and GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) rights movements have many areas of common interest: comprehensive sex education, access to health care, personal freedom, and privacy. Planned Parenthood believes that equal protection of the law is an essential constitutional right. All people, regardless of sexual orientation, must be guaranteed the fundamental freedom of self-determination. Click here for more information on our common causes.

What is the Marshall-Newman Amendment?
The Marshall/Newman amendment makes significant changes to the Virginia Bill of Rights that go well beyond Virginia's thirty year old statute that prohibits same sex marriage. Under this proposal, no civil unions, no domestic partnerships and no other legal agreements will be allowed for any unmarried couples in Virginia (gay or straight, young or old). That's because the supporters of this proposal believe these are "just stepping stones to marriage" that must be outlawed for everyone.

What can I do to help defeat the Marshall-Newman amendment?

#1. Make sure you Vote No on Ballot Question #1 on November 7, 2006. And make sure you're registered! Find Out How to Register (the voter registration Deadline is October 10th!)

#2. Click here to join the Coalition!

#3. Click here to learn more about the Marshall-Newman amendment.

#4. Click here for ways to get involved with The Commonwealth Coalition.

#5. Check out these opportunities that Planned Parenthood and The Commonwealth Coalition are co-sponsoring:

Tuesday, September 26^th Issue Training: A Common Cause: LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) and Choice with special guest Dyana Mason, Executive Director of Equality Virginia

6 - 7:30 pm at Planned Parenthood 2964 Hydraulic Rd, Charlottesville

How are these two movements related? We ll identify areas of common interest like comprehensive sex education, access to health care, and personal freedom. Then we ll move on to talk about how our movements should work together to fight threats to privacy and equal protection under the law, like the Virginia Marriage Amendment, which will be on the ballot this November. We ll close with action items, including a Vote NO VA phonebank on October 4^th. RSVP to Becky.Reid@Ppfa.org



Wednesday, October 4^th Vote NO VA Phonebank

6 - 8:30 pm at Planned Parenthood 2964 Hydraulic Rd, Charlottesville

As a member of the Commonwealth Coalition to defeat the Marriage Amendment on November s ballot, Planned Parenthood will be making calls to voters about this harmful measure and why it should be rejected. There will be training, a script, a phone and pizza! RSVP to Becky.Reid@Ppfa.org

-----
From AlterNet

Ten Sleazy War Profiteers | Should Ph.D.s Change Diapers? | Hijacking 9/11



Daily Briefing

Recently, while watching Robert Greenwald's new film, "Iraq For Sale," I began to grasp the enormous scope and implications of the corporate takeover of the war in Iraq. I asked myself, Why isn't this a huge issue for Americans of all political stripe? After all, making money off war, while American soldiers are dying, strikes many people as just plain wrong.

http://www.alternet.org/story/41287/

AlterNet Video


Al Gore at the MTV Video Music Awards
Al Gore brings a "sexy" social conscious "back" to the VMAs.

Blogs
Save Our Secretaries of State
Post by Don Hazen
A new group, SOS, is making the formerly obscure post of Secretary of State sexy.

September 5th, 2006

The 10 Most Brazen War Profiteers
By Charlie Cray, AlterNet
Halliburton has become synonymous with war profiteering, but there are lots of other greedy fingers in the pie. We name names on 10 of the worst.

Linda Hirshman's Manifesto For Women
By Mindy Farabee, LA CityBeat
The political philosopher discusses why men don't stay home and why having Ph.D.s wiping butts is immoral.

Hijacking 9/11
By Sheldon Rampton, Firedoglake
ABC's docudrama, 'The Path to 9/11,' is a mix of fact, fantasy and deliberate distortion adding up to blatant pro-Bush propaganda.

A Jungle For Meatpackers
By Eric Schlosser, The Nation
Today meatpacking workers have one of the lowest-paid manufacturing jobs in the United States--and one of the most dangerous.

After Adoption, Always An Outsider
By Mateo Cruz, ColorLines
Growing up brown-skinned in Montana, the author, who was adopted from Colombia, felt disconnected from whites and people of color alike.

The Brilliance of Labor
By Nathan Newman, TPMCafe
On this Labor Day, celebrate the justice of the movement and those fighting -- and winning against -- tough odds in the modern global economy.

-----
From the Center for American Progress Action Fund

Click here to Tell ABC to

Tell the Truth about 9/11

On September 10 and September 11, ABC Television is planning to air a "docudrama" called "The Path to 9/11," billed by the writer as "an objective telling of the events of 9/11." In fact, based on our review, the program is full of inaccuracies and partisan misrepresentations. Put simply, the scenes depicted in the ABC movie are not consistent with the finding of the non-partisan 9/11 Commission Report.

It is wrong for ABC to play politics with 9/11.

Take action right now and tell ABC to tell the truth about 9/11

The program, written by avowed conservative Chris Nowrasteh, goes out of its way to place blame on the Clinton administration for 9/11. This is inconsistent with the findings of the 9/11 Commission Report. The way Norwrasteh accomplished this was to fabricate what happened during the Clinton years and airbrush the critical intelligence failures that allowed the 9/11 plot to proceed occurred during the Bush administration.

Tell ABC: Fix the inaccuracies in the program or don't put it in on the air

The fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is an important time for reflection -

help us make sure the right-wing doesn't distort 9/11 for partisan advantage.

Thanks for all that you do,

Judd Legum and the entire Center for American Progress Action Fund team

P.S. Keep track of this fight all week on ThinkProgress.org

The Center for American Progress Action Fund is the sister advocacy organization of the Center for American Progress. The Action Fund transforms progressive ideas into policy through rapid response communications, legislative action, grassroots organizing and advocacy, and partnerships with other progressive leaders throughout the country and the world. The Action Fund is also the home of the Progress Report and Think Progress, the blog that pushes back daily.