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

We have a jam-packed edition this week! Here are this week’s top stories:

-- March! March! March! As we lament the fourth anniversary of Bush's insane invasion of Iraq, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition publishes details on when and where the marches and protests will be held this weekend--and how to make an impression on the press (should they choose to attend and/or publish THE TRUTH about the protests, which, from personal experience, we of The Scallion doubt). IMPORTANT: if you can't march, PLEASE donate!

-- Halliburton is cutting and running ... to Dubai!!

-- The Walter Reed scandal is tied to--surprise!--Halliburton! America, wake up! THIS is why privatization is bad! Private corporations are just that--private. That means that they are NOT ACCOUNTABLE to the PUBLIC, despite the fact that the conman-in-chief is shoveling our tax dollars over to corporations like Halliburton hand over greasy, greedy hand.

-- Bush engages Latin Americans by comparing George Washington, whom Bush mispronouncingly nicknamed “Hor-hay Doh-blay-vah” (thus proving that his so-called fluent Spanish is as corked up and incomprehensible as his tangled English), to Simon Bolivar. Let's not forget our history: George Washington broke away from the British crown to make America safe for businessmen and--let's be honest--slave owners. Washington died a fabulously wealthy man. Simon Bolivar, on the other hand, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and gave it all up in order to right the wrongs of poverty and egregious financial inequality. Bolivar died with another man's shirt on his back because he was too poor to own his own clothes.

-- That whooshing sound you hear is the head-spinningly fast disappearance of the American middle class

-- Over 90% of female U.S. soldiers experience sexual harassment and pressure for sex

-- Female U.S. soldiers in Iraq die from dehydration. Why? Because they refuse to drink water past 3 or 4 p.m. Why aren't the women drinking enough in the scorching heat of Iraq? Because they do not want to have to visit the latrines at night. Why are the women frightened of the latrines at night? America's servicewomen risk rape if they visit the latrines at night. Who is raping them? It's not the Iraqis they're afraid of: it's their own male comrades. The Army tells women soldiers to have a “battle buddy”--a fellow female to go to the latrines with--but that doesn't work if there's only one woman in the unit.

-- Good news: the Dems may finally have grown enough backbone to admit that FAUX “News” is a right-wingnut MISinformation network! Looks like the Dems aren't going to play in that moist, yellow sandbox after all ...

-- Bush's visit to Latin America proves that America's influence abroad is slipping, despite the fact that he is trying to get his allies, like Columbia's Uribe, to forgo oil in favor of growing ethanol in order to weaken the Chavez government.

-- U.S. troops forgo training to rush into Iraq (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/26/rush.iraq.ap/index.html)

-- The Scallion's official dream car? Move over, Prius--check out the Honda IMAS! (http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/honda_IMAS.html)

-- TV anchorman Bob Woodruff shares his experience regarding his miraculous recovery from devastating head injury incurred while reporting in Iraq (http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2904214&page=1)

-- The ACLU and others report widespread FBI abuses of the PATRIOT Act. Gee, ya think? Ya think maybe Gonzo will go the way of Rummy? He just might if certain Pub and Dem Senators get their way!

-- Oh no! WE may end up losing our First Amendment rights to the religious right! Bush is trying to force us all to support Bush's chosen religious organizations with OUR TAX MONEY!

-- “When assessing the legacy of Bill Clinton, we can't overlook his shameful sexual behavior in the Oval Office...Indeed, it is my belief that no man has ever done more to debase the presidency or to undermine our Constitution--and particularly the moral and biblical principles upon which it is based--than has William Jefferson Clinton.” Thus spake James Dobson, discussing President Bill Clinton's extra-marital affair while in office (January, 2001). Recently, Dobson provided a platform on his radio show for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to admit to his own extra-marital affair--at precisely the time he was leading the call for the impeachment of President Clinton. Did Dobson attack Gingrich--as he did Clinton--as an enemy of the Constitution, our nation, or even his proclaimed “moral and biblical principles?” Of course not! Rather, Dobson praised Gingrich as a “national leader” and applauded his "friend's" willingness to discuss such issues on his show.

-- Sins of the Father: a CNN anchorman exposes the sexual abuse he suffered as an adolescent at the hands of a trusted priest (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/09/roberts.btsc/index.html)

If we do nothing else, we must all work together to mandate Congress to revoke any further funding for Bush’s wars and invasions of aggression and greed.

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

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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.

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MARCH! MARCH! MARCH! From the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition

Reminder

There will not be a rally at the assembly area, as we want to hit the streets and march to the Pentagon. There will be a rally at the Pentagon. It is important that everyone make the effort to get to the assembly location at 23rd and Constitution early. Try to get to the site by noon - don't miss the march! If you are coming by bus or driving from out of town, make sure your group is leaving early enough to get you to the assembly site no later than noon. There will be a pre-march People's Assembly with information displays and activities starting at 8 a.m. Read more. Also, remember to register your march contingent by clicking on this link.
Next Saturday, March 17, tens of thousands of people like you will be marching on the Pentagon to say no to the illegal war and occupation of Iraq. Bushs escalation of the war will only bring more death and misery to the people of Iraq and increase the number of casualties among U.S. soldiers. We will be marching on the Pentagon because the bloated military war budget will exceed $590 billion, while 47 million people in this country are without health care coverage and one out of four children is born into extreme poverty.

Our anti war message is one that reflects the sentiment of the majority of people in this country. Now we need to push that message into the local media in the our towns and cities where we are organizing. Many people are hearing about the demonstration through articles, radio spots and TV news features. Most local media are very attracted to local participation in national events. This also attracts people to get on board your bus, van or the car pool that you are organizing.

Here are some steps you can take today to get media attention in your area:

* Contact your local news outlets: newspapers, television and radio stations and let them know that people from your town are organizing to come to Washington on March 17. Make suggestions for an angle that would interest them like interviewing a veteran or a student for example. The most interesting angle of all is that people from your town are traveling together to go to a national anti-war protest in Washington, D.C. You might invite them to an organizing session, a flyering event or a peace vigil where you will be building for the March on the Pentagon. To find media contact information in your area go to: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/

* Send a letter to the editor of your local newspapers explaining your opposition to the increased war budget and that you are going to Washington DC on March 17 to protest at the Pentagon. To find out media contact information in your area go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/

* Contact your local talk shows to explain your position on the war in Iraq. Look for radio stations that take live calls and tell their listening audience your travel plans to Washington on March 17. Whenever possible try to let them know that they can get complete information at http://www.marchonpentagon.org/. In all contact with the media, encourage them to cover your efforts in coming to the march on the Pentagon and also the event itself.

All the hard work that is taking place now in over 200 organizing centers around the country will ensure that March 17 will be a massive expression of opposition to the war makers who are addicted to war.

We still need to raise approximately $40,000 in the next five days to pay for the huge day-of expenses. Many people have already donated and we want to thank each and every person who has made this commitment. If you have not donated for the March on the Pentagon, please do so now. If you have donated and can make another contribution, your support is deeply appreciated. Click this link to make an online tax deductible donation, or to get information on how you can send a check.

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From the ACLU

IN THIS ISSUE:
-- Court Backs "State Secrets" Claim in Challenge to CIA Kidnapping

-- U.S. Holds Immigrant Children Illegally in Prison-Like Conditions

-- Real ID Regulations Fail to Address Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns

-- Domestic Violence Victim Goes Before International Human Rights Commission to Sue U.S.

-- All March: Highlighting the History and the Progress of Women's Rights

IN THE STATES:
* ACLU Supports Free Speech Rights of Servicemembers at Walter Reed

* Arkansas Bill Would Bar Adoption and Foster Care by LGBT Couples, and Many Heterosexuals

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COURT BACKS "STATE SECRETS" CLAIM IN CHALLENGE TO CIA KIDNAPPING

Last week, a federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of the case of innocent kidnap victim Khaled El-Masri, who was abducted and tortured as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program.

Even though El-Masri's case has been investigated and publicized in detail throughout the world, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals barred discussion or review in an American court because of the government's invocation of the "state secrets" privilege.

"The appeals court gave the CIA complete immunity for even its most shameful conduct," said ACLU attorney Ben Wizner, who argued El-Masri's case last November. "Depriving Khaled El-Masri of his day in court on the ground that the government cannot disclose facts that the whole world already knows only compounds the brutal treatment he endured."

The lawsuit charges former CIA director George Tenet, and other CIA officials and U.S.-based aviation corporations, with violations of United States and universal human rights laws.

El-Masri was on vacation in Macedonia when he was kidnapped, abused and rendered to a CIA-run "black site" in Afghanistan. After several months of confinement in squalid conditions, he was flown from Afghanistan and abandoned on a hill in Albania with no explanation, never having been charged with a crime.

According to the Washington Post, at least eight U.S. officials have confirmed that El-Masri spent months in a squalid CIA-run prison because "a couple of CIA officials in Washington had a hunch he was someone he was not" and "did not move fast enough when they found out he wasn't."

To date, El-Masri's case has been the subject of numerous investigations and reports by intergovernmental bodies, including the European Parliament. Most recently, prosecutors in El-Masri's adopted country of Germany formally requested indictments against 13 CIA agents and contractors for their role in his kidnapping, abuse, and detention.

Learn more about Khaled El-Masri and extraordinary rendition at http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=PkRbYbWvJ5ERnIi-RAhzRg..

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U.S. HOLDS IMMIGRANT CHILDREN IN PRISON-LIKE CONDITIONS

The ACLU filed lawsuits on behalf of ten immigrant children this week, who are being held illegally in a Texas medium-security prison which has been converted into a "Family Residential Facility." Approximately 400 people are currently detained at the T. Don Hutto facility in Taylor, Texas, half of them children.

The lawsuits filed against Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as six officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), charge that these children are being imprisoned under inhumane conditions while their parents await immigration decisions.

In a facility that is still functionally and structurally a prison, children are required to wear prison garb, detained in small cells for 11-12 hours each day where they cannot keep food and toys, and denied all privacy, even when using the toilet. According to legal papers, some children did not go outdoors in the fresh air during the whole month of December 2006.

Despite urgent needs, many children lack access to adequate medical, dental, and mental health treatment, and are denied meaningful educational opportunities. Guards frequently discipline children by threatening to separate them permanently from their parents, and children are prohibited from having contact visits with non-detained family members.

"The choice is not between enforcement of immigration laws and humane treatment of immigrant families. There are various alternatives under which both can exist," said Lisa Graybill, Legal Director of the ACLU of Texas.

To read messages from the children of Hutto, hear audio podcasts from ACLU attorneys and learn more about the case, go to: http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=j0n8LloBHR3KY4QoduwVeA..

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REAL ID REGULATIONS FAIL TO ADDRESS PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES CONCERNS

The Department of Homeland Security released regulations last week for the implementation of the Real ID Act. The regulations, a real nightmare for America, will lead to a national identity card system that violates personal privacy, and creates bigger bureaucratic messes, longer lines, increased identity theft and higher fees.

The Real ID Act, a national system to federalize and standardize state driver's licenses, was forced through Congress in 2005 as part of a must-pass military appropriations bill. It will require every person in the country to have a Real ID-compliant identification document in order to fly on commercial airlines, enter government buildings, open a bank account, and more.

"The Real ID Act is the marriage from hell these regulations marry the efficiency of those who ran the Katrina recovery with the people who brought you long lines at the DMV they will make getting a driver's license a real ordeal," said Timothy D. Sparapani, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. "Real ID creates huge burdens for Americans, places a massive unfunded mandate on state governments and fails to provide real security. We urge lawmakers instead to pursue proposals to restore privacy protections."

In Congress, Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), John Sununu (R-NH) and Representative Tom Allen (D-ME) have introduced legislation to add important privacy and civil liberties safeguards to the Real ID Act. Their similar bills would eliminate most of the requirements that laid the foundation for a National ID card. Their bills also call for more flexible "standards" instead of the current uniform mandates. The bills would prohibit the use of license data by third parties, require data encryption and preserve any state privacy laws that may provide greater protections.

For more on the ACLU's concerns with the Real ID Act, go to: http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=WN0wunHdXdPnK1KZMsqovA..

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM GOES BEFORE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TO SUE U.S.

In a history-making human rights challenge against the United States, Jessica Gonzales, spoke out publicly last week in front of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Gonzales lost her three daughters after they were kidnapped by her estranged husband, and later killed in his standoff with Colorado police. Her domestic violence protection claims were then rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. Gonzales, who was represented by the ACLU, is the first victim of domestic violence to bring an individual complaint against the United States for international human rights violations.

"I brought this petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights because I have exhausted all avenues in the United States and still there has been no justice for my little girls," said Gonzales. "Police must be required to enforce restraining orders or else these orders are meaningless. We need to hold the U.S. government accountable."

Gonzales was living in Colorado when her three young daughters, Rebecca, age 10, Katheryn, age eight and Leslie, age seven, were killed after local police failed to enforce a restraining order against her estranged husband. The girls were abducted by their father and although Gonzales repeatedly called the police, telling them of her fears for the safety of her daughters, the police failed to respond. Several hours later, Gonzales' husband drove to the police station with a gun and opened fire. The police shot and killed him, and then discovered the bodies of the three girls in the back of his pickup truck.

"In domestic violence cases such as Jessica's, international bodies provide access to redress when the home country fails to act," said Steven Watt, an attorney with the ACLU Human Rights Program.

Gonzales filed a lawsuit against the police, but in June 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court found that she had no constitutional right to police enforcement of her restraining order.

To learn more about the Gonzales case, go to: http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=S_VbCBInsfcHbjSy7H-HWw..

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ALL MARCH: HIGHLIGHTING THE HISTORY AND THE PROGRESS OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Last year we saw important victories in the pursuit of gender equality:

In July, a federal jury ruled in Lochren v. Suffolk County that the county's police department discriminated against its pregnant female police officers, forcing them to take vacation time or unpaid leave during their pregnancies instead of assigning them to non-patrol jobs. In August, a ruling in Selden v. Livingston Parish School Board prevented a Louisiana school board from segregating students on the basis of sex. And in September, the jury decision in Espinal, et al v. Ramco et al reaffirmed the rights of three Latina workers who suffered repeated incidences of severe sexual harassment by their employer.

Several important cases will unfold during 2007. Despite being denied justice by the entire United States court system, Jessica Gonzales continues to fight for human rights and women's rights with her testimony before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The ACLU also recently urged this Commission to cite the U.S. for violation of universal human rights obligations in its failure to protect millions of undocumented workers from exploitation and discrimination in the workplace.

Two female New York City corrections officers have sued the Department of Corrections for its failure to address their sexual and physical assault complaints. And in Sabbithi, et al v. Al Saleh, et al, a Kuwaiti diplomat faces charges for trafficking three Indian women and forcing them to work as domestic employees in conditions that included physical and psychological abuse, threats, and slave wages.

To learn more about these cases and the ACLU's ongoing fight for equality, go to:
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=ugZh05wmlYhTjWEqpdlGpQ..

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ACLU SUPPORTS FREE SPEECH RIGHTS OF SERVICEMEMBERS AT WALTER REED

As the nation confronts startling reports of neglectful treatment for injured service men and women at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, the ACLU applauds efforts underway in Congress to get answers and fair treatment for our veterans. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) and Congressman John Tierney (D-MA), Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, are holding hearings to investigate the mistreatment of patients at the Medical Center.

"There are no negative national security implications when those who bore the battle simply ask that their government provide them with the care they were promised when they enlisted," states Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "We urge Congress to conduct robust oversight on veterans' medical care to ensure that our government is meeting the needs of our injured service men and women."

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IN THE STATES:

ARKANSAS BILL WOULD BAR ADOPTION AND FOSTER CARE BY LGBT COUPLES, AND MANY HETEROSEXUALS

A bill introduced this week to the Arkansas State Legislature would ban gay people and most unmarried heterosexual couples who live together from adopting or serving as foster parents. The bill was introduced just months after the state Supreme Court unanimously struck down a ban on fostering by gay people.

The legislation, SB 959, would categorically ban lesbian and gay Arkansans from adopting or serving as foster parents, even if they're relatives of the children in question. It would also ban unmarried heterosexual couples who live together unless they're related to the child, which could prevent godparents or family friends from caring for a child if the parents die or cannot keep the child.

The Arkansas Supreme Court ended a prior battle with the ACLU when it overturned a ban on fostering by gay people, stating that "(T)he driving force behind adoption of the regulation was not to promote the health, safety, and welfare of foster children, but rather based upon the Arkansas Child Welfare Agency Review Board's view of morality and its bias against homosexuals."

"The proponents of this bill only care about singling out gay people and unmarried couples at the expense of children in need of good homes," said Rita Sklar, Executive Direcoll conducted by the University of Arkansas, nearly two thirds of the respondents favored allowing placements with gay people if they pass the screening requirements that apply to everyone else.

Click here to learn more about the ACLU victory over the earlier ban: http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=FKWx8X0tMi4qDZu5fMPNJg..

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From AlterNet

Hey Under-30s Crowd, Have You Overdosed on Narcissism?
By Clayton Collins, Christian Science Monitor
A new study points to disturbing data about Generation Y's supposed lack of empathy, aggressive behavior and inability to form relationships. Read more

Is Big Oil Going to Control Iraq's Reserves?
By Christian Parenti, The Nation
War and corruption have crippled Iraq's ability to export oil. But that's not stopping Big Oil's efforts to control and profit from what's left.

Drinking and Rape: The Rest of the Story
By Jaclyn Friedman, Women's eNews
Blasting women with warnings about getting drunk in public does little to help them and sidesteps men's responsibility for sexual assault.

Green Roofs: Building for the Future
By Dara Colwell, AlterNet
Green roofs have been around for millennia. But as the planet heats up and green space dwindles, they are gaining in popularity in the U.S. and abroad.

Washington Is Losing Its Grip on Latin America
By Mark Weisbrot, AlterNet
As President Bush heads south for a seven-day trip to counter the populist political tide in Latin America, he'll discover that Washington's influence has collapsed and is not likely to recover.

Newly Out Gay Vet Urges Americans to End Don't Ask, Don't Tell
By Deb Price, Creators Syndicate
Eric Alva was the focus of a media blitz because of his war injuries. Now he's back in the spotlight -- for a different reason.

Getting from 'Here' to 'There'
By Sean Gonsalves, AlterNet
Some words of wisdom for pragmatic peace advocates.

Passenger Bill of Rights
By Will Durst, AlterNet
Here's a few of the rumored service improvements members of the 7-mile club can expect to see coming to a jetway near you.

Smoking Gun: Walter Reed scandal connected to Halliburton & FEMA? [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
A Conservative scandal...

Our soldiers are not meat
By Philip Barron
Honor for soldiers -- and their families -- is the first casualty of war.

Looking HOT for Jesus
By Jessica Valenti
Piety and eyeshadow...

"Pro Israel" Christian Right Leader Blames Jews For Holocaust
By Bruce Wilson
Holocaust as God's retribution for Israelite idol worship?

America's Vets Left in the Lurch
By Jeanine Plant, AlterNet
Chronic under-funding, communication breakdowns and nightmarish paperwork have left the VA system woefully unprepared for future veterans: the tens of thousands currently deployed in the war on terror. Read more

Not Saving? Strategies To Help You Start
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Christian Science Monitor
Americans have been spending more than they save for nearly two years, and 2006 was the worst year for saving since 1933. To turn it around, experts say, know your weaknesses.

Look Both Ways: Baumgardner Makes Bisexuality Visible
By Eleanor J. Bader, Women's eNews
Author and filmmaker Jennifer Baumgardner has made a career of injecting taboo topics into popular discourse. She continues the trend with her new book about bisexuality, "Look Both Ways."

Will Iraq Become the Democrats' War?
By David Swanson, Tomdispatch.com
Instead of ending the war, Democratic leaders may prefer to claim they tried but failed.

Abe Lincoln's Antiwar Record
By Eric Foner, The Nation
How falsified quotations have allowed conservatives to misappropriate Lincoln's legacy.

Libby, "The Fall Guy"
By Rory O'Connor, AlterNet
Scooter Libby faces up to 25 years in prison for obstructing the investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's identity, but he didn't do it alone...

Air America 2.0 Begins Today
By Mark Green, HuffingtonPost.com
Air America Radio has a new owner. Why? Because if progressive values were a stock, now is the time to buy.

Data Crash 2027
By Annalee Newitz, AlterNet
When you store all the ephemera and all the hard work you've done in your life on someone else's server -- Gmail, Flickr, etc. -- you risk a whole lot more than exposing your life to prying eyes.
PEEK and Video: The hottest buzz and videos on the web

Dem gives fiery speech to Republicans for Union bill [VIDEO]
By Elana Levin
Rep. Miller: "I know it's hard to change your stripes, and some of you'll be wearing stripes..."

Evangelical Scandals: Who Matters Now?
By Sarah Posner
Who fills the void of Ted and what are their skeletons?

Democrats: Work to Get Us Out of Iraq ... or Else
By Hunter, Daily Kos
What we need now are people who can lead. The Dems must do what Bush is entirely incapable of -- define how to end the war and start working toward that goal. Read more

Soviet-Era Compound in Poland Was Secret CIA Prison Site
By Larisa Alexandrovna, David Dastych, Raw Story
This explosive investigative report is the first to expose the location of one of the Bush-sanctioned prison sites for terror suspects in Europe.

Can Ecology and Commerce Coexist?
By Jay Walljasper, Ode
A new movement called "beyond organic" aims to save land and communities. Is it the next ecological and social revolution or just another marketing tactic?

The United States' Nuclear Hypocrisy
By Frida Berrigan, Foreign Policy in Focus
The contradictions between what the administration is demanding of Tehran and other powers, and the nuclear capabilities it is pursuing for its own arsenal, are provocative and dangerous.

Making Women's Health an International Priority
By Lucinda Marshall, AlterNet
It has been said that the health of a society is measured by how it treats its women. Judging from global statistics, it is safe to say that society is in crisis.

Need Barbed Wire? Ask the Concierge
By Teresa Mendez, Christian Science Monitor
Hotels are offering unusually specialized services in a bid to stand out and lure wealthy patrons.

Gordon Out But NAACP Problems Remain
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media
The NAACP's embrace of showy, symbolic fights does little to solve the problems of drugs, crime, gangs and soaring joblessness among young blacks, or the astronomical rate of prison incarceration of blacks.

NYT's Tom Friedman and the Pundits Will Blame Us for Iraq
By Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com
As the political class and the media establishment wake up to the nightmare in Iraq they are going to start looking for someone to scapegoat -- and it looks like they are going to blame the American people.

Harry Belafonte, The Lion At 80
By Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate
Harry Belafonte, the first African-American to win an Emmy, is a living library of the civil-rights movement and liberation struggles worldwide. He enters his ninth decade as fearless as ever.

Edwards to freeze out Fox News
By Evan Derkacz
First Dem to pass on the GOP propaganda outlet...

Webb: No funds for Iran attack without Congressional approval
By Bob Geiger
Freshman Senator moves to curb Bush on Iran.

Colbert & Stewart Do Scooter Libby [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Scooter Libby is... NOT GUILTY!

A History of America's Disappearing Middle Class
By Paul Krugman, AlterNet
Economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman explains in simple terms how the American economy went from having the world's most dynamic middle class to being on the verge of a rich-poor state in only 30 years. Read more

Is Ralph Nader an Unreasonable Man?
By Chuleenan Svetvilas, AlterNet
A new documentary directed by Steve Skrovan and Henriette Mantel asks viewers to decide whether Nader was a man of principle or a man who fell behind the times.

Rolling Back the Regs
By Kari Lydersen, In These Times
The Bush administration is muscling its way past environmental protections by dictating how federal agencies interpret and enforce policies.

Nike Is Leading the Race ... to the Bottom
By Zack Knorr, AlterNet
Despite promises to clean up its act, Nike is making a U-turn on its commitments to improve the sweatshop conditions for its workers overseas.

New Bush Attorney May Have First-Hand Experience with Law-breaking
By Greg Palast, GregPalast.com
In its notorious US Attorney purge, the White House fired an honest prosectuor in Arkansas to be replaced with Timothy Griffin, a former assistant to Karl Rove -- but will allegations of election theft catch up with him?

Where Hollywood ends and America begins
By Tara Lohan
A new book by Alicia Rebensdorf takes readers, literally, down the road of pop culture. It is a trip not to be missed.

UPDATED: Women soldiers have died of dehydration to avoid late night trips to toilet [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
They face rape, assault at hands of fellow soldiers ...

Sen. Patty Murray: "We are fighting a war with no cause"
By Bob Geiger
Washington Senator dares to speak the truth.

The Theocratic Agenda Is Coming to a Statehouse Near You
By Rob Boston, Church and State
Well-coordinated "faith-based" initiatives and anti-evolution lobbying in state capitols from New Jersey to Colorado signal a stealth national strategy by Religious Right organizations. Read more

Volunteer Soldiers Devastated by Iraq Weren't "Asking for It"
By Stacy Bannerman, AlterNet
"They volunteered, didn't they?" is a common sneering response to the stories about National Guardsmen whose lives were destroyed by Iraq -- the truth is that going to war is not what they signed up for.

Dems Dump FOX Nevada Debate [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
"FOX should be treated as a right-wing misinformation network."

Readers Write: Revisiting Queer 101
AlterNet
Our readers respond to a recent article about queer identity and politics.

'300' Flick Is Ready-Made for the Right-Wing Crowd
By Steve Burgess, The Tyee
If new acquaintance tells you that their favorite movie is 300, back away slowly -- they probably kills cats for fun.

Israeli Apartheid Comes to New Jersey
By Saifedean Ammous, Columbia Daily Spectator
An organization called Amana Settlement Movement is trying to convince Orthodox Jews in America to buy homes in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

Updated: Conservative star turns out to be star of gay porn as well [VIDEO]
By Melissa McEwan
And was buddies with Sean Hannity and other right-wing homophobes.

Fired U.S. Attorney's damning testimony [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Inspiration for Tom Cruise character in "A Few Good Men" describes Republican pressure before firing...

Republicans seek to 'neuter' new global warming committee
By Tara Lohan
With one exception, Republicans chose a team of climate foes to take part in a new committee on climate change.

Even Republicans Hate Our Health Care System
By David Moberg, In These Times
Our health care system has gotten so bad that even Republicans acknowledge that it's broken -- so what's the best way to deal with it? Read more

Challenging the Workplace Dictatorship
By Barbara Ehrenreich, AlterNet
George Orwell's "1984" is already here and it's called the American workplace, but finally there's a law in the works that might make jobs livable.

Bush's Visit to Colombia Comes at a Time of Political Turmoil
By Stephen Ferry, AlterNet
As Bush visits Colombia, the "Paragate" scandal threatens President Uribe with disgrace or worse.

The Numbers in Iraq Keep Creeping Up
By Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com
Whether it's the size of the military deployment in Iraq, the financial cost of the war or the amount of time US troops are spending in Iraq, the numbers keep creeping up, even as the situation deteriorates.

The Catastrophic Legacy of Donald Rumsfeld
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
In this interview, the author of a devastating biography of Donald Rumsfeld covers how the former defense secretary was loathed by the first Bush president to how Rummy layed the groundwork for torture in Gitmo and Iraq.

Al Gore's Carbon Solution Won't Stop Climate Change
By David Morris, AlterNet
These days, everyone thinks that carbon trading is the solution to our climate crisis -- from Congress members to Al Gore to the folks organizing the Oscars. Here's why they are wrong and what we can do instead.

Why Sexist Language Matters
By Sherryl Kleinman, AlterNet
Gendered words and phrases like "you guys" may seem small compared to issues like violence against women, but changing our language is an easy way to begin overcoming gender inequality.

Gitmo's chaplain
By Lindsay Beyerstein
"An interview with the US army chaplain wrongfully accused of spying at Guantanamo Bay."

Students suspended for saying "vagina"
By Evan Derkacz
Logos Mori: Time to consult The Big Lebowski...

Major General: Republicans/Bush have been "worst thing" for Army & Marines [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
"Thank God" for Democratic Control of Congress...

-----

From the Campaign to Defend the Constitution

If the federal government gives money directly to a religious school or organization in a manner that clearly violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, can anyone sue to stop it? The answer should be obvious: any taxpayer should be able to sue to prevent his or her tax dollars from being used in a manner that is an unconstitutional establishment of religion.

Unfortunately, President Bush and the religious right disagree.

On Wednesday, February 28, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Hein v Freedom from Religion Foundation, a case that threatens to make the federal government completely immune from challenges when it spends money to support religion.

In a 1968 court case, Flast v Cohen, the Supreme Court recognized an exception to the usual rule that a person cannot sue as a taxpayer to stop the spending of money that violates the Constitution. In that case, the Court said that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment was meant to be a limit on Congress's taxing and spending power and that therefore taxpayers do have standing to enforce its commands.

Hein v Freedom from Religion Foundation is a challenge to the Bush administration's unprecedented attempt to funnel money to religious entities providing social services. In his first days as President, George W. Bush created an Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives for the purpose of giving money to religious institutions. The question is whether a taxpayer can bring a challenge to this as violating the Establishment Clause.

It is to be hoped that the Supreme Court will reaffirm Flast v Cohen and allow taxpayers to challenge this effort to support religion with federal tax dollars. But there is a real possibility that the Court could narrow or even overrule Flast.

If that happens, then there would be no way to sue to stop the federal government from giving any form of assistance to churches, synagogues, mosques, or other religious entities. The Establishment Clause could be ignored by the federal government and no one could stop it.

This possibility reaffirms the importance of our nations's commitment to the seperation of church and state and our fight against the relgious right's war on this American principle.

Sincerely,

Erwin Chemerinsky
DefCon advisory board member
Alston & Bird Professor of Law and Political Science, Duke University.

Help DefCon hold James Dobson and the religious right accountable for their hypocrisy -- forward this message to your friends and family.

If you're not already a DefCon Defender, click here to sign up for updates and action alerts.

"When assessing the legacy of Bill Clinton, we can't overlook his shameful sexual behavior in the Oval Office... Indeed, it is my belief that no man has ever done more to debase the presidency or to undermine our Constitution -- and particularly the moral and biblical principles upon which it is based -- than has William Jefferson Clinton."

-James Dobson, discussing President Bill Clinton s extra-marital affair while in office, January, 2001

In 2001, James Dobson condemned President Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky, saying Clinton had done more than anyone before him to "undermine our Constitution."

Today, Dobson provided a platform on his radio show for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to admit to his own extra-marital affair -- at precisely the time he was leading the call for the impeachment of President Clinton. Did Dobson attack Gingrich -- as he did Clinton -- as an enemy of the Constitution, our nation, or even his proclaimed "moral and biblical principles?"

No, he praised Gingrich as a national leader and applauded his "friend's" willingness to discuss such issues on his show.

This double standard cuts to the heart of the religious right's hypocrisy.

Instead of holding their own leaders and allies -- from Ralph Reed to Ted Haggard and Newt Gingrich -- to the standards they attempt to impose on America, they craft excuses and create exceptions.

Please take a moment to forward this message to your friends and family and encourage them to join our campaign to hold the religious right accountable for the hypocrisy. If you're not already a DefCon Defender, click here to join our campaign and oppose the religious right's war on science, freedom, and American democracy.

Our fight is far from over, but everyday our movement grows. Please help spread the word.

-----

From the Center for American Progress

GOOD NEWS

"In what could be the largest environmentally friendly corporate project in history, Bank of America Corp. will unveil a $20-billion initiative today to help fertilize green business practices."

STATE WATCH

ILLINOIS: Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) is planning to subsidize universal health care in Illinois with a new payroll tax.

MINNESOTA: The city of St. Paul will ask the state legislature to provide equal benefits to partners of gay city employees.

WASHINGTON: State sues the federal government for making it tougher to get medical coverage for the infants of undocumented immigrants.

BLOG WATCH

THINK PROGRESS: Flashback: Pentagon official said veterans benefits were "hurtful" to national security.

DANGER ROOM: One doctor for every 18,000 patients in the military medical system.

CARPET BAGGER REPORT: Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) proud to be called "dumb, crazy man, science abuser, Holocaust denier, villain of the month, [and] hate-filled."

CREW BLOG: CREW files ethics complaint against Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM).

DAILY GRILL

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) "spoke optimistically about the surge of U.S. troops, saying 'early indications are that it's working.' 'Overall, I think there's a good chance of getting a capital city quieted down enough to where they can function,' he said."
-- Associated Press, 3/5/07

VERSUS

"'I would say, just looking at the reports from the people on the ground ... I think their assessment would be, "It's too early to draw any conclusions," because this is still in the early stages,' Pentagon number two Gordon England said."
-- Agence France-Presse, 3/1/07

GOOD NEWS

The Senate voted yesterday "to give 45,000 airport screeners the same union rights as border patrol, customs and immigration agents."

STATE WATCH

HAWAII: House lawmakers debate extension of state benefits to same-sex partners.

TENNESSEE: State running out of funds to help low-income homeowners pay their heating bills.

WASHINGTON: Legislature passes bill to help insure more than half of Washington's uninsured children.

BLOG WATCH

THINK PROGRESS: Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) suggests possibility of Bush impeachment.

HUFFINGTON POST: Exclusive notes inside the Libby trial from juror #9.

SHENANIGANS: "Timberlake-style mob" swoons over Tom DeLay at CPAC.

SADLY, NO!: Right-wing reactions to Ann Coulter's remarks about John Edwards.

DAILY GRILL

"It's too early to judge the success of this operation. ... Yet even at this early hour, there are some encouraging signs."
-- President Bush, 3/6/07, on his escalation strategy

VERSUS

"Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked religious processions of Shiite pilgrims Tuesday, killing at least 130 people in one of the deadliest days of the four-year war."
-- USA Today, 3/7/07

GOOD NEWS

Yesterday, C-SPAN announced that it would grant public access to many of its video feeds "to meet the growing demand for video about the federal government and Congress, in an age of explosive growth of video file-sharers, bloggers and online 'citizen journalists.'"

STATE WATCH

TEXAS: State Rep. Beverly Woolley (R) introduces legislation with strong bipartisan support to protect embryonic stem cell research in Texas.

KENTUCKY: State House defeats legislation that would ban the state from offering health benefits to partners of gay employees.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: State House votes to repeal law requiring parental notification before a minor can get an abortion.

BLOG WATCH

THINK PROGRESS: Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan on Libby verdict: White House needs to "get out there and talk about this."

WONKETTE: White House veteran David Gergen on how the Bush administration has "been mostly free of scandal over the last six years."

TOWLEROAD: Wyoming legislator Dan Zwonitzer, who "is both Republican and straight," speaks out against an anti-gay measure and kills the bill.

THE BLOTTER: Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson stalled program to aid wounded vets.

DAILY GRILL

"It's absolutely absurd. ... Terrorists don't go on strike. Terrorists don't call their union to negotiate before they attack."
-- Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), 3/6/07, on why federal airport screeners should not have collective bargaining rights and whistleblower protections

VERSUS

"As the smoke was coming out of the buildings in New York, when we saw the collapse of the first buildings and men and women under collective bargaining agreements were asked to go into those fiery infernos, no one was talking about collective bargaining agreements! They were talking about doing their duty to the United States of America."
-- Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), 3/7/07

GOOD NEWS

The European Union has agreed on "ambitious and credible" targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions "by at least 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, and ensure 20 percent of its power comes from renewable energy, a massive increase from the current figure of just over 6 percent."

STATE WATCH

CALIFORNIA: "Wage gains for women have sharply surpassed those for men in California this decade."

GEORGIA: Children's health care program forced to "freeze enrollment because of a federal funding shortfall."

LOUISIANA: New report finds small businesses damaged by Katrina are "hanging by a thread."

BLOG WATCH

THINK PROGRESS: Exclusive: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) blasts President Bush on military readiness, revisionist history.

POLITICAL RADAR: House approves new congressional committee on global warming.

MAHA BLOG: How the U.S. attorneys who weren't part of the Bush administration's purge managed to keep their jobs.

DAILY GRILL

"We have an obligation, we have a moral obligation to provide the best possible care and treatment to the men and women who have served our country. They deserve it, and they're going to get it."
-- President Bush, 3/6/07

VERSUS

"More than a quarter of military veterans with disability cases before the Department of Veterans Affairs wait six months or longer for the agency's decision, creating financial hardships for them and their families."
-- Gannett News Service, 3/8/07

-----

From “Democracy Now!”

* Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy: Gender-Based Violence and the US
War on Iraq *

Houzan Mahmoud of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq talks about
the new report which documents the systematic use of violence committed by
Islamist militias against Iraqi women. Methods of violence include
widespread honor killings, torture, assassination and rape.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/06/1511216


* Headlines for March 6, 2007 *

- Army Veterans Slam Conditions At Walter Reed
- Nine U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq
- Rice Names Prominent Neoconservative Hawk to State Dept Post
- Six Fired U.S. Attorneys To Testify
- Medical Researchers Challenge U.S. Definition of Torture
- War Resister August? Aguayo Faces Court-Martial
- Poll: Israel, Iran, U.S., N. Korea Most Negative Influence in World

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/06/1511204

* Ex-Cheney Chief of Staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby Convicted of Perjury,
Obstruction in CIA Leak Trial *

Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby is
facing up to 25 years in prison following his conviction on Tuesday in the
CIA leak case. Jurors found Libby guilty of four felony counts of making
false statements to the FBI, lying to a grand jury and obstructing a probe
into the leak of Valerie Plame's identity. Libby is the highest-ranking
White House official to be convicted of a felony since the Iran-Contra
scandal nearly two decades ago. We get reaction from investigative
journalist Murray Waas and blogger and author Marcy Wheeler.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/07/1436232


* Journalist and Author Andrew Cockburn on Donald Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall,
and Catastrophic Legacy *

It's been almost one year since the first of six retired US generals began
calling for the departure of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Andrew Cockburn is the author of the controversial new biography, “Rumsfeld:
His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy.” Cockburn talks about Rumsfeld's
role in the Iraq war, his links to the torture of prisoners at Guantanamo
and Abu Ghraib, his time as a pharmaceutical executive, and his tenuous
relationship with George H.W. Bush.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/07/1436239


* Headlines for March 7, 2007 *

- Libby Convicted in Perjury, Obstruction Trial
- Juror: Libby “Fall Guy” for Bush Admin
- At Least 112 Killed in Attack on Shiite Pilgrims
- War Resister Agustin Aguayo Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison
- US, North Korea in 3rd Day of Talks
- Ex-US Attorneys Testify over Controversial Dismissals
- Polls: Poland, Czech Republic Oppose US Missile Shield
- ACLU Sues Over Child Detentions at Texas Immigration Jail

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/07/1436219

* The Private War of Women Soldiers: Female Vet, Soldier Speak Out on Rising
Sexual Assault Within US Military *

On International Women's Day, we look at the ongoing global struggle for
gender equality and equal rights within the US military. Specialist Mickiela
Montoya came face to face with the dangers of rape by her male comrades when
she was deployed to Iraq with the National Guard. Eli Painted Crow served in
the Army for 22 years including time in Iraq in 2004, facing challenges both
as a woman and a Native American. And Columbia professor Helen Benedict is
author of a forthcoming book about women veterans of the Iraq war.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/08/1443232


* Actor Geena Davis on Her Quest to Reduce Gender Stereotyping in Media for
Children *

Oscar-winning actor Geena Davis is the founder of the organization See Jane.
It works to increase the percentages of female characters -- and to reduce
gender stereotyping -- in media made for children. Geena Davis recently
spoke at the National Conference For Media Reform.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/08/1443236


* Headlines for March 8, 2007 *

- General: Troop Increase Needed Through Feb. 2008
- Bush Begins Latin America Tour
- Iran Rejects IAEA Pre-Conditions on Nuke Talks
- King Abdullah Calls on US to Support Palestinian Rights
- Dems to Subpoena Justice Dept. Over Attorney Firings
- Vermont Towns Call for Bush, Cheney Impeachment
- US Hires DynCorp for Somalia Peacekeeping
- Rallies Worldwide Mark International Women's Day

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/08/1442255

* Hugo Chavez to George W. Bush: Gringo Go Home *

As President Bush tours Latin America, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
spoke before tens of thousands at an anti-imperialist rally in Argentina of
Friday. We broadcast excerpts of Chavez's stinging attack on Bush who was in
Uruguay, just thirty miles away across the River Plate.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/12/1425228


* President Bush v. Hugo Chavez: A Discussion on the State of Politics in
Latin America *

We continue our look at President Bush's five-nation tour of Latin America
with Greg Grandin and Steven Ellner. Grandin is a professor of Latin
American history at New York University and author of the book "Empire's
Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New
Imperialism." Ellner has taught political science at the Universidad de
Oriente in Venezuela since 1977. He is the author of the forthcoming book
"Venezuela: Hugo Chavez and the Decline of an Exceptional Democracy."

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/12/1425231


* 23 Arrested at Port of Tacoma In Protest to Stop Shipment of Stryker
Armored Vehicles to Iraq *

In Tacoma, Washington peace activists are continuing campaign to prevent the
military from shipping 300 Stryker armored vehicles to Iraq. On Sunday, 23
protesters were arrested including T.J. Johnson who serves in the City
Council of Olympia. He just got out of jail and joins us on the phone.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/12/1425236


* Headlines for March 12, 2007 *

- 120 Arrested in Anti-Bush Protests in Colombia
- Chavez to Bush: "Gringo Go Home"
- Bush to Send 8,200 More Troops to Iraq & Afghanistan
- Calls Increase For Attorney General Gonzales to Resign
- Rove Tied to Political Purging of U.S. Attorneys
- U.S. Military Defends Deleting Journalists' Footage
- Josh Wolf Serves 200th Day in Jail
- Attorneys & Reporters Barred From Gitmo Hearings

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/12/1425221

-----

From Greg Palast

Bush's New US Attorney a Criminal?

BBC Television had exposed 2004 voter attack scheme
by appointee Griffin, a Rove aide.
Black soldiers and the homeless targeted.
by Greg Palast

March 7, 2007.

There's only one thing worse than sacking an honest prosecutor. That's replacing an honest prosecutor with a criminal.

There was one big hoohah in Washington yesterday as House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers pulled down the pants on George Bush's firing of US Attorneys to expose a scheme to punish prosecutors who wouldn't bend to political pressure.

But the Committee missed a big one: Timothy Griffin, Karl Rove's assistant, the President's pick as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Griffin, according to BBC Television, was the hidden hand behind a scheme to wipe out the voting rights of 70,000 citizens prior to the 2004 election.

Key voters on Griffin's hit list: Black soldiers and homeless men and women. Nice guy, eh? Naughty or nice, however, is not the issue. Targeting voters where race is a factor is a felony crime under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In October 2004, our investigations team at BBC Newsnight received a series of astonishing emails from Mr. Griffin, then Research Director for the Republican National Committee. He didn't mean to send them to us. They were highly confidential memos meant only for RNC honchos.

However, Griffin made a wee mistake. Instead of sending the emails -- potential evidence of a crime -- to email addresses ending with the domain name "@GeorgeWBush.com" he sent them to "@GeorgeWBush.ORG." A website run by prankster John Wooden who owns "GeorgeWBush.org." When Wooden got the treasure trove of Rove-ian ravings, he sent them to us.

And we dug in, decoding, and mapping the voters on what Griffin called, "Caging" lists, spreadsheets with 70,000 names of voters marked for challenge. Overwhelmingly, these were Black and Hispanic voters from Democratic precincts.

The Griffin scheme was sickly brilliant. We learned that the RNC sent first-class letters to new voters in minority precincts marked, "Do not forward." Several sheets contained nothing but soldiers, other sheets, homeless shelters. Targets included the Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida and that city's State Street Rescue Mission. Another target, Edward Waters College, a school for African-Americans.

If these voters were not currently at their home voting address, they were tagged as "suspect" and their registration wiped out or their ballot challenged and not counted. Of course, these 'cages' captured thousands of students, the homeless and those in the military though they are legitimate voters.
We telephoned those on the hit list, including one Randall Prausa. His wife admitted he wasn't living at his voting address: Randall was a soldier shipped overseas.

Randall and other soldiers like him who sent in absentee ballots, when challenged, would lose their vote. And they wouldn't even know it.

And by the way, it's not illegal for soldiers to vote from overseas -- even if they're Black.

But it is illegal to challenge voters en masse where race is an element in the targeting. So several lawyers told us, including Ralph Neas, famed civil rights attorney with People for the American Way.

Griffin himself ducked our cameras, but his RNC team tried to sell us the notion that the caging sheets were, in fact, not illegal voter hit lists, but a roster of donors to the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign. Republican donors at homeless shelters?

Over the past weeks, Griffin has said he would step down if he had to face Congressional confirmation. However, the President appointed Griffin to the law enforcement post using an odd little provision of the USA Patriot Act that could allow Griffin to skip Congressional questioning altogether.

Therefore, I have a suggestion for Judiciary members. Voting law expert Neas will be testifying today before Conyers' Committee on the topic of illegal voter "disenfranchisement" -- the fancy word for stealing elections by denying voters' civil rights.

Maybe Conyers should hold a line-up of suspected vote thieves and let Neas identify the perpetrators. That should be easy in the case of the Caging List Criminal. He'd only have to look for the guy wearing a new shiny lawman's badge.

******

Read the full story, "Caging Lists: Great White Republicans Take Voters Captive" in Greg Palast's Armed Madhouse: Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales from a White House Gone Wild. The new edition, with a new chapter on Theft of the Election, will be released April 24th (by Penguin/Plume in paperback).

Catch our original BBC Television story here - on Palast's brand new YouTube channel

-----

From Jim Hightower

Hey, Friends.

Jim wanted us to tip you off about a few fabulous documentaries debuting this upcoming week at the South By Southwest Film Festival. If you aren't in the area for the premiere screenings, please keep an eye out for these great features in festivals and theaters near you.

RUN GRANNY RUN, a documentary by Marlo Poras, follows Doris "Granny D" Haddock, the nation's oldest political newcomer. At 90, she laced up her sneakers and walked across America to rally against the influence of big money in elections. Now 94 and still fed up with politics as usual, she jumps at an unexpected chance to run for U.S. Senate. With just four months until Election Day, Doris and her motley crew of political aces and amateurs craft a feisty campaign that personifies her democratic ideals of a government of, by, and for the people. A tale of doggedness versus dollars, grit against greenbacks, RUN GRANNY RUN is an unlikely portrait of a remarkable activist and an exploration of our fragile democracy in the corporate age. Check out the film's website at http://www.marloporas.com/.

ELECTION DAY director Katy Chevigny brings us a feature-length documentary about American voters and is a portrait of the attitudes and experiences of the citizens who make this democracy tick. It backs away from two-party combat in favor of what men and women on the street do on their quadrennial day of destiny-November 2, 2004. ELECTION DAY is presented by Big Mouth Films and Arts Engine, a nonprofit that supports, produces and distributes independent media of consequence and promotes the use of independent media by advocates, educators and the general public. You can learn more about the film at http://www.artsengine.net/election_day/.

HOW GLAMOROUS IS CHILD LABOR?

Thursday, March 1, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower

Darlings! You'll be ever so pleased to learn that a new, high-fashion super store has opened in America. It's called Wal-Mart. Yes, the stodgy old downscale store has gone upscale, offering hip new clothing lines like Metro... [read more]

MAKING AN HONEST DIP

Friday, March 2, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower

Whether eating alone or having a party, one simple dish that can bring a zestful joy to your table and palate is guacamole. Just as the Aztecs did 700 years ago, all you do is mush up a couple... [read more]

THE "BURDEN" ON CORPORATE CROOKS

Monday, March 5, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower

Sure enough, George W really is a compassionate conservative! For the past several months, the Bushites have been working behind the scenes to comfort a group of citizens who feel severely put upon: corrupt corporate executives.

... [read more]

BUSH'S SNEAK ATTACK ON AMERICA

Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower

In 1994, George W spoke an unintentional truth: "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

... [read more]

SAVING THE NASTINESS OF WAR FOR YOU

Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower

Butch Hancock is a wonderful singer-songwriter who was raised in the Lubbock area, out in West Texas. Butch once told me about growing up in the sometimes confusing fundamentalist Christian ethic of that bastion of the Bible belt. ... [read more]

-----

From Media Savvy

Libby Convicted Of Perjury, False Witness, Obstruction Of Justice
Just hours ago, the Vice President's former right hand man was convicted of federal crimes, but everyone involved seems to agree that Libby is in some sense, a sacrificial lamb. MediaChannel will be covering this story with semi-daily updates, so check back often.

The Fall Guy
By Rory O'Connor
Before the rest of us join in the jurors' "tremendous amount of sympathy for Mr. Libby" let's remember that the sword Libby has fallen on to protect his higher-ups will likely yet prove to be a blunt one.

-----

From HuffPo

Arianna Huffington: Why the Libby Verdict Is So Damning

AP/guardian.co.uk

Excerpted from Arianna Huffington's Blog:

Before the GOP spin machine kicks into high gear, shouting from the mountain tops that the Libby verdict is just about making false statements to the FBI, and that no one was ever charged with the underlying crime of outing Valerie Plame, let's make it clear that Libby was found guilty not just of perjury but of obstructing justice -- obstructing justice in order to encumber the investigation and keep secret the dark, ugly truth about how the White House sought to cover up its lies about Iraq and its efforts to intimidate and silence critics of the administration.

But the cover ups are unraveling. And they are unraveling at a speed and in a quantity that guarantee Bush's legacy will both be marked by the tragedy of the Iraq war, and soiled by corruption, indictments, and convictions...
Click here to read more.

ON THE BLOG TODAY

Ari Emanuel: The Clock is Ticking on Cheney

Jane Hamsher: Libby Jury: Scooter Fall Guy For Rove and Cheney

Paul Slansky: Harpy: The Ann Coulter Quiz

Matt Browner Hamlin: Reid Demands Bush Not Pardon Libby, Cheney Is Mum

Arianna Huffington: The Libby Verdict And The U.S. Attorneys Scandal: Two Symptoms Of The Same Disease

AP

Excerpted from Arianna Huffington's Blog:

It was fitting that on the same day federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald won a conviction in the Libby trial, up on Capitol Hill six fired federal prosecutors were testifying about their questionable removal from office. Plamegate and the starting-to-boil Justice Dept. scandal are of a piece, emblematic of the Bush administration's use of intimidation -- and of the crass politicization of parts of government supposed to be above partisan manipulation.

The U.S. attorneys story is a major scandal, which reveals how extensively the Bush rot has spread throughout the Republican Party...
Click here to read more.

ON THE BLOG TODAY

Hilary Rosen: The Neighborhood Wilsons

Paul Slansky: Beg Pardon?: The Scooter Libby Quiz

Rep. Barbara Lee: Fully Fund the Safe Withdrawal of our Troops from Iraq

Gen. Wesley Clark: The Danger of Silence

Nora Ephron: George Bush And The Secret

From news.yahoo.com

Excerpted from Nora Ephron's Blog:

What a week it's been. It's all because of this DVD. It's called The Secret. Laura left it on her bedside table and I played it while she was off in the next room, packing her thirty-six pairs of pants suits for our five-day trip to South America. The Secret made me realize a whole bunch of things, including why Laura was so good on Larry King last week when she said, "Many parts of Iraq are stable. But of course what we see on television is the one bombing a day that discourages everyone." She's so right. If only we didn't know about the bombings in Iraq, life would be so much better for everyone. It's just like that theory, which needless to say the media doesn't understand at all, about a tree falling in the forest, and if nobody hears it, it didn't even fall...
Click here to read more.

ON THE BLOG TODAY

Coleen Rowley: Atta Girl, Cassandra! Just Keep on Trying!

Esther Dyson: Release 0.9: Metaweb - Emergent Structure vs. Intelligent Design

Harry Shearer: "How Are Things Down There?"

Joan Z. Shore: Springing Forward and Falling Behind

-----

From Move On

Big News!

The Democratic Party of Nevada is dropping Fox as the host of its presidential debate!

The Drudge Report, Fox's partner in the right-wing smear machine, says our defeat of Fox means "war"that's fine, our side is ready for battle.

Film director Robert Greenwald will continue making his Fox Attacks online videos exposing Fox's smears--and we'll keep working with him to achieve big victories. Can you chip in to help fund these videos?

Click here
Dear MoveOn member,

Big news: The Democratic Party of Nevada is dropping Fox as the host of its presidential debate!
We accomplished this together:

• More than 265,000 of us signed the petition saying "Fox is a mouthpiece for the Republican Party" and asking Nevada Democrats to drop Fox.¹

• Over 3,000 of us called and emailed Nevada Democrats.

• Robert Greenwald's new film Fox Attacks: Obama generated over 300,000 views on YouTube.²

• John Edwards showed real courage by announcing he would not attend the Fox debate.³

• Nevada bloggers like LasVegasGleaner.com and RenoDiscontent.comand national blogs like MyDD.com and DailyKos.comkept up the heat.⁴

• Nevada MoveOn member Danny Coyle got the Carson City Democratic Central Committee (in Nevada's capitol) to overwhelmingly pass a resolution urging that Fox be dropped.⁵

The Drudge Report, Fox's partner in the right-wing smear machine, says our defeat of Fox means "war"that's fine, our side is ready for battle.⁶ Film director Robert Greenwald will continue making his Fox Attacks online videos exposing Fox's smearsand we'll keep working with him to achieve big victories.

Can you chip in to help Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films continue their Fox Attacks videos exposing Fox? Every donation makes a big difference. To contribute, and to see the most recent video, click here:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2414&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=3

We could feel our momentum growing on Thursday when Nevada Senator Harry Reid told bloggers, "I don't like Fox."⁷ That night, Fox President Roger Ailes proved whymaking remarks that associated Barack Obama with Osama Bin Laden.⁸ This was the final strawNevada Democrats sent Fox a letter Friday saying, "We cannot, as good Democrats, put our party in a position to defend such comments."⁹

Hopefully, this sets a precedent for all Democrats: Fox should be treated as a right-wing misinformation network, not legitimized as a neutral source of news. All the media coverage of this fight has certainly reminded the public and the media that we can't trust Fox.¹⁰

We couldn't have dealt such a defeat to Fox without Outfoxed director Robert Greenwald's powerful online video Fox Attacks: Obamawhich exposed Fox's smears. This video was viewed over 300,000 times on YouTube and was very effective in recruiting thousands of new people into our fight against Fox in Nevada. Robert's videos will be vital to future fights against Fox.

Can you chip in to help Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films continue their Fox Attacks videos exposing Fox? Every donation makes a big difference. To contribute, and to see the most recent video, click here:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2414&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=4

Savor this victoryand know that you helped make it happen. Thanks for all you do.

Noah, Adam G., Wes, Eli, and the MoveOn.org Civic Action Team
Sunday, March 11th, 2007

Sources:

1. "It's time to take on Fox!" MoveOn's email to members across the nation, February 22, 2007
http://civic.moveon.org/foxnevada/outreach.html?id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=5

"Democratic Party Dumps Fox," MoveOn statement, March 9, 2007
http://civic.moveon.org/foxnevada/victory.html?id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=6

2. YouTube video, Fox Attacks: Obama
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2414&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=7

3. "Fox Attacks," Email from John Edwards, March 9, 2007
http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/3/9/20352/75748

"Edwards to Skip Nevada Debate Hosted by Fox," Washington Post, March 8, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2405&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=8

"Edwards Declares War on Fox News," ABC, March 10, 2007
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2934339&page=1

4."NV grassroots in action," Markos on DailyKos.com, March 8, 2007
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/3/8/23820/51135

"Nevada Dems getting outfoxed?" LasVegasGleaner.com, February 20, 2007

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2379&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=9


"It Appears That The Fox IS In The Hen House," RenoDiscontent.com, February 21, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2411&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=10


"Contextualizing the Fox News Fight," Matt Stoller on MyDD.com, March 7, 2007
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/3/7/112827/5000


"Fox Debate Hits Mainstream Media," Nevada Up North, March 8, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2410&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=11


5. "Carson City Dems Say No to Fox," TaylorMarsh.com, March 8, 2007

http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=25250

NV grassroots in action," Markos on DailyKos.com, March 8, 2007
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/3/8/23820/51135

6. "Fox Attacks," Email from John Edwards, March 9, 2007
http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/3/9/20352/75748

7. "Reid: 'I had nothing to do with choosing FOX.'" Nevada Today, March 8, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2412&id=&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=12

8. YouTube of Ailes, PoliticsTV.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hko3wOnQd8Y


"Roger Ailes Jokes About Obama as Terrorist," Matt Stoller on MyDD.com, March 9, 2007

http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/3/9/12248/74042

9. "Nevada Democrats cancel candidate debate co-hosted by Fox News," Associated Press, March 9, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/39vfak

"NV Dem party letter to Fox," Nevada Today, March 9, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2pg6ep

"Democratic Party Dumps Fox," MoveOn statement, March 9, 2007
http://civic.moveon.org/foxnevada/victory.html?id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=13

10. "Fox Debate Hits Mainstream Media," Nevada Up North, March 8, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2410&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=14
"Dems in uproar over Fox plan to cover debate," San Francisco Chronicle, February 23, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2409&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=15

"Nevada Democrats cancel candidate debate co-hosted by Fox News," Associated Press, March 9, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/39vfak

"Stung by Remarks, Nevada Democrats Cancel Debate on Fox," New York Times, March 10, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2413&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=16
"Edwards to Skip Nevada Debate Hosted by Fox," Washington Post, March 8, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2405&id=9998-1005254-MMNV7X&t=17

"Edwards Declares War on Fox News," ABC, March 10, 2007
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2934339&page=1

-----

And now for something you'll really like!

Three sisters ages 92, 94 and 96 live in a house together.

One night, the 96 year old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells to the other sisters, “Was I getting in or out of the bath?”

The 94 year old yells back, “I don't know. I'll come up and see.” She starts up the stairs and pauses. “Was I going up the stairs or down?”

The 92 year old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea and listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, “I sure hope I never get that forgetful,” as she knocked on her wooden table for good measure.

She then yells, “I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door.”