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Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

Is the GOP Cooking the Books to Avoid Recession Until After Election Day?

By , Mother Jones
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Two enormous clouds remain for whoever becomes president: the housing slump and the banking crisis. Both are far from being finished yet.

AlterNet's Weekly Zeitgeist List -- The 10 Hottest Issues of the Day

By , AlterNet
A pilot feature of AlterNet on key questions of the day -- is Obama really tacking to the center, and why gas is so damn pricey.

Obama Botches the Abortion Conversation

By , Washington Post Writers Group
Reproductive Justice and Gender: Why is a candidate praised for his rhetorical gifts perpetuating irresponsible stereotypes about women who have abortions?

We Can't Even Tell Who's Speculating the Cost of Oil Through the Roof

By , AlterNet
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Oil prices won't be dropping any time soon. Not until the first mandatory and detailed trade reports cover the entire global futures trading markets.

Maliki Bombshell: U.S. Should Set a Timetable for Withdrawal

By , The Nation
War on Iraq: In a stunning move, the Iraqi PM floats the idea of a timetable, while Bush -- and McCain -- continue to insist on indefinite occupation.

McCain's Energy Plan Will Drill Us Into a Deeper Crisis

By Javier Sierra, Sierra Club
Environment: Would more permits for oil drilling benefit U.S. consumers? McCain would like you to think so, but there's more to the story than he's telling.

Don't Let Old Stigmas Prevent Medical Research on Hallucinogens

The Baltimore Sun DrugReporter: Scientists should be encouraged to pursue legitimate study of halucinogens -- lest we miss out on a valuable medicinal tool.

Iraq to US: No Deal Without a Timetable for Withdrawal

Middle East Online War on Iraq: "We will not accept any memorandum of understanding if it does not give a specific date for a complete withdrawal of foreign troops."

The NY Times Sends a Dittohead to Interview Rush Limbaugh

By Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America
Media and Technology: The Times assumes Limbaugh controls the GOP, yet he backed Mitt Romney to the hilt.

White House Briefing Materials Describe Italian PM as "Amateur", "Hated by Many"

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
War on Iraq: WH apologizes to PM Berlusconi, a close ally of Bush and backer of Iraq war.

Unions Need to do a Better Job Talking to Their Members About Immigration

By Tiffany Ten Eyck, Labor Notes
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Labor's leaders understand that immigrant workers are valuable as allies, not competitors, but they haven't done enough to educate the rank-and-file.

What Every American Should Know -- and Do -- Before the FISA Vote

By Daniel Ellsberg, Antiwar.com
Rights and Liberties: With the Senate's FISA vote delayed, we have one more chance to sway Congress -- and Obama -- to reject this dangerous legislation.

Damned If Feminine, Damned If Feminist

By Susan J. Douglas, In These Times
Election 2008: Our culture's conflicted attitudes toward femininity (too much is weak) versus feminism (too assertive) leaves women with no place to stand.

Michael Pollan on What's Wrong with Environmentalism

By Kate Cheney Davidson, Yale Environment 360
Environment: Michael Pollan talks about biofuels and the food crisis, the glories of grass-fed beef, and how environmentalists should think about sustainability.

Will Richmond, Calif., Be the First to Stand Up to Chevron?

By Bill Gallegos, New America Media
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Richmond could be the first US city to decide to stand up to the Chevron oil company and impose a cap on its plans for further expansion.

Young Feminist Activist Murdered by Ex-Boyfriend

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
Reproductive Justice and Gender: Victim had worked to reduce violence against women.

Nude Prosecutor Wants Job Back

By Chris Nolan PEEK: Judge rules that Scott Blauvelt is entitled to civil-service job protections.

Bush Gives Big Iron a Steely Grip on a Key Sector of the Economy

By Thomas Palley, Thomaspalley.com
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: The Iron-ore industry was already concentrated in the hands of a few mega-firms -- now it will be an even smaller group.

Monday, July 7th, 2008

How Obama Could Radically Alter the Election Map This Fall

By , In These Times
Election 2008: Obama's experience as an organizer taught him a crucial lesson: Activating underrepresented communities can dramatically alter close elections.

Can Bush Attack Iran With Oil at $140 per Barrel?

By , IPS News
War on Iraq: Forswearing military action against Tehran would ease the upwards pressure on world oil prices.

Immigration: It's Been Over 20 Years Since Congress Considered Amnesty, So Why All the Ruckus?

By , AlterNet
Immigration: Progressive immigration reformers need to do a better job framing their proposals.

The Superstitious Right Fights Good Science on Global Warming

By , AlterNet
Environment: In a society devoted like no other to the politics of fear, we have somehow managed to forget the one thing we should probably fear most.

America Is in Major Need of Electoral Reform

By , The Nation
Democracy and Elections: America is experiencing a surge of hope -- the time is right to invigorate our damaged democracy and capture greater power for the people.

Woman Arrested at McCain Event for "McCain=Bush" Sign

By Chris Nolan, Majikthise
Video: 61-year-old librarian single-handedly proves that McCain=Bush.

FBI Headquarters Not Cleared for Classified Intelligence

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
PEEK: J. Edgar Hoover Building unfit to store classified documents, Senate Appropriations Committee told.

The Latest Spin From Voting Machine Makers: What Problems?

By Dan Wallach, Freedom to Tinker
Democracy and Elections: At a Texas legislative hearing, manufacturers say scientists who studied their machines were not looking at "real world" issues.

New Health Care Campaign To Pour $40 Million into Push for Universal Coverage

By Roger Hickey, Campaign for America's Future
Health and Wellness: It's time to replace our fragmented, wasteful health care system with one that provides quality, affordable care for every American.

Michelle Obama Watch

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
PEEK: Women unite to counter racist and sexist media coverage of aspiring First Lady.

Will Wikileaks Revolutionize Journalism?

By Sean Gonsalves, AlterNet
Media and Technology: While journalists should view Wikileaks with some skepticism, it cannot be ignored. Welcome to the brave new world of investigative reporting.

Impeach Bush Now

By Elizabeth Holtzman, The Nation
Rights and Liberties: Impeachment is a critical way to curb executive power gone amok. Without public support, presidents will continue to abuse their authority.

Immigration Crack-Downs: A Little Bit of History Repeating

By Edmundo Rocha, AlterNet
Immigration: The relevance of Mexican repatriation in the past remains vitally important for us to remember today.

A War on Iran Would Be Like Another War on Iraq

By Patrick Cockburn, Independent UK
War on Iraq: With covert operations against Iran poised to be carried out from Iraqi territory, Iranian retaliation would target the already embattled country.

Sex Crimes in the White House

By Naomi Wolf, Huffington Post
Rights and Liberties: How Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay basically turned into an organized sex-crime ring in which the trafficked sex slaves were US-held prisoners.

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

Health-Care Crisis Endangers Economy

By Jason Leopold, Consortium News
Health and Wellness: A new report urges policymakers to find a solution to the health-care crisis; long-term fiscal problems may develop if the issue is not addressed.

Holiday Fun at the Huff Po: American Flag Bikinis

By Andrea Adleman, AlterNet
Sex and Relationships: The HuffPo's contribution to July 4? 'The Ten Greatest American Flag Bikini Moments'

Saturday, July 5th, 2008

Memo to Obama: Moving to the Middle Is for Losers

By , Huffington Post
Election 2008: Realpolitik is one thing. Realstupidpolitik is quite another.

U.S. Journalist Photographs Grisly Aftermath of Attack in Iraq, Gets Booted by Military

By , IPS News
War on Iraq: An embedded U.S. journalist said the military tried to censor him after he posted photos from Fallujah.

Big Pharma Is in a Frenzy to Bring Cannabis-Based Medicines to Market

By , AlterNet
DrugReporter: While the the American Medical Association claims pot has no medical value, Big Pharma is busy getting patents for marijuana products.

Bush Economy Sheds 62K Jobs in June; Sixth Straight Monthly Decline

By , TruthOut.org
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Private sector job gains in the Bush years may fall below 3 million by November.

Even as Celebrities, Women Face a Double Standard

By , The Tyee
Reproductive Justice and Gender: There was little media introspection about Heath Ledger's overdose, while Amy Winehouse receives daily scrutiny for her drug habits. What gives?

Now Let's Talk About Populism for Real

By , Truthdig
Democracy and Elections: A new book explores the real populist vision that lies behind the shallow rhetoric to which we've been subjected during this election year.

Economy: Small Comfort in Manufacturing Uptick

By Abid Aslam, IPS News
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: An unexpected spurt in manufacturing activity is doing little to dispel the gloom that envelopes the U.S. economy midway through the year.

Obama Fails to Put Out the FISA Fire in His Own House

By Bob Ostertag, Huffington Post
Rights and Liberties: Obama campaign tries to control the impact of his stance on FISA.

The Iraq War Was About Oil, All Along

By Bill Moyers, Michael Winship, Bill Moyers Journal
War on Iraq: Oh, no, they told us, Iraq isn't a war about oil. That's cynical and simplistic, they said. It's about terror and al-Qaeda and toppling a dictator.

France Offers Europe an 'Inhuman' Model for Immigration

By Julio Godoy, IPS News
Immigration: French PM Nicolas Sarkozy wants to use France's turn in the EU's rotating presdiency to "harmonize" European immigration policy.

Will Smith's 'Hancock' Fiasco

By Eileen Jones, AlterNet
Movie Mix: "Hancock" is supposed to be a wry commentary on the pressure of being Will Smith, but the message gets lost in a big-budget Hollywood train wreck.

Friday, July 4th, 2008

Bush-Led 'Disaster Capitalism' Exploits Worldwide Misery to Make a Buck

By , The Nation
The Iraq disaster and rising gas and food prices have people across the globe in a state of fear and shock. It's high times for Bush & Co.

Echoes of Vietnam: VA Stalls, Dissembles While Vets Suffer and Die

By , AlterNet
War on Iraq: The latest episode of the Department of Veterans Affairs' callous denial of veterans' suffering is a continuation of a long tradition.

The Science of Happiness: Is It All Bullshit?

By , AlterNet
Health and Wellness: Just because a Harvard academic says something is so, doesn't mean it is.

The U.S. Is Drowning in Pretend Patriotism

By , Truthdig
This Fourth of July, let's remember that it's not our God-given American right to reorder the world to our liking.

Surviving a Weekend with America's Premiere Pro-White Activist Group

By , AlterNet
Immigration: Meet the Council of Conservative Citizens -- a group that offers a biblical defense of slavery and laments the surivival of African babies.

Looking Back at Tom Paine's Radical Legacy

By Nick Penniman, American News Project
Democracy and Elections: An Independence Day look back at the radical influence of Thomas Paine, whose words helped spark the American Revolution.

Race-Baiting Former Senator Jesse Helms Has Died

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
Rights and Liberties: Conservative Republican railed against "Negro hoodlums", opposed the Voting Rights Act, backed terrorists, and died an unrepentant segregationist.

Sex From a Can

By Joyce McFadden, Huffington Post
Sex and Relationships: Most representations of sexuality in pop culture are not sexy or sexual, erotic or arousing; they're shallow and laughable.

Malthus Lives in Anti-Immigrant Ads

By César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández Immigration: An ad that ran in several major publications blames immigrants for the effects of urban sprawl and a creaky mass transit system.

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

Google: Good or Evil When It Comes to the Environment?

By , AlterNet
Environment: Google's motto is "Don't be evil." But when it comes to its environmental impact, some think the company can't live up to its own hype.

Why Can't Women Sleep?

By , Ms. Magazine
Reproductive Justice and Gender: And why is the high level of insomnia among women ignored by researchers?

Christian Nation: Bush Moves Big Bucks to Religious Organizations

By , Beacon Press
Even worse, Bush wants to ensure that faith-based organizations receiving federal funds can discriminate in their hiring on the basis of religion.

It's About Time for Online Voting

By , Personal Democracy Forum
Media and Technology: Historians will undoubtedly consider our current era of voting machines the technological equivalent of the 8-track tape machine.

The Persecution of Political Prisoner Sami Al-Arian

By Ali Gharib, IPS News
Rights and Liberties: Years after he was found not guilty in a federal court, the Bush administration is keeping a Palestinian university professor jailed, in legal limbo.

Obama Runs to the Middle

By Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate
Election 2008: What should progressives do about Obama's move to the center?

Watermelon is the New Viagra

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
Sex and Relationships: USDA-funded research helps Americans put some pizazz in their picnic baskets this fourth of July.

Wal-Mart Broke MN Labor Laws Over 2 Million Times

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
PEEK: Settlement will cost retail giant less than $3.25 per law-breaking incident.

Will Midwest Floods Be as Toxic as New Orleans?

By Peter N. Spotts, Christian Science Monitor
Water: Some of the most serious pollution problems may not lie outdoors, but in the home.

Is the Department of Justice Tracking Your Mobile Phone Without a Warrant?

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
Rights and Liberties: The ACLU sues the DOJ to learn more about warrantless triangulation.

Judge: President Can't Just Make Up His Own Wiretapping Rules

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
Rights and Liberties: Only FISA law can authorize wiretaps.

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

Ignorant America: Just How Stupid Are We?

By , Tomdispatch.com
Democracy and Elections: Millions of Americans are embarrassingly ill-informed and they do not care that they are.

Bringing Ireland to Baghdad: How the Resistance Will Eventually Kick the Americans Out

By , AlterNet
War on Iraq: One thing the United States doesn't get about guerrilla warfare: It's not over until the guerrillas win.

Inside Obama's Christian Crusade

By , TheNation.com
Election 2008: Obama has made a major effort to woo evangelicals, but at what cost to church-state separation?

Republican Campaign Against Likely Democratic Voters Begins

By , AlterNet
Election 2008: The GOP’s latest accusations are long on rhetoric but short on facts.

Iraqis Want the U.S. Out; This is How it Should Happen

By Adil E. Shamoo, Foreign Policy in Focus
War on Iraq: Instead of negotiating a long-term presence in Iraq, the United States should be negotiating a withdrawal.

The World Health Organization Documents Failure of U.S. Drug Policies

By Bruce Mirken, AlterNet
DrugReporter: WHO survey of 17 countries finds that we have the highest rates of marijuana and cocaine use.

Hitchens Gets Waterboarded, Withdraws from Iraq in 11 Seconds

By John Dolan, AlterNet
War on Iraq: Warmongerer and neocon Christopher Hitchens just noticed that waterboarding is torture!

Our Government: Powerless to Outlaw Guns, Able to Outlaw Sexual Expression

By Dr. Marty Klein, Sexual Intelligence
Sex and Relationships: Why is the government allowed to jail people for selling videos of adults having (consensual) sex?

My Last Column

By Annalee Newitz, AlterNet
Media and Technology: After 9 long years, it's time to move on. One final thought: don't ever stop ruthlessly criticizing everything that exists.

The Protest that Turned the Tide of Global Green Opinion

By Kathy Marks, The Independent UK
Water: Twenty five years ago a band of protesters blocked the construction of a dam and their success inspired a generation of environmentalists.

Gulf States: If Western Countries Won't Take Our Money, We'll Invest in the East

By Meena Janardhan, IPS News
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Western governments need to remember that access to markets is not a one-way street.

Progressive Journalist, AlterNet Contributor, Shot Three Times in Attempted Mugging

By Chris Nolan PEEK: Brian Beutler recovering in D.C. hospital, expected to make full recovery.

We Are Through the Looking Glass: Guantánamo as Alice in Wonderland

By Andy Worthington, Andy Worthington's Blog
Rights and Liberties: The ruling in Parhat v. Gates invokes Lewis Carroll: "the fact the government has 'said it thrice' does not make an allegation true."

World Yawns at McCain's Coalition of Democracies

By Melinda Brouwer, AlterNet
ForeignPolicy: Creating a "League of Democracies" is a central tenet of John McCain's foreign policy "vision," but in other democracies, the idea's a non-starter.

Olbermann: Obama Makes a Play for Evangelical Support

By Chris Nolan, AlterNet
Video: Interview with Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

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