Democrats Say No Surge

"The stakes in Iraq are too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success,"........Nancy Pelosi

The Democratic-controlled House issued a symbolic rejection of President Bush's plan to deploy more troops to Iraq on Friday, opening an epic confrontation between Congress and commander in chief over an unpopular war that has taken the lives of more than 3,100 U.S. troops.......more

Country Music Superstars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw

Al Gores "Live Earth Concerts"

Al Gore announced on Thursday a series of worldwide concerts to focus on the threat of climate change with a powerhouse lineup from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Snoop Dogg to Bon Jovi. The concerts on seven continents will bring newfound publicity to Gore, who already is enjoying celebrity status with his Oscar-nominated documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth.....more

Best Of Right Wing Howler:
Typical Liberals

It’s simple, really. Democrats and liberals, for the most part, are at the bottom end of the economic scale. They collect welfare, collect food stamps, and have a mentality that says, “I want you to GIVE me whatever I need.” So is it any surprise they will not buy into the advertising nor buy the books Kos sells? They want it given to them. They just want a place where they can smoke their dope, wear their patchouli, dress in their Birkenstocks and protest the fact no one gives them what they want?......more

In Dixie Chicks Land, A Stand

Those who destroy CDs or books out of spite, and stir up such campaigns...well, I suppose that's free speech, too. But by the way, would that angry reaction to those who voice their dislike of presidents also apply, say, to Rush Limbaugh and his oft-expressed views on President Bill Clinton? Or is that different?......more

After Democrats Pick Obama or Hillary, U.S. Election May Be Over
Will U.S. Democrats tear themselves to shreds deciding who to nominate for President? Will the Republican nominee attack Bush and cause internal Republican Party dissention? Who better to ask that one of the most powerful political parties in the world – the Chinese Communists? According to this op-ed article from China's state-controlled Xinjingbao [Beijing News], the Democrats are in such good shape, there may be little need for Americans to vote........more

A Aussie's View Of America

Medical Proof Homosexuality Is Harmful To Health

A top Moscow official repeated Wednesday that the city will not allow a gay rights parade, echoing the mayor's vocal criticism and saying that homosexuality is bad for people's health......more

Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream

The sweet taste of liberty in your mouth

Stephen Colbert may have no taste for the truth, but he does have a sweet tooth. Ben & Jerry's has named a new ice cream in honor of the comedian: "Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream." It's vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and caramel.......more

Censored?
Vox found it, Tampa Pirate confirmed it. Story @ Pushing Rope

Britain and US ranked last in child well-being league

The study found Britain lagged behind on key measures of poverty and deprivation, health and safety, relationships, risk-taking and young people's own sense of well-being giving it the lowest overall placing, along with the United States.......more

India, China and Russia meet to counter US power

India, China and Russia account for 40 per cent of the world’s population, a fifth of its economy and more than half of its nuclear warheads. Now they appear to be forming a partnership to challenge the US-dominated world order that has prevailed since the end of the Cold War.......more

Putin 'Tells Off' the United States

Wanted: A Progressive Party
In the past year, and particularly this week it’s occurred to me that we do not have a progressive political party in America; and as the two parties we currently have become more like one another, we desperately need one......more

No Gang Signs

Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007

Please take a moment to watch the video and read the text of the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, sign on as a citizen co-sponsor, and forward the bill to your personal networks.

Faux News can't refrain from dig at Dixie Chicks

This is a good example of how a piece, at first glance straightforward, promotes the agenda at FOX. First, Smith (or his producers - whatever) chose to highlight the Police, doing a little history of the band and showing extensive footage and snips, even though the Dixie Chicks were the big winners of the night........more

Grammy Sweep by Dixie Chicks Is Seen as a Vindication.......NY Times

The music doctor who revived the Dixie Chicks.......NZ Herald

Dixie Chicks' victory shows country's anti-war turn.......Boston Globe

Protesting the Dixie Chicks

"I'm ready to make nice! I think people are using their freedom of speech with all these awards. We get the message."

The Low Blow From Down Under

Prime Minister John Howard said Obama's plan to withdraw troops by March 2008 would play into terrorists' hands. "If I were running Al Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats," Howard said. Obama noted that Australia has only 1,400 troops in Iraq. "If he's ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq. Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric," Obama said.......more

Joan Baez - We Shall Overcome - Woodstock 1969

The Dixie Chick's Rule The Grammys

And The Grammys Go To.......

Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Country Album, Record of the Year

Country Music Establishment And Wingnuts, Up Yours!

"Well, to quote the great 'Simpsons' — 'Heh-Heh.'

California Dreaming?

The Psycological Chains of Slavery Continues!

Kiri Davis is a young filmmaker whose high school documentary has left audiences at film festivals across the country stunned -- and has re-ignited a powerful debate over race

Excellent Stevie Nicks Concert: Almost 2 Hours

Getting Out Of The Florida State Fairgrounds Parking Lot: Over 2 Hours

Stevie Nicks Can Still Rock

It's Howard Dean's party

If there's one thing obvious in this room, it is that Emanuel might be clever, but it's Howard Dean's party. Dean electrified a similar DNC gathering four years ago when he said that he was "from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," and launched his anti-war candidacy briefly into the stratosphere. Now, all the Democratic presidential candidates appearing here borrow from Dean and try to appease the party's yowling, anti-war base........more

Bill Donohue A 'Cafeteria Catholic'

To rightwing Catholic activists, "cafeteria Catholic" is a term of contempt for those who pick and choose which Church doctrine to follow. Bill Donohue arrogantly dismissed the Pope's pleas against the Iraq War in order to serve his political bosses, yet some reporters is still characterize him as a Catholic spokesman. Donohue's selectivity in following Church teachings is as "cafeteria" as it gets.....more

Natasha Henstridge

The Svalbard International Seed Vault

The final design for a "doomsday" vault that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops has been unveiled by the Norwegian government. The Svalbard International Seed Vault will be built into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole. The vault aims to safeguard the world's agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change.......more

The End of Conservative Hegemony

Ronald Reagan is dead, Margaret Thatcher is senile and the ideological world that they created is now dying with them. From 1979 to 2004, the political Right won the Western world's battle of ideas. Conservatives triumphed because they were correct about the two biggest issues of that era: They were for free markets and against communism. But now confusion on the Right prevails, because today it is they who are on the wrong side of the West's two greatest political issues: climate change and the Iraq War.......more

Let's Have A War Tax

Right-wing Blogosphere has gotten its scalps

John Edwards has fired the two controversial bloggers he recently hired to do liberal blogger outreach. The bloggers, Amanda Marcotte, formerly of Pandagon, and Melissa McEwan, of Shakespeare's Sister, had come under fire from right-wing bloggers for statements they had previously made on their respective blogs. A statement by the Catholic League's Bill Donohue, which called Marcotte and McEwan "vulgar trash-talking bigots,"......more

"The Catholic church is not about to let something like compassion for girls get in the way of using the state as an instrument to force women to bear more tithing Catholics,"......Amanda Marcotte

Bush, The Divider

The roots of most of American Jewry's anger toward the current president, George W. Bush, cannot be traced to Israel. They did not vote for him in the first place. His ongoing support for Israel may be recognized and appreciated by the establishment, Israeli and Jewish, but it does not receive due credit among a wide Jewish-American public that is liberal, Democratic, dovish and very angry at Bush for significant and various reasons......more

"Move On" Ad: Blocking Debate

Is Edwards the Howard Dean of 2008?

With his call earlier this week for higher taxes on both the wealthy and businesses to support his massive $120 billion-per-year universal health-care plan, John Edwards continued a series of moves that have made him the 2008 campaign's Howard Dean......more

Fruitcake Polling Higher Than Bush

According to the latest CBS News poll, the president's overall approval rating has dipped to 28 percent—the lowest number in his presidency and dangerously close to Nixon's all-time low of 24 percent. To lend a little context to this historic feat, we found some other people and things with equal or greater popularity........more

“Let’s get rid of the Mexicans!”

Supremacist activity flourishes

Groups linked to the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and neo-Nazis grew significantly more active, holding more rallies, distributing leaflets and increasing their presence on the Internet — much of it focused on stirring anti-immigrant sentiment........more

Florida Hate Groups