Dems’ Hartke Goes on Offense
Allison Champion, Culpeper Star Exponent, June 21, 2008
Synopsis: Anita Hartke discusses her candidacy for Congress in Virginia’s 7th District during a recent interview at the Star-Exponent offices.
Like Cantor, I'm Swearing Off Earmarks
James Clements, Culpeper Star-Exponent, June 15, 2008
Synopsis: Republicans were elected to a majority in 1994 on the back of "Contract With America" promises to clean up Congress; instead, they rewrote the record books when it came to pork spending.
Mr. Bush, Lead or Leave
Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times, June 15, 2008
Synopsis: Related to President Bush's "new" energy plan, Friedman says that "It is hard for me to find the words to express what a massive, fraudulent, pathetic excuse for an energy policy this is."
Obama, McCain Close in Virginia
Olympia Meola, Times Dispatch, June 2008
Synopsis: A poll of 500 Virginia voters shows that Senator Barack Obama has gained ground and is virtually tied with Sen. John McCain in an early indication of how competitive the state is shaping up to be this fall.
Mr. Gilmore's Candidacy
Editorial, The Washington Post, June 15, 2008
Synopsis: A former governor cites his ruinous term as his principal qualification to be your next Senator.
Scandal and Stupidity, Home and Abroad
William Pfaff, Tribune Media Services, May 2008
Synopsis: The U.S. Defense Department's auditors told the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that virtually none of the $8.2 billion disbursed by the U.S. Army to contractors in Iraq was spent according to established federal rules, and little of it now can be accounted for.
Is Bush Becoming Irrelevant?
Patrick J. Buchanan, Human Events, May 2008
Synopsis: What? An article by Pat Buchanan, the arch conservative, on the Democratic website? Even the conservatives know it's time for a change.
Virginia's GOP, in Denial
Editorial, The Washington Post, May 28, 2008
Synopsis: On state transportation funding, the Republicans peddle slogans, not solutions.
Pins and Panders
Richard Cohen, The Washington Post, May 2008
Synopsis: Obama Wears His Independence on His Lapel.
Doing the Troops Wrong
Bob Herbert, NYTimes, May 2008
Synopsis: At the top of the list of no-brainers in Washington should be Senator Jim Webb’s proposed expansion of education benefits for the men and women who have served in the armed forces since Sept. 11, 2001. It’s awfully hard to make the case that these young people who have sacrificed so much don’t deserve a shot at a better future once their wartime service has ended.
Remarks of Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama Against Going to War with Iraq
Barack Obama, Oct 2002
Synopsis: Three days before the vote in the Congress, on October 2nd, 2002, Senator Barack Obama (then an Illinois state senator, delivered this speech, pleading with the U.S. Senate to not make the disastrous decision of letting George W. Bush go to war with Iraq.
The All-White Elephant in the Room
Frank Rich, NYTimes, May 2008
Synopsis: Concerned by those endless replays of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? If so, go directly to YouTube, search for "John Hagee Roman Church Hitler", and be recharged by a fresh jolt of clerical jive from Senator McCain's former favorite pastor.
Who Will Tell the People?
Thomas Friedman, NYTimes, May 2008
Synopsis: If there is one overwhelming hunger in our country today it’s this: People want to do nation-building. They really do. But they want to do nation-building in America.
An Update for the GI Bill is Long Overdue
Editorial, Roanoke Times, Apr 30 2008
Synopsis: Americans should support their troops with more than magnetic car ribbons.
Empty Talk on Taxes
Editorial, NYTimes, April 24, 2008
Synopsis: One of the toughest questions that will face the next president is what to do about taxes. There can be no real progress on health care, rebuilding the military or any other major issue without dealing with rising budget deficits and mounting debt from nearly eight years of profligate spending and tax breaks for the wealthy.
Democrats Registering in Record Numbers
Eli Saslow, The Washington Post, Apr 2008
Synopsis: The contest between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama has engaged enough new voters to change the political makeup of the country, experts say.
US Life Expectancy Falls for Large Segment of Population
Rosanne Skirble, Voice of America, Apr 2008
Synopsis: While life expectancy in the United States has risen steadily since the 1960s, a new study finds that in certain geographic areas of the country, life expectancy has stagnated, and even declined, especially among women.
Arizona's Immigration Two-Step
Lee Hockstader, The Washington Post, Apr 2008
Synopsis: Traumatized by a tidal wave of illegal immigrants, Arizona last year enacted the nation's most pitiless law to punish employers who hire undocumented workers. Now state lawmakers, having proved that they mean business -- even if it means killing off businesses -- are reconnecting with reality: They want to import Mexican workers.
Legal Immigrants, Until They Sought Citizenship
Julia Preston, NYTimes, Apr 2008
Synopsis: Largely overlooked in the charged debate over illegal immigration are long-term legal immigrants in the United States who were confident of success when they applied for naturalization, and would have continued to live here legally had they not sought to become citizens.
Surprising Political Endorsements by US Troops
Martha Raddatz, ABC News, Apr 2008
Synopsis: American soldiers speak out about their presidential endorsements.
Senate testimony of retired Lt. General William Odom
Lt. General William Odom, Apr 08
The former director of NSA under President Reagan testifies on the war in Iraq.
The Smart Way Out of a Foolish War
Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Washington Post, Apr 2008
Synopsis: A core issue of this campaign is a basic disagreement over the merits of the war and the benefits and costs of continuing it.
What $3 Trillion Dollars Could Purchase
Letter to the Editor, Salisbury Post, Apr 2008
Synopsis: President George Bush's war in Iraq should enrage every loyal American. The worst statistics are of course the 4,000-plus United States military lives lost. Then there are the 32,818 United States military wounded as of March 1. The estimated cost of Bush's personal war in Iraq is $3 trillion. Let's put these numbers in perspective of everyday life."
The Obama Doctrine
Spencer Ackerman, The American Prospect, Mar 2008
Synopsis: Barack Obama is offering the most sweeping liberal foreign-policy critique we've heard from a serious presidential contender in decades. But will voters buy it?
U.S. Imprisons One in 100 Adults, Report Finds
NY Times, Feb 2008
Synopsis: For the first time in the nation’s history, more than one in 100 American adults are behind bars, according to a new report.
Study shows U.S. residents are less healthy, less able to access health care than Canadians
Physicians for a National Health Program, Feb 2008
Synopsis: A study by Harvard Medical School researchers in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health finds that U.S. residents are less healthy than Canadians. Moreover, despite spending nearly twice as much per capita for health care, U.S. residents experience more problems getting care and more unmet health needs.
The U.S. Needs Immigrants
The Economist, Jan 2008
Synopsis: With baby boomers reaching retirement age, along with low U.S. birthrates, the nation needs immigrants to support the costs of Social Security and other services.
Our Troops Must Leave Iraq
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Dec 2007
Synopsis: Walter Cronkite weighs in on the question of Iraq.
U.S. in the Time of Empire?
Chris Hedges, Nov 2007
Synopsis: An increasing number of voices, especially within the military, are speaking to the stark deterioration of the United States.
American Exceptionalism Meets Team Jesus
Truthout.org, Sept 2007
Synopsis: Interview of Boston Globe columnist James Carroll, discussing American fundamentalism. Carroll starts by noting that a mark of a fundamentalist mindset is that what matters is not outcome, but purity of intent -- one's own personal virtue is the ultimate value.
The Waiting Game
Paul Krugman, July 2007
Synopsis: A survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund found that America ranks near the bottom among advanced countries in terms of how hard it is to get medical attention on short notice, and that America is the worst place in the advanced world if you need care after hours or on a weekend.
Justice Denied
Editorial, New York Times, July 2007
Synopsis: Time and again the court has ruled, almost always 5-4, in favor of corporations and powerful interests while slamming the courthouse door on individuals and ideals that truly need the court's shelter.
House of Mirrors
Editorial, New York Times, June 2007
Synopsis: The Administration has turned the executive branch into a two-way mirror. They get to see everything Americans do: our telephone calls, e-mail, and all manner of personal information. And we get to see nothing about what they do.
The Unkept Promise on Voting
Editorial, New York Times, May 2007
Synopsis: Congress has done a terrible job of regulating electronic voting. It allowed A.T.M.-style voting machines to proliferate without requiring them to produce a paper trail that can be audited to ensure that the results are accurate.
Cantor needs more candor on Dominion
Editorial, Culpeper Star Exponent, Mar 2007
Synopsis: In the midst of the largest power line struggle in Rappahannock's history, we find that our representative, Eric Cantor, has accepted nearly $100,000 in campaign contributions from Dominion Power.
Reflections on a Country Losing Its Humanity
Doug Troutman, November 2006
Synopsis: A Veteran Talks About War.
Intelligence, Policy,and the War in Iraq
Council on Foreign Relations - March 2006 (link to article)
Synopsis: Paul Pillar served as the National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005. "The most serious problem with U.S. intelligence today is that its relationship with the policymaking process is broken and badly needs repair."
Vonnegut's Blues For America
Kurt Vonnegut - 2/6/06 (link to article)
Synopsis: Musings on America and politics and music.
Onward, Moderate Christian Soldiers
NYTimes - 6/17/05 (link to article)
Synopsis: Former Senator and Ambassador John Danforth is an Episcopal priest, writing on government and religion.
Emerging Environmental Technologies
Technology Review- April 2005 (link to article)
Synopsis: What Matters Most Depends On Where You Are - Reports from 7 countries on areas of progress.
Environment and Dept
Part of Starbucks "The Way I See It" series
Synopsis: The founder of Earth Day discusses the effect of debt on our normal lives.
Legal Myths: Hardly the Whole Truth
USA Today- 1/30/05 (link to article)
Synopsis: Many of the lawsuits used as examples to encourage tort reform are, in fact, made up.
On Receiving Harvard Med's Global Environment Citizen Award
Bill Moyer's Speech at Harvard- 12/01/04
Synopsis: For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington, and it is affecting our environment.
God is Not a Republican ... or a Democrat
Sojourner
Synopsis: Support the effort to show that the religious right does not speak for all people of religion.
We're Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore
By Garrison Keillor for Truthout.org- 8/26/04 (Link to Article)
Synopsis: How did the Party of Lincoln and Liberty transmogrify into the party that it is now?
Interesting quote:
"....people don't want to go to war...But, after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a parliament or a communist dictatorship...Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to greater danger. It works the same way in any country."
- Hermann Goering, at his Nuremberg trial
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