Thursday, December 4:

Warren Wells: *Young inexperienced doctors learn the Culture of Dishonesty at the VA. The Culture of Dishonesty is taught to young inexperienced doctors by the VA at government and Veterans' expense.

Wonkette : Catfight! Geithner Doesn't Like Bair Rumor: Tim Geithner, Treasury Sec-to-be, does not care for Sheila Bair and her maverick ways. Bair is the chairman of the FDIC and one of the few high-profile Bush admin appointees to very repeatedly and publicly bang the drum about how if our financial crisis is ultimately due to people's mortgages going south, maybe we ought to work on fixing those bad mortgages. She's a working class hero! So naturally, Geithner hates her

Carbon Trading: Environmental Godsend or Giant Shell Game? | Global Warming | DISCOVER Magazine Carbon Cap and Trade tries to promote the most efficient methods for controlling emissions. THe system stems from limits on emissions from industries which have been permitted in the 90's. Companies can emit less through better equipment, fewer operating hours, or use of capturing processes. The savings in emissions can be traded to other companies. Trade agreements may or may not affect the over-all air quality. . .

Obama Faced With Iraq Detainee Human Rights Debacle A 2006 Amnesty International (AI) report, reflecting the concerns of numerous human rights groups, said: "Since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 tens of thousands of people have been detained by foreign forces, mainly the US forces, without being tried and without the right to challenge their detention before a judicial body." AI made a similar observation in a November 28, 2008, statement of concern about transfer of Iraqis

Daschle: H e Wrote the Book on Health Care "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis," plainly sets forth the reasons the American health care system is broken, in Daschle's view - together with his accounts of why previous attempts to fix it have failed, and his own plan for a health care overhaul.

blackagendareport.com - African Americans, Peace and the Plight of Palestinians The speech Sister McKinney would have made if they'd let her out of the country.

Allen L Roland: *NO BAILOUT OVERSIGHT / BUSH STALLS INSPECTOR GENERAL SELECTION It appears that one unknown Republican Senator, under the direction of George W Bush, is blocking the appointment of Bailout Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky while Paulson loots the treasury without adequate oversight: Allen L Roland

martinweiss: *Election Judo Winning elections has turned into state's evidence.

Keith Jones: Canada's "putsch": Oppose Conservative power-grab! No support to Liberal-NDP coalition! The International Committee of the Fourth International, one of the voices of the Socialist Equality Party turns up the volume on the protest of Harper's tactics.

Wednesday, December 3:

William Fisher: From Those Wonderful Folks Who Brought You the Torture Memos (3 comments) Faith-based organizations shouldn't be allowed to use our tax dollars to adopt an ideology contrary to the most basic tenets of their faith.

Stephen Lendman: Obama's Economic Dream Team? (9 comments) Dream team indeed for Wall Street bankers. For the rest of us it's nightmarish - and deliberately so. The same ugly business of taking from the many for the elite few.

Bernard Weiner: For the GOP, the Economic Meltdown May Have Happened Just a Wee Bit Early (5 comments) The financial meltdown blew up in the Republicans' faces, but maybe it was a case, metaphorically speaking, of the bomb going off early in the hands of the bomb maker. Couldn't have happened to a nicer group of people. Maybe something can get done now.

Andrew Hughes: Paulson shoots another arrow into the heart of the Economy (20 comments) Paulson's gift of more taxpayer money to the Financial sector robs even more capital that could be used to heal the economy.

Michael Moore: Saving the Big 3 for You and Me ...a message from Michael Moore (19 comments) Every single dollar Congress gives these three companies will be flushed right down the toilet. There is nothing the management teams of the Big 3 are going to do to convince people to go out during a recession and buy their big, gas-guzzling, inferior products. Just forget it. Buy the company and get it started building cars that are not oil dependent, plus trains, buses, subways and light rail.

Mary MacElveen: Vice President-elect Joe Biden: "I may have a bit of a pro-rail bias" (6 comments) I do think that Vice President-elect, Joe Biden brought something to the table with his "pro-rail bias" that can be a solution to help sever our ties to big-oil. When it comes to the mind-set of traveling by train or bus, our new way forward should be, "I think I can, I think I can" to borrow a sentiment expressed in 'The Little Red Train'.

Ernest Partridge: Act Two: The Struggle Continues Is it time, at last, for the Obamaphiles to retire from politics, return to their private lives, and just let Barack be Barack? IF they do, then the drive to restore our Constitution and to reestablish economic justice and the rule of law will stall, and the "change we can believe in" will prove to be an empty promise.

Cheri Cabot: Personal About Politics: Welcome to the Recession Welcome to our Recession....as if we didn't see that coming.

Brent Budowsky: Save the Auto Industry, The American Way (2 comments) Unlike the financial services sector, the target of so much of Hank Paulson's largess, the auto industry, with all its faults, actually produces concrete products. To pour nearly 1 trillion dollars into the industry that is responsible for this mess, while ignoring the auto industry, would be a devastating failure.

Gene Messick: North Carolina Report on Progressives (1 comments) Obama won over McPain in North Carolina by only 14,177 out of 4,310,789 votes cast for President, barely turning NC Blue after 2 decades of being Red. Why were Progressive NOT more effective in NC?

Stephen Fox: NEW IDEAS ON RESTORING U. S. ECONOMY, for the Next Secretary of Commerce, William Blaine Richardson III (27 comments) Insights for the next Secretary of Commerce from many sectors and persons, ideas on how to restore and repair the US Economy. Please add your own in the comments section. Thank you!

Kathryn Smith: *Why Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Really *Does* Help the Environment (5 comments) Every ton of paper recycled a year saves 17 trees and 7000 gallons of water. According to the U.S. EPA, methane is the second largest source of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and landfills account for 37% of methane gas output. By reducing and recycling properly organic materials, including paper, we can divert them from landfill, thereby reducing anaerobic decomposition and the production of methane gas. Yes we can!

The Republican party must abandon its anti-intellectualism Republicans should stop embracing the anti-intellectualism of George Bush

Private-Sector Health Care Leads the Way It is easy to criticize the US healthcare system, but we should be clear on one thing: it is not "free market" or "private" healthcare. A free market in healthcare would be more efficient and innovative, and offer better quality products and services, with lower prices than is currently the case.

Dwight Black: Economics 3.141592... Who's to Blame for the Big Three Failure? Nothing in economics is quite that simple. People are calling for all different kinds of solutions to our current economic woes. Nobody stops to consider the full impact of their idea. This is a look at how "The Big Three" got into the situation they were in. Sometimes things look good on paper, but only if you stop writing before the paper is finished.

Ian Sinclair: Don't Expect Change: Ian Sinclair interviews Mickey Z. (1 comments) Obama's ascendancy is an excellent illustration of how the system handles dissent. A black face, a soothing voice and a vague message of change - all designed to keep the rabble pacified without changing anything at all.

George Washington: Bodies in the River (1 comments) We need to get to the root of the problem.

Randy LoBasso: Say it with me: "Georgia. Senate." (1 comments) Jim Martin didn't lose his Georgia senate race because of anything besides the fact that it was a Georgia senate race.

Jane Stillwater: Mumbai: First shot of the war on globalization? The octopus of globalization has taken over so much of the world that nation-states' methods of defending themselves no longer work when the enemy is within. But even though Mumbai was apparently an example of a new war on globalization, the truth still remains -- no matter who fights who, war is still a bad thing. PS: What if corporations started declaring war on each other? "AT&T bombs IBM!" a headline might scream. Weird.

Harold Meyerson: Bush's Final Fiasco As he prepares to move back to Texas, our 43rd president is the beneficiary of Bush fatigue. The nation has long since repudiated him. Americans are looking ahead to the promise of Barack Obama. And it's lucky for George Bush that they are, because his handling of our plunging economy is Hooverian in both its substance and inadequacy.

The WMD Terror Report Is Crap "The Congress Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism published a report titled The World At Risk." "The Commission believes that unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013." "But nowhere in the report is there any assessment of likelihood."

Rove: Bush hardly worst president (1 comments) At the first mention of Rove's name in the debate, a member of the audience hissed at him, and more hisses followed as the bespectacled political strategist took the podium. Rove ended by saying that the deck was stacked against Bush from the beginning.

Why Wall Street Always Blows It (1 comments) What the hell happened? After decades of increasing financial sophistication, weren’t we supposed to be done with these things? Weren’t we supposed to know better? Yes, of course. Every time this happens, we think it will be the last time. But it never will be. Many of us got greedy, checked our brains at the door, and heard what we wanted to hear.

Will Obama Stay the Course? (2 comments) I do so want to believe that Barack Obama is on the right track. His brain is big, his style fresh, his pronouncements logical and compelling, and it does feel good to have a president-elect elicit universal respect rather than make the world cringe. Indeed, he's downright inspiring when he defends constitutional restraint on the presidency, and shuns torture.

President-Elect's Picks Prove Diversity Is More Than Skin-Deep Obama's senior White House staff is a diverse array of appointees spanning generations, geography and educational and personal backgrounds. several relative rookies will have Obama's ear in the Oval Office, including 27-year-old Jonathan Favreau, who will become chief speechwriter, and 32-year-old Alyssa Mastromonaco, who will be the president's scheduling and advance director.

THOMAS FRANK: Health-Care Reform Could Kill the GOP (1 comments) The conservatives' nightmare of permanent defeat might come true simply if Democrats do the right thing. Health-care reform isn't as strategically diabolical as the K Street Project. It involves only the most straightforward politics: good government stepping in to heal an ancient, festering wound. But if by doing this Obama also happens to nullify decades of conservative propaganda, so much the better for all of us.

Obama’s team of stars: Can he manage it? As a young and relatively inexperienced chief executive, Mr. Obama has assembled a group of advisers known more for their sterling credentials than for their loyalty to him. That alone speaks to a certain confidence on Obama’s part, a self-possession that was on regular display during the long presidential campaign. The selection of this team also shows a willingness to take risks.

A tale of two banking crises Today’s credit crisis has dominated our news headlines and front pages – it has been one of the biggest and longest running news stories for the past 18 months. It has brought a number of sensational scoops, with detailed information about particular transactions being broken well before the planned announcements.

Chronis Polychroniu: *Henry Giroux: Rethinking the Promise of Critical Education Under an Obama Regime The life-breath of Democracy is the ideas of the people. Only intangible ideas, not bombs or guns, can protect our mothers and children.

Ashin Mettacara: *Burma: Condolence message from a Burmese blogger monk Burma: Condolence message from a Burmese blogger monk

Michael C. Ruppert: Mumbai and the Collapse of Industrialized Civilization (1 comments) The Achilles Tendon of Globalization has been severed.

James Bond Takes on the Corporate Water Privateers The fact that Quantum of Solace makes water the villain's object of greed, replacing oil, gold, diamonds, and mutually assured destruction, is telling of the point we've reached. More telling still is the fact that our villain's cover has him acting as an environmentalist, the ultimate corporate greenwasher. The fact that the action winds up in Bolivia – the country where, in real life, both Bechtel and Suez have tried...

Mumia Abu-Jamal: Masks of Empire (1 comments) Media reportage and cheers of purported cabinet choices (from a media that claimed to have learned its lesson about cheer-leading after the Iraq debacle), should give us pause, for they seem designed more for reassurance than to change. The heavy concentration of Clintonites evokes 'back-to-the-future,' more than a new day. And while it's true that, after the madcap governance of Bush, almost anything looks preferable...

Jeremy Scahill: Obama's Kettle of Hawks Scahill points out that Obama's foreign-policy team are a bunch of hawks.

Ann Kramer: Try something else! A Full Spectrum Economy Current economists keep trying to fix the old economic system. Its not working so let's try something new--A Full Spectrum economic model.

sherry clark: [Not So] Funny: The [Fat] Cat[s] Came Back

Bruce K. Gagnon: 700 SIGN LETTER TO OBAMA OPPOSING "MISSILE DEFENSE" DEPLOYMENTS 700 US citizens sign letter to Obama urging him to reject Bush's plan to deploy space weapons systems in Poland and Czech Republic

Allen Heart: You Can't Have Your Freedom for Free! Freedom is NOT free. It can only be maintained with sufficient knowledge and awareness. You won't get wise with the sleep still in your eyes no matter what your dreams might be! If you are awake enough you will occasionally notice the reality showing through the facade of illusion. The Bailout Bill was one recent occasion. Obama's and McCain's ineligibility to be President and now Hillary Clinton's ineligibility shows the lie.

David Glenn Cox: Dead Babies Can Take Care of Themselves (1 comments) When is enough, enough? Sometimes reading news stories can be unsettling and then sometimes it can just make you damn angry. Here in America we live with a multi level media colossus that spews out garbage on every level, they too also lie who just ignore the truth. We are all familiar with Fox news 24 hour running propaganda network but they have to get these stories from some where, they can't make them all up.

John Paul Rossi: Bailout the Big Three and Revitalize the Economy (5 comments) The Big Three need to be bailed out. A properly structured government rescue package can provide a template for economic recovery. It can create American jobs, improve energy independence, protect the environment, and re-establish a sense of fairness and justice in government economic policy. Here's how.

Craig Harrington: *Obama's Plan Must Prevent Leaks, Keep Jobs at Home (1 comments) President-elect Barack Obama has promised major action to stimulate jobs, spur economic growth and correct a generally battered system. The only way to achieve these goals is to ensure that government spending under his direction stays at home and does not flow overseas.

Elizabeth McKinley: Yes. I voted for Obama because he has a nice six-pack. (3 comments) A few of my many reasons for voting for Barack Obama.

Mark Carbone: Using the Natural Wealth of our Nation Wisely For too long the natural wealth and resources have been used to make a very small number of our citizens fabulously wealthy, while producing absolutely nothing for the nation or its citizens as a whole.

Roland Michel Tremblay: MUMBAI ATTACKS: The British are behind it The new terrorist attacks in Mumbai have opened new conspiracy theories, one of them that MI6 might be behind those attacks. It would not be hard to convince me it is true, I never believed those London terrorist attacks were genuine, whilst I was in the middle of it all. But then I have to ask myself, why, and will it, in the long term, benefit British citizens?

Pamela Drew: We'll Bail Out GM Because We're a Nation of Idiots (3 comments) Last night there was a General Motors Executive on Hardball, explaining their debt and why a few billion dollars, from American taxpayers should save them. I don't know about you, but I've heard more than enough mumbo-jumbo, dog ate my homework, pleas from grossly overpaid executives who have run their businesses into the ground. Most of us would gladly be paid mega-millions in salary to lose billions of dollars

Betsy L. Angert: Car Manufacturers Con

John Bardi: Do We Have to Choose Between Hope and Reality? (14 comments) Is hope a good thing (believing in Obama helps us to join together to be the change we want to see)...or a bad thing (believing in Obama only opens us to the same curses in a different disguise)?

The Old Codger: The Bush Legacy Tour Bush is now on his Lame...er, Legacy Tour. He wants people to remember him in a favorable light. Given that his approval ratings are lower than the economy-and even the approval ratings for another idiot, Sarah Palin are a bit higher-it could be argued that Bush is wasting his time. The most sought after and valuable photograph of 2009 is slated to be the one of Bush getting on the Presidential helicopter for the last time.

David Swanson: *When Will We Liberate the Iraqis? (2 comments) I know, I know, Bush liberated the Iraqis. But when will we liberate them from Bush's liberation?

Mike Adams: Health Ranger Offers 31 Predictions for 2009: Health, economy, terrorism and more (2 comments) The Health Ranger's best predictions for 2009 based on honest observation of reality combined with intelligence to see patterns in the chaos.

Mary MacElveen: The super-complexities facing the incoming Obama administration (1 comments) This is not your normal transition to power which in affect is taking place earlier than other past transitions and that is because we are facing events never before seen in many of our lifetimes.

Bruce K. Gagnon: Mr. Jones, We got a Thing Going On One MSNBC reporter said Obama's foreign policy will be similar to that of George H.W. Bush. Correspondent Chuck Todd reported that Gen. Jones is a close buddy of John McCain and was likely picked for his new role because Secretary of Defense (DoD) Robert Gates insisted on having Jones be part of the team if Obama wanted Gates to remain at DoD.

Allen L Roland: *Credit Card Crisis Is Here / Derivatives Next (6 comments) The year long Bush Recession, which Bush still does not acknowledge, has now become a rapidly accelerating Depression fueled by a credit card crisis which is now a reality. Credit card companies are pulling back credit lines by close to 50% and consumers will soon stop shopping as the Retail economy sinks into a severe depression. Derivatives are next : Allen L Roland

Kamala Sarup: Women's rights and the pain of losing a friend There is no security and no rights for Nepali women. These days, there is no security for women even in their homes, workplaces and public places. My eyes were full of tears.

Ann Weaver Hart: Facing Financial Facts The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood urges parents to ask toy makers not to market to their children. Parents and children would be better served by a dose of truthfulness.

Bruce Dixon: Community Organizer v. Corrupt Politician: The Dec. 6 New Orleans Congressional Election (4 comments)

Marta Steele: The Storm's Mixed Metaphors As the dreariness of winter sets in, the Mumbai crisis and its implications evoke the other crises afflicting humanity, and to too many metaphors.

Amit Dwivedi, Citizen News Service (CNS): 'NAYANA' - a unique mobile Eye Care initiative for people with diabetes NAYANA ( which means 'eye') - a diabetes retinopathy prevention and treatment van - is a venture funded by the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) in Karnataka state (India) and is indeed a great boon for the rural people living with diabetes retinopathy. Three year ago when the van was first introduced in this area retinopathy treatment was only been available at certain urban hospitals.

Carola Von Hoffmannstahl: Might Makes Blight: Eminent Domain v. Free Speech in Clarksville, Tennessee Hop the last train to Clarksville, Tennessee. Where Mayor Johnny Piper, the Downtown District Partnership, and the Clarksville City Council have a blight pretty plan to seize other people's land. So private developers can "maximize the potential". Home owners and small businesses in Blightville object. They say bad things in newspaper ads. "Libel" scream the pols/developers.

Jim Goodman: Food is Different (1 comments) Peasant farmers world wide are being driven off their farms by low prices, unfair subsidized competition from the developed North and corporate control of the food system. Farmers like Lee Kyung Hae are willing to die to protect their right to feed their communities. We need to do as much as we can to eat locally and let them farm as they wish.

(More...)

Thursday, December 4:

Financial crisis a distraction, says Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus The global financial crisis is distracting attention from other pressing issues such as high food and energy prices, and environmental damage, says Yunus. The Bangladeshi economist warned that not addressing those other issues would lead to a "much bigger crisis ahead" that would have political and financial implications. "What we see as a financial crisis is a part of many more crises, which are going on simultaneously...

Untold Story of Election 2008: The Death of the NRA (1 comments) the NRA will continue to believe it speaks for America's gun owners, threatening its lobbying wrath on any politician who tries to restrict the right to buy and sell whatever guns they like,in secrecy and without a paper trail.As the new gun laws go into effect,the group can be expected to increase the pitch of its warnings about impending fascism & the dark shadow of the UN.The question is whether anybody will be listening.

Gene Cappa: 9/11 Demolitions: Proof Positive-Do You Agree? New video reveals timed explosive cutter charges in action and pyroclastic dust clouds not caused by planes crashing or office fires as claimed.

Military contractor in Iraq holds foreign workers in warehouses About 1,000 Asian men who were hired by a Kuwaiti subcontractor to the U.S. military have been confined for as long as three months in windowless warehouses near the Baghdad airport without money or a place to work.

Anxiety among Democrats as Pelosi tightens her grip Nancy Pelosi's moves since the November elections have shaken up some of her colleagues, with some looking over their shoulders and others worried about how the Speaker will lead her expanded majority in 2009. Liberals are worried about Pelosi's vow to govern "from the middle" and centrists are concerned that the make-up of the House leadership team has shifted noticeably to the left.

Sandy Sand: Splitzvillers Forced to Stay Spliced Can't live with 'em. Now we really can't live without them.

Wednesday, December 3:

Copper Thieves Threaten U.S. Infrastructure, FBI says Copper thieves, sometimes acting as "organized groups," are threatening what the FBI said is "critical" U.S. infrastructure, from electrical sub-stations, cellular towers, telephone land lines to railroads and crops, the agency said in an unclassified report unveiled Wednesday.

U.S. let Saddam gas Kurds for farm deal (1 comments) Declassified CIA docs show that the US opposed sanctions on Iraq in the 80s when it was gassing Kurds because of fear of Iran and because, yes, they wanted to sell more food to Iraq. Ya just can't make this stuff up. Ooops...gassing his own people was one of the main reasons he was convicted and hung until his little head was ripped off! Did the US govt intentionally withhold this information during Saddam's trial?

Ballots go missing in Minneapolis hurting Al Franken's Chances 133 ballots have gone missing in the dinkytown area of Minneapolis, a heavy University of Minnesota student area that went to Al Franken about 2-1. Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com has done some interesting analysis on this.

Dennis Kaiser: Thoughts on the Bank Heist Taking Place (1 comments) This robbery should have been expected. The Savings & Loan swindle which took place in the era of Daddy Bush was merely a training ground. Then the first bill passed under the Bush/Cheney cabal was the Bankruptcy BIll back in 2001.

Abraham007: Dead Horses Goes Live Today (4 comments) Are you really sick and tired of the same things happening over and over again? Welcome to Earth! This is the planet where we keep riding Dead Horses long, long after they stop breathing. Visit deadhorses.org to find out how you can identify your favorite Dead Horse and perhaps start a chain reaction that could lead to some Noble Steeds!

JGideon: 'Daily Voting News' For December 03, 2008 a collection of local, state, national and international articles on electronic voting and election issues

World's oldest marijuana stash totally busted Nearly two pounds of still-green plant material found in a 2,700-year-old grave in the Gobi Desert has just been identified as the world's oldest marijuana stash. A barrage of tests proves the marijuana possessed potent psychoactive properties and casts doubt on the theory that the ancients only grew the plant for hemp in order to make clothing, rope and other objects.

Sherwood Ross: 7 Law School Deans Rip Accreditor American Bar Assn. Law school accreditor American Bar Association is criticized by law school deans for stifling innovation and driving up law school costs.

New leadership planned to fight WMD terrorism (1 comments) Naming a top deputy to oversee the government's wide-ranging programs to stop a WMD attack is a significant break with the Bush administration, which maintains US efforts to reduce nuclear stockpiles and safeguard deadly pathogens are adequate. A law requiring the position, signed into law by Bush has been ignored for more than 15 months, in part because Bush opposes giving the Senate the power to confirm the official.

Retired officers want detainee policies overturned A dozen retired generals and admirals are meeting with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team Wednesday to plead for a clean, unequivocal break with the Bush administration's interrogation, detention and rendition policies. "Gradualism won't do. It's time for an abrupt change," said Vice Adm. Lee Gunn, a former Navy inspector general. "That abrupt change will send a signal to the world that America is back."

Federal Prosecutor Is Making Inquiries in the Investigation of the Dismissal of U.S. Attorneys By naming a federal prosecutor to determine whether crimes have been committed, the attorney general ensured that authorities would have the power to compel testimony and documents. Dannehy, a longtime assistant U.S. attorney in Connecticut, in recent weeks has met with lawyers and government officials involved in the case. A grand jury in the District has issued subpoenas, the sources said.

Obama Teams Are Scrutinizing Federal Agencies Wearing yellow badges and traveling in groups of 10 or more, agency review teams for President-elect Obama have swarmed into dozens of government offices, from the Pentagon to the National Council on Disability. With pointed questions and clear ground rules, they are dissecting agency initiatives, poring over budgets and unearthing documents that may prove crucial as a new Democratic president assumes control.

Obama, governors share plans for boosting public-works jobs "I'm not simply going to ask our nation's governors to help implement our economic recovery plan. I will ask you to help design that plan," Obama told a gathering of 48 governors and governors-elect at Congress Hall in downtown Philadelphia. "Because if we're listening to our governors, we'll not only be doing what's right for our states, we'll be doing what's right for our country."

British Homeowners Granted Mortgage Holiday Offering a lifeline to homeowners is seen as the “rabbit out of the hat” on a day when the Queen unveiled one of the thinnest programmes of legislation seen in parliament. The scheme would offer protection to households falling behind on mortgage payments when one earner loses their job, falls ill, or suffers a big fall in income. Lenders have agreed to offer eligible families a holiday on mortgage interest payments.

Jason Leopold: Holder Must Balance Security, Rights (1 comments) One of the top challenges facing Barack Obama's Justice Department will be striking a balance between fighting terrorism and protecting individual civil liberties, says a recent memo from the department's inspector general.

Holding a Zionist funeral for Teitelbaum, who was a Satmar Hasid, would desecrate the dead man's honor The State has decided to recognize the Israelis murdered in the Mumbai terror attacks as victims of terrorism and pay for their funerals, but not all are happy with this decision. The family of slain Hasid Aryeh Leib Teitelbaum has informed the government that it would like the State not to intervene with his funeral. The family demanded no government rep at the funeral and that the casket not be covered with the Israeli flag.

Higher Education May Soon Be Unaffordable for Most Americans, Report Says Tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, while median family income rose 147 percent. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade, and students from lower-income families, on average, get smaller grants from the colleges they attend than students from more affluent families.

Hans Bennett: As DA Appeals to Execute Mumia Abu-Jamal Without New Penalty Hearing, Supporters Mobilize Internationally On Dec. 6, supporters of death-row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal will march from Philadelphia City Hall to the Federal Court Building. International solidarity actions are being held in France, Switzerland, Germany, England, Mexico, and around the US. Abu-Jamal is appealing to the US Supreme Court for a new guilt-phase trial, while the Philadelphia DA is appealing to execute him without a new sentencing-phase jury trial.

Obama quietly drops windfall tax proposal (1 comments) The change in the Obama camp's thinking came to light when officials at the Petaluma, Calif.-based American Small Business League noticed the windfall profits tax language had been removed from the transition team's Web site, www.change.gov, in what the group called "an unceremonious and abrupt manner."

New Regulation Would Ease Disposal of Mountaintop Mining Debris The Bush administration finalized rules yesterday that will make it easier for mountaintop mining companies to dump their waste near rivers and streams, overhauling a 25-year-old prohibition that has sparked legal and regulatory battles for years.

Auditors fault Treasury oversight of bailout funds - NewsFlash - mlive.com Report on the first audit of T.A.R.P..

John Greenewald: Inadvertent Nuclear War - The India/Pakistan Armageddon Unclassified government document details an inadvertent nuclear war between India and Pakistan

Tuesday, December 2:

New York City: Financial meltdown brings Bloomberg term-limit maneuvers into focus One of Bloomberg's proposed cutbacks provoked particular outrage, the announcement that he was canceling the $400 property tax rebate checks which have been sent each October in recent years to 600,000 property owners, the vast majority of them working people and retirees.

michael payne: The Big Three: Completely transform itself or go the way of the Edsel (3 comments) If the American auto industry, centered in Detroit, cannot completely transform itself from its current dinosaur-like image to one that has a vision for what America needs from it, then it will go the way of the infamous Edsel and it also will be a thing of the past.

Gates's Top Deputies May Leave Although President-elect Barack Obama's decision to keep Robert M. Gates at the helm of the Pentagon will provide a measure of continuity for a military fighting two wars, many of Gates's top deputies are expected to depart their jobs, according to senior defense and transition officials. Gates will help provide some continuity, the status quo will not necessarily endure at the Pentagon.

Jeremy R. Hammond: New York Times Misleads on Taliban Role in Opium Trade The New York Times and other major U.S. media sources commonly report on the production of opium in Afghanistan as though it were under the control of the Taliban. The facts on the ground, however, tell a different story. Who dominates the Afghan opium trade? Foreign Policy Journal investigates.

Fairness & Avccuracy In Reporting: *Bush's lies go unchallenged on ABC (4 comments) Gibson Buys Bush's Lies

JGideon: 'Daily Voting News' For December 02, 2008 a collection of local, state, national and international articles on electronic voting and election issues

US Newspaper Ad Sales Fall a Record $2 Billion The year-on-year quarterly percentage decline is the worst since since the NAA has been keeping such records and represents an increasingly rapid deceleration that began in the third quarter of 2006...

Obama Announces National Security Team (2 comments) Obama has selected a crew to turn the Ship of State around.

Indictments against Cheney, Gonzales dismissed A judge dismissed eight indictments Monday brought by a South Texas prosecutor against Vice President Dick Cheney, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and a state senator. District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra, who even in thorough defeat saw the outcome as confirmation of the very conspiracy he had pursued. "I expected it," Guerra said immediately after the hearing. "The system is going to protect itself."

Broader medical refusal rule may go far beyond abortion (2 comments) The Bush administration plans a new 'right of conscience' rule that would allow more workers to refuse more procedures. Critics say it could apply to artificial insemination and birth control.

E. Nelson: Frivolous Ballot Challenges by Norm Coleman in Recount Don't Obscure Projected Victory for Al Franken (3 comments)

Good News for Franken? Ramsey County Minnesota finds 171 uncounted ballots a county that went strong for Franken finds a whole load of uncounted ballots.

Google Buys 20 Million Pages of Diginal Newspaper Records Google has completed the purchase of 20 million digitized historical newspaper pages

Richmond Shreve: Obama: Join the Conversation (5 comments) Obama's transition team adds two-way communication to the change.gov website. Check it our and comment here.

VelvetRevolution: *Chambliss' Election Fraud Stole Cleland's Seat (3 comments) New testimony on Rove's election thefts

Monday, December 1:

ncvoter: 3rd bug found in Pierce County Instant Runoff Voting System Pierce County Washington is up to "software bug number 3" in their new Instant Runoff Voting system. We blogged earlier this year about two other major software bugs in Pierce County's IRV voting system, first in June and then in September of 2008. Now there is a report of a third software bug in Pierce County's instant runoff voting software. This time the issue is the software can't handle more than 200,000 votes at a time..

Bush to receive first-ever International Medal of Peace (19 comments) ROTFLMAO Maybe they'll try Gandhi for war crimes too! How much more Orwellian can they get?

Obama donors help cover transition cost These costs should be paid for by the government. But they're not, so Obama keeps doing the money raising machine thing.

Map: Show Me the TARP Money - (2 comments) A map which shows where in the US the TARP bailout money is going, who gets it and how much.

Larisa Alexandrovna: Treasury Department investigating US Attorney for leaking state Supreme Court Justice's tax returns (1 comments) In addition to the Justice Department investigation, the office of the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is also probing Lampton's conduct, the source said. The special agent assigned to the case is said to be Kelly Sopko.

MN recount: For Franken, a math problem While a tiny margin separates the candidates in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race, it is wide enough that Democrat Al Franken faces a daunting task in challenging votes to erase Sen. Norm Coleman's lead.

JGideon: 'Daily Voting News' For December 01, 2008 (1 comments) a collection of local, state, national and international articles on electronic voting and election issues

Mike Adams: Doctors Abandoning Vaccines That Don't Make Them Money (1 comments) NaturalNews editor Mike Adams reports on two new peer-published surveys that reveal doctors abandoning vaccines they deem to be not profit-worthy.

Roy S. Carson: Rusoro: They've been good to us all along ... we're very comfortable in Venezuela and the future looks good!" So the Minister (Sanz) was talking about the whole of the mining sector rather than a specific area like Las Cristinas/Las Brisas? "That is correct! That is correct! Every mining company in the world is closely looking at the situation, especially in Russia, since there are such significant deposits and it is perhaps the last undeveloped gold resource of that magnitude in the world."

Bush Administration Weakened Lending Rules Before Crash The Bush administration backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown, according to an Associated Press review of regulatory documents.

Governors, Pelosi Meet on Funding in Stimulus Feeling the pinch of the nation's economic downturn, governors went to Capitol Hill on Monday to make a pitch for more than $156 billion in additional Medicaid funding and infrastructure spending as part of an economic stimulus package.

Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance: *USDA has clearly shown its intent to make the NAIS mandatory (2 comments) NAIS includes having to get a property ID, though an article here by Derry Brownfield suggests a farmers is actually signing away his property as collateral to the World Bank for the Bailout. Now, property ID are being assigned involuntarily to people with special numbers to people who don't volunteer.

Palin Rallies Wingnut Base For Chambliss, Says Rebuilding The GOP Starts With Him Sarah Palin was in Augusta this morning campaigning for Big Daddy, and unveiled some really groundbreaking, out-of-the-box ideas about how to resurrect the Republican party. "It takes rebuilding, and I say, let that begin here in Georgia tomorrow," Palin said. She said Chambliss is needed to provide a check on the Democratic majority. She stressed Chambliss's support for gun rights, opposition to abortion and tax hikes."

Pentagon plans to station 20,000 troops for 'domestic security' The US Department of Defense plans to deploy 20,000 troops nationwide by 2011 to help state and local officials respond to terror or nuclear attacks and emergencies, The Washington Post said Monday.

Palin Recycles Old Stump Speech In Augusta, Georgia, But Replaces "McCain" With "Chambliss" Despite Palin's insistence on the importance of the Chambliss race, she apparently couldn't bring herself to write a new stump speech. Instead, she recycled many of her favorite lines from this fall, substituting Chambliss' name for Sen. John McCain's.

MIDEAST: Settlers Stay, Or It's Civil War Thousands of Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers were put on high alert over the weekend as 20,000 Israeli settlers from across the West Bank descended on Hebron. The settlers were there to mark an annual Jewish pilgrimage and lend their support to a group of fellow settlers threatened with eviction by an Israeli court ruling. The Israeli government feared an outbreak of rioting.

One Man's Military-Industrial-Media Complex In the spring of 2007 a tiny military contractor with a slender track record went shopping for a precious Beltway commodity. The company signed Barry R. McCaffrey, a retired four-star Army general and military analyst for NBC News, to a consulting contract starting June 15, 2007. Four days later the general swung into action. He sent a personal note and 15-page briefing packet to David H. Petraeus

Pentagon to Detail 20,000 Troops to Bolster Domestic Security The relentless march toward an Orwellian Police State continues, with announced plans to deploy 20,000 army regulars domestically by 2011. As always, this is based on projected fear & paranoia, not reality, since we have the power to create a positive future if we will it. But that doesn't fit the goals of totalitarians who crave to sink America into 3rd World serfdom & Fascism. The Matrix increases, driven by the living dead.

Ross Levin: Republican State Legislator Wins by One Vote If you ever needed convincing for why your vote matters, here it is.

LATIN AMERICA: Indigenous Journalists Plant a Seed Journalists from indigenous communities in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Guatemala and Bolivia came together in La Paz to take the first step towards creating a network to work together and support each other.

Martha Moffett: A reservation at the Taj Mahal Hotel (1 comments) A friend reflects on the history of British Empires and its contribution to the tragedy in Mumbai.

Obama aims at broad shift in national security The shift, which would come partly out of the military's huge budget, would create a greatly expanded corps of diplomats and aid workers that, in the vision of the incoming Obama administration, would be engaged in projects around the world aimed at preventing conflicts and rebuilding failed states.

The kindest cut: How circumcision is the secret weapon in the battle against HIV/Aids In Zambia, an experiment in the battle with HIV/Aids is producing staggering results. If this were a vaccine trial, the medical world would be hailing it as a miracle. But instead of a wonder drug, the secret weapon is circumcision.

The ongoing disgrace of NBC News and Brian Williams (1 comments) The active suppression of this story by the networks-their decision to conceal from their own viewers the fact that,for years,they presented as "independent" analysts individuals who were working in tandem on "message amplification" with the Pentagon&who had significant business interests in their analysis-was so severe,so remarkable,even establishment defenders such as Howie Kurtz emphatically protested the networks' silence

Tommy News: *World AIDS Day Events Monday December First is World AIDS Day (1 comments) World AIDS Day Events Monday December First is World AIDS Day

Sandy Sand: Bush White House: That Ain't No Christmas Tree, It's a Chanukah Bush The Bushies can't do the simplest damn thing right, not even send out invitations to a White House Chanukah party.

Sunday, November 30:

Swap Defaults: The Next Installment of the Financial Crisis (1 comments) What will happen if the derivative markets collapse? This is the question we don't seem to be asking in public. Maybe the answer is too scary. Take a deep breath and read this article and links...

Pipelines race out of the mountains, into yards (1 comments) Proven natural gas reserves have jumped 10 of the past 11 years, according to the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration, and thousands of miles of new pipelines have snaked in every direction. In just the past 10 years alone, more than 20,000 miles of new natural gas pipelines have been built and brought on line. Those pipelines can carry more than 97 billion cubic feet of natural gas every day.

JGideon: 'Daily Voting News' For November 29 and 30, 2008 a collection of local, state, national and international articles on electronic voting and election issues

Martha Rosenberg: With Mad Cow, The Only Thing Cattlemen Have To Fear Is the Press Itself Texas doesn't want to risk its beef industry or "multi-billion dollar hunting industry" as the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission refers to it, because of a mere food scare.

Martha Rosenberg: With Mad Cow, The Only Thing Cattlemen Have To Fear Is the Press Itself Texas doesn't want to risk its beef industry or "multi-billion dollar hunting industry" as the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission refers to it, because of a mere food scare.

Joint Chiefs Chairman 'Very Positive' After Meeting With Obama Obama has said he will meet with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs as well as the service chiefs during his first week in office. At the top of his agenda for that meeting will be what he has called the military's "new mission" of planning the 16-month withdrawal timeline for Iraq. Senior officers have publicly grumbled about the risk involved.

At the Last Minute, a Raft of Rules In the environmental area, the latest rules indicate that the Bush administration wants to lend a final assist to industries that feel burdened by looming pollution controls or wilderness-protection laws. A rule approved by the White House three days after the presidential election, for example, would ease constraints on environmentally damaging oil shale development throughout the West, despite objections.

Federal Workers Unions Want 'Burrowers' Lists Leaders of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal workers, and the Senior Executives Association, the group representing federal executives, said they want the government to release lists of political appointees who have been hired for career jobs and show whether agencies sought competition for the positions.

Steven Rosenfeld: Hard Lesson for Franken: Not All Votes Get Counted (5 comments) The Franken campaign said it would not appeal the board's decision. That means that the 3,700 challenged ballots will now play a prominent role in deciding if Franken will become the Senate's 59th Democratic member. The Canvassing Board also told both campaigns to stop frivolously challenging ballots. Local election boards will now review those ballots.

Sherwood Ross: Pentagon Recruiters Target Afro And Hispanic Kids (4 comments) Not exactly flooded with determined citizens ready to fight to defend their country, the Pentagon has turned to strategically recruiting African-American and Hispanic kids to fight in its war of aggression.

Thursday, November 27:

Kevin Gosztola: To Shop or Not to Shop, That is the Question (11 comments) One of the busiest shopping days of the year is upon us. The day is coming in the midst of a massive financial meltdown that few Americans fully understand. They've heard the words "bailout" and "stimulus" but have many questions---questions which some in Congress may not even be able to answer themselves.

Friday, November 21:

Gene Cappa: 9/11 Traced Back To Cheney's Energy Task Force Meeting-Do You Agree? (29 comments) 9/11 can be traced back to Cheney's secret energy task force meeting. Do you agree?

Wednesday, November 19:

Rob Kall: Did Hillary Cut The Secretary of State Deal Months Ago, Before Obama Picked Biden? (8 comments) Maybe Hillary didn't want to be VP. Maybe what she wanted all along, if she couldn't be president, was Secretary of State. Maybe she cut the deal before Obama settled on his VP pick.

Douglas Smyth: Should the Obama Administration Prosecute Bush-Cheney Crimes? (34 comments) Should the Obama administration pursue the Bush-Cheney crimes committed in the war, its run-up, in intelligence and interrogation and in Justice? Or shouldn't it? If a broad Bush pardon constrains the new administration, is there a middle way?

Monday, November 17:

Kevin Gosztola: Bail Out the Big Three Automakers? (36 comments) The Senate and the House will be deliberating and deciding whether or not to bail out the Big Three auto makers this week (Chrysler, Ford, GM). Here's what you should know when deciding whether or not to support a bailout. This is what you may not hear from network news or cable news.

Thursday, November 13:

Gene Cappa: Obama And The Imperial Presidency-Will He Give It Up? (13 comments) Obama inherits an imperial presidency chock-full of new powers. Will he give it up or embrace it?

Monday, November 10:

Rob Kall: Assassination Conversation Poll (80 comments) Have you been in a conversation or overhead a conversation expressing concern for Obama's assassination in the past week?

Gene Cappa: CAN Obama Reverse The Economic Slide? (8 comments) The ruinous Bush fiscal and monetary policies have brought the American economy to near collapse. Can Obama reverse the slide?

Sunday, November 9:

PrMaine: So, Why Was This Election Not Stolen? (68 comments) What made things go right this time?

Gene Cappa: Obama Should Use That Secret Tool Chest-Do You Agree? (17 comments) Obama inherited a secret tool chest from Bush. Should he use it like Bush did?

Saturday, November 8:

Kevin Gosztola: Will You Speak Up or "Give Obama a Chance"? (54 comments) How long will it be before you question Obama's decisions or seek to influence him if he is slow to make the changes you wish to see. How will you organize and pressure to enact real change or will you choose to not organize and apply pressure at all?

Friday, November 7:

Steve Windisch (jibbguy): ... And the justification against Impeachment is now what?? (19 comments) The election of '08 is now over.. What justifications against Impeachment will Pelosi and Conyers come up with next?

Wednesday, November 5:

Gene Cappa: LBJ Was Behind the JFK Assasination? Do You Agree? (23 comments) The "Big Event", code words for the JFK hit, is laid at the doorstep of LBJ.

Tuesday, November 4:

Gene Cappa: Tony Blair To The Hague For Trial-Do You Agree? (14 comments) Blair lied Britain to war with Iraq. He should be sent to the Hague for trial.

Monday, November 3:

Rob Kall: When Will We Know the Results of the Presidential Election (4 comments) We knew pretty quickly for Kerry. It took weeks for Gore. How long will it take to be sure on this election?

Sunday, November 2:

PrMaine: What Punishment? (7 comments) Vote caging and purges, systematic voter intimidation, vote-flipping and corrupt tallies of votes all go on in our elections and for the most part they go unpunished. Should this attitude change in the future?

karmacounselor: Do you know if your county is at risk for election fraud (6 comments) After reading an article warning of election fraud, what have you done, if anything, to speak up, verify, and ensure your vote is safe?

Kris Malmquist: Should We Legalize/Decriminalize Marijuana? (27 comments) Cast your vote on whether or not the time has come to stop locking people up for smoking a doobie or two.

Thursday, October 30:

Michael Bonanno: Please rate "Shock And Awe" (2 comments) ...one of the candidates for the presidency is still in shock and awe mode while the other has a word for that mode.

Wednesday, October 29:

PrMaine: Who is John McCain? (9 comments) The John McCain we see today seems to many to be a totally different person than the one we knew, say in the 1990's. Which John McCain is the one of today?

Tuesday, October 28:

Dave Kisor: Does homeland security make you feel safe? (11 comments) The disestablishment of the Department of Homeland Security

Sunday, October 26:

John Kusumi: Presidential Preference Poll (6 comments) Straight up, plain vanilla presidential preference poll.

Saturday, October 25:

Patricia 0rmsby: Anyone you know been disenfrachised yet? (5 comments) We hear about millions of people being disqualified to vote in the upcoming election or falling victim to registration fraud. Has this happened to you or anyone you know?

Tuesday, October 21:

Rob Kall: Should OpEdNews Notify Members When Their Content is Most Popular? (19 comments) Would you want an email notifying you that your article, poll, diary or member page was among the most viewed, most commented, most forwarded, highest rated, for a given period of time?

Gene Cappa: 9/11: Total Proof Bombs Were Planted-Do You Agree? (48 comments) Bombs were planted and detonated to bring down the WTC on 9/11. Do you agree?

Monday, October 20:

Gene Cappa: Should Bush Be Prosecuted for Murder? (27 comments) Over 4,100 American soldiers got killed in Bush's war against Iraq on false pretenses. Should Bush be prosecuted for murder?

Monday, October 13:

Michael Morris: America needs Leadership! (8 comments) Did Congress show leadership in voting to pass the bailout?

Sunday, October 12:

UncleSim: Voting the Lesser of Two Evils - A Poll (54 comments) How strong is your support for the person who will get your vote? This poll is an attempt to locate America's heart.

Karen Fish: Will Sarah Palin now step down? (11 comments) Does she stay or does she go? Why and by whom?

Thursday, October 9:

Rob Kall: Will McCain or Obama Challenge Vote Counts? (10 comments) Kerry wimped an quit. Gore gave up when the Supreme court waded in. If the election is close, will Obama challenge the results? Will McCain?

Gene Cappa: FASCISM Came To America-Do You Agree? (31 comments) The ten steps to fascism are now in place, and any crisis, real or make believe, can be used to declare a national emergency leading to martial law and tyranny over the land.

Wednesday, October 8:

chris rice: Bail~Outs Were Wrong: How Do We Regain Control of Congress (10 comments) You have ignored the hundreds of thousands of American people who have been calling, faxing and emailing you opposing this bailout at least 100 to 1. You have ignored the almost two hundred economists from around the country that have contacted you and who have no conflict of interest and told you this bill will outright fail. My congressman's web site had a pole showing that 97.3% of his constituents were opposed.

Steph Fauxco: Who do you think won the debate tonight? Obama or McCain VOTE NOW (1 comments) Debate #2 McCain V Obama who do you think will won the debate?

PrMaine: Are trolls effective? (12 comments) Have Republican trolls been trying to influence voters through comments on progressive web sites? If so, are they effective in this effort?

Sunday, October 5:

Paul Kruger: Are we safe from our own military? (51 comments) Would members of our own military refuse an order to turn their weapons against American Citizens on US Soil?

Friday, October 3:

Steph Fauxco: First Bail Out Bill VS New Bail Out Bill? VOTE!!! (17 comments) Should Congress have voted in the less pork Bail out bill of last week vs. the one they have to TODAY?

Lance L. Landon: Biden-Palin Debate, Who Won??? (15 comments) Vote for Joe Biden Vote for Sarah Palin

Thursday, October 2:

Steph Fauxco: Will Sarah Palin say "Alaska" more times than "Hero" tonight? (3 comments) Palin, debate, Funny Poll, Alaska, Hero

Peter Dearman: Do something, but ditch the Paulson Plan (4 comments) Should Congress promise to do something major, but ditch the Paulson Plan and start listening to other informed voices?

JC Garrett: Poll: Republican 'Capitalism' or Republican 'Socialism'? (10 comments) The choice really isn't between real Capitalism and real Socialism. The choice is between the reality that occurs by applying the Republican definition of Capitalism and the Republican definition of Socialism. Which would you prefer?

Monday, September 29:

Steph Fauxco: Did the Republicans commit extreme insider trading today? (2 comments) Do you think the Republican's committed extreme insider trading today?

Sunday, September 28:

Rob Kall: After Palin Bombs Debating Biden, & Withdraws from the Campaign, Who Will McCain Pick? (14 comments) Sarah Palin bombed in her interview with Katie Couric and she's going to hit bottom and break into 700 billion ugly pieces when she debates with Joe Biden. Who Will McCain choose to replace her when Palin withdraws to "take care of her family."

Friday, September 26:

Robert Arend: Are The Republicans Gaining Hero Status On The Bailout? (14 comments) Are Democrats risking dilution of the public's blame of the Republicans for current ills of the economy when the Dems support bailing out Wall Street and the Repubs stand against it?

Wednesday, September 24:

Constance Lavender: Bailout: Post-Bush Speech to Nation (11 comments) Post-Bush Speech Bailout Gauge

Tuesday, September 23:

MedicalWhistleblower: Should Medical Whistleblowers Be Protected? (5 comments) Should Medical Whistleblowers Be Protected?

Kevin Gosztola: How can America recover from the financial crisis? (13 comments) Three prominent politicians (two of them presidential candidates) have plans for how to respond to the bailout. Neither suggest that they would support the Bush administration's or Paulson's proposal, which is being advanced in the halls of Congress right now (despite the fact that many details about the proposal are unknown).

Monday, September 22:

Rob Kall: Screwed or Saved Bailout-wise? (38 comments) will dems pass or fix the bailout, or will Republicans do it? Or will a bipartisan congress screw the taxpayers.

Saturday, September 20:

Constance Lavender: Given the economic illness of the United States, What do you prefer to do? (21 comments) Tell the World What Your Future Plans Are Going To Be....

Friday, September 19:

Rob Kall: Has J. Edgar Hoover Styled Blackmail Come Back to Haunt Congress? (18 comments) with all the access to phone tapping, has the Bush admin and its surrogates been digging up blackmail material on Dem leaders in congress?

Constance Lavender: Do you support the government's bail out of Wall Street? (14 comments) Do you support the government's bail out of Wall Street?

Rob Kall: Government Welfare Buyouts and Rescues; Are They Over Yet? (7 comments) Will there be more massive loans or government takeovers that amount to corporations become socialized-- even whole industries?

Wednesday, September 17:

Karen Fish: Did George Bush bail out AIG to save AIG or John McCain and the Neocons? (21 comments) What are the true motives behind the Bush bailout of AIG?

Monday, September 15:

Rob Kall: Diagnose Sarah Palin Poll (38 comments) Which diagnosis do you pick?

Bruce Cain: A 20 Year Moritorium on Legal/Illegal Immigration Into the US (14 comments) The "New Agenda for America" is composed of 10 "Planks." The 2nd plank calls for a 20 Year Moritorium on Legal/Illegal Immigration Into the US. [Goto www.newagecitizen.com/NAA.htm to read the full agenda].

joel kauffman: "Under God," in the Pledge of Allegiance (25 comments) The phrase has presently been held unconstitutional by a California federal district court. The decision is on appeal to the Federal Court of Appeals. In 2006, a Florida federal district court has held that a 1942, state law requiring children to stand and recite the pledge violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments and is therefore, unconstitutional

Greg Purcell: Does Rob Kall look like Tony Soprano? (5 comments) Is James Gandolfini Rob Kall's cousin?? What do you think?

PrMaine: Voting Motivations (17 comments) This poll is an attempt to get some understanding of what is motivating people to vote.

Sunday, September 14:

Constance Lavender: How much faith do you have in the American financial system? (11 comments) Given these extraordinary developments in the American financial system, how much faith do you retain?

Constance Lavender: Is Sarah Palin from the West or the Pacific? Decide where Sarah Palin is from: the West or the Pacific.

Saturday, September 13:

Hal Smith: Independent Candidates (19 comments) Who will you vote for?

Tony Forest: POLL: Will an Obama/Biden Victory Pacify The Movement ? (19 comments) Offset with an inverted question: Will a McCain/Palin Victory Empower The Movement ?

Thursday, September 11:

Amanda Lang: POLL: Should Vote Tampering or Vote Theft Crimes Be Prosecuted As Treason (10 comments) Should the penalty for vote tampering or vote theft be more stringent than it is under current law? Should voting crimes be elevated to acts of high treason?

Amy Fried: Poll: Does Sarah Palin Represent American Women? (26 comments) Does the Republican V.P. nominee represent American women?

Amy Fried: Unsolicited Absentee Ballots (5 comments) Strange stories of unsolicited absentee being received by non-Republicans, are circulating.

Gene Cappa: Congress Should Commence An Independent 9/11 Investigation-Do You Agree (21 comments) Seven years after 9/11 Congress has yet to provide the American people with an independent scientific analysis of the collapses of all 3 World Trade Center buildings.

Tuesday, September 9:

John Wood Sr: POLL: SHOULD WE REPLACE THE "STARS AND STRIPES"? (18 comments) A way to save our Constitutional rights and liberties.

Edwin Rutsch: Is Jim Hightower correct that grasping greed is a failed conservative value? (7 comments) Is Jim Hightower correct that grasping greed is a failed conservative value?

Monday, September 8:

Hal Smith: IN RELATION TO ROB'S POLL, ARE YOU VOTING FOR MCPALIN OR OBIDEN? (8 comments) Poll to see who's voting for whom.

bhwhite: None Of The Above Ballot Option (7 comments) This poll asks voters if they would want a binding Voter Consent option in elections to office. The option, "None of the Above", would appear after the list of candidates for an office, and if it received the most votes, then no listed candidate for the office would be elected, and a new by-election with new candidates would have to be held.

Gene Cappa: A Cowardly Hoyer Thwarts Impeachment - Do You Agree?