Action Point with Cynthia Black 01-20-2008 The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• POLITICAL HISTORY: MLK: I Have a Dream (Speech): From the Guardian series of the best international speeches. Quite moving.

• ELECTION INTEGRITY: Revived Link, SOLAR BUS Election Justice Center: Strong on links and news, minus the commentary.

• BIG BUSINESS: Google: From 'Don't Be Evil' to How to Do Good:

  In one of the most widely watched efforts in corporate giving in years, Google Inc. unveiled yesterday nearly $30 million in new grants and investments, outlining how it will focus a massive philanthropic endeavor that erases the usual boundaries between the for-profit and nonprofit worlds.
  

• CAMPAIGN 2008: Tools: Washington Post Issue Coverage Tracker: A variety of interactive flash tools. Easy to find issue positions etc. AND Where is John Edwards? Regarding the obvious media blackout of Edwards, this page at Edwards '08 lends some insight:

  The traditional media outlets have their blinders on, narrowly focusing on the two $100 million celebrity candidates -- and trying as hard as they can to keep John Edwards out of the picture.

• ENVIRONMENT: Green At Work Magazine Premier Corporate Sustainability Publication: The latest green business website I've discovered.

• MUST READ: Digging In the Right Place: another excellent piece from David Sirota:

  Think about it: The White House can only be won by raising truckloads of cash from moneyed interests looking to preserve the status quo. Likewise, the U.S. Senate's filibuster rules allow 41 lawmakers, representing just 11 percent of the population, to stop anything. These are institutions designed to prevent change, not embrace it.

• PERSONAL SECURITY ALERT: Government sues 9 Arizona landowners over border fence: Those “strict consitutionalists” can take credit for this:

  The U.S. Department of Justice has sued at least nine Arizona landowners, seeking temporary condemnations so it can survey and prepare to build a border fence. The suits, filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson, seek to invoke the government's power of eminent domain to gain access to land along the U.S.-Mexico border.

• IRAN: Iran Diplomatic Accountability Act of 2008: Now this is what Congress is supposed to do!

  On January 17, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced with six other co-sponsors the "Iran Diplomatic Accountability Act of 2008." The new resolution, H.R. 5056, is the first of its kind to call for the appointment of a high-level United States representative or special envoy for Iran for the purpose of easing tensions and normalizing relations between the United States and Iran.