Action Point with Cynthia Black 06-08-2008: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• NEW WEBSITE: THE SWAY BLOG: Aside from being Action Point's interviewees for today, coauthors of SWAY, Rom and Ori Brafman's excellent The SWAY Blog brings us clear action we can take to help check our all-too-emotional selves.
  

• MINORITY ISSUES: MISOGYNY: Like it or not, misogyny was alive and well in the campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton's bid for the Democratic nomination. The question of why Obama's subtle “gender card” play was not as vehemently rebuked as Clinton's “race card” play will have to be answered. Skirting that question directly but at least putting the general question in play The Nation starts here: Iron My Skirt:

  Clinton's run has put to rest the myth that we are living in a postfeminist wonderland in which all that stands in women's path is women themselves. Like a magnet--was it the pantsuit?--Clinton drew out the nation's misogyny in all its jeering glory and put it where we could all get a good look at it. "Iron my shirt" hecklers. Wearers of Bros Over Hos T-shirts and buyers of Hillary nutcrackers. Fans of the Citizens United Not Timid website (check the acronym). Vats of sexist nastiness splattered across the Comments section of hundreds of blogs and websites. It's as if every obscene phone caller and every exhibitionist in America decided to become an amateur political pundit.

• NATIONAL SECURITY: IRAN: From Project for a New American Policy on Iran, comes a day of action (Tuesday June 10) in which you can play a role.

  The Campaign for a New American Policy on Iran (CNAPI) is organizing an innovative “Time to Talk with Iran” event and press conference on Capitol Hill. With the U.S. Capitol as a backdrop, Members of Congress, celebrities, former officials, and other citizens will use a row of 60’s-era red “hotline” telephones to talk directly to ordinary Iranian citizens. Concurrently on June 10, the Campaign is organizing a nationwide Call-in to Congress for Diplomacy with Iran so those outside of DC can participate and make their voice heard.

  AND: An interesting observation from Firedoglake : Why Are Democrats Giving Bush a Green Light On Iran?

  Even more troubling, if the Bush Administration is planning to attack Iran, claiming it's necessary to carry out their promise not to allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, it doesn't appear the Democrats said anything to AIPAC that could be interpreted as demanding the Administration stop. If everyone says, "we won't allow Iran to do this," while adding "we won't rule out military force to make sure they don't," then there's no reason to expect George Bush and Dick Cheney to interpret these statements as anything other than a green light to do as they please. The only thing to decide is the timing.

  AND: 'Unavoidable' attack on Iran looms, says Israeli minister:

  "If Iran continues with its programme for developing nuclear weapons, we will attack it. The sanctions are ineffective," Mofaz, who is also Israel's transport minister, said in comments published today by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. "Attacking Iran in order to stop its nuclear plans will be unavoidable."

• NATIONAL SECURITY: IRAQ: US issues threat to Iraq's $50bn foreign reserves in military deal:

  The US is holding hostage some $50bn (£25bn) of Iraq's money in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to pressure the Iraqi government into signing an agreement seen by many Iraqis as prolonging the US occupation indefinitely, according to information leaked to The Independent.

  AND: America's Medicated Army:

  While the headline-grabbing weapons in this war have been high-tech wonders, like unmanned drones that drop Hellfire missiles on the enemy below, troops like LeJeune are going into battle with a different kind of weapon, one so stealthy that few Americans even know of its deployment. For the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The medicines are intended not only to help troops keep their cool but also to enable the already strapped Army to preserve its most precious resource: soldiers on the front lines. Data contained in the Army's fifth Mental Health Advisory Team report indicate that, according to an anonymous survey of U.S. troops taken last fall, about 12% of combat troops in Iraq and 17% of those in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants or sleeping pills to help them cope. Escalating violence in Afghanistan and the more isolated mission have driven troops to rely more on medication there than in Iraq, military officials say.

• POLITICS: ELECTION 2008: Adviser Says McCain Backs Bush Wiretaps: As we go forward it behooves us to stay on the clear distinctions of the nominee-elect candidates of the party. Here is one are important to those concerned about the expansion of the “imperial presidency”. Let's just say given this, I would think we will not see that expansion collapsed under the hand of McCain:

  In a letter posted online by National Review this week, the adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said Mr. McCain believed that the Constitution gave Mr. Bush the power to authorize the National Security Agency to monitor Americans’ international phone calls and e-mail without warrants, despite a 1978 federal statute that required court oversight of surveillance.

• PERSONAL SECURITY: THE ANDREW MYERS FILE: As the mercenary firm Blackwater continues to expand into security affairs internationally I think it is just a matter of time before they will be a mainstay of “institutional” government invasion. Somehow, we must find a way to stop it: Blackwater's Private Spies:

  Such an arrangement could find Blackwater operating in an arena with the godfathers of the war industry, such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. It could also see Blackwater expanding into Latin America, joining other private security companies well established in the region. The massive US security company DynCorp is already deployed in Colombia, Bolivia and other countries as part of the "war on drugs." In Colombia alone, US military contractors are receiving nearly half the $630 million in annual US military aid for the country. Just south of the US border, the United States has launched Plan Mexico, a $1.5 billion counternarcotics program. This and similar plans could provide lucrative business opportunities for Blackwater and other companies. "Blackwater USA's enlistment in the drug war," observed journalist John Ross, would be "a direct challenge to its stiffest competitor, DynCorp--up until now, the Dallas-based corporation has locked up 94 percent of all private drug war security contracts." The New York Times reported that the contract could be Blackwater's "biggest job ever."

• POLITICS: ELECTION INTEGRITY: Does RECOUNT do more harm than good? If you haven't seen the HBO dramatization of the 2000 election race that ended with the SCOTU appointing the worst president in histroy to the position, do so. And afterward, see if you agree with media critic Mark Crispin Miller's thoughtful critique above:

  Now, some might praise the movie for so strong an evocation of that moment some eight years ago, but I would say that, by inducing that old feeling of paralysis, Recount does more harm than good. Indeed, I liked it less and less the more I thought about it, realizing that it could have left us in a very different frame of mind.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 05-18-2008: The Reference Shelf

This week's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: What's McCain have against education benefits for veterans? The "Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act" sounds like the kind of rally-round-the-flag plan that John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all could embrace. Instead, it's become one of the starkest dividing lines between McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, and his likely Democratic opponent.

• ENVIRONMENT: Fighting the False Solution of Nuclear Power: If it's a bill it must be flawed: "Although the word 'nuclear' has been carefully omitted from the bill, it is clear that this is a covert attempt to bolster a failing nuclear power industry in the name of addressing climate change," said Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder. "It's time to focus on real global warming solutions like solar, wind and energy efficiency, not to further fatten the moribund nuclear calf."

• NATIONAL SECURITY AND ENVIRONMENT: From one of my favorite resources, The Mainstream Media Project, this bulletin came across my desk:

  While many news stories focus on the potential threat from Iran in developing nuclear weapons... on Monday, The Washington Post reported that 40 or more nations worldwide have informed the UN that they wish to build nuclear power plants. The fear is this may be the first step in enriching plutonium for weapons... In order to back down from the increasing global momentum towards more nuclear weapons, the U.S. must take an active part in pursuing nuclear nonproliferation.

  So what to do? Interview someone exciting of course! With Dr. Arjun Makhijani we'll show how one of those Obama-electing "egghead" types can get the job of carbon cutting with free-market NON-nuclear technologies done! Now, wouldn't that be a nice change?! You can freely download Arjun's real Dr. Egghead book, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for US Energy HERE.
  

• POLITICS: ELECTIONS AND CAMPAIGNS-- NEW WEB SITE: MAPLight.org: Advanced campaign contribution effect database (hat-tip to Joy Marx-Mendoza):
  

  The site is a database of campaign contributions related to congressional voting and combines three data sets: Bill texts and legislative voting records; Supporting and opposing interests for each bill and Campaign contribution data from the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Combining this data makes visible key information that could never before be determined easily. For example: Contributions given by interests supporting and opposing each bill; Average donations given to legislators voting Yes and No on each bill and a Timeline of contributions and votes for each bill, graphically identifying when legislators received large donations before or after their vote.

• MUST READ: Toward A New Washington Consensus: From David Sirota:

  You've probably heard that John McCain once said, "I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues." This line is regularly referenced by Democratic television pundits as evidence that McCain is unprepared to lead the country during arecession. The criticism is certainly valid, but it ignores something more troubling. It's not that politicians like McCain "need to be educated" about economics, as he admitted. It's that they do not comprehend how economics impacts international affairs.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 05-11-2008: The Reference Shelf

This week's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: Did Rush Limbaugh Tilt Result In Indiana? Truly unfunny may be the interference Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos may be wreaking on primary outcomes in the Democratic race. Many people have asked if said interference is legal, and SO FAR it appears to be...but that is just so far.

• FUN, SNARKY, WEIRD AND COOL: HE'S A NAZI: This has been around a while but in case you missed it the first time and since we'll be on the topic of Rush (jeez, what the hell kind of name is Rush, anyway?) we may as well ensure you have this fabulous and well-made send-up of the Commando of Cheeks himself. And, from the creator of The Daily Show...this well-deserved humor break: Shoot the Messenger.

• COMMUNICATIONS: MEDIA: Where did the Web rumors about Obama come from? McClatchy operates as the last bastion of repectable journalism in America. Privately owned too-- imagine that. In this article they give us some facts toward needed rumor-mongering “push back", but that still requires more information. Pushing back on the Obama misinformation is easy when you have most of the facts. The collection of info on whether Obama puts his Hand Over Heart during the Star Spangled Banner from Snopes is a start. By the way, I haven't said the pledge, let alone put my Hand Over Heart for ANY reason since the day Ohio National Guard killed 4 Ohio State University students, but that's just me. Oh, AND from Media Matters comes this too...Dick Morris: Election hinges on whether "we believe" Obama is "sort of a sleeper agent who really doesn't believe in our system."

• MUST READ: Acknowledging the Race Chasm: From David Sirota: When it comes to race, American politics is as polarized as a red and blue election map. On one side are those who try to distract from the issue; on the other side are those who work to sensationalize it. As this campaign season shows, what unifies both is bigotry.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 05-04-2008: The Reference Shelf

This week's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: DCCC to challenge Freedom's Watch status as a non-profit: Democrats pushing back on distorting and even illegal dirty tricks from the RNC and its proxies this year is something we can all be a part of--

  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is filing a complaint with the IRS today challenging the conservative group Freedom's Watch status as a non-profit. The DCCC says the group has violated its non-profit status by running attack ads in a Louisiana special election targeting Democratic candidate Don Cazayoux. In a letter to the IRS, Wolff asked the agency to reclassify Freedom's Watch, which includes several former officials from the National Republican Congressional Committee, as a 527 organization and to as penalize the group for improperly claiming non-profit status. 501(c)4s and other non-profits do not have to publicly have to publicly disclose their donors, while 527s must report them to the IRS, which becomes public information.

  AND: ELECTION INTEGRITY: HBO'S 'Recount' and What Really Happened in the Florida 2000 Election (Hint: Gore Won): Brad Friedman comments on HBO's upcoming special and even more importantly he includes “... the mind-blowing section of Dan Rather's remarkable HDNet report which aired last summer, but was picked up by absolutely nobody in the CMSM thereafter. If you can't watch the following, the transcript is posted here. But if you've not seen this one yet, please prepare to be amazed, and appalled..."

• ENVIRONMENT: Cooler Climate Could Prevail in Europe and North America Next Decade: Is Global Warming Over?: If humankind ever needed a life-saver and got it, this could be it.

  A natural fluctuation allowing temperatures to stay cool enough for us to develop energy-efficiency BEFORE the planet is thrown into irreversible changes: To put it succinctly: not a chance. Just because I know there are those who will gleefully point to this study as proof that global warming is all a big hoax (*cough* Senator James Inhofe *cough*), let me start off this post by quoting one of the study's authors, Noel Keenlyside: "We want to make very clear that we don't want to say that [anthropogenic] global warming is not here."

• NATIONAL SECURITY: IRAN: Shirin Ebadi: 'Don't Attack Iran': From my favorite IRAN news blog, IRAN NUCLEAR WATCH, this article on just one facet of the news you NEVER see any media cover, rarely even progressive blogs which shame on them, should:

• In regards to ongoing death threats to her person, Dreyfuss writes, "Ebadi is not intimidated, and she continues to represent dissidents and others caught up in the labyrinthine Iranian court system. But she warns that threats and bellicose rhetoric from American leaders and politicians is not helping matters." According to Ebadi, "The most important thing is not to militarily attack Iran, or to threaten to attack Iran militarily. Even the language of some of the candidates in the United States threatens Iran." Ebadi also addressed the regime change slush fund. "When the United States says that it has allocated $70 million for democracy in Iran, whoever speaks about democracy in Iran will be accused of having accepted part of that money, and of being on the US side," she says. "It gives Iran an excuse for what it does." According to Dreyfuss, she said that all credible Iranian activists have refused to accept American funding, and most of the money has been funneled into radio broadcasts and other US propaganda.

• COMMUNICATIONS: MEDIA: Wether or not you agree with this list of the most influential American political pundits, notice that in the top ten, at least half are conservatives and one is a comedian!!

• MUST READ: The Plague of Potomac Fever: From David Sirota;

  But in the land of Potomac told newspapers "it's irrelevant" how many homeowners — if any — are ever helped. According to The Hill newspaper, he is pushing industry-backed legislation that would federally guarantee banks' outstanding mortgages for modest write-downs. The proposal deliberately avoids forcing banks to freeze interest rates.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 04-27-2008: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: Pennsylvania & the Persistence of the Race Chasm: by David Sirota;

  A few weeks ago, I published an article in In These Times showing how Hillary Clinton has been winning states almost exclusively in the Race Chasm - states whose populations are more than 6 percent but less than 17 percent black. The results of the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania - a state whose demographics fall squarely in the Race Chasm - continue the trend.

• FRAMING: ROCKRIDGE INSTITUTE: To Catch a Wolf: How to Stop Conservative Frames in Their Tracks:

  We applaud Senator Obama. Every progressive should refuse to answer such "when-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife" questions. Obama's words: "This is the kind of question that is designed precisely to divide us" could be a polite but effective mantra.

  AND: Why Voters Aren't Motivated by a Laundry List of Positions on Issues:

  There are two kinds of policy: cognitive and material. Material policies are familiar: they outline what is to be done in the world. For example, the details of a health care plan, or a plan for getting out of Iraq. Material policies each have a cognitive dimension, often unconscious and implicit. This includes the ideas, frames, values, and modes of thought that inform the political understanding of the material policy. AND just as a reminder of what you already know

  AND: The Radical Right's Weakness:

  Progressives commonly wring their hands in despair when conservatives use Orwellian language. They shouldn't. The use of Orwellian language signals to us where conservatives are weak. Forget that their deceptiveness is immoral. The point is that they are weak and are revealing their weakness. If they had public support, they could freely call their initiative the Dirty Skies Act.

• ELECTION SECURITY: Clinton's Blind Eye to Voters:

  So, Hillary claims a victory in Pennsylvania. Who could have predicted that? Maybe Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

  AND: FEC Stalemate Leaves McCain Hanging:

  With November's elections a little more than six months away, a Senate stalemate over nominations has left the FEC powerless to act on anything from John McCain's bid for $84 million in public financing to a stay-at-home dad's request to pay himself a small salary from whatever campaign contributions he can raise as an independent candidate for Congress.

• CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM: Alliance Defense Fund: The threat of Christian Nationalism is not waning. On schools and campuses nationwide the radical right agenda to indoctrinate young minds with moral irrationalism in the name of Christianity spreads at an alarming rate. If we are to establish the tolerant values of liberalism as the guiding principles clearly intended by the founders of this nation, it is imperative to shine a brilliant and unflinching light on those who threaten it most. Of the institutions aligned against freethought today I am most concerned about ADF and its mindless commitment to obliterating among others, the ACLU.
  

AND: REIGNDOWN USA:

Honestly, I can't begin to find one section of this website to accurately represent what is being marketed. Flip through it's many pages and just in keep mind only two of those associated with this “cause”: Trent Franks and Strang. And did I mention, the pro-zionist promotion of McCain backer John “The Catholic Church is the Great Whore” Hagee?!

• MUST READ: The Importance of Black Voters, and the Stupidity of Ignoring Them: From David Sirota;

  First and foremost is the idea that black voters are, indeed, treated as less important than white voters. I would even take it a step further: black voters are not only considered unimportant, but are considered only as black voters and nothing else - a very subtly derogatory and dehumanizing characterization in that it implies African Americans are just one dimensional simpletons, rather than multi-dimensional humans.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 04-20-2008: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: William Ayers and the Weather Underground:

  Maybe this has less to do with 2008 and more to do with 1968 ('69, '70, '71 and so on). Regardless, what I want to know is why do attacks on Obama's Reverend Wright engender The Man to stirring race speeches while truth about joblessness and despair merits back-pedaling and far-stretched attacks on William Ayers engender rapid disclaimers and distancing? Is it really the “violence” both Clinton and Obama disdain, or is it the anti-war left?

  AND: Clinton Backer Distributes Essay On How GOP Would Link Obama To '70s Radicals:

  Sloan argues that Rove will use Ayers and Dohrn for 'red-baiting' attacks on Obama. Rove's "target is Barack Obama's signature slogan 'Change We Can Believe In.' Rove wants to redefine it as revolutionary change, change driven by an alien ideology, change no patriotic American could stomach. And he intends to do so by channeling Senator Joseph McCarthy."

• MUST READ: The Ludlow Legacy, Part II: Colorado: from David Sirota:

  The Ludlow Massacre's tiny monument off I-25 in Southern ColorAdo is easily missed if you don't know where to find it. Though the nearby coal mine garnered international attention in 1914 after a government militia slaughtered union organizers there, the minimalism of the memorial is predictable. History books venerate Rockefellers # the union-busting mine owners # and disregard agents of progress like the labor movement. But remember the parable about those ignoring history repeating it, particularly on April 20 # the anniversary of the atrocity. As noted in last week's column, the methods of Ludlow are being celebrated in our foreign policy. But they are also being trumpeted at home.

• NATIONAL SECURITY: IRAN: Iran Provision Added to Debt Cancellation Legislation:

  Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on H.R. 2634, legislation "to provide for greater responsibility in lending and expanded cancellation of debts owed to the United States and the international financial institutions by low-income countries." There was a motion to recommit the bill back to the Financial Services Committee with instructions to include a provision that no country that has a business relationship with Iran can receive debt cancellation. The motion carried.

  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), chair of the Financial Services Committee, later returned to the House floor, to state that the Committee accepted the language. The debt cancellation bill then passed with the Iran language. What are they thinking? Oh, yes, SANCTIONS are a form of negotiation! We squeeze the lifeblood out of their economy and they will “comply”. See how well that worked in IRAQ?!

Action Point with Cynthia Black 04-06-2008: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: VIDEO: Obama Reverend's So-Called "Hate Speech" and the Propoganda Campaign Behind It!

  Since ABC television's release of selected "hate" language from Obama's long-time Pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the permutations of it into a hypnotic loop has been fast and targeted and is an excellent example of how ABC, Fox and talkers from Limbaugh to Savage are working in concert to trigger the "angry black man" frame in the minds of Americans.
  

• FRAMING: Why the Smear of Wright Is So Wrong from Jeffrey Feldman:

  Jeffrey Feldman: Listen up, folks. This is no joke. There is a very serious problem afoot in this election and either we start taking the lead at dealing with it or nobody will. That problem is the right-wing framing of our nominee.

• MUST READ: Confessions of An Economic Hit Man from David Sirota:
  

  To paraphrase the UFO poster from "The X Files," I wanted to believe. Specifically, I wanted to believe the guy talking tough about campaign finance reform was committed to getting money out of politics. This was the Arizona senator who in 2002 taped a radio ad praising his state's "clean elections" system. It provides public money to candidates so they don't have to finance campaigns with corporate contributions - the kind given in exchange for legislative favors. McCain's support for clean elections, I thought, proved he wanted to end corruption. But by the time the senator showed up here in Colorado last week for a fundraiser at Denver's Petroleum Club, I knew I had been duped.

VIDEO: Obama Reverend's So-Called "Hate Speech" and the Propaganda Campaign Behind It!

Since ABC television's release of selected "hate" language from Obama's long-time Pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the permutations of it into a hypnotic loop has been fast and targeted and is an excellent example of how ABC, Fox and talkers from Limbaugh to Savage are working in concert to trigger the "angry black man" frame in the minds of Americans.

Even if one does not hear the loops, angry coast-to-coast rebroadcasts bits of it create another endless loop of questions, arguments, concern and accusations-- all likely to result in one thing-- people will just get sick of hearing about it.

Eventually, just the sound of Barack Obama's voice regardless of what he is saying will trigger an uncomfortable sense in any listener and I believe it is creating a dislike for Obama --uneasy memories of the voices on those clips or just a subtle unidentifiable discomfort-- that is the real aim of the strategy behind this campaign. Why? Well, people vote from their feelings don't they? Many deciding at the last minute in the voting booth?

Wouldn't it be useful for Republican strategists if an ingrained 90's era Clinton "bad feeling" button paired with this current attack on Obama helped the undecided vote at the last minute for McCain, who they may not like intellectually but about whom, they at least don't "feel" uneasy? (for more on how techniques to create this effect are manufactured and work in elections see Thom Hartmann's book Cracking the Code, Chapter 5, "How Feelings Are Anchored").

Examine the following; the audio loop being played in part or whole on Hannity's daily radio show:




Now, listen to the "chickens coming home to roost" comment from a section 9 minutes long and apparently from a sermon September 17th 2001-- 6 days after 9/11.





This next clip contains the snippet "God damn America" (near the end) from a sermon on the changing nature of governments that contemptuously act as God and what they can expect.




In context, those bits and pieces of angry rhetoric blend into REASONED AND WHOLE OPINIONS, with logical connections to how faith and God interplay with society. And regardless of how YOU feel about the content of the sermons, you do NOT hear Barack Obama's voice, have any reason to picture him or have any reason to feel you don't like him. But going back to loop one, embedded in your mind?

Oh yes you do, oh yes you do.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 03-23-2008: The Reference Shelf

Just a little note from me to you;

With our third hour and the Campaign 2008 gloves coming off (and I'm referring to the right-wing media, not the Democratic Primary which is I think, the least of this country's problems) Action Point and our Reference Shelf content will be covering more of the “horse track” (as Brad Friedman puts it) and less of the Presidential horse race. Brad in his case means election fraud tactics. I mean the blatant use of propaganda language techniques and fraudulent media manipulation intended to confound “democracy-loving” Americans of all parties.

And you can continue to count on us to keep delivering the policy and issues through our great Action Point interviews and guests!

-- Best, Cynthia Black



Today's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: Following up on last week and Jeffrey Feldman's advice to focus on the violent framing of right-wing religious endorsements for McCain (which violent innuendo they have, by the way, begun sliming onto Barack Obama's supporters) we bring you this: Hagee, in 'NYT' This Sunday, Says McCain Sought His Endorsement:

  In an interview that will appear in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine, controversial televangelist Rev. John Hagee declares, "It's true that [John] McCain's campaign sought my endorsement." McCain has attempted to distance himself from some of Hagee's views, much as Barack Obama is doing in relation to Rev. Jeremiah Wright. But unlike McCain, Obama has not stood on stage with Wright and accepted his accolades this year.

AND taking on the right-wing wing smear machine requires some ammo. For those fighting for Obama, here are just a few articles containing excellent arguments: An Attack on Our Senior Pastor and the History of the African American Church and on the same site look for A Word of Respect for Jeremiah Wright.

• NEW SITE: RELIGION DISPATCHES: This week the article that causes me to declare this our latest new site also addresses the racist attacks on Obama with this article: Obama's Pastor and the Politics of Patriotic Treason:

  This past week, the controversy surrounding Senator Barack Obama’s pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright, reached a head. Investigative reporters at ABC released excerpts from Dr. Wright’s sermons where he appears to be making inflammatory and unpatriotic pronouncements against the United States. Excerpts include Dr. Wright attributing the 9/11 attacks to a matter of “the chickens coming home to roost,” and suggesting African Americans sing “God Damn America” in place of “God Bless America.”

• ELECTION FRAUD: Will Rush Limbaugh Be Indicted for Voter Fraud? This could get very interesting. Not because Rush will be indicted, but because pressure on free-speech rights for broadcasters could open up that fat greasy can of worms labeled: Media Lies Are Legal.

  In case you missed it, Rush Limbaugh, the nation's top-rated talk radio host, was urging Republicans in Texas and Ohio to skip their party's primary on March 4 and instead cast a vote for Hillary Clinton in order to prolong the fight between her and Barack Obama. And that Tuesday, as media in both states reported, thousands of Republicans did just what Limbaugh and others had suggested -- they changed parties to vote for Clinton.
  

• NATIONAL SECURITY: Dick Cheney tour sparks Iran war rumours:

  Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, has triggered speculation that he has been using a tour of the Middle East to prepare Iran's neighbours for a possible war with Tehran.

  That as well as Bush's Bum John McCain and his stuttering insistence It's "Common Knowledge" That Iran Is Training Al-Qaida... (psst...guys...never trust a newbie with unpracticed propaganda technique) should put you on Iran Alert. More from Action Point on Iran and Iraq next week.

AND from the small but mighty McClatchy Newspapers: Bush erroneously says Iran announced desire for nuclear weapons:

President Bush contended that Iran has "declared they want a nuclear weapon to destroy people" and that the Islamic Republic could be hiding a secret program. Iran, however, has never publicly proclaimed a desire for nuclear weapons and has repeatedly insisted that the uranium enrichment program it's operating in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions is for civilian power plants, not warheads.

• PERSONAL SECURITY: Fallout from The Energy Policy Act of 2005: Before you think I haven't noticed, the source of this article and the journalist who today will be discussing the topic on Action Point, has a “right wing” bent. I have found that in some cases, especially on First Amendment and National Security issues, all Americans regardless of party agree on important issues. This is one of those issues, so join me in checking your bias for this stunning coverage!

  And in 2007, barely after the ink dried from EPAct 2005, the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 was passed by federal lawmakers and signed into law. EISA conveniently serves to obfuscate critical issues that continue to stress the US electrical power grid, its energy generation and transmission capacity. Yet, EPAct 2005 has continually escaped public scrutiny and a lack of accountability in both houses of the US Congress.

  AND I don't see this story in election terms because really, if they are snooping in the files of the high and mighty, what can get away with when it comes to you? Passport files of candidates breached:

  State Department employees snooped through the passport files of three presidential candidates — Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain — and the department's inspector general is investigating. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the violations of McCain and Clinton's passport files were not discovered until Friday, after officials were made aware of the unauthorized access of Obama's records and a separate search was conducted.
  

• MUST READ: New Crisis, Old Isms: Weighing in “...routinely package corruption as sound public policy,” re: the mortgage crises, David Sirota nails it again as this weeks Must Read:

  Some background: During the housing boom, banks doled out home loans to financially strapped borrowers, often on predatory terms. On the creditor side, these same banks packaged many of the loans as complex securities and sold them off to unwitting investors, generating a handsome profit on the paper transactions. At the same time, Wall Street used campaign contributions to coerce Congress into blocking anti-predatory-lending bills and repealing a landmark law regulating how banks could buy and sell securities.

  By the way, join us for this week's Palast Report in which Greg expands more on the “campaign contribution” side of the story.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 03-16-2008: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: The Violent Vision of Mccain's Newest Mentor: from Jeffrey Feldman:

  Parsley's views on Islam are just one aspect of his much larger violent vision--which focuses on the violent conflict between Christianity and what he calls 'secularism.' To read Parsley's violent language as he encourages his readers to join the so-called 'war' is to come face-to-face with the violent rhetoric John McCain will tolerate--even encourage--to win votes in November.

• PERSONAL SECURITY: NSA Domestic Spying Grows:

  The central role the NSA has come to occupy in domestic intelligence gathering has never been publicly disclosed. But an inquiry reveals that its efforts have evolved to reach more broadly into data about people's communications, travel and finances in the U.S. than the domestic surveillance programs brought to light since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

• INTERNATIONAL: Petraeus: Iraqi Leaders Not Making 'Sufficient Progress':

  Many Iraqi parliament members and other officials acknowledge that the country's political system is often paralyzed by sectarian divisions, but they also say that American expectations are driven by considerations in Washington and do not reflect the complexity of Iraq's problems.

• ECONOMY:Forget Spitzer, fire Bernanke:

  In essence, this is a US$200 billion facility that is being misapplied to rescue a specific part of the financial system at a preferential rate, and without any disclosure required on usage. Given all this, it is impossible for anyone to expect that the ultimate cost of this facility will not be borne by US taxpayers;

  AND: from Greg Palast Eliot’s Mess:

  While New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was paying an ‘escort’ $4,300 in a hotel room in Washington, just down the road, George Bush’s new Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke, was secretly handing over $200 billion in a tryst with mortgage bank industry speculators;

  AND:Economy Hammered by Toxic Blend of Ailments:

  “We have to be careful about what medicines we throw at this, whether it’s stimulus packages or a bailout,” said Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab & Company. “A lot of what we are dealing with is a solvency problem. We need to let the system wash it out.”

• NO COMMENT: Bush says if younger, he would work in Afghanistan:

  "I must say, I'm a little envious," Bush said. "If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed."

  "It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks," Bush said.

• FUN, WEIRD & COOL: Lawrence Welk vs. The Hippies My favorite of this collection is the send-up of Lou Reed's 1960's “Sister Ray”!

  Thirty years before American Idol, parts of America were still uncomfortable with the very idea of rock songs even appearing on television, especially during Welk's squeaky-clean song and dance show. And since The Lawrence Welk Show ran for three decades, these videos suggest the ultimate long, strange trip. They're a window in time, capturing a bizarre never-world where the hour-long show actually surrendered happily to the coming onslaught of rock:

  Hat-tip to Freedom's Phoenix.

• NEW!! JOIN THE SHOW ON SUNDAY'S with NEW LIVE CHAT!! Voice of Arizona now hosts Action Point on it's 50 state online network, Voice of North America! Log on, join in!! Thank you VOA!!
  

Action Point with Cynthia Black 03-02-2008: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: Amid McCain's new status, old scandals stir:

  As William K. Black watches John McCain move toward the Republican presidential nomination, he thinks of a day 21 years ago that he considers one of the most troubling of his life. Black, a senior federal savings and loan regulator at the time, attended a meeting at which he felt McCain and four other senators pressured federal regulators to back off from investigating the troubled Lincoln Savings and Loan.

  "I remain very upset that what they did caused such damage," said Black, now a professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, recalling how Lincoln's bankruptcy cost the government $3 billion. Moreover, he said he believes McCain intervened partly because his wife had invested money with Lincoln chairman Charles Keating, a campaign contributor who let the McCains use his home in the Bahamas.

  AND Primer: Obama vs. Clinton on the Top 10 Economic Policy Issues:

  As a practical matter of readability, Clinton's document is a clear 12-page report, with nonduplicative points and slightly less detail. Obama's is a 48–page thesis in which several key ideas appear multiple times with slightly different descriptions each time. But that's stylistic choice. On the economic substance, Clinton beats Obama 5-to-3 and ties on 2 topics.

• ENVIRONMENT: Global warming inspires enterprising solutions: "It's a gold rush," says Peter Fusaro, head of consulting firm Global Change Associates.

  The CO2-busting industry is exploding as federal legislation to cap the emissions of utilities and other industries grows more likely, offering the prospect of huge profits. Nearly 400 start-ups are operating 600 carbon-mitigation projects in the USA, with the number of companies set to triple the next two years, says consulting firm Point Carbon.

• NATIONAL SECURITY (USA): Ports report urges better evaluation of nuke detectors:

  The government needs to develop a better way to evaluate the effectiveness of technology to detect nuclear and radiological material at U.S. ports, according to a report commissioned by the Homeland Security Department.

• MUST READ: The New Permanent Campaign from David Sirota:

  Today's permanent campaign aims to ensure that the recent surge in Democratic voter turnout becomes the foundation of a lasting political infrastructure for progressives, rather than a momentary boomlet of presidential election euphoria. That means "creating mechanisms for people to remain engaged in politics between elections," as Thomas Bates says.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 02-24-2008: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: After this past Wednesday's debate and you thought she was giving up (or making nice) comes this:

  "Shame on you," Clinton tells Obama: Hillary Clinton slammed rival Barack Obama on Saturday for campaign leaflets on her health-care plan that she called "blatantly false" and accused him of using Republican tactics in their contest for the Democratic U.S. presidential nomination. In a bitter exchange, Obama defended the leaflet as accurate and campaign spokesman Bill Burton decried Clinton's "negative campaign."

  AND A Hole in McCain’s Defense? A sworn deposition that Sen. John McCain gave in a lawsuit more than five years ago appears to contradict one part of a sweeping denial that his campaign issued this week to rebut a New York Times story about his ties to a Washington lobbyist.

• ENVIRONMENT: Climate of Denial: Recently I was reminded of this older Mother Jones piece describing just how it is that Global Heating deniers have so successfully managed to push us ever-further to the brink of environmental collapse:

  In short, the deniers have done their job, and done it better than the environmentalists have done theirs. They've delayed action for 15 years now, and their power seems to grow with each year. How, even as the science grew ever firmer and the evidence mounted ever higher, did the climate deniers manage to muddy the issue?

• NATIONAL SECURITY (IRAN): From my favorite blog Iran Nuclear Watch:

  What Would it Take to Launch a War With Iran? I believe that media missed some of the more valuable key findings of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, including: Iran is a rational actor that makes decisions regarding its nuclear program on a cost-benefit analysis; and Iran could halt its nuclear program if it was given opportunities perceived as credible by its leaders to achieve its security, prestige, and goals for regional influence in other ways. Much work must be done to create the conditions where an offer is perceived as credible. First, the U.S. should determine which elements of the offer made by Iran in 2003 to settle outstanding disputes might remain a feasible basis for talks. Dropping preconditions for talks on the nuclear program is absolutely necessary as it would signal to both Iran and European allies that the US is sincere in its repeated expressions of preference for real diplomacy.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 02-17-2008 The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• PERSONAL SECURITY: Christian Right's Emerging Deadly Worldview: Kill Muslims to Purify the Earth: You know, I was once skeptical of claims that the religious right posed a threat to average Americans. I grew up in the age of “Jesus Freaks” who were more irritating than troublesome. Once online access gave me “eyes-on” access to their thinking, I knew I was wrong. Today's “Jesus Freaks” want to kill, and they have the government to do it. So here is yet another chilling but sad update on how the “least of these” is trying to actually obliterate “the rest of them”:

  Walid Shoebat, Kamal Saleem and Zachariah Anani are the three stooges of the Christian right. These self-described former Muslim terrorists are regularly trotted out -- a few days ago they were at the Air Force Academy -- to spew racist filth about Islam on behalf of groups such as Focus on the Family. It is a clever tactic. Curly, Larry and Mo, who all say they are born-again Christians, engage in hate speech and assure us it comes from personal experience.

• RESOURCE (FRAMING): Students Are Like Plants, Not Widgets: Rockridge Institute's excellent advice for presenting Democratic policy on education issues.

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: Less Jobs More Wars: is an interesting new video and campaign from Brave New Films that you can use to frame the McCain war rhetoric in the context of it's likely losses-- American economic security.
  

AND Democracy For America has taken on an interesting wrinkle in elections for Democrats this year: super-delegates. As you know by now, super-delegates were designed by the Democratic party to alter the popular vote would it not turn out the candidate the party elite had intended may not get elected, as happened at the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention. DFA has some suggestions with Let The Voters Decide on what to do about that:

Thirty-seven states and U.S. territories have already voted and we don't have a clear nominee. Senators Clinton and Obama are in a delegate race to the nomination. There are a lot of ways that delegates get assigned to a specific candidate, but almost all of the allocated delegates are directly tied and bound by the actual votes in each primary or caucus - all of them that is, except super-delegates.

• DIRTY TRICKS: Americans United Urges IRS To Investigate Two Religious Right Groups For Biased Voter Guides:

  The Internal Revenue Service should investigate two prominent tax-exempt Religious Right groups that produced biased voter guides for the presidential election, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

  In complaints filed today with the IRS, Americans United charged that voter guides produced by the American Family Association and WallBuilders are clearly designed to promote Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

  The guides, posted on the groups’ Web sites, list the Republican candidates and their alleged stands on a range of issues, such as support for a human life amendment, “traditional marriage,” “business freedom” and “moral education” and opposition to “gay pride.” Only Huckabee is assigned a “yes” stance on all of the issues.

  AND: 3 US workers face investigation over Obama e-mail:

  Three federal employees are being investigated for unlawful political activities after they allegedly sent an e-mail falsely accusing Barack Obama of being a "radical Muslim," the Globe has learned.

• ENVIRONMENT: Does carbon trading really work?: Larry Lohmann, editor of Carbon Trading: A Critical Conversation on Climate Change, critiques cap-and-trade.

• NATIONAL SECURITY (IRAN): In 2007 I committed to preventing an unnecessary strike on Iran and formed a small ad-hoc group, Strike Prevention Task Force, through which to do my part. This video “The Folly of Attacking Iran” also found on one of my favorite resources, Iran Nuclear Watch, is a must-see!

• SPEAKING OF TORTURE: Lieberman Endorses Waterboarding Since 'It's Not Like Using Hot Coals' on People:

  Yesterday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) "reluctantly acknowledged" that he doesn't believe waterboarding is torture. According to the Connecticut Post, Lieberman downplayed the severity of the waterboarding because it doesn't inflict permanent physical damage...

• THE ANDREW MYERS FILE (or How I Learned to Stop Caring About Overt Government Insecurity Interfering With My Right to Privacy): Bush orders Clampdown on Flights to US:

  The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel, including allowing armed guards on all flights from Europe to America by US airlines. The demand to put armed air marshals on to the flights is part of a travel clampdown by the Bush regime that officials in Brussels described as "blackmail" and "troublesome", and could see west Europeans and Britons required to have US visas if their governments balk at Washington's requirements. According to a US document being circulated for signature in European capitals, EU states would also need to supply personal data on all air passengers overflying but not landing in the US in order to gain or retain visa-free travel to America, senior EU officials said.

  (Hat-tip -- Citizens For Legitimate Government)

• No Comment: I have a personal commitment to aiding those with environmentally induced toxic responses, sometimes called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, et al. This You Tube link came to me from an online resource seeking support via email to British government authorities to help the victim in this case receive protection. Please, do what you can.

Too-Close-To-Call

Before we all get too crazy about whether Hillary and Barack will battle through the summer (Romney supporter millionaire Rush Limbaugh's wet dream, by the way) and speculate endlessly on how Hillary regained her "groove", take a moment to consider primary results through a different prism, like the arm-long list of election reporter John Gideon's exclusive column featured daily at Brad Friedman's excellent blog:

I said that we seemed to have dodged a bullet. That statement may have been made a little early. Most of the big reports are election administration failures. Administration failures are those failures that cannot be blamed on voting machines or the voters or poll workers. They are those failures that fall directly in the laps of clerks or registrars or boards of elections. Not enough paper ballots at the precinct is an administrative failure. The “decline to state” issues in Los Angeles County and elsewhere in California, is an administrative failure that may cost hundreds of thousands of voters their voice. We are also picking out little pieces in media articles and some first hand reports that machines put in some California precincts for voters with disabilities were not operational and voters with disabilities ended-up losing the privacy of their vote just so they could cast a ballot.

Such an admin failure as a shortage of ballots plagued Arizona's Maricopa County -- leading of course to concerns among the conspiratorially minded; how could the Elections Department ever imagine that this primary turnout might be more robust than those of the past and be under-prepared with ballots? I think it was simple: Department calculation of "criminal" immigrants fleeing the state would result in Democratic turnout vanishing with them! Okay, that's just a partisan jibe but really, where were the ballots?

Beside the under-played media reports of voting problems, in California, LA election watchers report poll workers being so under-prepared that voters were literally wandering around IN TEARS of frustration from being sent precinct to precinct. Were those "Obama" precincts? Is that how Hillary "closed" her margin?

Of course, if you are busted intentionally suppressing votes it IS illegal but as with so many other processes, it is hard to prove one "intentionally miscalculated" printing ballots, or "intentionally under-training" poll workers, yet along with the practice of keeping voter rolls "protected" (wink-wink) by caging, such errors become completely legal "tactics".

I have a friend, with whom I am beginning to agree, on her simple solution for ending all kinds and types of voter intimidation, suppression and election fraud: a Constitutional right to vote.

Possible? Yes. Probable? Too-close-to-call.

Cross-posted on Voice of America.

VOTING FOR JOHN EDWARDS IN 2008 SUPER TUESDAY AND OTHER PRIMARIES

If John Edwards' name is on your state ballot

AND you are planning on voting for Edwards

this Super Tuesday (or beyond)

THERE ARE ADVANTAGES AND RISKS INVOLVED!

IMPORTANT!!!

In ANY congressional district EDWARDS MUST GAIN 15% of the vote

for his delegates to be seated

AT THE CONVENTION.

ADVANTAGES if he DOES WIN 15% IN YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT:

• Those delegates SEATED AT THE CONVENTION will be FREE to vote for either candidate-- OBAMA OR CLINTON-- especially if Edwards does not endorse either by that time.
  
• You will get to feel like you have struck a blow against Empire, the Old Guard and everything you ever hated about Corporate America! HOO-AH!
  

DISADVANTAGES if he DOES NOT WIN 15% IN YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT:

• Your vote essentially counts as a vote for the frontrunner IN YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. In other words:
  

1. If Hillary is ahead in your area, but you would prefer Obama to “win” the primary, your vote for Edwards will act as a vote for Hillary
   
2. Edwards delegates will not be seated at the Democratic convention
   
3. OR VICE VERSA!
   

So, as usual, feeling good comes with some risks!
Use mental protection and Vote wisely!

To ensure delegates will be seated in your state and district

call your local Edwards office or:

THE NATIONAL EDWARDS NUMBER

(919) 636 – 3131

IF YOU'VE ALREADY "EARLY VOTED"
YOU MAY STILL CHANGE YOUR VOTE!!!!

• GO TO YOUR LOCAL POLLING LOCATION ON VOTING DAY

• CAST A PROVISIONAL BALLOT

YOUR BALLOT CAST CLOSEST TO THE ACTUAL VOTING DATE IS THE ONE USED IN THE FINAL COUNT.

PROVISIONALS ARE COUNTED WHEN THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION (IN OTHER WORDS, THE MARGIN) IS LESS THAN THE NUMBER OF PROVISIONAL BALLOTS.

This information has been vetted by Arizona for Edwards campaign associate Catherine Miller.

ANN COULTER CAMPAIGNING FOR HILLARY -- HUH?!

Yes, and frankly as much as you may not trust her motives-- Ann seems as committed to supporting Hillary (under certain circumstances) as she would any true-red conservative. Am I the only one who finds this deeply disturbing, for Ann's sake? Is it the recent death of her Dad at work here?

Just asking...

Action Point with Cynthia Black 02-03-2008: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• PERSONAL SECURITY: Copy a CD, owe $1.5 million under "gluttonous" PRO-IP Act:

  Not content with the current (and already massive) statutory damages allowed under copyright law, the RIAA is pushing to expand the provision. The issue is compilations, which now are treated as a single work. In the RIAA's perfect world, each copied track would count as a separate act of infringement, meaning that a copying a ten-song CD even one time could end up costing a defendant $1.5 million if done willfully. Sound fair? Proportional? Necessary? Not really, but that doesn't mean it won't become law.

• RESOURCE (ARMS CONTROL): THE CENTER FOR ARMS CONTROL AND NONPROLIFERATION: For those seeking the best up-to-date Iraq/Iran coverage and comment on US government security issues (note: think about subscribing to the newsletter)!

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: Super Tuesday with Brave New Films and the Young Turks: Can't get out to Super Tuesday house party? No sweat. Join Brave New Films and The Young Turks. Send tips, breaking news, and comments and “...make this coverage the best around”!

• DIRTY TRICKS: Americans United Urges IRS To Investigate Two Religious Right Groups For Biased Voter Guides:

  The Internal Revenue Service should investigate two prominent tax-exempt Religious Right groups that produced biased voter guides for the presidential election, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

  In complaints filed today with the IRS, Americans United charged that voter guides produced by the American Family Association and WallBuilders are clearly designed to promote Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

  The guides, posted on the groups’ Web sites, list the Republican candidates and their alleged stands on a range of issues, such as support for a human life amendment, “traditional marriage,” “business freedom” and “moral education” and opposition to “gay pride.” Only Huckabee is assigned a “yes” stance on all of the issues.

  AND: 3 US workers face investigation over Obama e-mail:

  Three federal employees are being investigated for unlawful political activities after they allegedly sent an e-mail falsely accusing Barack Obama of being a "radical Muslim," the Globe has learned.

• ELECTION PROTECTION: Republican NH Primary Candidate Demands Secretary of State Allow Unvoted Ballots to be Counted in Ongoing Election Contest:

  Albert Howard Hand Delivers Letter to SoS Gardner, Reiterates Demand For Reconciliation of All Uncast Ballots ALSO: Diebold Machine Errors Reported in 21 Towns, Democrat John Conyers Calls Howard, Expresses Support...

  AND Blackwell could be subpoenaed:

  Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has been asked to testify next Friday in Washington, D.C., by the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The topic: "Voter Suppression," according to this letter sent Tuesday to Blackwell, who now works for the Family Research Council, Buckeye Institute and other conservative policy groups.The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., a Michigan Democrat, is investigating election irregularities, including long lines and challenges to voter registrations. Blackwell, a Republican from Cincinnati, said he received the invitation, "however, my schedule will not permit me to attend the hearings."

  AND: Binomial analysis: Was the New Hampshire Primary Stolen on Behalf of Hillary?

  Many election-integrity activists with good mathematical intuitions looked at the returns and exclaimed, “That just couldn’t have happened by accident.” What they were speaking of, of course, was the fact that Barack Obama led Hillary Clinton by 53.25% to 46.75% in the 35,864 votes cast for one or the other of them on hand-counted paper ballots (HCPBs), whereas he lost to her by 47.27% to 52.73% of the 81,753 computer-counted votes cast for one or the other of them on optical scanners (op-scans).

• ENVIRONMENT: Does carbon trading really work?: Larry Lohmann, editor of Carbon Trading: A Critical Conversation on Climate Change, critiques cap-and-trade.

• NO COMMENT: Another Election Season, Another Political Prosecution in Alabama:

  So why would a federal prosecutor put such tremendous resources into arresting and prosecuting a retired social studies teacher? Schmitz is an irresistible target. She’s a Democratic member of the state legislature.

• NATIONAL SECURITY: Taliban threaten US/NATO supply lines in Pakistan: Aijaz Ahmad: Musharraf reluctant to fight Pakistani tribes - serious crisis developing.

• MUST READ: Can't Pay Your Mortgage? Trash Your House and Leave:

  "There's been a change in social attitudes toward default," Mr. Lewis told the Journal. "We're seeing people who are current on their credit cards but are defaulting on their mortgages. I'm astonished that people would walk away from their homes." While Lewis may scratch his head in disbelief, employees of the bank Wachovia have an explanation that might work for him: Homeowners have crunched the numbers and decided their houses are worth less than their mortgages. According to a recent conference call, many of Wachovia's current losses in California are originating not from subprime buyers fallen on financial hardship, but from homeowners who can pay their cleverly structured loans but are just choosing a different fate. "They've been from people that have otherwise had the capacity to pay," a Wachovia spokesperson said on the call, "but have basically just decided not to because they feel like they've lost equity, value in their properties.