Liberal Movement in the Mideast

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Tuesday January 23, 2007 · 12:14 PM PST

2007/01/23 · 12:14

The AP reports today on the death of death of well respected Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was gunned down outside his newspaper on Friday. Significant as an outspoken critic of the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, and a formidable proponent of free speech. Yet his tragic demise might help bring hope and healing to a long standing rift:

Amid the grieving, there were signs his funeral might become a catalyst for easing the antagonism between Turks and the dwindling ethnic Armenian minority.

The crowds marched along a five-mile route from Agos to an Armenian Orthodox church in one of the biggest funerals ever held in the city. They carried placards that read, "We are all Armenians" in Turkish and Armenian.

animamusika

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Tuesday January 16, 2007 · 11:18 AM PST

2007/01/16 · 11:18

From the AP:

The National Popular Vote movement is aimed at preventing a repeat of 2000, when Democrat
Al Gore lost despite getting more votes than George W. Bush.

Backers are asking states to change their laws to award their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote nationally.

animamusika

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Sunday January 14, 2007 · 9:47 AM PST

2007/01/14 · 09:47

From the New York Times:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 — The Pentagon has been using a little-known power to obtain banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage inside the United States, part of an aggressive expansion by the military into domestic intelligence gathering.

The C.I.A. has also been issuing what are known as national security letters to gain access to financial records from American companies, though it has done so only rarely, intelligence officials say.

animamusika

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Friday January 05, 2007 · 9:09 AM PST

2007/01/05 · 09:09

CQPolitics reports on 15 races in 2006 in which Republicans, "squeaked by."

Of the 202 Republicans sworn in Thursday as members of 110th Congress, 15 maintained GOP control of their seats by margins of just 3 percentage points or less. On the other side of the aisle, just two of the 233 members of the new Democratic majority were winners of contests in which they retained their party’s control by similarly razor-thin margins.

CQ then goes on to analyze those 15 races in order of the percentage margin, starting with FL-13. An excellent read for strategists, activists, campaign staff and volunteers, and pundits to read in depth to form a very clear picture of the 2008 House races. The overarching theme? The 50 state strategy has just gotten started and its full effectiveness will be shown as the paradigm shift in the electoral process is more fully realized. The opportunities are historic. Plagued by consistently failed policies and the burdens of the Iraq war and a miserable domestic agenda, Republicans will continue to sink, setting up more and more huge gains in 2008, starting with these 15, the ones we barely missed in 2006.

Congress needs to make mental health parity a priority

animamusika

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Thursday December 28, 2006 · 2:51 PM PST

2006/12/28 · 14:51

It's far past time for Congress to enter the present reality and join the conversation about the importance of mental health issues in this country. Thanks to the midterm elections, it looks like this might finally happen.

From the AP:

WASHINGTON - After years of trying, advocates think they have a good chance of getting Congress to pass legislation next year that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses, if their policies include both.

animamusika

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Wednesday December 27, 2006 · 2:18 PM PST

2006/12/27 · 14:18

From the AP:

WASHINGTON - Former Democratic vice presidential nominee
John Edwards is running for president for a second time, his campaign said Wednesday. Edwards plans to formally announce his candidacy Thursday from New Orleans' 9th Ward which is hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. But his campaign got a little ahead of itself Wednesday and announced his intentions online.

"Better a day earlier than a day late," said Jennifer Palmieri, Edwards' adviser.

Read more at the provided link. Well this was not quite what Edwards might have had in mind in terms of PR, I'd say the cat's out of the bag.

Stopping earmarks in Congress...

animamusika

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Tuesday December 26, 2006 · 9:00 AM PST

2006/12/26 · 09:00

looks to be more complicated than some Democrats might care for. Or so says this article in the AP today about the multitude of Congressional, "pet projects," which channel taxpayer money into local funding for districts, assuredly for lawmakers to curry favor for their reelection campaigns. The big problem with this of course is in the abysmal state of budgetary affairs in Washington, not to mention the enormous and constantly growing deficit:

The temporary ban on earmarks — footnotes in spending bills that lawmakers use to deliver federal bacon to their states — has been greeted with applause by budget hawks and is seen as a savvy political move. But many in the rank and file are not happy.

The fact that the rank and file are displeased if anything, signals how necessary and beneficial limiting earmarks would be...

animamusika

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Monday December 25, 2006 · 1:11 PM PST

2006/12/25 · 13:11

The fallout from Hurricane Katrina is never far from our hearts and minds and not far from the news and media outlets recently. But not because of praise and accolades for the reconstruction process. No, on the contrary, Katrina and perhaps even more importantly, post-Katrina mistakes and blunders keep plaguing the suffering citizens of New Orleans. And it's a true crime to them that we have such an incompetent and poorly functioning government in such a time of need. Which is why, when the AP reported on the uncontained fraud stemming from the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, it makes your soul weep...

animamusika

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Friday December 22, 2006 · 10:54 PM PST

2006/12/22 · 22:54

It's official!
The great state of NJ has become just the third state in the U.S. to allow civil unions, following in the footsteps of Vermont and Connecticut, yet falling short of full-fledged marriage such as in Massachusetts. This is no doubt a historic victory for the GLBT community, even as they vow to continue the struggle to claim the full recognition of lawful marriage. The decision however, may usher in the beginning phase of making that happen...

animamusika

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Tuesday December 19, 2006 · 9:09 AM PST

2006/12/19 · 09:09

From the AFP:

The United States Congress is considering voting in funds next year to help Vietnam clean areas heavily contaminated by toxic defoliant Agent Orange, a US official said in Hanoi.

"We are going to provide assistance to help clean up sites where dioxin continues to pose serious health threats to people living there," said Tim Rieser, aide to Democrat senator Patrick Leahy.

"We also want to look for ways to extend assistance to people with disabilities," he told journalists in Hanoi.

animamusika

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Monday December 18, 2006 · 2:47 PM PST

2006/12/18 · 14:47

Obviously, a lot of talk on here has been about the 2008 race and who is viable and who is not and for what reasons. And there has been discussion as to whether John Edwards can be a real contender in a field that includes Clinton and Obama. Well, I personally do not have a 2008 favorite yet, but it's never to early to get a head start in knowing the playing field. So this diary is intended to highlight John Edwards from the standpoint of doing my pre-primary homework. I hope to, as the opportunities arise talk about the other candidates as well, since 'fair time' is hard to come by in the world of electoral politics, particularly for president.

So, inspired by this story by the AP via Yahoo, I found some compelling information regarding Edward's approach to his (now almost official) 2008 Campaign.

Liberal Movement in the Mideast

Popular Vote vs. Electoral College debate heats up

Bush's Neo-Fascism Continues to Get Worse

Targeting Endangered House Republicans Early

Congress needs to make mental health parity a priority

It's official! Edwards is in

Stopping earmarks in Congress...

Katrina Fraud to pass $2 Billion

NJ signs civil unions into law

U.S. finally ready to act on Agent Orange in Vietnam?

John Edwards and the Progressive Movement

Red Tennessee says NO to media consolidation