By JOHN HANNA, Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. - National Democratic Committee Chairman Howard Dean received a raucous welcome Friday from fellow Democrats for his message against the war in Iraq and his portrayal of Republicans as fiscally irresponsible…

The state Republican Party began criticizing Dean even before he arrived in Kansas, describing him as an extreme liberal. But Dean said Democrats represent Kansas values, among them fiscal responsibility. He excoriated Bush and Republicans in Congress over the federal budget deficit.

"You can't trust Republicans with taxpayers' money — borrow and spend, borrow and spend, borrow and spend," he said. ...   more »

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE, The New York Times

LOVELAND, Colo., Feb. 25 - Joshua Noble, a 21-year-old who loves to snowboard, jolted Wal-Mart Stores last November when he got a majority of employees here at the Wal-Mart tire-and-lube shop where he worked to sign statements saying they wanted to vote on bringing in a labor union.

The unionization drive begun by Mr. Noble created a storm in this onetime ranching town at the foot of the Rockies - even the BBC covered it - and became a closely watched test of labor's efforts to unionize the world's largest retailer.

But on ...   more »

AmericaBlog

Thanks to the DailyKos folks for discovering this story. I got in touch with the couple in the photo on Friday and put them in touch with a lawyer (a rather big lawyer at that). I'm now working as their publicist - not that I wouldn't have covered this anyway. Please help spread the word on this, it's outrageous.

Below is the press release we just sent out. And attached here is the letter the couple's lawyer just sent to USA Next.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 28, 2005

 “USA NEXT” MISAPPROPRIATED COUPLES’
IMAGE FOR ANTI-GAY AD CAMPAIGN...   more »

(But even with nonstop propaganda, you still can’t fool most of the people most of the time.)

ATLANTA (CNN) - Wealthier Americans should take the hit to bolster Social Security, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted over the weekend and released Tuesday.

More than two-thirds of 1,010 adults contacted between Feb. 4 and Feb. 6 said it would be a "good idea" to limit benefits for wealthier retirees and to make higher income workers pay Social Security taxes on all their wages. Currently, all workers pay the tax on the first $90,000 in wages…

Meanwhile, 55 percent think ...   more »

(BREAKING NEWS: POT CALLS KETTLE BLACK!!!!!!!!!!!!)

By TERENCE HUNT, Associated Press

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Prodded by President Bush to reaffirm his country's commitment to democracy, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted his government was not backsliding.

Russia chose democracy 14 years ago, Putin said, and "there can be no return to what we used to have before."

In a joint news conference Thursday, Bush said he told Putin, "Strong countries are built by developing strong democracies."

The U.S. president added, "I think Vladimir heard me loud and clear."

The two leaders talked for 2 1/2 hours in hopes of easing ...   more »

(Hypocrisy simply is not a strong enough word any more.)

Bill Berkowitz, Working for Change

Why have the 'traditional family values' folks erected a wall of silence around the Gannon scandal?

They were livid over SpongeBob Square Pants' participation in a video advocating tolerance, and fuming about Buster the Bunny's visit to a lesbian household. So where's the outrage from the Christian right over the Jeff Gannon Affair? Despite a chunk of time having passed since the Gannon Affair was first uncovered, Christian right organizations are still cloaked in silence. As of February 24, there wasn't any news about ...   more »