LAST WEEK ON THE WEB:

Fewer pledge allegiance to the GOP
A Time for Anger, a Call to Action by Bill Moyers
It Wasn’t Just a Bad Idea. It May Have Been Against the Law.
Daily Show On Subpoenas video: why Rove can't be sworn
The 5 Words Bush Wants Americans to Repeat framing by Jeffrey Feldman
"Political Theater" photo essay on how Bush hates that
New Developments in the U.S. Attorney Controversy by John Dean
Bush Hit-Woman Behind Prosecutor Firings by Greg Palast on Harriet Miers
'Daily Show' mocks White House's 'generous offer' video
Fredo cartoon recalling "The Godfather II"
When Will Fredo Get Whacked? by Frank Rich
My National Security Letter Gag Order from the Washington Post
The Republican subversion of law by Sidney Blumenthal
Crime Blotter: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Terrorized by 'War on Terror' by Zbigniew Brzezinski
True Confessions? Guantanamo and Stalin's purge trials
Gonzales should be impeached from the Boston Globe
Kucinich: is it time to impeach Bush? video and transcript
Salt Lake City Mayor calls for Bush impeachment video and transcript

IN MEMORY: RAYMOND NASHER:

Last Friday Raymond Nasher died at 85 in a Dallas hospital. He was a major contributor to Democratic candidates. During the administration of President Lyndon
Johnson, Nasher served on various government commissions, and was a U.S. delegate to the General Assembly of the United Nations. He was also named to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities by all of our last three Presidents. On the morning of September 11, 2001, he was hosting a political reception for Senator Joe Lieberman's wife Hadassah at his Dallas home.

The Boston native had lived here since 1950, having married a Dallas native that he met when she attended Smith College. He made a fortune as a real estate developer, most notably for the Northpark shopping center, and gave back to the community by establishing the world-class Nasher Sculpture Center in downtown Dallas. His collection of statues was internationally known, and news of his passing was reported all over the world. He and his late wife leave behind three daughters and three grandaughters. There was a family memorial service today at Temple Emanu-El.

The local paper carried his obit and another article about his legacy. There's more on the web about him in this article (from Boston University, where he got his Master's), this interview (with Jim Lehrer at PBS), and this interview (in Panache).

THE GONZALES IMPLOSION:

Gonzalesgate: The Emails Tell The Story video
Will Gonzales Fall For Attorney Firings?
U.S. Attorney Purge Timeline
A Gloved Alberto Gonzales Plans Search To Find Real Killer
Overblown Personnel Matters by Paul Krugman
Gonzales Pleads the Ken Lay Defense
Daily Show: Gonzales gives 'pleasure to the President' video
Aborted DOJ Probe Probably Would Have Targeted Gonzales
Gonzales Implicated In Another Scandal Olbermann video
Alberto Gonzales: A Willing Accessory at Justice part 1 of 4
Sen. Pryor: Attorney general lied to Senate
Colbert’s Word on Gonzo’s Purge video
The Road to Rove
Bush got Iglesias axed: "Republicans habitually make claims about voter fraud. But the charges are almost invariably bogus. And in most if not every case the claims are little more than stalking horses for voter suppression efforts."

AROUND THE WEB LAST WEEK:

Texas Realizes Dixie Chicks Were Right
Texas Senators Unite To Block Voter ID Bills
Governor Perry’s Middle East Junket Paid For By Corporations With Business Before The Legislature

The new IRaq (hilarious video)

Before Walter Reed, there were Fort Stewart and Fort Knox and ...
Serially Abusing the American Military

The Cover-Up Continues torture at Guantanamo
The Confession Backfired
Psychology legend blasts detainee torture
U.S. allies in Africa may have engaged in secret prisoner renditions

Fox News at Its Finest why Dems dropped them as debate host
Fox News can't take a punch
Fox Attacks: Black America

Eliminationism in America (part one of a great series of ten articles, and check out the scary quotes in the Appendix)

Cheney's Murder-Death-Kill Talk
And from Darth Cheney: After a survey shows that Dick Cheney is less popular than torture, a commenter says "In fairness to torture, it might be more popular if Cheney wasn't dragging down its poll numbers."

Do You Dubai? Halliburton flees the country
Debunking the NYT's sloppy hit piece on Gore

MORE ON BUCK MASSEY:

This week's Dallas Voice has an article about Buck Massey, the SDEC member and Stonewall Democrats national, state, and local board member, who died suddenly last week. You can find it at this page.

RECENTLY ON THE WEB:

Dallas DA Featured In Washington Post
Dallas DA Admits Wrongdoing (by his predecessors)

Your DNA Is Mine, Little Girl
Police Sent to All Texas Youth Prisons
Why Did It Take Perry So Long To Act?
Raping kids. Just another day at the office. at the TYC

States may force megaprimary, winnow the 2008 field early
Dems Dump FOX: Obama Comments "Went Too Far"

Department of Injustice By Paul Krugman
The Political Profiling of Elected Democratic Officials
Rove was asked to fire U.S. attorney

Libby's guilty verdict: Media myths and falsehoods to watch for
The Problem With Pardoning Libby
Cheney's Fall From Grace
Vermont Votes to Impeach Bush/Cheney
Impeachment fever is going mainstream

Fully Fund the Safe Withdrawal of our Troops from Iraq
Iraq's Superbombs: Home Made?
Collision Course With Iran by Dennis Kucinich
“they are planning very seriously at the President’s request to attack Iran” by Sy Hersh
The Words None Dare Say: Nuclear War by George Lakoff
Webb Introduces Bill Restricting War with Iran

Outsourcing Walter Reed
Walter Reed and Privatization - A Chronology of Shame
The Daily Show Slams Bush Over Walter Reed Scandal video
Man Pleads Guilty In Walter Reed Kickback Scheme

And just for fun:
Priests to purify site after Bush visit

IN MEMORY -- BUCK MASSEY:

(This email came from former Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Ken Molberg.)

It’s with a great deal of sadness that Theresa Daniel and I inform you that our fellow state committee member, Buck Massey of the 23rd Senatorial District in Dallas, died in his sleep Tuesday night. Many of you knew Buck and how instrumental he was in our recent victory in this county. Our prayers are with his family. We will truly miss Buck. He was also a close personal friend and ally. Below is some biographical information prepared by Shannon Bailey, president of Texas Stonewall Democrats and a member of the SDEC.

Lester B. "Buck" Massey

December 21, 1949 - March 7, 2007

My Fellow Stonewall Democrats Family,

It is with tremendous sadness that I bring you the news of Buck's passing. He died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Dallas last night. Please keep him and his mother, sister, niece and nephews in your thoughts. There will be a void to fill in his loss for our organization and the many causes that he gave his heart and soul in the form of tireless activism.

He served others his whole life. He was a veteran of Vietnam in the Air Force and as a civilian served as a Postal Worker until his retirement in December 2005. At the time of his death he was a Board Member of National Stonewall Democrats, Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus, and the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas. He was also proudly serving as State Democratic Executive Committeeman from Senate District 23.

I could tell stories and tales about Buck for hours and hours. He was a dear and close personal friend to me and I will miss his sharing his thoughts and laughter always.

In solidarity,
Shannon

RETURN OF THE HATE MONGERS:

Just as the Democratic Presidential candidates are off to an earlier than usual start, so are the right-wingers with their attacks and lies. Even though Al Gore is not a candidate, they are so afraid of him that they've made him a target. (See this article for a collection of links to their venom, and this video for Keith Olbermann's response to some of it.) The invaluable watchdog Media Matters for America is documenting several verbal assaults each day, usually blandly passed on by the networks, against front runners Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama. This will only get worse with time, and any other candidates who climb in the polls will get the same treatment.

The latest brouhaha arose at the conservative conference where one of the darlings of the reactionaries, Ann Coulter, proceeded to trash John Edwards in a way that even made some of the righties pause. There is a full report on her vile remarks on him and others, with a video clip, links to other sites, and the text of a letter from the Edwards campaign to supporters asking for donations "to show every would-be Republican mouthpiece that their bigoted attacks will not intimidate this campaign", all at Raw Story. Even though she sort of endorsed Mitt Romney there, he later echoed Giuliani and McCain in repudiating her remarks.

She's said similar things before, trying to paint both Bill Clinton and Al Gore as gay, and even using that same f-word. She has been fired or dropped at least three times for her viciousness. Even this latest distancing themselves from her by embarrassed candidates is not new. The internet's best reporter on reactionary extremism, Dave Neiwert of Orcinus, summarized her latest outrage in this well-linked article:

Ho hum. Another year, another CPAC conference, another contrived Ann Coulter Controversy, just like last year. Once again, we get a kabuki dance from movement conservatives who denounce the remarks themselves but neglect to go any farther.

SOME VIDEOS OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES (OR NOT....):

Joe Biden at the DNC
Hillary Clinton at the DNC
Chris Dodd at the DNC
John Edwards at the DNC
Al Gore at the Oscars
Mike Gravel in New Hampshire
Dennis Kucinich at the DNC
Barack Obama Austin rally with videos
Bill Richardson at the DNC

TWO WEEKS AGO ON THE WEB:

New Dallas D.A. bringing a new approach for a 'failed system'

Environmentalists hail takeover plan for Texas utility

Justice Reports Lauded Ousted Prosecutors

US generals ‘will quit’ if Bush orders Iran attack

Dissension in the Ranks: Soldiers Speak Out video

Poll: Americans Strongly Support Murtha’s Iraq Plan

The Redirection Seymour Hersh on Iran

THREE WEEKS AGO ON THE WEB:

Texas Democratic Party Files Lawsuit To Ensure Ballot Integrity

Rick Perry Thinks He Will Be The Vice President Someday

Warren Chisum: Is Our Children Learning Science?

Return of 1990s-Style Right-Wing Violence?

6 Of 7 Dismissed US Attorneys Had Positive Job Evaluations

The Army blinked The Watada court martial

Breakdown At The Iraq Lie Factory

Journalist paints a dark view (Seymour Hersh)

US seeks pretext for conflict with Iran (Ex-Bush Iran official)

Doubts raised on linking of Iran to US deaths in Iraq

Thelma and Louise Imperialism

Getting It Right on Iran

US 'Iran attack plans' revealed Two triggers