(Tonight’s selections are brought to you courtesy of the Rescue Rangers. SusanG)

Tonight's first 3 diarists engage their readers with original writing and storytelling at its best (--BentLiberal):

• In A girl I know, first-time diarist David R tells a compelling story about the trap of low-income health insurance. (paragraph)
• KAMuston shares some lighthearted speculation on the coming Apocalypse in Doomsday Will Be A Little Early This Year. (paragraph)
• kay dubconfesses in "This is all my fault!" to having been the reason for many lost causes. (ybruti)

If you're a fan of factual, well-written and politically relevant diaries, feast upon these: I know I did.

• NNadir continues to challenge our perception of radioactive things with Profile of "A Dangerous Nuclear Waste:" Cesium Part 2. This is a series worth trying to get your head around. (Unitary Moonbat)
• Daveparts brings up the subject of overpopulation in his thoughtful diary The More Inconvenient Truth. (ybruti)
• Chalmers Johnson on 'Empire v. Democracy' by Rockridge describes the effect of imperial ambitions (like 737 bases in 130 counties) on the U.S. itself. (ybruti)
• PaulVa shines a light on the hypocrisy of executive contracts in Waging Class Warfare Through Double Standards. (nyc in exile)

These next two are no less than informational epics - thoroughly researched and impeccably written.

• eOz walks us through recent political history, from the cruelty of the Regan years to the tyrannical corporatism of the current administration, in his ongoing series Countdown To No Confidence: T-50 Days. (nyc in exile)
• GreyHawk shows GW who really gets to decide in "From the Consent of the Governed." (nyc in exile)

Finally...Carnacki picks up where GreyHawk left off concerning "who serves whom" followed up by excellent takes on Libertarianism, the recent peace marches, the GAO and the profit motive.

• Carnacki is angry about the Imperial Vice Presidency, and is demanding some answers while reminding us of just who works for who in our ostensibly-democratic arrangement. (Unitary Moonbat)
• First-time diarist Dharmajim has A Libertarian Perspective to tell you about Ð you may not agree with all the author's arguments, but you will have your thoughts provoked. (Unitary Moonbat)
• Another first-timer: astor column presents a nice compilation of links regarding CPL Josh Sparling: Pics of him at the Demo w/Freepers, and proceeds to spit Michelle Malkin's latest cause for rabid indignation back in her face. (Unitary Moonbat)
• In GAO provides critical oversight questions in Iraq Security Report the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) has recently put a number on the cost of the Iraq War, as well as issued a statement that "Future Iraq Costs are Likely to be Condiderable". phreephallin believes that these costs predict disaster for the President's surge plan.(vcmvo2)
• Robert Feinman ponders a 21st century less dependent on the profit motive in Goal 16: Develop Non-material Life Goals. Intriguing enough that I may have to go back and read the whole series of goals, despite my B- in economics. (Erika)

Tonight's Rescue Rangers were paragraph, Unitary Moonbat, ybruti, nyc in exile, vcmvo2 and Erika, with BentLiberal as editor.

sardonyx has tonight's Top Comments diary.

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(Tonight’s selections are brought to you courtesy of the Rescue Rangers. SusanG)

We're almost a full month into 2007 - so how are those resolutions holding up? If you resolved to read more this year, you'll find a particularly solid set of work in tonight's rescue, which includes longer essays ranging from the personal to the analytical.  

Tonight's Rescue brought to you by Rippen Kitten, msobel, jennyjem, Elise, Dump Terry McAuliffe, and srkp23 with pico spinning around in the editor's chair.

• JeeniCriscenzo shows what it is to be protesting in the trenches in We Cannot Be Silent. (msobel)
• CanadianBill ehh does domestic tranquility in Environment? I'll Give You Effing Environment!! (msobel)
• Diarist ordinary expat examines the fascinating connection between Leo Strauss, Karl Jung, and the White House in Archetypes and Quanta,-- and the New Iran Story. (jennyjem)
• angrytoyrobot does Radio Days in Only a Fool Argues With a Fool. (msobel)
• Here's why should you care about hedge funds. Fifth-time diarist Unbill's Hedge Fund Roundup warns of their influence over political candidates and state pension funds. (Dump Terry McAuliffe)
• Clem Yeobright's snark is so incisive, it cuts right to the bone in If a president were a traitor. (jennyjem)
• There is no honor in fear-mongering. In The Last Line of Defense, Mantix examines the neocons' worn-out, overplayed, Pols Who Cry Wolf calling card (you guessed it, fear) via the words of John McCain. (Rippen Kitten)
• dsjwriter looks to the run up to the U.S. Civil War to warn that "leaving it to the States" might create a tinderbox rather than a peaceful solution to controversial issues in State sovereignty fair? Not so fast. (srkp23)
• Bernie Quigley chronicles The Southern Insurgents: Jim Webb, John Edwards, Wes Clark. (msobel)
• Blue Eyed Buddhist explains why the Bush administration's Mixing politics and policy... could be bad news for the Federal Aviation Administration, where the diarist works. (Dump Terry McAuliffe)
• Looking for a good movie to see this year? JasonThe provides some great options in his diary, Indie Film: Saving The World Two Hours At A Time. (Elise)
• A Siegel asks, Kossacks -- WHAT HAVE YOU PUBLISHED LATELY? In this, his second diary on this worthy subject, he wants to hear from you. (jennyjem)

carolita brings Top Comments.

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Today's diaries cover some very specific issues that will be coming up, as well as some constructive measures for countering right wing spin.

Tonight's rangers are Got a Grip, joshalot, my global conscious, Patriot Daily, Bent Liberal, and Unitary Moonbat with smokeymonkey editing.

• There's no need to wax descriptive about WinSmith's diary introducing us to a new word, the title speaks for itself inThe "Propaganecdote:" How Right Wing Media Constructs False Reality in Tiny Bite Sized Pieces. (Got a Grip)
• niteskolar's Black Conservative Talking Heads: 'Why They Fail' provides answers to a lot of questions from the perspective of an African-American for whom Armstrong Williams most definitely does not speak. (Unitary Moonbat)
• On The Bus continues the excellent weekly series providing information on hearings and legislation in House Oversight & Govt Reform: week in review (CCP). (Patriot Daily)
• ManfromMiddletown nicely makes the case against the extension of trade authority for Mr. Decider in Fight Coming on Fast Track for Trade. (Patriot Daily)
• Dirk McQuigley reveals the collateral consequences of the Bush insurance plan: hidden tax & shell game. (Patriot Daily)
• Compound F takes a look at how learned culture fits into the behavior of the Bush Administration's officials and their inability to recognize and respect the culture of others in Culture, Wars, Playing with Worlds. (Got a Grip)
• A veteran of the Vietnam era protests, Mary Julia speaks from experience concerning protest behavior then and now, good and bad, in We CAN Behave Badly. (Got a Grip)
• NNadir brings copious knowledge, a wry sense of humor, and a well-structured (if Kostroversial) argument to Profile of a "Dangerous Nuclear Waste," Cesium. Part 1. (Unitary Moonbat)

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(Tonight’s selections are brought to you courtesy of the Rescue Rangers. SusanG)>

Activism, advice to presidential candidates, (general and specific), Iraq and the minds behind it, health care, climate changes and other minor issues are on the Rangers' Hivemind tonight.

This evening's Rescue Rangers are  claude, vcmvo2, dannyinla, Rippen Kitten, Dump Terry McAuliffe, nyc in exile with msobel as editor.

• theantidesi101 celebrates and honors his (and our) family of activists who show up time and again, some for decades, to put their bodies on the line in protest and demonstration, a never ending movement with an ever increasing battle front. Video of the Massive Rally in D.C. (claude)
• Mosquito Pilot recounts his brief conversation with his Congressional Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee and his urging her to use the Congressional franking privilege (Congresspersons get free mail to communicate with their constituents) to announce rallies she would like to see furthered. Houston Protest (claude)
• Nonpartisan is In Search of a Foreign Policy Vision and suggests that our 2008 Presidential candidates look to Woodrow Wilson's final speech to help find and define it. So far, Nonpartisan argues, only Bill Richardson is putting foreign policy issues at the forefront. (dannyinla)
• lifelong activist analyzes, in this second of an excellent two-part diary series, how activists can, and should, learn to appreciate the other's point-of-view in order to "sell" their candidate. Hurting Your Favorite Candidate: The Third Bitter Truth. (vcmvo2)
• In One of Obama's early issues: combating racial profiling, onanyes shares his own experience with racial profiling in Illinois and highlights Obama’s efforts on this front as an Illinois State Senator. (nyc in exile)
• One CrankyDom analyzes the use of mercenaries in Iraq and how Congress needs to supervise Lt. Gen David H. Petraeus's efforts to secure Baghdad using the Iraqi Facilities Protection Services. The American taxpayer pays their salaries but is it worth it? Mercs, Petraeus, Hillary, and paying for Trouble. (vcmvo2)
• We've all heard the term "back door draft" but exactly what does it mean with regard to Iraq? In The Army Erosion - Reliance on IRR and The Back Door Draft diarist n00161 provides a detailed explanation of a dangerous stalling strategy by the military. (Rippen Kitten)
• In Hagel and Bush's Bay of Pigs Moment, Avenging Angel compares John F. Kennedy, who reached outside his inner circle after things went wrong, to George W. Bush, who refuses to do so. (Dump Terry McAuliffe.
• Onward Christian Fascists is a passionate call to arms against the empty rhetoric of the Religious Right by first time diarist Roller. (Rippen Kitten)
• In News From the North: Canadiana Diary Rescue, 1/21-1/28, aphra behn summarizes Canadian news and analysis with a distinctive, entertaining style. (Rippen Kitten)
• Second-time diarist McCamy Taylor asks: Would You Buy a Universal Healthcare Plan from the (Other) Enron Candidate?. Taylor warns that Governor Schwarzenegger's health-care plan invites the insurance industry to sabotage it. (Dump Terry McAuliffe)
• Bookmark this long and detailed report of various States' efforts towards some form of universal health care plan for their citizens. scott jones gives a state by state review in Universal Health Care Watch: State Level. A thorough and well researched effort, with many links. (claude)
• In Climate Change: Defining a Generation, zcaron explains why climate change is a social justice issue on both a local level and a world wide level that will define his generation. (claude)

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(Tonight’s selections are brought to you by the Rescue Rangers. SusanG)

Today, let us thank all of those who rallied and marched to end the Iraq War, and let us reflect on these quotations from two of January 27th's most famous birthday boys:

Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.
                                                              Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   1756-1791

One of the secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others.                                                   Lewis Carroll    1832-1898

This evening's Rescue Rangers are Got a Grip, nyc in exile, Patriot Daily, pico, and vcmvo2, with srkp23 as editor.

• CalifSherry describes the case of Ehren Watada, whose father spoke eloquently at the rally in DC today. See Lt. Ehren Watada: Hero's Journey? (ybruti)
• exmearden writes an achingly beautiful memoir of conversations with a Bosnian refugee from the Serbian civil war, as shared under the constellation Orion in Orion's belt, a Bosnian tale. (vcmvo2)
• A meandering journey from Aristotle to Hitler, Shadows Vanish When You Use a Floodlight... allows kredwyn to pull apart the State of the Union in the context of the history of rhetoric. (pico)
• If Bush's healthcare plan sounds like a disaster waiting to happen then your not alone, as lapolitichick has outlined a few reasons why in RANT: Bushco Strikes out at Families. Again. (Got a Grip)
• Shane Hensinger provides a very interesting analysis of U.S. aid to Africa in Ending the African Aid Scam. (ybruti)
• davidseth describes the resistance of a federal judge to interference by the Attorney General’s office in Sending A Message to the AG. Comments on the diary are also enlightening. (ybruti)
• mkfox continues the excellent weekly series about the architects of our freedoms in Forgotten Founding Fathers: James Monroe. (Patriot Daily)
• For all you history buffs, Rusty1776 offers you a bedtime snark, a tasty treat of what might have been if our Founding Fathers had had BushCo's mindset in Non-Binding Version of the Declaration of Independence. (Got a Grip)
• SDorn offers up the next in the YearlyKos series on education: The history of teaching (YKos), an excellent diary outlining the history of instruction and pedagogy that's a must-read for anyone interested in education-related issues. (pico)
• New diarist GKMscot tells us about a lesson plan for Problems in Elementary School that may drive right-winger bullies crazy! (Patriot Daily)
• Oh the Idiocracy! It's rare when a movie is considered so dangerous that its parent company tries to undersell it in the hopes no one will see it. DeanDemocrat joins the chorus of eager reviewers who want you to help make Idiocracy a success. (pico)
• bink went to Davos and all I got was this lousy t-shirt! A Letter From Davos. (nyc in exile)

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(Tonight’s selections are brought to you courtesy of the Rescue Rangers. SusanG)

Was Monday a bummer for you? You weren't alone. According to the experts--and who are we to quibble with them?--the Monday that begins the last full week of January is the most depressing day of the year.

But things are looking up. The days are becoming demonstrably longer, a phenomenon that so cheered our pagan ancestors that they held a festival halfway between the Winter Solstice and Vernal Equinox. In the Christian era, that festival evolved into Candlemas, which is celebrated February 2. Or, if you prefer, Groundhog Day.

This evening's Rescue Rangers are Unitary Moonbat, Got a Grip, global conscious, and budhydharma (filling in at the last minute), and srkp23, with Dump Terry McAuliffe as rookie editor.

• A couple of diarists commented on the venom of the Right. Chgo Jim uses a powerfully disturbing metaphor to warn us about The Republicanist Party--America’s Abusive Spouse. (Unitary Moonbat); and in W, the Black Knight, and NPR's "Bridging the Divide",

  SteveG finds fault with NPR for not blaming the right wing for America being so polarized. (Dump Terry McAuliffe)

• Nathan Hammersmith elegizes the quaint idea of habeas corpus (recently waterboarded out of existence by AG Torquemada Gonzales) in describing The scariest exchange in 217 years. (Unitary Moonbat)
• In a marvelous and spectacular, in fact Herculean effort, ActivistGuy gets my vote for promotion to Saint Activist Guy for the spirit of national and community service he has displayed in compiling 150+ Local Antiwar Actions this Weekend (Final List). Thank you, Sir! (buhdydharma)
• Tomorrow's anti-war march in Washington inspired a Dystopic Sci-Fi Nightmare/New Police Weaponry Roundup. First-time-diarist grayday101 issues a warning to Rallygoers--NLWs and LLWs for Crowd Control, and vassmer’s grim conclusion is We Are The Enemy-Active Denial System Aimed At Us. (Unitary Moonbat)
• Iraq is certainly on diarists' minds. roanoker lets us know that it’s Time To Learn About Iraq, then encapsulates a whole bunch of Islamic and Iraqi history in a succinct Q&A. (Unitary Moonbat)
• On an oft...but still under-discussed issue, becca00 asks Which Family? Who Do We Choose? A well written and heartfelt take on who we are as social and familial "units" (buhdydharma).
• How does newsie8200 do it? The Grand Master of Linking has another edition of Newsie's Media News: Plamegate & FCC Chairman Connection ready to be hotlisted for future reference. (Unitary Moonbat)
• Looking out from his vantage point on high, The Lighthouse Keeper gives us a fun, but also well thought out and incisive, overview of these troubled times in Whenever he opens his mouth, he steps in it deeper. (buhdydharma)
• First time diarist HeadkickingForFreelance has himself a little rant about some of John McCain's most recent attempts to raise the quality of life in America and around the globe in John McCain Punches Orphans, Others. (Got a Grip)
• There's more nonsense underneath the Capitol dome. One of the Republican presidential hopefuls has some interesting ideas on how to end perceived racism in Congress. Duke1676 fills us in on the details in Tancredo calls for end of minority caucuses. (Got a Grip)
• Frederick Clarkson shines a light on Domestic Terrorism, Undesignated and Unrepentent. The terrorists in question are abortion opponents who still believe that the ends justify the means. (Unitary Moonbat)
• Finally, with the help of her own experience, laurenpatrizi gives us a glimpse at an illness so many of our soldiers face, sometimes years after returning home, in What PTSD Means To Me. (Got a Grip)

Ambrosius has Top Comments.

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(Tonight's selections are brought to you courtesy of the Rescue Rangers. SusanG)

Tonight's Diary Rescue has fuel for the heart, the belly, the brain (of course), and the funny bone.

Starting with the heart Zergle needs to hear from Kossacks with experience confronting an undiagnosed debilitating disease.

Then, a series of diaries will put a fire in your belly by confronting issues that you know America could and should be doing better on.

For Brain food read dotcommodity on the war on science, diverdonreed (complete with screaming title), counterpoints on stem cell, and the expert Oversight diary by FWIW. Also check the diaries by sillylittletwit and ignatz uk.

Finally, stroke your funny-bone with a laugh. In the funny-if-it-weren't-so-serious category is the open letter on Garry South. But sure to make you smile are skymutt's election bracketology and the satire of Nameless Soldier.

Please help us welcome Rippen Kitten and TruthOfAngels to the accomplished team of Diary Rescuers!

This evening's Rescue Rangers are nyc in excile, pico, TruthOfAngels, Rippen Kitten, msobel, smokeymonkey and Elise, and B12love editing.

• Zergle, in a heartfelt cry, asks what a person is Worth. (msobel)
• El Cabrero ponders the philosophic dynamics of social and economic justice in What would social justice look like? (Rippen Kitten)
• PaulVA proposes Fixing Economic Opportunity Through the Employee Free Choice Act. (msobel)
• New diarist MetalCelt supplies us with the heartening story of the Republican who, like Rip Van Winkle, eventually woke up in Hagel: Angry and sheds light on the real War Resolution Bush wanted. (TruthOfAngels)
• Patrick Kennedy shows why Senator Bingaman's Global Warming Bill Falls Short with a wonderful pair of graphs that everyone should internalize. As climate change becomes accepted, the question becomes what are we doing about it? (smokeymonkey)
• Divine Strake, Back With a Vengence by Misty Fowler reminds us that anti-proliferation efforts are not only not being pursued by this administration; they are seeking to develop more nuclear weapons. This thing won't go away. (smokeymonkey)
• mspicata argues for cooperation in Seventeen Republican votes. (msobel)
• dotcommodity roars back against No Lie Left Behind in Returning Fire in The War On Science. (msobel)
• "Oversight" is the big media buzzword now that the Democrats control congress. More than just a Civics refresher course, FWIW's diary lays out the different ways Congress can check the excesses of a bloated Executive Branch in Congressional Oversight: How To. (pico)
• New diarist diverdonreed rebuts the Republican claim that embryonic stem cell research is unnecessary in the poignant and personal diary "THE LIST"-- ALLEGEDLY SUCCESSFUL ADULT STEM CELL TREATMENTS AND CURES. If you want to help, a list of relevant contacts is included therein. (TruthOfAngels)
• In UK head of public prosecutions: 'There is no war on terror,' ignatz uk examines indefinite detention without trial in the U.K. (Rippen Kitten)
• First-time diarist sillylittletwit hands out the straight statistical dope on how the Democratic Party is making important gains at the State level in 2008 and state legislatures. Howard Dean would be proud. (TruthOfAngels)
• In a well documented indictment of poor performance UTBriancl describes in detail how one "democratic strategist" is almost comically incompetent, in An Open Letter to the The Presidential Candidates: Beware of Garry South (B12love/Elise)
• Have you ever wished that Presidential Elections were given the same play-by-play as NCAA Basketball? User skymutt obliges, with 2008 Presidential race bracketology: The sweet sixteen. (pico)
• Nameless Soldier has an excellent piece of Machiavellian satire called National Destruction: How to (mis)lead your people. A must read. (smokeymonkey)

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Note: Because I’m going to be having houseguests for the next few days, I’ll be posting Diary Rescue each night a little later than usual ... thanks to the Rescue Rangers for picking up my usual Saturday duty as well. SusanG

Today, as we consider (and bemoan) the implications of The Decider’s SOTU pronouncements, we might want to keep in mind that January 24th is a date traditionally fraught with unpredictable happenings related to long-term impact: Gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, California (1848), canned beer was sold for the first time (1935), and a soldier of the Japanese Imperial Army was discovered hiding in the jungles of Guam (1972).

(Tonight’s Rescue Rangers are claude, Dump Terry McAuliffe, msobel, vcmco2 (x2), and ybruti, with Unitary Moonbat editing)

• Bcgntn provides text and video of Senator Webb's speech, and an excellent analysis, in Democratic Senator Webb Speaks From the Heart; State of the Union Rebuttal. (ybruti)
• 8ackgr0und N015e tells the story of heroic actions by people who took action rather than just pontificating about it in The true measure of a (wo)man. (vcmvo2)
• Nulwee takes us on a well documented and well sourced tour of modern day Nigeria and explains why this African country, it's background and it's fate have meaning for us in Nigeria's Tea Leaves: Disaster for Humanity. This is a fine piece of work, worth a read. (claude)
• In his diary debunking The Gold Plated Health Insurance Myth, ohwilleke argues forcefully that the president's proposal to tax employer-paid health insurance will hurt average workers and not the rich (Dump Terry McAuliffe).
• LithiumCola says About that National Intelligence Estimate fugetaboutit. (msobel)
• More fallout from Bush's disastrous blundering in the Mid East is presented for our education in smokeymonkey's The Next Lebanese Crisis Begins as we see Hezbollah's capitalizing upon it's consolidation of power after it's recent stand off of the IDF. (claude)
• Nellebracht talks about the real plan in Exposing the NeoCons (msobel)
• Pre-arm yourself against the onslaught to come of Republican responses to Bush's speech last by making use of the Acme(r) SOTU Response Kit: Conservative Edition, delicious snark by Melody Townsel. (claude)
• Hawesdawg shows that Lieberman not having learned from history is dooming us to repeat it in Lieberman's unfortunate metaphor (msobel)
• How can dkos encourage committed but busy Democrats to participate in this blog? Zknower asks Should DKos have a dedicated Volunteer/Donate Site?. (ybruti)
• paradocs2 analyzes the SOTU reference to controlling health-care costs and what Bush really intends to do in President Bush's False Health Reform Proposals. (vcmvo2)
• Jeffrey Feldman uses Google to fit Bush for webbed feet although he is still handing us the bill in Frameshop: Bush Stuck in "Duck" Frame (msobel)
• Regarding primaries, srsjones gives useful information in New Hampshire, the Primary, and the Big Lie. (ybruti)
• Michael Alton Gottlieb provides graphic proof of the Attack of the Criminal Aliens (Warning Humor Alert). (msobel)
• Flirtin With Disaster warns that H.R. 1, which would implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, could bring about an American Monkey Cage, where civil liberties have been "rendered quaint" (Dump Terry McAuliffe).

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The Rescue Rangers are happy to announce tonight that the State of Daily Kos and Diary Rescue is strong! In fact, it’s so strong, and there’s such an abundance of great selections tonight that I’ll just cut this short and wish you all some very happy reading!

This evening's Rescue Rangers are pico, Got a Grip, Jennyjem, Erika, smokeymonkey, and jlynne, with Elise and joshalot as co-editors.

• Here are two differing views on the Clinton candidacy and the issues that surround it. First the positive Celebrating the Clinton Announcement: Voter-Verified Ballots by diarist, bink, and then PsiFighter37's Hillary Clinton and the death of public financing. Please read and discuss. (jennyjem)
• Exasperated Expat's name says it all. In his first diary, he illustrates the unique view, by an American, of America from the outside in My letter to Norm Coleman with the hope that Coleman's quest for re-election will propel him to push for withdrawal from Iraq. (jennyjem)
• We all know how nerve-wracking and surreal campaign diaries can be. Tamifah preempts them with this hilarious bit of candidate-support-via-acid: Tamifah's Titillating ACME Presidential Diary!!! (pico)
• Having trouble imagining the challenges of a world where global warming raises sea levels? Brudaimonia brings us a compelling photo essay and analysis of waterlogged Bangladesh's struggles with geography and population for A Look Down the Barrel of the Global Warming Gun. (pico)
• Two diarists share their experiences visiting the capitol. In My Congressional Experience, user Doctor Who takes us through the nuts-and-bolts of attending sessions on Capitol Hill, and first timer Wide Awake in NJ's compelling Two Trips to Washington - War & Peace shows how great a difference the last couple years have made on the atmosphere of DC. (pico)
• What happens when you protest in the gallery of congress against a bill sanctioning war crimes? You get Convicted. Just ask CorvallisBart. (smokeymonkey)
• Has the Attorney General confused you about whether the Constitution protects your right to challenge your detention? AlibiRes eloquently dispels the myths and corrects the record in Clearing Up The Confusion Over Habeas Corpus.
• In a last ditch effort to find victory in Iraq, Bush sets his sites on Sadr and halcyondays explains why The New Battle of Baghdad is a Road to Nowhere.
• Pen managed to score an interview with an Iraqi War veteran and Purple Heart recipient who's currently speaking out against the war. Read more about his experiences in Iraq Vet testifies about war crimes in Iraq and what you can do to stop the war. (pico)
• In The U.S. Drug Industry is on Crack we learn that Pfizer is cutting jobs. elsaf explains why. (smokeymonkey)
• Frederick Clarkson details Rabbi Daniel Lapin's recent article for World Net Daily wherein the Rabbi explains Why Books Are Like Osama Bin Laden and Adolph Hitler and claims that a war on Christianity is being waged at your local bookstore. (jennyjem)
• In a righteous rant that highlights truth over rhetoric, davefromqueens shows us how to take back a phrase that it's current users do not deserve to own in I'm Taking the Phrase PRO LIFE. (Got a Grip)

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An excellent round-up of diaries for your consideration on the eve of the State of the Union address by Mr.28%. What is the meaning of this 28%, according to one of the pollsters? "If we had a British parliamentary system, there would be a call for a vote of no confidence. Essentially what the poll is, is a vote of no confidence."

This evening's Rescue Rangers are BentLiberal, Patriot Daily, ksh1, and Unitary Moonbat, with srkp23 as editor.

• smintheus provides excellent in-depth analysis of the Pentagon’s version of "justice" for Guantanamo trials in Just how fair are the new Pentagon rules for Military Commissions? (Patriot Daily)
• Gorette paints the unpretty picture that no one can face in The Suffering Children of Iraq? Who cares? It takes the sacrifice of a special person to be able to gather this type of information together...Please honor the diarist for this by giving thanks in the diary. Thanks. (BentLiberal)
• dancewater compares and contrasts military and local reports of the deaths of an Afghan family at the hands of the US troops in Killing the wrong people in Afghanistan. (ksh01)
• litigatormom preps us with Bush’s true meaning on major issues to be covered in his national address in Today's Bush & Snowjob Translation: SOTU Preview Edition. (Patriot Daily)
• Patrick Kennedy writes about major corporations now rejecting Bush’s voluntary approach to climate-changing pollution in A Tipping Point for U.S. Global Warming Legislation? (Patriot Daily)
• billlaurelMD reminds us that On Global Warming, Check the Sources, and walks us through the corporate-sponsored sourcing of a recent attack on Al Gore, exposing scientific guns for hire along the way. (Unitary Moonbat)
• histopresto’s Blogging for Choice: Today’s Doctor Visit is a call (to us, and Speaker Pelosi) to take notice of Gardasil, a recently-approved vaccine for cervical cancer. (Unitary Moonbat)
• In How to Talk About Universal Health Care Insurance: Part 1 diarist gatordem does a terrific job pointing out the the crisis is not healtcare, but healthcare insurance. (BentLiberal)
• Shadow of a doubt weighs in with 10 suggestions for turning around the erosion of consumer rights, from bankruptcy and arbitration to net neutrality and music downloads: An Agenda For Consumers. (BentLiberal)
• David Brin discusses a new way to use cell phones during disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and analyzes communication industry opposition. Of course, Homeland Security won’t be interested, but you might find something to chew on in Cell Networks Designed To Let Us Down (when we need them most). (ksh01)
• In NH-Sen Overview: Watch your Back, Sununu diarist nhcollegedem gives a knowledgeable behind-the-scenes look at the blue-ing of New Hampshire and a nice example of local blogging. (BentLiberal)
• And they’re off! aphra behn explores the recent raft of superheroes announcing their run for president. Okay, she missed Space Ghost, but it's good snark just the same in Breaking! Wonder Woman Runs for President (Ubergeeky Meta Snark). (ksh01)

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(Tonight’s selections are brought to you courtesy of the Rescue Rangers. SusanG)

A teenage artist, a first time diarist, and one of the pillars of the community are on the menu tonight at the Rescue Cafe, where we always feature delectable delicacies, but never serve whine.  Heck, tonight we even have Chinese Drive-thru for those in a hurry! For those who prefer a more leisurely pace, have a seat, lean back, relax and enjoy the efforts our great serving staff staff tonight as you feast on appetizers of alliteration, entries of eloquence, and a dessert of delicious statistics!.

(Your servers tonight, vcmvo2, claude, my global conscious, Got a Grip, Dump Terry McAuliffe and B12love, with your Maitre D'Blog, buhdydharma).

• Ava Lou, a young girl blogger, invites us all to join her in Washinton DC on Jan 27, 2007 with this powerful and moving video: VIDEO: How This Must End (claude)
• Jeff Huber shows us how to identify when a plan of Bush's is really bad in Even Kissinger and Krauthammer Lukewarm on Iraq "Surge" Strategy. (Got a Grip)
• Why are politicians refraining from calling the war a failure? paradox makes a thorough examination of this important question in Hope to End Iraq War: Republican Political Suicide Doesn't Make Sense. (Got a Grip)
• Mash, who lived in Quetta, Pakistan, as a child, calls that country's leaders a Hostile Regime because of their continuing support for the Taliban (Dump Terry McAuliffe).
• eOz thoroughly analyzes the right-wing doctrines that were developed as a response to the debacle in Vietnam; and how they are still in operation today inCountdown To No Confidence: T-60 days. (vcmvo2)
• artofstarving asks us if a billion Chinese, being pushed towards American level consumerism as a way of life, is a process the planet can afford. What is the example we want to show the rest of the world's people? More McDonald's? Drive-Thrus Come to China (claude)
• How effective are carbon offset programs?, asks jhsu. His diary details 12 things he's done to cut down on consumption of fossil fuels--without giving up a normal lifestyle (Dump Terry McAuliffe).
• Had it up to here skralyx rants on  "...wingnuts, neocons, talk-show ratings-pumpers, unwavering Bush followers..." who question the patriotism of those who would stop this absurdity in The absurdity continues (claude)
• President Bush has a fascinating idea of how to make health care more affordable. Cali Scribe tells us why we should consider the source in Bush's "New" Plan: Let's Screw The Middle Class. (Got a Grip)
• First time diarist and newcomer to DailyKos TexasAMC reminds us what the issues could and should be if we had a competent president in The Diet Coke Presidency. (Got a Grip)
• Kimball Cross did a little online research, and made a discovery: Barack Obama a Secret Muslim? The innuendo dates to August 2004Unfortunately, the falsehood has taken on a life of its own on the Right (Dump Terry McAuliffe)
• Anyone unfamiliar with jotter's work that has an interest in statistics on Daily Kos should take a look at this sampling, High Impact Diaries - January 20, 2007. (Got a Grip)

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Tonight's Top Comments brought to you by va dare.

Diaries up for rescue tonight:

• Nathaniel Ament Stone's Governor 2007 outlook gives a rundown on the three gubernatorial races coming up this year: Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi.
• agent double o soul's The Blue Screen of Death: Satellite Warfare delves into the policy and plans behind the news this week that China shot down one of its own satellites.
• Mark H's Marine Life Series: Oyster Drills looks at a type of carnivorous snail that lives in the intertidal zone.
• steve davis' Heidi Cullen and the seduction of right-wing dipshitization is a rant about the anti-science freaks invading the Weather Channel blog. It's as good as its title.
• dday's California Health Care Roundup 1-19-07 examines the details of three health care reform proposals being debated in the Golden State.
• Jay Elias' And I Promise Tomorrow... is a treatise on limits, anarchy, chaos and the future of the country, the Democratic Party and this website.
• mkfox's Forgotten Founding Fathers: Joseph Warren reflects on early patriot Joseph Warren, who was killed at Bunker Hill.
• Carl Nyberg's fixing loophole in military justice recommends some clarifications in the Uniform Code of Military Justice that could reduce a tendency for cover-ups.
• epppie's Death of a Disco is a eulogy offered up in honor of the closing of a disco in Bloomington, Indiana.
• thirdestate's Pushing On A Wet Noodle bemoans the state of American industry and the low-quality goods we produce.
• shirah's Farming for the Future looks at the place where water issues, hunger and oil prices collide, and what this means for the future.
• zeus4prez's Opposing Escalation: Republicans at War brings an update on which Republican senators are most likely to succumb to pressure and vote against escalation. Lots of great links to get in touch and strong analysis provided.
• Cassiodorus' A cow for Hillary: Maria Mies and Veronika Bennholdt_Thomsen's "The Subsistence Perspective" offers an interesting view from women in Bangladesh on what makes women powerful.

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