Editorial: Social Security/Blacks get more, not less, from it
maybe someone should tell BirdDog that Heritage was off makin' stuff up again

Foreign Policy: No Country Left Behind
Colin Powell on econ development being the main foreign policy challenge of the coming decades -- right, sure he's not running for Pres of the World Bank!

Shrillblog: Entire English Language To Join The Shrill?
the NYT comes out of its gray fog and takes notice

Hypocrite's Oath - Kenneth Baer -- American Prospect Online
Takes center-left to task for not joining anti-neocon Repubs in attack on premises of BushDoctrine2 - "hypocrisy" isn't good enough as a critique; must redefine US role in the world

ACLU - Pizza -- flash ad against MATRIX & Total Surveillance Society
it's not just the government! tensions among pros & cons of technology - customer efficiency, targeted services, heath care, security, privacy

Ceteris Paribus - directive Bolkestein
anti-globalization dominating media & politicians discourse

GAO - Fiscal Forum - Long-term Fiscal Crisis (pdf) Feb 2005
major portion deals with the health care crisis -- documents Dems arguments re fiscal priorities

The mystery of a feminist icon - Salon - Priya Jain
Nancy Drew taught me everything I needed to know about being a tough, independent woman. Too bad today's girls don't have the same role model.

Civil Service System on Way Out at DHS (washingtonpost.com)
the efficiency problem with the current system is huge; but the checks & balances are dropping like flies - after payola GOP patronage here we come

America's Promises - NYT editorial - Millenium Challenge Grant & foreign aid budgets
not a penny disbursed so far; another one of Bush's say-this do-that PR ploys

Body and Soul: Turn down your volume
Dems lose if they try to play on the GOP over-simplify playing field -- people looking for understanding not opposing slogans

Wired 13.02: Revenge of the Right Brain
another new "fault line" in how we think about our world & what we value