Patriot Act Hall of Fame / Shame

Staff / Truthdig Mar 3, 2006 Only nine Democrats and one Independent voted against the most sweeping abridgement of American freedoms in a generation Some of the heroes: Jim Jeffords, Russ Feingold, Robert Byrd Some of the villains: Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Barack Obama Check out the bottom of this AP story for the full list. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bill Clinton Advised UAE on Ports Deal

Staff / Truthdig Mar 2, 2006 The spinmeister in chief gave the Arab country advice on how to allay concerns about its pending takeover of major U.S. ports. (Clinton did this at the same time his wife was railing against the deal--just in case anyone mistakenly assumes that the N.Y. senator takes all her cues from the ex-prez.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Simpsons’ Trump First Amendment

Staff / Truthdig Mar 1, 2006 OK, OK, we know that it's a waste of breath of get exercised over the ignorance educational quirks of the American populace, but get this: Only one in four people can name more than one First Amendment freedom, while half of people in a poll can name at least two "Simpsons" family members. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jon Stewart to Dems: ‘Pick Up Your Game’

Staff / Truthdig Mar 1, 2006 "The Daily Show" host tells Larry King in that joking-but-not-really-joking way of his, "I'm leaving the Democrats out because I honestly don't feel that they make an impact. They have 49% of the vote and 3% of the power." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jon Stewart Runs on CNN International

Blair Golson / Truthdig Feb 20, 2006 OK, all you expatriates probably already knew this, but Truthdig didn't: "The Daily Show" runs on CNN International outside the U.S. Think about that: Millions (perhaps billions) of foreigners get Jon Stewart's version of America on a relatively straight-news-oriented channel. Depending on how you feel about Stewart's sensibility, that's either wonderful or troubling. (This snippet of news comes near the end of a hilarious article about Stewart's upcoming gig at the Oscars.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Anti-American Cleric Rising as Iraqi Kingmaker

Staff / Truthdig Feb 16, 2006 Moqtada al-Sadr, who led two deadly uprisings against American troops, now controls enough seats in the Iraqi parliament to be a puppet master. Read the New York Times profile, or check out Truthdig's Robert Scheer on the ominous implications of Sadr's ascendancy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gays Have to Play It Straight in Hollywood

Staff / Truthdig Feb 14, 2006 Sir Ian McKellen says, "It is very, very, very difficult for an American [gay] actor who wants a film career to be open about his sexuality." | story This is exactly what Truthdig's Larry Gross was getting at in "Year of the Queer: Hollywood and Homosexuality." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Official Iranian Paper to Run Holocaust Cartoons

Staff / Truthdig Feb 7, 2006 The Tehran city council-owned newspaper says it is testing the West's arguments about freedom of expression. | storyMeanwhile, Four Afghans are killed in cartoon-related protests near the U.S. base in Bagram--the first time violence has been directed against America in the controversy. | story Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Spying Program Yields Few Suspects

Staff / Truthdig Feb 7, 2006 Investigators eavesdropping on Americans in overseas calls have dismissed nearly all of them as suspects, according to the Washington Post. This is huge, because "a search cannot be judged 'reasonable' if it is based on evidence that experience shows to be unreliable."Meanwhile, feisty Russ Feingold, a Democratic senator, takes the attorney general to the cleaners for lying to him a year ago about Bush's surveillance activities. Gonzales shoots back, "I was telling the truth then. I'm telling the truth now." | story Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Joint Chiefs Protest a Cartoon

Staff / Truthdig Feb 2, 2006 All six Joint Chiefs of Staff write a very rare letter to the editor of the Washington Post, protesting an editorial cartoon by Tom Toles, which they say demeans wounded American soldiers. | story (Broken by AMERICAblog)Well, despite the fact that Toles has a valid satirical point to make about the Pentagon's overextension of troops in the field, we have to wonder: With the insurgency gaining strength every day, and reconstruction efforts crippled by high-level incompetency, this cartoon is what's upsetting our nation's military leadership? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Don’t Believe the Hype

Staff / Truthdig Jan 31, 2006 "Brokeback Mountain" may be topping the Oscar charts, but its success has just as much to say about America's homophobic tendencies as it does our homophilic ones.Check back Wednesday for a major new essay on that topic by Truthdig's Larry Gross, a pioneer in the field of gay and lesbian studies. Dig deeper

U.S. Army Seized Wives as Tactic

Staff / Truthdig Jan 28, 2006 In at least two instances, American forces have seized wives of insurgents as a means of "leverage." | story Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )