How not to honor a fallen soldier  —  Welcome to Memorial Day 2007.  Here's a lesson in How Not To Honor a Fallen Soldier 101.  Don't do what Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson did to fallen Marine Lance Corporal Aaron Austin:  —  Get his name wrong.  —  Exploit his death on the campaign trail.

CHAVEZ FORCES CLASH WITH DEMOCRACY PROTESTERS!  —  Venezuala continues its descent into hell.  —  ** The Jungle Hut is following the clashes from Venezuala.  —  ** Globovision has photos from the crackdown by the regime.  —  ** Venezuela News and Views- Even in San Felipe we are hearing sirens and pot banging!

British media could swing the next US election  —  By Tim Montgomerie, Editor of BritainAndAmerica.com.  —  Paul Wolfowitz gave what I think was his first interview this morning since giving up his battle to stay World Bank President.  He chose to give it to the BBC World Service.

Congress Gives In On War Funding  —  Now can we fight the enemy?  —  The war over the war in Washington is quiet for the moment.  Congress has finally appropriated funds for America's warriors without setting a deadline for their defeat.  Now the president can turn his undivided attention …

[TS] Op-Ed Columnist: Trust and Betrayal  —  Future historians will shake their heads over how easily America was misled into war.

MEMORIAL DAY 2007.  —  Today, we honor those who have gone before.  In November, we honor the living.  —  I don't mind the sales.  Commerce built this country.  I don't mind "Going to the Lake" - having fun with family and friends makes life worth living.  And this day is about having a life worth living.

Ignorance, Cognitive Dissonance, and al-Sadr  —  Re-emerging publicly on Friday May 25, 2007 for the first time since he went underground 4-months ago, Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr journeyed in a long motorcade from Najaf to the adjacent city of Kufa where he delivered a fiery sermon before 6,000 worshippers.

Wealthy Enclave Offers Windfall for Candidates  —  Senator John McCain made his pitch to this gilded shoreline suburb back in April.  Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts came on May 7, followed one night later by former President Bill Clinton on behalf of his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

We Must Be Able To Do Something  —  I understand where Adele is coming from.  We're good liberals, we gaze on the horror that we (yes, all of us) are responsible for, and are compelled to try to fix it.  To make it better.  To somehow uns**t the bed, if just a little bit.

The Media Equation: Not to See the Fallen Is No Favor  —  On this Memorial Day, thousands of United States men and women are engaged in untold acts of bravery and drudgery on behalf of what our leaders have defined as vital American interests in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Vilsack becomes key player in Clinton campaign  —  Aides say the efforts seem to be tied to a possible role of running mate.  —  Sioux Center, Ia.  - Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has assumed a role in Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign unlike any of the New York Democrat's other national advisers.

Memorial Day 2007: Lend A Hand  —  Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington seemed awfully appropriate for Memorial Day today.  It is a mournful song, and that suits my mood this morning to a tee.  —  I went back to an older post that quoted a letter from Kevin Tillman, and it ticked me off all over again in the read.