BREAKING NEWS: Electoral initiative backers give up  —  Plagued by a lack of money, supporters of a statewide initiative drive to change the way California's 55 electoral votes are apportioned, first revealed here by Top of the Ticket in July, are pulling the plug on that effort.

Reports: Military junta cuts Internet access in Burma; Sniper reportedly killed Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai; Update: Videos added  —  Update 10:45am Eastern.  The Lede points to more Burmese bloggers continuing to report despite the clampdown.  —  Update 9:50am Eastern.  PJM pays tribute to monks and bloggers.

Six inconvenient truths about the U.S. and slavery  —  Those who want to discredit the United States and to deny our role as history's most powerful and pre-eminent force for freedom, goodness and human dignity invariably focus on America's bloody past as a slave-holding nation.

Dems unite to slam Limbaugh, GOP silent  —  As a rule, Democrats and their allies are a little slow when it comes to organized outrage.  A high-profile Republican will say or do something that most decent Americans would find outrageous, progressive blogs will call him or her on it …

What Free Speech Means, And What It Doesn't  —  For a nation birthed on the concept of free speech, we seem to have a very poor understanding of the concept.  Jonah Goldberg notices this in his NRO column today, and uses the case of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Columbia to make the point:

S-CHIP Battle Moves To Vetoland, Population: 3  —  The Senate passed the expansion of the S-CHIP program yesterday with a veto-proof majority, 67-29, which sets up a standoff between Congress and the White House over the renewal of the politically sensitive program.

Cigarette surveillance program begins today  —  Motorists bringing large numbers of smokes into state will be charged  —  NASHVILLE — Starting today, state Department of Revenue agents will begin stopping Tennessee motorists spotted buying large quantities of cigarettes in border states …

State Dept. Tallies 56 Shootings Involving Blackwater on Diplomatic Guard Duty  —  The State Department said Thursday that Blackwater USA security personnel had been involved in 56 shootings while guarding American diplomats in Iraq so far this year.  It was the first time the Bush administration had made such data public.

Leading GOP Candidates Skip Debate on Black Issues  —  4 Contenders Attend Fundraisers Instead  —  Fred D. Thompson was at a fundraiser in Franklin, Tenn. Mitt Romney was gathering checks in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Rudolph W. Giuliani was in California raking in some last-minute cash just north of Napa.

Wanted: Democratic Straight Talk on Iraq  —  Yes, you heard it right: At the Dartmouth College debate Wednesday evening, not one of the three leading Democratic candidates could pledge that all U.S. combat troops would be out of Iraq by the end of his or her first term as president.

The Islamic Reformation  —  Those who call for an Islamic 'Reformation' are missing the point: it has already happened, unfortunately.  —  Since 2001 a plethora of writers have made calls for an Islamic "Reformation".  Many hopes (and careers) are pinned on the idea, but there is no such thing coming.

Mistake costs dishwasher $59,000  —  MIAMI, Florida (CNN) — For 11 years, Pedro Zapeta, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, lived his version of the American dream in Stuart, Florida: washing dishes and living frugally to bring money back to his home country.

The war president "at peace" with himself  —  Bush's 2003 conversation with the Spanish prime minister shows his smug determination to invade Iraq at all costs.  —  George W. Bush answers a question during a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar …

Wilkes faces court date on Friday  —  Celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos is waging an aggressive defense of Brent Wilkes, a California businessman accused of bribing former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.).  —  Wilkes and alleged co-conspirator John Michael are set to appear before a judge Friday …

The Smart Choice  —  Actions speak louder than words.  That's what I was thinking when I heard that Verizon, the second-largest U.S. mobile company, had refused to allow NARAL Pro-Choice America to send opt-in text messages to its members (then reversed its decision on Thursday morning after a storm of criticism).

Sycophant Savior  —  General Petraeus wins a battle in Washington—if not in Baghdad.  —  In common parlance, the phrase "political general" is an epithet, the inverse of the warrior or frontline soldier.  In any serious war, with big issues at stake, to assign command to a political general …

With Legacy in Mind, Bush Reassesses His Agenda  —  As he addresses a conference on climate change this morning, President Bush will face not only a crowd of skeptics but the press of time.  For nearly seven years, he invested little personal energy in the challenge of global warming.