memeorandum: Reflections on community gardens and the legacy of MLK (Tom Philpott/Grist)

10:15 AM ET, January 17, 2011

Top Items:

Giffords's condition upgraded — TUCSON - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was upgraded from critical to serious condition Sunday after doctors determined that there were no complications from having her ventilator removed a day earlier. — In a statement released Sunday afternoon …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Outside the Beltway and FrumForum

Washington Post:

Giffords's border district symbolizes the heat of Arizona politics — DOUGLAS, ARIZ. - The congresswoman's grueling path to reelection took her from her Tucson base across the barren high desert, through an empty expanse of tumbleweed and mesquite trees, to this dusty town at the Mexican border …

Discussion: Examiner and Right Wing News

New York Times:

Husband's Message About Giffords: 'She's a Fighter' — Hundreds turned out on Sunday for a walk in memory of the shooting victims. The march ended at Gabrielle Giffords's office. More Photos » — TUCSON — On a day when Representative Gabrielle Giffords's condition was upgraded …

Discussion: AOL News and New York Magazine

Associated Press:
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords condition improves

Discussion: ABCNEWS and Scared Monkeys

Jason Millman / The Hill:

House GOP lawmaker targeting key health reform provision — A powerful House Republican is setting in motion a congressional challenge to a key provision of the healthcare reform law. — Republican Conference Secretary John Carter (R-Texas) is trying to build momentum for a Congressional Review Act …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The War on Logic — My wife and I were thinking of going out for an inexpensive dinner tonight. But John Boehner, the speaker of the House, says that no matter how cheap the meal may seem, it will cost thousands of dollars once you take our monthly mortgage payments into account.

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Daily Kos

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
After Promising To ‘Repeal And Replace’ …

Discussion: Pam's House Blend, The Mahablog, Washington Post and AMERICAblog News

E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post: GOP test: A civil and honest health-care discussion

Amy Goldstein / Washington Post:
GOP lacks clear health-care plan

Discussion: The Blotter and New York Magazine

New York Times:
The Truth and Consequences of Repeal

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Mike Allen / The Politico:

George Allen launches early campaign - Loughner trial in San Diego — JDA Frontline grows — West Wing stars come out for Marissa Hopkins — First lady b'day — EXCLUSIVE: George Allen, the former U.S. senator and Virginia governor, plans to tell supporters within a week that he is mounting …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Jerry Markon / Washington Post:

Federal authorities plan to move trial of Tucson shooting suspect — Federal authorities are planning to move the trial of the alleged gunman in the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson to San Diego because of extensive pretrial publicity in Arizona, federal law enforcement sources said Sunday night.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Guardian, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and FrumForum

Donald Sensing / Sense of Events:

Seahawks fall to climate of hate in Chicago — You should have known something like this was going to happen. The vitriol and anger in our nation's sports talk has never been harsher - and we may as well face it: most of it is coming from Chicago Bears Fans.

Discussion: theblogprof

Don Surber:

I do not want civil discourse — For a decade, from the election of Bush 43 forward, the Left has lied and cheated as it tried to return to power. Al Gore made a mockery out of the American electoral system by being a spoilsport over Florida, which Bush indeed won by 537 votes.

Discussion: Nice Deb, theblogprof, JustOneMinute, GayPatriot, Questions and Observations, Moe Lane and iOwnTheWorld.com

Freddie / L'Hôte:

the blindspot (updated) — I'm sorry, but I feel compelled. — The last week has seen an endless discussion, within the political blogosphere, about the meaning of rhetoric, extremism, and what is acceptable discourse. I'm on break now, so I've been more attentive than usual.

Discussion: Mother Jones, naked capitalism, Balloon Juice, A plain blog about politics and The League of Ordinary …

Kerry Lauerman / Salon:

Correcting our record — We've removed an explosive 2005 report by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about autism and vaccines. Here's why — In 2005, Salon published online an exclusive story by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that offered an explosive premise: that the mercury-based thimerosal compound present …

Discussion: Pajamas Media and Balloon Juice

Tom Philpott / Grist:

Reflections on community gardens and the legacy of MLK — Photos: Douglas Bell and Joel Catchlove — Note: This is a version of a speech I delivered in 2009 at Duke University's Sara P. Duke Garden at the invitation of the student group Farmhand, but it's absolutely still relevant today.

Discussion: Right Wing News

Billy Graham / msnbc.com:

Meet the Press Netcast — on msnbc.com - — More from: - TODAY - Nightly News - Meet the Press - Dateline - Morning Joe - Hardball - Countdown - Rachel Maddow - msnbc tv — MR. DAVID GREGORY: This Sunday, after the tragedy and the tributes, what now? — PRES. BARACK OBAMA: I want to live up to her expectations.

Discussion: Firedoglake and TPMDC