The Battle for the Citadel of Capitalism

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by gjohnsit, posted with permission

“They lay there, clinging to one another and trying to shield the more vulnerable parts of their bodies from the blows of the nightsticks, while the police hauled them apart and dragged them bodily into waiting patrol wagons.” – NY Times, March 31, 1948

Every once in a while an underdog defeats a Titan.This isn’t one of those times.

It isn’t the victory of an underdog that inspires us so much as is the incredible courage is takes to even challenge the overwhelming champion.
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Ann Coulter bushwacked on radio by conservative Christian abortion foes

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Crossposted from The Colorado Independent

Ultra-conservative Christian talk radio hosts are taking a new approach to getting their message out — ambushing right-wing pundit Ann Coulter over her support for 2008 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who absolutist antiabortion activists accuse of being “willing to sacrifice children for your vote.”

The Denver-based American Right to Life Action is leading the charge with a YouTube video excerpting Coulter’s on-air radio freak outs and calling on the acid-tongued author to apologize and retract her support for Romney.
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Privatizing Medical Research – Your Money and Your Life

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Traditionally, medical research has been done at academic institutions with high levels of scrutiny and control over the entire process. Key to the system has been the Institutional Review Board (IRB) which has ensured that all aspects of the human subject testing process give participants notice of dangers and are performed in a way to minimize psychological and physical dangers where they cannot
be eliminated.

In recent years, however, private IRBs have come into existence. If you participate in studies in the future, perhaps you would like to know how they operate.
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Collapse of a Kingdom: The obsolete Pope

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A guest commentary by Janet Brazill posted with permission

Reaction of the world community proves that the antiquated views of medieval potentates have no relevance for modern society. Pope Benedict XVI stated that the use of condoms would risk “aggravating” the problem of AIDS. He added that addressing the disease will require a “spiritual and human awakening” and “friendship for those who suffer.”
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Bush-style Wage and Hour Enforcement – An Agency Gone Mild

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Ever suspect that the Bush administration wasn’t exactly on the side of workers? Ever suspect that DOL Secretary Chao was in the employers’ pocket but have no strong proof?

Well, look no farther than a new report out yesterday from the GAO. When it comes to enforcing wage and hour laws, the DOL was definitely choosing the employer’s pocket – or at least pocketbook – over the worker’s. Indeed, under Chao, the DOL seems to have become a wholly owned subsidiary of the US Chamber of Commerce.

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Government conference on transparency closed to public, press

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Only in Washington …

On March 26, 2009, the Office of Information Policy (OIP), Department of Justice, will host a governmentwide training conference to discuss President Obama’s and Attorney General Holder’s Memoranda which establish a new era of open government.

…

No pre-registration is required. However, you must present your Government ID to attend the training.