A Democratic Congress may be the best means of getting our troops home, but in the meantime, while we celebrate, they're still serving under fire.

Which is why I recommend to you one of my favorite charities: anysoldier.com

http://anysoldier.com/WhereToSend

on which you'll find the addresses of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan requesting stuff for their units: books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, toiletries, etc.

The truth will out: in his press conference today, Bush admitted, literally, that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.

"A reporter yelled out, "What did Iraq have to do with the 9-11 attack?" and Bush yelled, "Nothing!'"

I don't have the tech ability -- but somebody who does: please, please record that exchange and set it loose on YouTube.

Blaming Bush for our problems is like blaming an accident on the chrome dog on the hood of the Mack Truck. - Rick Overton

As Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart prove nightly, satire is often the sharpest tool for combating the slings and arrows of the not-so-sharp tools in this administration.

The Senate is investigating profiteering on oil and gas. The important questions are: 1. Which oil companies are raking in huge profits? And 2. How big contributors are they? - Will Durst

Laughing Liberally is a concerned group of hilarious dyed-in-the-wool lefty political comedians who are taking their progressive laughs on the road to Los Angeles, Sat., June 3; the YearlyKos Convention in Las Vegas, Thurs.-Fri., June 8-9; Boston, June 15-17 & 22-24 and possible future stops in other states all in aid of those of who need a laugh or two to get us through until the next election, indictment or impeachment.

The big telecom companies have lobbied hard for a bill in the House that's designed to destroy the internet as we know it -- and your reps will be voting on it in two days.

From Common Cause:

Telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon have lobbied Congress for the right to control where you go on the Internet, how fast you get there, and how much you pay for the service. On Wednesday, the House Commerce Committee will be voting on the absurdly-named  COPE bill  (Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act).

But the only "promoting" and "enhancing" this bill does is for the cable, phone and media interests that have poured nearly  half a billion dollars into lobbying Congress over the past eight years to get the perks they so desire.

Please call your House member today. Ask your Representative to vote NO on the COPE bill: www.house.gov  

The vote is happening on Wednesday, April 26 so your calls are needed today.

The health insurance lobby is at it again -- and the Rethugs would love to help them gut the coverage you get now, while forcing you to pay even more outrageous premiums.

Spread the Word - Health Care Protections You Could Lose
Stop S. 1955: the orwellian Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act

If S.1955 is adopted, women and families could lose coverage for:

Contraceptives
Breast and cervical cancer screening
Maternity care
Osteoporosis screening
Direct access to ob/gyns
Emergency services
Mental health services
Well-child care
Blood lead screening
Colorectal cancer screenings
Preventive care and rehabilitation

When I read the Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique, it was a punch in the gut -- what Friedan wrote about, was the reason for my mother's suicide.

Bright, but from a depression-blighted family and a woman, so college was out of the question, my mother scored so high on federal exams that she became the head of the local employment office.

And then the men came back from World War II, she married my father (not so fresh from shell shock) and my mother was relegated to a lonely kitchen, as a baby machine.

Toll Free Congressional Switchboard numbers: 888-818-664
888-355-3588

(However, if lines are busy or mail boxes are full, local phone -- and especially fax -- are better options.)

in your calls today ask for a commitment that they will either vote against cloture OR abstain (either is acceptable).

JOHNSON (D)VOTING YES -- CALL HIM HARD, DORGAN (D) STILL UNDECLARED, LAUTENBERG (D) STILL UNDECLARED

Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln [AR]  DEMOCRAT SWING VOTE

Washington, 202-224-4843 (phone), 202-228-1371 (fax)

Dumas, 870-382-1023 (phone), 870-382-1026 (fax)

Texarkana, 870-774-3106 (phone), 870-774-7627 (fax)

Little Rock, 501-375-2993 (phone), 501-375-7064 (fax)

Fayetteville, 479-251-1224 (phone), 479-251-1410 (fax)

Jonesboro, 870-910-6896 (phone), 870-910-6898 (fax)

Senator Mark Pryor [AR]  DEMOCRAT NOT SUPPORTING FILIBUSTER

Washington, 202-224-2353 (phone), 202-228-0908 (fax)

Little Rock, 501-324-6336 (phone), 501-324-5320 (fax)

Washington, 202-224-3954 (phone), 202-228-0002 (fax)

Charleston, 304-342-5855 (phone), 304-343-7144 (fax)

Senator John D Rockefeller IV [WV]  DEMOCRAT SWING VOTE

Washington, 202-224-6472 (phone), 202-224-7665 (fax)

Fairmont, 304-367-0122 (phone), 304-367-0822 (fax)

Martinsburg, 304-262-9285 (phone), 304-262-9288 (fax)

Charleston, 304-347-5372 (phone), 304-347-5371 (fax)

Beckley, 304-253-9704 (phone), 304-253-2578 (fax)

While we have to generate the pressure on all Senators, the decision to filibuster (or not) will also be a leadership decision.
Call the Leadership Offices!
Harry Reid, NV Democratic Leader (202) 224-3542
Dick Durbin, IL Assistant Democratic Leader (202) 224-2152
Patrick Leahy, VT Ranking Member Judiciary Committee (202) 224-4242
Republican senators that have not yet come out in support of Alito:
Phone numbers:
1-888-355-3588
or
1-888-818-6641
Chafee, Lincoln- (R - RI)
Collins, Susan- (R - ME)
Snowe, Olympia- (R - ME)
Stevens, Ted- (R - AK) (Yeah, him)
And Jeffords, James- (I - VT) hasn't declared his position yet.
Senators leaning toward filibuster, call and urge them on:
1-888-355-3588
or
1-888-818-6641
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas
Mark Pryor, Arkansas
Diane Feinstein, California
Joe Lieberman, Connecticut
Joe Biden, Delaware
Barack Obama, Illinois
Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
Ben Nelson, Nebraska
Kent Conrad, North Dakota
Tim Johnson, South Dakota