EMPIRE IN FREEFALL?
Surveys of Global attitudes toward the United States paint a disturbing picture. Even among countries that once admired our democratic idealism, the U.S. under three-branch neo-conservative rule has become an international pariah. Most of the world now associates the U.S. with greed, violence, and fundamentalism. Is it too late to change direction?

RELATED STORY: Many call for a Bush-Cheney Impeachment. Read Several Articles: CLICK HERE.

TRAIL OF TORTURE

Painful Propaganda
When stories about secret CIA torture centers in Europe emerged, U.S. Secretary of State RIce went to Europe in an effort to spin the story. Europeans rebuffed her, and were dismayed at her cavalier attitude toward imprisonment without trial. Meanwhile, the torture debate in Washington ended with what looked like a victory for anti-torture forces. But the devil is in the details.

"PATRIOT" GAMES

SPYING TIME IS HERE
First came revelations that the Pentagon has been spying on peace activists, including writing down their vehicle numbers and description. Then President George W. Bush dropped the bombshell--confessing to wiretapping and attempting to make a scapegoat of the media. A few Republicans, however, seemed to remember the original tenets of their party. They united with liberal democrats to challenge these McCarthy era tactics and put at least a temporary restraint on the Patriot Act renewal.

NEW: George Bush and Republican Senator Arlen Specter have now made it a federal crime to send an email message intended to "annoy" someone--Penalty: Up to TWO YEARS in prison.Click HERE to read the original bill.

The Quinn Report (commentary)

Challenging the Media Empire
A lot of progressives have stopped watching television. But it's an uninformed and dangerous mistake to assume that mainstream America has done the same. By a huge majority, television and newspapers still shape the average voter's view of political candidates. Only 5 percent of people trust the Internet for candidate information. Kevan Quinn says its time to stop daydreaming about the Internet saving us, and start acting like Jedi knights. Here's how to challenge the dark forces of the media empire!

RELATED READING: Rupert Murdoch's giant News Corp. (Fox News etc.) empire has adopted a strategy that is winning new viewers: Emulate the British tabloid press. Read more: Click HERE.