Some related posts from Technorati and Google.

 [Dymaxion World] No Excuses: But by living in Canada, I automatically make the cut - I'm one of the luckiest people in the history of the world. In terms of security, income, education, and opportunities, my countrymen and I are ridiculously fortunate.

 [Let Freedom Ring (Throughout the World)] A Star-Spangled Holiday: In many ways, the first Independence Day was the first occasion that tyrants had anything to fear, although it was far from apparent at the time. America, a land based on the self-evident truths that all men are created equal &

[Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter] 'At War on the Fourth'; July 4th Remarks by The Archivist of the United States: Who could have imagined that the aspirations and purposes inscribed indelibly in the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights would be not merely alive and well more than two centuries later but resonating freshly today as America's bravest men and women struggle to sustain our democracy and freedom throughout the world? Your presence here today bears witness to our hope that this Fourth of July (like those preceding and those to come) provides not only an occasion for fireworks and frivolity but remains a festival of remembrance, a day for partisan restraint and renewal of our common purposes as Americans.

 [Thomas Paine's Corner] Harvest of Pain and Sorrow: Finding their roots in the Nixon era, and cementing them in the Reagan area, social conservatives have utilized the undeniable talents of men like Karl Rove to re-infect America with the diseases of imperialism and economic subservience. According to Scott Peck, narcissists like Karl Rove readily attain power because of their lack of empathy, their desire to win at virtually any cost, and their obsession with manipulating others into believing they are wonderful people.

 [Powerlineblog.com] Power Line: Now, sirs, for the purpose of squaring things with this idea of "don't care if slavery is voted up or voted down" [Douglas's "popular sovereignty" position on the extension of slavery to the territories], for sustaining the Dred Scott decision [A voice---"Hit him again"], for holding that the Declaration of Independence did not mean anything at all, we have Judge Douglas giving his exposition of what the Declaration of Independence means, and we have him saying that the people of America are equal to the people of England. According to his construction, you Germans are not connected with it.

[Indcjournal.com] INDC Journal: And while Cole rightly points out that Chrenkoff's "good news" coverage is a round-up scoured from existing MSM coverage (though the other blogs that I mention largely are not), this point skips the context that Chrenkoff filters the odd positive gems from a sea of sensationalism and negativity. The media feeds the violence, the violence feeds the media, but at some point, one would hope that media professionals would embrace a sense of responsibility that contextualizes such reporting with regular overviews of the events taking place in Iraq that have much larger strategic implications, as well as human interest stories that may *gasp* happen to cooincide with (or at least not provide an ironic contrast to) US foreign policy goals.

 [Riverbendblog.blogspot.com] Baghdad Burning: The American and European news stations don't show the dying Iraqis”¦ they don't show the women and children bandaged and bleeding- the mother looking for some sign of her son in the middle of a puddle of blood and dismembered arms and legs”¦ they don't show you the hospitals overflowing with the dead and dying because they don't want to hurt American feelings”¦ but people *should* see it. You should see the price of your war and occupation- it's unfair that the Americans are fighting a war thousands of kilometers from home.

[Talibancountry.com] truth and consequences | interrogation and detention in ...: One of the groups most feared by Iraqis, and according to the Observer report one of the most abusive, is the "Wolf Brigade," the Army batallion featured on a reality TV show that actually shows men threatening detainees and joking about abuses. The abuses and tortures are common knowledge in Iraq, and The Observer/Guardian proposes that the Iraqi government has diverted British and American aid to the police and defense forces to these activities, and that officials of both countries are aware of this.

 [Scienceblog.com] Science Blog -- IMPORTANCE OF FREE, INDEPENDENT PRESS, ROLE OF ...: For the most part, the United States media had been pretty disgusting, he said.  Either they had been looking for ratings or they had allowed themselves to be manipulated.  If the freedom of the press was not used to the fullest, it would wither.  That was happening, to some extent, in this country.  The American media had come to worship power, which was not a recipe for protecting true freedom of the press.  On journalists embedded with United States troops, while one had to admire their courage, they had been played like a musical instrument by the Pentagon.  You could not have hired actors to do as good a job from the Pentagon’s point of view.  History might prove that the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq was a good idea, but he doubted the same could be said for the media.

Reflected tags on Technorati: Blog, Iraq, Iraq Reviews