The Presidential Debates Are a Scam

David Bollier, OnTheCommons.org

Democracy and Elections: Every four years, the two parties and news media collude in this PR spectacle. It's time for citizens to reclaim control.

Exposed: McCain's Presidential Transition Chief Aided Saddam Hussein

Murray Waas, Huffington Post

PEEK: William Timmons aided a lobbying effort on behalf of the former Iraqi dictator.

5 Pieces of Advice for the New Paupers

John Dolan, AlterNet

I just went through the hell of going from grad school-level poverty to the real thing. Here are my lessons learned.

Obama vs. McCain on Equal Pay

Kay Steiger, RH Reality Check

Reproductive Justice and Gender: Both candidates say they favor equal pay, but how do they vote?

Former McCain Supporter: McCain Is "Unleashing the Monster of American Prejudice"

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!

Rights and Liberties: Lifelong Republican Frank Schaeffer says McCain is "deliberately feeding the most unhinged elements of our society the red meat of hate."

As the Violence Soars, Mexico Signals It's Had Enough of America's Stupid War on Drugs

Silja J.A. Talvi, AlterNet

DrugReporter: The U.S.-financed War on Drugs has had savage results in Mexico, and now its president wants to decriminalize pot, cocaine and heroin possession.

The GOP Escalates Its Nutty Attacks on ACORN

Think Progress

Election 2008: Republican smears have reached fever pitch.

Dear Mr. Next President -- Food, Food, Food

Michael Pollan, The New York Times

Environment: We must move into the post-oil era to improve the health of the American people and to mitigate climate change.

Played Like a Fool: Campaign Manager Cashes in on McCain's Cold War Mentality

Mark Ames, Ari Berman, The Nation

Election 2008: He may talk tough about Russia, but John McCain's advisers have advanced Putin's imperial ambitions and made good money on the side.

Too Much Presidential Power -- We've Got to Address the 'Unitary Executive' Question

Dana Nelson, LA Times

Election 2008: What do McCain and Obama think of the concept?

My Depression -- or Ours?

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: The Bush administration managed to turn that misplaced fear we had after 9/11 into something like prophecy and bring down the house.

The Fallacy of the 401(k)

Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers Group

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: 401(k)s are the contemporary version of the get-rich-quick scheme. They place retirement in the shaky hands of the market.

Financial Meltdown 101

Arun Gupta, Indypendent

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Everything you ever wanted to know about the biggest economic meltdown since the Great Depression but were afraid to ask.

GOP Attacks on ACORN Are Based on the Fear of 1.3 Million New Voters

AlterNet

Democracy and Elections: Jesse Jackson Jr, Steven Rosenfeld, Digby and Marc Ambinder on the GOP's race-baiting and smear job against ACORN's massive registration efforts.

Not My Financial Crisis -- I've Got Literally Nothing to Lose

Alexander Zaitchik, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Like most people I know in their 20s and 30s, it takes a stretch of the imagination to understand that I have a stake in the national economy.

Stop Being a Narcissist -- It's Time to Quit Facebook

Carmen Joy King, Adbusters

Media and Technology: In the end, what does all this online, arms-length self-promotion ultimately provide?

Our Next President Will Transform the Supreme Court

Ellen Goodman, Washington Post Writers Group

Reproductive Justice and Gender: John McCain has promised the court to the right wing, and Roe v. Wade is first up on the chopping block.

Religulous: Atheists Will Love Bill Maher's New Flick

DJK, Brave New Films

Video: Bill Maher questions religion's inherent contradictions in a new documentary.

How World Leaders Can Reverse the Economic Meltdown

Dean Baker, Mark Weisbrot, Campaign for America's Future

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: A broader stimulus package is desperately needed to right a listing economic ship.

Obama vs. McCain: How the Underinsured Would Fare Under the Candidates' Health Plans

Trudy Lieberman, Columbia Journalism Review

Health and Wellness: Some 25 million Americans may be underinsured; that is, their insurance, good or bad, does not cover all their medical care.

Recession? Depression? How Deep, How Far and What Can Be Done?

Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: A survey of what some of the best thinkers believe we're facing in the coming months and years -- and the best ways to prevent complete disaster.

The Woman Who Could Have Prevented This Financial Mess Was Silenced by Greenspan, Rubin and Summers

Katrina vanden Heuvel, TheNation.com

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: A sad tale emerges of willfully arrogant behavior designed to undermine a wise woman's good judgment.

How the U.S. Military Turned Me into a Terrorist

Aaron Glantz, Haymarket Books

War on Iraq: A powerful excerpt from 'Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan' lays bare the racism at the core of the Iraq occupation.

Maybe Now People Will Take Their Votes More Seriously

Bob Herbert, The New York Times

Election 2008: For the nitwits who vote for the man or woman they'd most like to have over for dinner, I suggest you take a look at how well your 401(k) is doing.

Progressive Voter Guide to Human Rights and Civil Liberties

AlterNet

Rights and Liberties: Find out how the candidates compare on a range of issues from torture to wrongful convictions.

Why It's Not That Fun to Laugh at Sarah Palin Anymore

Doug Kreeger, AlterNet

Election 2008: Now that Sarah Palin is playing the role of pit-bull with lipstick, it has taken all the fun out of this election.

Troopergate Investigator: Palin 'Unlawfully Abused Her Authority'

AlterNet

Election 2008: The news isn't good for the Republican vice presidential nominee -- and is an unpleasant reminder of the power abuses of the Bush years.

Why the GOP Is Nuts About ACORN

Richard L. Hasen, Huffington Post

Democracy and Elections: Attacks on ACORN appear to be part of a broader GOP strategy to shrink the number of Dem voters and sow doubts if the election turns out to be close.

Why Everyone Loves Hot, Smart Older Women

Vanessa Richmond, The Tyee

Sex and Relationships: The word "desperation" has disappeared from the definition of "cougar"; words like smart, successful and funny have taken its place.

Memo to Media: The Palin Rape-Kit Story Has Not Been 'Debunked'

Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America

Media and Technology: The central, undisputed facts of Palin's actions remain hidden in plain sight for all to see. It's time for the press to take a closer look.

LSD Cured My Headache

Arran Frood, Independent UK

DrugReporter: Cluster headaches cause such severe pain that some sufferers are driven to suicide. Now one man believes he's found a surprising cure.

Obama Talks Tough About Afghanistan; Here's What He's Really in For

Anand Gopal, Tomdispatch.com

ForeignPolicy: Afghanistan is filled with poor, jobless people who have seen their families blown up by Americans. And they're itching to get revenge.

12 New Stomach-Turning Revelations About Sarah Palin

AlterNet Staff, AlterNet

Election 2008: Palin has taken to smearing Obama. But it's her own record that continues to yield alarming information, undermining her skills and credibility.

Voter Purges Could Cause Florida-like Presidential Recounts

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Democracy and Elections: If the November vote is close, key swing states that have been illegally rejecting voters could become recount battlegrounds like Florida.

Dow Dips Below 8,000; Anxiety, Anger at all Time Highs

Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: The long-held dominant economic paradigm is under fire.

How Scary the Economy Would Be in McCain's Hands

Jared Bernstein, Huffington Post

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: McCain's economic plan contradicts his recently held fundamental views and is far out of touch with the needs of the country.

Progressive Voter Guide to Drug Issues

AlterNet

DrugReporter: Find out how Obama and McCain compare on everything from drug sentencing laws to drug use in politicians' personal lives.

How Badly Can the 'Experts' Ruin the Planet?

Robin Broad, John Cavanagh, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Look no further than the World Bank to see how many economic, social and environmental problems so-called experts can make worse.

The Meltdown We Really Can't Afford

Kerry Trueman, AlterNet

Environment: We are in danger of passing an extremely dangerous tipping point, with the frightening discovery of massive deposits of sub-sea methane in the Arctic.

Is Health Care a "Right" or a "Moral Responsibility"?

Maggie Mahar, Health Beat

Health and Wellness: One thing is certain: Health care is not simply a privilege.