"NATIONAL TREASURE" OPENS TOMORROW AT CINEMA'S THROUGHOUT THE US
Overall the reviews coming out on the film are mixed. CINEMA BLEND gave a decent review and mentioned my favorite actor ... "Sean Bean is, as always, a great nemesis. Whether being pitted against James Bond, Mr. Frodo, or even a geeky Nicholas Cage, Bean never fails to be the guy we love to hate." http://www.cinemablend.com/review.php?id=717


QUOTE OF THE DAY ... When we say "War is over if you want it", we mean that if everyone demanded peace instead of another TV set, we'd have peace. John Lennon

MESSAGE FROM UFPJ - DEMAND AN INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT HAPPENED IN FALLUJA

We urge you to call the White House (202-456-1111) and your Congressional representatives (Congressional switchboard: 202-225-3121) to demand an investigation into the civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis in Falluja, and to insist that the Red Cross and Red Crescent be allowed to bring relief supplies into the devastated city. We also urge you to write letters to the editor of your local newspaper, making the same demand. There are many urgent questions that the Bush administration is refusing even to address: How many civilians were killed? How many homes destroyed? How many hospitals, schools, mosques, and other community institutions were destroyed or had major damage done to them? When will the residents of Falluja be allowed to return to their homes? The information that is emerging about the humanitarian disaster in Falluja, while still sketchy, is extremely disturbing. For regular updates on the situation in Iraq, we encourage you to sign up for the email bulletins of the Occupation Watch Center at:http://www.occupationwatch.org

LIVE FROM NYC - ITS THE NEWS!

SOLDIER OF MISFORTUNE
Frida Berrigan, The Progressive
Jeremy Hinzman joined the military, and then realized he had made the wrong career decision. But getting out of the army is easier said than done.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/20533/

A POLITICAL DIPLOMAT
John Nichols, The Nation
Condoleezza Rice claimed she could not appear before the 9/11 Commission because it would break precedents set by past national security advisers. But she had no qualms about breaking precedents to advance Bush's campaign.
http://www.alternet.org/election04/20534/

DOUBLE STANDARD ON DRUGS
Stephen Pizzo, TomPaine.com
Why did the FDA issue a warning about RU-486 but look the other way while thousands died from Vioxx? It has a lot to do with whose campaign benefits from pharmaceutical profits.
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/20528/

MY FANTASY ISLAND
Jessica Lyons, Monterey County Weekly
Not tied down by the restraints of reality TV, 'Lost' presents a more attractive band of survivors.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/20535/

THE NEOCON COUP
Robert Scheer, AlterNet
With the ravaging of the CIA and the ousting of Powell-- instead of the more-deserving Rumsfeld -- the coup of the neoconservatives is complete.
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/20514/

THE IRAQ QUAGMIRE DEEPENS
Erik Leaver, Foreign Policy in Focus
The mantra of destroying the village to save it didn't work in Vietnam. Its prospects for success in Iraq won't be any better.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/20527/

TRIBAL WARFARE IN AMERICA
Rick Perlstein, Columbia Journalism Review
A 30-year-old book by a progressive journalist finds that the passions of reformers can sometimes betray a contempt for the common sense of ordinary people. Sound familiar?
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/20519/