The Wave of "Capitol Crimes" Continues
Bill Moyers and Michael Winship write for Truthout: "Like the largesse he spread so bountifully to members of Congress and the White House staff - countless fancy meals, skybox tickets to basketball games and U2 concerts, golfing sprees in Scotland - Jack Abramoff is the gift that keeps on giving. The notorious lobbyist and his cohorts (including conservatives Tom DeLay, Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed) shook down Native American tribal councils and other clients for tens of millions of dollars, buying influence via a coalition of equally corrupt government officials and cronies dedicated to dismantling government by selling it off, making massive profits as they tore the principles of a representative democracy to shreds. A report earlier this summer from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform builds on an earlier committee investigation that detailed some 485 contacts between Abramoff and the Bush administration. According to the new report, 'Senior White House officials told the Committee that White House officials held Mr. Abramoff and members of his lobbying team in high regard and solicited recommendations from Mr. Abramoff and his colleagues on policy matters.'"

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Senators Urge EPA Chief to Resign
Zachary Coile writes for the The San Francisco Chronicle: "Four Senate Democrats called on EPA chief Stephen Johnson to resign Tuesday, alleging that he gave misleading testimony to Congress and repeatedly bowed to pressure from the White House to avoid regulating greenhouse gases."

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Aid Bill for Paralyzed Vets Blocked by GOP Senator
For The Air Force Times, Christian Hernandez reports: "A bill promising more money for programs that help paralyzed veterans is part of a bundle of legislation tied up in partisan bickering in the Senate. The Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve Act, which includes money for research into spinal cord injuries, is one of about 36 bills combined by Senate Democrats into what they are calling the Advancing America's Priorities Act."

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Every Human Has Rights Media Awards
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so Internews is asking journalists from around the world to participate in its Every Human Has Rights Media Awards.

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Acts of War
Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector, writes for Truthdig: "The war between the United States and Iran is on. American taxpayer dollars are being used, with the permission of Congress, to fund activities that result in Iranians being killed and wounded, and Iranian property destroyed. This wanton violation of a nation's sovereignty would not be tolerated if the tables were turned and Americans were being subjected to Iranian-funded covert actions that took the lives of Americans, on American soil, and destroyed American property and livelihood. Many Americans remain unaware of what is transpiring abroad in their name. Many of those who are cognizant of these activities are supportive of them, an outgrowth of misguided sentiment which holds Iran accountable for a list of grievances used by the US government to justify the ongoing global war on terror."

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Wal-Mart Warns of Democratic Win
Ann Zimmerman and Kris Maher, The Wall Street Journal: "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mobilizing its store managers and department supervisors around the country to warn that if Democrats win power in November, they'll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies -- including Wal-Mart. In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart store managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if stores were to be unionized."

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Military Injustice
Although the military is likely to undergo a period of adjustment if the gay ban is lifted, writer and Army veteran Rafael Enrique Valero believes the rank-and-file, with the guidance of their superiors, would be able to handle having out soldiers in their units. "If gay soldiers were to openly serve beginning tomorrow, for a time the military would be unsettled, undoubtedly," he writes. "But they are, after all, soldiers. They can tough it out."

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FCC Rules Comcast Violated Internet Access Policy
John Dunbar, writes for The Associated Press: "A divided Federal Communications Commission has ruled that Comcast Corporation violated federal policy when it blocked Internet traffic for some subscribers and has ordered the cable giant to change the way it manages its network."

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