Clipping for Oct 12...

Congressman Says McCain "Sowing the Seeds of Hatred"
The Associated Press reports: "Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, says the negative tone of the Republican presidential campaign reminds him of the hateful atmosphere that segregationist Gov. George Wallace fostered in Alabama in the 1960s. Republican candidate John McCain on Saturday called Lewis' remarks 'shocking and beyond the pale.'"

Alaskan Independence Party: Last Refuge of a Scoundrel
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. writes for the Huffington Post: "In 2004, America's malleable mainstream media allowed itself to be manipulated by artful Republican operatives into devoting weeks of broadcast attention and drums of ink to unfairly desecrating John Kerry's genuine Vietnam heroics while obligingly muzzling serious discussion of George W. Bush's shameful wartime record of evasion and cowardice. Last week found the American media once again boarding Republican swift boats against this season's Democratic candidate armed with unfair and hypocritical attacks artfully designed by GOP strategists to distract attention from the cataclysmic outcomes of Republican governance."

GOP Attacks on American Voters Turn Desperate, Ugly and Dangerous
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman write for The Free Press: "The GOP assault on American voters has hit full stride as the economy and John McCain tank in synch. With just over three weeks until election day, the Republicans have mounted an all-out attack against newly registered voters and the organizations working to sign them up."

Welcome to the Third World, America
Eugene Robinson writes for Truthdig.com: "Here’s a question I’d like to ask Barack Obama and John McCain: Is the United States destined to look and feel increasingly like a 'developing country?' Is this the way it’s going to be?"

Justice, Bush Style
Andrew Gumbel writes for The Nation: "In 2002 conservative political journalist John Miller wrote an extraordinary call to arms in which he declared open season on the civil rights division of the Justice Department. This was the division that, for close to fifty years, had been dedicated to erasing the legacy of Jim Crow and protecting the rights of minority voters. "

Department of Justice Scandal almost Buried by Financial Crisis
Marilou Johanek writes for The Toledo Blade: "At any other time, what happened in the US Justice Department last week would have been big news. At any other time, when internal reports by the Justice Department call for more investigation into a case of unethical, if not criminal, conduct on the part of lawmakers and the White House, the administration would have a lot of explaining to do."

Audio: Fast, City-Wide WiFi Rolls out in Balitmore
The nation's first rollout of WiMax has launched in Baltimore. Steve Inskeep talks with tech commentator Mario Armstrong about the fourth-generation Internet service. It's a wireless connection that is fast and allows a subscriber to roam across the city.

Myths and Falsehoods about the Purported Links between Affordable Housing Initiatives and the Financial Crisis
Media Matters reports that conservatives and other media figures -- echoing a reported strategy on the part of Republicans -- have attempted to lay blame for the financial crisis on proponents of affordable housing. Those attacks are premised on several myths and falsehoods.

Six Ways to Improve the Presidential Debates
Jsutin Peters writes for the Columbia Journalism Review: "The consensus seems to be that the presidential debate in Nashville was extremely boring. Here are six viable suggestions for how the next one could be better."