National

President George W. Bush’s choice of July 2 — right before Independence Day — to commute former White House aide “Scooter” Libby’s prison sentence for lying and obstruction of justice carries a special irony.

All of us have encountered one problem or another with our health care plan. I know of a colleague who died from cancer due to her HMO’s refusing to pay for her treatment when the cancer was in its early stage.

FOX Broadcasting and CBS reached new lows of hypocrisy and pandering to the ultra-right on reproductive rights, sex and contraception when they recently refused to air ads for condoms. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards has offered to educate FOX and CBS about reproductive health. Here’s her letter to FOX.

AFL-CIO blogger Mike Hall writes, “When the Department of Labor in December asked workers and employers to comment on their experiences with regulations that implement the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), many observers believed it was the first step by the Bush administration to revise the rules to restrict access to family leave — as big business has clamored for since it was enacted in 1993.”

Moldy food found at Farmer Joe’s; How about American Vulture?; Farm workers toil in extreme heat; Fast track dies; We’d deliver, but our bosses won’t let us

Mayors stand up for cities: U.S. out of Iraq; Maine rally for Iraq pullout, impeachment; State universal health care passes Wisconsin Senate; FBI gives Wall St. and Main St. criminals a break

OAKLAND, Calif. — The blue T-shirts of the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports were everywhere, proclaiming that port truck drivers, area union members, neighborhood residents and environmental activists are united to win decent pay and conditions for the drivers and a healthful environment for the Port of Oakland’s workers and neighbors.

ATLANTA — Ten thousand community and human rights activists, trade unionists and young people converged in this city of epic civil rights struggles June 27-July 1 at the first United States Social Forum.

PHILADELPHIA — The No Child Left Behind Act and the Supreme Court rejection of school desegregation programs drew harsh criticism July 3 as 9,000 teachers and other school workers opened the National Education Association’s Representative Assembly here. The four-day conference met under the slogan “Great public schools, a basic right for every child.”

The great, recurring question that is often asked by people of good will about the Holocaust and the crimes of the Nazi regime is, “How could this happen?” Yet many of these same people think nothing about asking a couple why they want to adopt a disabled child, or whether they would like to be “relieved of the burden” of caring for a child with Down’s.