In the coming days, we're sure to see numerous polls analyzing how John Kerry and the Democrats did this week in Boston. The focus will be on how big a bounce the Kerry/Edwards ticket receives in those polls.

Keep in mind that the Republican strategy going into this was to publicly predict an artificially high bounce so that anything less looks like failure. Earlier this month, Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for George W. Bush's campaign, said he expects Kerry to get a 15 point bounce in the polls following the Democratic convention.

This is ridiculous considering most polls show only around 10% of voters haven't made up their minds yet. The GOP strategy is very simple: raise the standard of success for your opponent, and lower it for your own candidate.

John Kerry's speech is getting positive reaction amongst the sites I've visited tonight. The full transcript and video are up at the campaign's website.

To put a bookend on the convention, I think the Kerry campaign and the DNC organizers put together a very successful event that raises the bar for the Republicans at the end of August. The speech by Kerry impressed me in many ways. It had energy and passion, and it spoke to domestic issues, the war, national security, and provided an optimistic vision for the country. Here are some key highlights.

On patriotism:
And tonight, we have an important message for those who question the patriotism of Americans who offer a better direction for our country. Before wrapping themselves in the flag and shutting their eyes and ears to the truth, they should remember what America is really all about. They should remember the great idea of freedom for which so many have given their lives. Our purpose now is to reclaim democracy itself. We are here to affirm that when Americans stand up and speak their minds and say America can do better, that is not a challenge to patriotism; it is the heart and soul of patriotism.

On amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage:
I want to address these next words directly to President George W. Bush: In the weeks ahead, let's be optimists, not just opponents. Let's build unity in the American family, not angry division. Let's honor this nation's diversity; let's respect one another; and let's never misuse for political purposes the most precious document in American history, the Constitution of the United States.

On faith and politics:
And let me say it plainly: in that cause, and in this campaign, we welcome people of faith. America is not us and them. I think of what Ron Reagan said of his father a few weeks ago, and I want to say this to you tonight: I don't wear my own faith on my sleeve. But faith has given me values and hope to live by, from Vietnam to this day, from Sunday to Sunday. I don't want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God's side. And whatever our faith, one belief should bind us all: The measure of our character is our willingness to give of ourselves for others and for our country.

Pakistan Arrests Embassy Bombings Suspect

Wow, hours before John Kerry gave his acceptance speech. Right on time.

Thomas Oliphant wrote an intriguing column earlier this week for the Boston Globe on the 1932 Democratic Convention when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was first nominated for President.

Oliphant quotes the late Christian Science Monitor columnist Richard Strout on the lackluster support for FDR. "The convention was only lukewarm to the (New York) governor up to that time. Governor Roosevelt had the votes but not the enthusiasm. His appearance changed all this."

That quote is probably analogous for many voters who supported another candidate over John Kerry in the primaries, and perhaps even for some who voted for the Senator simply because of the momentum his campaign had.

The best advice I've heard for the Kerry campaign for his speech tonight and the months ahead: Let Kerry be Kerry.

Florida Touchscreen Vote Records Lost

The records from the 2002 gubernatorial primaries are now history reportedly due to a number of computer crashes. A shadow continues to hang over the upcoming presidential election, and it is the potential for major problems with the increased use of these electronic voting machines.

LATE FRIDAY UPDATE: They found the records on a CD somewhere in the bowels of the office. That solves that. I guess we have nothing left to fear in Florida. Meanwhile, the Florida GOP is encouraging their voters to vote absentee.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan won't be coming to the Republican National Convention next month. GOP convention planners had hoped she would make a cameo after a video tribute to the late President Ronald Reagan. The appearance was also planned as a counter to her son Ron Reagan's appearance at the Democratic convention where he spoke about expanding stem cell research.

"I don't think she could have missed the symbolic significance of her son going to their convention and her not going to ours," a senior GOP official told the Daily News.

Appearing at the GOP event instead will be conservative talk show host Michael Reagan.

While John Edwards and Al Sharpton were bringing down the house last night in Boston, important news stories broke that you missed out on.  Never fear, Brewtown Politico is here for you.

This item comes from that progressive bastion of freedom, Alabama.  In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a ban on the sale of sex toys.

Via Wonkette.

Media Celebrity Death Match:  Bill O'Reilly vs. Michael Moore.

First seen via Drudge. Not having the cable, I didn't see the Factor last night, but found the transcript pretty entertaining. There is video available at the Fox link.

The so-called Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (or TABOR for those in the know) is on life support with an expected time of death of later today.

TABOR is this big government scheme Republicans in the Wisconsin state legislature are using to tease their constituents with. Essentially, it's a constitutional amendment that would impose spending restrictions on local government, but not on the state legislature of course. It's such a sham, it hardly justifies the space I'm giving it here.

Don't get me wrong. I believe in fiscally sound government which is one reason I believe President Bush shouldn't be re-elected as we've seen what he's done to the federal treasury. What I don't go for are these gimics. Local governments aren't forced to raise their taxes right now. However, a primary reason why property taxes have gone up rapidly in recent years is that there have been major cutbacks at the state level.

If people are unhappy with the level of taxation their local government is imposing, they should vote them out of office. Republicans in the state legislature pushing for this are demonstrating contempt for their own constituents, and the governments closest to them.

At least 51 Iraqis dead, 40 injured in Iraq suicide blast.

The attack reportedly happened when a bus carrying 21 passengers exploded in a Baquba market near a police station. Definitely not the type of story one wants to wake up to.

Tuesday's most notable convention speeches:

• Illinois US Senate candidate and rising star Barack Obama gave an address that I'm sure garnered him some new fans from those who didn't know him outside of the midwest.
  

Excerpt:

The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don’t expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

• Ron Reagan speaking about stem cell research

Excerpt:

The tide of history is with us. Like all generations who have come before ours, we are motivated by a thirst for knowledge and compelled to see others in need as fellow angels on an often difficult path, deserving of our compassion.

In a few months, we will face a choice. Yes, between two candidates and two parties, but more than that. We have a chance to take a giant stride forward for the good of all humanity. We can choose between the future and the past, between reason and ignorance, between true compassion and mere ideology. This is our moment, and we must not falter.

Okay, I've now gotten around to watching video footage of the convention speeches from the last couple nights. It seems as though there are more media members and bloggers at this thing than actual delegates and Democratic Party members.

Therefore, for the moment, I'll simply post text of the most inspiring portion of President Clinton's speech. He's used this theme many times recently during his book tour and in interviews I've seen and read.

At every turning point in our history we the people have chosen unity over division, heeding our founders’ call to America’s eternal mission: to form a more perfect union, to widen the circle of opportunity, deepen the reach of freedom, and strengthen the bonds of community.

It happened because we made the right choices. In the early days of the republic, America was at a crossroads much like it is today, deeply divided over whether or not to build a real nation with a national economy, and a national legal system. We chose a more perfect union.

In the Civil War, America was at a crossroads, divided over whether to save the union and end slavery—we chose a more perfect union. In the 1960s, America was at a crossroads, divided again over civil rights and women’s rights. Again, we chose a more perfect union. As I said in 1992, we’re all in this together; we have an obligation both to work hard and to help our fellow citizens, both to fight terror and to build a world with more cooperation and less terror. Now again, it is time to choose.

Everyone's blogging about the DNC convention, and I really haven't had anything to add to what's already been said. I've only seen portions of the speeches given by Presidents Clinton and Carter, but plan to watch them in full tonight. I did hear the whole speech by Al Gore, and he did a decent job mixing humor with a call to arms to viewers out in TV land who may not have been very active voters historically.

I'll be posting some items this week that may be getting buried and deserve attention. There is plenty to talk about besides the DNC. First and foremost, I think we need to be a little concerned about our current president. He just fell off his bike for the second time in as many months.

Folkbum may have the right idea as he's calling for people to send some training wheels to the White House to help our leader out. This is an issue of national security, people. We can't accept having a president perpetually falling off his bike, and a vice president with a history of heart attacks being treated by a doped up doctor.

Here's something I remembered when I spent that day combing through 9/11 Commission staff reports and timelines. Does anyone remember that show the Lone Gunmen? It was that short lived X-Files spinoff set in my old stomping grounds of Takoma Park, Maryland. It featured those three hacker geeks that Mulder and Scully relied on when they needed to get into some tightly locked DOD files and such.

Anyway, the pilot episode featured a plot to crash a Boeing 727 into the World Trade Center. In this case, it was a government plot where the plane was remotely taken over from the ground by computer. I watched a video clip of this scene, and the eery part is it aired on March 4, 2001.

My reading of the 9/11 Commission report has dropped off significantly after only a few days. It is very good on background and it reminded me of various details that I'd forgotten or hadn't heard about in some time.

If you really want to delve into the 9/11 attacks, and the events in the decades leading up to the event, read through the Center for Cooperative Research's 9/11 Timeline. There is a ton of information there that has been compiled from many many sources.

Use the menu on the right side to navigate the various portions of the project. It's compelling stuff which is why I wasted the better part of a Sunday a few weeks ago going through the seemingly infinite amount of content.

The Democratic National Convention kicks off today. For those not willing to attempt that trip to Boston, the networks will be carrying an hour in prime time for three of the four nights. PBS and C-SPAN will be offering more extensive coverage.

Check out Convention Bloggers for another take on the DNC scene in Boston. My buddy Jason will be volunteering at the convention so I'd expect a few periodic posts there as well.

I've begun to read through the 9-11 Commission Final Report. It's well written, and therefore easy to read.

Another reason it's easy to read is that unlike last year's Congressional Report into 9-11, this one doesn't have 27 pages completely censored by the Bush Administration. That's awful kind of the commission to save them all that time and money on magic markers by gagging themselves.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) officially ends presidential campaign, endorses Kerry.

"John Kerry can win because there is a place within the Democratic party for everyone, including those who may be thinking of supporting Ralph Nader. Most people know I have many of the same commitments Ralph has.

If there is room for me in the party and the Kerry-Edwards campaign, there is certainly room for Ralph and for his supporters.

Let's unite to create a new government, a new direction, a new opportunity, and new progress."

The latest edition of the Democratic Underground's Hate Mailbag is out. It's good for some laughs on your Friday afternoon.

DU warns that this edition contains extreme profranity. Their trolls are either getting more desperate or less literate as the election season kicks into high gear.

It's time to play Right Wing Squares!

Media Matters put this together. Thanks for the link, Folkbum.

U.S. Congress Votes to Declare Genocide in Sudan

While it's a symbolic vote by legislators on their way to recess, it's also an important statement by the U.S. to the world. It's a state like Sudan that can ultimately end up being what Afghanistan was in the 1990s.

9/11 Commission Final Report

President Bush says Berger will be "fully investigated by the Justice Department." I agree with the President that all the facts about the matter should be gathered so we know the full story.

Now if only the President was as vocal and ambitious about getting to the bottom of the following story which is getting buried in the media:  Halliburton illegally doing business with nations who have sponsored terrorism (e.g. Iran) while Vice President Cheney was CEO.

Lots of postings today. Maybe I need an intern, or a company in India to outsource all this to.

I came across this blog entry today, and had to post it for all of you who come from politically mixed families. You can read it yourself, but to summarize, Citizen Daryl writes about an ongoing email dialogue with his mother that has become more polarized over time to the point where neither can stand it anymore.

The moral is don't let politics destroy your family. Civil discourse is still possible even though it has become harder to find.

Thanks to a boy and his computer for posting this one.

Former Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger takes materials home from National Archives without supplying library card, returns items (sans ones he says were accidentally destroyed), pays Archives 10 cent fine.

Republicans will cry that Condi Rice would've been locked up for this. Democrats will question the timing since the investigation had been ongoing, and the leak comes days before their convention.

You've got to love Helen Thomas, one of the few tough old-school journalists still hanging around DC. Here's a portion of the gaggle with White House Press Secretary yesterday. The full briefing is available here.

THOMAS: Prime Minister Blair took full personal responsibility for taking his nation into war under falsehoods -- under reasons that have been determined now to be false. Is President Bush also willing to take full, personal responsibility --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think Prime Minister Blair said that it was the right thing to do; that Saddam Hussein's regime was a threat.

THOMAS: Those were not the reasons he took his country into war. It turned out to be untrue, and the same is true for us. Does the President take full, personal responsibility for this war?

MR. McCLELLAN: The issue here is what do you to with a threat in a post-September 11th world? Either you live with a threat, or you confront the threat.

THOMAS: There was no threat.

MR. McCLELLAN: The President made the decision to confront the threat.

THOMAS: Saddam Hussein did not threaten this country.

MR. McCLELLAN: The world -- the world, the Congress and the administration all disagree. They all recognized that there was a threat posed by Saddam Hussein. When it came to September 11th, that changed the equation. It taught us, as I said --

THOMAS: The Intelligence Committee said there was no threat.

MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, it taught us that we must confront threats before it's too late.

THOMAS: So the President doesn't take full responsibility?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President already talked about the responsibility for the decisions he's made. He talked about that with Prime Minister Blair.

THOMAS: Personal responsibility?

MR. McCLELLAN: Terry, go ahead.

The media are largely ignoring a speech to the ACLU given by Seymour Hersh, the investigative reporter who broke the story about abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison. It's a frightening account he gives about women and young boys being raped and sodomized in Iraqi prisons. Meanwhile, the president still wants us to believe this is just a few bad apples.

It turns your stomach as you read about what are some of the worst stories yet to come out of this mess. That this was done in the name of the United States is disgraceful.

Complete transcript and video of the speech is available here.

Excerpt:

Some of the worst things that happened that you don’t know about. OK? Videos. There are women there. Some of you may have read that they were passing letters out, communications out to their men. This is at [Abu Ghraib], which is about 30 miles from Baghdad — 30 kilometers, maybe, just 20 miles, I'm not sure whether it's — anyway. The women were passing messages out saying please come and kill me because of what’s happened. And basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys, children, in cases that have been [video] recorded, the boys were sodomized, with the cameras rolling, and the worst above all of them is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking. That your government has, and they’re in total terror it’s going to come out. It’s impossible to say to yourself, how did we get there, who are we, who are these people that sent us there.

More on Arnold, at least partly. The GOP is once again trying to put a happy face on its party for their upcoming convention in New York. The list of keynote speakers consists of many moderate Republicans. For the conservatives reading this, these are those people you're trying to push out of your party since they tend to be pro abortion rights, and against the "Marriage Protection Amendment" (the God Hates Fags resolution).

The GOP is trying to avoid a repeat of the 1992 debacle when Pat Buchanan declared a culture war. So far, it isn't going over well with many conservatives. They're pissed and are trying to get a staunch social conservative to be a keynote speaker. Henry Hyde is leading the pack right now to represent the wing of Republican Party with real influence (the ones that write the platform).

Non-story of the day: The Govinator calling California's Democratic state legislators "girlie men."

Get over it guys. Drop the charade about being offended and get back to fixing your state's budget. This is the sort of thing politically correct Republicans do.

The JibJab guys are back for Election 2004. Check out This Land.

Their servers were overloaded last week when I stumbled upon this, but it appears they've upgraded over the weekend. Feel free to leave a comment if you find any mirrors since they may fill up again as the day goes on.

Friday flash frightening fun time. The Minister of Fear.

Via Metafilter.

Just when I was starting to get more optimistic about the election, I discovered the grassroots effort to nominate Ronnie James Dio for President.

Brewtown Politico currently has no plans to change its endorsement of John Kerry, but stay tuned. You just never know.

Up to this point, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Labour Party have taken a hands off approach to the American presidential race. However, as this article in the Guardian indicates, that policy may be eroding.

Peter Hain, leader of the British House of Commons, will visit the John Kerry campaign in August after he is nominated. There are also rumblings that Labour members will visit the Democratic convention itself where historically the ideological soulmates have met. It's apparent that there's a growing feeling in Labour that their party's neutral stance risks being interpreted as support for President Bush.

While Kerry and Blair did not meet in April when Blair visited the country, an olive branch was extended this week by Kerry's Vice Presidential candidate. Sen. John Edwards praised Blair for taking responsibility for findings in the Butler Report on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Over at Political Wire, Taegan Goddard has written about a GOP strategy memo indicating that undecided voters "are currently poised to break away from President Bush and to John Kerry."

The new Zogby data in the Wall Street Journal shows Kerry leading in 12 of the 16 battleground states. If that lead continues to election day, Kerry would receive 322 electoral votes to Bush's 205 (Tennessee's too close to call).

This election is far from over and even with the encouraging polls, I don't want to take anything for granted nor do I want to underestimate what the Bush camp will resort to in the remaining months leading up to election day. Having said that, I have grown quite bored with hearing those on the far right looking down from their nationalist soapboxes on those of us who oppose this president. To them, we're unpatriotic, socialists, and appeasers of the terrorists just to name a few of their favorites.

Just ask yourselves this if you're still a die hard supporter of this president. If those of us opposing President Bush are so extreme, why isn't he destroying John Kerry in the polls?

Ditka Says He Won't Run for US Senate

The Illinois Republican wet dream that was Mike Ditka's potential Senate bid came to an abrupt end Wednesday when he told party leaders he wouldn't run.

Obviously Ditka would've had name recognition had he run, but I'd like to give Illinoisans a little more credit and think they wouldn't have fallen for this desperate ploy.

The mission now continues for the IL GOP to somehow find a candidate to run against the increasingly popular Democrat Barack Obama.

Institution of Marriage Collapses!

Senate votes not to take up gay marriage amendment.

Bush Criticizes Kerry Over Iraq Vote, Bush-Bashing

I guess President Bush doesn't think it's fair that Kerry's using his head on Iraq. Poor guy. John Mellencamp and Chevy Chase are making fun, and he just can't handle it. Daddy, make them stop!

Meanwhile, the president held rallies in the Republican birth canal from Waukesha to Green Bay today. It seems the only time this president sees fit to visit the city of Milwaukee is when he's got his hand out.

Yesterday, the state of Florida decided to scrap its "felons list" which would bar those 47,763 voters on the list from voting. Apparently, only 61 voters on the list are Hispanic which raised eyebrows since the state's Cuban population overwhelmingly votes Republican.

The spokesman for Gov. Jeb Bush says the problem was two databases didn't merge correctly. Apparently someone needs to get these people an updated version of Office or WordPerfect. So do they try to fix the problem with the databases? No, they decide to scrap the scheme altogether.

Regardless of what they say the reasoning was, I have no reason to believe the list wouldn't have been used if CNN and other media outlets did not sue to obtain the names on the list.

It shows the importance of having a media that is willing to constantly question the actions of government. Sadly, the media was too busy kissing up to the Bush Administration and competing for who had the bigger flag on their network's screen to help prevent the country from going to war unnecessarily.

Ron Reagan to address Democratic convention

Reagan will address the convention to speak about the importance of stem cell research. Expanding such research has bipartisan support. Unfortunately, the socially conservative wing of the Republican Party continues to oppose it.

It's amazing the lack of vision that exists on the right. There continues to be this disdain for moderates and the so-called RINOs (Republicans in Name Only for those not in the know) in their party. Honestly, it's fine by me, because one day in the not-too-distant-future, they'll wake up and wonder how they lost power and the hearts and minds of Americans. It will be because they pushed the independent thinkers out of their party and many into the Democratic Party.

Election Day Worries

American counterterrorism officials are in the process of putting together procedures for postponing the November presidential election in the event of a terrorist attack. While the 9/11 attacks postponed local elections in New York City, no procedures currently exist at the federal level.

While it can be argued that there ought to be a codified process in place for this scenario, the timing of the story only plays into fears that this president can't be trusted and will do anything he can to hold on to power.

State Rep. Shirley Krug has ended her bid for Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District seat. Krug was running to replace Congressman Jerry Kleczka who is retiring.

Still in the race on the Democratic side are State Sen. Gwen Moore, State Sen. Tim Carpenter, and attorney Matt Flynn. Running in the Republican primary to determine who will lose to the Democrat are attorney Gerald H. Boyle, and Corey Hoze.

Brewtown Politico will make an endorsement sometime before the primary, or maybe not. We're still vetting the candidates through our state of the art kingmaking machine here at our research facilities. Stay tuned.

Pakistan for Bush. July Surprise? by John B. Judis, Spencer Ackerman & Massoud Ansari

Josh Marshall has been writing about this, and Buzzflash has posted a link to the TNR article today.

Essentially, the Bush Administration is pushing the Pakistani government to produce some results on the the hunt for al-Qaeda suspects (ideally during the Democratic convention). The article points out the Pakistanis have a phat $3 billion aid package waiting for them if the White House can get it through Congress. What amazing timing.

It's notable that just a few weeks ago, Ralph Nader publicly urged John Kerry to choose John Edwards as his running mate.

One would think that since Edwards was chosen, Nader may reconsider his presidential bid. Although Nader appeared on Hardball and voiced his approval of Kerry's choice, he didn't show any signs of backing down.

Nader's campaign continues to experience setbacks. The Greens broke up with him to see another candidate, and his plans to get ballot access seem increasingly futile. Nader maintains he's the candidate running for those who are "mad as hell." No Ralph, maybe you're just mad and delusional about the amount of support you say you have.

If you didn't catch the early edition of the New York Post, they blew the story of the day by naming Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt as John Kerry's choice for a running mate. The Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp which also owns the cable propaganda machine Fox News Channel.

The local competitor New York Daily News got in on the fun with a headline announcing "Post Mortified! Kerry picks Edwards"

It's a modern-era Dewey defeats Truman screw-up. Copies are already going up for sale all over Ebay

Kerry Taps Former Rival Edwards as Running Mate

As I was a supporter of Sen. John Edwards in the primaries, I'm thrilled with Kerry's decision to choose him, and pleasantly surprised that he was chosen.

Here's the official e-mail from the Kerry campaign announcing this morning's decision:


Dear Scott,

In just a few minutes, I will announce that Senator John Edwards will join me as my running-mate on the Democratic ticket as a candidate for vice president of the United States. Teresa and I could not be more excited that John and Elizabeth Edwards will be our partners in our journey to make America stronger at home and respected in the world.

You are the heart and soul of our campaign. You've shattered records and expectations every step of the way. Every time someone said you couldn't do it, you proved them wrong. Because of your incredible grassroots energy and commitment, I wanted to make the first official announcement of my decision to you -- more than one million online supporters at johnkerry.com.

I want you to know why I'm excited about running for president with John Edwards by my side. John understands and defends the values of America. He has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class. In the Senate, he worked to reform our intelligence, to combat bioterrorism, and keep our military strong. John reaches across party lines and speaks to the heart of America -- hope and optimism. Throughout his own campaign for President, John spoke about the great divide in this country -- the "Two Americas" -- that exists between those who are doing well today and those who are struggling to make it from day to day. And I am so proud that we're going to build one America together.

In the next 120 days and in the administration that follows, John Edwards and I will be fighting for the America we love. We'll be fighting to give the middle class a voice by providing good paying jobs and affordable health care. We'll be fighting to make America energy independent. We'll be fighting to build a strong military and lead strong alliances, so young Americans are never put in harm's way because we insisted on going it alone.

I can't tell you how proud I am to have John Edwards on my team, or how eager I am for the day this fall when he stands up for our vision and goes toe-to-toe with Dick Cheney.

This is the most important election of our lifetime, and a defining moment in our history. With you by our side every day of this campaign, John and I will lead the most spirited presidential campaign America has ever seen, and fight to lead our nation in a new and better direction.

Thank you,

John Kerry

Slate columnist Paul Boutin wrote last week about why Mozilla's Firefox is superior to Internet Explorer. It just looks funny reading it with the MSN logo in the corner.

Even the Department of Homeland Security's CERT division is recommending users dump Internet Explorer in favor of third party browsers like Mozilla or Opera.

Posting will be non-existent in the coming days as I take in Milwaukee's Summerfest, and take a little time to celebrate the birth of a country that was liberated from an oppressive government. No, not Iraq. America, silly.

In the meantime, shut off that monitor, get out of the house, and enjoy the weekend.

There's a couple of developments on the Milwaukee transit front.

Amtrak leaders and state transportation secretary Frank Busalacchi are urging Congress to fund high speed rail service from Milwaukee to Madison, and upgrade the current Chicago-Milwaukee route. The current Amtrak trains run at approximately 79mph. The proposed high speed trains would run at about 110mph. It seems odd that to this point there hasn't been rail service between Wisconsin's two largest cities.

Another oddity is that Milwaukee doesn't have rail access to its airport. Thankfully, later this year, a new Amtrak stop at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport will open providing rail service for travelers. This is a good development for the airport and its customers, many of whom are coming from northern Illinois to avoid the ever crowded O'Hare in Chicago.