A Vietnam Controversy Vet

The Sinclair Broadcast Group's anti-Kerry documentary -- "Stolen Honor" -- has a link to another Vietnam War controversy. Carlton Sherwood is the documentary's filmmaker. Back in 1984, he worked for WUSA, Channel 9 in Washington, DC. He did a four part series questioning finances at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The news director wound up apologizing -- on air -- for that series. And the station chipped in $50,000 to the fund. (DCRTV & WashPost)

Rise Up, Walk, and be Healed! Now We'll Pass the Plate

Washington has spent $2.3 million of your tax dollars for research into whether prayer will heal you. News like that ought to make a taxpayer sick. (NYT)

Debatable Factoids

Some numbers for you to crunch any way you darn well please about the Presidential debates. (AP)

Reflecting on 9/11 After Partying Like it was 1999

The artist formerly and once again known as Prince packs a political punch in his new video for the song "Cinnamon Girl." It follows an Arab-American girl amid acts of racism following 9/11. (Miami Herald)

Spending that Boatload of Cash

It's now official -- the Swifties have made more campaign ads than Sly Stalone made "Rocky" movies. The "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" wrapped up shooting for their eighth ad -- with footage for two or three more. They partied with GOP money man T. Boone Pickens in DC during their weekend shoot. The anti-Kerry crew have raised $13 million so far. (WashTimes)

Crime & Politics

Colorado is jockeying to be the Florida of 2004. They have a ballot issue that could split the state's electoral vote -- or not -- and now, 6,000 felons apparently registered to vote. Unchain the lawyers! (Denver Post)

Where the Money Goes

Rural states still rake in impressive per capita amounts of anti-terror money, despite the liklihood of an attack in their neck of the woods. Take the Northwest Arctic Borough. Middle of nowhere, 7,300 people, on the Arctic Circle. Washington gave them $233,000 of your tax money to stock up on emergency radio equipment, decontamination tents, night vision goggles, and bullhorns. (NYT)

Rocking the Electoral Vote in the Rockies

A ballot initiative in Colorado could throw electoral college predictions for a loop. It would change the way Colorado's electoral votes are given. Right now, it's like in most states -- the winner of the state's poplular vote takes all the electoral votes in Colorado. The measure on the ballot would divide the electoral votes to reflect the percentage each candidate got of the popular vote. And if the plan passes -- it would take effect in this year's election. (CBS)

Poor Excuse for Jobs

A new sstudy by the nonpartisan Working Poor Families Project finds one in every five US jobs pays less than a poverty-level wage for a family of four.

That means nearly 39 million Americans -- 20 million of them children -- are in 'low-income working families' - with barely enough money to cover basic needs like housing, groceries and child care.

But It Caught Cat Stevens

Washington has no "hard and fast" rules to decide who winds up on the no-fly list. It's designed to keep terrorists from boarding airplanes. So far, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and at least one other Congressman have wound up on the list. (USAToday)

What Makes George Tick

The Democrats unveil a new ad today aimed at appealing to younger voters. It's actually already run during Saturday Night Live. Now it'll get a lot of play during Comedy Central's The Daily Show. Designed to look more like a commercial on MTV than for the DNC or GOP, Dems will spend $8 million targeting 18 to 25 year olds with the spot. (USAToday)

Political TV Showmanship

The Democratic National Committee and 18 US Senators demand a probe of Sinclair Broadcast Group's plan to air a documentary critical of Senator John Kerry two weeks before the election. The DNC will file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission today claiming the documentary is an illegal in-kind campaign contribution to President Bush. The Senators are asking for an FCC investigation of Sinclair. (Reuters)

Trees, Jobs, and Politicans

FactCheck.org straightens out all the curves thrown at Friday's Presidential Debate. Yes, Mr. President, you do own a timber company (in part) and no, Senator Kerry, the job figures aren't as bad as you claim. (FactCheck.org)

A Bump in the Pork Paved Road to Re-election

Ever hear of Rep Max Burns (R-GA)? Not many people outside his Congressional district have. But he's in a tough political fight so GOP leaders in Congress made sure he had plenty of pork -- $52 million -- to build roads, bridges, and overpasses around Savannah, Augusta and Athens. But there were some hitches on the Hill. Now Rep Burns and the other politicians planning press releases on how they were bringing home the bacon were left empty handed. (WashPost)

Thank God and Zenith for the Remote Control

Pity the city of Toeldo, Ohio. The folks there have seen more Presidential political ads than any other TV market in America -- 14,273 when the Washington Post went to press. (WashPost)

Bringing Home the Bacon from the Home Loan People

Congress chartered Fammie Mae to make morgtages more available to working people. Now some in Congress are upset at how Fannie Mae is spending so much money on themselves. Take the chart a congressman held up showing salaires of 22 top execs: 20 of the them received more than $1 million each in total compensation in 2002, 12 took home more than $2 million, and 9 got more than $3 million. (WashPost)

TV Show Me the Campaign Money

A television broadcast group owned by financial contributors to President Bush and the Republican Paryty is ordering up to 62 of it's TV stations to broadcase a documentary critical of Senator John Kerry. The Sinclair Broadcasting Group plans to show the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds the Never Heal" about Senator Kerry's opposition to the Vietnam War.

The documentary claims that Kerry's activities were used by the North Vietnamese to inflict torture on American POWs. The show includes interviews with two people who appeared the the "Swift Boat" ads run against Senator Kerry.

Mark Hyman, Sinclair's VP for corporate relations -- who doubles as Sinclair's conservative commentator -- says Sinclair believes the documentary is newsworthy. Because Sinclair deems the documentary as news rather than commentary, it's unclear whether Sinclair will be forced to provide equal time to the Kerry campaign to respond. (NYT)