Catch.com has a story concerning Robert Pape who has done an in depth study of Terrorism and the underlying reason for suicide bombings and written a book entitled "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism".   As many of us in the reality based community have understood well before 9-11, and Pape's study underscores, there is one predominate cause that drives the terrorists :: Militay Occupation of their homeland.   This priciple was laid out in Bin Laden's fatwah very clearly.   Foreign Military in Saudi Arabia was his main reasoning, pure and simple.   Pape highlights the fact that the suicide bomber mechinism was not created in Arabia or Palestine.   The concept was first empowered by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka who were a Marxist group, a completely secular group that draws from the Hindu families of the Tamil regions of the country..   As stated in one of the articles, Professor Pape is in high demand in Washington D.C. talk circuits.   This highly relevant information is the last thing we are going to hear from the Bush Administration because it does not fit in with their propoganda machine and validates why the "Insurgency" will continue to kill as long as we occupy Iraq.   These articles are very interesting for those of us based in reality and not endoctrinated into the NeoCon warmongering.

Wikipedia :: Robert A. Pape :: Dying To Win
AntiWar.com :: Poisonous Misinterpretations
Daniel Drexner.com :: The logic of suicide terrorism
American Conservative :: The Logic of Suicide Terrorism

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From a post at NewsHog ::

Why Does Congress Not Want The Poor To Vote?

This news is very disturbing.   It boggles my mind that such a prohibition could be adopted.   It's just another example of the Culture of Corruption that is the Bush Administration.   What really makes me wonder is why so many Democrats voted for this bill.   This development is outrageous and should be fought with all our efforts.   Please contact your lawmakers (See This Post and Say No To Bush) and ask your representatives why they voted for this...   - fc

From The New Standard ::

The Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005, which passed the House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 331-90, contains a provision that establishes a national fund for developing affordable housing, by skimming 5 percent off the profits of the government-sponsored home-finance companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

The funding would be a boon to the nonprofit housing sector - worth up to an estimated $1 billion within two years - but it comes with strings attached: nonprofit organizations would not be able to tap into the fund if they have recently engaged in activities that encourage people to vote.

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From one of my daily reads in the blogosphere, The Sideshow comes their "Under the Radar" type post called Political Landscape.   The Sidwshow is a blog in the UK that keeps close tabs on what is happening here in the states and I highly recommend it to all.   It links to a victory in Georgia that does away with a requirement for photo ID Cards in order to vote.   - fc

From the Washington Post ::

In a case that some have called a showdown over voting rights, a U.S. appeals court yesterday upheld an injunction barring the state of Georgia from enforcing a law requiring citizens to get government-issued photo identification in order to vote.

The ruling allows thousands of Georgians who do not have government-issued identification, such as driver's licenses and passports, to vote in the Nov. 8 municipal elections without obtaining a special digital identification card, which costs $20 for five years. In prior elections, Georgians could use any one of 17 types of identification that show the person's name and address, including a driver's license, utility bill, bank statement or a paycheck, to gain access to a voting booth.

Last week, when issuing the injunction, U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy likened the law to a Jim Crow-era poll tax that required residents, most of them black, to pay back taxes before voting. He said the law appeared to violate the Constitution for that reason. In the 2004 election, about 150,000 Georgians voted without producing government-issued identification.