Much of the debate so far has focused on the issue of granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that allegedly participated in the president’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program. But as this legislation moves forward, a critical part of our battle is going to be making people understand how dangerous and flawed the proposed FISA legislation is, even beyond the issue of immunity.

Over at Kos, Senator Feingold has posted a great piece on the FISA legislation and why everyone in American should take an interest. It's not just about immunity.
Matt Browner-Hamlin, one half of Chris Dodd's stellar internet team, has started a new blog called Hold Fast. Matt, along with Tim Tagaris, changed how campaigns use the Internet for outreach and fundraising. (You know those emails you get from campaigns titled "Re: Tonight" without a graphic heavy header and footer, just a casual email from the candidate to you? Matt and Tim pioneered those.) Dodd's Internet strategy was by far the best this cycle, so I'm excited to see where he takes his blog in the future. Go ahead, add him to your feed reader! You know you want to…

One unexpected consequence of the rising water levels in Bangladesh is that river erosion has reduced the number of operable ferry berths, so men wait longer to cross, which in turn increases the demand for prostitution.

The life of a Bangladeshi prostitute is bleak — even without the added demands of flood-weary ferry passengers.
While waters run high in Bangladesh, parts of China's Yangtze River are facing their lowest levels in 140 years.

"Of course all of this is conditional on oil production expansion and the security situation improving"

The IMF is predicting 7% economic growth in Iraq for the up-coming year, assuming the country can maintain the momentum it found in 2007.
Did Pakistan's hope for Democracy die with Benazir? According to The Economist, democracy might be Pakistan's last remaining hope.
Speaking of Pakistan, still basking in the warmth of his "sincere" friendship with U.S. President Bush, Pakistan's President Musharraf "laughs [and] shakes his head" when told a less friendly Democrat might be the next U.S. president. Nonetheless, he is confident future leaders won't "take a different approach than their predecessor."
Canada, America's friendly neighbor to the north, has recently added the U.S. to its torture watch list along with Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Officials trained to recognize the signs of torture will now view prisoners in U.S.-run facilities with extra care. With the world watching, will the U.S. continue its inhumane practices in the name of "counterterrorism"?
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