grist for the mill

Who Are Americans to Think That Freedom Is Theirs to Spread? - New York Times: "It's impossible to untangle the contradictions of American freedom without thinking about Jefferson and the spiritual abyss that separates his pronouncement that ''all men are created equal'' from the reality of the human beings he owned, slept with and never imagined as fellow citizens. American freedom aspires to be universal, but it has always been exceptional because America is the only modern democratic experiment that began in slavery. From the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it took a century for the promise of American freedom to even begin to be kept. "

ESPN.com: Page 2 : Big Ben is back, badder than ever: "America is a country based on hard work. Its people take pride in making an honest living, getting their money's worth, and respecting those who do the dirty work.
America, also, is a country built by black folk. From the cotton woven into the shirts we wear down to the concrete laid on the roads we travel, this country in large part was built on the backs of people like the ancestors who gave birth to Ben Wallace.
That said, you are looking at the American Dream."

Science@NASA to go: "Using an iPod or any portable MP3 player, you can now explore the Universe while driving, jogging, waiting in line ... just about anywhere. It's easy: tune in to the Science@NASA podcast."

How 2.0 - Popular Science: "5 Things You Didn't Know You Could Track with RSS"

The Michael Jackson verdict: "In the immediate aftermath of the reading of the verdict, before the TV anchors and assorted talking heads had a chance to get their stories straight, a number of television reporters acknowledged what none of them had publicly admitted before—that there never was a serious case against Jackson. However, the media approach quickly shifted and attempts were made to denigrate the significance of the verdict by emphasizing the reservations of several jury members as to Jackson’s past behavior."

DenverPost.com - OPINION: "Even though neither you nor I would ever let our children near him, Jackson is free today because it is not against the law to sleep in a bed with young boys. If you are angry with these jurors, don't be. Rest assured that as a group they were perfectly willing to send Jackson off to jail until he'd be eligible for Social Security. The case against Jackson was so bad that even you would have acquitted him based solely upon the evidence. Yes, it was that bad."

ROCHELLE RILEY: Mayor's aide helped script first debate: "A paid spokesman for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's re-election campaign helped write the questions asked during the mayoral forum held over the weekend on Mackinac Island"

Detroit race relations to take hot seat at conference: "The city's obsession with race is keeping it from joining the ranks of cosmopolitan centers around the country that thrive on the cultural diversity of their people, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick says. "

LEONARD PITTS JR.: Welcome to Krakow or is it Chicago?: "'McWorld,' political scientist Benjamin Barber famously dubbed it. He saw a world being pulled apart by tribalism and extremism, and drawn together by McWorld -- free market forces. Meaning, teach the people what to want and then give it to them."