It's Better Than Being Waterboarded . . . Carnival of the Liberals #23!

After three decades in the publishing business, at last I get the chance to test my editorial chops on some of the smartest voices in the progressive blogosphere. The results are in, and here they are--ten posts that make up Carnival of the Liberals #23, and a varied collection they are.

Given what's been in the news lately, you might expect such topics as Foleygate, the suspension of civil liberties, the legalization of torture, and the shredding of the US Constitution would be prominent in this week's Carnival--and you'd be right. But there are other treats in store, written in formats ranging from satirical dialogue to poetry. Do yourself a favor--turn off the cell phone for the next twenty minutes and spend the time perusing the posts below. You'll have fun and maybe even learn a thing or two in the process.

Let's start with my personal favorite of all the submissions I received this week. As a longtime publishing professional, I was fascinated to read in Joshua Rosenau's Thoughts From Kansas about the late, great Fred Melcher--publisher, political activist, and friend of both Joshua and Robert Frost. Joshua's post is not a political position paper or diatribe but a loving personality sketch of a true humanist--a bit of marvelously "liberal" writing in the original sense of the word. Highly recommended.

Ever wished you could find a blog that combined liberal satire with NFL predictions? Me neither. But now that I've discovered Brian Tarcy's WhatZgonnahappen.com, I realize that this is exactly what the world has been waiting for. Read Brian's adroitly snarky post and find out what George W. Bush and Terrell Owens have in common.

At Barry's Lieba's Staring at Empty Pages, you'll find a cogently argued explanation of the problem with the Bush's administration's position on habeas corpus. I suggest you read it before the government gets the disintegration units into operation (and if you don't understand the reference, you really need to read Barry's diary).

Over at Ken Goldstein's The 13th Story, there's a thoughtful post about religious discrimination: How do we really define it? Where are the right places to draw lines? Ken doesn't claim to have all the answers . . . but he is raising some of the right questions.

Interested in reading a bit of tomorrow's news today? Check out this frightening story at Avant News, a website worth bookmarking as your source for accurate, reliable information about the future. It puts a Twilight-Zonesque spin on the definition of "illegal enemy combatants"--one that might make even unreconstructed Republicans think twice about dismantling the Constitution.

Speaking of a fresh perspective on events, Marcella Chester's abyss2hope shows how, in a strange way, the recent Keith Olbermann anthrax scare illustrates how narrow the gap can sometimes be between the terrorist sensibility and our own.

And here is another eye-opener and mind-changer. If you think of business interests and the common good as being permanently and intrinsically opposed, think again. As MBA student Vihar Sheth explains in this important diary on his blog green/rising, for-profit social ventures are a new and growing phenomenon from the world of business--with Google one of the companies in the forefront. Yes, it's possible to "do good" and "do well" at the same time.

Danielle at Aridni is another business maven with a myth to explode--in this case, the myth that Republican administrations are good for the national economy (as well as your personal finances). The title of her post says it all (well, most of it): "If you want money to work for you, vote Democrat!" When she's right, she's right!

If you're like me, you've been wondering how the Democrats will manage to make the Mark Foley page scandal backfire on them. Well, wonder no more. Blogger Jon Swift explains in a post written with tongue and perhaps other body parts planted firmly in cheek.

Finally, the shortest but one of the most eloquent posts of this or any Carnival, courtesy of Mad Kane's Political Madness. Thankfully Mad Kane isn't getting paid by the word . . .

Have fun, everybody, and see you in two weeks for Carnival of the Liberals #24. It's at Scott Brown's Perspectives of a Nomad.

Tags: Carnival of the Liberals, progressive, blogosphere, liberal