NYT: "Mother Who Lost Son in Iraq Continues Fight Against War" (Marc Santora)

Since leaving Texas, Ms. Sheehan, of Vacaville, Calif., has been traveling around the country, rallying people against the war. Her entourage includes other parents who lost their children in the war, families of soldiers overseas, and veterans who have returned from Iraq.
The tour culminates with what organizers hope will be a huge protest in Washington Sept. 24 to 26.
Many in the crowd at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church last night were eager to get a peek at the woman whom they had seen on television.
"I was just passing by," said John Ullman, 37. "This is going to be a chance for me to get my first impression of her," he added, noting that he agrees with her goal of ending the war.
[. . .]
The church was an appropriate setting for a protest, said the Rev. David W. Dyson, who helped organize the event. Built in 1857, the church was created as part of the abolitionist movement, and tunnels below were twice used to shelter runaway slaves as part of the Underground Railroad.
Mr. Dyson said many people showed up because they respect Ms. Sheehan's willingness to speak out for what she believes.

The above is from Marc Santora's "Mother Who Lost Son in Iraq Continues Fight Against War" in this morning's New York Times. Marcia pulled the quotes and e-mailed to request it as the spotlight entry.

Nicole e-mails to note Katrina vanden Heuvel's "Sweet Victory: Bridging the Health Gap" (Editor's Cut, The Nation):

"It is time to come home, America. Time to look within our own borders and within our own souls," Sen. Robert Byrd said Tuesday on the Senate floor. "There are many questions to be answered and many missions to accomplish right here on our own soil."
The disaster in New Orleans has reaffirmed that America's ongoing failure to address racial injustice is our great, unaccomplished mission at home. African-Americans still face unequal treatment in housing, education, the workforce, and perhaps most insidiously, the medical care they receive (or fail to receive). Three recently released studies show that black patients are substantially less likely to receive heart bypass surgery, blood vessel repairs, joint replacements, and other important procedures than whites. According to Asish Jha of Harvard Medical School, these studies indicate that "Overall blacks and whites receive very different health care in this country."
Finally, an organization has emerged to confront the crisis of unequal care. This summer, Massachusetts General Hospital announced the creation of the Disparities Solution Center--the first institution specifically dedicated to bridging the health gap. As Dr. Thomas Inui of the Regenstrief Institute for Health Care, told the Boston Globe, "We're really finished with the time in which we need more studies showing disparities exist. Now, we need to show how to close the gaps."


Doyle e-mails to note Dahr Jamail's "Project Censored cites Dahr Jamail in the #2 and #7 biggest stories the mainstream media ignored" (Iraq Dispatches):

Project Censored is a media research group that tracks the news published in independent journals and newsletters and annually compiles a list of 25 news stories of social significance that have been overlooked, under-reported or self-censored by the country's major national news media. The list is published in an annual book.
This year's book entitled "Censored 2006" features the work of Dahr Jamail as contributing to the #2 (Media Coverage Fails on Iraq: Fallujah and the Civilian Death Toll) and #7 (Journalists Face Unprecedented Dangers to Life and Livelihood) biggest stories the mainstream media ignored over the past year.
The annual Project Censored top ten list is published widely across the globe. For the contributing journalists, to be included in the top ten constitutes both a great honor and an enormous opportunity to reach a much broader audience.
To be included in two of the top ten stories is even a greater honor.
The 2006 book also includes a chapter of several web-logs from Dahr Jamail.

After the excerpt above, both articles are noted in full. (If you missed Dahr Jamail's radio interview last week, there are still chances to catch it. Check Ruth's Morning Edition Report from Saturday, which will also be reposted this morning, for options on that.)

Rod e-mails to give us a heads up to today's Democracy Now! which has an interview with Hugo Chavez planned.

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