The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. After much pressure from readers, this email newsletter is now going the blog route. I update the blog once a week focusing on both national issues and issues of interest to particular regions or states. In general, NYC, California, New Jersey, Virginia and the Midwest get special attention simply because those are the areas where I seem to have the most readers. However, these days I am too busy to give each region the attention I used to. As my readership on Daily Gotham and Culture Kitchen goes up, I have to spend more time on those sites. So this newsletter is fading a bit. I hope it is still usefull to you, though.

This week I disucss the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I also discuss some revelations about the 2000 stolen election in Florida: it looks like at the center of it might have been the touch screen machine industry itself. I have more local focus on New Hampshire, North Caronlina, New Jersey, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. I also continue a new feature that started with an unexpectedly recommended Daily Kos.

The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. After much pressure from readers, this email newsletter is now going the blog route. I update the blog once a week focusing on both national issues and issues of interest to particular regions or states. In general, NYC, California, New Jersey, Virginia and the Midwest get special attention simply because those are the areas where I seem to have the most readers.

This week I discuss election fraud in Florida's 2006 election, Iowa and Michigan SLAMMING John McCain for hypocricy, corruption NYC real estate, and turning red states blue. If you visit my blog, don't forget to click on an advertiser or two. As usual I also highlight local events and organizations for several states. And, if you want more political and social discussions, please check out our offerings on Culture Kitchen.

Democrats "captured four of the six Republican-held seats they needed to take control of the Senate, winning critical contests in Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Missouri, and inched closer Wednesday to erasing the GOP's majority." Democrats also "mounted challenges for two remaining Republican-held seats in Virginia and Montana -- and were ahead in both. But in Virginia, Democratic challenger James Webb's lead over Republican incumbent George Allen was razor thin and a recount was likely." Both parties "dispatched lawyers to Virginia to tally uncounted absentee ballots Wednesday, as well as canvass votes counted on Election Day."

With 99.75% of precincts reporting, Webb had 49.58 percent of the vote to Allen's 49.22 percent -- representing about 8,350 votes. In the wee hours of the morning, Democrat Jim Webb declared victory, "...the votes are in and we won." Allen, however, "had no plans to concede, and reminded supporters gathered for him here in Richmond that he has won close elections before. 'The first time I ever won an election...it was 18 votes. We had to have a recount,' Mr. Allen said."

In Montana, Democratic challenger Jon Tester leads Republican incumbent Conrad Burns 49.12% to 48.33% with 90% of precincts reporting.

I was a latecomer to eating organic, and even now it is a preference, not an absolute. I favor organic when it isn't TOO expensive. I often found organic advocates ill informed and fanatical. It made me suspicious of the whole thing. But I have been slowly converted, not so much by any strong organic farming advocates, but by realizing on my own that modern agriculture methods are often unsustainable, and often produce food only with marketability in mind, not anything like taste or nutrition or environmental concerns.

This year, there is a sign that many are coming to a practical conclusion that organic farming is sound economically. One sign of this is the fact that in two states not known for their hippie leanings, Montana and Iowa, organic farmers are running for office and may even win.