On May 9, the Oregon Supreme Court decided it will consider whether, in the words of James Pitkin at Willamette Week, grazing a boy’s head with your breasts should get you over six years in the slammer.

Should juries know the likely sentence when deciding guilt?

Don't get me wrong.  I've loved MSNBC's occasional turn to the liberal side with commentators like Keith Olberman.  But for the most part, it's still pretty main stream.  Still pretty corporate.

But every once in awhile a serious voice breaks through into the bobble-headed sound-bite world of talk television.  Tonight it was wonderful to see Amy Goodman of Democracy Now forcefully declare her views on the woman vote in the Presidential election.

It's incredible to watch an alternative voice on corporate media.  I thought she did well in hitting the issues she wanted to hit and more than held her own in a forum that demands such concision that usually only conventional platitudes are heard.  But what do you think?  Did Amy best her opponents?

More on Amy after the break, including a run-in with Michael Sipes of REM.

Beat back Big Tobacco in Oregon today! The Oregon Healthy Kids plan is going to the ballot in November.  We can win and insure 100,000 kids if you'll help right now by donating here.

The Healthy Kids Plan can win at the ballot even if we are outspent 3 to 1, but it will be harder to win being outspent 4 to 1.  Big Tobacco is putting in record amounts -- $10 million at last count.  Proponents of the Healthy Kids Measure 50 are closing in on raising $3 million.  We need your help now to keep compelling ads like this one up on the air:

I'm pleased to report that on Monday, House Joint Memorial 9 passed out of committee with a bipartisan 6-1 vote.  It heads to the House floor for a vote likely to take place next week.

I just got off the phone with Democratic Leader Rep. Jeff Merkley.  The Oregonian newspaper, Oregon's largest daily, has endorsed the Republican Speaker Karen Minnis' opponent Rob Brading in tomorrow's edition (no link yet).  This is big news for Rob's campaign.  Send him a gift today, or help us take back the Oregon House from the R's by making a gift today at the Oregon House Democrats' campaign website!  Congratulations Rob!

On Thursday, the Oregon House Democrats released our agenda for the 2007 legislative session.  It's called
The Roadmap for Oregon's Future

Just wanted to make sure everyone saw that Democratic State Treasurer Claire McCaskill is up 49 to 43 against incumbent Republican Senator Jim Talent

About 9,000 Protested the War today in Portland,Oregon.

In 2006, the Oregon House Democrats need your head, your heart and your hands. We need your leadership.

Here's why. The failed record of the Oregon House Republicans is well documented. Only with the hard work of Oregonians and Kossacks across the country can we restore integrity, fairness and real leadership to the Oregon House of Representatives.

We need you, because you are the key to restoring a Democratic majority in the Oregon House.

Please consider making a gift at www.oregonhousedemocrats.com and if you live in Oregon, sign up for the Oregon Challenge. We are looking for a special group of 100 community activists to step forward as the ground-floor leaders in the campaign to take back the Oregon House.

Are you ready to take the Oregon House Democrats challenge?

Go to www.oregonhousedemocrats.com to take the Challenge, make a donation and change Oregon!

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Chip Shields
Assistant Oregon House Democratic Leader
www.oregonhousedemocrats.com
www.chipshields.com

Salem, Oregon - Jun 27, 2005 Representative Chip Shields (D-N/NE Portland) was joined by members of the Oregon Senate and House today as he introduced a memorial urging Congress to create a plan for withdrawing American troops from Iraq. The Memorial, HJM 38 "The Oregon Homeward Bound Act," calls for Congress to pass a resolution that declares that it is the policy of the United States to announce a plan for withdrawal from Iraq that would begin by October 1, 2006.

The memorial introduced by Shields mirrors a bi- partisan resolution that has been introduced in Congress by Dennis Kucinich (D-OH),