Open Thread and Diary Rescue

This evening's Rescue Rangers are Avila, jennyjem, dadanation, TruthOfAngels, grog and joyful, and jlms qkw, with watercarrier4diogenes at the editor's desk

Tonight's diaries cover a variety of interesting issues not covered by the MSM with the kind of research, perspective and analysis we see here every day.

• Although child labor is recognized as exploitation in Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, renaissance grrrl pens a sad and beautiful essay on the loss of carefree childhood to economic reality, in Not even the rain has such small hands. (Avila)
• mdgarcia rejoices in the fact that Charlotte NC public schools adopt Anti Bullying Policy, despite opposition from Republicans who fear protecting gays and lesbians from harassment. (jennyjem)
• StrangeAnimals discusses the greatest environmental risk to today's kids, television, in Happy Days With Hormones. It appears the V Chip didn't fix the problem. (grog)
• 123frenchwine looks back on past attitudes toward race in America in How Racism Feels. (TruthOfAngels)
• Tex Kosmaniac Dem Lady celebrates the memory of a brave and wonderful spirit in the charming Dear, dear Mrs. Harrison... She never missed a beat. (joyful)
• Mark Warner and I are Democrats because... is Elsinora's stunning reminder of why we are here - and why we continue to fight for what we believe in. (joyful)
• Hannibal introduces us to one of those Better Democrats we so desperately need in CA-52: Commander Mike Lumpkin answers 10 important questions. Now if we could just elect 400 more just like him. (grog)
• gregflynn perfectly illustrates why all politics are local, and why we all need to help kick Patrick McHenry to the curb in NC-10 McHenry Smears Responsible Lending With Right Wing Front Group. (jennyjem)
• ramsfan brings us the story of a playwright so insignificant that he must jump up and down screaming, "I'm a conservative now!" to get attention, in Glengarry Glenn Stupid- The Conversion of David Mamet. (jennyjem)
• Using the 2007 Congressional Scorecard as issued by TheMiddleClass.org, one metric to evaluate how well your Congresscritter did over the last year or so can be found here in DMIer's well-sourced DMI Sends Members of Congress Home with Their 2007 Grades! (dadanation)
• EducationAction discusses the issues and possible solutions in Core Dilemmas of Community Organizing in Urban America. Maybe the same principles can help us elect more and better Democrats. (jlms qkw)
• In two powerful reminders of the tragedy of the Iraq War, xofferson asks us Why we count the casualties, while pakaal wonders How important is the war to you? (joyful)
• For both then (1971) and now (2008), James G Lewes tells us Why we need the Winter Soldiers and why they need us, since our country's leadership didn't learn the first time around. (jlms qkw)
• WisCheez tells us about journalism history and describes this role model in Worth a celebration: a century of I. F. Stone. (jlms qkw)
• phenry gives us a treatment for the primary blues in Daily Kos Bingo. (jlms qkw)

Carnacki has Top Comments Wednesday.

Enjoy and please promote your own favorite diaries in this open thread (even if you're the author! Here's where that's actually cool to do). And, of course, since it's an open thread, PLAY NICE, OK? 8^)