Open Thread and Diary Rescue

Tonight's Rescue Rangers are ybruti, PaintyKat, ezdidit, srkp23, Bent Liberal and joyful, with Got a Grip donning the Robes of Objectivity.

Today, the first day of summer, is a busy day in history. In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States. 55 years later Queen Victoria rose to the throne. Lizzy Borden was found innocent of axing her parents to death in 1893. Detroit saw race riots on this date in 1943, while Bugsy Siegel ate hot lead in 1947. The U.S. and Soviet Union agreed to set up the "red phone" in 1963, while this day in 1967 saw Muhammad Ali convicted of dodging the draft.

But the minions of irony want to share this little pearl. On June 20th, 2003, Scott McClellan was tapped by George Bush to be his new press secretary. Today, five years later, Scott McClellan gave testimony before Congress recounting wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Bush and assorted other officials and cronies.

Good times.....

Science, or Lack Thereof...

• environmentalist suggests that improper land use contributed to the terrible Midwestern Flooding. THE WATER DID IT!! (joyful)
• Leftywingnut fills us in on BushCo's continued exploitation of public land, in Why Spoil Beauty? Rocky Mnts under assault. (srkp23)
• oscarsdad writes of the latest shenanigans of the religious right in, In Louisiana, "critical thinking" = Creationism. (BentLiberal)
• Shaviv reports in Mad Science Project of the Week 14: wherein the power of the mind is misunderstood that government investigations of parapsychology have not been fruitful. (ybruti)

Anger Management...

• GreyHawk asks, "Where is the outcry?" over those dismantling the Constitution and Declaration of Independence in Words To Live By, And For A Nation, Die By. (BentLiberal)
• mpwife, who also took an oath to defend the constitution, looks at the FISA "compromise," concluding, And I Can Only Cry. (srkp23)
• First-time diarist lennysfo dashes off First Diary: Dear Speaker Pelosi ... (BentLiberal)

Wars, and Rumors of Wars...

• RichardG details Further evidence of torture, focusing on humiliation and the use of gendered exploitation. (srkp23)
• Maura Satchell provides an update on Zimbabwe: Danger of another Darfur? (srkp23)
• IseFire contemplates policy "expert" Robert Kagan's essay on America's military interventions and expansions, and offers his own thoughts on US Foreign Policy Idealism. (joyful)
• In Where Have All The Fathers Gone? LogicaLizE describes a beautiful father-daughter relationship interrupted by war. (ybruti)

Politics, Shmolitics...

• terjeanderson notes how inappropriate it is when a US Ambassador to Canada campaigns for McCain and confuses his diplomatic role. (joyful)
• Megatron suggests we take a close look at The End All, Be All Obama VEEP Diary. (ezdidit)

jotter has High Impact Diaries - June 19, 2008.

carolita has Top Comments 6-20-08 -- Accountability Edition.

Please feel free to use this as an Open Thread and to rescue and chat about your favorite diaries of the day!