Max Blumenthal charts the Republican Party's descent into religious madness, as it transmogrifies from "I Like Ike" into "Ultimate Fighting Jesus".

Economics attempts to understand how societies solve a very basic problem. Because our resources are limited, people cannot have everything that they desire. Given that reality, how do we decide what to produce, how to produce it, and how to distribute the output? Economics strives to understand how societies and individuals make choices about how to allocate their scarce resources over the nearly unlimited wants of individuals within the society.

Ever since he first went to Iraq to cover the U.S. occupation of that country in 2003, Dahr Jamail has distinguished himself as a journalist of rare courage and honesty, who understands that a conscious commitment to humane values is a necessary tool for the reporting the truth and not an obstacle to it. He continued to cover the Middle East since his initial stint as an independent unimbedded journalist, writing for Inter Press Service, Le Monde Dipomatique and Asia Times, among other publications. Dahr was the recipient of the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Award for Journalism.

In October 08 I had the great good fortune to attend what was billed as a debate between teams of progressive and conservative talk show hosts: Thom Hartmann and Stephanie Miller on the left, Bill Handel and Alan Stock on the right. Bill Handel opened the program by saying we shouldn't expect too much from him, as he had already decided he was voting for Obama. It was left to Alan Stock to spout the right wing talking points we had all expected to hear, which he reliably did.

Some folks might have qualms or questions about our having a Republican on FDL for a book salon. Not me. It's high time we started talking to one another about the issues, rather than talking past each other in a political frenzy. Especially regarding issues which in years past were supposedly held above the political fray: national security, intelligence matters, and the rule of law.

Jill Richardson of San Diego is one of our own, a commenter who turned into a blogger (www.lavidalocavore.org), who then got the contract to write the book, Recipe for America. The new American Dream.

How the Masters of the Universe created the financial meltdown by treating the American financial sector like one giant fantasy baseball gambling pool.

Many people first encountered ACORN when it became a piñata in the wingnuts' last-ditch attempt to salvage something—anything—for their base during the 2008 elections. But since 1970, when the community organizing group was founded, the organization has accomplished a lengthy and impressive list of victories on behalf of low- and middle-income families. Among its achievements, ACORN has: * Moved more than 2 million homes into ownership by low-income people in less than 20 years. * Spearheaded the living wage movement that resulted in raising the hourly pay of some of the lowest-paid workers in more than 140 cities between 1996 and 2006 before going on to win statewide minimum wage increases in several states, such as Ohio, Missouri, Colorado and Arizona in the 2006 elections. * Partnered with H&R Block to reduce predatory fees charged to low-income people who receive rapid anticipation loans, with one such fee reduction resulting in a savings of $200 million for tax filers.

Is the sun setting on America’s empire? Has Washington’s influence in the world reached its apogee? Or has the U.S. just plain lost its mojo? Paul Starobin isn’t the first to ask these questions, but in his book After America he provides a uniquely informative take on what the answers imply for our global future. He argues that America has already lost its preeminence, weakened by imperial overstretch, rampant debt, and the decline of its economic power. Now it’s a matter of figuring out what the precise consequences of a post-American future will be.

Howard Dean has done a lot in his 60 years. He's been the Governor of Vermont, a candidate for President, and the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. However, many don't realize that he's was also a practicing physician. Yet, as the health care reform battle roared back to the national stage this year, Howard Dean's experience as a doctor was suddenly more than a stump speech slogan. Dr. Dean, with experience in politics and medicine, was uniquely positioned to inform the national debate on not only health reform, but health care itself.