This week, I joined Chicago-area ColorOfChange.org members to deliver more than 66,000 petition signatures to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. The petition demands that State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez immediately acknowledge the innocence of 10 falsely accused Black men (known as the Cook County 10) and agree to vacate the convictions of nine who were convicted for crimes they didn’t commit.

On Wednesday, August 17, Firedoglake.com will hold a tele-news conference call with Lt. Dan Choi and his attorney Yetta Kurland to discuss his upcoming trial in DC federal court on August 29 for protesting Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in front of the White House last year.

FDL readers can sign up now to be on the August 17 call and ask questions of Dan and Yetta.

Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner are proposing to appoint six Senators and six Representatives from the House to meet in behind-closed-doors, non-transparent sessions, to agree to budget and program cuts for the next ten years that will affect all Americans. From Sunday night through today, details have emerged for what some are dubbing the “Super Congress,” otherwise known as the “Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.”

In response to President Obama’s warning that Social Security recipients may not receive their monthly checks on August 2, FDL is asking people across the country to visit the local offices of their Senators and Representatives on Tuesday July 19, to express their opposition to the radical and unjust proposals to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits currently being contemplated by leaders of both parties.

Last week FDL members put forward the suggestion that we organize office visits, because members of Congress and their staffers need to hear in person just how strongly the American public is opposed to cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits in the way that President Obama has proposed.

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that the AARP has officially reversed its course and will be no longer working to protect Social Security.

In a direct affront to their membership, one of the largest and most well-known advocacy groups in the country has thrown in its lot with the likes of Alan Simpson

If a majority of Democrats won’t vote for the Obama-GOP tax plan, Speaker Pelosi must not bring it to the floor for a vote. So let’s find out where Democrats stand. We’re organizing an EMERGENCY whip count to call Democratic Members of Congress and find out where they stand on the Obama-GOP tax plan.

President Obama is going to send this NAFTA-style Korea Free Trade deal to Congress soon. We need to put a stop to this new NAFTA immediately, so Congress needs to hear from you now.

Sign our petition to Congress at NoNewNAFTA.com.

I’m not trying to be too alarming but we don’t have much time to get repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell passed in the defense authorization bill. Things are looking very bleak for passage of the defense authorization bill, at least for this year. And who knows how many seats we’ll have next year? People have been sold a whole bunch of lies on this repeal bill, starting from the fact that it’s not repeal itself – it just allows repeal to happen if certain conditions are met and then three people sign off on it. Yet, we’ve heard the loud pronouncements that “DADT is dead” on certain leftist political blogs.

We all know that Sen. Blanche Lincoln is facing a real challenge from her left today. Lt Governor Bill Halter has done what needed to be done. He has (with the help of the Netroots) raised the money. He has busted his butt getting out there and letting the Democrat in Arkansas know that they have a real choice between a bought and sold Insurance Cartel shill and someone who will represent the people of their state.

The key today will be getting as many votes as possible for Lt. Gov Halter so there will be a run off. If this three way race goes to a run off there is very good chance that a bad senator can be replaced by a good one.

Turn out is what we are talking about here folks, and you can help! Just like every other election it does not matter how many people support the candidate, it matter how many take the time to get out and vote. By signing up for a phone banking shift, you can help turn out the voters who will tell Blanche Lincoln that her watering down of health care reform, her siding with the insurance industry over the people is a good reason for her to spend a lot more time with her family, starting in January of next year.

So, will you take the time to do a phone bank shift for Bill Halter? Just click here and you will be connected with the system. Once you have done that the campaign will get back with you and walk you through getting started for your shift.

It’s difficult to watch the disaster unfolding, knowing there’s little you can do to stop the inevitable destruction. It’s even more difficult to know that President Obama wants to build even more offshore oil rigs and put more of our oceans at risk.

That’s why Firedoglake is launching a TV ad against expanded offshore drilling, featuring images of the destruction in the Gulf and President Obama’s own voice advocating for more offshore oil drilling, even after the BP disaster.

Join us in saying no to expanded offshore drilling. Click here to help put our ad against offshore drilling on the air in DC.