I find it amazing that in the entire 4 page article and in all the letters that follow not ONE mention of the two candidates who unflinchingly speak truth to power and have the track record to back it up.

What is with the so-called objective journalists and Democratic spokespeople who can't seem to acknowledge Mike Gravel (Wikipedia paste below):

In 1971 Gravel played a key role in the release of the Pentagon Papers — a large collection of secret government documents pertaining to the Vietnam War — which were made public by former Defense Department analyst Daniel Ellsberg. Gravel inserted 4,100 pages of the Papers into the Congressional Record of his Senate Subcommittee on Buildings and Grounds. These pages were later issued by the Beacon Press as the "Senator Gravel Edition" — the most complete edition of the Pentagon Papers to be published. The "Gravel Edition" was edited and annotated by Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn, and included an additional volume of analytical articles on the origins and progress of the war, also edited by Chomsky and Zinn.

Also in 1971, Gravel embarked on a one-man filibuster against legislation renewing the military draft. Using various parliamentary maneuvers, Gravel was able to block the bill for five months before President Richard Nixon and Senate Republicans agreed to allow the draft to expire in 1973.

Six months before United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's secret mission to the People's Republic of China in July 1971, Gravel introduced legislation to recognize and normalize relations with the PRC.

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or Dennis Kucinich, who articulates concisely what he stands for and also how his ideas can be implemented and has proven that he will stand up for what he believes in. He is the only Presidential candidate who voted AGAINST the Iraq war resolution in 2002, and has introduced HR 333 to impeach Dick Cheney. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5xgWei7Paw

(another Wikipedia copy):

After Kucinich refused to sell Muny Light, Cleveland's publicly-owned electric utility, the Cleveland mafia put a hit on Kucinich. A hitman from Maryland planned to shoot him in the head during the Columbus Day Parade, but the plot fell apart when Kucinich got sick and missed the event. When the city fell into default shortly thereafter, the mafia leaders called off the contract killer.[11] Kucinich is the only former Mayor of Cleveland without a portrait hanging in Cleveland's City Hall.

Melvin G. Holli, in consultation with a panel of experts, placed Kucinich among the ten worst big-city mayors of all time for reasons of temperament and performance in the book, Best and Worst of the Big-City Leaders 1820–1993 while Kucinich's supporters say that Kucinich kept his campaign promise of refusing to sell Muni Light to CEI and was brave for not giving in to big business. Specifically, it was the Cleveland Trust Company that required all of the city's debts be paid in full, which forced the city into default, after news of Kucinich's refusal to sell the city utility. These debts were routinely rolled over, pending future payment, year after year, until Kucinich's announcement was made public. In fact, in 1993, then-Cleveland Mayor Michael White cited Kucinich's "wisdom" in not selling the utility. In 1998 the council honored him for having the "courage and foresight" to stand up to the banks and saving the city an estimated $195 million between 1985 and 1995.

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Both candidates have been systematically marginalized or ignored not just by the media (what do you expect) but by the Democratic Party, because they are not in the inner clique.

Unfortunately, middle school behavior is alive and well in this race.

Bell's Palsy is generally a viral infection along the facial nerve, and the fact that you have ear pain along with it makes it more likely that it is viral (Herpes Zoster Oticus, Ramsey-Hunt Syndrome, for web surfers), from the chickenpox virus.

Stop wondering why this happened to you. It just did, and it's not from stress or a fan or air conditioner blowing over you while sleeping. The nerve (which is NOT above the ear) starts in the brainstem and goes through the middle ear and exits below the ear lobe near the jaw. The actual inflammation is in the inner ear area.

If this really did happen overnight, it's the virus. If, on the other hand, this facial weakness creeped up over several days to weeks, other reasons need to be explored.

Get thee to an Otolaryngologist (not a Neurologist) right away, as early treatment with steroids and acyclovir can often hasten the return of function, though not in 100% of cases. Being pregnant doesn't always mean you can't take these medicines, but your OB doctor should be able to tell you what you can and can't take.