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Celebrating Progressive Patriotism; Top Ten July 4th Songs

Peter Drier, Richard Flacks and Peter Rothberg
To some, patriotism means "my country -- right or wrong." To others, it means loyalty to a set of principles, and thus requires dissent and criticism when those in power violate those standards. Not enough Americans are aware that much of what we consider our patriotic culture, especially our iconic music, was created by artists and writers of decidedly left-wing sympathies.

UCC Synod Approves Fossil Fuel Divestment

Tiffany Vail Massachusetts Conference United Church of Christ
"This resolution becomes a model for all faith communities who care about God’s creation and recognize the urgent scientific mandate to keep at least 80% of the known oil, gas and coal reserves in the ground." Jim Antal, Minister and President, MACUCC

At Last, Hyatt Workers Win Deal—With Room to Grow

Jenny Brown Labor Notes
If union members at Hyatt hotels in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Chicago vote yes on a proposed contact it will end a four-year campaign. It will also make it easier to organize in new cities.

'Restore the Fourth' July 4th Anti-NSA Spying Protests

RT
‘Restore the Fourth’ is aimed at restoring the fundamentals of the Fourth Amendment – the part of the Bill of Rights which protects citizens against unlawful searches and seizures. Participants will display an online banner which reads, “This 4th of July, we stand by the 4th Amendment and against the U.S. government’s surveillance of internet users.”

'Obamacare' Bends for Big Business... Again

Sarah Lazare Common Dreams
Critics blast Obama's decision to delay mandated employer health insurance in Affordable Care Act that was already a concession to private industry.

Mohamed Morsi Ousted in Egypt's Second Revolution in Two Years

Patrick Kingsley and Martin Chulov The Guardian
The chief of the armed forces, General Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, announced that he had suspended the constitution and would nominate the head of the constitutional court, Adli Mansour, as interim president on Thursday. While secular Egyptians blame Morsi for autocratic policies that have failed to build consensus, Islamists are furious that Egypt's first democratically elected president should have been deposed after just a year in office.

Koch Pledge Tied to Congressional Climate Inaction

Jane Mayer The New Yorker
Climate-change policy directly affects Koch Industries’s bottom line. Koch Industries, according to Environmental Protection Agency statistics cited in the study, is a major source of carbon-dioxide emissions, the kind of pollution that most scientists believe causes global warming.