Fire up RealAudio, a fast connection, and a three-digit speed multiprocessor, and feast on full-length arguments before the Supreme Court. This project, done out of Northwestern University, serves up a history of United States law back to 1955, when the Court first started recording its cases. The site expects to house hundreds of cases, but right now the load is more like dozens. The site offers a synopsis of each case, and several cases have links to the FindLaw site, which features the written opinions of the justices. An hour-long RealAudio clip is nothing to sneeze at, however, making this site not very much fun to browse, and not for the RA timid. - Robert Capps
This engine wasn't able to help with a search for pot-smoking super models, but it did return plenty of hits on militias, Glock pistols, and the atomic bomb. The American Conservative Network indexes dozens of sites-including the likes of the National Review, the Christian Coalition, and the Heritage Foundation-and in a single flag wavin' swoop (I'm not kidding), every page of text on these sites can be probed and pondered. Sites can be added or reviewed, and conservative links abound. The site also features a complete set of e-mail links to Congress and various departments of government. Oddly enough, in addition to all the conservative hubbub, the site houses an extremely Almanaclike rundown of statistics on the U.S. and each state. - Robert Capps
For people on a mission, the folks at Wild-Eyed Media fail to cajole any sense of urgency or need into their efforts to protect the Idaho wilderness. The section titled How You Can Help, for example, offers advice such as "responsible shopping" and "enjoy the outdoors," but fails to provide any further explanation. Only after searching the index of the site do a few disastrously written press releases on factors endangering the wilderness appear. The site does a fair job of following environmental legislation in Idaho, and the illustrations and general design of most of the pages are engaging. But there isn't much for non-Idahoans, and some of the pages are downright boring. - Robert Capps
Ho hum. Another dull, ugly site with no meaningful content to speak of. The redundant Radio America Radio Network, bastion of family values, states that it is committed to "traditional American values, limited government, and the free market." Free market for certain ... since these pages apparently exist only to say, "send us money." OK, so you can find your local affiliate (as long as you live in a conservative ½burb) and hear 30-second snippets of programs so conservative they make Rush Limbaugh seem like a flag-burning liberal. This is just another Web site created by a bored marketing department. - Clary Alward
Some people want you to believe there's a difference between civil rights and civil rights for gay people. But of course there's no such thing as "special rights," despite the political and religious popularity of that term. There are only special repressions. The Human Rights Campaign says bigotry is unacceptable and is working to eliminate federal, state, and local laws that criminalize homosexuality or exclude gay people from the privileges of citizenship, while also working to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and strengthen laws that punish hate crimes. This site has great graphics, a streamlined way to express your opinions to your representatives in office (and to check their previous votes on bills involving gay rights), a quarterly magazine, and more. - Gary Barker
The Hill is a weekly newspaper for politicians and political junkies. While the print version may spray out politics like Cheez Whiz at high elevation, this site barely sputters. A few of The Hill's investigative articles grace the site each week, but that's the carrot, the dangling treat to lure potential readers into the paid print world. A scandal here, a pundit there, and a complete breakdown of demographics and subscription prices. The Hill, like many print-first publications on the Web, appears unable to see more in the Internet than its capacity to act as a digital billboard. - Robert Capps
A political organization to support pro-choice, Democratic women, EMILY's List raises funds, picks candidates, and prepares to swipe another house seat out from under Newt. The List entails a membership of women who all promise to donate at least $100 to pro-choice women Democratic candidates for the House, Senate, or State Gubernatorial races come next election cycle. The site mostly describes EMILY and asks for new recruits-without much discussion of issues. So in this non-election season, EMILY looks to strengthen its membership and fatten its wallet. - Robert Capps
The Drug War has been the most ill-conceived and idiotic infringement of our rights since Prohibition. Facts supporting this statement can be found at The Drug Library, sponsored by the Drug Reform Coordination Network. This vast library, the largest repository of drug policy information on the Web, contains facts and figures from reputable sources, as well as several papers and links. The site's creators support ending the insanity, as any rational person must when confronted with the facts. But what I think about the Drug War doesn't matter; visit this astounding resource and form your own conclusions about our national scourge and international disgrace. - Mike Hase
Blocking software such as NetNanny and CyberSitter prevent children from accessing Net porn and other online material deemed offensive by the software's creators. These "secret blacklists" also include the sites of the National Organization for Women and many animal rights groups. The Censorware Search Engine lets you search for blocked sites within a particular domain-useful to see if your page is blocked, but none too thrilling otherwise. Interestingly, when this search engine was announced, CyberSitter responded by blocking Pathfinder's 150,000 URLs, bringing an ugly, vindictive air to the proceedings. Although People magazine may be intellectually and linguistically offensive, it hardly perverts America's youth. - Mike Hase
About-Face combats the negative and unhealthy images of women in the media by displaying several examples in its Gallery of Offenders. Strolling through the gallery, you'll see ads (Calvin Klein, Guess, and the like) presenting woman as stick figure, woman as rape bait, and woman as helpless child. The site also gives facts with these figures; for example, most models are 13-19% underweight, and 15% underweight indicates anorexia. Numerous links to online feedback forms and sample letters let disgruntled viewers take action against the companies peddling these damaging views of women. If you're tired of seeing women starve themselves, visit About-Face to see what you can do. - Mike Hase
Site of the month!!
There was a time when the radio was not dominated by sensationalistic shock jocks egging on the baser instincts of their listening public with an onslaught of sexism, xenophobia, militia-boosting, holocaust revisionism, and government-bashing tripe ... ah, wistful nostalgia on my part harking back to a time when The Doors were a fresh new band. As the definition of "middle-of-the-road" politics slides ever rightward, it's refreshing to see the Left side of the radio dial represented on the Web in this invigorating compendium of sources, sponsored by Progressive Networks of Real Audio/Video fame. The site contains regular contributions from Jim Hightower, Pacifica radio, CounterSpin, Democracy.net, and Radio EIC (Environmental Information Center). Links to thousands of other politically progressive sites are provided, making this a potent research tool as well as a news source. Feel free to configure your Daily Briefing newsfeeder to a steady diet of unabashedly liberal propaganda. While mainstream news organizations celebrated the Independence Day Mars plop as a technological home run, Pacifica drew attention to the plutonium payloads these NASA projectiles conceal, calculating the chances of an intercontinental catastrophe should we revisit the Challenger nightmare. Homey-voiced Jim Hightower, the populist Texan, holds nothing back when he rails against former President Bush's shilling for big corporations, or raises doubts about the safety of genetically engineered foodstuffs. CounterSpin, sponsored by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, brings to light the manipulation of the mainstream media by a cadre of corporate interests. Democracy.net is an interesting experiment in real-time participation in government, using live, interactive cybercasts of Congressional Hearings and online forums with key policy makers and industry leaders. WebActive also combs the Net for other progressive sites, featuring several new ones in each week's edition. The directory section offers a Yahoo-like search engine for leftist causes, from environmentalism to civil rights to non-violence, and also points to resources for activists including employment opportunities. WebActive's interface is uncluttered, lightly bannered, and quick to load. It's good to see Progressive Networks living up to its name, marrying technology with content to such salutary ends. - Steve LeVine