Emotions ran rampant through the House of Representatives as a vote to repeal the ban on gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military concluded 234 to 194.

The images are heartbreaking. Over a month after the BP Deepwater Horizon rig went up in flames, the underwater oil spill is still spewing an estimated million gallons a day into the waters of the Gulf Coast. Scientists are warning that oil is already on its way to Florida, and could reach up the eastern seaboard.  Hit the beach while you still can! Read on to get the latest on the spill and what you can do to help.

• Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Ben Harper have spoken out against BP. During his performance at the Hangout Festival, Ben led the crowd in a chant of "F&*k BP" and teamed up with the guys from Guster to create an anti-BP website with that racy URL. HeadCount was also at the Hangout Festival and played an integral part in changing it from just a beach party into a "Concert for the Coast." Check out this column in the Huffington Post about how all that came together.
• For a quick indication of the negligence, poor oversight, and greed that led to this tragedy, check out this gripping 60 Minutes' interview with a technician from the Deepwater Horizon. He claims the BP executives ignored safety concerns and forced drilling to continue even in the face of clear warning signs. His interview, which recounts how he literally jumped off the platform into a sea of burning oil, has become a widely spread social media story since the spill began.
• Love oysters and shrimp? Well you might not see any of the domestic variety in the near future as restaurants prepare for a nationwide shortage. Mother Jones has reported that for now, it's still safe to consume the Gulf's oysters and shrimp. But, the spill could have lasting impacts on some fish species like the already endangered Bluefin Tuna which spawn in the Gulf's waters.
• The oil spill has shaken things up in our nation's capital. The long awaited Kerry-Lieberman climate bill was released on May 12, but includes provisions to expand offshore drilling - a key compromise that was made prior to the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster. That said, in the past week President Obama has created an independent panel that will produce a report on the root causes of the spill, and what can be done to prevent future spills. Then, the President announced that although the federal government has already granted new permits since the spill began, for the next six months the federal government will not grant additional permits to drill new deepwater wells off of the U.S. coast.  Planned exploration of Alaska's coastal waters has been put on hold until 2011 and commitments to drill in the Gulf and Virginia's coastal waters have been cancelled.  Yet President Obama has affirmed that he remains committed to offshore drilling as a part of the US energy mix.

Want to make a difference yourself?  Donate funds (or hair,) then see the Surfrider Foundation's Anti-Offshore Drilling blog for a list of ways you can directly help the spill victims. To keep up with these developments on a daily basis, follow us on Twitter.

Our thoughts go out to all who are coping with the devastating effects of the spill, to the families of the 11 oil workers who lost their lives on April 20, and to all of the volunteers and organizations who are hard at work in the Gulf.

For a project on racism, a Georgia high school teacher Catherine Ariemma had students in her AP history class dress up as Ku Klux Klan members and walk around the school. The intention was to make a film about racism but she failed to alert other students or teachers that a bunch of klansmen would be strolling the halls. Can anyone see where this is going? Apparently Mrs. Ariemma couldn't.

When the students walked into the cafeteria, for some crazy reason, people became confused and uncomfortable. In the video below, an African American student describes how the klaned-out students approached him and asked if they could help him reenact a lynching.

It doesn't look like this is a case of racism on the teacher's behalf. More likely it's a case of good ol' fashioned stupidity. Though it is hard to defend these students who asked their classmate if he would like to help them reenact a lynching.

The lesson the teacher learned from this ordeal: "If you want to film the Klan, do it on your own time." More stellar advice for America's youth.

She has decided to cancel production of a documentary about the Holocaust that planned to send students dressed as Nazi's to Hebrew schools.

I wanted to organize a lil protest against BP and offshore drilling. It had been exactly one month since the oil spill began. One month of non-stop poison continuously flowing into the Gulf, making its way toward the Loop Current and Florida’s Keys and beaches. In the history of history, this is undoubtedly the single worst thing we’ve done to our planet. It’s like someone ventured to your parent’s house and pissed all over your mom, nonstop, for thirty straight days. The problem with the spill is unless you’re Aquaman, could you really do anything about it other than watch idly?

Of course you could. You don’t have to be Che Guevera to express yourself.

Here’s what we did.  Read more »

Rage Against the Machine front man Zach De La Rocha has organized a protest called Sound Strike that calls for artists to boycott playing in the state of Arizona. This of course is in retaliation to the recent immigration bill in Arizona that makes it a misdemeanor crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying registration documents.

Zach has put together a serious group of artists including Kanye West, Sonic Youth, Conor Oberst, Massive Attack, Spank Rock and Rage side groups One Day as a Lion and Street Sweeper Social Club. Other than maybe Kanye, Rage Against the Machine would be the biggest deal of all these artists protesting the state but unfortunately they aren't touring!

On the Sound Strike website Zach writes:

"Fans of our music, our stories, our films and our words can be pulled over and harassed every day because they are brown or black, or for the way they speak, or for the music they listen to. People who are poor like some of us used to be could be forced to live in a constant state of fear while just doing what they can to find work and survive. This law opens the door for them to be shaked down, or even worse, detained and deported while just trying to travel home from school, from home to work, or when they just roll out with their friends."

Followed by

"When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, they arrested her. As a result, people got together and said we are not going to ride the bus until they change the law. It was this courageous action that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. What if we got together, signed a collective letter saying, 'we're not going to ride the bus,' saying we are not going to comply. We are not going to play in Arizona. We are going to boycott Arizona?!"

You can also sign a petition against the immigration law on the site as well. This is a serious "f*ck you" from the music community to the state of Arizona. Sadly, it probably won't have much financial impact on the state since none of these bands had any intention of playing Arizona in the near future. However, when you have such a wide array of musicians teaming against your state, your state is probably doing something wrong.

Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida is being sued by Talking Heads front man David Byrne for using his 1985 song "Road to Nowhere" in his campaign earlier this year. Byrne is filing suit for the amount of $1 million because that's the amount he has been offered for his songs in the past. The Crist campaign took down the ad after they were contacted by Byrne's lawyers but Byrne says "the damage had already been done." Byrne told Billboard this "is not about politics...It's about copyright and about the fact that it does imply that I would have licensed it and endorsed him and whatever he stands for."

This isn't the first time musicians have been offended and taken action against politicians using their music in campaigns. Last year MGMT successfully sued the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy for using their song "Kids" in his online campaign. During the 2008 Presidential campaign Jackson Browne sued John McCain for using his song "Running on Empty." At least Crist has better taste.

Browne vs. McCain ended with a pledge composed by groups including the Republican National Party stating they would respect artists rights and license copyrighted works. So there's no wall of ignorance to hide behind anymore. Politicians take note: don't use songs without approval from the artists! Why? Because they didn't write it for you. They wrote it for themselves, for their loved ones, friends and fans. It stands for something they believe in and not 'whatever you stand for.'

If a musician believes in you, they'll play your party.

Not feeling up for shooting anything lately? Try some motivational posters for your 2nd Amendment blues!

This one is quite relevant because not only did a hiker recently kill a grizzly bear with a handgun after it practically ripped his face off, but the incident promoted a new federal law allowing firearms to be brought into National Parks.

Earlier this month on the HeadCount blog, we posted a disturbing video of a SWAT Team raid on a family's home in Colombia, MO that left the family dog dead and only turned up a small amount of marijuana. At a press conference last week, the city's police chief made it clear that he wishes his officers didn't have to enforce marijuana laws.

“I applaud your efforts,” he told a reporter who asked about campaigns to change marijuana laws. “If we could get out of the business [of going after marijuana offenders], I think there would be a lot of police officers that would be happy to do that.”

“Crimes do occur because of marijuana and you may make the argument that it’s because it’s not legal, and you may be right," he said. "I don't have anything against it except that it's against the law."

He stated that the officers who conducted the raid acted appropriately but also explained that policy changes in how raids are carried out will happen, including the purchase of more helmet cameras to make sure all raids can be reviewed. "We are trying to go above and beyond to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Columbia passed an ordinance making marijuana offenses the lowest law enforcement priority back in 2004 but the Chief is says it's a change in state law that needs to happen to create significant changes in law enforcement.

President Obama took the stage on his Main Street Economic Tour in Buffalo, New York and noticed that all eyes weren't affixed on him. A sign reading "Dear Mr. President, I need a freakin job. Period." was displayed in front of him, slightly upstaging the leader of the free world. The sign - and similar billboards that have been springing up around the region - was more than just one man's message. It stemmed from a movement of suffering families and youth who... want freakin' jobs. The college enrollment rate has reached a record high yet young people are disproportionately left unemployed. Though I personally don't need a freakin job, dozens of my fellow graduates do. The grassroots organization INAFJ (I Need A Freakin Job) is selling tshirts, circulating petitions, and just getting people generally riled up about wanting work. They landed over 8,000 Facebook friends in just three days, and now caught the eye of the president. The statement video (below) won't win any awards, but attempts to channel frustration into a movement.

They're all in this HeadCount Issue Update!

Hello liberty lovers, we've got a lot of ground to cover: President Obama's Drug Czar, Gil Kerlikowske says he wants to end the war on drugs; but does the new drug control strategy released this month match up with the rhetoric? You might be surprised to learn that Laura Bush and her husband disagree on some important personal choice issues. And if UT Sen. Orrin Hatch's ode to the Jews made you uncomfortable, see what happens when you put him, a gun and Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan in the same room.

Plus, we've got the poll results from the last month's Community Question on personal liberty.

• The Obama administration released its annual drug control strategy this month and it signals a shift toward treating illegal drug use as more of a public health issue than a criminal justice issue. The plan proposes a 13% increase in funding for alcohol and drug prevention programs and a 3.7% increase for addiction treatment. However, the budget still calls for allocating almost two times more funds for law enforcement than treatment, leading some drug policy experts to call it an "imperfect improvement."
• For those of you that feel it's your right to control what you put into your own body (absent harm to others) the plan offers little sympathy. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske stated that the administration is "firmly opposed to the legalization of marijuana." He hasn't made it clear how they will respond if the ballot initiative to tax and regulate marijuana in California passes this November. The AP recently published a searing piece that boldly reports the war on drugs is a total failure that has cost over $1 trillion and met none of its goals.
• In last month's update, we asked readers "What personal liberty issue is most important to you?" Marijuana legalization was selected by over 50% of participants and gay marriage, 2nd Amendment rights, economic freedom and free speech received a relatively equal number of votes.
• Laura Bush surprised America by announcing to Larry King that her support for gay marriage and keeping abortion legal were two areas where her and G.W. disagree. Be sure to check out the video on our blog.
• Howard Dean has released an open letter to President Obama demanding that the President repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by the end of this year. At this time, almost 100,000 Americans have signed on in support of ending the policy that bans gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military.
• Finally, the possible appointment of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court has 2nd Amendment lovers putting her position on gun rights in the crosshairs. Just watch this super awkward moment she has with Sen. Orrin Hatch as he points out the handmade flintlock gat he hangs on his wall.

Still with me? Good. Because that's just the tip of the liberty bell. Be sure to follow us on Twitter where you'll find daily news updates on everything personal liberty.