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March 29, 2005
Count Every Vote
Dear Friends,
A piece of legislation currently being reviewed in Congress is called the "Count Every Vote Act," which would guarantee a paper trail for all our national elections. Below are the names of the committee members reviewing the bill, and it is important that we let them know how very important this issue is for us. Unless we know who really wins our elections, then democracy itself is nullified. Call, write letters, send emails, plass along the info.... (more contact info at www.congress.org).
Thanks,
Marianne
United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
305 Russell Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6352
Call your Member of congress and the members below at the U.S. capital switchboard:
(877) 762-8762.
Members
Republicans:
Chairman, Trent Lott, MS
Ted Stevens
Mitch McConnell
Thad Cochran
Rick Santorum
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Bill Frist
C. Saxby Chambliss
Robert Bennett
Chuck Hagel
Democrats:
Ranking Member, Chris Dodd, CT
Robert C. Byrd
Daniel K. Inouye
Dianne Feinstein
Charles E. Schumer
Mark Dayton
Richard J. Durbin
E. Benjamin Nelson
Susan Wells, Staff Director
Kennie L. Gill, Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel
Posted by mwblog at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2005
A Message from Barack Obama
A Message about Senator
Robert Byrd from Barack Obama
"Senator Robert Byrd has spoken out passionately against a Bush foreign policy that has alienated our allies throughout the world. Today, he is fighting an attempt by Republicans to ram federal judges through the Senate. . . In 2006, Senator Byrd will be the target of Republicans because he stands up for what he believes. Will you join me in supporting Senator Byrd's campaign for re-election, before a critical deadline this Thursday?" — Senator Barack Obama
Donate to Support Senator Byrd Now!
https://www.moveonpac.org/give/byrd.html
Dear MoveOn member,
Below, I've attached a note from Senator Barack Obama about the key moment Senator Robert Byrd faces in the next few days. But before we get to the note, here's why Senator Byrd is so important to us:
Two and a half years ago, when Congress was voting on the use of force against Iraq, Senator Byrd from West Virginia stood on the Senate floor and delivered a fiery speech. He told his colleagues that, "I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is 'in the highest moral traditions of our country.' This war is not necessary at this time." For those of us who opposed the war, he became a hero. And he's remained one, on many issues: just last week, Senator Byrd joined us at a MoveOn PAC rally to make a passionate appeal against the Republican plan to seize total control of judicial nominations in the Senate.
Now the senator needs our help. He's up for re-election in 2006. Because of his courageous stands, Republicans in the Senate have made him a primary target. They're already raising money to defeat him. And a critical deadline is coming up: on March 31st, Senator Byrd will report his campaign expenses to the FEC. He needs to show the press and public that he's got strong support.
Can you chip in now to support Senator Byrd?
You can give online at:
https://www.moveonpac.org/give/byrd.html
Thank you for everything you do,
--Eli Pariser
MoveOn PAC
Tuesday, March 29th, 2005
Posted by mwblog at 11:37 PM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2005
Minnesota Shootings: A Response
Please send the following fax or email to your Congressional Representatives:
Dear (title, name),
After the tragic school shooting in Minnesota recently, we are reminded once again of the urgent need to establish a United States Department of Peace.
Among other things, the Department of Peace will include a best-practices template for the amelioration of violence among America's youth population. Please visit http://www.ThePeaceAlliance.org/main.htm for a more detailed description of the plans for the Department of Peace.
I hope you will support the bill to establish the Department, when it is re-introduced in legislative session on September 12, 2005 in the House of Representatives.
Sincerely,
Constituent whomever
Be sure to include your name and address.
You can find email and fax information for your Member of the House of Representatives and your two Senators at http://www.congress.org. You can also call your Representative's D.C. office to voice your opinion by calling the U.S. capital switchboard at (877) 762-8762. They will connect you directly to the office.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Please also send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. We suggest you reference an article written on these tragic shootings.
Dear …,
After the tragic school shooting in Minnesota recently, we are reminded once again of the urgent need to establish a United States Department of Peace. We need to much more seriously address the underlying causes of the problems of violence that we face today.
Among other things, the Department of Peace will include a best-practices template for the amelioration of violence among America's youth population. The Department would implement measurably effective intervention for issues such as, school and gang violence, domestic violence, reduced prison incarceration rates, and international conflicts to name a few issues. You can visit www.ThePeaceAlliance.org for a more detailed description of the plans for the Department of Peace.
The bill will be re-introduced in legislative session on September 12, 2005 in the House of Representatives.
Sincerely,
Constituent whomever
For additional tips on writing a letter to the editor, check out our Citizen Action Guide at: http://www.thepeacealliance.org/action_guide.htm
Posted by mwblog at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2005
US Federal Spending (In billions per year)
Pentagon (not counting Iraq or Afghanistan) $401
Children's Health $41
K-12 Education $34
Humanitarian Foreign Aid $10
Head Start $7
Reducing Reliance on Foreign Oil $2
*******************************
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched , every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the geniuses of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
--- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Posted by mwblog at 10:49 AM | Comments (1)
March 14, 2005
The FCC Media Ownership Rules Battle
On June 2, 2003, the Federal Communications Commission — charged with regulating media in the public interest — voted 3-2 to change several of its remaining media ownership rules, such as those limiting the number TV stations one corporation can own and banning the cross-ownership of a TV station and newspaper in the same market. The loosening of these rules would lead to a massive wave of media consolidation.
The largest firms would be able to swallow up other media firms they set their eyes upon, and industry observers all expect a flurry of large deals. At the local level, we should expect a single firm, or perhaps two or three firms, to own the vast majority of the media — daily newspaper, TV stations, radio stations, cable TV systems — in a single community.
Such media concentration not only violates the premises of a competitive marketplace, but it makes a mockery of the notion of a free press enshrined in the Constitution.
To learn more and take action, visit: http://www.freepress.net/rules/page.php?n=home
Posted by mwblog at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)
MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES: Demand the FCC listen to citizens when it makes Policy
Action Alert from Freepress.org
The Federal Communications Commission announced on Jan. 7 that the U.S. Solicitor General will not appeal the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision in Prometheus Radio Project vs. Federal Communications Commission to the Supreme Court.
That decision rejected the FCC rules issued in June 2003 that would have significantly loosened media ownership caps (details- http://www.freepress.net/rules/page.php?n=home). Barring the unlikely event that the Supreme Court takes up the case anyway, the FCC now must go back to the drawing board and restart the entire rulemaking process.
We haven't won yet. The industry lobbyists and their allies on the commission will try to sneak the same policies through the back door. The only thing that will stop them is if the millions of Americans who opposed media consolidation in 2003 remain vigilant.
Now is the time to demand the FCC take citizen input seriously. Add your voice!
Join thousands of other citizens in insisting that the FCC hold a public hearing in their states. With enough people taking direct action, the FCC will have no choice but to hear our message: Media should serve the public interest — not the bottom line of big corporations.
Don't Wait. Demand the FCC list to your concerns now!
Click here to take action (http://www.freepress.net/rules/)
Posted by mwblog at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2005
Conference on Spiritual Activism
Help Create a Network of Spiritual Activists:
The Best Way To Beat Bush
Conference on Spiritual Activism
July 20-23
Berkeley California
sponsored by the University of California Peace and Conflict Studies Program and by the Tikkun Community.
The goal of the conference is to create a Network of Progressive Spiritual Activists who will work to a. challenge the anti- religious and anti-spiritual biases in liberal culture b. create a Prophetic Spiritual Agenda for American politics which will help liberal and progressive forces re-think the way they address the central issues facing our society, integrating into our search for a world of peace, social justice and ecological sanity some of the wisdom of the religious and spiritual communities and thereby reshaping the public discourse in ways that are respectful to secularists but also respectful to those rooted in religious and spiritual traditions; and c. challenge the misappropriation of God and religion to serve the purposes of hatred, war, and the selfishness of the wealthy while ignoring the plight of the poor and the powerless.
Learn More at:
http://www.tikkun.org/community/spiritual_activism_conference/spiritual_conference_event
Posted by mwblog at 04:09 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2005
Help Stop the Genocide in the Sudan
This is a follow-up to my letter several days ago about genocide in the Sudan (click here to read letter). For those of you aware of the Rwandan massacres several years ago, this is a current situation of similarly disastrous proportions. The Sudanese government and its murderous Janjaweed are massacring non-Arab Africans within their country.
The United States is currently providing humanitarian assistance and President Bush does support appropriate sanctions, but we're not taking a seriously strong lead in stopping the genocide. This is much like what happened in Bosnia as well as Rwanda; thousands are dying horrible, horrible deaths (example: small children having their faces beaten in by rifle butts) while the world talks, waits, argues....and takes forever to act.
Only the loud and clear voices of the people will cause a shift. And that means YOU.
One beginning step would be the passage of the Darfur Accountability Act, being introduced in the Senate today by Senators John Corzine and Sam Brownback. The legislation calls for several desperately needed measures -- including expanding the ability of the African Union to deal with the genocide and help stop it. Please, no matter what else you are doing today, call your Congressperson and Senators (go to www.congress.org for contact information) and tell them you want them to do everything they can to stop the genocide of the Sudanese Africans. That is how democracy works; Congress is a reactive body, and the single most powerful tool for stopping this madness would be a massive amount of phone calls and emails into our Congressional representatives.
Most of us know the Edmund Burke quote: "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for enough good people to do nothing." Never has that been more true.
I urge you: please do not do nothing.
All my best,
Marianne
(P.S. And please help spread the word)
Posted by mwblog at 06:27 PM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2005
Protect Women Survivors of Violence and the Right to Health Care Services
From Amnesty International
Worldwide, at least one of every three women -- nearly one billion women -- will be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, whether at the hands of family members, government security forces, or armed rebels. Urge President Bush to help stop violence against women and girls, address the needs of survivors of violence, and lift US restrictions on health care services worldwide.
Learn more (click here) Protect Women Survivors of Violence and the Right to Health Care Services From Amnesty International
Posted by mwblog at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2005
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation offers three paid internships
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation offers three (3) paid internships for undergraduate and graduate students interested in peace, nuclear disarmament, human rights, and/or international law. Interns work in a combination of program areas, including research, outreach/advocacy, graphic/web design, and communications. Projects for this summer involve campaign management (UC Nuclear Free), citizen mobilization (Turn the Tide), music promotion (KNUK Radio), public speaking (National Days of Remembrance and Action), event planning (Think Outside the Bomb, national youth conference on nuclear issues), proposal review (Swackhamer Peace Essay Contest), and numerous other leadership skills.
We welcome students currently studying in various disciplines including, but not limited to the following: Global Peace and Security, Computer Science, Global Studies, International Relations, History, Sociology, Communications, Graphic Design, and Music. Creativity and initiative are appreciated, as are a good sense of humor and positive outlook.
Interns receive $2,500 for a 10-week period. All internships are in Santa Barbara, California. The application deadline is April 1, 2005. Applications are available online at http://www.wagingpeace.org/youth or by contacting Michael Coffey, Director of Youth Programs, at mcoffey@napf.org or (805) 965-3443. If you’re in the Santa Barbara area in March, consider scheduling a visit.
BACKGROUND
Unlike the coming-of-age experiences that are painstakingly familiar to Americans in their 40’s and older – including duck-and-cover drills, mushroom clouds from atmospheric testing, and the Cuban Missile Crisis – nuclear threats have little resonance beyond historical trivia with today’s teens and twenty-somethings. New generations of Americans have grown up in a much different era after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which signified the end of the Cold War and, in many peoples’ minds, the end of the nuclear threat. The newer generations of Americans today are more culturally diverse, more active in their local communities, and have more access than ever before to news from distant parts of the world. Threats to global security today have a much different face, but the threats posed by nuclear weapons remain enormous and daunting challenges.
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has more than twenty-years of success working with influential national and international organizations and individuals and, most uniquely, a record of inspiring a new generation of peace leaders to carry on into the future. The Foundation’s youth programs seek to personalize the nuclear issue, promoting a vision of compassion and personal responsibility, offering a fresh perspective on US foreign policy, and providing opportunities for the development of practical leadership skills. We believe that, in order to make the issue salient with today’s youth, a meaningful and healthy approach to confronting the threats posed by nuclear weapons must emphasize ties between nuclear weapons and other social and environmental justice issues. In so doing, the Foundation promotes civic engagement, encourages nonviolence as an effective tool for social change, addresses the disparity between military and social service expenditures, and fosters international law and institutions just to name a few.
Posted by mwblog at 02:36 PM
