Greetings, fellow Freedom Fighters™ and Defenders of Democracy™!
We have another jam-packed edition this week--so much injustice and outrage; so little time! Here are this week’s top stories:
Please be sure to check our “Sign here!” department for important actions ...
... ... Close the Wal-Mart tax loophole (yes, you and I are subsidizing the world's richest retailer with our hard-earned tax dollars!)
... ... By banning partial birth abortion WITHOUT exceptions for the mother's life or health, the SCOTUS just ruled that fetuses have a greater right to life than adult women (well, duh--the fetus might be MALE). “Justice” Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, claims that he has to “save women from themselves” ... so, we of The Scallion suppose that, by denying a doctor-recommended procedure to a happily married, joyfully expectant woman who suffers from life-threatening preeclampsia, Judge Kennedy can be at peace with his conscience because, by letting her die so that her baby can grow up motherless, he has saved her from herself. Brilliant. How nice that our judges and legislators think they know more about women's health than our doctors.
From A.N.S.W.E.R.:
... ... Why the VA Tech massacre happened
... ... Whoops--Bush's double standard is showing! While Bush labels Democrats, peace activists, and environmentalists as “terrorists,” he and his administration seem determined to set a REAL LIVE TERRORIST free. Jose Posada Carriles, who is irrefutably responsible for blowing up a Cuban airliner containing over 70 innocent passengers, is now free on bail in Miami. This is in direct contradiction to American and international law regarding terrorists and extradition.
From AlterNet:
... ... The Arctic is not the only theater of unequivocal climate change and polar bears aren't the only heralds of a new age of chaos. Global warming is already affecting the U.S.
... ... When it comes to tax cheats, the government has been vocal about catching the little guys but hasn't mentioned the big-time frauds, like Swift Boat financier Sam Wyly, who happens to be a top-tier Republican contributor.
... ... Want to know what really goes on at the World Bank? Read a copy of Bank Swirled, an underground satirical newspaper published by low-level World Bank employees.
... ... Indian guest workers are paid up to $18.50 an hour, but are crammed into windowless trailers and threatened with deportation if they report abuses.
... ... The nation's income tax system shortchanges America's women. Duh!
... ... FRENCH intelligence warned the CIA of IMPENDING 9/11 MONTHS before the attack. No wonder Bush hates the French!
... ... Al Jazeera is certainly more fair and balanced then some broadcasters we know ... (*cough* FAUX NEWS! *cough* FAUX NEWS!)
... ... Chomsky and Zinn: an interview with two of America's leading dissidents on how the highest act of patriotism would be opposing the war in Iraq and calling for a withdrawal of our troops.
... ... Colbert challenges the pope on Iraq (video)
... ... Heck of a job, Wolfie!
... ... Lots of articles on the VA Tech massacre and its whys and wherefores
... ... News flash: conservative policies are harmful to your health!
... ... Bill Moyers lambasts the media for swallowing Bush's Iraq lies hook, line, and STINKER--they DIDN'T have to!
... ... The Supreme Court and our nation's misogynistic medicine are harmful to women's health!
... ... It took decades for evangelicals to infiltrate the military, but eventually fundamentalist theology adapted as its entry points the culture of authority, duty, and sacrifice in the armed forces.
... ... Crazy Old Man John McCain has finally lost it: he wants to bomb Iran!
... ... Moore's new film, “Sicko,” debuting in Cannes this May, tackles the failures of the U.S. health care system, and includes a segment where 9/11 recscue workers visit Cuba for treatment they couldn't get in America.
... ... The first Amendment right of free speech and the Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination are well known, but the Ninth Amendment is ignored. Pity, because it bears directly on abortion, the right to die, and gay rights.
From the Center for American Progress:
... ... Missouri works to restrict abortion
... ... Military analyst's firsthand experience in Iraq contradicts right-wing rhetoric on escalation.
... ... Students who took part in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not, according to a study ordered by Congress
... ... Daily Kos: “Attention, conservatives blaming the Virginia Tech victims: 'They DID fight back.'”
... ... U2 raised more than $2 million to benefit musicians who lost everything in Katrina/Rita
... ... A microcosm of how the conservative propaganda machine works.
... ... Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA): The Bush administration should not be "celebrating" Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's "very, very damaging" testimony. Gee, ya think?
... ... The lucrative raises and promotions lavished by Paul Wolfowitz on his girlfriend have landed him in hot water with our international counterparts what DO have a few morals and ethics
From our courageous sisters at CodePink:
... ... Telling John McCain that it is NOT OK to “Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran” (which is a little ditty McCain made up to the tune of the Beach Boys' “Barbara Ann”)
... ... Getting much-deserved media coverage for their protests of and at the Gonzales hearings, including a sign held over Gone-Gone-Gonzo's head: “I have nothing to hide...except the truth”
From DN!
... ... Noam Chomsky Accuses Alan Dershowitz of Launching a Jihad to Block Norman
Finkelstein from Getting Tenure at DePaul University
... ... Howard Zinn Urges US Soldiers to Heed Thoreau's Advice and Resist Authority
... ... From SDS to Life After Capitalism: Z Mag Founder Michael Albert on Activism,
Parecon, and a Model for a Participatory Society
... ... Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) Calls For Greater Gun Control Following Virginia Tech Shootings
... ... Blackwater Plans for New Military Facility Near San Diego Draws Fire From Residents, Peace Activists. and Local Congressmember
... ... Supreme Court Upholds Late-Term Abortion Ban
... ... Cuban Militant Posada Carriles Released From New Mexico Jail
... ... No More Deaths: Humanitarian Group Provides Life-Saving Aid to Immigrants Crossing Border
From Media Savvy:
... ... Students who lack experience in managing their money are easy targets for avaricious credit card companies. Student loans have become a noose around the necks of a whole generation. NOTE: This article includes a viral video.
... ... A panel of judges at the Copyright Royalty Board has denied a request from the NPR and a number of other webcasters to reconsider a March ruling that would force Internet radio services to pay crippling royalties.
... ... PBS continues to swing right
... ... A military tribunal finds three journalists not guilty of breaking Swiss military secrecy laws by publishing classified intelligence material about alleged secret CIA prisons in Europe.
... ... Al Jazeera's English broadcasts are banned from our airwaves--a shame, considering that they use as much BBC footage and print as they do
... ... Lots of stories on the VT massacre, including NBC's faux pas of showing the killer's videotape; who knows how many copycat crimes it will spawn?
... ... Researchers funded by the federal government want to shut down the internet and go back to the drawing board.
... ... Ken Burns is not a nice guy: he says he will not re-cut his World War II public-TV documentary to include Latinos and Native Americans.
From Greg Palast:
... ... Greg describes the incestuous relationship between our government and the NRA in his article, which outlines how gun manufacturers and sellers have systematically been let off the hook in ways that are unheard of and unconscionable for the safety of the American public. So, if you're angry about the mentally ill young man who wounded 60 and murdered 32 at
VA Tech, just remember: he had a powerful and willing accomplice in the White House ... not to mention Democrat Harry Reid.
From Planned Parenthood:
... ... Ooh, a secret hidden petition! Please go sign it--tell the world that you won't stand for the Supreme Court's, or anyone else's, abortion bans!
From HuffPo:
... ... The VA Tech massacre: it's not about the guns
... ... Sheryl Crow fixes Karl Rove's little red wagon on global warming. Here's an excerpt from HuffPo: “In his attempt to dismiss us, Mr. Rove turned to head toward his table, but as soon as he did so, Sheryl reached out to touch his arm. Karl swung around and spat, 'Don't touch me.' How hardened and removed from reality must a person be to refuse to be touched by Sheryl Crow? Unphased, Sheryl abruptly responded, 'You can't speak to us like that, you work for us.' Karl then quipped, 'I don't work for you, I work for the American people.' To which Sheryl promptly reminded him, 'We are the American people...'” There it is in black and ink, fellow Americans: Karl Rove, and most assuredly George W. Bush, do not believe they work for Us-the-People.
Reader D.F. sent in an interesting piece on how Hillary's poll ratings are slipping as Obama's are climbing. Looks like the American sheeple finally saw through her many false faces. Hillary may even be more of a danger to America than George W. Bush ... not merely because she is unrelentingly self serving (and she is), but because, unlike Bush, Hillary is smart as hell.
In our found items section, we present the Terror Storms video that illustrates all too clearly how our government is using fear to wage endless war on us. We also present an article regarding those cloud-like formations left in our skies by jetliners flying overhead: are they contrails (harmless condensation) or chemtrails (harmful heavy metals and other toxins); if they're dangerous, don't we deserve to know how to protect ourselves?
In this issue, we introduce a new section dedicated to letters from Scallion staffers and readers to media, officials, and others. This week's letters were sent to George W. Bush for being such a sicko hypocrite regarding the massacre and to VA Tech president Charles Stenger for welcoming Bush-the-hyprocrite-and-ACCOMPLICE onto campus the day after the massacre. Remember, Bush completely dismissed that anything could ever be done to prevent or stop these shootings by saying that these events cannot be understood and the only recourse is to pray to God. Yet again, Bush has proven how little he cares for human life by failing to propose even to do so little as trying to start a federally-funded, scientifically-based program to profile potential school shooters so that students and faculty can be taught some of the warning signs to look for--just like the DoD has annual security briefings to teach employees the signs that a fellow employee might be a spy. Sure, some of the signs are innocuous: lots of employees who are not spies stay long after hours or come and go at odd times just as lots of students who are pathologically shy and who write dark, troubled works (including the editor in chief of The Scallion during the high school years) are not necessarily potential school shooters. Granted, the VA Tech shooter seems to have fallen through the cracks of the mental health system, and such a student training system would not be perfect. But wouldn't it arguably be better than nothing? Is it possible that such a system might be able to prevent just one mass shooting? If so, wouldn't the lives saved be worth the effort of trying?
We also have features from OilWatchdog and a whole lot more!
Keep the faith and keep fighting: together, we WILL win our nation back!
-----
Sign here!
Here are important petitions and other actions we of The Scallion invite our Readers to participate in. Quit bitching—start a revolution!
-----
From WakeUpWalMart
Ever wonder why you pay so much in taxes?
A big part of the reason is because multi-billion dollar corporations like Wal-Mart hire high-priced accountants and attorneys to dodge paying the taxes they owe.
In fact, today, Tax Day, we are releasing new research by Citizens for Tax Justice which shows that Wal-Mart avoided paying $2.3 billion in state income taxes, cutting its payment to state governments almost in half between 1999 and 2005.
It is outrageous that Wal-Mart, the #1 company on the Fortune 500 and a company with $11.3 billion in profits is not only creating tax schemes to dodge its taxes, but also shifting billions of dollars of its health care costs onto taxpayers. The truth is that our tax dollars should help fund better schools, more police on the streets, and better health care, not subsidize Wal-Mart's irresponsible behavior
Please help us close the Wal-Mart tax loophole by sending an email to your state legislator today:
http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/taxloophole
Today, all across America, thousands of you, our grassroots supporters, are handing out the "Stop the Wal-Mart Tax" flyers at your local post offices. As taxpayers learn that we are paying higher taxes so companies like Wal-Mart don't have to, people are asking us what they can do to stop the Wal-Mart tax.
One of the first things you can do is email your state legislator and ask him or her to close the Wal-Mart tax loophole which has allowed Wal-Mart to avoid paying $2.3 billion in state income taxes over the last 7 years.
Please email your state legislator today:
http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/taxloophole
With over 369,798 supporters, we have the power to hold big, powerful corporations like Wal-Mart accountable for their irresponsibility which costs taxpayers billions of dollars.
So, on Tax Day, and everyday, we will continue to build our movement to change Wal-Mart and change America for the better.
Thank you for all that you do,
Matthew Young
WakeUpWalMart.com
P.S. You can download a copy of the "Stop the Wal-Mart Tax" flyer here
-----
From Democrats.org
This Ruling is Bad for Women's Health
Forget your doctor's expert medical opinion--five Supreme Court justices think they know what's best for women's health.
Wednesday, the Supreme Court reversed 30 years of precedent by deciding that a woman's health is no longer a necessary consideration when determining the right to make the difficult, personal, medical decision to have an abortion. Despite strong and significant medical evidence, they determined that banning a more safe and accepted medical procedure is constitutional, leaving only other more dangerous procedures available.
We all agree on the need to reduce the number of abortions, and we're committed to finding common ground to do that through education, prevention and support systems. But deciding to have an abortion is a judgment that should be left to doctors and women.
Help us fight back. Tell your community why this judicial ruling is so harmful to women's health:
http://www.democrats.org/womenshealth
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of four justices who disagreed with the ruling, explained the political agenda behind this decision:
- The Court's hostility... is not concealed. Throughout, the opinion refers to obstetrician-gynecologists and surgeons who perform abortions not by the titles of their medical specialties, but by the pejorative label abortion doctor. A fetus is described as an unborn child, and a baby, second-trimester...and the reasoned medical judgments of highly trained doctors are dismissed as preferences motivated by mere convenience.
The ruling threatens a woman's right to make personal medical decisions--but doesn't take away our right to speak out.
Please write a letter to your local newspaper about the dangerous impact this ruling will have on the lives of all women. You can use our template if you need some help:
http://www.democrats.org/womenshealth
Now more than ever, our voices must be heard--in our communities and in the voting booth--to defend our rights against the Bush Administration and his judicial appointments.
Thank you for joining the fight.
Sincerely,
Sharon Grosfeld
WLF Executive Director
P.S. -- I also wanted to pass along to you Governor Dean's reaction to the ruling, which I've included below.
- Today's decision by the Supreme Court takes away a right that has previously been affirmed by the Court. A woman's decision about her own reproductive health is a very personal and difficult one that should remain hers to be made with her doctor. This latest decision by the Court stands in stark contradiction to previous rulings recognizing the complexity of women's medical conditions and replaces the judgment of doctors, women and their families for the judgment of five Supreme Court Justices. Regardless of political affiliation, we can all agree that reducing the number of abortions is a priority. Democrats are committed to finding common ground on this issue and focusing on legislative measures to increase education, prevention and support systems to help reduce the number of abortions each year in the United States.
Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org.
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Democratic National Committee, 430 S. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003
Contributions or gifts to the Democratic National Committee are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
-----
From the mailbag
Reader D.F. sent in a great piece outlining Hillary's new negatives:
ALERT: HUGE INCREASE IN HILLARY’S NEGATIVES CHANGING PRESIDENTIAL RACE!
By Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
April 18, 2007
Printer-Friendly Version
There has been a sudden and highly significant shift in the Democratic Presidential race: Hillary Clinton is rapidly losing her frontrunner position to Barack Obama as her negative ratings climb.
According to the Gallup poll, most Americans don’t like Hillary Clinton and the number of people who view her negatively has been steadily increasing ever since she announced her candidacy for President in January.
Hillary isn’t wearing well. It seems as if the more people see her, the less they like her. Now, for the first time, her low likeability levels are costing her votes, as Democratic party voters are abandoning her to support Barack Obama.
In February, Hillary had a 19 point lead over Obama. He is now only 5 points behind her.
The most recent Gallup Poll, taken on April 13-15th, shows the biggest increase in negative opinions of Hillary since March of 2001, when she was awash in the pardons and White House china theft scandals.
Gallup, which had Hillary’s favorability rating up as high as 58% in February, now shows that only 45% of American voters rate her positively, while 52% have negative opinions of her. This is a huge shift. In the fourteen years that Gallup has been polling Hillary, there have only been two recorded polls with worse ratings for her - the March, 2001 poll where her favorability was 44% and a January, 1996 survey when she scored only 43% favorable.
Capitalizing on Hillary’s declining image, Barack Obama, who is rated favorably by 52-27, has now closed to within five points of her in the Democratic Primary trial heat. The latest numbers are:
Hillary Clinton 31%
Barack Obama 26%
John Edwards 16%
Al Gore 15%
These numbers mean serious problems for Hillary.
Particularly startling is the collapse of her favorability among key demographic subgroups that are usually considered to be stable parts of her political base. Her campaign is premised on a strategy of attracting women -- especially young and single women. Yet, in the last month she has lost 7% of her favorability among all women, 10% among women aged 18-49, and 11% among single women. She is losing her base.
The following table compares the Gallup findings for several of these key subgroups in polling between November 9th and March 4th with those in their most recent three surveys taken between March 23rd and April 15th. (Gallup pools its polling in this fashion so each subgroup will have a statistically valid number of interviews)
RATINGS OF HILLARY AMONG KEY SUBGROUPS
Source: Gallup Polls
Group Favorable Percentage
Nov 9 - Mar 4 Mar 23-Apr 15
All adults 55% 46% -9
Democrats 86 78 -8
Independents 52 43 -9
Liberals 81 73 -8
Women 61 54 -7
Women, 18-49 65 55 -10
Single Women 69 58 -11
Nonwhite 78 73 -5
The obvious question is this: What has caused this sharp decline? There is no current Hillary or Bill Clinton scandal, for a change. She has not been subjected to any negative media campaign and Obama and Edwards, her two rivals, have been positively gentle in their treatment of her.
So, what’s happening?
One is driven to the conclusion that Hillary is defeating herself! Voters are watching the former first lady in her first extended period of national exposure since her health care debacle and don’t like what they see. She appears scripted, phony, artificial, and even boring. Her ridiculous attack on Obama last month completely backfired. And her southern-preacher accent in Selma was downright scary.
Undoubtedly her flip-flop-flips on the Iraq War and insistence that she was just voting to send more U.N. inspectors are also stimulating a sense of cynicism about her and she has no other issue to take its place.
Her overall decline is serious, but her slippage among her key groups -- a 10 point drop among all women and an 11 point decline among single women -- must be particularly troublesome for her advisers.
Worse, from her point of view, there seems no obvious cure in sight. Hillary is not about to clarify her position on the war as she seeks to straddle a general election strategy of being a moderate with a primary campaign emphasis on moving to the left. She has no national forum for new issue positioning and the more she becomes exposed to public view, the more her negative ratings increase.
And she can’t alter her personality more than she already has. In short, Hillary’s in trouble.
-----
Interesting things we found in our travels
Terror Storm: a video from infowars.com on how the government brainwashes us, drowning us in fear as it wages endless war on us.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=786048453686176230
Contrails or chemtrails?
http://www.airapparent.ca/library/full_text/discoverychannel_chemtrails.htm
-----
Take just a little piece of our minds
New! We of The Scallion plan to dedicate this new section to letters to editors, public officials, and others from Scallion staffers and readers.
-----
A letter to George W. Bush in response to the VA Tech massacre and his flawed gun policies (for the background and facts on which this letter is based, read Greg Palast's piece in this issue, which the Scallion staffer thoughtfully included with the letter to the chimposter: conman in thief)
George W. Bush's ultimate hypocrisy regarding the Virginia Tech massacre makes me sick. He can convince his "religious" "right" voter base that he walks on water, but those of us with working brains between our ears know better. We remember Bush not giving a wet slap about the victims of 9/11 or hurricanes Katrina and Rita; we watched him stare glazedly at "My Pet Goat" while the twin towers fell and play guitar and eat birthday cake while New Orleans drowned. We remember then-Texas-Governor George W. Bush publicly mocking Karla Faye Tucker before HE had her put to death, pursing his lips and mock-whimpering, "Please don't kill me."
The sadist.
Mr. Bush, I don't know how you sleep at night with all the blood on your hands. I pray for your healing--I truly do. But, as a *True* Christian who follows the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ rather than simply dropping his name, I can't help getting angry and outraged at your continuous violations of truth, honesty, integrity, and domestic and international law.
Please resign NOW lest you force us to impeach you.
-----
Below is a letter to the president of VA Tech (sent with Greg Palast's article) re welcoming George W. Bush, the accomplice, to campus the day after the massacre. As if that's not bad enough, Bush had the unmitigated gall to dismiss the tragedy by saying “nobody can ever know why these things happens, and all we can do is pray to God” rather than proposing even to do so little as trying to start a federally-funded, scientifically-based program to profile potential school shooters so that students and faculty can be taught some of the warning signs to look for--just like the DoD has annual security briefings to teach employees the signs that a fellow employee might be a spy. Sure, some of the signs are innocuous: lots of employees who are not spies stay long after hours or come and go at odd times just as lots of students who are pathologically shy and who write dark, troubled works (including the editor in chief of The Scallion during the high school years) are not necessarily potential school shooters. Granted, the VA Tech shooter seems to have fallen through the cracks of the mental health system, and such a student system would not be perfect. But wouldn't it arguably be better than nothing? Is it possible that such a system might be able to prevent just one mass shooting? Wouldn't the lives saved be worth the effort of trying?)
Dear Dr. Stenger,
All of America and the world weep at the tragedy that took place Monday at VT. We weep and we pray for the victims, the survivors, and the poor, unhappy young man who wreaked such terrible bloodshed. In the grief and shock that we share with you, we are all Hokies now. But did you *really* have to welcome George W. Bush, one of the accomplices to the crime, onto campus and treat that hypocrite as if he were a legitimate world leader and honest man of prayer?
I believe that such an action adds insult to the injury of Monday's massacre. What a slap in the face to the victims and their families!
I will continue to pray for all involved. Only through accountability and understanding can we as a nation learn to prevent these tragedies.
-----
From our information clearinghouse
These are items we receive from the countless mailing lists to which The Scallion collectively subscribes. They are worth the effort of at least a good skim.
-----
From the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Why Virginia Tech shootings happened
Yet another rampage has occurred at a school, this time leaving 33 people dead at Virginia Tech -- the worst such incident ever at a U.S. college campus.
The news media seem stunned and surprised, yet their coverage sounds so similar to the stories about Columbine eight years ago. They dwell on the personality of the young man the police say did the shooting, before killing himself. They talk about him being a loner,depressed, perhaps angry at women.
But arent there lonely and depressed people all over the world? Many countries have high suicide rates. Why is it that here some become mass murderers?
The U.S. is the world leader in seemingly random acts of violence by individuals. Why?
President George W. Bush rushed to Virginia to speak at a large convocation the day after the killings and tried to set the tone for what could be said about them. Its impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering,he said.
Don't ask why, don't try to understand. It makes no sense. Have faith instead, was Bush's message.
But there ARE reasons these things happen here, and they are pretty clear to the rest of the world. Its just in the United States that no one is supposed to talk about the reasons.
What distinguishes this country from the rest of the world? It is neither the most affluent nor the poorest. It is neither the most secular nor the most religious. It is not the most culturally homogeneous nor is it the most diverse.
But in one area, it stands virtually alone. It has the biggest arsenal of high-tech weaponry in the world, way surpassing every other country. It has military bases spread all over; most countries have no troops outside their borders.
It is conducting two hot wars at the moment, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has sent hundreds of thousands of troops abroad over the last few years. Every day, the public here is supposed to identify with soldiers who burst into homes in Baghdad, round up the people and take them away for interrogation which everyone knows now can mean torture and indefinite detainment.
It also sends heavily armed special ops on secret missions to countless other countries, like the ones who just facilitated the invasion and bombing of Somalia, or the ones who have been trying to stir up opposition in Iran. This is documented in the news media.
The immense brutality of these colonial wars, as well as earlier ones, is praised from the White House on down as the best, the ONLY way to achieve what the political leaders and their influential, rich backers decide is necessary to protect their world empire. Do lots of people get killed? Stuff happens,said former war secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Collateral damage,says the Pentagon.
At home, the U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Over 2 million people are locked up in the prison system each year, most of them people of color. When commercial armed security guards are also taken into consideration, the U.S. has millions of employees who use guns and other coercive paraphernalia in their jobs.
In the final analysis, the military and the police exist to perpetuate and protect this present unjust system of capitalist inequality, where a few can claim personal ownership over a vast economy built by the sweat and blood of hundreds of millions of workers.
And the more divided, the more polarized the society becomes, the higher the level of coercion and violence. Assault weapons are now everywhere in this society, as are Tasers, handcuffs, clubs and tear gas. They most often start out in the hands of the police, the military and other agents of the state, and can then turn up anywhere.
Violence is a big money maker in the mass culture. Television, films, pulp novels, Internet sites, video games all dwell on sociopaths while glorifying the states use of violence, often supplemented by a lone vigilante. By the time children reach their teens, they have already seen thousands of murders and killings on television. And these days even more suspense is added in countless programs that involve stalking and terror against women and increasingly children.
As the Duke rape case and so many escort service ads show, women of color are particularly subject to exploitation and have little recourse to any justice. And as the murders along the border show, immigrants of color are fair game for racist killers.
The social soil of capitalism can alienate and enrage an unstable and miserable person who should be getting help but cant find it. If, as reports are saying, the young man accused of these killings was on anti-depressant medication, it is all the more evidence that, at a time when hospitals are closing and health care is unavailable for tens of millions, treating mental health problems requires more from society than just prescribing dubious chemicals.
Many liberal commentators are taking this occasion to renew the demand for tougher gun laws. Yes, assault weapons are horrible, but so are bunker buster bombs, helicopters that fire thousands of rounds a minute, and the ultimate nuclear weapons. Disarming the people is not the answer, especially when the government is armed to the teeth and uses brutality and coercion daily.
The best antidote to these tragedies is to build a movement for profound social change, a movement directed at solving the great problems depressing so much of humanity today, whether they be wars or global climate change or the loneliness of the dog-eat-dog society.
International Action Center- 55 West 17th St, 5C, New York, NY 10011
www.IACenter.org
Contact us - http://iacenter.org/folder04/list.htm
Donate to help with organizing - http://iacenter.org/iacdonate.shtml
Become an IAC intern - http://iacenter.org/intern.htm
-----
Terrorist Luis Posada Released on Bail!
Extradite Posada -- Free the Cuban Five!
A powerful display in memory of Posada's victims
in front of U.S. diplomatic mission, Havana
The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition condemns in the strongest terms, the release of terrorist Luis Posada Carriles from U.S. jail this past Thursday, April 19.
Posada, mastermind of the murders of dozens of people, while acting on behalf of the CIA for more than 40 years, was freed from a New Mexico jail and flown to Miami, despite worldwide protests. His freedom on bond is until May 11, when his trial on immigration-fraud charges begins. But a dangerous precedent is already in place, with Posada being allowed to fly into Miami to meet and strategize with other terrorists, those who have helped finance his bombing campaigns.
The move to free him is widely known to be the result of a blatant refusal by George W. Bush and administration officials to declare Posada a terrorist. Without such a declaration or prosecution for his terrorist crimes, federal judges have ruled that a detainee cannot be held indefinitely in immigration jail.
Right now U.S. authorities have only charged Posada with immigration fraud. But Posada is not simply an immigrant. He is an avowed terrorist who never renounced his crimes. Although convicted in the past for some of his crimes in other countries, he has always managed to escape and carry out more torture and killings.
In the meantime, other notorious anti-Cuba terrorists in Miami have been caught with massive arsenals of weapons but only received extremely light sentences for their crimes. One, Santiago Alvarez, actually brought Posada into the United States illegally, on boat, in March 2005. He was caught with weapons caches but was only sentenced to four years and promised an even lesser sentence if he reveals the whereabouts of all his weapons.
Posadas release is a green light to U.S.-directed terrorism against Cuba.
Take action today!!
There are two very important actions you can do:
1. Help build the May 11 protests that will be held in El Paso, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere. That is the day that Posadas trialon immigration fraud in El Paso will begin. Please volunteer to help leaflet events and phonebank. Make a donation to help the mobilizing! Click for details on the May 11 protests. To volunteer or for information on the protest near you, contact your local ANSWER chapter (see the information at the bottom of this email).
2. Send a letter to Congress, Bush and Gonzales to demand: Extradite Posada to Venezuela! Prosecute him for terrorism. Click for ANSWER's easy-to-use feature to send a letter to Bush and your Congressional representatives.
Luis Posada Carriles's history
Luis Posada Carriles, murderer
Posada, Cuban-born, was recruited into the CIA soon after the Cuban revolution in 1959. At Ft. Benning, GA, he was trained extensively in explosives and sabotage in order to try to debilitatethrough the means of terrorismthe new socialist society that the Cuban people were building.
Posadas terrorist history spans four decades. He is most notorious for the Oct. 6, 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner, which killed 73 people. The two mercenaries whom he paid to plant the bomb, Freddy Lugo and Hern? Ricardo, confessed immediately afterwards that they were working with the CIA, and Posada was their boss. Posadas favorite method is to pay mercenaries to do his dirty work. But he always procures the explosives and builds the bombs.
Not coincidentally, George Bush Sr. was head of the CIA in the 1970s when the plane bombing and many other terrorist attacks by Posada took place. In 1990, when Posadas direct accomplice in the plane bombing, Orlando Bosch, was about to be deported from the United States, George Bush Sr. intervened to cancel his deportation, granting him permanent residence in the U.S.
Because the plane bombing was plotted by Posada and Bosch in Venezuela, the government of Hugo Ch?ez has demanded his extradition to Venezuela. But so far Washington has refused. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has the authority and obligation to begin extradition proceedings, but he has remained silent and refused to act decisively against Posada during the two years that he has been detained in a El Paso, Texas jail.
This coddling of Posada and other Miami-based, anti-Cuba terrorists flies in the face of the hypocritical claim by Bush that he is fighting a war against terrorism.
The most outrageous example of the double standard is the U.S. governments imprisonment of the five Cuban men who infiltrated the Miami terrorist groups for the sole purpose of monitoring those organizations and reporting on imminent terrorist attacks, in order to stop them.
But instead of arresting Bosch and many other Miami terrorists, the FBI went after the Cuban Five with a vengeance. They were charged with the completely unsupported allegation of espionage conspiracy, failure to register as foreign agents, and other charges.
The Five were tried in Miami and convicted and sentenced to four life sentences and 77 years collectively, in a politically-motivated trial that is part and parcel of U.S. hostility against Cuba.
Free the Cuban Five anti-terrorists from U.S. prisons! Extradite Posada to Venezuela!
-----
From AlterNet
Global Warming Hits Southwest
By Mike Davis, TheNation.com
The Arctic is not the only theater of unequivocal climate change and polar bears aren't the only heralds of a new age of chaos. Global warming is already affecting the U.S. Read more
How Tax Cheats Are Using Your Money to Fund Republicans
By Lucy Komisar, AlterNet
When it comes to tax cheats, the government has been vocal about catching the little guys but hasn't mentioned the big-time frauds, like Swift Boat financier Sam Wyly, who happens to be a top-tier Republican contributor.
Revenge of the World Bank Secretaries
By Susie Bright, SusieBright.com
Want to know what really goes on at the World Bank? Read a copy of Bank Swirled, an underground satirical newspaper published by low-level World Bank employees.
Life in Solitary Confinement: 12,775 Days Alone
By Brooke Shelby Biggs, AlterNet
Americans shamefully imagine that spending a life sentence in solitary confinement could only happen in faraway countries. But two men in Louisiana's Angola prison know otherwise.
Human Trafficking in Mississippi
By Lindsay Beyerstein, Larisa Alexandrovna, Raw Story
Indian guest workers are paid up to $18.50 an hour, but are crammed into windowless trailers and threatened with deportation if they report abuses.
How the Income Tax System Shortchanges Women
By Martha Burk, Ms. Magazine
It's time to start righting the income tax system's wrongs.
Climate Change Day of Action a Success!
By Bill McKibben, Grist Magazine
It's official: Step It Up was a raging success, with 1,400 climate events around the U.S.
CIA warned of possible attacks by French intelligence before 9/11
By Joshua Holland
Use of hijacked airplanes mentioned eight months before the fact
Sample Al Jazeera's English news
By Joshua Holland
Certainly more fair and balanced then some broadcasters we know ...
'Mushy middle' swing voters are few these days
By Chris Bowers
Right now, all of America is the "Democratic base."
The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body
By Courtney E. Martin, AlterNet
Thinness and beauty are prerequisites for perfection, which to today's young women appears to be the only road to happiness. Under that logic, women's bodies have become places where that drive for perfection -- however self-destructive -- gets played out. Read more
Chomsky and Zinn on Patriotism in America
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
An interview with two of America's leading dissidents on how the highest act of patriotism would be opposing the war in Iraq and calling for a withdrawal of our troops.
In Aftermath of Va. Shooting, Ethnic Groups Prayed, "Let It Be Some Other Asian"
By Andrew Lam, New America Media
As the country waited to learn the identity of the killer at Virginia Tech, Asian Americans held their breath, waiting to see if they would shoulder the spillover of blame for the acts of an individual.
Beyond Imus: It's the Hypocrisy, Stupid!
By Robin Morgan, Women's Media Center
Many Americans still seem to think that racism, sexism, and other bigotries are myths -- a staggering feat of collective denial. How many times have you heard someone start (or finish) a diatribe with "Well, I'm no racist (sexist, homophobe, etc.), but ... ?
Inmates vs. Animals: U.S. Fails the Test of Civilization
By Ben Zipperer, AlterNet
Winston Churchill once said that one of the most unfailing tests of a civilization lies in how a country treats its criminals. In the U.S., people stand by as the incarcerated are disenfranchised and pay money to seem them exploited -- even pummeled by bulls.
What I Think About Guns
By Jane Smiley, HuffingtonPost.com
Americans will always have guns. But it would be nice if the gun-toting right wing admitted that there is a price we pay.
The Trouble with Twitter
By Annalee Newitz, AlterNet
New technology such as Twitter reflects the accelerating pace of our lives. But is living in 'Twitter time' really sustainable?
Colbert Challenges the Pope on Iraq [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Choose: Pope or Boyd K. Packer.
Kucinich to file articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney
By Joshua Holland
Dennis goes after the Dauphin ...
Bush dishonors war dead by using their families
By Bob Geiger
To Bush, they're just pawns in an agenda.
Violence like that at Virginia Tech is commonplace in Iraq's universities
Tragedy brings perspective.
Schwarzenegger: The Fake Environmental Hero
By Bill Walker, Environmental Working Group
Schwarzenegger has become the GOP's Al Gore but the trouble is that his "environmentalism" isn't about curbing our reckless consumption; it's about having more cool choices -- if you can afford them. Read more
Why Are Americans Afraid of Being Naked?
By Dara Colwell, AlterNet
In the Netherlands people can be naked in their gardens, the beach and recently the gym. But in American, even chocolate sculptures can't be without clothes. What gives?
Supreme Court Upholds Late Abortion Ban: Right-wing Judicial Activism Run Amok
By Joshua Holland, AlterNet
Bush's court-packing pays off, and Democrats who voted for Scalia and Roberts get their comeuppance.
Imus Is Out, But Whitey Execs Get the Last Laugh
By Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com
People say that Don Imus isn't funny, but let's face it, there is a joke in all of this -- a joke on the black community.
The Feminine Face of Poverty
By Riane Eisler, AlterNet
Seventy percent of those living in absolute poverty in our world -- that is starving or on the edge of starvation -- are female. Not only that, in our wealthy United States, women and children are the mass of the poor and the poorest of the poor.
Bush & Co., Iran, and the Girl Guerrillas
By Reese Erlich, Mother Jones
At the moment, a group of Iranian Kurdish guerrillas -- about half of them women -- may be the closest thing the Bush administration has to an ally in its confrontation with Tehran.
An Asian Man
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media
Korean officials feared that many Americans might see the murderous assault as something more than the act of a lone deranged, individual. This was not a totally false fear.
Patriot's Day: Stop the Violence
By Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate
What is patriotism, and what is not? Howard Zinn asked recently. Fighting to stop the war in Iraq, fighting to stop gun violence at home: that is true patriotism.
Heck of a Job, Wolfie
By Robert Scheer, Truthdig
It seems that the decadent cronyism and malignant imperial stance of the Bush administration have been extended to one of the world's leading international institutions.
Bush/Republican connection to VA Tech shooting [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Assault weapon used was banned till recently.
Harvard Study: 90% do not believe that gun permits are good idea
By Guest Blogger
Howie Klein: Gun-carry permits lack popular support 9 to 1.
Why an antiwar Dem endorsed Hillary
By Guest Blogger
David Corn: Was it payback or his kindergarten daughter's advice?
Virginia Tech: Is the Scene of the Crime the Cause of the Crime?
By Mark Ames, AlterNet
Media: Cho Seung-Hui did it because he was crazy and "evil." History: Schoolyard massacres are rebellions against oppressive and bullying environments by students who can't take it anymore. Read more
Conservative Polices are Ruining Your Health
By Rick Perlstein, TomPaine.com
Conservative principle has turned into conservative and free market mania, crippling the FDA's ability to prevent health disasters like the contaminated pet food scandal.
Save Our Oceans, Eat Like a Pig
By Jennifer Jacquet, The Tyee
Let's stop wasting the ocean's fish on animal feed.
Bill Moyers on Why the Press Bought the Iraq War
By Bill Moyers
The media took the Bush admin's Iraq claims at face value, but it didn't have to.
Did Attorney Scandal Hearing Put the 'Gone' in Gonzales?
By David Swanson, Tomdispatch.com
Attorney General Gonzales' testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee was a case lesson in obfuscation, and not even Republican senators were buying it.
Christian Right Leaders: America Can Only Be 'Reclaimed' by Religious Revival
By Adele Stan, Church and State
Religious Right leaders at the Reclaiming America For Christ Conference fretted that America cannot be "reclaimed" from the grip of the evil forces that now engulf it until religious revival sweeps the land.
Supreme Court Ruling Threatens Women's Health
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold a ban on late-term abortion without an exception for the health of the mother sends a signal that, in many respects, the court thinks legislators, not doctors, are the ones best positioned to make health decisions.
Bowing Down to Our Own Violence
By Norman Solomon, AlterNet
News outlets in the U.S. combine the totally proper condemnation of killing at home with a notably different affect toward the methodical killing abroad that is funded by the U.S. Treasury.
Va Tech Killer's sister an Iraq Recon Employee... [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Michael Moore's hypothesis in action?
(Updated) "I will not permit my 90 year-old grandmother to beat the crap out of Mike Tyson!"
By Joshua Holland
You want some straight talk? How about: This aggression will not stand ...
Climate Change: Why We Can't Wait
By James Hansen, The Nation
The country's leading climatologist gives us the five necessary steps we need to take to prevent catastrophic climate change. Read more
The Most Sexiest Greenest Unlikely Story of the Year
Grist Magazine
An Earth Day list of the year's goodies, oddities, and inanities.
Changing the Social Climate
By Catherine Lerza, Tides Foundation
How global warming affects economic justice, the future of the progressive movement and whether your child walks to school.
How Media Mistakes Fueled the High Court Abortion Ruling
By Gloria Feldt, Women's Media Center
The federal abortion ban is the result of language bought and repeated endlessly by journalists who were sometimes uninformed and sometimes just too lazy to get it right.
Birth of the Christian Soldier: How Evangelicals Infiltrated the American Military
By Michael L. Weinstein, David Seay, Thomas Dunne Books
It took decades for evangelicals to infiltrate the military, but eventually fundamentalist theology adapted as its entry points the culture of authority, duty, and sacrifice in the armed forces.
Blood Money: Citibank Funds Korean Project that Will Destroy Native Community
By Daphne Wysham, AlterNet
Do the money managers not know that poor villagers are being detained, beaten and even killed to protect their investments? Or do they not care?
[VIDEO] New ad goes after 'crazy old man' John McCain over call to bomb Iran
By Joshua Holland
MoveOn.org calls out the leading war-monger in the race.
MySpace to enter news business
By Heather Gehlert
A Google-Digg hybrid ...
Bush Poised to Veto Long-Sought Labor Reform
By Joshua Holland, AlterNet
For years, companies have been keeping workers from exercising their legal rights to organize and exacerbating America's income and wealth inequality. A new bill could help reverse that trend, but does it stand a chance against Bush's veto pen? Read more
Controversial Michael Moore Flick "Sicko" Will Compare U.S. Health Care with Cuba's
By Don Hazen, AlterNet
Moore's new film, debuting in Cannes this May, tackles the failures of the U.S. health care system, and includes a segment where 9/11 recscue workers visit Cuba for treatment they couldn't get in America.
Need a Safe Abortion? Go to Mexico City
By Kavita N. Ramdas, Maria Luisa Sanchez, AlterNet
On Tuesday Mexico City, one of the most progressive governments in Latin America, may make a dramatic policy shift to legalize abortion.
The "Silent" Ninth Amendment Gives Americans Rights They Don't Know They Have
By Daniel A. Farber, Basic Books
The first Amendment right of free speech and the Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination are well known, but the Ninth Amendment is ignored. Pity, because it bears directly on abortion, the right to die, and gay rights.
A Challenger to the Church of Free Trade
By William Greider, The Nation
An unlikely dissident from the Ivy League's economic establishment has come forward with a proposal to reform globalization.
Bangladesh: A Nation in Fear of Drowning
By Ann McFerran, Independent UK
The once lush island of Aralia in Bangladesh is disappearing under rising waters as flooding becomes more frequent, temperatures increase and disease spreads.
Pat Tillman docs reveal massive cover-up [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
They'd screwed up and blown up their poster boy...
The deadly profits of misogynist medicine
By Lucinda Marshall
Exploring the links between hormone replacement therapy and breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer deaths.
-----
From the Campaign for America's Future
Meet the E. coli Conservatives & More
Welcome to The Big Con -- our new website designed to arm you daily with the stories, news and facts we need to break conservatives' grip on America. Join us on The Big Con to help confront conservatives of all stripes -- from the E. coli Conservatives now threatening our food supply, to Ronald Reagan who launched us into the mess we're in today, and George W. Bush whose conservatism has stretched America near to breaking. GO
You're a progressive. You know in your bones that strong and competent government, the values of openness and tolerance, and a foreign policy of strong alliances and judicious use of power are the way we keep America great. History has proven it. The news proves it every day.
Others, however, just don't see it. Friends, coworkers, family. Some call themselves conservatives. Others don't call themselves anything at all -- but still, they reflexively accept conservatives' false and dangerous picture of the world, and right wingers' fantastic and insulting smears of progressive values and accomplishments. It's frustrating. Why can't you make them see the truth?
Campaign for America's Future's new website -- The Big Con -- is here to help. Its purpose: to arm you daily with stories, news and facts that illustrate how conservatism fails -- and will continue to fail -- because conservatives despise the very government they wish to lead.
My name is Rick Perlstein. You may know me for my award-winning publication Before the Storm, which chronicles the right-wing takeover of the Republican Party. Conservatism is a subject I've always treated with seriousness and respect -- enough to earn the respect, in turn, of prominent conservatives like William F. Buckley and William Kristol.
Now, I'm willing to burn those bridges. Patriotism demands it.
Each and every day, The Big Con will work to break the spell conservatism holds over our fellow Americans by helping each of us see and share how conservatism threatens our country's very security and well-being.
I lead off with a manifesto on the "E. coli Conservatives". These are the right-wingers whose cult-like faith in corporations' ability to regulate themselves has led to the escalating crisis in our (and our beloved pets') food supply. Today's food calamities are the worst since the Food and Drug Administration was established over a hundred years ago in the wake of Upton Sinclair's legendary novel The Jungle.
Conservatives uphold Ronald Reagan as a hero beyond challenge. The Big Con will help you reveal him to your stubborn friends, relatives, and co-workers as the man who started us down the path to the mess we're in today. Reagan's great stroke of luck was his inability to pass his agenda because progressive institutions and politicians were in a stronger position than they are today. Had he been able to achieve what he wished to achieve -- enfeebling the Food and Drug Administration, for instance -- he would be no more respected than George W. Bush is now.
Meanwhile, W has been able to carry out the Reagan agenda. And just as the conservatives' war in Iraq has stressed the American military to the breaking point, George W. Bush's conservatism has stretched our nation near the breaking point.
The Big Con will give you the ammunition that proves it.
Check out The Big Con today, and check back often. We'll have new blog posts and news stories up several times a day. And every few weeks, we'll publish the kind of full-length, major investigations and essays I've been writing for publications like The Nation, The Village Voice, and The New York Times.
I'm putting my shoulder to the wheel to convince my fellow Americans that conservatism is something they should be embarrassed ever to have associated with. Stay in touch and please join me on The Big Con -- because breaking conservatism's grip on America's imagination is going to be a big job, and I'll need your help.
Onward.
Rick Perlstein, Senior Fellow
Campaign for America's Future
-----
From the Center for American Progress
GOOD NEWS
Two new studies using embryonic stem cells show new ways to treat Lou Gehrig's disease.
STATE WATCH
TEXAS: State House panel votes to bar funding for embryonic stem cell research.
IOWA: Latinos are "appalled" at an Iowa College Republicans group's capture-the-flag game pitting "illegal immigrants" against "border patrol."
MINNESOTA: New HIV cases hit a 10-year high in Minnesota.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Thousands turn out for "the biggest voting-rights rally in decades."
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Video Compilation: President Bush's fear-mongering reaches fever pitch in Iraq speech.
AFL-CIO WEBLOG: "D.C. voting rights 'about doing what's right.'"
DANIEL W. DREZNER: "Tragedies, opportunities and opportunism."
ARMCHAIR GENERALIST: Washington Times cites non-chemical weapon as evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq.
DAILY GRILL
"I was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on."
-- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, 3/13/07, on his role in the prosecutor purge
VERSUS
"[A] recently released e-mail from [Kyle] Sampson, dated June 1, 2006, indicated that Gonzales was actively involved in discussions about [former U.S. attorney Carol] Lam and had decided to fire her if she did not improve."
-- ABC News, 4/16/07
GOOD NEWS
New poll finds that today's youth are more likely to vote and engage in politics than any other generation since the Vietnam era.
STATE WATCH
OREGON: State House passes two landmark gay marriage bills; Oregon Senate and Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) are expected to approve the legislation.
TEXAS: Texas House "will consider a measure withdrawing the investments of two state pension plans in firms that do business with Sudan."
MISSOURI: State senators manage to stall "a wide-ranging bill designed to restrict access to abortion."
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Military analyst's firsthand experience in Iraq contradicts right-wing rhetoric on escalation.
TALK LEFT: New York state agrees to stop isolating mentally ill prisoners for 23 hours a day with a diet of only bread and cabbage.
LEFT COASTER: Princeton economist predicts 40-million high-skilled jobs headed over seas.
UN DISPATCH: "World Health Organization: violence in Iraq threatens health services."
DAILY GRILL
"Students who took part in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not, according to a study ordered by Congress."
-- AP, 4/14/07
VERSUS
"[O]ne logical conclusion is that to achieve the greatest effectiveness, programs must be intensive and long-term, so that the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to reject sex before marriage are constantly reinforced."
-- Family Research Council, 4/16/07, on "one logical conclusion" from the abstinence study
GOOD NEWS
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) said "no, nope, no way, hell no" Tuesday to helping create the first national identification cards, signing into law a bill that blocks the state from complying with the REAL ID Act.
STATE WATCH
MISSISSIPPI: A bold developer is embarking on a massive building project to provide homes for thousands of Katrina refugees.
UTAH: Health insurance premium costs skyrocketed 5.6 percent between 2000 and 2005, while the number of residents without coverage rose
ECONOMY: Several states are being strained by poor collection of sales tax revenues.
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: President Bush brings Iraq "death and destruction" tour to local high schools.
DAILY KOS: Attention conservatives blaming the Virginia Tech victims: "They DID fight back."
NO COMMENT: British Prime Minister Tony Blair to succeed World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz?
GULF COAST RECONSTRUCTION WATCH: "New Orleans' economy improves, but infrastructure remains a disaster."
DAILY GRILL
"Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., submitted the names of two candidates to replace Heffelfinger. His staff said Paulose was not one of them."
-- Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 4/14/07, on Coleman's denial that he ever nominated Rachel Paulose to succeed Thomas Heffelfinger as U.S. attorney in Minnesota
VERSUS
"Paulose, who Coleman recommended for the post earlier this year, will succeed Thomas Heffelfinger, who resigned from the position in February."
-- Press release from Coleman's office, 12/9/06
GOOD NEWS
Instruments and memorabilia donated by U2 raised more than $2 million "to benefit musicians who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina."
STATE WATCH
CALIFORNIA: With growing sectarian strife in Iraq, Muslim leaders in southern California embark on a campaign to promote Muslim unity and prevent violence in America.
NEW YORK: "Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) will introduce a bill in the coming weeks to legalize same-sex marriage in New York."
WASHINGTON: Legislature passes a landmark five-week paid family leave bill.
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA): The Bush administration should not be "celebrating" Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's "very, very damaging" testimony.
FEMINISTE: "Kenyan hospitals overwhelmed by women injured by illegal abortion."
OLIVER WILLIS: "A microcosm of how the conservative propaganda machine works."
NEWSHOUNDS: "Fox & Friends make fun of Sheryl Crow, praise Karl Rove."
DAILY GRILL
"The President has full confidence in Paul Wolfowitz."
-- White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, 4/13/07
VERSUS
"He has lost the trust and respect of bank staff at all levels, provoked a rift among senior managers, developed tense relations with the board, damaged his own credibility on good governance. ... There is only one way for Wolfowitz to further the mission of the bank: he should resign."
-- Open letter from 42 senior World Bank executives, 4/22/07
-----
From CODEPINK
See us in the
New York Times
Watch us sing
"Don't Bomb Iran" to
John McCain
Plan your Mother's Day
movie night
Have you seen us lately? CODEPINK has been all over the media, bringing the message of peace and accountability to Congress. We packed the hearing with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Some of us were dressed as "pink police", marching in with crime tape in hand to demand that Gonzales be arrested for refusing to uphold the constitution. Others wore bright pink gowns with sashes reading "I MISS LIBERTY", "I MISS HABEAS CORPUS", and "I MISS JUSTICE"-and held up copies of the Constitution. We made front page news at NYTimes.com when we held up a pink banner right near the Attorney General saying "I have nothing to hide...except the truth."
In fact, the day after the hearing the front page of the Washington Post stated that the Senate Judiciary "goes CODEPINK on Alberto Gonzales"!
We raised a ruckus at hearings all week long, included a heated one on "extraordinary rendition" where we appeared in Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuits and hoods, carrying pink signs decrying torture. You can read more about our actions on our DC blog. Better yet, come join us at the CODEPINK house in Washington DC!
In addition to hearings, we visit Congressional offices every day. This week, after hearing John McCain turn the Beach Boy's song "Barbara Ann" into "Bomb Iran," we showed up at McCain's office with our own fabulous "Don't Bomb Iran" song. You can watch it here.
YouTube has become an important resource for sharing progressive news. We've had great success with our Toy Soldiers video. Please keep spreading the link far and wide to remind your friends and family that war is not a game.We are heartened to see that mainstream media outlets are also being more critical of the administration now. Be sure to catch these two upcoming television shows:
60 MINUTES: Life In Baghdad explores how the war has impacted the lives of innocent Iraqi citizens. You can catch it Sunday, April 22nd at 7pm PST on CBS.
Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War examines how the media helped Bush make the case for war in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. It airs Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 9:00-10:30 pm ET on PBS.
See you on the front page or come join us in DC!
Dana, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Liz, Lori, Medea, Melissa, Midge, Nancy, Patricia, Rae, Samantha, and Sonia
P.S. You can champion progressive media yourself by hosting one of our Mother's Day movie nights and screening our film, "Women Say NO to War: Iraqi and American Women Speak Out". Find out how to host a Pink Flix party here.
-----
From “Democracy Now!”
"Patriot's Day: Stop the Violence"
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/patriots_day_stop_the_violence/
note that this news site, Truthdig, allows readers to post comments.
Consider posting your own.
Also, consider writing your local newspaper and asking for them to carry the
column, distributed by King Features. Many papers across the US have done
so already.
If you see the column in your paper, please mail us a copy of the full page,
to
Democracy Now!
100 Lafayette St
New York, NY 10013
Thank you!
* Noam Chomsky Accuses Alan Dershowitz of Launching a “Jihad” to Block Norman
Finkelstein from Getting Tenure at DePaul University *
We play Part II of our conversation with two of the country's leading
dissidents, Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. In the interview, we ask Chomsky
about Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz who is lobbying DePaul faculty
members to oppose Norman Finkelstein's bid to receive tenure. Chomsky says,
"[Dershowitz] launched a jihad against Norman Finkelstein simply to try and
vilify and defame in the hope that maybe what he is writing will disappear."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/17/1327203
* Howard Zinn Urges US Soldiers to Heed Thoreau's Advice and “Resist Authority”
*
In Part II of our conversation with Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky, we speak with
the two leading dissidents about U.S. wars from Iraq to Vietnam, resistance and
academia. Zinn speaks about the importance of Henry David Thoreau and his
relevance today. Zinn says soldiers should “read Thoreau's essay on civil
disobedience or take its advice to heart, realize that the government is not
holy, but what's holy is human life and human freedom and the right for people
to resist authority.”
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/17/1851213
* From SDS to Life After Capitalism: Z Mag Founder Michael Albert on Activism,
“Parecon” and a Model for a Participatory Society *
It's a question that's been posed to social movements for years. We know what
you oppose, but what's your alternative? Michael Albert is considered one of
today's leading thinkers on that very question. He has been writing and
speaking on his concept of an economic and social vision for decades. Albert is
founder of Z Magazine and its sister website ZNet, as well as co-founder of
South End Press.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/17/1327211
* Headlines for March 17, 2007 *
- Gunman Kills 32 In Virginia School Shooting
- Gun Control Advocates Criticize Virginia's Lax Gun Laws
- U.S. Military Death Toll Tops 3,300
- Baghdad Residents: U.S. Troops Randomly Fire on Family
- Ex-Worker Ordered Not to Discuss Wal-Mart's Spy Operations
- Thousands March to U.S. Capitol Calling For D.C. Voting Rights
- Tommy Thompson: Earning Money is "Part of the Jewish Tradition"
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/17/1326249
*Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) Calls For Greater Gun Control Following
Virginia Tech Shootings*
The killings at Virginia Tech have inevitably put the spotlight on the
debate over gun control. Virginia police have traced the store where they
say the shooter -- Cho Seung-Hui -- bought one of the weapons five weeks
ago. New York Democratic Congressmember Carolyn McCarthy is known as one of
the most ardent gun control proponents in the House. In 1993, her husband
Dennis was killed and her son Kevin seriously injured when a gunman opened
fire aboard a Long Island Rail Road Commuter train.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/18/1549200
*From the DN! Archives: Michael Moore on Gun Violence in the U.S. and His
Documentary "Bowling for Columbine"*
Nearly five years ago we interviewed Michael Moore on the day his
documentary Bowling For Columbine was released nationwide. At the time the
nation was fixated on a series of sniper attacks in Washington D.C, Virginia
and Maryland. We talked to Michael Moore on October 18, 2002 -- one week
before the snipers were caught.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/18/1711258
* Headlines for March 18, 2007 *
- Tens of Thousands Mourn Victims Of School Shooting
- Teachers: Warnings Signs Existed Before Shooting
- Group: 230 University Professors Killed So Far In Iraq
- EPA: U.S. Greenhouse Gases Up 16% over Past 15 Years
- New Postal Rates Threaten Future of Small Magazines
- Most Online Radio Stations Face Bankruptcy Under New Rules
- Scientists: Cell Phones Could Be Cause of Missing Bees
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/18/1548251
* Blackwater Plans for New Military Facility Near San Diego Draws Fire From
Residents, Peace Activists and Local Congressmember *
The private security firm Blackwater USA is planning to build a new military
training center on an 800-acre ranch near Potrero, a tiny rural town east of
San Diego. The project, known as Blackwater West, is being opposed by a
growing coalition of local residents, environmentalists and peace activists.
We speak with Rep Bob Filner who is exploring legislation to block the
project as well as one of the local organizers and journalist Jeremy
Scahill, author of "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful
Mercenary Army."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/19/1349211
* Supreme Court Upholds Late-Term Abortion Ban *
The Supreme Court has handed down what is being called one of the biggest
setbacks for the abortion rights movement in years. On Wednesday, the court
voted 5-4 to uphold a ban on late-term abortion. The ruling marks the first
time justices have agreed that a specific abortion procedure can be banned.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/19/1349219
* Mass Immigrant Rights Rally Planned for May Day 2007 One Year After Record
Day of Protest *
May Day is less than two weeks away. Last year, more than a million and a
half immigrant rights supporters turned out for what was considered the
largest day of protest in U.S. history. We take a look at the state of the
immigrant rights movement and the plans for May Day 2007.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/19/1349225
* Headlines for March 19, 2007 *
- Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Ban
- Over 300 Die In Series of Iraq Bombings
- Virginia Tech Gunman: "You Have Blood On Your Hands"
- School Police: Cho Seung-Hui Was Institutionalized in 2005
- Gonzales to Testify on U.S. Attorneys Scandal
- Afghan Police Raid TV Station, Detain Journalists
- FBI Raids Home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)
- 40 Students Stage Overnight Sit-In Sen. Kohl's Office
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/19/1348259
* Cuban Militant Posada Carriles Released From New Mexico Jail *
A new phase has opened in a case that highlights a major gap in how the U.S.
and many others view international terrorism. Luis Posada Carriles walked
out of a New Mexico jail last week, free on bail. Posada was being held on
immigration charges but many want to see him tried for terrorism in
connection with the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1350205
* No More Deaths: Humanitarian Group Provides Life-Saving Aid to Immigrants
Crossing Border *
One of the biggest issues surrounding immigration in the Southwest has been
the plight of undocumented workers crossing the borders. At least 182 people
died trying to cross through the Arizona desert last year. We speak with
Shanti Sellz and Daniel Strauss, student volunteers with No More Deaths, a
humanitarian group that provides aid to immigrants crossing the
Arizona-Mexico border. In 2005, they were arrested and charged with two
felonies for helping three undocumented immigrants get urgently needed
medical care.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1350213
* Rev. John Fife Continues Immigrant Humanitarian Work 25+ Years After
Launching Sanctuary Movement *
A new movement is growing across the country to provide sanctuary to
immigrants in response to the rise in deportations and work raids by the
federal government. The growing network is being spearheaded by the Reverend
John Fife, the founder of the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1350219
* Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire Shot With Rubber Bullet by
Israeli Military at Nonviolent Protest *
Israeli troops fired rubber bullets and tear gas at a non-violent protest
against the separation wall near the West Bank village of Bilin. Several
protesters were injured including the Nobel Peace laureate Mairead Maguire
who was shot with a rubber bullet. She joins us on the line from Ireland.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1350224
* Headlines for April 23, 2007 *
- U.S. Plans to Wall Off 10 Neighborhoods in Baghdad
- Israel Kills Eight Palestinians, Including 17-Year-Old Girl
- Memorial Services Held For Victims of Virginia Tech Killing
- Vermont Senate Backs Impeachment of Bush & Cheney
- Legitimacy of Nigeria's Election Questioned
- 219 Killed In Somalia Over Past Week
- 42 Former World Bank Execs Urge Wolfowitz To Resign
- Jailed Chinese Activist Sues Yahoo In Human Rights Case
- Climate Change Causes Australia's Worst Drought On Record
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1349255
-----
From Media Savvy
Stop Killing Students 'Softly' With Loan Rip-Offs
By Danny Schechter
Students who lack experience in managing their money are easy targets for avaricious credit card companies. Student loans have become a noose around the necks of a whole generation. NOTE: This article includes a viral video.
Take A MSM Holiday
By Sheldon Drobny, OpEd News
If you want to get through the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre in a healthier way, don't watch the news for about a week.
Al Jazeera Big In English, Not In U.S.
Associated Press
Al-Jazeera's English language television has in its six-month existence gained strong viewership across Europe, in parts of Asia, Australia -- and even Israel. But no major U.S. cable or satellite provider will carry the channel. Is this politically motivated censorship?
Internet Radio Dealt Severe Blow As Copyright Board Rejects Appeal
By Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica
A panel of judges at the Copyright Royalty Board has denied a request from the NPR and a number of other webcasters to reconsider a March ruling that would force Internet radio services to pay crippling royalties.
Free Press Rescue Internet Radio Campaign And Paper Magazines
By Harold Feld, WetMachine
Equal-opportunity activism: Speak out to protest unfair Internet radio royalty rate and postal fee increases.
Why Ignoring Our Northern Neighbor Matters
By Edward Wasserman, Miami Herald
Amid all the wailing over the decline of U.S. journalism, word that no U.S. newspaper will have a staff correspondent in Canada was barely audible.
Protecting The Spectrum For Media Freedom
By Nalaka Gunawardene, Media Helping Media
Mass media and free expression take center stage on May 3, World Press Freedom Day.
Take Action: Tell Media To Cover The Debt Crisis
Send an email to news networks demanding that they give more in depth coverage to the debt crisis in America.
Imus Firing: Sign of Things To Come?
By Rory O'Connor
Will the downfall of the I-Man mark a turning point in the effort to restore civility and sanity to America's mainstream media? Watch Here
PBS Swings Right
By Alison Weir
The Message of PBS's "Crossroads" Series: Some Muslims are not terrorists. One entire program in the series, funded with federal money, is dedicated to Richard Perle, the neoconservative strategist who pushed for "regime-change" in Iraq and is now promoting it once more in Iran.
For Networks, Too Many Words Thin Audience
By Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune
Virginia Tech president Charles Stegers was correct when he said, "Words are very weak symbols of what we are feeling at times like this." But that didn't stem the tide of words poured forth from the media in an effort to meet the demand for coverage.
VA Tech Student-run Media Meet Challenge
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, LA Times
Student reporters rose to their challenge, covering the massacre, breaking scoops and serving as community focal points through the campus newspaper and radio station.
Free Press Battle Looms In Hatfill Case
By Josh Gerstein, NY Sun
A court battle that could result in substantial fines for news organizations and jail time for reporters is looming.
Fox News Takes Vonnegut's Bait, One Last Time
By Gal Beckerman, CJR Daily
The "fair and balanced" news network speaks ill of the dead.
Swiss Journalists Acquitted In Case Of Leaked Secret CIA Prisons Fax
AP
A military tribunal finds three journalists not guilty of breaking Swiss military secrecy laws by publishing classified intelligence material about alleged secret CIA prisons in Europe.
Banned in the USA
Shut out of American homes because cable companies refuse to carry their signal, Al Jazeera's english channel announced this week that they will post content on YouTube. Here we take a look back at the way Al Jazeera launched its english broadcasts. You can watch their YouTube channel here.
Cultural Learnings of Kazakhstan
By Rory O'Connor
It's not everyday an American like me gets to attend a media conference half a world away featuring the former president of the Islamic Republic of Iran - not to mention Russia's ex-prime minister and the two Richards of American foreign policy, former Assistant Secretary of State Holbrooke and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Perle, along with assorted representatives of NATO, the National Security Council and the OSCE.
Bowing Down to Our Own Violence
By Norman Solomon
The overall coverage of lethal violence, at home and far away, reflects the chronic evasions of the American media establishment.
O'Reilly Stalking Denver Post Critic
By Michael Roberts, Westword
If journalists condemn Bill O'Reilly, he'll strike back anytime and anywhere -- even in the parking lot of a local Wild Oats.
VT Massacre: Has NBC Ushered In A New Era For Multimedia?
By Tim Goodman, SF Chronicle
So now NBC and MSBNC and MSNBC.com find themselves in the middle of one of the hottest stories of the year. And that fact certainly raises a lot of ethical questions.
VT Massacre: A Story Of Victims And Issues, Not Only The Killer
By Tony Burman, CBC News
Tony Burman, Editor in Chief of CBC News: "I have long admired NBC News.... But I think their handling of these tapes was a mistake. As I watched them last night, sickened as I'm sure most viewers were, I imagined what kind of impact this broadcast would have on similarly deranged people."
MySpace Offers News Recommendations
By Anick Jesdanun, AP
The popular online hangout MySpace entered the news business April 19 with a feature that lets its users determine what items other members see.
Federally Funded Researchers Want To Scrap The Internet
By Steve Watson, Infowars.net
Researchers funded by the federal government want to shut down the internet and go back to the drawing board.
Pandora Founder: Help Save Internet Radio
By Steve O'Hear, ZDNet
Tim Westergren, founder of music discovery service Pandora, urges Internet radio fans to sign a petition against the recently royalty increase that endangers music-streaming services.
FCC's Copps Needs Convincing On Tribune Deal
By Rachelle Younglai, Reuters
An FCC commissioner says Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell will have to work hard to win the feds' permission to take his company private.
Designers For Darfur
Designers band together to help the Save Darfur Coalition in their mission to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Video narrated by George Clooney and DFD Founder, Malcolm Harris of Mal Sirrah, Inc. Watch Here
Disseminate Information, Protect Democracy
The Nation
Teresa Stack and publishers from a dozen independent journals protest steep US Postal Service rate increases that favor large corporate publishers and put small titles at risk.
New-Media Culture Challenges Limits Of Journalism Ethics
Joe Garofoli, SF Chronicle
The Virginia Tech shooting was the first major U.S. news story in which traditional media and new-media technologies became visibly interdependent. New-media coverage raises a sticky question: When everybody can publish, what will the world see next?
Celebrating, Protecting Our Libraries During National Library Week
By Congressman Rick Boucher
The Virginia Democrat speaks in praise of libraries, librarians, fair use and freedom.
Ken Burns MAY NOT BE Better Than That!
By Paul Farhi, Washington Post
In a statement likely to anger Latino and Native American veterans and activists, Ken Burns says he will not re-cut his World War II public-TV documentary.
Fire Paul Wolfowitz
One of the scandals that has been pushed out of the media has been the controversy involving World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz. As Bank employees call for his resignation, a high profile media campaign by AVAA.org features this video showing that issues can be sustained without mainstream media coverage. Watch Here
"Glamorization" of the Media
By Rory O'Connor
The final two days of the sixth annual Eurasian Media Forum were an ever-accelerating whirlwind of opinion, passion, analysis and emotion.
Reading Between The Lines To Find The Bottom Line
By Danny Schechter
Violence is everywhere! Isn't it time to stop treating all of these stories as isolated events and start seeing and discussing the patterns that are obscured by deception and distraction?
TV-Turnoff Week 2007 April 23th - 29th
By Hilary White, LifeSite
Children watch estimated 18,000 murders on TV by age 18 and over 200,000 acts of violence.
Bill Moyers Hammers Media For 'Buying The War' In Iraq
By Peter Johnson, USA Today
The veteran journalist examines the media's shortcomings in covering the Iraq war in a new PBS special airing this week.
Massacre At Virginia Tech Caused Barely A Flinch Worldwide
By John Burke, Nieman Watchdog
To the overseas press, mass shootings are seen as the same old story by now, with only the place, name and the number of the dead changing.
Philadelphia Journalism's New Order
By Katharine Q. Seelye, NY Times
The Philadelphia Inquirer launches a new column written by Inquirer reporters and editors on the first page of its business section. The surprise: The column will be sponsored by a local advertiser, Citizens Bank, and will feature its logo and ads.
Bill Moyers On Real Time With Bill Maher
Moyers and Maher discuss the current state of the news media. Watch Here
------
From Greg Palast
The Accomplices: Sundance George and Butch Reid and the Virginia Tech Massacre
by Greg Palast
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
He had accomplices. Don't kid yourself: 23-year-old Cho Seung-hui didn't forge his two little pistols in his smithy shop.
He had a dealer, a guns-and-bullets pusher-man who put the heat in his hand, took the kid's money and pocketed it with a grin.
"Whether you are looking for a pistol for affordable training or simply the excitement of shooting, the P22 is the pistol for you!"
That's the ad on the Walther website for the student-reaper, a Walther .22.
Not that Walther, or its fellow murder-maker, Glock, which crafted the other Weapon of Student Mass Destruction, the Glock 7mm, kept all of the killer kid's money. The gun makers religiously tithe a portion of their grim reapings to their friends in Washington.
This report isn't about gun control legislation or the right to bear arms or any of that sideways crap. This is about a group of co-conspirators who dropped two killing devices into the hands of someone who shouldn't have had access to a plastic spoon.
But before we bring in the suspects for questioning, let's pull back the camera lens for the bigger picture. Because what we saw at Virginia Tech was just a concentrated node of a larger, nationwide killing spree that goes on day after day in the USA. Eighty-thousand Americans take a bullet from a hand gun in any year. Thirty-thousand die. That's one thousand shooting deaths off-camera for each victim at Virginia Tech.
Sundance Bush is right now at the school for his photo op. The President is, "saddened and angered by these senseless acts of violence." But will our senseless and violent President do anything about it? He already has: On July 29, 2005, the US Senate passed, then Bush signed, a grant of immunity from lawsuits for Walther, Glock and other gun manufacturers.
Now, corporations that make hand-guns can't be sued for knowingly selling firearms to killers. Like that? No other industry has such wide lawsuit immunity -- not teachers, not doctors, not cops -- only gun makers.
Here's how Cho got his guns. It's a story you won't hear on CNN. It begins with something known as, The Iron Pipeline. At one end of the Pipeline are states like Alabama where gun laws are loosey-goosey. Gun makers including Glock stuff the 'Bama end of the pipe with far more guns than can ever be bought legally in that state, knowing full well that the guns will be illegally shipped up the pipeline into states where gun laws are tougher. Virginia law prevents "gun-trafficking"; in Alabama, they could care less.
In every state in America, a bar owner is liable to lawsuit if a bartender serves too many drinks and a customer dies in an auto accident. Hand a chainsaw to a child, you're in legal trouble. Until Bush signed the 2005 protect-the-gun-makers law, the same common law against negligent distribution applied to firearms.
Bush was aiming at Stephen Fox. Steven can describe feeling pieces of his brain fly from his skull after a mugger shot him. He's permanently paralyzed. A jury charged the makers of .25-caliber hand guns with negligent distribution -- and Bush went wild.
He was especially worked up because the City of New Orleans sued the gun makers for the cost of hospitalizing cops shot by armaments pooping out the end of the Iron Pipeline. The NAACP joined in the suit with the effrontery to demand the gun-pushers alter their marketing programs to keep their products out of the hands of maniacs and murderers.
Do the gun manufacturers know their .22's are being used for something other than hunting long-horned elk? Every year, the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency sends 800,000 requests to the gun companies to trace weapons found at crime scenes. As Fox's attorney told me, criminals are a much-valued, if unpublicized, market segment sought out and provisioned by these manufacturers.
But they're safe, the gun-makers, even if we aren't, because of Bush's immunity law. But Sundance Bush didn't act alone. There was Harry 'Butch' Reid, leader of the Senate Democrats, riding shotgun on the immunity bandwagon.
The Walther .22 comes from Austria. Hitler came from Austria, too. The Glock 7mm student-slayer comes from Germany. With the legal protection handed them by Bush and Reid, the two Teutonic weapons profiteers can skip free of legal judgment with that line well-practiced by their countrymen: "We were only taking orders -- for our product."
**********
This report is adapted from, "Just Put Down that Lawsuit, Pardner, and No One Gets Hurt" in the Class War section of the new edition of Greg Palast's bestseller, "ARMED MADHOUSE: Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of A White House Gone Wild." Order it now at www.GregPalast.com before its official release next week.
-----
From Planned Parenthood
America Won't Stand for Abortion Bans!
In the last 24 hours, people all across America have expressed their outrage at a Supreme Court ruling that has brought about a seismic shift on reproductive freedom. The court told women that, with their health at risk during a pregnancy, deciding what to do is no longer up to them and their doctors. The Bush Supreme Court has let politicians come barging into that most personal of decisions.
No woman in America is safe from that intrusion. And women in states where anti-choice legislators are tripping over themselves to take advantage of the court's unprincipled actions are in the most immediate jeopardy. Send a powerful message right now. Make clear that you won't let any court or any politician put women's health and safety at risk.
SIGN OUR PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND PLEDGE RIGHT NOW!
In her dissenting opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote, "The Court deprives women of the right to make an autonomous choice, even at the expense of their safety." We have to prevent this decision from having a devastating impact on women's lives.
How are we going to do that? By immediately supporting Planned Parenthood Action Fund teams of organizers and advocates that are already on the ground in key states across the nation. And by reaching out and asking hundreds of thousands of people to immediately express their outrage over abortion bans that undermine women's health and safety. We can start by taking a simple pledge one that we will share with senators, governors, House members, and state legislators across the nation:
I want to send a message to every politician who thinks the Supreme Court's reckless decision is a green light to endanger women's health: We won't let you get away with it!
SIGN OUR PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND PLEDGE RIGHT NOW!
Our opponents can hardly contain themselves. The Associated Press reports that South Dakota anti-abortion hardliner Leslie Unruh was elated by the ruling: "I'm running and jumping in the air. I'm going to tell people, 'This should give you energy. Make sure you get to your capital and introduce some bills."
We've got to put anti-choice politicians and extremists on notice. They need to know that, just because the Supreme Court has upheld the federal abortion ban, we won't tolerate them interjecting themselves into women's personal medical decisions. If they act to undermine women's health, we won't let them get away with it.
SIGN OUR PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND PLEDGE RIGHT NOW!
We'll be counting on you to stand with us in the days and weeks ahead. Right now, the single most important thing you can do is help ignite an immediate display of national outrage. Sign our pledge right now and pass the pledge on to as many people as you possibly can.
Thank you,
Cecile Richards
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
-----
From OilWatchdog
OilWatchdog nabbed a fascinating nugget of news over the weekend--Chevron s sponsorship of a global Iraq Energy Summit. The summit s aim seems to be inking contracts that could hand majority control of Iraqi oil wealth to oil companies not the Iraqi people. Why do I think the oil ministry officials won t come away empty-handed?
I also like low comedy. For instance, if a broken pipe at a refinery can t be fixed because the supply truck is late it s reason for wholesale gas prices to shoot up 16 cents.
John Simpson, as you ve probably noticed, is the bulldog part of OilWatchdog. His sustained effort to make UC Berkeley disclose and fix its secretive $500 million deal with BP is making progress (and John never gives up ask stem cell researchers about that.) Thursday will be a key day as the Berkeley faculty deliberates on the deal.
And we re luckily hearing more from Doug Heller, who has an exquisite detector for bureaucrats who feed at the corporate trough.
OilWatchdog is counting more readers every day. Below are a summary of posts since last week s digest: Sign up, jump into the conversation, tell your friends.
Sincerely,
Judy Dugan
Here are the recent posts from OilWatchdog.org:
Chevron 'Ready to Engage' E85?
by dugan, 04-16-2007
...Well, ready enough that two mid-level managers phoned OilWatchdog and said the company wants gas station operators to "engage with us" on renewable fuels.
Read More
TAGS: BP | Chevron | Environment | Greenwashing | The Industry | ...
Chevron's Big Bet On Iraqi Oil
by dugan, 04-15-2007
Iraq scarcely has a government, but Chevron is shelling out to sponsor Baghdad's "Oil, Gas, Petrochemical & Electricity Summit" next month.
Read More
TAGS: Chevron | The Industry | ...
Who to believe?
by Simpson, 04-15-2007
Proponents of the plan to have BP fund an alternate energy research institute at UC Berkeley squared off against those who think the university is joining the ranks of Big Oil U. Who do you trust?
Read More
TAGS: Big Oil U | BP | ConocoPhillips | Environment | ExxonMobil | ...
Californians Do Drive Less
by dugan, 04-13-2007
Much hand-wringing recently over reports that U.S. drivers weren't cutting back as prices rose. Now, some common sense from the LA Times. Californians are definitely driving less.
Read More
TAGS: Media Critique | Profits | The Industry | ...
Gov't Staffer Takes First Class Flight to Corporate Job
by Heller, 04-13-2007
The Executive Director of the California Public Utilities Commission, Steve Larson, announced that he was leaving the PUC to take a job at the Australian oil giant Woodside, according to Mark Martin, who is reporting it today on the...
Read More
TAGS: cash register politics | Influence | LNG | The Industry | ...
Humbled? Don't take the money
by Simpson, 04-12-2007
Disgruntled BP shareholders said a planned payment of an estimated $124.5 million to outgoing chief executive John Browne is "vulgar". Though "humbled" he's keeping the dough.
Read More
TAGS: BP | Catastrophes | CEO compensation | Negligence | ...
Refinery Comedy, At Your Expense
by dugan, 04-12-2007
Sheesh. ConocoPhillips' giant gasoline plant in Wilmington is shut down and can't be repaired because... the nitrogen truck is late. Gasoline up 16 cents wholesale. Read the wacky story below.
Read More
TAGS: ConocoPhillips | Profits | Record prices | Supply | The Industry | ...
Is DiFi Too Close To Chevron?
by Court, 04-12-2007
Dianne Feinstein's relationship to Chevron's CEO should concern Californians given her recent advocacy for Big Oil.
Read More
TAGS: cash register politics | Chevron | Influence | LNG | Profiteering | ...
Whose Is Biggest?
by dugan, 04-11-2007
It's a strange world when yearly CEO pay of $18.4 million looks humble. That's what Exxon reports paying CEO Rex Tillerson.... $342 million less than what Occidental paid CEO Ray Irani. But don't cry for Rex....
Read More
TAGS: Chevron | ExxonMobil | Greed | Misdeeds | Profits | Record prices | ...
Read More: OilWatchdog.org
OilWatchdog is a project of the
Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.
Oil bulldog John Simpson watched in disgust late yesterday as the UC Berkeley faculty wimped out, refusing to demand that the university delay a $500 million deal with oil giant BP. (You can also read the coverage in the Los Angeles Times.)
Even the staid Sacramento Bee editorialized that the deal, which would give BP its own secret unit inside the public university, needs retooling to assure that it's not a greenwash for Big Oil.
But John is on the case for the long haul, and sees other good avenues (UC Regents, anyone?) for action. His rallying cry? “Don't let UC Berkeley become UC-BP.”
Other highlights from OilWatchdog
All the talk about drivers getting "used to" $3.30 a gallon gasoline is hooey. It's "Battered Driver Syndrome."
The real problem is the silence of elected officials. Jamie Court pointedly notes that a Bay Area pipeline break didn't just jam traffic and pollute waterways--it'll be another boost to already-record prices.
And I had first thoughts on the Stanford study predicting nasty health effects if E85 entirely replaces gasoline. It won't, and scenarios like this create a Chicken-Little effect against a balanced approach to cutting oil dependence.
Read on below: Greenwashing, Iraq oil, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Chevron problem, and more.
Thanks to the many of you who have responded to our mailings. It would enrich OilWatchdog as an online community to see your thoughtful postings on the website as comments. It's easy to sign up: Just click on Log in at the bottom right of the front page, or the “Click here to sign up” link underneath a full story.
We don't sell our list, call you or send mass mailings. You can donate, of course, if you think we've earned it!
Yours truly,
Judy Dugan
Here are the recent posts from OilWatchdog.org:
It's academic...
by Simpson, 04-19-2007
UC Berkeley's faculty senate rejected resolutions that would have slowed the university's rush to become Big Oil U.'s latest outpost, “UCBP.” A toothless "compromise" was adopted instead.
Read More
TAGS: Big Oil U | BP | conservation | Global Warming | Greenwashing | ...
Fight "Battered Driver" Syndrome
by dugan, 04-19-2007
There's a lot of talk lately about drivers "getting used to" gasoline over $3 a gallon. Actually, it's more like a battered spouse dabbing concealer on the bruise and trying to forget about it.
Read More
TAGS: cash register politics | Influence | Price Gouging | Supply | The Industry | ...
Killer E85
by dugan, 04-19-2007
Stanford scientist Mark Jacobson's skeptical report on ethanol fuels is a ringing cry for... what? Only a conniving Iowa farmer would suggest that E85 replace conservation, hybrids or public transit.
Read More
TAGS: conservation | Global Warming | renewable fuels | The Industry | ...
Will Arnold Take On Chevron?
by Court, 04-18-2007
The lawyer from Ecuador who is prosecuting Chevron for its crimes against the Amazon has asked Arnold Schwarzenegger to step into the ring.
Read More
TAGS: cash register politics | Catastrophes | Chevron | Environment | ...
CA Pipeline Break Next Excuse?
by Court, 04-18-2007
As gas prices hit new records in the Bay Area, the rupturing of a pipeline that moves oil between Bakersfield and Shell's Martinez refinery backed up traffic along I-580 for miles near Tracy Tuesday and will likely mean even higher gas prices.
Read More
TAGS: Environment | Price Gouging | Shell | Supply | The Industry | ...
Lie Down With Despots...
by dugan, 04-17-2007
BP put down its marker on Iraqi oil today, though also saying it would want ironclad contracts that successor governments in Iraq couldn't mess with. Haven't they been watching the news from Venezuela?
Read More
TAGS: BP | Chevron | ConocoPhillips | ExxonMobil | Influence | The Industry | ...
What Do Chicks and Trees Think?
by dugan, 04-17-2007
The deal between Tyson Foods and ConocoPhillips to produce clean diesel fuel from waste chicken parts will nab tax credits once intended for entrepreneurs--and won't increase the diesel supply.
Read More
TAGS: Chevron | ConocoPhillips | Greenwashing | Influence | The Industry | ...
Iraq's "Invisible" Oil
by dugan, 04-17-2007
Reader "JB" passes along this piece from CorpWatch, on "invisible" oil passing through Iraqi ports, that amplifies on my earlier post about Iraqi oil contracts. Endemic corruption will be part of all oil deals.
Read More
-----
From the Public Campaign and Action Fund: an update on your vote
Update from Iowa
As Gandhi famously said, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." If Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal's angry and profane response on Wednesday to Clean Elections activists' request that he support the Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections (VOICE) Act is any indication, we're just a step away from welcoming full public financing of statewide and legislative elections to Iowa! Gronstal's vocal opposition notwithstanding, the VOICE Act may have a chance to pass out of the House Appropriations Committee today or early next week, after which it will proceed to the House floor for a vote: the moment of truth!
Lead House sponsor Rep. Pam Jochum (D) is confident about the bill's chances, and the tireless efforts of Voter Owned Iowa and its many dedicated volunteers lobbying their representatives have put Iowa center stage in the fight for Clean Elections; with several Public Campaign Action Fund staff deployed in Iowa to help bring this one across the line we're following this very closely. As soon as we know, we'll pass the news on to you!
Darn that Abramoff!
The FBI arrived at the Virginia home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) and his wife Julie last Friday to execute a search warrant pursuant to their investigation of the Doolittle's ties to imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The unfolding scandal surrounding Abramoff has cut a wide swath through Congress, tarnishing former Rep. Tom DeLay, sending Rep. Bob Ney to prison, and filling the courthouse with a line of staffers and aides offering testimony and pleading guilty. Now federal investigators have turned their attention to the Doolittles. They crossed paths with Abramoff on a number of occasions; John Doolittle did favors for Abramoff in his scheme to bilk Native American tribes all the while taking huge campaign contributions from Abramoff and his associates, and Julie's fundraising firm was contracted by Abramoff's sham non-profit the Capital Athletic Foundation. Doolittle has since resigned his position on the powerful House Appropriations Committee as the investigation continues.
Clean Elections can help us put a stop the Abramoffs and the Doolittles, sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of the Fair Elections Now Act to bring full public financing to congressional elections!
New Jersey Expands Pilot Project
The New Jersey legislature has authorized a second round of the Clean Elections pilot project and this week a special panel chose the three districts that will have the opportunity to participate this year. Joining the solidly Republican 24th district and the equally Democratic 37th district will be the "swing" 14th district, a fiercely competitive electoral battleground. Competition between the 12th and 14th districts to be included in the program was strong, a positive sign of the growing awareness of the Clean Elections model, and an indicator of a higher rate of participation and voter education this time around about what Clean Elections could mean for New Jersey.
Judicial Clean Elections Pass in New Mexico
This past Saturday Governor Bill Richardson (D) signed a bill expanding the state's public financing program to include state Supreme and Appellate Court races. Public financing has previously been available for the state's Public Regulation Commission, and the city of Albuquerque created a public financing system for municipal races by ballot initiative in 2005. Gov. Richardson also did a line-item veto of a "poison pill" provision in the bill that would have delayed implementation until a ballot initiative passed that would have created a new series of partisan judicial elections.
This is noteworthy as well because Gov. Richardson, vocal in his support of public financing, is also running for President. With a presidential field that includes a number of candidates on the record in support of public financing including Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, John McCain, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson let's hope this elevates the issue in candidate debates!
Maryland Misses By One
A single vote came between Maryland and a Clean Elections victory this year. Despite the tireless activities of Progressive Maryland, Maryland Common Cause, the Reform Institute, the Maryland Sierra Club, the Maryland NAACP and Public Campaign and all of our members, Senate Majority Leader Mike Miller in his zeal to block Clean Elections legislation wrangled the votes he needed to defeat the bill.
Thank you from all of us to everyone who wrote and called their legislators, who staffed the phone banks, wrote letters to the editor and gave donations in support of Clean Elections your efforts have not been in vain. We re ready to come back next year and go all the way!
From The Paid For By...? Blog:
Have you been reading Paid For By?, Public Campaign Action Fund s blog? In case you missed this week, check out the stories we've been following:
Thanks for reading Voter File. If you have comments you d like to share with us, please click here. We look forward to hearing from you!
-----
From HuffPo
Bob Cesca: It's Not About The Firearms
AP
Excerpted From Bob Cesca's Blog:
So what causes a maniac to murder 30 people in cold blood? It can't possibly be about the 9mm handguns, in the same way terrorism isn't about access to beverage containers.
Yeah, I'm one of those progressives who has long since conceded the gun debate. It's not because of the gun lobby's simplistic talking points, it's not because of the hunters who think it's most excellent to kill innocent animals, and it's definitely not due to a lack of thought about the issue.
It's primarily about focus. Who or what is really to blame for the shameful level of gun violence in America?
Click here to read more.
ON THE BLOG TODAY
Laurie David and Sheryl Crow: Stop Global Warming College Tour: Gainesville
Trey Ellis: Democrats Are Standing Up to the President -- Will They Finally Stand Up to the NRA?
David McCourt: Moguls Feel the Pull of Web Television
Colleen Werthmann: Gravitas-Challenged Pulitzer Prize Winner Hottie Rundown!
Arianna Huffington: Virginia Tech Aftermath: Did Legal Drugs Play a Role in the Massacre?
AP
Excerpted From Arianna Huffington's Blog:
...Reports that Cho had been taking antidepressants once again turn the spotlight on the uneasy question of what role these powerful medications might have played in yet another campus massacre.
It's the same bloody-morning-after question I've been asking since 1998, when we learned 15-year old Oregon school shooter Kip Kinkel, who opened fire in his school cafeteria, had been on Prozac. Nearly ten years -- and numerous school-shooters-on-prescription-meds -- later, we're still waiting for answers...
Click here to read more.
ON THE BLOG TODAY
Harry Shearer: A Media-Savvy Murderer
David Bromwich: The Honor of Alberto Gonzales
Sen. Robert Byrd: The President's Veto Threat Does Not Dictate the Law of Our Land
Cintra Wilson: Celebrity 2.0: Fame Kills
Laurie David and Sheryl Crow: Karl Rove Gets Thrown Under the Stop Global Warming Bus
politico.com
Excerpted From Sheryl Crow And Laurie David's Blog:
...At some point during his ramblings, we became heartbroken to think that the President of the United States and his top advisers have partially built a career on global warming not being real. We have been telling college students across the country for the past two weeks that government does not change until people demand it... well, listen up folks, everyone had better get a lot louder because the message clearly is not getting through.
In his attempt to dismiss us, Mr. Rove turned to head toward his table, but as soon as he did so, Sheryl reached out to touch his arm. Karl swung around and spat, "Don't touch me." How hardened and removed from reality must a person be to refuse to be touched by Sheryl Crow? Unphased, Sheryl abruptly responded, "You can't speak to us like that, you work for us." Karl then quipped, "I don't work for you, I work for the American people." To which Sheryl promptly reminded him, "We are the American people..."
Click here to read more.
ON THE BLOG TODAY
Arianna Huffington: Tom DeLay Has the Solution to Gun Violence: More Guns!
Barry Scheck: On the 200th DNA Exoneration in the U.S.
Harry Shearer: A Visit Inside the Bubble
Norman Lear: Bullsh*t Trouble in River City
-----
Don't forget to check out The Dilbert Blog!
posted by The Scallion @ 5:32 PM
