Highlights This Month
Calling All Radicals : How Grassroots Organizers Can Save Our Democracy ~ Gabriel Thompson
Calling All Radicals argues that everyone is capable of community organizing. It explains key tactics, leadership development, conducting research, and working effectively with the media. But it is also a call to action: its aim is to build a movement with the aim of restoring American democracy at the grassroots level.
Nation Books
 Drawing upon his years as a community organizer in Central Brooklyn, writer and activist Gabriel Thompson makes the case for reclaiming our democracy through grassroots activism, illustrating the impact it can have.
For example, when a brother and sister were being evicted from their home of 73 years, the community responded by staging a protest in front of the landlord's home, gaining widespread media attention and forcing the owner to allow them to stay. And when children in Central Brooklyn were suffering from lead poisoning at alarming rates, Thompson designed a campaign to train inner-city high school students to test neighborhood homes. The findings--that one in 3 were dangerous--forced New York City officials to pass legislation holding landlords responsible for hazardous properties.
More...
Pat Oliphant
Why Won't McCain Support Our Vets?
General Wesley Clark, Robert Greenwald, and Jon Soltz; Brave New Films
Robert Lopez served 8 years in our military, fighting in Iraq as a tank commander. He was told he'd get his whole education bill paid for when he got out of the service, but like so many others, Mr. Lopez has faced the bleak reality of a government that has turned its back on its veterans.
That is why Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel proposed the new GI Bill, which would bring back WWII-style standards of providing vets with full tuition, room and board. And that is why 51 senators have signed on, including 9 Republicans like John Warner, giving this GI Bill tremendous bipartisan support.
More...
Click here to watch the video and sign the petition.
 A Fundraising Event to Benefit WAMM
Submitted by Evergreene Digest Contributing Editor Jenni Charrier
Participate in the WAMM Walk Against Weapons, replacing the discontinued Headwaters Walk for Justice. Sign up as many sponsors as you can — ask family, friends and co-workers to sponsor your walk for peace and justice. There are some matching grants available to walkers.
Ask sponsors to pay when they commit. This will save you from having to collect after the event. Request tax deductable* payment by check payable to Women Against Military Madness (WAMM). * Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) is a tax exempt, 501(c)3 organization and all contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
More...
A Media Trojan Horse? Demand Answers
John Kerry
 Dining with Donald H. Rumsfeld, second from left, during his final week as secretary of defense were the retired officers Donald W. Shepperd, left, Thomas G. McInerney and Steven J. Greer, right. Copyright 2008 The New York Times
Over a week ago, the New York Times published a major investigative article, detailing a secret Pentagon program the Times said was designed to recruit and cultivate the "military analysts" you see on the major news networks in an attempt to create coverage favorable to the Bush Administration's policy in Iraq.
The Times described an extensive program, with dozens of television analysts involved, some of whom had extensive business ties to the Defense Department -- in fact they called it "an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks."
Since that story ran, there's been a virtual news blackout, and we haven't gotten any closer to finding out the real story.
You can change that. I sent a letter to the Government Accounting Organization requesting an investigation, and I'd like you to show your support by virtually "co-signing" the letter with me. Only with an overwhelming display of grassroots energy can we put this story in the spotlight and press for answers.
Co-sign the letter with me.
More...
John McCain's mother needs to wash his mouth out with soap.
John McCain doesn't support legislation allowing women to sue for equal pay because it would "violate the rights" of managers who discriminate against women!
Americans United for Change
On Wednesday (May 7), a 14-year old girl asked John McCain why he opposed a bill that made it easier for women to pursue pay discrimination lawsuits. John McCain told her:
"You may be violating the rights of the individuals who are being sued... I don't think you're doing anything to help the rights of women."
That's right, John McCain doesn't support legislation allowing women to sue for equal pay because it would "violate the rights" of managers who discriminate against women.
This Mother's Day, every mother in the country needs to know about John McCain's position on fair pay for women. Send a Mother's Day e-card now!
More...
Want To See Bush And Cheney Get Impeached? Now You Can!
"What kind of peace do we seek? Not a PAX Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children -- not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women -- not merely peace in our time but peace for all time." --John F. Kennedy (1963)
The Pen
We have some incredible news, we're doing a play!
On her way back from the Take Back America Conference last week (Mar 16-27) Shirley Golub, who is challenging Nancy Pelosi for the Democratic primary nomination in San Francisco in June, heard from a playwright working with impeachment scholar Bruce Fein on a new impeachment passion play with a socko surprise ending that will have you on your feet clapping and cheering, and Shirley has stepped up to finance a full legit theater production of this inspirational and educational new play, and with your help we can make it happen in a couple weeks.
Watch Shireley Golub's video...
Support moratorium on Medicaid regulations
US House Panel Approves Moratoria on Medicaid Regulations!
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Efforts in Congress to halt regulations that would undermine Medicaid financing of critical mental health services are moving forward. On April 9, an important House Subcommittee approved legislation (HR 5613) to impose moratoria on 7 separate Medicaid regulations. These regulations would severely hamper the ability of states to invest in services critical to the needs of people with serious mental illness. The bill would prevent these regulations from going into effect until April 1, 2009, when a new Administration will be in office.
A broader Senate companion bill to HR 5613 has been introduced by Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Their bill (S 2819) combines moratoria on all 7 regulations with $12 billion in fiscal relief for the states to deal with revenue shortfalls related to the current crises in the mortgage and credit markets. This includes a temporary across-the-board increase in each state’s Medicaid match rate.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) supports the efforts in both the House and the Senate. Email Congress now and urge support of these bills. Urge your House member to support HR 5613 and efforts to stop regulations that would devastate funding for critical services for Medicaid beneficiaries with serious mental illness. Tell your Senators to support S 2819, which is an important step in preventing cuts to Medicaid at the state level.
Learn more about the moratoria on Medicaid regulations.
Action Needed for Transit
David Greene, Sarah Mullins, ISAIAH Public Transit Campaign
Yesterday (Apr 7), Governor Pawlenty line-item vetoed all of the metro area transit projects out of the state bonding bill, including a critical $70 million needed to keep the Central Corridor light rail project on schedule.
We need to let the Governor and our public officials know that this is unacceptable. Please take some time to call the Governor and your state legislators and tell them that transit funding is a critical part of our transportation system and that these projects must be funded. Central Corridor is of particular concern because it is on a tight deadline with federal agencies.
Please also write a letter to the editor to your local paper and/or the major dailies (Star Tribune and Pioneer Press). It is important to create a visible public outcry against the Governor's action.
Tell the Governor, your legislators and the community that:
More...
Should legislators try to get Governor Pawlenty to change his mind on the Central Corridor again?
Series: Updating the Impeachment Bandwagon
 AlterNet.org
Where to find, and how to get on, the speeding, loaded impeachment bandwagon.
David Culver, Evergreene Digest
More...
Why Won't McCain Support Our Vets? (continued)
But it isn't enough. Faced with unprecedented filibusters, the only way to ensure Senate passage of the GI Bill is to get 60 co-sponsors. So far, John McCain has refused. The same McCain who insists he supports our troops. The same McCain who is voting lockstep with the Bush administration (who have also resisted this bill). We need to get John McCain to lead -- to sign now and signal to other Republican leaders that we should be strongly behind our vets.
Click here to watch the video and sign the petition.
Robert Lopez thinks John McCain ought to stand in his shoes to know how difficult it is to be a vet and have to pay staggering education costs. THIS is your call to arms. Pass the video along and implore your friends to sign the petition.
Vote Vets, WesPAC, and Brave New Films feel passionately about giving our veterans the support they rightly deserve. Our government owes our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan the opportunity to receive full educational benefits. These patriots have fought hard for our government; it's time our government started fighting hard for them.
A Media Trojan Horse? Demand Answers
The Pentagon quickly issued a statement that they've ended the program, but I still believe that we need to have a complete accounting of exactly what was happening, who was involved, and what it accomplished. I don't think that's too much to ask -- do you?
If you believe, as I do, that we as citizens have a right to know the real story, please co-sign the letter demanding answers.
We know the life-or-death consequences of policy decisions in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and we know that these policies should be debated and defended without secret programs designed to tailor the news for the Administration's goals. This is too important to brush aside.
We must demand answers.
John McCain's mother needs to wash his mouth out with soap. (continued)
According to current law, women must file a pay discrimination lawsuit within 180 days of the first pay-setting decision. That time limit is ridiculous, since many employees don't know what their coworkers make, and may find out they've been paid unfairly months or years later.
Last month (April), John McCain skipped a vote on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would have changed the time limit to file a lawsuit to 180 days after the last discriminatory paycheck. While campaigning in Kentucky, McCain said that he opposed the bill, and that women needed "education and training" instead of equal pay legislation:
"They need the education and training, particularly since more and more women are heads of their households, as much or more than anybody else," McCain said. "And it's hard for them to leave their families when they don't have somebody to take care of them.
"It's a vicious cycle that's affecting women, particularly in a part of the country like this, where mining is the mainstay; traditionally, women have not gone into that line of work, to say the least," he said.
The Fair Pay Act isn't about "education and training" - it's about letting women fight for equal pay as men.
Every mother deserves fair pay, even if John McCain disagrees. Please send a mother in your life this Mother's Day e-card.
Action Needed for Transit (continued)
- Transit is a key piece of a transportation system that serves everyone and allows everyone to get to where they need to go, whether they are able to drive or not.
- It is unconscionable for the Governor to line-item veto all of the transit projects from the bonding bill. The people of Minnesota made a clear statement of support for transit with passage of the transportation bill. The Governor's action flies in the face of those stated needs.
- Central Corridor must be funded this session, or it will be delayed at best and canceled at worst. As the linchpin of the entire metro transit system, its delay and possible cancellation puts our whole transit system in jeopardy.
- This is a justice issue. With his action, the Governor is stating that it is ok that some people cannot participate in our community due to lack of transportation. His singling out of transit projects is a cynical political act that hurts working families hardest.
ISAIAH worked hard over more than four years to pass a transportation bill that would allow us to expand our statewide transit system. The Governor, with this action, is attempting to put a stop to that vision. Without $70 million in state matching funds, the Central Corridor LRT will be delayed by at least a year and is under threat of federal defunding due to a perceived lack of interest by the state.
Other transit projects in various stages of planning also were stopped by the Governor:
* The Southwest LRT line to Eden Prairie
* The Bottineau transitway to Maple Grove
* The I-94 transitway to Hudson
* The I-494 transitway between Eden Prairie and Mall of America
* The Red Rock corridor to Hastings
* The Robert Street transitway to Rosemount
* The Rush Line corridor to Hinckley
* The North Shore Express to Duluth
* The Southeast Express to Rochester
Click here for the complete list of the Governor's line-item vetoes.
Thank you for your quick and decisive action on this issue.
Impeachment Bandwagon (continued)
Organizations:
Resources and Background:
- Putting It on the Table: Kucinich Says Bush Risking Impeachment, impeachpac.org
- Impeachment Threat Is Real, by John Nichols, The Nation
- Going in circles: Vietnam, Iraq, calls for impeachment, by Steve Hammons, American Chronicle
- A Case for Impeachment, by Robert Scheer, truthdig.com
- Impeach07 Campaign Launched, impeach07.org
- Cindy Sheehan has announced her candidacy for Congress, challenging Speaker Nancy Pelosi to represent the 8th District of California. Sheehan's candidacy is motivated by Pelosi's actively blocking the impeachment of Cheney and Bush.
- New video: Impeach Dick Cheney from Robert Greenwald, Brave New Films and Brave New Foundation
- More information about Mr. Cheney's legacy:
- "American Research Group"
- “H. Res. 333,” April 24, 2007.
- “Synopsis of Articles of Impeachment Against Vice President Richard B. Cheney”
- The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office
- New video: Impeach Gonzales from Robert Greenwald Robert Greenwald, Brave New Films and Brave New Foundation
- Impeach Cheney: The vice president has run utterly amok and must be stopped, by Bruce Fein, former associate deputy attorney general under Reagan.
- Impeach Gonzales. New York Times Editorial. If Solicitor General Paul Clement does not fulfill Congress' request for a special prosecutor in this matter, Congress should impeach Mr. Gonzales.
- Cheney Impeachment Gains Traction in House Judiciary Committee
- No More Investigations Please
Go to the websites we provide links for: Axis of Logic, Alternet, Common Dreams, Truthdig, the Nation, The Progressive, MoveOn, Demos, In These Times, etc. Virtually all of the over three hundred and thirty sites to which we provide links, including those I’ve listed throughout this article, will get you intellectually prepared for, and present ways to, becoming actively engaged in this issue. If all this isn’t enough, there’s Google and other search engines. For example, google "Bush Impeachment" and you get 2,390,000 hits in 0.12 seconds. Google "Cheney Impeachment" and you get 2,090,000 in 0.14 seconds. There’s some overlap here but not much.
And Evergreene Digest will continue to keep you fully informed and up-to-date on this issue.
|
Public
Computing Services 
