"Theresa J. Steed" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:08:59 -0700
Subject: Checks and Balances
From: "People For the American Way" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY August 2, 2007
Dear Theresa J.,
When did Americans begin to take the Constitution for granted? When did our
vision for justice blur so dangerously?
As activists and Americans, every day we gaze, gawk, and stare at a President
who defies the values we hold dearest. Some of us are angry. Others terrified.
Many of us are both. And yet as members of People For the American Way, we can
repair our battered Constitution. We can fight off President Bush's coming
assaults on the Constitution. We can see a better way. It takes vision. And it
takes action.
If you're angry or terrified or share our vision of the Constitution, can you
give now so that we can take urgently needed action?
At a time when Bush's gloomy polling flirts with Nixon's, many grow weary and
are just counting the days for this presidency to end. But we cannot simply
avert our eyes, and People For the American Way will not just ride out the end
of the Bush era. We can see our president's warped view of the executive
branch. We see it clearlyâas the ideological underpinning of arrogant,
terrifying, and shameful abuse of power.
That's why we do our work. That's why we fight against the NSA's illegal
domestic spying. That's why we push for the restoration of habeas corpus.
That's why we demand that White House stonewallers be held accountable by
holding them in contempt of Congress. When some politicians and members of the
media let John Roberts and Samuel Alito lull them into believing that the Far
Right actually does respect precedent and the Constitution, or does understand
fundamental checks and balances, we expose the truth.
It's critical that we open our nation's eyes to how fragile our Constitution
really is. We must spread the word that the Court, no less than the Presidency,
will be on the ballot in November, and a wise electorate will vote accordingly.
Will you help us educate and mobilize our electorate? Will you help put the
Supreme Court on the ballot?
It's already clear that the Far Right yearns to make this an issue to
motivate and turn out its voters. Republican presidential candidates are
already dangling the obscene promise of more Far Right nominees to the court in
order to placate their intolerant base. It's right-wing code for turning back
the clock on decades of social justice progress.
But we're looking to the futureâand taking action now to protect it. People
For the American Way is poised to launch an all-encompassing Supreme Court
Campaign leading up to the 2008 elections. We need your help executing our
vision, built on three pillars:
Identify Senate races and presidential battlegrounds where Americans will
care deeply about the Court and the Constitution it interprets.
Scrutinize recent decisions and upcoming cases that tell the story of what the
Court is doing to our rights and freedoms in order to create compelling ways to
tell that story to voters.
Charge into those battlegrounds and get the story to voters who most need to
hear it.
Can you help us start a conversation that will help progressive and moderate
Americans see clearly that a vote for a better tomorrow must also be a vote for
a fairer Supreme Court?
In so many ways, People For the American Way is already starting this
conversation. This week, we're gathering in Chicago with other progressives for
the second annual YearlyKos convention, which we're proud to sponsor. We've
organized several events, including one called "Reversing the Alito Effect,"
dedicated to strategizing with the netroots and others about how progressives
can reverse the damage done by the Roberts-Alito Court.
PFAW's Ralph G. Neas will talk with Slate.com editor and legal affairs writer
Dahlia Lithwick, Harvard Law professor David Barron, and Philadelphia attorney
Adam Bonin about how to mobilize progressives in 2008 and beyond to keep Far
Right justices from dominating the Court, and defying our Constitution, for a
generation or more.
Will you help us with this and other projects critical to making America see
clearly that the Supreme Court matters to justice and fairness and our everyday
lives?
Thank you.
âYour Friends at People For the American Way
http://www.kintera.org/site/lookup.asp?c=feIJKQMEF&b=2891875
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********************************************************
Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:35:25 GMT
From: "Julie, SaveOurEnvironment.org" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Theresa Steed" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Last chance to write your Rep!
URGENT - TAKE ACTION TODAY
Last chance!
You have until tomorrow (Friday) to ask your Representative to support
renewable energy.
Click here to write your letter now!
********************************************
Dear Theresa,
Last chance! The House vote on vital energy legislation has been moved to
tomorrow, Friday, August 3. That means you have one last chance to tell your
Representative to support a strong national standard for renewable energy.
Make sure that Rep. Smith knows you support clean, renewable energy - click
here to take action now!
Do you really trust energy companies to shape our nation's energy policy?
Unfortunately, that is exactly what will happen unless YOU contact your
Representative today. Right now, Big Oil and other special interests whose main
concern is to preserve their huge profits by doing business as usual, stand in
the way of our cleaner energy future. But we simply can't afford that sort of
backwards thinking any more - we need the Energy Bill to be as strong as
possible.
Click here to tell your Representative that you support the Udall-Platts
renewable electricity standard amendment.
By tapping into America's renewable energy potential, we can cut global
warming pollution, create jobs, save consumers money, and increase our energy
independence.
Without strong renewable energy standards, global warming will continue to
threaten our planet. If we don't act now, the consequences could be severe:
The loss of up to 50% of all species on Earth. As oceans continue to warm,
thousands of species will face extinction.
More frequent, more intense heat waves like the 2003 tragedy that killed 30,000
people in Western Europe.
Increased droughts and wildfires, especially in the Western U.S.
Increased flooding in coastal regions as sea levels rise. If seas rise by 80
feet, 50 million Americans could lose their homes.
Energy companies are lobbying hard to make sure that a renewable electricity
standard amendment is not included in the Energy Bill. Please hurry - we can't
afford to let their reactionary rhetoric go unchallenged.
Click here to tell Rep. Smith that renewable energy standards are essential -
and you're counting on the House to act!
This is a critical time when our actions as a nation will affect our
environment for years to come.
Please forward this message on to your friends and family and ask them to
join you TODAY.
Thank you again for your help.
Sincerely,
Julie Waterman
SaveOurEnvironment.org
Support Our Work - Click here now to make a secure online donation to help
support our efforts to protect our clean water, clean air, endangered species
and wild places.
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subject line).
*******************************************************
Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:36:15 GMT
From: "FP Media Reform Daily" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Theresa J. Steed" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Media Headlines for August 2, 2007
News of the movement for August 2, 2007
'Robber Baron Over the Last Century' -- Dow Jones Union Head on Likely New Boss
Rupert Murdoch
Besides amassing a media empire, Rupert Murdoch has repeatedly been accused
of using his media holdings to advance his political agenda. How will Murdoch
affect the Wall Street Journal?
Democracy Now!
Murdoch Wins Dow Jones, Copps Says 'Not So Fast!'
Rupert Murdoch's Dow Jones deal means more media consolidation and fewer
independent voices. "What's good for shareholders of huge media conglomerates
isn't always what's good for the public interest or our civic dialogue," says
the FCC's Michael Copps.
Radio Online
FCC's Copps Warns Dow Jones Deal Needs Scrutiny
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps is sounding a note of caution on News Corp.'s
deal to buy Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal. The deal could face some
questions from the FCC about its impact on the New York media market.
Ira Teinowitz, TV Week
Murdoch Cuts Wide Swath Through New York City
A glance at Rupert Murdoch's career through the prism of New York journalism
shows a man who has built a sprawling media and entertainment empire, using the
city as a platform from which to wield his influence across the globe.
Adam Goldman, Associated Press
Murdoch Deal Comes as Media Ownership Debate Heats Up
Even as News Corp. attorneys were ironing out the final details of its
acquisition of Dow Jones, the fight in Washington over media ownership limits
began heating up again.
Amy Schatz, Wall Street Journal
Paper's Journalists Dread the Arrival of Meddling Murdoch
Several Wall Street Journal employees were considering whether to resign in
light of Rupert Murdoch's criticisms of Journal articles as too long and his
musings that it might be time to abandon the print version of the publication.
Ian Munro, Sydney Morning Herald
'Unthinkable' Arrives -- Response to Murdoch Takeover
As word spread this afternoon that Rupert Murdoch had won over enough of the
Bancroft family to capture Dow Jones and the prized Wall Street Journal,
responses from all corners of the media -- and political -- world started
emerging.
Editor & Publisher
Diversity Issues Weighed Along with Ownership
The deal to sell Dow Jones, owner of the Wall Street Journal, to Rupert
Murdoch resonated with journalists who have worked for the Journal slightly
differently than it did for others.
Richard Prince, Maynard Institute
So Who Is on that New Wall Street Journal Board to 'Buffer' Murdoch?
A "special committee" to serve as a "buffer" between the new owner of the
Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch, and the paper's "independent" newsroom
operation has been agreed upon by both sides in the Dow Jones sale.
Editor & Publisher
Planet Murdoch - Is Nothing Out of His Reach?
Now that his News Corp empire is absorbing the second best-selling newspaper
in the U.S. -- and one of its two or three most politically influential --
Rupert Murdoch is more powerful than almost anybody without access to a nuclear
button.
Stephen Foley, The Independent
Murdoch's Winning Bid May Have Been an Inside Job
News Corp.'s bullet-proof strategy to win Dow Jones was borne on the advice
of legal, editorial and financial advisers. And in the case of the advisers,
the master stroke was Rupert Murdoch's decision to hire Dow Jones's own former
bankers.
David Weidner, MarketWatch
Murdoch-Dow Jones Deal Not Page One News for New York Post
The sale of Dow Jones to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. rated Page One coverage
in three of New York's largest daily papers, but not, apparently, in Murdoch's
own New York Post.
Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher
FCC Stifles Public Debate on Media Ownership
The FCC's decision to rush the process of review and debate on the complex
issue of media ownership does a major disservice to the public and this
country's long history of democratic discourse.
Free Press
Joint Statement of FCC Commissioners Copps and Adelstein on Media Ownership
Studies Comment Period
The two Democratic FCC Commissioners blasted the agency for giving inadequate
time for public comment for 10 media ownership studies, calling the decision
"outrageous."
Federal Communications Commission
FCC Releases Media Consolidation Research
The FCC has released ten studies on the effects of media consolidation, and
it hasn't taken long for critics to attack the findings and the agency.
Ira Teinowitz, Advertising Age
NABJ Candidates Oppose Media Consolidation
Over the past 15 years, the FCC has acquiesced to big business. Regulations
have relaxed significantly, resulting in fewer demands for larger media
companies to be good corporate citizens and foster minority media ownership and
employment.
Richard Prince, Maynard Institute
FCC Puts Ownership Diversity Issues Out for Comment
The FCC is providing the public only 60 days to comment on ten research
studies that took dozens of economists and lawyers over eight months to
prepare. Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein say that's not
enough time.
John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable
Tell the FCC to Stop Big Media
The sale of Dow Jones to Rupert Murdoch is much more than a business
transaction. It highlights structural policy issues that are threatening the
health of our democracy. Watch and rate the Murdoch video and join the fight
against media consolidation.
Reps. Boucher and Upton Introduce 'Community Broadband Act of 2007'
Office of Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) Federal Communications Commission Approves
Mass Sell-Off of Public Airwaves
Democracy Now! Shield Law Passes House Judiciary
Broadcasting & Cable Focus Turns to Bidders in Spectrum Auction
ComputerWorld Sprint Pulls Out of Wireless Spectrum Venture with Cable Operators
mocoNews.net Sen. Dick Durbin Thanks Public for Involvement in Broadband
Discussion
OpenLeft.com Google, Tech Group Ask FCC to Limit Copyright Warnings
Silicon Valley Business Journal Public Wants More Tech in Classrooms
eSchool News
Aug 2
Michael Copps: Winning a Better Media for Everyone
Chicago, IL
Aug 2-5
YearlyKos Convention
Chicago, IL
Aug 3-9
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Atlanta, GA
Aug 7-9
Journalism That Matters: The DC Sessions
Washington, DC
Aug 8-12
National Association of Black Journalists 32nd Annual Convention & Career Fair
Las Vegas, NV
Aug 30-Sep2
NLGJA's 2007 National Convention & 4th Annual LGBT Media Summit
San Diego, CA
Sep 7-9
2007 Global Fusion Conference
St. Louis, MO
Sep 17-18
Future of Music Policy Summit
Washington, DC
Complete Calendar »
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