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___.COMPOSITION______In This Issue_______________________________
Anti-Bush Protests
Boycott Canned Radio!
Jeanette Wallis Resumes Her Cross-Country 'Walk for Democracy'
Clinton Center Founded on Values of Opportunity, Responsibility and Community
Cynthia McKinney Punctures 9-11 Myth, and Washington Explodes in Rage
AP and NY Times Join McKinney Smear Campaign - Let's Fight Back by Declaring 'We
Believe Cynthia!'
Under Intense Media Fire, Cynthia McKinney Fires Right Back!
'Uniter' Bush Expected to 'Unsign' Treaty for International War Crimes Tribunal -- A
Divisive, Dangerous Precedent
Why Doesn't Bush Fire Thomas White? It's Either Blackmail or Supreme Arrogance
Nevada Fights Back Against Liar Bush! Shuts Off Water to Yucca Mountain
Gale Norton Breaks the Law to Promote ANWR Drilling
McCain Calls for Recusal of Republican FEC Commissioners over 'Inappropriate
Intervention' in Campaign Finance Debate
Dems Defeat Repugs' Sneak Attack on Campaign Finance Reform
Bu$h Initiative Cuts Productivity, Impedes Small Business; 50 Senators Oppose
Military Makes Being Right-Wing and Religious a Prerequisite to Advancement
__Anti-Bush Protests
On 4/15, protest Bush in Cedar Rapids IA, and protest Cheney in Collinsville IL. On
4/19, protest Cheney in Allentown PA. On 4/20, participate in major demonstrations
against Bush's War in DC and SF. On 4/22, protest Cheney in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. On
4/24, protest Bush in Sioux Falls, SD.
http://legitgov.org/action.html
__Boycott Canned Radio!
"PLEASE stop listening to any radio station that does not provide live, local
programming! Encourage your friends and colleagues to boycott commercial radio,
unless you KNOW it is live and local. If you're not sure, just call the radio stations
and ask. Be nice and chatty and tell them you listen all the time so they'll tell you
the truth when you ask if the radio station has announcers here in your town or if
they're on a satellite or recorded (voice-tracked). If they're not local, please don't
listen anymore! If nobody listens, advertisers won't buy ads, and we'll eventually get
our LIVE and LOCAL radio stations back!" So writes talk show host Wendy Wilde.
http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6587
__Jeanette Wallis Resumes Her Cross-Country 'Walk for Democracy'
Like many other progressive efforts, Jeanette Wallis suspended her cross-country "Walk
for Democracy" from Seattle to DC on 9-11. But Wallis returned to the road on 4-1,
picking up where she left off in Utah. "I've had to put my faith in people, that they
would take care of me. I'm operating on the assumption that people are good." And that
assumption has proven true for the most part. "Americans are so generous," Wallis
noted. "Citizens can make a difference," she said. "Democracy is up to us. It doesn't
exist without us." Wallis said that no cross country activist has ever seen the
president after arriving in Washington, D.C. "That says a lot about our system," she
concluded.
http://benewsjournal.com/articles/walking.html
__Clinton Center Founded on Values of Opportunity, Responsibility and Community
The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) today launched the Clinton Center to promote
the Democratic values of opportunity, responsibility and community championed during
the 8 years of peace and prosperity of the constitutionally-elected (rather than
judicially-appointed) Clinton administration. The Clinton Center will specialize in
events that identify and highlight innovative policy ideas and the leaders who are
implementing them around the country, exemplifying the Democratic values with a
commitment to public policy innovation based on traditional progressive values. To
commemorate the event, former President Clinton awarded the first Clinton Center
Awards for Leadership and National Service to Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen
Kennedy Townsend, and to City Year Philadelphia project manager Chandra Bembery.
Putting People First!
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=250373&kaid=131&subid=192
__Cynthia McKinney Punctures 9-11 Myth, and Washington Explodes in Rage
Two weeks ago, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) demanded answers to the urgent UNASKED
question about 9-11: given the various pre-911 warnings that have widely been
reported, WHAT DID THIS ADMINISTRATION KNOW AND WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT?
(http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/03.29G.McKinney.War.htm). On 4-12-02, Washington Post
reporter Juliet Eilperin (with David Von Drehle) excerpted McKinney's remarks under
the headline: "Democrat Implies Sept. 11 Administration Plot." This is an outrage -
reporters should REPORT what people objectively DO or SAY - not substitute their
subjective INFERENCES! The article then quotes critics who denounce McKinney for
having "a partisan mind-set beyond all reason," of "tapping into a web of conspiracy
theories," of demonstrating "a total lack of responsibility in her statements." This
is a smear campaign against an outspoken black woman - just like Anita Hill and Lani
Guinier, both of whom were right! Write [EMAIL PROTECTED] and tell her YOU
BELIEVE CYNTHIA!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34565-2002Apr11.html
__AP and NY Times Join McKinney Smear Campaign - Let's Fight Back by Declaring 'We
Believe Cynthia!'
Picking up where Juliet Eilperin left off, an anonymous AP reporter expanded the smear
campaign against Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) for daring to ask questions about 9-11.
First they quote right-wing Democrat Senator Zell Miller calling her statement
"loony," also "dangerous and irresponsible." Then they quote Ari Falsifier saying she
"must be running for the Hall of Fame of the Grassy Knoll Society." Then they cite
several unpopular positions as evidence that she's a wacko - rather than an
UNCORRUPTED, PRINCIPLED, TRUTH-SEEKING AGGRESSIVE PROGRESSIVE POLITICIAN. During the
vicious smear campaign against truthteller Anita Hill (as confirmed by David Brock),
progressive Democrats wore buttons saying "We Believe Anita." We need a similar
campaign now - write [EMAIL PROTECTED] and tell them WE BELIEVE CYNTHIA!
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Attacks-Congresswoman.html
__Under Intense Media Fire, Cynthia McKinney Fires Right Back!
In a single day, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) was attacked by the Washington Post, the
AP, and the NY Times. Did she run into a secret bunker, like Cheney and Bush? No way!
Like a true Aggressive Progressive, McKinney fired right back. "News reports from Der
Spiegel to the London Observer, from the Los Angeles Times to MSNBC to CNN, indicate
that many different warnings were received by the Administration. In addition, it has
even been reported that the United States government broke bin Laden's secure
communications before September 11... What is undeniable is that corporations close to
the Administration, have directly benefited from the increased defense spending
arising from the aftermath of September 11. The Carlyle Group, DynCorp, and
Halliburton certainly stand out as companies close to this Administration." We believe
Cynthia!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/04.13A.Extend.Probe.htm
__'Uniter' Bush Expected to 'Unsign' Treaty for International War Crimes Tribunal -- A
Divisive, Dangerous Precedent
"The world's first permanent court for the prosecution of war criminals and dictators
became a reality today as the United States stood on the sidelines in strong
opposition...The court closes a gap in international law as the first permanent
tribunal dedicated to trying individuals, not nations or armies, responsible for the
most horrific crimes...it has an implacable foe in the Bush administration, which
argues that the court will open American officials and military personnel in
operations abroad to unjustified, frivolous or politically motivated suits."
Justifiable suits could be brought against Henry Kissinger (Vietnam, Indonesia,
Chile), Ronald Reagan (Nicaragua, El Salvador) and George H.W. Bush (Nicaragua,
Iraqgate, Panama). Should Bush be the first President ever to 'unsign' a treaty,
Michael Posner, exec. dir. of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, said: "It
would...send a signal to other governments around the world that treaties they signed
are unsignable."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/12/international/12COUR.html
__Why Doesn't Bush Fire Thomas White? It's Either Blackmail or Supreme Arrogance
Much has been said about Army Secretary Thomas White's scandalous behavior in office.
But Paul Krugman says, "The really important information about Mr. White is that the
enterprise he ran, Enron Energy Services, was a fraud - a money-losing operation
dressed up to appear highly profitable through deceptive accounting. It is possible
though implausible that Mr. White was duped by his subordinates... But that only makes
him a fool rather than a knave... So why does this administration, which is waving the
flag so hard its arms must hurt, leave the Army - the Army! - in the hands of a man
who is, at best, a poseur? One theory I've heard is that Mr. White can't be fired:
that there are facts about the administration's relationship with Enron that it
doesn't want to come out, and that Mr. White knows where the bodies are buried. My
preferred explanation, however, is that Mr. White has been protected by the
administration's infallibility complex" - in other words, BLACKMAIL or ARROGANCE.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/12/opinion/12KRUG.html
__Nevada Fights Back Against Liar Bush! Shuts Off Water to Yucca Mountain
"Nevada made good Wednesday on a promise to shut off water to the site of the proposed
Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, but the federal project won't run dry. The Energy
Department is using a newly built 1 million-gallon tank and one small well for the
site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Department officials said the stored water, plus
400,000 gallons stored in other tanks at the Nevada Test Site, should last several
months while scientists continue experiments and design work at the site...Stopping
the water was Nevada's latest tactic in its efforts to prevent the federal government
from storing nuclear waste at the site. The state has filed three lawsuits to block
the storage." Bush lied to Nevada voters on the campaign trail that he would base the
Yucca Mountain decision on "sound science, not politics." As a result, he won Nevada's
four electoral votes. Otherwise, Gore would have won with or without Florida.
http://library.northernlight.com/EE20020410540000023.html?cb=200&dx=2006&sc
__Gale Norton Breaks the Law to Promote ANWR Drilling
During the Clinton administration, Congressional Republicans viciously attacked
Clinton over anything resembling "public lobbying" by administration officials - even
giving speeches or going on talk shows. But now Interior Secretary Gale Norton has
been caught using OUR MONEY to promote industry propaganda on ANWR. Fortunately, Rep.
Ed Markey (D-MA) is not going to let Norton get away with it. Markey told the NY Times
that the Interior Department was becoming "a cinema house for lobbyists. The Interior
Department should not be spreading oil company propaganda any more than the Department
of Energy should be promoting Enron stock. It's not their job." Norton is KNOWINGLY
and INTENTIONALLY breaking the law - and she should be prosecuted!
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/12/politics/12ENER.html
__McCain Calls for Recusal of Republican FEC Commissioners over 'Inappropriate
Intervention' in Campaign Finance Debate
"As the Federal Election Commission begins the task of writing and implementing a
soft-money ban and other sweeping changes contained in the new campaign finance laws,
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is calling on two Republican commissioners to recuse
themselves from the process. In a letter to FEC Chairman David Mason and Commissioner
Bradley Smith, McCain and other key sponsors of his reform legislation [Feingold,
Meehan, Shays] - asked Smith and Mason to remove themselves from the agency's
'rulemaking' efforts because of their controversial involvement in the Capitol Hill
debate over the measure. 'By your inappropriate and ill-advised intervention into the
Congressional debate, and through other actions opposing passage of the Act, you have
impaired your ability to credibly fulfill your duties as Federal Election
Commissioners to fairly write implementing regulations for this new law," the April 10
letter stated." So writes Amy Keller.
http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/04/news0411b.html
__Dems Defeat Repugs' Sneak Attack on Campaign Finance Reform
Now that the campaign finance reform bill has been signed into law, Dems in the House
are having to thwart Repugnicant opponents' sleazy tricks to weaken it. Republicans
pushed a bill they disingenuously called "the Taxpayer Protection and IRS
Accountability Act", which would have extended the deadline for online filers,
expanded aid to low-income taxpayer clinics, and eased penalties for good-faith
taxpayer mistakes. Sounds good, right? WRONG. The bill was nothing more than a sham, a
front for the Repugs to tack on a provision to loosen financial disclosure
requirements for certain political groups. 25 Repugs broke ranks to help defeat this
disgusting trick.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-041102taxes.story
__Bu$h Initiative Cuts Productivity, Impedes Small Business; 50 Senators Oppose
Proposed Bu$h regime budgetary cuts include an 88% decrease in funding for the
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), whose mission is the spread of new
technologies to small business (those with fewer than 500 employees, contributing
about half the country's private gross domestic product). Established in 1988 with
strong bipartisan support, the MEP is a national, but decentralized,
federal-state-private sector partnership network of 70 non-profit centers with more
than 400 field offices charging fees for-services. It has completed more than 149,000
projects, with resulting productivity gains more than 4 times greater than comparable
firms. Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are leading 50 Senators
(including 17 Republicans) in bipartisan opposition. Since productivity is the engine
driving our national economic engine, Bu$h's proposal again demonstrates his lack of
foresight by cutting proven investments in workers and technology.
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=131&subid=192&contentid=250368
__Military Makes Being Right-Wing and Religious a Prerequisite to Advancement
"I was already in SEA by the time I was old enough to vote for or against Nixon in
'72. By 1980 our leaders were heavily 'implying' that we vote for Reagan. They kept it
up, voting Conservative Republican, right along with pushing Religion on us. As a
Senior NCO (just an E-7) I was expected to attend not only the Dining Ins and Outs
(with Defense Contractors Reps often present and handing out Plaques etc), but Wing
Prayer Breakfasts. In fact before I retired in 1989 in order to make E-8, and I didn't
for a variety of reasons, it was almost mandatory to not just be a member of a church,
on base or off; but to be a High Deacon or even a preacher/minister/youth leader." So
writes Chris., Retired MSgt. USAF.
http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6581
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