| How Republicans are using their Shills in the Media to Frame the Budget Debate Watch carefully and look at the words they use to bring up emotions AGAINST the protestors, rather than presenting the information to the people in a neutral and unbiased fashion. They are primarily FRAMED to make you turn against the protestors and inevitably against YOUR OWN INTERESTS.
Todays TMJ4, a mouth piece for right wingers hosting Mark Belling and Charlie Sykes on their radio programming, today put out a poll question asking their audience "What do you think should be done to doctors writing "phony" sick notices for protestors?" Do you see what they did? They've tried and found guilty these doctors without legal representation in a court of law to determine if they even did anything wrong in the first place, and are asking you to determine their punishment. They couch the question by telling the public that the sick notices are "phony". Really? Are news reporters now trained medical doctors who can identify when people are sick or under stress so that they need some relief from that stress? Obviously they aren't, so aren't they attempting to practice medicine without a medical license? ABSOLUTELY! AND, they are stirring up MOB JUSTICE against doctors who support the protestors! How convenient that they could so easily manipulate the public against workers who are fighting for their rights and ultimately yours as well. Here is my response to their PHONY QUESTION (you can respond to it as well by emailing to soundoff@todaystmj4.com ) "You FRAMED your question by asking what should be done to doctors writing “PHONY” sick notices for protestors against Governor Walker’s UNION BUSTING bill that takes people’s RIGHTS away. That is a one-sided question that PROMPTS people to immediately be against those doctor’s actions without considering the reality of the circumstances. You forget that this action by Governor Walker and Republicans in the State Legislature is causing an extreme amount of stress and anger, with people who are ALREADY stressed because of a lousy economy that they had nothing to do with creating, looking at an average $5,000 in losses of income and benefits as well as any opportunity to renegotiate those benefits in the future. And don’t act as if they can actually renegotiate pay increases in the future. They originally got their insurance benefits IN LIEU of cash payments because there supposedly wasn’t enough money in the budget in the first place. That has always been the argument to keep their compensation down. But that has never stopped Republicans from giving tax breaks to corporations and billionaires, to insure that there is never enough money in State Revenues to pay for their services. That is why average workers haven’t had a real average pay raise in 111 years, while the rich have seen their income increase by 4500% in just the last thirty years alone. You don’t think that this attack on their livelihoods, and their standard of living, low as it already is, BELOW what workers get in the private sector, isn’t stressful and isn’t causing people emotional harm? They wouldn’t have turned out to protest in such large numbers if it wasn’t. Those doctors understand something that people who AREN'T MEDICALLY TRAINED, DON'T. That emotional stresses caused by actions outside of their control create MEDICAL PROBLEMS which can lead not only to depression, and hypertension, but also death, unless those stresses are relieved. And protesting is one way to help relieve those stresses!" These doctors performed a legitimate service for these protestors to help them deal with emotion issues that are putting them under more stress courtesy of Governor Walker and the Republican Party! So much for Republican promises of job creation being job one. And now you know what Governor Walker's "plan" for creating 250,000 "new" jobs is. He just gets rid of 180,000 current jobs and hires back 250,000 people at reduced pay and benefits. (Temporarily, of course, until he lays them off too.) Republican math doesn't take into account the jobs LOST due to their actions, when they tell you how many they created. Just like when George Bush's "miracle worker" Education Secretary published fraudulent numbers for his "successful" educational program in Texas, one of the worst states in the country for education. His "miracle worker" Education Secretary claimed that he had extremely high graduation rates for the students in his district, better than anywhere else in the country. In reality, he hadn't provided a graduation "rate" at all. He excluded all of the students who had dropped out from his calculations! That meant that the number he provided only represented the students who graduated, so VOILA, he got a near 100% "graduation rate". Of such things, Republican "miracles" are made.
Only 5 states do not have collective bargaining for educators. Those states and their ranking on ACT/SAT scores: South Carolina 50th / North Carolina 49th / Georgia 48th / Texas 47th / Virginia 44th. Wisconsin is 2nd. All five of the low ranking / non-collective bargaining states are controlled by Republicans. There is a connection here. If you keep your population UNEDUCATED they will be gullible and vote for Republicans. http://www.nctq.org/tr3/scope/ shows the information regarding what states do and do not have collective bargaining rights.
http://blog.bestandworststates.com/2009/08/25/state-sat-scores-2009.aspx for best and worst states for SAT in 2009
http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/policyblog/detail/2010-sat-scores-by-state has the SAT Scores by State in 2010
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/states/USCHARTsat.html ranks the combined SAT and ACT Scores by State in 1999
http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=1439 ranks the top ten ACT Composite Scores by State for 2010
http://www.act.org/news/data/09/states.html shows the average ACT scores by state for 2009 Egypt was the number one destination for rendition detainees suspected of terrorism under George W. Bush’s administration. In January 2011, former Bush Homeland Security Advisor, and now CNN Security Analyst Francis Townsend snipped on Wolf Blitzer’s show, that “Obamas not supporting the people of Egypt isn’t change you can believe in.” Let's look at WHY she would say that. First of all, all policy wonks would tell you that it would be a bad idea for Obama to actively, vocally support the Egyptian revolutionaries, because it would look like he was instigating the revolt, and raise serious problems in diplomatic relations with any other regimes that we have to deal with, even if we don't agree with their policies. And it could make American citizens the target of attacks by supporters of the regime. In fact, American reporters have been viciously attacked just for reporting the story, because supporters of the regime felt the reporters were putting out a biased story. It would have been unwise for him to fan the flames. But as a former Bush Homeland Security Advisor, she made it appear as if her advice was legitimate, and split public opinion on what he "should" do, even among Democratic supporters. It was a rope-a-dope, to confuse people and create division and chaos among his supporters and possibly in his administration if they could get enough public opinion to force a policy change. She seems to forget that it was Reagan and Bush the elder who put Mubarack into power in the first place. Mubarack was the vice-president under Anwar Sadat. Anwar Sadat had signed a peace treaty with Israel, in a deal brokered by President Carter, but hard liners in the Egyptian military who opposed the peace treaty with Israel, attacked Anwar Sadat when he was reviewing a military procession, and assassinated him along with others in his group on the reviewing stand. Mubarack was wounded in the attack. According to witnesses, Anwar Sadat refused to duck for cover and continued to stand in defiance of his attackers, as they gunned him down. Mubarack was put into power in 1981, during the Reagan Administration, and has been supported with his continued control over Egypt as the United States paid Egypt almost $1.5 Billion every year. (Eight years under Reagan, four years under Bush, 8 years under Clinton, 8 years under Dubya and two years under Obama.) Francis Townsend was part of the apparatus in the Bush Administration which suppressed Egyptians, in their own homeland, and made Egypt the number one destination for rendition detainees. When she was reminded of that by Wolf Blitzer, she recounted, by name, one detainee whom she claimed had been sent to Egypt as an example of that policy, but in a rare display by Wolf Blitzer, he corrected her and reminded her that that detainee had actually been sent to Syria. So, was Francis Townsend even paying attention to what was going on when she was Homeland Security Advisor to Dubya? And how can she be blaming Obama for not changing a policy which she was an integral part of under Bush’s Administration? On August 5, 2010 Wolf Blitzer complained about Obama saying that Bush’s policies were responsible for the economic situation that we are in now, claiming that sitting Presidents “don’t criticize policies of previous presidents” as a matter of protocol. Funny, but he never said that when Bush repeatedly criticized Clinton’s policies, and blamed him for the Recession which he claimed started in March 2000, even though it actually started in March 2001, two months after Bush took office. And that was even though all legitimate official economic records, even those which were kept DURING the Bush Administration showed that the Recession started in March 2001. The mass media talking heads, which right-wingers criticize as being “liberals”, were actually providing cover for Bush and his policies, in support for extremist right wing policies, by not reporting on a fabrication being represented as fact, even though it was an OBVIOUS misrepresentation. They aren’t liberals, a fact made particularly obvious when they cover for Bush’s and Republican Lies. Tuesday, January 26, 2010CONTACT: Graeme Zielinski, DPW Communications Director, Scott Walker: Big Talker, Little Results
Sham Press Conference Can’t Hide Record of Failure, Flip-Flops
MADISON - Scott Walker visited Madison today to offer more big talk at another sham press event intended to hide what little results he's had in creating jobs.
Just this morning, Walker's hometown newspaper reported on his failure to market job-creating financial aid and take advantage of federal lending programs. [Source: “County supervisors blame Walker for not marketing financial aid <http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/82656587.html> ,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 1/25/10]
“Scott Walker has made a career of offering big talk in lieu of real results,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate. “It's unseemly for him to come to the Capitol rotunda to promote his own job search when he has clearly done so little to create jobs during his failed administration.”
"When it comes to jobs, Scott Walker has been a Big Talker, sitting on the sidelines while others have had to take the lead," Tate said. "Now that HE wants a new job, he's willing to say anything." Big Talker Scott Walker’s Rhetoric vs. Reality
Rhetoric: “Wisconsin needs a governor who will do everything in his power to protect the jobs we have.” Reality: In 2007, Walker's little-used Private Industry Council was removed from his control. [Source: “Job council closes meeting on takeover” <http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/29300589.html>, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3.14.07]
In 2009, his budget dissolved the Economic and Community Development Division and eliminated the Economic Development Director position. This has cost the county millions in federal aid. [Source: “Walker plan shifts development efforts” <http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/32471069.html> ,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10.3.08]
In 2009, he even turned down a $3.1 million gift to be used for economic development and job creation. [Source: “Results of today’s county board meeting votes <http://bayviewcompass.com/archives/922> ,” The Bay View Compass, 5/21/09]
Rhetoric: “Will not propose or support any new or increased taxes including assessments and fees that go beyond the rate of inflation in the next two years.” Reality: Using Walker’s own proposed budgets, Milwaukee County’s property tax levy has increased by nearly $39 million during Scott Walker’s time as County Executive. In 2003 he proposed a $218 million tax levy and in 2010 he proposed a $258 million tax levy. That is more than an 18% increase during his time as County Executive.
In his proposed budget for 2003, Walker suggested $1,100,274,125 in Milwaukee County spending. In his 2010 proposed budget he suggested, $1,481,577,120 in spending. That is a 35% increase in spending since Scott Walker has been Milwaukee County Executive. Monday, January 25, 2010CONTACT: Graeme Zielinski, DPW Communications Director, 9 out of 10: Wall Pays No State Income Taxes Republican Primary Candidate Doesn’t Shoot Straight Madison, WI – The first thing most Wisconsinites learned about multimillionaire, real estate magnate Terrence Wall is that he didn’t pay any state income taxes four of the last five years. Now, a Wisconsin State Journal report has revealed that Wall hasn’t paid state income taxes for nine of the last 10 years. According to state Department of Revenue figures, Wall paid no net taxes from 1999 to 2008, except in 2005. “First, he paid no taxes in four of the last five years and he didn’t give a straight answer as to why he believes there is one set rules for him and another for the rest of us,” said Mike Tate, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, “Now we learn that he hasn’t paid them in nine of the last ten years and his shifting explanations just don’t hold up.” When questioned over the last week, Wall has not denied the fact that he paid no state income taxes in four of the last five years. However, Wall’s answers as to why he paid no state income taxes, and why he owed no state income taxes, have changed over time. January 16: Wall campaign tells wispolitics.com he paid $30 million in taxes January 18: Wall campaign tells WTMJ 4, “Terrence Wall didn't pay anything because he didn't owe anything,” and that “tax incentives and charitable giving off set [his] income taxes.” January 19: Wall tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “he paid no state income taxes for several years for two main reasons -- he took advantage of investment tax credits and tax code provisions that permit offsetting income with depreciation of real estate.” Wall did not include “charitable giving” as one his “two main reasons.” January 19: Wall tells the media at his announcement kick-off that he and his companies have paid “over $65 million” in taxes. January 20: Wall tells radio host Charlie Sykes that he “took advantage of a tax credit program, amended and passed into law by Governor Doyle and the Democrats in the State Legislature,” in 2004. Of course this doesn’t explain why he didn’t pay any state income taxes from 1999-2004 or why he did pay state income taxes in 2005- the only year he paid state income taxes in the last ten years. Sykes said: “Of course it’s going to be a problem. You know, and the more you try to explain it, the more you’re essentially explaining that you live in a completely different fiscal environment than most of the working people of Wisconsin.” January 22: Wall’s campaign tells the Badger Herald that Wall paid no state income taxes because of “tax credits Wall received from the state for risky business investments, job creation and charitable contributions.” January 23: The Wisconsin State Journal Reports Wall “has not paid personal state income taxes in nine of the last 10 years, according to state Department of Revenue figures.” The story states that the “document indicates Wall, a real estate developer, paid no net taxes from 1999 to 2008, except in 2005 when he paid $43,520.” Wall’s Tax Trouble Trail Previous news reports indicate Wall has also dodged over a hundred thousand dollars in property taxes by claiming commercial land he owns in the Madison area is for “farming.” The most infamous is a supposed “pumpkin patch” located in the heart of Wall’s Middleton development projects. As the Capital Times reported, “The law has shifted millions in property taxes from farms to other types of property, including homes and businesses. Wall has tried claim that it’s the same thing as taking a “home mortgage deduction,” but that’s simply not true. Regular Wisconsinites don’t have a loophole that allows them to take a property tax deduction for their backyard vegetable and Mr. Wall doesn’t call a pumpkin patch “home.” In a recent interview with Wisconsin Eye, Wall claimed to have only four companies registered in Delaware when public records indicate that at least 16 of Wall’s businesses are incorporated in Delaware, not Wisconsin. The media has reported that the practice is used “to help corporations avoid paying taxes in other states,” and that it is “an alleged ruse,” where Delaware acts as an “onshore Cayman Islands.” -30- Authorized and Paid for by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Michael J. Tate, Chair. Terrence Wall the Tax Dodger Multi-Millionaire, Real Estate Developer Terrence Wall Fails to Pay Wisconsin State Taxes Yet Funds Campaign in Excess of a Quarter of a Million Dollars MADISON - News reports out today reveal that multi-millionaire, real estate magnate, and candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate Terrence Wall has neglected to pay any personal income taxes to the State of Wisconsin four out of the last five years. Tax dodging is a disturbing habit for Wall and this latest news comes on the heels of his campaign’s announcement just this week that he’s poured $275,000 of his personal wealth into his own campaign.
“How can Mr. Wall ask Wisconsin taxpayers for their vote, when he pays no taxes? How can he ask to represent taxpayers when he isn’t one?” asked Mike Tate, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “It’s bad enough that Wall has continued his disturbing pattern of tax dodging, but with news out earlier this week that he’s written his campaign a check for $275,000, this latest tax dodge is a kick in the gut to working families across our state. Why Wall thinks he doesn’t have to follow the rules that the rest of us do remains unclear.”
Tax avoidance is a disturbing pattern for Terrence Wall. He’s already come under fire for incorporating at least 16 of his companies in Delaware – a practice that, according to the May 30, 2009 issue of the New York Times, “help corporations avoid paying taxes in other states”.
Reports indicate he’s also dodged over a hundred thousand dollars in property taxes by claiming commercial land he owns in the Madison area is agriculture land – the most infamous is a supposed “pumpkin patch” located in the heart of Middleton.
According to the required personal financial disclosure report Wall recently filed, between January 2008 and October 2009, Wall reported income between $3,494,197 to $15,273,332 and reported personal assets totaling $58,584,046 to $129,862,000. Related Links: Wispolitics – January 15, 2009 – WisPolitics: Wall paid no personal state income tax in four of five past years New York Times - May 30, 2009 - Critics Call Delaware a Tax Haven Capital Times - October 2, 2009 - Biz Beat: T. Wall rapped over Delaware address Capital Times - October 30, 2009 - Terrence Wall's pricey pumpkin patch Blogging Blue – December 23, 2009 - It’s property tax time... Wispolitics – December 11, 2009 - Wall Personal Financial Disclosure Statement
Authorized and Paid for by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Michael J. Tate, Chair According to news reports, one of Russ’s opponents, multi-millionaire, real estate magnate Terrence Wall, has opened up his personal checkbook and thrown $275,000 into his campaign account. This comes on the heels of news that he’s formed what he calls his “Senator’s Club” – a group of high-dollar, “maxed-out” $4,800 contributors that are granted special access to Mr. Wall. Show Our Grassroots Support - Contribute $20.00 Today! As you know, we have been expecting this for months and now that it’s official, there’s no doubt that his campaign will continue to be primarily funded by high-dollar contributors and the head of the “Senator’s Club” – Mr. Wall himself.
In a recent interview Mr. Wall said that “it’ll take somewhere between $7.5 to $10 million to run the race,” so today we are making a one-day fundraising push to our online community to show that no matter how many checks Mr. Wall decides to write in the months ahead, his personal wealth will never match the grassroots support Russ receives from you.
Instead of shooting straight with Wisconsinites, multi-millionaire, real estate developer Terrence Wall has chosen to take a shot at Russ. Take a look at this quote from his first campaign radio spot, currently running across Wisconsin:
“Terrence Wall says no more wall street bailouts, no more pork barrel spending...”
What Wall doesn't tell people is that Russ voted against the Wall Street bailout, and consistently leads the fight against pork barrel spending in the Senate. Of course, Wall also doesn't want people to know that in 2008, as the economy was headed toward collapse, Wall wrote, "I don't think Wall Street should be regulated..."
This radio ad is the first of what will surely be a yearlong media blitz attacking Russ’s record and distorting his character. You can help us fight back against the mudslinging by making a $20 contribution today.
Last Friday, following a week of questions regarding the fact Wall has not paid state income taxes for four of the last five years, his campaign launched a statewide radio ad full of misleading and deceptive attacks against Senator Feingold. Wall’s negative ad blitz comes as a report over the weekend revealed Wall has not paid any state income taxes for 9 of the last 10 years. It’s easy to understand why Terrence Wall has already resorted to mudslinging. His campaign needs something to distract from all the negative press he’s been getting about his tax issues. Clearly Mr. Wall owes voters an explanation, but instead he’s decided to distract Wisconsin voters with misleading attack ads.
No matter how much mud the other side throws at Russ, our campaign strategy will not change. We’re committed to our people-powered, grassroots organization that focuses on Russ’s record, not baseless attacks. With your help, we can respond quickly to everything the other side throws Russ’s way. Man who exposed ACORN accused of seeking to wiretap Landrieu’s phones
| James O’Keefe, the producer of "ACORN Revealed: The Philadelphia Story," was arrested with three other men Monday in the New Orleans offices of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., the FBI said. |
Breaking News msnbc.com staff and news service reports updated 19 minutes ago NEW ORLEANS - A conservative filmmaker whose undercover videos shone a spotlight on alleged corruption by the liberal activist group ACORN was arrested with three other men and accused of plotting to wiretap the New Orleans offices of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. The FBI said in an affidavit that James O’Keefe was among the four men who were arrested Monday. Special Agent Steven Rayes said O’Keefe was helping two others, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan, who were dressed as employees of a telephone company and attempted to interfere with the office’s telephone system, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans reported Tuesday on its Web site. Flanagan is the son of William J. Flanagan, the acting U.S. attorney for western Louisiana, a Democratic official told the political newspaper The Hill. The fourth man was identified as Stan Dai. All four were charged with entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony. O’Keefe, who calls himself an investigative journalist and filmmaker, made a sensation on YouTube last year when he produced reports exposing alleged corruption within the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now , or ACORN, which promotes housing for low-income people. Congress voted to eliminate federal funding for ACORN programs shortly after the videos were released. O’Keefe was in New Orleans last week to give a speech at the Libertarian Pelican Institute. A witness on Landrieu’s staff told the Times-Picayune that O’Keefe showed up in Landrieu’s office Monday and claimed to be “waiting for someone to arrive.” Landrieu, a moderate Democrat, has been in the news recently because she negotiated an increase in Medicaid funds for her state before announcing her support for Senate health care legislation. A spokesman declined to comment on the arrests. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates. Nov 7, 2007 Impeachment Goes To Judiciary! We Win It All If You Speak Out Now Yesterday in a stunning development, a bipartisan majority of Congress rejected the attempt to kill the privileged resolution brought by Dennis Kucinich to impeach Vice President Cheney, for his unprecedented constitutional high crimes. Instead the bill was sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which is exactly where we want it to build momentum. Now all we have to do is pressure them to follow through, and impeachment will be a reality.
We have created a special action page which not only sends your personal message to your individual House members, but also sends a copy to BOTH Nancy Pelosi and the House Judiciary Committee itself. This is now a whole new ballgame. Please submit this page now to reiterate your support for impeachment of Cheney first, H.Res 333. H.Res 333 Action Page: http://www.usalone.com/hres333.php Facebook Version: http://apps.facebook.com/fb_voices/action.php?qnum=pnum709 We asked you to take action over the weekend and you did. And the result was a dramatic jump in support for impeachment of Cheney in Congress. We told you that we were shipping 25,000 full color 11x17 glossy Impeach Cheney posters last week and we did. We now have nearly 1,000 volunteers putting them up all over college campuses right now. And even before the amazing victory yesterday we had already made a commitment for yet another 25,000 for delivery next week. You can see the poster at this page. Impeach Cheney Poster: http://www.usalone.com/impeach_cheney_flyer.php Please join us in helping to put up these posters, to recruit more and more people to speak out for defending our Constitution. If you can make a donation of any kind to help defray the immense cost of printing and shipping all these beautiful mobilizing posters, you can do so at the page above, and at the same time request as many posters as you would like to put out yourself. And then we'll connect you with one of the hundreds of Impeach Teams already forming all over the country. And remember, you don't have to make a contribution to get the full size four color Impeach Cheney posters. Just send us an email and we'll get you as many as you would like put up for no charge. But if you can make a donation, this is what enables us to send posters for free to those valiant activists who cannot afford to donate anything. Impeach Cheney Flyer: http://www.usalone.com/impeach_cheney_flyer.php It gets better than that. Also on this same page above we have a link for a printable pdf flyer (8-1/2 by 11 version) you can print out on your own printer for handing out or posting. Many of you have asked we make this available and we have. If you just want to do that, again please email us so we can put you together with the Impeach Team in your own community. Now is the time for the people to make their move. This is what we have been waiting for. The House Judiciary Committee must act. We can force them to act by getting everyone who cares about our democracy to speak out at once. For they know that if they do not listen to the people now, there will be strong primary challenges for each and every one of their seats, without exception, in just another minute. If You Can, Step Up For Kucinich Too None of what is happening now would be happening without the courageous leadership of Dennis Kucinich on this issue. Who else has the sheer guts to call for what the American people want? If you want to thank him for his stand on this issue, please consider making a donation to him as well. Kucinich Donations: http://www.usalone.com/donations_kucinich.php Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible. If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at http://www.usalone.com/in.htm
Kucinich not stopping with Cheney, plans Bush impeachment resolution too Jason Rhyne Published: Tuesday November 6, 2007 (Update at bottom: GOP blocks Dem-led motion to kill impeachment resolution; measure sent to House Judiciary ) Presidential hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who brought an impeachment resolution against Vice President Dick Cheney to the House floor on Tuesday, says he is also planning a similar resolution to impeach President Bush. The news came during a conference call Kucinich held with supporters Monday evening, although technical problems kept most on the call from being able to hear the congressman. But activist David Swanson, who spoke directly with Kucinich during the call, summarized the contents of his conversation in an email: "He is going to introduce a privileged resolution on the floor of the U.S. House Tuesday morning to force a vote on his resolution to impeach Cheney," confirmed Swamson. "While that bill includes offenses related to Iraq and Iran, Kucinich plans to focus his remarks on Iran and the fact that the current Pentagon bill includes funding to retrofit bombers to carry 15-ton bombs." Concerning the possible resolution against Bush, Swanson said Kucinich "wanted to let everyone know that he will not only continue pushing for the impeachment of Cheney but will also take up the impeachment of Bush with a new resolution." It's unclear as to when such a resolution would brought to the floor, or how dependent its introduction would be on the success of today's move against Cheney. The former Cleveland mayor will hold a press conference today at 3:00 p.m. Swanson added that Kucinich was prepared for a debate on the substance of the charges against Cheney, but also mentioned the measure could be tabled --a move that effectively kills a pending matter by ending debate -- or sent to committee. If the latter option happens, the committee in question will be the House Judiciary. The Kucinich campaign's website states that the technical problems with the conference call were because "public interest in the issue exceeded technological capacity." The call will be rescheduled. Kucinich's "privileged resolution" on the Cheney matter is a maneuver which will require a vote from all House members -- and allows him to act in spite of protestations from Democratic leaders, who don't want a vote to come to the floor, according to Politico's Ryan Grim. According to The Hill newspaper, Kucinich's idea -- which would put legislators on the record about Cheney's impeachment -- is making some Democrats uneasy. "If he pulls it off, it could make for an uncomfortable situation for Democratic leaders and centrist Democrats," The Hill's Mike Soraghan writes of Kucinich's plan. "Liberal activists are pushing for impeachment, while leaders worry such a move could turn off independent voters. They have made it clear that impeachment of Cheney or President Bush is off the table." Democrats might be tempted to opt to send the resolution to committee, according to Soraghan, who says that such a move "avoids an immediate floor vote and might be the most appealing option to the Democratic leadership." Despite its apparent unpopularity among Democratic legislators, the Kucinich proposal is not necessarily out of line with American public opinion: a July poll from American Research Group found that 54% of those surveyed favored the "US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney." “Congress must hold the Vice President accountable," Kucinich said in a statement last week. "The American people need to let Members of Congress know how they feel about this. The Vice President continues to use his office to advocate for a continued occupation of Iraq and prod our nation into a belligerent stance against Iran. If the Vice President is successful, his actions will ensure decades of disastrous consequences.” House Republicans vote against Democratic-led move to table Cheney impeachment measure; resolution sent to House Judiciary In an unexpected move, House Republicans on Tuesday voted against a measure to kill an impeachment resolution introduced against Vice President Dick Cheney by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). A motion to table, which would have ended debate on the resolution, had been brought by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) soon after Rep. Kucinich took to the floor to read from his proposed articles of impeachment. "Impeachment is not on the agenda," Rep. Hoyer had told Fox News earlier on Tuesday."We have some major priorities. We need to focus on those." Although the roll call vote had initially appeared to favor Hoyer's motion, Republicans -- who had at first voted in with the majority leader --later began to switch their votes. That decision is being widely interpreted as an attempt to embarrass the Democratic leadership, which is not keen on seeing further action on the impeachment resolution. “I am surprised that Republicans would treat an issue as important as the potential impeachment of a vice president of the United States as a petty political game,” Hoyer said in a statement. "Republicans gleefully said they wanted the debate to show the public how many Democrats would actually support impeaching Cheney, which they consider a move supported only by a fringe element of anti-war activists," reports the Washinton Post. According to The Hill newspaper, Republican sources credit Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ) with the idea of trying to keep the debate afloat. The final vote count on the measure was 251-162. Following the failure of his motion, Rep. Hoyer immediately moved to have the resolution sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which the House eventually approved in a 218-194 vote along strict party lines. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) told Fox News on Monday that moving forward with impeachment was not in the best interests of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). "If she were to let this thing out of the box," said Conyers, "considering the number of legislative issues we have pending ... it could create a split that could effect our productivity for the rest of the Congress." The Baltimore Sun's blog, The Swamp, describes the resolution as now "buried in committee." But a spokeswoman for the House Judiciary did not rule out the committee's consideration of the measure. "We were surprised that the minority was so ready to move forward with consideration of a matter of such complexity as impeaching the Vice President," she said. "The Chairman will discuss today's vote with the Committee members but it would seem evident that the committee staff should continue to consider, as a preliminary matter, the many abuses of this Administration, including the Vice President." Kucinich said in a press conference late Tuesday afternoon that he believed the measure may still have a life. "I've spoken to Mr. Conyers and I'm quite confident that the ball is in good hands," said Kucinich. http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/48736609_dick_cheney_house_judiciary_committee_statement_kucinich_resolution_calling_dick_cheneys_im House Judiciary Committee Statement on Kucinich Resolution Calling For Dick Cheney's Impeachment
Wed, 11/07/2007 - 11:06 — newsdesk November 6, 2007 -- (Washington, DC)- A spokeswoman for the House Judiciary Committee issued the following statement today in response to floor action on a house resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney: "The committee has a very busy agenda - over the next two weeks, we hope to pass a FISA bill, to vote on contempt of Congress citations, pass legislation on prisoner re-entry, court security and a variety of other very important items. We were surprised that the minority was so ready to move forward with consideration of a matter of such complexity as impeaching the Vice President. The Chairman will discuss today's vote with the committee members but it would seem evident that the committee staff should continue to consider, as a preliminary matter, the many abuses of this Administration, including the Vice President." - House Judiciary Committee Spokeswoman Source: House Judiciary Committee http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/28469 Kucinich's Resolution Survives Tabling Attempt, Is Referred to Committee
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2007-11-06 19:47. Congress | Impeachment OPEN TO READ ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED ON FLOOR TODAY
Eighty-six Congress Members showed a level of support for impeachment today by voting against tabling Congressman Kucinich's resolution. That indicates the strength of constituent pressure in opposition to the leadership's position. The resolution is back in the same committee but with more momentum now. The media is more aware. The public is more aware. Congressman Kucinich is fired up and ready to introduce new resolutions on both Cheney and Bush. Congress heard from the public in massive numbers - the phones on the hill were jammed. And the public is energized. The intense lobbying that a day like this one inspires may combine with the polling results to begin to open the Democratic leadership's eyes to the electoral danger of not backing impeachment. I think we should urge all the talk shows to give the Republicans the impeachment debate they wanted. 4:41 The motion to send it to the Judiciary Committee passed with only about 5 Dems voting No and 3 Republicans voting Yes. Presumably the 86 Dems who voted No on tabling believed that to be enough to appease their constituents, while 5 Dems actually had integrity enough to put the Constitution ahead of Pelosi and Hoyer. There was no discussion of a time limit for the Judiciary Committee to report back (even though there are precedents for insisting on one with impeachment resolutions). This bill has, of course, ALREADY been in the Judiciary Committee for months, and that committee has done nothing with it. You'd think if offense (rather than defense) ever entered Pelosi and Hoyer's heads, they'd want to put an hour of Cheney-bashing debate on TV. But they want at all costs to avoid impeachment, and you can't debate the substance of the charges against Cheney without making an obvious case for impeachment. Roll call. These 5 Dems voted right: Filner, Kaptur, Kucinich, Waters, Towns. 4:19 p.m. There is now a 5-min vote underway on whether to refer to the House Judiciary Committee. 4:18 p.m. The procedural vote passed just barely (218-194). Of the 218, 3 were Republicans. Roll call. These 5 Dems voted right: Filner, Kaptur, Kucinich, Waters, Watson. 4:14 p.m. The motion to table having failed, Hoyer moved to refer the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee. Kucinich tried to avoid that and get a vote on the resolution, but - unable to do that - asked for a vote on the decision to refer to committee. Hoyer withdrew his motion and then unwithdrew his motion. Boehner asked for 40 minutes of debate. Serrano as chair seemed clueless for a while, and then ordered a procedural vote on whether to vote on sending to committee. If this new 15-min vote passes, then they will vote on whether to send to committee. 4:02 p.m. Over an hour into this 15 min vote, 78 Dems are voting Nay on tabling, joined by 164 Republicans in an apparent stunt to surprise the Dems and bring the issue to the floor -- which the Republicans will regret if the Democrats actually debate it and debate it well (admittedly a remote possibility). They will say over and over and over that this has divided the Democrats. Not outside the Beltway it hasn't. Over 3/4 of Dems want Cheney impeached. Currently 142 Dems to table, 78 not to [or was it 84??], 13 not voting; 28 Repubs to table, 164 not to, and 9 not voting. Most of the Republicans switched their votes, and for some reason the leadership kept the vote open for over an hour, allowing them to do so. No doubt the Republicans want to get the Dem leaders on tape on the floor defending Cheney against impeachment. But how smart is it of them to allow the topic to gain attention? The evidence, after all, is overwhelming that Cheney has committed impeachable offenses. Roll call. It turns out 86 Democrats voted the right way: Abercrombie, Allen, Baca, Baldwin, Braley (IA), Capps, Capuano, Clarke, Clay, Cleaver, Cohen, Conyers, Crowley, Cummings, Davis (IL), DeFazio, Dicks, Doggett, Doyle, Ellison, Farr, Filner, Green, Al; Green, Gene; Grijalva, Gutierrez, Hare, Hinchey, Hirono, Hodes, Holt, Honda, Hooley, Inslee, Jackson (IL), Jackson-Lee (TX), Johnson (GA), Jones (OH), Kanjorski, Kaptur, Kilpatrick, Kucinich, Lee, Lewis (GA), Loebsack, Maloney (NY), McCollum (MN), McDermott, Meeks (NY), Michaud, Miller (NC), Moore (WI), Moran (VA), Napolitano, Ortiz, Pallone, Pascrell, Perlmutter, Price (NC), Rangel, Richardson, Roybal-Allard, Rush, Schakowsky, Scott (VA), Serrano, Shea-Porter, Sherman, Slaughter, Solis, Stark, Stupak, Sutton, Thompson (CA), Tierney, Towns, Velázquez, Waters, Watson, Watt, Weiner, Welch (VT), Wexler, Woolsey, Wu, Wynn There's a lot of overlap between the above list and the list of cosponsors in 2005 of H Res 635. These are congress members with medium grade willingness to put their constituents ahead of Pelosi and Hoyer. As Linda Boyd points out, several members of the Judiciary Committee who are not cosponsors of H Res 333 voted against tabling: Conyers, Scott, Watt, Wexler, Gutierrez, Sherman, Weiner, Davis. And 65 Democrats who are not cosponsors of H Res 333 voted against tabling: Abercrombie, Allen, Baca, Braley, Capps, Capuano, CONYERS, Crowley, Cummings, DeFazio, Dicks, Doggett, Doyle, Al Green, Gene, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Hare, Hinchey, Hirono, Hodes, Holt, Honda, Hooley, Inslee, Jackson (IL), Jones (OH), Kanjorski, Kapptur, Lewis (GA), Loebsack, Maloney, mcCollum, Meeks, Michaud, Miller (NC), Moore (WI), Napolitano, Ortiz, Pallone, Pascrell, Perlmutter, Price, Rangel, RICHARDSON, Roybal-Allard, Rush, Scott, Serrano, Shea-Porter, Sherman, Slaughter, Solis, Stark, Stupak, Sutton, thompson, Tierney, Towns, Valazquez, Watt, Weiner, Welch, Wexler, Wu. 2:54 p.m. Hoyer moves to table. Kucinich asks for Yays and Nays. 15 minute recorded vote begins. C-Span quotes sentence from Tribune with lie about impeachment dividing the Dems' base. C-Span brings on Sabrina Eaton from the Plain Dealer to talk some more trash. http://www.c-span.org
War Opposition Made Easy http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/warmadeeasy Submitted by davidswanson on Sun, 2007-06-10 07:47. Activism
By David Swanson
The new film "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death" makes arguing against wars easy. If you get into a debate about war, just make the points made so clearly in this film, or - better yet - convince a war supporter to watch the film. Best of all would be to persuade every American to read Norman Solomon's book of the same title, on which the movie is based.
The book has the greatest depth, but the movie has much to add even for those who've read the book. It's simply stunning to watch this brilliantly edited video of numerous past presidents using identical lines to promote equally fraudulent wars, and to watch how the media gives the propaganda the same basic spin for each new war. The quality of the video improves; the callous cruelty and deception remain the same.
We like to think that the media has grown drastically worse in recent years, but Solomon and narrator Sean Penn make a compelling case that the fundamental lies used to sell wars to the American public have not changed over the past 50 years. The Bush Administration's campaign to take the country to war in Iraq on the basis of lies was remarkably similar to President Lyndon Johnson's use of the media when he wanted to attack the Dominican Republic and Reagan's when he was inclined to invade Grenada, not to mention Bush the First's when Panama was his chosen victim. In fact, Solomon draws disturbing parallels to Johnson's and Nixon's lies about Vietnam, Reagan's about Libya and Lebanon, Bush the First's about the First Gulf War and about Haiti, Clinton's about Haiti, Yugoslavia, the Sudan, Afghanistan, and Somalia, and Bush Jr.'s all too recent lies about Afghanistan. There just doesn't seem to be anything new about a president taking this country to war on the basis of laughably bad lies that anyone who was paying attention never fell for. Those who do not learn to see through these war lies are condemned to fight more wars, and the more such wars we put behind us the more we should be blamed for allowing each new one.
The film gives special attention to the lies that led us into Iraq in the most recent invasion and occupation. We see footage of how the U.S. media reported on the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and we see how this parallels reporting on Colin Powell's United Nations presentation. Solomon makes the important point that war lies are usually widely recognized as such at the time they are used, but that voices of dissent are shut out of the media and subsequently erased from history. Solomon shows us British newspapers mocking Powell's lies the day after he uttered them. And we see Phil Donahue challenging the war hype with guests on his show including Phyllis Bennis and Jeff Cohen. MSNBC cancelled Donahue's show because he opposed the war. Now we hear pundits claiming that at the time this war began nobody questioned the White House's claims. We even have new lies presented as further revisions of history, such as President Bush's claim that Iraq kicked out the weapons inspectors. (In reality Bush pulled them out in order to begin the bombing). Complicating this picture, of course, is the utter lunacy of Vice President Dick Cheney who still today makes the same claims about Iraq and al Qaeda that he made before the war.
In "War Made Easy" we see highlights of the media's coverage of the current war, including much glorification of high-tech weaponry. The message we are being fed, Solomon points out, is that bombing from a distance with "precision" weapons is moral, whereas strapping on a bomb and committing suicide is immoral. This distortion of morality, to focus only on the effects of one's actions on oneself is part of an American view of war at a time when we have shifted from 10% of war deaths being civilian in World War I to 90% being civilian in the current invasion and occupation of Iraq.
As we listen to Solomon's voice of sanity in between outrageous and disgusting news footage, we begin to better realize that the big story in this war and occupation is not what the media reports on, and not even the American military deaths that the peace movement likes to focus on, but rather the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent non-Americans.
The so called Vietnam Syndrome, Solomon says, is misunderstood as American public resistance to wars with too many U.S. casualties. Solomon points out that the public supported World War II, but rapidly turned against the Vietnam War and even more rapidly turned against the occupation of Iraq. The difference is not the death count, but rather the public belief that the war is based on deception. The U.S. public never came to believe that World War II was based on lies, but as it did reach that belief about these other two wars, its support for the wars dropped off accordingly.
Solomon points out, however, that once a war has been begun, ending it is a lot more difficult than preventing it would have been. All sorts of ready-made propaganda supports keeping any war going. Phrases like "cut and run," "stay the course," and "support the troops," are revived with each new war. And they displace the question of what the war is really being fought for, even after the original justifications for the war have been fully exposed as lies.
Rather than challenging this traditional propaganda, opponents of wars often turn to softer criticisms, such as claiming that the war is not winnable or has been mishandled or has resulted in a quagmire. But those arguments don't challenge the morality or legality of launching aggressive foreign wars. And that is what we must do. We may not have many more chances.
Have a "War Made Easy" House Party
Learn More About the Movie, and Buy a Copy:
http://warmadeeasythemovie.org
Find or Create a House Party:
http://democrats.com/events
KUCINICH ADDS THE NATIONAL CHENEY IMPEACHMENT POLL TO HIS OWN SITE!!
dear Friends and Activists,
We have huge news. Dennis Kucinich, the man who had the courage to call for the impeachment of Cheney when nobody else would raise their hand, has now FURTHER stepped up to the plate to add an action button for the National Cheney Impeachment Poll to his own presidential campaign web site in a prominent position on ALL pages. So many of you have written us to ask if there wasn't more we could do to support Dennis, and so at our end we have set up a donations page dedicated specifically for his campaign.
KUCINICH DONATIONS: http://www.usalone.com/donations_kucinich.php
This special page will send you directly the Kucinich Act Blue
gateway, or you can simply and easily print out a page to make a mail donation from the same form. We're asking all our participants who can to really step up themselves and support the campaign of this man who is fighting so hard for the policy change we want. Let's show Dennis how much we appreciate someone who is standing up for what we all believe.
For our part we want to continue to run the blog ads which have given this initiative so much visibility so far. There are now more than 70,000 votes in the poll, of which 99.22 percent say YES, Cheney should be impeaced. And we want to add Google ads into the mix to reach an even wider audience. They are quoting us 10 cents a click, which at that price means we need $1,000 for each additional 10,000 votes done that way. If some of you can kick in a little something extra, please do so now so we can keep moving the numbers up.
AD DONATIONS: http://www.usalone.com/donations.php
We would also like to thank the more than 200 sites and blogs who
have responded to our call to add action buttons for the National
Cheney Impeachment Poll to their own pages. We're sure we have at least a thousand more participants who could follow the lead of
Dennis Kucinich and do the same thing too. If it's good enough for
his site, what about YOUR page? Please get the code for the action
buttons from this page and you can even display a dynamic count of the votes as they come in.
ACTION BUTTONS: http://www.usalone.com/cheney_impeachment2.php
Let's make the National Cheney Impeachment Poll a prominent feature of the political landscape by putting it on all our pages, and you will automatically get a link BACK to your site from the main action pages.
NEW SIMPLIFIED CANVASSING VOTE SHEETS
Some of you have been very active collecting votes in your local
communities in person. But we have had feedback that some of the
people you approach may not have email addresses, and some have suggested they could get more votes if that were not required. As a result we have decided to greatly simplify the process. With the new voting gathering sheet you can get a street address instead. Or if the previous version is working for you keep up with that.
CANVASSING SHEETS: http://www.usalone.com/cheney_votesheet.php
By the way, you may have heard it reported that Cheney is himself
even now pressuring Bush to pardon Scooter Libby, to keep him from spilling the beans on the rest of their constitutional crimes. Well, John Dean, who ought to know a little something about impeachment, says THAT interference standing alone constitutes an impeachable obstruction of justice, whether the president has the technical power to grant a pardon or not. It is still an obstruction of justice to exercise that power to frustrate an ongoing investigation.
Wow, that's a lot of news in just one week. And we're just getting
warmed up folks.
Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this message to everyone else you know.
If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at
http://www.usalone.com/in.htm
Credit Card Disclosures Under Fed's Microscope June 17, 2007
By EILEEN AMBROSE Jack McMillin, of Alaska, says consumers should be able to count on their credit card terms not changing - at least for a specified time. June Peterson, of Florida, complains that she has barely any time to mail in her card payment before interest starts racking up.
Lee and Patsy Solomon want card issuers to print the payment due date in bigger type and display it prominently on the monthly bill. "It's as if they want you to be late so as to accrue interest charges," the California couple say.
And Floridian Ben Brooks just wants to see a certain credit card issuer "gutted, fined and shut down."
These are some of the early public comments sent to the Federal Reserve Board about its proposed changes in the disclosures that credit card companies make. It has been more than a quarter-century since the Fed has undertaken a thorough review of the regulation involving disclosures.
The review and changes are seen by many as long overdue. Credit cards play a dominant role in our lives, and have become more confusing.
That's what the Fed discovered in coming up with its proposal. It conducted one-on-one interviews with consumers to test their understanding of disclosures and found that they often didn't notice key terms buried in legalese.
The Fed proposed changes about a month ago and will accept public comments for about three more months. Among the changes proposed:
Issuers would have to give 45 days' notice, up from 15, when they change the terms of a credit card agreement. That would give consumers time to look for another card or pay off their balance.
Customers would have to be notified in writing 45 days before their interest rate was raised because of a late payment or default. Currently, no advance notice is required.
Creditors couldn't claim in ads that an interest rate was "fixed" unless the rate truly did not change or would not change for a specific period stated in the ad.
Card issuers would have to disclose in the table of terms the fees for late payments, exceeding credit limits, cash advances, balance transfers and returned payments.
Issuers of sub-prime credit cards would have to provide extra disclosures so consumers understand that large upfront fees would significantly erode their available credit.
Creditors would have to state the payment due date on the front of the monthly statement and, nearby, post the cutoff time if it is before 5 p.m. on that date.
Consumers often assume they have until the end of the business day to get their payment in. Some creditors have an earlier deadline, and consumers can be whacked by a late fee for being a couple of hours late.
"The overall point is that these disclosures could be very helpful but they certainly aren't enough," Ruth Susswein, a deputy director for Consumer Action, said of the proposed disclosures.
Her group supports legislation pending in Congress that would go further. It would eliminate practices such as "universal default" and "double-cycle billing."
With universal default, your interest rate can more than double if you make a late payment on some bill unrelated to the credit card.
With double-cycle billing, you can end up paying interest on debt you paid off on time.
Susswein said Consumer Action is reviewing the Fed's proposal and probably will submit suggestions.
You can, too. Consumers aren't often invited to bend the ear of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke over an issue that's so near and dear to their pocketbooks. OK, maybe Bernanke himself won't read your e-mail, but the Fed says it listens to consumers.
You can e-mail your comments to regs.comments@federalreserve.gov and include "Docket No. R-1286" in the subject line. Send a fax to 202-452-3819 or 202-452-3102.
Or mail a letter to Jennifer J. Johnson, secretary, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th St. and Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20551.
Maybe you can join the couple who say of universal default, "This has got to stop!"
Eileen Ambrose is a columnist at The Baltimore Sun.
Bush to veto stem cell bill By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer
30 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - President Bush has chosen to use his veto pen three times — twice on the stem cell issue where politics, ethics and science collide.
Pushing back against the Democratic-led Congress, Bush plans to veto a bill Wednesday that would have eased restraints on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.
South Carolina treasurer indicted on cocaine charges
POSTED: 8:22 p.m. EDT, June 19, 2007
Story Highlights• South Carolina Treasurer Ravenel indicted on federal drug charges Tuesday
• Ravenel also served as state chairman for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign
• Republican charged with distributing cocaine in 2005
• Federal prosecutor says "investigation is just beginning" The use of depleted uranium weaponry by the United States, defying all international treaties, will slowly annihilate all species on earth including the human species, and yet this country continues to do so with full knowledge of its destructive potential.
by LEUREN MORET
DU IS ILLEGAL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW
Four reasons why using depleted uranium weapons violates the UN Convention on Human Rights:
LEGALITY TEST FOR WEAPONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW
TEMPORAL TEST - Weapons must not continue to act after the battle is over.
ENVIRONMENTAL TEST - Weapons must not be unduly harmful to the environment.
TERRITORIAL TEST - Weapons must not act off of the battlefield.
HUMANENESS TEST - Weapons must not kill or wound inhumanly.
International Human Rights and humanitarian lawyer, Karen Parker, determined that depleted uranium weaponry fails the four tests for legal weapons under international law, and that it is also illegal under the definition of a ‘poison’ weapon. Through Karen Parker’s continued efforts, a sub-commission of the UN Human Rights Commission determined in 1996 that depleted uranium is a weapon of mass destruction that should not be used:
RESOLUTION 1996/16 ON STOPPING THE USE OF DEPLETED URANIUM - DU
The military use of DU violates current international humanitarian law, including the principle that there is no unlimited right to choose the means and methods of warfare (Art. 22 Hague Convention VI (HCIV); Art. 35 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva (GP1); the ban on causing unnecessary suffering and superfluous injury (Art. 23 §le HCIV; Art. 35 §2 GP1), indiscriminate warfare (Art. 51 §4c and 5b GP1) as well as the use of poison or poisoned weapons.
The deployment and use of DU violate the principles of international environmental and human rights protection. They contradict the right to life established by the Resolution 1996/16 of the UN Subcommittee on Human Rights.
Leuren Moret has worked at two US nuclear weapons laboratories as a geoscientist. In 1991 she became a whistleblower at the Livermore nuclear weapons lab, and since then has worked as an independent citizen scientist and radiation specialist in communities around the world, and contributed to the UN subcommission investigating depleted uranium. Her research on the environmental and public health effects of low level radiation from atmospheric testing fallout, nuclear power plants, and depleted uranium weaponry, is available on the internet and at http://www.mindfully.org. In 2003, she testified at the International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan held in Japan, and presented at the World Depleted Uranium Weapons Conference in Hamburg, Germany, and at the World Court of Women at the World Social Forum in Bombay, India in January 2004. She is a Contributing Editor to GLOBAL OUTLOOK, a City of Berkeley Environmental Commissioner, and the Past President of the Association for Women Geoscientists.
http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/pr060511b.shtml
House Passes McDermott Depleted Uranium Study Amendment
Possible DU Health Effects on Soldiers Will Be Studied
May 11, 2006
After years of relentless and unwavering efforts, including speeches, interviews, news conferences, working with groups like Physicians for Social Responsibility, and even appearing on a song in a newly released Punk Rock album, in order to raise public awareness, the House of Representatives today passed legislation that includes an amendment by Rep. Jim McDermott (WA-D) ordering a comprehensive study on possible health effects from exposure to depleted uranium on U.S. soldiers and their children.
Rep. McDermott has spent several years working to get the House to study DU. He first introduced H.R. 1483 in March 27, 2003 in the 108th Congress. (Died due to lack of action by the House). Then he resubmitted H.R. 2410 on 5/17/05, in the 109th Congress, and it was incorporated into HR 5122 (sec 716) the Department of Defense Authorization Bill which passed May 11, 2006.
I’ve spoken with Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner publicly on this 6 times over 1 ½ years and he has refused to take any action or even acknowledge that there was any bill submitted on this issue in the House. He’s variously claimed “Why did Saddam Hussein have DU?”, (Saddam didn't have DU, the American and British forces dumped it on Iraq) or he “knew nothing about this issue and would look into it”, or claimed that it was “classified under National Security” or most recently, that “It was deemed safe, by the Dept of Defense and saves lives, and that’s my final word on that!”
73
votes
This story has mostly positive ratings. 73 votes / 1 sink
Army plans to hire more psychiatrists
News – Overwhelmed by the number of soldiers returning from war with mental problems, the Army is planning to hire at least 25 percent more psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.
(news.yahoo.com)
59
votes
This story has mostly positive ratings. 59 votes / 2 sinks
Agent Orange Still Haunts Vietnam, US
News – More than 30 years after the Vietnam War ended, the poisonous legacy of Agent Orange has emerged anew with a scientific study that has found extraordinarily high levels of health-threatening contamination at the…
(news.aol.com)
37
votes
This story has mostly positive ratings. 37 votes / No sinks
On Capitol Hill, a Warmer Climate for Biofuels
News – Robert Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, had every reason to feel good when he delivered a speech in Tucson this year on the state of the ethanol industry.
(washingtonpost.com)
This story has mostly positive ratings. 19 votes / 1 sink
No Drop in Iraq Violence Seen Since Troop Buildup
NEWS – Three months into the new U.S. military strategy that has sent tens of thousands of additional troops into Iraq, overall levels of violence in the country have not decreased, as attacks have shifted away from Baghdad…
This story has mostly positive ratings. 15 votes / No sinks
Rockets Rain On Baghdad's Green Zone
NEWS – The barrage of rockets and mortars included one that hit on a street close to the Iraq parliament less than a half hour before Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte passed nearby.
This story has mostly positive ratings. 18 votes / No sinks
Justice Dept. IG Investigating Possible Gonzales Obstruction…
NEWS – The Senate Judiciary Committee revealed today that the Justice Department's Inspector General Glenn Fine is investigating whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales may have acted unethically or illegally by attempting…
This story has mostly positive ratings. 15 votes / 1 sink
While Promoting Escalation In Iraq, U.S.-Backed Chalabi…
NEWS – Paid by the U.S. to muster pre-war intelligence, Chalabi drummed up claims that Hussein had nuclear weapons, helping lead the U.S. into war. More recently, he has promoted the escalation in the Iraqi government
This story has mostly positive ratings. 13 votes / No sinks
DOJ Investigates Gonzales' Meeting With Aide Regarding Firings
NEWS – The Justice Department is investigating whether Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales sought to improperly influence the testimony of a departing senior aide, two of its senior officials said yesterday, adding a…
This story has mostly positive ratings. 12 votes / No sinks
Baghdad Curfew Empties Streets
NEWS – A citywide clampdown emptied Baghdad's streets of all vehicles Thursday in attempts to hold off what authorities dread: a storm of Shiite attacks in revenge for the bombing of one of their main shrines. The tactic…
This story has mostly positive ratings. 8 votes / No sinks
No proof of Iran supplying weapons to Taliban - Gates contradicts…
NEWS – There's no proof that Iranian government is supplying weapons to Taliban, US Defense Secretary was forced to admit today, contradicting a statement by State Department official who accused the Iranian government…
This story has mostly positive ratings. 11 votes / No sinks
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,515
NEWS – As of Thursday, June 14, 2007, at least 3,515 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military…
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