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March 30 Police arrest anti-war protester, 80, at mall 30 Mar 2008 (NY) An 80-year-old church deacon [Don Zirkel, of Bethpage] was removed from the Smith Haven Mall yesterday in a wheelchair and arrested by police for refusing to remove a T-shirt protesting the Iraq War. Hi. I just took action, alerting my Representative about the need for justice in Gaza. Thought it was important enough to alert you as well. Please take a minute and contact your member of Congress to tell them that to introduce or support legislation for this humanitarian issue. Click here to take action now. http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/home/If your email program does not recognize the URL as a link, copy the entire URL and paste it into your Web browser. Hi. I just took action, asking my Representative to sign on to Rep. Robert Wexler's letter to Rep. John Conyers, asking Conyers to begin impeachment hearings. Thought it was important enough to alert you as well. Please take a minute and contact your member of Congress to tell them to sign and support Wexler's letter BELOW - Thanks!
Click here to take action.
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Nuclear brinksmanship may have risen to a new level. Having learned nothing from its militarism or the disapproval of the world community, the Bush administration has recently discarded decades of careful international diplomacy to grant India an exemption from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. ...
Take Action
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In December 2006, eight United States attorneys were asked by top officials at the Justice Department to resign. The Justice Department originally said it was for non-performance of duties. The attorneys related different experiences, leading to reports they were dismissed for political reasons. Emails released by the Justice Department documented exchanges between Justice and the White House which supported the attorneys' claims. An investigation ended in the refusal of White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriett Miers to testify. ...
Take Action
March 28
How to watch and listen to Winter Soldier
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How many Americans suffer daily from autoimmune diseases? Why won't the media report on the (legal) drug overdose epidemic? How can you help your child develop healthy eating habits? We explore these questions and more in this issue of Health & Wellness.
Thanks for reading,
Heather Gehlert
Managing Editor
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Health Care's Odd Couple
By Ezra Klein, The American Prospect
Sens. Wyden and Bennett are starting to build a bipartisan consensus around health care -- despite their opposing political views. Read more » | March 24 As you have seen on the news, the Tibetan people are in a fight for their religious freedom against China. We are asking the US government to come to their aid. We, as Americans and TRUE believers of freedom of religion, believe something needs to be done to help them in their battle. It does not matter what religion you are, these people are TRULY fighting to keep theirs. China has already caused many global issues with imports, medical supply, and have even banned the Olympic athletes from bringing their own religious symbols to the games. And now they are trying to ban an entire people's religion.
You may not think this affects you, but it DOES and it WILL in the future. We, as people of faith, need to stand with others who are fighting for their own. I, as a Christian, believe they would help us if the shoe was on our foot. And we as AMERICANS need to stand with them in their fight for freedom. We are here to love one another and come to one another's aid.
Please sign this petition and PLEASE pass it along. Also, please write letters to your congressman asking for us to help. They need to know we are concerned and want to help!!!!!
March 21
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Dear friends,
I am writing you from Kampala, Uganda. I just visited TASO (The AIDS Support Organization) Mulago, one of the largest community HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and care centers in the country. Uganda is home to one of the earliest African success stories in the fight against AIDS. The work of groups like TASO cut the number of people in Uganda living with HIV by more than half.
Today is treatment day at TASO Mulago. I took a picture of the line of people waiting. They tell us that often there are more people in line than they have medication for. The need is greater than the funding here.
This funding comes from the international affairs budget. Right now, the Senate is poised to slash the president's 2009 international affairs budget by 4 billion dollars, which would be a 1 billion dollar cut from this year's funding.
Thankfully, we're not the only ones who are trying to stop this devastating cut. Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) have introduced an amendment to restore $2.6 billion to the international affairs budget, to match the House of Representatives funding level.
Here is where we come in. We only have until Wednesday to get a majority of the Senate to support this effort. So we've launched a petition asking the Senate to support this amendment.
You can add your name here:
http://www.one.org/2009budget/o.pl?id=255-3442675-XUrj_2&t=2
Petition text:
In the great American tradition of helping others help themselves, we, the undersigned, ask that the U.S. Senate pass the Durbin-Smith amendment to restore $2.6 billion to the international affairs budget.
Increasing the size of the international affairs budget is vital to increasing the amount the U.S. gives to poverty-focused development assistance. The international affairs budget funds all the proven solutions that we call for time and again: lifesaving AIDS medications, basic education, access to clean water, and many more programs like TASO helping people to work their way out of poverty.
To save these programs, we've set an aggressive goal of gathering 60,000 signatures before we deliver the petition to every senator. Please add your name:
http://www.one.org/2009budget/o.pl?id=255-3442675-XUrj_2&t=3
The fight over the international affairs budget is the first important step to making sure that we keep our promise to help the world's poorest people. Later in the year, we'll work to make sure that enough of the international affairs budget goes to the programs that are making a real difference in the developing world. But that fight will be much more difficult if we don't get a significant level of funding for the poorest among us here and now.
I was invited to a woman's home this morning who was receiving AIDS treatment from TASO. I asked what message she'd like to send back to America. She wanted us to convey her thanks to all those people who make it possible for her to be receiving treatment.
Thank you for your voice,
Ron G. | | March 20
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| PEEK and Video: The hottest buzz and videos on the web
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Tens of thousands protest on 5th anniversary of war
Mass marches in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago punctuate week of action
March 19th protest in San Francisco | On March 19, the fifth anniversary of the war, hundreds of protests took place in cities and towns large and small. In San Francisco, ANSWER organized a night-time march of 7,000 people. Thousands of young people joined the very spirited and densely packed march which stretched for several blocks along Mission St. Chants of "Occupation is a crime, from Iraq to Palestine," "No More War," and "El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido" (the People United Will Never Be Defeated) echoed through the Mission District. Among the speakers at the event were Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq; independent presidential candidates Cynthia McKinney and Gloria La Riva; Zeina Zaatari of the Free Palestine Alliance; Iraqi American activist Muhammed Al-Adeeb; and Eugene Puryear, National Co-Coordinator of Youth and Student ANSWER. Throughout the day in San Francisco there were direct actions and civil disobedience, planned by many different organizations.
March 19th protest in Chicago | Simultaneously, 4,000 people took to the streets of Chicago. Spirited chants of "Troops Out Now, Iraq for Iraqis" echoed throughout downtown as the march -- made up primarily of young, energetic and militant protesters -- proceeded through the streets. The demonstration was called by a coalition of organizations, and there was a significant turnout of young people from Arab and Muslim communities.
At the rally in Federal Plaza prior to the march, A.N.S.W.E.R. Chicago Coordinator John Beacham told thousands that "Our enemies are not in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela or China. They're in Washington, The Pentagon, and Wall Street. They want us to fight their wars and fight each other. We must resist their divide and conquer strategies and fight them. Change will come through a united struggle against the banks, corporations and the war machine."
The March 19 actions came four days after a march of 10,000 through downtown Los Angeles. The march filled the six-lane street from sidewalk to sidewalk on Hollywood Blvd. from Vine to Schrader--many blocks away. During the march, people at the front of the march could see the marchers still joining the action 7 blocks behind them. youthful, with students pouring into the march from hundreds of Southern California schools. A large, militant contingent of over 200 young people wore red shirts and marched together. Other students lined the front banners, chanting "Iraq for Iraqis, troops out now!" and "Alto a la guerra, stop the war!"
Once the marchers arrived at the main rally point at Sunset and Cahuenga, at least 10,000 people stood at the CNN building. Protesters chanted "CNN, can't you see? Put the peace march on TV!" Despite strong, cold winds and scattered rain, many thousands stayed at the rally site for hours.
Michael Prysner at Winter Soldier | From March 13-16 in Washington DC, Iraq Veterans Against the War sponsored Winter Soldier, an event that showcased testimony from U.S. veterans who served in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. The veterans delivered powerful accounts of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground in those countries. Iraq war veteran and ANSWER organizer Michael Prysner spoke at the event, retelling his horrifying responsibilities as an occupation soldier, and denouncing the Army officers who used racism and bigotry in order to justify the oppression of the Iraqi people. Prysner's eloquent and compelling testimony cuts through the Pentagon's propaganda and can be viewed here.
Also in Washington DC, several civil disobedience and direct actions took place around the city. Dramatic actions took place in front of prominent government buildings as well as the corporate offices of the principal war profiteers. | |
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Dear friends,
Congress can overturn the FCC's bad rules to further consolidate local media.
Take Action Now |
Now's your best chance to stop media consolidation in Idaho.
The Senate introduced legislation this morning that would reverse the Federal Communications Commission's decision to let the nation's largest media companies swallow up more local and independent news outlets.
Congress has just 60 legislative days to pass this bill. By acting now, you can help make it happen:
Veto the FCC's Big Media Handout
We have Big Media to blame for local news that's steeped in celebrity gossip, corporate hype and sensationalism. If the FCC gets its way, you'll see your local news get even worse.
The FCC's decision further consolidates local media markets, taking away the independence and diversity that comes from local ownership. Simply put, this is a sweetheart deal for a handful of companies that have been breaking media ownership rules for years with impunity.
In December, 200,000 people called on their senators to take action against the FCC. The Senate has responded with a "resolution of disapproval," a type of congressional veto that would throw out the new rules. Now we need to get another 50,000 citizens on the record supporting the Senate's action.
Tell Your Friends: Veto Big Media
Companies like News Corp. and Sinclair already have shown their willingness to abuse the public trust for political ends. During this election year, when diverse, quality and unbiased information is essential for voters, we cannot allow Big Media to silence even more independent voices.
It's our turn to use our collective grassroots power to stop Big Media and make sure that our airwaves are used to better serve the public.
Onward, | | | March 19
Posted by Kurt Opsahl
Too often the White House spokespeople are able to dodge and weave their way through questions about the President's demand for immunity against warrantless surveillance lawsuits. To help the press corps try to get to the heart of the matter, here are the top ten questions we'd like to see Dana Perino or Tony Fratto faced with at their next press conference:
- #10: How can the lawsuits cause liability for "billions" of dollars unless the telcoms violated the rights of millions of ordinary Americans? If the surveillance is limited to communications involving suspected terrorists, wouldn't the number of people surveilled be very low?
- #9: You said that if the telecommunications surveillance lawsuits "are allowed to proceed, [they] would serve only to line the pockets of class- action trial lawyers." How would it "line their pockets" unless the plaintiffs win and a court find that the telecoms' surveillance was illegal?
- #8: If, as you say, the surveillance was legal, how would allowing the cases to proceed "line the pockets" of the plaintiffs attorneys? Wouldn't it instead be a big waste of their time?
- #7: When you refer to "the trial lawyers" as "the ones who have brought all these lawsuits," does this mean that you consider the non-profit legal services organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation or the American Civil Liberties Union and the attorneys representing the states of Missouri, Maine, New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont to be "trial lawyers"?
- #6: Has the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) been updated since 1978? How about since 2001?
- #5:Under FISA, can the Attorney General approve surveillance in minutes? Isn't it true that surveillance begins immediately and approval of the FISA Court can be obtained retroactively within three days?
- #4: Under FISA, don't the phone companies have strong legal protection if they insist on an order from the FISA court rather than just doing surveillance when the President asks?
- #3: Under FISA and the other privacy laws, the phone companies are already immune if they follow the law, right? They only need immunity if they broke the law, right?
- #2: Can you honestly say that the government has not received the call detail records of any American without legal process?
- And, the number one question: You keep saying that a recent FISA court order prevents you from listening in on foreign-to-foreign communications. But that ruling did not affect your longstanding ability to listen in on foreign to foreign calls from overseas listening places, did it? Why can't you listen into those foreign-to-foreign calls from the many overseas surveillance facilities that the NSA has long used instead of installing new listening posts inside the U.S.?
March 18
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NESARA billboards in front of Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
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Hits since October 2003 -
66675857
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NESARA
Also called the Reformation Act
There is, RIGHT NOW, a law on the books that when announced IMMEDIATELY Improves YOUR LIFE!
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NESARA initiates PEACE IMMEDIATELY and
| 1. Restores Constitutional Law in America as of NESARA’s public announcement.
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| 2. Removes US administration officials and all members of the US Congress from their positions due to their continuous unconstitutional actions. Bush, Cheney, Cabinet members, and all members of Congress are immediately removed from office by NESARA’s public announcement; specific law enforcement personnel shall physically remove Bush government officials from their offices. These removals allow a fresh start at the national level. Using the Constitutional Line of Succession, NESARA installs Constitutionally acceptable NESARA President and Vice President Designates until new federal elections can take place within six months after NESARA’s announcement.
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| 3. Because NESARA abolishes unconstitutional states of emergency, NESARA’s public announcement declares “peace”. US military in Iraq and Afghanistan are immediately recalled to the USA.
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| 4. As partial remedy for 90 years of government and banking fraud, NESARA requires zeroing out of credit card balances and bank debt relief be given to Americans.
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| 5. Initiates the US Treasury Bank System with new U.S. Treasury currency backed by gold. The Federal Reserve is abolished; Federal Reserve facilities and most personnel are absorbed into the US Treasury Bank System.
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| 6. Abolishes Income Taxes in US and creates a national sales tax on new, non-essential items as revenue for government. Essential items such as food and medicine, and used items, are exempt from the sales tax.
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You can take action to get NESARA announced and implemented See the Action Plan!
ACT NOW! HELP US GET NESARA ANNOUNCED IMMEDIATELY! Last week, the Center for Constitutional Rights went to court to fight the Bush administration's post-9/11 racial profiling and round-ups of hundreds of immigrant Muslim, Arab, and South Asian men in the New York area.
 Click here to watch a video of CCR attorney Rachel Meeropol and lead plaintiff Ibrahim Turkmen talking about the case.
We argued the appeal in our case,
Turkmen v. Ashcroft, which is an important legal challenge to the government's abuse of power in fighting the so-called "war on terror."
In actions reminiscent of the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor, in the months after 9/11 our government rounded up and detained hundreds of Muslim, Arab, and South Asian immigrants to determine whether they had any ties to terrorism.
Held on the pretext of minor immigration violations, these men were kept in super-maximum security confinement and abused for months as their deportation was delayed so that the FBI could investigate them.
Often the men were picked up on evidence no more specific than a phone call to the authorities in which someone said, "my neighbor is an Arab and keeps strange hours."
Click here to read more about the abuse they suffered while detained and other details of the case.
The men weren't detained because there was evidence connecting them to terrorismâ?"they were swept up and detained because of their race, religion, and ethnicity. Because they were Arab and Muslim men of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent, they were presumed guilty of terrorism until proven innocent.
In 2002, we filed Turkmen v. Ashcroft, a class action suit on behalf of the men held in New York and New Jersey, against the United States and 31 government officials and employees, including then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and former INS Commissioner James Ziglar.
A lower court judge ruled in our favor on many of the charges, including keeping the high-level officials on the hook for what happened, so last Thursday's arguments were a cross appeal by both sides.
More than five years after the case was filed, and long after all the men have been deported to their home countries, CCR continues to demand accountability for the racial profiling and indiscriminate detentions that followed in the wake of 9/11.
We await a ruling from the panel of judges and hope that it will bring our clients one step closer to justice. Please go here to watch a video and learn more about this important case.
Sincerely,
Vincent Warren
CCR Executive Director
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Dear friends,
Today, we're launching a new campaign to halt the deadly transfer of arms from China to Sudan, and I'm asking you to join us.
"Made in China: Stop Arms Sales to Sudan" - comes at a critical moment. The continuing violence in Darfur, combined with China's latest "charm offensive," gives us a unique moment to get China - the largest provider of small arms by far - to promote peace by halting its arm sales to Sudan.
Will you join us?
China claims that its arms sales to Sudan are insignificant, but a report being released today by Human Rights First argues that since 2004, China has supplied Sudan with some 90% of its small arms and munitions - the types of weapons and bullets that are used to kill, maim, and leave people homeless in Darfur.
More than five years of conflict in Darfur has left at least 200,000 people dead and more than 2.5 million people homeless, with new attacks on villages in West Darfur recently. China has significant leverage with the government to Sudan that it could use to help end the conflict. But so long as China continues to ship weapons to Sudan, it sends a message of indifference to Sudan's leaders. With your help, we will work to reverse that.
Please sign our petition today.
Thank You, | |
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Children's Defense Fund
Monthly Newsletter
www.childrensdefense.org | | |
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Take Action: States' Abilities to Provide Health Coverage to Children Is at Risk!
 Throughout 2007, Congress and the Bush Administration battled over the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a program that provides health coverage to more than six million lower-income children. Now the Bush Administration is making changes to limit children's access without Congressional approval. Over the last several months, the Bush Administration has issued new regulations that will force states to make significant changes to their Medicaid programs. Medicaid provides critical health coverage to millions of children, including low-income children, disabled children, children with special health needs, and foster youth. Without Congressional action, these harmful Medicaid regulations will start going into effect over the next few months, putting the health and well-being of our nation's most vulnerable children at serious risk.
Learn more and email your Members of Congress today - tell them to stop these harmful Medicaid regulations from being enacted!
President Bush's Priorities in His Last Federal Budget Request
 President Bush proposes to eliminate:
- 47 programs in the Department of Education
- Grants that provide important social services to protect children from abuse and neglect
- Programs that provide hearing screenings to newborns and emergency medical services for children
President Bush requests to cut funding for:
- Mental health and substance abuse programs for children and their parents
- Housing assistance
- Job training programs
- Energy assistance for low-income families
Amount President Bush is requesting for military spending: $675 billion (an increase of $68 billion from the year before)
Cost of President Bush's request to make his tax cuts permanent for wealthy Americans: more than $2 trillion
Learn more about President Bush's legacy of failure in CDF's recently released analysis of his FY2009 budget request. |
Dear friends,
Last week, following an overwhelming vote in the House, the Senate unanimously passed the Second Chance Act, designed to allow states and local communities to help former offenders re-enter society and become productive members of their communities.
In the next few weeks, the Second Chance Act will land on President Bush's desk. We need your help in urging the President to sign this much-needed legislation into law.
Tell President Bush to sign the Second Chance Act
Every day more than 1,700 men and women leave prison and re-enter their communities, many of them are untrained, face serious substance abuse or mental health issues, and are homeless. It is because of these circumstances that more that 2/3 are arrested for a felony or a serious misdemeanor again within 3 years.
Recidivism is costly to everyone, from crime victims and communities, to taxpayers. In the last twenty years, the cost of corrections has increased by almost 700%. Providing new opportunities is a good investment in our communities, as well as the men and women who served their time in prison.
Urge President Bush to sign the Second Chance Act
This legislation provides federal assistance for states and communities to establish re-entry programs that focus on job training, housing, substance abuse and mental health issues.
Please sign our petition now, your strong support of the NAACP and the Second Chance Act will help the thousands on their journey to become productive members of their communities.
Sincerely,
Mara Goodman March 17
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Dear Ronald,
While the presidential candidates were responding to your pressure and announcing their plans to visit Africa, Congress was putting together the 2009 budget. And the numbers don't look good.
As it stands today, the Senate is considering a $4 billion cut from the president's 2009 international affairs budget. What's most shocking is that this would represent a cut of $1 billion from this year's funding, a huge loss at a time when we are poised to do so much to combat extreme poverty and global disease. Slashing this funding would be simply devastating to people like those surviving HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis thanks in part to the help America provides.
Thankfully, we're not the only ones who've noticed the problem, and Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) have introduced an amendment to restore $2.6 billion to the international affairs budget, to match the House of Representatives funding level.
Here is where we come in. We only have one week to get the majority of the Senate to support this effort. It's up to us to take action and make sure that our senators pass a budget that reflects our values. So we're launching a petition asking the Senate to support this amendment:
You can add your name here:
http://www.one.org/2009budget/o.pl?id=254-3442675-1KUn4Y&t=2
Petition text:
In the great American tradition of helping others help themselves, we, the undersigned, ask that the U.S. Senate pass the Durbin-Smith amendment to restore $2.6 billion to the international affairs budget.
Increasing the size of the international affairs budget is vital to increasing the amount the U.S. gives to poverty-focused development assistance. The international affairs budget funds all the proven solutions that we call for time and again: lifesaving AIDS medications, basic education, access to clean water, and many more programs helping people work their way out of poverty.
To save these programs, we've set an aggressive goal of gathering 60,000 signatures before we deliver the petition to every senator next week. Please add your name:
http://www.one.org/2009budget/o.pl?id=254-3442675-1KUn4Y&t=3
The fight over the international affairs budget is just the first important step to making sure that we keep our promise to help the world's poorest people. Later in the year, we'll work to make sure that enough of the international affairs budget goes to the programs that are making a real difference in the developing world. But that fight will be much more difficult if we don't get a high level of funding for the poorest among us here and now.
Thank you for your voice, | | March 16
I'm Joe Sandler, General Counsel for the DNC. Yesterday we filed a complaint with the FEC after John McCain decided to break the law by ignoring the rules laid out as part of the federal matching funds program.
I don't know if you saw the news, but the press covered the complaint all day. John McCain himself directly responded to Governor Dean at a press conference, saying "We're doing exactly what Howard Dean did in a previous election and what the FEC ruled in the case of Congressman Gephardt."
But that's a lie -- John McCain isn't doing what Governor Dean and Congressman Gephardt did at all.
Governor Dean and Congressman Gephardt followed the law and were granted written permission by the FEC to withdraw from the federal matching funds program.
To prove it, we have a copy of the letter Governor Dean received from the FEC in 2003 granting him permission to drop out. If McCain is doing "exactly what Howard Dean did," he'll have no trouble producing a letter of his own.
But you and I know McCain's lying -- he doesn't have a letter like that from the FEC. Not only has he refused to get permission, he's been warned by FEC Chairman David Mason that he can't unilaterally drop out of the program. That's why we filed the complaint in the first place, and it's why tens of thousands of Americans like you signed your support.
Read Governor Dean's letter from the FEC, and sign your support for our complaint right here:
http://www.democrats.org/McCainBusted
John McCain abused the system to keep his campaign afloat until he could raise more money from special interests and lobbyists. Taxpayers don't want their money to be used by Washington politicians to help raise more money from lobbyists -- is this McCain's idea of ethics and reform?
Thanks to you, this "maverick reformer" is feeling the pressure of his own hypocrisy. From staffing his campaign with a team of lobbyists to breaking campaign finance laws, his total lack of integrity has never been more clear.
Keep it up, March 11
Demand an End to Child Life Without ParoleChildren can and do commit terrible crimes, however, when they do, they should be held accountable in a manner that reflects both their culpability and their special capacity for rehabilitation.
This past Saturday, with a single stroke of his veto pen, President Bush blocked a tough law forbidding the CIA from using waterboarding and other despicable interrogation "techniques." We can't let him have the last word.
In the face of this brutal affront to human rights, we must show that President Bush does not represent the vast majority of American citizens. This starts with each and every one of us acting in our own communities.
Act Now. Call talk radio stations and write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
It took thousands of calls, letters and emails from Amnesty activists like you to persuade Congress to pass tough anti-torture legislation. And now, it's going to take just as much energy and determination to counter Bush’s unconscionable veto
Let's make it clear that torture is wrong everywhere, all the time, no matter the circumstances, and no matter which agency does it. And so is putting people on "trial" based on torture-tainted evidence. Bush acted. Now you have to act. Call your local radio station. Write a letter to the editor. Forward this email to as many people as possible.
Speak out against torture. Don't let Bush have the last word!
President Bush tried today to defeat our efforts to put America on record. But, with spirited protests all across America, we’re going to make it clear that our nation abhors what our President condones.
Please act against torture now.
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