Friday, March 19, 2004

I'll be here: March20NoWarMarch!! Will you? Click the poster image to find out more!
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    Subject: Mercury: make sure people know

    Dear MoveOn member,

    Thanks for being one of 180,000 MoveOn members
    who've told the EPA not to delay a scheduled
    cleanup of toxic mercury by over ten years. Although
    this is a scandalous attempt by the Bush
    administration to protect its friends in the energy
    industry at the expense of our children's health, the
    mercury issue is not getting much media attention.

    Our papers need to know that mercury pollution
    from power plants has a direct impact on our
    families and should be covered closely. Please take a
    few minutes today to write a letter to the editor
    of your local paper. Filling the nation's
    editorial pages with letters from concerned citizens is
    a great way to help keep the pressure on the Bush
    administration to protect us from mercury
    pollution.

    Writing a letter to the editor doesn't actually
    take very long -- you can do it in ten minutes or
    less. A letter that's short, sweet, and to the
    point has the best chance of getting published.

    We've added some tips and some talking points
    below. Once you've written, please let us know at:

    http://www.moveon.org/mercuryltes.html?id=2470-3261555-QspU.FOy39jnfkqQr5YOwA

    Even though public comment has been
    overwhelmingly against delaying mercury cleanup, we have seen
    in similar situations that 99% negative public
    feedback is not always enough. We need to shine a
    very bright media spotlight on this issue. Not
    long ago, front page media attention to a proposal
    to weaken protection against arsenic pollution in
    our drinking water shamed the Bush administration
    into doing the right thing.

    Working together, we can make sure that mercury
    emissions are cleaned up as quickly as possible.

    Sincerely,

    - Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes
    The MoveOn.org team
    Thursday, March 18th, 2004

    RESOURCES FOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

    I. Tips

    II. Talking Points

    I. Tips on how to get your letter published:

    - Your own words, written from the heart, are
    always best.

    - Brevity is the soul of wit.

    - The key to publication is to pounce on
    something specific you've
    seen in the newspaper -- anything that seems
    related to you.

    - Be sure to include your name and address, and
    especially your phone
    number when submitting your letter. Editors
    need to call you to
    verify authorship before they can print your
    letter. They don't
    print your phone number.

    - Your newspaper's letters page should give you
    an email address or
    fax number to use, or you can try this
    website:

    http://congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/

    - Please let us know when you've sent your
    letter by going to:

    http://www.moveon.org/mercuryltes.html?id=2470-3261555-QspU.FOy39jnfkqQr5YOwA


    II. Talking points

    There is no uncertainty about the danger to the
    environment, and to humans, emanating from power
    plant mercury pollution.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    estimate that 8% of women of childbearing age in
    the U.S. have mercury levels in their blood that
    are unsafe.

    The EPA itself reports that 630,000 infants are
    born annually who are at risk for learning
    disabilities. Mercury is a toxic metal that can cause
    severe neurological and developmental problems in
    unborn fetuses and young children.

    The EPA and forty-three states have now issued
    advisories warning people, especially women and
    children, to avoid or limit eating local fish
    because of mercury. This table shows the advisories
    that are in effect where you live

    http://www.moveon.org/mercury/table.pdf

    Source: Clear the Air coalition.

    The Bush administration proposes to not regulate
    mercury as a dangerous poison, but instead to
    allow power plants to emit mercury pollution ten
    years longer than is necessary.

    The EPA was initially planning to require power
    plants to reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent
    by 2008.

    In December, the EPA announced a mercury plan
    that will expose our children to far more mercury,
    for far longer, than what the agency has said is
    achievable and cost-effective. The proposal also
    is less stringent than was recommended by the
    majority of the EPA's own panel of experts who spent
    more than two years working on this problem.

    The EPA now proposes to regulate mercury from
    utility companies as if it were a non-hazardous
    pollutant, demanding only a 30 percent emission
    reduction and allowing some sources to avoid controls
    entirely by buying pollution "credits."

    When plants are not forced to curb pollution but
    can buy pollution credits, it increases the
    chances that there will be communities where mercury
    pollution is more prevalent.

    The proposal also would give polluters at least
    15 years to make the reductions rather than the
    three years currently required by law.


    The Bottom Line:

    The EPA must protect our children by making all
    power plants install controls to stop mercury
    pollution by 2008.

    More information can be found on MoveOn's Mercury
    Resources page:

    http://www.moveon.org/mercury/mercury-resources.html
    _______________

    This is a message from MoveOn.org.
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Thursday, March 18, 2004

TedRall!SPANISH LIE Three Years After 9-11, Our Fibber Keeps His Job 3/16/04
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    Subject: Rumsfeld -- caught on camera

    Dear MoveOn member,

    A year ago today, the Bush Administration was making its final push toward war in Iraq. We know now that much of what we were told about the threat that Iraq posed was untrue. And rather than own up to their distortion of the facts, Bush administration officials are denying they ever said such things.

    But this Sunday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld got caught blatantly contradicting his past statements, and we have the video clip. You can check it out at:

    http://www.moveon.org/censure/caughtonvideo/

    Congress' responsibility is to hold President Bush and his administration accountable for this pattern of deception -- that's why we have the Constitution. But instead, Congress today will debate a resolution congratulating Bush, for (they claim) making the world safer.

    We must demand, at a minimum, that Congress censure the President. It's our epresentatives' duty to formally reprimand him for misleading us. And we've got to demand it today, while they're debating their anniversary resolution.

    Please call your Representative now.

    Make it clear that you are a constituent, then let the staffers know you expect nothing less than Censure.

    Our campaign will be stronger if you let us know you're calling, at:

    http://www.moveon.org/callmadeall3.html?id=2467-3261555-d0H7c0t4QZwpg0wpLYFatw

    Today, we're holding a press conference at the Capitol, unveiling a new TV ad calling for Censure, and a New York Times ad on the same theme.

    And we're taking our Censure petition, signed by more than half a million of us, to Congress, hand-delivering it to each Representative's office. The event is co-sponsored by Win Without War, True Majority, and Working Assets.

    Please help reinforce this powerful message with a single phone call now.

    Then, why not pass the Rumsfeld clip along to your friends?

    Thanks for all you do.

    Sincerely,

    - Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes
    The MoveOn.org Team
    Wednesday, March 17th, 2004
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Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Dear W, your father knew best, Robert Scheer - Creators Syndicate, 03.16.04
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Monday, March 15, 2004

    AlterNetDefending Peaceful Tomorrows Johnny Temple, AlterNet The indecency of the Bush Administration towards the family members of 9/11 victims seems restrained when compared with that of the press corps, who have unleashed a vile campaign of disinformation aimed squarely at September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Posted on March 14, 2004. If Ashcroft Were Uninsured... Dan Frosch, AlterNet John Ashcroft, in the hospital with pancreatitis, is undoubtedly receiving the best of care. But if he were one of the 41 million Americans without insurance, his experience would be vastly different. Posted on March 14, 2004. trains Behind the Madrid Massacre Rahul Mahajan, AlterNet The 'war on terrorism' makes us all less safe -- more military prowess leads to more terrorist attacks. Today the trains of Madrid; tomorrow the New York subway? Posted on March 12, 2004. Cashing in on Tragedy David J. Sirota, Christy Harvey, Judd Legum, The Progress Report Well before the debris from Ground Zero was cleared, the White House at every turn began distracting the public from its pre-9/11 security failures, trying to reap political advantage from the terrorist attacks themselves. Posted on March 12, 2004. clueless Follow the Leader John Prados, TomPaine.com Since 9/11, George Bush has taken every opportunity to harness the tragedy in service of his political agenda -- while his record on that day shows anything but strong leadership. Posted on March 12, 2004. The Empire Backfires Jonathan Schell, The Nation and TomDispatch.com With its doctrine of 'preventive war,' the Bush administration has loosed a principle of brute force on the world. As the first anniversary of the Iraq War approaches, the full costs of the Bush Doctrine are truly being felt. Posted on March 12, 2004.
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    Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 06:56:02 -0800


    ((((((((((((((((( Anybody But Bush Update: Vote
    for me! )))))))))))))))))

    March 12, 2004


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    http://www.anybodybutbush.info/archives/000212.html

    Granny D. on "vote for me"
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Friday, March 12, 2004

    LAWeekly!# Feeling Bush's Pain: The president gets burned for trying to pull a re-election ad from 9/11 rubble. But that’s just one in a pattern of missteps. BY DAVID CORN, March 11, 2004
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    Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 06:23:38 -0800


    Anybody But Bush Update: Bush record replete
    with rewritten histories and chucked promises

    March 11, 2004


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    http://www.anybodybutbush.info/archives/000211.html

    Read about the Bush "bait and switch"
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    CRESCENTS AND CROSSROADS

    This week on http://www.openDemocracy.net, boundaries melt, worlds open,
    hearts harden. Reinhard Hesse maps a Turkish-German love affair in cinema
    and politics, Jo Wilding and Anita Sharma witness the flowering of
    children and women in Iraq, and Johanna Mendelson Forman from the United
    Nations Foundation learns lessons from Aristide's second fall in Haiti

    Plus: Serving 45 years for a non-violent crime, Michael Santos watches
    his fourth presidential election from Colorado, on the wrong side of the
    prison walls

    -----------------

    THE WEEK'S TOP FIVE

    THE NATION-BUILDING TRAP: HAITI AFTER ARISTIDE
    Twice elected, twice ejected, Haiti's president Jean-Bertrand Aristide
    blames the United States for his latest overthrow. Why did the
    international community help Haiti in 1994 but ignore it this time, asks
    JOHANNA MENDELSON FORMAN
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/haiti_1779.jsp

    TURKISH HONEY UNDER A GERMAN MOON
    REINHARD HESSE, at the Berlin Film Festival, sees one of Europe's most
    intimate relationships growing branches in the lovers' hearts
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/hesse_1784.jsp

    WOMEN IN IRAQ: BETWEEN FEAR AND FREEDOM
    The condition of Iraq's women is a litmus test of the country's movement
    towards civil rights and democratic governance. ANITA SHARMA on their
    difficult journey
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/sharma_1776.jsp

    THE TRIAL OF SADDAM HUSSEIN
    What kind of justice does the world owe the former Iraqi dictator?
    Neither an international nor an Iraqi but a moral solution, argues
    DOUGLAS MURRAY
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/murray_1778.jsp

    THE LAND OF THE UNFREE: AMERICA FROM INSIDE
    MICHAEL SANTOS, incarcerated in America since 1987, on what it's like to
    witness the US elections from a prison cell
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/santos_1777.jsp

    --------------

    LET'S BE HONEST...
    We need your support. Your subscription allows us to stay independent and
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    ---------------

    COLUMNS

    BREAD & CIRCUSES: FIVE MINUTES WITH SOCRATES
    "A man who is all brain and no heart never truly lives." DOMINIC HILTON
    teaches the Greek sage a lesson in living philosophy
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/breadcircus_1780.jsp

    OUR ELECTION YEAR: KERRYSLANDERING
    John Kerry: an effete, elitist, leftist, European snob, loved by commies
    (and Coldplay), loathed by patriots. TODD GITLIN listens to the
    Republican war drums
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/gitlin_1782.jsp

    GLOBAL SECURITY: INTO THE AFGHAN FIRE
    As the United States prepares a big offensive in Afghanistan and Pakistan,
    PAUL ROGERS on how the "war on terror" never sleeps
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/rogers_1781.jsp

    WORLD DIARY: COFFEE & WMD
    Evil beans, Axial demands, Iranian stories, Middle East shifts. DOMINIC
    HILTON dives for pearls
    http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3600/diary_1783.jsp

    GLOBOLOG (coming Friday): Caspar Henderson on genetic modification and
    the politics of power

    ----------------

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Thursday, March 11, 2004

    Dear MoveOn member,

    Salon.com has just broken a major story detailing
    how the Pentagon created a special office to
    manipulate intelligence data on Iraq and WMDs. It's
    written by Karen Kwiatkowski, a military officer
    who watched this unit at work, telling us the
    inside story in her own words.

    Click here to read the full story:

    http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/03/10/osp_moveon/

    The Salon story makes it even clearer than before
    that the Bush administration deliberately misled
    us in the run-up to the war in Iraq a year ago.
    The problem was not bad intelligence -- it was
    deliberate distortion of the facts.

    It's Congress' duty to hold President Bush
    accountable for misleading us. Please call your
    Senators and Representative now:

    Senator Dianne Feinstein
    Washington, DC: 202-224-3841

    Senator Barbara Boxer
    Washington, DC: 202-224-3553

    Congressman Xavier Becerra
    Washington, DC: 202-225-6235

    Make sure they know you're a constituent, then
    urge them to:

    "Censure President Bush -- formally reprimand
    him for misleading us
    about Iraq's WMDs."

    Give them some reasons why Censure is necessary.
    Some good ones include:

    - 553 American soldiers have given their lives in
    Iraq;
    - Tens of thousands of our troops remain in
    harm's way there;
    - A year later, we seem to have no exit strategy;
    - Thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed;
    - The President took us to war based on
    assertions he knew were untrue -- for more info, see
    http://www.moveon.org/censure/ad-doc.html ;
    - Congress has a constitutional duty to act as a
    check on the president.

    Please let us know you're calling, at:

    http://www.moveon.org/callmadeall3.html?id=2442-3261555-2ltMRoWozc2eodQh8RnQqQ

    The new Salon story is important, not only
    because of its revelations about how the Pentagon
    cooked the books on WMDs, but also because it's the
    first piece by Salon's new Washington, D.C. bureau.

    Strong, independent news sources are more
    important now than ever, as
    traditional media become increasingly
    concentrated under the control of just a few corporations,
    and with major outlets like CBS nakedly kowtowing
    to Republican interests. In this context,
    Salon's new Washington, D.C. bureau is a major step
    forward for all of us.

    We hope you'll take a few minutes to read their
    important article today. You can access it at:

    http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/03/10/osp_moveon/

    Thank you.

    Sincerely,

    - Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes
    The MoveOn.org team
    Wednesday March 10th, 2004
Posted by at No comments:
FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE SHOCK JOCKS
The Censoring of Howard Stern
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004

The new Pentagon papers A high-ranking military officer reveals how Defense Department extremists suppressed information and twisted the truth to drive the country to war.
By Karen Kwiatkowski, from
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    Subject: Teachers = Terrorists?

    Rod Paige, the Secretary of Education, called America's largest teachers' union a "terrorist organization." Sign the petition calling on President Bush to fire Rod Paige.
    Dear MoveOn member,

    Last month, President Bush's Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, called America's largest teachers' union a "terrorist organization." Why? Because the union had the gall to insist that President Bush live up to his own promises to adequately fund education. Please sign our petition demanding that President Bush fire Secretary Paige.

    http://www.FirePaige.org/index.asp?ms=1

    This is typical behavior for the Bush administration. It says one thing - "no child left behind" and does another - under-funding its promises to our schools by $9.4 billion in its latest budget proposal. And when people dare to disagree with its policies, it questions their patriotism or labels them terrorists.

    Secretary Paige uses insult to defend the indefensible. Not only did the president break his promise to fund the reforms, his current budget calls for cuts in support for schools over the next five years. And he still wants to take billions from public schools to pay for private school vouchers. So Paige resorts to slurs: even in his supposed apology, he dismissed teachers' growing concerns as "obstructionist scare tactics."

    We teach our kids that name calling is not the right way to win an argument - in fact, it’s usually a sign that you don't have the facts on your side. Making our schools better is a tough job. We need a Secretary of Education who sees teachers and their representatives as partners in this effort rather than as enemies. Join us in calling on President Bush to find a better person for the job.

    http://www.FirePaige.org/index.asp?ms=1

    We thank the Campaign for America's Future for co-sponsoring this campaign with us. Please sign on today.

    Sincerely,
    --Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes
    The MoveOn.org Team
    Tuesday, March 9th, 2004
Posted by at No comments:
    Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2004 07:18:39 -0800


    ((((((((((((((( Anybody But Bush Update: Bush
    flip-flops )))))))))))))))

    March 09, 2004


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    http://www.anybodybutbush.info/archives/000210.html

    A list of Bush flip-flops
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Tuesday, March 09, 2004






    ACTFORCHANGE
    ACTIVISM UPDATE: March 8, 2004

    You
    are receiving this newsletter because you have
    previously taken action on ActForChange in support
    of progressive values.



    IN
    THIS BULLETIN:







    Urge
    Justice Scalia to Recuse Himself


    Please
    sign our petition urging Supreme Court Justice
    Antonin Scalia to uphold the honor and reputation
    of the Supreme Court. Justice Scalia should
    recuse himself from a case involving Vice President
    Cheney and secret meetings with oil industry
    executives and lobbyists held to formulate the
    Bush administration energy policy.


    Special
    note — we are NOT lobbying the Court to
    take a particular position on this or any other
    case — only urging Justice Scalia to act
    with integrity.


    Click
    here to take action!



    Justice
    Scalia’s recent actions — accompanying
    Mr. Cheney on a private hunting trip, accepting
    a valuable gift of transportation on Air Force
    Two and access to a private hunting reserve
    owned by an oil industry executive — have
    irreversibly created the appearance of prejudice
    and lack of objectivity in a critical proceeding.
    The reputation of the Court is at stake, and
    Justice Scalia should recuse himself now.


    Click
    here to take action!


    Please
    forward this newsletter to your friends and
    help spread the word about this important campaign!






    Demand
    a New Prescription for Medicare


    Congress
    recently passed a deeply flawed boondoggle of
    a Medicare prescription drug plan — but
    now it is time to fix two of its most egregious
    elements:



    • an
      astonishing prohibition that bans Medicare
      from asking drug companies for a volume discount
      and

    • the
      lack of a provision to allow states and individuals
      from importing medicine from Canada, where
      identical medicine is available at much lower
      cost.


    Click
    here to take action!



    The
    prohibition on negotiating bulk discounts is
    particularly ludicrous when looking at the success
    the Veterans’ Administration has had in
    using exactly this type of system to reduce
    prescription drug prices.


    Urge
    your senators to quickly pass new legislation
    to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices
    and to allow drugs from Canada to be imported.


    Click
    here to take action!


    Please
    forward this newsletter to your friends and
    help spread the word about this important campaign!



    Thank
    you for speaking out on issues that matter.
    Together we can make a difference.



    Jennifer
    Willis

    Director

    ActForChange.com

Posted by at No comments:

Monday, March 08, 2004

    Dear MoveOn member,

    MoveOn works for the same reason democracy does: when lots of people work together, they generate great ideas and accomplish great goals. That's why we need your help.

    To get direction from our members, we have set up an online forum. There, you can share your ideas and goals for MoveOn and our nation. Comments are read and rated by other members and the best ideas float to the top. These help set MoveOn's course.

    Take a few moments today to contribute to the Great Goals forum.

    Even if there's nothing on your mind, come read what others are saying and help us find the ideas we should pursue:

    http://www.actionforum.com/forum/index.html?forum_id=264

    Thanks for strengthening democracy by participating in these important conversations!

    Sincerely,
    --Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
    The MoveOn Team
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