"The Beloved Community"

I love that declaration. And I only have one more thing to add--at least for myself:

I am here at the DCP because I feel the moral conscience to really participate in an ethical (moral) government, to create a government which exemplifies both democracy and a higher moral ground. And these are the very things which I've watched slipped away.

So MY moral conscience says to me..."No more sitting on the sidelines hoping for the best. It's time for a major investment in time and energy for these trememdous values and morals."

I think back to MLK and I have to admit, I understand his dream and his words and I'm sad that we're re-fighting for the same issues he promoted.

Awesome post Karen--both the MLK message and the message of the New Dedication. I will share this with others.

Today at work I noticed that among the therapy toys there was a Noah's Ark. It's like there is an assumption that all therapists and clients believe in it. We had an email about the Pope.

Then on the way home, I noticed that someone had a Ten Commandments sign right in the middle of their lawn.

My husband said that at his job, they had an email from Bush telling them to put their flag at half mast.

Then I got home & opened my mail & there was a framed picture of the Virgin Mary, with all broken glass - & a some "Men's Jewelry" from H&M store - a Jesus & Mary necklace, & pins that were a skull, a bat & a winged lion. I knew though, that those had been lovingly sent by my "son" in Paris & were meant ironically.

He understands and it was much appreciated, after all this madness.

I also appreciate the passage from MLK - it's refreshing in these times.

HERE TO SPREAD A MESSAGE OF HOPE!!!

It sounds corny, but here is the message of hope:

There is a new hope tonight in northern Illinois. Republicans say that they are targeting areas 40-60 miles outside of major metropolitan areas---and that is US, SE Lake County, Illinois. However, they are NOT winning. We are winning. West Deerfield Township and Moraine Township (Deerfield, Lake Forest, Riverwoods, Bannockburn, Highland Park, Highwood) went dark blue tonight and non-partisan caucus members who are really dems in heart won too.

Mind you, Lake County, IL is not known for being as blue as the near north suburbs or Chicago itself where they are tripping over democrats and always have been. This is a formerly RED RED RED area. They must be in shock tonight as they thought they owned the place.

karen, that MLK speech is one of my favorite speeches ever!

It is so hopeful, and also brilliant in the statements it make about how the most effective way to fight communism is NOT with the MILITARY and WAR, but in the strength of our ideals, economic aid, etc. It's also really haunting to read that speech replacing the word "Vietnam" with "Iraq." For example, he says "They must see Americans as strange liberators."

Posted by: Ellen Beth at April 5, 2005 11:31 PM

Ellen Beth,

My heart aches for your success. Here in DuPage County, west of Chicago, the Repugs have maintained their death grip on the townships. DuPage County has a very strong Christian Conservative political base and a loyal following. We need to learn from your successes. Please post in the forum.

Posted by: Ellen Beth at April 5, 2005 11:31 PM

That is great news- I'm sure my family in Highland Park helped out! =)

sorry to hear your news oncall...but we had that in Lake too and now look! There is hope.

Karen,

It is indeed a ray of hope. I am very appreciative of the people who took the time to write and sign the Declaration. If you are looking in tonight, thank you, and welcome!

Posted by: DiAnne at April 5, 2005 10:42 PM

Had a great day, huh? You still crack me up!

I heard from a couple of people in Oregon who just attended house parties at which John Edwards was beamed in to them, speaking on Social Security.

I have a recommendations: hot milk & Kahlua - it helps with the time change.

Dr. King's message was so rational.

All that is going on today is so irrational.

His was a great and noble cause. Ours is the same, only on a much larger scale now. We want peace, equality, civil liberties. Bigotry is never desirable on any scale. Kind of ironic
how we never thought his words would mean so much to so many. He truly was a man of destiny.

I have thought of his words so often during this past 2 1/2 years.

My heartfelt thanks go out to all who labored and labor still for this effort.

DiAnne,

Pour one for me, would you? I think I will
join you!

Karen

Wonderful post! Thank you...

Boxer Amendment Overturns Global Gag Rule
6 April 2005

The Senate took a step in the right direction today, on women’s rights. The Boxer Amendment (S. 278) slid through the Roll Call vote by a margin of 52 – 46. The bi-partisan co-sponsorship of the amendment from Senator Olympia Snowe of ME, should also be noted.

Late last year, Bush “extended a March 2001 order blocking the US Agency for International Development from providing grants to foreign groups supporting abortion.”

President Ronald Reagan originally imposed the ban in 1984. It was renewed by Reagan's successor, George Bush , the current president's father, but was rescinded in 1993 by then-president Bill Clinton .

The George W. Bush administration expanded the global gag rule to cover the entire State Department budget, more than eight billion dollars.

Read More... Link & Press Releases - http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=671

Political Groups Paid Two Relatives of House Leader
By PHILIP SHENON

WASHINGTON, April 5 - The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay's political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay's home state, Texas.

Most of the payments to his wife, Christine A. DeLay, and his only child, Dani DeLay Ferro, were described in the disclosure forms as "fund-raising fees," "campaign management" or "payroll," with no additional details about how they earned the money. The payments appear to reflect what Mr. DeLay's aides say is the central role played by the majority leader's wife and daughter in his political career.

Mr. DeLay's national political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, or Armpac, said in a statement on Tuesday that the two women had provided valuable services to the committee in exchange for the payments: "Mrs. DeLay provides big picture, long-term strategic guidance and helps with personnel decisions. Ms. Ferro is a skilled and experienced professional event planner who assists Armpac in arranging and organizing individual events."

Mrs. Ferro has managed several of her father's re-election campaigns for his House seat.

His spokesman said that Mr. DeLay had no additional comment. Although several members of Congress employ family members as campaign managers or on their political action committees, advocacy groups seeking an overhaul of federal campaign-finance and ethics laws say that the payments to Mr. DeLay's family members were unusually generous, and should be the focus of new scrutiny of the Texas congressman.

Mr. DeLay, whose position as majority leader makes him the second-most-powerful House member, has offered a vigorous public defense in recent weeks to a flurry of ethics accusations from Democratic lawmakers and campaign watchdog groups, including charges that he violated House rules on travel. The executive director of Americans for a Republican Majority and a major fund-raiser for the committee were indicted in Texas last year on charges of illegal fund-raising, and prosecutors there have refused to rule out the possibility of charges against Mr. DeLay in the continuing inquiry.

In recent weeks, public interest groups have called on the House ethics committee and the Justice Department to review lavish, privately financed overseas trips for Mr. DeLay and his aides, including a 1997 trip to Russia that was underwritten by a conservative education group closely linked to a powerful Republican lobbyist who often boasted of his influence with the majority leader.

The payments to Mr. DeLay's family have continued into 2005; the latest monthly disclosure filed by Americans for a Republican Majority shows Mrs. DeLay was paid was paid $4,028 last month, while Mrs. Ferro received $3,681. Earlier statements show that the two women received similar monthly fees from the political action committee throughout 2003 and 2004.

Mrs. DeLay has been involved in her husband's political career and his fund-raising operations in Washington and Texas. In an interview in 2003 with Roll Call, a newspaper on Capitol Hill, a spokesman for Mr. DeLay explained Mrs. DeLay's role as "the final signoff of Tom's travel schedule, what events he attends and what his name appears on."

Mrs. Ferro has also helped manage Mr. DeLay's charity operations. Financial disclosure statements filed by Mr. DeLay's House campaign committees, which are separate from Americans for a Republican Majority, show that Mrs. Ferro and her political consulting firm, Coastal Consulting of Sugar Land, Tex., received $222,000 from 2001 through last year, reflecting her role in the re-election campaigns.

Although there has been no suggestion from prosecutors that Mrs. Ferro is under investigation by the grand jury in Austin, her records were subpoenaed in the inquiry, which is focused on the fund-raising activities of Texans for a Republican Majority, a state political action committee modeled on Americans for a Republican Majority. Mrs. Ferro received about $30,000 in fund-raising and consulting fees from Texans for a Republican Majority, the committee's records show.

"It's DeLay Inc. " said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a research group that has closely monitored Mr. DeLay and his campaign fund-raising and expenditures. "If it's not illegal, it certainly is inappropriate for members of Congress to use their positions to enrich their families."

Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics and a former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission, said that "questions are raised anytime a politician puts close family members on the payroll."

Republican lawmakers can point to prominent Democrats whose campaign and political action committees have provided lucrative jobs or consulting contracts to family members. Representative Howard L. Berman of California, the ranking Democrat on the House ethics committee from 1997 to 2003, paid $50,000 from his campaign accounts last year to a consulting firm owned by his brother, according to disclosure forms. Disclosure statements also show that Senator Barbara Boxer, another California Democrat, directed $15,000 from her political action committee in 2003 to a consulting firm run by her son.

Several public interest groups have called in recent weeks for the House ethics committee or another body that may be examining his finances to open an investigation of Mr. DeLay, focused in part on his privately financed overseas travels, including the 1997 trip to Moscow and a 2000 trip to Britain. Questions about the trips' financing were first raised in March in an article in the National Journal.

Mr. DeLay has denied that he violated House rules in accepting the 2000 trip from a conservative education group associated with one of the city's most powerful Republican lobbyists, Jack Abramoff.

The nonprofit education group, the National Center for Public Policy Research, has said it received large contributions from Mr. Abramoff's clients about the time of the trips, although it has denied that the donations were redirected to finance Mr. DeLay's travels.

The trip to Moscow, according to the American Foreign Policy Council report, was backed by the energy companies that had ties to the Russian government and that were trying to build support in Washington for Russian privatization efforts and trade policies.

Mr. DeLay met with Russian business and political leaders. House financial disclosure statements show that Mr. DeLay's travel costs totaled $9,029 and that the costs for five members of his staff totaled $55,033. It listed the sponsor as the National Center for Public Policy Research.

Bobby R. Burchfield, a lawyer for Mr. DeLay, declined to comment, as did the National Center for Public Policy Research. Jonathan Blank, managing partner at Preston Gates & Ellis in Washington, said the firm had represented Chelsea but would not discuss whether the organization had helped pay for Mr. DeLay's trip.

Dan Allen, a spokesman for Mr. DeLay, said the congressman had filed forms stating that the Moscow and Britain trips were paid by the National Center for Public Policy Research.

Eric Lipton and Monica Borkowski contributed reporting for this article.

Above piece is from today's NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/politics/06delay.html

NY Times Editorial

The Judges Made Them Do It

It was appalling when the House majority leader threatened political retribution against judges who did not toe his extremist political line. But when a second important Republican stands up and excuses murderous violence against judges as an understandable reaction to their decisions, then it is time to get really scared.

It happened on Monday, in a moment that was horrifying even by the rock-bottom standards of the campaign that Republican zealots are conducting against the nation's judiciary. Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, rose in the chamber and dared to argue that recent courthouse violence might be explained by distress about judges who "are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public." The frustration "builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in" violence, said Mr. Cornyn, a former member of the Texas Supreme Court who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which supposedly protects the Constitution and its guarantee of an independent judiciary.

Listeners could only cringe at the events behind Mr. Cornyn's fulminating: an Atlanta judge was murdered in his courtroom by a career criminal who wanted only to shoot his way out of a trial, and a Chicago judge's mother and husband were executed by a deranged man who was furious that she had dismissed a wild lawsuit. It was sickening that an elected official would publicly offer these sociopaths as examples of any democratic value, let alone as holders of legitimate concerns about the judiciary.

The need to shield judges from outside threats - including those from elected officials like Senator Cornyn - is a priceless principle of our democracy. Senator Cornyn offered a smarmy proclamation of "great distress" at courthouse thuggery. Then he rationalized it with broadside accusations that judges "make raw political or ideological decisions." He thumbed his nose at the separation of powers, suggesting that the Supreme Court be "an enforcer of political decisions made by elected representatives of the people." Avoiding that nightmare is precisely why the founders made federal judgeships lifetime jobs and created a nomination process that requires presidents to seek bipartisan support.

Echoes of the political hijacking of the Terri Schiavo case hung in the air as Mr. Cornyn spoke, just days after the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, vengefully vowed that "the time will come" to make the judges who resisted the Congressional Republicans' gruesome deathbed intrusion "answer for their behavior." Trying to intimidate judges used to be a crime, not a bombastic cudgel for cynical politicians.

The public's hope must be that Senator Cornyn's shameful outburst gives further pause to Senate moderates about the threats of the majority leader, Senator Bill Frist, to scrap the filibuster to ensure the confirmation of President Bush's most extremist judicial nominees. Dr. Frist tried to distance himself yesterday from Mr. DeLay's attack on the judiciary. But Dr. Frist must carry the militants' baggage if he is ever to run for president, and he complained yesterday of "a real fire lighted by Democrats around judges over the last few days."

By Democrats? The senator should listen to what's being said on his side of the aisle, if he can bear it.

Patriot Act's secret searches used 108 times

By Declan McCullagh
http://news.com.com/Patriot+Acts+secret+searches+used+108+times/2100-1030_3-5655112.html

Story last modified Tue Apr 05 07:44:00 PDT 2005

The section of the Patriot Act permitting police to surreptitiously enter and search a home or office without notifying the owner has reportedly been used 108 times during a 22-month period.
The U.S. Justice Department released the figures, which cover the period from October 2001 through April 2003, late Monday. The release comes as the Senate and House of Representatives are beginning a series of hearings this week to decide whether to renew portions of the controversial 2001 law that are set to expire on Dec. 31. The section of the law that allows the searches is not one of those set to expire, but data about the provision was released as part of the review.

"Delayed-notification search warrants are used in a wide spectrum of criminal investigations, including those involving terrorism and drugs," the Justice Department said in a statement. "Like any other search warrant, delayed-notification warrants under Section 213 may only be issued after showing probable cause and obtaining the express approval of a judge."

Section 213 of the Patriot Act authorizes so-called sneak-and-peek entries in cases where alerting someone that a surreptitious search took place may have an "adverse result" on a police investigation. Eventually the owner of the home or office is supposed to be notified, though the law says that deadline can be "extended" without limit if police make a good case for it.

Even though the Patriot Act was enacted as a response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Section 213's powers are not limited to investigations of terrorists and spies. Instead, sneak-and-peek searches may be used to investigate any federal felony or misdemeanor, from firearms violations to marijuana possession or copyright infringement.

Sneak-and-peek searches were used before the Patriot Act, but their legality was less clear then. One case involved the FBI surreptitiously entering the office of an alleged mobster to implant a key logger that recorded his PGP passphrase.

In a 1979 case called Dalia v. United States, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police could secretly break into an office to plant a bugging device and then return several weeks later to remove it.

In a dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote: "Until Congress has stated otherwise, our duty to protect the rights of the individual should hold sway over the interest in more effective law enforcement."

The American Civil Liberties Union said Monday: "We encourage Congress, as it begins its review of the Patriot Act this week, to ask the Justice Department to fully explain and expand on (its) partial picture" of Section 213.

Copyright ©1995-2005 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Off Topic:

Carter left out of delegation to the Vatican.

Bush has justified this becasue only 5 can go, Carter is a noble peace prize winner, and was the only president to welcome the Pope to the White House! The Pope, was known for his stand on peace. Bush is known for his stand on war. Carter has more right attend this than either Bush or Rice.

Just my opinion!

This was in an email I got from a friend - no source. Anyone know anything about it?

"did you know that 1 Billion $ of our tax money went into Faith Based orgs. ahead of the election? The shrub basically bought his way in with our money and is getting away with it."

(By the way, it's from a Republican)

One month til the British election -
Tony Blair, Labour - 36% in the polls (of the vote)
Michael Howard, Conservative - 36% in the polls (of the vote)
That only makes 72%, but it doesn't look like Kennedy, the Lib Dem & only antiwar candidate can win. Even if he got all the rest, that would only be 28%. I did hear more of Labour are swinging over to Lib Dem.They are in almost as bad of shape as we are. Since we have approx. 1357 days til our election, I want to see as many progressive governments as possible in the meantime. I hope that Canada continues in the direction it's been going.

I mean progressive governments as those chosen by the people, not propped up by our administration as examples of "democracy" (such as parading Yushenko around at the White House or sending the lst Lady to Afghanistan to talk about literacy). Notice that "spreading of democracy" is to oil-rich regions - watch the money.

From True Majority, Ben Cohen - this is great! It' a good site to sign on with. They need help with the national bus tour.

The missing piece is falling into place.

Religious leaders from across the country are beginning to raise the voice of their moral authority in a newly formed organization, Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq. Representing more than 50 denominations running the gamut of Christians, Jews, Muslims and then some, it was launched with a major event at New York’s Riverside Church on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s speech that he called "Beyond Vietnam," in which he said:

"I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continue to draw men and skills and money like one demonic, destructive sucking tube."

Substitute Iraq for Vietnam, and Martin’s prophetic words of April 4, 1967, apply just as painfully today.

The group has begun a national bus tour of religious leaders, with the potential to capture the attention of the media and counter the influence of the religious right. It can be a catalyst that can turn the tide of our nation’s drift to darkness instead toward the light of goodness.

From Public Campaign Action Fund --

I'm going to keep it short. Tom DeLay has got to go.

Today's Washington Post carries a front-page story detailing a 1997 trip Tom DeLay took to Russia funded by a "mysterious company registered in the Bahamas." If that wasn't enough of a headache for the Majority Leader, the New York Times is also running a story this morning that details more than $500,000 his political committee paid his wife and daughter.

Enough is enough.

You've already signed our petition to urge DeLay to resign. Now it's time to make a call to let your Representative know you think DeLay should go.

Call the House switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask to be put through to your member of Congress. When you reach their office, urge your Representative to call on Tom DeLay to resign. He's a walking scandal.

Tell us that you've done it, and what you've heard, by posting a comment on our Daily DeLay weblog at http://dailydelay.blogspot.com.

Let's turn up the heat by turning on the phones!

David Donnelly
Public Campaign Action Fund
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-friend!

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Public Campaign Action Fund.

Maybe Privacy is once again in vogue.

"By more than 2-to-1, 39%-18%, Americans say the "religious right" has too much influence in the Bush administration. That's a change from when the question was asked in CBS News/New York Times polls taken from 2001 to 2003. Then, approximately equal numbers said conservative Christians had too much and too little influence"

John Edwards will be speaking at South Texas Collge of Law on April 27, 2005 if any Texans are interested they need to request tickets asap. I am anxious to ask him his thoughts as a lawyer of Delay and Cornyn's assault on an independent judiciary.

From American Progress Action Fund --

TELL CORPORATE AMERICA TO DROP THE HAMMER: Believe it or not: you might
be subsidizing Tom DeLay's legal defense when you buy an airline
ticket, make a phone call or have a happy hour cocktail. A network of large
corporate backers -- including American Airlines, Verizon and Bacardi --
have poured thousands into Tom DeLay's legal defense trust. It's time
for this to stop. Visit dropthehammer.org
(http://www.dropthehammer.org/) and send a message to these
corporations to stop enabling Tom DeLay's unethical behavior. Let these
corporations know (http://www.dropthehammer.org/) that unless they stop
supporting Tom DeLay, you'll stop supporting them.

Just a quick weigh-in here to all of us to remember to be careful with our language when talking about religious folks.

No one at the DCP (and I am sure everyone will agree) feels anti-religion or has any prejudices against religious people as a group. We have, in the ranks of the Crew and the regulars here, Christians, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Animists, Agnostics, Atheists...

and that's just me and my family...

We also have Dems, Repubs, Greens, Independents, ex-Marxists, etc.

Our purpose here is to train ourselves--and anyone else who is interested--to bring democracy--REAL democracy--back to the United States. To that end, we explore the history of church and state, we look at current and proposed policy changes in light of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and other guiding principles, we act in lieu of an independent and informed media, and we uncover the issues around electoral reform.

None of the above is anti-religion. We are anti- the MISUSE of religion, hypocrisy in all its forms, and disingenuous efforts on the part of legislators to ally themselves with wing-nuts.

We are PRO- spiritual growth in all its forms, careful reflective study of issues, loving critical discourse, honesty and transparency in all democratic practices, and citizen activists.

Your open mind and willing feet are always welcome here.

Only in Arizona...
MinuteMan Project is Misguided Vigilante Justice

April 6, 2005

In a supposed tribute to the revolutionary heroes who once fought for American independence, a group of anti-immigration activists in Arizona have incited a flurry of media attention with their efforts to “police” the border with Mexico in search of immigrants crossing the border. Sadly, their efforts bear far more resemblance to xenophobic hate groups than they do to the original Minutemen from Massachusetts. Local, state, and federal officials have denounced their initiative as an unnecessary interference with border patrol authorities, and even President Bush referred to them as “vigilantes.” Border security is a serious problem that demands leadership from the White House and Congress, not the slipshod work of weekend warriors seeking news headlines and stoking anti-immigration bias throughout the nation.

The MinuteMan project interferes with the critically important work of law enforcement and border patrol agencies. The Border Patrol has denounced the MinuteMan project, voicing concern that untrained civilians “could cause more trouble than they prevent.” Unfortunately in a few short days they have done just that, making the already-difficult job of patrolling the border that much harder. Volunteers have disturbed the footprints agents use to track immigrants and set off carefully placed sensors along the border.

The MinuteMan project helps fuel anti-immigrant bias and should be roundly condemned. An official with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, worried the Minutemen “would want to harm Mexicans.” The MinuteMan project’s website includes race-baiting language (the “menace of tens of millions of invading illegal aliens”), suggests that continued immigration will lead to political violence, and is one click away from the website of the white supremacist Aryan Nation. Rather than condemn such views, members of Congress such as Tom Tancredo (R-CO) wholeheartedly endorsed MinuteMan members as “heroes.”

The White House and Congress must enact comprehensive immigration reform. The media fuss over the MinuteMan project should not distract attention from the lack of leadership shown by the White Bush and Congress in improving border security and passing comprehensive immigration reform. President Bush’s guest worker proposal has languished for more than a year, while the White House has failed to provide the number of border patrol agents set out in last year’s intelligence reform bill.

Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund.

Posted by: DiAnne at April 6, 2005 09:01 AM

DiAnne,

Your friend's message probably referred to government funding that went to "faith-based" groups. From the Washington Post, January 4, 2005:

" . . . in 2003, groups dubbed "faith-based" received $1.17 billion in grants from federal agencies, according to documents provided by the White House to the Associated Press."

http://www.theocracywatch.org/faith_base_post_jan4_05.htm

Just in from CNN. Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) launches his latest “defense":

“I can’t - no Member can be responsible for going into the bowels of researching what this organization, how it gets its money or how it’s funded…What’s going on here is a concerted effort to twist and - to twist the truth to make it look seedy and it’s just not true.”

Posted by: Bob Evans at April 6, 2005 12:52 PM

A big problem with relying on faith-based charities is there is not enough knowledge or individual capacity. Even large churches often lack the capacity and the skill to properly deliver needs. This is based on my own observations and discussions with leaders of various-sized churches. Many churches are providing needed social services but much of the effort is not scaleable. The needed expertise and facilities are not available.
A previous article discussed the lack of accounting required when using this extra money. Suppose a church returns $50k each year back to the community by funding a food-bank and an after-school program (my church). Suppose we are given $50k from the government. There is no requirement that we return an additional $50k into the community. We could take the extra money and pour it into our building fund under the guise of future faith-based enhancements.

John Kerry: A Million (Virtual) People Stand with Reid at Press Conference
6 April 2005

In an email just received from John Kerry on the Filibuster issue, Kerry thanked the over ¼ million supporters who signed his petition and acknowledges that over a million people have stood up on this issue through various activist groups…

Early this afternoon, Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic Leader of the United States Senate, held a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thanks to you, there were a million people standing there with him.

That's how many dedicated individuals signed petitions and newspaper ads supporting Senator Reid's determined efforts to prevent Republican leaders from undermining democracy by making judicial nominations a narrow, one-party exercise.

I am proud to report that 236,498 of those signatures were submitted by you and other members of the johnkerry.com community. We added our nearly quarter of a million names to those collected by the Democratic National Committee, MoveOn.org and other citizens' groups.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=673

Last week I urged all bloggers to please contact Senator Chafee regarding the Boulton nomination and I hope many here paid attention. Sounds to me as though Chafee's vote will in fact be crucial.

"..the delay of the Bolton confirmation hearing until Monday (and/but the Boston Globe says Sen. Chaffee is wobbly)."

Update:
Iraq Coalition Military Fatalities

U.S. 1544
U.K. 87
Other 90

Total 1721

Latest Fatality: Apr 05, 2005

http://icasualties.org/oif/default.aspx

Urgent! Call Congress to Demand an "Open Rule" for the Bankruptcy Bill!

TODAY, April 5, at 5 p.m., the House Rules Committee will decide whether to
allow any amendments to the outrageous Bankruptcy Bill that was passed by the
Senate (S. 256).

The bill will change current law to prevent you from declaring bankruptcy under
Chapter 7, which pays off your debts by liquidating your assets, giving you a
fresh start financially.

Instead, it would force you into Chapter 13 with a rigid 5-year repayment plan.
You would no longer be able to protect your car and home, and you would have to
pay greater legal fees.

Simply put, you would become a debt slave to the credit card companies.

When the Senate passed this bill, it rejected a dozen crucial changes to make
the bill humane - such as exemptions for serious medical problems, exemptions
for those in the military, an interest rate limit of 30%, protecting the homes
of the elderly, and comparably strict treatment of those who are rich.

In the House, Majority Leader Tom DeLay does NOT want to give Democrats a chance
to offer crucial amendments like these.

He has instructed the House Rules Committee to adopt a "Closed Rule" when it
meets on Tuesday.

It is urgent that everyone call the Republican Members of the House Rules
Committee to demand an "Open Rule" on S. 256, the Bankruptcy Bill.

DAVID DREIER, CA - CHAIRMAN (202)-225-2305
LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART, FL (202)-225-4211
DOC HASTINGS, WA (202)-225-5816
PETE SESSIONS, TX (202)-225-2231
ADAM PUTNAM, FL (202)-225-1252
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, WV (202)-225-2711
TOM COLE, OK (202)-225-6165
ROB BISHOP, UT (202)-225-0453
PHIL GINGREY, GA (202)-225-2931

Also, if you have not urged your Representative to OPPOSE the Bankruptcy Bill
when it comes to the floor - which could be as soon as Wednesday - please do so
here:

http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/31

For more information about the Bankruptcy Bill visit:
http://www.debtslavery.org

None of the above is anti-religion. We are anti- the MISUSE of religion, hypocrisy in all its forms, and disingenuous efforts on the part of legislators to ally themselves with wing-nuts.

We are PRO- spiritual growth in all its forms, careful reflective study of issues, loving critical discourse, honesty and transparency in all democratic practices, and citizen activists.

Your open mind and willing feet are always welcome here.

Posted by: Karen at April 6, 2005 12:07 PM

Thank you very much for posting that, Karen. Not that anyone here was doing anything like this, but it is vital that we remember not to become as close-minded and hateful as those we criticize and work against.

Well worth the read, and good talking points. If your going to promote a "culture of life" at least be consistent!

http://www.alternet.org/story/21660/

~hooray for Sen. Lautenberg! He takes on DeLay & others in a speech to the Senate:

Lautenberg issues sharp speech about attacks on judges
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) issued stiff remarks to the Senate in response to another senator's seeming implication that federal judges were responsible for violence against them because they were "unaccountable". The speech delivered to the Senate follows.

http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/lautenberg_judges_406.htm

calling all Bob Dylan fans: the year was 1965.
okay, so we have to admit our age to really appreciate this article!

How Does It Feel ... 40 Years Later?
by Greil Marcus
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0406-26.htm

Posted by: Pamela at April 6, 2005 02:36 PM

Pam, this is great news. Finally, we're all getting on the same page. You've given me a little hope on a day when I was feeling rather hopeless.
Thanks.

15 MINUTES FOR DEMOCRACY(after work - before changing clothes or eating or exercising):

Signed petition - "Help Fire Tom DeLay" MoveOn PAC
(sent by MoveOn & 2 other people & the Old
American Century people)

Used "The Pen" to write to Legislators about both bankruptcy bill
& Bolton

Reviewed all the info r/t Dem Social Security Town Hall locally &
the Republican response, also continuing Republican effort to
get our Democratic governor out of office - discussed with others
in cell - what to do next

Informed Attorney General's office about "phishing" attempts to
get my social security & credit card info

Forwarded TruthOut articles to 3 people
American Progress Report excerpt to 2 people
Wes Clark's opening statement - sent to Vets for Peace

Took photos of truck with American flag window & 4 different colored ribbons & yard sign with Ten Commandments for photo/art project with friend

For inspiration - John Kerry's thank you letter, sent to someone
who would like & doesn't get

For the last three years I took photos during the buildup to the war, during the attempts to prevent it, & during the primary and general elections. Photos were taken in the US, Canada, Mexico, France, Belgium and Turkey. There were literally thousands but due to digital photography, it wasn't expensive.

I just sent my favorites last week in three large emails & I was self-conscious about the amount of space, as I sent them as jpgs because I never did figure out a slick way to store them on line (rather they are on my computer) so there was no way to simply click on a link. I sent probably 200 photos, because I couldn't decide. Some of you may have been in some of the photos, in fact I know you were.

Look what I just got! I will treasure this & print it out & frame it, along with the two personal letters I got from, one for helping with the motorcade and one for helping with the blog.
I'm not bragging, I'm just happy. It's nice.

"Dear DiAnne, thank you so much for the wonderful photos I will treasure them.  THK"

DiAnne, cool! THK gains my respect more every day.

I just did a Stumble! on Firefox and got this site:
http://www.adbusters.org/jams/history/timeline.swf

It's about time somebody did something about this:

DeGette, Grijalva Call for Investigation into Exclusion of Citizens from Presidential Events

http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/05/04/ale05049.html

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) formally requested the House Government Reform Committee to investigate recent incidents in which American citizens were denied entrance to or were removed from taxpayer-funded Presidential events open to the public because of their political beliefs. They released the following letter to Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) and Ranking Member Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA):

Let's take bets on how much the main stream press (Bushco Propaganda) plays this.

Are Honors for Physicians the New Political Diploma Mill?

Doctor Named 'Physician of the Year' -- for a Fee

By BRIAN ROSS

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/print?id=643826

"To actually buy your award and it's not from your peers or from your patients or from the community that you serve, it's really deceptive," said Mueller, author of "As Sick As It Gets: The Shocking Reality of America's Healthcare, A Diagnosis and Treatment Plan." "It's not being honest, it's just not right."

To see what the award process was all about, Mueller sent in his $1,250 contribution and ABC News paid for his travel to Washington for the scheduled events March 14-15, which included a tax-reform workshop as well as appearances by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and President Bush.

Mueller soon found he was not the only winner. There were hundreds of Physicians of the Year present, many of whom found the criteria for being selected equally as opaque.

"You know, nobody knows, so don't feel bad about it," Mueller said one attendee told him. "I think that more than likely it's to get us Republicans together under the pretense that maybe you will work a little harder to keep Republicans in office."

Another winner was more blunt. "I don't think it's worth it from the standpoint of your own qualifications, but I think it's worth it to support the party," he said. "Basically it's one big monstrous donation to the party."

"It's like the old diploma mills," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a government watchdog group. "It's the kind of scam that we've seen congressional investigations look at when they take place in the private sector. But here, since members of Congress are doing it, we're not going to see any investigation."

I hope Peter Jenning's doctors doesn't have these "diplomas" on their waiting room walls.

Grammar correction:......don't have........

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Papers about to report that Sen. Martinez had links to Schiavo memo
by John in DC - 4/6/2005 09:33:00 PM
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/04/papers-about-to-report-that-sen.html

Mark

Here's what THK responded to:

Title of email: Miraculous Journey

"I hope you won't mind that I don't really tell where and when these were taken. I am always the woman with the little wire rim glasses on. You may recognize Fe, Karen Bradley. Ben Doko is the Indonesian guy who by himself registered over 1000 voters.

I will have sent some photos of little booths we had at Gay Pride, Hempfest, Folklife, Bumbershoot and other festivals where we hoped to increase the "progressive" vote and neutralize some of the fundamentalist wacko vote in the esatern part of the state. We also knew the Gregoire for Governor race could be close.

If some photos are in Boston you can probably tell - the rest of Seattle, Tacoma, Everett primarily. Some date all the way back to when you were in Seattle in October 2003 (at the headquarters and the next night at the home of Mimi Gates). Then there are all the caucus pictures and the Iowa times (I wasn't in Iowa - I wanted to..) Then John was here in February or so, & you were both here a couple of times in the summer. He was then in Everett, Seattle and TACOMA & by then we were getting close to the election. Then there is Boston.

I remember on election day, hearing John describe it as a "journey" and you did the same in your letter - that stuck with me! There is no way the Republican Administration would understand what is meant by that word.

xo DiAnne

PS You have many friends overseas and you will see some photos during this time when I was in Paris & Istanbul. I've also included little things that struck me - including headlines and posters.

I haven't been able to look at these photos since Nov. 3 - until now - so felt like showing them to you.

DiAnne: Off topic, sort of.. but try this site for photo storage, and if you get really stuck email me.
I think it's cool you've kept all those photos, if you can get them in albums then we could all see them. http://www.flickr.com/

I think I'd print out any email from Ms.Heniz-Kerry, then have it printed on parchment. How neat for you.

"He's Using Religion"
7 April 2005

Today’s Boston Globe has a piece on the political currency of embracing the Pope. Among those interviewed for the article was the Rev. Robert Drinan, former Democratic member of Congress from Massachusetts, a Jesuit priest, and a professor at Georgetown Law School. Drinan, offered a relatively outspoken view of Bush’s religious faith…

"He doesn't know much about Christianity, George Bush, with all due respect. He's using religion," said Drinan. Bush's opposition to gun control and support for the death penalty "are things that just offend against Christianity."

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=678

Posted by: Amy at April 6, 2005 09:41 PM

Amy

I hope this is a sign of things to come.

I apologize for not catching your comment earlier, it's been a busy day!

Kerry News!

Kerry: Publicize Benefit for Vets
7 April 2005

In today’s Boston Herald, John Kerry called on MA state officials urging them “to better publicize a little-known benefit to disabled vets.” Kerry was prompted to speak out after reading Mike Barnicle’s column yesterday about Paul Bartell, “a cash-strapped North End veteran who lost both legs in Vietnam.”

Bartell has been eligible since 1968 for the annual $1,500 disability annuity, according to the state. But he was not aware he qualified until three years ago - and because the benefits are not granted retroactively, he lost out on $13,000 over the years.

“I'm just glad the Herald exposed how veterans are falling through the cracks,” Kerry said. “This is a test of our values as a state. We should be working across the aisle to make sure every veteran in our state gets every penny they deserve for putting their bodies on the line for our freedom.”

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=679

Papers about to report that Sen. Martinez had links to Schiavo memo
by John in DC - 4/6/2005 09:33:00 PM
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/04/papers-about-to-report-that-sen.html

Posted by: oncall at April 6, 2005 11:51 PM

Ah yes, in the WaPo this morning...but the little guy takes the hit, not the senator, who of course, "said he earlier had been assured by aides that his office had nothing to do with producing the memo. "I never did an investigation, as such," he said. "I just took it for granted that we wouldn't be that stupid. It was never my intention to in any way politicize this issue.""

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32554-2005Apr6.html
The legal counsel to Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) admitted yesterday that he was the author of a memo citing the political advantage to Republicans of intervening in the case of Terri Schiavo, the senator said in an interview last night.

Brian H. Darling, 39, a former lobbyist for the Alexander Strategy Group on gun rights and other issues, offered his resignation and it was immediately accepted, Martinez said.

Law would put 'In God We Trust' in schools
Thursday, April 07, 2005

By Bill Toland, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG -- The national statement of faith, "In God We Trust," has been appearing on coins since 1864, and has been the country's motto since 1956. But should it be appearing in each of Pennsylvania's tens of thousands of public classrooms?

A proposed law, now awaiting action in the state House, would require the motto to appear in every public school classroom, auditorium and cafeteria in Pennsylvania

http://postgazette.com/pg/05097/484170.stm

There is hope... And there's still time to spend some of our 5 minutes a day on democracy to contact Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and tell him why you think Bolton is a bad choice for the US's UN ambassador. You'll find some good reasons at this site:
http://www.stopbolton.org/

Today's NYT also has an article you might want to read: http://tinyurl.com/6umj2

Here's contact info for Sen. Chafee from www.congress.org:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/?id=40039&lvl=C&chamber=S

Washington Office:
141A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3904
Phone: (202) 224-2921
Fax: (202) 228-2853

Main District Office:
170 Westminster St., Ste. 1100
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 453-5294
Fax: (401) 453-5085

Than you Defarge:

I have been urging the same all week. Chafee is the swing vote, is reportedly undecided, and his Fundraiser personally emailed me after I sent my letter and told me that our letters are weiging on the Senator's decision regarding the Boulton nomination. This weekend Chafee is having a large fundraising party(unless cancelled b/c of the Pope).
Thank you.

Thank You.

Just wrote to Cheffee. Hope it helps!

Ummm, that would be CHAFEE.
Jeez