February 08, 2008
175+ Businesses, Organizations, Activists Urge Members of Congress to Join House Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucus
WASHINGTON, DC - February 7 - In a letter sent today, 176 businesses, organizations, and individual activists called upon Members of Congress who have not yet joined the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RE/EE) Caucus to do so.
Posted by doctormatt at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)
January 31, 2008
Breath taking arrogation of power - Bush's latest Signing Statements
United For Peach and Justice calls for Impeachment.
(Bush's latest Monarchical power grab makes my stomach turn.
When will the Democrats get some backbone and impeach this brazen elitist? Ed.)
New York, NY -- United for Peace and Justice, the country's largest anti-war coalition with over 1400 member groups, condemns President Bush's continued arrogant and unconstitutional use of signing statements.
On Monday, Jan. 25, 2008, President Bush released a signing statement claiming the right to violate four sections of H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which he had just signed into law. These four sections: 841, 846, 1079, and 1222, Bush announced, would be "construed" in a manner "consistent with the constitutional authority of the President."
Among the measures Bush's latest signing statement declares the right to violate are: the establishment of a commission to investigate U.S. contractor fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, the expansion of whistleblower protections, a requirement that U.S. intelligence agencies respond to congressional requests for documents, a ban on funding permanent bases in Iraq, and a ban on funding any actions that exercise U.S. control over Iraq's oil money.
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/print_friendly.php?p=opedne_ufpj_080131_peace_movement_3a_bush.htm
Continue reading "Breath taking arrogation of power - Bush's latest Signing Statements"
Posted by Admin at 08:28 PM | Comments (0)
Act now for TN verifiable ballots
Support The Voter Confidence Act Of 2007" -- SB 1363/HB 1256
We are entering into a critical period for the future of voter-verified paper ballots in Tennessee to be in place in time for the November 2008 election. We have made significant progress but face some of our toughest hurdles yet. We can still do it. But, we really need your help.
Here are 4 things you can do to help us achieve this goal in Tennessee. Please do as many of these as you can between now and Tuesday, January 29, when the House State and Local Government Committee considers the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act (HB 1256) (They will meet in Room 16 of the Legislative Plaza from 12 to1:30 pm):
Thanks to Vote Safe Tennessee!
Continue reading "Act now for TN verifiable ballots"
Posted by doctormatt at 09:51 AM
November 08, 2007
URGENT: Contact the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and Ask for Impeachment of Cheney and Bush
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/judiciarycommittee
Posted by doctormatt at 09:00 AM
November 01, 2007
CCR Calls For Senate To Vote Down Attorney General Nomination
Attorneys Say Mukasey Wrong On Torture, Illegal Spying, Presidential Powers
NEW YORK - November 1 -Today the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement against the nomination of Michael Mukasey for the next Attorney General of the United States:
Michael Mukasey is not fit to be Attorney General because he supports torture, illegal spying on Americans, and limitless powers for the Executive Branch. He made clear in the Senate confirmation hearing and in his letter to the Senate that he does not understand the difference between the role of the Attorney General and the role of Counsel to the President.
Continue reading "CCR Calls For Senate To Vote Down Attorney General Nomination"
Posted by doctormatt at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2007
Local Community Radio Act of 2007
Heads up, everybody -- the Senate Commerce Committee is due to vote on
Tuesday as to whether or not community groups across the country should
be able to build their own community radio stations.
Continue reading "Local Community Radio Act of 2007"
Posted by doctormatt at 10:58 PM
October 28, 2007
Support Ron Paul's "American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007"
Call your Representative today and ask him to co-sponsor.
"Should we wander in moments of error or alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety." - Thomas Jefferson, upon repealing the "Alien and Sedition Acts"
The American Freedom Agenda Act (introduced by Representative Ron Paul) will:
* Repeal the Military Commissions Act of 2007 and thereby restore the ancient right of habeas corpus and end legally sanctioned torture by U.S. government agents
* Restore the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and thereby outlaw warrantless spying on American citizens by the President of the United States
* Give Congress standing in court to challenge the President's use of "signing statements" as a means to avoid executing the nation's laws
* Make it illegal for government agents to kidnap people and send them abroad to be tortured by foreign governments
* Provide legal protection to journalists who expose wrong-doing by the Federal government
* Prohibit the use of secret evidence to label groups or individuals as terrorists for the purpose of criminal or civil sanctions
If ever there was a bill that all Americans should support, it is this one.
Posted by doctormatt at 11:03 PM
October 27, 2007
American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007
An Act, introduced by Ron Paul:
PDF file
http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org/storage/afagenda/documents/AFA%20Act%20text.pdf
Posted by doctormatt at 02:07 AM
American Freedom Campaign
The American Freedom Campaign is an organization that has as its goal to put restoration of the Constitution on the agenda for Democratic presidential candidates, roughly parallel to the goal of the American Freedom Agenda for Republican candidates, although Democratic and Republican candidates could sign on to both pledges. It was launched in July 2007 by The Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch and MoveOn.
The group urges presidential candidates to sign its "American Freedom Pledge", which reads:
We are Americans, and in our America we do not torture, we do not imprison people without charge or legal recourse, allow our phones and emails to be tapped without a court order, and above all we do not give any President unchecked power. I pledge to fight to protect and defend the Constitution from assault by any President. The Constitution protects American Freedom. With checks and balances, and basic legal rights, it has prevented tyranny and safeguarded our liberty. Yet today, under the pretense of the "war on terror," the White House is dismantling the Constitution, concentrating power in the President and undermining the rule of law. THIS IS UN-AMERICAN. I hereby join the American Freedom Campaign to educate my neighbors about the threat and urge my representatives to confront and correct these abuses of our America.
http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org/
Posted by doctormatt at 01:42 AM
October 26, 2007
American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007
Call your congress critter and have them support this NOW!
Posted by doctormatt at 11:57 PM
October 08, 2007
11/9 Warmup for 12/7 National Caucus
When it comes to choosing our Presidential candidates, why does Iowa take priority over the rest of the country?
The National Presidential Caucus was created to give citizens across the country - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents - a chance to gather in small groups (up to 50 people) to discuss the candidates and vote.
Of course this vote is informal and will not choose any delegates for the convention. But it will get a lot of media coverage and will be a lot more meaningful than the polls - particularly for longer-shot candidates whose lower poll rankings reflects the Corporate Media's bias against them.
The full Caucus will be held on Friday December 7, using Meetup-style tools to help citizens connect. There will also be a Preliminary Straw Poll & Caucus Warmup on Friday, November 9, 2007
Democrats.com is a co-sponsor of the National Presidential Caucus. For more details:
http://www.nationalcaucus.com
Posted by doctormatt at 11:38 AM
October 05, 2007
Progressive agenda for week of 10-1-07
http://www.democrats.com/weekly-agenda
Posted by doctormatt at 11:10 AM
September 27, 2007
“The Future of LGBT Rights in Tennessee: Organizing, Educating and Litigating”
“The Future of LGBT Rights in Tennessee: Organizing, Educating and Litigating”
is the topic of the John Googin Memorial Lecture at ACLU-TN’s annual meeting on
October 4, 2007. Christine Sun, ACLU-TN LGBT Project Attorney, will discuss her
current work, as well as future strategies for building a strong coalition to
secure the rights of LGBT people in Tennessee.
The event is free and open to the public.
October 4, 2007
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Green Hills Branch Library
3701 Benham Avenue
Nashville, TN 37215
DIRECTIONS: From I-440, take Exit 3—the 21st Avenue South/Hillsboro Road exit.
Merge south onto Hillsboro Road. Turn left at the stoplight onto Glen Echo. Turn
left onto Benham Avenue. The library will be on your left. Parking is available in the library lot.
For more information, please ask for the flyer and press release, or contact
ACLU-TN at 615-320-7142.
Posted by doctormatt at 10:17 PM
September 22, 2007
General strike - 11/6/07
Of all the various depredations of the Bush regime, none has been so thorough as its plundering of hope. Iraq will recover sooner. What was supposed to have been the crux of our foreign policy—a shock-and-awe tutorial on the utter futility of any opposition to the whims of American power—has achieved its greatest and perhaps its only lasting success in the American soul. You will want to cite the exceptions, the lunch-hour protests against the war, the dinner-party ejaculations of dissent, though you might also want to ask what substantive difference they bear to grousing about the weather or even to raging against the dying of the light—that is, to any ritualized complaint against forces universally acknowledged as unalterable. Bush is no longer the name of a president so much as the abbreviation of a proverb, something between Murphy’s Law and tomorrow’s fatal inducement to drink and be merry today.
If someone were to suggest, for example, that we begin a general strike on Election Day, November 6, 2007, for the sole purpose of removing this regime from power, how readily and with what well-practiced assurance would you find yourself producing the words “It won’t do any good”? Plausible and even courageous in the mouth of a patient who knows he’s going to die, the sentiment fits equally well in the heart of a citizen-ry that believes it is already dead.
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/10/0081720
Continue reading "General strike - 11/6/07"
Posted by Admin at 11:32 PM
September 18, 2007
Forum on religion and 2008 election set for Sept. 20 at Vanderbilt
The dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School will speak on religion and the
2008 presidential election on Sept. 20 in the school’s first community
outreach of the fall semester.
James Hudnut-Beumler, the Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of
American Religious History and dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School,
will speak at the 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. community breakfast on Thursday,
Sept. 20. His topic will be “Religion and Politics in the 2008 Election: A Look
into the Future.”
“Religion is one of the many issues that the presidential candidates will
address during the election,” Hudnut-Beumler said. “As we look to the
future, we will discuss how questions of religion may influence the
political platforms of the 2008 election.”
The forum will be recorded for podcast on VUCast, the Web site of
Vanderbilt News Service, at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/news/
Posted by doctormatt at 05:46 PM
June 02, 2007
The future of Internet radio is in immediate danger.
The SaveNetRadio Coalition
Royalty rates for webcasters have been drastically increased by a recent ruling and are due to go into effect on July 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!).
If the increased rates remain unchanged, the majority of webcasters will go bankrupt and silent on this date. Internet radio needs your help! The Internet Radio Equality Act has recently been introduced in both the House (H.R. 2060) and Senate (S. 1353) to save the Internet radio industry.
Please call your senators and your representative to ask them to co-sponsor the Internet Radio Equality Act by clicking below.
Posted by doctormatt at 11:03 AM
May 27, 2007
Taming the Giant Corporation
Ralph Nader-Sponsored Conference to Tackle Corporate Power
WASHINGTON - MAY 25 - Corporations were originally chartered by the states in the early nineteenth century to be our servants not our masters. Now the servant has become master.
From June 8-10, hundreds of leading scholars, advocates and activists will convene in Washington, D.C. to discuss how to subordinate raw corporate power to the will of the people. "Taming the Giant Corporation: A National Conference on Corporate Accountability," sponsored by Ralph Nader and the Center for Study of Responsive Law, will be held at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1530 P Street NW.
Continue reading "Taming the Giant Corporation"
Posted by Admin at 08:45 AM
May 25, 2007
ATHEISTS ENDORSE "RALLY FOR REASON" PROTEST AT OPENING OF CREATIONIST MUSEUM
AMERICAN ATHEISTS today announced its full support for the "Rally for Reason" protest slated for Monday, May 28, 2007 (Memorial Day) at the grand opening of a creationist "museum" operated by an evangelical religious group in Boone County, KY.
WHEN: Monday, May 28, 2007 (Memorial Day) beginning at 9:00 AM
MORE INFO: "Rally for Reason" web site at http://rallyforreason.arkonuts.com
http://rallyforreason.arkonuts.com
Continue reading "ATHEISTS ENDORSE "RALLY FOR REASON" PROTEST AT OPENING OF CREATIONIST MUSEUM"
Posted by doctormatt at 07:38 AM
May 19, 2007
James Comey's riveting testimony revealed the following impeachable offenses:
1. George Bush authorized a massively criminal program of spying on thousands of Americans without a warrant in direct violation of FISA
2. When that program needed re-authorization, George Bush sent his Chief of Staff and his White House Counsel to "persuade" a semi-conscious hospital patient to re-authorize an illegal program this patient had no legal authority to authorize because he was not the Attorney General at that time, a fact that was well known to everyone involved
3. When that semi-conscious hospital patient explicitly refused to authorize the illegal program on the grounds that it was illegal, George Bush authorized it anyway, thus knowingly committing another crime
It's no wonder George Bush refused to deny that he sent Gonzales and Card to Ashcroft's hospital bed.
Continue reading "James Comey's riveting testimony revealed the following impeachable offenses:"
Posted by Admin at 12:58 AM
May 06, 2007
Stop Baroody
"I am the Appointmenter."
I appointed a former coal exec to oversee mine safety and a former Exxon CEO to solve our energy crisis.
Now I am nominating Michael Baroody, who has lobbied for 13 years against product safety laws, to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
It's outrageous!
President Bush has nominated Michael Baroody - one of Corporate America's leading anti-consumer henchmen - to head the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) - our top government agency protecting millions of Americans from injury and death from unsafe products.
For the past 13 years, Michael Baroody has served as Executive Vice President at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) - a K Street lobbying behemoth devoted to helping big manufacturers evade accountability for their wrongdoing.
Continue reading "Stop Baroody"
Posted by Admin at 01:20 AM
May 05, 2007
Speaker Pelosi is taking a tally for IMPEACHMENT:
From a Code Pink list:
"PLEASE CALL Nancy Pelosi's office right now. Here's the deal as forwarded to me:
House Speaker Pelosi's office is taking calls voting for Impeachment of Bush/Cheney at 202-225-0100. For toll free numbers to Congress: (800) 828 - 0498, (800) 459 - 1887, (800) 614 - 2803, (866) 340 - 9281, (866) 338 - 1015, (877) 851 - 6437
Folks, each of you who have been wanting impeachment need to commit right now to ask at least 10 others to call and ask each person to commit to asking 10 others to call and so on. It needs to happen fast and NOW.
Let's deluge the Speaker's office with demands for Impeachment of Bush AND Cheney. Congressman Kucinich (http://kucinich.us) has recently introduced legislation to impeach Dick Cheney (See Washington Post article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR200704...). Please mention Kucinich's House Resolution 333 when you call.
Posted by doctormatt at 01:14 AM
April 21, 2007
Truth or Consequences play at Barking Legs
The play at the Barking Legs theater, Truth or Consequences, is a fund raiser for the Chattanooga Community Kitchen.
Thousands of Chattanoogans live paycheck to paycheck. They are just one medical crisis or lost job away from needing the safety net provided by the Community Kitchen, and our other local charities.
The play describes Truth and Consequences on several levels.
On the surface, it's an entertaining courtroom drama in which Bush and Cheney defend themselves against criminal charges of fraud about their case for initially invading Iraq.
On a deeper level, it's about the economic choices that were made, and that continue to be made.
The National Priorities Project web site lists the cost of the war, and describes how else we might have spent these dollars.
Here's a truth. In our 3d U.S. Congressional District, represented by Zach Wamp, through 2007 we will have spent $75 million dollars on the Iraq war.
Now consider the social opportunities that we've missed.
We want to build a better local economy, and to do that, attract good paying employers who are looking for well educated workers.
$75M could have paid for 4-year college scholarships for 140,000 students.
Or, it could have paid for 8,000 affordable housing units, or paid for the health care of 50,000 children during these past 4 years of the war.
These lost opportunities are the consequences of our choices.
There are many other global consequences. For example, foreign policy experts agree that our ongoint occupation actually increases the risk of terrorism to the U.S. because it's a great recruiting tool for Al Quada.
Please come see the play at the Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds, tonight Saturday April 21, and next Friday - Saturday April 27-28 at 7:30.
Tickets are $10, or $8 and 2 canned goods.
Posted by doctormatt at 08:20 AM
April 11, 2007
Network with Tennessee Progressives this Saturday.
How would you like to spend this Saturday day listening to inspired
speakers, networking with like-minded people, engaging in passionate
discussion about pressing social issues, watching informative
documentary films, grooving to great music and browsing a unique
bookshop with hard-to-find books you've been looking for?
Continue reading "Network with Tennessee Progressives this Saturday."
Posted by Admin at 01:50 PM
April 09, 2007
April 28 = Impeach Bush Day
http://www.a28.org
Posted by doctormatt at 10:11 PM
April 08, 2007
Come participate in the play Truth or Consequences
The Chattanooga Progressive Players will present a fund raiser for the Chattanooga Community Kitchen the last 2 weekends in April.
The play, Truth or Consequences, is an edited and updated version of the original play A Nation Deceived by Craig Barnes.
(See http://www.anationdeceived.org)
In it, Bush and Cheney are on trial, defending themselves against charges they defrauded Congress and the American people about the real reasons they invaded Iraq.
The audience plays a critical role, as the Jury in the Court of Public Opinion.
Tickets are $10 at the door. Doors open 1 hour before show time.
The show starts at 7:30PM on Friday and Saturday April 20-21 and 27-28 at the Barking Legs theater, 1307 Dodds Ave in Chattanooga.
Posted by doctormatt at 03:41 PM
April 06, 2007
Harold Ford coming to town
Want to remind Harold Ford that there are Liberals in Tennessee?
Here's the announcement from the HamDems.org web site about Harold coming to Chattanooga:
Harold Ford Jr. will be at the Sheraton hotel on Broad Street this coming
Thursday night to speak.
Continue reading "Harold Ford coming to town"
Posted by doctormatt at 05:19 AM
March 28, 2007
Call your Senators weekly - 800-828-0498, 800-459-1887 or 800-614-2803.
Barbara Lee, the sponsor of a TRUE "end the war" amendment was
pragmatic afterwards, recognizing that she might have only gotten 100 votes for her measure, even if that vote had been allowed by Pelosi. Why? The answer is self-evident. They need to hear from MORE of us.
Continue reading "Call your Senators weekly - 800-828-0498, 800-459-1887 or 800-614-2803."
Posted by doctormatt at 07:58 AM
March 27, 2007
After the House Vote, What’s To Be Done?
The House Democratic leadership (which includes people who opposed the Iraq war from the start) decided that it was crucial to pass an Iraq supplemental with a timeline for withdrawal – even a slow one with loopholes – to get Bush and the
Republicans isolated and on the defensive in support of an unpopular, unending,
unwinnable occupation. It is a good thing that, for the first time, something
approaching a deadline has been imposed on Iraq by a House of Congress.
The bill narrowly passed on Friday – because of the votes of progressive
Out-of-Iraq Congress members who disliked many aspects of the bill. It may get weakened through Senate action; if not, Bush has pledged to veto it.
The bad news is that the House bill funds Bush’s troop surge and won’t bring our troops home until a Sept 1, 2008 “deadline” – with provisions allowing troops to stay in Iraq beyond that on vaguely-defined “training” or “anti-terrorism” missions. (That’s why a group of progressive Congress
members – including Barbara Lee, Lynn Woolsey, Maxine Waters, Diane Watson, John Lewis and Dennis Kucinich – felt the need to stand firm and vote no.)
Continue reading "After the House Vote, What’s To Be Done?"
Posted by Admin at 08:16 AM
March 23, 2007
Why the Progressive Caucus Should Vote No on the War Money
The Supplemental spending bill proposed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi funds the war. It gives Cheney and Bush roughly another $100 billion. And you can be quite sure they will spend it as they choose, which may include attacking Iran.
Continue reading "Why the Progressive Caucus Should Vote No on the War Money"
Posted by Admin at 09:16 AM
March 21, 2007
Support Honest Reporting - Asheville Global Report
Despite being mired in two increasingly costly and bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration appears to be on a collision course with another official foe: Iran. Beyond the usual pronouncements that shy away from suggestions of war, the Pentagon has continued its military build-up in and around the Persian Gulf with the deployment of a second aircraft carrier battle group and a battery of Patriot missiles.
Continue reading "Support Honest Reporting - Asheville Global Report"
Posted by Admin at 06:03 PM
March 17, 2007
TELL CONGRESS TO DO THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY AND IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY NOW
Call your members of Congress now toll free at 800-828-0498, 800-459-1887 or
800-614-2803.
ACTION PAGE: http://www.peaceteam.net/impeachment_now3.php
Continue reading "TELL CONGRESS TO DO THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY AND IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY NOW"
Posted by Admin at 08:36 AM
February 21, 2007
Bush in Chattanooga 2/21/07
In case you wish to express yourself -
Bush landing in Chattanooga Wednesday Feb 21 at approximately 11AM.
Bush will only be at Erlanger for ~20 minutes.
He will, however, be at the convention center for a long time.
A peaceful demonstration will be held from 11-2 across the street from the
convention center, on the sidewalk of Carter St.
Email Matt Pullen at matthew.pullen@gmail.com for more
information.
Posted by doctormatt at 12:37 AM
February 14, 2007
The Occupation Project
A Campaign of Sustained, Nonviolent Civil Disobedience to End Iraq War Funding
On February 5, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered his infamous speech to the United Nations in which he set forth the deceptions about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction program. At the conclusion of his speech, no doubt remained: the U.S. invasion of Iraq was imminent.
On February 5, 2007, the Occupation Project will launch a campaign of sustained nonviolent civil disobedience focused upon Representatives and Senators who refuse to publicly pledge to vote against any additional funding for the Iraq war. The campaign will continue at least through the start of April. Let there be no doubt that the antiwar movement will use all means of nonviolence to end our country's war in and occupation of Iraq.
Continue reading "The Occupation Project"
Posted by Admin at 02:34 AM
January 21, 2007
How Congress Can Stop the Iran Attack - Or be Complicit in Nuclear War Crimes
President Bush is invoking his "commander in chief" authority to escalate the war in Iraq, and he will likely also invoke it to launch an aerial attack against Iran. Congress has long ago abdicated and delegated to the President its constitutional responsibility to initiate wars. Yet Congress still has one surefire way to influence events: it has the constitutional authority to make the "nuclear option" against Iran illegal. In so doing, it would stop the relentless drive to war against Iran dead in its tracks.
Continue reading "How Congress Can Stop the Iran Attack - Or be Complicit in Nuclear War Crimes"
Posted by Admin at 10:24 PM
January 15, 2007
Support BINDING Legislation To Stop Bush's Escalation In Iraq
Support BINDING Legislation To Stop Bush's Escalation In Iraq
Here are toll-free numbers you can use to call your own members of Congress right now, 800-828-0498, 800-459-1887 or 800-614-2803, and tell them NO ESCALATION.
There were no terrorists in Iraq to go to war AGAINST, except ones the Bush and Cheney themselves elevated by their reckless occupation. And continuing the occupation there will just breed two more local insurgents for every one they pick off in a photo-op bombing.
Continue reading "Support BINDING Legislation To Stop Bush's Escalation In Iraq"
Posted by Admin at 08:55 PM