Bringing Leonard Peltier into the presidential debate

As we welcome in a New Year the name of wrongfully-jailed Indian activist Leonard Peltier should be brought into the presidential primary debate. Historian Harvey Wasserman says:

The Clintons are running for a third term in the White House. As expected, their first eight years in office are being given thorough scrutiny. Everything from NAFTA to Bosnia, from Monica to health care, are going rightfully under the microscope.

The disagreements are deep and generally predictable. But it is equally predictable that there is one issue---one man--- being totally ignored by the mainstream media. His case marks the moral low point of the Clinton Era. He deserves to be a part of the primary process.

His name is Leonard Peltier.

Amnesty International and a host of other independent global observers have long since confirmed that the FBI intimidated witnesses, withheld evidence, falsified affidavits and perpetrated every other dirty trick they could find to slap Peltier behind bars.

Although in his somewhat belated plea for Peltier, Wasserman focuses on the Clintons the issue of a new trial for Leonard should also be raised with Barack Obama and John Edwards

Letterman's World Wide Pants signs with Writer's Guild

As you may already know as of Wednesdsay Jan. 2 the late-night talk shows that have been showing repeats will return with original shows. This includes Late Night with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with Conan O'Brien, plus several others. Only Letterman and Ferguson's shows are returning with union writers. The others are scab shows which any progressive person should boycott - most Sag members will not appear. Here are a couple of exerpts from a letter from the writers' Guild regarding the matter:

We are writing to let you know that have reached a contract with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company that puts his show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson back on the air with Guild writers. This agreement is a positive step forward in our effort to reach an industry-wide contract. While we know that these deals put only a small number of writers back to work, three strategic imperatives have led us to conclude that this deal, and similar potential deals, are beneficial to our overall negotiating efforts.

Side-by-side with this agreement, and any others that we reach, are our ongoing strike strategies. In the case of late-night shows, our strike pressure will be intense and essential in directing political and SAG-member guests to Letterman and Ferguson rather than to struck talk shows. At this time, picket lines at venues such as NBC (both Burbank and Rockefeller Center), The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the Golden Globes are essential. Outreach to advertisers and investors will intensify in the days ahead and writers will continue to develop new media content itself to advance our position.

Bhutto assassinated: administration and candidate rhetoric follows

Well we're back!
I'll tell you the story of our adventures in Lincoln, Neb. Suffice it to say we had a great time, especially with our new grand-nephew Finn (photos coming).

We heard about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto when we were still in Lincoln. In the days ahead there will be much to say about this tragic event for Pakistan. But for the moment let me just say that for a long time I have believed that - contrary to the rhetoric of those like virtually all the presidential candidates labelling Iraq as the forefront in the fight against terrorism - any fool should see it's more likely Pakistan and Afghanistan. That doesn't give us any license to interfere in either of these countries. But simply to get out of Iraq. Despite the fact that it's also clear that Islamic fringe terrorists want us to stay. They also want us to interfere in Iran and Pakistan. The longer we continue to occupy predominantly Islamic nations we enhance the "terrorist's" anti-U.S. rhetoric.

The best initial analysis of this tragedy that I have seen is by Robert Parry.

Happy Holiday - however you celebrate

We're off for a few days of family cheer back Thursday

Have a Great Holiday - However you celebrate it - and Whoever or Whatever you Worship

Ted Glick ends 107-day climate crisis fast

Our old comrade Ted Glick just ended his 107 day-climate-crisis fast. Here is his report on the fast and its end which coincided with the end of this session of Congress.

Ted is the coordinator of the U.S. Climate Emergency Council. He can be reached
at indpol@igc.org or P.O. Box 1132, Bloomfield, N.J. 07003.


Future Hope column, Dec. 21, 2007

Ending the 2007 Fast

by Ted Glick

Two days ago, December 19th, Congress’ last day of work for this fall, following
the House’s vote in support of $70 billion in no-strings-attached money for the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and, as a result, in support of an appropriations bill
for 2008 that includes almost $30 billion in loan guarantees for nukes and coal,
I began to eat solid foods.

The first things that I used my teeth to chew on since September 4th, the day Congress
returned from its summer recess, were a regular potato and a sweet potato, followed
by some mixed vegetables.

It was good to eat, but it would have been much, much better if the end to this
fast were not so bittersweet.

I do give thanks that a pretty weak energy bill was passed which does represent
the beginnings of a turn away from our fossil fuel addiction, as limited as that
bill is and problematic as parts of it are, particularly its dramatic support for
corn-based and other forms of ethanol.

On the other hand, perhaps it was fitting that the continued dominance over this
Congress by the oil, coal, nuclear and gas interests was made clear by these last
few days of voting. Because of that dominance there was virtually no money for renewable
energy in the energy bill that was signed by Bush on the 19th, while an extremely
modest effort to repeal tax breaks for oil companies in that bill was threat-of-filibustered
out.

And that awkward wording is deliberate. There wasn’t a filibuster, just a threat
of one, the tactic used by Republicans over and over this year, the tactic the Democrats
only once called their bluff on, and that in a half-hearted way.

When will we have leadership in Congress that stands up to evil?

And these people are evil. I called the Bush/Cheney gang “climate criminals” on
Democracy Now during a December 11th interview. That’s what they are, liars, deceivers,
obstructionists–evil.

In this Christmas season, the words of Jesus come to mind: “love your enemies.”
Yes, we should love these enemies by confronting them, by getting as close to them
as we can, and telling them that they need to be “born again” to the truth of what
they are doing so that, like Paul on the road to Damascus, they can become powerful
witnesses to help the world take the necessary steps so that we and our descendants,
the seventh generation, can have a future worth living for, worth living in.

Are there any people with a conscience left within the Bush administration?

Fortunately, outside of that administration more and more of us are stepping it
up. That is where my hope for the future comes from. That is why I intend to begin
fasting again after the first of the year.

Every Monday, for an indefinite period of time, certainly for many months, I will
eat no food and drink water only.

I don’t want to forget or lose touch with the many, many positive things that have
happened on this 107-day, 2007 climate emergency fast:

-the expressions of support and appreciation from so many people, friends, relatives,
co-workers, people I didn’t know before. All of us need to feel appreciated, and
I’m no different. To feel that support was very strengthening;

-the daily remembrance of what is being done to our earth and all of its life forms
because of the actions of powerful, evil people; the sense of connection to those
suffering as a result; and the heightened appreciation of the need for me to do
all that I can to help to change those realities;

-the sense that I was playing as effective a role as I could within the climate
movement and the larger progressive movement, that my willingness to take action
on a daily basis amplified what I had to say;

-the personal weight loss which, while greater (45 pounds) than what is healthy
for me long-term, will hopefully help me to be more disciplined as I return to eating
and keep my weight where it should be;

-and finally, the truly amazing things that happened on this fast that never would
have if I wasn’t doing it. Like the vivid dream I had on the 12th night followed
the next day by an interpretation of it by a prominent Indigenous leader who by
some coincidence or by fate was with me at a conference. Or the close friend and
fellow activist who asked me to pray to Jesus with him for the strength to carry
on, day to day, with this sometimes difficult work. Or the many young people at
the Power Shift conference who came up to me and thanked me for what I was doing.
Or the sense of connection I had, especially during the water-only, first 25 days,
with the plants and animals I encountered as I walked around the neighborhood in
Takoma Park, Md. where I was staying.

I hope other people will want to join with me on this every-Monday, 2008 climate
emergency fast. We can’t forget that our energies and our commitment are needed
now, right now, that 2008 will be a critical year in our desperate struggle to slow,
stop and reverse the path toward the cliff we are being driven by those in power.

Sale of Olive Branch Palestinian Olive Oil

From Brooklyn for Peace
Support Palestinian farmers and families by purchasing fairly-traded olive oil from small farmer cooperatives in the West Bank. Olive Branch Olive Oil comes to us from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) a non-profit non-governmental organization in the West Bank.

Enjoy delicious, extra-virgin, first-cold-pressed olive oil, produced without pesticides or sprays. (Palestinian farmers traditionally care for their trees without the use of pesticides or sprays. The process is underway for obtaining organic certification.) Bottled in dark green glass bottles for optimal storage, to avoid light; storage advised in cool conditions.

Support tree re-planting and other development projects in Palestine.

Give gifts of olive oil as a way to initiate conversation with friends and family about conditions in Palestine.

Price: $20 per 750 ml bottle.
A portion of the purchase price is donated to tree replanting and other development projects in the West Bank. Proceeds also support the ongoing peace and justice work of Brooklyn For Peace.

Boycott Leno and O'Brien and their sponsors and guests

According to a Reuters' report Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien have announced that they will put on scab shows as of Jan. 2

Late-night TV comedians Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien said on Monday they will resume taping their shows on January 2, and cross picket lines if necessary, after nearly two months off the air in support of striking film and television writers.

With no end in sight to Hollywood's worst labor clash in 20 years, the hosts of NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" said they were returning for the sake of scores of co-workers idled by the strike.

It seems obvious to me that Leno is going back on the air because David Lettermen who owns his own show is negotiating a separate agreement with the writer's union. Leno knows that his show will tank if Letterman goes back on the air with original shows. Don't believe that nonsense about doing it for their non-writing staff. The worst part of this new development is that Leno and O'Brien are members of the writers' union. In other words, they will be scabbing against their own union. I think traitor is the right label for that kind of behavior.

Obviously everyone should communicate to NBC that they won't watch Leno and O'Brien's scab shows. But we should make it clear that we will boycott any one who sponsors these scab shows and also boycott the films and music of any stars who appear on the shows to promote their products. These seem to be the least we can do.

A new letter to Sen. Schumer re: Mukasey

I am sending the following letter to Sen. Chuck Schumer regarding his support of Michael Mukasey for Attorney-General:

Dear Sen. Schumer,

I am again writing about your questionable support of Michael Mukasey for Attorney-General. The New York Times reported on Saturday that "The Justice Department and the C.I.A.'s inspector general have begun a preliminary inquiry into the destruction of tapes, and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey said the department would not comply with Congressional requests for information now because of 'our interest in avoiding any perception that our law enforcement decisions are subject to political influence.'

I don't think any of us who were suspicious of your support of Mukasey because of his disingenuous testimony during his confirmation hearings thought he would come back to bite you so soon. I don't know what kind of person he was before he entered the Bush/Cheney dimension, but like all others who enter there he is carrying their contaminated water. You said you were supporting him to avoid Bush appointing an interim AG who wouldn't put the department back on its feet. Is denying the constitutional independence of congress what you meant?

It's clear who Mukasey believes he works for (and it's not the American people). The question is now, who do you work for? And what are you going to do to stop Mukaey's stonewalling of Congress. He is after all your responsibility.

Mukasey's explanation of his refusal to cooperate with Congress holds about as much water as did his testimony on water boarding before Congress. We simply can't afford Gonzales redux. Now it's up to you to fight for the Constitutional independence of Congress and its right to investigate the executive branch.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Dan Cohen
(gaelinc@gmail.com)

Dec. 19: Rally to support Vermont impeachment walker Nirenberg

I have gotten a number of e-mails about this event. Whatever your particular position on impeachment of the presidential Bush and the vice-presidential Dick, we need to support Vermont impeachment walker Nirenberg:

New Yorkers Welcome Vermonter John Nirenberg Walking from Boston to Washington, DC to Deliver His Message for Impeachment to Nancy Pelosi

Elizabeth Holtzman, former Congresswoman and leading Impeachment expert and advocate joins March in My Name's John Nirenberg at

A rally at St. Mark's in-the-Bowery,
131 East 10th Street,
Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

New York's grass roots, anti-war, pro-impeachment and civil liberties activists will gather to greet John Nirenberg who is walking 485 miles from Boston to Washington, DC. He will be arriving in New York City on Wednesday, December 19, and attend a rally in the evening at 4:30 p.m. at the Parish Room at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery.

John Nirenberg, Elizabeth Holtzman, Clarice Torrence, President, NY Metro Area Postal Union, APWU, AFL-CIO and others will gather to speak on this most urgent issue of our day.

Christie Whitman: truth or judicial consequences

(Photo: Mark Wilson/
Getty Images)

The N.Y. Daily News reported on Tuesday that a Justice department lawyer defending former Environmental Protection Agency head Christie Whitman against claims by lower Manhattan residents that she "lied about air quality after the 9/11 attacks and should have to pay for medical monitoring and a cleanup" "warned the appeals panel that if Whitman can be held personally responsible, public officials will remain mum after future disasters."

Now let me get this straight. If Whitman lied (presumably at the behest of her bosses in the Bush administration), making her take responsibility for this action which may have endangered the health of lower Manhattan residents, government officials will in the future opt "to say nothing."

So, if we hold government officials responsible for what they say in the future they will shut up when they are about to lie or don't know what they are talking about, that would be a bad thing. OK, then.

Sen. Schumer's response to my letter

Here is Sen. Schumer's response to my letter criticizing his support for Michael Mukasey for attorney general. There are several problems with Schumer's argument. (See my comments after the letter).

Dear Mr. Cohen:

Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to the nomination of Judge Michael B. Mukasey for attorney general.

As you may know, I voted in favor of Judge Mukasey’s nomination. I did so for one critical reason: the Department of Justice is a shambles and is in desperate need of a strong leader committed to depoliticizing the agency’s operations.

The department has been devastated under the Bush administration. Outstanding United States attorneys have been dismissed without cause; career civil-rights lawyers have been driven out in droves; people appear to have been prosecuted for political reasons; young lawyers have been rejected because they were not conservative ideologues; and politics have been allowed to infect decision-making.

We now have the potential to improve this critical department. There is virtually universal agreement, even from those who opposed Judge Mukasey, that he would do a good job in turning the department around. Indeed, my colleagues who opposed his confirmation have gone out of their way to praise his character and qualifications. More importantly, Judge Mukasey has demonstrated his fidelity to the rule of law, saying that if he believed the president were violating the law he would resign.

My colleagues and I, and many others, spent a great deal of time and effort to expose the failings of Alberto Gonzales. I did not want to see those failures continued by the installation of a caretaker, acting Attorney General who would do the bidding of Vice President Cheney and his Chief of Staff David Addington instead of working to get the Justice Department back on track.

I understand and respect those who believe that Judge Mukasey’s view on waterboarding should trump all other considerations. Like you, I believe that the cruel and inhumane technique of waterboarding is not only repugnant, but also illegal under current laws and conventions. I too found Judge Mukasey’s refusal to classify waterboarding as a form of torture unsatisfactory. Therefore, I hope Congress will soon pass S.1943, a bill I am cosponsoring to explicitly ban the use of waterboarding and other abusive interrogation techniques. Judge Mukasey not only made clear to me that the president would have no legal authority to ignore such legislation, but also pledged to enforce such a law. Some say such a law is unnecessary because waterboarding is already illegal – a view with which I fully agree. However, there appears to be enough dissention and confusion in the legal community, and within the White House, that a new law, which makes the illegality of waterboarding crystal clear, can only help.

Further, even if we don’t pass a new anti-waterboarding law, on the issue of torture we would be better off with Judge Mukasey than with a caretaker. The Judge has stated that he would abide by a court or Office of Legal Counsel ruling against the practice. We could certainly not expect the same from a caretaker appointee who would be more likely to embrace the theory of the unitary executive.

Had we rejected Judge Mukasey, President Bush made clear his intention to install an acting, caretaker attorney general who could serve for the rest of his term without the advice and consent of the Senate. To accept such an unaccountable attorney general, I believe, would be to surrender the department to the Administration’s extreme ideology and abandon the hope of instituting the many reforms called for by our investigation. I believe the rejection of Judge Mukasey would have been a symbolic victory in the short term, but it would have ultimately delayed reform at the Justice Department and, in all likelihood, caused more problems in the long run.

Indeed, it is my hope Judge Mukasey’s first weeks as attorney general are an indicator of his service to come. Days after he took office, the Justice Department reopened an internal investigation into the administration's warrantless surveillance program, which had stalled for over a year under his predecessor. More recently, the recall of the controversial U.S. attorney for Minnesota, whose radical views and poor management were symbolic of how far the Justice Department had fallen, is a tremendous step towards dismantling the legacy of Attorney General Gonzales. While there is certainly more to do, it is my hope that Judge Mukasey will do what it takes to remove the stench of politics from the Justice Department.

Again, thank you for contacting me on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can ever be of assistance to you on this or any other matter.



Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

As I said above there are several problems with Schumer's argument:

First of all he says: "I hope Congress will soon pass S.1943, a bill I am cosponsoring to explicitly ban the use of waterboarding and other abusive interrogation techniques. Judge Mukasey not only made clear to me that the president would have no legal authority to ignore such legislation, but also pledged to enforce such a law."

Sen. Schumewr and I both know even if such a bill were to pass this Congress (a highly unlikely event) the president would either veto it with some self serving excuse or attach a signing statement that would vitiate it and make it possible for Mukasey to continue to stonewall it.

Secondly, Schumer states: "Had we rejected Judge Mukasey, President Bush made clear his intention to install an acting, caretaker attorney general who could serve for the rest of his term without the advice and consent of the Senate. To accept such an unaccountable attorney general, I believe, would be to surrender the department to the Administration’s extreme ideology and abandon the hope of instituting the many reforms called for by our investigation."

When will Sen. Schumer stand up for what's right and represent justice and not continue to allow Bush to blackmail the Senate into cowering before his un-American activities. Although there are many ways in which the Cheney/Bush administration has made a right turn away from basic American values (I know its not the first administration to do so, but it's the one with which we currently have to deal), few better represent the core un-American aspects of this administration than its justification of torture as a legitimate method of acquiring information from prisoners.

Mukasey's response to the question about waterboarding made him no more than a cog in the Cheney/Bush right-wing machine. It's time for a change.

Dec. 9: Dissent is not Terrorism: Support Daniel McGowan

Dissent is not Terrorism

Sunday, December 9th at 1pm
Herald Square (6th Ave & 32nd St -- across from the mall)

Join Friends and Family of Daniel McGowan for a
demonstration as we commemorate the 2nd
Anniversary of Operation Backfire and resist the
U.S. government’s attempts to conflate dissent with terrorism.

During Operation Backfire, the Justice Department
charged animal rights and environmental activists
as terrorists. Though these activists destroyed
property, they never injured anyone. Yet the
influence of oil, logging and fur lobbyists on
government is so great the FBI continues to
maintain that property crimes are the number one
domestic terrorist threat facing the United States.

By 400-6, the House just passed the “Violent
Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention
Act,” which criminalizes "extremist belief system[s]."

The planet is heating up. The U.S. crusade in the
Middle East is breeding new hatreds and
injustices. Now, more than ever, we need to
resist the politicians and corporate chieftans
who are trying to criminalize our very ability to
tell them that there has to be a better way to live.

Further information is attached below and also at supportdaniel.org

Holiday gift ideas: Sale of Olive Branch Palestinian Olive Oil

Here's a great idea for holiday gift giving from Brooklyn for Peace:

Sale of Olive Branch Palestinian Olive Oil

Support Palestinian farmers and families by purchasing fairly-traded olive oil from small farmer cooperatives in the West Bank. Olive Branch Olive Oil comes to us from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) a non-profit non-governmental organization in the West Bank.

Enjoy delicious, extra-virgin, first-cold-pressed olive oil, produced without pesticides or sprays. (Palestinian farmers traditionally care for their trees without the use of pesticides or sprays. The process is underway for obtaining organic certification.) Bottled in dark green glass bottles for optimal storage, to avoid light; storage advised in cool conditions.

Support tree re-planting and other development projects in Palestine.

Give gifts of olive oil as a way to initiate conversation with friends and family about conditions in Palestine.

Price: $20 per 750 ml bottle.
A portion of the purchase price is donated to tree replanting and other development projects in the West Bank. Proceeds also support the ongoing peace and justice work of Brooklyn For Peace.

Olive Branch Olive Oil is bottled in dark green glass bottles to avoid light. Storage is advised under cool conditions. (Both light and heat are known enemies of olive oil.)

To arrange for pick-up times and locations, contact us at is.pales@brooklynpeace.org, or call 718-624-5921. (Sorry, we cannot mail to you.)

Provide your name, phone number, email, and desired number of bottles (maximum 6 bottles per customer), and where you prefer to pick up your order (Boerum Hill, Park Slope, or Flatbush locations). We will confirm your order, and set a date/time for you to pick up.

Additional information:
Olive oil is the backbone of the Palestinian agricultural economy. Eighty percent of cultivated land in Palestine is planted with olive trees; the olive harvest provides 25 to 50 percent of a farming family's annual income. Olive trees, many of which are hundreds of years old, hold a deep significance in the culture and economy of the Holy Land. As the political and economic situation in Palestine continues to deteriorate, with increased restrictions on the mobility of people, goods, and services, production and sale of olive oil has become a matter of basic survival for many Palestinian families. Buying Olive Branch Olive Oil is a constructive and tangible way in which we can help to alleviate poverty and build peace.

Olive Branch Olive Oil comes directly from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees a non-profit non-governmental organization in the West Bank. For over 20 years, PARC has been at the forefront of promoting Palestinian agriculture. PARC purchases its olive oil from 85 different small farmer cooperatives throughout rural Palestine and has been working in recent years to develop its Fair Trade Division which also exports dates, za'atar, and couscous from Gaza. PARC is a member of the Palestinian Free Trade Associations, and is the only Palestinian organization that has received the Palestine Standards Institution certification for its olive oil. In the U.S., Olive Branch Olive Oil is distributed from Boston.

Stop Bush's "endless war" agreement

I just signed a MoveOn.org petition to the Democrats to use their power (such as it is) in Congress to challenge Bush's "endless war" agreement with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to keep troops in Iraq forever (or at least the foreseeable future). Here's the plea from MoveOn:

Subject: Help to stop an endless occupation in Iraq

Hi,
Have you seen the news? President Bush is negotiating a deal with Iraq to keep our troops there indefinitely--it could include permanent bases and a massive military presence for years! Bush is trying to tie the hands of the next president.

Congress can stop him from setting up permanent bases in Iraq and block an indefinite occupation--but they need to hear a groundswell of pressure from us immediately and loudly so they act on this quickly.

I just signed a petition demanding that Congress stop the president from committing to a massive military presence in Iraq for decades. Can you join me?

Thanks

A letter from Cindy Sheehan on impeaching Cheney

A letter from Cindy Sheehan (via Chelsea Neighbors):

Dear Friends,

Please pass the word, we have received over 6000 letters to encourage the Speaker of the House to open investigation and impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney---in affect, allowing HR799 (which was HR333) to go forward from the House Judiciary Committee.

Pelosi's office has denied the rumor, but that should not mean we abrogate our responsibilities as members of this so-called Representative Republic. This will put the ball back in her court and she will probably miss and fail us again, but that does not mean that WE STOP TRYING!

We are still accepting letters and will deliver them when we reach 10,000, so please forward far and wide, again.

We have received them from all over the nation!

Send the letters to:
Nancy Pelosi
c/o Cindy for Congress
Re: Impeach Dick Cheney
1260 Mission St.
San Francisco, Ca 94103
We will not be opening the letters so please only include your letter to Nancy Pelosi in the envelope.

Love, peace & accountability,
Cindy

"People before Politics"
Support Cindy for Congress!

Chelsea Neighbors United To End The WarP.O. Box 821
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116-0821
212-726-1385
join our listerv: ChelseaNeighborsUnited

Nov. 28: Naomi Klein on "Torture and Democracy"

Torture and Democracy:
A conversation with Naomi Klein and Lisa Hajjar

Nov. 28, 6-8 PM

NYU
Hemmerdiinger Hall, Silver Center,
100 Washington Square East.

Admission is free of charge and open to all.

Journalist Naomi Klein’s books include No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies (HarperCollins 2000) and, most recently, the highly regarded The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Metropolitan Books, 2007). Lisa Hajjar’s most recent book is Courting Conflict: The Israeli Military Court System in the West Bank and Gaza (California, 2005).

Photo ID is required for admission to the building.

Part of the Beyond Empire Project of the Kevorkian Center and American Studies supported by NYU Humanities Council.

Democrats promise to honor news-writers' strike

Although the potential Democratic candidates for president in 2008 don't always act in ways that elicit confidence in their politics, they have acted in an atypical manner with regard to the potential news-writers' strike. Reuters reports:


"The writers strike is threatening to put on ice the December 10 Democratic presidential debate hosted by CBS News as the party’s front-runners say that they won’t cross a picket line.

"The strike also is cooling the ardor of the candidates and their spouses to appear on ABC’s “The View,” as the candidates and their spouses are refusing to cross the picket line to make appearances on the talker.

"In separate statements or interviews before the Thanksgiving holiday, the three front-runners said that they will honor picket lines set up by the CBS newswriters if they go on strike. The candidates also appeared willing to honor picket lines set up by the Writers Guild of America.

"The newswriters’ union has authorized a strike but has not yet called for a work stoppage. Striking WGA West members have set up picket lines in Los Angeles and could set up pickets at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, where soap operas, “The Price Is Right” and primetime shows are produced."

(more of this story)

Protest Bush's Middle East meetings

Major counter protest AGAINST Bush's Annapolis meeting

Tuesday, NOV. 27, 5:00 pm

In NYC: In front of Israeli Mission to the UN
42nd Street and 2nd Avenue,

also:

In Los Angeles: Highland Ave & Hollywood Blvd., 6:30 pm

In Boston: Park Street Station, 5:00 pm

In Charlotte NC: 7th St & Pecan Ave., 6:00pm

Free Palestine
Stop the siege of Gaza
Get out of Iraq
Stay out of Iran
Occupation & War do not make peace in the Middle East
Antiwar activists from across the region will gather in front of the Israeli Mission to the U.N. in NYC on Tuesday evening November 27 to protest the Annapolis “Peace” conference.

We are protesting because the meeting has more to do with strengthening President Bush’s war in Iraq and war plans against Iran, than attaining justice for the Palestinian people.

The following is an excerpt from a statement protesting the Annapolis meeting that has been signed by 400 antiwar leaders and activist across the U.S.

Antiwar Activist Support Call for Counter Protest Against Annapolis Meeting:

As an anti-war movement, we must ask ourselves: Can we allow the war criminals, who time after time have callously ignored the anti-war majority in the U.S. and globally, to get away with this outrageous farce?

Some may be confused about the purpose of the Annapolis meeting, so let’s speak plain truth: It isn’t really about peace and justice for Palestine – it’s about deception, occupation and war. It’s about isolating popular forces and countries that reject U.S. rule. It’s about attempting to force new concessions on the Palestinian people, while attempting to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and other Arab governments with Israel. All-the-while Tel Aviv continues its all-out assault on the Palestinian people. And it’s about preparing for a new war.

At this moment, Palestinians in Gaza are being deprived of food, fuel, medicines and other basic necessities by an economic embargo imposed by Israel and backed by the U.S. Meanwhile, more Israeli settlements, roads, walls and checkpoints are being set up in the West Bank each day. (For the full statement http://www.troopsoutnow.org/)

Cheney on invading Iraq before we did

Cheney on invading Irag in 1991:

How much credibility is that government going to have if it’s set up by the United States military when it’s there?

He added:

The notion that we ought to now go to Baghdad and somehow take control of the country strikes me as an extremely serious one in terms of what we’d have to do once we got there. You’d probably have to put some new government in place. It’s not clear what kind of government that would be, how long you’d have to stay. For the U.S. to get involved militarily in determining the outcome of the struggle over who’s going to govern in Iraq strikes me as a classic definition of a quagmire.

Cheney in 1994,

Once you got to Iraq and took it over, and took down Saddam Hussein’s government, then what are you going to put in its place? That’s a very volatile part of the world and if you take down the central government in Iraq, you can easily end up seeing pieces of Iraq fly off. How many additional dead Americans is Saddam worth? And our judgment was - not very many and I think we got it right.

Cheney in 2000:

[T]he only way you could have done that would be to go to Baghdad and occupy Iraq. If we’d done that, the U.S. would have been all alone. We would not have had the support of the coalition, especially of the Arab nations that fought alongside us in Kuwait. None of them ever set foot inside Iraq. Conversations I had with leaders in the region afterwards–they all supported the decision that was made not to go to Baghdad.
They were concerned that we not get into a position where we shifted instead of being the leader of an international coalition to roll back Iraqi aggression to one in which we were an imperialist power, willy-nilly moving into capitals in that part of the world taking down governments.

(Quotes from The Carpetbagger Report by Steve Benen)

Say NO to war against Iran! Upcoming events

From Brooklyn for Peace:

Tues Nov 27, 7:00 pm

Book reading, signing, and discussion
Targeting Iran:
Book Court, 163 Court Street (between Dean and Pacific)

Meet author David Barsamian
and contributors Ervand Abrahamian and Nahid Mozaffari
Targeting Iran presents a bracing exploration of Iran and its tangled relationship with the West.

Noam Chomsky is also a contributor to this book, which discusses the 1953 CIA coup and the rise of the Islamic regime; Iran's internal dynamics and competing forces; relations with Iraq and Afghanistan; and the consequences of U.S policy.

Train: F/G to Bergen; 2/3, 4/5 to Borough Hall; R/M to Court St; A/C or F to Jay St/Borough Hall
Sponsored by Brooklyn For Peace.
Questions: Call 718-624-5921 or e-mail bfp@brooklynpeace.org


Fri Nov 30, 6--9 pm

Military Families Speak Out
Holy Name Church,
207 W; 96th Street at Amsterdam Ave, Manhattan

Hear those most affected by the Iraq War:
Speakers will include: Ms. Nesreen, Iraqi educator;
Drew Mealing, Military Families Speak Out (topic: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Depleted Uranium;)
Bruce Wallace, Sept 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows & 121 Contact;
Veterans for Peace; & More

$10 admission if possible, no-one turned away; all donations welcome
Sponsor: Military Families Speak Out
Co-sponsor: Brooklyn For Peace
Questions? E-mail iraq@brooklynpeace.org

Say NO to war against Iran!
Negotiation, not confrontation!

Brooklyn For Peace calls for:
*Full and open negotiations with Iran on all issues
*Congressional legislation blocking funding for an attack on Iran
*Prohibition of presidential action without congressional approval
*Adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by all countries.
Click here to sign on-line petition "No War With Iran!"
For our flyer "Ten Reasons Not to Bomb Iraq (or threaten to do so)"
e-mail nowar@brooklynpeace.org or call 718-624-5921

Nov.27: Norman Finkelstein on Israel and Palestine

Tuesday, November 27, 7:30 pm

Israel and Palestine

JUDSON MEMORIAL CHURCH
55 Washington Square South, NYC
Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
Free for Brecht Forum Subscribers

Norman Finkelstein and Charles Glass

Two of the most thoughtful analysts of the politics of the Middle East examine the roots of the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the prospects for peace. With Bush's phoney "peace" meetings going on this is thew perfect time for clear thinking on the Middle East.

Embattled professor and penetrating analyst of the Middle East, Norman Finkelstein is the author several books including The Holocaust Industry and, most recently, Beyond Chutzpah. Charles Glass is a widely published journalist and author who was chief Middle East correspondent for ABC News from 1983-93. His most recent book is The Tribes Triumphant.

Nov. 20: Film on TV: The Creek Runs Red

This is a Firelight Media Film Corner Recommendation:

The Creek Runs Red airs on PBS this Tuesday, November 20th!

The Creek Runs Red, directed by Bradley Beesley, Julianna Brannum and James Payne, premieres on PBS' Independent Lens Tuesday, November 20. Check local listings for times in your area

"It gets in your blood," says a resident of Picher, Oklahoma about his sense of hometown pride. His words, however, take on a powerful irony in this documentary about the toxic legacy of Picher's lead mining industry. Since their town was declared a Superfund site in 1981, Picher's residents have been forced to choose between preserving their image of the American dream and preserving their health. The Creek Runs Red carries us into the heart of this sharply divided community to reveal with extraordinary intimacy and insight the full human tragedy of environmental catastrophe.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Vote NO on Republican's Iraq war

From: Democrats.com

Crucial Iraq Vote: Just Say No

On Wednesday, House Democrats will once again vote on a bill to "end" the occupation of Iraq - without actually cutting off the funds that keep the occupation going.

Speaker Pelosi's latest plan is a "bridge fund" of $50 billion that sets a "goal" of "redeploying" our troops by 12/15/08. Even if the bill miraculously passes the Senate, Bush will veto it or take the money and openly defy the redeployment "goal." So why is Speaker Pelosi once again playing Bush's game?

90 Democrats have signed the "Peace Pledge" opposing any more Iraq funds except to safely "redeploy" our troops by 1/09. But Pelosi's bill gives Bush the money he wants without the strict enforceable deadlines at the heart of the "Peace Pledge."

So we call on all "Peace Pledge" Democrats to honor their pledges by voting NO.

A new study by Democrats themselves puts the economic cost of the Iraq occupation at $1.6 TRILLION, or $21,000 per family. Every single penny has been wasted - not to mention the human cost to Americans and Iraqis and global hatred of the USA.

Why would Democrats want to give Bush one penny more?

All Congress has to do is Just Say No and refuse to provide any new funds, and tell Bush to use existing funds to bring all our troops safely home. Bush has plenty of money - besides all previous Iraq funds, Bush just signed a Pentagon bill with a $40 billion increase.

Tell your Representatives: No More Funds for Iraq

Deliver the same message on the phone: 202-224-3121

And send a message Democrats cannot ignore by joining the Democratic Donor Strike against the DCCC and DSCC.

Oppose the Peru Free Trade Agreement in the Senate

On Thursday, November 8th, the House of Representatives passed the Peru Free Trade Agreement.

See roll call for House vote here

Now we must oppose it in the Senate!

Call Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton and urge them to vote NO on the Peru Free Trade Agreement when it comes to a vote in the Senate this coming week.

Hillary Clinton's legislative assistant Andrew Shapiro at (202) 224-4451
Charles Schumer's legislative assistant Carmencita Whonder at (202) 224-6542

Or go to the PDA Action Alert to Call Senators:

Ask the legislative aide to tell you how the Senator intends to vote on the Peru Free Trade Agreement. Even if they will not give you an answer, (or if you are leaving a message) urge them to tell the Senator to vote NO on Peru Free Trade.

Why is this important?

The Peru free trade agreement, even in its revised form will:

- harm workers and family farmers in both countries,

- limit access to affordable generic medications for people with AIDS,

- lower food safety standards,

- damage the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people and wildlife who make it their home,

- lock in social security privatization in Peru,

and

- promote expansion of inhumane, polluting factory farms.

For more background on the Peru FTA, and info on John Edwards' challenge to Congress to vote NO, see these links:

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4%2FICC%2BVaq83cURLB%2BgBuaNQmsh9bFpRd

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=njZ4gMzd%2FZd3uvgaOMBridQmsh9bFpRd

Please feel free to send an reply email to frances@pdamerica.org to let them know how your call went .

And should you be in NYC and free tomorrow (Tues. Nov. 13) at noon Join Global Justice for Animals and the NYC People's Referendum on Free Trade at their protest

At Hillary Clinton's office
48th Street and 3rd Avenue

Nov. 16: The 3rd Iraq Moratorium Day

photo Tom Good / Next Left Notes

From: UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

On the 3rd Friday of every month, since September, people around the country have been taking antiwar action in their own communities, workplaces, schools and other locations as part of the Iraq Moratorium. United for Peace and Justice urges you to join the building momentum on Friday, November 16th.

The idea is to not only do something yourself, but to also use this as an opportunity to get other folks involved, especially people who oppose the war but have yet to take any public action. Throughout the country there is widespread, deep opposition to the ongoing war and occupation in Iraq. But many people have yet to find a way to make their voices heard. Now is the time to reach out to those folks and to offer them new opportunities to be part of this movement.

UFPJ also believes this is a critically important time for raising our concerns about a new war on Iran. Just as we must end the war in Iraq, we need to make sure there is not a new war against Iran! We hope when you take action on Nov. 16th you will connect Iraq and Iran. To help you with that, we have prepared a 1/2-page leaflet called "Want to Do More?" that you can easily copy and distribute.

Here are a few other ideas for what you can do on the 3rd Iraq Moratorium Day, on Friday, Nov. 16:

Wear an anti-war button, armband, or t-shirt -- something visible expressing your opposition to the war. Give other people buttons or armbands to wear on Nov. 16th also.

Put an anti-war sign in your house or apartment window, on your lawn, or in your car window.

Check to see if there is an activity planned in your city on that day. If there is, help get the word out and bring more people to it.

If you want to plan an activity, click here to get ideas from what people have done on previous Iraq Moratorium days. And once you plan an event, be sure to post it on the calendar.

Make a special effort to call into radio talk shows on Nov. 16th. Talk about why you oppose the war in Iraq, why you want to stop a new war in Iran, and why you want all of the troops to be brought home now.

Download and distribute our ­"Want to Do More?" flyer in your community, where you work, at the school you attend, or anyplace where people gather.


Peace,

Leslie Cagan
National Coordinator, UFPJ

UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit

Nov. 8 & 9: Protest martial law in Pakistan

Thursday, November 8, 1:00pm
A day of Resistance against Martial Law in Pakistan

United Nations
47th St & 1st Ave.

Hosted by Pakistan Khaber society,
Initiated by Pakistan USA Freedom Forum
Supported by International Action Center

ALSO
Friday Nov 9
Pakistani women going on hunger strike in front of Pakistan consulate in NY

ALSO
Friday, Nov. 9, 6:30 pm
FORUM MARTIAL LAW IN PAKISTAN & POPULAR RESISTANCE
open to the public
Solidarity Center
55 w 17th st, 5th Fl,
(bt. 5TH & 6TH Aves)

Dick and Bush on Pakistan

The vice-presidential Dick walks into the Oval office. The presidential Bush is watching Bill O'Reilly on TV.

Dick: Hey W, have you heard what Pervez has done in Pakistan?

Bush: Yep. But I'm not sure if we can stop him from overturning democracy.

Dick: Hell! I don't care about democracy. I want to know how we can pull off the same thing.

Bush: Hey, Dick, Great idea!

Call Rep. Nadler NOW

From the Human Rights Campaign (HRC):

ENDA VOTE TOMORROW
Call Representative Nadler Now!
(202) 225-5635

Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote for the first time ever on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, an important bill that would outlaw employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Call (202) 225-5635 and urge Representative Nadler to vote YES on H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

The path to this vote has been a long and arduous one. For over 30 years, the civil rights community has fought to secure a successful vote in Congress on legislation that would ensure that millions of gay and lesbian Americans would never have to go to work in fear of losing their jobs. And this year, there has been much debate about whether ENDA should include protections for transgender workers.

Throughout this entire struggle, the Human Rights Campaign has been guided by the principle of equality for all. We recognize that the version of ENDA poised to pass the House of Representatives tomorrow is not the fully-inclusive bill we all want. But we now also feel, given the current circumstances, that our best chance of passing a bill that protects all members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in the shortest possible period of time is to pass the bill before us.

The Family Research Council, Traditional Values Coalition and their allies would like nothing more than for our movement to fail and for ENDA to die in this Congress. To stand idly by and let that happen would constitute ceding ground. Defeat of a major civil rights bill on the House floor would set the movement back many years.

Please call (202) 225-5635 and urge Representative Nadler to vote in favor of H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Thank you.

Nov. 6: Chelsea Stands Up Against The War

From: Chelsea Stands Up Against The War.

Join with your friends and neighbors,
Tuesday, November 6th at 6pm
at the northwest corner of 8th Avenue and 24th Street
for Chelsea Stands Up Against The War.


Dear Chelsea Neighbor,

Demonstrations come and go. Various pieces of legislation are offered that do not meet the challenge of stopping the war, while legislation that might have real impact is ignored.

Our elected officials are more concerned with political capital than they are with ending the war.

It is still up to us to end this war.

We will also discuss future strategies and actions. Please consider joining us.

This week's newsletter includes a column by Carla Nordstrom.

Read it, and be with us if you can.

Peace,
Chuck Zlatkin
for CNU to End the War

Chelsea Neighbors United To End The War
P.O. Box 821
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116-0821
212-726-1385
http://www.chelseaneighborsunited.org

Nov. 6: Protest Vigil at Senator Schumer's Home

TUES NOV 6, 6:00 TO 7:00 PM

Protest Vigil at Senator Schumer's home:
9 Prospect Park West (corner of President St),
Park Slope
(See a map)

BROOKLYN SAYS NO!!
to Schumer's betrayal of democracy!
[see my earlier letter to Sen. Schumer]

Join Brooklyn For Peace to protest:

**Schumer's support of Michael Mukasey for Attorney General, in spite of Mukasey's refusal to state unequivocally that "waterboarding" is a form of torture and therefore illegal.

**Schumer's increasing support of military action against Iran and Bush's attempt to launch a new war.

**Schumer's continuing support of funding for the war against Iraq.

Contact friends, family, and colleagues to join in this protest vigil.

Call Schumer TODAY!
Tell him he must change his position and oppose confirmation of Mukasey. Congressional switchboard 800-828-0498; direct line 202-224-6542; local office 212-486-4430.
Click here to e-mail if you can't get through on the phone.

Senator Schumer, abandoning his own party and angering many of his constituents, has announced that he will support the nomination of Michael Mukasey for Attorney General, despite Mukasey's repeated refusal to state unequivocally that "waterboarding" is a form of torture and therefore illegal. Mukasey has also stated his belief that President Bush, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, has the right to ignore laws passed by Congress. This shows that Mukasey would continue the drift toward authoritarian rule which has become a hallmark of the Bush Administration.

Futhermore, Schumer, originally one of the strongest supporters of the war in Iraq, has been supportive of the increasingly bellicose plans of Bush and Cheney to foment a new and even more dangerous war against Iran.

He voted in favor of the Kyl-Lieberman bill which many experts believe Bush can use as justification to launch a new war against Iran. He has refused to join almost 30 other Democrats in supporting the Webb/Udall legislation (S. 759/H.R.3119) which warns the President that he has no authority from Congress to take military action against Iran.

Now is the time for Brooklynites to express anger at Schumer's increasingly pro-war and anti-democratic positions. The election of November 2006 demonstrated clearly that Americans want to end the war in Iraq and to reverse the disastrous course of the Bush Administration. Charles Schumer is ignoring the will of those voters and is serving, instead, the program of George Bush, which is to pursue the Iraq war, launch a new war against Iran, and undermine our democratic rights.

Questions:
Contact Brooklyn For Peace (formerly Brooklyn Parents for Peace)
718-624-5921
bfp@brooklynpeace.org
www.brooklynpeace.org

Impeach the Vice-pressidential Dick

Rep. Dennis Kucinich introduced H.Res. 333 in April to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney for his pre-war lies about Iraq and for threatening an invasion of Iran. And there are 21 co-sponsors.

House Speaker Nancy "impeachment is off the table" Pelosi blocked Judiciary Committee hearings on the bill, but Kucinich will force a floor vote on Tuesday using his right of personal privilege.

Kucinich's courageous act will put members of the House on record. Are they going to fulfill their oath of office to "defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic"? Or will they support a Vice President whose lies about Iraq cost the lives of nearly 4,000 Americans and possibly $2.4 trillion in our tax dollars - and whose lies about Iran threaten to start World War III?

Call your Representative (not Senators) and tell them to support Kucinich's resolution to impeach Dick Cheney, H.Res. 333:
800-828-0498, 800-862-5530, 800-833-6354

More actions to support Kucinich's impeachment resolution:
http://impeachcheney.org

Nov.13: Meet Vietnamese public health doctor/researcher Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong

Here's a note from Merle Ratner that I wanted to share with you:

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 7:30 -9:00 pm

A reception for Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong

The Brecht Forum,
451 West Street
(between Bank & Bethune Streets)


A leading Vietnamese public health doctor/researcher on the affects of Agent Orange from Vietnam is visiting the U.S. to attend the American Public Health Association and to meet with people in DC, N.Y. and Boston.

Come Meet Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong and hear about the affects of Agent Orange on the women and children of Vietnam. Dr. Phuong is the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Medical University of HCM City. She has also established a training program for rural midwives from ethnic minorities living in the Central Highlands who use their own languages to educate people about reproductive health issues.

Hope you can attend and invite your friends and colleagues.

See you on the 13th.

Merle Ratner

Sen. Schumer a vote to confirm Mukasey violates everything we stand for as a people and a nation

Dear Senator Schumer:

As one of your constituents and someone who has voted for you each time you have run for public office, I will never be able to do so again. No matter what kind of rationalization you come up with (and I've heard the "he's the best we can get from this administration" argument and it is unprincipled nonsense) you are for all intents and purposes enabling Bush and Cheney to continue to use a method developed by the Spanish inquisition to torture its enemies. This is quite simply unAmerican. It violates who we are as a nation and a people. It violates every fiber of the U.S. Constitution.

Mukasey has been asked a very simple question: is Waterboarding torture? And therefore illegal. If he cannot answer that question in the affirmative, he cannot possibly carry out the duties of the office to which you have said you will vote to confirm him. If, after the ugly Americans (even Graham Greene could not have imagined Bush and Cheney) leave office, we are to rehabilitate our reputation as a people who value human life in all its forms (friend or enemy) we cannot now turn this man (Mukasey) loose on the world. He has responded to this question in exactly the same slippery manner that his predecessor answered Congressional questions. He is giving you a preview of how he will behave as Attorney General. If that's what you are now willing to settle for, then I can no longer support you. And in your position as Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee I will not be able to vote for anyone you support.

The time has come to stand up as Americans and say to Bush and Cheney (and the leading Republican presidential candidates): You don't speak for us. You don't represent us. And we look to you to stand up and say, "enough is enough." As Sen. McCain said when he was still sane, "It's not about them, it's about us."

This from Bush's nemisis MoveOn.org:

"President Bush's nominee for Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, thinks the president should be able to wiretap Americans without a warrant and refuses to say whether water-boarding is torture. It's outrageous—but we can stop him. Can you call Sen. Schumer today and tell him that torture is unacceptable in America? Tell him to vote 'no' on Mukasey's nomination next week.

Senator Charles Schumer Phone: 202-224-6542 or in NYC 212-486-4430 or email him, here
Keep trying millions of us are calling. Moveon asks you to report what Sen. Schumer's staff tells you by clicking here


The following is part of an e-mail from PDA's Sharon Lynch:

Call Chuck Schumer who announced yesterday that he will vote in favor of confirming Michael Mukasey as Attorney General. The vote is scheduled for Tuesday. We have two days to tell him that his constituents expect him to vote not to confirm someone who refuses to acknowledge waterboarding as torture.

Schumer admitted this year what a terrible mistake he made in confirming Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. How can he make similar error with Michael Mukasey? You can reach Senator Schumer at:

Washington, DC direct: 202.224.5642/fax 202.228.3057
Washington toll free: 866.340.9281 — 866.338.1015 — 877.851.6437 — 800.828.0498 — 800.459.1887 — 800.614.2803 — 800.862.5530 — 800.833.6354
Manhattan: 212.486.4430/fax 202.486.7693

Bush attacks MoveOn.org and Code Pink

We must be winning the battle for hearts and minds. Here's what the Presidential Bush had to say to the Heritage Foundation Thursday.

When it comes to funding, some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the requests of our commanders on the ground and less time responding to MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters.

Keep up the good work. They're paying attention

Nov. 2: Jeremy Scahill on Real Time with Bill Maher

Tonight, November 2, at 11:00pm on HBO, Bill Maher will interview Jeremy Scahill, author of the national bestseller Blackwater (Nation Books) on the implications of the use of private contractors to fight alongside the U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. Check the website for Real Time with Bill Maher for more info.

This week, Maher also welcomes actor Martin Short, journalist Alison Stewart, and blogger Markos Moulitsas (Daily Kos). Plus, via satellite, fmr. CIA officer Valerie Plame and fmr. Ambassador Joe Wilson.

Click here to read Scahill's reporting on Blackwater for The Nation.

Check out Scahill's Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army for the back-story of the Bush Administration's Praetorian Guard for the war on terror.

Fair Trade NOT Free Trade--STOP Peru FTA

From Progressive Democrats of America

Fair Trade NOT Free Trade--STOP Peru FTA

This week Congress will likely vote to pass the Peru Free Trade Agreement. Many Democrats support this flawed legislation, which hurts workers and the environment in Peru and in the U.S.

As part of the National Call-In Week to Stop the Peru FTA, Oct. 29-Nov. 2 , please call your representative, today.

Use the provided script, or refer to it for talking points.

If you're ready to make your call, click on call now, then insert your zip code in the box and hit go.

A-Rod and Boras trump the Red Sox in the media

Baseball has always been a kids game played by over paid grown up men. But it is becoming more-and-more bizarre as the players become more-and-more greedy and the owners become less-and-less "baseball people."

The events in the Yankee playbook in recent days are quite remarkable.

First the Yankee hierarchy fired (offered obviously unacceptable terms to) Joe Torre. Why did they do this? Torre had brought the Yankees to the post-season every year he managed the team. The Yankees were the only team to repeat from last season's post-season participants. Torre is probably the only manager who could have righted the ship after the disastrous first half of the season.

So, a failed manager or failed ownership? Is there anyone outside the Yankee hierarchy who really believes that Joe Girardi is a better manager than Torre?

One of the main reasons for the Yankees failure was the continued failure of their superstar third baseman to perform in the post season. For some reason Alex Rodriguez seems to continue to be "Mr. April-Sept." rather than "Mr. October." Great players perform at their best, when the spotlight shines brightest.

Now A-Rod, despite dire Yankee warnings, is going to test his value on the free-agent market rather than re-sign with the Yankees. His agent Scott Boras told a reporter that "Alex's decision was one based on not knowing what his closer [Mariano Rivera], his catcher [Jorge Posada], and one of his statured pitchers [Andy Pettitte] was going to do," Boras said. "He really didn't want to make any decisions until he knew what they were doing." But, of course, that's exactly what he did. Make a decision - at least 10 days before he had to. At that point he also didn't know whom the manager would be. But, as Len Berman said on NBC News, it's really all about money. Clearly for people like A-Rod and Boras dollars trump loyalty.

I also believe that Boras has had discussions with several teams about A-Rod and there are quite likely a couple of owners (probably on the West Coast) who are dumb enough to pay A-Rod the exorbitant price Boras will demand.

The best irony would be if Red Sox third baseman and World Series MVP Mike Lowell, who also can become a free agent, signs with the Yankees and helps them to get back to the championship contest.

One more thought. The New York Daily News quotes several Yankee fans bemoaning the loss of A-Rod. I wonder if they are the same fans who went to the stadium and booed him.

It's out-the-door Pat, rather than good job Pat

A revolution has taken place in the Bush administration.

Instead of the usual pat-on-the-back ("good job Pat") Pat Philbin, the man who oversaw public affairs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency last week when the agency held a fake news conference about the California wildfires will no longer take over as head of public relations for Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, a job he was scheduled to move into yesterday. In fact it seems that instead of the usual Bush administration pat on the back when someone screws up Philbin has been fired (or possibly submitted his resignation).

The other possible explanation, of course, is that Philbin wasn't a Bush crony so he was expendable in an attempt to tamp down the effects of the bizarre press conference.

Although as we know phony reporters at press conferences is hardly out-of-character for the Bush administration. We all remember, a reporter named Jeff Gannon, who turned up at White House briefings and press conferences for more than two years, where he asked decidedly pro-Bush questions. It, of course, turned out that "Jeff Gannon" was really Jim Guckert, a reporter for a website called "Talon News," which was associated with the online group GOPUSA. com, owned by Texas Republicans.

Oct. 26: Film: Fidel: The Untold Story

Film Showing:
Fidel: The Untold Story
A documentary film by Estela Bravo

Friday, October 26th, 7pm

ANSWER Office
2295 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
(Near the corner of 135th St.)
(Take the 2/3 or B/C trains to 135th St.)

$7 at the door

Fidel Castro is one of the most influential and controversial figures of our time. Fidel: The untold story offers a unique view into the life of this Cuban leader. The film spans a period of 40 years, from Castro's early childhood and college days to his presidency of Cuba. It includes rare footage from state archives as well as interviews with Castro himself, historians, public figures and close friends. Harry Belafonte, Sydney Pollack, Alice Walker, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nelson Mandela, and others tell a previously untold story and present a new view of this powerful and compelling figure.

Volunteer with ANSWER! Call 212-694-8720 or
email nyc@answercoalition.org to get involved.

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
info@internationalanswer.org
National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389
New York City: 212-694-8720
Los Angeles: 323-464-1636
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
Chicago: 773-463-0311
Seattle: 206-568-1661

From CodePink: events this week

From CodePink: Events this week

Dear Dan,

Please join us at one or all of these upcoming events and visit our site for all the info!

Monday, Oct. 22, 8PM
Citizen Reno- Comedian & Rebel without a pause will be performing her BLUE STATE RANTS
At the BOWERY POETRY CLUB
308 Bowery (N of Houston)
(212) 614-0505

Also Monday, Oct. 22, 6pm
Peace Action Celebrates 50 Years
At the historic and elegant Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem

Tuesday, October 23rd, 10AM
Canada: We Come In Peace (and pink!)
On October 23rd, CODEPINK Women for Peace is calling for coordinated actions around the country to raise awareness about peace activists and non violent protesters recently being turned away from entering Canada. Check out our Canada page for more info and sign the petition today!

At the New York Canadian Consulate
1251 Avenue of the Americas
Contact Dana at 202.422.8624 dana[at]codepinkalert.org for more info

Thursday, October 25th, 5:30pm
Parent-Teacher Night- Counter-Recruitment Event
CODEPINK NYC, the Granny Peace Brigade and a coalition of other groups will be standing outside the schools handing out Opt-Out materials to parents between 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Location: Drop in to pick up materials and get a ten-minute mini-training on Tuesday, October 23rd between 4:30-7:00 p.m. at the United for Peace & Justice Office (630 9th Avenue, 2nd floor, suite 216 between 44th and 45th Streets).

To sign up to join a counter-recruiting team and be assigned a school in your general vicinity, please contact Barbara Harris at bharris21@nyc.rr.com. Each two or three-person team will be headed by someone with experience. The more people we have, the more schools we can cover!

Saturday, October 27th, 12noon
NEW YORK CITY RALLY & MARCH & PEACE FAIR
On Saturday, October 27th, United for Peace & Justice is organizing 11 regional anti-war street demonstrations in NYC Pink peace officers will be on hand and we will be carrying our DON'T BUY BUSH'S WAR message.
To sign up to join CODEPINK NYC click here!

CODEPINK will be meeting at noon on the northeast corner of 19th Street & Broadway. Look for the PINK! After, peace fair at Foley Square- look for our pink table! For more information contact Nancy at codepinknyc@gmail.com.
Thanks and see you in the streets!

CODEPINK NYC

MSNBC defines "values voters" as only those who share right-wing Christian values

Yesterday (Fri) I watched quite alot of news coverage on MSNBC and was disturbed by the fact that they constantly refer ed to the people attending the right-wing Christian conference in D.C. this weekend as "values voters." This seems to me to imply that they are the only voters who are making their decisions based on values.

If they had referred to them as right-wing Christian values voters that would have been much more accurate.

I have never selected a candidate to vote for except on the basis of my values.

It seems to me that "peace" is a value. It seems to me that believing that children should have adequate medical coverage (whether their parents can afford it or not) is a value. It seems to me that being in favor of women controlling their own bodies is a value.

The adoption of the right-wing Christian definition of what this weekend's conference is all about results in an inaccurate picture of the electorate and its motivations.

Saturday October 27th, 11:30 a. m. for a Chelsea Feeder March

From Chelsea Neighbors United:

Saturday October 27th, 11:30 a.m.
at the northwest corner of 8th Avenue and 23rd Street
for a Chelsea Feeder March to
the New York March and Rally to End The War in Iraq and to Bring the Troops Home


Join Chelsea Neighbors United to End the War and Chelsea For Peace for a Chelsea Feeder March Saturday October 27th at 11:30 a. m. at the northwest corner of 8th Avenue and 23rd Street for a Chelsea Feeder March to the New York March and Rally to End The War in Iraq and to Bring the Troops Home. The rally begins on Broadway north of Union Square and the march will begin at 1 p.m.

We have been invited to join the New York Metro Area Postal Union in the labor contingent at the beginning of the march. New York Metro has joined Chelsea Stands Up Against The War on a couple of occasions and would like us to march with them.

We will have our Stand Up banner and a limited number of posters, so please feel free to bring your own signs, banners, musical instruments etc.

If you would like further information please contact Chelsea Neighbors to End the War at 212-726-1385 or come to the northwest corner of 8th Avenue and 24th Street this Tuesday at 6pm for Chelsea Stands Up Against The War.



Chelsea Neighbors United To End The War
P.O. Box 821
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116-0821
212-726-1385
http://www.chelseaneighborsunited.org
join our listerv: ChelseaNeighborsUnited-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Sunday Oct. 21: Rebroadcast of Jeremy Scahill on Bill Moyer's Journal

Tonight's broadcast on PBS, of Bill Moyer's Journal which featured an interview with Nation Institute Fellow Jeremy Scahill, author of the national bestseller Blackwater (Nation Books) will be re-broadcast on Sunday, October 21 at 7PM (EST). Check the website for Bill Moyer's Journal for more info.

Moyers interviewed Scahill on the implications of the use of private contractors to fight alongside the U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. Scahill also discussed the media's response to the recent charm offensive by Erik Prince, the Founder and CEO of Blackwater, who has been accorded extremely generous TV coverage of late.

Click here to read Scahill's reporting on Blackwater for The Nation.

Check out Scahill's Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army for the back-story of the Bush Administration's Praetorian Guard for the war on terror.

Protest "Islamo-fascism Awareness Week"

During the week of October 22-26, 2007, right-wing and neo-conservative political forces led by the David Horowitz "Freedom" Center are calling for Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week events on campuses across the U.S. (for a list of campuses and speakers, see below).

If this event is coming to your campus or neighborhood - and even if it's not - speak out against this racist assault on Muslims, Arabs, Arab-Americans, South Asians and anyone viewed as sympathetic towards those communities.

While some people might dismiss the neo-conservatives as fringe elements who don't impact on U.S. policy, the truth is much more disturbing. They are part of an alliance of forces that work to maintain the war against Iraq, escalate the standoff with Iran into military conflict, and cement Israel's hold on the occupied Palestinian territories and violations of Palestinian human rights through a system of apartheid rule.

The stakes are simply too high to ignore, and we should respond to the so-called "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" - and to all such provocations - pro-actively, not defensively.

To find out what action you can take on your campus and in your community and to read about what others are doing, click here. To learn more about the forces driving this agenda, read "Understanding Why Islamophobia is on the Rise," the analysis by Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, and member of the U.S. Campaign's steering committee.

"Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" speakers and venues:

Berkeley -- Nonie Darwish, October 22
Brown -- Robert Spencer, October 24
Cal Poly -- Greg Davis, October 25
Cal State Fullerton -- Nonie Darwish
Clemson -- Mike Adams, October 25
Columbia -- Phyllis Chesler, Ibn Warraq, Christina Hoff Sommers
Columbia -- Sean Hannity, David Horowitz, October 26
DePaul -- Robert Spencer, October 25
Emory -- David Horowitz, October 24
George Mason -- Luanah Saghieh, Alan Nathan, October 22
Lawrence Univ. -- Jonathan Schanzer
Maryland -- Michael Ledeen
Michigan -- David Horowitz, October 23
Northeastern -- Daniel Pipes, October 24
Ohio State -- David Horowitz, October 25
Penn -- Rick Santorum, October 24
Penn State -- Rick Santorum, October 23
Rhode Island -- Robert Spencer, October 24
San Francisco State -- Melanie Morgan, October 24
Stanford -- Wafa Sultan
Temple -- Rick Santorum, October 24
Tulane -- Ann Coulter, October 22
UC Santa Barbara - Dennis Prager, October 25
UC Irvine -- Ann Coulter
UCLA -- Nonie Darwish, October 24
UCLA -- Frank Pastore, John Ziegler
USC -- Ann Coulter, October 25
Virginia -- Frank Gaffney
Washington -- Kirby Wilbur
Washington -- Michael Medved, October 25
Wisconsin -- David Horowitz, October 22

October 27: March and Rally in NYC to End the War/Bring the Troops Home

October 27th March and Rally to End the War, Bring the Troops Home in NYC

The Main rally begins at 12 noon and March is at 1pm, North of 17th Street and Broadway.

Chelsea Neighbors United to End the War has endorsed and will participate.

For updated information call CNU at 212-726-1385

Chelsea Neighbors United has been invited to march with New York Metro Area Postal Union which has joined us at the Tuesday Stand Up on a number of occasions.

As soon as all the logistics are worked out I will post the info.

Please respond via email if you are participating.

Next Stand Up
northwest corner of 8th Avenue and 24th Street
Tuesday from 6-7pm

Prevent telemarketing calls on your cell phone

Cell phone numbers went public Oct 10.

REMINDER: all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies tomorrow (Oct. 13) and you will start to receive sale calls.

YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.

It is the National DO NOT CALL list.
It will only take a minute of your time
It blocks your number for five (5) years.

Note: You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS.

It'll take about 20 seconds

You've got to be taught to hate and to fear

Time travel is a very strange phenomenon. How else to explain that in 2007 we are fighting over the use of words like "nigger," "bitch," "Queer," and "Nappy-headed hos?"

We must be caught in a 1950's time warp. It must be a time before the civil rights movement, the women's movement and Stonewall. I thought all of these questions were settled in the late 1960s and 70s. Who would have thought they would be back to haunt us in 2007?

Words are weapons because they do hurt people (despite the childhood shibboleth about "sticks and stones" and "bones") but clearly these words are also symptoms of a much deeper disease plaguing our society -- hatred and prejudice. And therein lies the problem with focusing only on the words and their speakers and not on the cultures that create and nurture them. I doubt that getting Don Imus off the airwaves changed what the talk radio audience finds funny. I also doubt that a Sharpton-led Knick boycott (unless Isiah Thomas apologizes for his videotape suggesting that it's more acceptable for a Black man to call a Black woman a "bitch" than for a white man to do so) will change the male athlete's (Black or white) culture.

The scariest aspect of all this is how easy it is for these weapons to hide under rocks in this society until it's again safe to come out (particularly after nearly thirty years of right-wing cultural domination).

We will never defang these weapons until we confront racism, sexism and homophobia at the earliest moments in a child's socialization, in the family and the school.

As Rogers and Hammerstein told us in song:

You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught from year to year,
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear—
You’ve got to be carefully taught
....

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late—
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate—
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
You’ve got to be carefully taught!

October 27th Mobilizations To End the War

Save the Date - October 27th Mobilizations To End the War.

October 27, 2007, Approximately 1:00pm
Union Square to Foley Square (Permit Pending)

October 27th is the date when many of us will be out in the streets all over the country, demanding that Congress take action to end the war in Iraq and Stop a new war with Iran.

You can join the effort to help plan, mobilize and publicize the national
mobilization!

For general info and volunteering with UFPJ:
Leslie Kielson
UFPJ/NYC
212-856-5545
lrk44@earthlink.net

Go to this link for full list of all 11 Regional Contacts Across the United States

Oct. 4: Emergency rally to protest Bush veto of children's health care bill

From MoveOn:

Thursday, Oct 4 2007, 6:00 PM

Columbus Circle; (west side) Time-Warner Bldg



President Bush just vetoed health care for children. In only his fourth veto ever, he blocked health care coverage for millions of uninsured—and mostly poor—kids. The Washington Post is calling this "the biggest domestic policy clash of his presidency."

Bush is totally out of step with public opinion—even 61% of Republicans support the children's health care bill. If 15 more Republicans in Congress can be won over to break with Bush the Democrats can override the veto.

We'll need every last person who can possibly come to help show that the public is upset about this veto. If you're reading this, please come!

Tomorrow, can you put the pressure on at our emergency "Rally for Our Children's Health Care" in New York?

If you have kids, definitely bring them, too!

In the coming days, Congress will try to override Bush's veto with a two-thirds majority—the Senate already passed the bill with a bipartisan, veto-proof majority and the House was close. We to pressure a few more Republicans to stand up to Bush—enough to pass the children's health bill.

If not enough Republicans buck Bush to overturn the veto, the Democrats have promised to keep sending the bill to Bush, each time increasing the pressure on vulnerable Republicans to support health care for our kids. health care—and it will set the stage for fights to come.

Desperate McCain says U.S. is a Christian nation

Just imagine (as difficult as it may be) that in Jan. 2009 John McCain is about to take the oath of office as President. Oh but wait, can one take an oath to uphold a document (the Constitution) that one's never read

Here are some comments he made to BeliefNet. If McCain really believes this nonsense, he will make a disasterous president. If he is just saying it and doesn't really believe it, he will be Bush redux.

BN:Has the candidates’ personal faith become too big an issue in the presidential race?
McCain: Questions about that are very legitimate.... And it's also appropriate for me at certain points in the conversation to say, look, that's sort of a private matter between me and my Creator.... But I think the number one issue people should make [in the] selection of the President of the United States is, 'Will this person carry on in the Judeo Christian principled tradition that has made this nation the greatest experiment in the history of mankind?'"

BN:It doesn't seem like a Muslim candidate would do very well, according to that standard.
McCain: I admire the Islam. There's a lot of good principles in it. I think one of the great tragedies of the 21st century is that these forces of evil have perverted what's basically an honorable religion. But, no, I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles.... personally, I prefer someone who I know who has a solid grounding in my faith. But that doesn't mean that I'm sure that someone who is Muslim would not make a good president. I don't say that we would rule out under any circumstances someone of a different faith. I just would--I just feel that that's an important part of our qualifications to lead.*

BN: People are raising similar concerns about Mitt Romney’s Mormonism, which some consider to be outside the Judeo-Christian tradition.
McCain:I believe that the Mormon religion is a religion that I don't share, but I respect. More importantly, I've known so many people of the Mormon faith who have been so magnificent. I think that Governor Romney's religion should not, absolutely not, be a disqualifying factor when people consider his candidacy for President of the United States, absolutely not.

BN: A recent poll found that 55 percent of Americans believe the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. What do you think?
McCain: I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation. But I say that in the broadest sense. The lady that holds her lamp beside the golden door doesn't say, “I only welcome Christians.” We welcome the poor, the tired, the huddled masses. But when they come here they know that they are in a nation founded on Christian principles.

Here's Article VI, Section III of the Constitution:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

I think we have had enough of a President who has never read the Constitution ands even when he is told about it doesn't care.

Hillary reverts from neo-peacenick to long-time hawk

American presidential politics gets more and more bizarre with every day (or every congressional vote).

I expect that six years after the Bush/Cheney invasion of Iran, Sen. Hillary Clinton will explain that "if I knew then what I know now I would not have voted to encourage the presidential Bush and vice-presidential Dick to invade Iran." It's hard to believe that she and the other 29 Democrats including the leadership - Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, California’s Dianne Feinstein and Michigan’s Carl Levin - called on Bush on Sept. 26 to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as “specially designated global terrorists” have learned nothing about this administration. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. Give them a resolution and they will use it as a Congressional declaration of war. With their total disrespect for the Constitution, they will probably act precipitously anyway, but at least make them do it without Congressional approval (or at least with just the support of their Republican enablers).

As Robert Parry argues:

...Hillary Clinton, who also voted to grant Bush the authority to go to war with Iraq in 2002 and staunchly supported the war for the next three years before reinventing herself as an Iraq War critic, now has reverted to her old hawkish self, jumping out ahead of Bush in urging a more hostile policy toward Iran.

I can't help but wonder if when this 2008 election charade is over whether Sept. 26, 2007 will be remembered as the date on which the latest Democratic snatch of defeat from the jaws of victory began.

Sen. Clinton, words are cheap when they are constantly contradicted by actions.

Oh, and Sen. Obama, you gotta be there to vote nay. Not voting against the bill is not much better than voting for it.

Sept. 27: Michael Moore on Oprah

Michael Moore on Oprah Today

Thursday, September 27th

Michael Moore will be appearing again on Oprah today. Oprah has received thousands of letters from viewers since Moore's appearance in June -- viewers who wanted to share their own health care horror stories. So she invited a number of them to come on today's show, which will feature not only Moore but the head of the health insurance lobby in D.C.

The theme of the show is, "It Can Happen to You." And, unfortunately, it can. Joining Oprah and Moore on the show will be Steve Skvara, the steelworker who famously popped the health care question at the Democratic presidential debate in August, and Civia Katz, a Pennsylvania woman who saw 'SiCKO' and decided to send her health care story to MichaelMoore.com.

Senate moves toward legitimating Iran invasion

It seems that the primary goal of the vice-presidential Dick and his neo-con groupies before this administration leaves office is to invade Iran

The Senate yesterday took a major step in that direction. Sen Jim webb of Virginia said the following before that vote was taken:

"We are about to vote on something that may fundamentally change the way that the United States views the Iranian military, and we haven’t had one hearing. This is not the way to make foreign policy. It’s not the way to declare war, although this cleverly worded sense of the Congress could be interpreted that way.

"Those who regret their vote five years ago to authorize military action in Iraq should think hard before supporting this approach, because in my view, it has the same potential to do harm where many are seeking to do good. The constant turmoil that these sorts of proposals and actions are bringing to the region is counterproductive. They are regrettable substitute for a failure of diplomacy by this Administration.

"I do not believe that any serious student of foreign policy could support this amendment as it now exists.

"This proposal is Dick Cheney’s fondest pipe dream. It’s not a prescription for success. At best, it’s a deliberate attempt to divert attention from a failed diplomatic policy. At worst, it could be read as a back door method of gaining congressional validation for action with one hearing or without serious debate."

The following are the votes on this bill. I have highlighted the Democrats who voted for it (including Sen. Clinton and note that neither Sen. McCain nor Sen. Obama even showed up to vote)

YEAs ---76
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lott (R-MS)
Martinez (R-FL)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)

NAYs ---22
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Feingold (D-WI)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 2
McCain (R-AZ)
Obama (D-IL)