Home | About Us | Donate | Signup | Archives | Search
Monday 12.14.09
Headlines...
Climate Talks Suspended After Mass Walkout
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/14-0
Lieberman Tells Reid To His Face: I'll Vote Against Current Health Care Bill
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/14
Did the Yes Men Punk Canada in Copenhagen?
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/14-4
Monsanto Stomps Down Budding Seed Competitors
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/14-5
Supreme Court Rejects Guantanamo Torture Case
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/14-6
Pakistan Rebuffs US on Taliban Crackdown
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/14-11
and more...
****************************************************
Video...
Vandana Shiva Speaks at Climate Summit Protest
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2009/12/14-0
Norman Solomon on Afghan Escalation and Healthcare Fiasco
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2009/12/14-1
****************************************************
Views...
Paul Krugman | Disaster and Denial
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/14-1
Glenn Greenwald | War and Public Opinion
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/14-0
Chris Hedges | Gravel's Lament: Fighting Another Dumb War
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/14
Madeleine Bunting | Protesters in Seattle Warned Us What Was Coming, but We Didn't Listen
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/14-3
Joan Chittister | Copenhagen: The Beginning of the End, and, If So, Whose?
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/14-7
Danny Schechter | As War Bleeds Central Africa, Obama Denounces Rape But Washington Has Yet to Do Much About It
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/14-5
and more...
****************************************************
Newswire...
Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR): Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Suit Seeking Accountability for Guantanamo Torture
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/12/14-18
Center for Biological Diversity: Suit to Challenge Protection Delay for 144 Species
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/12/14-13
CREW and Obama Administration Settle Lawsuit Over Missing Bush White House Emails
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/12/14-11
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC): New Report Demonstrates Food Industry Self-Regulation Has Failed; Junk Food Still Extensively Marketed to Children
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/12/14-7
and more...
www.commondreams.org
CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization, founded in 1997.
We are a nonprofit, progressive, independent and nonpartisan organization.
Home | About Us | Donate | Signup | Archives | Search
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
Please let us know if you would like to stop receiving e-mails from us.
Monday, December 14, 2009
CommonDreams.org News & Views 12-14-09
BoldProgressives.org Alert from Adam Green
Here ya go......
Joe Lieberman announced yesterday he'll help Republicans kill any real health care reform.
Can you join 145,000 others in telling Democratic leaders to punish Joe Lieberman now?
Laura Lynne,
Sen. Joe Lieberman announced Sunday that he will join Republicans in blocking a vote on any real health care reform bill -- including any public option and even the fake "compromise" floated last week.
The Washington Post's Ezra Klein writes, "At this point, Lieberman is just torturing liberals. That is to say, he's willing to directly cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in order to settle an old electoral score."
Enough is enough. Can you join 145,000 others in telling Democratic leaders to punish Joe Lieberman by taking his committee chairmanship? Click here.
Lieberman was asked if he'd accept losing his powerful committee chairmanship as a consequence of blocking reform, and he answered, "Oh, God no." Our message to Sen. Harry Reid and other Democratic leaders says:
"Any Democratic senators -- including Joe Lieberman -- who support a Republican attempt to block a vote on health care reform should be stripped of their leadership titles. Americans deserve a clean up-or-down vote on health care reform that includes a public option."
Sign the petition here - we'll deliver it to Senate Democrats.
Today, we are releasing a new poll with Howard Dean's Democracy for America that shows wide support for our petition:
Democratic voters think Senate Democrats should take away Lieberman's chairmanship by 81% to 10%. Independents also support it by 13 points.
Democratic voters want Senate Democrats to use "reconciliation" by 73% to 13%. This requires just 51 votes to pass reform instead of 60, bypassing Lieberman.
Voters favor Howard Dean's "We Can Do Both" proposal (a public option PLUS a Medicare buy-in for ages 55-64) by 57% to 32%. Among Independents, it's 56% to 28% (2 to 1).
84% of Democratic voters want progressive primary challengers to congressional Democrats who oppose a public option.
This poll is being reported by many news outlets. Now, we need to back it up with grassroots action.
Can you join 145,000 others in telling Democratic leaders to punish Joe Lieberman? Click here.
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
--Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, Aaron Swartz, Michael Snook, Natasha Patel, and the PCCC team
--
You can unsubscribe from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee mailing list at anytime.
Paid for by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee PAC (www.boldprogressives.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions to the PCCC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
REQUEST from Our Friend Jane Hamscher at FireDogLake
Here ya go.....
Thanks so much for signing our petition asking the Susan G. Komen foundation to remove Hadassah Lieberman as a "global ambassador" for the organization.
Forward the email below to your friends and family and ask them to do the same.
Thanks!
--Jane Hamsher
Firedoglake.com
P.S. - If you're on Twitter, tweet this, too:
I just signed a petition telling @komenforthecure to fire Hadassah Lieberman. Click here to sign: http://bit.ly/933aOm #hcr
---
Hi,
Are you aware that the wife of Joe Lieberman - the man who once campaigned to eliminate the filibuster but is now threatening to use it against a public option - is a compensated "Global Ambassador" for Susan G. Komen for the cure?
As the world's biggest breast cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the cure has thrown considerable weight behind ensuring that any reform bill that comes out of Congress serves to improve the lives of their dependents. So why is Susan G. Komen for the cure using donations to pay the salary of Hadassah Lieberman, wife of Joe Lieberman, who pledged to kill any bill including a public option?
Will you sign our letter to Susan G. Komen for the cure, asking for Mrs. Lieberman to step down as a compensated "Global Ambassador?"
http://action.firedoglake.com/hadassah
Sign our letter to Susan G. Komen for the cure today:
"Mrs. Lieberman's relationship with Susan G. Komen for the cure is unethical and misleading. Important and often very personal donations made to Susan G. Komen for the cure to benefit the sick and dying are essentially undermining their intended use. And as Hadassah travels the globe under the banner of Susan G. Komen for the cure, decrying the inadequecies of our health care system and the desperate need to reform it, her husband is at home to kill the reform efforts we so desperately need.
I call for Susan G. Komen for the cure to ask Hadassah Lieberman to step down as a "Global Ambassador" for the organization in light of the inherent conflict of interest her continued presence brings."
Join us in calling on Susan G. Komen for the cure to remove Mrs. Lieberman as a compensated "Global Ambassador."
MoveOn.org Email Action
It's time for progressives to stop negotiating with themselves. Can you call Sens. Boxer and Feinstein right now and tell them to do whatever it takes to pass real health care reform with the public option that the majority of Americans want?
Senator Barbara Boxer
Phone: 202-224-3553
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Phone: 202-224-3841
Report your call
Dear MoveOn member,
Last week a handful of senators announced a deal on health care. Here's the catch: Almost no one knows what's in the deal yet-the only thing we do know is that it kills the heart of reform, the public option.
Rumors are flying about what exactly is in the deal, but lots of folks have latched on to the idea that the deal might allow some people over the age of 55 to buy into Medicare. The problem is, nobody knows if the Medicare premiums will be affordable and the program could be limited to very few people, so it's dangerous to assume it's great news.
Moreover, allowing a few folks to buy into Medicare won't accomplish the main goal of the public option: to provide competition to keep insurance companies honest and lower costs.1
The worst part? Democrats gave away the public option to appease conservatives. But Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson are already threatening to block this watered down deal.2
It's time for progressives to stop bargaining with themselves. We need Senate Democrats to fight for the majority of voters who want a public option-and not let a few out-of-touch conservatives gut real reform. Can you call Sens. Boxer and Feinstein right now and tell them to do everything in their power to pass a bill with a public option and not to let a few senators hold health care reform hostage?
Senator Barbara Boxer
Phone: 202-224-3553
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Phone: 202-224-3841
Then, please report your call by clicking here:
http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSCA_2.FSCA_1&cp_id=1206&id=18268-17446569-F.oGjUx&t=3 To be clear, some of the ideas that were floated could be good ones-but in addition to a strong public option, not as a replacement for it. Expanding Medicare could give lots of people an affordable choice for quality care-if it's done right. But that's a big if, and it's a big mistake to embrace a compromise without knowing the details.
Even if all the rumored reforms turn out to be as good as possible (which is pretty unlikely), allowing some folks over 55 to buy in won't provide the competition that a public option will to keep insurance companies honest. And folks under 55-who will be required to buy insurance after reform passes-will still be left with no choice other than the big private insurers.
As long as there are no real consequences for conservatives' obstructionism, they'll keep demanding more and more concessions. It's time for Democrats in the Senate and the White House to be more aggressive by stripping Sen. Lieberman of his committee chairmanship, forcing the conservative senators to publicly stand with the Republicans so voters know whose side they're on, or even pushing health care reform through the reconciliation process, where they'd only need 50 votes.
Sens. Boxer and Feinstein need to know that voters in California will have their back if they keep fighting for the public option. Can you call them right now and tell them to reject the "compromise" and do whatever it takes to pass the bill with the public option?
Senator Barbara Boxer
Phone: 202-224-3553
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Phone: 202-224-3841
Then, please report your call by clicking here:
http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSCA_2.FSCA_1&cp_id=1206&id=18268-17446569-F.oGjUx&t=4 Thanks for all you do.
-Nita, Marika, Ilya, Kat, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Public Plan Perversion," The New Republic, December 12, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85776&id=18268-17446569-F.oGjUx&t=5
2. "Health Care Reform In Peril; Lieberman Threatens Filibuster Over Medicare Buy In," Talking Points Memo, December 13, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85777&id=18268-17446569-F.oGjUx&t=6
Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members-no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Laura Lynne Prater on December 14, 2009. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
MoveOn.Org CALL your SENATORS ALERT!!
Please take a moment of your time (and patience) to make 2 phone calls and send a single email...Thanks and Happier Holidays ahead!
LLPrater
Here Ya go..............
Mobilization Email Update ALERT!!
Dear Laura Lynne,
On Human Rights Day 2009, we made the demand for the right to health care loud and clear at Senator's offices across the country. In New York City, 9 people were arrested at Sen. Schumer's office declaring that Medicare for some is not good enough - we need Medicare for All. Rallies, vigils, and demonstrations happened in 20 places asking Senators to get behind the right to health and support Medicare for All.
Across the country, physicians, nurses, and patients are standing up for their right to health, by sitting down. Read Dr. Laura Boylan's statement on why she risked arrest here -http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org/2009/12/11/dr-laura-boylan-demanding-medicare-for-all-arrested-at-schumer-protest/
In Washington DC, the Mobilization for Health Care for All delivered letters to Senate offices. The letters were attached to the backs of large cutouts of bodies, much like the chalk outlines seen at a murder scene. The number of adults who die each year in that Senator's state was printed on the front of the body with the words that there would be this number of fewer deaths if we had a Medicare for All health system.
Some of the Senate staffers reacted strongly to the appearance of the bodies, which was the intention. It is imperative that members of Congress and their staff understand the magnitude of suffering and death that would be prevented if they took steps to pass Medicare for all.
Senator Reid's Deputy Chief of Staff, David McCallum, met with the delegation that brought the body to his office. The group implored Mr. McCallum to, at the very least, give the majority of Americans who support Medicare for all the right to have S.A. 2837 debated on the floor of the Senate. We still have yet to see if this demand will be met. You can continue to voice your support for this debate by calling and writing your Senators today. Use Healthcare-NOW!'s click to call system here (http://tools.advomatic.com/35/hc-n/).
Serendipitously, the Mobilization for Healthcare for All was contacted by the daughter of Senator Phil Hart, for whom the building is named, on the day before the rally. She stated that International Human Rights Day was also her father's birthday and that he would have supported single payer, as she does.
The movement for single payer continues to grow and become more visible daily. It is unacceptable that at least 120 people die each day in the United States from lack of access to health care. This magnitude of suffering and death does not occur in any other industrialized nation.
We must continue to build the movement strong enough to demand that the profit-making insurance companies get out of our the system so that we can have the debate we need on Medicare for All. The evidence is clear that a single-payer national health care system is most humane, cost-effective way to provide quality, equitable health care to everyone in this country. Nothing less will do.
There are coalitions and organizations working on single-payer across the country. As we move into the holidays, and follow the unveiling of a health care bill that contains unfair mandates, unjust subsidies to the private insurance companies, and a unsustainable solution to the health care crisis, we must keep working for what we know is right. Join the work that is building and pushing forward across the country.
The Mobilization will continue to support actions where you can help happen. Please contact us at info@mobilizeforhealthcare.org if you want to plan an action supporting Medicare for All - info@mobilizeforhealthcare.org or call 1-800-453-1305.
Together in the struggle,
The Mobilization Team
Click here to unsubscribe
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Stockton Record 12/13/09 Feature of Xmas Display
LLPrater
